#the end that left me feeling kinda of meh about the whole experience.

[scarlet--wiccan]

How do u feel about Steve Orlando?

I like him, as a writer, just fine. I haven't actually read a ton of his work outside of Scarlet Witch and his various X-Men projects. A lot of those titles ended a way that I found dissatisfying, but I know that a lot of them were also impacted by the publishing challenges that have become such a huge problem in the industry. That's true for a lot of writers, and I try to be mindful of it, even when it's somebody I don't like.

In general, I really appreciate Orlando's creative vision for the characters I know and love, and I almost always enjoy the direction he takes them in, and I've liked every new character and setting he's introduced me to, as well. Somnus, especially, is one of my absolute most favorite new characters in the last five years. I know he's barely done anything, but the short Pride story where he was introduced is probably my favorite thing that's ever been in a Voices anthology. Threshold was super creative and interesting, and Hexfinder is a very clever, very intelligently constructed new rival for Wanda.

Having said all of that, I find that his dialogue tends to be incredibly stilted at times, he definitely struggles with pacing and scene blocking, and he needs a really good artist to help his action sequences land. Those are problems I have with a lot of modern writers. Ironically, though, Orlando tends to do really well whenever he gets to break the typical rhythm of a superhero comic-- the strongest issues of Scarlet Witch are #3 and #9, and his vertical scroll comics on Unlimited are some of the best, in terms of readability.

As far as Scarlet Witch goes, I really, genuinely appreciate everything that Orlando has done for Wanda and I'm looking forward to whatever he has in store. Yes, I have issues with SW and I certainly had issues with Darkhold, but both of those books were cramped and weirdly formatted in ways that weren't Orlando's fault. I'm hoping that as we move forward with SW&Q and whatever comes after, he'll have the breathing room to fully realize more of his ideas, and maybe include some of the things that I felt have been missing from Wanda's life. Still, I know how much Orlando cares, and I'm so grateful that Wanda has a steward like him now. She's needed this for a long time.

[misc-obeyme]

nightbringer lesson 44

OH. OKAY. I HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTS.

I'm still gonna try to keep it brief but woooooooo here I go! Spoilers below!

Okay, so biggest thing I picked up from this lesson was that Solomon's soul is not in his body. Right? Right?? Everybody else got that, too, right!??! Tell me I'm not insane. More on this later.

So we spent the whole lesson in Babel, where apparently you get to have a "moment of bliss" where stuff happens that makes you incredibly happy.

It starts out with everybody telling Asmo how they really feel about him, which is of course that he's beautiful and kind.

Then everybody ends up in TSL cosplay and Levi info dumps for several speech bubbles. (It's pretty adorable aldksjf.)

Then a ton of cats show up and Satan loses his mind. (But the cats also cuddle with everybody else because Satan's happiest when he sees cats cuddling with his family, the two things he loves in one place~)

Then everybody disappears because Mammon's moment of bliss is to be alone with MC (he's so bbg I can't take it). (Oh but I do feel the need to mention that everybody else was still there, they were just invisible which is SUPER CREEPY. Like c'mon MC was having such a cute moment with their first man...)

And THEN a bunch of food shows up and we think it's Beel's moment of bliss, but it's actually Belphie's because the twins are so close that Belphie is happiest when Beel is happy.

And then it like reverses and we have Belphie napping and all the boys in angel outfits, but it's actually Beel's moment. And they talk about this time they remember Raphael unleashing his spears on Mammon in the CR. And like then they feel guilty 'cause Satan doesn't have those memories but then:

Satan saw everything from inside Lucifer? CONFIRMED. And Lucifer was aware of it, too.

And then everybody's like what was Lucifer's moment of bliss? And they're dumb about it, but MC is like Lucifer's moment of bliss was this entire experience because he's happiest when his family is happy. D'AWW very precious but also kinda meh, imo.

Then Raphael comes back, but it's really him this time yay!

And THAT is when we find out that only your SOUL is transported to Babel. Everybody's physical body was left behind.

And I was IMMEDIATELY like oh. So THAT is why Solomon couldn't go inside. His soul is elsewhere. I don't think he's soulless, I think he's immortal because his soul is being stored somewhere that isn't his body. THOUGH it would also be interesting if Nightbringer was like... Solomon's soul gone rogue al;kjdsfjdf. But I don't think that's the case.

I think they're using this as a way to explain why people so often say that Solomon is more like a demon. Even though we also got this:

Hmm. Indeed. Solomon is NOT a demon. They were mad at him for not mentioning the thing about only your soul going into Babel.

Anyway, that's my theory and it's the only thing that makes sense to me though I have no idea what it has to do with anything.

I also thought it was interesting that Raphael is now part of the Brothers No More chat group with Simeon and Lucifer. I hope this means we'll get more of him!

And then this from the hard lesson because wow I hope this isn't just No 2 exaggerating.

LOL. You want to return something? BURIED ALIVE. That's so Devildom it's amazing.

Anyway, there were plenty of cute family moments in this lesson, but the potential hint about Solomon was the biggest deal, imo. What does it mean? I could be misinterpreting and maybe that isn't the issue at all? Maybe it's like... there's something wrong with his soul and removing it from his body would either expose something about him that he doesn't want the others to know or would like harm it further and put his life in danger? I dunno. He is still immortal, so.

My first thought was soul is elsewhere, but I do think having it like... reveal something about him unexpectedly would be interesting, too, now that I'm thinking about it.

I dunno, what do you guys think?

masterlist | Thank you for reading!

[lostshitpirate]

Legend of Korra S4 Thoughts

It’s almost 2 AM but I’m jotting down my tired thoughts about s4

Spoilers ahead

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Overall I thought it was a pretty good season. Some aspects are a little shaky but overall it was a pretty strong season

I think kuvira was a good antagonist. Her stepping up to take power after korra left is a really good follow up to s3. I think the way she contrasts zaheer in the ways they think the world should be without an avatar was interesting. With zaheer wanting chaos and kuvira being on the other end of the spectrum with full control with her straight up being a fascist.

I think the way she will sacrifice everyone and everything to reach her goal made her more intimidating too. She contrasts to zaheer who did you force to reach his goal but mostly carefully planned his steps and did it with a smaller team with less casualties and damage. Kuvira does a lot with force. She does plan but most of her plans involve showing the power she has in numbers and technology or just her own strength.

I don’t like how they tried to sorta make you sympathize with her (sympathize? idk if this is the right word. understand her?). She straight up had labor camps and “re-education” camps. She captured non earth kingdom citizens and put them there. I think the parallels to her and a fascist regime aren’t subtle so it’s a bit weird to be at the end like “oh she did this because she was scared and wanted control”

I feel like hama or jet are more sympathetic in their need for control after experiencing trauma and that leading to them hurting others. I think because of the scale and damage of what kuvira did made me just not feel sympathetic to her. I think also bcuz she also had a family in the beifongs too where as jet and hama lost everything.

I think the use of spirit powers was also kinda meh. This is a problem to the whole of korra but turning spirits and spiritual powers into raw power was not a good move. Spirits and spirituality in alta was more about personal growth and connecting with nature. It had basis in an actual philosophy. They kinda had that with korra reconnecting with herself but really pushed it more into spirit energy is raw power.

I’m a little conflicted though bcuz I think the spirit laser thing is sorta a good idea. It introduces nukes and nuclear energy into the avatar universe and I think that’s an interesting idea but I think it falls flat bcuz it uses spirit energy to do that so idk.

I liked korra in this season. The way they continue her arc that started in season one and fleshed her out and matured her more is good. The way they dive into the trauma she’s endured in the past seasons. I think it’s able to give those scenes more weight. I think it also shows how korra has gone through so much in such a short time and gives her and the audience time to process it a bit more.

Idk how I feel about the message of korra needing to go through trauma to grow. I can see what they were going for. Using your experience even bad ones to grow is good. Getting stuck and learning nothing will leave you stuck. I like that it’s both talked about and shown with how korra just leaves and is unable to fully heal for a good while.

I don’t think she needed to experience trauma for that though. I don’t really think anyone should go through trauma. I feel like if they expressed it more like “I hate what happened to me. It really sucks and hurt me in a way that changed me, but I’m glad I was able to overcome it and grow from it. I changed for the better rather than the worst” or something along those lines. Idk

I do like that scene with zaheer. It was interesting to see him especially since he actually decides to help korra. Zaheer was always interesting bcuz of that the way he actually sits and talks with ppl and does things in a peaceful way despite how ruthless he is. I kinda wish we had a bit more time with him especially with him as a teacher for korra.

I think the characters and their arcs are pretty interesting this season. I’m glad we got to see varrick and zhu li again. They’re both great and seeing more of them is always good. I actually liked mako this season. He felt more like a side character with his arc with wu but it was good to see him.

Also side tangent wu and mako had more chemistry for me than korra and mako despite how much the writers really tried to push them in s1 and s2 lol

Anyways. Some of the characters did fall a bit flat. I love asami but she also sorta felt like a side character. I might write more about asami in another post since I have thoughts but I’m tired lol. I also like bolín but he’s always great

That clip show episode was kinda meh. The best part was varrick and bolin since that phone scene with all the antagonists was really funny. But honestly I wish they could have cut it but it was probably there for budget reason so cest la vie

I might have more thoughts but that’s for tmrw lol. Overall I’d rate s4 an 7.5/10

[james-stark-the-writer]

thoughts on Gen V S01

it's a mess of a show, with a great first 6 episodes, with the quality you've come to expect from The Boys but slightly scuffed, carrying on the legacy of really fun and pointed cultural and critical commentary -- even if this was bordering on being too overt -- and with a really empathetic new look at how the world of The Boys functions and how naivete plays a role into how that world is sustained and how people are fed lies about the realities of it to keep it contained and how people are exploited and tortured and experimented on to sustain this life and how we can effectively fight against fascism. at least that's what it felt like it was building to. well, that or all these characters got killed off in the last minute bc it's a spin-off.

but honestly, the last two episodes are a fucking mess, it tries to somehow do both and is just so meh at both that it leaves me feeling absolutely nothing but rage and disappointment. episode 7 is absolutely dogshit and episode 8 tries to bring it home but also feels deeply rushed and underbaked even though it by itself is largely pretty okay. disappointing, but okay. episode 7's threads really drag it down. as a whole, the episode was good enough in trying to carry on some of the ideas the last episode tried and failed to execute successfully but the rest of it was just as incredibly rushed.

also, what in the absolute FUCK was that ending. jesus christ, what an utter mess. that entire ending feels like the ending of Game of Thrones S08 to me in some ways: with seeds sown in but no actual real groundwork for it, rushed beyond all hell and acting like it was coming all along, like they had to cut an entire episode out somewhere that would have felt like a better proper more satisfying ending and that would have built up the conflict more naturally and in a way that made sense. as it is, the ending is a fucking MESS. if you want to, you can go read a lot of the thoughts and specific criticisms and praises i had while watching the show over here.

Gen V as a whole had so much fucking potential. i still love the first 6 episodes. but after that ending? i can't help but be deeply saddened and disappointed. that sucked. i'm actually mad at the potential they squandered with this show. as a show i'll give it a 7/10. it's still got some highlights worth watching that are truly excellent but it is honestly kinda not worth it. it's just left me disappointed and angry and empty.

[miumiins]

summary of my art for this year!

[bullshittierlists]

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR DANGANRONPA V3 (and probably the other games, too, just to be safe)

So, just as a heads up, I made this list a few months ago, I think in the middle of chapter 4. I was going to update it, but I realized that any feelings I had were just made stronger and the list was still relatively accurate. Here are my thoughts:

I see no god up here other than me

Kirumi Tojo - As you may know about me, I can typically tell who my favorite characters are going to be before I indulge myself in a series. This has especially rung true throughout Danganronpa, I was able to correctly guess Taka and Gundham as my respective favorites before actually seeing them in action. Let me tell you that Kirumi surprised me. I originally guessed K1-B0 as my favorite and while he’s still up there, he is nowhere near Kirumi. I realized she was my favorite the moment chapter 2 ended. Not only were her execution and plan wonderful and brilliantly done, her last-ditch plea to convince everyone to let her live sold her for me. Not only did this plea make sense, it almost worked and I kinda wish it would’ve. Her motive was almost completely selfless and she worked damn hard to escape. Her execution was the only time I cried during this game because I wanted so badly for her to escape, but I knew that all of her efforts were futile. I know her biggest criticism is that her plan from hiding Ryoma’s body was completely unnecessary, but I like to believe she was just nervous and overthought the whole thing. I mean, this had to go perfectly in order for her to save her country, of course she’s going to add a few too many steps.

