#they NEED to be in low stakes more often they are so goofy silly.

[the-valiant-valkyrie]

they fed us so good man

[sketching-shark]

Mk being a stone monkey gives me sm headaches like no it doesn’t mean swk is his father. They’re family depending on how u look at it. For example they could be brothers or mk being swk grandkid in the similar vein as Sun Luzhen.

My issues is just that literally pulled a naruto on all of us

Like he pull out the cudgel and it gave him his powers but are those powers actually his or swk??? Wgeres those it start and end??

DONT GET ME STARTED THATBY HAVING MK BEING A STONE MONKEY N PULLING SWK MOVE OUT OF THE MOVE UNDERMINE THE YEARS OF EFFORTS SWK TOOK TO MASTER IT(i know mk did a little training but that not what im talking about. It seen like him being a stone monkey had bypassed him the need to do actual cultivation one must need to do in order to do cool shit or be immortal. Remember that scene when he plucked his hair n then it became a clone? Yea like this kid hasn’t even exercised n yet?? Hes able to use qi like that?? Huh??? even wukong was mortal at his early stages n didn’t do the thing mk was doing besides that one timehe shoots laser from his eyes)

Like mk became a daoist immortal in a day than the 50+ years swk took to be one😭😭 it doesn’t even work like that mk. It just feels like they made mk be this way to show hes a better swk than swk himself.

N it already complicated the idea of swk somehow giving mk some of his powers(this kid would actually be dead like how azure lion was w je golden core) that u don’t actually know if its mk that’s doing these things naturally or is infused w that.

Did swk do ritual like how hd did in the novel with the three prince??(the arc introduces three prince who became the pilgrims disciples n so theyre were to wield weapons similar to that of the pilgrims via a ritual. One of the prince got extra buff stats in order to wield his replica of the riyu jingu bang that still the same weight ss the og)

^i doubt this bc lmk had diverge sm from jttw that u can swapped out the names w others and its be its own show completely unrelated to jttw.

Monkie Kid spoilers & complaining below:

Hmmm well you know anon as it is I actually found the insta-powers in the first few seasons pretty funny and charming specifically because they were often played for laughs in a pretty light hearted way. And it made sense for what the show was at that point! Monkie Kid set itself up as a relatively low-stakes and fun cartoon where a goofy and kind hearted delivery boy would get to go on all sorts of wacky adventures under the tutelage of the Great Sage, often going against some delightfully hammy villains in the Demon Bull family. Even when the stakes were still "save the world" the tone of Monkie Kid still made it pretty clear that we weren't dealing with the grimdark dramafest that has come to define so many other works. But of course a grimdark dramafest is in many ways what this cartoon would soon become (even while there is still some silly funtimes to be had), what with the world routinely being in danger of destruction, the constant trauma MK has been subjected to significantly because of his connection to the Monkey King, and with everyone and their mother yelling at Sun Wukong for being a terrible person, with the cartoon itself then often bending over backwards to prove just how true these statements are. Hell even SWK himself admitted that he's a bad teacher and described his entire existence in the season 4 special as little more than multiple lifetimes worth of mistakes (maybe he'll go on another genuine journey of self improvement and atonement but tbh I'm not holding my breath given that his miserable spot was where the journey to the west got him lol), and yeah at this point you do have to kind of laff that Xiyouji's ruthless murder monkey SWK is a more loyal friend, selfless individual, intelligent leader, and even a better shifu than Monkie Kid's. It is these writing decisions that have made me pretty leery with where they might be taking Qi Xiaotian being another stone monkey, especially since yeah lot of people seem to think this is going to lead to a fight between the two stone primates. Plus given the very recent indications that MK was both enraged that Azure Lion was using him for his own ends--something that other characters besides Azure have said SWK is also doing to Qi Xiaotian--along with the pretty blatant hints that MK's terrified he'll end up exactly like SWK I can easily see that fear turning into violent anger :(

[reesdomain]

Perfect Ratio Pt 2

 Pairing: Nanami x Black Female OC

18+ NSFW

P1

TW: Mentions of SA, mentions of violence, freak nasty sex, light praise kink, fluff

It’s been around four months since Desiree landed in Tokyo and she’s been a favorite amongst the students and faculty. During those few months, Nanami trained closely with her. Keeping an eye on her, but enjoying her company as well. A couple months after her arrival, principal Yaga determined that she wouldn’t be a threat and that there was no need to survey her any longer.

Nanami didn’t care though. During that time, he and Desiree had meshed together perfectly. Especially in combat. Once he had her, he didn’t plan on letting her go. He thought back to a cute little conversation she had with him on a mission in Kyoto some weeks ago.

“You know Nanami, I have a theory that were like the perfect pairing”. She spoke suddenly.

He looked down at her chubby brown face and smiled. “What do you mean?”

“I mean we make up just the right amount of brains, brawn, and good looks haha”. She giggled, her signature smile beaming at him. “Plus, here me out, my ratio technique equals 10 and yours equals 10 right”? She questioned, her eyes searching his eyes for confirmation to continue.

He side eyed her out the side of his glasses and gave her a smirk. Desiree could be so random at times. One minute she could come up with a silly conspiracy concerning how his glasses stayed on without temples, the next she could go into a deep discussion on a complex topic.

She could be goofy at times, but was reserved and highly intelligent. She was so shy and introverted when they first met. He could tell she was selective about who had access to her and how much access she gave. He was glad to be at this point with her now.

“Hey Ken, you still with me?” Desiree asked, lightly squeezing his bicep.

Smiling, he gave her hand a light squeeze, “Yeah, go on.”

“Ok so our ratio’s together equal 20. Now, 20 is an even number. It represents cycles of completeness and balance in some cultures. And I don’t think that’s a coincidence. I think you and I meeting was fated”.

Her last sentence kind of came out low like a whisper, but Nanami heard her loud and clear. He was moved. Lots of people he knew and met expressed deep gratitude and respect for him and he was grateful for all of it. But nobody had conveyed it quite like she did. Nobody had ever made him feel so… irreplaceable. He knew he was valued as a Grade 1 sorcerer, but often times he questioned how valued he was as Nanami Kento.

But with Desiree he had no doubt.  She saw him for everything he was, and embraced it. He swore as long as he was in the field of jujutsu, he would never allow himself to fall for a woman. Not with stakes this high. But each time he looked at those chubby cheeks that he couldn’t help but to squeeze often, and that beaming smile, he felt himself reach further and further to the point of no return.

“You know what babydoll? I couldn’t agree more. Thank you”. He bends down a little and kisses the left and right corners of her mouth narrowly missing her full lips. Desiree’s heart felt like it was doing Simone Biles type cartwheels in her chest. She was worried about how Nanami would take her honesty and was glad he accepted it well. She also loved that he referred to her as babydoll. It felt so endearing.

Nanami is pulled away from his thoughts by the sound of Gojo’s loud mouth travelling down the hallway leading towards the faculty room. “Yo Nanami you in here!?”

Nanami lets out an exasperated sigh, preparing himself for whatever foolishness his friend was on today. Gojo struts into the room with bags full of beach gear. Today was the start of a three-day weekend for students and faculty, and the staff had decided on a beach day that would end at the club. It was mostly Gojo’s idea. He wanted to “kick it like back in the day”. The staff was supposed to be meeting at the beach but Nanami and Gojo had to pick up some things from the school’s recreation storage first.

Is this everything? Nanami asked, looking over all the bags filled with alcohol, snacks, games and other items.

“Yeah, this should be it. The weather’s perfect too? I can’t wait to turn up!”. Nanami shook his head kind of amused at how much Desiree’s vernacular had rubbed off on Gojo and Yuji. Gojo was excited. Even though he was still as goofy as ever, it had been a while since even he had let loose. He and Nanami grabbed up the bags and started heading outside.

“Ijichi and Takuma are already at the beach with the ladies. But I’m sure you already knew that”. Gojo gave Nanami a cocky yet knowing smirk.

Nanami glanced at him, “What’s that supposed to mean”? Although he already knew where this was going.

Gojo bussed out laughing, “We’ve been tight since high school don’t play that shit with me! You and I both know you can’t wait to see Desiree’s fine ass swaying in a thong today. Little dimples and all”.

Nanami couldn’t hide the smirk forming on his lips. His friend knew him a little too well. Though his smirk faded when Gojo’s comment fully registered. “What do you know about her “little dimples?”

Even though he and Desiree hadn’t directly expressed wanting a more committed relationship together, at this point there was no denying what they felt. But Nanami wanted to give her time. She was in a foreign land having to readjust to a new lifestyle plus, she had expressed to him before that she had experienced traumas that still weigh heavy on her. He wanted things to progress naturally between them.

Nanami knew that he didn’t have the right to get upset over a woman that wasn’t technically his, but when it came to Desiree, the thought of another man having her didn’t sit right in his soul. Especially not consecutive playboy of the year, Gojo Satoru. Gojo was his friend, but a man like him would not treat Desiree the way she needed to be treated.

Gojo put his hands up in surrender. “Woah let me back up. Now I won’t lie, I have stolen a few looks here and there but I’ve never tried her. I respect both her and you too much to even try to move on her like that”.

“Good. I don’t care who it is, I won’t standby and let anybody harm or disrespect her.  Watch yourself”. Nanami spoke without the slightest bit of humor in his tone. He was dead serious.

Even Gojo was taken aback slightly. Most people didn’t get too bold with him. Yet, Gojo had gained even more respect Nanami. No matter what odds, he would still fight with everything in him to defend those he cared for. Despite what a lot of people might think of themselves, that’s not a virtue many truly possess.  Gojo wrapped an arm around Nanami’s shoulder and pulled him close.

“Of course, man. I kid around a lot but I know you’re serious. Which is partially why I planned this day out”. Gojo whispered in Nanami’s ear with a sneaky grin on face. Nanami eyed him suspiciously.

Gojo continued. “Listen man, I know you and her bond a lot over work. But work is work and in your own words, work is shit. You and her need to get up close and personal in a regular adult setting. And today is the perfect day for it. Might as well, you guys are on a first name basis. Nicknames too”. Gojo snickered thinking of the first time Nanami slipped and called Desiree babydoll in front of him.

Nanami considered Gojo’s words in the car ride to the beach and he was right. For these last few months, he and Desiree had gotten pretty close and they knew alot about each other, but there seemed to be an invisible barrier between them that prevented them from establishing the deeper connection they both yearned for. He had no doubts that he could provide for her. He just needed to prove it to her.

Nanami and Gojo pulled up to the beach around noon, and it was surprisingly not too crowded yet. The group was waiting for them, not too far from the lot. Ijichi and Takuma were fooling around with the food while Desiree, Mei Mei, Utahime, and Shoko were dancing to an island type beat near the portable speaker.

As they approached the group, Nanami’s eyes immediately found Desiree, who looked utterly delectable. She had her fluffy fro out with a headscarf wrapped just behind her edges in a cute bow. Her swimsuit was modest but sexy at the same time. A strapped bikini top with a unique “V” plunge line right down the middle of her cleavage perfectly supported her juicy breasts along with a midrise bottom that accentuated her curvy waist and fat ass. It wasn’t a thong, but it revealed just enough cheek to make Nanami’s mouth water. Especially since it was all in his favorite color. Blue. Her face was bare minus a glossy lip that was a signature of hers. He had never seen her this exposed before and it had him feeling some type of way.

Desiree knew she was a big girl but she took good care of herself. She had a good ratio of fluff and muscle that reminded her of Serena Williams. She loved her body. Her little belly pouch and stretch marks only enticed Nanami even more. And sure enough, the dimples on her butt and thighs that Gojo’s hoe ass mentioned her having. Infinity or not, Nanami wanted to smack the piss out of Gojo for checking her out that hard.

Once they finally joined the group Nanami realized that Desiree was trying to teach the ladies how to do dances from the states. She had talked to Nanami a lot about her African American heritage and how proud she was of it. And he loved learning more about the rich culture and history.

“Shoko, I promise once you learn how to isolate your hips, rolling is easy. Now the knees, the knees are what’s killer. Not everyone can pop it like Meg just ask Yuji”. Desiree giggled hysterically while Shoko struggled to grasp the lesson. Stiffly jerking her hips from side to side. Gojo made a comment under his breath about a newborn calf that had the group snickering.

The ladies briefly paused the dancing to greet Nanami and Gojo. Desiree’s face lit up like fireworks when she saw Nanami who looked so handsome in his blue swim trunks. They were unintentionally matching today and she found it so cute.

“Heyyy twin”! she exclaimed wrapping her arms around Nanami’s neck for a tight hug. He always smelled so fresh and clean. He returned her hug, laughing in his natural drawl, relishing in the feeling of her soft skin. The sea breeze swirled her sweet scent around them, making him want to melt into her skin.

“It looks like you’re already having a good time” Nanami commented, his arms till wrapped around her.

“Yeah, I’m trying to teach the girls how to throw a little something for the club tonight. You’re coming right? Cause we’ll fight if you don’t”.

“I don’t know. Clubs aren’t really my thi-

Desiree cut him off, attempting to playfully knock him off his balance. He swiftly grabbed hold of her, tossing her into the air and over his shoulder.

“Desiree, don’t start something you can’t finish”. He chuckled, lightly tapping the side of her leg. She couldn’t tell what turned her on more. His comment or the fact that he just tossed her thick ass in the air like she weighed nothing.  

He gently placed her back on her feet, his cat like eyes gazing into hers. The nosey group watched in amazement of how brazen these two became when in each other’s presence. Gojo and Ijichi were cheesing looking like proud older brothers.

“If y’all are done, can you help me with the setup”? Takuma cut in. He was slightly annoyed he never seemed to get any play and was not with the flirtatious displays today.

“Sure, here I come”. Nanami gave Desiree a pat on the head and jogged over to where the men were. Desiree turned back to the ladies only to see them all starring at her with wide grins. “Oh lord here we go” she thought to herself.

“So, is there gonna be a tape?” Mei joked, making Shoko and Utahime crack up.

“Forget a tape, I’d pay for a monthly subscription!” Shoko added in.

The ladies were hysterical now and Desiree’s face was burning so hot, even her darkskin couldn’t camouflage her intense blushing.

“Come on y’all it’s not that deep”. She said feeling awkward.

“Ohh, but it is! Mei looked at her like she was crazy. “When are you and him gonna stop playing games? We’ve never seen him act like this before”.

Desiree stole a glance over at Nanami who was whipping up some cocktails. He caught her glance and gave her a wink. Just then, “Sure Sure” by Shenseea came on the speakers which gave her an excuse to change the subject.

“Man whatever, do y’all want to finish the dance lessons or what”?

Nanami and the guys had finished setting up and decided to start eating while the ladies were fooling around. A loud “AYE” drew his attention over and nearly made him choke on his drink.

The ladies had formed a half circle around Desiree and were hyping her up as she danced to the sensual song on the playing on the speaker. Nanami had never heard it before, but he felt blessed that its existence was allowing his eyes to feast on the sight before him.

Desiree had her hands on her knees and was throwing it like a pro. Rolling her hips and getting low with it, popping her butt to the beat occasionally. Even though she was just having fun, her movements were so meticulous and hypnotizing. Nanami had never seen anything like that. And the way her behind was jiggling with every movement had him wanting to taste her right there on the beach. Screw whoever was looking.

Desiree encouraged the ladies to try it, and Mei and Utahime were excited to join in. Shoko on the other hand, was already tired though.

