#ooc // love me a good dream sequence

[gourmet-gator]

*As Kremy drifted off to sleep, everything snug and safe in the Carnivale, Magnolia making friends and having fun, everything juuuust fine...*

*A dream began. It wasn't quite a proper POV, it was more like he was watching from a distance, a scene begins to unfold before his eyes. He didn't feel he could alter it, just made to watch like one of the audience members in his Carnivale.*

*It was Agwe, his crime-ridden, swampy hometown; it was very far from perfect, but it was home. The vision was focused on a particular area of Agwe, a rather shady section, people bustling about, and others tucked away in the many buildings.*

*Then...a familiar sight came into view; or at least, a partially familiar sight. A little Gatorfolk girl skipped into view, using a stick to spin a plastic hoop along beside her as she giggled. She had tannish green scales, and a flowing golden dress with a bow tied around her waist, and a wide-brimmed hat adorned with a magnolia.*

*It was his daughter, certainly, but she was alive - and that's probably about the time Kremy'd begin to realize what exactly this vision would be showing him.*

*Kremy blinks, his movements feeling slow and sluggish, as if trying to move through the swamps back on Agwe.*

*His focus is turned to the little girl in the golden dress. His eyes narrow in confusion before widening in recognition. Magnolia? In scale, flesh and blood?*

*Was this a memory of hers? Maybe the Baron was showing him something? His head swirled with questions as he attempted to move towards the girl, though it felt as if he couldn’t even lift his foot.*

“Magnolia?”

*He spoke, and the sound reverberated unnaturally over the hustle and bustle of all the other passer-bys.*

[heavilykaffeinated]

Okay I’ve had a good day to contemplate this shit- let’s do this. I’m going to start with the fact that I found tsats aggressively disappointing- if you have an issue with that, leave now.

Addressing the highly debated concept of Will and Nico being incredibly OOC- I 100% agree. That doesn’t mean that teenagers don’t change, but they took away so much of both Will and Nicos personalities. Will genuinely lost so much- he used to be a very fun and honest enjoyable character even under stress, but we didn’t get any of that. While I like the concept of Will being rather uninformed and having a really hard time in the underworld, it was overdone and Shoved Down Our Throats from the beginning. That whole scene when Will was talking to Persephone??? (That’s an ENTIRE other post lmk if you want that) He just kept being like ‘ew this place that’s clearly special to you? Yucky.’ He insisted on going on a quest with Nico (which other people were clearly more well suited for,) then proceeded to insult Nico’s second home quite often. It’s like Riordan and Oshiro squished his character and made him two dimensional.

As for Nico, he’s missing a lot. I understand coming to terms with some trauma and your personality changing, (which is literally what the entire book is about) but it’s so extreme. They took the Nico out of Nico. This boy would never come out to an entire camp in some huge display to ask a boy out. Come on.

Uhm PERCY AND ANNABETH??? Bruh what was that scene??? Though the whole page 69 thing was amusing- they were just like Oopsie Poopsie We Fucked Up but you get to deal with it have fun 🤩. (Again, that whole scene was really OOC and an entire other post)

Uh oh the big one- the really weird queer rep. Before y’all come at me, I’m gay as hell, this shit isn’t new. Anyway, it felt really forced. The queer rep in ToA was amazing because it was casual and normal- this was not that. Why were demons coming out to them. Tf. The acceptance subplot is amazing in theory, but again, it was Shoved Down Our Throats. It’s like they slapped a rainbow sticker on the book and suddenly it’s supposed to be amazing. It felt shallow and artificial.

What on earth was Will doing down there??? Think about it- we have Hazel, Reyna, and a few other characters who were either not mentioned or barely mentioned who would have been better suited to the underworld.

Will and Nicos relationship felt really toxic and superficial- I get that it’s their first relationship and it’s not going to be perfect, but they were arguing the whole time, they had no chemistry, and they seemed like they hated each other.

On a similar note, this book lost the whole Acceptance thing from the other people Nico loves. HAZEL??? REYNA??? APOLLO??? They were all left out, and any mention of them felt like a rushed afterthought.

Another big one- the trauma motif. (Again speaking as a biatch with ptsd) Nico was scarily self aware- this whole book is supposed to be about Nico growing and being a kid, yet it was always Trauma Trauma Trauma Childhood Trauma, and he was aggressively self aware- there was no growth there. Things like that take time- and that wasn’t represented. It was like somebody snapped their fingers and Nico became a really angsty self aware therapist.

The conflict of the book felt half baked. Literally why did Nyx care. I don’t know. Does she? There wasn’t much action. (except for the dream sequences, those were good.) Tartarus didn’t feel dangerous or scary. I liked the idea of the Cocoa Puffs, but that also felt half baked. Instead of being like ‘these are literally you’ Nyx was like ‘these are your children lmao 🫃👶👶👶’ that storyline had so much potential but it didn’t really work out.

The whole damn thing read like fanfiction. It felt like Twitter fan service

Also Will was ignored??? This book was supposed to be about Nico and Will, but it ended up being just Nico. I wanted to see anxiety Will :(

Rick Riordan has done really well creating engaging middle reader books in the past, but this felt very Fourth Grade Learn About Gay People And Trauma.

Overall, there were good parts to the book, but I didn’t like it. The entire thing felt half baked and two dimensional. I’m going to reread some of Riordans work, and read some of Oshiros books to try to find the disconnect.

[euclydya]

WHICHEVR COME TO YOUR HEAD FIRST SHIP MEEME o7

me whwn j use this as an excuse 2 gush abr my so.s thanksJGJDKSAKSKCKCKS OK:

OK SO!!!;!"!!!**!"!$ IM NORMAL!!!!!! IM NROMAL IM NORMAL IM NORMAL ABOUR VOL. OK. OK. OKAY. OKA—

Belase wheree r the fics . the. the. Where ar etheh WHERE ARE THEY DO I AHVE TO FUCKJGN WRITE THEM MY DAMN SELF BC I FUCKING WILL but they will be extremely ooc bc system bias. </3 qiqkskskddkxk

ANYWAYS!!!!!!! I THINK THE FANDOM INTERPRETATIONS OF US AND WHAT RELATIONSHIP WE HAVE W EACH OTHER ARE ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS. LIKE "WE WOULD NOT FUCKING SAY THAT" BUT WE LAUGH ABT IT IT'S GENUINELY ENTERTAINING JFJSMDKFFK BECAUSE. *yes* I'm still kinda like "hey self destruct but in a fun way 😀👍!! :D!!!!!" and Vol's still like "No. Stop that." But it's also like. It's not one-sided "Manic dude is trying to hit on the No Fun Super Serious guy" trope or whatever no lmao we Do genuinely. Love each other adn I'm! Gay. Vol is my. Silly rabbit. <3 JDJSKASKDKFK

*Also wlw/mlm solidarity except it's like... nblnb/mlm solidarity. We r both nblnb/mlm... probably? kinda? on some days? I don't think we have genders usually. This goes fr all the Skills but like. ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯!! aHdjJFDJDJFJ we're t4t but in *what* way? Good luck figuring that out! JFJDJDKFKF

//

me wwehn that's. my OTHER hsuband.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHERE. ARE. RHE FICS! HELLO!!!!!!!!! H3LLO????!! HEWWO FOR THE LVOE OF GOD HELLO,

idk waht the fuck our relationship is honestly but it's Good And Fun and that's all that matters <3. I jsutuejsjakskdkf. Hehwjaakdd. shehehdhdshhahdeeeeeee. <= me when i think abt encyclo for .5 seconds . <3. im normal!

AND ACTUALLY I've searched through Fayde a lot for both me, Vol, AND encyclo and canonically. I don't think Encyclo has. Any interactions??????? With any of the others??? def not me or Vol though. well. actually no Technically. Ok there's a bit where Vol's like "Ok you know these guys? U can't trust them. They're *compromised.* .... Except this fucjing loser *points 2 Encyclo* he's normal like me :)" but I don't Remember if Encyclo talks during that scene SIDENOTE VOL CANONICALLY CALLS ENCYCLO "PILLAR-BOOKHEAD" HIIII. HIIIIII THAT'S SO FUNNY VOL UR SO BAD WITH NICKNAMES. <3 FJSJAKAKSKDJF

but yeah no 90% of Encyclopedia's dialogue is just Knowledge And Fun Facts. im getting off topic dhejakakakskxjskd but tl;dr. I Lov U Encyclopedia *ggives him a smooch. on hte cheek.*

wait again I forgot abt the Final Dream sequence. Im not lookinf thru fayde for those bits bc 1. It Hurts. Owwie. and 2. That's spoilers we aren't there yet in the game but. what we've seen it's just.... Everyone's having a breakdown abt not being able to do their jobs right and then Encyclo's like. ".... :D I'm trying my best w this pop quiz, dude. Sorry your brain's still a plate of spaghetti LMAOOOO NOT MY FAULT" IT'S *SO* FUNNY AND THAT MIGHT BE THE CLOSEST HE HAS TO ANY INTERACTIONS W ANY OTHER SKILL BUT IDK JFKSKDFJ

