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iwritenarrativesandstuff · 1 year

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Jouno's "Death" and Characterization

Actually I'm adding onto my thoughts about Jouno's death scene because it really is brutal, even compared to the earlier "deaths" of the arc.

[ID: A screenshot from the Bungou Stray Dogs manga. A vampirized Akutagawa bites into Jouno's shoulder. Blood spatters on Jouno's face, scrunched up in pain. End ID.]

I binge-read the manga very quickly on my first read, and so I think there was a lot that I kind of overlooked, especially when it came to Jouno and his characterization. I found the guy interesting, but I wasn't as invested in his character as I was with some of the others.

But even then, his death shocked me with how... cruel it was. And going back and really paying close attention to his character, it hurts a lot more.

[ID: A set of three images from the Bungou Stray Dogs manga. In the first, a speech bubble says "You have what it takes to join the Decay of Angels." Jouno's face is carefully neutral and he says nothing for a panel. In the next, face still neutral, he says "What are you saying?" In the second, a panel of Jouno, bound and smiling in prisoner's garb, is overlayed by Fukuchi saying "Jouno, you were originally an executive in a criminal organization. Seeing the good prospects in your ability and that sense of hearing, I recruited you six years ago, for the sake of this day." Jouno lifts an eyebrow with a small frown on his face and exhales a small puff of air. In the third, Jouno, smiling, says "Yes. From the start, I've known no pleasure but that of tormenting others. Besides, you even said it, that you initially recruited me for the sake of this day." His smile looks a little tight. End ID.]

Looking at Jouno's face here... I'd honestly say he's a bit hurt by this turn of events. He has a very similar background to Dazai. This is the equivalent of Dazai being told that he was only hired by the Agency because they actually wanted him to take up the mantle of the Demon Prodigy again, but this time for their benefit. Because that's his true nature, right?

Jouno was only recruited... because he was never believed in. He was Fukuchi's little criminal pet project, one that didn't go as he intended at all - and Jouno dies for it, only shortly after he starts to get accustomed to the idea of himself as a good guy (even if he's still... morally ambiguous, to be diplomatic about it lol).

But yeah, let's take a second and look at Jouno's particular brand of cruelty - that sadistic streak where he wants to hear the suffering of others... and how easily this was overshadowed by one old woman's quiet gratitude. Fukuchi remembers the beginning of this scene... but he's left unaware of the aftermath of it and how Jouno changed (fitting, for the man forever caught up in the war; who still lives like he's on the battlefield). Jouno is largely self-preservative - it seems likely that, given his criminal background, you stayed alive by asserting your power over others, and Jouno does this by striking fear into others and deriving pleasure in that reaction - but it pales in comparison to appreciation, which Jouno states makes the sounds of fear like silence. The old lady is such a small thing really, but it apparently left a huge impact on him.

I think it's quite a decision made to characterize a guy who is hyper-sensitive to sensory input as being strongly affected by the kind of reactions he gets from others. Jouno compensates with fear and intimidation, but he actually wants to be appreciated. Whether Jouno genuinely cares about justice as an ideal is up for debate still, I believe, but we can be positive he likes being liked far more than he likes being feared. So, while Jouno thought he was appreciated for his pursuit of justice under Fukuchi, and had come to the realization that he prefers helping over harming - his role with the Hunting Dogs was always a cage. Jouno was likely essentially drafted - he joins or he is probably sentenced to capital punishment. Obviously, he takes the offer - as Jouno does not want to die (again, remember he's self-preservative!). Now he's stuck as a Hunting Dog due to the intense monthly surgeries to maintain their bodies, but he's made a pretty sweet life for himself - Jouno is powerful, respected, feared, and he basically gets to act however he wants so long as he is ostensibly pursuing justice (a corrupt cop, really)... only for him to realize he actually does want to help more than hurt, and to then have it be revealed that he was never expected to change for the better from the very beginning.

He was drafted due to this expectation Fukuchi had for him, and when he did not live up to this expectation... his exits are blocked, he's set on fire to stop him escaping, then stabbed from all directions, like one would trap and corner a threat that needs to be contained, or a wild animal. There's... some pretty significant dehumanization to that.

It gets worse though, because Fukuchi is right about Jouno being different from the other Hunting Dogs, but he's off the mark on what's different about him exactly. The difference is largely in that even though Jouno took precautions in case he couldn't make it out (having Aya follow him), he is not devoted (or solely devoted) to that ideal of justice that drives the rest of the Hunting Dogs, nor was he at all intending to sacrifice himself or accepting of that fate.

[ID: A panel from the Bungou Stay Dogs manga. Jouno wears a concerned expression, a sweat drop on his cheek. His hair flies up a little as he moves across a background of dark lines for dramatic emphasis. The sound effect is a shudder. End ID.]

"Be strong... there's nothing to worry about/Don't panic, it's all fine" <-The words of a man who is very much trying not to panic (also Yuki Kaji did a great job in this scene - chefs kiss. The voice acting in the anime is so so good). Jouno's mental narration grows increasingly more desperate in his attempts to escape, even as he outwardly continues that show of pride and bravado, concluding with his "wish" to hear Fukuchi's later suffering - which is what he does to avoid letting others see vulnerability in him.

All the other people who died to Fukuchi had some kind of acceptance around it - Akutagawa sacrificed himself to allow Atsushi to escape and was accepting of that; Tachihara had no intention of a sacrifice play but was prepared to die rather than be turned by Bram, and found his resolve through a mix of the Mafia's and Teruko's influence. Jouno was not ready to die at any point in this fight, nor was that ever his intent.

About Jouno's dynamic with Tecchou: I find it really interesting that the closing and opening lines of the chapter where Jouno slashes at Fukuchi and "betrays" him are things like "at heart there is one intent" and "if there is evil, cleave it" - while they're really just the external hooks for the audience, not any character's thoughts or anything, I do find it intriguing that this sounds a lot more like Tecchou's philosophy than anything we'd seen of Jouno up to this point. In this way, I think Tecchou (and Teruko as well!) has had far more of an influence on Jouno than even he cares to admit.

And I think it's really good that Tecchou appears to be there for Jouno - he's got conviction in his capacity for justice as strong as a samurai and the ability to call him out and believe in him like that of a best friend. While Jouno's death is brutal, it actually validates Tecchou's belief in him - but this is not something anyone else really seems to see in Jouno, perhaps even Jouno himself until that moment. It recontextualizes their interactions: Jouno is the challenger. Tecchou just seems to kind of humour him, really. He doesn't treat Jouno like a threat or an obstacle. He's completely unafraid of him, either simply not reacting to his goads and threats, or calling him out on his bs when he takes his cruelty too far. It's like Tecchou's socializing a feral cat sometimes hjfhdbjvh

But remember that Jouno's grandstanding and desire to instill fear is likely self-preservative. Jouno sees Tecchou unafraid of him and goes "why is it not working??? He must think he's stronger or better than me, or else, he's just really stupid. I need to prove myself stronger than him so he doesn't think he can gain the upper hand on me." And meanwhile, Tecchou is just like "ok buddy let's go get some lunch. I like spending time with Jouno even though he's apparently mad at me for something idk what." Because Tecchou's lack of fear isn't actually because he's cocky or an idiot, or because he doubts Jouno's skill or strength - far from it. He knows full well how dangerous Jouno is. He just thinks "Jouno wouldn't do that". And it's that simple to him. I honestly believe Jouno hasn't quite figured that part out yet, and that he's reading his dynamic with Tecchou entirely wrong on his end. It's the epitome of that rival dynamic where one takes it super seriously and the other is just like "cool man anyways wanna hang out". Anyways I really hope their reunion is given some attention, when it happens.

You might've noticed I said "when it happens" and also that I put death in quotes at the top there - I actually have a question for all of you since I just thought of this on my re-read. Jouno was stabbed multiple times but since he's a Hunting Dog with advanced healing and enhancements I sincerely doubt that actually killed him. Then he was bitten... but the vampires seem to turn really quickly, and we see Jouno's thoughts for a while afterwards. Jouno didn't actually die in that scene, as it's stated he's "near death", and he's captured and taken somewhere by Akutagawa. It's highly likely he was just turned into a vampire, as he was bitten (perhaps his enhancements make the vampire ability take longer to get a hold), but I'm kind of wondering now if he wasn't "taken with them" for some other purpose and Fukuchi has him captured or comatose or something. Well, whatever happens... I hope he comes back to the manga at some point soon (though probably at this arc's conclusion if I'm being honest).

#storyrambles #bsd #bsd meta #bsd jouno #argh my 4 am thoughts plagued me and compelled me to write this :/#anyways jouno's cool :)#i appreciate him a lot more on my re-reads and during my season 5 watch #call me ace detective the way i am ace. and also a detective.#bsd spoilers

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coconox · 4 months

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whb QoLs that i would like to see

boredom post lol, just dumping my thoughts into the void of what id like to see be added in whb but probably will never happen 🫠

1. separation of character and artifact banners

pretty self-explanatory. w the roster being huge and it only increasing from here there needs to be a distinction btwn characters and artifacts. im sure many ppl atp have gotten tired of the false hope they get when they get the gold glow from one of the kings at the beginning only to find out that its just one of his sig 💀💀

1.1 for patches w 2 l-rank debuts, have the selector work even before you hit pity

i get having the selector for if you reach hard pity, but its a bit greedy for it to apply only when you wasted so many seals (esp when f2ps dont get as much seals as they should). i would like the chance of knowing im guaranteed that char from the beginning even when i get the char early

1.2 if there exists an artifact banner, let there be a selector for which one you want to pull for

same logic as prev points. the rosters getting huge and ideally id like to have smth guaranteed for when i do my pulls

2. update characters' skill descriptions to be more specific

theres too many "[dmg/healing] is proportional to [some stat]." i want to see what that actual proportion is, like "dmg is proportional to x% of stat" where x is some number. or in skill menus theres "increase passive effect" like just tell me what youre specifically increasing in the passive !!!! i shouldnt need to actually lvl the passive to figure out whats changing, it should be stated from the get-go

3. have someone at the very least proofread the text

now i've seen my fair share of typos in games, hell, i literally play one where they couldnt even spell their own game name properly during the earlier yrs of its release lol *cough pgr cough*, but for the most part theyve resolved that issue and simple typos are easily spotted and fixed, but ive never seen there be this many typos or language switches mid-sentence. literally just 1 thorough proofread couldve easily solved most of these grammatical issues.

4. better optimization

im sorry but this is getting to like hoyo lvls of optimization w the fact that whb, which just hit half anni a month ago, is getting close to the amnt of storage an almost 3 yr old game has is wild to me (completely disregarding the fact that pgr has 3d models, l2d cgs, etc). imo, the amnt of storage whb holds should be around or even lower than what neural cloud has (which mind you, also has 3d models and l2d art 😭😭)

incoming very weird comparison but vanilla minecraft, a game that gets regularly updated, both on pc and pe take less than 1 gb

literally improving the optimization would make the game more accessible i.e. get more players to play since it wont take up a lot of storage !!! as someone who used to have 64gb or less on my phone, i could barely play any games on it bc nowadays they unnecessarily take up so much storage

5. add more daily/weekly tasks

keep the 9 daily requirements and 32 weekly requirements the same, just give more tasks for each so that we arent strictly set on doing specific ones. id like to see more stuff like "battle any stage x amnt of times" (emphasis on any, not a specific stage) or "interact w the lobby character at least once," just really anything that doesnt involve investing in a character or artifact. i feel like im wasting resources from lvling chars i dont wanna lvl, + we dont get enough tears per week to properly invest in so many characters at once.

giving more breathing room to hit the 9 and 32 achievements would put less stress on me cause then i'll know that if i cant complete one task, i can just do another and still be able to get all the rewards obtained for the week. im sure a fair share of ppl atp have missed out on getting all the weekly rewards bc they accidentally missed 1 daily task which is painful

5.1. get rid of the lvling artifacts weekly requirement and lvling characters requirement

briefly mentioned it prev but wanted to make its own section. its useless, especially when i ald have the artifacts that i need lvled up. its a dumb requirement that makes me waste mats and pulls just so i could lvl some artifacts properly.