“Utahime look at you girl, throwing it back!” Gojo laughed, causing Utahime to stop out of embarrassment.

Desiree and Mei went on hyping each other up for a bit before they decided to join the group and eat. Nanami offered to fix Desiree a plate and offered her a seat next to him. They all sat together, enjoying each other’s company and telling stories. About an hour and a half later they decided to head into the water. Ijichi volunteered to watch the stuff, and Nanami decided to stay back when he realized Desiree wasn’t going to the water.

“What’s wrong you don’t want to wet that pretty hair?” He asked her, tempted, but not daring to touch her hair without permission.

She blushed at the compliment and responded. “Normally I wouldn’t because it’s so high maintenance but on a day like today I wouldn’t mind it.”

“Then why don’t you?”

“Cause I can’t swim. Where I grew up there weren’t a lot of places to go swimming and I don’t do water parks so I never really got around to learning”. She sighed.

“Well, I can teach you if you’re comfortable. That is if you don’t mind getting your head a little wet.” He nudged her arm a little bit and gave her smile.

“I don’t mind under two conditions.” She said reaching up to retie her scarf.

“What are they?”

She looked up at him and giggled. “One, you don’t let me get drug away by the waves and two, you have to help me do my hair on my next washday”.

“Okay we have a deal”. He held out his hand for her to shake on it. He found her so adorable.

“Great, this also means you’re officially designated to touch my gorgeous afro. You know you want to feel it” she teased with a regal type of accent and a smug grin.

He gave a hearty laugh at her silliness. “Why thank you malady. I thought about requesting permission but I didn’t want to be rude”. Nanami explained, mimicking the same accent she just did.

They both joined each other in laughter and started walking towards the water.

“It’s ok. I appreciate a man who values consent. Thank you”.

“No need to thank me for the bare minimum”. He said flicking his hand.

She stared at him for a moment truly appreciating how fine of a man Nanami was. Both on the inside and the outside. Then she started kick herself. What was the problem? Why couldn’t she just tell him how she felt about him?

He wasn’t anywhere near the weirdos she had dealt with before and he had more than earned her trust both as a friend and a comrade. He also seemed to share mutual feelings but what if she was misreading him? She had a tendency to fold at the slightest bit of tenderness since she wasn’t use to it. A bad trauma response she had been trying to work out of her system. Was that the case here?

She had gotten so quiet by the time they reached the water, that Nanami noticed something was wrong. Her eyes were focused straight ahead and she seemed deep in her own thoughts.

“You ok babydoll?” He questioned rubbing his hand on the back of her arm.

She quickly nodded her head, “Mhm”.

He could tell she had something to say to him but didn’t have the courage to. His heart started to flutter at the chance that it was what he thought it was. He couldn’t bear anymore beating around the bush. Especially as he found himself growing more and more fond of her. This would have to end today.

They stopped at the edge of the water and it was apparent that Desiree was nervous. The beach still wasn’t super crowded, which put her more at ease. But the enormity of the incredibly vast body of water in front of her had anxiety creeping in.

Nanami placed on one hand around her waist and the other on her arm reassuring her. ‘It’s ok I got you. I won’t let anything happen.”

She looked into his eyes and immediately felt the anxiety leaving her. Nanami’s entire being always felt so comfortable and safe. She understood why so many people turned to him when things got sticky. Slowly, she let him lead her into the sea.

He kept hold of her and slightly tightened his grip once they began floating. “Nice and easy, see? Keeping moving your legs, almost like you’re swinging them.”

He didn’t take her out to far since it was her first time. He held her hand as he instructed her on the basics swimming and underwater breathing. She eventually became comfortable enough to go a little ways on her own.

After a little bit, everyone had finished swimming and decided they were gonna head back to get ready for the club later. Only a few other groups were left at the beach and they were mostly spread out. Leaving Nanami and Desiree mostly to themselves.

Nanami stopped them and had her lean back in his arms. One hand supported her head while the other supported her back.  They stared up at the pale blue sky above and focused on the sound of the water and the birds flying overhead. Nanami began rubbing her scalp where his hand lied and she took a deep breath, breathing in the warm and salty air. They felt so at peace there together. Like they were the only two in the world.  

“How does it feel?” She asked him, her eyes closed enjoying the sensation of everything.

Nanami looked down at her and gave her a warm smile. ‘Soft and fluffy. Exactly how it looks.” Desiree’s curly hair was definitely much coarser than his straight hair, but he loved it.

“Hehe thank you”. She giggled.

He gazed down at her for a moment thinking to himself. He was in the ocean, holding a literal goddess in his arms. He was so thankful to have met her. So thankful to be sharing this moment with her. But he wanted more. And he decided he was going for it. Apart of him was worried that it was too soon. But there was only one way to find out.

“Desiree, I have to be honest with you. You’ll have to forgive my bluntness.”

She opened her eyes and met his. “What do you mean”?

“I have feelings for you Desiree. Feelings that I can’t ignore any longer. I’ve never felt as intense and as passionate about a woman as I do with you. From the moment I first saw you, I’ve wanted nothing more than to be by your side. To give you all the tender care you deserve”. He expressed.

The words Nanami spoke flowed so gently out of his mouth and were so genuine. He was pouring out his heart to her. Something she had never witnessed a man do in her lifetime. Even if they had, she would assume it was all a lie. She knew it probably wasn’t good to generalize all of them, but she had been through more than enough to be cautious of all of them. She had been hurt and abused so many times. But with Nanami, the only man she ever let get this close to her, the only one who truly felt right in her spirit, she sensed no hint of malice or deceit. No ill intention. Just the pure, kind and loving nature of his spirit. She knew he meant everything he was saying. Which is why she couldn’t control the tears welling in her eyes or the knot forming in her throat.  

“I know it hasn’t been very long since you came and I tried to wait a little longer to give you more time. But one thing I learned as a sorcerer, is that having more time is a privilege. Something that can be taken away at any moment. That’s why I have to let you know now while it counts. You’re an incredible woman Desiree. You’ve bought so much light into my life. All of our lives here. And I hope you continue to for a long time” Nanami gently wiped a stray tear from her face.

“Kento I-, Desiree couldn’t stop herself from crying. She didn’t know what to say. She was elated to find out that Nanami felt so strongly about her. That he felt the same way she did. But at the same time, her insecurities had her thinking that she didn’t deserve him. That she wouldn’t be good enough for him. None of this was true, but her past trauma caused her to feel tainted and broken beyond repair.

Nanami repositioned her in arms and started moving them back to the shore. He didn’t mean to make her cry, he just wanted her to know that he cared for her.

When they reached the sand, Desiree felt weak. Her legs were wobbly as they headed back towards their umbrella. Nanami scooped her up in his arms wedding style and carried her the rest of the way.

He sat her down on the blanket and settled in right next to her. Puling her into his arms he began to gently rock her side to side. Placing small kisses along the side of her face and hair. A few minutes passed before she finally spoke.

She whispered to him softly, “Kento I’m so happy to know how you feel.”

“I’m glad. I hope I didn’t put you on the spot” He replied.

“I’m just scared Ken. I’m so scared.” A few tears glided across her nose onto Nanami’s arm. He carefully wiped them before sitting her up so she could face him.

“Of what? Me? Do you think I’ll hurt you?”

“No of course not. I’m just afraid that I won’t be able be the type of woman you need. What if the things that happened in the past are my fault? Because something’s wrong with me? Mayb-

“Enough of that nonsense. None of the things that happened were any fault of yours. It’s not a sin to open your heart up to people. Unfortunately, there are people in this world who like to take advantage of sincere hearts. And I’m sorry you had to deal with them”. He asserted.

Silence slipped back between them but it was an understood silence. Nanami recalled the stories Desiree told him of her past. She didn’t have a long history of relationships but the ones she had were not healthy. Especially her last one. She was younger at the time and going through it. Which made her naïve and vulnerable. Unfortunately, the wrong man came at the right time and inflicted a lot of pain on her.

Nanami’s blood boiled when he thought of how she broke down in front of him after they went out for drinks one night. They had been talking about relationships when she thought of the past. The details of how this motherfucker manipulated and belittled her. How he forced himself on her. Violating her body and her spirit. Ignoring her tears after she told him she wasn’t ready. Ignoring her resistance. Telling her she was responsible for what he did. Making her believe every situation somehow her own doing and her burden to bear. He took more than her innocence. And for the first time after hearing that story, Nanami wanted to take a life.

The worst part was that she fully blamed herself for a long time. And even now, she still kind of does. She told Nanami that it was her fault for being weak and stupid. That she should have known better than to put herself in that situation. But Nanami disagreed. He knew how it was to act on whim. Especially when you’re young and naive. It doesn’t mean she deserved any of that.

He wished that she would be easier on herself. He wanted her heal and find peace. Hell, he had to work on that himself. But it’s so much easier when you have people there for you, supporting you along the way. He wanted her to know she wasn’t alone and that when she was ready, they could work through the pain together.

Nanami held her face in hands and looked into her puffy brown eyes. “I know you’ve been through so much pain. And that you’ve held it in your heart for a long time. I can’t promise to make you forget or even make it go completely away. But I’ll support you. I’ll help you fight it everyday until you’ve conquered it. I’ll shower you in so much love, you’ll barely feel a sting of pain anymore. And I’ll do it for as long as you let me”.

Desiree’s heart was about to burst. She had never felt this type of affection and she wanted it to last forever. She looked at the man in front of her and felt so at home. For once, she felt certain.

“Nanami, I was so worried I was falling for a man who wouldn’t feel the same. This whole time I worried myself to death for nothing”. She laughed and touched her forehead to his, making him chuckle too.

Desiree pulled away and locked eyes with Nanami. “You have my heart Nanami. All of it”.

Nanami couldn’t wait to hear her say that. He wasted no time going in for a kiss. He pulled her into his lap and began gently sucking her pretty plump lips. She tasted so good and sweet to him. And she was so soft. She returned his kisses, melting into his touch. As they found a steady rhythm, Desiree started to really get into it. The friction from being on Nanami’s lap was starting to turn her on. So, she started slightly rolling her hips into him. She wanted to feel every part of his muscular body.

Sure enough his dick started to raise, and she liked what she was feeling. Nanami didn’t know who Desiree was fucking with out here. She didn’t realize how tempted he was to start railing her on this beach. Her little stunt made him hungrier for her, and their kisses became rougher and greedier. Nanami slid his tongue into her mouth and started to swirl it around hers. They were barley allowing each other oxygen but they didn’t care. They were just happy to be lost in each other.

Another minute passed before they pulled apart. Desiree glanced around the beach thankful that everyone was too preoccupied to really notice them. Minus the old woman shooting a disapproving glare at them. The making out they just did wouldn’t be acceptable in America let alone here.

“I wanna go somewhere”. She said still trying to catch her breath.

“Where?”

“I just want to be alone with you”. She cooed seductively.

She didn’t have to tell him twice. Nanami swiftly slid her off his lap and started packing their stuff up. “My place”?

“Yeah.”

About 30 minutes later they walked into Nanami’s high rise apartment. It was a nice size, fit for a bachelor and decorated cozily with a masculine and modern look to it. Desiree couldn’t help but notice how neat it was. And it smelled about as good as him.

Nanami motioned down the hall “The guest room is around the corner and down the hall. There are fresh towels, cloths, and whatever else you need in the bathroom closet.”

“Ok thanks.” She smiled.

 “Make yourself at home”. He placed a quick peck on her lips then headed into the master bedroom. Desiree left her shoes in the hallway and headed back to the guest bedroom.

The guest bedroom was nicely decorated just like the rest of the house with neutral themes and vibrant accents to add a pop of color throughout the space. Not too little and not too much. Exactly his style, she thought to herself.

Desiree headed into the bathroom and opened up the closet to find a variety of towels, wash cloths, soaps, lotions, and bath brushes. Nanami didn’t always have guests visiting but on the chance that family would come through, he wanted to make sure they had everything they needed.

Desiree was pleased to see he had gentle organic soaps and shampoos. Not that 30 in 1 trash you could wash your hair and change your car oil with. She picked out some things from the closet and set them on the sink then went to search her bag for a change of clothes and some hair product.

She was happy to see she remembered her leave in and homemade body butter. Lord knows she would have cried having to do a true wash and go. She also found a pair of grey sweatpants and a white midriff top. She cursed when she realized she had forgot to get a bra out of the drawer before she left that morning though. Oh well.

She started the shower and began removing her swimwear, folding them neatly and placing them in her bag. She didn’t want to keep Nanami waiting so she immediately starting lathering her hair and scrubbing her body once she stepped under the water.

After her shower she threw her hair up in a curly puff and put on her top and sweatpants. Making her way up to the front, she could hear glasses clanking in the kitchen.

She saw a speaker on one of the end tables and decided to connect her phone to it, to fill the silence. She settled on an RnB playlist she had made a while ago and let the soft tunes fill the apartment.

Nanami walked in with damp hair and only a pair of sweatpants on. His skin looked extra glossy and defined fresh out of the shower. In his hand, were two glasses filled with dark liquor. He sat down beside her and let her snuggle her back into his chest.

They clinked glasses and each one took their glass to the head. They were both drinkers and used to their liquor by now, but Nanami always had the best stuff. Desiree scrunched her face at the delicious sting of the expensive liquor. Nanami chuckled at how cute she looked and kissed the side of her forehead.

 He took both of their glasses and sat them on the coffee table afterwards pulling her further into his lap.

“You have a good shower”? he asked lowly in her ear.

“Mhm yeah thanks”. She loved the way his voice tickled her ear.

Nanami gave another low chuckle and mimicked her voice “mhm, mhm”. She was so shy. Often times the only response she could muster up was “mhm” for some reason. He didn’t mind though. Desiree playfully elbowed his side trying not to laugh at him teasing her.

Alice Smith’s cover of “I Put a Spell on You” started to play on the speakers. This was one of Desiree’s favorites and when she played it for Nanami for the first time, he loved it too. It became their song. And it made everything in this moment feel even more right.

They gazed at each other for a moment. Their eyes giving each other confirmation. Desiree leaned in to Nanami’s lips and began pecking them. Mixing in soft bites here and there. He returned her kisses, while his large hands began to roam her body. Exploring every area of her.

They don’t hold back anymore, letting their kisses get sloppier. Desiree starts to suck on Nanami’s tongue and moves her hips back and forth in his lap, causing a deep grunt to escape his lips. He moves his hands to her ass and grips a handful from both cheeks before he starts rubbing big circles on them. Nanami cuts off their kiss with a wet smack then shifts his gaze up to her eyes. Holding it for a second.

Then, he slips her onto her back, swiftly removing her sweatpants revealing and the lacy pink panties she had underneath. He drops down to his knees and moves himself between her legs. Starting with her feet, he began to kiss up the length of her legs.

Once he reaches her thighs, he snakes his arms underneath her legs so his hands could grip both sides of her inner thighs. He started massaging the sensitive skin and trailing wet kisses up towards her center. Desiree started to whimper, already feeling hot from Nanami’s touch.

When Nanami reached her center, he softly sucked straight up her slit and across her vulva, wetting the pink fabric of her panties. Desiree’s closed her eyes and started tremble a little. The way he was taking his time and getting to know her body had her falling in love. She didn’t know what to with herself.

“Look at me.” He demanded, moving up towards her belly button and licking around it’s perimeter.

Desiree fluttered her eyes open and met his. His sharp eyes were low and filled with so much passion. She felt like he was looking directly into her soul.