///

SOOOOOOO. FIRST OFF right off the bat u remember the uh. this:

that was abt vol lmao [IM HAVE PERMISSION 2 SHARE THIS they dozed off but rhey were gonna write this section initially ajsjdj]

idk what the fuck theu have going on w each other but I'm like Ooo. Oooooooo 👀. 👀👀👀👀👀 JENDKSKFCKDK they're so funny . wheres r the fics dammit [lighthearted]

encyclo & i also lov drama lots but primarily they're w vol and that's chill. good 4 them tbh vol is gr8 JEJSAKSKFJ <= is biased. extremely so

again also wlw/mlm solidarity except it's also nblnb/mlm solidarity but also hOld on the cat just blepped at me oh my god. <3 lov him so much he's floffy. uh. oh right Whatever they r they're trans rights. if ur w Drama ur immediately t4t thank u 4 coming 2 my ted talk

///

AND FINALLY

THE BIGGER POLYCULE? just. rhe rest of the skills. except Half Light bc HL is a child.

we r all have smth casually Goig On that's One thing fandom def got right from what we've seen HFHDSKFKFIA and we have collectivelt adopted HL as our child/sibling in some cases. Idk HL just goes around & is like "ur my parent now :)" to others and we can't say no bc then it'll kill us over it. but I digress JFDJDKFKFK tl;dr found family as hell. but the pairings talked abt here r like. The Main Polycule i guess? Idk. HFHDJDJF

[pandaexpress303]

episode 4 thoughts

okay, here we go. again, I really don’t even remember enough from the shadow and bone trilogy to really know how I feel about how adapting it. but poor genya :( anyway, the crows. this is sooooo interesting how they are literally taking the events at the end of crooked kingdom and readapting them to fit in with this storyline. I actually think it kind of works, but I still have some complaints and concerns. I think that having them do the whole scheme with the firepox was fine and it doesn’t really matter that it happens when it does in the books. I think it also lends itself well to telling Kaz’s backstory so I was fine with that. and I loved how they showed that kaz was one step ahead the whole time, but as an audience member you don’t realize it at first because that happened all the time in the books! but the fact that we got the confrontation scene with Pekka this early on is a little weird since that scene is something that the duology builds up to and Kaz’s lack of vengeance on Pekka is fueling him throughout most of the story. I also didn’t like that kaz said all that in front of Pekka’s whole gang and Jesper and Nina, but inej was not there. in the books the only one he would ever trust to say that in front of is inej! idk that just bothered me and felt a little OOC. I will say Freddy’s acting was incredible and they captured the essence of that scene really well. also the part where kaz says “yes to all of that” after Jesper said all that stuff felt soooo OOC for kaz. book kaz would not have admitted that. also they REALLY changed the Wylan and Jesper story. what about Jesper kissing kuwei? and in this it’s implied that they had a one night stand before which definitely did not happen in the books. okay and now onto kanej aka the main thing I care about. idk how I feel about that scene at the beginning where kaz tells inej if things go wrong she needs to leave. I feel like it so heavily implies that he cares about her well-being and while he does say this in the books, it is after she has doubted that he sees her as anything other than an investment. with kaz saying this to her I think it makes it clear too early on that he cares about her and I wanted that tension and slow burn that builds up to the “I would come for you” speech. also it felt OOC that kaz said he would feel comforted knowing she was there in the shadows. I feel like the line itself felt out of place and idk it was just weird. but I think the point of it was to show how she had promised kaz she would be there for him and then she actually wasn’t, contributing to the angst they just set up between them. I am here for the angst but it’s interesting that he set her free. and that line about the indentures having a wraith now. is that implying that kaz is bitter that she chose the indentures over him? in the books he is more supportive of this decision of hers. idk, it’s an interesting way to show kaz’s conflictedness when it comes to Inej’s freedom. it’s also interesting that now inej is free from her contract and six of crows hasn’t even begun. my favorite part of the episode was kaz talking about how concerned he was when he didn’t know where inej was. just......awww. anyway, I had a lot of thoughts. I'm excited to see what happens in the next episodes, hoping for some good angst that is later resolved between kaz and inej and sooo interested to see what that knife scene is. also in the little image I've seen on Netflix, the two of them look sooo close and I'm guessing that is the dream sequence people have been predicting is going to happen. are we gonna see them kiss? idk how I feel about that. 

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

I don't even go here (meaning I don't watch the show) but the show's treatment of Chloe will never sit right with me, so I do keep me peepers open. Anyway, if they ARE indeed going with the Chloe being evil storyline, then they could've chosen to make that clearer when Audrey and Chloe made up! A more receptive Audrey meaning that Chloe's personality continues morphing for the worse, a prominent turning-point instead of a 'yeah, Audrey is here to stay and it doesn't necessarily mean much'. Like, I would buy this with what we were given, but I don't think I can give the show that much credit, and also because then Chloe becoming meaner would be kiiind of Marinette's fault for not steering Chloe away from the toxicity. On that note, I think it would have been better had their relationship been encouraged by Adrien and not Marinette? That way Marinette doesn't end up looking weirdly ooc with that misplaced 'gotcha' moment and it reminds us that Adrien is innocent, like really he strikes me as the type of guy who thinks that blood is thicker than water and love triumphs above all, etc.

No, you make a good point there.

A problem with Chloe’s betrayal was that other than a running gag in Season 3 where she kept boasting about how awesome she is as Queen Bee even when she was essentially benched, we never really got any buildup. She was just her usual smug self for the first 24 episodes while also taking charge in other situations to make us think she was getting better, but then she just sees a random temp hero when her parents are akumatized, and suddenly, that’s the last straw for her. It’s even worse when the other temp heroes keep getting to fight with Ladybug despite having their secret identities known by Shadowmoth like Chloe, but outside of a dream sequence where Chloe herself whines about the identity rule in a scene meant to promote keeping secret identities, nobody ever acknowledges how hypocritical the rules regarding secret identities are when it comes to Chloe, so it feels like the writers just made up a half-assed excuse to kick Chloe off the team.

If you wanted to properly transition to Chloe turning on Ladybug, show more of her starting to lose faith in her idol. Have her get upset whenever another new temp hero appears. Like you said, show her becoming progressively meaner as the season goes on as a result of her getting her garbage mother’s approval (and maybe calling out Marinette for that terrible life lesson too).

Even as a fan of Chloe, to me, the betrayal just didn’t work because even though Astruc loves to act like it was carefully planned out, it just felt like it was there to “subvert out expectations”

[plainsight6578]

aftersome.

Pairing: Mista x Giorno

Genre: fluff to angst to a tiny bit of smut and fluff

Summary: Mista and Giorno had been there for each other since that fateful day that they met.

Word count: 3,422

A/N: I don’t really remember the time-line of the anime very well, so forgive me if I made any mistake xoxo. Characters may be a little OOC but i tried my best.

aftersome

adj. astonished to think back on the bizarre sequence of accidents that brought you to where you are today—as if you’d spent years bouncing down a Plinko pegboard, passing through a million harmless decision points, any one of which might’ve changed everything—which makes your long and winding path feel fated from the start, yet so unlikely as to be virtually impossible.

(via The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows)

Since Giorno was little, he’d been repeatedly told he was a failure, a disappointment, and an eyesore by his loving parents. And, as little children do, he believed every word. So, he never made any friends. In his mind, he was better off alone. Other people would be better off without him. Consequently, he never had anyone to tell him that he wasn’t all those things that he and his parents believed he was.

Giorno never had any, nor thought that he needed any friends. They were useless and would only serve as a distraction from his dream. When he was feeling down, he never had anyone to talk to; since talking was also useless. He just needed to pick himself up, work harder, do better. He didn’t need someone to tell him how proud they were of him, or that he’s been working too hard and that he deserved a break. Those were all useless.

He didn’t need anyone and no one needed him. Giorno never considered himself anything other than what he was told, he never had any reason to. The words that scarred him as a child would haunt him for the rest of his life. He’d always been alone. As far as he knew, he only ever hurt those that were close to him.

So, when Mista called him his “lucky boy”, he was so shocked he could barely process what that implied. That nickname given to him by this strange man he’d just met would mean that everything he’d known about himself - everything he’d been taught about who he was - was a lie. That couldn’t be true. 15 years of bringing misfortune to everyone around him couldn’t be wrong (although, admittedly, he never had many experiences with any other people that weren’t his abusive parents).

‘What a weird guy...’ was Giorno’s first impression of Mista. That was the only way to describe him: weird, not necessarily in a bad or good way. Mista was just weird; he’d contradicted everything Giorno had stood for. 

Mista was a simple man, simply following orders from his higher-ups, doing what he had to in order to survive. He was honest and upfront. Everything you needed to know about him, you could see. Giorno was far more mysterious, hiding his years of trauma underneath a calm and collected façade. He had his underlying intentions, and never fully exposed himself around anyone.

Giorno could never understand the strange man. He certainly wasn’t a lucky boy. It wasn’t luck that allowed him to survive, it was his own intuition, taking things he’d learnt and putting them to good use. It was his own skills that had lead him to where he was, and would take him to even higher lengths. He knew he was capable of achieving that with his skills, not luck.

Giorno stopped in his tracks. This was a first for him; how did this single interaction with this man he barely knew got him to reconsider everything he’d done? It was true, though, Giorno had faith that his plan could work because he had faith in himself. He just never previously realized it. And it felt like all the work he’d put in to get himself this far was paying off, like he was starting to reap the rewards of perseverance. In an instant, he could clearly see where he was going when it had previously felt like a daze. He supposed that he wasn’t entirely a failure, if he’d made it this far. How is he suddenly coming to question everything that he thought he was?

