#same w any filming capabilities

[dangermousie]

I haven’t been posting about Rebirth of a Star General but I have been steadily reading it and am about 190chapters in.

I will have to update my fave het web novels list because this is AMAZING.

QSCK most famous novel is, of course, Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage. It’s very well crafted and I enjoyed it (it’s probably the novel I like the most out of “OP reborn protag gets revenge and settles inner courtyard grudges as her OP ML watches admiringly and occasionally assists” genre) but my emotional investment and involvement was nil. The mains were too OP, inner courtyard scheming is something I have no interest in (I don’t watch harem dramas for a reason) and because FL woke up in the past before all the bad stuff really happened it opens the usual can of worms about punishing people for things they haven’t done yet (the sole novel I’ve seen actually tackle that issue was Rebirth of a Tyrant’s Pet which went on my fave list because FL wakes up as a kid and instead of getting revenge on kid versions of her first life husband and his brother who did her in first time around goes “well they are fucking kids, why the hell would I go after kids?” and actually had a sane plan of having different interactions with them that would not lead to the same outcome and that works! Not to mention she sees her brother in law who killed her in life 1 horribly abused and saves him because - once again - who on earth is OK with child abuse? Anyway, digression.)

I’ve seen people comment repeatedly that Star is not at all like this author’s typical novel and for me that is a great thing. Except for talent with weapons and formations (because she has experience from her past go-around as a general!), FL has no superpowers. Nor is the bulk of the novel dedicated to revenge - yes she wants it and eventually gets it but it’s like 10% of her time at most - like a sane person she spends the bulk of her time in living her new life - trying to make a career in the military, save various places, she acquires new friends and in a very very slow burn fashion, a new love interest.

And the thing is - her revenge would make sense here because unlike in most of those set-ups, she’s not reborn as herself younger or w/e - she wakes in a body of a young woman right after she herself was killed in life 1 - so that means the narrative continues linearly that way - any revenge is for acts actually committed in this timeline and characters have to deal with the fallout.

Oh, and the ML is not insanely OP either - he’s a very capable general and smart (yes, it’s general x general, mmmm!) and of course, this being a QSCK novel, he’s gorgeous, but he doesn’t have insane OP of eg Military Empress hero.

I am insanely invested in these people because we see their wounds and their slow growth (unlike in a lot of these novels where protags don’t really change much) and the secondaries are amazing too. So good! I hope the drama is half as good.

Speaking of, stills of the mains from the filming:

[anonymousboxcar]

TTTE Headcanons: Engines’ TV Habits

This is pretty goofy, but I’m thinking about what sorts of TV the engines might watch if they had a TV or a streaming device in their sheds. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far!

—————————————

Henry loves nature shows, of course. In addition, after his fireman lamented his spilt hot cocoa, he wanted to understand why humans care so much about food. This led him to cooking shows, which he found very relaxing. He likes to watch raw, disparate ingredients become something beautiful and complete.

Edward goes for mysteries — lighter, cozier shows like Midsomer Murders, Rosemary & Thyme, and Murder, She Wrote. He’s also a fan of Granada Studios’ 1984 Sherlock Holmes. It tickles the same part of him that enjoys ghost stories, giving him a slight thrill alongside a pleasing mind-teaser.

Gordon watches the news every morning and evening. He likes to feel up-to-date on important events, expounding on them to his colleagues. Any program about opera and orchestral performances also appeals to him. There’s some snobbery involved, but he does enjoy hearing and learning about musical genres.

James likes game and talent shows, often shouting answers and opinions at the TV. He’s so attuned to these shows’ editing that he’ll guess a season winner, set up a betting pool, and rake in all the favors after the finale with a smug grin. (Gordon and Henry only keep placing bets because they want to show him up someday.)

All three big engines indulge in the guilty pleasure of soap operas. They think nobody else knows about this. Pip and Emma “obliviously” intrude on their watch parties to make them squirm.

Thomas and Percy watch ghost hunting shows together. They scoff at the idea of ghosts, accuse each other of being ‘fraidy-cats, and huddle close in fear as an episode progresses. They also watch late-night airings of schlocky films with Toby, whose sly commentary cracks them all up.

On his own, Thomas watches motorsport broadcasts. Bertie hooked him on it not long after they started racing each other. He’s a fan of some F1 drivers and their cars, often comparing notes with Bertie in serious (and sometimes heated) discussions.

Percy has a soft spot for period dramas. He’ll laugh at historical inaccuracies, get invested in all the characters, and ponder common tropes. He’s not afraid to ask about the servants who have to endure the wealthy protagonists’ dramatics.

Toby doesn’t watch much TV outside of what he sees with Thomas and Percy. However, he and Henrietta are partial to some late-night talk shows. If the show’s interviewing someone they’re interested in, or if they think the host is funny, they’ll give an episode a try.

Duck adores How It’s Made. It’s very satisfying for him to watch a bunch of moving parts at work, slotting pieces into their rightful places to assemble something. Other nights, he watches travel shows. They explore locations all around the world, scratching his itch to see what’s beyond his horizon.

Donald watches stand-up comedy specials, going for a good laugh at the end of the day to decompress. Ever since Duck “gifted” him Dilly, he also watches nature programs and shows about training/caring for pets. (He and Dilly are working on some tricks.)

Oliver picks sci-fi shows, with Star Trek and Doctor Who as his favorites. He’s drawn in by the pulpy adventures, moral dilemmas, and complex protagonists. It all makes him feel better about himself: you can mess up on an astronomical scale, but still be capable of good things. You don’t have to be a perfect hero to be a good person.

Douglas enjoys shows about antiques and vintage items — things in the vein of Antique Roadshow, or American Pickers. He’s a sucker for knickknacks that meant something to someone, for all the stories behind each one, and for their loving restorations.

Bill and Ben think fitness shows are hysterical. They’re forever amused by the odd ways the instructors contort their bodies. But they also scheme for their crews to watch these shows, hoping they’ll participate and stay healthy for years to come.

Daisy’ll watch any program about fashion or body art (tattoos, piercings, etc). Being so attentive to her swerves, she’s curious about the ways that humans adorn themselves. She’ll sometimes take inspiration from what she sees, but she’ll always argue that fashion is an art form, pointing to these shows for examples.

——————————————

What are your guys’ thoughts/headcanons? I’d love to hear them!

[moralesmilesanhour]

my miles g headcanons!

A/N: the ending scene in ATSV made me think a lot about what a Miles that never got to reach his full potential as Spider-Man would be like. so, here are some of the thoughts/speculation I wrote down! Ofc you can feel free to disagree with my interpretation since he's not even on screen for more than 5 minutes lol but this guides how I choose to write him.

Essentially, Earth 42 Miles is a Miles that has given up. Like 1610 Miles says to Uncle Aaron, he likely does not believe he has a choice.

Maybe he steals on top of a second job to help support his mother, leaving little to no time for school

He uses his genius to build the Prowler suit instead of the spidey suit

Doesn't enjoy stealing but makes money from it so he can. Afford shit

Same love for art and music as Miles, but his taste likely differs/has changed (42 Uncle Aaron doesn't play hip hop, instead he plays Bobby Bland). I imagine him to have darker tastes and a sadder playlist lol

He is not MEAN or EVIL, just tired and spread too thin. Perhaps a little angry that his future was stolen from him.

With no superheroes and a police force that would likely be rendered ineffective, maybe community efforts would be more prevalent in this version of Brooklyn...?

Maybe 42 Miles uses some of his earnings from being the Prowler to give back? Would be strange and out of character to me for a Miles in any universe to be excessively selfish (he might still buy himself nice stuff tho)

Calmer and a bit more direct than 1610 Miles (who has time to beat around the bush?)

Burdened with responsibilities, he would not have as many chances to have fun

Now getting too old to go on heists as often, Aaron locates jobs for Miles and takes him to the location

Both Miles are lying to their moms so that guilt is still there

He cannot see a way out and neither can his uncle so they are both trapped in a vicious cycle; everyone is resigned in some way

The Prowler suit looks obviously heavier than the spidey suit, but he's still able to jump around in it. This may require earth 42 miles to be a bit stronger

Based on the jacket and cargo pants (instead of 1610 miles' hoodie and puffa w shorts), Miles g might have a different/more "mature" sense of style.

Has a mix between his Uncle Aaron's accent and his mom's, as evidenced by the film (everybody say thank you Jharrel Jerome). His voice is "deeper", but only sounds that way because he speaks more with his lower register whereas 1610 Miles/Shameik speak from a slightly higher place most of the time. More of an observation than a headcanon skfjdk

Has probably gotten used to doing horrible things to survive, but it's still...well, Miles. I'd like to think he's still capable of kindness when he isn't the Prowler and isn't ruthless all the time. He's still just a kid!

[furiroad]

Furiosa spoilers under the cut 🚗

It's actually staggering how much that movie did not need to exist. Gonna bullet point some thoughts

My sarcastic lol @ the lightning fast sisters cameo at the end where they're all played by completely different people. the quick flash of Cheedo's eyes bc they managed to get Courtney Eaton back for three seconds didn't appease me

I guess it technically passes the bechdel test bc right at the start Furiosa says "be still" to Valkyrie but iirc that's the only pass moment. I know not passing the bechdel test doesn't mean the movie is automatically bad I just think it's interesting considering it's following Fury Road

"she talks to her mother" I don't think they ever said her mum's name out loud

You know how mad max fury road could have a silent version w no dialogue + isolated soundtrack and it worked because you could tell what's going on anyway? This movie has the opposite problem. Way too much talking. They over-explain everything

The best bit was the prolonged torture scene at the end where Hemsworth explains Furiosa's entire character arc and the message of the movie out loud to her and also us

Even his teddy had an arm missing, replaced with a barbie arm. Thanks. We get it

Her arm made robot noises

Actually threw MY arms up in disgust when she went back for that boy she supposedly had a romance with despite the film never bothering to actually show/explain that. I'm calling it a romance because the actors did. I guess it was supposed to be a Capable/Nux parallel but it didn't work for me and not just because I'm a dyke and a hater OK, if you're gonna do a ROMANCE, DO A ROMANCE. don't leave me sitting there wondering why Furiosa is risking it all for some guy she's had ONE conversation with, especially after he offers to get her away from the Citadel and back to where she came from, WHICH IS HER ENTIRE MOTIVE EVER SINCE SHE WAS TAKEN

I DON'T GET IT

Them trying to emulate Max and Furiosa's instinctive, perfect we have to trust each other moment by having Jack and Furiosa... look at each other Meaningfully fifty times while they were supposed to be driving cars? Don't make me laugh! You will never be them!!