“Good girl. Keep looking at me.”

He reached for her top and yanked it upward, revealing her swollen breast. She was so perfect. Every dimple, every stretch mark. From her big, round areolas to that needy look on her face. He gripped both of her breasts in his hands and started licking and sucking around one of her dark areolas. The other hand firmly massaged the other breast while using his index and thumb to tease and pinch her nipple.

“Ughh Ken.” Desiree grasped the sides of his silky hair, slightly arching her back at the sensations he was giving her. She loved having her titties played with. Shit, she would play with her own titties a lot. Everything Nanami did hit so different. Everything felt so right. Nanami switched titties and hummed in approval of delicious she was.

Just like a good girl, she held eye contact with him. Staring through his pretty long lashes while he licked and sucked on her titties like dessert. He lifted his head and gave her two soft kisses on the lips before standing on his knees. He held her face with both of his hands for a couple seconds then started to trace them back down her frame stopping at her hips.

Desiree couldn’t help but to shift her eyes down at the growing bulge in Nanami’s sweatpants. She just realized he didn’t bother putting on underwear after his shower, so that thing was just dangling free. She blinked a few times to make sure she was seeing correctly. He was hung. And that shit was far from skinny.

“Oh lord have mercy.” She thought to herself. She knew the lord didn’t have any place in this room but she needed all the strength she could get to handle all that.

Nanami slipped his fingers slightly inside the rim of her panties and met her eyes again. “Can I take them off?” He searched her face for any discomfort or indication to stop.

“Yeah, it’s ok.” Her voice was soft but confident. She appreciated how careful he was not to trigger her or cross a boundary. Apart of her was a little scared. She hadn’t had sex in a while and the sex she had in the past was far from pleasant. But she trusted Nanami. He wouldn’t betray her body like the rest.

Nanami looked down at her and could sense a little nervousness in her body language. “I know they haven’t treated your body right. I don’t want you to worry though. I’m going to give you exactly what you need.” He slid her panties off of her hips and down her legs letting them fall to floor.  

Nanami placed his hand on her knees and spread her legs wide, his mouth salivating at the sight of her pretty brown pussy. It was already super glossy with her arousal.

“Wow. All this just for me?” he said slowly running his thumb up and down her little slit. He grabbed her knees and pushed them back to the sides her chest.

“Keep them here. And don’t move them unless I tell you to.” He demanded with his eyes still glued between her legs.

Desiree was loving this dominant side of him. He was bringing something out of her that she couldn’t quite explain and all she knew was that she wanted him in every way.

Nanami gripped her cheeks and spread them apart wide. He wanted all of her. She smelled so good. And it looked even better. Her pink inner folds complimented the brownskin on the outside perfectly. He placed a kiss directly on her clit before he began to tongue down the soft flesh of her inner lips.  

A small gasp escaped Desiree’s lips as Nanami started to fill her core with pure ecstasy. Swirling his tongue around her clit and down her pretty inner folds. She tasted so fucking good. He slides his tongue back down her clit and slides it in her vagina so he can taste her even more.

Desiree’s soft moans start to fill the room, blending beautifully with the soulful music playing. It feels like a special song just for their ears only. Nanami pulls his tongue back out and rests his left hand on her vulva, pulling the hood of her clit back a little with his thumb. He meets her eyes again and holds his gaze as he makes quick, upward flicks on her exposed bud before sucking it between his soft lips.

“Mm ahhhh.” Desiree’s moans become even louder as a familiar, but more intense feeling engulfs her entire body. It feels too good and her legs can’t help but to quiver. She tries to scootch away from his mouth, only to feel Nanami’s big hand came down on the side of her left ass cheek.

He lifts his head and gives her a stern but sexy look. “Where are you going? Didn’t I tell you to keep those legs up?” Desiree is so busy trying to compose herself she doesn’t realize the question isn’t rhetorical.

Another hard slap comes down on her cheek again, the sting causing her even wetter than she already was. “Answer me, when I’m talking to you.” His low and seductive drawl is intimidating but attractive at the same time. She responds with her voice soft and trembling “y-yes Ken but I couldn’t take it.” The face she’s making has Nanami’s dick growing even harder. He stares at her body for a moment, caressing the slightly red skin where he slapped.

“Twenty.”

“What?” Desiree asks him innocently.

“That’s our safe word. You told me before that you feel like that number represents us remember? Use it when you absolutely can’t take anymore or when you need me to stop. Ok?” Nanami looked at her for approval.

“Yeah. Yeah ok.” She nodded her head in confirmation. She was oozing with anticipation. A safe word was good for a lot of things and she’d always felt like Nanami would be the type to use one. Plus, the fact that he just came up with it meant he was about to go to work on her ass and she couldn’t wait.

“Good. Now don’t run from me again.” He said before dropping his head back in between her legs to finish what he started. He starts tonguing her pussy again mercilessly. She was creaming now and it was getting all over his face. Desiree had started calling his name and gripping his hair making him go even harder. She remembered what he said and met his eyes again as he looked up at her. They looked at each other so passionately as he bought her closer to release. She felt shockwaves starting to pulse through her clit and directly to her stomach making it to tighten really hard. Her pussy started to leak a little a Nanami knew she was ready. He moaned into her center as she came in his mouth, her hands gripping the cushions above her head while her hips rolled into his face.

Nanami lifts head and places small kisses all over Desiree’s vulva before moving them up to her womb. He works his way on top of her and gives her a long kiss on the lips while his hand caresses her burning cheeks. She’s melts into his kiss, loving how she can taste herself on him. Nanami pecks her lips one more time before lifting up off the couch breaking their lips apart. Desiree opens her eyes ready to complain, until she sees he’s pulling down his sweats. She almost chokes on her own spit when she’s his dick pop out of his sweatpants. Her eyes didn’t deceive her earlier. He was thick and long. And the veins…

“So, this is what the safe word was really for.” She thought to herself. She couldn’t help but to lick her lips staring at it. Desiree didn’t think he could get any finer than what he already was but seeing him fully nude was marvelous. He looked like the sculptures you would see in a museum.

Nanami lifted her up by the arms and holstered her over his shoulder getting a series of cute giggles in response. He walked them into the master bedroom and gently sat her down on the edge of the bed. His room was just as neat as the rest of the house and it was big. Desiree bit her lip when she saw one of the walls next to the bed was lined with four large mirrors. Her gut was telling her it was for more than a modern touch of decoration. You couldn’t tell just by looking at him, but Nanami was a certified freak.

Going over to his nightstand, he pulled a condom out of its top drawer. He came up to Desiree and put the condom in her hand. “You want to put it on for me?” Smiling at each other, she opened the package and started to work the condom onto Nanami’s dick. She had to use two hands to get it all the way on.

Nanami grabbed her ankles and lifted them into the air, making her lay her upper body down flat on the bed. He pulled her ankles apart wide and then pushed them back so her knees are on the side of her chest, making her pussy spread for him. He slides his dick against her wet lips and locks eyes with her.

“You’re so beautiful Desiree. Are you ready?”

Desiree looked down and licked her lips. She was a little scared of his size, but wasn’t one to back down from a challenge. So, she nodded her head, “I’m ready.”

Nanami slid his dick back down her lips and aligned the tip with her entrance. Slowly, he starts to move in, both slightly gasping at the feeling of each other. Desiree’s breath becomes shaky as Nanami sinks deeper into her. It kind of hurts, but he’s stretching her so good and gentle.

Nanami lifts one of her hands to his lips and kisses it. Holding it on the side of his face as he fills her up. He stops when he hears her whimper. “Are you okay?” He kisses her hand again. “Do you need me to stop?” He looks at her face slightly worried. He knew he gave her the safe word, but wanted to be sure in case she was too scared to use it yet.

Desiree gives him a light smile. “No, keep going”. He nods his head and sinks the rest of his length into her making her moan. He bends down, laying his chest on hers as he passionately pecks her swollen lips. He moves his hips, starting a steady rhythm as he strokes into her. Desiree can barely contain herself because of how good it feels.

Nanami’s slow strokes become faster and harder, and Desiree’s soft moans get louder. He lifts up, and rubs his thick thumb around her clit as he slams into her. The sounds of her wetness and her moans made it nearly impossible for him to hold back. She wrapped around him perfectly. Nanami groans deeply, getting lost in her. And it’s music to her ears.

He grabs the back of her thighs pushing her further onto the bed and climbs on. He keeps his hands on the back of her thighs, pressing them back as far as he could. Her feet were pointed past her head now. Desiree didn’t know she was this flexible but with the right one, anything was possible. Nanami repositioned himself then plowed into her again. Slamming her pussy mercilessly.

She was screaming now and calling his name. Her arms were pinned between her legs and the bed so the only thing she could do was grip the cover beneath them. Her eyes and mouth were starting to water and she felt like this was the closest she could be to heaven. She looked down at where they met and loved seeing his big dick covered in her arousal, slamming in and out her. The contrasts of their skin tones made it even more beautiful. He was so deep and hitting all the right spots. It hurt so good. And all Desiree could do was take it.

“Babydoll look at me.” He grunted. She looked up into his eyes and felt like she was melting under his gaze. The eye contact made them feel so connected. Nanami loved the faces she made when he made her feel good. And she loved how he got so much pleasure from giving it. He sloppily kisses her lips, aching for her taste again. He moves his lips to the side of her neck, sucking the sensitive skin and whispering in her ear.

“You’re so fucking pretty Desiree. And you feel so good”. He licked the top of her ear then moved back to her neck. Sucking on her favorite spot.

“Kennn ahh”. She purred in his ear. It sent tingles down his spine whenever she said his name. Desiree felt her belly tighten and her walls clenched around Nanami even tighter.

“I know. You ready to cum again?” He cooed. Desiree could barely speak. He was fucking her so good. She was a whiny mess right now. She quickly nodded her head, feeling another orgasm building up. “Mhm”.

Nanami sunk his dick deep into her and stopped stoking making her whimper in protest. He grabbed her face in one of his large hands, and bore into her eyes. Teasing her with a sexy, smug grin. “Use your words. Tell me what you want.”

“I wanna cum baby.” She whispered.

He pecks her lips, giving her another deep stroke before pulling back and letting his tip sit at her entrance. “Speak up.”

“Please Kento. Please make me cum.” Desiree whimpered.

Nanami granted her wish and started railing into her tight pussy again. Desiree cried out in pleasure, barely able to catch her breath. Nanami groaned deeply, digging his fingers into Desiree’s soft thighs. With each thrust, his dick started to throb more and more. He was ready to cum too. It normally took him much longer than this, but she felt too good.

He refrained himself though. Ladies first. He slammed into her pussy a bit harder now. Rolling his hips a bit to the left to hit that spot she seemed to like. Desiree threw her head back with tears in her eyes, feeling him in her stomach.  He filled her up so nicely. Her lips form a silent “O” before she yells out. Her body succumbing to the most intense orgasm she ever had.

Nanami kept pumping his hips, milking every last bit of her. He clenched his jaw tight as he watched Desiree unravel beneath him. She came so hard she almost pushed his dick back out. He wasn’t going to last much longer. His stokes get sloppier and he slams deep into her one last time, his dick twitching and throbbing in her belly.

Nanami let go of her legs and rested his chest on top of hers, touching their foreheads together. They stay like that for a moment before joining their lips for a wet kiss. Desiree was still shaking beneath him, so he rolled their bodies over and held her in his arms. Massaging her scalp and placing little pecks all over her face.

Desiree closed her eyes, feeling the tension slowly lift from her body. She sunk into Nanami’s chest, allowing his fresh scent to comfort her. Nanami tightened his grip around her body and caressed her cheek. She looked so beautiful and at peace right now. Nanami felt so connected to her it didn’t make any sense. And the intimacy between them didn’t make it any better. Desiree was so intoxicating. He felt like he could never get enough of her.

“How are you doing babydoll? Are you ok? I hope I didn’t hurt you.” He reached down and began to rub circles on her lower back. She lifted her head up and placed a kiss on his chin.

“No, you didn’t hurt me. I’m fine.”  She gave him an exhausted smile and nestled in the crook of his neck. “Good. I’ll be right back.” He gently slid her on her side and disappeared into the bathroom. Desiree took a deep breath and slid her hands between her thighs to warm them up. She didn’t realize how cool the apartment was until she calmed down. The sound of the tub broke her from thoughts when Nanami came back into the room.

“Alright. Up you go.” He scooped her off the bed and into his arms wedding style then carried her into the bathroom where the tub was filling up with warm water. “You don’t have to carry me Kento I know I’m heavy.” He sat her down on sink counter and placed his hands on the side of her thighs. “You’re not too heavy for me to lift. I like handling you like this. Plus, you know you wouldn’t have been able to walk after what we just did.”

Desiree could feel her cheeks starting to burn again and darted her eyes down to the floor. Even though she had just busted it open for him not too long ago, she couldn’t help but to feel shy when he said things like that. Nanami chuckled at her reaction then grabbed a vanilla almond wash from the side of the tub and started adding bubbles to the water. Once it had filled enough, he shut the water off and helped Desiree step inside the tub. He stepped in after, sliding in behind her and pulling her close to him.

They enjoyed the warm bath in silence. Simply enjoying each other’s company. Even though nothing was being said verbally, a lot was being said physically. The energy between them was unmatched. Neither had ever felt so safe with someone and it was refreshing. After soaking for a bit, they started washing each other’s bodies. Taking their time and sharing kisses and giggles in the process. Afterward, they went to the living room to snuggle on the couch and watch a movie. They had forgot all about the club until Gojo hit Nanami’s cell later that night.

The movie still had about half an hour left but Desiree was worn out and had drifted off to sleep a while ago. He slid her to the side, careful not wake her up then went into the kitchen to take Gojo’s call.

“Hello?” Nanami answered stretching his arm above his head.

“Yo what happened to you guys? I thought you were gonna meet us at the club.” Gojo yelled over loud music and laughter.

“I know but we had a change of plans. Sorry for making you worry.” Nanami glanced over to the couch to see Desiree still sleeping peacefully.

“Oooh a change of plans huh?” Gojo laughed into the speaker making Nanami roll his eyes. “If that’s all, I’m hanging up.” He didn’t have patience for Gojo’s antics right now although he was still feeling a bit giddy from earlier.

“Alright man, I’ll leave you alone. For now at least. I’m happy for you though. Desiree’s a cool lady. I’m rooting for you guys even though she’s snatching you from me.” Gojo always had jokes, but was sincere in his expression.

Nanami couldn’t help but smile. “I appreciate it. I have to get going now.” After getting off the phone with Gojo, Nanami walked back to the couch and repositioned Desiree back on his chest. She was a hard sleeper so she still didn’t stir. He looked down at her face and placed a soft kiss in the middle of her round cheek. She had given Nanami a chance and he wasn’t going to waste it. Nanami could see a fulfilling future with her. He was going to protect her and care for her with everything in him.

“Sweet dreams Desiree.” He whispered in her ear then leaned his head back onto the cushion. Joining her in a warm slumber.