As far as Giorno knew, he was the most unlucky boy on earth. Mista didn’t seem to see him that way. Even though they just met? What did he know? Mista was a simpleton who didn’t know anything about Giorno or his life.

Still, he’d appreciated the nickname. It felt nice to have someone call him something that wasn’t an insult.

________________________________________________________________

After Giorno had saved Abbaccio and Fugo from the Man in the Mirror and had returned safely to the gang, Mista had pestered Giorno for more detail because neither Abbaccio nor Fugo were much of the bragging-about-our-super-cool-epic-win type (and neither was Giorno, really).

“Gimme all the juicy stuff! This dude was tough to beat right?! So, why’re ya leavin’ all the cool parts out?!” He’d yelled.

Giorno had no idea what classified as “juicy”, so he’d simply given Mista a quick summary of the fight: how he’d turned that brick into a snake to find the enery stand user, and how they eventually defeated him. Giorno only realized after he’d finished that he’d been talking for quite sometime. Mista was enthusiastically nodding his head throughout the story, adding in some “wooooah!!” sound effects of his own here and there. Giorno blushed, he got too carried away.

“Man! You’re so cool, Giorno!! I’d never think to do that!” Mista said, with an almost glimmer in his gaze, he was looking at Giorno in a way that hecouldn’t recognize. Rather than hostility, he was feeling...admiration coming from the other man. He remembered a similar look coming from Bucciarati, but that was when he had beat him in a fight then. What did Giorno do to deserve this from Mista? He could almost believe that Mista actually meant what he said.

‘I’m not cool...’ Giorno thought, but when Mista was staring at him like that... Who was he to say no. He didn’t know how to respond, so he blushed and looked away. Maybe he could allow himself to think he was slightly cool in that moment, he certainly did feel... cool, if only just a little.

________________________________________________________________

The long road trip to retrieve their boss’s order from the statue that Giorno and Mista had gone into meant more time alone with Mista. For some reason, Giorno’s heart couldn’t seem to slow down. He decided it was from the paranoia of being attacked by another stand user. Since they’d started this mission, they’ve been relentlessly attacked by stand user after stand user, with barely any time to relax. That’s why his palms won’t stop sweating, and why there was a strange, tingling sensation in his stomach, and why his heart skipped a beat when Mista had called his name... Yeah, he’s just nervous about being attacked again.

Wait. Mista had called his name. He was talking to him.

“Right, Giorno?” He’d asked. “Sorry, I wasn’t listening, Mista,” Giorno replied.

“What are you overthinking now? There isnt another stand user for miles, we’ll be fine.” Mista kicked his legs up onto the dashboard, emphasizing his complete lack of anxiety. Giorno almost envied his ability to be so relaxed (although, he knew Mista was always prepared for an attack, he never really let his guard down). 

Considering how they’d had lots of time to kill in one cramped car, the pair had talked quite a bit, well, it was mostly Mista talking at Giorno. He liked it that way, though, Mista’s voice helped him unwind, and something about the way Mista’s lips moved as they talked made his stomach clench and his mouth dry.

Being with Mista, just the two of them, like this, it could almost convince Giorno to take a break and enjoy the little things in life, all things that Giorno had deemed ‘useless’. And yet, this philosophy that Giorno had held close to him as a protection mechanism was slowly falling apart. Rather, it was being undone. And Giorno didn’t know why, but he felt like a part of him was letting it happen, like, deep down, this is what he wanted: to sit back and be able to enjoy.

“Useless...” He muttered, under his breath he was getting influenced by Mista. He couldn’t afford to relax. But Mista brought that side out in him and he didn’t know why. Giorno couldn’t help but feel slightly at ease with Mista beside him, and it felt nice not to have to keep his guard up around someone all the time. It felt nice to be able to rely on someone else.

________________________________________________________________

Mista somehow always found a way to get himself horribly injured during their stand fights. After the battle with Ghiaccio and his stupidly powerful White Album stand, and after he’d made sure Mista was fully healed, Giorno made sure to give the older man a thorough lecture about his actions during the battle.

“Getting yourself injured like that is useless, Mista. You shouldn’t do useless things like that. What would the team do if we didn’t have you? You should think about that too!” Giorno rambled, “your actions were dangerous, Mista, don’t do useless things like that again.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” he replied, an embarrassed flush covering his cheeks, “I had the amazing Giorno to cover for me though, so I wasn’t that worried!” He finished with a wink towards the younger boy. And something in that made Giorno’s heart beat faster. Mista is alive, he’s still with him. A feeling of relief washed over Giorno, and he released the breath that he’d been holding in. 

Giorno sighed, he could almost cry. Remembering the sight of Mista’s body filled with bullets and then seeing him here, laughing and joking like everything was fine. Giorno’s heart clenched. Without saying anything, Giorno layed his head on Mista’s shoulder, close to his heart, and listened to the sound of the blood flowing through his body. Mista was left wide-eyed, but laid his hand on top of Giorno’s, who was clenching his fists. Soon as he did, Mista felt him relax against him. 

They sat like that in silence for a few minutes, just breathing in each other’s presence. Mista was caught completely off guard by this, he didn’t know that his actions would affect Giorno like this. Perhaps they’d gotten closer than he’d thought in the short time span that they’d known each other.

“I meant what I said, though,” Mista whispered, “as long as I have you with me, I know everything will be just fine...”

________________________________________________________________

Staring at Abbaccio’s corpse, Mista waited for some sign of life from his comrade. Giorno couldn’t heal him... He was just... Gone. There was nothing they could do. Mista’s head was racing at a million miles an hour but none of his thoughts formed anything coherent.

How did this even happen? They were gone for a minute. Why did this happen? With every blink Mista expected to see Abbaccio in a different position than he was. But Abbaccio never moved. He didn’t even blink. 

“WE’RE NOT JUST GONNA LEAVE HIM HERE, RIGHT?!” Narancia yelled. Mista wanted to agree with him. Watching Bucciarati walking away from their teammate - no, their friend - he understood Narancia’s anger. But he knew there was nothing they could do. Bucciarati was probably hurting more than any of them were.

Clenching his fists, he ripped his eyes off of Abbaccio’s corpse and followed Bucciarati. They all knew the risks of this mission. They had no choice but to continue.

Back inside the turtle, the gang continued on with their mission. It would take some time to get to Rome, so Bucciarati volunteered to keep watch outside the turtle while the rest of them got some rest. Inside, Narancia had passed out on in an uncomfortable position on the couch and Trish had curled up on the floor, eventually drifting to sleep.

Mista couldn’t relax enough to fall asleep. After seeing Abbaccio like that, he was wondering about his other comrades, he didn’t think he could keep his sanity if he had to see that again.

Mista was so lost in his thoughts he failed to notice that Giorno had placed himself next to him, “you shouldn’t think about useless things, Mista,” he said.

Slightly startled, his first instinct was to go on the defensive, “I’m not thinking about anything...!”

Giorno just stared at him blankly, although, Mista detected a faint hint of sympathy.

“Uh, well, I guess I am just overthinking...” He admitted. “I mean, Abbaccio died without anyone even noticing... So, I can’t help but think... That could have been any of us. If our enemy is that powerful... How many more of us are gonna die? Are we even... gonna be able to defeat him at all-”

“That’s useless, Mista,” Giorno stated firmly, “what you’re thinking about is useless. It’ll only distract you when we’re in battle.”

“Y-you’re right...” There was a slight twinge of shame inside Mista for having to be told off by someone younger than him for the second time now, “still, after everything we’ve been through, we all could have died so many times...” He adjusted his position slightly to face Giorno and then cupped both his hand inside his palms, “you amputated your own arms, for God’s sake, and... I almost died too! I just...” His tone was all over the place. Even now, he hadn’t fully grasped the concept of what it means to die. “I really don’t want to lose anyone else...” He said. 

Giorno knew how hard this must be for the him, he’d just lost one of his closest friends, they must’ve been like family, and with barely any time to properly grieve, they were going head-first into a much more dangerous battle. He didn’t know what to do or say. This is the first time he’d gotten this close to someone to consider them a friend and, frankly, he didn’t want to lose anyone either. After everything they’ve been through, Giorno felt a sense of fondness towards the gang members. 

“We’re right here, Mista,” he decided was appropriate, and leaned in to touch his forehead to Mista, “I’m not going anywhere, either.”

Mista’s hold on Giorno’s hands tightened. The look in Giorno’s eyes was so tender and soft, something Mista hadn’t seen in such a long time. Something snapped inside Mista, and he could no longer hold back his tears. Giorno didn’t know what to do as Mista sobbed into his shoulder. He just let Mista let all his grief out, if he could help Mista in any way, he would. This is his way of showing Mista just how thankful he was for him. Thanks to Mista, Giorno felt so much less of a burden to himself and others, he realized that everything he’d thought he knew as a child about himself was so much farther than the truth. 

Giorno’s chest ached seeing Mista like this. He wished he could take his pain away, just as Mista had freed him from his. He let Mista cry into him as long as he needed.

Even after Mista had calmed down, he didn’t move from his position. The way Giorno was leaning forward had exposed his star-shaped birthmark. Mista stared at it for a while, admiring how it seemed to glimmer despite the darkness in the room. He wondered where they would be without Giorno. He would certainly be dead, they probably all would be; with how many fatal wounds he’d healed for them.

