#not to manic pixie dream girl him i just think he's a funny little guy

[zerozeroren]

Bbs on an adventure! :3

The gist of the pokemon au (after playing a single game) under the cut

This au turns out a lot more Tony-centric, actually XD it's his character journey more than Sophie's

The two of them meet in a Minor League fighting type gym. Sophie's there as a regular challenger getting ready for the proper Gym Challenge, she had just embarked on her journey. Tony is a trainer in the gym, aka one of the guys Sophie has to take down before challenging the gym leader. She can't help but notice him immediately: every single gym trainer she's ever met boasts a chipper overexcited attitude, but Tony gives off a strong "I hate every second of me being here" aura. He clearly goes through the motions in challenging her, and seems almost afraid of his own pokémon. Fighting type does not suit him, especially with the fact that the gym itself and the gym leader especially play it off extremely macho and toxically masculine, and Tony sticks out like a sore thumb. Sophie actually feels bad for him. Her and Mr. Mime put on a little funny pantomime for Tony, to which he cracks a smile, and Sophie thinks that it's nice.

Sophie quickly deals with him, though, as well as the rest of her competition (given that her ace is a fairy type) and fully intends to move on with her day. But she can't get this encounter out of her head, so after the challenge Sophie asks some other trainers about Tony, and they tell her where he usually has his lunch.

She meets him there and they have a long conversation about how Tony's stuck in the gym because it's a family business, the gym leader is his dad, and his own """ace""" Machamp is his grandfather's. He also slips and accidentally mentions that he secretly has some other mons, not fighting types, that he likes to spend his time with when nobody's looking, and Sophie immediately challenges him to a battle with them. He's hesitant at first, but then agrees, and the match between them is the tightest most exiting one he's ever had. Turns out that it's completely different to battle alongside pokemon he formed a genuine connection with.

Sophie suggests she'd steal Tony away from what is clearly stifling him. There are other people who'd happily take the place he hates being stuck in, and he clearly needs an adventure to shake him out of his depressive state. She just started the journey herself: they can take on the Gym Challenge together and see where it takes them. Tony doesn't know what to do: his legacy and sense of duty weigh on him heavily but he just can't with it all anymore. Dreading every new day became so much it is too hard to handle. And here comes this absolutely random person who suddenly wants to land him a hand. He is confused and doesn't know what to think or how to feel. Sophie wants to give him space to think things through and tells him she'll be waiting for him in the same place tomorrow, and if he doesn't show up by a certain hour, she'll know he decided not to go, and will go her own way as if they've never met. He agrees, and they part ways.

Queue in that scene from The Hobbit where Bilbo runs uphill joyfully yelling "I'm going on an adventure!"

And for Sophie, she decided to manic pixie dream girl Tony out of his situation because she had been in a very similar situation herself. Her parents (in this au both Sophie and Tony have completely different parents and family situations BTW, nothing like OG Attitudes) were really pushy about her interest in Pokemon and Pokemon battles and wanted her to have "a real job" someday, so they made her study and study everything hard and boring, and their position was always this disingenuous kind of "do anything you want once you graduate but until you do you owe this to yourself (read: us)". So Sophie took them up on their words, graduated, took her savings and immediately went away to take part in the Gym Challenge. When she met Tony she saw a lot of her own struggles in him and wanted to help him because nobody did the same for her. She knows how scary it is to go through such a change all alone.

The rest of this au is simply the two of them doing the gym challenge together, camping in the wilderness, having little adventures, catching and playing with pokemon and bonding (falling in love too, ofc😈)

[chicken-delight]

OK here is my voice to text two cents. Don’t think it’s gonna be as bad as we think. I think there’s some of you who just don’t like Timothy because he’s famous. And that’s OK. I don’t think he’s great. I think he’s OK. Hated him as Laurie in little women. But that’s besides the point. he is doing his best. I do think that they’re gonna make Joan a manic pixie dream girl who’s only in the movie for 30 minutes. Are we truly expecting it to be any other way? It’s Hollywood. I think this is all depending on the quality of the writing in the writing of the story. I don’t know anything about this director. But as long is it a genuinely good story about a person I’m ok. like that’s my main issue with like the doors movie for instance. Not only is it a false retelling it’s also a bad movie. And that’s the worst combo. That’s the worst crime. Anyways, don’t take it out on Timothy. He’s the pawn. He’s just a guy. and anyways, like no movies ever gonna capture the depth of Bob Dylan. I wish they would’ve picked well. I wish it could’ve either been like a from birth to now story even though they’d be missing a lot of things, but I do wish it were more about going electric but then what happened after not really the buildup because that’s just kind of boring. I don’t know I feel like the Woodstock. And like the Nashville period Is really more interesting than him putting on the electric guitar for the first time. Even though like you know culturally, this is a substantial thing. That people don’t know about people don’t appreciate. And maybe they’re using Timothy as kind of a gateway for the uncultured youth of today that’s supposed to be an air quotes to access. Or at least access the importance of putting poetry to rock ‘n’ roll music. Anyways, I’m losing my train of thought. I need to direct the movie about Bob and Sara and their kids in Woodstock on the trampoline. I’ll do it. I don’t even like movies. But I’ll do it. Someone hire me. Marty!!!! and I also want to say like. We can not like Timothy. And that’s OK. And a little bit of gatekeeping is OK too but just have your hearts open. Even if it’s just a crack open. We don’t want to be haters. I know there’s memes about being haters, but in reality everyone is a lover. And that’s just what I think. Open your heart. If it sucks. It sucks if it’s OK it’s OK. I don’t even wanna go there to say that if it’s good, it’s good. But you never know. Bob is something so personal to me. And I do kind of feel like people are stepping on the sacredness of my connection with Bob’s music by making a movie with you know some young heartthrob in it. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t still have my own relationship with the music. you know? And I will say like like in high school this is funny I did run a Timothée Chalamet fan Instagram account that was quite famous. OK well I didn’t run it. I ran it the girl who ran it and like got all the crazy number followers posted something like I need someone to admin and and it was me so I don’t wanna take all the credit but I used to do that. I thought he was cute. Sue me. I like again like I don’t mind him. I don’t think he’s awesome now but he’s just like whatever. And it’s just like funny for me because it was like right after I started doing that account that I started like really really listening to Bob Dylan. So it’s kind of just like a funny coincidence for me personally. OK I don’t really know where else I’m going with this OK bye

[cannedbeefaroni]

I watched The Girl Next Door and holy fuck what the fuck did i just watch

honestly this has to be the most painful watch of my life. so many moments made me cover my eyes and verbally say "ew."

despite that blaring issue, this movie is the fucking goat. this shit makes so little sense but its so profound. this movie is so strangely feminist for a 2004 comedy. danielle is an extremely well written female character for the time period, though i have to admit she is a bit of a manic pixie dream girl (which imo isnt a bad thing).

the beginning of the movie that showcased all the high schoolers doing high school things was mega cringe and made me want to gouge my eyes out.

danielle's creepy ex also sucked and he wasnt enjoyable as an antagonist in my opinion.

I think Eli and Klitz really made the movie. I found them both extremely funny and adorable. Matt was a bit of a bland character but he was very kind, and it was amusing watching him take L after L. The trio as a whole were perfect and I loved how they interacted.

Special shout out to Eli. He has to be my favorite character from the movie. Such a pervert but he has such a heart of gold. Everything he did in that entire movie was so funny to me.

final note: the fact that Klitz APPARENTLY has a canonically massive dong makes me want to cry. i dated a guy who looks almost exactly like him and he, as well, had a monster cock. REMEMBER TO GET OVER YOUR EXES KIDS!!!

i give this movie a 9/10. yes it made me convulse but no other movie has ever driven this much emotion out of me and i applaud that. i want to give wet kisses to eli and klitz.