[beggingwolf]

jes's musings on writing (and finally getting to beta for someone again, jesus merciful christ thank you universe I've missed it so much, and I can't wait to beta for lis again and aaa) have had me thinking about my own "writing" "process," since I've had a hell of a time lately and I'm interestingly caught between two friends—one of whom is very methodical about her approach, and the other who works best when guided by her natural talent and whim.

it's interesting to observe, because I think the analogy I've settled on for my "writing" "process" (look at those neat little scare quotes I've employed to make light of my work, nice) is it's like riding wild horses, lol. I often rely on blind ambition and hope to propel me through, and I rarely feel in control during.

it's frustrating; I still haven't quite solved myself yet. which—that's silly to expect... I've been writing now for less than a year and I am relatively young, but nonetheless—it's something I want to do. that's always been my big hangup; I've been wanting to write stories since I was a kid, and plot was always so damn hard for me because you honestly have to WORK at it, and I am a creature who deeply enjoys being slovenly and low-effort.

and, like, not to get too woo-woo about it, but, isn't adulthood, like, confronting that the things worth having take effort? and time? and concentrated pursuit? and failure? and doggedly picking yourself up and trying again?

I sort of feel like I have a lifetime of self-training to overcome: "the fastest way to complete-a-thing-to-acceptable-standards" isn't really an admirable method anymore. it served me heinously well in education, but that part of my life has been over for a little while now, and as I grow more dissatisfied with what it's won me, I have to keep confronting the reality of what will actually be "good" for me.

it's like... this is my whole shtick. I "realize" something, I go "well, shit, that looks like a lot of effort and something huge to confront," I shelve it for anywhere from a few months to a decade (we don't need to talk about my hilariously lengthy coming-out-to-myself process lol), and then at some later point I incorporate it into my self-image like it was always there.

it's been a neat little way I could ignore myself subconsciously doing the mental work... just shelving my thoughts and "ignoring" them until I'd finished processing them. but! BUT!

I'm tired of shelving things and shambling along until my id works them out. I see people who pursue their hobbies—with levity, and with enjoyment, and with purpose, and with drive, and with intention, and I go I want to do that.

and I believe I can? like, I really do. but I need to teach myself that failure is good, and okay, and natural, and I need to kill the "perfect" draft/idea in my head. I have a wildly overdeveloped inner writing critic (which, to be fair, I won awards for in university lol) but I need to stop turning it on myself in a fear-inducing, freeze-up-and-panic way.

I can edit to a brutally good standard. that means I can edit my own writing to that standard, too, if I just dare to put the pen to paper and commit the time it will take to congeal enough words together to carve something out of.

I'm going to spend some time working on some aggressively fun things—the TKK sequel feels like, god, a PLAYGROUND, because (ironically) my negative self-talk over its predecessor means I feel like there are no stakes to the sequel: I can do whatever I want! I can be free!—and I might work on another goofy little story

and then I'm going to try conquering one of the bigger fic ideas I've had, that I've been saving up for half a year, at least. I think I'm ready to experiment and put in the work and effort and teach myself how to do this. I can do it!!!! I can!!!!

[socialwriter]

Ch. 2-Diamonds are a girls best friend

Listen alongside- this and this

Pairing: JJ Maybank x Female Reader

TW: Prostitution, sexual activities, mentions of homelessness, cursing, health issues

2.2k+ words

A/n- This is the second chapter of my moulin rouge series, I hope y’all enjoy, mwah

 The curtain rose, and JJ's mouth instantly went dry when the most beautiful woman he had ever seen walked onstage. Immediately, butterflies erupted in his chest. He realized that this mission of his was going to be much harder than he had initially anticipated…

Y/n strut on stage, hips swaying from side to side slightly. She had the routine down pat, knowing how to maximize tips for the night. Leaving the men of the audience wanting more, that’s how you keep them coming back for more. You push and push them, but don’t let them over the edge. Eventually, she landed center stage, the spotlight hitting her making the jewels on her body and costume glimmer. The entire audience was quiet, anticipation evident by the atmosphere. 

You were ready to begin. 

The silky notes left your throat, as looked up at the audience through your eyelashes, flirting with every man in the room all at once. Your eyes skimmed the audience, creating a connection with each and every person watching. After all, the larger the connection, the larger the tip. Though, your attention always drifted back to those middle booths. The money makers. You hadn’t forgotten your conversation with Topper before the show had begun for the night.

----

You’re putting the finishing touches of makeup on for the night, painting the red rouge on the lip when a knock was heard at the door. You breathe in, putting on your sultry look, preparing for an early customer, only to relax when you see it's just Topper likely here to tell you to break a leg. “There’s my star.” He said, a grin on his face as he opened his arms towards you. 

You rolled your eyes, but nevertheless walked over to him to give him a small hug and air kisses. Topper had always been able to see the shine and glimmer in you that you hadn’t been able to see in yourself. To yourself, you were just like any of the other performers, nothing special, but he saw something more in you. He had taken you in when you were left homeless at 14, giving you a job as a waitress before letting you perform when you were of age. He picked you up, dusted you off, and made you a beautiful star, though he said you didn’t need his help doing the last part.

“I’m just doing my job Top.” You retort, pulling away from the hugs. He just grins at you and shakes his head, surprised that after all these years you still had never learned to take a compliment. “And that’s why we pay you the big bucks.” He muses, before the smile falls on his face and he becomes serious. The mood change is abrupt, taking you aback. It looked like this wasn’t just his ritual check in before he started the show.

“I need your help.”

“When don’t you.”

Topper huffs and rolls his eyes, clearly not in the mood for jokes anymore. “Listen, you’re the first girl I’m telling this to, but we’re running low on money. We can’t afford the drinks, the costumes, the lights. Pretty soon we’ll be going under if we continue on this path.”

A small gasp escapes your lips and you look down, tears threatening to spill. This place and Topper had given you a home when you had nowhere else to turn to and now it may be in ruins? You saw other girls, in similar positions you had been in, depending on this place to pay the bills. Some of them had families and children to care form, and now they might suffer because of this place going under. “I hate to break it to you Top, but I don’t have any money to keep this place a float.

Topper shook his head instantly. “I know you don’t, trust me, I don’t think anyone that works here does. But one of our patrons tonight can save us, and I need your help convincing him to invest in us.” That was no shock to you. Topper had often asked you to pay special care to the top paying customers to ensure that they always came back for more, but never had the stakes been so high. “Who?”

“His name’s Rafe Cameron, Duke of Monroth. He’s been coming here on your nights off for the past few weeks, but I think we’re going to need you to give him the final push to give us the money. He always sits in a middle booth, as per usual with the bigwigs. Can you do this for me, for everyone here doll?”

You nod, a determined look in your eyes. “This Duke isn’t gonna know what hit him Top.”

---

You smile, eventually walking around the venue, collecting your bills on the different beats of the song. Everything was a show, and the people had to be entertained at all times.

When you start to approach the booth of the three bohemians, JJ pats down his pockets before realizing he doesn’t have any money to give. “Gimme some money.” He whisper-yells at the two men seated next to him, you were only one booth over. You were currently giving a show to someone who you didn’t realize yet was Rafe Cameron, and he was thoroughly impressed, enjoying the show but not tipping a cent. 

“I only have a $20.” Pope whisper-yells back, but you’re already walking, so JJ grabs the 20 dollar bill from Pope’s hand without his consent and grabs your wrist ,spinning you around. You’re shocked to say the least, and about to pull away from the rude customer. You may dance around and perform sexual acts in front of men, but you drew the line at consent. However, when you turned around, your breath hitched as you met the most beautiful blue eyes that you had ever seen. The unknown mystery man hands you $20 before getting on one knee and kissing the back of your hand. The tip is huge, and with the chivalrous attitude, you connect the dots in your head that this must be the duke Rafe Cameron. It looked like you would be seeing more of those mesmerizing blue eyes later tonight.

You start to walk away from who you assume is the duke, but not before turning around and blowing a kiss his way. JJ is practically swooning at this point, his eyes glued on you the entire time as he makes his way back to the booth with Pope and John B. “Man..you’re good.” John B mumbles, looking at JJ with only respect in his eyes. Pope, however, is a little less impressed, muttering, “You owe me $20” under his breath.

You stuff the 20 in your corset, making your way back to the stage before it feels like a ton of bricks have been piled onto your chest. You stumble upstage and lean on a wall, hoping that the dancers in front of you will distract the audience from whatever is happening to you. It's hard to breathe, and you don’t know what's happening, until you feel a hand on your shoulder and see Sarah’s worried eyes, Kie glancing over at you with concern in her eyes while she dances. Focusing on Sarah seems to pull you out of whatever funk you’re in and let you focus on breathing in and out again. Eventually, you feel like enough oxygen has filled your lungs as you start to walk back to the front of the stage, nodding to Sarah to let her know you’re ok. She reluctantly allows you to walk forward and finish the number, but makes sure to keep an eye on you for the rest of the night.

After belting out the final notes to the song, you’re met with applause from everyone, and you smile at them all. “I hope you all have enjoyed your time at the Moulin Rouge thus far. Now, who’s ready to dance?!” You ask the audience, earning whoops and hollers in response. The rest of the girls and yourself all start to walk off stage, the real performance of mingling with customers just beginning. 

John B and Pope, seeing you walking off stage, stand up abruptly. “Now’s your chance pal. Talk to Y/n, and we’ll distract Topper. Good luck bud.” John B says to JJ, before both boys leave heading over to Topper. “Hey Top, looking spiffy as always, that a new tie?” JJ hears Pope shout, causing him to chuckle and shake his head. Before he can start looking around to find you, you’re already in front of him, a light sheen of sweat on you from the rigorous performance that you had just given. “Hey handsome.”

JJ gulped, scratching that back of his head nervously. He had expected to have to pull you away from some rich scum to talk to you, and he had no clue as to why he would be the first man you approached. “Me handsome?” He asked, pointing to himself. Way to make yourself look like an idiot, JJ.

You just giggle, twirling some hair around your finger. You had half expected the duke to be some arrogant asshole that immediately wanted to get into you pants, but he was different. You catch yourself getting butterflies in your stomach at his goofy smile and pretty blue eyes, but try to push down the feeling. Your profession was not one for love. “Yes you, silly.”

You lean down so that your mouth is right next to his ear, your lips just barely brushing against his skin. “Care to dance?” JJ’s eyes widen slightly, and he looks you in the eyes. “Aren’t I supposed to be asking you that?” 

Smirking, you shake your head at the blond, holding out your hand for him to take. “I like to switch things up, what can I say?” 

JJ takes your outstretched hand, standing and following you to the dance floor. “I’m, uh, not really a dancer, I actually do more music.” You look back at him, surprised by the information. Most men kept their mouths shut during this part, wanting the physical and nothing more. But not the man stood in front of you. He seemed genuine, nervous sure, but like he wanted you for your soul and not your body. You can’t help but smile at his awkward stance, glancing at the other girls and how they're dancing with their customers for the night. “Well, that means that you already got the hard part down. If you’re dancing to the beat, then you’re already doing better than most of the guys in here.” You tell him, smirking when his face turns a shade of pink. “Now come here.”

You pull him close, wrapping a leg around his hips so that your chests are pressed together, and your hands go up to his shoulders, fingers absentmindedly playing with the hairs at the nape of his neck. JJ clears his throat, uncomfortable with how close you are, considering your dress is riding up so that your ass is almost hanging out. “You, um, you don’t have to do that, you know.” He says, looking you in the eyes. The smirk you had on your face falls, and you lower your leg. It looked like all the usual tricks wouldn’t work, like you had thought they might. Apparently this Rafe guy needed an emotional connection, which would be harder. You’d trained yourself to block out emotions, but this guy was demanding you to be vulnerable and be the real you, not the act that you put on. 

“Where did you come from?” The words tumble out of your mouth before you can even really think of what you’re saying, and your eyes widen slightly, heat rising to your cheeks. You rest your head on the blond’s chest, praying that he hadn’t seen the blush on your face. But JJ had, and it made him fall in love with you even more. Seeing the real you, the real woman, the real person, not the performer and the act that you put up. He was determined, in that moment, to make you his, no matter the cost. “America.” He joked, causing you to snort, shaking your head before pulling away. Instantly, you both crave the other's touch. “I’ll be in my dressing room, hope to see you there.” You tell JJ before walking away, giving him one last parting glance. 

John B and Pope see you walk away from JJ, so they decide to quit pestering Topper to see how the mission with JJ and you was going. “So how’d it go man?” Pope questions. JJ is left speechless for a moment before glancing back at the two. “She invited me back to her dressing room.” John B and Pope both grin at JJ, the former patting him on the shoulder. “Well done, you go up there, talk to her uninterrupted, and we’re in for sure!” 

JJ nods, sending the two a half hearted smile before sneaking another glance at you. You approach Topper, a smile on your lips before you remember that you have to do this for professional reasons. “I’ve invited him back to my dressing room.” You inform Topper, causing him to grab you by the shoulder and kiss you on the cheek, grinning. “That’s my girl, I knew you could do it.” You can’t help but look back at the blond haired, blue eyed man, and resent the fact that you can’t help but blush when you see that he’s already looking at you.

Tags: 

@normatural @sarahcxmeron @bricksatanakinswindow @ssjiara @tomfreakinghollandneedsaoscar @girlsru1eboysdroo1 @the-crackhead-next-door @perfektionsmakel @teamnick @danicarosaline @gracie-jo15 @jjmbanks​ @meandmymessyminds​ @keepingupwiththepogues​ @jjaybank​ @x-lulu​

[recklessrex]

Jellicle-ho did this and now I also want to rank my favorite Cats. So I wrote this instead of writing about Sullivan.

Long Post Warning

To start with I don't hate/dislike any of them. The ones toward the bottom of the list tend to be ones I just think about less often, or don't feel like I connect to as well. Based on 1998 for simplicity's sake.

1) Munkustrap

My baby. Munk's always been my favorite from the very start. It's not just the hero thing, it's not just that Michael Gruber's a handsome mf, it's how he interacts with the others. He's so loving and protective, but at the same time so done with everyone's bullshit (when bullshittery occurs). And then there's the underlying anxiety issues we're all pretty sure he deals with that makes me just want to hug him. He just so clearly wants everyone to be happy and safe. It melts my heart how much joy he gets from seeing his tribe happy. Watch when Deuteronomy shows up in 1998, after he greets him himself (before which he steps aside so others can greet him first cuz he's a sweetheart), he spends most of the walk to the stairs soaking in how happy all the others are and being utterly overjoyed. Add to that his deep, devoted love for his father and how diligently he looks after him, his clear affection for his little brother Tugger despite being more done with his bullshit than anyone else's (Tugger don't touch the bagpip. Tugger no), his strong, tender bond with Alonzo and how smoothly they work together in a crisis, and his sometimes subtle, sometimes not-so-subtle crush on Demeter (notice that she's the only one other than Alonzo that HE approaches right before the Gumbie Cat and the only one he uses both hands to reach out to during that). Also his snark and sass, when he lets it out, is an utter joy. And I love the way he can assert his dominance with just a glance if the situation calls for it (watch him with Cassandra in Grizabella's first scene), but still rarely ever pulls rank like that. Overall he's a really fun character to watch for me, as well as to think about and (if I get around to it) write about.

2) Demeter

My other baby. (I'm so happy my two babies love each other). She's such a complex character. Her backstory of abuse and her current dealings with PTSD as a result are only the jumping off point. I love her moments of bravery, like jumping on Mac to protect the tribe despite everything she's been through. Courage isn't about not being afraid, it's about doing what needs to be done despite your fears. She's the most courageous member of the tribe and I love her so much. As for her relationships with the others, she has a much less subtle crush on Munk than he does on her, but she's so shy about it (and he's so damn polite) I doubt they'd ever get off the ground without a little help. She's so adorable in the way she looks at him, in 1998 she has a particular smile different from her other smiles that seems to be just for him. I also love her connection with Bomba, I feel like if she and Munk ever got off the ground it would be with Bomba's encouragement. Bomba is always there to hold her up when she feels small. While Munk makes her feel safe, Bomba makes her feel strong. So this is why Demelustrap is my OT3 thank you for coming to my TED talk.