Mista couldn’t really face Giorno right now. He liked the position they were in particularly because Giorno couldn’t see Mista’s puffy nose or blood-shot eyes, nor the snot that threatened to drip out of his nose. He’d always showed himself as this strong and care-fee guy; so breaking down in his teammates arms like that felt almost humiliating - or at least, it would be if this was anyone else but Giorno. Still, he didn’t want Giorno to see him in this state. So, as a thank you, Mista had placed the lightest peck right onto Giorno’s star-shaped birthmark. Giorno physically tensed up, and he blushed all the way to his ears. Giorno, being who he was and having absolutely no social skills, he couldn’t understand why.

“M-Mista-” He’d began to protest. “This is how I’m saying thank you, dumbass,” Mista answered, and intertwined their fingers, just for emphasis. “Why...” Giorno asked, what was there to thank him for? 

“Because you’re here.”

________________________________________________________________

Mista was the first one kiss Giorno’s hand after he’d taken over the organization. He experienced Giorno’s skill first-hand, there was no one better he could think to take over the organization. He was a simple man, he followed orders and was stupidly honest. That’s why he swore his loyalty to Giorno.

When the pair had finally gained some privacy, Mista immediately slumped his shoulders, no longer needing to impress his higher-ups or assert dominance to his subordinates. Though, he was still restless. He’d been like that all day, in fact. Being around all the other gang members, meeting new ones, and receiving hunderds of condolences from them, he, naturally, couldn’t stop thinking about finding his comrade’s corpses, the sight and smell of their blood...

Giorno merely stared at Mista as he paced around the room. No doubt he was stressed right now. Everything that he was used to was changing. Nothing was simple anymore. 

But everything was over now. Things would get better... Right? Giorno wasn’t sure- No! He shouldn’t be thinking like this. Abbaccio, Narancia, and Bucciarati had sacrificed their lives for this. ‘Thinking like that is useless.’ He told himself.

He had no idea what was going through Mista’s head right now, and he wasn’t sure how to ask. Giorno had inhaled, preparing to say something before Mista approached him and grabbed both his hands, “Giorno!” He yelled, “you’re still here!”

Their faces were mere centimeters apart, Mista was blinking at him, like he was waiting a response, “that’s right...”

“And you’re not going anywhere!”

“No, I’m not.”

Mista touched their foreheads together, just like they did back inside the turtle, and he smiled, “and as long as you’re with me... Everything’s gonna be alright!”

Giorno blinked. That’s what he said back then, too, and he didn’t exactly classify what had happened as ‘alright’. But, as he was being held by Mista, and seeing Mista’s unwavering smile, he just couldn’t bring himself to disagree.

“As long as I’m here,” Giorno started, lifting his hands from Mista’s grip to cup his face, “everything will be alright,” he whispered into the taller man’s mouth. Giorno also wanted to protect Mista with everything he had.

They were so close to each other... It seemed like they were slowly inching closer until the gap between them finally closed. All of their pent-up desire for each other, the feelings that Giorno had absolutely refused to acknowledge, they were all reaching their climax. They pulled away after a few seconds, before Mista swiftly closed the space between them again, and then proceeding to pull at Giorno’s bottom lip with his teeth, and placed his hands on Giorno’s hips to hold him closer.

Giorno gasped and grabbed onto Mista’s collar for support. His head seemed to be completely taken over by Mista. His scent, the way he tasted, the way his hands felt on his hips, Mista, Mista, Mista. All these new emotions he was feeling made his head spin in the most euphoric way.

Mista took advantage of Giorno’s open mouth and shoved his tounge inside his it. Giorno definitely wasn’t expecting this to heat up so quickly, and he definitely wasn’t expecting to feel Mista’s tongue inside his mouth. Giorno was losing control of himself, he moaned into Mista’s mouth, completely overwhelmed by just making out with him.

Giorno was almost completely leaning on Mista for support, his legs were about to give way any second . When they pulled away for oxygen, Giorno let out a desperate, “M-Mis...ta..” His face was entirely coated with a glowing shade of red, his eyes heavy-lidded, with Mista’s name on his lips. Mista’s lower half twitched at the sight, already addicted to it.

He did have to admit, he felt slightly weird doing this so soon after his friends’ deaths, but with Giorno being the most important thing to him right now, he wanted to feel him in every way to convince himself he was still here. He needed to feel his heartbeat, feel the warmth of his breath, feel the movement of his tongue inside his mouth, feel him moaning into his mouth... He needed to be able to feel that Giorno was alive.

Mista hugged him tight, just taking in Giorno’s presence, “you’re still here...” He whispered into Giorno’s neck, who barely had it in him to point out how, of course he’s still here, where else would he be? So, instead, he simply whispered a quiet, “I’m not going anywhere.”

________________________________________________________________

A/N: ASDKJSFHLSK OMG OMG OKAY IK THIS IS KINDA ALL OVER THE PLACE BUT I WROTE THIS OVER THE SPAN OF LIKE THREE DAYS AND I HAD THIS HUGE ESSAY DUE SO I WAS LIKE WRITING THIS AND MY ESSAY AT THE SAME TIME IT WAS SO CHAOTIC AND MY EMOTIONS WERE ALL OVER THE PLACE

ANYWAY IF YOU READ THIS FAR I RLY HOPE YOU ENJOYED TY FOR READING PLEASE LEAVE ANY FEEDBACK YOU HAVE!!!! I proofread it like six million times but if there are any mistakes I’m sorry!!! Pls lmk so I can fix them :3.

[axxxii]

Hi, so I'm usually not active on tumblr and follow everything silently. Don't even know how to make a post, do I just tag caryl?!

So, I watched the new episode and wanted to share my thoughts and some speculations. First of all, I think I ship Caryl but I don't necessarily need them to end up together romantically. I do think they make each other happy and love each other and are soulmates and end-game but I'm not yet sure if all of this has to result in a romantic relationship. So I wouldn't be sad if they won't end up together in this way because I don't think sex is the most important and fulfilling thing in life for one of these characters, but I definitely want them to be each others life partners for the rest of their lifes because they are happiest with each other. (I don't know, was that understandable?)

How do I make a cut?? CUT, spoilers from here on:

First of all, I join most of the analysis I read in the tag. We were supposed to compare the caryl relationship to the daryl/leah relationship AND I still think this episode was more about caryl than any other topic. I still think it's really weird for daryl to have a romantic relationship with someone. Not because I don't want hm to enjoy himself but I just never got the feeling that this is something that daryl wants and is searching for (this is probably one reason I don't see caryl necessarily going romantic, I'm just scared it will be ooc). And I have to say I kind of liked leah and if tptb wanted to, they could definitely have sold this relationship much better to the audience. I mean people want to see daryl in a relationship since forever!! They could have milked this storyline so hard if they wanted to. I can't imagine many people shipping him with leah, it just feels so unimportant you know?

Okay, but what I found really weird was the way daryl's story searching for rick and finding leah was told. I think it is suppose to show daryl's perspective of this time which I think could be significantly different from what actually happend. Reasons why I think this:

- daryl is telling carol the story from his perspective and I think we are only shown the parts that he is telling her and as daryl is known to be honest and carol is his best friend, I think what we see is what daryl is thinking and knows about this time; which might leave certain things out that might not be relevant for daryl

- their was this weird filter during the flashbacks, like they were showing a dream sequence and it also felt like this. Like the scene with leah naked for example, it felt really un-twd-like and it makes me feel like daryl romanticised his time with leah, and maybe imagined something in his head that wasn't there

- also as some others have mentioned I found it very suspicious how emphasized it was in the flashbacks that carol has to be there for ezekiel and henry, it felt like it was the only information daryl got when he was with carol during this time which was probably not the case; also the emphasis on daryl and carol being friends felt weird

- and daryl I think was probably delirious from being alone for so long and maybe due to nutrient deficiency because of an unbalanced diet and sleeplessness

- daryl doesn't even look for leah who we are suppose to believe is the only person he had romantic interest in since we know him, the same person who makes an effort to look for rick for years and to tame carol in s10

I just think that the episode felt really ooc for daryl and I think that that was intended. I think not everything was the way we saw it because the flashbacks were significantly biased by daryl's perspective. What do I think this could mean for the future:

I think we will find out what really happened from an unbiased POV when leah comes back in S11. I think a lot of what we know now is wishful thinking from daryls POV. Norman sad that people we thought were good turn out not to be and I could definitly see that applying to leah. I could imagine them having an abusive relationship (with leah being the abuser) and daryl not realising it because he is used to abuse. I believe we will find out a lot more when leah is back. I think this theorie would be a great storyline that makes a lot of sense because otherwise right now I don't really think it makes much sense. I also think carol could play a major role in this storyline as she also knows abuse and might realise it before daryl does. Don't know what that could mean for caryl. What do you guys think? I'm interested to hear your thoughts!

[ravens-words]

RNM Creators Week, Day 1- Dynamics

Michael Sanders AU series By @prouvaireafterdark

I don't think there's anyone in the fandom who hasn't read this series (if you haven't, do it right now!) and it might be my favorite AU in this fandom. Michael and Walt's dynamic is fucking phenomenal and so so realistic and true to the characters. Sanders isn't someone we know very well, but this author has managed to make me feel like I do know him. His voice, his mannerism, his actions, the gruff affection- it's all there!!! Michael himself is a bit different here, but again, it's a testament to this author's understanding of the character that he doesn't seem OOC. This is a Michael who grew up in a loving home, with someone who cared about him, and it shows in his interactions with Alex and with Walt. I won't talk about the Malex in this because then I'll never shut up about it but I will say this: it's beautiful and you will cry, especially in the last fic.

