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#and a ton of the people in his reviews were basically like
madegeeky · 3 months
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The car has been bought!
It took 3 and a half fucking hours from getting there to actually driving away but it was fucking bought.
Thank fuck for indoor playgrounds because we took Mars to one just in case it took longer than we thought. Boy was she super over tired by the time it was finally time to go home. I don't think she ever slowed down for more than 10 mins the entire time we were there.
(The place with the best deal was an hour away. Multiple people said I didn't have to be there but we weren't going to take that chance so that meant I had to come with. Mars was very excited about the new car and wanted to be there for the first drive and we figured why not. Three and a half hours is why not, past Geeky and Mr. Geeky.)
Also, should note in all fairness to the Mazda guy we were working with, it was not his fault. Our original guy called in sick so the deal had to be gone over again with the new guy. The new guy didn't have a desk so he just kept stealing other people's desks which was honestly more hilarious than annoying. The insurance we were planning on going with dropped the ball so Mr. Geeky had to emergency shop around for a new one. The entire place was super busy so Mr. Geeky had to wait for a while to talk to the financing people. Overall it was a mess but not the sort where there's anything one thing that caused it, just a bunch of little stuff piled up.
But we got a car!
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criceofpain · 1 year
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switch it up | park jongseong (reposted and edited)
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featuring: enhypen's jake, heeseung, sunghoon, sunoo, and jungwon; stayc's yoon
synopsis: after you find your ex cheating with another guy, the quiet kid takes the opportunity to get closer to you. but the shocking part is, you never knew he could do a full 180 and be the most charming guy you've ever seen.
pairing: student!jay x student fem!reader
genre: smut, fluff, a tinge of angst (and humor lol)
word count: 7418
warnings: semi-public sex, unprotected sex (wrap it b4 u tap it), slut-shaming, usage of pet names, vaginal penetration, alcohol consumption, gamer rage (especially heeseung lol), male masturbation, degradation, fellatio, minimal impact play, implied violence, two-timing, cheating, jakehoon are gay, jay has too much porn vids on his laptop, yoon has warfreak tendencies, too much tekken references, too much time skips
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Being popular in school had its own perks.
If people were asked what they’d do if they became the most popular person in year two for twenty-four hours, you’d get a vast range of answers from all of them. Fame, beauty, authority, and money–the possibilities are endless for a household name in one of the most prestigious universities in Seoul. The thing is, though, downsides will always be inevitable.
Thursday’s a typical work day for the student council’s president–you. A ton of paper stacks were waiting to be scanned and submitted to the council adviser, but you couldn’t bring yourself to get up and actually work on them. The adviser’s office was two buildings away from your location, and God, did you dread walking. Worse, you had to do it every week and without the help of your vice president. Bothering to find him would be a waste of time, either.
The sudden ring of your phone disrupts your train of thought, making you look up to check whoever was trying to test your patience at this hour. Jakey ♡, your phone screen reads. You heave a relieved sigh; it��s been three days since your boyfriend last called and it was messing with your momentum. Even overthinking was a waste of time and you hated it.
“Hi, love.” you mumbled, voice laced with exhaustion. “I'm glad you finally called.”
“Love, can we cancel our date?” Jake asks from the other line, and your face immediately contorts to a disappointed scowl.
Strange. He’s usually not the type to postpone plans at the last minute because he knew you despised that type of feat. As the student council president, the last thing you'd want is for someone to waste your valuable time.
“Suddenly?” you deadpan as you put your pen down and slowly spin in the swivel chair you sat on. “We’ve got everything planned out and now you wanna cancel?”
Jake sighs. “Coach called us for training. He’s been lenient on me for the past week, I can't afford another absence.”
“Oh.” you utter, at loss for words. “Long day ahead, huh?”
It was what you least expected, anyways. You stay still in your seat, disappointment filling your chest. You start to feel uneasy—you knew you’d never stand a chance against his monster of a coach. What can I do? Jake was the team’s striker which gained him maximum importance. Without him, the team would basically be a chaotic bunch. 
“Sorry.” he mutters apologetically. “I didn't want this to happen, really.”
“I know, I know.” you grumble, picking your pen back up and fixing your attention back to the papers you were reviewing. “Can I come after training, though? We should at least eat, like, ramyeon, tteokbokki or something."
A few seconds of silence fills the other line before Jake replies, "God, that sounds—fuck. That's irresistible. I hope Coach lets me off ‘cause his diet plan is seriously killing me.”
“I sure hope he does,” you roll your eyes as the image of a conceited middle-aged man with his stomach overflowing his pants. “unless he wants a big ‘fuck you’ from me for tiring you out. You gotta rest, love.”
He chuckles, causing a grin to tug your lips. “I love you. I know you’re a busy woman and you’ve probably got a lot on your plate right now. I'll hang up now, hmm?”
Your reply gets cut off by the sudden drop of the call, and another sigh leaves your mouth. 
Popularity was so exhausting for you. However, not everyone suffers from the syndrome; take Park Jongseong–who goes by “Jay” in school–as an example. The lad has finally gotten a taste of rest after coding what felt like a thousand HTMLs, now nibbling on a cob of corn with his other hand glued to his keyboard.
Why had I never thought of playing Tekken as a way of escaping the hell of school and the sight of students’ thirst for crowd validation before? As he fervently taps the keys of his laptop, the corner of his lip tugs into a slight smirk. He continuously lands hits on a random Kazuya he was matched with, not letting them rest as he uses his trump card–Jin Kazama’s ten-hit combo.