6. get rid of the rng boxes and make them selectors

5.2 increase the daily/weekly rewards

dailies (w pancake shop): 9 tears, 7 key boxes (rng)

weeklies: 4 tears, 5 red keys, 2 yellow keys, 50 seals

i dont think i need to explain much here thats like scraping the bottom of a barrel for important mats/gacha currency

they suck. i do not want resources to be gacha too

7. make all shops cheaper

self-explanatory. everything is too expensive (esp in red gems shop) and therefore is borderline inaccessible unless if you hoard mats or 💳

7.1 add the ability to convert red gems to seals

red gems have very little use now ever since seals were introduced. id like them to have some important use if we keep getting a certain amnt of them every week. we can covert them to red/yellow keys, so by that logic we should also be able to convert them to seals too

8. get rid of uncommon/useless currencies

pretzels, artifact enhancement stones, and blue guilty gems are the 3 that come to mind. ik pretzels were originally supposed to be from the friends system, but that was removed a bit after launch and still hasnt showed up despite pb promising itd be launched around this time. aside from that the other 2 serve little to no use, as artifact stones dont lvl up the artifact all that much and blue gems died when seals became a thing

9. auto-clear for story stages

i mean that after getting a perfect clear on a stage, then have auto-clear be an option. since candy boxes are farmable through story, i end up falling asleep or getting bored of having to sit through fighting the same stage like 20+ times a day. this is honestly one of the more nit picky ones in this list lol, i just play the stages in the bg while i do other stuff but ideally id like to get stuff done asap

10. make lvling characters cheaper

we only get 13 tears a week from dailies + weeklies + pancake shop. assuming you start from scratch and want to get to char lvl70, it takes 3 weeks to get there without the help from other shops. thats almost a month for 1 character, it shouldnt take that long to invest in someone (it also shouldnt be that expensive 💀)

if we're getting such low numbers of essential materials per week, decrease the character lvl prices to reflect that. or alternatively, increase the number of mats we get per week to easily lvl characters

10.1 increase the character lvl cap to 100

40 tears for one level is not worth it, having the cap be 100 would make it feel like its worth it (not really tbh, its still real expensive when lvl70 provides more than enough to clear all content 💀)

10.2 add a resource stage for pies

getting pies only through shop (rng boxes btw) and events isnt enough to compensate for how much skill lvls cost. either decrease the skill lvl prices or increase the pie income to balance it out

11. have the ability to backread txt msgs before choosing a reply

self-explanatory. the game doesnt allow you to backread before choosing a reply which sucks :/

as someone who usually cant process txt after reading it once i kinda just sit at the replies like :/ girl i forgor what he just said and i cant go back and read so i'll just leave and re-enter the chatroom again ig

12. have the game automatically lock l-rank artifacts as soon as you get them

ik theres a lock feature, but you need to lock all artifacts manually. id rather the game lock l-rank artifacts for me once i get them so that i dont accidentally recycle them when cleaning out my inventory and then i manually unlock them later if i want to

13. give seals, keys, or just any sort of general gacha currency as compensation rewards

receiving only ap feels like a slap to the face, and seals/any other currency would only be given out if there was smth that was severely (and i mean very severely) hindering everyones gameplay. the ap given isnt even that much either which is like rubbing salt in the wound

14. decrease ap requirement in stages

considering stages can go up to 32ap as a req (given this is only seen in events, the usual hovers around 25 but my point still stands), you cant really do all that much if the cap hovers around 250 (give or take, i havent seen anyone w 300ap yet so 250 im considering is the avg rn for endgame players). w each stage at highest difficulty being 25-30+ap, we essentially only play like 10 stages max before needing to wait.

1 solution ppl would have in mind is to just buy the 300ap from red gems shop or buy more ap from selecting the ap counter directly to get more for the day, but i want smth thats more accessible. i shouldnt need to pay w some currency to get literally the bare necessity of being able to play this game.

i think keeping all stages at 15ap is perfect, hell, even 20 would also work since w 250ap you can get more than 10 runs in one session

15. make the battles less reliant on needing certain l-ranks

this is just smth ive noticed when testing out stages w other chars or just playing realm of seraphim lol, but theres a huge imbalance w l-ranks vs s and a+-ranks. theres also a huge imbalance when it comes to the classes too (i'll get to that in a bit)

take beel's camp for example, there is no one in beels camp that can essentially mimic or closely mimic what beel does kit-wise (dmg ik will be different cause lower ranking and all). imo, the go-to non-l-rank alternative for beel isnt even from his camp, its from belphegors !!!! (if you didnt catch on im talking abt andrealphus lol)

or take mammon for example, no one in his camp (as of making this post) deals dmg on ult, they only either shield themselves or take the hit for ppl on the team, which tends to do more harm than good.

element-wise, take juno for example. juno being an l-rank fire unit significantly changed how fire team worked, i.e., you can actually use that team to clear most story content now (minus water enemies lol). that should probably put into perspective of 1. how l-ranks are a bit too important in this game and 2. how unbalanced light as an element is compared to every other element

15.1 give us more tanks and healers

i need yall to see how crazy our current roster is

(dont mind the title of the table lol its from the spreadsheet, also for reference if ppl see this in the future this is pre-lucifer (victory))

why do we have so many close-rangers??? so many marksman????

we have such little supports (tanks + healers) that it makes me fully convinced the gameplay pb wants to achieve is full on dps and not yk a well-balanced team w dps AND support. dont get me wrong if players want to full on dps that is totally fine by me, the issue im having is that the devs appear to want a full on dps team, completely ignoring the idea of how to properly balance a game where they also introduce supports. of course there are marksman/close-rangers that can support i.e. buff the team (juno, dantalian, ronové, phenix, the list of examples goes on), but im specifically talking abt the classes in general. for the most part, marksman and close-rangers are usually dps while tanks and healers are usually support.

if youre gonna introduce supports in this game, 1. have more than just 1 tank unit for each non-light element, 2. make the healing be higher than 1% of a char's hp, 3. have an equal amnt of tanks and healers as close-rangers and marksman.

the fact that if you dont have mammon as your designated tank or lucifer as your designated healer, youre essentially screwed over is wild to me. their camps' s/a+-ranks should be able to hold just as well without their kings. satans camp is the perfect example of that. chars like minhyeok (who is quite literally mini satan kit-wise lmao), gabriel, leraye, nostalgia leraye, hell even ppyong (the a+-rank ver, not juno lol) are all perfect alternatives for if you dont have satan and that is amazing. we currently dont have that for supports and i genuinely hope thatll change in the future

—

this game is very, VERY far from being at least somewhat balanced in my eyes. i really do wish for the best w this game but man as someone who loves to dissect gameplay down to the numbers, seeing all this gets real frustrating for me from time to time.

anyw thats all for now– this was a bit of a rant more than anything lol

#fbj rambles #whb

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razette-moved · 2 months

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We finished season 3 of Bungo Stray Dogs. We are basking in the Wan! episodes before the agony of the next seasons. Cant even find relief in the manga; the manga readers are coping hard in the tags! youre all so brave!

Thoughts so far;

Dazai is a mood. Theres so much wrong with that man. hes suffering. his smile is a knife. All ive seen is the anime and Im kinda desperate for more, so Im gonna have to invest in all the light novels immediately.

Atsushi being told to run away from Akutagawa immediately on sight, and then meeting him 20 minutes later is hilarious imo. he did not run on sight. do you think they tell all newbies that? If it were me I wouldnt have even recognized him. Id forget his name and his face immediately. Dazai wouldve stepped in and Idve been, oh i thought hed be taller.

Atsushi and Akutagawa passing therapy tips and tricks back and forth is great. Theyve been fighting the whole time nonstop. theyve only fought like 3 ish times total so far. theyre already so over each other. theyre fed up. get this guy outta here!

Why do they ask for kunikidas advice and then not take it? its not really a critique, i actually find it funny. its a coin flip. he's right or hes a stick in the mud. Man is coping hard. he cares so much. he cares too much.

I like to pretend the tanizaki siblings arent blood related. not real sure that fixes anything but im coping.

i dont really think i should go read the classics just because im watching an anime, right. Theyre worth reading on their own; im just lazy. but i kiiiinda feel like doing so would give me better understanding of this story? I can tell im missing a whole dimension by not doing so. is that wrong?

I think im gonna have to cave and call Chuuya my favourite character. Every scene hes in is great. there should be way more of them.

Im the kind of person who loves like 95% of all ships. youd be a little hard pressed to find a ship i dont care for. Im usually only neutral at worst. unfortunately skk is has consumed my soul.

calico cat man is trans. or intersexed. cant change my mind.

The americans are hilarious. southern belle. evil preacher. money man. work a holic ability. but theyre not treated as just a joke. theyre all great characters.

when life gives you lemons use them to make bombs.

lemon balm pun?

there are not enough kajji gifs.

I wonder what Jun'ichiros training looks like. He is way too good as a potential assassin to not be receiving any. I wish we could see more of him and kenji

I told my partner about kouyou x yosano. they said theyd sell their soul for it. then they squinted at me and asked if it was a crackship that never meets in canon. I said I have no idea.

Actually the ranpoe ship is SO CUTE. What do you MEAN he keeps trying to write better and better mysteries to impress beat Ranpo? And Ranpo is delighted every time. Ranpo defeats each one and then slips a complement between singing his own praises. do you think Poe lives for it? i do.

tbf Edgar Allen Poe the irl author is actually one of my favourite authors. someday when I have money im gonna start collecting.

Fyodor creeps me out. I know he is supposed to because he is a villain, but i always feel bad about it. I want to like him as a villain more than I do. i think villains should me more appreciated. a well written villain is like nice butter to steak.

I think those are my loudest thoughts so far. Im waiting to hear good or bad news from the manga readers before I start reading the manga. I am much weaker and cant handle the pressure.

anyone want to talk about their favourite parts?

#bungou stray dogs #bsd extras #I was really high when i wrote this

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olddirtybadfic · 5 months

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You Got Played: Bandit Keith Howard Must Die Inside (Part Five of Five)

In which I turn a Yu-Gi-Oh fic into a cheesy teen movie (that most teens wouldn't even be allowed into without a fake ID).

Part one is here. Part two is here. Part three is here. Part four is here.

This fic contains: Teen!me laboring under the delusion that Bandit Keith is the same age as Yugi and company; song lyrics inserted into the prose; mpreg (bonus “even pregnancy of the male variety does not work that way” content); Bandit Keith being a prick; all the characters are kind of idiots; author’s notes to give track listings; cheating; terrible OC; terrible OC slut-shames Kaiba; Noah Kaiba somehow being alive and bizarrely invested in his brother’s romantic life; Yami/Atem is corporeal for some reason; artistic liberties taken with medical technology

-O-o-O-o-O-

Meanwhile, Kyra had her own plan.

Kyra didn’t care that Keith had sex with Kaiba; hell, she had cheated a few times, too. But for Kaiba to just steal Keith from her like that—that was completely unacceptable by her standards. She wasn’t going to let any trenchcoat-wearing, Blue Eyes White Dragon-loving freak steal her man.

So that afternoon, when she spotted Kaiba walking down the street, little brother in tow, she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into an area surrounded by bushes and trees. Mokuba saw her grab Kaiba and followed them.

“What the hell?!” Kaiba exclaimed. As Kyra stopped dragging him, he tripped and ended up on the ground. Kyra looked down at him as if she was an arrogant princess and he was a lowly peasant.

‘No matter what you do, He’ll never wanna be with you. He’s into what he’s got (and that’s me), He loves me, He loves you not.’ (author's note: He Loves You Not - Dream)

Kaiba got up, brushed his clothes off, and glared at Kyra.

Kyra had heard Kaiba’s outburst about Keith cheating. She didn’t appreciate Kaiba’s attempt to get his man back.

“What is your problem?!” Kaiba shouted.

“I don’t appreciate you moving in on my man,” Kyra said, evilly, yet seductively.

“What?! He cheated on me with you!” Kaiba retorted.

Kyra shook her head. “Kaiba, you’re so wrong, you’re right. Don’t you realize that Keith never thought of you as a boyfriend? He looks at you as a whore.”

“Don’t call me a prostitute.” Kaiba’s voice got low and threatening, which would be pretty freaking scary if he snuck up on you in a dark alley. “I don’t go sleeping around with everyone and I didn’t get paid for what I did.”

“Well, I’m not gonna let a whore like you steal my boyfriend just because your damn condom popped!” Kyra shouted.

“Well, maybe you should because I had him first!” Kaiba retorted.

“That’s a heaping pile of bullshit! I had him first! I’ve had him for a whole month!” Kyra shouted.

Kaiba’s eyes went wide. Kyra sensed weakness and went in for the kill.

“So, how long have you been dating Keith, Kaiba?” Kyra asked.

Kaiba said nothing.

“Come on, Kaiba, tell me how long you two dated!” Kyra pressed, still smiling evilly.

“That is none of your business, Kyra,” Kaiba growled.

“Why don’t I go ask Keith myself? I’m sure he’ll be happy to tell me how long you two dated. Or should I ask Noah? And he’ll surely want to hear what you did with Keith after he tells me, won’t he?” Kyra taunted.

Kaiba turned red. “Do not test me, Kyra.”

“Then tell me how long you and Keith dated, damn it!”

“We dated for two weeks. Then he started to ignore me.”

“I knew it! I knew he couldn’t have been with you for that long! He only stayed with you long enough to get in your pants, which, since you’re such a whore, obviously wasn’t long!” Kyra laughed evilly.

“Hold up!” Mokuba walked into the clearing. “I don’t know much about this whole situation, but it seems like you two are getting mad at each other for no reason. I mean, you didn’t know that Seto was dating Keith. And Seto didn’t know that you were dating Keith. It seems to me that the real bad guy here is Bandit Keith. He played both of you like Nintendo 64.”