3) Mungojerrie

Acts like a dumbass, is actually a genius. (Fight me). I love characters like this. Contradictions. Like brave strong Munk who is actually more emotionally vulnerable than he lets on, or nervous timid Demeter who bravely confronted the person she fears most. Mungo seems fundamentally clueless in most situations but I think he's just a carefree goofball, at least when the stakes are low. He and Teazer are both clever enough to get away with all sorts of mischief, and I don't think it's a "Teazer is the smart one" situation. I mean Teazer is probably smarter, but they need smarts on both sides. I also love how smoothly they work together as a team. Mungo ranks higher for those adorable "clueless" moments and for being a lovable goof.

4) Rumpleteazer

Acts like a bimbo, is actually a genius. To a lesser extent than Mungo in that she acts way less clueless than he does, and her antics are usually more obviously silliness rather than dumbassery. Would be higher but I just like Mungo's goofy aesthetic a bit more. I'd also like to take this time to note I do NOT think they are siblings. (Fight me. Again)

5) Mistoffolees

Another of those contradictions I love. He's simultaneously shy and showy, bold and insecure. He doesn't quite know who he is yet, but he knows who he wants to be. He's also adorable to watch, with his little hops and poses. His relationship with Tugger is adorable, whether you see them as mates or BFFs (both? both. both is good), and his obvious crush on Victoria is equally adorable (more NOT siblings!). The way he melts when she smiles at him toward the beginning of 1998 *sigh* so cute

6) Alonzo

Sorry @jellicle-ho I do love him lots, but he doesn't make the top five simply because I feel closer to Misto and the Chaos Twins (just an expression, not siblings!) on a spiritual level. He's still one of the best characters. He has his "contradiction" element of being cocky but somewhat insecure, and I especially love that he's just as serious as he is playful. He's also a slinky, sassy bastard and a blast to watch on stage.

7) Victoria

Woo boy. Okay first of all, since it seems to be a major factor, the contradiction element. She seems like a shy, reserved, almost demure young lady at first, but she's actually that quietly sassy serene girl at the Alpha bitch's lunch table, the one that's actually nice and doesn't participate in putting down the weird kid no one likes. But she's still gonna judge you. I love every moment of Victoria-sideeye in the 1998 video. And of course there's her whole side plot which basically revolves around her being extremely DTF, which is quite the opposite of "demure." Also her obvious crush on Misto is also adorable, the way she smiles at him, ugh like the only reason she danced with Plato instead is because Misto was too shy to approach her (also Plato has much better upper body strength so hey ho, hey hue, let's go Pas de Deux). She's also so very graceful and elegent and then there's her "omg why!?" flexibility which make her fascinating to watch.

8) Pouncival

Precious child. Precious little jackass brat. No but really I love him so much he's such a brat but also like he's tiny? And he wants to be cool sooo bad! The way he runs in for his "and bright!" all excited, I just can't. He has this sort of quiet, but enthusiastic demeaner of someone that knows he's not the star, but hopes to be, and he's bursting with energy in a pseudo-controlled way that I find more compelling than Etcetera's brand of enthusiasm. I love his acrobatics, whether they're super smooth, adorably clumsy, or straight up pratfalls. I love how 14-years-old he is. You can see him getting bored in that teenage "okay grampa you've told this story forty times already" kind of way during part of Gus's song. I love how adorably menacing he looks during the Naming of Cats. I just love the baby. He is very baby.

9) Bombalurina

She's beauty. She's grace. She'll smack you in the face. She's sexy and she knows it. She's such a confident, strong woman, and while she's the most overtly sexualized character, I kind of find it's even more empowering, you know? Like the idea that a woman can be both sexy and strong, she doesn't have to pick one. Bomba is walking proof that being strong, bold, and tough is not inherently "masculine," nor is protecting others. Don't get me wrong, I love strong female characters of all varieties, I'm not here to knock the tomboy trope, but when a strong female character is also sexually liberated it's just a different level of empowerment. Not just the deconstruction of "masculine/feminine" lines, but also in the "my body, my life, my choice" kind of way. Further, I absolutely love her relationship with Demeter. I personally support the mates, bffs, and siblings hcs because they honestly work so well as any of these (but as mentioned above, Demelustrap is my OT3, despite not always getting strong Bombastrap vibes). Her protectiveness and desire to comfort Demeter is so beautiful. Maybe it's the contradiction thing that I love so much. Strong, bold Bomba has her most tender moments when looking after Demeter. Idk. Moving on!

10) Rum Tum Tugger

He's beauty. He's… grace? He probably won't smack you in the face. He's sexy and he SO knows it. Tugger is walking proof that certain stereotyped "feminine" traits aren't inherently feminine, or to put it another way, he breaks down what it means to be "masculine." Think about it. Cares about his looks, beautiful luxurious long hair, wiggles his hips, wiggles his hips more, wiggles his hips when he walks, struts like a model on a runway, shakes his chest to be sexy, idolizes a cute boy, fashionable clothes (knee-bandana ftw!), all stereotypical "girly" traits, but would anyone describe Tugger as "girly"? Anyway, that's not even what I love most about him. I actually used to dislike him as a kid, but these days I can't get enough of him. Most of the time he just oozes positive vibes in one way or another, be it party vibes or laid back vibes. Most of his screentime in 1998 is such a good time because of that. He has such an energy and ferocity to him during his dance numbers, especially the second half of the Jellicle Ball in 1998. And then there's his quiet moments, especially the affection he shares with Munk while singing about their dad (omg the respect and affection he feels for both of them, coming from such a self-loving bastard it just ahhhhhh), and then after Deuteronomy comes back I just can't he's so sweet omg. Not to mention his whole relationship with Misto. Aside from the whole idolizing thing, which is adorable, he also is so supportive and encouraging. He just naturally bleeds confidence and good vibes, but he deliberately offers that confidence to Misto when he needs it. It's so beautiful and I'm gonna cry. I used to ship him with Bomba, but these days I hc them as friends with occasional benefits that like to place bets on how far interactions between Munk and Deme will go before one of them chickens out or gets awkward, and on which one will be the awkward chicken this time.

Wow I talked a lot about Tugger and he's only #10. Okay well, you folks ready to get controversial?

11) Macavity

I know I know, hear me out. I know most people interpret him as a total bastard with no redeeming qualities but like, I don't read him that way? Anyway I have complicated feelings about Mac but I'll get more into it in another post. As a character in the show I do really like him as a villain, I love his laugh, I love his "no look guys it's okay I brought him back see he's over there heheheh" gesture before he shows up in disguise, I love how show-boaty and "totally hyped for this" he is when he reveals himself, I love his "no wait please don't hurt me it's cool I'm leaving" gesture at Alonzo after the Jellicles start ganging up on him, he's just a blast of a character really, whether he's redemable or not.

12) Old Deuteronomy

Sweetest man you'll ever know. His compassion for the entire tribe is so sweet it hurts. He even feels love and understanding for Griz, and (futiley) tries to persuade the others to accept her, even subtley scolding them after the first "Memory" with his "Moments of Happiness." He loves his sons especially, and I adore every moment he interacts with either of them. He also can bring the sass, see his 'chin up' posture before Tugger bows to him, which I always read as them playfully teasing each other, or his little eye-roll when Munk gets a bit extra talking about the fire brigade. On that note, how into Munk's little play he is, even though it's going wrong. He keeps making encouraging gestures at Munk and reacting with surprise at the right moments (when Munk is looking at least lol). Anyway he's great moving on.

13) Jennyanydots

Jenny is that cool aunt that hangs out and has fun but also won't put up with your nonsense. She's so great I love her so much. She's honestly just a blast all the time I love her so much what can I say? I hc her as teaching Tumblebrutus how to sew. I don't know why.

14) Electra

Ah the "quiet" kitten. I read her as the tough tomboyish one of the girl kittens, and I hc her as sort of in training as a protector, and that's why she's more serious than the others. In 1998 she seems to look up to Munk, being the first to greet him before Gumbie Cat, and nuzzling him during Old Deuteronomy. 1998 Electra also has a lot of little adorable motions like licking her paws during Old Deuteronomy and retrieving the Peke paw from the middle of stage and than posing/playing with it during the Pekes and the Pollicles. I also love her freckles and her pink arm warmer. Massively underrated character.

15) Tumblebrutus

SPINNY. BALLET. BOI. Nuff said. But I'm gonna say more. He keeps up with Misto in ballet and exceeds Pounce in acrobatics, and as such is fascinating to watch. Also Brutus's struggle between his playful instincts and his desire to impress his elders is so adorable.

16) Admetus/George

First of all I first knew him as Admetus long long ago, and he will always be Admetus to me. Sorry. Second, omg this lovely, happy, wonderfully expressive boi. His face at literally any point in 1998 is such a gem.

17) Jemima

Speaking of great expressions, how bout Jemima? She's so cute and sweet! I love her whole deal of understanding Griz's pain and trying to get the rest of the tribe to understand. The only reason she's not higher up is because I somehow don't emotionally connect with her like I do some of the other kittens.

18) Coricopat

The more laid-back and playful half of the mystic twins. The twins in general are cool af, but Corico ranks higher for being more relatable.

19) Skimbleshanks

BUBBLY. TRAIN. DAD. Nuff said. Buttttt I'm gonna say more! Skimble is your best friend's dad that is always chaperoning on field trips but that's okay because he's actually pretty fun to be around most of the time. I love his cheerful expressions and his little jigs. His song is so much fun. And I love the relationship between him and Spara in 1998. More on that below

20) Asparagus

Okay so Spara is your other best friend's dad (or your best friend's other dad) who sometimes tries too hard to be cool and connect with the kids but that's okay because he's so nice and besides it's kind of adorable? What I find most adorable about Spara though is how hard he's crushing on Skimble. Like even if you hc them as already in a relationship, he really just can't get enough of Train Dad. Look at how Spara smiles at Skimble ALL THE DAMN TIME. He's practically blushing at multiple points during Skimble's song. And Skimble tends to gravitate towards Spara quite a bit, and omg that big grin he gives him during the line "sleeping car exprrrrreeesss!" I'm dead. In conclusion I need more Asparashanks content thank you for coming to my TED talk

21) Cassandra

I WANT to like Cassandra better than I do. I really really want to. But I feel like she's just so hard to get to know. I do enjoy her on stage, but as a character with backstory and motives she's a bit hard to work with. That being said she's by no means a flat character. I do hc her as one of the deputy protectors along with Alonzo, and more recently as part of the BFF power trio of her, Alonzo, and Munk, since Alonzo and much more subtley Munk are the only ones she shows any physical affection toward, aside from occasionally hanging out with T-brutus but we'll shelve that for now. I do really enjoy watching her though, she has some really interesting movements and expressions. And she does radiate a sort of "try me, I fucking dare you" vibe that I love a lot.

22) Tantomile

I have the same problem with Tanto that I do with Cass. I just don't feel like I know her very well. She is cool as a mystical psychic character, but that's part of what makes the twins in general cool. So far I haven't been able to connect to her as an individual without her brother, otherwise she would be much higher on this list. She's still cool though.

22) Plato

*Deep breath* okay. I don't dislike Plato. I just.. okay look out of the male kittens/young adults, he's my least favorite. He does have qualities that I really like, like how he's a shy reserved boy on the outside and a fiery passionate soul on the inside. That's cool. Also those intense expressions are pretty cool I guess. I guess I might have less positive feelings about him because everyone assumes Victoria's magically in love now because of the Pas de Deux even though they barely interact otherwise. Which is unfair of me to feel that way. I hc him as struggling with internalized anger and anxiety and having difficulty expressing himself.

23) Etcetera

I'll be honest, I used to find her annoying. This one's pretty much entirely on me, because she has a superficially similar demeanor to a girl that used to bully me in school. But since graduating Cety's grown on me a lot, not in small part due to her wonderful enthusiasm for literally everything. While less compelling to me than Pounce's quieter, more controlled flavor of energetic enthusiasm, her bouncy jubilance still makes me grin and giggle along with her, so that's a major plus.

24) Jellylorum

Jelly is your other cool aunt that worries too much about your safety but also has cool stories to tell and is always doing like art and stuff in her garage. I hc her as the tribe nurse. Would be higher if not for slight Karen-ness.

25) Gus

Only on stage for a short time but he shines. The way he starts out all helpless looking like he doesn't even know where he is and slowly blossoms into singing about his old days with enthusiasm, and then breaking down into tears. He's a great character for the scene that he's in, but unfortunately there's not a lot else to him, so he gets a low spot on the list

26) Grizabella

Oof. Okay so. I get it. She messed up. My hc is… well, complicated, but short version is she never planned on being a mom and has no idea how to be a mom, and so she just let Deut raise Munk and visited occasionally (ahem rarely), but she does end up later spending some time as his primary caregiver, and she fucks up royally, like massive neglect and mild emotional manipulation, and ends up emotionally damaging Munk more than if she'd left him alone. SO with this hc in mind, is she redemable? Idk. But the tribe forgave her so that's what matters. Do I feel sorry for her? Yes. Do I believe she honestly regrets her past actions? …kind of? Yes. Let's go with yes. Does any of this make her my favorite character? Not by a long shot. I have mixed feelings about Grizabella. I don't dislike her I just… don't know how to feel about her.

27) Bustopher Jones

Walking fat joke, but a pleasant walking fat joke. Wish we could have got to know him better than "that cultured fat guy all the toms want to impress." He's fun though. I love his expressions throughout his song, and that toodle-pip! is so adorable.

28) Exotica

Oh Exotica. Who even are you. We don't know you at all. I do like the moment in Old D's song when she's reaching from the outside of the crowd hoping to get to touch him, and he reaches out so she can, and immediately after touching him she drops her hand and backs away, which I read as shy fangirl overload flee the scene omg he touched me omgomgomg. So that was cute. Ummm. I wish she'd stop changing colors every three seconds so I could keep track of her. Other than that, I don't dislike her, I just don't know her well enough to like her.

Omg I made it to the end. Did I forget anybody? I don't think so... Phew, that was so hard! Thanks for reading if you made it this far! :)

[inikavulpixelreviews]

Let’s Talk About Pokemon - The Fairy Type

During Gen 6, they dropped the bomb that is the Fairy type. The first type to be added to the series since Dark and Steel waaaay back in Gen 2. It felt like a long time coming, as the Dragon types had run rampant in Pokemon's metagame for nearly two whole decades and other fans were clamoring for a “Light” type. Honestly, myself included when I was a silly teenager. Though my interpretation of a Light type was a lot more literal than others, which seemed to give off the impression for the type to be more angelic themed that just straight up “something that lights up.”

In the end, I'm glad we got Fairy instead. A “holy” themed type for Pokemon would feel rather out of place to a point where Arceus itself is really pushing it. Fairy is a lot more flexible than even my literal Light type, since they aren't so bound to needing a spot on their body to glow or some such or are even bound to the “moral righteousness” of the hypothetical Light type fans have wanted. Despite its cute innocence on the surface, Fairy type has a lot more room to get darker than you'd expect.