The silence breaks as Jay’s hearty laughter booms in the computer club room. He sighed triumphantly, propping his head on his intertwined hands. 
"I gotta tell Heeseung hyung about this.” Jay snickers, grabbing his phone from beside his laptop and speed dialing the number “5”. After a few rings, his friend finally picks up. “Ay, hyung! I got good news for you.”
“Man, fuck you!” Heeseung, the student council’s vice president hisses from the other line, annoyance evident in his voice. Before the younger can ask about why he had such a tone, the older interrupts, “You’re never gonna let me live, are you?”
“Whoa, whoa, chill out, hyung.” Jay chuckles in confusion. “It’s not like I’m gonna use the ten-hit combo on you, is it? What’s the matter?”
Heeseung clicks his tongue and scoffs, “Don’t you see what’s happened or are you playing dumb right now, Jongseong? Fucking look at your screen.”
Jay, although confused, obliges anyway. He looks back at his laptop screen with the rematch menu on display. After a good few seconds, he spots the username of his opponent and immediately gasps, loud enough for his friend to hear. He then breaks into laughter, this time louder and more provoking as he hears the bantering on his ear.
“What—don’t tell me you had no idea—Jay!” the owner of the username heeba_inu_1015 yelled, followed by a frustrated shout.
“Whoops, should’ve gone easy on you, then.” Jay teases, shrugging his shoulders. “No, seriously. I had no idea. This is what school frustration makes me do.”
“Well, at least you’re not the student council’s vice president.”
Jay snorts in disbelief. “Come on, it’s not that hard–” he cuts himself off. “Oh, you’ve got a point, though.”
Jay didn’t necessarily live in the shadows; he just didn’t like being the center of attention. Being an eye candy is the last thing he wanted. Sure, he’s got what it takes to be popular–he’s a CEO's son, filthy rich, and on the honor roll. His friends say he’s got some sick visuals, too. Despite all these, he’d prefer to just blend in with the crowd and not stand out as a resident introvert (not to be confused with being a pick-me boy; Papa Park raised him with manners).
“Still, fuck you.” Heeseung lets out his third scoff of the day. A female voice rambles in the background, on the verge of screaming as the vice president grumbles in dismay. Jay assumes it was the school council’s president calling him out for slacking. “I gotta go, though. Godzilla’s on the run and she’s unstoppable–hey, wait!”
Beep. The call ends, and Jay's me time continues. A chuckle leaves his mouth. That was the president? She’s unhinged as hell.
“What’s the president like?” he mumbles, putting his headphones back on and getting ready to start a new game. “I’d like to meet her.”
*
“Lee Heeseung, I’m giving you ten seconds to explain to me why you’re on Tekken when you’re supposed to be on duty.”
If looks could kill, your vice president could’ve died a slow, painful death by now. You try your best to keep your calm composure in front of your right-hand man while trying to suppress your anger, but the urge to lash out on him is just getting stronger. Heeseung, feeling intimidated, could only look down on the ground as he hears a disappointed sigh from you.
Fortunately, the school council’s secretary, Yang Jungwon, has informed you of the vice president’s whereabouts. You made sure to leave your pending tasks untouched before storming out of the council office and to the stockroom, where he was apparently taking his sweet time being a heavy load.
“Look, I’ve just finished my last game, Y/N, alright?” Heeseung raises his hands in defeat.  “I’m done. I’ll go and help.”
“Oh, you are definitely gonna go help Jungwon in the council’s office because I’m out of here.” you snap, unplugging the Ethernet wire connected to his gaming laptop. “There are waivers waiting for you. Get your ass up.”
“Alright.” he mutters, head hung low as he switches off his laptop. “I’m sorry.”
Without another word, you turn your back on him and walk out of the suffocating stockroom. How does he even stand the heat in there? Your steps get quicker as much as the psychological warfare you were having with yourself is getting worse. People are probably looking at me right now and think, why the hell is her face so sour? They wouldn’t know. They’re not the overworked, unpaid, “popular” student council president with a freeloader of a vice president and a midfielder boyfriend who’s just as popular.
You’ve been zoned out for the entirety of your trip back to the council office, but the sight of a familiar shoe sticking from one of the corridor posts shakes you awake. Your eyebrows furrow, wondering what would someone with skate shoes be doing in that spot at this hour when it’s inter-school olympics season. You take another set of steps before seeing a man’s back view with the jersey number 5 on it, and the scene that unfolds in front of you shakes your whole world.
Your boyfriend and the school’s most famous figure skater, Park Sunghoon, were kissing.
*
It has been a week since you found out that Sim Jaeyun was cheating on you and is gay.
You remember being rooted in your spot as you saw them eating each other’s faces. Screaming at them would be a waste of time. You feared wasting time the most, and crying in front of someone came in second. Instead of doing what someone normally does in these situations–screaming and bawling their eyes out, you land a slap on each of their faces with a shit-eating grin on your face before running to the nearest comfort room to cry.
You wouldn’t mind your boyfriend coming out of the closet and ending your relationship in good terms, but the fact that he’d been flirting–and probably fucking–around with a guy behind your back infuriated you.
You didn’t know how it came to this—you crying your heart out inside the club office as Heeseung finally took over and finished the rest of your work due to you not being able to properly open your swollen eyes. Even moving around was a pain in the ass. Jungwon works from the sidelines as well, and both of them didn’t dare speak a word to you unless spoken to. They knew better than to mess with a girl who’s got cheated on.