Miu Iruma - Okay, I know this is going to sound fake, but I actually really love the dichotomy of her character. The way that she acts so self-righteous but is actually quite self-conscious really stood out to me. Of course she’s funny and hot, too, but I feel it’s important to really appreciate the way her character was written. It amazes me that she was written to be the least likable character in the entire series and still ended up being one of my favorites.

You’re the best

K1-B0 - Yes, I type out his name every time. As I already mentioned, he was my original guess for favorite character, but it obviously didn’t work out that way. He stayed in his position of first for a while, but I always knew it wasn’t meant to last, I just didn’t know which character would take his place. Even besides my doubts, I still love K1-B0, I just wish more could’ve been done with him in the earlier chapters. There are several opportunities for him to be a really funny character and have good interactions with Kokichi and Miu, but he just comes off as annoying. I feel like he only really started to be utilized after Miu died with Monotaro and I really enjoyed their dynamic, I just wish we could’ve had some of this side of K1-B0 before this point.

Kokichi Oma - This spot probably isn’t as subjective as I’d like it to be. Every time Kokichi was on screen, I would get visibly annoyed, but I knew I was in for a treat figuring out his deeper intents behind what he’s saying. The only reason I really like Kokichi at all is because he’s fun to analyze. It gets boring to analyze Nagito because his motivation is pretty much just a mix of “hope” and “he’s crazy.” Kokichi’s character trait of lying makes it so fun to individually analyze each of his lines to figure out whether he’s telling the truth and why or why not. Other than that, I guess he has some funny dialogue with Miu sometimes.

Gonta Gokuhara - I really don’t know. I know this is way too early to be unsure about characters, but I just know I couldn’t put him any lower, but I also couldn’t put him any higher. He’s just such a sweetheart, but that’s about where the substance ends. I adored every time he was on my screen, but everything that would’ve been fun to analyze about him just leads back to Kokichi. I still really enjoy his presence, though. I’d like a big Gonta hug.

Kaede Akamatsu - I’ll just say it, I think she would’ve made for a better protagonist. I’ll talk about this later, but Shuichi’s character development doesn’t really feel like it goes anywhere and the twist doesn’t feel worth it because of that. I think the twist should still have been incorporated, but with the roles reversed. Either way, we got what we got, and what we got was tears from Clair de Lune. But seriously, she really is a great pianist. I’ve been trying to learn the piece for ages and it’s still too complicated for me. I mean, it’s in 9/8 for God’s sake. Good for her, regardless.

Tenko Chabashira - Tenko’s a weird case. I didn’t actually care for her that much until quite literally a few lines before she died. Fun fact: I spoiled this entire series for myself before I ended up playing it and I’m still mad at myself. This meant that I was just waiting for all of the deaths to happen, especially Tenko’s. I was fully aware that every line could be her last during the seance, but I wasn’t aware that she would pull on my heart strings before she went. When she tells Himiko that she’ll do the seance in her place so she can talk to Angie, I literally almost started crying. Before this, Tenko was just kind of annoying, but not too bad, but this moment really solidified her spot for me. She really just wanted to help Himiko and I wish she had chosen a better target for her affections.

Hey, I think you’re pretty cool, I like you a lot

Shuichi Saihara - Time to elaborate on what I said for Kaede. I actually really enjoyed Shuichi’s character development throughout the first three chapters. Before coming to Hope’s Peak, he was afraid to hurt people with his detective skills. Kaede notices this and helps him through it, passing the reins to Kaito once she passes. Shuichi convicts Kaede and later Kirumi, much to everyone’s detriment, but they’re all okay with it (Nobody was really super sad about Korekiyo to begin with, lol). Then, starting in chapter 4, everyone just kinda flips on him. Shuichi + the rest of the gang - Kokichi all believe that Gonta is innocent and Shuichi tries to prove this. Instead of supporting him, everyone (especially Kaito) tries to... stop him??? from proving it??? They’re all just in agreement that it wasn’t Gonta, but don’t want to proceed with the investigation to figure out who it was instead. It’s really frustrating and made my overall experience much less enjoyable. This is bumped up a few notches in chapter 5 with Maki. I understand that she was part of the whole case, but that doesn’t make it any less annoying that she won’t let me prove Kaito was the victim. It just feels like the character development was all for nothing and every student feels like a human obstacle (except K1-B0, of course). Still relatable and emo, though.

Rantaro Amami - I would make the joke everyone expects, but I’m on my laptop and I don’t know how to get to the emoji keyboard.

Ryoma Hoshi - I genuinely don’t have anything to say about Ryoma. He’s my halfway point because I don’t have anything particularly for him and I don’t have anything particularly against him, either. Go off, funky little cat man.

Kaito Momota - He got on my nerves in chapter 4, but he was a genuinely sweet character that I really enjoyed talking to. Any time he would talk about the stars, I would swoon because he’s just such a natural romantic. Not really my type, though. Very average.

Monophanie - Legally you can’t ask me why the monokubs are where they are. She’s voiced by Natalie Hoover (Sonia) and I guess that’s my only reasoning.

Monotaro - I really just liked his interactions with K1-B0 in chapter 4. Other than that, I greatly disliked his and Monophanie’s presence in Gonta’s execution. 0/10 worst use for monokubs.

Monodam - A nice, non-distracting addition to Korekiyo’s execution. But he had so much potential and just threw it all away. Apparently I’m a basketball dad from a high school movie now.

I remember you

Angie Yonaga - Many times, I’ve found myself asking who I ship from the series and this love triangle comes to mind. Of Angie, Himiko, and Tenko... I only really like Tenko. I don’t hate Angie’s cult stuff as much as everyone else seems to, but she didn’t have nearly enough of a presence for me to latch onto outside of the cult stuff, which was funny, I will admit.

Maki Harukawa - I was so excited the whole game for her to get cool. I knew she was going to get cool, I just didn’t know when or how. But then, it was chapter 5 already and she hadn’t gotten cool in my eyes yet. I was really meh on her by that chapter anyway, but her being annoying really knocked her down a few pegs. She got a couple extra points for surprising me during the case, but not enough to bump her up any spots.

Himiko Yumeno - I was rooting for her to be crushed under the rock at the end. She was fine before chapter 3, but then they tried to develop her with the Akane treatment and it didn’t work for me at all. She just got on my nerves during the third trial and continued to contribute nothing throughout the rest of the game. During chapter 5 and 6, it’s like the writers just completely forgot that she was there. This would’ve been fine if they weren’t the last couple of chapters and she was one of about 6 people left alive. She had a role to play and didn’t play it in the slightest. The most she was utilized after chapter 3 was as Miu’s replacement post-chapter 5. Someone needed to fill the dirty jokes quota and I guess Himiko was chosen. #GiveTenkoABetterLoveInterest2021

Monosuke - The only thing I remember him doing throughout the entire game was distract me from Kirumi’s exectuion. Not a fan.

You are the worst. Literal scum. Leave this planet and never return

Korekiyo Shinguji - Okay, listen. He’s not that bad. His design is actually one of the best, in my opinion and I love his dedication to his craft. However, he just creeps me out whenever he’s on screen and I’d prefer not to be around him. It’s not even the sister thing, I honestly think that’s funny and a nice change of pace, but his overall demeanor is creepy. Not to mention he’s played by Todd Haberkorn and he’s been in one too many roles recently. Hopefully I’ll get over it, but as for now, that loses him points.

Tsumugi Shirogane - I know, not exactly an unpopular opinion. She’s just annoying and downright pisses me off a lot of the time with her “plain” shtick. I already knew she was going to be the mastermind, so most of the game was just me waiting for her to reveal it. I swear, I almost couldn’t take it every time she said something like, “What if there isn’t a mastermind?” “What?? There’s a mastermind????” Just stfu Tsumugi. You all are lucky I don’t have the energy to talk about 3-6 right now.

Monokid - Hate the tongue sprite, that’s literally the only reason he’s down here. He’s also kind of annoying, but made the best addition to an execution out of all of the monokubs. His death was one of the few things that surprised me in this game and it was a welcome twist. I was sick of him by this point, but was still incredibly shocked when he was pushed into the execution. Then, his severed head rolls out to all of the students looking on in shock at Kaede’s death. Masterful. Still hate the tongue sprite.

There we go. Definitely my least favorite cast out of the whole series, but it’s still fun to love on and hate on a lot of the characters, as per usual. There are just a few too many in the middle tier (metaphorically speaking) that are either uninteresting or just don’t get their time to shine. Maybe they’ll eventually grow on me more, but I doubt it.

[rebel-without-cause-x]

Stone Cold Sober

Jax Teller x Reader

REQUESTED BY @everyhowlmarksthedead // OH, HI. WHAT A COINCIDENCE, ISN'T IT? 😏 I was thinking about Jax confesing to reader his feelings for her, being drunk, but she doesn't believe him and he gets angry, feeling like the fucking Hulk and destroying everything on his path. You choose the end, and if reader feels something for him or not ✨😎👌🏻

A/N: AND YOUR GIRL IS BACK 🙌🏼 lyrics are in bold

Glancing up at the clock on the wall, a sigh left Jax’s lips, it was 3pm and he was already 6 beers and 2 glasses of whiskey in.

What started off as a bit of Dutch courage ended up in him deciding to get slaughtered but at least if shit went south he hopefully he wouldn’t remember it come morning. He was going to pour his heart out and confess tonight at the party.

Hearing your laugh fill the room, he took a deep breath downing the rest of his beer he pushed himself off the stool, stumbling into you as he did.

“Whoa there blondy” you laughed helping Jax stand up right “looks like you started the party without me”

“Meh” he shrugged

“Everything okay?” You asked slightly concerned for your friend.

“Just peachy” Jax said with a slight slur before wandering off, swaying side to side as he did.

He never got this drunk at 3pm so you knew something was weighing heavy on his mind, but you knew from years of experience never to push for details off Jax as it just made things worse, he would tell you when he wanted.

The night went on and you currently had a nice buzz as you sat on the bench lighting a smoke.

You had noticed Jax was extremely drunk right now and you were getting worried. Until he stumbled over to you pretty much becoming a dead weight as he laid on you causing you to fall back on the bench.

“There’s my beautiful angel” he slurred placing his hand on your cheek “I love you”

“I love you too jackie” you laughed “but right now you are kinda crushing me”

“No no no no you don’t understand” he said “I love you, as in I want to kiss you so bad, I want to do everything couples do, I want you to be mine”

You instantly stopped moving, his words weighing you down now. Trying not to read too much into it because he was so drunk.

“And you are drunk Jax” you sighed “come morning you will have forgot what you have said and we will go back to being Y/N and Jax, the friends that ignore the tension”

“Right” he mumbled “yeah you are right I’m being stupid, I’m drunk and don’t know what I’m say, don’t worry about it”

Somehow he managed to push his drunken self off you and as quick as he appeared he had disappeared. Leaving you wondering what the hell just happened.

“You know drunken mind but sober heart” Happy said appearing from nowhere.

“Shit Hap what have I told you about sneaking up on me” you breathed placing your hand over your heart.

“Didn’t mean I listened to you” he smirked “but don’t rule out what he said as drunken words”

“Oh eavesdropping now” you winked, punching his chest.

Jax had now locked himself in his dorm room, anger running through his veins, he should have never said anything, he knew he would never be more than friends with you.

He should have stayed quiet.

His feelings just got too much for him as hot tears ran down his cheeks as he threw the bottle of Jim Beam against the wall watching the bottle shatter, just like his heart did moments ago.

Something flipped inside of him as he started smashing his room up. If it wasn’t nailed to the floor it was being launched at the wall. Picking up the photo frame he kept at the side of his bed, he ran his fingers over the picture letting a few tears drop onto the glass. You looked like a couple in the picture, it was from the weekend you fake dated for your cousins wedding. Taking a deep breath he threw the photo at the wall watching it break and fall to the floor.

His fit of rage was too much for him as he laid on his bed before passing out.

I woke up hungover

But still had to call you

'Cause I just realized girl

That maybe it was all true, yeah

As Jax opened his eyes, he realised just how hungover he was. Letting his eyes adjust to the light flooding into his room, he looked around his now trashed room before remembering his fit of rage last night.

