#she actually doesn’t have that much dialog

[lulu2992]

I've been doing an introspective RP with a friend and I've become very attached to Deputy Hudson. It feels like the game doesn't actually give us much info about her, since you have to dig through files and triggering her dialogue naturally is somewhat difficult.

Said friend recalls hearing a piece of dialogue somewhere suggesting or flat-out stating that John didn't actually "do much" to torture her. That she was even allowed to walk the halls of the gate and that her fear/isolation were what took the biggest toll. That John did torture her violently at least once, (the audio of which was turned into a sermon that you can hear at outposts), but other than that he mostly stuck to threats.

I was wondering if you had any thoughts on this? If you've heard the files or had any ideas about the methods of torture used. Just trying to paint a picture, since she and Staci deserve more justice than what they got.

We indeed don’t know a lot about Joey Hudson… Apparently, she and Pratt were originally supposed to be Guns for Hire, which probably explains why they have more combat lines than they need. However, I don’t remember anyone in the game saying that she was (relatively) well-treated or free in John’s Gate.

While she’s in the bunker, the Resistance and civilians are worried and hope she will be rescued soon. They say that she’s tough, but they think it’s not necessarily a good thing because “John loves a challenge”. As for cultists, one comments that Hudson is one of John’s “special projects” and another that he spends a lot of time with her. I suppose it’s because she was stubborn and therefore hard to break, so she required more “work”, but also because, as the Junior Deputy’s partner, she was bait. If they didn’t want to come for him, John hoped they’d at least want to come for her.

I believe she did receive “special treatment”, in a way, but that mostly included being broadcasted across the entire valley either looking in danger or screaming in pain so her colleague would want to save her. John often threatened to hurt her in retaliation, but in the end, I don’t know if she was tortured significantly more than the other captives. That’s clearly what he wanted the Deputy to believe, though.

I looked through oasisstrings and found what Hudson says about her time in John’s Gate:

That hell hole of a bunker -- I was trapped in it but my mind was somewhere else. I sorta just went through the motions, gliding along… Like you would in a nightmare. It never ended. I can't remember all of it… Just flashes… I begged people for help, but they just… smiled. I've never been around that many Peggies in one place, and every single one of them just smiling.

When you escaped the bunker… John didn't say it… but you could see it in his face. Failure. Things got worse from there… Like he was trying to make up for something. Prove to his brother he could… I never thought I'd make it out of there.

This is all surreal to me – being alive I mean. When I was in that bunker, all I could think about was the ways I would die. Think about who I was leaving behind. How every moment in my life came together and drove me to this point – this… end… You prepare yourself to die, because everything is telling you you're about to… But I'm not, and I just feel… numb.

She doesn’t talk about being able to walk freely in the bunker, so I’m not sure she (or any other hostage, for that matter) was allowed to do it. In comparison, it seems Pratt had more freedom, in the sense that he could walk around a bit in St. Francis and wasn’t always in a cage. That said, his mind, like the Marshal’s, wasn’t free at all…

As for what exactly John does to people, it’s unclear because the game doesn’t really give details, and neither do the people who had to Confess or say “yes” to him. What’s certain is that they still seem affected by what happened, ashamed of what he managed to make them say (even Jerome), and that most of them don’t want to talk about it.

In the Confession room, there’s a blowtorch…

…but how (or if) it was used, we don’t know. And it appears his toolbox only contains a screwdriver, a tattoo gun, and a stapler.

According to Sharky, John “knows all these pressure points and can make you feel pain beyond anything you ever imagined”. Another NPC, who Confessed, says he “messes with your head, asks you questions, makes you say shit you don’t wanna be saying”, but then refuses to elaborate. John knows how to hurt people physically, but it seems he doesn’t always need to do it. Sometimes, as we saw when he made Nick say “yes”, a few well-chosen words are just as effective, if not more.

Narratively speaking, I think it was a good idea not to tell us what John does or says to make people comply so easily. That, plus the fact that those who Confessed are too uncomfortable to talk about their experience, makes him an impactful villain. Players can only guess what his methods are and, given the circumstances, tend to imagine the worst. How exactly he tortures people, physically or psychologically, is a mystery, and that makes him look more threatening.

[noonblight]

Arven, And The Habits Built By Parental Neglect

So I was going to make this big song and dance post about Arven’s entire arc and character psychology but I think other people have picked that one apart better than me. However I DO still want to talk about something I haven’t seen addressed too much.

As much as I think the phrase ‘love language’ is a gross over-simplification of psychology (and also not real, go look it up, the guy who made it was awful) it’s actually a really fitting term for the thing I want to talk about, which is how Arven has built up a habit of caring for others despite the neglect his parents showed him, and made it a core part of his personality. In essence, he’s deemed himself the ‘mom friend’ because he never had that kind of support growing up.

You can see this throughout multiple parts of the game, but here’s my list of favourites:

• If you pick the dialog option and say that you’ll go along with Arven’s quest-line before he explains what you’ll be doing, he exclaims that you have no sense of caution for your own safety. That you shouldn’t just go brazenly dashing into agreements like that.

• He is always looking after Mabosstiff so tenderly, and while a lot of this is due to them growing up together, I think it’s the way he shows his care for Mabosstiff that communicates my point.

• After noticing Miraidon eat your sandwich, he begins to make extra ones so that you don’t go without one. He even splits his own sandwich with you after Miraidon steals the first one you ever make together.

• He mentions that he cleans his dorm every day he’s there because Maboschiff sheds fur a lot.

• Post-Game, he admits that he would like to be a chef who can make good food for others.

Basically, I adore the tiny writing detail that even Arven’s positive traits are still shaped by the parental neglect that he went through, because it’s surprisingly realistic for the writing of a kid’s game.

He’s messy, he’s allowed to grieve and be confused about his feelings openly, he’s allowed to be irritable and strange in the eyes of others. But the game also never lets you forget how much he truely cares for others, even those he doesn’t know very well.

This can also be subtly inferred from just how amazingly fast Arven manages to raise a team that is arguably the only bordering-on-difficult fight in the game. Arven claims to not be a good trainer and claims Mabosstiff was his only pokémon before the events of the game (we can infer this from how he mentions after your first battle with him that he only just caught that Skwovet)

But just look at how fast he manages to make a team! Your trainer is always complimented for their rapid success, but man, they should look at Arven who doesn’t even have that much skill at the start of the game. I like to think this improvement is a direct result of his care for his Pokémon, and his desire to help and protect others. It’s no wonder why he claims in the post-game tournament that he’s been working super hard to build a team that can protect his loved ones, he really means it.

Arven also has a terrible habit of attempting to do most things by himself until the absolute last minute. He refuses to ask Nemona for help with the titans despite knowing she has the skills for it. He only asks you when he’s at his wit’s end starting to lose hope in Mabosstiff, and notices that you had the skill to work with Miraidon.

Even more than all that stuff I mentioned before however, I adore the end cutscene of the game for taking Arven, this character who displays all these little quirks, and then turns around and says ‘it’s your turn to be cared for by people who care about you, you don’t need to do this alone’

Nemona tells the group to take the scenic route home.

Penny suggests snacks.

Miraidon gently pushes Arven toward the group.

And the last scene in the game is so important for that reason, Arven is finally having others care for him. After everything that has happened, he has at least a few people who will support him and show him that care his parents lacked.

So anyway happy holidays, have that shoddy analysis <3

[scoonsalicious]

Unwanted: Chapter 27, Unhinged - Pt. 7

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Fem!Reader

Summary: When your FWB relationship with your best friend Bucky Barnes turns into something more, you couldn’t be happier. That is, however, until a new Avenger sets her sights on your super soldier and he inadvertently breaks your heart. You take on a mission you might not be prepared for to put some distance between the two of you and open yourself up to past traumas. Too bad the only one who can help you heal is the one person you can no longer trust.

Warnings: (For this part only; see Story Masterlist for general Warnings) Language, voyeurism, manipulation, lies, spying.

Word Count: 926

Previously On...: Jade's got you kidnapped is in planning on auctioning you. She's got something for you to see, though, first.

A/N: Second favorite line of dialog in this part. Guess!