“Cabining trip’s tomorrow. You still going, noona?” Jungwon asks, eyes glued to his laptop screen as he types the minutes of the meeting for the past week. “We need you over there, Pres.”
“Hmm.” you reply, not having the energy to speak out a proper word as you blew your nose on a paper towel. Of course I’ll be there. What am I, a ghoster?
As Jungwon bombards you with questions, your replies are short and reserved, along the lines of “yeah”, “uh-huh”, and the like. How were you supposed to show yourself without shame knowing that your ex wasn’t into you anymore?
“Heeseung.” you croak out, getting a short “huh” as a response. “I need your help with something.”
“What’s it about, miss ma'am?”
You cringe at the nickname, throwing the empty box of paper towels along his way. “If you use that nickname on me again, I swear.” you hiss.
“Damn, calm down, will you?” Heeseung chuckles, barely dodging the box that almost hit his face. “What is it?”
You saunter your way towards the table where the two lads worked. propping your hands on the desk, You then look over at Jungwon who has his whole attention on his laptop, not bothering to pop into the conversation or listen to whatever you were about to say.
“You’re best friends with the adviser, right?” you whisper to Heeseung, to which he nods. “And I’m not. Wow. What am I president for, then?
“Touche.” he shrugs. “What about him?”
“This could be fucked up but,” you lean in to whisper on his ear. “Can you beg him to sneak drinks for the adults?”
Your eyes screw shut in embarrassment, in disbelief of the words that just came out of your mouth. You’re better than this, Y/N. 
“Yes.” Heeseung lets out a dramatic gasp, nodding vigorously at your idea. “You had me at ‘drinks’, Y/N, come on. Spill!”
“Noona, you’re kidding, right? Why would you sneak drinks in–”
“Quiet, kid.” you cut Jungwon off. “I’ve got a breakup to get over. Let the adults have this.”
With that, Heeseung let out a dramatic gasp, nodding vigorously at your idea.
*
The day of the cabining trip has come, and it wasn’t the most enjoyable day for the student council so far. While the other kids were having the time of their lives, talking with their friends and not worrying about keeping the lines straight and the cabins quiet, you struggled to keep the students in order as you tapped the backs of those who made a commotion, or worse, those who made out in broad daylight.
To your relief, Heeseung was in charge of bag inspection, which meant drinks were allowed (unless one was not of legal age, of course). The students will just have to hide it from the other supervisors. Jungwon, along with the student council’s treasurer, Sunoo, were on room assignment duty, making sure to separate the guys and girls from each other. Getting pregnant on a school trip is the last thing anyone would want.
Meanwhile, Jay stands quietly as the line advances. He wasn’t really supposed to be going on this trip if it weren’t for his father insisting him to do so. Luckily, with Heeseung’s permission, he was allowed to bring his gaming laptop without you knowing. The vice president just hopes he wouldn’t get pulled by the ear again.
“God, I hope I get the top bunk.” Jay mutters, putting his bag on the desk for inspection.
“Gotta go fast, then.” Heeseung replied, probing the contents of his friend’s bag. He taps Jay’s shoulders after he’s done. “Man, I hope we’re roommates.”
“Heeseung, how's the inspection going?” you bellow over the crowd of students, craning your head to look for him.
As you and Heeseung scream at each other over the loud sounds in the cabins, Jay couldn’t help but steal glances at you. He did pass by you sometimes, but he hasn't really gotten the chance to step up and talk to you. What a waste. After news has spread that you got cheated on, he could imagine himself tackling you into a hug and giving you small forehead kisses in hopes to ease your pain. He had set his eyes on you ever since you were appointed as president, and he found you so pretty ever since. He just secretly hoped that Jake wouldn’t go begging for you to come back, or else he’d lose his mind.
His daydreaming stops when he bumped shoulders with someone whom he least expected–you. The two of you momentarily met each other’s eyes, and Jay swore he’d melt then and there if it weren’t for you turning away almost immediately. On the other hand, you wonder why he’s been stuck on his spot for a good minute, so you approach him cautiously.
“Uh, are you lost, perhaps?” you wave a hand in front of Jay’s face. “You seem to be spacing out, Jay.”
She knows me. Oh, my God, she just acknowledged me. His heart somersaults in his chest at the mention of his name. It rolled off of your mouth perfectly. 
It takes him five seconds to answer, “I’m good, thank you.”
You smile briefly at him, and he flashes one back. He walks silently, trying to suppress a shout from coming out of his mouth. You were always pretty to him, and that smile was the cherry on top. 
The first day of the retreat wasn’t really hectic, except for the fact that all of the students have to run ten laps all around the yard before they can even have a taste of breakfast. Despite the supervisors lurking around the whole site, you’ve taken brave sips on your bottle of soju, disguised as drinking water. You couldn’t help but see Jake and his new lover every time you had to lead a segment and meet face to face with everyone, and your chest would always clench. How the fuck is he so happy without me? If it weren’t for the other officers beside you, you would’ve wrestled Sunghoon without a doubt.
The second and third days would probably be the most boring of them all, but not for Jay.
His laptop keeps him company as he silently jerks off to porn videos, trying his best to stifle a groan to not wake up whoever was occupying the top bunk. He would’ve brought a fleshlight, too, but he figured it’d be too much for a school retreat. So he resorts to another option–a sock. 