[godza]

hello hello lisey :) most exciting thing i've done all day is watch the close up vers of the orv musical. as you've seen. i still owe you everything for introducing me btw. also made a little bit of progress in sui hunter not much since the last update. i feel bad for gorke. i think that's his name. imagine being just some teenager and god shows up after two hundred years to declare you the new priest and then beat you up to make you learn magic what the. heretic questioner was so insane for staying in the tower for two hundred years just to use his snails to enslave everyone else T_T there's something wrong with him. i knew that already. umm i've been meaning to ask do you have any vtubers/streamers you'd recommend. i've wanted to start getting more into that stuff for a while but i am not sure where to start. no pressure to compile a huge in depth list on the spot if you don't feel like it just making one of your swag lists sometime whenever you're up to it would be cool ^_^

woooo i need to rewatch the orv musical bc it slaps. just rewatched 188 in 4k jesus christ. i posted it specifically back then so you would see it. and yayyy sui!! god beats you up on the daily in your dreams you are gorke. and heretic questioners snails are insane. heretic questioner is a manic pixie nightmare girl. and yayyyy streamers!!! my fave actual person is rtgame, the best twitch streamer ever imo he has had me waking up early on the weekends you need to have a strong grip on me to do that. his content is what makes me laugh the most, theres a bunch of great stuff on his yt channel.

here is my a list of vtubers you may like! noir vesper, hes really good at talking for hours and making every second entertaining, he can talk about computer parts for an hour and i wont understand but ill enjoy it. min suha, the most popular niji kr member, hes fluent in korean and japanese but is trying his best in english and is super funny and wholesome, slightly fruity. selen tatsuki, if i could marry a streamer it would be her, her laugh is contagious and is a beast at fps games and has my whole heart can she give it back i need it. hyakumantenbara salome, a jp high class lady whos incredibly funny, you may know her from the desu wa craze a while ago if that was an event to anyone else but me. other misc ones you may like: uki violeta, calm gay guy. pomu rainpuff, anything but calm fairy. enna alouette, she got into some controversy lately so maybe hold off but her contents great, and shu yamino, the only guy ive ever seen who doesnt swear but is also hilarious. i just infodumped all over the place ill need a mop to clean this up

[alllovegoddess]

hiiiii i wanna hear about your little guys mithos and genis i miss them

HECK YES i miss them too so bad

describe their canon relationship/dynamic

they're sort of like each other's manic pixie dream girl which i think is a really funny thing to have done with a pair of middle school aged kids in a jrpg from the early 2000s. genis has always felt constrained and restricted by the fact that he has to lie about his half-elven heritage, even to the people he loves very dearly, because if he doesn't then he will basically without exception be put in Extreme Danger. he bottles up everything inside himself to support others, tries not to complain, tries to play everything off as a-okay even when it's not. so naturally, when he meets mithos, someone who is Just Like Him, he finally has someone he can express himself genuinely to!

mithos, of course, has lived through...some of the most traumatic stuff a kid can live through. he knows he's hated, he knows the world is against him, and when he decided to try infiltrating lloyd's group, he'd also weathered about 4000 years of immortality spent pretending to be someone he's not. so when he meets genis, someone who is Just Like Him, he finally has someone he can express himself sincerely to.

all it took, for both of them, was a single act of kindness, a person who they both felt could understand them without having to do all that icky explaining stuff. and...considering that, all the way to the end, no matter what mithos did, genis still wanted to believe in him and have faith in him and not hurt him no matter what, genis did understand, even as mithos lied and lied about how he'd hated all of them the whole time

it's a tragedy born of love and understanding and one of them deciding that a villain like them shouldn't get to be happy and the other vehemently disagreeing. i am owned every single day

your ideal/headcanon version of it? how does it differ from how it is in canon & why is this your favorite version? any other alternate versions of it you enjoy?

well i LOVE a good tragedy (as you all know...) but god i want them to both live and get to be together so bad . shoutout to the like 30k words i wrote of them set in the phantasia timeline that was still unfortunately a tragedy because mithos is STILL a villain who did very bad things and genis is still stubbornly always wanting to be with him against the wishes of others

...but i'm also a huge fan of genis trying to bring mithos back from the dead. ahaha <3

what do you like about their relationship, why is it interesting or enjoyable to you?

i like... relationships that are tragedies. for some god dang unknown reason. the fact that it's doomed from the start is appealing to me. the fact that it's pure and sincere on both sides? also appealing. the fact that genis's kindness and affection was what made mithos realize what a horrible person he's been? absolutely freaking excellent

what about the individual characters involved? what does this relationship mean to them, what makes it unique among their relationships?

I KINDA. ALREADY WENT OVER THIS BUT both of them have to pretend to be someone they're not All The Time. genis bottles up all of his negative emotions so he doesn't make things harder on his sister and lloyd and colette, not to mention the whole pretending to be an elf rather than a half-elf thing, and mithos has been forced into playing an Ideal Villainous Leader for 4000 years when that's not even really him. he even freaking says so himself in the game that acting as yggdrasill is the only way to be taken seriously

...not to mention that, well, all it took for mithos to realize that what he's done is Freaking Awful is to go down and see what's happened, and for just one person to be kind to him. which means he'd been isolated and stuck up there for 4000 years, and no one was ever just...kind. to him. ugh. augh

favorite interaction they have in canon

I WISH WE COULD STAY TOGETHER FOREVER DOT PNG

favorite interaction they have in your head/a situation you want to put them in

i wwant them to cook together since genis is super good at it and since mithos is an angel he has no sense of taste i think it would be funny

[adamwatchesmovies]

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

Once you see Breakfast at Tiffany’s, you’ll understand why it’s a big deal. Audrey Hepburn is impossibly memorable as Holly Golightly. The story is surprisingly bold for 1961. It’s funny, romantic, and might make you weep… which makes the extraordinarily racist caricature of a Japanese man - played by Mickey Rooney - all the more disappointing. It’s a good movie but unless you sit down and prepare yourself for a long internal conversation, I don’t know if I can recommend it.

Naive and eccentric Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) welcomes Paul Varjak (George Peppard) to her apartment building. He's a writer who hasn’t written anything in five years. How he makes ends meet is as inexplicable as Holly’s income - she gets paid $100 a week to talk to an incarcerated mobster and deliver the weather report to one of his friends. The more time Holly and Paul spend together, the closer they become but Holly is not the kind of woman who will allow herself to be tied down.

Whether actor Mickey Rooney, producer Richard Shepherd or director Blake Edwards felt uneasy or not casting a white man in makeup to play a Japanese character, whether protests at the time were loud enough to be heard doesn’t really matter. The fact is, Mr. Yunioshi does not paint a flattering picture of American-Japanese citizens and said portrayal was brought to life by someone who wasn’t Asian. Editing him out (assuming it would be morally right to pretend like the yellowface didn't happen) would be impossible - Yunioshi appears too frequently and in just enough critical scenes. It’s doubly heartbreaking because this really is a good film that some people will not want to see or be unable to enjoy because of this character. I would, however, encourage you to try - at least once.

As the film begins, you see Holly Golightly and you think you’ve got her figured out. She’s a “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” prototype, right? Beautiful, funny, always up to something wild and positioned to brighten up the life of someone else - usually a man - who might not even realize has fallen into a rut. How could she not realize the “weather report” she gives are coded messages? What is she thinking stringing along all these rich men at her parties? For the first half-hour or so, you think she hasn’t gotten a reasonable thought in her head but that will change. Just as Paul becomes fascinated by her free spirit and the mysterious circumstances that pushed her to become who she is, you'll also take a step back, stop admiring the iconic cigarette holder, hairdo, and dresses and look at what’s behind the curtain. How much of all this is a mask, and what is it hiding?

The longer you watch, the clearer the truth becomes: like Paul, Holly is not happy. She’s far from happy, in fact. This makes her a great match for Paul but their situations prevent them from becoming an item. That's heavy and dramatic but the film is often quite funny. Holly draws to her apartment all sorts of outrageous characters that make for some big laughs. There’s also a mystery aspect that intrigues you. It makes you question every little oddity you see. That guy standing outside the building looking shifty. What’s he really up to?