NOTE! The tag list is a fickle bitch, so I'm not really going to be dealing with it anymore. If you want to be notified when new story parts drop, please follow @scoonsaliciousupdates

Banner By: The absolutely amazing @mrsbuckybarnes1917!

Thank you to all those who have been reading; if you like what you've read, likes, comments, and reblogs give me life, and I truly appreciate them, and you!

Taglist: (Sadly, tag list is closed; Tumblr will not let me add anyone new. If you want to be notified when I update, please Follow me for Notifications!) @jmeelee @cazellen @mrsbuckybarnes1917 @blackhawkfanatic @buckybarnessimpp @hayjat @capswife @itsteambarnes @marygoddessofmischief @sebastians-love @learisa @lethallyprotected @rabbitrabbit12321 @buckybarnesandmarvel @fanfictiongirl77 @calwitch @fantasyfootballchampion @selella @jackiehollanderr @wintercrows @sashaisready @missvelvetsstuff @angelbabyyy99 @keylimebeag @maybefoxysouls @vicmc624 @j23r23 @wintercrows @crist1216 @cjand10 @pattiemac1@les-sel @dottirose @winterslove1917 @harperkenobi @ivet4 @casey1-2007 @mrsevans90 @steeph-aniie @bean-bean2000 @beanbagbitch @peachiestevie @wintrsoldrluvr @shadowzena43

Tumblr will not let me directly tag the following: @marcswife21 @erelierraceala @jupiter-107 @doublejeon @hiqhkey @unaxv @brookeleclerc

The video opened to show Jade, clad in only her bra and underwear, positioning the camera on top of a dresser in what you assumed was their Russian safehouse. Bucky was sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing only his boxer briefs, with his head in his hands, not looking at what she was doing.

“Sorry,” he muttered without looking up. “That’s… that’s never something that happened to me before. I’ve, uh, never had a problem… getting it up.”

“That’s okay, baby,” Jade said, crawling across the bed to stand behind Bucky as she began pressing kisses to his neck. “It’s new and you’re nervous. But I’m not going to judge you.”

Bucky flinched away from her touch. “It’s not… it’s not nerves. I just… Pocket. I don’t think I actually want to do this to her.”

Jade in the video dropped her head to the top of Bucky’s shoulder. “Why are you thinking about that slut?” she demanded. “She fucked your best friend. You saw the articles. She’s just not hiding it from you anymore.”

“God, I wish you’d never shown me those fucking articles! I just can’t believe she would do that to me,” he moaned. “She knows how I feel, how insecure I am about the two of them together.”

“Yeah, she knew, but she did it, anyway,” Jade said as she started peppering his skin with kisses again. She reached down and began palming at Bucky’s limp dick through his underwear. “She doesn’t love you. I wish you would finally open your eyes and see that. You deserve so much better.”

“But I love her,” he whispered, so low you had to strain to hear it. “I’m just so… fucking mad at her! At both of them! How could she do this to me? She said she was going to give me a chance, to let me work on rebuilding trust! And the second I’m gone, she turns around and does this?”

“Listen, Jamie.” Jade dipped her head and took on air of contrition. “I didn’t want to tell you this, but she started things up with Steve long before this gala.”

Bucky jerked his head up at her. “You’re lying. She wouldn’t.”

Jade frowned, and brushed a strand of hair back off his face. “My poor, sweet, trusting Jaime. I’m so sorry. The other agents talk, you know. Especially the ones that kind of blend into the background. You can hear an awful lot when people don’t notice you’re there.”

Bucky shook his head in disbelief at her. “No. There’s no way.”

“I guess it started when they went to Latvia? Anything change between them after that mission?” Jade said. “One of the agents told me she caught a glimpse of them fuckin in the back of the Quinjet before landing.”

“They could have seen anybody,” Bucky said, his breath coming heavier now, and you knew he was starting to doubt, knew he was letting his insecurities take over. “That was… before, before we were even together.”

“Maybe,” Jade hummed with a shrug. “The agent said she was wearing a purple pushup bra under her tac suit, but Steve had pulled it down so he could… well, you know.  I’m sure Pocket doesn’t have a bra like that, right?”

Your mind flashed back to that day, that mission– it stuck with you because it was the day you and Steve had finally buried the hatchet about Berlin. It was the day… fuck. It was the day Bucky asked you if you and Steve had slept together because you were acting so much nicer toward him. You remembered coming out of your bathroom to chastise him for even asking, but he was barely paying attention. He’d kept staring at your breasts… why? Because you’d been in the middle of changing out of your tac suit when he asked his ridiculous question, and you came out with it down to your waist, the only thing covering your top half… a purple push up bra. Bucky always said how much he loved that bra, because it reminded him the first time he got to see your tits, even if you hadn’t taken it off.

“You flaky, crusty cunt!” You said. “You hacked the feeds of my room! You SPIED on us!” 

“Oh, calm down,” said Jade, pausing the video and going back fifteen seconds to make sure you didn’t miss a moment. “Don’t think of it as spying, think of it as doing research. I needed to know what my Jamie was up to before I arrived. What he did in his spare time, who he did it with.” She cast you a dirty look.

You felt gross. This new piece of information meant that Jade had had access to footage from every single time you and Bucky had had sex, every one of your private moments. You almost didn’t want to know how she had gotten past the encryption locks you’d installed into the system. If you ever made it out of this room alive, you’d make sure you updated the security.

“Don’t worry, Precious Pocket,” Jade said, slapping your cheeks a little too roughly with the flat of the phone. “I didn’t watch all the pity fucks Bucky gave you.” She laughed. “Watching you wiggle and bark like a beached sea lion once was enough for me. Poor Jamie. Wonder how he could even stand it.”

She put the phone back in front of your face. “You don’t want to miss the best part!” she exclaimed, before hitting play once more.

<- Previous Part / Next Part ->

[local-lamppost]

Utena’s Caged Intelligence

Something of a continuation of this.

TL;DR Ohtori, like pretty much every school, was not designed for those with developing intelligence (like middle schoolers) to be able to grow and flourish.

So I’ve gone over a little bit of the initial curiosity of Utena and how that diminished, but I wanted to address some topics I might have missed because I mainly focused on Utena’s logic.

When I say logic, I mean her matter of fact/overtly blunt manner of problem solving. She forces her way through problems headstrong, making her solutions equate to the dumb joke stereotype. She sees things in a straight line in a world that is determined to pave only curved roads. Her logic makes her the biggest moron in a world of the illogical. This can actually be seen in Miki as well. Miki is an artist at heart, but doesn’t think he can express himself that way because of the “feminine” nature he’s been taught the language of art is. Miki tries to translate his artistic thoughts into logical dialog, and because of his inability to correlate his mind and voice it makes him one of the easiest characters to manipulate; he’ll mimic what those around him says-especially after an emotional moment-because that must be how a regular “logical” speaker would act.

Utena is similar to a degree, she’s just in no way self aware. Less frantic than Miki, but easier to condition once you can tug Utena’s logic away from her own and onto someone else’s (Akio’s).

Utena is not allowed to come to her own conclusions. Akio or Anthy or whatever student council member has been enlisted are all quick to put her in situations that derive her of exploring other options. It becomes that the best way to solve her problems is to go along with the duels (to the point that she challenges Touga to a duel purely for herself and her own issues, because that’s how problems are solved at Ohtori).

I think the best way to dumb this thought process down is to think that everyone is playing a game. Utena plays by the book and is a naturally very skilled player, others will have mind games or better items to try to gain an upper hand; but then there are players like Touga, Akio, and Anthy who have cheats enabled, but Utena is unable to realize this.

Lastly, the point that can slip people’s mind is that Utena is 14 and the people pulling the strings are all older than her/more experienced. Akio is in his twenties or thirties(not even counting that he might be a magical immortal deity), Touga is both an upper classmen but someone who appears to be living the most ‘adult’ lifestyle of all the underage duelists (the mindest for them is very much sex=maturity/power), and Anthy’s bread and butter is preparing sacrifices for her brother(as well as being a maybe immortal witch).

Her age is Utena’s greatest detriment in the game she’s playing. The only characters that get manipulated as much as she does are Miki and Nanami (Nanami especially) and they are the youngest of the duelists. Yet there are the scant few times it gives her strength, such as her duel with Wakaba (but even then, this duel gave Akio that firm line in the sand he would need to eliminate to further bring Utena under his control).