He finishes without suspicion, and gets knocked out to sleep right after.
On the other side of the site, you sit awake in your bunk, finishing the last of the soju you’ve successfully hidden for days. You sigh, not feeling any signs of drowsiness as you stare in spaces. I should've seen this coming. You wanted to slap yourself for being so clueless. Hasn’t it come to you that Jake might be using soccer training as an excuse to meet up with Sunghoon instead of you?
“Y/N, you dumb bitch.” you spit out, grabbing your phone to dial Heeseung’s number.
After a few rings, he picks up. “What the fuck, Y/N, it’s 3 in the morning.” the lad grumbled as he tossed and turned in his bed. “You better give me a good reason for calling at this hour.”
“You got a laptop with you?” you ask. What a stupid question. “It's urgent business.”
“No, I don't, dummy.” he snaps, and his sudden change of tone takes you aback. “I thought you knew we can only bring phones.”
You sigh. Out of all times your council adviser demanded an accomplishment report from you, why now? At that moment, you even wished to switch bodies with Heeseung; he was the adviser’s best friend and not you. Despite you telling your superior that you haven’t brought your laptop, he didn't budge, even bringing up the drink-sneaking incident.
To say you were doomed would be an understatement.
“Why does your best friend put me in situations like this?” you whine, pulling your hair in frustration. “He knows I don't have my laptop at the moment! Tell me, does he have something against me? ‘Cause he better settle things with me. Damn it. Do you get me? Sometimes I just want to walk out on all of you because I’ve got the whole council on my back! i’m a human who has limits, too, for fuck’s sake! When do I quit? I can quit anytime and turn my back on this responsibility. You take over once this term ends–”
“Shut up. I'm at your door.”
You hitch a breath, hang up and climb out of your bunk. You silently open the door to see your vice president holding an open laptop in his hand, phone on the other. The lad passes the device on to you, praying that his friend doesn’t notice his laptop out of place when he wakes up.
“Hey, that ain’t mine, though. Be careful with that.” he says, and you scowl in suspicion.
“Thanks,” you smile slightly. “Though I thought I told you not to bring gadgets in the cabin–”
“Don’t ask, just…” he waves his hands frantically, avoiding the question. “I’ll get going.”
“Okay…?” your voice trails off, and you shoo Heeseung away. “You’re a lifesaver, by the way.”
Heeseung nods, jogging his way out as you close your cabin door. You didn’t bother to wonder whose laptop this was; the only thing in your mind was the report you had to finish.
In silence, you immediately get to work. With sips of water from time to time, you struggle to keep yourself awake as you type the needed information, word by word, making sure that it would be slap-worthy on your adviser’s face.
After two hours of staring and typing, you feel your eyes giving out and fingers straining as you move the document file to your flash drive, finally finishing your work.
“This motherfucker better not scold me tomorrow.” you mutter through clenched jaws, carefully ejecting the drive from God-knows-whose laptop. 
With slow hands, you close all of the windows you have used, even the tabs, making it look untouched as this was neither your laptop, nor Heeseung's. Whose is this, then? There wasn't a wallpaper in it, just the default one, and that made guessing a waste of time. Nonetheless, you make a mental note to thank the owner first thing in the morning for saving your desperate ass in such a critical situation. 
Before you can shut down the device, a particular folder on the desktop screen catches your attention, especially its name,
“Things I want to do to Y/N”
You squint in surprise, mouse cursor hovering over the folder. As much as you wanted to pry it open, you wanted to respect the privacy of the owner of the laptop, whoever they were. But this has my name on it. You shake your head, preparing for the worst to happen as you double-click on the folder. What you see next shocks you utterly, making your heartbeat rise as you check the name of the owner.
The laptop belongs to a Park Jongseong, with the folder containing porn videos.
In astonishment, you close the laptop with a loud thud, not bothering to shut it down properly or close the porn folder before you do. A series of knocks makes you jump and hit your head on the top bunk.
“Go to sleep, Y/N!” your bunkmate from the top grumbles.
What the fuck is going on? You sigh, wrapping yourself in a cocoon with your blanket.
*
It's the last day of the retreat, which means free time for all the students until the morning comes with no schedules to stick to. However, you were far from relaxed as last night’s events haven't left your mind until now. You didn’t know what to feel knowing that the quiet kid has been fantasizing about you, and in secret. Do you get mad, grossed out or flattered? Neither of them felt right and it messed up with your head so much. Worrying about it would be a waste of time.
Heeseung couldn’t help but notice you staring at Jay, who played basketball by himself from afar. You spaced out often, too, and it was so not like you to do so. Apparently, your efforts on acting normal outside while being a chaotic mess inside fail as you finally draw out a frustrated groan.
“Something wrong?” Heeseung asks. “You're zoned out pretty bad.”
“That report sucked the life out of me.” you reply monotonously, standing up from your seat, eyes not leaving Jay. “I'll meet you at the bonfire. I just need sleep.”
“Fine. I'll take over for you.”
You nod, trudging to your cabin in hopes to get some rest. However, once your body dips down the mattress, images of Jay hovering over you appear as you close your eyes. Shaking it off, you push a pillow against your face, muffling out a scream of annoyance.
On the other hand, Jay has been stealing glances from you as well, completely unaware of you seeing the deepest, darkest secrets he's kept hidden in his laptop.