Any conversation about Breakfast at Tiffany’s will inevitably revolve around Audrey Hepburn and her character but let's not overlook George Peppard. His co-star is bold and out there. He’s reserved and subtle - the perfect complement. When he finally lets it all out, it’s hard not to get a lump in your throat. Praise should also be given to Henry Mancini for his score and the single Moon River (which he co-wrote with Johnny Mercer). They make an already memorable film extra special.

I’m glad to have seen Breakfast at Tiffany’s and foresee myself re-watching it. I’ll probably like it more the second time around but Mickey Rooney’s role will always leave a bad taste in my mouth. This would be a great choice for a remake for the obvious reasons (some of the language is a bit dated here and there as well) but you couldn’t imagine anyone but Audrey Hepburn in the main role so there would be no point. (On Blu-ray, March 19, 2021)

[tubbito]

george is "no thoughts head empty" but not in the "pretty and dumb" way people say, in the "really smart but doesn't actually think consequences in the moment" way which leads to being unhinged

george just Does things like the impulse hits him and he's like ok 👍 it's like u can tell there was Zero forethought in it he was just living his truth in that moment ...

[theflyingfeeling]

I saw that stories and my mind went: firefighters au! (But didn't go anywhere after that, so no ideas on the plot. Maybe you have some?👀)

Ohhhh.. 😏🔥💞

the IG story in question

~

Joel cannot believe someone could cause a fire by simply boiling water it seems

(Well, one can if one is secretly a sorcerer, but 🤫)

And Joel knows he should scold the goddamn idiot, but he has the most adorable puppy eyes Joel has ever seen 😩

Meanwhile Joel's firefighter buddy Joonas is like 🙄 here we go again 😐

(Because it's not the first time he sees Joel stuttering at the sight of a pretty little twink)

And they really should be going already because they just got another alert Joel for god's sake now is not the time to be blushing and giggling in front of this manic pixie dream girl! 🤦‍♂️

But Joel literally can’t help it, because what if it’s the love of his life and he’ll never see him again?! Is Porko really willing to listen to Joel complain about how he’s gonna die alone, forgotten and unloved?! 🤧

(Joonas thinks it’s not that much different from what he has to put up with already)

Meanwhile Aleksi is all 👀 because he might be an immortal sorcerer, but he can still appreciate a man in a uniform 😏

Joonas only barely manages to drag Joel out of the apartment and then he has to hold him back form jumping into the flames kamikaze style at their next gig because he’s certain he just lost his one final chance of finding love 😭😭

(And Aleksi is back at his apartment staring out the window like “🥺 oh, when will my Hot Fireman Guy come back from war 🥺🥺”

By some happy coincidence (although not really because Aleksi used his ✨sorcery✨) they run into each other and promptly decide Joel should definitely come and do a checkup at Aleksi’s apartment. You know, just to make sure the fire safety is in order 🤝

“The bedroom? Funny you should ask, I’ve actually been concerned about this one power socket…”

Happy news! Joel won’t die alone after all!! And he never has to wait for the water for his breakfast tea to boil either, because his sorcerer boyfriend will just snap his fingers and voilá! 🥰

(Well, he still hasn’t quite mastered that, but thankfully he has a firefighter for a lover 🔥)

[ladyloveandjustice]

Fall 2020 Anime Overview

I started out watching the a ton of anime for the Fall 2020 season, but then ended up not being caught up with most of them by the the time the end rolled around. I still pretty much intend to catch up with Yashahime Princess Half Demon someday (I do like the three leads, it just the plot’s been dull as dirt and the fights aren’t very inspired either) and though I dropped Wandering Witch after bad press started rolling in (I CANNOT deal with pointless tragedy in my current state of mind) I might check out a few more episodes someday just to from my own opinion. For now, let’s just quickly review the anime I DID manage to finish on time this season.

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle is exactly what it says on the tin: Princess Syalis isn’t too bothered about being captured by demons and locked in their castle, but she does value a good night’s sleep, and she is absolutely ruthless when it comes to getting it- so ruthless, in fact, that the demons realized it might not be that she’s trapped in here with them, but that they’re trapped in here with her.

Sleepy Princess is top tier comedy comfort food. It rarely got a huge belly laugh, but it always but a smile on my face and was a great thing to watch before going to bed. Syalis’s single-minded search for some shut eye is a joke that could have gotten old very quickly, but the show consistently found creative ways to expand on the gags and build it’s world and a fun cast of characters along the way. 

Though Syalis is downright brutal to the demons when it comes to getting what she wants (and has a knack for getting herself killed at well), thanks to a demon cleric that offers easy resurrections, you never feel too bad for anyone involved. In fact, the demons and Syalis form a strangely heartwarming bond over the course of the show , and it’s clear by the end that Syalis definitely has the ability to come and go if she damn well pleases and just finds this castle a fun place where she can find respite from her princessly responsibilities. 

A nice bonus for those of us who like a little subversion is that the show has a lot of fun playing with standard adventure tropes- the demons often lament that Syalis is not at all what they expected from a captive princess, for one, but my favorite fun little twist is how Syalis feels about the hero currently on a (seemingly endless) quest to rescue her- she manages to both hold him in contempt AND consistently fail to remember his name. That level of disregard takes some impressive effort.

The show has the same director as the Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun anime and as such has a similarly nice comic and visual flourishes throughout. It definitely gets two sleepy thumbs up for me.

Jujutsu Kaisen

Jujutsu Kaisen follows a young man named Yuuji Itadori who, after tangling with a demon, ends up with one inside him. With a death sentence hanging over his head, he’s inducted into a school for “jujutsu sorcerers”, and begins training to use his newfound powers to defeat demons and curses.

Jujutsu Kaisen quickly tells you on no uncertain terms it is Action Shonen, introducing a huge cast of a characters and powers and super high stakes and hey there’s even gonna be a tournament arc soon. It is really, really pretty to look at, with a killer opening and ending, some seriously great animation and cool visuals for the fights especially. But is it particularly memorable otherwise? Noooooot really, so far. The sea of technobabble it tends to descend into when trying to explain how the various powers work often has me zoning out and wishing they’d just let me watch the pretty punches. The villains and the general plot isn’t particularly compelling. The characters are nice enough, but haven’t given me much to be attached to so far. Though I do appreciate this one dude who is the embodiment of millennial ennui:

I’ll keep watching though, because it is a visually stunning, action-y thing to my turn your brain off to and god knows I want to turn my brain off all the time lately. 

And the characters do have potential- the One Girl of the main group, Nobara, has a really fun personality in that she’s a total shitlord doofus brawler who can thus doof around with our equally dumbass protagonist, which is an pretty fun, unusual personality for the One Girl to have! Her interactions with Maki, the weapons expert senpai girl, are promising too. I’m just waiting for her to actually, you know, DO something that really shows off her skills- I’m told she DOES eventually get to (gasp) win fights on her own and do cool stuff, but so far show has kind at that of failed miserably and underused her like most action shonen underuse their girls. Plus, taking Yuuji out of the group for such a long stretch seems like a weird choice, we’ve been deprived really seeing him for relationships with his peers. The pacing seems off. But maybe the upcoming tournament arc will make up for that and actually be worthwhile!

Talentless Nana

In a world where kids with superpowers are sent to island schools to fight mysterious “enemies of humanity”, one class of such kids is thrown into chaos when they find themselves targeted by a deadly force.

It’s pretty much impossible to talk about Talentless Nana without discussing how it deviates dramatically from what its premise appears to be in episode one, so I’ll just say if you like stories with superpowers and intrigue, you should definitely sit through that first episode and see if the plot that’s eventually revealed is something that you’re here for. But if you want to avoid spoilers, DON’T GO BELOW THE CUT, because I’m about to get very spoilery.