A school is supposed to be where you go to grow your logical intelligence, while being placed in an environment meant to grow your social intelligence. Ohtori, under Akio’s direction, does not comply to this standard: they value the independence of the students. Something that sounds good, until you remember that these are kids still in need of support, support Akio is glad to provide as he frames himself as the only truly mature and reliable presence in these children’s lives.

[power-chords]

Often I feel very angry. It is hard to explain this even to my progressive Jewish parents – my Ashkenazi father, and my convert mother who frankly is more observant than I am – sometimes easier with fellow third generation millennials, depending on their milieu. My goyische husband, believe it or not, grasps it quite well because he grew up in Scarsdale. For the 18 years that we lived on East 70th our mezuzah was on the wrong side of the door. We never kept kosher. And yet I went to Hebrew school at Park Avenue Synagogue followed by Or Zarua which are both conservative congregations, a step up from reform and a step down from orthodox. We observed Shabbos, the high holidays; for a while I had a basic comprehension of the loshn-koydesh.

After I was bat mitzvahed I had no desire to see the inside of a temple again. This remained the case for many many years. You know what I learned about besides Torah? (Torah study, the ritual of Saturday morning services, was actually the good part.) Israel. At length. A country I felt no connection to whatsoever, that I had no desire to ever visit, that alienated me from my own Jewish identity as a diaspora New Yorker growing up in (what was, then, much more so!) a diverse neighborhood with kids from every ethnic and religious background imaginable.

You know what I learned NOTHING about? Yiddishkeyt. German expressionist cinema. Postwar American Jewish literature. Philosophy and psychoanalysis and dialectics and dialogics. Art, literature, theater, folklore. You would think that institutions theoretically devoted to the preservation of Jewish life in America would take a greater restorative interest in what the Nazis attempted to wipe from the historical record. You would be wrong.

The irony doesn’t end there. According to Dad my grandfather would not speak a word of German in the house – understandable after they've gassed your entire family to death – and he was resentful, for a little while, that on account of this he did not grow up bilingual. Why Martin refrained from speaking Yiddish around his American children had nothing to do with a rejection of Jewishness per se and everything to do with the guarantying of a more prosperous future. Metallurgy and manual labor sentenced him to a hard life and an early death. Despite chronic exhaustion and physical pain, he would bring my young father to public lectures at Yale on anything and everything related to the space program. He supported and cultivated his two sons’ every personal and intellectual interest. He ferried my grandmother to and from her performances along the Borscht Belt circuit, which back then was still a thriving scene. He was a state-raised orphan who lost everything and nevertheless managed to give everything. When she grew too old and infirm to do so herself any longer, he even cared for the cranky old bitch of an aunt who turned him away when he first washed up alone as a teenager on a totally foreign shore. I have tears in my eyes just typing this.

It is my parents and grandparents whose memory I hold sacred, the culture they swallowed or sacrificed in the hope of a new beginning – not for themselves, but for their loved ones. That a certain continuity could be transmitted and traced despite all efforts to either disguise or remake it, that there is an inextinguishable spark of recognition in language and expression and sensibility, is miraculous. It defies the nation state. And it will outlive the nation state.

[randomthefox]

Jesus Christ. Those were the words that audibly left my mouth after I finished reading “A Wholesome UWU Daddy Eggman and Daughter Sage Happy Eggfamily Funtimes Story”. It was terrifying. Oh dear god it was terrifying. There’s something so indescribably eerie about Sage happily singing about how she was born of love after her “loving father” wiped her from existence mere days ago. I was left starring at the wall. Hollow. Sage sees Eggman as her caring father. Eggman sees himself as her all mighty father. Her god. But she doesn’t realize it.

I’m on the brink of tears reading it over again. There’s something so incredibly terrifying about reading Sage slowly realize that something is terribly wrong. That she’s been here before. That Eggman has killed his daughter over and over again because of an inconvenience.

Through it all, Eggman really does care about Sage “in his own way.” In Eggman’s warped world view, he probably does see erasing his daughter’s entire being as a mercy so that she doesn’t have to deal with the trauma. So callus is he to his creation’s suffering that he thinks she’s just being dramatic.

This is the “Eggdad” I want to see. The one who only loves his daughter only so long as she praises him a is useful to him. The one that leaves me in tears at his cruelty that he’s either completely oblivious to or just doesn’t care about. The one that Sage loves, but flinches every time he so much as looks in her direction. Because deep down. She knows something is very. Very. Wrong.

Anyways, I’m going to stare at the wall for a few more minutes. My favourite pieces of art are the ones that give me an existential crisis.

Thank you, I'm glad you "enjoyed" it! I wanted to write something that portrayed the dynamic Eggman and Sage would actually have in an "at home" environment, based on my interpretation of their relationship as it is shown in Frontiers and based on the obvious sources of inspiration Sage as a character draws from (namely Rei Ayanami from Neon Genesis Evangelion, whom the voice actor for Sage is the same actress who played Rei in both the Japanese and English dub so it was clearly an intentional casting). Also this part in particular is inspired by a bit of cut dialog from Portal 2

(from 0:28)

And it's the dynamic I'd much rather see depicted in fan created content, as opposed to the sanitized glurge that people are producing in complete obliviousness to their dynamic as depicted in the game. Gotta be the change you want to see in the world lol.

[ur-mentallyill-wench]

Ok so this is actually 100% ripped of from this post

But I just changed it around a bit and wanted to put my spin on it :) this takes place season 5 but let’s pretend Troy never left. I know it’s cringe and bad I can’t write and sorry it’s so long

Setting- Pretty much the same, the Dean rented out a venue for a dance only this time it’s a valentine dance however on a “coincidence” they get stuck with said bisexual lighting that Abed will make his comment on

Background/ cold open- of course no dance at Greendale would be complete without alternative motives, this one being the Dean trying to get Jeff as his date to said dance (I don’t ship them but I think the Dean liking him is funny). To go along with this plot you aren’t let into the dance without a date, the Dean makes sure to make it clear it doesn’t have to be a real date (cue aggressive cueing to Jeff) In the end Jeff and Britta and up being each others fake dates seeing as they hadn’t been spending but time together, leaving Troy, Abed, and Annie (Shirley isn’t going)

A plot- Troy instinctively turns to Abed pitching to go as fake dates, seeing as they did nearly everything together and it’s not like either of them had a girlfriend. To this Abed would agree although he’d say something along the lines of “or maybe we could try and get dates, I mean spending time with you is great but we’ve been going to school here for 5 seasons with not end in sight, we may as well try to get girlfriends considering neither of us have had a real relationship” (cue offended gasp from britta). This makes Troy upset for whatever reason, he knows Abed is right but he’d rather just go with Abed then bother finding a date, with this he turns to his next best option, Annie, who is more then enthusiastic to go with him despite being over him she’s still gitty. Abed ends up going with Rachel, this once again makes Troy feel certain way but he still can’t put his thumb on it, Annie immediately notices something’s up and brings up the idea that it has something to do with Abed. Troy would say something along the lines of, “I really don’t know, I think your great and I should be estatic to have a date with someone a good as you but I can’t stop thinking about him, like how could he pull her this easy and get along with her so good, I’ve never even heard of this girl”. At this point Troy is completely detached from his “date” with Annie and is now ranting about how there’s no way Rachel is better then him or good enough for Abed while Annie just stares at him knowingly. Of course with Annie’s help Troy comes to the realization that even id he can’t put his finger ong why he wants to be with Abed, whether platonicly or romantically he wants to be with him. The night goes on like this, Troy occasionally going over to talk to Rachel about Abed before sulking back to Annie. Over the course of the night and talking to Rachel Troy gets increasingly mad that Abed doesn’t seem to care until the point on him storiming up to Rachel and airing out shit about abed (he’s controlling, trackers in his friends, uses people) and so on until Abed comes up on them and Rachel tells Abed something and storms out, leaving Abed to turn to Troy distraught. He’s says something about how he really liked her and Troy confesses that even if he doesn’t know want it is he’s drawn to Abed and wants to spend the rest of his life with him, he doesn’t want to be boyfriends or anything it he doesn’t want to see Abed leave him, Abed would say something along the lines of, “I don’t know how to take this but if there’s anyone I’d want to spend the rest of my life with it’s you, and we can make out own thing up it’s what we do anyway” more emotional dialog that I’m not smart enough to write but it ends in them kissing to bisexual lighting glaring around them and the song Somewhere Out There playing in the background