I'm sure everyone by now is aware of myths and fairy tales being a lot darker back in the day than their modern interpretations. This is perfectly reflected in the Fairy types introduced after the type's inception, with many of them being cute on the surface but dreadfully dark in other places. Though if not that, they're at the very least a type of light-hearted tricksters. You got Mimikyu's shadowy appearance and murderous tendencies plus Tapu-Lele's surprisingly dark take on a classic Healer achetype, and even Klefki's meager trickery of stealing people's keys.

I don't think I overall have too many qualms with the Pokemon that got retconned into Fairy type either. They don't 100% fit the bill as the ones from Gen 6 and 7, but that's to be expected when you have to retroactively hand them the typing. The only line that outright doesn't feel like it fits to me is the Marill line. I'm past the point where I've finally convinced myself Granbull isn't Normal type anymore, but I can never get it out of my head that the Marills are anything other than pure Water. What's up with you guys? Seems arbitrary to hand the type out to something that's just sickeningly cute and nothing more.

The type as far as Gen 6-onwards goes, it could use a bit more variation. If it's pink and has huge adorable little eyes, it's probably Fairy. I can think of a handful of Gens 1-5 Pokemon that easily could've been part of the Fairy retcon, including Hypno, the Vanillite line, Banette, maybe even Conkeldurr since you could slightly associate the type with clowns? Perhaps maybe even Snorunt and Glalie. Or maybe I just want more Ice/Fairy types in particular. Pink with Light Blue is a nice color scheme, okay?

Top 10 Favorite Fairy Types:

Bottom 10 Least Favorite Fairy Types:

This is hard when there's so many to like. But I guess I'll narrow it down to this group of “slightly less than great” ones.

The Cutest:

The Coolest:

Yeah, see? We could still use a few more “cool” Fairies!

The Prettiest:

The Spookiest:

The Weirdest/Most Unique:

Most Inventive Use of the Type:

I still feel like this type has a ways to go to have this section one day be satisfyingly out-there. The most inventive it really gets is a surprise bulldog, a Fairy-deer-forest-spirit, and Spitzee being a really unique take on a Plague Doctor design.

FAIRY TYPE WISHLIST:

NOTE: These Type Wishlists were written out before any news on new Pokemon from Sword and Shield. The Pokemon revealed over time will not affect these wishlists. Just to present them unaltered despite spoilers and in the interest of getting the wishlist out there, and to see which items on said wishlists get fulfilled by Sword and Shield!

A Unicorn:

At least a more modern conception of a unicorn. Rapidash is kinda in-line with old-timey unicorns that were pretty much just horses that happen to have horns and some magic powers. Go full-on My Little Pony with it, I don’t care. I want an obnoxiously colorful horse.

A Gnome:

Since I've already covered elves, why not put a highlight on Gnomes? The obvious take to make would be a Grass/Fairy type given their ties to being lawn ornaments, but a gnome of any description would be hilarious to me.

A Dwarf:

This is a bit more of a variation of the Gnome wish. But given dwarf's connections with the underground, mining, and such in popular culture, it could be pulled off as a Rock/Fairy type. We need more Fairies with gruff demeanors anyway! Granbull's pretty lonely.

An Imp:

“But Matt!” I hear you possibly say. “Wouldn't an imp creature be more fitting for the Dark type?” Of course it is! But think of it this way: Imps are like the runts of demonic hordes of monsters. The tiny critters often with little bat wings and are in most cases in pop culture are just low-stakes tricksters compared to their more serious demon big brothers. It sounds and awful lot like a demonic version of a Fairy doesn't it? That's perfect for our first Dark/Fairy type!

ANYTHING Wonderland Themed:

Honestly, the old tale of Alice in Wonderland is in and of itself a treasure trove of cool monster ideas waiting to happen to where if we get anything even vaguely themed after said old story, I'd take it. But in particular...

Jabberwock:

Jabberwock is a monster within Wonderland's extended universe and has already appeared all over popular media from Final Fantasy to a number of other vaguely fantasy-themed medias. Being a rather goofy looking dragon-esque denizen of Wonderland, it's PERFECT for our first-ever Dragon/Fairy type! Or at least one that's Dragon/Fairy by default...

A Sandman:

At least I think anything dream-themed would be a fit for the Fairy type that is oddly missing at the moment. I’m surprised Munna and Musharna didn’t get retconned to Fairy either. But in the interest in representing dreams as a physical being, a sandman-based monster would be a good fit for the type. Typing-wise, I’d make it Fairy/Ground but Fairy/Psychic would work just fine as well.

A Cake:

In general I'm never not gonna get tired of any monster designed after desserts and sweets. But in particular, I'd love to see a cake creature. Maybe it gets more tiers/layers as it evolves and eventually becomes ridiculously tall and towering like an Alolan Exeggutor. Add in some candles and maybe it picks up the Fire type as well?

[Archive]

[howtofightwrite]

What's your personal limit on fight-related bullshit in books/movies/tv/etc? At what point do you put it down or turn it off? Can you tolerate the occasional flaming arrow, or...? What are your absolute turn-offs?

I’ll be honest, my limit is excessively low. I mean, I was watching Fate/Zero the other day. I love the 80s Transformer’s Movie (who doesn’t?). I watch Vikings. I genuinely love some incredibly terrible B-action movies, including G.I. Joe. (Ray Park and Byung Hyun Lee are amazing, and G.I. Joe 2 is where I discovered Elodie Yung before her stint as Elektra.) My tolerance is high. So, if I’m put off it usually isn’t the violence itself.

Here’s the three things that turn me off:

1) Not What It Says On The Tin

This is perhaps the biggest turnoff for me. When a movie, book, piece of entertainment establishes itself as A and then does B. I don’t want to sit down with a movie that bills itself as a “hyper-realistic” thriller and get The Mummy. Now, I love The Mummy, it’s a fabulous movie but it’s billed as a wild and wacky summer action flick. It’s big, goofy fun in the best way. It is not, however, a “hyper-realistic” thriller. It’s even worse when the film is trying to be a “hyper-realistic” thriller using an action style pulled from The Mummy. These two could be fantastic together, just drop the “realistic” from the description.

Basically, the piece of entertainment needs to give me what it promised or I’m taking my ball and going home.

2) Sheer Stupidity

This is the bad writing category, when a piece of entertainment is trying so hard to be serious that it doesn’t leave a justification open for balls to the wall style, throw our hands up and throw down, type action but goes there anyway.

It’s not so much that it’s dumb, it’s that the narrative is breaking its own rules and removing the possibility of consequences. Usually this is the classic “Sue” curse, but it can happen to any character in a piece of fiction. I don’t have any patience to read about a character running around knocking out everyone in a castle if there isn’t going to be a pay off for it later.

I’m not against self-congratulatory action sequences that show off how awesome a character is, I just want some narrative consistency to go with it and the scene to have a purpose beyond just that. I like cool fight scenes, but I also like to invest in the characters.

3) Fucking Around With The Audience

I don’t like being played with, tricked, or lied to by a piece of media I’m consuming. There’s a difference between a plot twist and actively fucking around with the audience. I’m not here for movies, novels, comics, or television shows that waste my time.

When the writer is more invested in tricking their audience than they are with telling a good story then that’s when I’m out. It gets worse when the plot twists are nonsensical.

Watching nonsensical fight scenes that exist to pad out a narrative after its run out of ideas is about as fun as watching a five year old slam their action figures together. Actually, the five year old slamming their action figures together is more interesting and the story behind the battle is often coherent.

4) Some In Universe Logic Is All I Want

Mortal Kombat is a very silly movie based on an arcade fighting game, but at least I know what the stakes are and what the participants want. The gratuitous battles make sense in the narrative, even when they don’t.

This is a companion piece to Fucking Around With The Audience but my brain checks out around the time the writer stops caring about justifying a character’s actions in universe. Or, acting in a way that goes against a character’s stated goals. If the character’s decision making cannot rise to the level of a 90s antagonist in a shounen anime then I don’t have time for them. I don’t need the reason for the fight to make sense to me, or to the other characters, I just need it to be in sync with the one starting the violence.

If a character has decided to take the most difficult path to success like knocking out every soldier in a building just to extract one person, then I’d really like that logic explained. Or, the plan was to jump in and save one guy from being attacked by a gang of seven so the protagonist decided to put the whole group into submission holds… one at a time.

However, if the stated goals of these characters are different then I could definitely see it happening.

Q: “Why did you beat up every soldier in that fortress?”

A: “Man, you know, I really hate those guys so I decided to fuck with them! Think about how stupid they’ll feel when they all wake up!”

I really can’t argue with that logic, you know.

Here’s the thing, a character doesn’t have to make the best choice or the right choice or the smart choice. They can be really goddamn dumb, and supported by their setting. The issue is when the writer tries to pretend the decision was brilliant, strategic, tactical, or anything else. That action was their character taking a hammer to a screw. It worked, but it wasn’t smart. For example: Son Goku is not the brightest bulb in the box, but the masses all over the world love him anyway.

All I’m asking for is this: “I wanted to prove myself the strongest fighter, but you dismissed my challenge. Now, I kidnapped your girlfriend and I’m threatening to kill her if you don’t give me what I want. Fight me in an acceptable duel of previously agreed upon terms, coward!”

That’s a character taking a hammer to a screw and watching characters take hammers to screws can be a lot of fun, when its supported by the narrative. Its a combat train wreck. There are entire genres built on it.

My issue is don’t try to lie to me.The motivations don’t need to make sense to me or be what I’d imagine doing, or act as any kind of insert, I just want the character’s motivations, desires, and combat style to make sense to them and be in sync with who they are.

After that, it’s all good.

-Michi

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[satireknight]

S01E01: Turtle Tracks

So just for shits and giggles, I’ve decided to review and analyze every single episode of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. Because I want to. There’s literally no deeper reason than that.

And of course, I’m starting at the very beginning, which I’m told is a very good place to start. 

So this episode... was really good. Pilots tend to suck, in my experience, because the series hasn’t yet figured out what’s going to work and what people are going to like. But this episode pretty much collects together a lot of the things people know about this series: April pursuing criminals at the expense of personal safety and always getting kidnapped, the Turtles kicking mook ass with censored abandon, pizzas that combine things you love in ways that nauseate you...

(Seriously, how do you have a sashimi pizza? Do you just make a pizza and then sprinkle raw fish on it once it’s finished cooking?) 

It’s also a very full episode. A LOT happens in this. You would think that introducing the Turtles, their personalities, their backstory and the main villain would take up most of the 20-minute plot, but there’s this whole arc of them investigating scientific robberies after being sorta-blackmailed into it by April, and ending up in a building that explodes from the water pressure.

The Plot

So our secondary character April O’Neil is a TV reporter talking about a crime wave of technobabbly equipment, which was apparently stolen by people using katanas. Why? Because they used katanas in a way you’re not supposed to use any sword, namely to hack a door open.

Seriously, that’s a job for a machete if it’s for anything. I’m just going to headcanon that this professor is just a big ninja fan and wants to attribute everything to them. Of course, April seems to think that there’s some overlap between being a reporter and being a cop, because investigative journalism doesn’t usually involve staking out dangerous places and trying to intercept criminals in the act.

But April’s reports rub someone the wrong way, and instead of sending a clan of ancient assassins to decapitate her at her apartment, they send some street thugs to confront her in the middle of a street. 

So she does what anyone would do: slips down a storm drain. I’m not even sure how she did that, because those things are pretty fucking narrow. April must have the bone structure of a cat.

Who needs clavicles anyway?

Or being alive, anyway, because her take on this is “This is great! I must really be onto something hot if they’re trying to kill me!” There’s such a thing as being too dedicated to your job, April. She manages to knock herself against a wall by not looking where she’s going, and the mooks are about to kill her when some inexplicably shadowed figures appear!

I can clearly see what they are, you know. Not to mention that the suspense is completely shot when we see this.

You don’t need to maintain the mystery anymore, okay? We can clearly see that whoever it is has green skin and only two toes. And has orange kneebands.

April’s saviors reveal themselves to be four enormous walking, talking humanoid turtles, and she promptly passes out from all the I-can’tness. Michelangelo’s hilarious response? “Awww, she’s no fun. She fainted!” I kinda love how in both this and the 2003 version, the first response to April freaking out is not giving a shit.

After waking, April then spends awhile freaking out over the fact that she’s in a sewer being waited on by Splinter, a giant rat, and that she was rescued by four turtles brandishing ninja weapons. Lots of screaming and fainting. The Turtles really don’t seem very invested in her thus far, because they’re pretty quick to switch over to “what’s for lunch?” ASAP, and when she finally speaks to them, Donatello and Raphael just snark at her.

One thing that really sticks out when you watch this from the beginning is that it’s actually pretty serious. Sure, there’s silliness in places, but the characters are a lot less goofy than they often became later in the series. Even Michelangelo handles all this in a pretty reasonable, adult manner.

Splinter decides to unload their backstory by way of introduction: Hamato Yoshi, the leader of the Foot ninja clan in Japan, whose entire life seems to be one big crapstorm. One of his students, Oroko Saki, decided to frame him for attempted assassination by pinning his clothes to the wall so he couldn’t bow to a venerable sensei. And when Yoshi pulled out the knife so he could move, they assumed that the guy who was clearly pinned to the wall before, and is now staring in confusion at the knife, must be trying to kill the old coot. Apparently the Foot has a high idiot quotient.

So Yoshi did what any normal person would do: he moved across the world, lived in a sewer, and made friends with all the rats. What? It’s what I’d do.

He also ended up with four pet turtles after some kid tripped and spilled them down a drain, and apparently didn’t bother calling up to see if the owner was still there. Eh, the guy’s entire life is a craphole, so I’ll allow it.

We’re also informed that in Japan, Oroku Saki turned the Foot into a criminal organization. We’re TOLD this, but will never be shown it, because I don’t think we see a single other Foot ninja after this in the entire series, and certainly none working for him. Where did they go?

So anyway, Yoshi continues living in the sewers until one day life decides to take one last dump on him: a mysterious glowy stuff is leaked into his home, getting all over him and the Turtles. 

Is there a reason Michelangelo is spinning his chucks right behind her head? Is that some kinda low-level intimidation technique? Because I don’t think it’s working.

The Turtles become more humanlike in intelligence and body, and Yoshi became a mutant rat, aka Splinter.

Wait, so they mutated right into their teen bodies? Does that mean that they’re teenagers biologically but not in terms of chronological age?

April figures out that Splinter is actually Hamato Yoshi, ratified and having lost his pants. Seriously, they just kind of shrink up into his kimono when he mutates. I don’t know where they went, because logically they should have been down around his toes.

And since we’ve established that Splinter is a person of weird impulses, he decided to name the Turtles after his favorite Renaissance painters (what was he calling them before?), and teach them ninjutsu fighting techniques. Because if anyone knows how much other people suck, it’s Splinter. And that was when he was human! Imagine how much worse they would suck when you’re half-animal.

So we have:

-Donatello, the purple-masked one, whose weapon is a large stick he hits people with.

-Raphael, the red-masked one, who has a pair of sai. I should probably mention that those are defensive rather than offensive weapons, but whatever.

-Leonardo, the blue-masked one, who fights with two katanas.

-Michelangelo, the orange-masked one, who has nunchaku... for the moment.

I kinda love Splinter’s open title-drop, especially since I’m not sure whether he planned to change it. Like, if another five or so years, is he going to call them the Twentysomething Mutant Ninja Turtles? 