Kaiba and Kyra looked at each other, in silence, for a moment. Finally Kaiba spoke. “What do you propose we do about it, Mokuba?”

“I propose that you play him back.”

-O-o-O-

A few minutes later, Keith was walking through the park when he saw the most repulsive thing ever (in his opinion).

Kaiba and Kyra were French-kissing on a bench.

“What the fuck is this?!” Keith shouted when he saw them.

Kaiba and Kyra looked up at Keith, then turned back to each other and continued kissing.

“Don’t you turn away from me!” Keith pulled Kyra off of Kaiba. “What the fuck are you doing with my girlfriend, Kaiba?!”

“We’re kissing. Couldn’t you tell?” Kaiba deadpanned.

“Kaiba, there are a million other girls in Domino. Why’d you have to choose my girlfriend?!”

“He chose me because we’re both tired of getting played by you,” Kyra answered.

“What?!” Keith tried to play dumb.

“Don’t act like you don’t know, Bandit Keith. You made both of us believe that we were the only one you were dating. You just wanted to get in both of our pants and feel like you were some kind of sex king for it,” Kaiba said.

“But why are you complaining, Kaiba? You know you liked it,” Keith said, trying to grab Kaiba’s butt again. Kaiba not only pulled away violently, but kicked Keith off of himself. Keith grabbed Kaiba and, before Kaiba could do anything about it, he began to kiss Kaiba on the lips. Kaiba pulled away and spat on the ground.

“You taste like shit!” Kaiba shouted.

Keith only laughed at this. “I love it when you’re nasty, Kaiba. You’re so sexy when you’re mad.”

“Then I must be really sexy now, because you’re really pissing me off!” Mokuba had to hold Kaiba back before Kaiba could cause any bodily harm to Keith.

Then Kyra turned to Keith. “Y’know, you’re a real pig. First, you cheated on me. Then, you tricked Kaiba into sleeping with you and you treat him like a cheap whore. Then you plan to dump him when he’s having your kid. Pardon my French, but you’re an asswipe!” Kyra shouted.

“Well, you shouldn’t be complaining either. You’re a whole lot hotter than Kaiba, so I’ll always come back to you,” Keith said smugly.

“Not this time, Keith! You know that little thing between you and me that’s called a relationship? Yeah, about that: it’s over!” Kyra shouted.

Keith’s jaw dropped at least two inches. Kaiba walked over to him.

“Bandit Keith, if you play with fire, you just might get burned,” Kaiba said.

-O-o-O-

After Keith had walked off, stupefied by what Kaiba and Kyra did, Mokuba, Kaiba, and Kyra shared a victory high-five.

“That was so great! You two really put Keith in his place!” Mokuba cheered.

“We sure did,” Kaiba said.

“Kaiba, I’m sorry I called you a whore. I didn’t mean it, you’re really not a bad guy,” Kyra said.

“It’s okay,” Kaiba said. “And I’m sorry I almost stole your boyfriend.”

“It’s okay, you didn’t know he was dating me.”

As Kyra turned to leave, she said, “And you’re not a bad kisser either.”

Kaiba blushed. “Thanks.”

Later that day, Kaiba was walking down the street, alone. He was happy that he had put Keith in his place, but he was sad that Keith wouldn’t ever want to be with him. A part of him hated Keith and wanted him to drop off the face of the earth, yet another part of him wanted Keith to come back and take responsibility for his actions.

“What am I supposed to do with his child? I can’t raise it all by myself,” Kaiba thought. “And why would Keith want to do what he did? Why would he just take my virginity, then dump me like that? How could I be so stupid?!”

‘How you gonna up and leave me now? How you gonna act like that? How you gonna change it up? We just finished making up. How you gonna act like that?’

Kaiba reached his home. He went up to his room and lay down.

‘How you gonna act like we don’t be making love? You know we be tearing it up, breaking stuff, and getting rough. How you gonna trip, How can you forget? How you gonna act like that?’ (author's note: How You Gonna Act Like That - Tyrese)

Mokuba went into Kaiba’s room. He found Kaiba lying on the bed, staring into space.

“I can’t believe Noah was right, Mokuba. I acted like such a pompous idiot. He kept trying to warn me and I wouldn’t listen,” Kaiba whispered.

“Seto, you’re not an idiot. You were just being protective of your boyfriend because you loved him. It’s not your fault that Keith was a low-down cheater. You deserve someone better than him, anyway, so forget about him,” Mokuba said.

“But how can I forget about him?! I’m having his kid!” Kaiba growled.

“Don’t worry, Seto, we’ll figure something out. Everything will be okay,” Mokuba said, hugging Kaiba.

Noah heard their conversation and entered the room. “Are you okay in here?”

“Noah, you were right. I should’ve listened to you when you said that Keith was cheating on me. I’m a jerk,” Kaiba said.

“No, you’re not a jerk. I didn’t want to be right. I just didn’t want you to get hurt. I only wanted you to be happy,” Noah said.

Kaiba’s exhaled heavily. “Thanks,” he said, starting to smile again.

“But you say you’re having Keith’s child. How can you break up with him?” Mokuba asked.

Noah took a second to recover from this shocking news, then he responded, “He can’t, Mokuba. I’m going to go to Bandit Keith and force him to take responsibility for what he did.”

“You can’t do that, Noah. He’ll only end up cheating again,” Kaiba said.

Then, Mokuba thought of something that changed everything. “What if it’s not Keith’s?” he mused to himself.

He didn’t realize that Noah had heard him. “What did you say?”

Mokuba realized that he had said it out loud. “Uh, nothing?”

“It’s okay, Mokuba, he’d find out sooner or later, and I’d rather it be sooner than later,” Kaiba said. “I did it with Yugi, too.”

Noah stared at Kaiba in shock. “Did it ever occur to you that it could be Yugi’s child?”

“No, it didn’t. Because I started getting the symptoms after I did it with Keith. It couldn’t be Yugi’s kid,” Kaiba stated.

“Well, just to be sure, I’m taking you to the doctor to find out,” Noah said.

Due to amazing advances in technology (and the fact that this is just a fictional story), a machine had been invented so an expectant mother could tell who the father of the child was. All they would need was a sample of Yugi’s DNA.

They had their sample; it was a few strands of Yugi’s hair, taken from Kaiba’s trenchcoat. They knew it was Yugi’s hair because it was tri-colored and they made sure it was Yugi’s and not Yami’s.

“I’m telling you, it’s not Yugi’s child. You’re wasting your time, Noah,” Kaiba said, as they went to the doctor.

“I just want to be sure, Seto,” Noah said.

After the test, the doctor showed them the results. “Seto Kaiba, I have determined that the father of your baby is Yugi.”

“I knew it,” Noah thought.

“I can’t believe it,” Kaiba thought.

That night, Kaiba reflected on the events of the day, as he lay in bed. He had put his cheating boyfriend in his place, successfully broken the news about his situation to Noah, and found out who the true father of his child was.

“But will Yugi even look at me after I ran off yesterday? I bet he’s already moved on. He thinks that it’s Keith’s child. He probably thinks I’m a freak. That Blue Eyes underwear was a little weird,” Kaiba thought.

As Kaiba drifted off to sleep, he thought, “Where do I go from here?”

-O-o-O-

The next evening, Yugi decided to go to the park to listen to music. It was a nice, quiet day. The setting sun painted the sky brilliant shades of red and violet. Yugi listened to his portable tape player, admiring the nature while running through the park.

Kaiba, who had decided to stop moping around the house and go outside, was walking through the park, too. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn’t even notice the sunset that much.

It was getting dark. Yugi was wearing black as he walked toward Kaiba. Kaiba didn’t see Yugi and Yugi wasn’t really watching where he was going. The two ran smack into each other, knocking them both over.

“Oh, crap! I’m so sorry, Kaiba!” Yugi exclaimed, running over to help Kaiba up.

“Yugi, we’ve gotta stop meeting like this,” Kaiba said, smiling as he got up.

“I keep knocking you off your feet,” Yugi commented.

“In more ways than one,” Kaiba thought silently. He said out loud, “Yugi, I have to tell you something.”

Yugi looked up with interest. “So do I.”

“I love you, Yugi,” Kaiba said quickly.

Yugi stared at Kaiba. “That’s certainly different.”

“If you don’t love me back, I’ll understand,” Kaiba said, turning away.

“No, I do. That’s what I wanted to tell you. I love you, too,” Yugi said.

“Really?” Kaiba asked.

“Really,” Yugi answered.

Yugi and Kaiba hugged.

“Yugi, I have something else to tell you. I’m pregnant with your child,” Kaiba said.

“But, I thought it was Keith’s child,” Yugi said.

“No. I was wrong. It’s yours,” Kaiba said.

“Then, maybe we can get married,” Yugi said.

They sat down on a bench.

“Do you wanna listen to music?” Yugi asked.

“Sure,” Kaiba answered.

Yugi took out the tape player, put a tape in, pressed play.

As they listened to the music, Yugi remembered something that had happened in PE class. “Remember in PE when we had to learn the tango?”

Kaiba chuckled. “It was disastrous. The teacher paired us up and I was too tall to dance with you properly.”

“And I kept stepping on your feet,” Yugi added.

They listened to the music for a while. Suddenly, a song came on that got their attention.

‘Watch the band, Through a bunch of dancers. Quickly, Follow the unknown.’

“Our song is playing,” Yugi joked. “Let’s dance.”

“You think our dancing will be any better?” Kaiba asked.

“Well, I’ve gotten taller and I’ll try not to step on your feet,” Yugi said. “Let’s try the tango.”

“You don’t wanna do such a dance with me. I can’t,” Kaiba said.

“You’ll be fine,” Yugi said.

They began to dance. Kaiba was surprisingly good at it.

“You’re really good at this,” Yugi said.

Kaiba smiled. “Thanks, Yugi.”

They continued to dance in the final twilight of the setting sun.

‘Courage, my word, didn’t come it doesn’t matter. Courage, couldn’t come at a worse time.’ (author's note: Courage - Sarah Polley (I heard it in an episode of Charmed))

-O-o-O-o-O-

Moral of the story: If you're going to two-time a guy, make sure he's not better at card games than you.

#yugioh fanfiction #ygo dm #mpreg #seto kaiba x yugi muto #rivalshipping #seto kaiba #mokuba kaiba #yugi muto #bandit keith #kaiba brothers #noah kaiba #eliteshipping #seto kaiba x bandit keith #old fic #songfic

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sinkableruby · 1 year

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What are your thoughts on each Monogatari season?

ok this will end up long... (like really fucking long holy shit lol) im gonna go from first - monster season (which is the light novels), so only read up to where youve seen. mostly only vague discussion of spoilers but still. ill put the individual parts of each season too for reference, in the order i watched and try to go over them briefly since i feel like you cant talk about the whole of the seasons without touching on the parts

first (kizu, bake, nise, neko black) - the kizu movies are so good!!!!!! i like them more and more as time goes on theyre like a fine wine. captures the vibe of a sort of proto-monogatari monogatari very well. it might just b because i watched it in this order but this is honestly my recommended order to watch the series. idk maybe you lose something from not seeing how mysterious shinobu is in bake and then getting the big reveal. bake - nice and airtight. very cool and classic vibes here, very nostalgic. cool introductions to all these cool fun characters while also giving them arcs that are resolved except nadekos but yeah. and of course this one has the very unique art direction thats super cool nise - just had a post about this so go look at that if you want my thoughts. drops a big theme that keeps getting developed which is the kinda important thing u gotta be doing during a season called the "first season" lol neko black - ehhh i think this is one of the worst ones of the anime entries. its not bad. i like the op a lot overall extremely nostalgic and very high quality, especially with kizu and nise in my mind. a bit of a bump with neko black but a very strong start in general. the first season offers much room for the themes and characters to grow but also stands well on its own. so it does its job well. (also note im not gonna be talkin about like the ost too much here just bc. i love all of it so much. its exclusively good.)

second season (neko white, kabuki, otori, oni, koi, hana) - season full of bangers lets go! neko white is the wonderful resolution to the buildup of hanekawa's character we'd been getting since the first season. very good kabuki is interesting... but definitely not the strongest entry here otorimonogatari is what originally hooked me once and for all on the series, for reasons ive explained before so i wont get into that too much here. but god do i love it to death. whew its good oni could hit much harder than it does but it doesnt. rip. still not what id call bad but eh koi is fuckin awesome. kaiki and nadeko... i'd talk more at length about certain parts i like but im writing this backwards from the later seasons to the earlier ones and i talked way too much about the later ones so im trying to conserve space here. i might talk about it more later or if someone asks me abt it hana i have talked about a bit before too but i love hana hanas great. so then all in all it's like 4 bangers. a great development of the characters we know and love and one that is so well written and just done in the best ways... i loved where this season took everyone. i think the non chronological stuff can be a hit or miss for ppl but i honestly really like it, especially on rewatches. when you think about it the order never feels pointless. even tho hana is chronologically after all the other anime arcs its still not at all something i would say you should watch after zoku lmao. the season does well as a continuation and development but not a conclusion to the series, and thus spendidly fits the role of "second" season.