B plot- Jeff and Britta end up going to the dance together, I don’t have much to say here but it ends up it them saying how they’ve missed spending time together (I ship them in a they keep getting divorced and getting back together way) but they end up having a good time together. Also Jeff finds the Dean sulking and they end up sharing a dance together

C plot- not much here but I think it would be funny to have Chang and Duncan trying to pick if ladies to go to the dance but they end up wasting all there time with no ladies wanting them (just some funny bar scenes idk)

Ending scene- Troy and Abed telling people they’re dating of course with “Troy and Abed are dAtInG” a shocked gasp from Shirley and Annie (Annie knew) and britta giving Jeff twenty dollars for losing the bet of wether they’d get together

[absolutely-normal-about-x]

Volnutt explaining the Family tree to his friends is so fucking funny. Like I just know the look of their faces would be from extremely morbid confusion and horror. While volnutt does this Pepe Silvia thing by linking of the relationship possibly connected the wish’s and Cossack families. The reveal that Volnutt has a MASSIVE Family, filled with Uncles and Aunts in the form of the Robot masters and The light Sibling trio.

Some Dialog to accommodate it cause trash

Barret: Fuckin sparks Vol how far the tree even goes!? I mean how did you even know your relatives there!?

Volnutt: Well okay so…there’s this weird thing

thing that robots have in that era to be their identifiers like these numbers thing they have going on

Roll: So like IDs then? Kinda sounds like what Tron does with her Servbots, she gives them numbers to identify them.

Volnutt: Yeah! Something like that Dad said that ours is “DLN” standing…ummmm…Doctor Light Number.

Aero: “Doctor Light Number” that's a weird thing but makes sense since back in their Era. Back then Robots…didn’t have much freedom…especially the ones with sentience till Reploids where a thing

Barrett: Pretty messed up to begin with but hey it was wayyy before everything happened so can’t blame the humans tho.

Roll: Actually, I wonder if your dad has a number ID like the rest of the Robot Masters before becoming a carbon. Since he was the last creation of your grandfather.

Volnutt: Well…I did ask him but he went quiet…he just says that it doesn’t matter cause at the end of the day we’re still family so we don’t think about that much…plus we share the last name so I guess it makes sense. Plus it’s been thousands of years so it doesn’t make sense for him and us to have our Numbers.

Barret: Like Volnutt don’t wanna sound over dramatic, but your family is low key wild. Especially your old man cause by the sounds of it he’s REALLY OLD LIKE EVEN OLDER THAN OUR POPS! I mean learning history is great and all but doesn’t that mess you up considering how far back that lineage dates back? How do you think your Dad feels about this? Sheesh talk about the worlds oldest fossil-

Aero whacks Barrett upside the head: Hey! It’s rude to say that to Volty you Тупица! Our Папа is also just as old as him! And Uncle Zero too!

Barrett: Hey! Hey! Ow!! I know I know but Uncle X and Z is older than him ya know!!

Roll: It’s still rude!!

Volnutt: It’s fine guys, I mean it’s pretty overwhelming genuinely it’s okay! I get to learn so much and the Guardians always learn this stuff too. The stories and history lessons are pretty fun plus Dad doesn’t seem to mind it…kinda wonder if he misses them now that no one remembers them. But it’s our job to honor them at least! Plus Roll we do share the same name as Uncle Rock and Auntie Roll! So that means something!!

Roll: Yeah it’s probably a coincidence but still it means something!! We’ll make them proud for sure!

Volnutt: Yeah!!

(They high five each other)

Barrett chuckles: Dorks ya gotta love them

Aero: Yeah…Значит, мы не рассказываем им о том, как твой отец убил свою приемную семью, верно?

Barrett: Абсолютно

Volnutt and Roll: What are you guys saying?

Barrett and Aero: Nothing!

[thygoddessouijathicc]

Literally Every Fandom I’ve Ever Been In

Warning. Long rambly essay up ahead mentioning stardew valley and the undertale fandom and briefly topics like self harm and abuse. Be warned that this is here. And if you don’t want to see that just enjoy the meme. But before you go to be clear. This is not about how it’s bad to like characters who do bad shit. It’s about how people will like characters who do bad shit off them being fun or being nuanced but sometimes ignore nuance in characters who are mean because how dare they be mean.

Hot take here but media literacy means a lot of things and it also means the understanding that being mean isn’t worse than being a serial killer.

I must clarify here I am not saying you can’t like characters who have done terrible things you can I myself do and love them this is not a post shaming people for liking Bill Cipher he’s a great character and overall may characters who do horrible things have great writing either being pure evil or having deep lore as to why.

This is also not a post talking about characters written to be annoying without any nuance to them. You’re supposed to not like those guys and while it’s hard to tell sometimes if a character is written to be hated on or not there’s usually some ways to tell especially if the character has no reason to be rude and is just… unneededly cruel and bigoted… I will also say how this differs from pure evil is that pure evil is usually written to be entertaining an intentionally annoying character without any reasoning is written to be annoying not entertaining. A lack of motive can be fun or make someone annoying depending on execution and specific actions.

This is solely a post on the weird treatment of characters who are not nice and especially those who have a reason not to be. It feels odd that people are willing to let off or at least still like a character who does horrible things because of backstory but not a character who simply isn’t nice. And I am not saying a character who is mean and does heinous crimes though weirdly I feel those are also let off far more. I mean people who are just… generally kinda rude.

Like what I am referring to is a character who was raised in a situation where they were forced to adopt a rude persona to survive. A character who was horribly abused or lost someone close to them and now act rude because they don’t want to let anyone into their life. A character who is put in a position where being rude is the only way they can be heard. A character who is rude to someone who isn’t all that nice to them either say being rude to someone because they can’t take no for an answer. A character who just doesn’t trust people. A character who will be socially or even physically ripped apart if ever they let their gaurd down. A character who is rude because they are legitimately an emotional mess. A character who lets be Frank here… isn’t even that mean people just keep saying they are.

I will admit that sometimes a fandom will click and things will be great especially when it comes to redeemed villains who have anger issues or have been mean in the past but sometimes… sometimes they won’t. And I’m gonna talk about a few examples without going into much detail. And forgive me there are going to be weird and niche.

Let’s start with Hailey from stardew valley who I swear people talk about like she’s the spawn of Satan or will stress how she’s mean when you first meet her but has a good arc. And she does yeah have a good arc. But also maybe it’s just me being ignorant or I never got any of the actually bad lines of dialoge or I’m just clueless or whatever… and you can disagree here.. but Hailey isn’t that bad. Like when you meet her most of the lines I got were… maybe rude? And I know people also don’t like her for not liking the prismatic shard but she’s not the only one who doesn’t like an otherwise universally liked gift. Plus one of her loved gifts is honestly easy as hell you don’t even need to go to the effort of a prismatic shard literally give her a sunflower. It feels like the real reason people hate her is because they hear other people hating her. Because my experience with the character at the very least if I really am clueless or lucky is that she’s just mildly stuck up and materialistic.