Max being there for a second wasn't cute! I rolled my eyes

Same at "remember me?" MAKE UP YOUR OWN STUFF

So many things happened because they needed to happen (plot demanded it) and didn't make any sense in context. My favourite was when Furiosa rode her motorcycle up a dune to get away after cutting off her arm and the biker gang couldn't follow her up there for some reason

So much Christian imagery... threw me off tbh

Considering it's Furiosa's movie it sure isn't about her + she doesn't speak at all for almost the first half

This movie was way too long

I called it about the peach seed

I called it that she cut her own arm off

George Miller read some of my blog but not all of it

You know how The People Eater rubbed his nipple that one time and it was delightfully weird and gross and got a good reaction? Well in this movie he's constantly rubbing it, the whole time. Really lessens the impact of the nipple rub

As you can see this movie has made me insane

Like this is not really about the nipple rub but do you get what I'm saying here

Furiosa spends most of the movie hiding her hair (because as we all know, having long hair immediately identifies you as a woman) and then when her head covering gets knocked off and her hair is revealed (omg she's a girl) she leaves it like that and becomes an Imperator. On what planet

The history man frames the entire movie for some reason. Do they show Miss Giddy? Take a wild guess

One of the coolest parts of fury road was that a gang of bikers ended up being hardcore wasteland grannies w guns and loose morals in response to people fucking around for far too long without finding out. Did this movie have anything like that for me? Take a wild guess for a second time

The car fight scenes weren't even that great. Couldn't remember hearing any good music under them (brother in arms truly lightning in a bottle) and they went on for too long which feels wild to say about suped up car battles in the australian wasteland: 2 but oh well. This is how I feel. Fury Road was so good at carefully measuring out high octane action and then downtime and careful, quiet character introspection and this movie had no idea what it was doing either way

Honestly I don't hate it but I feel like it was a waste of time and it doesn't need to exist at all. A real nothing experience. Am I going to see this movie ten times in cinemas? No I am not even going to see it twice in cinemas

I don't know what I was expecting.

oh my god also they played clips of Fury Road over the credits as if to say "remember how fucking good this is in comparison to the dumb shit you just watched"

[quirkle2]

has zombie mob ever bitten someone before? i know that he's pretty chill, but i like to think that the hypothetical situation that would trigger him would be if someone where to hurt ritsu or someone from the gang in general :o

(ALSO HIIII I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO OPEN TUMBLR BUT AAAH I'M SO GLAD YOU DON'T MIND MY ASKS 🫶🏼 i just love mp100 AND zombie films, never thought i'd come across where these two are combined 🥹)

HIII im ALWAYS happy to talk abt the sillies there is never a time where im Not thinking abt the sillies <33 !!!!

to preface this answer, there's little settlements of survivors dotted around the place in this world, and for many people, they're safe havens that are stocked w food and supplies and people who are willing to help you. the people there are typically heavily armed and ready for any zombies that come their way, and they patrol the territory regularly not just to loot the places nearby, but to watch for any zombies that have gotten through defenses

the settlements are full of people who, in general, like to help any outsiders they can—if they see a person trying to survive out in the wild alone, they'll offer shelter and food to them as long as they're not infected

if ur not ritsu, that is.

(warning for guns and some gore btw)

normally, they'd be more than happy to help a kid as young as ritsu. but he's traveling with a zombie. that is obviously an instant red flag for them, bc to them, it's pretty much guaranteed that ritsu is infected at this point. they don't see zombies the same way ritsu does—they don't know that zombies r still human and capable of very human thing

settlements actively Hunt zombies, instead of just kill them when they come around. they go on patrols and Search for zombies to take out, even if the zombies aren't actually endangering anybody atm. it makes sense to them, it's the obvious answer to them, but to ritsu, that's unbelievably cruel. to ritsu, that's no different from attacking humans unprovoked

they will also kill any infected people, even if they're still very much human in behavior. they see it as mercy kills. ritsu is very bitter abt it, but defending those zombies means putting his brother in danger, and his brother matters more to him than anything

to most people, seeing a settlement up ahead is a godsend. to ritsu, it's an oncoming death sentence. they WILL shoot him and shigeo on sight once they figure out shigeo is a zombie and ritsu is traveling with him, so ritsu has to be Extremely careful when around settlements. he generally tries to steer clear of them—the areas around them r usually looted already anyway, so there's no point in getting near

they're hard to avoid, though. and sometimes he runs into people patrolling the area. and sometimes they see ritsu guiding a zombie by the hand, and they're suddenly right on top of them and aiming to kill

shigeo doesn't just bite somebody. the fight evolves from ritsu aiming pitiful shots from his own pistol that all miss, to trying to disarm one of the patrol guys and getting pinned to the ground where the barrel of a gun is inching worryingly close to ritsu's face

shigeo doesn't just bite him, he tears out the guy's throat. ritsu scrambles away and takes the shotgun that he'd barely kept away from his face, and he simply watches in horror as shigeo rips tendons and muscles out from a man's neck. he gets it all entangled in his teeth and it takes everything ritsu has not to vomit immediately—he can't seem to look away from it, from the strings of flesh and blood dangling and trickling from his brother's mouth

when shigeo calms and he's not biting down on muscle anymore, ritsu has to get on his feet and get near his brother, which is admittedly hard to accomplish at the moment. he eases into his field of view and when shigeo sees him he doesn't immediately growl—his angry eyes actually soften, and ritsu gently pulls him up and pointedly ignores the blood covering shigeo's chin

cleaning the blood off his brother's face later makes the experience feel Real to ritsu, and he does his best not to burst into tears. he firmly decides that if (when,,, when.) he Does find the cure, and if shigeo Doesn't remember this, ritsu will never tell him. he's pretty confident that his brother would never be able to live with himself, if he knew what he just did to another human being

[jesuistrestriste]

also i have smth i wanna speculate abt/make predictions abt regarding challengers + the plot hmm

spoilers? idk…

(also i mention a couple nsfw concepts from the trailer super briefly)

i’ll put a lil break in the text below just in case. and im gonna mention smth from the original screenplay (not any major plot points, just some details)

-

ok so

i think it was said by luca guadagnino (the director) that he was going to make this film a love triangle where “all sides touch”, which i feel like means that there’s either gonna be some sort of <sexual tension/sexual encounters> or <romantic feelings masked as jealousy> between art and patrick.

in the original, written screenplay, there is none of that. art and patrick are merely rivals (friends to enemies), although i guess it could be read as some minor sexual tension.

either way!!

there’s a scene in the trailer where zendaya’s character tashi is shown like this:

and it’s right after the scenes where art and patrick are shown taking turns kissing her and her neck..

i think w the position of her body, ppl would assume that they r going down on her? but her eyes are looking more upwards/straight ahead, as if she’s watching something.

i have a feeling that tashi gets both guys all riled up and then tells them to kiss each other or smth while she watches. like.. what else would be happening here??

and in the same shot in the trailer, she is shown briefly kinda smugly smiling while she watches whatever is in front of her, which i feel like would make sense for her character bc she likes to feel in control. she wants to know that she’s the one with the power in the dynamic, and she has no problem outwardly showing/expressing it. i feel like it would make sense for tashi to ask the boys to do something like that in front of her, bc it would make sense that her character enjoys seeing just how far two guys would go to get her to like them.. or like, see how far she is capable of pushing these two guys who seem to idolize her. IDK!! i’m just thinking abt this concept.

my brain is rotting and i sound a little insane but whatever.

[dearweirdme]

Tae's lives have diminished any and all doubts I've ever had about his relationship with jungkook. People are taking the first live too casually imo. It was a huge huge revelation. Just replace jk with any lady, and tae saying that she sings that song for him. It's such a sweet and romantic song. People would've jumped with that piece of info and anyone denying it would've been called a delulu y/n. But since it was jk, most of them have straight up brushed it under the rug.

Them being sighted on dates etc has always been justified by the larger fd as just bros hanging out, even if they forget that you don't usually book tables in advanced at very expensive restaurants just to hang out with your bro, or even book an entire suit for filming a dance challenge.

Anyways, even if those dates were overlooked, how is this serenading platonic?

Army are usually quick to pick out even minor details in members' lives but somehow none of them, apart from tkkrs, have picked up the very clear jk phantom from tae's live? It sounds so much like jk that even if you tried you can't deny that it's him.

I think those who still berate tkkrs should instead take a look at their own behaviours regarding tkk. They've been so quick to jump on the awkward bros wagon but can't even fathom the fact that there might be something b/w them.

Tae has never hidden much when it comes to him and jk and its bcs of ot7s that he is able to do so coz he is well aware that anything short of them coming out is gonna wake them from their stupor

Hi anon!

That first live was absolutely something. I think we were all shocked and endeared at the same time. Speaking for myself, I think I have a good idea about how much they love each other, and Tae missing Jk this much is absolutely something I feel is part of their connection. It's what I would imagine, but what I would not have expected to ever see. We pick up these small things and when looking at the whole all these small things combined is actually something huge, but we don't often see something so clear. Imo them at Dream was also huge, but the difference is that this was a spontaneous moment in which Tae just shared something he felt in connection to Jk. He was in his feelings, suddenly wanted to hear a song Jk always sings to him. It's a specific song to him and the meaning of that song is tied to Jk. Just hearing the song wasn't enough, he wanted to hear Jk sing it. It just fits in how I see them. I believe they are very capable of being without each other for times, they have friends they hang out with without the other, they have schedules and events and whatnot's to attend alone and they do just fine with that, but I also think they have a need for each other. A need for the comfort and love they can only get from each other... and that's completely normal to have in a relationship. Did Tae intent to share this with us? I don't think so.. you can kinda see him hesitate for a bit just before he says he want's to listen to the song Jk always sings for him, but he just went for it because it's what he felt and there's really nothing more satisfying than to be able to just say what you feel when the feelings are strong. I think we just witnessed Tae being in the moment.

Ofcourse Jkkrs and anti's were quick to call him an attentionseeker like they always do. But they are just doing that because it fits their own ideas and Tae being honest will stand in the way of whatever it is they choose to believe.

The funny thing is though, that after Tae's latest live (the one in bed with sounds of someone else there) I got only one ask (!) saying Tae was alone in his bedroom. That's it! No "you're delusional", no "it was Jennie", no "It was a friend", no "if it was Jk it's because they're friends"... nothing! And it's been unexpected. I have been wondering if this is going around fandom even, because we all know how Jkkrs and anti's are usually very quick to jump in my asks and get all angry... and I don't actually think me posting Taekook pics really works in keeping them away 😂. So I do wonder what's up with that. Have they all decided to just ignore it completely? Are they dumbstruck? Do they realize it's Jk and they know they can't call Tae an attentionseeker when Jk is actually next to him?

[intogenshin]

The Symbol of the City

I’ve noticed some interesting things in Fontaine that I want to share, but I haven’t had time to play any quests besides the main storyline so I’m doing it with the understanding that some of it might fall through. All corrections are welcome though.