Basically, Talentless Nana pulls a bait and switch, starting it’s first episode posing as generic superhero anime where the protagonist appears to be your standard meek-but-powerful anime boy (Nanao) who just needs some support and encouragement from a pink haired mind reading manic pixie dream girl (Nana) to unlock his self-confidence and ~true power~ (ugh)...only to take SHARP swerve when  Nana ruthlessly murders Nanao and reveals she’s been sent by the government to take out the superpowered kids one by one because THEY are the considered the true enemies of humanity. Oh, and she doesn’t have any superpowers, or “talents”- she was just able to sus out everything Nanao was thinking through basic deductive reasoning because he was so flippin’ obvious and basic.

As my love for a certain character in a certain game may have clued people into, I am ALWAYS delighted when what appears to be a generic, underwritten girlfriend character is then revealed to be an interesting, ruthless mastermind. And having an anime appear to be about a bland boy with a Dream Girlfriend but then actually turn into a show about a deeply cynical, morally dubious girl who’s clearly holding down a lot of messy feelings as she considers everyone her enemy...well, it may be a cheap trick to some, but it also feels a little bit like justice for all the underwritten female characters sacrificed to bland male leads. It’s still rare enough that I dig it when it happens. And the metatext of Nana zeroing in on this kid as the most standard of main character boys, assessing him as the biggest threat because of it and knowing the perfect way to take him out, is pretty inherently funny to me.

But if the show JUST banked on that twist and was about Nana brutally and cynically slaughtering these kids, it would get boring quickly and Nana would be a bland character herself. Fortunately, it doesn’t go that route. Nana struggles and grows a lot over the course of the show. She finds opposition in transfer student Kyoya, a stoic (and socially awkward) young man who pretty quickly becomes suspicious of her. A lot of the tension from the early episodes comes from her sweating as she tries to outmaneuver him and she makes plenty of mistakes along the way. She also slowly but surely starts to question her mission, and we get an idea of her backstory and how the government specifically has groomed her into believing people with powers to be evil. That belief is one that’s challenged by her friendship with another girl, and it’s pretty rewarding to watch Nana’s feelings and world expand little by little.

The show is definitely a little schlocky-some of the plots (as well as the general premise of the government thinking this is the optimal way to get rid of their superpowered kids problem) fall apart if you think too much about them, and some of the kids Nana goes up against are sleazy and unlikeable in over the top ways (which makes it easy for her to stick to her convictions all these kids deserve to die at first). In particular, I have to give a heads up for some sleazy guys doing and saying sleazy things, though the show never gets too overbearing or graphic with it (and the gore is generally PG-13 level as well). 

Basically. There are some truly ridiculous happenings in this show. But how ridiculous and pulpy and over the top it is can be part of the appeal, and it’s fun to just sit back and watch the spectacle of Nana and her peers head-scratching machinations. 

So, while certainly not an anime with airtight construction or flawless quality and depth, I found Nana an overall entertaining watch, especially as a fan of cat-and-mouse murder-y shenanigans, and thought it has a very compelling main character and managed to end on a heartwrenching (but earned) note. I definitely wouldn’t say no to a second season and would be interested to see where things go from here.

[rappaccini]

with the whole lila being sexy cool funny snarky vanya thing, do you think part of the reason they abandoned that and gave it to lila was because elliot page didn't want to be sexy

i really don’t think we should put too much faith into the idea of page having too much control over vanya. he dictates her wardrobe, but i seriously doubt he actually has the power to dictate vanya’s storyline. the most he can probably do is give his opinion to the writers when they ask for it, and know that being top of the call sheet means they’ll be slightly more likely to listen to it.

(like... do you really think that if you were an actor, you’d want to go from playing the main character of the entire story with the most intricate emotional arc to the token queer side character who’s disconnected from all the action and spends ten episodes wandering around saying ‘who i am is not a disease,’ while watching a younger, more male-friendly new cast member be given all the material that used to be your character’s? i wouldn’t.)

i feel like one of two things happened. maybe both.

1. the powers that be realized, ‘uh oh, we want to give vanya her anger, her snark, her punk femme aesthetic, her romance with diego, her villainy and her redemption arc after all.’ and then realized, ‘uh oh, we hired an actor who can’t pull off the anger or the snark, can’t dress like vanya, has no chemistry with castaneda, and can’t stick the landing with vanya’s villain form...  or we don’t trust them enough to even let them try to pull it off because they’re queer. we want to go there with this character, but the actor (and/or how much we trust them) means we can’t, and since we can’t recast the biggest name on the call sheet, we have to take all those things and give them to a new character played by someone else.’

and/or,

2. the powers that be realized, ‘uh oh, the audience either does not care about, hates, or looks down on vanya, and has completely confused the character with the actor playing her. the biggest positive consensus about this character is ‘elliot page good, vanya who cares’ so it would be more profitable for us to gut the character completely, turn her into Diet Elliot Page, #givevanyaagirlfriend, and then take all her guts and slap them onto a new character we made so we can play out the plotline she used to have, but with a newer, sexier, more male-friendly*** character, who will hopefully be received positively.’

(***that not like other girls vibe that lila’s character has? is there to make sure the guys watching and reviewing the show like her better. she’s vanya, but with a coat of manic pixie dream girl paint over the top to make sure all those things people hated about vanya in s1-- her trauma and how she deals with it, her being the main character-- don’t bother people about lila. she’s vanya, but a vanya who serves a male character’s story, rather than having him serve hers.)

i feel like it’s probably a mix of both.

whatever it was, it’s still not a good look that

an androgynous queer actor played the most important, most intricate character in the story whose sexuality didn’t define them

then the audience received the character, and replied "aww, look at the little lesbian trying to play something else! we don’t buy it! just play your gayest, most het-friendly self for us! that's all you can do!" en masse

then the androgynous queer actor came back for season 2 and suddenly didn’t have that central role anymore and their character’s sexuality suddenly does define them after all

and said role’s material is still here in the show, but it's been given to a brand new, younger, far more feminine actress (who is either straight or not openly queer) who was brought in to play a sexier, more male-friendly version of the original character.

like. gee. i wonder why that happened.

[edensflower]

here’s vague oc information. i will never ever ever type a google doc for a character ever again so you’re just going to have to trust me on this one

saki, he/him (pinboard) - your beloved manic pixie dream girl that wears the maid dress and is too good to be true because he WON’T call you and he WILL torment you with incomprehensible horrors. “im not like other girls, im worse <3″ in any possible battle royale situation, he is chasing everyone with a knife to humble them. if he thinks you’re funny (stoic and not funny at all) and interesting (the most “just some guy” sort of person you’ve ever met) then he might become your annoying little meow meow who bites the hand that feeds. he is the least trustworthy person around, but he’s smart and sexy so he gets away with it. a thief in all verses; does big sexy heists and would participate in battle royale games for the funsies. he likes doing the unpredictable and having a laff.

xiu, they/them (pinboard) - what if the nicest person you ever met had like the most annoying but honorable moral compass and yet couldn’t stop getting pussymatized by the most terrible little scamps? thinks people are innately good and keeps getting owned because of this. strong-willed in battle royale games, but won’t stop risking their neck for every little rascal that they come across. would participate on behalf of someone else because i know they have that 401k set up and despite every other bad decision they make, they’re financially secure. holds themself to really high standards and experiences immense guilt over any mistake on their part. they have whatever those calico critters have going on

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: The League of Evil Exes

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is one of the greatest cult classics of the 2010s for a wide variety of reasons: it had great performances, it got a video game adaptation that didn’t suck, it had an awesome soundtrack, and best of all, it apparently ruined an entire generation of women! What couldn’t this movie do (besides make a profit at the box office)? Of course, more than anything, this movie delivered on the promise of its premise by having Scott Pilgrim fight against the seven evil exes of his manic pixie dream girl Ramona Flowers.

That’s right: There’s not one, not two, not three, but seven villains to talk about in this movie!