After what felt like days of slumber, you were awakened by the noise of students outside of the cabins. hollers and shouts fill your ears as you get yourself out of bed. As much as you hated being woken up in such a manner, you were happy to be able to get a wink of sleep.
“Evening, Y/N.”
You look up from the ground, seeing the person whom you unfortunately wanted to avoid the most. Jay wore a small smile on his face, which was seen clearer without his glasses. Contrary to his usual hoodie-slacks combo, he wore a shirt that snugly fit him, in which you can definitely see the slight curvature of his chest. His toned arms were on full display, too, and you couldn’t help but wonder how they’d flex under your touch. His thighs looked just as attractive, given the fact that he wore cargo shorts.
“Good… evening, Jay.” you chuckle awkwardly. “What's the matter? Can I help you?” Why does he look so different? He even wore his hair differently.
“Nothing much.” he replies sheepishly. “Just, uh, wanted to have a casual talk with the president.” God, that bedhead. Why does it make her more fuckable? He steals glances at the skimpy top that hugged your body, accentuating your curves and your plump breasts.
“Really?” you grin in amusement, not expecting his statement. Just say you wanna fuck and go. “That's strange. No one comes up to me unless it’s about school.”
“That'd be an honor.” he comments, gaze not shifting away from you.“Would having small talk with me waste your time?”
You hesitantly shake your head, and he smiles. Fuck, that smile. Where is this going to get me now?
The two of you proceed to have a conversation outside the cabin, at the same time, thinking of lewd thoughts that were probably too inappropriate, given the setting. From time to time, your hands would brush each other’s, increasing the tension between the two of you.
Despite this, Jay would get distracted, finding your giggles so adorable, especially knowing that he was the reason behind them. You admired how Jay speaks, and how cautious he was when you ranted about your ex. He just hoped no one would call you out and separate the both of you.
Or so he thought.
The whistle trills fills your ears as rain falls angrily on your skin. Whines and grumbles were heard as the bonfire session was declared canceled by Sunoo and Jungwon. Students start sprinting back to their cabins as the rain pours, including the supervisors. No more confession time and roasted marshmallows, I guess.
You look over to see your cabin that was several meters from where you and Jay stood, attempting to make a run for it. However, Jay gets a hold of your wrist before you can take your first step.
“Stay.” his voice is deep and alluring, and you could feel your body slightly shiver.
“You sure?” you raise your brows anyway, not bothering to pull away from his grip. “What if someone sees us drenched in here? Are you willing to vouch for me?”
“You're the president. I'm sure no one would budge.”
You don't protest. Instead, you take the opportunity to ask him about the folder in his laptop, which, by the way, he still assumes was untouched. He, meanwhile, couldn’t take his eyes off of the top that clung to your skin, against your stomach. You pretty much were doing the same as you eyed his abs through his shirt.
After what felt like ten minutes of standing under the rain, both of you were drenched as you walked into an empty cabin for protection that no one used due to faulty electricity. You sit side by side in a single bed, neither of you having the guts to start another conversation.
Maybe it was time for you to spill your secrets.
“I like you.”
“Fuck me.”
The two of you look at each other after speaking at the same time. Your remark especially shocks Jay, so does the way you weren’t fazed with his confession just now. A hand instinctively goes up to cup your mouth. Shit, was I not subtle enough? You fake a hearty chuckle (which was actually a nervous one) as you see his perplexed expression.
“You don’t wanna fuck me?” you mutter, confidence leaving your system as his expression remains unchanged.
“No–I mean, yes.” he immediately replies, afraid that you might take it as him rejecting you. “Of course, I do.”
“Do it, then.”
You tower over his sitting figure, propping your hands on his chest. Jay couldn’t help but close his eyes, asking himself whether this was a dream or not. Your touch trails up to his neck, your fingertips tracing his collarbones. You catch his lips into a sloppy kiss, which he returns fervently as he slips his tongue on your mouth. The cold sensation brought by the raindrops on your skin is now gone as he pulls you into his lap and wraps your legs around his waist. For a minute, he savors your lips as his hands find their way to the hem of your top, feeling a little hesitant.
He pulls off, staring into your eyes as he searches for a sign of fear in your face. “Should I?”
Without a word, you nod, guiding his hands into taking off your top. His eyes roam along your torso, your breasts wanting to be freed from their restraints as they were practically coming out of your tight bra. His cock twitches and slightly hardens at the sight.
“Jay…” you whine, digging your ass against his hardness. A groan leaves his mouth. “I want you to take over.”
With that, he flips the two of you over, with you beneath him. He then pins your hands above your head, asserting his dominance. You hitch a breath as you feel his clothed cock rub against your crotch, still not believing his change in character.
“Is this really the quiet kid I knew?” you tease, making Jay yank your bottoms down, leaving you in your bra. He then lands a stinging spank on your ass cheek, squeezing the soft flesh after.
“Shush, Y/N, unless you want me to leave you hanging.”
Damn, even his voice can make me cum at this point. you feel him spreading your legs slowly, dipping a finger on your damp pussy as he kisses your inner thighs. You reach for his hair and stroke it gently as his lips get closer to where you needed him the most, your other hand squeezing your breast.
he licked a warm strip along your clit, eliciting a whimper from you. He held you by the knees to keep you from pressing your thighs together as he ate you out. his moans against your sex provided vibrations that made your toes curl, and moans louder.