final season (tsuki, owari part 1, koyomi, owari ge, zoku) - there are ups and downs to this season, but the ups far, FAR outweigh the downs. owari part one... its really good. i think shinobu mail (thats what its called right?) is like kind of slow at first, and i definitely wasnt SUPER invested in it on my first watch, but i think on a rewatch after you get past the first like episode or two it really starts to pick up and shine. that is not why i like it though ougi formula to sodachi lost is incredibly fucking good all the way through, some of the strongest entries in the series by far. i might do like a ranking of each part sometimes and those are definitely going in s tier when i do (even nisioisin said his favorite anime part was ougi formula in an interview although that might just be because he loves mysteries lol). hooooghhh those three arcs,, sodachis story is revealed and developed very wonderfully and impactfully and you kinda love her right from her return to the school where she screams at araragi. and of course, of COURSE ougi is the absolute goat in these arcs, revealing the mystery in the engaging and entertaining way she tends to while also being an incredible point of intrigue herself in her whole enigmatic shtick. and of course, if you know you know, but that doesnt make it any less enjoyable on rewatches ougi is just that entertaining of a character. not to mention her showdown with hanekawa... its so entertaining to see these two battle so passive aggressively or just plain aggressively. and the way it ends up is not surprising but it IS hilarious. and then the convo with sodachi in her apartment... heartwrenching, incredible. all of its very very good. probably some of the most fun ive had watching anime, these three arcs grab you and youre just along for the ride the whole time. i'd love to talk about it more in depth some other time probably FUCK that was just owari part one too koyomi we can go through quickly though. its just like a sorta reminder of where each character started and ended up, as well as giving a few details to set up owari ge. nothing special or bad. i love the ED tho oh fuck are you gonna make me scream about owari ge... this post is already way too long fuck... uhh basically mayoi hell + hitagi rendevous are great in and of themselves and are also wonderful buildups to ougi dark and the conclusion of the series. its so fun how it sneaks up on you that yes, ougi is the main antagonist (at least from second season - final). ougi dark................. ougi dark..... ougi dark. yeah ill save this for a different post. um, one billion out of ten? i literally think about it every day thats not a joke so i dont think i can talk about it here without running out of space (do posts have word limits?? whatever its too long already anyway) overall a very tight and absolutely wonderful conclusion to the series. in my mind this is like the "actual ending" and the light novels and other stuff that comes after is like bonus epilogue stuff (not that its not canon its just that ougi dark is too solid of an ending. its TOO good do you understand)

and now time for the light novels

off season - i think in general this season is pretty strong. i was pretty invested in how it was really taking the time to give characters other than araragi the focus, at least until musubi. but even in musubi its sort of like a "where are they now?" so we get lots of details about all the characters. although i think in musubi its a little hard to read bc we also get all these new characters that we dont necessarily care about (esp since its very much like a one-off thing), but i dont mind it that much because thats not what i like it for... the cool part is seeing the characters we love and where theyve ended up and where theyre going. like the part in (i think) mitome wolf? where hanekawa and araragi have drifted super far apart... wonderfully bittersweet. and i have a separate post about this but seeing ougi free and unable to be bothered in their new life? chefs kiss wonderful love it. so i think even though musubi breaks the format of taking a break from araragi, its still good enough to not bring down off season really. and on that note i honestly wish monster season would be more like off season. i dont really want to see stinky araragi's pov anymore! i think he should take way more of a backseat and instead make more guest appearances in other people's stories, like he did at the end of hanamonogatari. not that i dont like him (its a hate love relationship) but i think honestly hes really interesting in hana where we see kanbaru's view of him instead of his view of everyone else as usual. i love so much how the monogatari series Feels Different in different people's perspectives so i want to switch it up more!! of course he is the main character so i dont think this will happen but like. i'd much rather get kanbaru's misadventures with ougi than araragi's college misadventures. and of course i cant talk about off season without talking about nademonogatari. nademonogatari is SO FUCKING GOOD holy shit... i think i speak for a lot of people when i say nadeko is by far the strongest narrator in the series due to her arc's progression and her character development-- and even before it too, cuz otorimonogatari's narration was also really unique and engaging. it helps that she's my second fav but i think nademonogatari is generally well liked? and for very good reason. which is also why...

monster season - haven't finished these season still have to read ougi fright/flight and the next installment but yeah i feel a lil disappointed in this season because again... too much araragi. get this dirty stinky man outta my face. again i love and hate the guy but cmon let's be real... his peak was in owari ge and zoku and at the end of hana. i really dont feel the need to see more of him. of course the stories themselves are interesting and i like nisioisin's writing but i just find the stuff thats not narrated by him such a breath of fresh air... i really want to see more nadeko and kanbaru narration. i hope nisioisin, if he keeps on trucking through the series, will start putting more real focus on these two. or even like. just anyone else. give us ononoki again give us sodachi again. i want to see the other characters journeys!!!! we keep getting small little nadeko chapters like with mayoi snake and yotsugi shadow and like... those were awesome i loved those! more of that but longer please nisioisin!!! i feel like raising up kanbaru or nadeko more to the status of "mains" would be honestly really refreshing and a much better, less like.... stagnating? direction to take the series in ummmmm also nisioisin isnt writing about ougi enough ://// like... hellooo? ougi pov chapter when?? itd be the most fun thing ever nisioisin???? hello??????? hes so insistent on not writing them i swear he wants to relegate them to a side character spooky appearance every once in a while and thats cool but like im starving here dude cmon... even in the book named after them they dont get a pov chapter and only appear as a side character.... wtf........................... like thats so fucked up.................................................. especially since the parts where they acc were there were rly good :( but basically araragi stinky i want to cleanse my nose palette please PLEASE nisioisin throw him in the trash for a long while longer im begging you it'd be so much more interesting if you just let him become a side character his days in the sun should be OVER

#monogatari series #monogatari #long post

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silvormoon · 2 years

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💕 how about for your favorite fandom? c:

Do I have a favorite fandom? I have a lot of fandoms and they are all my favorite, so I'm just going to ramble about Tiger & Bunny for a bit because they're new here and I haven't had a lot of chances to talk about them yet.

Kotetsu T. "Wild Tiger" Kaubragi / Barnaby "Bunny" Brooks Jr. - I mean, they're the ones the show is named after, right? If you're not invested in their relationship there's really no reason to watch the show. On the surface they're the classic Red Oni/Blue Oni combo: Kotetsu is the reckless, fun-loving, personable guy who trusts in his gut because he sure can't rely on his brain, the lovable loser who keeps trying even though nothing ever seems to go right for him, and Barnaby is the calm, controlled, rational-thinking problem solver who seems to have it all together. Then you get to know them and realize that Barnaby is just a bundle of emotions and doubts held together by sheer determination who needs an emtional support like Kotetsu every bit as much as Kotetsu needs somebody to help him channel his reckless energy into a useful direction. They bring out the best in each other. They've both been marked by tragedy and loss and they've risen above it with each other's help. They are partners, best friends, they bicker like an old married couple, and they would absolutely lay down their lives for each other if it was ever necessary. Favroite moment: When Kotetsu is talking about how the first time Barnaby called him by his real name, he was so happy he stayed up all night celebrating.

Nathan "Fire Emblem" Seymour / Keith "Sky High" Goodman - Not something I thought I'd end up shipping but the idea has really grown on me. They do have a good balance! Keith is superficially very "socially acceptable" - blue eyed, blond, handsome, likes pizza and dogs. If he didn't live in the city he would definitely live in a suburb with a two-car garage and a picket fence. He's known as the "king of heroes", and yet off camera he's a shy, self-effacing person who can't figure out how to communicate to save his life (hence his habit of repeating everything twice out of fear that he won't get his point across) and who constantly worries about being good enough. So of course he gets partnered with this flamboyantly effeminate gay man who, we know from the movie, has suffered a lot of discrimination and rejection in the past, and has taken all that and decided the best way to deal with it is to be himself AS LOUD AS POSSIBLE and if the rest of the world doesn't like it, they can just suck it up and deal with it. And the two of them click! Nathan has the social skills, so he can help guide Keith through the choppy waters of interpersonal communication, and Keith gives Nathan all the unconditional devotion of the Golden Retriever he so resembles. In their own words, they feel safe with each other, and I think that's something they both need. Favorite moment: Nathan telling Keith that if everything goes south and they have to give up the hero business for good, Keith can come work for him as his secretary, and Keith being immediately on board with the idea.

Ryan "Golden Ryan" Goldsmith / Karina "Blue Rose" Lyle - I gotta say, thank goodness someone on the writing staff realized Karina needed a love interest closer to her own age, because no matter how wonderful a guy Kotetsu is, she is a teenager and he's in his late thirties and that was never going to work. So it's a good thing Ryan is here. Actually I really have learned to love Ryan - he's become one of my favorite characters. When you first meet him, he seems like a real jerk - possibly even a villain - and then you get to know him and realize he's just a big doofus who's afraid nobody really likes him so he feels like he needs to pre-emptively pump up his own ego. But he's really sweet to Karina in his way - taking her to her friend's concert, trying to protect her from Fugan and Mugan by distancing himself from her because her identity was still secret and his wasn't and he didn't want them getting to her through him, comforting her after she confronted the fact that Tiger's just not into her that way… She's good for him too; she stands up to him when he's putting on his "I'm so awesome" act and gives him someone he feels safe being emotionally vulnerable around. I feel like both of them know how it feels to get so caught up in their public persona that they don't know how to be their genuine selves sometimes, so it's nice that they're learning to be genuine around each other. Favorite moment: Ryan offering Karina his sunglasses so she can have a cry without being seen.

Antonio "Rock Bison" Lopez / Ivan "Origami Cyclone" Karelin - It is so cute how dedicated these two are to their partnership. They don't have much in common, they don't have the neat synchronicity in battle that, say, team KidCat or team FireSky have, and they keep getting things wrong, but by golly they are determined to make this thing work! And they are making it work by sheer determination, because at the end of the day the two of them have a genuine respect and liking for each other and they really seem to enjoy being able to make each other happy, and what else do you really need? Favorite moment: Antonio picking Ivan up and spinning him around after foiling a bank robbery.

Subaru "Mr. Black" Sengoku / Thomas "HIT" Taurus - Okay, yeah, they're "Tiger & Bunny Lite" but they're still cute. Thomas is just this deeply damaged guy, and he comes close to destroying himself out of bitterness and lack of trust. It's heartwarming watching Subaru go from "boy, this guy is annoying, I wish I didn't have to work with him" to being overjoyed to the point of tears to see Thomas finally putting his life back together again. Watching them fighting in sync for the first time was a beautiful thing. Favorite moment: Lasagna?! I wish I had been there to see the day Thomas finally took Subaru up on that offer.

Antonio Lopez / Agnes Joubert - This came totally out of left field in the very last episode. I honestly don't remember if we ever see them interact beyond the usual "Bonjour, heroes!" I have no idea if or how this is going to work out. The idea of them just pushes some of the same buttons for me that Ushio/Mikage did back in my 5Ds days and I think it's funny. Good luck, Antonio. You are probably going to need it.

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gayspock · 2 years

Text

also some more wishy washy thoughts bc like

btw i was kind of scared throughout my whole first playthrough, that kim was going to fuck me over. sam will vouce for my woes. like i was anticipating it... not emotionally bracing myself for it, but quite the contrary -i was getting ready, 100% prepared to fully let him gaslight me if he wanted to. it would be within his right, etc. and i will die by this mans side, etc.

but like... ALSO for real, tho. and this is not to knock the game, and it wasnt me assuming the worst of it per se despite what it sounds - bc it wasnt an instinct, specific to it, but like i think its kind of the natural expectation i had, that it might try to do some sort of "twist" at the end, as mysteries try to do. and honestly just... patterns in recent "media" (sweeps broadly). and regarding that kim would be the only viable candidate, really, except for the boring choice of "harry did it" (and i wanst expecting it to do that ofc). but otherwise- like just in a meta sense, yknow? intuition adjacent. bc it'd have to be someone youre invested it, outside of the main suspects, and also there's a lot of conveniences with kim that arent ever questioned, and could make it plausible. so i was like GENUINELY KIND OF LIKE.... ? did he fuckin DO something. bc for a lot of the back half .and i didnt kno how to feel- bc i am VERYYY invested in kim, so id be LIKE BWAAAA,

but also if that was the twist its, well, a twist in the very functional sense and not really a twist at all. bc other than shock, it rlly isnt the making for a good STORY - esp bc i dont think it would have rlly done much, since kims also an outsider to this setting (unless in this hypothetical he did have some motive, but ehhh even then tis off) and you know, martinaise is very much a main character in this game shes INVOLVED.. SHE ISSSS.... and idk- maybe theres a way to have made it work- which again, is what i was assuming, that it'd catch me off in that way somehow bc im open to that- and i thought more would be the case the closer to endgame bc we had dwindling characters and whilst, yes, DE isnt that much about the mystery in a who dunnit sense but more about the story of the world it still felt... wrong that they might bring in some new character last second to be the murderer

but godddd... they pulled it off so fucking well. and i was so RELIEVED tht kim was just my best fucking FRIEND KIM - thank god - and seriously sheriouslyy i loved the ending- i really did- bc of the relief that yknow... its like yeah fuck me. like my braisn mush, i seriouslyyy wanna replay just to digest it all more, but i thank everything hat they made the choice that they did. like is it the best fucking end to a mystery no but like... themeatically, speaking? fucking on par, perfect and in step with everything else in the game.

like everything.... [rotates it in my mind] i keep thinking abt the matchbox tower and how it stands perfectly for like 3 seconds, and then it topples over, its transient, and how the phasmid, too, exists only for a moment and its beautiful and then it leaves and how people dont remember or believe in it bu also how harry doesnt remember his past but hes consumed by it, reveres it, and how glad i am he never does fully remember how he never does go back bc he cantttt you cant and something something martinaise is filled with ghosts and this all started by soemone who was here long before any of them but also didnt know any of them, and he took a shot and it lead to a bloodbath in the middle of the street and wtf ... something something thr game is about and existing only in delicate moments but the importance of that momentary existence and of faith in it ... because you might literally find a huge bug . like seriously that cunt was massive

#Egg.txt #de liveblog #my mind is smush... i must consolidate my thoughts ..... i must...