April does the smartest thing she can possibly do by accusing four guys who effortlessly mopped the floor with a street gang of having stolen all that tech, declares her intention of exposing them as “news,” and makes a run for it. Yes, you just watched a guy polishing his literal sword in front of you, which you have seen him use, and another guy was whirling a nunchuck behind your head. By all means, call them thieves and threaten to do the one thing they can’t possibly allow.

Oh, and we get a fun prelude of things to come: Donatello springs in front of her... and talks with Raphael’s voice for several seconds. No, I don’t know how it happened.

TO BE CONTINUED

[canvaswolfdoll]

CanvasWatches: K-On!

I haven’t over-talked about an anime for a while, have I? At least, not since October. Life’s been busy. Let’s fix that.

Lately, I’ve had contact with the greatest library system in the world,[1] and through it I have managed to watch one of the Essential Anime Series.

And, as always, I watched K-On![2] dubbed. Take that, anime elitists! Ha-ha!

It took me awhile to get through K-On!, longer than I would’ve liked, since I ended up watching it between two trips, months apart, where other commitments and activities forced me away from the television as I desperately tried to get through it, and maybe onto others shows I checked out (Spoilers: between the two trips, I only really managed to watch K-On!)

Luckily, its overarching narrative isn’t very important to follow closely, as it is the flagship of the ‘Cute Girls doing Cute Things’ anime set that evolved from Azumanga Daioh. It was often quipped, whenever someone tried to come in partway through, that there was no plot.

It’s not even Seinfeldian, since even that had actual stakes. K-On! really is a show about a small rock band of girls where nothing really happens. It’s very cute, endearingly so, but… well, I wouldn’t say you need to go out of your way to watch the show if you’re unsure. If you’re into anime and exploring the various genres, then yes, give K-On! a try, just to see if this sort of show appeals to you.

Actually, going back to my earlier snark, this is a show I’m really glad I could watch dubbed. I’ve previously outlined my reasons for only watching dubs, but in this case my penchant for multitasking was key for sitting through the series, while keeping an ear on the actual show. If I were forced to keep rapt attention, reading every line as it came on screen, there is no way the show would’ve won the effort versus reward balance.

K-On! is a good white noise show, which isn’t an insult. It’s just something that’s very easy to come in and out of as you do other things, or want to watch something without committing to depth. There is value to fluff and escapism, which you can find here.

The entire series is built to be disposable, with no drama. There are no romantic relationships, no major fights or tedious fall-outs. In fact, I almost want to say there’s zero conflict at all. Yet, despite what your writing and English teachers may tell you, the series works.

It’s a story carried by its cast of characters. They aren’t even particularly outlandish characters, compared to other shows. They have quirks and traits, but they’re low key, and I’m not even sure how well I can describe the main cast, as they tend to overlap with character traits.  The most obvious differences between them are whether they are extroverts or introverts. Still, it’s my style to talk about characters, so here’s my attempt.

Main Five:

Yui: The supposed protagonist of the series, or at least the focal character during the establishing phase of it. Her endearing characteristics are that she’s immature and physically affectionate! She’s also the second most extroverted character. At the start of the series, she’s directionless and unsure what to do with herself now that she’s a High School student, so she decides to join a club. Except she doesn’t really want to put much effort into it, so she joins the light music club, believing she’ll breeze by only playing simple percussion. But, she ends up having to learn the guitar. She also seems to be the main vocalist, at least for the opening sequences.

Mio: She’s the bass player and is left handed, but is also very shy and relatively serious. Thus, of course, she gets played up for the most fan service and put in uncomfortable situations, though she mellows out as the show progresses. She also gains a fan club, because why not? She sings the closing credits songs.

Ritsu: The club president and drum player. She’s tomboyish, loud, and impulsive, thus the primary driving force whenever she’s actually on board with something, and the one who first really wanted to form a band. Childhood friend of Mio.

Mugi: She plays the keyboard! She’s a little of the quiet, subtle type, but also has a rather wide enabler streak, as she uses her family money to buy her friends nice things, and is the person brewing (very fancy) teas and bringing treats for the club meetings. As such, she might be the one most to blame for how little the club members practice as opposed to just hanging out.

Azusa (Azu-nyan): Joins half-way through the first season as a second guitar player. She then quickly rises to become, if not the viewpoint character, then at least sharing the position with Yui. Unlike the rest of the band, she actually starts with a lot of musical knowledge, and really would like to practice from time to time. However, she lacks confidence to stand up to her “Senpais” (it’s actually interesting to hear the dub casually use the terms), so she gets swept into their usual tea times and Yui’s overabundance of physical affection. Also, she’s almost only addressed as Azu-nyan by the club members.

The  five live the expected high schooler lives, studying, hanging out, making jokes, visiting the beach, and in general growing to become a rather adorable group of friends. You know, slice of life stuff.

Though, I’d also be remiss not to discuss the secondary characters:

Sawako: A teacher of… something I forgot? But eventually the homeroom teacher of the senior band members. She’s the wackiest character, despite her efforts to appear professional outside the club room. She’s pretty casual with the Light Music Club, and makes cute costumes to try and force onto the band. She’s also probably my favorite character.

Nodoka: Yui’s childhood friend. She’s a member of the student council, and thus the one forced to try and get the band to actually do paperwork.

Ui: Yui’s younger sister, who is miles more responsible than her older sister. She also becomes Azu-nyan’s classroom friend.

Jun: Azu-nyan’s third friend. She’s a member of the Jazz club, and exists to make the kouhais a trio.

There are, of course, other bit players that pop up now and again for the sake of the plot, but none really matter outside these nine.

So the episodes go: the four (later five) band members interact, get to know one another, and grow as friends and possibly people, but not by a lot.

Honestly, the lack of in-depth and overarching plot makes talking about K-On! difficult because it’s not a show you watch to find out “Will these girls become a successful band?” or “Will the power of music defeat the evil aliens?” It’s just something you sort turn on so you have an excuse to melt into the couch, maybe browse social media, and listen to characters have a nice time.

Like Yotsubaa, though a little less goofy, and actually animated.[3]

So what is there actually to describe? It’s a pleasant experience, watch it if you're interested, don’t if it doesn’t appeal.

There’s the actual music. They are a band, and we do get to watch and listen to music being performed, though usually abstracted into some sort of music video. It’s nice music, and the Dub makes the excellent decision to leave the vocals in Japanese and subtitle it. I may be a staunch Dub advocate, but even I can admit it’s usually best to leave music as is.

It’s all very fun music that I wish I could listen to, but copyright bots have done an astounding job of keeping the songs off Youtube, and I can’t even find the music on any American music service.[5] The lyrics are a little silly, but in a fun way.

Fair warning, though, you will here the ending line of Fuwa Fuwa Time constantly. It’s their go-to ‘and the girls are done playing’ snippet. I found it amusing, quipping it’s the only song they play, but I can see how it might get tedious to hear.

So let’s go a little meta with it. What can I, as a creator, take from this anime?

The girls are very similar from a distance, both in appearance and personality. Yes, they differ in some of the details (hair and major personality traits), but they mostly can fill any role needed for the typical K-On scene. Ritsu is rambunctious, sure, but she’s as susceptible to ‘cute’ antics and sentimentality as the others.

They are very flat characters, who all grow very little over the course of the series. Yui is as much of a childish airhead at the end of the series as she was at the start, if not more. Ritsu never learns to be responsible about club forms or her own actions. Mio is as reserved and nervous. Mugi still is content to sit back and watch. No one learns anything.

And that’s okay.

Because you don’t need to tell a sweeping epic or carefully plotted drama to tell a continuing narrative. It’s nice to have, yes, but it’s also acceptable to keep the stakes low and just enjoy the moment.

It’s also a great example of how to make very similar characters still have little unique traits, and how little differences can make a world of difference. The main characters all fall at different points of outgoingness, ranging from Ritsu’s energetic tomfoolery, to Mio’s desire to not be noticed. It affects how the five will approach a given situation, and gives space for potential conflicts.

And honestly, though I love the concept, the scenes built to show how two characters interacting when it’s only them aren’t the strongest of the show. Like the band itself, it’s an ensemble piece that’s at it’s best when everyone’s there, with the occasional guest performer.

To take another meta direction, it is a show about artists. Musicians, yes, which is an inexplicable magic I have no way to enter,[6] but artists nevertheless. So it’s a peek into the life of young artists, if perhaps slightly improved. Because these girls do have a following amongst their classmates, and thus are successful in that way. And they have, between the television episodes, OVAs, and movie, gotten a few outside gigs, which I never managed as a High Schooler.

Though I’m a writer, so that might explain it.[7]

Still, the world doesn’t just give them success. Though it’s mostly offscreen, they all do practice. They show the importance of networking, which is how they get their scant few outside gigs. With Sawako, we also see artists learning from an experienced artist, as well as an experienced artist helping and nurturing new talent, even if she keeps putting them in silly outfits. Most importantly, the band members support one another and working together to make Afternoon Tea Time (Ho-kago Tea Time) better, show casing the important role friends and colleagues have in an artist’s life.

Because, more than anything, Artists require support and encouragement. It’s difficult to create something and then not have anyone to turn to to evaluate and enjoy it. I’ve never had many people I felt I could hand writing to and expect them to actually want to read it, least of all my high school friends. Or most of my family, really. I’ve tried, in my youth, but always got such an indifferent response that I learned not to try.

So, I guess those are the important messages of K-On!: support your artists, not just financially, but also emotionally. Find what you love, and others will come to you. And sometimes it’s nice to just sit around with teas and snacks and good company.

Thanks for reading, and speaking of support, I have a Patreon.[8]

Kataal kataal.

[1] Could I legally sell merchandise naming the Santa Clara County Library? Seems like an obvious choice for Canvas merch. [2] I know the second season has two exclaimation points, but since animes are always a little odd with naming seasons, I’ll just use season 1’s pattern, like I usually do with Anime. [3] Which actually might just be Azumanga Daioh…[4] [4] Also, c’mon Kiyohiko Azuma! Even a one season anime of Yotsubaa would be amazing. It’d be so cute, and I could get at least two of my family members to watch anime with it! [5] Well, I haven’t tried iTunes, but I never want that on my computer again. It’s so needy. [6] Seriously, I have no rhythm or concept for how to compose original music. Or even words to describe what I want from people who do! [7] If there were a High School anime about artist friends, the writer would be the gloomy one who feels the others get more recognition and opportunities than them. [8] Ha! Smooth transition.

[tinymixtapes]