“So miss president loves being eaten out, huh?” Jay chuckles, his ego growing as you reply to him with a broken mewl, pushing two of his fingers inside you. “Such a needy slut.”
He proceeds with his ministrations as he leaves marks on your thigh, torso, then up to your breasts, avoiding your neck to not cause suspicion. The way your walls tightened around his fingers made his cock harden even more. even until now, you couldn’t believe the situation you were in–being fucked by the resident introvert who was secretly a freak in bed.
Your grip on his hair tightens as you feel your high nearing. “Jay, I'm cumming!” you cry out desperately.
Hearing that, Jay pulls his fingers out of you, and licks them with a smirk on his lips. “You taste so sweet… however, I can’t just have you cumming somewhere that’s not on my cock, can I?”
He takes off his drenched top, and the rest of his clothes follow, freeing his erect cock from its confines. He drags his tip against your clit, teasing your entrance and holding your hips tight to stop you from pushing him in.
“Jay, please…” you beg, voice laced with frustration. “I want to make you feel good.”
“Is that so?” Jay snickers, slapping your thigh. “Little miss slutty president wants to suck me off?”
“Mm-mm.” you nod, eyeing his cock and the pre-cum that leaked from his tip. “fuck my mouth, just like how you want it.”
Just like how I want it? he stops in his tracks as he sees you grinning from beneath him. It was finally time for you to confess.
“Sir,” you whined, the pet name causing Jay to let out an audible groan. “I gotta tell you something.”
You sit up and bend over in front of him, his cock on your face and your ass up. He lets out a small gasp as your tongue teases his tip. The way you made eye contact with him didn’t help him, either. He bunches your hair up in a ponytail, wrapping it all around his knuckles as you sucked him like a popsicle.
“Tell me, baby,” he sighs, looking down at you in amusement.
“I needed a laptop for my report.” you lick him from base to tip. “And Heeseung, the vice president, borrowed yours for me.”
The way your tongue moves all over him sends shivers all over his body, and he makes the impulsive decision to rub his cock all over your face. “Baby saw my porn stash, didn’t she?” he chuckles, pushing himself deeper in your throat. You try to stop yourself from gagging as he fucks your mouth. “Fuck, yes. Those were all meant for you. All the things I wanna do to that body.”
You moan against his cock, reaching for your clit to rub yourself. you expected a different reaction from him, but by the looks of it, the Jay you passed by along the corridors was now gone. In front of you is a different person, and you actually loved it. You loved this new side of him.
“This is one of them.” Jay adds. “Fucking your mouth.”
You feel your head being guided by his hands as he nears his orgasm, thrusting faster inside your mouth. you whimper as his tip hits your throat, waiting for his warm release to fill your mouth.
However, he pulls out again, much to your dismay. He gets out of the bed and walks to the other side where he can take you from behind. Coincidentally, there stood a mirror in front of you, and you could clearly see his naked body as you were on your hands and knees. Fuck, I bet he works out a lot. He spanks your ass cheeks again, making you yelp.
“God, you’re so fucking hot, miss president.” Jay says under his breath, lining his tip on your cunt and getting ready to push himself inside of you. “I don’t have a condom with me, though.”
“I'm on the pill.” you reply. You realized you haven’t gotten rid of your habit of taking birth control pills even though you didn’t have sex as much anymore, especially now that you’re not with Jake anymore. “I have a favor to ask you.”
“Which is?”
You heave a deep sigh before speaking.  I'll have to do this once and for all. “Help me forget about Jake.”
Without a word, he pushes himself slowly inside you. A gasp leaves your mouth at how big and girthy he was as he stretched your walls. It took you a while to adjust to his size, but after he has sunken his whole length in you, he starts moving.
I'll help you forget about Jake, sweetheart. “My love… tell me.” he drags a fingertip along your spine, rocking his hips at a steady pace. “Who's making you feel good right now?”
“You, Jay.” you reply, almost sounding like a scream as you do. “Your cock feels so good inside me.”
“Fuck, yeah, I am.” jay snickers, pulling you by the hair and making you look at your fucked-out reflection in the mirror. “Look at you. Such a cock-hungry bitch.”
God, you hated being degraded, but why did Jay's words turn you on?
Jay's pace gradually goes faster as he feels you tightening around him, his muscles flexing as his skin slaps against yours.
“That fucking soccer boy can never fuck you as good as I do, right?”
“Ah, yes!” you whimper as his finger reaches your clit.
He groans. “Repeat after me, darling. Cheaters.”
“Cheaters–ah!” you squeal as Jay spanks your ass again.
“Ain’t.” Jay seethed.
“Ain't…” you draw out a whine as he holds you by the waist.
“Shit.” he pulls you to sit up, slapping your breasts.
“Shit! Oh, that feels good.” you bury your head in the bed.
“See? That fucker doesn’t deserve you.” he whispered against your neck, leaving a dark mark by sucking on it. “He can go get some dick by himself ‘cause from now on, you’re mine.”
As his hands make their way back to your breasts, you feel like putty under Jay's touch. You couldn’t help but agree to his every word as if he’s put you in a state of hypnosis. Your words are incomprehensible as he snaps his hips harshly against yours, the feeling of his cock inside you clouding your vision and thoughts.
“I said you’re mine, little slut.”
“I'm yours.” you breathe out.
Once he has been given the go signal, he slows down for a bit and turns your head so you can see each other’s gazes. “If you'd let me take care of you, I'd do it wholeheartedly.” he said, kissing your knuckles lovingly. “I don't care how slow you want the process to be, Y/N. Just give me a chance.”