He didn’t know what you did after, did you stay and continue drinking? Or did you go home?

Running his hands over his face as he sighed, he needed something to help this hangover so pushed himself off the bed before going on the hunt for coffee.

Happy was the only one up.

“You look rough brother” he nodded as he ate his cereal.

“Feel it as well” Jax sighed “did Y/N get home okay?”

“She’s still here, she’s probably passed out in my room” Happy said.

He saw the cogs turning in Jax brain followed by an angry expression.

“Not like that, look you disappeared at 9pm and I needed to get Opie as didn’t want to leave him alone for the night so we got an Uber and went to pick him up and you know when he is here she passes out curled up to the dog” Happy laughed.

I let the whiskey talk

And baby it said too much

I got the feeling now

It didn't say enough

'Cause I'm waking up alone

Missing that midnight kiss

I can't promise you forever

All I know is I still want you to come over

And I'm stone cold sober

“What’s up Jax?” Happy asked “something’s on your mind”

“I definitely let the whiskey talk last night” he huffed “but now I don’t think it said enough”

“I heard what you said last night and it’s just because you were so drunk Jax” Happy said placing his hand on Jax’s shoulder “just speak to her, now you are sober let her know what you said was true”

“It just sucked waking up alone you know, when she stays here she’s in my bed 95 percent of the time” Jax sighed “I don’t know if i fucked things up, I didn’t plan on being that drunk when I told her”

“Tell her today then” he shrugged “but sober”

Well I can lie about 99 percent of the time

When I've had too much to drink

Yeah I do stupid things

But this time is different

And baby it feels so right

I hope you were listening

To every word I said last night

Jax had scrapped the coffee he just needed to speak to you and clear the air.

Pushing the door open to Happys dorm he could help but smile as you had your body curled around Opie’s, your head resting on his back. He knew how much you loved the dog.

Sitting on the end of the bed, he watched you sleep for a few minutes before he ran his hands through your hair, making you stir from your sleep.

“Hey sleepy” he smiled at you.

“How’s the head?” You mumbled as you sat up stretching.

“Sore” he shrugged “but with how much I drunk I’m not surprised”

You both fell into an awkward silence.

“I let the whiskey talk last night” Jax sighed as he scratched behind Opie’s ear.

“I knew it was just because you were dru-“

“I’m not finished darlin” he half laughed looking up at you “yes at the time it might have said too much but now I don’t think it said enough”

You stayed quiet as Jax placed his hand on your thigh.

“Look I can’t promise you forever with the life I live but baby I hope you were listening to every word I said last night” he whispered keeping his gaze trained on his hand “yeah I know I got bloodshot eyes, but it’s all crystal clear that I don’t need Jim Beam to know I need you here”

“So everything you said last night” you trailed off

“Was true and yes I should have gone about it in a better way but after I disappeared I smashed my room up and passed out” he said looking up at you. “But I couldn’t hold my feelings back any longer, every time you introduce a new boyfriend I just want to kill them, I hate seeing you in the arms of another man”

“Jax” you breathed before confessing “you know I only did that to make you jealous”

“What”

“Yeah I didn’t know if you felt the same so why do you think the relationship never lasted that long” you whispered taking his hand in yours “because my heart belongs to a badass blonde biker who is the biggest idiot I know”

“Can I kiss you?” He whispered leaning forward resting his forehead against yours.

“Took you long enough to ask boy” you giggled.

The feeling of his lips on yours was euphoric, your mouths working in sync saying all the words that you couldn’t. The kiss left your whole body tingling and wanting more.

Pulling away when your lungs started burning from the lack of air you rested your forehead against Jax’s, a goofy smile on your face.

“What do you say we bail and go get some breakfast” he breathed “lord knows I need something to soak the alcohol up”

“Sounds like a plan Batman” you giggled before getting off the bed.

“You are such a dork do you know that?” Jax laughed, following you out the room with his hand planted on your lower back.

“Yeah I know” you winked looking at him over your shoulder “but you love it”

“Damn right I do darlin’”

SOA TAGLIST

@chibsytelford @talicat713 @corebore123 @nothingeverdies @teapartydreams @mrspeacem1nusone @khyharah @itmejado @woahitslucyylu @beth-winchester21 @minnicelli @everyhowlmarksthedead @trulysuccubus @haynsey @witching-hour @destynelseclipsa @edonaspanca @abbiesthings @angelreyesgirl @enamouravecleslivresetlechocolat @jadesamhart @lady-pswrld @ly--canthrope @hennessyauntie @gemini0410 @i-love-scott-mccall @est11 @mystic-shadows42 @sugary-x-sweet @starrynite7114 @skyofficialxx @terminallygenius @sadeyesgf @lauraashley93 @leaalfred @angelreyesgirl89 @sheeshgivemeabreak @marquelapage

[katara0524]

Impromptu Ramblings about the NEO:TWEWY Demo

In case y'all weren't aware, I've been a pretty big fan of TWEWY for a couple years now, and with the sequel coming out next month, the excitement I feel for this game is greater than ever :) I played the Demo for the first time yesterday, and following a couple views of some livestreams of others playing it, I felt like sharing my (very ramble-y) thoughts prior to the release of the full game. This post WILL contain spoilers for both TWEWY and NEO:TWEWY, so if you want to avoid those from now on, please block the tags: #twewy spoilers, #ntwewy spoilers, #neo twewy spoilers, #ntwewy, and #neo twewy ^_^ Oh, and if you wanna keep up with any other posts I make about my experience with this game, please refer to the tag "kat plays neo twewy" :)

-First things first: I have not watched the Final Trailer and I don't plan on doing so to avoid spoilers, especially after the pre-release era of KH3 where a lot of the later trailers spoiled a lot of the endgame content. That being said, I've seen some minor screenshots from the final trailer including what many believe to be characters from the original TWEWY, namely Shiki and Joshua. That is all I know about the Final Trailer and I would very much like to remain as blind as possible going into NEO :)

-The very first cutscene was quite ominous in the sense that this game is likely going to be about "changing fate" (a recently common theme in Squeenix games, which I do appreciate), perhaps leading off from the end of A New Day in the OG and trying to stop an Inversion of Shibuya. Also worth noting that A New Day had similar aspects in which the main character experienced "future visions" of tragic events, although in A New Day these events were not able to be changed, while in NEO it seems like one of the main "powers" our protagonist has is specifically to rewrite these events and avoid a "bad ending." Very interesting indeed!

-I really like the revamped comic book style dialogue scenes, it's much more fluid and modern, which is an excellent direction for the series to take!

-I would love to have an actual PokemonGO knockoff of Final Fantasy creatures, please Squeenix that would be incredibleeeeee

-Also the LINE stickers??? Are so cute???

-I would just like to point out that Fret is an absolute treasure throughout this entire demo, he's hilarious and I will protect him with my life

-UHHHH don't like that Fret picked up some Reaper Pins just out of nowhere.....or the fact that they're apparently popular all over Shibuya.............did y'all not learn anything from the OG game or what lmao

-Okay so when I first got the "curry or ramen" scene and heard NPCs talking about the new curry place replacing the old ramen place I became IMMENSELY distressed that Ramen Don was totally cut from the game because....well, Ramen Don is a King okay?? But I'm glad to learn that no, he didn't fall off the face of the earth, he's still in business and he's the one opening the curry restaurant lolol. PHEW, crisis averted!

-.....I don't like the sudden appearance of a Wall Reaper and being able to read NPC thoughts. Wtf happened when they left the ramen place??? Are they playing the Game alive somehow?

-Okay so I have my own theories about this "Swallow" character and what they're up to but considering this is only the Demo and I still Have No Idea What's Happening, I'm just gonna say that I think Swallow intentionally led Rindo and Fret to the Crossing so they could join the Game. I mean, add in the fact that Swallow still communicates with Rindo during the Game and you've got yourself a suspicious character right there lol

-"Hey they're shooting off fireworks!" Fret honey that's not fireworks oof (see also: "*laughs* I'm in danger")

-WOOOOOO way to traumatize Rindo right off the bat like that LMAOO

-The visuals for the intro are VERY GOOD, the song is pretty decent until it gets all "screamo" (which I absolutely cannot stand sorry lol)

-Shoka is every Customer Service employee ever and I respect that

-Susukichi went from being "meh" to "WOW THIS GUY IS FUN" in the span of 10 seconds and I also respect that (he is also built like an Absolute Unit which is hilarious)

-The Wall Reapers (and just Reapers in general) seem.....way nicer and more helpful this time around?? Like in the OG the Wall Reapers were SO RUDE gfhjgjdfkhn and yeah I'm sure we'll get some like that but the juxtaposition of the first Wall Reaper in the OG compared to the first one in NEO is insane.

-The puzzles are quite a bit more entertaining this time around even if it's generally the same "fetch quest" formula lol

-"Rindo's Group" way to go Fret HFKJDGHSDFKJ mans really left the default name in there lmao

-OKAYOKAYOKAY so to those who aren't aware I am a MASSIVE SIMP for Sho Minamimoto, he's my absolute favorite and I think about him daily. HIS INTRODUCTION IS. INCREDIBLE. I LOVE IT SM.

-GOD hearing him actually SPEAK FULL SENTENCES is just SO SURREAL I love this sm

-Also the remix of his theme???? NEO TRANSFORMATION????? IT'S SO GOOD????????? It's like gone from a Boss Theme to a more triumphant sounding theme and I am HERE for it (every version of Transformation is just INCREDIBLE and getting a new one is even better)

-I Love Him, Your Honor

-Also idk how exactly but it's kinda weird seeing Sho in the OG vs NEO, cuz while he's mostly the same Insane Math-Obsessed Catboy, he's.....calmed down quite a bit?? Like OG made a whole point of how poorly he cooperates with others (not to mention just being completely unhinged and trying to kill everyone), whereas here in NEO he's......actually kinda working with others??? HELLO???? Sir what happened to you and Neku during those 3 years I would love to know all about it

-I guarantee you Sho is still probably scheming shite and will likely pull some total insane BS later down the road, and I am very much looking forward to that. Also, is he looking for a certain Pin or something??? Cuz he keeps talking about different Pins and even mentions "this is just another Psych Pin" like he's actively looking for a Pin to do something with. Maybe it also has to do with the "latent powers of Players" thing he mentioned as well??? What is this dude UP TO oml (also is he in contact with Neku at all?? they're both technically fugitives at this point right?? WHAT HAPPENED AFTER A NEW DAY I AM BEGGING YOU)

-I seems like Sho ALSO has an idea of what's going on in this specific game (even if he won't admit it straightforward). Per his quote "The game's 142,857. Factor it out," he's essentially saying, "This game is a neverending cyle, figure out how to get out of it" (or at least that's what I got from his "cyclic number" nonsense lolol)

-I do like how Sho mostly stays out of sight until he's needed for a battle or assisting with a mission, that's kind of on par with his whole "uncooperative" quirk from the OG, plus he might literally have to stay out of sight of other Reapers and Players considering he's likely breaking the rules of the Game (not surprising considering him and Neku broke practically every rule in the book during OG)

-The nicknames for Sho- I can't- They're so FUNNYYYY GFHJSDFKJ

-He goes from being called "Pi-Face" and "Tabooty" in OG to "Mr. Minami" and "M-Teezy" in NEO LMAOO

-(Wowee I just realized I've been mostly talking about Sho oopsies sorry y'all, this is what I meant by thinking about him almost daily he is THAT much of a fav of mine ghfkjsd)

-Okay RIP Fret and Rindo for not getting literally ANY explanation as to how the Game works OOF, that is kinda cringe that whoever gets the Pin earns points, not whoever erases the Noise (which like I understand but also URRRGGHHH I WANNA SEE THE SQUAD SUCCEED)

-"I should be going home now it's getting late" Oh you sweet summer child-

-Also love the mention of parents in this game???? KH you could learn a thing or two from TWEWY (poor Rindo's mom fhgjkdh)

-KUBO IS HILARIOUS I SUPPORT HIM AND HIS GROSS FACE (also thank you Final Trailer thumbnail for spoiling my suspicions about him very cool smh)

-Kaie is a LAD I also support him, go King type those funky texts I believe in you

-FRET PLS STOP SCANNING FHGJKSDHKJFGHFKJ he's like me when I scan in OG during Weeks 2 and 3 and see Taboo Noise coming after me ghfjdshfj

-Also Rindo can you stay off your phone for TWO SECONDS ik you're trying to figure things out but Fret is a jelly boi and I don't want him to be upset with you my guy

-Sho being an actual sorta mentor to the kiddos?? Who are you sir this is so unlike you ghfgskj what happened to the guy who tried shooting children in the face 8 times over LMAO (granted he's probably just using them but it's still nice to see him actually cooperating and sharing knowledge with the kiddos aaaaa)

-EYO EIJI OJI THE TIKTOK INFLUENCER IS BACK LMAO

-hgjkfshgkjf "we aren't glorifying capitalism on my watch" THATS SO FUNNY TO ME GFHJFSDGHJKS (also an all-orange ensemble is disgusting you deserve jail for one thousand years fkn Cheddar Goldfish Cheezit ass woman)

-WICKED TWISTERS NAME DROP EYOOO we love to see it

-gfhsgjf Poor Rindo embarassing himself for the sake of the Game that's incredible

-R e t u r n t o M O N K E. That is all.