Shadow Work By @myrmidryad

This one is a favorite of mine (you'll be reading that a lot, lol). It's a work of art, truly. It's detailed, it's vivid and it can be fucking scary at times. The world building is amazing, but what truly won me over was the dynamics. Alex with Michael were especially exceptional; their history, their attraction; their issues- all incredibly thought out and amazing. Alex with Kyle, Maria, Isobel and Max were nuanced, realistic and true to the characters, too. You will not regret this read, I guarantee it.

To Trust Love By Laughsalot3412

This was the first Malex fic I read, and I still go back and read it from time to time. It's heavy on the angst, but it makes up for it in the end. This fic has it all, and when I say that, I mean it. Epic love? Check. Amazing characterization? Check. Pod squad being the best siblings and loving each other?Kyle and Liz being amazing friends to Alex? Check. I will forever mourn the fact that this author never wrote another RNM fic.

Who can you call? @bestillmyslashyheart

Liz and Alex friendship!!! I wish we got in cannon what we got in this fic- a solid, well executed friendship between these two. Their dynamic here is so so cute and lovely. They got to be there for each other in ways we didn't get to see in cannon. And I loved that.

You Can Fight the Hurricane By Milzila (WIP)

This fic. THIS FIC!!! It's a Pacific Rim AU that I adore. It truly has everything. It's exciting, it's fun, it's flirty and it shines when it comes to characterization. Some authors just seem to get characters and this one is just like that. Malex's back and forth was phenomenal. Also, the memory sequence made me freaking emotional (this whole fic made me emotional)

Spend my life as a loaded gun By @flint-manes

This series is amazing. I'm a little behind on reading the rest of the works, but the first three are a dream. If you're a fan of Flint Manes or just the Manes brothers dynamic, then reading this is a must. It's got Kyle, Michael and Gregory and Alex interacting with Flint in ways that are very realistic and very beautiful. It's exceptional, really.

My love is a life taker By @jocarthage

Time Travel AU excellence. The first time in which time travel was not associated with catastrophic events and was actually used for good. This fic is freaking epic. I'm a little behind on reading, but I cannot wait to finish it and I'm sure it will not disappoint. It literally is perfection. It's nuanced, it's angsty, it deals with sensitive subjects in a delicate yet unapologetic manner and it's something I appreciate. Alex shines in this fic, and after reading it, you will love him even more, even if you think it's not possible. Rosa and Alex, Kylex, the pod squad- they're all there and engaging and you'll always want more. Kylex especially is written wonderfully, they're given a chance to build their friendship in a way they weren't allowed to onscreen. Malex are heartbreaking most of the time, but they're also given the chance to be playful and fun and comfortable with each other.

....

(Note: I know nothing about this event. I just saw a bunch of the people I'm following do it and I decided to do it too because I've been meaning to rec some of my favorite fics and this is the perfect chance. So if someone could please tell me about the other days so I can be better prepared, that would be great 😂

Also, if you know the tumblr handles for any of the authors I didn't mention, please let me know)

[affableanthropologist]

Umberclutch Rambles

Expected to have an emotional conversation between my aasimar character and her angelic guide today, but I wasn’t prepared for how emotional!

For context: my character, Astrophelle, died a few sessions back. She was quickly revived (by a witch, who called in a favour from an angel), but being revived took a toll on her and she had to spend a few days recovering. The temple she’s a volunteer healer at took her in and looked after her, it was very nice. 

That first night at the temple, her guide turned up in her dreams, as he does from time to time. A few dreams back, there was this beautiful sequence where Evlavei (the guide) helped Astrophelle across a glowing tightrope over a scary dark void, and then they dived together into the Scary Darkness while he promised that he would always be with her through the Scary Stuff life threw at her. He’s generally very calm and serene- he is her Good Steadying Presence, and she loves him a lot! 

This time around, Astrophelle fell asleep with a plan to apologise for getting herself killed; only to discover that in this night’s dream, she was in her bed at the temple, surrounded by fireflies, and her guide was crying beside her. 

The first thing I said after my DM described the scene was: “she hugs him.” 

Like...I thought he might be SAD, but I didn’t think he would be so weepy and miserable!!! It very much got me, and my DM even mentioned how the usual roles were reversed and Astrophelle spent most of the dream comforting Evlavei and it was...really sweet, but also many Feelings. 

He also admitted that she’s his first aasimar, and that he’s never been someone’s guide before, which I...kind of suspected anyway, but the way he was so afraid of telling Astrophelle, and said it was okay if she was angry at him, make me say ‘awww bb’ ooc: like...a good ten times...my DM has known me a long time, she knows how to get me!! xD 

(I think the bit that got me the most was when, after she told him about the angel who helped bring her back to life, Astrophelle said “you’ll always be my favourite angel” and Evlavei just broke down all over again.)

[song-fox]

Me, going through my old Sanders Sides one-shots that I shoved onto Quotev and deemed unworthy to put on here: a saga

Oh, of course my first one is Prinxiety

Was I trying to be... poetic????

Okay I get that Virgil's crying but literally no one stutters like that

*Skimming past it* Oh gods this is so bad

This is so ooc oh my gosh

...is this something that real actors do?

Oh haha, I called the sickfic 'Lovesick', how hilarious and clever

aNd ThEn He BlUsHeD aNd StUtTeReD oVeR hIs WoRdS

'Date Night'?? I called it 'Date Night'????????

Was I trying to be romantic??? ...no

Bla bla bla, then he proposed, bla bla--

There was literally no creativity put into this, jfc

Wtf this is so ooc

What even is this pacing??

Oh, another highschool AU... fun...

That was literally the worst portrayal of Patton I have ever written dear gods

Wha- it just ENDS like that?? Wtf???

This one is paced super weirdly

Virgil had... depression? In this AU??? *Squints* wow, that's so clear and easy to see, mhm

Oh, an ice skating one

*Sighs* Ah, the memories (I was on my way to a school trip where we were actually going ice skating while writing this one, and it was actually super fun lol)

I... don't think you can do that on ice skates

Gods, this is so clich- ooh a kitty!

He let out a breath he didn't even realise he was hol- OH COME THE FUCK ON

Cloudtail? Was I going through my Warriors phase while writing this?

Aww, this one is actually pretty cute and decently written- woah what the hell why is Janus involved in this. And why is he the antagonist. What.

Smart with math, but stupid with love- oH I COULD HAVE INCORPORATED THAT SONG SO MUCH BETTER JFC

Pfft- was that a How to Train Your Dragon reference? And why??

*Sing-mumbling* Got that coffee shop love, makes me espresso many feelings...

I had literally thousands of chances to make coffee puns, yet I didn't. I am. So ashamed.

*Muttering continuously* Ha, mood

Why did I describe the bedroom door in so much detail-?

So in short: I can't write emotions

Wha- I- he- huh??

There was literally no way I could have written this without making Roman the antagonist, why--

Again, that enDING--

*Skimming* This was totally just a vent fic for me about how much kids suck

That "falsehood" was so forced oh my gods

*Rolling eyes* Yeah, 'cause that's how Roman would respond to that

A fake dating one?? Was I seriously just trying to cram every fanfic trope ever into a one-shot book??

Ugh, I'm gonna have to change all the names to Janus, aren't I?

...well that was the most forced conflict in the history of ever

*Laughing at the fact that instead of handing Logan his jacket like a gentleman, Roman just lobs it at his face*

Necisitamos abordar esto... did I use the right words for that??

Wow... Remus' characterisation... is an actual dumpster fire

Just had to get some background Prinxiety in there, huh?

Classic mermaid AU, of course

Patton named his puppy Sugar I'm--

Real creative there, bud. Such interesting twists on the classic mermaid folklore. Wow. So interesting. So unique.

*Remus voice* DiD yOu KnOw DoRk MeAnS wHaLe PeNiS??

Okay, I'm actually kinda proud of this one, I think I got the emotion across pretty well and the characterisation is good- holy hell what is this dream sequence

[aureolinthoughts]

“On My Block” Ending: Some Thoughts on Characterization and POC Narratives

Okay...I’m calling it. What the writers did with the ending of season 3 of On My Block is more or less the same crap D&D pulled with Game of Thrones...sending a beloved character crashing headlong into complete villainy for no reason other than to be “subversive” and to rush the ending of the show. Sure Cesar was scared (and needed the Santos to get rid of Cuchillos and find Oscar), but him pulling what amounts to a heel-face turn to align himself with gang interests (when what he has always wanted was to get out of “the life” and become an architect) is COMPLETE nonsense. 

What also hurts me to the bone is that the ending of the show as is flies COMPLETELY in the face of EVERYTHING the crew has stood for up until now...spits in the face of what is supposed to be the central theme of the show: “In Squad We Trust.” From the first episode, the heart and soul of this show has been the idea of “la familia”...that family fights for and loves one another through thick and thin. Sure they may get angry at one another (as the crew did in the woods in 3x08), but at the end of the day, the squad will ALWAYS come back together to support one another. The writers started to chip away at that at the end of season 2, and then full-on set about destroying that in season 3, and I’m very, very upset about it. At the end of season 3, the familia is broken up, and that breaks my heart. I mean, in the FIRST episode Mario Martinez tells “the crew” that they need to have each other’s backs no matter what...why write them in such a way that they suddenly abandon that? It doesn’t make any sense. 