This post will cover:

Fontaine history

The relationship between music and technology

The meaning of technology according to German philosopher Martin Heidegger

The influence of the 1927 silent film Metropolis in Fontaine’s narrative

How the Bible plays into all of it

Music & Technology

Firstly, the Fontaine symbol looks like 2 things:

A fountain and a retro futuristic city design.

At the same time, the design of the fountains in the city resemble a musical organ. The melusine named Blathine outside Opera Eclipse mentions that the pillars of water formed in the fountains are “like the music that plays in the background during an opera”, most likely referring to an organ.

On the other hand, a city works as a high expression of technological advance.

These two elements are closely tied to the history of the region. Remuria’s empire centered its development around the arts and intellectual fields (especially music), while Fontaine does it around machinery and engineering.

Music and technology are thus introduced as companion concepts.

It’s not the first time Genshin relates the two though: back in last year’s Lantern Rite event, it was revealed that madam Ping (alias Streetward Rambler) used to have a rivalry with Guizhong over the authenticity of music that is composed and played on an instrument and that which is produced by a mechanical invention.

In Guizhong’s opinion, while mechanisms were no substitute for human composers, they were yet capable of producing simple but fine melodies. But Streetward Rambler believed music to be an expression of the soul, an emotional enterprise that could never hope to be replicated by machinery. —Story Teaser: Echoes of the Heart

Eventually, Madam Ping changes her mind: Guizhong’s memory lived on through her invention, and madam Ping was able to express her feelings of grief accompanied by the tune in the bell she left behind.

But Streetward Rambler did not acquire [Guizhong’s bell] from Rex Lapis for the purpose of producing further funerary tunes. No, each time she rang it, it was to play the tune that Guizhong composed on it. The two once clashed over their beliefs about the meaning of music, who would have thought that with Guizhong’s passing and Streetward Rambler’s mourning, two tunes composed in discord would eventually become one harmonious composition?

That which is expressed through an instrument is not that different from that which is produced by a machine. While the musician uses their instrument to project their emotions as an extension of the soul, an engineer uses machinery to project their intellect as an extension of the mind.

Estelle: Truth be told, letting someone as feeble in body as I serve as a blacksmith is the main point of this machine. Estelle: Humans can use tools, and exquisitely-designed tools can make the impossible, possible. Estelle: Some say that all automated forgings are hollow and soulless. But if you ask me, the machine is just as much of a tool as a regular smith's hammer. Really, I would love to see those smiths knock metal into shape with their bare hands... —Semi-Automatic Forging quest

Music was the defining trait of Remuria’s identity as a nation, and technology is one of Fontaine’s.

Technology & Domination

King Remus built multiple fairways (perhaps like the pipes of an organ?) that he used to rule his nation, either literally or metaphorically with music, and conquered neighboring tribes in order to have full control of Remuria and avoid its prophesied demise:

The King, resting peacefully at the heart of the palace, listened closely to every melody and every note coming from every corner of the empire. Upon hearing any discord, the God King would correct it immediately with a pluck of his strings, bringing perfection to the symphony of his empire. To spread the harmonious symphony throughout the world, he built far-reaching fairways, which conveyed the melodies as never ending ripples from Capitolium to every corner that sat above the high waters.With his immortal fleet, Remus conquered all the islands on the high waters. Even the great dragon beneath the abyssal depths submitted to his power. Those were the best days since the end of earliest peoples, and eternal prosperity seemed so near at hand. He believed that as long as all the cities echoed with this greatest of songs, they would escape the judgment of fate and at last reach the land of eternal bliss. —The history of the decline and fall of Remuria

Fontaine is currently doing something similar, just that instead of conquering other people through the symbolic force of music, they’re asserting control over the land through first - the allegorical climate change they’re not preventing, and second - the developing of technology at the expense of the integrity, health and life of their own people:

Sir Arthur: Disaster! Disaster! At a recent public exhibition, the Babich Automated Analysis Engine suddenly exploded in a shower of gears, causing great injury and death to onlookers! Sir Arthur: Mr. Babich himself was severely injured and remains unconscious! Sir Arthur: Analysts' Guild President Marco Borja has opined that this tragedy was nonetheless an inevitable step on the path to progress, and that the Guild expresses its deep sympathies and condolences.

Musical instruments in Remuria function the same way machinery does in Fontaine, they are technology developed with the purpose to control by forcing the enemy tribes into submission or as a justification to exploit their workers.

Allegorical (or not so much) imperialism and capitalism, if you will.

These are precisely the dangers that German philosopher Martin Heidegger warned about technology in 1954 with his essay The Question Concerning Technology.

The Question Concerning Technology

Heidegger centered his work around the concept of “being” not as isolated sentience, but as a result of the relationship between a subject and its surrounding environment. He thought, for instance, that the term “ousia” (known as “essence” in philosophy) had been misinterpreted by previous philosophers and lost its real meaning, which he attributed to the conflicts of the modern era due to forgetting what it meant “to be”.

To put it simply, the phrase “I think, therefore I am” proposes the act of thinking is the essence of what it means to be, but Heidegger believed there had to be a state prior to the generation of that thought for the thought to be generated in the first place. A being exists with its environment, and that relationship between the subject and object is the essence of what it means “to be”.

However, it is hard to realize this reality of “being”. For example, when you’re doing an activity for long periods of time like writing or hammering a nail on the wall, you will eventually forget the existence of the pen or the hammer in your hand. At that point, it is not part of your reality even though it very much exists. Life in the modern era is the same, we become blind to certain parts of our existence in doing routinary tasks to survive until we interact with those parts.

So everything we perceive or interact with becomes “unconcealed”, but it’s a reality that’s defined by our own individuality, not an objective truth.

In this sense, the “essence” of technology is not anything technological, it’s not the machines or what’s produced with them, but something that goes deeper into its relationship with humanity.

Heidegger thought the essence of technology was neither a means to an end nor a human activity, but a way to reveal (or “unconceal”) reality.

Technology embodies a specific way of revealing the world, a revealing in which humans take power over reality. While the ancient Greeks experienced the ‘making’ of something as ‘helping something to come into being’ – as Heidegger explains by analysing classical texts and words – modern technology is rather a ‘forcing into being’. Technology reveals the world as raw material, available for production and manipulation. —Future Learn, The Technological View of the World of Martin Heidegger

Heidegger draws attention to technology’s place in bringing about our decline by constricting our experience of things as they are. He argues that we now view nature, and increasingly human beings too, only technologically — that is, we see nature and people only as raw material for technical operations. Heidegger seeks to illuminate this phenomenon and to find a way of thinking by which we might be saved from its controlling power —The New Atlantis, Understanding Heidegger on Technology

Machine-like People

The danger Heidegger warned about had to do with becoming a society that understands all aspects of reality through the technological lens: that both nature and people would be treated as nothing but resources to be used, like pieces of a machine.

All things increasingly present themselves to us as technological: we see them and treat them as what Heidegger calls a “standing reserve,” supplies in a storeroom, as it were, pieces of inventory to be ordered and conscripted, assembled and disassembled, set up and set aside. Everything approaches us merely as a source of energy or as something we must organize. We treat even human capabilities as though they were only means for technological procedures, as when a worker becomes nothing but an instrument for production. Leaders and planners, along with the rest of us, are mere human resources to be arranged, rearranged, and disposed of. Each and every thing that presents itself technologically thereby loses its distinctive independence and form. We push aside, obscure, or simply cannot see, other possibilities. —The New Atlantis, Understanding Heidegger on Technology

Fontaine has adopted this general worldview not only in relation to the workers, but also in the way they treat court cases as spectacles.

If Sumeru explored the question of what it means to be or what can be accepted as a living being (through stories like that of Karkata, Benben and Wanderer), Fontaine on the other hand seems to be asking what separates a living being from a machine when interpreted through the lens of technology, where workers are exploited as disposable objects and people’s tragedy is commodified for entertainment.

For King Remus also, those within his borders had to be controlled, and those outside had to be conquered.

Both Fontaine and Remuria are cities whose culture has become technologically driven.

When society adopts the technological lens —whether technology itself is involved or not— to understand themselves, their humanity is stripped from them. And do they not become just like a machine?

Gontharet: Those who always work and work will find themselves little different from clockwork machines. It is only through constant questioning and asking that we can forge a new path! Gontharet: Our history and present are all proof of this.

"All I have to do is put on my helmet, shut out the background noise, and carry out my orders." Freminet began to see himself as an unfeeling clockwork toy. —Freminet’s Official Introduction

Freminet, alongside Lyney and Lynette, is a member of the House of the Hearth, a secret Fatui organization composed of orphans who work for the Harbinger Arlecchino, who they call “father”, doing missions of espionage and other not so legal activities that more often than not risk their safety. It is unclear what exactly is Freminet’s role, but by the looks of it, he seems to feel less like a human and more like an automaton when carrying out his missions.

The City As A Symbol

(or: let’s get biblicaI)

There is no doubt that Remuria is based on the Roman Empire, but there’s another aspect to Fontaine that’s very intrinsically influenced by the Bible: the city as the epitome of human virtue and decadence.

God’s kingdom is represented as a garden. Adam and Eve are said to have wandered in the wilderness after they were kicked out. When their son Cain became jealous of his brother Abel, who was receiving God’s favor, he murdered him and was marked as a sinner.

Cain further isolated himself from God by running away and establishing the first city. A city in ancient times was just a group of homes, but what characterized it was the tall walls Cain erected as a means to protect himself from retaliation for his crime.

Cain’s city, much like Jerusalem and Babylon later, breeds a culture of violence and abuse, but also of man-made inventions like animal domestication, arts, and metalwork —aka, technology.

Those in power (starting with King David) always end up succumbing to their lowly desires, impulses and vices in Jerusalem. Babylon (which enslaved the Israelites) goes on to become not just a single city in its historical period, but the metaphorical and almost cyclical condition in which humanity condemns itself over and over again through the symbol of the city.

There are two main ways to deal with humanity becoming corrupt in the Bible: a flood or a messiah (mr Jesus The Christ for the Christians). The flood reboots everything and the messiah solution is more about accepting the city for its virtues and defeating sin through death and reincarnation, then God brings his garden into the world, so it’s like a Hannah Montana situation with the best of both worlds.

Anyway, let’s go back to Genshin:

After the first civilization was nuked with a flood, the survivors lived in the wilderness:

When the tide receded and the earth was revealed again, no cities nor civilizations now stood above the high waters. Survivors and the newborn alike lived amidst the forests and rivers, shorn of all knowledge and wisdom. Human lives were no different from those of wild animals on the earth or in the sea, driven on by the laws of nature — muddling through time with neither beginning nor end. Civilization and order were finally restored to the land named Fontaine the day the great king Remus descended upon Meropis in his golden Fortuna. He taught people how to farm and raise crops in the land, and built temples and cities with giant rocks to house the people. Most importantly, it was he who spread the beauty of music and art, which differentiated humans from other living things, causing them to see themselves as masters of all things. —The History of the Decline and Fall Remuria

Remus taught the people of what would become Remuria good things, but also reintroduced arrogance. And the cycle of Cain’s city was fulfilled again, with the nation causing their own destruction.