You don’t say a word. Instead, you lock his lips in a loving kiss. He holds onto your waist for dear life as your hips move in sync, the heated moment turning into a passionate, affectionate one.
“You close?” Jay mumbles against your lips, and you nod.
You stay still in that position as Jay picks up his pace, letting you feel his warmth as he brings you to your high.
Your climax crashes like waves, and it seems like momentarily taking the life out of you. Jay follows suit, his seed spilling inside of you.
After a good minute, he pulls out of you, lays you down on the mattress and hovers above you. you cup his cheeks and give him a peck on the forehead, the introvert in him slowly coming back as he blushes at your action.
“Let me clean you up.” Jay says with a slight pout, the dominant in him finally out of the picture as he spoke.
“Can we do that later?” you reply, planting a kiss on his nose. “Let me hold you for a while.”
He doesn’t oblige. Rather, he picks up his drenched shorts from the floor, pulling a small handkerchief from its pocket. As he proceeds cleaning you up, you stare at him fondly. Were you in love? Not yet. Would you give him a shot? Definitely. The way he just switched up on you would need some processing time, though. It was one heck of a moment.
The night ends with Jay sending you off to your cabin, kissing you good night as he promises to meet you in school after the weekend.
*
You slowly stroll along the corridors of the art department building, looking for Jay's room as you go. You have been walking for thirty minutes straight, but without an ounce of exhaustion in your body although it was a Thursday–a work day for the student council president. To say that you were excited to meet him would be an understatement.
It’s been a week since the last day of the cabin trip and your first sexual encounter with someone who wasn’t Jake. You’ve been feeling a lot better, and it made Heeseung and Jungwon wonder how you’ve done it so fast. Jay’s been sending you food over the weekend and it stunned you how well he cooks. He’s been dropping over to the student council adviser’s office from time to time, too, just to watch you work.
You feel your feet starting to hurt, but you keep on walking anyway. I need to see my Jay after a long dayyyyy.
“There she is!” a voice starts shouting, causing you to stop on your tracks. “The prim and proper student council president.”
You squint your eyes at the person who turned out to be Sim Jayoon, Jake's cousin. She eyes you with a scowl as if scrutinizing you, and retches as if she was grossed out. You knew exactly what she came at you for–to act as a proxy for her wimpy cousin who hasn’t shown his face in the soccer team ever since. She has the reputation of being the worst pick-me in all of tenth grade, and that makes this encounter worse.
“You rang, Yoon?” you reply, faking a cheerful tone as you try your best not to pounce at the poor girl. “Do you need help with something?”
“Weren’t you crying over Jake oppa just last week?” Yoon spits out, towering over you to assert dominance. “Now you’re fucking with another guy? Seriously, sunbaenim, how much of a slut can you be?”
Does she expect me to cry and beg her to keep my dirty little secret? You snort. “Babe, your Jake oppa two-timed me with Park Sunghoon while I was on duty. That makes your cousin the slut here, doesn’t it?”
“And I did what I could do best–moving on.” you add, pissing Yoon off even more. Her face reddens in anger, and you taunt her, patting her head.  “Aww, look at you. Aren’t you such a good guard dog for not admitting that your cousin made mistakes?” 
“Shut up!” she yells defensively, stepping away from you. “You’re the president and you’re supposed to be the role model, right? You should step down if you tolerate double-dipping! bitch!”
With that, Yoon raises a hand to land a slap on your face, and you grimace, expecting the sting to land on your cheek. However, three seconds in and nothing hits you.
Turns out, a hand blocked Yoon’s arm and stopped her from slapping you. You look over your shoulder to see Jay with his usual meh expression plastered on his face. He raises his brows at Yoon, evidently annoyed by her words.
“At least she’s getting better sex than your cousin does.” he quips, throwing Yoon’s wrist to the ground.
You gasp at Jay’s choice of words. “Jay! Language!”
“What? It's the truth.” he replies, holding up a cube in his hand which happened to be a mini-recorder. “You want me to call your parents or something?”
In defeat, Yoon screams, stomping her way out of the corridors. You hear a deep chuckle from Jay behind you, and you instinctively land a slap on his chest. “You didn’t just say that in front of a fifteen-year old kid.”
“What was I supposed to do? She’s just called you slut and a bitch.” Jay shrugged, and you could only shake your head at him. He leans closer to your ear and whispers, “You’re my bitch, though.”
You roll your eyes, unable to protest  “Jay, as much as I appreciate the degradation–”
“Meet  me after your last period. I promise I won’t ditch you.” he grins, giving your lips a brief peck. “I’m off to the e-sports club office and nope, Heeseung hyung won’t be playing with me this time.”
“Thanks for the assurance..?” you say hesitantly, followed by a chuckle. He’s back at it again with the random updates. “Show them what you got, gamer boy.”
He pecks your lips again, and starts walking away with his back facing you. You could only look at him in awe as he leisurely walked the corridor with his headphones on and probably a One Ok Rock song blasting from them. He was your definition of comfort, and the only one who could convince you that wasting time wasn’t a bad thing after all.
“Love ya!” he bellows suddenly, making you yelp. Now’s not the time to say it back yet. You blow him a kiss and he makes a run for the stairs. Of course, you loved him, too.
And the other sides of him, of course.