As of now, I’m holding on to hope that the ‘ending’ of 3x08 was actually just a dream/nightmare sequence much like the one Cesar had after he kissed Olivia and we will find out that things went a different way, because not only does the ending spit in the face of the theme of the show, it makes ALL the characters OOC. Jamal HATES football and literally spent MONTHS lying to his parents and faking injuries to get out of playing...why on earth is he suddenly on the team? It makes NO sense. Ruby and Jasmine aren’t dressed the way we know them to dress...doesn’t make any sense either. Ruby and Jamal aren’t friends anymore...what on earth happened? Before she left Freeridge, Monse PROMISED to keep the picture of her friends in “prime viewing position” in her room, and now the picture is stuffed behind a vase, out of sight and out of mind? That’s ridiculous. And of course...(and much has been said about this already)...Cesar is now leader of the Santos? Admittedly, 3x07 and 3x08 DID kind of set that up...but I don’t buy the way they wrote his descent into villainy. 

And no, Oscar would not leave Cesar in the hood and run off to the suburbs to have a good life. By the way, it also makes NO sense to give Oscar the fate Cesar wanted (out of the gang and out of the hood) and to give Cesar the fate that Oscar has literally been heading to since episode 1. I appreciate the extra depth that Oscar got in season 3, but let’s not pretend this guy was an angel...he ordered his 14-year-old brother to commit a murder and then kicked him out to sleep on the streets when he refused to do so. Come to think of it, OSCAR had something of a heel-face turn as well...suddenly deciding that making peace with other gangs is the right way to do things...as opposed to committing murders. I suppose realizing what Cuchillos did to his father woke him up some, but we needed more elaboration and development of that, not just one short conversation between him and Cesar. 

Unless the two of them are running some elaborate scheme (TOGETHER) to dismantle the Santos or defeat a rival gang or something, there is no way I’m buying the “Oscar in the suburbs and Cesar in the hood” plot point. It just doesn’t make any sense. Whatever happened to the smart kid who straight up said: “I’m NOT a killer” and wanted to get out of Freeridge to have a better life? I could see him struggling with being scared after the Santos were “weakened”, but literally presiding over someone being “jumped in”? No. Not my Cesar. 

Also, the familia PROMISED Monse that nothing was going to change when she left...obviously, SOME things would change as the crew got older, but I just can’t accept the crew splitting up and going off to do things that run COMPLETELY contrary to their previously established characterization. Nope. I don’t buy it.

TBH, tho...a LOT of season 3 was straight-up a mess...nowhere near as good as season 1 or season 2 in terms of emotional impact,  plotting, characterization, etc. Season 4 is going to have to be REALLY good in order to make up for how bad Season 3 was, assuming that the show gets renewed (which I REALLY hope it does). There’s a running joke that the third season of Netflix shows are always bad...and On My Block was no exception. I don’t know what the writers were drinking when they wrote the end of season 2 and season 3, but I hope they quit drinking it or hire new writers, because this is...a mess. A messy and crappy way to treat a show that was so good, both in terms of plotting/characterization and Black & Latina/Latino representation. 

Another thing...I’m honestly just tired of stories about POC having tragic endings. It’s almost like writers are allergic to writing narratives about POC that do NOT center on some terrible tragedy or have some horrible end. Monse, Ruby, Cesar, and Jamal have all gone through SO much. They MORE than deserve a happy ending...why can’t they just have one? Also, why was season 3 only eight episodes? I don’t get it. I saw a theory that the show is Monse writing a book because the episodes are called “chapters”, and for goodness’ sake, that ‘book’ NEEDS and DESERVES a happy ending. I WANT to see Monse becoming a really good writer (also, it’s a shame we never actually get to see her flex her writing skills-why?). I WANT to see Ruby putting those math and logic skills to work (he’d be a GREAT lawyer, I think). I WANT to see Jamal putting his nerdiness and tenacity to use (may he’d become an engineer or an investigative reporter or something?). I WANT to see Cesar getting out of the gang and working towards fulfilling his dream of becoming an architect (and of course, being cute with Monse). I WANT to see Oscar leave behind a life of violence for something better...he had dreams of being a chef...why can’t we have a storyline about what it will take for an ex-con to get into a culinary school? 

We NEED more hopeful stories about POC, stories that tell POC kids (and adults!) that we deserve happiness...and that it is within reach. I am SICK of the ‘cautionary tales’, sick of the endless tragic narratives. There is more to being Black or Brown than suffering...and we need stories that tell us that. On My Block was doing that, until it lost its way. 

I hope it finds its way again. 

[patriiiarch]

Hi what are your thoughts on some of the lesser known addams family adaptations namely addams family reunion, the late 90s sitcom, the musical and the recent 2019 movie?

Addams Family Reunion was my first experience with the Addams Family. I had the VHS when I was a kid and I loved it. I remember taking it to my gran’s house and leaving it there just so I could have something to watch when visiting. But then I grew up and saw the early 90s movies, the tv show, and the 90s cartoon and I realized that those were WAY better.

Now whenever I see any scenes from that movie, I cringe. It’s just not great and none of the actors have chemistry with each other, which is so important for them as a family unit. Even the plot was dumb. The whole thing starts with them getting an invitation to a family reunion, but it’s addressed to the “Adams” and they’re just like lol ok guess that’s for us then. It’s just all a bit silly and lame, especially when it was the follow-up to the early 90s movies and the dream cast. 

From what I can remember, I don’t think I ever saw an episode of The New Addams Family when I was younger. To this day, I’ve only watched a few because I just can’t handle it. They remade the classic show’s episodes, but they just miss the mark. Maybe it’s a show that people would be attached to because of their childhood, but I don’t have that kind of attachment. I just remember my reaction to the first time I heard the new theme they had for it and just… nah. The Addams theme is too iconic to change. There are ways to update it, but don’t change its core.

The musical is ooc for a lot of the characters. It’s like they didn’t know how to make a musical about them without including some kind of unnecessary drama. First of all, Wednesday wants to marry this guy and she changes the way she dresses just to impress his family. She tells her parents that she wants “one normal night” and “can’t we be an average family” when she would never say that. The whole point of the Addams’ is that they aren’t aware that they’re abnormal. They think everyone else is strange! So, it’s weird for them to even entertain the thought of pretending they’re something they aren’t. They have this attitude of ‘we are who we are, take it or leave it.’ They wouldn’t change for anyone and Wednesday definitely wouldn’t change herself for a boy. What is this, Grease? 

Anyway, then we come to the issue with the portrayal of Morticia and Gomez’s relationship. Dear Lord! So, Wednesday goes to Gomez and tells him to keep her engagement a secret from her mother, which seems strange already. The family has always been really close with each other and for there to be this weird tension between mother and daughter is just bizarre. Again, drama for the sake of drama.

So, Gomez keeps the secret (even though he wouldn’t keep a secret from Tish) and then Morticia finds out and she’s angry about it. She’s so angry that she actually packs her bags and kisses a sleeping Pugsley goodbye (I’ve only seen the UK tour live so I’m not sure how many differences there are in other versions) and then goes right to the gate. Morticia was really going to abandon her children and husband over something like that. The family is all about sticking together through everything and this didn’t show that. So many people are always praising them for being the most functional family in fiction, but the musical cheapened them by throwing in some soap opera drama and dumb bs.

It gets worse, too. I remember there was a part that made it seem like Morticia had given up everything to have a family. Like she had so many dreams and goals, but she sacrificed a life of travel (she said that she never got to see the catacombs of Paris) to settle. It made it seem like having a family and being a wife was a second choice and it was very woe is me. I hated that. I don’t know how they got Morticia’s characterization so wrong. I could rant about this for days, but me and Rae ( @mortiiicia ) have literally gone on long Discord rants about this with each other. 

There are some good songs in the show. I do like When You’re An Addams, Happy/Sad, and Move Toward the Darkness. I wish they would do a completely new musical and keep them in character while having similar effects that the Beetlejuice musical has. But yeah, let me end my rant here before I go on and on.

I was surprised by the 2019 movie. The CGI made me wary and the trailers were a bit off-putting with some of the jokes and the forced meme-y dialogue on some of the promotional art. I think it was one of Pugsley’s posters that used a line that referred to something being “lit”. It also didn’t help when Cousin Itt rolled up to the house with Snoop Dogg music playing in that one trailer. I know he voices him (although there isn’t much to voice lmao) but I was like come on.

But surprisingly, I liked it more than I thought I would. It was actually pretty heartwarming and I liked that they gave Pugsley his own little storyline because he’s usually cast aside for Wednesday. Then they recreated the original show’s intro sequence at the end and, honestly, that was iconic. So, yeah! I didn’t hate it! 

I’m so protective of the Addams Family and I just want them to be portrayed well. The early 90s movies still reign supreme along with the TV show. The 90s cartoon is amazing, too. The 70s one? Eh, that one was a bit all over the place, but I think that was more to do with the dated jokes and Gomez’s voice acting in that is WEIRD (and not the good kind.) I have the boxset of the 70s cartoon and will give it another go at some point. I just wish there was a DVD release of the 90s one :(

But yeah! That’s how I feel about the different portrayals. Thanks for the question!

[imacetra]

You know, I really didn’t expect my first comment on Forget Me Not to be 

“I like how you explained w/ the dream sequence the reason why she's being revived but I'm not sure why you have Aerith cussing so much since that's definitely OOC for her. I'm looking forward to more!”