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sierrawr · 7 months

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hey love, so glad to see that ure back 🤍

id definitely love to see siren rewritten to be a one shot! it could just be me but id love to see more of the backstory and the incidents leading up to the accident AND OFC MORE JAYYN INTERACTIONS <333 how long do u expect the oneshot to be tho?

love, 🤍anon

🦋: Hi my dear, I'm happy to be back too! ❤️ It's refreshing to know that I got a positive feedback from you, and of course I wil definitely take that into consideration while rewriting "Siren." While writing my answer to your ask, I realised that it has become an essay 🥲 so I use number form in attempt to make it short and easy to understand (but damn it's still to long and I'm lowkey overthinking, but here we go, aaaaaa!)🤧:

Plot/storyline changes.

Majority of the plot and story line might be change but i can't guarantee to what extend as I'm struggling to keep up with the previous one (bcs it's complicated af and idk how did I even though of that (but I did not regret writing it!) Writing "Siren" is one of the best thing because I never thought how invested I can be while writing a fic untul I worked on "Siren" 🥹🩷💕.

2. What can I guarantee.

All I can gurantee is a better and clearer storyline with lots of interaction between the main characters and a sparkle of "hook" in the plot. So, absolutely more interaction with Jay is coming up and you can look forward to it as I remember you always long for interaction with jay (not that i'm complaining, I don't judge my readers' comment, NEVER) lol 😂.

3. How long will the oneshot version of "Siren" would be.

This another thing that I can't confirmed but, it will not be too short (who likes way too short fic when we wanna add the drama in it right?). I will try to make it around 1k words minimum, but if you have any suggestion about how long you want it to be, I can adjust that for you (lowkey feel like I'm doing a request fic from you, lol. but again, It's one of the best thing when the writer and the reader give each other feedbacks and opnions, and vice versa. fanfic also connects people like music does! ✨✨

0 notes

lutawolf · 2 years

Text

Episode 11 Notes And Thoughts

These started out as a way for me to come back to a thought I had. Then they became something that others looked forward to. It became something we could discuss. This time the notes had a lot of help from the coconuts mafia @victooooorious @akitbeast @biochemjess @slangerogkatter thank you for all the support and help 💜💜💜 alright, get ready to go deep on VegasPete.

Let me start off by saying that you probably won't understand my notes unless you understand my theory. I believe that Vegas took note of Pete when Pete stood up to Khun and wouldn't tie up Macau. That's why he and his brother were more amused by Pete following them than upset. Somewhere between that time and the first dungeon torture scene in episode 7, Vegas was very interested in Pete. There was a lot to be seen in that episode to prove it too. So why the massive torture, like Vegas is pissed, if he cares for Pete. That is exactly why, here is the guy he has shown his true self to, who paid respects to his mom, who he wants to spend his next life with betraying him. He proves his loyalty is to the main family and it makes Vegas angry. Do you know the strength and endurance it takes to torture someone?? I do. It's a lot. You don't get this level of angry intensity unless you are invested.

So we start of the episode with a swinging good time. Seriously though, no hit is landed until Pete has tightened those muscles. Vegas is mad but he has no intention of killing him.

Vegas says "At first I was going to kill you but then I changed my mind" I would be inclined to believe this if all his actions didn't point differently.

"Because when you suffer, you become more interesting" he's letting Pete know he is aware of his secret.

Look at that stare that Pete is giving. He is every bit as angry and pissed as Vegas.

"No legacy is so rich as honesty" is a William Shakespeare quote. That can mean so many different interpretations. In the play it was a mock of maidenhood, and the desperate measures using it to gain prosperity. The growth that one learns from their legacy. Then learning to be honest and portray a truthful character is more powerful than any other trait existing.

"You are such a good pet of the main family"

So is Vegas calling him a pet in general or is he specifically saying the main family?

"Let me tell you something, only a fool thinks that honesty is real" Further proof we can't trust Vegas words so much as his actions.

I want you to notice that Pete yells for Vegas to kill him. He is angry and mad at Vegas but when Vegas' dad comes in and hurts Vegas. His eyes cut to him with malice.

Look at Vegas' face when his dad hands him the gun. He is not okay with this. Which is the complete fucking opposite to how he acted with Tawan and Porsche. He didn't necessarily want to do it, he gave a Dom apology to one and was planning a head shot with the other. Yet he wasn't broken up. He does not want to kill Pete though, not at all.

Above note how he looks Tawan in the eyes as he shoots him, then he turns and goes to shoot Porsche in the head. Never taking his eyes of. With Pete though, his head is lowered. He is going to initially shoot but he can't look at him while doing it. Why? Unless he is already attached to Pete in a way that is more than Tawan and Porsche.

But even head down. Vegas can't kill Pete. So Pete will have to come with him.

How does Vegas know so much about grandma? I mean, yeah the name is on the caller ID but does that guarantee a good relationship? The kind of relationship that Pete would lose his shit over? The kind of relationship where she will lie for Pete? How does Vegas know?

That broke Pete and if you think that didn't turn Vegas on, you're wrong. Vegas is so angry right now that he isn't seeing straight. You've guys have to understand that anger and Sadist are not a good combination. It's like the parent who spanks but hits a power trip and slides into abuse. It's why you shouldn't punish when angry.

Vegas calls Pete a pet again. A pet is beneath a slave. He even mocks him with "who is a good boy"

Kinn says "I love you" about Porsche to his family first!! I also adore that Khun is not surprised.

I also adore how Kinn waited on Khun and let Khun manipulate Korn. Haha

The lovely bunch of coconuts with Arm being at the lead.

"I love him" 🥥 ohhhahhhhh.. Then them losing their shit on behalf of Porsche. Love it!

I wanna live at the safe house!!!

Pet again but Pete is smart. He knows that no matter what Vegas dishes. He can't eat from this animal dish or he will be a pet.

The talk between Porsche and Chay. So sweet. He wants his approval of Kinn. So sweet.

"You think you can choose not to eat" and Pete "I'm not choosing, I'm just not eating" Why did this piss of Vegas? Because Pete is making it clear that he isn't and wouldn't choose any of this.

Hence he calls him a pet again and loses his shit. Vegas is purposely hitting muscle not fat which with a belt hurts like a mother fucker. We know Pete can take the pain but your also more likely to get welting and burns. Ass, thighs, and breasts can tolerate the belt much better.

Notice that Pete actually showed his pain this time. That's not unusual at all and doesn't mean he isn't a masochist. Each masochist has certain pain they enjoy more and others that feel like pain. If you look at the previous pain given to Pete compared to this, you can spot the difference. Also keep in mind that Pete has had very little nourishment as well.

Vegas says "No fun" because Pete is actually hurting here.

Pete escapes and is immediately spotted by Vegas who makes a telling remark "so darn good, Head of the main family bodyguard" why does he repeat this if he doesn't take it personally. Are you starting to see it? He was personally hurt by Pete's loyalty to main family at the expense of him.

Did you notice that Vegas caught Pete, then him checking on him after stunning him.

Sweet Kinn and Porsche snuggle moment.

Mother in law!! 🤣🤣🤣☠️☠️☠️

Vages dad is a cunt.

Vegas is angry, upset, and tormented so where does he head? To Pete. Then watch his reaction. He loses his shit at Pete not being okay. This is not the reaction of a man who shot his slave point blank with no issues, or the one who liked Porsche but is willing to do what's necessary, and who likes his bodyguards but will use them as shields. All of those examples are people he has technically supposed to have known longer than Pete. Yet here he is freaking out. Calling him by name in this moment. Not pet and not main bodyguard but once again Pete.

Khun and Chay, this can't be good.

Pete comes to, to Vegas cleaning and caring for him. Look at how Vegas is looking at Pete. He has lost his anger. Everyone points to the scene after this one but this is the important scene. This is the scene that fixes what was broken.

Almost losing Pete has knocked the wind out of Vegas. He was blinded by anger but that shroud has now been removed.

But blink and you miss it, this is where Pete comes around too. He wasn't going to take that pill. Not because he is worried about poison but because he wants to die. Pete this entire time that he got caught, made peace with death and craves it. Why? I'm going to throw a theory at you, how would you feel if you betrayed someone you liked and they now hate you. Then Vegas puts the pill in his mouth and feeds it to Pete. Pete realizes that Vegas is no longer pissed. He reacts immediately. He reacts as a submissive, doesn't bite or anything else aggressive but swallows the pill and stares at Vegas. Watch from 40:40 and 40:41. The look shared between them says so much.

They share a look and then Vegas gently cradles Pete's head to give him water. At this point we see Pete staring at Vegas but this look is speculative.

Now comes the moment that everyone points to and says is meaningful. Look how sweet Pete is. Guys you gonna make me choke on vomit. Pete is not sweet, he is not sunshine, he doesn't see the best in everyone 🌈 Bitch please, Pete is a sadomastic killer who will torture you just like Vegas if you didn't pay a loan. He is not a good guy! This is not about finding redeeming qualities in one bad guy. This is about two bad guys finding redeeming qualities in each other.

Pete asks Vegas why he won't let him die and Vegas lies as usual. Oddly enough, Pete sees right through Vegas. He sees that Vegas is upset about something and what is it? Look at how Vegas looks at Pete in this moment. He knows that Pete can actually see him. He can read him. Pause at 42:56 and tell me that isn't a man looking at someone who means something to him.

Then Vegas starts actually speaking his truths. The value in this moment. Vegas recognizes that Pete can see him and therefore he might as well be honest.

Vegas knows so much about Pete but this proves that he has been seeing only what Pete shows. Oh, I think he sees more than that but this is his first time really realizing that Pete hasn't had it easy either. That Pete hides this part of himself and yet he chose to show it to Vegas.

Pete shares hos story and his wisdom. Vegas takes it in. He says nosy but Pete sees it for what it is and slightly smiles. Vegas didn't lie, or get angry, he made a very child like expression.

Vegas coming to Pete once again when upset. He stands there but immediately Pete gets up. There is no hesitant to get up and be there for Vegas. No hesitant to ask if he is okay. Once Vegas lost his anger, Pete changed too.

Look at Vegas' face at being asked if he is okay. He smiles. Pete asking if he is hurt, making sure he really isn't.

Here is manipulative Pete though. He knows he can not eat out of that pet bowl. He tells Vegas it's old, not fresh. So Vegas comes back with food he made. He is providing Pete food in a regular bowl with utensils. Sliding Pete straight past pet. Pete makes Vegas confirm that it is in fact for him. Then he freaks out about it being poisoned which we previously established, Pete isn't worried about. He doesn't fear death. But it pushes Vegas to try it and prove that it isn't poisoned. Which establishes Pete's importance. That he has importance enough to provide and care for in more ways than that of a slave. Pete maneuvered his submissive position. That smile Vegas gives, is him recognizing what Pete did.

We now know that Porsche got a mouth like a hoover vacuum. Mouth that can suck Kinn's balls through a hole and make him walk funny.