Next up… very weird and niche one, Underfell Sans. Yeah that’s a weird one. You may be thinking “from the Edgelord AU?” Yes. I could actually go into this and write a whole essay about the fact that Underfell as an AU is actually unironically kinda fire it just has an aestetic that people don’t entirely take seriously and that the reason that aestetic isn’t taken seriously is because it’s heavily associated with counterculture movements (including being queer btw) and being overall against the dominant culture causes it to be made fun of often. But that’s a whole other essay and a whole other can of worms involving a fandom I am cautiously ok with talking about but would like to for now be distanced from. But to get back to the topic Underfell Sans is in a lot of AU projects. Almost all of them actually. And in many of them the character is commonly portrayed as “Edgy McMyChemicalRomance” while not even being usually that rude, not usually being the worst person in the room, and often with the AU’s lore intact. The lore of which I’m talking about being that in this AU the ideal of kill or be killed is a cultural value of the whole underground meaning people within this system must follow it to survive often having to be hostile because yeah it’s not the characters it’s the whole AU so it’s not like Flowey who’s a jerk for having that belief because Flowey got that on his own the Underfell characters were raised to believe it. Raised to be kinda mean and never show weakness. And to attack people who do show weakness. This lore is usually in tact in underfell portrayals but… ignored. Like the AU is still one with a broken system that forces people to be cruel or die yet no no any character from that world is just mean jerk who’s a total Edgelord and often gets bullied by the other characters for behaving how they were taught is correct. It’s like getting mad at someone for eating with their hands when they come from a culture that doesn’t use utensils and have never existed in a culture that did until now. I’d say in this specific situation where the fell character is being rude to people it is fair for the characters to be rude back but the fact that the fans themselves and the creators themselves ignore entirely the fact the character has a reason to be rude that actually could make for a more engaging story about the character learning to exist outside of a culture that actively is physically threatening to people who show weakness rather than the same copy pasted joke about “character edgy lol”. It feels like all people see is that the character is rude to the other characters and never question if there’s a reason WHY. And honestly it’s a little disappointing it would be refreshing to see a nuanced take on this AU and its characters (and let’s be real the Sans specifically because that’s who’s gonna be in the AU projects). Also more unrelated to the character being mean… but when a character from another AU is being rude to a character from Underfell before they’ve said anything based on vibes it makes them look like the jerk actually because they know nothing about the character more than how they dress at this point. Also final thought… yes this is an AU so there is no canon however this is the widely accepted canon of the AU.

Ok there’s my two weird examples but lemme extend upon this and talk about fandom culture as a whole.

It feels like people don’t want characters ever to be wrong unless they’re always wrong. Like if a good guy is a jerk they can’t be the good guy right they must be evil and bad because being a jerk is bad and we all know people in both fiction and reality are either one or the other with no nuance. Something similarly I have noticed is that when a character is a victim of abuse, especially physical, they are portrayed extremely cutesy 100% of the time. It’s like they aren’t allowed to have a personality that isn’t innocent and sweet and childlike like god forbid we get an abuse victim who responds by lashing out towards others. I’m not saying they should be or should always be portrayed as jerks but it feels like a symptom of a greater problem.

That problem being that people wrongly equate likability and kindness (and in the case of the abuse victim… also equating being abused with being weak and childlike and soft ignoring fully that anyone can be abused and abuse victims are people which I guess I get it if it’s a comfort character thing but fandom culture overall needs to also realize equating being abused with being cute and kawaii is a little fucked up). I’ll be straight up here, both a jerk and a kind little sweetheart can be equally annoying in fact the latter can be more annoying because often the creator in question doesn’t think they are and treats them like the infallible hero that you’re evil for disliking. And they feel it would be wrong to give a character we are supposed to be rooting for flaws because if they have flaws especially being not very nice then they must be bad which isn’t true.

It also feels like an issue of people taking what they see at face value like they see everyone talking about how much of a jerk this character is and they just accept it without looking further or go into a confirmation bias state where one rude word is the whole character. It feels overall like people in fandoms don’t actually look at the characters and their lore and their motives so much as they look at how the character acts without further consideration or more often how the other people in the fandom talk about them. And I feel like the kind of group think fandoms sometimes have going on where if a character is disliked they are disliked by everyone or made a joke of by everyone or whatnot is toxic behaviour I feel like we need to start analyzing not just what a character is doing but WHY because it can change your opinion of them pretty heavily if there is a very specific and understandable reason why they are doing the thing they are doing or let’s be real… if there isn’t.

This essay isn’t “character is jerk is good” it’s think about their reasoning and if that changes anything because if taking their reasoning into account changes how you view them then there’s something there. Also in this realm you will realize some characters who are liked do horrible things for reasons that fall apart when you look at them critically (in this case I mean characters who are often justified by viewers) like ok you were bullied in school… how does that relate to nuking most of the country?

If you got anything from this poorly planned out rambly essay I should hope it will be a desire to look at these situations more critically in the future to figure out if the general public is right in your eyes or if maybe there’s a bit more to this. And if anything else… that edgy styles and music are hated on by the general public because they are associated with counterculture movements and that “cut yourself emo” jokes are weird because the whole joke is finding it amusing that someone is doing self harm purely because of their aesthetics not being your preference.

Anyone is welcome to bring up more examples of this but please do not derail the post to be about something else. It’s about media literacy in regards to characters who are mean. Also if you do Stardew please tell me if I’m way off base there or got really lucky and the character is actually a mean girl from hell. Also how is her name spelled..

Byeeeeeeeeeeeee!

[isadrora]

The Fledgling writes Good Omens for school!

Alexander Perry

Year 6

Assignment: English Close reading

Description: Choose a piece of writing to describe and have opinion about (fiction)

Author: Irisblefic

Source: Archive of Our Own (https://archiveofourown.org/works/1055257)

Year published: 2006-09-30

Intro:

I choose this piece of writing becuase of two reasons. For the first, I have watched the tv show “Good Omens” and enjoy it a lot. I then learned that is based on a book that is also called Good Omens (authors Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett). With help of my mum I have also read the book. I like the book very much. I think that it is very different from the show but they both have lots to give offer. One of things both have in common is the stories that the fans (like me and my mum) write themselves. This is called Fan fiction. It is very legal to do this and is actually encouraged by the creator and actors. I want to write about a very good story that is written by a writer that has written many stories based on this world and charcters I enjoy.

Content:

In terms of just happening things in the story, there are these two characters that figure out that they love each other very much over week period. This I will say is one of those things where its not enough o just say “this happens” because the writer makes it clear that there is lots going on the surface with emotions. I will like to point out that I choose this story because there is lots of deeper stuff in feelings and what the characters dont say: this is a very interesting part of the story and makes it very unique.

Characters:

Crowley: (a demon his name he chose for himself is Anthony J Crowley):

He is a man shaped Being. He is a fallen angel: that is he used to be an angel in Heaven until some angels that were in Heaven had the fight with the ones in charge because they were rebelios (The First War in Heavan). We dont know why he was thrown out of Heavan exactly. This story only gives us idea but I am taking ideas from the TV show and the book and using it to make my ideas some more deep. Crowley as he is now has a slim shape, he is tall, and it is known his face sharp and pretty (rather than typical handsome as is common to use to describe male characters in books). Unique to him is that he has plants and is “highly strung” which has to do with that he is actually not as relaxed and cool as he pretends to be. He shouts at his plants and is obsessed with cleaning and being organized. This shows clearly in the story also that he has become “human like” and part of why he actually lets himself accept being in love and more truthful about being with Aziraphale. The show also lets us have a good idea of him because he is as a demon might be, sarcastick and thin and dark. It is funny to watch the show be cause the TV Crowley has different voice I think than the book and both are very good. This story I’m talking about now is very close to book character I think but I can also imagine the TV Crowley if I like which is I think a positive aspect. I will say more about this later.

Aziraphale:

He is an angel although quite a strange one, different from the other ones we meet in the show version and its clear in all the versions (and also from the fanfiction story) that he has been opn earth (and with Crowley) so long that its changed him. My mother told me the term “he’s gone native” to describe him which she says is common to say that people take up habits and thinking of the place they settle. This to me is exact right for these two main characters. He is kind and well spoken. He has good manners and old fashioned style. Although the story Im talking about doesn’t do lots of physical descriptions one can get clear ideas just by “reading for context”. Just by using dialoge especially the expression “Oh dear” “Good heavens” and others a reader can get an idea of him, softer looking than Crowley which actually makes good sense because they are clear meant to be opposites (but in a positive way in the end). In this story its clear he’s accepted his love for Crowley and is shown actually to be the one to have made effort to take things further. This actually is different from how he is in the show where he is scared and in Denial quite a lot. But whats also interesting is the story lets it be seen that he is not just “soft” he is somewhat of “bastard” this also from the book and show. Its important as my mum says that this is clear as part of his personality or Crowley would never have been able to see him different from other angels. I get the idea from “In 7 Days” that he is actually manipulating (not in bad way) that him and Crowley grow closer. I will talk also more of this upcoming.