-Dialogue during boss battles is HELLA cool i love that

-HHHHH THE KANON SCENE MADE ME A N G E R Y FRET STOP SIMPING MY GUY says the girl with a Literal Simp Encyclopedia and simps for pixels on a screen daily

-Can't wait to see the other Reapers :eyes emoji:

-CAN'T WAIT TO SEE NAGI MY BELOVED YEAHHHH WOOOOOO AAAAND that's about it for the demo lolol, I absolutely CANNOT wait for next month, this game is gonna be INCREDIBLE holy hell Prepare for more simping, more screaming, and more vibing from Yours Truly :) I fully intend on sharing more general thoughts like this on both Tumblr and Twitter so it's not just reblog-retweet-reblog-retweet with the occasional comment fhgskjd

If you wanna witness my insanity up close and personal I have a Square Enix Discord server called Sea Side Dreamers! You can look it up on Disboard, or you can add me on Discord @Katara0524#9244 for a direct link :) We have topics about Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, NieR, and ofc TWEWY (as well as other topics!), so if you want some good ol' chaos and chitchat, you're more than welcome to join!

[anika-ann]

What I’d Never Say or Do (Had I Been in My Right Mind) - Pt.1

We Both Break Free (…if We Make It on Top)

Type: series, soulmate AU series  (part 1, part 2, part 3)  

Pairing: Steve Rogers x reader    Word count (Ch1): 2050

Series summary: A story in which you officially come back from the dead, Tony with Natasha decide to take the blame for the whole mess and organize a party with unexpected party crashers and Bucky should consider thinking before speaking.

Fic title applicable to Tony, Natasha, Steve and his soulmate (aka the Reader), Bucky and his sort-of-buddy Matt Murdock and possibly few more.

Ch.1 summary.: In which Natasha and Tony go mad.

A/N: This series will be just a smaller thing, snippets set around The Age of Ultron (and later, Endgame). Later will be referred to as WINSoD because the title is a monster.

Warnings (ch1): mention of death and resurrection, mention of superntural creatures (see Errare Humanum Est), language, fluff

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Tony Stark was a ridiculously theatrical person.

While that was no news to anyone who knew as much as his name at least, but he still managed to outlive the legend, the reputation that preceded him.

He left you standing by the door, walked in to gain the undivided attention of the person inside the office and wanted you to reveal yourself in the exact right moment – a moment he trusted you to recognize.

Well. You assumed with a revelation like yours, it was rather hard to keep the drama away. But leave it to Tony Stark that he would blow it to proportion just to have fun.

“Tamara, darling!” the billionaire howled, the door opened only for a crack, so you could hear the reaction. You rolled your eyes, sighed and nervously looked around. The department was empty safe for the woman in the office, but it still made you feel uneasy; probably the effect of having to hide for the past weeks to avoid detection that could lead to a major scandal.

“Oh god, what happened?” Tamara asked, sounding as horrified as annoyed.

“Why do you assume— okay, that’s fair. How’s you hubby doing?”

“Alright,” the poor woman answered, clearly suspicious. “I more or less cleaned up the latest mess, so I’ve been coming home early…”

“Yeeeeah, about that. I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?” Tony offered cheerily.

“Bad news. Always. Let me just sit down-- no, no, don’t let me sit down, I have a feeling I’ll wanna pace irritably.”

That caused the corners of your lips to turn up. You were starting to like this woman already.

“I’m gonna need you to deal with a major scandal worthy of your skills.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere and I assumed as much.” Now you officially loved her – and you saw why Tony did too. Sass and snark; Tony’s language. “So, care to elaborate?”

“Nah, I’ll give you the good news. You’re gonna get some help. I brought reinforcements. She doesn’t have much experience with PR-” Try none. “-but I’m pretty sure she’ll be the one all the questions will be aimed at.”

“Oh my god, Anthony, did you get a woman pregnant?!” the woman hissed, not bothering lowering her voice. She sounded… kinda pissed. Which was reasonable, given the fact Tony Stark was happily-not-single with one amazing Pepper Potts.

“What? No! I have Pepper!” he opposed her, having the nerve to be offended. You smirked, hoping Jarvis caught that one line too. “This is all on Capsicle-“

“Captain Rogers got a woman pregnant?! What the-“

You felt like this was the moment.

“No, Mrs…. Tamara,” you said it the end, realizing Tony never told you the poor woman’s last name, and entered the room. “But his soulmate sort of came back from the death.”

Tamara was a middle-aged woman, with blonde medium-length hair and huge majestic glasses, business suit in a bloody-red colour and lips perfectly shaped in an “O” as you demonstrated the problem at hand.

“Holy. Shit.”

Leave it to Tony Stark he would flee the moment an actual explanation was needed, letting the others deal with the aftermath of his dramatic tendencies. To be fair, this was more of your drama, so…

“Good. Looks like introductions are not needed. I’ll send you the necessary data. Have fun.”

He strode through the door, winking over his shoulder at you and sending an air kiss to Tamara and you nervously smiled at the woman, your awkward side showing when you raised your hand to a reluctant wave before you could realize a handshake would be more appropriate.

“Uhm. Hi…”

The blonde blinked several times, shook her head with an incredulous chuckle and stuck out her hand.

“Hi. I’m Tamara, Antony Stark’s cleaning service. What can I do for you?”

Oh yeah. You’d get along just fine.

…

The story was simple and yet enough to make at least two Avengers very much hated.

Tony and Natasha, perhaps from some residual guilt of which you weren’t sure where was coming from, were determined to be thrown to the wolves of public.

Apparently, it had been all their idea – to have Steve and you kidnapped in the first place by the bomb enthusiast psycho. They had caught something fishy, been aware of it for a long time and opted for drawing the something rotten within SHIELD and company out by leaking early info on where you and Steve would be going to dates for several nights in a row without your or Steve’s knowledge. Perfect bait with nearly perfect surveillance background and safety measures.

Predictably, it had gone to shit and while you had never been blown up to death, which was something Steve had had zero clue about, you had been recovering from your life-threatening injuries for weeks in a hidden facility of top-secret location with way too much security. Still without Captain America’s knowledge.

Admittedly, this tale was a PR nightmare in making, not to mention a complete bullshit. Yet, the Avengers (sans Steve so far) unanimously approved of it. Tony and Natasha would be the first to blame, while the rest would reluctantly admit they knew as well and they had all kept it from Steve.

“You can’t be serious,” was all you managed to come up with, Steve sitting on the couch next to you while the rest of the team, the part that was momentarily on Earth, gathered around you to break you the news. This was what they came up with? “People will hate you.”

“And their hearts would still bleed for their golden boy, who would forgive us in time, especially since we offered his girl a job and an apartment she can’t quite refuse.”

“Wait, what kind of a job?!” Steve snapped, waking up from the deep thoughts he had fallen into with this stupid talk.

“The non-dangerous kind, Steve, calm down, please,” Natasha cooled him off flatly, but you could see her sincere gaze when it met with Steve’s. We wouldn’t endanger her, not again, it whispered. Steve’s shoulders slumped.

“What kind of a job?” you echoed, still worried. You assumed the apartment Tony mentioned was a place in the Tower, not bothering to ask about that part.

“PR. Unless you want to deal with your old job of which I have no doubt your best buddy would give back. I’d just like to remind you how the public reacted to you dying.”

Right. You wouldn’t mind a little privacy and safe space. You liked your old job, but it didn’t seem like an option now. Except… this was crazy.

“But they will still hate you. It makes you guys terrible friends and teammates. Frankly, it makes you kind of… terrible people,” you said slowly, taking time to examine everyone’s face.

“She’s got a point,” Steve agreed, wheels in his head clearly turning in a lightning speed.

“Meh. You should know what Fury’s up to during his ‘the end justifies the means’ periods – which is non-stop. I wouldn’t worry about that,” Natasha shrugged it off, pursing her lips a bit.

“Wasn’t it you who said you weren’t sure how to get her back to the world without having to explain she was literally led by an angel from Heaven?” Clint reacted to Steve, who sighed.

“Yes, of course, but this-“

“-is perfectly believable,” Natasha interrupted him, raising an eyebrow before beckoning to Tony and herself. “Me and Tony came up with the operation – a spy and a billionaire with questionable conscience. We pulled the rest of the team into the charade. This can work.”

“I can’t say I’ll enjoy this,” Bruce entered the conversation for the first time, surprising everyone. “However, it will allow you to walk the streets freely – with uncomfortable questions, yes, but it is a reasonable deal for us.”

“Steve? Thoughts?” the spy turned to him again.

Your soulmate observed his team for a long time, just like you, watching each of them individually, trying to read them as he himself was conflicted and undecisive. Finally, his eyes settled on you, a hint of an encouraging smile on his lips.

“Doll? How do you feel about that?”

The softness of his voice, the actual freedom he gave you when it came to this decision warmed your heart and made you shudder at the same time. You had no doubt he had come to a decision; but the final step was on you and you only. He would be affected too, of course, but this was your life that could turn upside down for like… what, the third time since you had met him?

You worried your teeth over your lower lip. “I mean… I’d really appreciate not having to hide in here all the time, but… I don’t want people to hate you, guys. I feel like I caused enough problems-“

“No, doll,” Steve whispered, his hand covering yours and squeezing firmly as he locked his gaze with yours and didn’t let go. “I’m not asking about them. I’m asking about you. They are clearly willing to do this.”

“Are you?” you questioned despite being confident about his answer.

“Do I love you?”

That caught you off guard. “Huh? That’s not what I-…?”

What did that even mean? Did he love— come again? How was this about his feelings towards you all of sudden? Was it time to question them? God, you hoped NOT.

“That the newest version of asking whether the sky is blue, doll,” he explained with a lop-sided smile and you released a breath you didn’t realize you had been holding.

Idiot. Sap. Sweet-talker.

“You’re such a sap.”

“You love it,” he hummed confidently. You smiled despite your better judgement. You loved him. And yeah, you loved this silliness too.

“I do.”

“So… are we doing this? Together?” His smiled grew a little wider, the twinkle you adored appearing in his eyes and you couldn’t but squeeze his hand back.

“Yeah. Together.”

“Jarvis, send Dum-E with some insulin shots,” Tony cleared his throat and you felt your cheek dust with a blush, roughly pulled out of the haze Steve managed to put you in once again. “We’re all having unhealthy sugar rush.”

The captain rolled his eyes. “Har, har, Stark. Are you guys really okay with this?”

Clint huffed. “It’s not like people will start planning our assassination more than they do already.”

“Tamara might,” Natasha opposed, amused.

“Ah, poor Tamara, I better bring a wine with me when asking…” Tony mused, scratching his goatee.

You turned to the red-head spy, not happy about being out of the loop.

“Who’s Tamara?”

Tamara, the head of the PR department for Tony (and sometimes for the Avengers too, because those two clients, so to speak, often came as a package deal), was currently starring at you speechless when you told her the tale of what actually happened and what lie they had decided to feed the public.

The silence lasted long enough for you to start worrying.

“Are you alri-“

“Angels are real?!” she burst out, nearly making you jump out of your skin with the sudden exclaim. You placed your palm over your chest to keep your racing heart inside your ribcage.

“…yes. But so are demons, shapeshifters, witches and so on, so…”

“Not a good thing to go public with. Got it. I understand the cover-up now. Though people being able to be resurrected would be enough on its own even without the… creatures. My my… we have a lot of work to do.”

“I’d imagine,” you agreed, not having a clue how to do this and where to start.