#kinnporsche luta question and answer #kinnporsche luta #vegaspete luta #vegaspete #luta opinions #luta #coconuts mafia

197 notes · View notes

darcyolsson · 2 years

Note

no rush at all!!! but what'd you think about heartstopper tv? would love to hear your thoughts about it!

anon i want you to know my answer to this ask was so long the web page crashed and i had to retype all of it

(i think it’s longer now)

basically IT WAS VERY GOOD

i watched all of it in one go with some beloved mutuals last night who have all also been reading heartstopper for 4+ years like me, so the expectations were HIGH. and heartstopper DELIVERED!!!!!

i don’t even know where to start. i'm still processing. my brain feels like a scrambled egg in a good way. i guess the most logical starting point is the changes to the story (which i never mind much in adaptations, but i know some people do). one thing that stood out to me was the way the tao/nick conflict was written- the show allowed a bit more depth than the comic did (since the pacing of comics generally has to be a lot faster than shows) it allowed for another layer of depth and nuance, which we all agreed was done so well!

also, the new added tao/elle and darcy/tara moments!!! and ISAAC my beloved my best boy my unbothered king i was so obsessed with him he is such a delight i was literally pulling out adoption papers every time he came on screen. imogen was the kind of character that felt so realistic it was almost unsettling at times. she’s a sweetheart and i felt so bad for her. she reminded me of becky in some ways- literally just trying her best, living her life, and accidentally making other people’s lives worse in the process. queen

there’s literally so much i could talk about but to keep this ask from being so long it crashes my browser a second time heres a list of details i enjoyed immensely:

BANGER SOUNDTRACK (the songs from the og heartstopper and solitaire playlists…… so what if i cried actual tears.)

the little animated details.. the electricity the flowers the hearts…so gorgeous

(specifically the scene that was a nightmare/flashback to charlie’s bullying- rip to charlie but that scene was visually STUNNING)

"anti-homophobia cheese" from one darcyolsson to another id just like so say so true

dog………..nellie was so adorable it was upsetting at times

the way so much of the dialogue was straight from the comics/solitaire!!! also the fact everyone i was watching it with immediately recognised the bits that were the same lol

two alice cameos!!!!

speaking of alice, i love how all the murals/banners/etc. were very obviously designed in her style!! it made the whole thing feel so reminiscent of the comics:’) i wonder if she painted it herself/designed it & had someone else paint it/someone else painted it in her style? (i imagine the 2nd) and also if all those murals are still on the walls

OLIVIA COLEMAN…??????? HOW DID THEY GET HER

that one scene in nick’s kitchen… “oh do you like this girl :)” “well. um. her dog died” “😬” please i was cackling

the fact they werent afraid so say lesbian and bisexual and transgender!!!!!!!! i loved that!!!!!!!! i guess i never realised just how much other shows do shy away from that until heartstopper didn't

olivia coleman knows what heartstopper is and i cant wrap my head around that

so yeah. i simply loved it <3 it felt like a fresh take on a story i love a lot and i think everyone i watched it with shares that sentiment<3 we were all so incredibly invested…… we literally knew what was going to happen and yet every plot twist had us SHAKING we were CRYING we were YELLING we LITERALLY KNOW THIS STORY SO WELL WE WE HAVE PIECES OF DIALOGUE MEMORIZED and yet……..

i dont know how to wrap this ask up

watch heartstopper on netflix it’s very good

i have many more thoughts on this show but i dont even know where to begin so please share your opinions on this show with me so we can chat about it

thanks

#the group i watched this with is the og sneartstopper discord group for those who remember #we were watching this like what the fuck. i had to make a discord bc there werent any ppl to talk to about this comic #and now it's on NETFLIX #we used to send alice weird asks en masse and now shes on the tv.........btw this is how we can still get the flashmob scene #answered asks #osemanverse #heartstopper tv #heartstopper #hstv #long post #personal #anonymous #ao

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darling-i-read-it · 3 years

Text

Jealousy

Will Graham x reader, slight Hannibal Lecter x reader

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: talks of murder, corpses, crime scenes

Author’s Note: besties you need to stop giving me freedom to chose the endings because i am SO biased. I hope you all enjoy regardless and didn’t mind that I bunched these two requests together because they’re so similar!

Requested: by anon, Hey i don’t know if you’re still taking Hannibal requests but if you are can you do something where both Will and Hannibal have a crush on the reader? The reader would be the only one who doesn’t know about the two men having a crush on her and one day the reader hangs out alone with one of them (could be Will or Hannibal) and the other gets jealous? It could end in the reader choosing one of them. (your choice)

Requested: by anon, AHHH i’m so nervous to write a request even tho this a anon😅 I never done a request but if you could do something where both Hannibal and Will take an interest in the reader? It could just be a thing where both of them try to impress the reader who remains oblivious to their affections. And during the entire thing they get jealous of each other and try to one up each other in gifts. If you want you could end it with them being polyamorous or the reader choosing one of them, i don’t really care my main focus id just the jealousy lol😅

Summary: the requests!

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director/creator

(not my gif)

You nodded gently, putting your fingernail between your teeth. You circled the corpse, giving it a careful eye as Beverly spoke over your thoughts.

“We believe it was murder, obviously,” she said.

“It’s just been a bitch trying to figure out how she was murdered,” Zeller commented. He was sitting on one of the stools, his hands resting on his thighs.

“Keep working on it,” Jack said, hand resting on the cold metal table.

“I think we should try and talk to the mom again. I feel like she knows more than she’s letting on,” you muttered. Will and Hannibal watched you as you moved to the head of the body, looking directly down at it.

“I want to go to the crime scene again,” Will said. You looked up and met his eyes, nodding a bit. You knew the toll that it took on him so you preferred him to offer up his abilities, rather than ask him.

“Are you sure you’re up for that?” Hannibal asked. Yours and Will’s eyes floated to Hannibal who was standing at the corner of the room. This wasn’t his crime, he wasn’t sure what Will would find.

“I’m sure,” Will said sturtly and then turned around, walking out of the room. Hannibal watched as your gaze followed Will until he was out of sight and then you turned back to the corpse.

“I’ll drive you to the mothers house,” Hannibal suggested. You nodded and took your hands off the metal, walking over to him.

“Thank you.”

The two of you left quickly after that, leaving Bev, Zeller, Price and Jack in the room alone. Beverly pretended to check something on her clipboard before looking up at everyone.

“You all felt that tension too, right?” Overlapped responses came.

“Yeah.”

“Yes.”

“When did that happen?”

Beverly shrugged and learned against the wall. She tried to follow you and Hannibal as you left the morgue but you were already long gone.

“Who do you think she’s gonna pick?” Bev asked.

“I say let the best man win!” Price commented.

“We have a case here lady and gentlemen,” Jack said, pretending he too wasn’t invested. Everyone else shared one more look and then turned around, getting back to their duties.

=====

Hannibal sat promptly in his chair, legs crossed and looking at Will who sat across from him. Will had an open stance as he looked around the room he had been in a couple of times before.

“How was your week? Let’s start there,” Hannibal said gently, prompting Will to start talking. Will was usually filled to the brim with sarcastic comments but he never wanted to delve any deeper than that. Unless he was talking about other people's murders.

“Um, it was fine,” he said, trying to figure out what to say. “Y/N came over last night and made dinner. It was nice to have someone over.” Hannibal was able to mask his feelings very well but Will caught a little bit of disdain.

“That’s nice. Do you see her often?”

“Sometimes. She’s nice and likes to see the dogs.” Hannibal saw you yesterday as well, when the two of you went to interview the mother again. Hannibal offered a nice face to the woman and it ended up getting you somewhere with her.

“She is very kind,” Hannibal commented.

“Do you see her often Dr. Lecter?” Will asked.

“On occasion. She comes over for dinner. She used to be a patient but she’s been doing well.”

“Glad to hear you have some success stories.”

That was the day that Will and Hannibal realized they were competing and they hadn’t known it. They weren’t even sure that you knew it but they understood that the other had feelings for you.

Sure, ultimately it was up to you in the end but it was then they decided they would have to get to you first. Will was a little unhinged and confused. Hannibal was a little insane and unsettling.

Just depended on who was going to be able to play the right cards.

=====

You sat beside Hanniabl at his dinner table. You had a few of the case papers out in front of you, next to your plate of food. Hannibal was flipping through them as well. He was trying to help you out while also getting you to enjoy a nice meal.

You ate the last bite of the food and showed Hannibal one of the pictures.

“Do you think this looks like she’s been dead for a couple of months? I know water can wash away evidence and stuff but it definitely doesn’t look like she’s been dead for months,” you said. Hannibal took the picture from you and looked it over.

“I can’t say I disagree with you.” You took the picture back.

“This is really good by the way. Thank you for letting me intrude on your dinner,” you said laughing a bit. He shook his head.

“Of course. I’m glad you enjoy it, I know it can be an acquired taste.”

“I really enjoy everything you make. How do you say it? It’s growing my pallet,” you said smiling. He nodded pleasantly. It was always nice to make sure people were listening. You looked like you were about to say something else when your phone dinged. At first you ignored it but then it dinged again. “I’m sorry,” you muttered and then picked up the phone. You read a couple of messages and laughter bubbled from your mouth. Hannibal immediately felt a stab of jealousy but it didn’t show on his face. “Sorry, Will just sent me something about the case. I actually have to go see him later tonight, I should probably get out of your hair.”

Hannibal shook his head.

“You’re always welcome here, I hope you know that.” You smiled and nodded but still put the papers together in a neat stack.

“Don’t say that, I’ll abuse my privileges.” You stood up and put the stack of papers in your arms. “Thank you again Hannibal. I’ll call you?” He nodded, standing up as well and taking your plate.

“Of course. Have a nice night and say hello to Will for me.” You nodded and waved as you turned to leave.

Hannibal turned to the kitchen and put the dishes in the sink. He started to wash them and after a moment he found he had been washing his hands dry.

====

“You really didn’t have to drive me. I can drive myself,” Will said from the passenger seat of your car. You waved him off, shaking your head.

“Please Will, I can drive you around all I want. Plus, I wanted to see Hannibal anyway. Don’t worry I won’t intrude on your session. I brought a book.” You held your book up in front of him and he nodded slightly.

Why did you wanna see Hannibal? He decided not to ask.

You got out of the car and followed Will inside to Hannibal’s office. Hannibal opened the door, as though he had been listening and waiting for your arrival. His smile grew at the sight of you.

“I was hoping to run into you. I boxed some leftovers from last night because you enjoyed them so much,” Hannibal explained.

“You went over to Hannibals’ last night?” Will asked. He didn’t mean for his voice to sound so accusatory but it did. You shrugged.

“I went for dinner and he helped me with some case notes.” You remained completely oblivious to the tension in the room. He handed you a box that he grabbed from his desk and you nodded happily. “Thank you so much! I will cherish this,” you joked. You turned to Will. “Have a nice session boys, I’ll be in the car.”

They both nodded and waved goodbye to you as you left the room. The tension did not leave with you.

====

The morgue did not smell any better the next time you were in it. You were alone with just Bev this time as you compared notes on the cause of death. She and the guys were still in the process of figuring it out but it had been a busy couple of days.

“Yeah that’s kind of what Price was saying. I don’t know, I’ll look into it more and get back to you,” she said as you showed her some notes. You nodded and put your notepad back in your bag.

“Alright, keep me posted.” You stood up from your chair and stretched a bit. You and Beverly were pretty good friends outside of work as well so she had been dying to ask you about Hannibal and Will.

“So...how’s it going with Hannibal and Will?” she asked, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall. You gave her a confused look.

“Huh?” She scoffed.

“You’re kidding right?” You gave her a look and she laughed dryly. “You seriously don’t know? Those guys are head over heels for you. Come on, you had to have noticed how jealous they get when you talk to them. It literally fills the room with tension,” she explained. You shook your head slowly. It took you a moment but the realization hit you. You had to sit back down.

“Oh my God, I’ve been so head first in this case I didn’t even notice,” you said, laughing a bit.

“Well! Who’s gonna take the cake? Come on, we’re running bets here in the morgue.” You raised an eyebrow.

“Who did you bet on?” She gave you a look. “Come on!”

“Will,” she fessed up. You stood up.

“Go get your money Katz.” A prideful look went over her face and she nodded.

“Alright then. You better go get your man.”

======

You knocked on Will’s door that night. You teetered back and forth on the porch, wondering if Beverly had been wrong. She could have read the signs wrong. Heck, you read the signs wrong at first. You were about to walk off the porch when Will opened the door, rubbing his eyes.

“Hi,” he said, blinking quickly.

“Oh my gosh did I wake you? I’m sorry, I am running on case time,” you said, suddenly feeling very apologetic. He shook his head.

“No, don’t worry about it. Do you need something?” You doubted yourself again but figured that if you were going to do it you had to do it now.

“I just...Beverly said something and I...do you wanna go to dinner? Like together? Like as a couple?” You were trying to get the words out so they didn’t sound awkward. Will rubbed his eyes some more and then his hand dropped. He smirked a bit.

“Yeah. I would really like that.”

“Okay! Okay. Good, good. I’ll talk to you about it tomorrow once you get some rest,” you said. He nodded happily.

“I look forward to it.”

“Me too.”

You turned around and he shut the door and a wall away from each other. You were both smiling wildly. Will almost called Hannibal and bragged but he went to sleep. He would find out eventually.