Remuria also is described with some kind of tower at its center, just like Babylon. And from the story of the Tower of Babel, this tower can be understood as the symbol of the city itself, the expression of human ingenuity.

I want this to be understood not as a direct reference to the biblical stories, but as a narrative parallel to an ancient story about the dangers of technology.

A city is an isolated concentration of humanity’s sins and virtues, surrounded by tall, imposing walls. A city gives rise to arts and technology, and it also breeds hedonistic desires and dangerous machinery.

I’d say the tall walls of Fontaine aren’t just to make the city look like a dam and annoy players who want to climb. And its technology seems on the right track for devastation.

Technology is not the enemy though

I said in the beginning that Fontaine’s symbol resembles a retro futuristic city. More specifically, both the symbol and the design of the city itself remind me of the futuristic envisioned city in Metropolis, a 1927 silent film by director Fritz Lang that has influenced the sci-fi genre to this day.

Metropolis is divided into two classes: the elite that lives on the surface, and the workers who live underground and produce the energy that powers the city.

(Sound familiar?)

The movie makes a point of depicting the workers moving mechanically, in a zombie like state, when they walk towards the machine they operate and while they work on them, as if they were parts of the machine themselves.

The son of the city’s master, Freder, ventures into the underground tunnels and discovers this reality for the first time. When a worker fails to operate the machine correctly, it suffers a malfunction that causes an explosion, leaving many victims behind. Freder is hit by the explosion and has a hallucination where the machine turns into Moloch, a pagan god in the Old Testament that had to be fed human sacrifices, while a group of slaves is being forced into its mouth, and then the workers behind them walk into it voluntarily.

A woman called Maria promises the underground workers that a mediator will eventually help them, as Maria believes the “head” (upper class) and “hands” (workers) just need a “heart” to communicate with each other. This mediator turns out to be Freder, who voluntarily takes the place of one of the workers and suffers the horrors of working in the machines in the flesh.

When Freder’s father finds out, he asks his local mad scientist —who has been working on a robot with human faculties— to give his creation the appearance of Maria, and orders this robot-Maria to twist the beliefs of the workers so they’ll antagonize the real Maria. Robot-Maria also shows up in the city as the figure of the Whore of Babylon, and inspires the upper class men to give in to their desires and vices.

Meanwhile, the workers are encouraged to revolt and destroy the very machines they’re enslaved by, against Maria’s ideology of unity. This destruction causes a flood that almost kills the workers’ children, but they’re saved by Maria and Freder.

The workers burn robot-Maria in the stake and later realize it was just a machine. Freder also fights the mad scientist at the top of a building from where the latter falls and dies.

At the end, Freder acts as a mediator between his father and a representative of the workers.

Ok but why was that whole summary necessary?

In essence, Metropolis is both a dystopian cautionary tale about the dangers of technology that we’ve discussed in this post, and also an allegory for the Bible (yes fr).

Maria is a Virgin Mary expy and Freder is the figure of the messiah (the “mediator”), Jesus Christ. He descends from the paradise above and suffers the pains of the people in the flesh. The mad scientist is a stand in for the devil, and Freder’s father represents the kings that continuously become corrupted in the history of Jerusalem.

Maria is who preaches true belief, while robot-Maria represents an idol of false belief that the workers are fooled by and also the sins and desires the upper class are enslaved by.

The flood that’s caused by the workers’ revolt is pretty much self explanatory in the biblical sense, you know what that is.

In the context of the industrial revolution, the narrative of the false belief aligns with what Heidegger would later address as the danger of technology, the inhuman lens through which the reality of the modern man is interpreted. The desire and sins the upper class is seduced by are of course capitalist interests.

Maria doesn’t condemn technology itself, she even tells the workers an altered version of the story of the Tower of Babel in which the tower couldn’t be finished because the intellectuals who designed it and the slaves who were building it just didn’t understand each other. The tower itself was an accomplishment of human ingenuity in her version.

Likewise, the movie closes with the hopes that this new understanding between head and hands will lead into a better, more fair society.

The figure of the messiah is not what’s important, but the ability to conciliate the power of governance and the working power in order to redirect the course of the city into an enterprise that serves humanity instead of using them like a machine.

Now, in the context of Fontaine, the energy that fuels the city and belief are more closely intertwined than in Metropolis.

The city is powered by Indemnitium, a form of energy which is produced by the belief in justice extracted from trials. We’d have to wonder, then, whether the integrity of this belief remains truthful, or if it has been replaced by the false idol of spectacle.

We know that at least one person in the city harbors discontent for the work, the spectacle and the Indemnitium energy:

Message in Cafe Lucerne’s board:

”For future generations, for our descendants, we must refuse work, refuse the trials, and oppose Indemnitium!”

King Remus in Remuria attempted to avoid the fate of their destruction, Fortuna, by conquering other tribes and establishing control over his people through a shared government, yet he ended up fulfilling the prophecy and condemning himself with those very decisions.

So I wonder if Fontaine might be in danger of self fulfilling their own prophecy should the workers of the city revolt against Indemnitium, since the members of the Narzissenkreuz Institute came up with it as a means to avoid their impending fate. And whether the people of Fontaine will survive their prophesied flood just like the children of the workers in Metropolis survived the flood the workers themselves caused.

[dersitedreamr]

Bulleted list on Dave traits/behaviors mostly just how i perceive him and as reference for me as a dave-enjoyer but maybe could resonate with any of u ranges from having canon basis to no/little canon basis:

Actually not an idiot and is smart.

On that topic not a big reader but clearly some1 who likes to learn as much as he can about any given topic (especially if it relates to his interests or whatever is most important at the time)

A dickhead for sure lol

Not as emotionally/socially stunted as fandom likes to push?? Exhibits a fair amount of emotional intelligence sometimes more than others around him??

Sappy as fawwwwkk (refer to his bday letter to john pls)

Incredibly loyal and caring. Def a ride or die kind of friend

capable of being serious. Between rose he is usually the first to Be Serious and cut through the BS (in regards to like. Emotional situations w/e)

Kay rest under cut

a bit of a freak a bit of a weirdo . Jus a lil

idk if this is like a trait or just a result of his role in HS but some1 who is willing to take up lots of heavy responsibility and face the consequences if its for the best. Usually wants to do it OVER others so he can spare others from having to deal with the same struggle.

Is a complete actual geek/hobbyist/nerd when it comes to his interests and knows everything there is to know. (Photography interest, dark room for film development)

His knowledge is a hodgepodge of sitting and forcing himself to actually read a manual and saying fuck it we ball

Quote he lives by: this is so fucking stupid wouldnt it be funny if i took it seriously and made the best stupid thing ever.

Certified Internet Person . Twitter Addict and Blog Runner.

Has a mean streak where he likes to make fun of ppl he thinks are stupid/annoying by making them think theyre/he is “in” on the joke when they are in fact the punchline. (Rose is like this too)

dead pan as fuuuuck tells a joke and doesnt smile. Doesnt laugh at other peoples jokes even if he thinks theyre funny.

Def doesnt like ppl who are loud/noisy ornery or really nit-picky/fussy. So like dont be in his business or checking over his shoulder or freaking out over every minor thing

[winter-spark]

I know that after those 2 small Madoka thoughts I had I said I'd stay in my lane but my film/media brain is like "hey hey hey remember that "cool" thought you had?" So. Even though Chikage is still not my lane, my film brain wants to discuss the neatness/niftyness/cleverness (idk which word I'm looking for) of Act 8 & the slight step further it could've been pushed, in reference to Act 5 of course. Besides if the Zafran princes are my lane(I'm kinda forcing myself on them actually, I'm probably not the best person to claim them but here we are), and Citron is both a Zafran Prince & in Spring Troupe and Chikage is in Spring Troupe, Chikage is my lane adjacent. Still though if I say something that makes you go "well actually" please ignore me. Let me have 0 notes due to being wrong about something, it's okay. Really.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Act 5 (Chikage's storyline) recap - Paragraph 1 Act 8 (Zafra storyline) "mini" recap -Paragraph 2 Cleverness - Paragraph 4 The Potential Push - Paragraphs 5-8 Conclusion - Paragraph 9 Too long, didn't read: I like the parallel between Chikage's abducting to destroy in Act 5, & rescuing to protect in Act 8. As a film major I feel the rescue coulda been used to move his relationships forward in a way had there been any (realistic) animosity/hesitance lingering.

So as we all may or may not (idk) know, in Act 5 Chikage infiltrates Mankai by being let in through the front door(he's undercover shush!) and sees how Mankai is one big happy family. Feeling betrayed by Hisoka/having some misinformation he decides to get his revenge: Hisoka entered then ruined his happy family (and abandoned him), so he would do the same to Hisoka. In this he comes up with a simple Preminger plan: Izumi, the center of Mankai, goes missing, Mankai disbands. (This plan would've worked best if he snatched up Sakuya alongwith Sakyo &/or Isuke too, just saying. Those four are the reason Mankai stands today. Fact. But also imagine them having to navigate the coleads, director, financer and manager mia, woulda been harder to pull off and come back from but Mankai woulda been a mess) So he kidnaps Izumi, Hisoka comes to save & reconcile, they all go home. Izumi lies for Chikage, Chikage later shares that he actually did abducted her(without reasoning as to why ehich leaves open a bit of skepticism but yada yada we get the point).

In Act 8, (let's see how quick I can give the setup), Guy comes and reveals Citron is next in line for the throne and that there are some others who support his brothers being next in line and of them there are extremists(every cause has some extremists am I right or am I right?), Citron knowing Chikage got the capabilities to make people disappear w/out a trace asks Chikage to help him dip for Zafra early w/out Guy (also remind me to write about Citron's "selfishness"(there's a different word I'm thinking of but this'll have to do) pls I have thoughts); Mankai first begrudgingly accepts this but then they're like "No! Who broke it?" and head down to Zafra to get an explanation from Citron 'cause "dude what the heck?" They make it just in time to find out about a plot to keep him from ascending to the throne and that he's been kidnapped. Here Chikage steps up to the plate to find and save Citron from being kidnapped.(Itaru goes too but we're not here to talk about how he was prepped to die to save his wife<3, gosh I love love). (Kinda lengthy but I can't help making side notes & jokes lol)

So now that I've said a whole lot of nothimg, let's discuss the cleverness and how it could've been pushed.