Discussion:

First of all the way this story is presented is effective. I especially like the way it is broken into weekdays. The title is important : in Bible terms the earth was created in 7 days and this reflects the time it takes for the two main characters to realize their love properly. Creation is good idea for theme here because Crowley grows plants (creates life) and Aziraphale loves books (ideas created). It is also so good that every day division has a little heading underneath. Some made me laugh, like the Monday one that starts the story (“Survival of the fittest. ONLY the fittest.”). This has literally to do with Crowleys plants but also you can maybe think that is about Crowley and Aziraphale love too. It has survived so long and so much that even though “Evolution” is a bit of joke in book and show , something about it is actually true.

Moving on, the point of view (POV) is mostly from Crowley side. I personally like the fanfiction stories that are from his side. This is just preference because he is my favourite character. I would like to say also that it would be so good to get the POV of this story from Aziraphale also: I would like one day to try write something like that if ever I get good at it. But it works very well from Crowley POV for this story because as I said before he is interesting in that its Clear he loves Aziraphale for a long time. But the story makes very clear he has lots of what is called “defense mechanisms” to prevent him being hurt or looking too close at the feelings. So we see his shouting at plants, at his still thinking in terms like “ruining” Aziraphales day because they were Enemies, like him throwing away the card from Aziraphale at first and so on. This is him keeping old habits because he can’t think of how to be otherwise. I will say that my mum calls this story “a Crowley character study” and I like that idea a lot. Its not always important that lots of things Happen in a story for it to be very exciting and good and this story taught me that.

For another thing we can maybe think about “turning point” which most stories must have and I think that irisbleufic has this happen on the Wednesday (which seems good place as feels like middle of a week). It seems like a turning point comes when Crowley has Aziraphale sleeping on his couch after they spent night drinking wine and chatting. I think that its clear they dont do anything romantic at this point but that Aziraphale is there at all still is what Crowley reacts to (even if not openly). For me I think this part makes clear that Aziraphale is now the one making effort to get them to be together properly: because Aziraphale doesn’t really sleep if he doesn’t want to (its clear that demon and angel dont need sleep for real) and so why would he at end of the Wednesday part be sure to be snoring so Crowley wont make him leave. I think this is where Crowley gives into his feelings even with out him really knowing he does.

Another important part that I like evry much is the Thursday section. Crowley rushes over to Aziraphale bookshop what he thinks is emergency. They have dialogue that is this:

“See, that's the problem with things like dust, and plants," Crowley added philosophically, helping himself to some more tea. "If they're inanimate, then I'm your aunt. You've got to let them know who's boss."

Aziraphale smiled faintly, setting down his cup.

"Why do you think I asked you here?"

This is a very good dialoge. It has different meaning to both of them. Aziraphale reply to Crowley almost seem like he is a bit smug because he knows Crowley will do anything for him but Crowley still thinks he has upper hand. “philosophy” is aword that the writer uses lots to connect to Crowley. My mum says this shows how Crowley likes to think of himself that he has control and a plan for his whole long life. But then there is Aziraphale now deciding that they should change that plan. This type of writing is very clever. Nothing big happens really but the small things happen in an important way.

Its also good how the Friday part is just used to show an easy normal scene that is between them as if they are already married or properly together. That is its as if they already are just nobody said it yet. “Laundry” is the heading for this one and that shows how normal everything seems already. Its also very funny to me because their version of laundry is snapping fingers and cleaning things (this also from the show which is very flirting part). When Crowley just says he will “start sleeping over” just casually, it is almost a shock because it isn’t a shock. That is how the story has led you to think of it all as logical even though there been no Romantic confession or big fights or anything.

The Saturday part is what is called as climax of the story because in a way its where Crowley has the full realization. It is never really put like that but irisbleufic makes it clear from his behaviour. Its not like in movies where the person will say “I love her/ him” and then run to them or whatever. What happens is that all the things that Crowley did before to make sure he was ok are not enough anymore. His Defense mechanism is not good because Aziraphale quietly been breaking it down. I will say that there is a piece about a Movie that Crowley watches that I didn’t understand about Gone with theWind. I asked my mum to explain what this meant and I think it has to do with that that movie is a very serious movie that everyone loves but is actually a bit horrible and so thats why Crowley calling it comedy is funny. I like that shows his sarcastick nature.

Moving last to the last day and this when they get together properly. I think its very good that the writer does not show the actual event. I think that it is important that the characters show their love physical because of their being changed by earth and they have become more earthly. It makes good sense and is very romantic. For my opinion though we cannot really imagine how the Sexual part will look for angel and demon and so its much better to be shown how they feel afterwards. This story is very good at that in fact actually is wonderfull. The characters are not changed by what happens between them, they are just more open. Crowley is still kind of bratty and Aziraphale is still fussy. But they are finally together and that is the point of the story in the end. Its interesting that Crowley actually says the fact that Aziraphale had a “seduction” plan for him., I want to ask, is it maybe that he knew about Aziraphale wanting it all wlong? Or is is just that he wants to try still be cool after he admits it to himself? It may be doesn’t matter because the last part is so good that I dont want the story to end even. The last line is I understand Inuuendo and that is also important because it shows Crowley being open to finally being loving and Affectionate.

Conclusion: A lot of people dont think that writing about FanFiction stories is real work and I think that is ridiculous i hope that this story will prove that wrong. A lot of people also think that the sexual parts of some stories are not good for us in Year 6 to write about but there are books we read with some of that in it already and worse than for example this story or others Ive read. It is a proper part of the story and needed for it to be good. To end I will say that this story is one of best things Ive ever read and theres lots more stuff about this “world” Good omens to read and that is positive

[a-strange-inkling]

If it were up to you ( one of the best hellcheer fanfiction writer) what would you fix or change about the fight of Icarus?

Aw shux, that’s high praise! I really don’t think I’m worthy of that, but thank you 🤍

Oh God… what a laundry list 😆 read at your own risk below (I think I’ve finally run out of things to say about this book and will be moving on now 😅)

I’m going to be honest, the best way fo fix it would be to not write a book. Point blank. If I was involved with the show at all I would have NEVER written a book about Eddie in any official capacity. I don’t know if the author was aware of just how unhinged certain parts of his fanbase are (I’m sure she is now) but you’re not going to make anyone happy with this. Eddie’s ridiculously popular yes, I get it, but part of his appeal for people was how untouched his background was.

Flight of Icarus is kind of a mess plot wise with pretty weak/poor characterizations. There’s some good elements and scenes in it. It’s not bad, but it’s not great either. It’s pretty mid. I mean books based on tv shows aren’t exactly known for their… luster. It’s obviously going to lack the passion of an unpaid fanfic writer who has spent endless hours watching season 4 and doing in-depth research and analysis for their work… but that’s what we’re all used to. That’s our standard. So it’s kind of already set up for failure.

But, if I was in charge of a book like this, here’s some of the things I would do differently:

I’d have picked ONE main plot to focus on because there is way too much going on in these 280 pages for me to have the time to be invested or care about anything. There’s like three plus storylines going on with Eddie all to push ONE narrative which is basically him choosing between risking everything for a fantasy/dream of fame and money or staying true to himself and what’s real which is the steadfast loyalty of his friends and family. This takes the form of Al vs Wayne, Paige vs Ronnie, LA vs Hawkins, solo career vs band/hellfire, dropping out to try to become a rockstar vs being the first Munson to graduate, who Eddie wants to be vs who he truly is deep down.

It’s just too much.

I’d have taken a little more time making Eddie three dimensional. I know he’s a side character, but a lot of heart and thought went into creating him (at least on Joe’s end). I’d have made more conscious choices for his character, especially if he’s narrating in first person (I would have not used first person). His outer dialog is great (the dialog throughout the whole thing is actually really great, you can tell the author’s a screen writer and it’s one of the stronger elements to the book) but his inner monologue is pretty ooc and at times really off. He lacks a lot of the things that drew people to him in the first place or it’s just not as strongly presented I guess. He doesn’t feel fully formed.