#will graham x reader #will graham imagines #hannibal lecter imagines #hannibal imagines

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un-pearable · 2 years

Note

s4 thoughts: okay honestly im really surprised the tournament arc came this early in the show because for some reason i thought it came a lot later. either i had. so much fun this was such a fun arc. i was also familiar with wayyy way more of this season than the other ones which was surprising so i mustve watched the bulk of it at least twice or something.

okay lets get the worst thing out of the way so that we can talk about things i really liked. the . euuuuuugh the garmadon / misako / wu love triangle that they still keep bringing up for some reason. actually im just going to take a snippet of one of my angry discord rants and leave it at that

number 2: THE RESOLUTION OF THE JAY/NAYA/COLE LOVE TRIANGLE!!!! thank GOODNESS im so glad that is done. i'm glad we're all friends again and dont have to bring that up in any sort of significant way going forward. hopefully. id like to see more friendship shenanigans please writers please

number 3: im obsessed with how absolutely and entirely confused i am about the timeline of ninjago. i understand nothing. i really dont and i think the writers are just as confused as i am

number 4: i think they did a better job w skylor/kai than any of the other ships so far but also half of that is because im pretty sure it being kind of shallow but having the potential to be an actually functional and mildly interesting relationship is the point instead of on accident this time. at least thats what i got out of it

number 5: speaking of skylor, who the heck is her mom. real question. this is always my question whenever any dude has a child with no mention of a mom especially because half the men in question i could not see anybody getting married to them in a million years.

number 6: i feel like the writing got significantly better this season. the plot was tighter and the jokes were a lot funnier and . yeah i dont know i had so much fun the fights were engaging without dragging on too much on characters we dont have any real investment in and i really like how they didnt just put everybody into the same stone pit and had them beat the snot out of each other. many points for creativity.

number 7: your tags on my last ask

literally SOOO true nothing else to add you hit the nail on the head. tangentially related question but is it ever explained how chen got his hands on pixal & zane (???)

number 8: lloyd & garmadon continues to be the most interesting and compelling relationship in the show, which is great for me because im terribly invested in this. my curse in life is that the more invested i am in a character or relationship the more my brain locks up when i try to talk about it so trying to put something into words is like pulling teeth but !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY WERE SO GOOD THIS SEASONNNN im also really glad they let lloyd be mad for five minutes when garmadon decides to send himself to the spirit realm or whatever to save ninjago. thank you writers. also having lloyd be the one to send him off like 😭😭😭 wow yall really out here making him kill his dad Again but also YESSSSS yesss couldnt have chosen anybody better this was so good

number 9: some more miscellaneous things, but like. dude this season was so fun. the premise is "the ceo of this megacorp noodle company is actually is holding an underground fight ring between all the elemental masters so he can steal all their powers and use it to turn all his men into anacondri" is absolutely wack and i am 10000000% here for it. still not over how the prisoners built a jet to escape the underground noodle factory, btw. some other misc observations

also cannot believe they worked literally DARETH into this. incredible showstopping spectacular amazing this was so much fun. 9/10 (<- one point docked for subjecting me to more garmadon/misako/wu) arc

1) ah yes,, the misako frustration reigns eternal. i will never get over how interesting she had the potential to be (implied to be badass archaeologist adventurer who’s also setting the trend for deadbeat moms? at the very least she could be frustrating but fun) and the dedication to making her the good guy in all conceivable situations is ACTIVELY harming the narrative. i wish she could be shitty in a fun way so bad

2) hell yeah!!!! the love triangle is annoying but cole and jay’s dynamic through out this season is very dear to me. its stupid as hell but dear.

3) mhm mhm mhm. it gets so painfully clear that they grew out of the original plan for the series VERY quickly after s2 and over time it only gets funnier as they try harder and harder to justify each new season’s premise. personal fave is “fuck it video game”

4) skylor and kai is fun!!! i’m not usually a fan of those kinds of dynamics but they’re more convincingly attracted to each other and maybe have the momentum + desire to make it work than. pretty much every single other romantic relationship at this point

5) ahh… the villains inexplicable child dilemma. theoretically she had to be the previous master of amber but imo it’s much funnier if chen just yoinked skylor from somewhere. or she was just 100% down for evil machinations and skylor’s the weirdo in the family for being half decent. either way good fuckin question why is this so ridiculously common

6) yeah!! the fights and competitions are actually pretty creative and the structure did tie the whole season together well,, this seasons technically less exciting than the others but you can def tell they had a much clearly vision and plan for it. and the roller derby is funny as hell so

7) i could talk about zane for ages and ages.. the day i finally write the android-becomes-human trope fic about him and pixal (is probably never going to come bc i can’t decide When it should take place bc his opinions would be vastly different) is the day i win. i believe it’s canon that robin’s the one who turned them over? zane rebuilt himself, pixal found him and then they got captured (the ending of s3 was supposed to tease about zane’s new body but i think it didn’t get animated correctly). i very much could be wrong but i’m like 80% sure that’s canon

8) GOD YEAH ITS SO GOOD. lloyd and garmadon carry the character dynamics for the entire show. utterly tragic. stunning. i also have nothing coherent to say about them but will never shut up about them. i want to stick s1 lloyd and current lloyd into a box and shake it until the emotions and complex feelings about their father come out

9) IT IS IT REALLY IS. ninjago at its core MUST be goofy as hell and s4 embraces it in SUCH a good way. later they get too good at angst i need stupid shit and stupid shit we get. (okay not really. what i mean is early goofiness fits with the established show, where later stuff is more. spontaneous and lol random wouldnt-it-be-funny-if stuff rather than part of the narrative’s status quo) agshdjfjfkf tysm for your reactions im never going to be able to watch it w/o those being in my head again.. ooohh there’s something there about ourboros but i don’t have words for it rn. the narrative is constantly eating itself to rewrite what was once canon so they can tell new stories. it’s crumbling under the weight of needing to tell more and more new and creative things in a world that was built for four ten minute glorified advertisements,, consuming itself and rewriting its own history by necessity…

#idk where i’m going with that last bit. anyway hell yeah my main man dareth #also!!!!! i know it’s in your next ask and im gonna do that next but don’t stop!!!! im really enjoying this #i LOVE live-blogs i’ve just been busy today #i totally thought i’d posted this one but it got stuck in my drafts apparently #i’ve been spending 99% of my time drawing lately and forgot to check 😔#i’ve been enjoying the hell out of this though so if you want to keep doing it im absolutely here for it im having so much fun #sorry these are basically essays now agdhdjf #fun though. you’ve got killer insight and it’s super interesting seeing what you latch onto #text✨#ninjago #liveninjablogging

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re-x · 3 years

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Anatomy of a scene: (3) worst apology ever (NHIE 2.07)

After two emotionally heavy scenes (part 1, part 2), perhaps it’s time for a little palate cleanser. Today we’ll dissect Devi’s ill-conceived apology dance from NHIE 2.07.

The prelude

Remember back when Aneesa was first introduced in 2.04, and Trent was like

“Aneesa’s like Devi 2.0! No offense, Devi 1.0″

And here’s how the class reacted:

Everyone in the classroom was laughing at Trent’s joke. Well, almost everyone. Observe the way Ben was clearly the only person who did not find this subtly racist joke amusing at all:

Why am I telling you this? No particular reason... just thought I should remind you what kind of person Ben Gross is, just in case it isn’t clear to you yet by this point. But let’s proceed.

The cricket dance

One afternoon in Fall 2019, Aneesa was walking in the school corridor when she heard some awful noise. It turned out to be the entire school marching band, with Devi’s two bad friends best friends Eleanor and Fabiola leading the way, cheerleading.

You’d be forgiven for thinking “oh boy, this can’t be good”, because newsflash, it wasn't. Ben clearly did not think so. Notice that Ben’s first reaction was to immediately looked over at Aneesa, to make sure she was okay.

You know, for someone who has little real-world experience in the field of friendship — given his lack of friends — it’s remarkable how much Ben invests himself in others, as actor Jaren Lewison observed:

“[Ben] really does care, and you see a lot of those really sweet Ben and Devi moments. Or moments with Aneesa, when he really does care and show just how much he invests in others. But he’s afraid of getting hurt” — JL (x)

This awful spectacle continued, and both Aneesa (the target) and Ben (a complete bystander) became progressively more horrified by the second.

Meanwhile, BFFs of the year (*sarcasm*) Eleanor and Fabiola were completely oblivious to this and clearly thought this was a brilliant idea. I’d grade them both A’s for their commitment though.

Devi finally emerged in the cricket mascot.

Everyone in the hallway was enjoying the spectacle (many recording it with their cell phones), except Ben and Aneesa.

The cricket dance continued. Ben:

Thank goodness, this nightmare was finally over!

Ben and Aneesa still looked like they had just seen a ghost. Who could blame them?

Devi: “Neesa! Don’t go to another school because you know you’re a cricket in your heart!”

Aneesa: “Is this your way of apologizing to me?”

Ben was visibly very worried about Aneesa by this point.

Devi: “Yeah... did you not see the sign?”

Look at Ben’s face. He could not believe what he was hearing.

Aneesa was so done with this, and stormed off looking like she was moments away from crying.

With Aneesa gone, Ben finally had his chance to say something.

In what world was that a good apology?

I thought she would like it, and I worked really hard on the dance!

Plus, her supposed best friends clearly thought it was a brilliant ides too, and they supported and aided and abetted her through all of it.

We ended the scene with this plea from a clearly and extremely disappointed Ben:

David..... use your brain!

Because he knew that Devi was a smarter and better person than this. But Ben, I think she left her brain in Malibu the day you brought her there and had forgotten to pick it up.

I thought this scene was so intriguing because rather than being its focal point, Ben was clearly a bystander throughout most of it. However, as I hope I have demonstrated today, a highly skilled actor like Mr. Lewison never wastes precious screen time and always uses it to their advantage, continuing to build their character even from the sidelines. As director Marcus Geduld observed:

It’s fascinating to watch actors when they’re not speaking.

Some are too caught up in ego or technicalities (e.g., trying to remember the next line) to totally focus on whomever it is they’re acting with.

[Great actors] seem to register everything they hear. You can see whatever is being said to them physically affecting them, as if the words are slapping them across the face.

@benjamingross @hairen13 @mellarkably

#Ben Gross #Jaren Lewison #2x07 #Devi Vishwakumar #aneesa qureshi #come at me i don't care el and fab were being bad friends to devi for much of s2 #Is Jaren Lewison really 20 or is he secretly a 50 year old actor with 30 years of experience? because damn...#Never have i ever #anatomy of a scene

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charnamefic · 3 years

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Kevin Can F*** Himself and The Sitcom

I am fascinated by this canon's universe, by the implications of living in a sitcom reality where there’s a non-sitcom reality when the sitcom isn’t running.

I’m taking as a given that Kevin Can F*ck Himself takes place in what truly is a sitcom-universe. I know some people consider the sitcom-style parts of the show to be Allison’s way of thinking about her life while she really lives in a more mundane universe, but frankly that’s not a theory that interests me. I have no beef with those who believe it, but I find Kevin Can F*ck Himself to be a much richer viewing experience personally if read as the off-screen adventures of an actual sitcom wife, and that’s the only reading I’m going to get invested in and theorize about.

At the beginning of the first episode I thought Allison was, on some level, aware that she was a TV character – I thought that her fantasies about living the 50's housewife advertising dream were the expression of a desire for a genre shift (that could never come) – but by the end of the episode I’d concluded that she doesn't know. I don’t think any of the characters know that they’re sitcom characters, and, as an extension of that, I don’t think any of them are aware that there are differences between the on-screen and off-screen existences they live. So what does it mean to be that one-dimensional, sitcom type of character and live under that universe’s rules for parts of your life, and transition into a rounded-out person with an active inner life at other times? What does it mean when you can’t comprehend that transition, and when the more rounded version of yourself has to tackle with who you are and what happens to you in that sitcom reality? What power of self do you have, both to be a person in your own right and to act as one free of the constraints of what the rules of a sitcom universe would demand?

What are the rules of the Kevin Can F*ck Himself universe as a sitcom?

Here's what we have to work with:

The universe is a status quo is god universe. Kevin and Allison can never move away, never not be Neil’s neighbours. We as viewers of Kevin Can F*ck Himself see what that means for the characters, how painful that stagnation is to Allison and the horrible things that have led to that consequence, but Kevin Can F*ck Himself takes place off-screen of the sitcom – on-screen, that’s just typical status-quo maintenance. Kevin and Allison can’t keep a pet, can’t add new characters to the cast or kick off old ones; at the end of the episode, nothing will have happened that will keep the sitcom from being something you can tune-in to irregularly without missing a plot-important episode.

The sitcom caters to the man-child id. Kevin can be rude and outright cruel to his wife, and he’ll never have to worry about her responding in equal kind. Kevin can accuse and humiliate and banish his best female friend, and she’ll come crawling back for re-entry into the gang, feeding him and making up for her failure to prioritize him. Kevin can fight with his best male friend, and the girls will sort it out without Kevin or Neil’s egos having to take a serious blow; it’s just a special episode where Kevin learns to express appreciation for his sidekick (at least until next episode). Kevin may be an everyman, but he will never be outshone.