Of course you've probably caught onto the cleverness yourself, a person who once abducted someone before a big event now is rescuing someone kidnapped before a big event. He is actively working in another person's best interest and to help sustain a family rather than aim to cause one to crumble out of his own desires of revenge. Of course, he vowed to protect the Mankai family at the end of Act 5, the parallel itself is still neat. And there's double the families he's sustaining in saving Citron here because not only is he saving a member Mankai/Spring Troupe's family but also of the Zafran royal family (why don't they have a last name >~<; that's so long winded), which allows a place for there to be a return after their punishment for suresies because if it had gone worse...

So now that that's been addressed how can this have been pushed further. Well. It could've been Chikage proving how much he's grown to care for and how much he means it when he says that he is devoted to protecting Mankai, which it kinda was in a bit of a less stated way. But also! While A3! is a clever series with compelling characters and storylines, there are some aspects that fall a little flat in the realism department at times, if they commited to being a bit more realistic w/ certain forgiveness storylines, this would've been a great moment for someone to feel more open to trusting Chikage. Like especially w/ him already being concerned about Mankai being upset with him for agreeing to & succeding to send off Citron. If it was like "man I'm still walking on eggshells a bit because even though people are nice to me and accept me they still don't fully trust/like me, I'm so not going to be increasing my score w/ any of them this way" and then him actively going to save and succeding in saving a cherished member of Mankai, with complete resolve and trying to keep everyone safe. That's something that could've really been something. Like not to say it wasn't anything or anything, just like it could have been a shift in the story. Like they love Chikage but do they trust him? They don't have much of choice. Obviously this can only be properly done with characters who would have animosity, coulda been there, and if it was something mentioned between the two points but yea.

(Reminder: my "lane" is the Zafran Princes so if I say anything inaccurate to any other character they're not my lane. (my current tag for them (tho I am considering changing it) is "Citron & his brothers" if you want to see anything I've said about them. (here's a good place to start, me thinks)(yea pretty shameless self promo but eh) I'm kinda dumb and know nothing tho so idk if any of it's at all good or something you'd agree w/ but I feel alright about the stuff I've said lol). I'm not a great writer or anything but I think if they had decided to take that route the best Spring Troupe options for that kinda dynamic woulda been Masumi or maybe Tsuzuru. (Had to choose Spring Troupe to go along with the setup that's already there, any other troupe and I might have to change big story details & that's not the goal here, the goal is elevating what's already there) Why these two? Well I'm less sold on Tsuzuru but I feel like he has more realistic and negative-leaning views sometimes, like he feels like a person who feels like he might stay cautious about a person who's done some shady things. Masumi other the hand is already a bit less of a people person, has he grown alot already yes, however, he is still someone who very much (haha kinda like Chikage) has a strong desire to protect those important to him and Chikage litterally abducted Izumi who was dire in Masumi being able to connect with more people and have those he wants to protect and do things for and she's at the top of that list of people. Sure she doesn't hold anything against Chikage but she's Izumi. She's a very caring and forgiving person. I could see someone like Masumi being a bit on gaurd and skeptical partly on her behalf.

I'm sure it'd be a little harder to pull off with what the situation was but I do think it's plausible & do-able. I mean, if I recall correctly, at this point most of Mankai are unaware why Chikage kidnapped Izumi in the first place(I think Hisoka, Izumi, and sorta the rest of Winter Troupe and Sakuya knew around the time it happened) so if one of them(not the ones I just specified) were somewhat weary of him it could make sense, I think reasoning is something that I can see being important to Masumi and Tsuzuru and that's something Chikage didn't divulge, so it feels like Chikage did it for "no reason". Though I do want to say I think if we took one if these routes reasoning would be important to them in different ways. Tsuzuru would be more mentally like but what was the reason tho, while Masumi would think less about that he didn't give his reasoning and compartmentalize it as no good reason as he had his chance to explain but didn't, which I wanted to bring up because because imagine with me if you please, Masumi accepting Chikage being around but lowkey not fully trusting him bcause he clearly had no good reason for abducting Izumi. Chikage plays vital role in rescuing Citron maybe he is okay to trust a bit more and maybe (flashfoward to Magician's Pure Love) Masumi can hear out what reason Chikage had for his actions, because maybe even if it was wrong and something he shouldn't have done, maybe he does have a reason. (See I'm tying things together)

My only hesitance really being the comparison of how important Izumi and Citron are to this character (because they're the ones in the situation not the weary character) but it simultaneously makes me want to hit floor it because they're equally important. Or something. Idk honestly. Just, i it was Masumi for this route I could see that being a nice reminder he cherishes his whole family. (I know Act 5 kinda already is that but I'm just throwing paint at the wall okay? This is only my lane adjacent.) I guess while I'm here let's discuss why not Izumi or Citron being the person for this to drive the relationship forward. Well. I think even if Izumi reasonably had a small fear of or discomfort with Chikage after Act 5 she would actively be workimg herself to getting over it. For it to be something to drive their relationship it would definitely have to be a thing between the two of them. Meanwhile, Citron literally trusted Chikage to keep his secret that he was leaving early and help him do so. I think they're in an okay place.

So yea, maybe this whole idea is dumb or too movie or something, Idk I have film major brain, but it's something I think about sometimes(not as much as I laid out here but the concept). Like obviously in part the rescue's probably partially there with something similar to that in mind but like instead it's to prove Chikage to the viewers rather than to Mankai, however I also think that it's okay in media to make characters have to work for people(read: other characters) to forgive and/or be comfortable around them. Like sure sure some people will forgive you pretty early on and water under the bridge and all that stuff. And some people won't mind being around you. But some people might be completely unaware as to how much they subconciously don't trust you. Some might be like okay we're cool but we're not cool. For some people all this depends on how well they feel they know/understand you and which actions they've seen to help determine your character to them, you know? And I like complicated/layered/complex dynamics and relationships, so I personally woulda found it neat to have something like that within the story. But who am I lol

[cheemken]

KNIGHT I GOT ANOTHER AU IDEA FOR THE CHAMPIONS

You ever watched Final Destination? Or any of its sequels? Anyways if you haven’t, it’s pretty much starts with a group of people getting into an accident and all of them dying with the main character seeing everyone’s death before dying themselves. But then the MC “wakes up” a couple of minutes before the accident happens, they make a scene and scare the people in that group into getting away from the accident, saving their lives. But then they all start dying in the order the MC saw because Death is coming for them

Anyways, for this AU we’re gonna ignore the last sentence cause it wouldn’t work with this AU. I just needed something for an example

For this AU idk who we’re going to make the “Main Character” whether it be one of our favourites, Diantha or Iris, or one of the other champions?

Or maybe even ALL of the champions saw their deaths? Idk you can chose your favourite

But yeah, the scenario I had was either the Villain teams from each region kidnap and kill the champions in a show of power, to say that even the strongest trainers cannot stop them, or a Pokémon causes mass destruction around the world and none of the Champions would stop it

For the first scenario if we go with it, I imagine the villain teams teamed up with each other to form Rainbow Rocket, and decided to announce their alliance by killing the champions and declaring the world is THEIRS to rule

Like they sent grunts and admins to attack the cities where the Champions live. I fully believe the Champions are capable of winning this fight but for people like Lance, Cynthia, and Iris, they have family living in the same city/town. I bet they used that to their advantage and went after Drayden, Clair, and Cynthia’s sister and practically used them as a shield. Told the champions to surrender and mocked them for choosing to save their family over the thousands of people they could be saving instead

So yeah, they all eventually get kidnapped one way or another and get killed by Team Rainbow Rocket. But then they wake up a few days before it happens with the knowledge of what’s to come within the next days

But idk, it’s 11:00pm and if you have a better scenario then I’d love to hear it. Or if this makes much sense lmao

Ohhhhh👀👀👀

No shit I and my friends only saw some of the death scenes in those films lol and we watched it in the school's library back then during our elementary years hahahah it was an experience man, surprising we didn't get caught especially w how gory it was hahaha

But damn that's cool tho👀👀 low-key that reminds me of the rebellion au where the champions died, but at least in this au they could somewhat stop the threat instead of just dying like that bc they were caught off guard or luck just weren't on their side

But that's gotta fuck em up tho having to dream abt their deaths or at least being in that kinda position, having to decide which is more important, their family or the people of their region/the world

But like yknow, imagine too bc if that came to them as a dream, just how much of it will they actually believe?? I haven't watched any of the films btw so like spare me if some of the stuff I say doesn't fit hahah but y'know, some aren't even sure if it's truly a premonition of their deaths, or if it's just a bad dream and nothing more. Cause maybe some of them were sceptical abt it, maybe they were just being paranoid y'know, but it's also a bit of a wake up call that yeah they have to deal with the evil orgs as soon as possible lest the nightmare turns to a reality, and they'd rather not risk that

They'd be so paranoid tho real, like, imagine Lance being more desperate to find Rocket and finally put an end to them, he's losing sleep bc of it, looking at every nook and cranny on both Johto and Kanto; Steven and Wallace didn't think Aqua and Magma would be such a threat, Sootopolis became so heavily guarded now, the orbs were with Wallace; Cynthia's like really stressed out man, making sure Dawn and Barry doesn't get involved and coming in terms her childhood friend is probs really gonna kill her if she doesn't stop him; Iris became more adamant on stopping Plasma too, almost as desperate as Lance, but there's also that fear that maybe if she leaves Opelucid to hunt down Plasma smth might happen to Drayden; Diantha is also stressed af my guy, if smth happens to her brother, that's really gonna be her villain origin story and if anything, she'll dragb Lysandre to hell with her; Hau's not sure how to approach it too cause y'know, Lusamine is his friends' mother, what whould Gladion and Lillie even say, I mean tbf their relationship w Lusamine isnt all that well anyways, but still, maybe he'd be more cautious now; Leon already had a bad feeling abt Rose, so now he's making sure Hop and Gloria doesn't get too close to the chairman, if whats in his dreams are true, then he has to find the legendary wolves too, and who else knows more abt it than Sonia; Idk what kinda stuff Geeta would have to deal w anyways, maybe the AI profs?? But that'd be dope tho if they become somewhat sentient enough and like, idk, hc that Geeta and Sada/Turo aren't in good terms, and like the AI got corrupted maybe?? Not sure w this one hahah

But man that's dope, like, the paranoia y'know, having to see in great detail just how they're gonna die, and if not them, then their loved ones, or even the people of their region

[fairyhaos]

YENA!!!

HIHIHIHIHIHIHIIIIIII

i missed you!! i have my finals rn so im trynna live with an average of 3 hours of sleep so woohoo!

and idk why but is it just me who always starts binge watching in exam season? like i wont watch any shows at all and then my exams start and i binge watch like hell. its been maybe a week since my exams started and ive watched king the land, 2521 (i cried), queen of tears (i cried), strong woman do bongsoon, jatp, twikling watermelon, about 4 eps of whats wrong w secretary kim (before i realised i hate it), 2 eps of true beauty (idk why but true beauty is not my thing), a perfect pairing, purple hearts, 3 eps of en o'clock, 2 eps of zbtv, 2 eps of whatdoor, Hybe game caterers, Svt game caterers, a lot of gose and tws club, like 3 new skz code eps, 4 wanteez eps and 3 eps of lsfm day off.