Thankfully, this massive amount of villains makes it a lot easier to talk about them, because each of them basically gets only a single scene with which to establish their characterization and deliver a fun, exciting battle. Still, it’s pretty interesting to look at them, especially since not all exes are created equal. As a note, I’m obviously not doing a “Best Scene” for these guys because... they basically have one scene each. It would be redundant.

Motivation/Goals: The League of Evil Exes has a very simple goal: to control the future of Ramona’s love life. As Lucas says during his battle with Scott: “The Seven Evil Exes? Coming to kill you? Controlling the future of Ramona's love life?” This is especially funny because Lucas is probably the least evil of the lot. While this is an incredibly simple motivation, it fits with the tone of the movie; this is a sort of a Bowser-esque motivation, one that perfectly fits a movie that is so steeped in video game culture.

Performance: Lets go one by one here:

Satya Bhabha is the first of the evil exes, Matthew Patel, and he really eases you into what to expect for the rest of the evil exes, though here “eases you into” means “grabs you by the balls and swings you over the head like a chimpanzee.” Despite his meager screentime, he makes the most of it, delivering a Bollywood-esque musical number complete with fireballs and demon hipster chicks and generally just hamming it up. This right here is just a warmup, though, because things get crazier from here – just like in a video game, really.

Lucas Lee, the second evil ex, is a big-shot movie star regarded as a pretty good actor by all who see him. Unfortunately, they got some unknown weirdo named Chris Evans to play him, but casting this obscure indie actor certainly paid off, because Lucas Lee’s smug, over-confident portrayal combined with his affable nature make him one of the most enjoyable characters in the movie. He really comes off as a cool, cocky guy who just happens to be going up against our hero as opposed to being an actual antagonizing force.

Todd Ingram is the other best evil ex, and much like Lee it’s mostly because he’s a pretty nice guy. However, the key difference is while Lee was cocky and affable, Ingram is just kind of a ditz. Played by one-time Superman Brandon Routh, he opts to go for the more subuded route, a cold ham as opposed to a large ham, and he definitely makes it work; I did call him the OTHER best evil ex, after all.

Then we come to Roxy Richter, played by Katara herself, Mae Whitman. She’s a very angry, tomboyish lesbian who gets in a lot of great lines and shows off a very jaded, irritated personality in her limited screentime. She’s definitely a lot of fun, though apparently she has a lot of elements of Envy Adams due to being combined with an early idea to make her Ramona’s evil ex in the movie.

The Katayanagi Twins. Ken and Kyle, are… nothing. Because Keita and Shota Saitou (Kyle and Ken, respectively) did not speak English, the twins have no lines and don’t really get to establish much of a presence before dying. It’s a bit unfortunate, because it becomes really easy to forget these two are here as a result.

Gideon Gordon Graves is a smarmy, smug, condescending jackass. You have met a man like him before, and you have wanted to punch his face in. Jason Schwartzman really amps up the sleaze when playing this creepy, controlling bastard, making him a fitting final boss.

Final Fate: Each and every one of them is defeated by the end of their scenes, bursting into progressively larger amounts of coins, with Patel being pretty meager in terms of value and Gideon literally making it rain when he’s defeated. It does kind of feel weird that the twins are worth more than a beloved actor like Lucas Lee, or that Roxy is worth more than both Lee and a musician like Ingram, but frankly this isn’t really a movie where you should be overthinking stuff to begin with.

Best Quote: I don’t think I can really say Patel or Gideon have amazing, quotable lines to the extent as some of the others, but I’d be pretty remiss to not mention Todd’s legendary “...Chicken isn’t vegan…?” and Roxy’s equally legendary “Well honey… I’m a little bi-FURIOUS!” here. Lucas Lee has a lot of good lines but he’s quite frankly too consistent for me to pick one; Chris Evans really just went all-out for this one.

Final Thoughts & Score: Once again, let’s go one by one:

Matthew Patel

Matthew is the definition of a warmup boss, at least by the standards of this film. He brings a lot of insanity to the table all at once, what with his demons and Bollywood musical number and sick dance moves, but the fact he’s probably not the most insane and baffling character in the film really tells you something. He definitely makes the most of his screentime, and while his fight is relatively short, it’s a lot of fun. This man deserves an S-L-ICK 8/10.

Lucas Lee

Lucas Lee is probably the second best evil ex in the movie. He’s just so cocky, arrogant, and hilarious, and he still manages to come off as a bit polite. Its like if Captain America and Ransom Drysdale had a baby, Lucas Lee would be it. The fact he’s played by a pre-superstardom Chris Evans really is the icing on the cake here though, because his battle is fun and ends with Scott defeating him by playing into his arrogance. Ah! But he didn’t get his autograph… Oh well. Lucas Lee is an easy 10/10.

Todd Ingram

As much as I love Lee, I have to say that Todd easily has the most impressive fight in the entire film, in large part due to his awesome psychic powers he gains from being a vegan. I gave one of his legendary quotes up there, but frankly, the entire battle is awesome and quotable, the fact that at least half the battle is a rock-off is great, and the fact Scott tricks him in the most stupidly amazing to defeat him and put him at the mercy of the Vegan Police is just amazing. There’s also just the sheer novelty of how, with the power in hindsight, we got to see Superman (Routh) dating Captain Marvel (Brie Larson portrayed Envy, Scott’s ex and Todd’s girlfriend and bandmate). Todd is just a perfect, lovable idiot villain, and deserves nothing less than a 10/10.

Roxy Richter

Roxy actually gets to show up twice in the film, getting a brief scene with Scott a while before her identity is revealed. While her screentime doesn’t really amount to much, it really is incredible how much characterization they managed to pack into her limited screentime, her dialogue really selling how she is easily the most bitter and angry off all the exes. She seems genuinely hurt at some points that Ramona left her and considers her just a phase, though this of course doesn’t stop her from trying to ruin her life. In a weird way, I’d almost call her the most complex of the exes, and Mae Whitman does a great job at selling her. I will say though, despite her fight scene being filled with some of the best dialogue in the film (which is saying a lot, mind you), the overall fight is a little lackluster, and Ramona getting in makes it reek of “designated girl fight.” Still, there’s nothing so egregious about her that I’d give her anything less than a 9/10.

The Katayanagi Twins

These two, quite simply, suck. They get absolutely no characterization, they get no dialogue due to the actors not speaking English, they get no personality. They are, quite simply, just there, and they are just there because Scott needs to fight a fifth and sixth ex. There’s really not much to say here except that their fight scene is admittedly pretty cool and it’s fun to imagine how the hell their relationship with Ramona worked. Did they date her one after the other? Were they in a weird poly relationship? Did they both just spitroast her on the weekends? For those two things I’ll save them from the very bottom of the barrel and give them a 2/10.

Gideon Gordon Graves

Gideon is a smug, evil, controlling creep for sure, and he is the final evil ex Scott must face. But the thing is, he kind of doesn’t feel any more wieighty than any of the others? Gideon is for all intents and purposes the final boss, and while he does get a little buildup, it all comes in the final acts of the film. It certainly doesn’t make him a bad villain – he actually manages to temporarily kill Scott, and puts up more of a fight than any of the others – but considering how awesome Todd, Lucas, Roxy, and Matthew were in style and personality, Gideon kind of comes off as underwhelming. Yes, he is definitely the most evil of the exes, but he just doesn’t really have the “WOW” factor the others do. He’s an 8/10 for sure.

Well, I guess that’s it, that’s every villain in the mo-

Wait?

What’s this?!

Psycho Analysis: Nega Scott

…

[humanwheatleyslefttoenail]

I’ve recently discovered that apparently i’m one of the blogs that comes up when you search chelley and honestly, I like the ship, but I also have some complicated feelings about it.