The sitcom universe is simple and insular. “It seemed harmless.” It is harmless. All pain can be brushed off, all suffering passes quickly. Kevin can promise a bunch of people money he doesn’t have and trap them in his basement and not need to fear any lawsuits. Kevin can set his neighbour’s lawn on fire, and that’s fine, it really is. He can get a mailwoman deported, and once the episode’s over it’s no-one’s problem and it doesn’t indicate anything about what kind of person someone who would do that is or what values they hold. Kevin can get his wife fired, and she can’t nurse a grudge over that, can’t mention it again or have it shape their future interactions; it’s one and done. Dreams can be dashed, and by the next scene break it’s back to basics not simply because the status quo is god but because when your hopes die you get up and move on and keep acting like the paint-by-numbers character tropes you embody. The people are no more complicated than the actions. The caretaking wife can’t be truly hurt by the daily derogation she suffers from everyone who interacts with her. The next-door neighbour can’t have a fulfilling life outside of Kevin’s orbit, he can’t even complete fairly simple tasks without a leader to follow. Kevin’s dad can’t be anyone outside of being Kevin’s dad. The girl in the group cannot show an inner life or opinions or desires that conflict with her designated role. What you see is what you get, and there’s nothing you have to consider under the surface.

Kevin Can F*ck Himself has shown us that these rules only hold true on-screen in the sitcom; once the sitcom cameras aren’t on the characters anymore, the entire world shifts into something different. If we consider the on-sitcom-screen and off-sitcom-screen worlds to be like two intersecting realities, I think we have to assume that the sitcom reality is the dominant one. Events happen in the Kevin Can F*ck Himself reality that are necessarily related to the sitcom reality (Allison reacting to how she’s treated when off-screen; Allison and Patty discussing events that have happened on-screen while off-screen) whereas the events in the sitcom reality occur regardless of the Kevin Can F*ck Himself reality (Allison’s damaged clothes and injuries that occur off-screen aren’t noticeable on-screen; when Kevin confronts Allison and Patty, that confrontation makes sense in the sitcom universe even without the context given in the Kevin Can F*ck Himself reality). If the sitcom reality is the dominant reality, that necessitates that the Kevin Can F*ck Himself reality is still influenced by the rules of the sitcom reality even when the cameras are off – if the influence can only have significant consequences in one direction, then the universe that can’t significantly influence the other can’t have anything happen in it that would have to have a notable impact on the other.

To put this to a concrete example, the marriage Allison has on-screen can affect her contentment with her life off-screen and make her want to have an affair off-screen, but – given the premise expressed above – her off-screen affair can’t unduly affect her on-screen marriage. It can’t influence her think she might be able to find a safe way to get a divorce because that would affect the status quo of the sitcom. It can’t be reflected in her on-screen interactions with Kevin because that would complicate their marriage in a manner the sitcom universe can’t bear.

I don’t think Allison’s affair with Sam can come out on-screen in the sitcom. The sitcom everyman’s wife cheating on him isn’t what the target demographic wants. The dream of the hot wife who’ll let you get away with anything, who puts out and cleans up and cooks and boosts and takes her lumps with a smile and stands by you no matter how many times things don’t go as desired – yes! The culturally ingrained fear that your woman is cuckolding you, that you’re inadequate instead of all that she wants and needs, that you’re a fool and didn’t actually land that dream catch – no, absolutely not! It breaks the rule of catering to the man-child id, it breaks the rules of simplicity, and it breaks the rule of status quo. I think Allison will face problems with the affair – we know she will in some way from the ep 6 preview – but I suspect the issues surrounding it will be more along the lines of getting to know Jenn and discovering that she’s actually awkward but sincere and the “who really gets the hot guy” competition is way less fun when you empathize with the opposition, or having to face that the reasons she and Sam didn’t end up together back when they were teens still apply and that doing this with him now won’t make her happy. Whatever happens, I don’t think Allison’s marriage will be affected in a way that will show up in the sitcom at all. So there’s a front on which Allison’s behaviour is safe – the affair can never come out in a way Kevin and the sitcom viewers will believe in it, so she will never have to face consequences along the lines of suffering a broken-marriage for which everyone considers her at fault because she committed adultery – and a way in which it’s not – Allison basically said that she knew it was a shitty thing to do but she had fun enabling Sam in cheating on his girlfriend back in high school because she didn’t know the other girl and didn’t really think about her, but now that the relationships those involved are in are even more serious and the other woman is an actual acquaintance there’s no way that this won’t at least lead to drama guaranteed to have a significant influence and consequences in her off-sitcom-screen life. My point with this is that (if my theory is correct) Kevin Can F*ck Himself will show consequences, but Kevin’s sitcom can’t, and that inherently affects the dangers Allison faces for her behaviour and what can come of it in both worlds.

Leading off from that, we have the whole dealing drugs and assaulting a trucker thing. Necessarily, none of what we’re seeing in Kevin Can F*ck Himself about that can be reflected in the sitcom. We can have the dramatic irony of Kevin confronting Allison the night she started having an affair, we can watch Kevin confront her and Patty over the horrible acts they committed off-screen, but due to the nature of the universe, that cannot be anything but dramatic irony which sitcom viewers wouldn’t be able to pick up on. Simply put, Patty can’t be sent off to jail for dealing because she’s a regular. Allison will never be convicted for what they did to that trucker – even though you’d expect her to be in serious trouble given that surely there would have been security cameras all over any gas station – because that cannot flow back to the sitcom reality in any recognizable way.

Can the sitcom wife spend more than one episode under on-screen police scrutiny? There could probably be a plotline where she spends a night in jail, but according to sitcom logic that has to be sorted out before the episode is over. There has to be some sort of misunderstanding revealed, some piece of evidence come to light that exonerates her. She has to get back to her husband and the dirty laundry and the meals she needs to make. This is why I think it’s not possible that Allison and Patty mugging that guy for his oxy can come back to bite them in a way that would be reflected on-screen in the sitcom. The sitcom wife doesn’t beat people up for their drugs, not like that at least. The rules of a sitcom will not allow it.

The rules of a sitcom also don’t allow the star to die. I fully believe that Patty was right; if Allison had filled that burger with drugs, Kevin would have been back up and running by the next scene. So, given that truly bad things can’t happen to Kevin, and given that things can’t significantly change, what can Allison’s plans be building toward? Literally, is it possible for Kevin to end his life in jail for drug-related crimes? If the premise I’ve laid out above is correct, then no. Is it possible for Kevin to die in allegedly drug-related gang violence? No. It’s more likely that Marcus talks a big game, but is actually a small enough fish he could be taken out of the equation by Patty telling his aunt he was bothering her. I don’t think anything Allison and Patty can do in the Kevin Can F*ck Himself universe to get Kevin done for drug-related crimes can lead to anything more than a Very Special Episode about drugs on the sitcom.

So what does that mean for the show? I have no idea, and I’m really interested in finding out.

Can the rules of the universe be changed? Allison broke a glass on-screen, in a way which probably wouldn’t have been written into a sitcom, so maybe. But that didn’t really break any of the proposed rules of the universe, so maybe not.

And what happens if Allison succeeds? Characters in a sitcom have backstories, but can they have futures after the show is cancelled?

I’ve heard from a lot of people that they don’t enjoy the sitcom scenes, but (for the most part) I think those are depicted to establish and convey something important. I might be completely off-base with my analysis of how realities are portrayed in the show and what we can glean from that, but even without that I think we’ve been offered a compelling deconstruction of on-screen sitcom hijinks.

Also, I just really love how they’ve worked within the boundaries of the intersection of sitcom and non-sitcom presentation. How can the “just getting by” family afford all the fun things that make the sitcom life aspirational without making the characters too well-off for the everyman to see himself and his own struggles in them? Simple – drain those off-screen savings. It’s perfect. It’s so beautifully indicative of Kevin Can F*ck Himself’s premise.

Any way you look at it and whatever theories you prefer, the world presented in Kevin Can F*ck Himself offers up a lot of interesting possibilities and I can’t wait to see them explored.

#kevin can f**k himself #kevin can f himself #kevin can f*** himself #kcfh #meta #kcfh spoilers #long post #spoilers #sIp #and if a man like Kevin #who got a woman deported over some petty argument #who sabotaged his friend's relationship because she forgot to bring him a burger #found out his wife was cheating on him #what would he do?#and could you air it?#or would it be more of a ''Kevin's wife died off-screen between seasons'' scenario?#IMO this is very much a show made for people who don't like sitcoms in the first place

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installmentsweird · 4 years

Photo

[ID: left to right, Kugrash, Sofia Bicileta, Ox, Pete the Plug, Ricky Matsui, Kingston Brown, Misty Moore sitting on a couch, with the word Heroes in the Friends TV show font. END ID. Design by: https://www.artpal.com/ltbaucum]

AHHHHHHH!!! Uhmmm so this is definitely going to be me fangirling, but honestly one of the best thing in 2020 was that the full season 1 of The Unsleeping City was put on the Dimension 20 YouTube channel. I have been following this show since it first started then had to stop because they put the rest of them on Dropout.tv(as they should, but like I couldn’t pay for it sooooo). But now we can talk about Season 1.

Cast:

Pete the Plug(Vox Phantasma- Wild Magic Sorcerer) played by Ally Beardsley

Sofia Bicileta(Drunken Master Monk) played by Emily Axford

Ricky Matsui(Oath of Devotion Paladin) played by Zac Oyama

Kingston Brown(Vox Populi - City Domain Cleric) played by Lou Wilson

Kugrich/Kugrash(Man turned rat by powerful witch- Circle of the Shepard Druid) played by Brian Murphy

Misty Moore/Rowan( Fae- College of the Lore Bard) played by Siobhan Thompson

Dungeon Master, All the NPCs, All the Bad Guys played by Brennan Lee Mulligan

(Info and spelling from Unsleeping City fanwiki: https://dimension20.fandom.com/wiki/The_Unsleeping_City)

This is a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, set in New York City, where magic lies just beneath the surface behind the Umbral Arcana, that hides the magic from mere mortals. The Unsleeping City is the sixth borough (aka Nod) where dreams live and thrive; we visit this land when we sleep. In this campaign, our intrepid heroes must stop Robert Moses from(what do I say here without spoilers...) from misusing the power of dreams for his dastardly plot.

So why are we talking about this? The storytelling is incredible. The character development is flawless. And the fact that this is a board game, really brings it to life. The cast is incredible, these are just people playing a board game, but honestly I got so invested because the acting is so amazing. There were definitely moments where I got choked up or cheered( I mean that moment with Esther and Ricky, like if you know, you know and cheered with me). Not only are they incredible actors, but the strategy is on point. Like these people are here to win and have fun. Like Emily, girl, some of the things she thought up I could never in a billion years. Watching Ally play Pete and portray him so well, making me laugh whenever someone brought up his drug selling; I couldn’t. The stories of Kingston and Kugrash; Lou and Brian killed those roles, like the museum scene...THE MUSEUM SCENE, y’all wanted me to ugly cry. Zac’s tiny smirks whenever Ricky’s physique was mentioned was everything and his portrayal made me want to protect Ricky at all costs. And the lovely Misty Moore. Siobhan gave a stellar performance, what a star! She was incredible. And Rowan, what a stellar encore. We love to see it, darling!

Some of these moves were slick and creative and Brennan being an amazing DM, knew when to bend the rules for something cool to happen. I appreciated this because it made it fun and like that is what it is all about, it is a game after all. And seeing them have fun made it super fun to watch. This campaign fueled my imagination and just I watched it wide-eyed under my covers.

Brennan Lee Mulligan is an evil genius! The fact that he could play so many characters and each has their own story and voices and mannerisms, INSANE!!!! The fact he created this based off of Neverwhere by Neli Gaiman!! I love that book and no wonder it felt familiar, just couldn’t put ,my finger on it at the time. Also I am just biased because I just love stories where magic lives beside the real world, I don’t know it just makes reality a bit more magical. The depth he put into this story and still managed to make some social commentary, I just can’t even. I just can’t say enough, like this was inspired; I felt like my imagination was having so much fun. This man is truly a treasure.

This campaign is incredible and honestly inspired me to write my own one day, first I have to learn how to play and the rules and such. It’s a lot, but honestly it is such a unique way to tell a story and bring it to life.

[ID: Brennan tossing gang signs , mouthing I’m gonna kill that dog, with yellow text saying “I’m gonna kill that dog.” END ID. Op:fromuptown]

I like sharing what makes me happy in the world of writing and music, so you can follow my journey @installmentsweird.

#dimension 20 #the unsleeping city #dungeons and dragons #brennan lee mulligan #emily axford #zac oyama #ally beardsley #lou wilson #brian murphy #siobhan thompson #storytelling #stories #boardgames #rpg #rpgboardgame #tuc #tuc2

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