If I was going to give Eddie a love interest (I don’t know why you would do that to yourself at this point, his fanbase is volatile at best and either ships him with Steve, Chrissy, or themselves, no one is going to like it) I’d have given her WAY better writing than an immersive wattpad character with little to no character traits outside of her aesthetic and interests which is an alternative style and liking music. Wow. Groundbreaking. I would have her make decisions based on a fully formed personality verses the convenience of the plot. And if not, if she’s going to be a means to an end, I’d at least go all in and make her wild or evil or a total bitch or conniving or funny or grumpy or goofy or something. She’s not given enough focus or time to be well rounded so I’d just have fun and go batshit crazy with her (don’t worry Paige, you’re mine now and I will give you an actual character and vindication).

Eddie choosing between his dad and Wayne would have probably been the plot I picked to focus on and I would have really dived into that. The good, bad and the ugly of the Munson family. Because Al (that would not be his name btw 🤢) and Wayne reflect the two sides of Eddie’s character. A charming, self serving, cowardly asshole and a good, strong and kind person who protects and looks after others. I like Ronnie a lot and she’s probably the best written character in the book, but Wayne needed to have more spotlight for this.

I’d have definitely made the plot a lot less fantastical and way more of a simple character study. Just Eddie deciding between embracing the infamy of the Munson family or choosing to rise above it. Does he decide to scheme and cheat like his dad to get more out of life or does he do the right thing and stay the course to actually graduate and make something of himself. That’s it. All that’s needed. Eddie getting a shot at being a rockstar at eighteen in Hawkins is already kind of odd, especially when his in is a twenty year old “junior scout”??? Who just happens to be at his dive bar and have the hots for him and fucks him and pretty much offers him a life in LA on a silver platter with no issues other than having to bail on his band and high school club?? It’s… a bit much for our unlucky loser boy we see in the show. Book Eddie is as lucky as they come, but he’s a total dumbass and decides to trust and scheme with his deadbeat father??? Who has always failed him? Why? I get he needs money but his kinda girlfriend’s got a job and he’s pretty much got a record deal. What even is this? That whole storyline would be scrapped to hell. But hey, at least it’s more believable than an actual drug heist and a kingpin and a shoot out. Oh and arson. It’s giving… *shivers* Riverdale and not in a good way.

Lastly, I’d have taken the opportunity to develop characters from the show a little more. Not a ton, but like the author did with Higgins. I really like how he was written in the novel. He had a lot of fire and personality out of nowhere which was kind of hilarious. I probably would have expanded Jason the most actually, I’d have added more to that tense rivalry. And I’d have left Chrissy pretty much out of it. The talent show is best left to the imagination and we already have a delicate narrative between them because of the forest scene. I wouldn’t want to add too much there. But she’d have a cameo for sure. Like brief eye contact or a shared smile or something at the very end of the book. Just a little glimmer of what’s to come. I’m also a Eddie has always had a little bit of a thing for Chrissy truther, so in my bias I might have him quietly admire her from afar or something.

And there you go.

I mean you’re going to get my version of his backstory eventually anyway and bonus he and Chrissy live, get married and have kids. Yay!

[yuhi-san]

Hospital yuri be on my yay! Vol 4 lots going on in the few first pages already.

Floppy haired vash is so adorable omg

Them making contact all of a sudden just then felt a little abrupt but good for them! Of course knives has to ruin it. Makes you wonder just how much he notices and knows of things going on.

Wolfwood oh man. I think its easy to miss how much time he spends just trying to keep it together and to adjust to all the curveballs hes thrown ever since he met vash. I think that deserves his own post eventually but he is not having a great time. But his reaction to the satelit and them making contact is really telling. His “will we be saved? Us…?” speaks volumes about ww. I think it shows how little hope for the future he really has. He can’t think much further than surviving tomorrow and maybe, if he’s lucky and smart and ruthless enough, keeping the children save for a little longer. But its clear he didn’t believe that there truly could be a future, let alone a good one. he has so very little hope abiut that but at the same time he wants to hope so, so badly, if not for himself then at least for the kids. And ouch that hurts.

Vash trying to sneak off alone, thinking he has to do it all alone. Of course he does. One day you will be at the receiving end and it wont be fun.

Ohh midvalley. Still very intrigued by him. But on the same note, what an unhinged first impression you give knives. But anyway  I think midvalley is actually a lot like Wolfwood. At least in the sense that he is very, very terrified but also has a very good intuition for a situation and danger. He also clearly does not want to be involved in this insanity, less out of a sense of morality but self-preservation. He can feel in his bones how evil and dangerous knives is and he really, really rather not cross his path again but what would be worse is getting on his bad side, so. I guess in a way midvalley is in a very futile situation, not too much unlike Wolfwood. Makes me wanna see an au where midvalley switches sides, if for no other reason than thinking this is more likely to keep him alive. Him and Wolfwood would be so interestig

Well knives seems confident Wolfwood is doing exactly what he wants. Though I’m not sure if that is because knives is so certain about ‘chapels’ loyalty (to the children, that is) or if he thinks it doesn’t really matter how it plays out either way as no matter what, he IS guiding vash and also it IS going to cause him so much pain regardless on how it goes down. Also not sure he even knows ww is the wrong chapel. On one hand, knives is meticulous and damn smart on the other hand I can see him not giving enough of a fuck to realize or maybe worry about it.

Vash and Wolfwood are soo dumb. How are they not dead. Bless milly and meryl. What absolute idiots. Especially vash. you traveled the desert for over a century, you should not make mistakes like that!!

It may be short but some badass milly and meryl moments! Man does meryl look mad. It reminds you that if they are not dealing with basically superpowered people, these two girls are not ones you want to mess with

Wolfwood waving at milly and und the horrified face he makes when she starts crying is so funny. He was just saying hi!!

Goddamn vash is mad and ready to strangle zazie, I’d say with the way he jumped at him (which went great. That was some hilarious rodeo of a worm vash)

It probably wouldn’t have worked out well but man I have no doubt milly would have shot ww. Shes so determinate I love her.

Lots and lots going on. The action and dialog is sometimes a little hard to follow to me. The missle Wolfwood shot into the sky. What was that for? Or was that the same one that hit between vash and hopperd?

Knives. We get to see him some through midvalleys eyes but there is also the shot of vash with a black eye stumbling after him while knives looks… displeased and uncaring at best. And we’ll see how my opinion evolves but I do think already then, knives was rotten to the core with no sympathy and love left. I do not at all think he is a case of born evil or anything. Knives very much was a victim of the circumstances. But what I do think is the whole tesla situation and all broke his innocent mind to a point where for him, there was never a chance of healing, no matter the course his life would have taken. You know what I mean? Maybe I’ll get more into that in another post.

[pinkbowsandprettyprose]

Everything posted so far on Twitter re: TMMN Episodes 13 - 14 ✨

Potential spoilers under the cut! I’ll continue to update this post as more info gets posted.

HUGE disclaimer that this is all speculative based off of what is being posted to Twitter from people who saw the episodes firsthand. Not all of this will be perfectly accurate. Don’t come for me if eps 13-14 air and some of this isn’t quite right 🫠

OP/ED impressions:

Sentiment is generally positive saying that both the opening and ending are really cute, but at least 1 person commented saying the animation quality is not as good as the S1 OP, and hoping they’ll fix it up a bit for the broadcast on TV.

More than one person said that Smewthie sounds like they are getting to be better performers. The person who was disappointed in the animation quality remarked that they think the music was the main focus and got better, while the animation got a bit worse.

Apparently there’s a bunch of ship bait in the opening including Zakumint and Tart/Pudding.

Plot beats (in no particular order):

Episodes 13-14 revolve around Ichigo and Masaya being boyfriend and girlfriend, Deep Blue’s awakening looming, a sidebar about Mint and Ichigo’s friendship and Mint’s home life, and the aquarium battle where the Blue Knight shows up.

We get to meet Ichigo’s mom and dad for the first time! Mint runs away from home in episode 14 and has dinner at Ichigo’s house with her parents / has a sleepover with Ichigo while discussing the trouble in her home life. It’s apparently really sweet. One viewer said they cried during this episode.

Ichigo and Masaya kiss at some point — unsure where this is, I’m thinking this might happen in the scene where they’re hanging out after Masaya’s kendo practice and he dozes off in the lawn, so Ichigo goes to pick a piece of grass off his face and they get super close? Totally speculating here, OP didn’t specify.

The Blue Knight has long pants. Yeah, I know. 😭 Pour one out for the bootyshorts.