The woman looked at you over the rim of her glasses, her smile kind, in the Stark contrast to her loud cry only few second ago.

“…you don’t have any experience with PR at all, do you?”

“Nope,” you admitted, accenting the P and looking away, ashamed that Tony threw you into this without giving you anything helpful.

Now Tamara had to deal with the scandal and with you trying to help. That woman was worthy of some serious pay raise (though you had no doubt Tony paid her enough for her to own a villa or something, exactly as much as she deserved for dealing with his shit).

“I’m gonna kill Anthony, I swear…. Okay,  let’s get this shit on the road. Also, Jarvis? Tell Antony to get the freakin’ wine ASAP.”

Oh yeah. You would actually adore Tamara, you were sure of it.

༻༺༻༺༻ღ༺༻༺༻༺

Part 2

༻༺༻༺༻ღ༺༻༺༻༺

Here we go! The final part of the series. Admittedly, I’m not sure about quality of this thing, but I’m trying.

Chapter titles are taken from the chorus of Les Friction’s What You Need

Thank you for reading ♥

(I’ll be tagging my Errare Humanum Est taggies, if you don’t want ot be taggged anymore, let me know)

[kolasharkattack]

Just finished my first playthrough of Sonic Forces and I thought I'd give some thoughts while its fresh on my mind

First and foremost, I don't think the game is complete garbage. Maybe I'm influenced cause I got it on slae for 10$, but it's an averagely-good game by itself, and around C-tier by Sonic standards. It's not that bad, guys. Yeah, team Sonic can do better, but I think the hate was a bit excessive

Infinite as a villan is sorta generic and underwhelming but I rlly love his design! Idk, He rlly could have been something, and be just kinda... dissapeared at the end

I didnt mind Classic Sonic amd his segments, but I also haven't played any Classic Sonic games or Generations, so idk maybe I'm missing something :/

The other characters... definitely arent at thier best. Like, Sonic is mostly alright, Tails is a bit skittish, Classic Sonic is himself, but idk, the rest of the resistance was kinda... meh? I liked Knuckles being in charge but eveeyoen felt more flat then usual but that's a writing issue (Side note: I rlly liked Vector in this, I never had much feelings about Vec until now but he's pretty cool)

The ending was pretty sweet, makes me feel nice

The whole "power of friendship" thing felt a bit tacked on but whatever

I wanted more Metal... like he was in the cover image! We only fought him once! I know he peaked in Heros but still. Eggman didn't even like... say anything to him the whole time, they never interacted at all! Like at the end where the illusions fade, you could have the real Metal just left there like "wtf where'd everyone go" or something

If I think if anything else later, I'll probably rb and add it, but it was a nice experience! I'll probably replay it sometimes in the future

[nayarablueglasses]

Duo x male reader

a/n: oh gods this is so. anyways this was meant for day thirteen of the @gundam-wing-pride event but certain circumstances have caused me to be unable to post in time for it. the tears prompt was kept in mind for this, i hope it suffices.

word count: 2,059

summary: horrific battles never made you cry, so how did a joke from Duo manage to do it?

warnings: reader is in an active war at first, brief mentions of reader becoming deaf to loud sounds after the battle, reader has a very dry way of thinking, i haven't seen the entirety of the show in ages so i think my timeline is a little messed up

reader pronouns: he/him but comes off as gn

How’d you end up here?

You’d woken up to the extremely jarring sounds of the space station’s evacuation alarms. Considering the immediate panicking masses of people that then flooded the streets, it wasn’t the best way to wake up. Especially when you factor in that your first evacuation drill since the ‘safe space’ had been rebuilt, relocated and refortified was supposed to happen next week. Though to be fair, there were absolutely no signs that you knew of that would signal a a war erupting on your colony.

Honestly? You never were impressed by the Gundams. All you knew about them was that they were starting a war with what a few of the colonies had begun to call the “colony rebels.” The White Fang. Maybe the White Fang had started the war, but you could care less. No matter who’d started this, the colonies- your colony- was caught in the crossfires now.

And it wasn’t like you could trust the Gundams, either. It wasn’t that long ago that Gundam Pilot 04 almost blew up an entire colony because their father had been killed. If that was how the Gundams handled personal loss, your colony could only speculate on the ways they’d deal with the political difficulties of a war. And unsurprisingly, it turned out that they handled it absolutely terribly.

The scariest part was the absolute absurdness of the whole war. Two sides that claimed to speak for the colonies. The White Fang pressed attention on the colonies, while the Gundams remained an absolute mystery. Plus, the individual power struggles claiming the colonies, the Treize Faction war against Oz that was reportedly occuring back on Earth... everybody was misinformed about absolutely all of it, and the best you could do was try to make sense of the chaos unfolding and hope it never touched your poor colony.

But wishes don’t always come true. And certainly never the wishes you make.

Like the wish you’d been repeating back to yourself for the last hour- to be able to come out of this unscathed. Your arm had some thoughts on that.

As it turns out, trying to run through an active warzone to the safe space you didn’t know the location of was extremely dangerous. So dangerous that your arm had been hit with a stray bullet. Right now the main dangers were the footsoldiers firing at each other, but not that far off in the distance you could see two of the Gundams fighting a swarm of Taruses. The fact that they weren’t close was anything but comforting, since you’d seen the speed of the Gundams before on T.V.

Oh.

“Hey- get outta the way! Ya try’na get killed?” A White Fang footsoldier shoved you to the side, presumably trying to help. Instead you stumbled facedown into a very large pile of scrap metal. Which very much hurt your arm and effectively trapped your leg as well.

Fun. “The fuck kinda horror movie is this?” You muttered to yourself. Of course, of course you ran directly into the fray. Because of COURSE that was safer than the opposite direction (which in all fairness had been covered in sharp-looking rubble). That’s fine. You could work with this. What did your uncle usually tell you- take inventory in terms of crises?

You hadn’t brought a backpack with you, so, all you could take inventory on was what was in your pockets. One elastic, a single outdated coin, and fuzz. Plus, a bleeding arm and the bullet you figured was still in there, a possibly twisted and hopefully not broken foot, ringing in your ears... and the clothes on your back. Ok.

So this is how you die? Fine. That’s fucking fine. You had plenty to live for, but fine. Who cares?

“Woah-hoh, what the hell? Hey- hey handsome, you awake?”

A very neon green light pierced your consciousness. Out of habit, you tried to raise your arm to block it out- and then an even more painful, piercing feeling jolted through your whole body. “Ahh-huah- ‘m. ‘m awake now. Ohhh gods. Yeah. ‘m- yeah. Fuck. Who’re you and are you going to help me or kill me?”

“Kill you? Man, I might be the god of Death and all but I’m not going to kill you! You related to Heero or somethin’?”

“Don’t know- ow- who the fuck that is. What’s up with that green light shit> ‘M gonna be blinded if I open my eyes.”

And there the light went. Nice. If this guy didn’t kill you, you might actually survive. Sans your arm. Nobody on your colony could help your arm. You figured that life would be interesting from now on. “Great, thanks man. Fuuuuck. You- you see my arm? Yeah- I’m taking your silence as a yeah. This bitch’s fucked and moving at all is very very painful. So hey random stranger. You strong enough to carry me to the nearest amputator?”

Apparently you were just being dramatic. Your arm would 100% be still attached and your foot would survive. Your ears were… fine. After waking up in a hospital on an entirely different colony station, you learned that apparently, there exists a kind of deaf in which it was hard to hear things that were too loud. Which. You now had.

No more concerts. Meh.

The most jarring of everything was when you discovered that a) you were likely to have either trauma or ptsd and b) the guy that carried you to the hospital in his Gundam- was a Gundam Pilot. 02. Duo Maxwell. He’d brought you to Colony 14 Blue and was now reportedly “chillin’ outside until you get discharged.” with the promise that he’d bring you to the Peacemillion afterwards.

Oh. And almost everybody you knew closely had “likely” passed away in the attack. The therapy for that was going to be interesting when you consider that nobody of your family was on the colony at the time of the attack. Honestly the way they were pressing for you to be evaled made it feel like they were planning to make an example out of your supposedly poor mental state. Unsurprisingly the hospital was being run by the White Fang.

Discharge went quickly. The ride back to Duo’s Deathscythe went quickly. The ride in Duo’s Deathscythe went far, far too slowly. And adjusting to life on the Peacemillion went poorly.

Every now and again, Duo would look for you and, if he hadn’t immediately come from a fight (he passed out on your carpet once due to blood loss after being in a gunfight. Zechs was less than appreciative.), he’d bring you to the nearest colony. Being able to enjoy a day out on occasion was a rarity you usually only got to experience with Duo.

“Ooooi, Duo. Check these out. Tell me these aren’t the coolest gloves you’ve ever seen.” You held up some black fingerless gloves for him to inspect. He’d brought you to a new colony, where apparently a special holiday (complete with fun sales) was happening. Admittedly, some of the people on this station were giving you and Duo some especially strange looks whenever Duo would tug on your shirt or grab your hand to get your attention but like. Fuck them.

“Hey, those look pretty awesome!” he grinned and bounced over, snatching the gloves from your hands to look for a price tag. “To steal or not to steal, that is the question.”

You raised an eyebrow. So maybe the crush you’d developed on this overgrown child of a thief was growing. So what? It’s just a crush. Everything’s going to be fine. “Is the price tag expensive or something?”

Duo shook his head. “Exact opposite. There isn’t one.”

“Let’s just leave ten gilla and bolt, then.”

“...wicked.”

Normally the rides back home were silent and awkward, but after the rather exciting day you’d had, you were feeling especially chatty. Which wasn’t to say that there weren’t still awkward breaks in the conversation. It was quiet, sure, but a lot of things had been quiet lately. Being deaf to louder things tended to do that to a person.

Duo drew you out of your thoughts with another tug on your sleeve and pressed one of the gloves into your hand. “Here. Figured we’d both look badass with just one glove. Plus we match!” He held up his gloved left hand with an air of confidence. He wasn’t wrong, honestly. Wearing his braid the way he did, he already cut an impressive figure, but the gloves really sold the look.

You pulled on the glove he gave you, flexing your fingers to test it’s flexibility. After all, if you couldn’t engage in you and Duo’s elaborate handshake, you might have to ditch the glove altogether. Luckily the glove fit you well- functionality and style alike. Ten gilla spent well.

“Not bad. Y’think Zechs’ll get jealous?” Duo laughed at the idea.

“Doubtful, doesn’t he have Noin to get him cool stuff? Plus, I think his mask and that hair are defining accessories, what else does he need?”

You shrugged. “What gay wouldn’t love these? ‘M already enjoying mine ‘nd yours look more worn in than mine do. Solid fuckin’ proof right there.” Not like you could confirm or deny that Duo was gay. Honestly, you didn’t really care for his specific labels, but Zechs was definitely gay so it just helped further the joke. With his demeanor and his lesbian best friend? Could the flags get any gayer.

“More like pansexual on my account. Good to know your take on gender preference though. This mean I’m allowed to openly flirt with you now?” He leaned back into his seat, throwing his feet up onto the table in front of you and resting his head in his hands.

You raised an eyebrow. “Only if you promise not to ‘no homo’ me afterwards.” Duo pretended to fall backwards, clutching at the nonexistent pearls and acting offended. You two giggled when Sally came in from the cockpit to assure herself that somebody hadn’t just gotten a concussion. To which Duo immediately pretended to have a head wound of some sorts (you suspected he was being purposely vague) in hopes of attaining the candy that Sally sometimes had on hand.

Once she left (leaving you and Duo with strong warnings against fooling around more, lest Duo’s “head injury” get worse; to which you had saluted and replied, “absolutely no promises, ma’am!”) you shared a look with the brunette and tried to keep from dissolving into a fit of laughter. To your chagrin, it was a fail. You were laughing so hard that your stomach was starting to genuinely hurt. Duo was doubled over on the ground, wheezing unintelligible words and trying to hand you the lollipop that Sally gave him.

By the time you had managed to calm down and breathe, Duo was getting into the chair beside you and clutching his side. “I think I pulled a muscle from laughing so hard.”

“Yeesh, ‘m crying from laughin’ so much. Aah, this is what y’do to me.” You joked, wiping away tears from the corners of your eyes.