So, like, on paper I think it’s a pretty good ship. That being said, I think it depends for me. Like, when people explain why they don’t like it I really get the reasons why they don’t. Obviously, there’s always going to be some problematic elements when it comes to hero/villain ships, and the same thing applies to ChellDOS. From what I’ve seen, a lot of people see Wheatley as almost like an incel metaphor - seems nice, but really only seeks power over women and doesn’t genuinely value them. While I think there’s merit and evidence to the theory that Wheatley and his character arc is a metaphor for misogyny, I also think that take is a little 2 dimensional since there’s arguably a lot more to Wheatley’s character. You can interpret him as a closet woman-hater, but you can also interpret him as an abuse victim lashing out, and honestly I think for his character it’s a little bit of both. 

That being said, I like ChellDOS, and I like the interpretation of Portal’s story as that of two women bonding over their shared man-created trauma. 

The reason I like chelley, then, is probably because of Blue Sky. Aside from being a good exploration of Wheatley’s character, and being fantastically written, it also did something surprisingly unique. I can’t stand chelley fics where people decide that just because Wheatley might’ve had a bad past, or sympathetic motivations, was corrupted by the chassis etc. that all his actions are excused. I see fics and content where Chell just forgives him so easily, and, like, no. 

Blue Sky made Wheatley work for his redemption. He had to apologize, and then save Chell, and then relearn his humanity and prove his worth and nearly give up everything to show that his love for her was genuine. There’s no, “I forgive you” or “I love you” until Wheatley goddamn earns it. That’s how you write a redemption fic. That’s how you write a chelley fic. 

More and more people understand that Wheatley probably wouldn’t just be forgiven, but I also see a lot of “redemption” fics that are really just Chell doing all the work for him. There’s a pretty big pattern in m/f ships of women doing all the emotional labor for a damaged man, kinda playing back into the whole manic pixie dream girl trope. It annoys me to no end, because it makes Wheatley seem like he’s not even a key player in his own redemption even aside from the misogynist implications. 

But when people write fics where he’s actually held accountable, where there’s actually time in that fic to build chemistry with Chell, then there’s potential for a good dynamic. I personally prioritize f/f, m/m and other queer ships because I am queer and so I create the content I don’t see. That being said, I do create content for m/f ships because I feel like done right, there’s a lot of opportunity to play around with gender roles and deconstruct a lot of the toxic tropes in het ships. 

When he’s not plugged in, Wheatley’s a decent enough guy and does genuinely care about Chell and her safety. He’s funny, talkative, and trying his best. I have a soft spot for ships between a smart, capable woman and the clumsy but genuine guy. That being said, reducing chelley to that dynamic would also be oversimplifying. There’s also the whole second half of the game to unpack in terms of his character, which is the reason why it’s a ship I like when done by fans but probably wouldn’t like in canon. 

I don’t actually see chelley implications in the source material outside of maybe Wheatley having a small little crush in the first half, but what I do see is potential for the development of a relationship depending on how you characterize Chell. If done well, with actual character development like in the fics Blue Sky, Reversal, Grief Science and All That Never Glittered, then it can be enjoyable to read. That being said, with the way some people gloss over Wheatley’s actions, and the way people characterize Chell as the MPDG trope, it isn’t always that way. 

[sgnserena]

* TASK 001 ___ GENERAL PHONE QUESTIONS ;

what kind of cell phone do you have? :   —  iphone 11 pro in gold, with a black and gold marble case

how often do you use your cell phone? :   —  an average amount as most her age do

what is your phone’s lock screen photo? :   —   above ( left ), one of her most liked photos on her instagram from last year

what is your phone’s home screen photo? : —   above ( right ), she likes to be ~ aesthetic ~ kind of.

how many contacts do you have in your phone? :   —   she doesn’t keep count but she’s sure it’s a lot — she doesn’t delete contacts, unless you’ve done her wrong, and that’s mainly because someone could possibly be of use one day.

do you customize contact names or enter as given names? :   —   mostly customized with different ‘codenames’ that she gives people. if you’re special, she’ll use your actual name and an emoji since it’s easier for her to look up.

what is their default ringtone? : —   she would have it to something fun like ‘there some hoes in the house’ beat from wap  —  cardi b feat. megan thee stallion, but she’s afraid of having it go off while she’s on a date with her sugar daddies. because of that, it’s currently the mighty morphin power rangers theme song. y’know, something more family friendly.

do you have personalized ringtones for your contacts or does everyone use the default ringtone? : —  default ringtone, she can’t be fucked to give people personal ones.

how many alarms do you have set and why? : —  she has 4 alarms total; one set up 10 minutes before she needs to get up for her monday & wednesday classes, then another set for the time she has to get up. it’s the same for her tuesday & thursday classes as well  —  she doesn’t have class on fridays. she doesn’t have a hard time getting up in the mornings, but she likes to take those 10 minutes to prepare herself for the day.

what are your top 3 most used apps? : —  imessage, seekingarrangement, calendar app

what are your favorite apps? : —  burner app ; also one of her most used -- do you think she’s going to give these old ass men her actual phone number? absolutely not. on top of that, she loves the fact that she can just delete a phone number and get a new one at the blink of an eye in case something goes wrong. best money she’s ever spent on an app —   helix waltz ; a guilty pleasure that she’ll probably never tell most, but it’s a dress up game that she loves to play during her downtime. she ... may have spent an unhealthy amount of money on power ups and outfits as well.

—   cash app ; nothing beats an notification that states that money has been sent to your cash app tbh, the best way to get her excited.

what are your last 3 google searches or the last 3 things you’ve asked your built in ai? : —  what does 개이득 mean —  veterinary grad school application fee —  how bad do pleaser shoes hurt

do you delete your internet search history or use incognito mode? if so, how often, and why? : —   no, because she doesn’t feel the need to. no one else is using her phone besides her, so she isn’t afraid of what comes up on her searches.

do you download music or use a streaming app? if so, which one and why? : —   streaming app, she uses spotify because the curated playlists are too good to pass up. if you see ads for lingerie on her phone, then maybe you’re too damn close in the first place.

what are the last 3 songs you’ve listen to on your phone? : —   ungodly hour  —  chloe & halle —   all night  —  bree runway —   react  —  the pussycat dolls

what does your photo album consist of? : —   an amalgam of so many things ; selfies that she’s made hyungwon take of her, class notes / slides that she couldn’t write down fast enough, pictures of stray cats and dogs she happens to see ( and videos of her trying to lure them back with her ), funny screenshots of messages from seeking arrangement / instagram dms / tinder, drunken videos, thirst traps and nsfw pictures ( use your imagination 👀 ), and pictures of nature & the sky.

what is your texting style? do you reply quickly or are you a slow texter? do you send several messages at a time or paragraphs? : —  an average texting time, though she will reply quicker if you’re a close friend. she actually hates people that send 50 texts at a time, as it makes her worried that something’s wrong -- so she tries to send as less texts as possible. definitely a paragraph girl.

what are the last 3 texts you’ve sent? : —   hyungwon​ ; “ don’t @ me but what do i have to do to get you to watch the sonic movie with me? ” —   sugar daddy #2 ; “ are you at a meeting? i have a little something i want to show you 👀👅 ” —  hyunjoo ; “ do you feel better now? “

who do you text the most? : —  sugar daddy #2 & hyungwon. sugar daddy #2 is the clingy type and wants constant communication. she honestly can’t stand it but she plays up the manic pixie dream girl role he expects of her and he pays very handsomely, so it’s all worth it.

what are your top 6 used emojis? : —   🤔🥴💩😒👅💕 —   the last one is for her sugar daddies, naturally.

how often do you call others? : —  hardly. she doesn’t see the need since text is faster, and she genuinely does not like speaking on the phone. she’ll only call if you’re a sugar daddy that requires it, if it’s an emergency, or if you’re running late to something with her. or if she’s drunk. drunk serena adores phone calls since texting is hard.

who where the last 3 calls made to and why? : —  sugar daddy #2 ; again, the clingy type who wanted to speak to her after class. —  a professor ; she wanted to speak about her letters of recommendation for grad school —   grandmother ; she missed her call so naturally she returned it back, they talked about how things were going for her and how they miss each other

who do you call the most? : —  her sugar daddies. a lot of them still prefer phone calls over texts, which she assumes is a generational thing.

do you have someone blocked? if so, who and why? : —  she only has one number blocked, and it was guy who kind of turned into a stalker. she ended up getting one of her ripped guy friends from the gym on him and threatened him with a knife to get him to back off, but she’s still slightly afraid that he’s still out there somewhere.

are you apart of any group chats? with who? : —  volleyball group chat & student government group chat. she usually takes a back seat within group chats to begin with.

do you use the notes app? : —   yes, but she mainly uses it as a to do list or somewhere to keep passwords and other important things she might forget.