Mint has a character song! This probably happens in the scene where she’s staying at Ichigo’s.

Some of the Mews have upgraded/new attack styles. Lettuce was specifically mentioned as having a cool new attack.

As I suspected, Quiche has an existential crisis over his mission with Deep Blue because of his feelings for Ichigo, and tells Pie as much. He goes a lil psycho during this dialog and threatens to do something drastic after he’s told not to lose focus on the mission.

The aquarium battle has all 3 of the aliens instead of just Quiche. In fact, Quiche doesn’t participate in the actual battle portion as much as he’s there just to harass Ichigo.

And oh boy, is the “harassing Ichigo” bit way different from the manga AND the original anime. According to one viewer, Quiche fabricates a whole new alternate dimension that kinda looks like the underwater Ryugu Palace from One Piece, and transforms Ichigo into a matching dress for it (a la Labyrinth). He tells her that even if the rest of humanity dies, he’ll save her. There’s something in here about a scene with a merry-go-round. Obviously she tells him to piss off, so the illusion is shattered.

Quiche is livid when the Blue Knight shows up to protect Ichigo, and has to be held back by Pie and Tart at one point.

There’s one line where Ichigo tells the aliens that they’re protecting their Earth, and Quiche laughs and says something to the effect of “you really don’t get it, do you?” So, expect more building on the alien’s belief that they’re entitled to Earth / the reason between their mission.

The aquarium battle is more intense than the original manga battle. One person used the word “murderous.” Battles might be getting grittier for S2.

TMMN gets rid of the scene of Alto showing up to change Ichigo from a cat back into a human before the aquarium scene.

There’s some food for Ryou/Lettuce shippers 👀 It’s not super clear in the post I just found, but Ryou may have a scene where he catches Lettuce from tripping, and in another scene, Lettuce brings him a cup of coffee while he’s working (Ryou takes his coffee with two milks no sugar)

[kustas]

Hey I’m the person who sent the one rant! I’m glad I conveyed everything properly and it wasn’t annoying. I always worry about sending in long, unprompted anons. And I agree with everything you said in response, it feels great that I wasn’t the only one who noticed this! Two other things I’m glad you pointed out (in different posts) that I also noticed was the dialogue and character ages. I know Shirahama said at one point she pictured the characters younger then changed her mind, so that might have something to do with it. But that still doesn’t change that sometimes the kids look 14 and other times they look 7. Like when Qiufrey picks Coco up in volume 1 she looks barely older than a toddler. Then later when Qiufrey is showing her the test she almost reaches his shoulders. And the dialogue. I actually feel like it has gotten better since the beginning, but that still doesn’t change that it is extremely stilted. The characters info dump a lot about the situation at hand and about their own emotions, which sucks because the art conveys that wonderfully on its own. A part of me thinks its because, as a few people have pointed out, a mangaka’s work schedule is tight and Shirahama’s art is very detailed. So she has to pack a lot into one chapter, resulting in weird dialogue.

Unrealistic dialog especially with kid characters is omnipresent in manga & beyond if you ask me, Matsumoto's stuff is the only literary works with child characters I can think of that gets it right. The official english translation in Witch Hat (compared to the french one, I can't read japanese) makes the pill a bit less bitter by making most characters talk with a fancy flair that fits the old storybook vibe the series has going on. All this to say I get what you mean, I see it too, but it doesn't bother me too much! Plus we can always count on the best boy to sound more natural

(never worry about sending me long unprompted asks, I love it!)

[sapphosdickandballs]

soooooo- before i forget... i diddddd finish something to talk about.

honestly- i kinda did like it?? a lot more than "mistakes were made" which was the other book id read by this same author. i dont think its anything special tbh and the characters werent super compelling or memorable just in the sense that it felt like they didnt have a lifespan outside of the book. i wasnt really expecting much- and at first i was sooo bored. i wanted to drop it bad cause 😩 augh was just thinking "yeah but what is all this for??????" because it felt like the plot was being slow asf. and then BOOM. the accidental kiss. which- was sort of a turning point and made me get semi invested. the asthma attack too- ooo damn. it did kinda irk me that jo kept asking about her having her inhaler 😭. but like- man emma really got on my mf nerves. i absolutely hated her for a good chunk of time. like- THE FACT THAT the both of them were doing everything possible to not talk and communicate and instead emma had that stupid internal turmoil and became infuriating to read. i was soooooo mentally yelling at her. like girl. how are you going to be all dramatic and yet not communicate your feelings like how else is she supposed to know!!!! the harassment part was a whole trip. idk i just got super annoyed at the first part when they were actively avoiding properly solving their issues CAUSE DAMN they had a bunch of them.

THE ALMOST kiss after jo's dad had me actually on the edge of my seat cause holyyyyy crap. idk and then the business trip happened and emma came to terms with her feelings and they kissed-

I LITERALLY knew it was phil. LITERALLY LIKE it was so obvious when he made that comment in the interview. i deadass put two and two together.

i liked the ending part after theyd realized their feelings tbh. it just like wrapped up good. idk abt the smut part- kinda was underwhelming but it wasn't bad. i think it was an alright read. idk if id recommend it personally just because for me personally- i dont want someone to pick that as a recommendation from me over something like ols. for ME personally its not "the best" its not bad and i did have an alright time with it, but i wouldn't read it again tbh. its was definitely better from her other book but even jo feels like a carbon copy of erin from mistakes were made. she was in her 40s and rich so like is this woman just wanting to write about milf women or something??? age gap?? idk. i just noticed that lol.

im glad i stuck it out but i did feel it drug a little bit throughout. emma- i... i literally cant. she is... ugh. i dont think i liked her character 💅. jo was neat but i just- ughhh they feel so... fictional. not realistic in the way they react or narrate, especially in the internal dialog. i liked avery!!! she was awesome. hmmm... idk.... it was nice. sorry if it seems like im talking in circles and seeming like i disliked it- I DIDNT DISLIKE IT. only some parts of it i disliked. just the author's execution for some parts.

just because as someone whos done a lot of research on writing i pick up details on things and have nitpicks about how things are delivered. i notice stuff.

anygayyyy is that enough yapping???? i dunno what else to sayyyy 😐. u should probably make an asks tag for me atp with how much im yapping in ur inbox ffs.

This is hard to answer lmao. I’m glad you kinda enjoyed it? I’m sorry it wasn’t your favorite? It wasn’t my favorite of all my recs (you should read some girls do. at some point, no pressure. But that is one of my favorites) but I did like it enough to rec. I appreciatep you coming and yapping to me even if you didn’t like the book and I hope that doesn’t make you wary of my recs from now on lmao. Also I made you a tag 👍

[goober-37]

I wish YouTube captions were written better y’all cause it drives me mad. Some creators who edit their captions themselves do a great job! @annamarieforcino specifically will tag who speaks in her video, put dialog in quotations if it’s from the vid/show she’s reacting to, and she doesn’t use the fuckass “[_]” style captions YouTube generates even if her audio has swears censored. I love the way she captions!

I’m not diagnosed with any hearing issues but sometimes words straight up just don’t sound real to me. I either just straight up can’t hear them or it sounds like a load of nonsense to me–especially if there’s too much background noise that my brain can’t figure out what to tune into. I can hear, but reading captions as I’m hearing what people say makes it easier to understand and actually capture everything said if that makes sense.

YouTube having really lousy, overly censored captions really pisses me off. Makes it harder to enjoy what I like watching because half the time the captions are inaccurate, unavailable in English for some reason (happened with a couple Flamingo videos??), or every single goddamn swear (or what the captions think is a swear) gets censored completely and takes away my ability to fill in the gap if I couldn’t catch the actual swear or if the creator censored the audio.

I understand creators censoring swears for brand deals and monetization but I hate the auto generated captions censoring too heavily and throwing off my reading. I despise that the captions don’t even accurately pick up what’s said half the time so then I get confused hearing a word and reading the wrong word at the same time and thinking “wait what 🤨 did they say that or am I stupid??”

Idk lmao I mean I thrive off captions and my dad being HOH means we always have captions on movies and shows and at least those are written and tagged well. I wish YouTube were a lil better about it without making every creator hand write all their captions because even I find that tedious when I custom write my tiktok captions.