“Y’know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you cry before,” Duo paused to think. “like, at all! Now that I think about it, didja even cry when I rescued you?” You shrugged again. The battlefield was pretty terrifying and if you hadn’t found it in you to cry from fear… well, you were feeling a lot of emotions during the whole ordeal. Who could really blame you? “Pretty tough that a fuckin battle didn’t even make you cry. Hey- my bit musta been pretty damn good to make you shed a tear!”

“Yeah, don’t let it get to y’head. ‘S just because ‘m crushin on you.” You mentioned casually, testing the waters.

“Full homo?”

“Full homo.”

Well, would you look at that. Now Duo was crying. What was with you two and tears today?

BONUS:

“You’re so cheesy.” You muttered to Duo, who was proudly holding up your guys’s fingerless gloves- which he had sewn a rainbow patch onto the back of.

He smiled, tugging your glove onto your hand. “Mhm. You love it though.”

Sighing, you returned the favour and pulled his glove onto his right hand. “You’re right. I love it. I love you.”

[all works found under the name "nayarablueglasses" are property of nayarablueglasses. please do not repost, claim as your own, or edit. i do not consent for my works to be part of any social media other then tumblr, including having my works be adapted for asmrs.]

[bigskydreaming]

Tarn the Uncaring and his Locus Vile remain creepy as fuck, but I can’t help but feel that this Hellions issue would be a lot more impactful if we had any clue whatsoever what Tarn and his ick squad’s powers actually are. Its the same gripe I have with the last Wolverine issue and that Arakki pirate guy......I feel like the writers are making all these new Arakki characters but aren’t bothering to figure out what they can even do beyond just make them look bad-ass or intimidating or whatever and just be vague as to their actual capabilities.

For the most part its not a big deal, but I do think sooner rather than later we do need an ACTUAL clue about what the hell Tarn and the rest of the Great Ring’s powers are, given that its been well established that the Arakki ONLY let omega level mutants sit on their ruling council, so like......I think they should have bothered figuring out what the Great Ring’s powersets are before introducing them at least, and I feel like a big reason for the vagueness is that so far....even the writers only have the vaguest idea about what most of them can do. I mean, the only ones we know for sure are Isca and Lactuna or whatever her name is....and we have a reasonable sense of what the fish dude’s powers are and they’re fairly epic....and Idyll’s powers obviously are precognition related, so....okay y’know what, I take it back. 

Of the Great Ring, the only ones we don’t really have a sense of are Tarn and the other random dude whose name I forget, and Tarn’s obviously have something to do with genetics/power manipulation.....but every time I see that giant caterpillar mutant, Xili or whatever his name is, I’m just like....okay we saw him in action but I still don’t get how his power works even a little bit.

Anyway, Hellions was an interesting issue, I enjoy seeing Sinister’s fuck-ups come back home to roost and all the Hellions finding out just how badly he screwed them on the Amenth mission, and I am intrigued by the mention of Chimera towards the end of the issue. I’m guessing all of this is building up to the reveal of Sinister’s first experiments in creating the triple-powered mutants we saw in Powers of X a hundred years in the future - and that series did mention that the first Chimera were ‘grown’ in the Vats of Mars, which is now Arakko, home of.....the people Sinister just admitted to stealing the DNA from to create these Chimera. So it all fits. 

What I’m curious about is how much of this is just leading up to the same events that already played out in Moira’s last failed lifetime, versus how much things are going differently this time around. Like, we’re finding out about the Chimera being created already, which would seem to suggest events so far aren’t playing out too differently from the last time around, given the references to them being made on Mars....BUT in Moira’s last lifetime in Powers of X, like, it was clearly referenced as MARS having been where the Chimera were first made.....while ever since the Hellfire Gala, the books have all been pushing really hard that the planet’s name is Arakko now. So what I’m wondering is if Moira’s last lifetime - where she was allied with Apocalypse for at least part of it as well - if Arakko and its mutants were ever successfully retrieved from Amenth....or if Mars was simply a Krakoan colony in that past lifetime, and the Chimera we saw a hundred years in its future were just the results of Sinister’s experiments with mutant/Krakoan DNA, with him never having had access to Arakki mutants or Tarn’s own experiments with mutation.

Because if the latter, then that would suggest that the key difference this time around, and the potential game changer for the future, is not actually Krakoa itself, but Arakko’s presence and the Krakoa/Arakko alliance, spread across two planets.

Hmmm. Must ponder more.

As for the new X-Men issue, it wasn’t bad but it was mostly meh. It felt like a lot of just action sequences with Duggan narrating how they all used their powers together to defeat the Annihilation Wave, and like....yawn? The mutant synergy idea is fine conceptually, but they are milking it WAY too hard, its like we get it, can you do something with the actual STORY rather than just being like look what happens when these two mutants use their powers at the same time? LOL. For what its worth, what story there IS in this issue is intriguing. I mean, the idea of Gameworld and its bets on the fate of Earth is pretty interesting, and Dr. Stasis is shaping up to be a dangerous threat, especially with him seeming to be on to the Krakoan resurrection capabilities (uh, not that they’ve been all that subtle about it, tbh), and allied with Orchis - thus them knowing about the great Krakoan resurrection engine as well, lmao. Like, they probably really should have put a bit more effort into keeping that under wraps awhile longer instead of just being like: 

"Oh Jumbo Carnation famously was murdered a few years ago with it all over the news and now we’re making a big deal about him designing all the outfits for our highly publicized Hellfire Gala, and you want to know how that could be possible, Mr. Reporter? Uh...look! A squirrel!”

Also, that plus the big fight between the Locus Vile and the Hellions on Krakoa after Ororo specifically WARNED Tarn that she was going to fuck his shit up if he tried to retaliate against Sinister - and that Isca and the rest of the Great Ring promised to back her on, lololol, its kinda funny that they all seem to hate Tarn as much as the rest of the Quiet Council all hate Sinister - anyway, all that has me wondering what the official policy on dead Arakki mutants is. I assume given that they’re mutants no fundamentally different from Krakoan mutants, that like, ever since they emerged from Otherworld, there’s no reason that Cerebro shouldn’t back up their consciousnesses as automatically as it does any other mutant’s....so is Krakoa sharing its resurrection technology with Arakko at all? Assuming of course that once they saw how Krakoans did it, they don’t have specific mutants of their own capable of matching the capabilities of the Five and doing the same for them. 

BUT then again, the idea of resurrection seems to fly pretty heavily in the face of Arakki culture, so I don’t imagine on the WHOLE they’re all that interested in it in the first place.....BUT BUT, that doesn’t mean that INDIVIDUAL Arakki mutants aren’t interested. And given that we know now that it was Solem who was pulling strings in Wolverine’s solo title and X-Force, and that he was behind stealing the Shi’ar logic diamonds, which are used in resurrection, and he seems to have aims towards stealing the Cerebro Sword from Mikhail in Russia......from what we do know of Solem, it would make perfect sense for him to be interested in resurrection, given how many of his own people want him dead (especially after how he fucked over War in X of Swords), and I can’t imagine Solem being all that interested in like, applying for Krakoan citizenship just for that perk if he felt he could finagle resurrection on his own terms instead.

Or that he thinks they’d even offer it to him at all at this point, given that Emma, a key figure on the Quiet Council, is personally gunning for him to get payback for what he did to Christian and the Marauder (yesssss, this is one Emma + Wolverine teamup I’m here for lololol). Course, I can’t help but think, you know who else would want payback for Christian, and who might be extremely helpful in going after a notoriously dangerous Arakki warrior with adamantium skin? Oh, idk, Christian’s boyfriend, the omega mutant capable of freezing anything so cold it can shatter with a touch....even vaunted adamantium. I’M JUST SAYING. We saw Bobby get his vengeful on after Kate was killed, and him applying that same energy towards going after someone as dangerous as Solem on Christian’s behalf, would be like....potentially the most interesting thing they’ve done with him in years.

Like, I know it won’t happen because it probably hasn’t even occurred to the writers, since most of them barely even acknowledge that Bobby and Christian are IN a relationship, but how fucking great would it be to have Solem smugly convinced that he’s a match for Logan only for him to be like “the useful thing about NOT being a loner loser like you and actually having friends and people who like me, is sometimes it pays to have a bigger gun than yourself on speed dial.” Cut to....Heeeeeere’s Bobby! You know, the dude who just singlehandedly gave your spiffy new homeplanet its ice caps. And whose boyfriend your pirate patsies tossed overboard and left for dead when stealing his ship.

Solem: Aww, fuck.

[praphit]

F9: What does Absurdity even mean anymore?

Due to COVID, I thought that my last movie theater experience was going to be "Bad Boys For Life". I'm happy to say that if I died today, I would be telling souls in Heaven that "F9" was the last movie I saw on the big screen (I'm sure that films are big talking points in the after life).

There weren't too many people there:

There was a woman coughing in the corner; I barely looked at her. I imagined that COVID was mugging her, and I didn't want to be a witness, and so have COVID come after me next. I'm vaxxed, but still I was thinking of ways to distract COVID, so I could enjoy the film. There was an old couple sitting up front (like REALLY OLD... sitting UP FRONT... Ha! that's awesome). Awesome or not, I was going to point them out if COVID came after me. There were two obese kids sitting a few rows behind me that I could also point out, as well as my friend that I was sitting next to... what?? Look, they would ALL want me to escape, so I could bring my "F9" review to the people!

WHAT??!

Let's not talk about my survival skills, let's talk some Vin & the Fam - that's why we're here!

It took a while for me to remember what was going on:

Dom (Vin), Letty (M. Rod), and their... kid? Oh, right, they have a kid, and they moved on to start a new life together. 

Didn't the real mom die or something?? Idk. You've got the British lady from "GOT" still hanging out with Luda and Tyrese. 

(they so crazy)

"Hobbs and Shaw" are still gone 

(making their own money, cuz bleep family!). 

Brian (Paul Walker's character - rip) is apparently, now everyone's babysitter. So, if anyone in this gang, who could die on any of these missions, ever have kids, they can just send them off to Nanny Brian's. 

There's a dude named Mr. Nobody who sometimes sends the gang on secret spy missions.

Oh, and people in the gang keep coming back from the dead. Boom! We're caught up with this absurdity. That's actually what I asked for when I got to the movies 

"Give me one ticket for Absurdity please."

In this batch of the absurd, we find out that Dom has a brother, and he's John Cena (Jakob). 

Charlize Theron is back! That must have been the worst bet that she has ever lost. I consider her to be one of the most underrated and underappreciated actors we've got, but movies like these ain't helping that case.

And who's idea was it to give her that haircut? - part of the bet she lost, I suppose. 

It was reported that the gang goes into space (at least two of them do). 

Annnnd the X-Men Jet is back! 

(it really does look like that - Wolverine included)

Seriously, after the X-Men's last two movies (which were turrrible), I was expecting them to crossover for a fresh start. Why not?? They're a spy team now, that goes to space! - nothing should be off the table.

They're looking for two halves of some... war sphere?? If put back together with some key... idk... John Cena rules the world.

Remember when Vin and the gang were all about street racing, money, survival, and brown booty? - those were simpler times!

But, why discuss the plot? Seriously, why? None of it makes any sense. From Dom and Letty living like Amish people (which is an ending worse than death for action heroes) 

to their convoluted explanation for bringing the latest person back from the dead (which reminds me of a married couple, when the husband or wife get caught watching porn, and try to explain that it was just a pop-up that came out of nowhere. The other spouse gulps their glass of wine and plows forward - that was me with this - gulping my soda (with a lil Henny) saying "whatever guys, let's please just move on".

and  what's going on with the two brother's is a thin thread at best. AND the villain's motivation...  

But, it's foolish to get into that., and take points off. I LOVE THESE MOVIES, but it ain't for the story. Let's grade "F9" by its own standards:

Racing, Action, and Family (they graduated from booty to family):

Racing

They've done the racing in a small city thing before, but this time it's with magnets! - SUPER MAGNETS!

YES!

I loved this! Cars are getting sucked into magnets. They're using them to make people fly away and explode. Which btw, they did my man Francis Ngannou wrong (an mma fighter). There's a fight scene with a giant white dude on top of a speeding vehicle. That giant white dude could have and should have been the role for Francis, instead he's just here to say high, and then blow up. As much as I loved these scenes, they were too quick in some areas. I think if they had slowed some of the magnet stuff down a bit, we could appreciate more what's happening.

Action

M.Rod is legit. 

She needs her own franchise. The only action star I enjoyed more than her was Vin, and that's really due to the absurdity of one scene. Do y'all remember the "Civil War" scene when Captain America has one hand on a building and another pulling back a helicopter?? 