I told my friend this and she asked me where i found the time and i honestly didn't know at all until we both came to the conclusion that in exams my last priority is sleep so-

ANYWAYS!!!

how are you! how'd the finals go?

also random question

rate your #1 bg and gg from each gen

i still have finals rn so ill probably stay dead a while

-🌱

HI SPROUT ANON!!!! sorry for answering late bub everything is on delay due to exams 😭😭 but i miss u too aww and honestly why are you and i LITERALLY in the same boat with this HAHAHHA we can do this and make it thru exams 🔥🔥🔥

why do i get you so bad too ?? i didn't get the kdrama binge urge ahah but i Did end up wanting to rewatch every early 2000s white girl film ever so i currently have a list in my notes app of the things i wanna binge once exams are up 😭 and the way you and i have such similar tastes in dramas tho like !!! crazyy pls and ive been wanting to watch twinkling watermelon for so long but then summer strike hit me and i binged thru that a couple of months ago instead </33

my exams are going well, thanku for asking! they're not quite over yet but we're getting there and im hoping that im alive by the end of it lmao

also rating #1 bg and gg from each gen feels kinda controversial so im afraid i can't do it 😭 also bc i don't actually think id be able to make a fully informed decision bc i don't know that many grps or their capabilities so it'd probably be a popularity ranking ??? but i do wanna hear ur thoughts on it so lmk! <3

[ardentlyjae]

All I Want - Epilogue One

Pairing: Taehyung/Reader

Genre: Not sure, drama?

Rating: T

Word Count: 2,325

Summary: Taehyung is finally ready to speak with you.

Part One

Taehyung leaned back against the couch and looked up. They were sitting in a small cafe in Paris enjoying a small cup of espresso each. He had his film camera that he took the last time he was home. He was waiting to find something he would like to take a picture of if the inspiration struck him. So, far he had been unsuccessful. As a result, his patience was wearing a bit thin. He turned to the woman next to him and let out a small sigh.

"How long has it been since we met?" He asked, turning back around to look at all the busy Parisians walking to their next destination. Still, no one interesting enough to take a photo of.

Jisoo chuckled. She didn’t seem to be having the same struggle as he did, her sketchbook currently showing a landscape she was in the process of drawing. "It's been a few years. Maybe two or three."

Taehyung let out a little smirk. "Do you think maybe it's time that we face our demons and go home?" It’s a question he’s had on his mind for a while, he was just trying to find the right time to bring it up to her.

The smile on Jisoo's face disappeared almost instantly. Her brows furrowing in confusion as she hesitated. Taehyung almost felt a pang of guilt, but it had been almost 5 years since the last time he spoke to you and lately he had been wondering if it was time for the two of you to have a long overdue conversation. His agreement with Jisoo had always been that they would travel together until they felt ready to face what they were running from, and Taehyung was thinking that maybe it was time for him.

Of course, Jimin kept him updated on your life, even when he didn't ask. He knew you had somehow made your way back to Jungkook and although at first there was a sting, he had now come to terms with it. He missed you, he missed your friendship, and he missed the way the two of you understood each other before everything happened. Jimin was his best friend but he was no replacement for you. There was no way that you could erase nearly twenty years of friendship between the two of you that easily.

"I've just been thinking," Taehyung began. "I've been talking to Jimin and I miss her, you know?"

"Taehyung," Jisoo lightly admonished. "I thought you said you were letting go of your feelings for her."

"And I am! I have. I just think it's been long enough and I feel like I am in a place where I know I can face her and not have my heart break. I just want to talk to her again," Taehyung explained. "There's no ulterior motive here to try to win her back if that's what you're thinking."

"Are you sure? You were a complete mess back then." Jisoo asked. She knew all about the history between the two of you. Taehyung had told her a few months into their travels together, after a particularly rough night where he had had a few too many shots of vodka and was crying in the lounge of the hotel they were staying in.

"I know I was. If it helps, she's back together with him. But surprisingly I'm fine with it, and I think I want to have her back in my life as my friend."

Jisoo let out a big sigh and didn't speak any further. Taehyung knew that meant she didn't quite agree with him but would not stop him from what he was about to do. It likely meant that she thought he was being an idiot, but it did not deter Taehyung in the slightest.

He was grateful to Jisoo if he was being honest. They were two broken people that slowly helped put each other back together. Jimin always thought that they would get into a relationship eventually, but Taehyung knew it would never happen. Jisoo was still broken, and she had always reiterated that she likely would never want to be in a relationship with anyone ever again. He finally, truly, knew what a platonic friendship with another woman was like and now he knew that he was absolutely capable of maintaining one with you, if you would allow him to do so.

**

"Hey Y/N?" Jimin said, his voice showing a hint of hesitation.

You were instantly concerned, your brows furrowing as you turned to your best friend. "Yes Jimin?"

"Taehyung is coming back home next week," Jimin said, casually taking a sip of his coffee. The look he was throwing over the rim of the mug meant he had a bit more to tell you.

You furrowed your brows. He never told you when Taehyung was returning these days.

"Okay...and what does that have to do with me? Should I stay away from home next week?"

"Actually, he asked me if I could find out something for him," Jimin explained. "He wants to know if you would be willing to meet up with him sometime. I think he's back home for good."

You were sure you froze hearing the unexpected news. "Are you sure you didn't mishear?"

"No he asked me and I quote, 'I've been thinking and I just know it's been too long since I spoke to Y/N and if she was willing I would like the chance to speak with her'" Jimin quoted, putting on his best Taehyung impression.

It almost sounded too good to be true. You weren't really sure if this day would ever come. But this also wasn't a decision that you could make on your own anymore. There was Jungkook and your relationship that you had to take into account. It had been a conversation the two of you had previously had, where the two of you agreed to discuss anything that may impact the two of you together before making any decisions.

"Jim, I'll think about it," you say slowly. "I need to talk about it with Jungkook before anything else."

"Understood. Just let me know soon, yeah?" Jimin responded, a soft smile on his face. He was clearly hoping that you two would agree to meet.

It was an odd feeling. Though you were always unsure if this day would come, it felt weird to know it was here. You'd moved on and you hoped that Taehyung had moved on as well. You spent the last five years working on yourself, knowing that there were some serious character flaws that needed to be addressed. One of the things you needed to work on was how honest you were with yourself and with other people. It put you in uncomfortable positions at times and it led you to many almost completely unbearable conversations with Jimin, Jungkook and even Jin, but it was something that you believed was fully worth it, because things in your life were good.

You were happy.

Your relationship with Jungkook was in a place you never really expected it to be. It was better than you ever could have imagined, but it took a lot of work to get there and a lot of convincing from Jungkook. There were many difficulties to get it to where you had it and a lot of trust needed to be rebuilt, but somehow you did it. Jungkook was worth it all. He always was.

After that initial meeting at the coffee shop you worked at, you began seeing Jungkook more and more frequently. You had gone almost two years without ever seeing him on campus but suddenly he was in the library by your favorite spot, or studying at your job, or even at the same campus events you would attend. You knew it was happening on purpose but you played dumb. It seemed like Jungkook had forgiven you but you hadn't forgiven yourself yet, and as long as that remained you didn't allow yourself to even consider a relationship with him.

Eventually, you managed to find a place where you could be at peace with yourself mentally and you accepted when Jungkook asked you on yet another date. You would never forget the look on his face when you accepted, as he was so used to getting rejected by that point.

The two of you always handled any potential issues together, the communication always remained consistent. He never worried about you and you never gave him a reason to and he did the same. It wasn't that you needed Jungkook's permission to talk to Taehyung, it was that this was a potential sore spot for him and Jungkook's feelings and maintaining his trust were your first priority in this situation. After speaking with him, he readily agreed and you packed a small bag for the weekend and left for home with Jimin.

You arrived a day after Taehyung arrived home. Jimin explained to you that Taehyung had been in Paris when he decided to come back, and he'd let you know where to meet Taehyung as soon as he discussed it with him, still acting as the middleman between the two of you.

The next day you found yourself waiting at the same park where you first met Taehyung. Sitting at one of the benches, you picked at your cuticles. Your nerves were a mess.

Eventually, you saw a pair of black doc martens walk up to you and you looked up to see a man with a smile that almost matched the brightness of the sun, his eyes smiling along with him.

"Hey Y/N, it's been a while." He said, opening his arms wide as if asking for a hug.

You hesitated, looking up at him as he stood in front of you. "Hey Taehyung."

When Taehyung realized you weren't going to stand up to hug him, he put his arms down and moved to take the empty seat beside you. You couldn’t read his expression, he didn’t show much on his face anymore it seemed. You weren’t quite sure how that made you feel either.

"How have you been?" He asked, turning to look at you.

"I'm...actually doing pretty good," you say, thinking about everything you left at your new home.  "How about you?"

"I've been good, great actually," he says, stretching his legs out in front of him. "I've actually been doing a lot of photography."

You nod, unsure of what to say next. Silence falls over the two of you in a way that you are not used to. Conversations with Taehyung never used to be this awkward. But this is a new Taehyung you’re speaking to, and you are also a new version of yourself.

Eventually you speak again, "How was Paris?"

"Good actually. The city is beautiful at night and the food was some of the best I've ever eaten," he casually says.  "How's being a doctor?"

"Not a doctor yet," you sigh, mentally reminding yourself that Jimin likely kept him updated on your life as he did to you. "Still doing medical school and it's killing me. You'd think my experience as a nurse would help, but there's so much to the human body that you can't learn in a makeshift hospital. It’s so different learning about it in a textbook instead of the body in front of you."

You notice that Taehyung had tensed up, though only a few seconds afterwards his shoulders had relaxed again. Maybe it hadn’t been a bright idea to bring up the war quite yet to Taehyung.

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Taehyung spoke softly. "You’ve always been brilliant anyway. How's Jungkook?"

You turn to look at him, surprised that he brought him up first. You search Taehyung's face for any hint of what he may be feeling or thinking in his head, but maybe these five years apart have affected the two of you more than you thought, because his face is completely unreadable. You’re not exactly sure how you’re supposed to answer the question either.

"I know you're back together with him," Taehyung explains, shrugging in the process. "Honestly? I'm happy for you. I'm happy you found someone like him to be with. Truly."

A rush of emotions begins to fill you and you can't help yourself before you throw your arms around him and hug him tightly. Taehyung is tense for a few moments before relaxing a bit and then wrapping his own arms around you. His scent remains the same but his body feels completely different than it did 5 years ago.

"I missed you Tae." You whisper, not worrying about the tears that have begun falling from your eyes.