There’s a lot to unpack here, but first off, I’m just gonna sum up my reaction with an anime girl.

I love it when people enjoy stuff I make. It brings me a lot of joy to know that people are invested in things I do. However,,,,

This has the same energy as those dreaded “this is great but” comments. Dude, fic writers provide you with FREE content. We are in no way obligated to appeal to your specific wishes, needs, or interpretations of a character or story. If there’s something about it you dislike enough to point out, then maybe don’t read. Because Aerith swears a TON throughout this fic. 

Which brings me to this. How is it OOC?? Is there any official content where Aerith seems uncomfortable, annoyed, or disappointed because someone’s swearing?? Where’s the reasoning behind “Aerith wouldn’t swear that much”??? I think it’s important to remember that everyone’s interpretations of a character are valid, but when you decide your vision of a character is a good reason to make comments like this, please just fuck off.

ESPECIALLY if your reasoning for thinking Aerith swearing a lot is OOC is “she’s so sweet and kind though!!”

You can be the sweetest motherfucker on the planet and still swear. And you can be a total asshole but never swear till the day you die. My point is that “this character wouldn’t swear because X” is a dumbass thing to argue. Especially on someone else’s fic. Aerith is allowed to swear, and say mean things, especially when she’s just been impaled and nearly drowned. What would you rather I have her grit out as she bleeds out? 

Ouch? Owie? Oh my goodness? Fudge? Fiddlesticks?

I’m gonna make Aerith swear like a goddamn sailor for the rest of this fucking fic entirely out of spite. The original plan was like. Oh, she swears occasionally, usually when she’s in pain.

But nah.

Aerith is gonna have a filthier mouth than Cid now. So if you think her swearing is OOC, then I really don’t recommend this or any of my fics for you.

[cristobalrios]

Star Trek: Picard episode 1, “Remembrance” thoughts SPOILERS

[[ Didn’t liveblog it because I wanted to watch it without being distracted the first time around.

Here are my thoughts post-first viewing under the cut. MASSIVE SPOILERS. Might liveblog the second viewing later tonight.

I loved the opening. TNG ended with Picard finally joining the Officers’ poker game, so I love seeing him on the Enterprise-D playing poker with Data. It makes sense that it was a dream. I thought that sequence with Mars might’ve been a PTSD flashback but a nightmare also makes sense. Also, I knew Data was a dream, although I also thought it might have been a holodeck program. 

I love Number One. I love the Romulans looking out for Picard on his Chateau. I can’t remember their names but I’ll get them eventually.

I think the interview was a good excuse for exposition. It gave us some new information. Most of that we’d already picked up before the show but not everyone would have known it. Also, it sucks that the Federation banned synthetics. And that they were pulling out of helping the Romulans. “The Federation knew lives were at stake,” “Romulan lives” “No. Lives.” The “Romulan lives” line makes me mad (I know, it’s suppose to). I’m not saying it’s ooc for the Federation. Definitely the whole ban on synthetics is not ooc considering the whole ban on genetic enhancement thing. The interviewer *said* she wouldn’t ask about why he left the Federation but I didn’t believe it and she turned on him fast in that into honestly. Poor Picard.

Dahj’s boyfriend’s eyes were so cool. It sucks that he died. Hopefully there will be others of his species because I enjoyed the design honestly. I KNEW SHE WAS DATA’S DAUGHTER. THERE’S TWO OF THEM! I can’t believe they killed Dahj off and that Soji is the one that will be in the rest of the show that’s SO WEIRD WHY they had us all knowing about Dahj and keeping most stuff about her a secret (which a lot of people figured out anyway, at least the Data’s daughter part, not the she has a twin part), but then they kill her off and introduce her twin as the one we’ll get for the rest of the show??

That makes sense, though, that it’s Soji we saw kissing Narek and not Dahj. I knew that Narek doesn’t see Picard’s crew until later in the show (from Harry Treadaway’s comment about not having filmed anything with Picard yet when they’d already filmed a lot of the show). And I knew they’d be on the Borg cube.

They introduced Agnes! She seems cool. I think I’m going to like Agnes. I always have thought that. Sad that they didn’t introduce the other characters yet (except Dahj, and then promptly killed her, and Narek and Soji briefly), but I get it. They had a lot to set up in the first episode and they did it well. The other shows introduced the main crew in their first episodes (except Discovery), so the second episode will be more like the first episodes of the other shows.

It was great and I look forward to the rest! ]]

[kitcat992]

Some honest responses from other MCU fans regarding Endgame

Because I know I’ve been one hell of a negative Nancy the past 24 hours, but wanted to show that my raw distaste for this film doesn’t go unshared.

particledamage: This entire thing sucks. I’m bitter.

SelenitaLunar: Worst ending ever. God can't believe this is the real deal. As a Tony fan they give us everything: Pepperony married and iron baby and Rescue only to kill him in the end and stab our hearts and tarnish all our memories of the MCU and this 11 years? Sure they are gonna subvert expectations, hope they enjoy it fully. As I'm not enjoying Marvel ever again. Shame on them. The Russos can go to hell, honestly.

greengirlrunning: They did Thor and Loki so dirty. The Loki thing is so obviously forced so that it ties in to his TV series, but it really undermines his entire arc in the MCU films. I'm pissed. Don't even get me started on Thor. It's perfectly believable that he would be depressed and feel hopeless, but to turn him into a joke and make him basically useless while Tony and Cap get epic (if problematic) endings? Bullshit.

_Mavericks: I’m sorry to say this, but the plot is pure shit. It’s not the case of getting disappointed because we wanted more. It is simply bad as it is. Sad ending.

sawinadream: Honestly Steve not preventing shit/suddenly acting selfishly AFTER being deemed worthy by Mjolnir/ignoring Bucky in Hydra captivity and SHIELD being infiltrated/the timeline somehow not registering these particular alterations IF he did change anything for the better.... OOC and lazy writing at its finest. Also wtf @ Sharon Carter now? Ew

priscillia28: It sounds like a bad fan theory

delta_charlie_2511: So the leaks we were sure were wrong turned out to be right. What they did to Cap is disappointing. It would have made more sense have him sacrifice himself and then wake up in a dream like sequence with Peggy where she is waiting for him to take her to the dance

valhallaorange: I'm upset with many of the main avengers stories, but I'm going to focus on Cap for this one.

It seems completely out of character for him to go back and marry Peggy, knowing in the future she HAD a husband and children, and a well-iived life of accomplishment. To me, it was a focal point of Cap's character to be unselfish and accepting of his new place in time. That included his love for Peggy and respecting that she lived her life fully.

It seems so wrong that he would go back in time to be with her and erase her family (children, possible grandchildren) in the process.

I'm so disappointed. I feel they've done his character so wrong and the only good movie of him was CA:WS. :(

Now that paired with the characterizations and situations of Tony, Thor, and Nat especially make me sad and unhappy.

ALSO, did the Russos just decide to say "Eh, screw it." With Sharon Carter? (Not a fan of her in the movies, but she also deserved way batter.)

valhallaorange: Agreed. A dance and then back to the future would've been acceptable and given more emotion to the pain and letting go Steve is known to experience. Also, Peggy deserves her own storyline and fully lived life without it being erased and her being reduced to only Cap's love interest.

captainamericasgf: This is literally my worst nightmare holy shit

RyuKenBlanka: Iron Man dying and Cap going back to the 1940's to be with Peggy is just lazy writing and closure for the characters and is the reality of Hollywood and not being able to have actors play roles forever. Both in reality should retire and take more advisory roles.

Suedeash: Also Cap's whole nightmare thing in Age of Ultron was dealing with the fact that he can't go back to Peggy, and yet here he just goes back? And knowing all of the horrible shit that happens in the future like 9/11, the Hydra infestation of SHIELD and all that he just sits back and does nothing? This sounds like a character assassination tbh, it would make far more sense for Tony to live with his family and Cap to have the heroic death as a way to bring his whole character arc to a fitting end.

Jedi_Mom: I think people began to think that it was impossible for marvel and Russos to let us down... we learned that they were capable of mistakes... the hard way.

DXGabriel: So.... when thor was becoming cool they just fuck his character? reaaly?

dracogladio1741: This is so convoluted. The ending is weird to say the least. Jeez.

inkwell84: Critics liked it. Audiences said what the eff.

itellteacherstories: This is what I get for overhyping myself: Disappointment.

lovestarkiller: Tony is gone like that?.... And Cap ending is just so...

FreeTanner17: One of the biggest disappointments is they kill off Natasha, don’t even give her a funeral and basically never mention her name again

Hawkguyism: Honestly, I'm severely disappointed

Cap's ending is a disservice to the character and his arc, Thor's ending makes no sense, he literally abandons all his people, Tony's ending is way too cruel, they could just say he went away and stuff like that, would be much better considering all the character's been through, Hulk and Nat are meeeehhhh, and seriously, how many fucking times is Hawkeye gonna retire? And like,we know he's gonna come back in the Disney+ show to train Kate and stuff

Overall, the plot seems too simple and the endings are pretty bad. Of course, in terms of action and entertainment, this movie will be a blast, but when it comes to story and narrative, it's a letdown. Especially considering we waited 11 years for this.

dumbwatercba: I feel like the writers went online and picked the worse theories out there and made a film out of it. Non of this seems right. The reviews were so positive. This seems like a steaming pile of shit. Thanus seems like the only thing missing from this.

msg53: I was hoping Endgame would be a good stopping point anyway. I would have preferred a satisfying ending, but a shitshow that turns me off of the entire genre works too, I guess.