It's the same level of strength needed for what Vin does in some underground chambers. You can see a bit of it in the trailer. He pulls the whole place down, and then, just like in "Civil War", he ends up in the water (but unconscious). Oh, and he does this after beating up like 50 people at once. Ha! I love it! Then, how he is rescued (cuz c'mon, he can't die) is splendidly preposterous, and I mean that is a complimentary way. That scene is perfection.

The only action that bothers me comes from Dom's sister (mia). 

She just doesn't sell being a fighter, but whatever. No disrespect... she’s beautiful, but... her hair might weigh more than the rest of her body.

Apparently, the highest trained fighters (agents) in the world (who have GUNS) never trained for a unskilled, unprepared, 110 lb woman in her 40's with a frying pan.

Family & Corona

Tyrese and Luda are always funny, but their act is growing a bit thin. It actually felt like an act this time around. I think it's time to add another black man in the mix; perhaps one who's older than they are... TRACY MORGAN?

Throw an OG in there and it'll freshen things up again. I do like though how Tyrese is starting to suspect that they might be immortals. I think they should test that theory out in the next movie; maybe have Tyrese break the fourth wall, kinda like Deadpool, as he realizes this is just a dumbass movie.

Dom and Letty's kid... terrible. I'm sorry! This is a bias of mine, but kids normally suck at acting. This one is no exception. Just get an older actor to play the young kid. I'm thinking Ryan Reynolds would have been a good choice.

You may be saying "that's absurd!" - I'm glad that y'all can still tell what that word means, cuz I can't.

The rest of the chemistry family magic is great!

Oh, and Cardi is here, but... barely (for like 30 seconds, if that). 

No rapping, no wapping, no cursing... kind of a waste of Cardi B, if you ask me.

John Cena aka Jakob with a K!

Meh. JC def has charisma, just not in this movie. He doesn't stand out at all. You know?? - The Rock, Jason Statham, Charlize Theron, etc all have a presence about them in this franchise. Cena?! what happened, buddy?

There are certain music artists whom you'd think would have a great personality based off their music and how they dress. But, then you meet them, and you realize that they're just normal bozos like you and I (only rich and famous). And normal bozos like you and I, AT TIMES can be boring. You gotta have some flair if you're not going to have personality. Give my man some pink glittery highlights, a face tat, some vampire teeth, and maybe a chainsaw for his left arm or something.

Grade: Good action. The absurdities were funny. I was entertained! Production was great! BUT it's getting tired, my friends. It's the same formula that I've mentioned and then, like always, they're grilling and drinking Corona's in the sun. After nine movies (with at least two more on the way)... I never thought I'd say this, but it's actually not absurd enough. Wait... I seriously can't believe I just said that.

I need to say that again to know it's real.

This movie wasn't absurd.. enough? ENOUGH. IT WASN'T! They're going to need to step it up for the next two.

They were in space, but not for long. They raced for the most part in regular cars (regular for them). . You only brought ONE person back from the dead??! C'mon! We can do better.

I'm giving it an entertaining C+

I like that we saw different younger Dom's (during flashbacks) through time. I think that the next type of vehicle they bust out should be a DeLorean.

Y'all feel me?? TIME TRAVEL, baby! 

Vin and the gang race through time! They can have Tracy Morgan. They'll each have a younger version (or older) of themselves join the group. Cardi B will actually do something this time - maybe turn into a car! 

And maybe Cable shows up as they tie it to Marvel.

Think bigger, Vin!

[descendantofthesparrow]

Multipart commission - Harry Hook x reader - A Prince Behind the Pirate - part 7 - its going down

@musicarose​

=

In the night and most of the day you had been locked in the brig, you were surprisingly….not treated like dirt? You honestly had expected mals little stories of Uma to be true, treating her prisoners as if the weren’t even worth the bottom of her shoe, letting her crew torture them.

But the entire time you had been there, nothing really happened, they gave you back your bag and all its stuff inside (with one or two granola bars missing, courtesy of Gil) and had tossed you a pillow and blanket.

All in all, it wasn’t a horrible experience that Mal had foretold, actually, Uma was being….accommodating? and you had to say, Gil was a very entertaining guard.

You laid on your back as you watch Gil deal the Uno cards, his tongue sticking out of his mouth slightly. “okay there, now, 7 each right?”

You nodded and watched as he tossed cards through the bars to you. “what are yeh gilly weeds doin’?” a confused Harry said from the top of the brig stairs, he….looked like a normal teen, his large red jacket was missing from his shoulders, he was now wearing a plain white t-shirt and black-grey sweatpants with some old repaired converse.

“uno! It’s a card game from Auradon, wanna play?” Harry sighed and looked to the ceiling, before shrugging. “sure im bored and can’t sleep”

He slid down on the wall next to Gil, holding out his hands for cards. Gil dealt him out the 7 and then turned to you. “what were the rules again?”

“match the color or number, 7s you can switch cards with whoever you want and 0’s are everyone switches hands, you can stack plus twos and fours, and you can jump in if you have the exact same card”

You flipped the first card down, Gil going next and Harry following.

It was a while before the chaos started.

But booooy Harry was funny when he was mad.

“HOW FEKIN DARE YEH GIL!! I ONLY HAD ONE CARD LEFT AND YEH BETRAY MEH LIKE THA’?” you were laughing your ass off as gil just smiled smugly as Harry screamed at him.

“it's just part of the game Harry!” Gil laughed, leaning back and grinning like the Cheshire cat. Harry pouted and crossed his arms, glaring at him, eyes drifting to you, who was still giggling.

“i-I cant breathheheh!” you cackled, feeling tears run down your cheeks, you cracked open your eyes, seeing Gil beaming down at you while Harry had his….look on his face “s-sorry” you breathed deep, trying to calm down before bursting into another fit of giggles.

“you-you good lass?” Harry had opened the door to your cell awhile ago, so he leaned over and rubbed your shoulder, you nodded and stopped laughing for a moment, staring into Harry's blue eyes….before bursting into ANOTHER fit of laughter. “yer very giggly aren’t yeh” he chuckled

“i-im so-sorry” you cried, your stomach was starting to hurt “Its-its always hard for me to stop laughing” Gil let his own set of laughter lose, sitting up from his spot on the floor and helping you sit up.

“I've learned laying down doesn’t help stop the laughter” he offered, holding you in place as you finally gained control of your breathing.

“t-thanks” you sighed, waving your hands in your face to cool yourself down.

“you’re welcome” Gil chirped, picking his cards back up and nodding to you “your turn right?”

“y-yeah” you picked your cards up and tossed down a +4, jumping in on your own card. “plus-four Gil” Harry cackled

“haha! Revenge yeh gakit!” Gil rolled his eyes and took his cards. Harry smirked at you, slamming down a + 4 and cackling. You just mock laughed and smacked down your OWN +4.

“hahahaha ha~” Gil laughed, putting down ANOTHER + 4 “take 12 Harry!” Harry just stared down at the card, he dropped his cards and stood, giving you and Gil the middle finger and stomping back upstairs and to his cabin.

You and Gil glanced at each other and burst out into laughter.

=

Uma and you just kinda….stared at each other as noon rolled around “what the hell happened last night?” uma cocked her hip and raised her brow.

“We played Uno and Gil plus twelved harry” you shrugged, Uma just looked more confused.

“uh…okay whatever” Uma muttered, scratching her neck “Let's hope your little friends come for you huh?” you nodded, pursing your lips and looking around.

“so what do really want with the wand?” Uma sighed, deciding to just lay it all out.

“be free? That’s it mostly, it sucks here, rotten food, I have to sew all my clothes an-“

“hold the fu*k up” you stopped her, staring at her with wide eyes “ROTTEN FOOD!??!?!”

Uma just stared at you confused “uh yeah? The barge just sends all your leftovers? You didn’t-“

“NO I DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT IT HOLY FUCK IM GONNA KILL ADAM MYSELF!” you screamed, “HE LIED TO US, HE TOLD US YOU GUYS WERE GETTING FRESH FOOD AFTER THAT SCANDAL 15 YEARS AGO HOLY FU*K!!”

“w-what scandal?” Uma muttered. You blew your hair out of your face more dramatically than you usually would have.

“a lot of people found out that the isle wasn’t getting ANY good food so they got mad and made him start sending fresh food and assuming you're not lying, he just dropped it as soon as everyone stopped paying attention!!!”

Uma groaned and face planted “I think I remember the small time of fresh food….i think it was like half a year and that was it.” Uma was genuinely surprised at your anger “so you really didn’t know about the whole rotten food thing?”

“i-I don’t think even Ben knows! King asshole is still in charge of the isle…stuff so hes been hiding it from Ben! Im sure if Ben knew, you all would have been eating actual food as soon as he became king”

Uma sighed and rubbed her forehead “This is just one big ol’ mess” she looked over your shoulder and yelled out to Harry “get her to the plank, im sure they’re almost here” she looked back at you for a moment.

“….you won't be going over don’t worry about it” she muttered, sighing loudly as she walked to the gangplank.

Harry walked over and untied you, looking from Uma to you “what did yeh tell ‘er?”

You didn’t answer, looking down at Harry's arms, realizing that he was much…smaller that you thought he would be.

As if he never got enough to eat, you knew if you grabbed his wrist your fingers would touch. Harry frowned as you looked at his arms, forcing you to turn around and push you towards the plank.

“jus’ walk lass” you obeyed and simply walked to the plank.

As the vks arrived, including Ben and Lonnie, Uma got excited, bouncing around and jeering at Mal.

“Finally~! Let's get this started shall we?”

A few minutes of negotiations went by, most of which you stood on the plank, Harry's hand gripping your shoulder to keep you from losing your balance.

“now why would you give me a phony wand?” huh? How did Uma-

Mals jaw dropped and she looked over to you with betrayal in her eyes “you-you told her!?!” Uma let out a cackled, grinning like the cat who caught the canary.

“nope~ you just did~” she nodded her head at Harry, who stared to guide you backward and back to the brig.

“hey- what!?”

“you didn’t go through with your half Malsy, why would I go through with mine?” Uma laughed, gesturing for her crew to advance on Mals, driving them back to the garage.

“we’ll be sending our demands later beasty boy~” Uma cooed, giving him a sharp grin as he looked to you desperately, you sighed and started to head back to your cell. Harry was just behind you, making it seem like he was forcing you back down to the brig.

Something bugged at the back of your mind….maybe you being stuck here would shed light on the isle and in the end, Uma would get what she wanted in a way without the wand or destroying Auradon in the process.