He chuckles, "I know Y/N. I did too."

Taehyung moves to let you go but as he pushes you away he keeps his hands on your shoulders.

"Y/N, I'm sorry for everything that happened back then. I put an unbelievable amount of pressure on you and it was my own expectations that ruined our friendship. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. You were my first friend and my most important friend and I hope you can give me a chance to rebuild our friendship and so that we can keep our promise."

"Taehyung, I forgave you a long time ago. But I am also sorry for not being honest with you when you returned. It was wrong of me to allow you to believe I had been waiting for you. I did it out of my own cowardice and selfishness and I hope you can forgive me for my mistakes as well."

"Always Y/N.," Taehyung reassures me, taking hold of my hand and giving it a small squeeze. "So we're friends again?"

"Yes. Always. Until we are both really old and senile and can’t control our own bowel movements anymore.”

** 

A/N: Surprise? This was written in a very quick moment as I try to get back into the habit of writing. My apologies if it’s not as good as the previous work, I'm slowly trying to get back into the habit and I know my writing skills aren't what they used to be. If you made it this far, thank you for even reading AIW in the first place. It means the world!

[because-she-goes]

sparks

warnings: smut, piv, mdni, dirty talk, swearing, praise kink, mutual aftercare. Enjoy!

notes: big thanks to @byyourside28 for the help w/ this and giving some pointers lol

March 7th, 2015

“Dearest Downey,

I should start by saying the following: My heart has longed for you every second since I have left you for this tour. It hasn’t stopped begging and pleading with me to be near you. My skin has been burning to touch yours again, to feel your lips against my own. I am truly lonely for the first time probably ever, only knowing loneliness in the juvenile sense up until now, I have come to understand that I can not possibly exist without you in my life, Nora. It is currently about 4pm in Rome and it is bitterly cold, rainy and windy. A perfect picture of my emotional state, drowning without you. Two teenagers across from me are currently making out in the rain, totally oblivious to the rest of the world. Oh how I wish I could have you near me and do the same. The sound of rain and thunder fills the space around me. I am freezing cold, your personality normally being like a space heater in my life - oozing joy and warmth until everyone around you is doing the same. My cigarette has now gone soggy in the ashtray in front of me, wine glass I was sipping from now dotted with raindrops. Nora, you are the only thing in my life I well and truly miss at the moment - I miss waking up to you getting dressed, handing me a mug of tea, kissing my forehead and whispering an “I love you, Handsome” before breezing out the door to get to your studio leaving me breathless. Sometimes I think you are supernatural or otherworldly, something beyond the human capability to love and care for others. I can’t wait for those mornings again, my love. The notion that I may have them for infinity is a dizzying idea and I can only pray to whatever angel brought you to me that the idea becomes a reality. See you soon, my love.

All my love,

Handsome.”

Nora cried as she read the letter. She had only been officially dating Matty for a few months, but they were inseparable. Always talking, texting, calling or sending little pictures of their days - this was the first time they had properly been apart. She had read and reread the letter dozens of times by now, but each time it made her well up with tears. She missed him terribly, but luckily the tour had come to an end and he was already on the flight back to her in New York. Her heart fluttered at the idea of having him in her apartment again, his smell filling the rooms, flannels hanging in her closet, shoes by the door. She couldn’t wait. Admittedly, she was going a bit stir crazy and had been running around all day buying wine he liked, ingredients for his favorite dinner, fresh sheets and blankets and also lots of candles for her dining table where she set up a romantic dinner for two once he arrived. This was her first big night to impress him as his girlfriend and she was buzzing.

Speaking of buzzing, her phone vibrated on the counter as she sipped some water hoping to calm her nerves.

“Let me up, Angel. - Handsome xx”

Her throat letting out a mix between a squeal and scream, she ran then calmly walked to her door - not wanting to seem too eager to hold him, kiss him, have him again. Her beautiful dress flowed behind her, the purple hue complimenting her skin and hair wonderfully. Within milliseconds of the door being cracked open, his face illuminated and his arms wrapped around her waist pulling her further into the apartment, door left open haphazardly.

“Missed you, Honey.” He breathlessly admitted into her done up hair. His spicy woodsy scent absorbing her senses. God, she missed this. He pressed a kiss to her temple before taking her face in his hands and stepping back a bit to admire her.

A sparkle in her eye, “Missed you too, Handsome.” She goes to quickly close the door, not wanting any onlookers. On her return to him, another kiss to her mouth, sweet yet desperate. They each were trying to communicate all the unsaid things, how much they needed each other, how if the other was to actually go away they would break down, how they were the other person’s half. His lips moved languidly against hers, tongue swirling around hers, teeth gnashing together as things became more intense and heated.

“Dinner first, love.” She reminded him of their plan, once they separated for air. She ushered him over to the table, getting him a glass of the Malbec she had on ice. Getting the roast chicken and vegetables out of the oven and plating it delicately for him, she felt her body being watched. His eyes tracking her every move in fondness, he couldn’t believe she was his, that he had actually done it and gotten her. A calm, content exhale left his lungs as she walked over to him with the plates of food.

It was the best roast dinner he had ever tasted, perfectly cooked. Chicken was savory and not dried out, and the vegetables were lovely and a bit sweet. “Honey glazed!” He remembers her comment about them when she had texted him what she planned to make a few days ago. God, he could eat her cooking for the rest of his life.

Once dinner had been eaten and her famous lemon cake served, they had found their way into the bedroom. He was laying in bed in his boxers and not much else, she however was getting ready in the en suite. He could see her reflection in the mirror from where he was, now able to fully take her in and how wonderful she looked even without makeup, after cooking for god knows how long and running errands all day. Her jawline sharp enough to cut glass, bright cinnamon eyes twinkled in the lights, cheeks flushed with a rosy-peach hue when she caught him staring at her. Closing the door, wanting to keep her surprise hidden. She slipped out of her dress and into the red silk bra and panties set her friend had helped her purchase a few weeks ago when he finally sent her the information about his flight home. The red bow resting between her cleavage, she straightened it nervously one last time before stepping out.

When he sees her, Matty’s heart drops to his stomach, his brain clears, and all the blood rushing down his body. “Oh fuck.” He mutters, jaw hanging open.

She was unreal—a dream.

“All for me, princess?” He asks as she stands at the foot of their bed. She pulls a knee up to the mattress and crawls up to her side of the bed, and she nods victoriously at his flabbergasted state.

The ‘M’ necklace he had gotten for her for Valentine's Day that year was hanging from her neck, the gold catching the soft mood lighting of their room. “Downey you are-“

“I know, trust me, I know.” She laughs next to him. “Before we start, I just want to clarify it to you. Matty, I want you. Forever and ever. This separation has only made me realize just how deeply I need you like a fire needs gasoline to ignite. Like the ocean needs the moon for the tides.” She confesses, still slightly nervous about revealing all of this to him.

He sighs, his head dropping back as her words overwhelm him like a wave. “Oh darling, I’ve felt that way every minute since I first looked into your eyes” The butterflies in her stomach were now running rampant.

“Fuck, Matty… I need you.” Her eyes are now as dark as his hair, lips flushed from nervously biting them.

“Downey, I’m yours.” He whispers, his voice thick with emotion, and his hand reaches up to cup her cheek and kisses her hungrily.

His hips followed and landed above hers, enveloping her. Her eyes close, wanting to freeze the moment and kiss him forever. Her skin was smooth and warm against his, the scent of her coffee and vanilla perfume surrounding him.

His hand finds her hip, and he shutters at the feel of the silk gliding against his touch. “Can I take these off of you, love?” His voice is delicate and sincere, yet full of hunger. He takes a moment to admire how his hand looks against the red silk, veins and knuckles creating rough angles against the smooth texture of the silk. His pale complexion creating a beautiful contrast against the deep red hue.

“Yes, Matty. Please take yours off too. Wanna feel you.” She whimpers under him, the heat growing with every waking moment between her thighs.

He takes off his boxers and then quickly works on the lingerie, whispering sweet nothings in her ear to reassure her that she is a goddess to him.

His hand moves to the apex of her thighs, feeling her eagerness. “So good for me, Angel. Always so ready.” He groans as his fingertips draw tight tiny circles on her clit. “Want me, Nor? I’ve been dreaming of this since I left.”

“Yes, Matt, please.” She begs, “W-Want you to fill m-me up so good!” Her hips came off the mattress as her back arches. He lines himself up with her and slowly makes his way in - eyes searching hers for any pain or discomfort, taking things at her pace. So he doesn’t overwhelm her.

“Oh fuck, I’ve missed you!” Matty moans as he bottoms out, feeling his hips meet her thighs. “Ready for me to move?”

“Matt, move for me, please. Need it. Need you.” She groans, feeling full as her hips grind against him, aching for any type of friction. He first moves cautiously, then once he sees the pleasure in her face grow, he throws all the caution to the wind.

Now, at a steady pace, Matty feels her clenching around him. His breath caught in his throat at the erotic sounds of their centers colliding.

“Feel so good, baby. So, fucking perfect. Like you were made for me, Nor.” He praises her sweetly as her eyes roll back and her hips buckle. His hand reaches between them and pinches her nipple with his thumb and forefinger—the way he knows she likes.

“Fuck, Handsome! God, you are gonna make me cum so quick if you keep at that.” She warns.

“Yeah, Nora? Gonna cum for me baby?” He taunts, “You sound so pretty talking so filthy. Love it.” He groans as his climax grows with each thrust. His stomach tightened with each whimper and moan that fell from her lips.

“Oh fuck, Matthew– I’m gonna fucking cum any second if you start with that cocky shit.” She moans. Her body was writhing in pleasure, her skin now covered with a thin layer of sweat. She said his name like it was a sacred hymn.

“Thats it, Nora! Cum for me, angel. Wanna feel you cum on me.” He said hers like it was gospel scripture.

“God, Yes! Feels so good Matthew!!” Her body shutters as her orgasm gripped him. She clenched around him as her walls tightened like a warm glove.

He closed his eyes, savoring each and every feeling he felt as his body reacted to hers. He lost himself within himself as her body became a part of his, physically and emotionally.

He rolls back onto his side, both panting next to each other and trying to catch their breaths. “You’re gonna be the death of me, Nora.” He whispers into the air, truth spilling out of him.

“Matthew, I’m never gonna love anyone else.” She replies, breath still shaky.

Once they’ve relaxed, he goes to the little mini fridge she keeps in the room and grabs water and granola bars. He hands her the snacks and gets a warm wet washcloth from the bathroom.

“Gotta clean you, baby okay? I’ll be quick, and then we can get you some nice warm pajamas.” She gives him a loving nod, this being her favorite part of spending nights with Matty. This caring side of him comes out after, suddenly, his demeanor goes from stiff and rough to soft and sweet.