IrishGrouch24: Man I am pissed the F off right now.

raven_rising:...Thanks Marvel, I kind of hate it.

scruk: I have no idea how they managed to fuck up this badly. No idea. It's like a bad fanfiction written by someone who's only watched Infinity War

CactusJackkkk: I feel like I just wasted 11 years of my life watching these movies with no payoff in the end.

eutears:This absolutely makes no sense. I cannot believe how the Russos thought this might be a good finale. Most of the plot crumbles if you put even a little bit of thought into it.

InlineSurfer: Keving Faige and MCU thinks,  that fans will take whatever they give us, but i cant, this so lazy and stupid script.

Griever11422: Notmycap. Notmytony

[dawnblxde]

[Kingdom Hearts 3 Review]

Welp I’ve finally done it, finally played and finished KH3! - After intentionally delaying doing so with my day one copy after finding out for some silly reason - it lacked multiple world visits for development sake and had no Final Fantasy characters - so I decided to finish the games I was in the middle of then replay the entire KH franchise, except the ones you could watch. Gonna leave my thoughts below. Just in case there are those out there still trying to avoid legit spoilers!

There were good and bad elements to this game.. Plenty of my experience that I enjoyed, but I believe more so that I didn’t - which made me want to pull out my hair. But I like my head shaved, so that wouldn’t work lol I liked the graphics, beautiful but I knew a PS3 could handle them as the quality of Woody in this game was the same as him in Toy Story 3 (2010 Video Game). Enjoyed the gameplay, though it felt like a flawed, floaty and broken version of Kingdom Heart’s 2 near perfect improvement of Kingdom Heart’s gameplay. A problem was the fact that in the first two main games, even when I was level 50-60′s - I always felt like I could DIE. It was always a fear during major combat moments. I had to concentrate so much just to be successful. Even if I tried to be a higher level then recommending through grinding. I never felt like that in KH3, every moment was such a cake walk. Even the final battle. Did they even try. Regardless, I had a good time with the gameplay and the visuals. But I wasn’t as drawn in as previous games. It did the game no favors and was a massive flaw, it lacking Final Fantasy characters. We should of been able to explore Radiant Garden or had other worlds relevant to FF characters. They were really important to Sora’s development as a Keyblade wielder. Cloud and Squall for sure. Sora wouldn’t be who he is if he hadn’t encountered and spoke to them. They’d of been useful in multiple sequences. We deserved the next part to Cloud’s issues with Sephiroth. That wasn’t resolved. See how Squall/Leon and the others reacted and dealt with what was going on at Radiant Garden. They’re capable of other world travel, seeing how they’d react to some of the new worlds would of been great as well. Nomura confirmed the only Noctis he’d put in KH was his Noctis. Versus XIII Noctis. And interest in doing so. Yet he wasn’t in the game, when as an Anti-Hero of both light and darkness would of been interesting. Seeing he’d take neither side. Also has important factors in common with Rapunzel and Elsa. Seeing them relating over this would of been nice. The lack off FF adds to factors that make KH3 be disappointing experience - along with an enjoyable one. One of the things that still makes KH2 the best. Was how awesome it was to watch the Final Fantasy characters and Disney characters team up in the battle of 1000 Heartless. One of the best aspects about the franchise is the concept of it being a FF x Disney - a Final Fantasy and Disney collaboration. Multiple visits were really needed. Some of the worlds were quite enjoyable and not frustrating. But they all have different percentages of feeling rushed and not fleshed out enough due to one visit. And some annoyingly treated Sora like he didn’t matter. Just acted like making you watch rushed unfinished version’s of the original Disney movies. Sora’s just there like. Oh look, it’s Sora over there! Hi Sora! You don’t matter here! Shouldn’t be like that. The Disney characters should be well blended into the Kingdom Hearts plot and Sora in the plot of the Disney world. The story made me feel emotional, I enjoyed all the Kingdom Hearts parts, even if I felt some of them were rushed or not written well. Tears did leave my eyes. I liked how Aqua didn’t actually give into Darkness, it was Ansem’s fault. I liked the reunion, final battle sequences and all the stuff leading up to it. My favorite parts to praise are the deaths of all Org 13 members, each made me feel emotional and I wanted to see those character’s again reborn. Not so much young Xeraxnort. But Ansem and Xemnas? Oh the feels there, they were strong. I clapped. I felt there could be more with Larxene in the game in general, including her end. Luxord’s! Clap, really want him to come back and play cards with Sora. Riku Replica’s was great too. Both Riku Replica’s. Marluxa’s.. Vanitas’s was disappointing. However, these great moments aren’t enough for me to forgive those disrespected by this game. The one’s from the worlds you could visit. I’ll get to the unforgivable bits last. Toy Story’s new story and world were great. I loved exploring that world and playing through it. The development was great. Only flaw was what they did with Buzz, he’s stronger character then they take him for. He wouldn’t lose himself to the Darkness. Otherwise, everything was great. Pretty sure it’s my favorite. Hercules’s world was the level of quality I expected! It was decent, I miss the goddamn tournament's, Phil’s voice - but I did love the exploration of his city and meeting his father! Shame no boss fight with Hades's, they’re great and fun! Twilight Town sucked! I liked seeing the gang again, Uncle Scrooge and little chef. But that doesn’t make up for the fact that more then half of Twilight Town is cut and it doesn’t look like the same place! I liked exploring the entire world, not just a portion of it. Monsters Inc’s sequel to the first film with that world experience was great! I had a blast! I always wanted to see Sully’s reunion with Boo! It wasn’t perfect, but I had a good time! Pirates of Caribbean felt like it changed things from it’s canon, but it was an emotional blast! Jack Sparrow scenes and Will scenes, it was just great! The Big Hero 6 world! Oh it was great! It was emotional to lost Baymax in the film, to get him back was great! Kinda sucked to not see the big brother come back, but they’re saving that version of events for the sequel. Two Baymax’s. The only thing I didn’t like was how the whole cast was shrunk. Best example being Honey should of been taller then Jack Sparrow’s model, but she wasn’t. These worlds could of really done with multiple visits. Even more so the three left, that were wronged and disrespected. Don’t try to praise/defend what was done to them, they deserved better. Winne the Pooh deserved better. I liked not having to collect Torn Pages, but even if you didn’t have to. In the previous games, The Winnie the Pooh worlds lasted about an hour or so doing all the activities, helping out all Pooh Bear’s friends - stuff like that. Then you have KH3′s version, which is less then 20 minutes, doing the same activity three times. That was awful. Pooh’s universe deserved better. We deserved better. This is a massive flaw. Can’t forgive this. I love Pooh Bear. Now, as someone who love’s Rapunzel, not fond of how they treated her world either. It was basically the movie with bits cut out and skipped. She hardly interacted with Kingdom Hearts lore, Sora hardly stuck around her. It was just like. Now and then, Sora’s there. Why were they so scared of showing Rapunzel kissing Flynn? There were so many moments Sora should of got to interact with? Where were the two bad guy twins? Rapunzel just generally deserved better in this game. Last but not least, Frozen. Probably the worst world in the game. Because you spend most of it just falling off mountains. They hardly let Sora interact with Elsa or Anna. Or left them get involved in Kingdom Hearts lore. Sora would of been able to relate well to Elsa if they let it happen. You can’t explore the palace, Han’s has no lines and you’re forced to listen to Let It Go again with Sora basically just there. Like hi Sora! All I liked was Snow guard getting more of a role. Don’t even get to explore the city. Just the snowy place. No real development, it’s like - what was the point? There really was none. Why did we go there? Why was Larxene there? Elsa and Anna deserved better then this. Also while not all Disney worlds could of returned in KH3, due to their stories being settled. A lot definitely could! Also, Kairi deserved better then pretty much being a plot device, hardly getting development at all just to go poof. And the idea that Sora’s sacrifice to get her back doesn’t lead to the priority of everyone to find and/or bring him back somehow instead of chilling. Just made the whole ending sequence an OOC moment for me.

Verdict! 

Kingdom Hearts 3 is a decent game and fun experience, but it’s also a flawed mess. Like handling in a English report that gets a low C and just barely hits the passing grade. It is not the worst in the franchise, but Kingdom Hearts 2 easily beats it and so does Kingdom Hearts, the original one. Funner to play then Dream Drop Distance, Chain Of Memories, Recoded and the Roxas focused game! But the rest defeat it! I have no interest in a new game plus, roleplay wise I intend to amend the flaws. The Disney worlds that were wronged will get justice. Add back Final Fantasy and the missing Disney worlds. Make it what it should of been! I had a good time, I really did. But once was enough. After finishing, it now shocks me that an amount of people I can count on just one of my hands tried to either tell me KH3 was good enough or superior to all the other games, even KH2. My assumption now is, they hadn’t recently played the other games before playing 3, were lost in Nostagla or something else was going on. Just how.. How could this possibly beat the two other main titles? The only thing superior is the more then three team mates tbh. xD

7/10

I really feel like I’m being generous here, but if I went lower then I’d think I was being too harsh. It’s not FFXV and Bound by Flame 5/10 quality, but it’s certainly not The Walking Dead (by Tellale) and The Last of Us 9/10 quality. So this will have to do. Nomura, I strongly advise you to look back at Kingdom Hearts 2 and what made it so great, before you work on your next main title.