--end of part 7--

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[dontletthishappentoyou]

Dr. Strange

Okay, so a few things.  So this is kind of representing ‘Eastern Philosophy’ or something kinda vaguely, and I can only speak about the basics of one of those philosophies that I know about, but the movie seemed to acutally dig into it a bit in one of the main themes in a more subtle than expected way. Person wants X, wise people help him think about stuff, person accepts not having X. Nice. The first stuff you learn about Buddhism is that life is suffering and the cause of suffering is wanting, craving, hunger, or some other translation. Basically, you can either get what you want and soon want something else, or you can learn to overcome wanting through seeking or working toward some form of enlightenment. Iron Man entered this film wanting his hands to work again so that he could be a surgeon again. Being a surgeon gave his life meaning, and the wise people thought about why it gave him meaning, figured out that it was kind of okay, but very not anatta, so they guided him, mostly indirectly to grow. Some of the world-building reminded me a little of my time with Korean Zen masters in a way that isn’t complete nonsense to the audience. Or it’s acceptable nonsense. The Ancient One at one point said something like “not everything makes sense” and it was kind of an excuse to keep the magic system soft and to tell the protagonist and audience to accept that it’s not something you should bother trying to understand, but seeking to understand is not always part of Zen. I’m assuming most people have heard questions like “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” and stuff like that, and part of the point of meditating on these mantras and coans is to “sit in the don’t know” as I’ve heard it put. Embrace the human incapacity to understand. I’m curious if knowing more about Buddhism would make me appreciate the Zen influences in this movie more or less, but it was more satisfying than I was expecting. Philosophically, it came across as though it was legitimately making an effort to represent the ideas of another Zen influenced cultures. It’s also extremely possible that what I’m recognizing as zen specific are acutally generalizable to Hinduism and other Eastern religions and philosophies, but I have no idea.  It also was genearlly more satisfying than most other Marvel films I’ve seen in terms of character growth. I don’t remember Iron Man well enough to attest to that, but it seemed like this Strange guy was basically the same character with the same flaws as the initial Iron Man character. They seem pretty interchangeable. But I think the arrogant, smart, know-it-all archetype was kind of perfect for the message of accepting human limits for understanding, although there were many points where Strange’s understanding of the magic system as hard is what got him out of situations.  I forget where, but I heard somewhere that character arcs can be seen as focusing on disputing a lie the character believes at the beginning. “I am awesome because I succeed at what I do” seems to be the lie that was most addressed. Thor was close with this, where he clearly went from beliving his lie to not, but the path was slightly muddly and seemed to be built on more generic inspiration, but in this, the events and challenges seemed to directly address the lie. The climax was quite blatant with it, forcing him to create a time loop where he died in a hopeless fight with some sort of god over and over again. He had been told the truth version of the lie pretty directly, and had been coming to it gradually himself by practicing things he’s not good at and being proven wrong about things many times throughout the film. Admitting he was wrong was an element of most rising actions in various levels of subtelty. He also learned that things aren’t about him, fighting this general arrogance through a bunch of humbling experiences that make sense, and ended up making decisions that aligned with that lesson, which was presented relatively simply at the beginning but made more meaningful through the events of the story, as is often the case in and beyond Marvel.  The Iron Man know it all archetype also made me think a bit about whether the film was misinterpreting what a scientist should ideally be, or if Dr. Strange himself was kind of misinterpreting the ideals of science. I think a lot of people imagine some specific kind of close-minded, atheistic, nihilistic character when they think of smart science people. I would say smart science people are primarily curious, open-minded, and seek truth even if it goes against what they previously believed. If you’re a neuroscientist who believes that X procedue is the best way to reach Y result, and you read a study showing that Z procedure is more efficient at achieving Y, you now have a new belief, provided the study was well-done, even if Z comes from a cult, Eastern or African medical traditions, or anything. The stereotype would be Nietszche’s science as religion kind of scientist, where Science is a sacred thing that can’t be challenged, rather than a method of looking for truth.  Regardless of what the ideal scientist is, I know I strive to be the good one, and some of my worst mistakes in attempting to achieve that resulted from trusting that everyone who speaks sciencely were alike in that thinking. Citing studies and statistics for the Bad Scientist is a cherry picking process used to defend X, rather than a way to look for the best way to Y. The Good and Bad Scientists seem to generally have the same aesthetic and take a bit of inspection to differentiate. So Dr. Strange was sort of one of the Bad Scientists at the beginning, dismissing many things as impossible, but happened to be faced repeatedly with undeniable proof. If he was a Good Scientist, it would be nothing but exciting for him. If he was a Bad Scientist, it would be loads of cognitive dissonance. He seemed somewhere in the middle, but ended up open to this weird area of science beyond typical nature, and ended up rolling with it really well. It left it a little bit ambiguous as to to what extent he was a Bad Scientist at the beginning, but he did seem to become a better one, partly through embracing the unknown.  Basically, I think this may be my favorite so far, but will keep thinking about it for a while and maybe rethink some bits, but I really enjoyed the character growth and felt that the themes were well thought out, well portrayed, and aligned with the plot, the general aesthetic, and the world-building extremely well. It just felt like an extremely cohesive movie in most of the things I care about at the moment. I’d definitely have complaints, mostly in terms of who gains power how fast. It felt like it was plot-driven convinience and didn’t necessarily align with who had the most motivation or access to power, but that kind of thing bothers me less than it used to. I’m fine with plots that pretty blatantly serve character development. Some action was meh, some supporting characters were uninteresting, the music was appropriate but generic, world-building didn’t feel like it was entirely thought through, but those don’t feel all that important to make the film work as a whole. Some of it even felt kind of necessary to make it work. A more structured magic system would have defeated the point of embracing unknowns, spreading the focus across too many characters would have been great for a series, but would have detracted from how concise the movie felt in the portrayal of its themes and thrown off the pacing. I also don’t have much insight into the action. Maybe they consulted people who had studied Kung Fu and other martial arts that were born from the philosophies that inspired the themes and that’s just what it looked like and I don’t personally recognize that because I don’t know anything about them. I’d actually really appreciate if they had done that. Maybe I’ll actually look into their choreographer or something. Maybe the music would be less generic if I had been paying more attention to it. 

[arcaneranger]

Final Thoughts - 2019 Long Shows

Dear Lord. This is where all the good shows went.

2019 was absolutely awful on a season-by-season basis (except for Summer, anyway), but that’s mostly because most of the best shows ran longer than what has become the industry norm of a single season. And indeed, heading into the new decade, we seem to be seeing a major renaissance for two- or split-cour shows, given the massive success seen by shows like My Hero Academia, Food Wars, and Haikyuu!!..particularly in comparison to the new perpetual-runners Black Clover (which, despite running for over two straight years now, is still not the most popular show of Fall 2017 by viewer count on MAL, and sits at a ‘meh’ 7.2), and even worse, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, which is faring even worse on both counts even though it premiered two whole seasons earlier and the fact that it is the sequel to Naruto.

As a reminder of my rules, the shows on this list may or may not have premiered in 2019, but they finished airing this year. The split-cour rule (stating that I judge any show that “finishes” and then premieres a “new season” within six months) didn’t come into play for any 2018 shows, but it will for Ascendance of a Bookworm and Food Wars this year, at the very least.

With that being said! 25 shows running longer than thirteen episodes finished airing this year after being simulcast, and of those…

I skipped 6:

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part V: Golden Wind, Fairy Tail Final Series, A Certain Magical Index III, Ace Attorney Season 2 and Cardfight Vanguard (2018) because I either dropped or have not finished their previous (also long-running) seasons.

Yu-Gi-Oh VRAINS because the simulcast started late and also it was bad.

I Dropped 8:

Worst Long Show of 2019: The Rising of the Shield Hero

It’s always fun to see that a show you hated from its first episode only gets more and more distasteful afterwards, but it’s less fun when a service you have to promote because they’re the legal option is forced to shove it down your throat because they had a hand in making it and it became a massive hit that your friends don’t see any issue with because the author wrote a story that justifies its hero’s patronage of the slave industry. This is my punishment for watching the whole first season of The Asterisk War before I knew better.

YU-NO: A girl who chants love at the bound of this world

A confusing mess from the word go, this ill-fated adaptation of a visual novel from the nineties seems like it was mostly made to cash in on the popularity of the Science Adventure series, but failed to present itself in a way that made an ounce of sense or looked remotely interesting.

Fairy Gone

Am I really the only one that saw potential here? I mean yes, it ended up a boring slog that didn’t care to move its plot in a meaningful direction, but the first episode was at least cool. I guess Izetta: The Last Witch should have taught me better.

We Never Learn

I know that I’m in the minority in terms of the male demographic for shows like this, but honestly, how are bland harem shows still this easy to market? A copy-pasted protagonist with copy-pasted waifus drag down what could be an interesting setup for a story. 

Karakuri Circus

The first episode of this one had me excited, the second and third left me bored to tears and wondering if it would continue to look uglier by the minute. I haven’t seen a three-cour show look this janky since Knight in the Area.

Radiant

Having heard good things about this show from my cohorts, I do feel bad for saying I’ll probably never return to Radiant, but when you have a show that’s notably written by a European author...and it turns out to be a frustratingly standard shounen affair with middling production values, well, you can see my earlier annoyance with Cannon Busters.

Ensemble Stars

This one still gets to me. It almost looked like a male-idol show I would finally be able to get behind, what with its rebellious attitude and oddball setting...that is, until the setting got to be too unbelievable and the show began drowning its audience in side-characters because they had to squeeze every husbando from the mobile game into the story, and it all began to resemble UtaPri a little too much...but without the production value.

Boogiepop and Others

This was a hard drop, honestly. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how I felt four episodes in, before concluding that I was bored and not particularly invested, two things that should never describe the experience of watching a Madhouse show. The fact that this was the project responsible for ruining One Punch Man only made it worse. There’s a slow burn, and then there’s walking away without turning the stove on.

And I Finished 11 (holy crap that’s like three hundred episodes just on their own).

That Time I Was Reincarnated as a Slime (5/10 & 1/10)

I’ll be honest, I had forgotten just how livid I was with the ending (and especially the sad excuse of a recap episode) of Slimesekai, and reading back through my write-up of it, it’s certainly coming back to me. While this year had bigger demons to fight (Shield Hero), the bad taste that Slime left me with hasn’t really faded, and the wasted premise bugs me to this day.

Hinomaru Sumo (7/10)

What Hinomaru lacked in production value, it happily made up for in good execution and earnest heart. I can’t believe this came from the same studio as Conception, Try Knights and 7Seeds, but if they can only get out one good show a year, I’m glad that we got one bringing attention to a sport that many will joke about but few understand, respect and appreciate.

Kono Oto Tomare (7/10)

Speaking of giving love to traditional Japanese culture, here’s a decent-if-unoriginal show about a local high school koto club down on their luck, and the troubled teens coming together under a scrappy protagonist to bring it back to life. Kono Oto Tomare doesn’t have much that you haven’t seen before, but a decently-executed club drama with Your Lie In April-inspired musical performances is more than enough to keep me interested, and since Forest of Piano kinda crashed and burned under the weight of its own self-importance this year, it was nice to have an alternative.

MIX: Meisei Story (8/10)

It’s hard to judge MIX next to the other shows on this list because it’s almost too old-school for its own good, revelling in an eighties storytelling style that didn’t end up jiving with a wide audience this year. But at the same time, its fun character dynamics (and a very good dub from Funimation, despite them saying they’d never touch sports anime again) were very entertaining to watch, even if it didn’t focus as much on the sport it was supposedly about as much as I’d have liked.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (8/10)

I fully admit that I’m very salty about the fact that this won Show of the Decade in Funimation’s poll while it was still on and I thought there were hundreds of more deserving shows, but I can’t deny that Demon Slayer was a very enjoyable experience, albeit one that I had notable problems with. That’s not gonna stop me from getting mad when it sweeps the Anime Awards in a few weeks, though.

Fire Force (8/10)

I was very afraid that David Productions wouldn’t be able to match the energy of Studio Bones’ adaptation of Ohkubo’s previous work, Soul Eater, but I was happy to be proven wrong. Even if the last few episodes contained a bit too much infodumping, it was all sandwiched between jaw-dropping fight scenes that proved that the people who make Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure can still handle the reins of a more traditional action show.

Fruits Basket 1st Season (8/10)

I know that my score for this one is a bit lower than others, but I think that Fruits Basket did pretty well in its first season, considering that it was largely spent setting up future storylines and adapting the part of the manga we’d all seen before, but with much higher production value. I’ve been familiar with this part of the story for over a decade, and the scene with Tohru and Kyo (you know the one) still made me cry. Now, we get the real plot going.

Dr Stone (9/10)

A great start to a totally new spin on shounen, Dr Stone gives me hope for survival in the post-Shokugeki world in which we’ll soon live, as a show that wears its research on its sleeve. A complex plot weaving interesting characters in and out of a narrative surrounding a philosophical battle where both sides actually do have fair points (even if one of them is going about it in a pretty cruel manner). More please.

Vinland Saga (9/10)

Once again, a great start to what will hopefully be years of quality storytelling, Vinland Saga made it seem like it was dragging in the middle only to reveal just what its slow burn had been leading up to, with twist-heavy storytelling and a fantastic cast to match the high visual quality of its brutal battles.

Run With the Wind (9/10)

It’s not often that Production I.G. gets to make a complete, fully-realized show anymore, and this one was a glorious reminder of the potential of the studio in the TV space, and a great rebound for the director of Joker Game. It’s gorgeous to look at, the cast is wonderful, and the story is both realistic and idealistic in a satisfying balance. It’s a miserable process to get to the finish line in real life, but sitting back and watching this was nothing but a treat. At least, until a minor fumble at the end.

Best Long Show of 2019: Dororo (9/10)

Speaking of complete stories, Tezuka Productions and MAPPA teamed up for a breathtaking adaptation of an underappreciated Tezuka classic that expands upon the story in exactly the right way to create a thrilling, savage, beautiful masterpiece that focuses a laser-sharp eye into the relationship between two characters in their journey to, literally and figuratively, become complete people. Also, that opening was killer.

And that’s it! That’s the fun list. Next comes the painful one. Stay tuned for the trash heap.