[constantlyirksome]

This Week Euphoria Walks the Line Between Reality and Fantasy (1x07 Review.)

The episode is named “The trials and tribulations of trying to pee while depressed,” which sounds funny until the reality behind it is revealed. Rue is almost catatonic during a depressive episode, so emotionally fatigued that she can’t even get up to pee. That’s the theme at the core of this episode, peeling back peoples perceptions of illness, romance, and sexuality.

I don’t suffer from bipolar, but a combination of depression and anxiety, and the portrayals by Zendaya of her lows and manic highs were spot on. Rue was largely bedbound, consuming copious amounts of television and avoiding looking after basic human activities like eating or hygiene. She doesn’t find joy in things that usually interest her as they start to become emotionally taxing. She starts watching Love Island marathons because reality TV doesn’t take a lot of energy to consume and can be quite comforting.

She tries to draw energy from her memories but finds it more and more difficult to remember what actually brings her joy. “Eventually all you think about is how life has always been this way, and will only continue to be this way….”

These scenes, for me at least, were some of the most relatable and comforting than I’ve seen on TV in a while. Zendaya approaches these topics with care not to overdo it, with a knowing humor that comes from being a Gen Z kid who knows her audience, because almost everything lands or has an impact. The scene where Rue experiences a bout of mania was brilliant, likening her heightened mental state to one of an overworked, paranoid detective, was genius. Detectives Bennett and Lexi Howard actually manage to piece together what happened with Jules, Nate, and Tyler. You have to wonder what Rue’s actual physical state was when you take away the magical realism and suspenders.

I think it’s important to separate Rue’s mental state from her relationship with Jules, both because it’s not fair to put that much pressure on someone, and because I don’t actually think they’re related. Rue may have tried to sober up but anything that happened after that was biological. No one could/should blame Jules, who has been put in a difficult position despite how much she genuinely loves Rue. It’s not fair to hold someone on a pedestal, just like it wouldn’t be fair to make someone feel like a burden or “boring”. (Jules said this last week but couldn’t possibly mean it.) In this was Euphoria sends an important message about looking after yourself, boundaries, and dependency. Hopefully Jules and Rue can find a middle ground where they can support and uplift one another without relying on each other for happiness and health.

Jule’s Journey leans more toward fantasy, as she heads into the city to escape the situation she’s found herself in, confiding and hanging out with some old friends. Her insight into why she has casual sex, to achieve new heights of femininity, and to then shatter that concept entirely, answered a big question as to her motives. And it humanized her, which is something the show needs to do more of. The reactions I’ve seen saying if she leaves Rue she’s heartless is an attitude that reflects the shows focus on Rue when Jules has motivations and feelings of her own. In maintaining this manic pixie dream girl thing the audience becomes more alienated towards a character that could be really important to the LGBT and trans communities. She’s not perfect, ghosting her best friend just to send her a guilty “I miss you” text was a dick move, but not nearly bad enough to vilify her.

Her final scenes, in the club (overlayed with scenes of Rue passing out from a kidney infection) admittedly confused me. Was Nate actually there? Who was she actually having sex with?

The other characters only got slivers of progress. This week’s flashback is for Cassey, and while we get a sad look at her history with her father it does little to add to her character and zero impact on her current problem, an unwanted pregnancy. Her and McKay deal with the issue with a lot of maturity actually. While Cassey dreams of starting a family, that maybe it’s what she’s “meant to do with her life,” but ultimately she was just daydreaming as McKay lays down some hard truths about what being unwed teen parents would be like. The storyline wasn’t given the time or emotional weight needed and was tossed aside again to deal with Rue and Jules.

Kat was given two scenes, one was a fight with Maddy and another was a cam session gone awry. Because Kat has had more screen time and a fuller narrative so even these had more of an impact. She’s starting to realize while her new persona and philosophy towards sex is liberating, it comes with some drawbacks. The creepy video chat she has could be foreshadowing to her final transformation in the season finale that I’m excited to see.

Lastly, the peoples champion Fezco. I’m always cautiously praising this guy because, despite the good he does, he’s still a drug dealer who deals to kids. His refusal to sell to Rue didn’t feel like a big enough step, but throughout the season he’s had enough conversations with Rue for us to realize he does actually give a shit. Last week they had a touching moment at the Halloween party, and this week he sat patiently and listened to Rue rambling while he tended to his sick grandma. He looks on at Rue like a wilful little sister; even their dialogue seems like sibling rivalry (“sit yo manic ass down and shut the fuck up,”) while he’s trying to protect her from the gnarly drug dealer he works under. There’s a peek into what his work life is like, the pressure to sell enough to make the higher ups happy. With only one episode left I would love to see a flashback episode for how he got to where he did.

His showdown with Nate was a triumph. After telling Rue that threatening Nate was crazy, Fez can’t help himself when the lanky son of a bitch wanders into his den spouting off. Fez rightly reminds Nate that he is actually a gangster and will end his sad existence. I don’t know how Euphoria has managed to make a character like Fez so popular or likable, but I hope we get more of him next episode and next season, and while I hope Nate gets what’s coming to him I hope it doesn’t come at Fezco’s expense. (But really Nate signed his own death warrant as soon as he called the cops, Fez’s bosses will NOT be happy.)

I honestly don’t know where Euphoria will take its finale as Rue and Jule’s relationship, as well as Nate’s shenanigans, come to a head, and so far it’s been pretty hit and miss with story progression/ending things, but I still have hope it will be satisfying.

[infantbluee]

not a manic pixie dream girl

summary: the first time he meets her, she’s stripping naked in his neighbor’s backyard. 

chapter three - death by bikini

"You're heading out?"

Soul pauses on his way to the sink for a brief moment before continuing on his path, rinsing out his bowl then placing it in the dishwasher. He waits until his hands are dried before he turns to face his brother.

Wes is leaning against the doorway, a strangely calm expression on his face. Despite the early hour of the day and no place to be that Soul knows of, his older brother is dressed to the nines like he always is, a crisp white button-up and slacks fitted perfectly to his frame. Both of them share the same lanky height and bizarre coloring, but Wes has always been slightly more filled out than Soul's lazy, introverted ass is, and the four years between them somehow feel much wider—yet at the same time not at all. 

They're not close. They never have been. Wes is the prodigal son, an expert violinist with a brilliant future ahead of him and the charm to boot. Soul, on the other hand, can adequately play the piano but is nothing special compared to his brother and everyone knows it.

Wes has always tried to bridge the gap between them, but his kindness and attention to his brother's feelings of inadequacy only feel like pity to Soul, and it makes the resentment impossible to avoid.

Soul tries not to snap at Wes most of the time, knowing his brother is only desperate for Soul to love him and would do anything to make him happy, but there's only so much that can be done on Wes's end. A relationship is a two-way street. Until Soul is ready to reach for that olive branch Wes has been holding out to him since they were kids, the two of them are never going to have a decent relationship.

Soul knows he should be happy for his brother. He knows that. He should be proud of his success, glad for his kindness, and accepting of the help Wes always tries to give him.

He's just not ready yet.

"Yeah," Soul answers finally. "Maka's picking me up in a few minutes."