Feature: Favorite 15 Video Games of 2017

Let’s face it — art is escapism. We might feel like we’re doing serious work when we catch up on arthouse films or when we listen to music that preaches values we believe in. But at the end of the day, sitting on the couch is just something we all need sometimes. The old guard has a vested interest in inflating the significance of the media we consume in our spare time, in making us feel as if it’s our collective duty to remain caught up with the season’s latest rehashes on contemporary issues. But is escapism in itself really so shallow? Is it so low to seek visceral immersion in this terrifying and numbing reality we’ve found ourselves in? And more importantly, if we’re going to burn away our hours staring at a screen, why just absorb when we can participate? Amid another year wherein it seemed as if the amount of music to listen to and TV to watch reached a breaking point, video games pushed forward yet again as one of the defining platforms of our time. After all, we’re talking about a medium that distinguishes itself from other artistic formats in the agency it gives to its recipient, placing the experience of a video game as much in the hands of the player as in the hands of the developer. And never before has there been so much freedom in how we create that experience: Between AAA titles that pushed the boundaries of the open-world concept to unimaginably beautiful new heights (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild) to indies that sent us tunneling down absurdist rabbit holes (West of Loathing), the games we played in 2017 reflected the expanding chaos of our world, trading in linear pathways for freeform silliness (Super Mario Odyssey) and easy relaxation for carpal tunnel-inducing mindfuckery (Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy). Even if we couldn’t control what was happening beyond our front door, we were the masters of our domain, as far as our living rooms were concerned. Of course, in the end, it’s all fun and games, and sitting at home isn’t going to fix all of our problems. But rarely have we felt as nourished as we have after picking up one of these 15 gems, each one as inspired and invigorating as any film or album or book from last year. It’s with that in mind that we present our Favorite Video Games of 2017, with a little reminder that if you’re going to escape reality, do it right. –Sam Goldner --- 15 Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Developer: Nintendo [iOS, Android] In 2017, it often felt like our most basic sense of community and fellowship to one another continued to deteriorate. It was a small but powerful relief when Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp hit the app store. Beyond the purely nostalgic appeal of hopping into a camper and getting away from it all, of hearing the sound of leaves crunching underfoot as we ran errands for all our cute animal friends, Pocket Camp distinguished itself with a simple goal for players: give to others, unconditionally, purely for the sake of giving. The fact that the game drew such ridicule for this suggestion of unreturned generosity is telling of our world in and of itself; but even in the face of its haters, Animal Crossing felt like a big bear hug from an old friend, the sort of neighborly, low-stakes game that championed a kind of calm that seems to be disappearing from our lives. Best of all, it was essentially free, with pay options only cropping up if we felt the need to speed up our steady furniture accumulation — as if the game itself was asking us, hey, why are we always in such a rush? –Sam Goldner --- 14 Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice Developer: Ninja Theory [PlayStation 4, Windows] Hellblade boasted a range of state-of-the-art technical features, from expressive motion capture to miasmic binaural sound design, but its most effective trick was decidedly old school: a disorienting, medium close third-person point of view. Unlike first-person walking simulators, which often dissolve the nuances of character in service of narrative simplicity and reduce the experiences of being, of embodiment, to mere avatardom, Hellblade never let you forget whose story you literally stand in the shadow of. Considering that one of Hellblade’s core mechanics involved the manipulation of perspective, there was a harmony of theme and structure, a rare achievement, even in consideration of the whole history of the medium. That these devices were utilized in service of a melancholic, Herzogian fever dream of love, loss, trauma, and hereditary psychosis was more astonishing still. As VR tides continued to rise throughout 2017, Hellblade made a convincing argument for the ascendancy of those smaller stories yet untold, over the paradigm-shifting promises of vulpine industrialists. Best of all, Hellblade’s commercial success proved that there’s a market for games as immersive, empathy-building experiences, which is perhaps the most impressive of its tricks and achievements. –embling --- 13 Puyo Puyo Tetris Developer: Sonic Team [Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch] I copped Puyo Puyo Tetris on a whim, hoping to eke a few hours of portable puzzle-solving between classes. Turns out, I’d underestimated just how much longevity this title packed within its cartridge: it’s the Switch game I’ve most frequently returned to this year. Whether I’m playing it on a TV at a friend’s get-together, getting decimated while attempting to play competitively online, or just plugging my way through a ridiculously written story mode, I never seem to get bored with its simple and succinct gameplay, which pits two classic stacking puzzles against each other, side by side. Puyo Puyo Tetris was a straightforward title that breathed new life into veteran concepts. The learning curve’s quick, but there are hours and hours worth of strategic depth built into the game’s blocks and blobs. –Jude Noel --- 12 Prey Developer: Arkane Studios [PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One] Who would have thought that a first-person, sci-fi horror throwback under the premise of an alternate reality (wherein JFK was never shot and the space race flourished) could be so captivating? Touted as a “space horror version of Groundhog Day” at E3 2016, Prey certainly delivered in story, but it became a true standout through its slick, immersive atmosphere, inspired by films like Moon, Starship Troopers, and The Matrix. It was such a joy to play an original property that recalled playing Doom for the first time, but the game complemented its retro aesthetic with interrogations into morality and artificial intelligence. While Prey is that rare, underrated gem likely to be buried among similar genre titles, it was nonetheless an alternate reality worthy of being lost in. –Emceegreg --- 11 Golf Story Developer: Sidebar Games [Nintendo Switch] Golf Story was one of the biggest surprises on a system that was itself one of 2017’s biggest surprises. The game sported a typical hero story, but twisted such that your golfer was old and unlucky instead of young and plucky. And instead of townspeople cheering you on, the crowd consisted of a crew of sarcastic golfers rooting for your failure, in the most pleasant way possible. The story was amusing, but it never got overly involved, present just enough to introduce new courses and rivals with flair while letting the excellent gameplay speak for itself. Traditionally, sports games don’t have stories, but the bizarre combination offered by Golf Story led to an intriguing mix of genres that was absolutely worth the low $20 entry fee. –Munroe [pagebreak] 10 Thimbleweed Park Developer: Terrible Toybox [Xbox One, Android, Windows, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Linux, Macintosh OS] The 1990s were the golden age of the point-and-click adventure game, largely due to companies like LucasArts and Sierra Entertainment. But the genre has persisted over the years and even thrived with the recent popularity of tablet devices. Indie developers of all stripes have embraced these casual (and sometimes frustrating) games, often applying a pixelated aesthetic in homage. Thimbleweed Park, from the creator of Maniac Mansion and Day of the Tentacle, was this year’s standout example. All the aspects of the classic gameplay were there: the crosshair cursor, the blocky verb actions at the bottom, the humorous dialogue, and of course, the bizarre use of objects to advance the story. Thimbleweed Park gave us control over two secret agents plucked right from The X-Files, a female video game programmer, a foul-mouthed clown, and a ghost, all humanized with superb voice acting. And at its core, the game’s logic was pleasantly goofy, much like its predecessors. –Tristan Kneschke --- 09 Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy Developer: Bennett Foddy [Windows, Macintosh OS, iOS] Part B-game, part Sisyphean metaphor, part pop psychology, tough-love therapy, and meme generator, QWOP mastermind Bennett Foddy’s latest absurdist platformer carved out an unexpected niche in the 2017 zeitgeist thanks to the revival of tired conversations about difficulty in games sparked by Cuphead’s punishing, retro-style gameplay. But Foddy’s incredible, impossible, holy mountain-climbing abstraction brought new life to old discourse by challenging the nature of simulated obstacles in gaming, testing the player’s perseverance by delegitimizing itself as just another emblem of gamer credibility, and actively questioning why we’re even playing. Foddy created a game that could’ve used its quick novelty and high meme potential to cash in on a voracious Twitch and YouTube market. But with theming that blends a delightfully clumsy control setup, slapstick physics, and existential horror/psychological torment courtesy of Foddy’s alternatingly abusive and encouraging voice-of-God commentary, the game also proved to be one of the most unique interactive experiences of the year. As for my own quest up the mountain, I still haven’t hit the top, and I honestly probably never will. But I’m fine with that. I think Camus would understand. –Colin Fitzgerald --- 08 NieR: Automata Developer: Square Enix [PlayStation 4, Windows] A tree in the vastness of a broken future, its many branches varied and reaching toward an open-ended sky. It’s these visuals in the bleak fast-forward of NieR: Automata that best exhibits how rich and entrenching the storytelling was with the latest in the series. And though the multiple endings and perspectives (and the chase therein) were the top-level canopies of NieR: Automata, it was the interactions and revelations drawn by 2B and 9S that truly stripped you of your own cynical bark. There were plenty of post-apocalyptic games littering the gaming market, each fitted with its own emotional gimmick, yet it was the lack of a gimmick that set NieR: Automata apart. The branches of its storytelling reached into the futuristic ether, a towering coniferous that brightly blossomed the higher you climbed it. Much like that tree, NieR: Automata shouldn’t exist in this prophetic space of humanity’s not-so-distant landing spot — and yet it did. And I’m glad it did. –Jspicer --- 07 Night In the Woods Developer: Infinite Fall [Windows, Macintosh OS, Linux, PlayStation 4] Here’s an Indie Game Mad Lib: Night In the Woods was a self-aware, slice-of-life adventure game with an ironic sense of humor about millenial social fatigue, set in a 2D cartoon world populated by morose talking animals. The game also mercifully swam against the rushing currents of contemporary gaming culture. While the industry at large continued to thrive on unquestioning nostalgic dogma, Night In the Woods sought out the true value of reminiscence in an era of profound disconnect; while most games took on social issues with a myopic perspective and a heavy hand, Night In the Woods was, if anything, too muted in its depiction of the communication breakdowns plaguing a generation buckling under the weight of modern strains of anxiety, depression, and socioeconomic disenfranchisement. The game was stocked with authentic characters whose stories you learned gradually through awkward encounters and halted conversations, all simultaneously desperate for something meaningful to happen and terrified of making themselves even the slightest bit vulnerable. It was either an empathy machine for a society automating itself into isolation or a quirky little story about how we’re all just confused idiots floating directionless in space. The result was the same. –Colin Fitzgerald --- 06 West of Loathing Developer: Asymmetric [Windows, Macintosh OS, Linux, iOS] The Western is America’s answer to European medieval fiction. Both genres are essentially fantasy that romanticize the unwritten reality. Both possess a certain character that reflects ideals for each location. Some would argue they whitewashed the truth, a claim for which there is some validity. However, what truth it hid was more mundane: These times were actually boring. In Europe, knights were spoiled rich boys, marriages were political and financial transactions, and the life most people had was tending to a farm. The American West was not full of gunslingers, cowboys, and prospectors, but immigrant farmers, bored Civil War veterans, and cattle ranchers just getting by. Sometimes it’s important to reflect on the absurdity of these fictions in subtle ways. Meat as a currency. A necromancer raising dead saints and antipopes — taking back their “holy relics” in the process — only for them to be instantly killed by a lady with a bone saw. Crowded trains waiting for the continental railroad to finish. A ghost town’s bureaucracy denying cow-punchers a shot of whiskey. A great cataclysm occurring when The Cows Came Home. It was all so goofy. But when you think about it, aren’t Westerns just as ridiculous? –Ze Pequeno [pagebreak] 05 Persona 5 Developer: P Studio [PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4] Although its core gameplay wasn’t a revolutionary departure from the JRPG subgenre’s tropes and traditions, Persona 5 kept me coming back to its magical-realist incarnation of Tokyo on aesthetic strength alone. Visually, aurally, and ethically, the game’s cast of delinquent teens had their finger point-blank on the pulse of 2017, bumping future-funk jams in the background as they dealt vigilante justice to their oppressors, all the while decked out in high-fashion fits equally inspired by Victorian literature and late-70s punk. The game oozed style down to its animated menus, bordered by sketchy illustrations: though much of the game took place in a surreal meta-reality populated by demons, an elegant charm stitched the torn fabric between its fantasy and beautifully mundane reality. Give Persona 5 a try for yourself: you’ll exorcise ancient evil, buy soylent from vending machines, date the two-dimensional character of your dreams, and have uninterrupted fun through it all. –Jude Noel --- 04 Horizon Zero Dawn Developer: Guerrilla Games [PlayStation 4] Horizon Zero Dawn might not have offered the best open world of 2017 — hi, Breath of the Wild; hello, Assassin’s Creed Origins — but no matter what it appeared to lack, in the superficial and reductive comparisons that commonly pass for game criticism, it more than compensated for with hope, hard-earned humanism, and technical polish. 2017 being a banner year for the format, there were plenty of games that did more, but few that did better. Whether in terms of the satisfying tactility of its weapons, the impossible, magic-hour glow of every single in-game moment, or the unexpected, hard sci-fi implications at the core of the narrative’s parallel mysteries, Horizon Zero Dawn presented itself with more craft, care, thought, theme, and feeling than any other escapist entertainment this year. Sure, the characters’ photo-realistic wax figure faces could be jarringly unnatural from time to time, but what this game had to say — about faith, our relationships to technology, and the very concept of the uncanny valley — was so much more impressive than any mere graphics engine could ever be. While I came to fight robot dinosaurs, I stayed for the mechanical flowers that pollinate poetry. And during a year that consistently dimmed belief in our collective myths — such as peaceable resolutions to decades of cultural Balkanization or the prospect of a decent, sustainable future for humankind — Horizon Zero Dawn served as a balm, a worry stone, a bright and vital reminder that, no matter what, life rarely fails to find a way. –embling --- 03 Super Mario Odyssey Developer: Nintendo [Nintendo Switch] All due respect to The Young Bucks, The Usos, and The Beatdown Biddies, but Mario and Cappy were the greatest tag team of 2017. Mario games tend to have a central gameplay conceit, and with its “Mario’s hat is a sentient being now” mechanic, Super Mario Odyssey was no different. In order to save Princess Peach (as well as Cappy’s sister Tiara the tiara) and restore balance to the universe, Mario and Cappy must join forces. With Cappy by his side/on his head, Mario was able to jump higher, accumulate more coins, and of course possess unwitting enemies before using their abilities toward his own purposes. The resulting body horror made for one of the single-best platformer experiences ever, which might be a little hyperbolic, but I mean come on, it’s-a him, Mario! That name carries a lot of prestige with it, and this latest adventure more than lived up to the pedigree. Collect hundreds upon hundreds of Power Moons, wear a variety of fun costumes, take over a human’s free will and force it to drive an RC car around a racetrack in under 30 seconds. Along with another game that shall remain nameless because this blurb isn’t about it, Super Mario Odyssey made the Nintendo Switch a console worth owning. –Jeremy Klein --- 02 Cuphead Developer: StudioMDHR [Xbox One, Windows] The little Xbox One champion that could this year was also one of 2017’s biggest surprises: a run-and-gun platformer based on rubber hose animation. If you asked if we wanted to play a game that looked like Steamboat Willy, we’d probably be a little reluctant at first, but usually the best and most unique games are the ones you didn’t know you wanted. Cuphead had truly stunning animation that convincingly reimagined what playing a 1930s video game would be like (thanks to independent Canadian studio StudioMDHR). But besides the delightful aesthetic quirk, there was also an impressive difficulty to the game that made it pleasantly addictive rather than annoyingly impossible (see Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy). So many indie side-scrollers rely on the same tricks from decades before, but Cuphead had mechanics that didn’t allow players to simply remember patterns. In the end, Cuphead was a reminder that all we really want in a game is to have a fun and be challenged. –Emceegreg --- 01 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Developer: Nintendo [Wii U, Nintendo Switch] “Games and play are not identical categories. Games are organized forms of play; they have elements that might not be playful. Finite games are games that come to some kind of conclusion, and the conclusion governs how the game is played and what the game means.” The above quote comes from a book about baseball (Fail Better, by Mark Kingwell). It’s strange to me that, in 2017, I’d be looking to a book about a physical sport for a way to understand a video game, but it’s also not surprising that the lines of philosophy in sport, video games, and art run concurrent (hence why you’re reading a video game feature on a website that focuses on music). It’s often what we do when we try and grasp various forms of art: we end up looking back as well as across to see the permutations of ideas run through their forms and related ideas. Sometimes we look at Cage and say Duchamp, or visa versa, as often it seems as if one is looking back at the other, even though often (almost always) they were both working simultaneously. Shared philosophies are reflected in aesthetic permutations in various mediums, but it’s less interdependent and more of reaching to an idea of why we talk and write about our experience with art. Forgive the digression, but I personally find this above point important, at least for myself, when I try to understand what I find so enjoyable, invigorating, impactful, and remarkable about Breath of the Wild. In all ways, it shouldn’t be: another franchise game in the running output stream of a mega-sized corporation that specializes in spectacle and entertainment, etc., etc. But against an understandable skepticism against large-scale video game producers (cf. loot boxes, the existence of EA), we often forget companies like Nintendo were at the start of the medium, or in fact were the start. Breath of the Wild was not a swoop-in project from the outside, even if it’s open-world construction bears some resemblance to games like Skyrim or Assassins Creed. BOTW’s true predecessor exists in its own lineage: the original Legend of Zelda. Before the term “sandbox game” was coined, Shigeru Miyamoto referred to the original Zelda as a “miniature garden that they can put inside their drawer.” I love this quote because it reflects how games at the time were built around experimenting with the experience rather than the presentation of a cinematic, linear plot. Zelda was approached more like a garden than a book. Early games, in their limitation, had to find new ways to approach a person’s interaction with it, and after the limitations of platform games became obvious, why not make a game wherein a person just might miss one of the game’s crucial objects because it’s not explicitly laid out for them to grab? For those who are unfamiliar, the original Zelda puts a sword, your main weapon, in the care of an old man inside a cave. This cave is in the first screen you start on, but nothing stops you from not getting it, save for an extreme difficulty navigating the surrounding areas full of enemies (it is possible to make it all of the way to Ganon, the final boss, without the sword, and to play the rest of the game without it). Everything about the original Zelda was so antithetical to a guided experience. Sure there are numbered dungeons and even one that requires an item from another to gain entry, but the closest dungeon to the start (arguably) is the one marked “2,” and there’s nothing to stop you from entering it. So what might have looked like a technical limitation initially ended up being a source of liberation for the Zelda series. As Kingwell states how the interaction with finite games is governed by their conclusion (think of games that bait you with multiple endings, how the result is dependent on very specific interactions within the game, and how a player is rewarded with this ending by behaving a very specific way), at what point does a game lose its sense of play? In a game like the original Zelda, and especially in BOTW, play is created by the absence of organized form. To free-jazz enthusiasts (and many, many other art forms) this is definitely not a new concept. Even to video games, hell, even to the Zelda franchise it’s not new. So why then does BOTW’s sense of play give me the feels so much? Here’s an example: BOTW contains a physics engine that lets you essentially “break” certain puzzles. There’s a puzzle in one of the game’s shrines that works by way of the motion controller; you attempt to move a ball from point A to B by rolling it through a maze. However, if you take your controller and flip it upside down, the maze turns around as well, revealing a maze-less, smooth backside that makes guiding the ball to the point much easier (at least for me). But no approach to this puzzle is exactly the same; I’ve watched videos of people pan-flipping the ball like a fried egg to its goal; I’ve seen people try and hit it like a baseball as it dropped from the sky; and I’ve also witnessed doing shit. Expectation colors experience; try as hard as we may, what we expect will always bleed into how we see/hear/read anything placed in front of us. Every now and then, we experience a work of art that goes out of its way in both methods subtle and unsubtle to break us from this cycle. It might be outside of the realm of possibility to be a true blank slate and, in the reality of humanity and history, only possible in ignorance, but it’s often a work’s subtler transgressions that last beyond those of a more obvious flavor. I can’t help but think of works by Cage when I play this game, and it might be that a video game’s strong suit is how far removed it is from the problem of authorship/auteur theory. BOTW is not a new entry into this idea, but rather a reminder of what was there while we were taking an artistic format for granted as a children’s toy. Maybe BOTW will signal a movement into which we quit expecting to be constantly rewarded for participating in a work, asking that we turn inward to study our own experience rather than constantly criticize works on the grounds of delivery and feed. Cynically, I doubt this, but if I could interact with every artwork at the level on which I can interact with BOTW, both myself and the experience will be better off for it. Credit to Joe Davenport for bouncing off ideas and helping me find secrets. –Riboflavin http://j.mp/2ElLuva