He takes the cloth and cleans up any mess. He gently kisses her knee for reassurance and hands her a clean, cotton pair of white underwear. Her comfort and relaxation came first in his mind. He then gives her a pair of his sweatpants she likes, and an oversized tee shirt. He even goes as far as brushing her hair back into a loose bun, placing another kiss along her hairline. She munches sleepily on the granola and finishes the water bottle.

“Thank You, Handsome. Too sweet to me.” A yawn leaves her body. “And you’re okay? Want me to grab the essential oils you like?” Her eyes looked to his, sensing the shift in his brain chemistry that could happen to either of them.

“Yeah actually, that’d be lovely.” She sits up, leaning over to reach into her bedside table and fishes around for the small bottle. She placed some oil on her wrists, then delicately took his wrist and did the same. She kisses his hands as she does so.

“Goodnight, Matthew. Sweet dreams, it's good to have you finally home.” She whispers as her head hits the pillow, her eyes closing softly as her breaths even out.

“Couldn't agree more, Nora. Good to be home.” He says as he also falls asleep, arm resting over her waist. He sighs contentedly. He could die happy knowing he had Nora in his life, that he had been blessed by her presence.

[cantsayidont]

Haterating and hollerating in the 1980s. None of these movies has any meaningful wlw content, so just assume the answer to "CONTAINS LESBIANS?" is "No."

VIDEODROME (1983): I'd never actually seen all of this loopy, surreal David Cronenberg thriller about an opportunistic Canadian TV station president (James Woods) who becomes convinced that a mysterious series of pirate broadcasts showing scenes of torture and murder might be the Next Big Thing, resisting all attempts to warn him off until it's far too late. Like SCANNERS (which I had seen), its influence has been so outsized that much of it feels familiar even on first viewing, including the film's now-notorious forays into body horror, which, if you're expecting them, are no longer really that shocking (although they are often memorably icky). What's less expected, and thus more striking, is the film's Pynchon-like (Pynchonian? Pynchonesque?) deadpan absurdity; the story is full of characters with names like Blanca O'Blivion (Sonja Smits), daughter of Marshall-McLuhan-like media theorist Brian O'Blivion, and Barry Convex (Leslie Carlson), a sinister optician who's also a defense contractor. It's really very funny, in the same mode as John Carpenter's later THEY LIVE. Judging by the sheer density of ridiculous stuff happening even around the edges, like the brief snippet we see of the weird call-in show hosted by Nicki Brand (Debbie Harry, who's less prominently featured than I'd been given to expect), I can only assume it was intentional, although Cronenberg's narrative straight face and the outsize reactions to the goopy "videocassette orifice" stuff stood in the way of its being recognized as a comedy. (That it's a satire should of course be obvious.) VERDICT: One of those movies you need to see for reasons of cultural literacy, even if it's not really your thing, but perhaps not while eating.

GOTCHA! (1985): Before finding his niche on the TV show ER, Anthony Edwards had a burgeoning career as one of the more obnoxious of the many obnoxious young male stars of the '80s, offering an insufferable combination of earnestness and smarm in films like REVENGE OF THE NERDS and this dumb teen adventure, obviously intended to capitalize on a then-popular campus fad. Horny 18-year-old UCLA veterinary student Jonathan Moore, whose favorite hobby is the titular paintball assassination game, decides to go to Europe with a friend (Alex Rocco, who has more charisma in his minor supporting role than Edwards musters in his entire '80s filmography) and falls for a hot older woman called Sasha (Linda Fiorentino), who soon involves Jonathan in some deadly real-world espionage. The midsection, set in Paris and Berlin, is an okay if unremarkable Cold War thriller, with Edwards relatively tolerable as a fish out of water; the movie's best scene has him hitching a ride with a van full of German punks who love DALLAS. Unfortunately, the third act returns to L.A. and attempts to pay off the paintball-game setup, with preposterous results. Also, if you're much older than the protagonist, the way the story wraps up Jonathan's relationship with Sasha will likely seem a little creepy. VERDICT: Misses the mark.

INTO THE NIGHT (1985): Oddball black comedy thriller starring Jeff Goldblum as Ed Okin, a depressed, insomniac aerospace engineer who over the course of one long night becomes the unlikely savior of a beautiful woman (Michelle Pfeiffer) who's being pursued by an assortment of deadly enemies. Goldblum has fun with his character, who hasn't slept in days and is no longer capable of any emotional response beyond mild dismay (something that becomes progressively funnier as the situation escalates), and he has excellent rapport with Pfeiffer, who's not so much a femme fatale as an aging good-time girl who's worn out her welcome just about everywhere. Unfortunately, they're saddled with a script that often seems like an unfinished draft, with a murky, rather racist plot that's full of setups for gags whose punchlines are still marked "TBA," and punctuated by bursts of violence that are frequently meaner than called for (the fate of the Kathryn Harrold character is especially nasty, and completely gratuitous). Dan Ackroyd, David Bowie, Vera Miles, Irene Papas, and other prominent stars pop up in minor roles, usually for no more than a scene or two, and director John Landis peppers the film with guest appearances by other film directors (including Roger Vadim, Paul Mazursky, David Cronenberg, and Jim Henson, among others), which is distracting if you recognize them and puzzling if you don't. VERDICT: Goldblum and Pfeiffer are great, but Landis's weird indulgences leave it feeling like a private joke.

MANHUNTER (1986): Mesmerizing Michael Mann adaptation of the Thomas Harris novel RED DRAGON, with William Petersen as Will Graham, Dennis Farina as Jack Crawford, Tom Noonan as the "Tooth Fairy" killer, Joan Allen as Reba, and Brian Cox as Hannibal Lecter (for some reason spelled "Lecktor"). It has a very different narrative center of gravity than later Hannibal Lecter movies or the HANNIBAL TV show, though it's no less stylized, with striking use of color and music (most memorably in the finale, which uses Iron Butterfly's "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" diegetically). Like most such stories, it's ideologically objectionable — though arguably less so than THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS — but it's certainly effective, and less hokey than the 2002 adaptation with Ed Norton. Long, slow-paced (particularly in the director's cut), and not very deep, but if you catch it in the right frame of mind, its blend of chilly psychological detachment and procedural minutiae is almost hypnotic. VERDICT: A movie to dissociate to.

THE MANHATTAN PROJECT (1986): If OPPENHEIMER struck you as too pompous and amoral, try this decent if implausible mid-'80s teen movie about a high school science prodigy (Christopher Collet) who decides to protest the secret DOE lab run by his mom's nerdy new scientist boyfriend (John Lithgow) by stealing some plutonium from the lab with the help of his aspiring teen reporter sort-of girlfriend (a babyfaced Cynthia Nixon) and then building his own atomic bomb. The first half relies too heavily on its hyper-competent (and singularly arrogant) kid hero effortlessly outwitting doofus adults, although it works well enough on its own terms. Things pick up in the exciting third act, which is enlivened by a terrific performance by Lithgow, supported by John Mahoney as a hard-bitten Army colonel who's decided the best way to contain the situation is to kill the boy as soon as they can separate him from the bomb. Collet is quite good, if not terribly likeable; Nixon does her best with an underwritten supporting role. VERDICT: The intended moral point ends up a little muddy, but an attempt was made, which is more than one can say for Nolan's overblown epic.

MIRACLE MILE (1988): AFTER HOURS at the end of the world: What begins as a treacly romance about a dweebish musician (Anthony Edwards at his most objectionably saccharine) falling for a diner waitress (Mare Winningham with a truly unfortunate haircut) takes an extremely dark turn as our hapless hero answers a misdialed pay phone call and learns that nuclear war is about to begin, setting him on a frantic, surreal late-night quest to find his dream girl and get them both out of L.A. before it's destroyed by (presumably) Soviet missiles. It's a frightening premise for a perfectly dreadful script whose painfully contrived setup, cartoonish characters (including Denise Crosby as an unlikely diner patron who seems to know something about what may be going on), and uneasy half-comic tone undermine its credibility at every turn. The urgency and uncertainty of the threat are enough to hold your attention for about an hour, but from there, the story has nothing left to do but to play out the string, leading to an incredibly nihilistic finale not recommended for anyone in an emotionally fragile state. VERDICT: Memorably weird, but not in a good way.

[bradshawsbitch]

random thoughts on bradley & ptsd

disclaimer; these are just some random thoughts, and ofc no one person with ptsd experiences the same symtoms or feelings - and all variations are valid<3 please proceed to read with caution, seeing as i bring up aspects of mental health.

oof okay since I apparently still suffer from Bradley Bradshaw Brain Rot, I will pester you all with some thoughts about this sweet, stupid, trauma-riddled, (angry) man;

-I believe Rooster might be suffering from ptsd (i mean c'mon), which can result in difficulty regulating and expressing emotions. ptsd doesn't necessarily show itself as the generalized version that most people know of until much later after the traumatic incident happened, and can show itself in many different ways years after the incident actually happened. some people internalize their trauma, and thinks of it as something 'normal' to be able to cope with the overwhelming feelings it can conjure. one of the ways it can show itself is through random bursts of anger or snapping very easily (as seen at many points during the film where someone mentions a trigger of his).

-it can also be difficult for people with ptsd to be in large crowds. they can have difficulties with being touched by many people at once, or can just get generally overwhelmed when there's a lot of commotion (this is of course not true for every one person w/ ptsd).

in my head i believe rooster needs some time for himself to re-charge after a night at the hard deck, and he might become a little bit more silent after a night out, just to charge his batteries and settle. he might need to seek solace in his significant other and just lay in their arms for a while, preferably having them stroke his hair and make him feel at home, like he has a safe space.

-control. people who suffer with ptsd might feel the need to have control of their surroundings, and they might feel the need to have a tight grasp on what's going on around them. i feel like bradley likes knowing what's expected of him, and i feel like he might enjoy being the 'planner' of the group, and making sure everyone's always got what they need before leaving. he takes care of people, so he knows that nothing goes awry. not knowing what's about to happen might make him feel stressed or anxious, which can show itself through him becoming a bit snappish.

-which leads to disappointment - whew. some people might feel the need to lower expectations (how surprised he seemed when mav chose him as his wingman ugh please i need a break) so that they're not overwhelmed with feelings of disappointment. people with ptsd might also think that others are more capable than them - although i do not feel like that is always necessarily the case for bradley, he knows he's good.

-and through all of this, ugh jesus, he's just the kindest man. he wants to make sure people are alright in any way he can - and he wants to be a reliable person, he wants the stability he didn't necessarily have growing up, and he wants to make his father, and his father-figure proud so damn bad. and who can blame him. he's just trying his best god bless him and i wanna give him a proper cuddle and kiss his head and tell him he's a good boy who's gonna be alright<3

this was brought to you by a person with ptsd who finds comfort in seeing someone on screen with whom she can relate :))