"You know, usually it's the guy who has to pick up the girl for dates," Wes says casually. "Mom would have an aneurysm if she knew you were letting your girlfriend drive you around."

Soul scowls. "First of all, Maka's not my girlfriend; we've only known each other for a month, since that party Mom and Dad threw at the beginning of the summer vacation. Secondly, this isn't a date. We're meeting the others at Blake's before we head to the beach together."

"Still, you should at least offer to pick her up instead. Open the door for her. It's the chivalrous thing to do."

"She can open her own damn door," Soul mutters. "To be honest, she'd probably make fun of me if I tried."

Wes smiles faintly. "You might be right."

That's it. "Okay, what's your deal with Maka?" Soul demands. "You've been acting weird ever since you found out I'm friends with her. Do you like her or something? Is that why you're being so weird?"

To his surprise, Wes gets really quiet. He frowns at his hands for a moment before raising his eyes to meet Soul's. "Doesn't matter what I think. What matters is how you feel, and I can tell from the way you look at that girl that you think she walks on water."

"What—you—it's not—"

"I'm not teasing you about it," interrupts Wes. "I'm being serious. You like Maka, and I'm glad that you do. She's a great girl, Soul. Kind, smart, funny, selfless. You couldn't choose any better. It's just..."

"What?"

His brothers rubs a tired hand over his face. "Go easy on her, alright? She had a rough time of it in high school and she doesn't deserve to be led around if you're not serious about this."

"Yeah, I know. She told me she was a bit of a nerd then but I don't see how that—"

"Is that what she told you?"

Soul stares at his older brother, not liking the look on his face. "What? Was she lying?"

Wes grimaces. "No, it's not—she wasn't lying, Soul. It's just an oversimplification, is all."

"An oversimplification? What the hell are you talking about?"

They're interrupted by the sound of an obnoxiously lyrical doorbell ringing through the house. If Soul hadn't been staring intently at his brother, he would've missed the strange look that flickers across Wes's face at the sound, and the equally strange look that settles as he says casually, "Guess that's her," and walks right out of the kitchen, leaving Soul nothing to do but follow him.

"Wes!" Maka is beaming when Wes opens the door, and Soul gets a front-row seat to her smile when his brother presses a kiss to her cheek. Soul is really starting to dislike the greeting. "You're still here. I thought you were headed back to Europe?"

"Nah, decided I had enough traveling for a while. Wanted to stay home, network a bit, spend time with my brother before he starts his senior year."

"And I keep stealing him away from you." Maka cringes. "My bad. I've been needy. I'll leave him alone tomorrow so you guys have a brothers' day together."

Soul jolts to attention. "What? No! You don't need to do that!"

She gives him a chiding look. "Your brother cancelled a tour so he could spend time with you. Don't be mean."

"It's fine," Wes chuckles. "Don't abandon my brother for my sake. He likes you a hell of a lot more than he likes me anyway."

"Oh, I doubt that's true."

But it is. From the meaningful look Wes exchanges with him, Soul knows his brother is aware of what he's thinking. It makes him feeling impossibly worse about the situation yet somehow not remorseful in the slightest.

He won't apologize for choosing to spend his free time this summer with Maka, not when every time he and Wes have done things together, it's resulted in some sort of colossal fuck-up. She's the only person he ever feels remotely comfortable around. Being with Wes just makes him feel wholly inadequate, which doesn't help their relationship at all. If anything, the more time they spend together, the worse it gets.

Especially now.

"Actually," Wes says, "if you're not doing anything near the end of the summer, do you want to go to a concert with us? I was given free passes through my company and I was going to ask Soul to come with me, but I have a few extra tickets."

Soul chokes on air as Maka's face brightens. "Really? I'd love that!" She pauses slightly. "Are you sure though? I don't want to intrude on any brotherly bonding time, especially if—"

"Don't be silly, Maka. I wouldn't have invited you if I didn't want you there." The corner of his mouth twitches. "Besides, maybe now that you're coming, Soul won't make up some excuse to ditch me last minute."

Much to their surprise, Maka merely shakes her head. "That's not Soul's fault. Some days it's just harder than others to work up the nerve to face other people, especially in public settings. I get it; I'm still the same way sometimes, even though I've gotten a lot better since the height of my anxiety." She gives Soul a smile that makes his chest warm far past healthy levels. "He's actually a lot better than I was before. I'm grateful every time he's sweet enough to indulge me by keeping me company. He doesn't owe me anything, but he'll drag himself out of bed for my sake anyway."

Soul can only stare at her in shock.

How is it they've only known each other a month and she already knows him that well? No one has ever—ever—spoken about his tendency to bail on plans last minute as anything other than a nuisance. They call him a flake, unreliable, untrustworthy. His parents still berate him constantly every time his anxiety gets in the way of an appearance at a stupid party or a performance in front of crowds that make him want to hide in a corner and die. Even Blake complains and groans whenever Soul chooses solitude over his company. After all, it's how he's gone this long without meeting Spartoi in the first place.

But not only does Maka show she understands by not berating him for it, but she also defends him in front of Wes. Perfect, understanding Wes who no one ever disagrees with.

Soul has wanted to kiss Maka countless times since he first met her, but this... this clearly takes the cake.

Wes seems just as taken aback as Soul is, but he recovers much quicker, his expression becoming very, very soft. "You're right. I know I'm a little too hard on him sometimes. I know it's not his fault."

"It's not your fault either, Wes," she says gently. "You do your best. Besides, I've met your parents. Trust me when I say how hard it can be to function normally under that level of overbearingness."

"Spirit is still overcompensating by smothering you?"

"He barged into my bedroom with a baseball bat the other day because he had a dream that I was talking to a boy," she deadpans. "A dream."

Wes bursts out laughing before he can stop himself, then laughs even harder when she smacks his arm.

"It's not funny, Wes! I was trying to sleep!"

"Let me guess: you jolted out of bed and laid him out on his ass on instinct." His grin widens when she pouts adorably but doesn't answer. "That's what I thought. You're a little menace, aren't you?"

"I'm cute," she huffs stubbornly.

"You're capable of beating up a man more than twice your size."

"Still cute!"

"Yeah, yeah, she's adorable, we get it," Soul grumbles unhappily. "Can you be all nauseatingly charming and Wes-like later? Everyone is supposed to meet at Blake's soon and I don't want to have to explain that we're late because my big brother likes to hit on my friends."

"To be fair, Maka was my friend first." When Soul growls like a gremlin fed after midnight, Wes flashes a smile that manages to be both innocent and conniving all in one. Soul inwardly contemplates the pros and cons of putting a hit on his brother.

"We'll figure out the details for the concert later?" Maka asks hopefully.

Wes softens. "I'd like that." Then, because life hates Soul, his brother adds, "Hopefully by then my little brother will find his chill and stop acting like an old man who hasn't gotten his rocks off since nineteen-fifty-two."

"Wes!"

"I've been trying to pull the stick from his butt for weeks now," Maka agrees, "but for some reason he still walks around like he has a permanent cramp in his perky little ass cheeks."

"MAKA!"

"Must've left a splinter," Wes says solemnly.

"It wasn't ready."

"We pushed too soon."

Maka nods like she's commemorating a fallen comrade. "Now he'll be backed up for eternity."

"OH MY GOD."

Five minutes later and way too many jokes at the expense of their own personal dartboard to count, Maka and Soul climb into her car with the latter pouting like a child who got the wrong McDonald's toy in his Happy Meal.

She keeps sneaking glances at him as they pull out of his driveway on the way to Blake's, but he refuses to meet her eyes and maintains his crossed arms like a life vest off a sinking ship. With each passing second, he feels more and more like a spoiled brat and less and less inclined to fold for the sake of his stupid, stubborn pride.

"Soul?"

"…What?" he grumbles moodily.

"You really do have a cute butt."

[ read the rest of the chapter on ao3 // ffn ] 

p.s. i know i’m not active on tumblr these days but i love and appreciate you all! thank you so much for your support <3