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a/n: this fic is especially dedicated to my girlies nics (@ddeonuism) and aria (@jaylaxies) bc apparently they love this fic so much so OFC i had to retrieve it and free it from the dungeon! this is for all my jay hoes 🥳 one of the fics that got me started in enhablr AND my first ever jay fic. i tweaked this a lil bit just to make jay hotter and sweeter bc ik that's what y'all want right 🙄 /lh enjoy lovelies!
NSFW TAGLIST [OPEN]: @thots4hee @jaylaxies @ddeonuism @jojayke @vernonluvs-archived @puphee @hee-pster @forjongseong @jaeyunsz @muffinminnie @shu-ramyeonz @poutyjaeyun @fairy-junseong @duolingofanaccount @jkefelx @taetaemylovie @heetro @yizhoutv @lavhikaru @kaislinging-slasher01 @cha0thicpisces @en-archv @simplewonderland @exactlygreatcoffee @lhseth @aerinaga @xwonniex @jyshdoll @iiousim (send an ask or a dm to be added!)
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© criceofpain on tumblr, 2020
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WIBTA for putting in a fake negative review for my workplace? (👾👾👾 for easier search and recognition)
So I've worked at this local hardware store for a little over a year now. So far, it's been the most chill job I've had and has paid a bit better than the last one I worked at. The current staff, for the majority of them, I'm pretty chill with, except I (and a lot of the others) has had issues with two people: One of the managers (let's call him Reggie, 40sM) and one of the associates (we'll call him Cider, 40sM). Reggie is a recovering alcoholic and he's been keeping his sobriety by using marijuana, while Cider is an old friend of Reggie's that used to be a bartender. Reggie was hired on as a manager a couple months after I started, and a month after Reggie hired Cider.
From almost day 1 everyone has had some sort of issue with the two of them. For one, Reggie is always casually breaking the rules by wearing slippers to work (safety hazard, it's a damn hardware store and the floors are concrete), leaving for several minutes to even HOURS without saying anything to anyone while still on the clock, and worst of all he often hotboxes in his car so he comes back with a literal cloud of weed clinging to him. He's taken money out of the safes and store deposits for his own personal stuff, and then goes to replace the money later, and it took him over a year to actually start doing some of the basic manager stuff on the computer. I, and two other people, were taught some of those same manager stuff within 2 weeks. Mind you that we're still sales associates, but because we were taught this stuff Reggie would sometimes have us do some of the more tedious manager stuff under his code. So, when it looks like he's done a ton of work, in reality he was doing something like reprint sales tags and leaving the plaza to go home and walk his fucking dogs.
Cider on the other hand has been found smelling like alcohol, evidently being drunk on the job in front of customers, and we've had to clean up after him more than a few times in the bathrooms. Hell, Cider came in actually drunk on his first day working, and the manager on shift at the time (who wasn't Reggie) wanted to turn him immediately out the door.
The other two managers have both reported all this to the store owner, and even the store owner's son who co-owns the place has seen some of this stuff first-hand (He came up to one of them asking if it was just him or if Reggie reeked of weed). The both of them have even experienced Reggie's incompetency during truck orders when the other managers were on vacation. The store owner still hasn't done any sort of reprimanding to Reggie, despite that if the other managers did anything similar they'd be fired on the spot. Neither manager can say anything to Cider about his drinking, because then he'll just say something like: "Oh, I'm getting in trouble for having a little drink, when Reggie can be here every day smelling like weed?" Dude can be a good worker, but only when he's occasionally sober.
Basically, I want to create a throw-away google account and leave a 2~3 star review as customer saying that some of the associates smelled like weed and alcohol and seemed like they were under the influence. I know it sounds like a dick move to do this, but maybe if there's a public thing about it then the store owner will start addressing it. Maybe put in one every couple of weeks to make it really stack up and make an impact.
What are these acronyms?
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andypantsx3 · 2 months
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hi andie!
do u have any tips for corporate girlies? my friend is starting out in the corp world !! and got a lot of reality checks over how harsh and 'corporate' it is :((
Ohhhhh my god yeah corporate culture sucks!! It's just a bunch of adult babies using fancy words tbh lmao, acting like we're going to war and/or curing cancer when we're really just launching a product no one wants or needs lol.
Not sure what industry your friend is or what role she's in but here are some general tips, starting with practical project tips to more personal/sanity check tips lol.
Make sure you understand your organization's goals and success criteria. This is so basic but in order to understand what leadership cares about and how all the different project components fit in, you're going to want to learn what are all the active projects, who owns them, what success is being evaluated on, and how those performance indicators are being calculated. I work with some people who have no idea what is going on (which, fair) but it ends up creating a ton of churn and can look super bad for them if they are not in step with what our corporate overlords expect from them.
Clear communication is key. Never have I ever encountered more communication issues than working in corporate; people often have one image in their head of what a task looks like where their partner teams might have another, and if you don't outline all the key details together, you could end up delivering something unusable. If you're an individual contributor (aka a task doer), make sure you ask clarifying questions of the project leads if they haven't specified (like, what testing environment something needs to be deployed to, what are the release gating procedures, what is the expected timeline, etc). If you're a project manager, make sure you're clarifying those details with stakeholders and passing that information to your team; prompt your team to ask questions even if they seem clear, and make sure you get that info for them ASAP!!
Documentation is crucial. If you make an implementation decision, document it. If you have a delivery, document it. If you have a process for anything, make sure you document it. If you have a meeting, get those notes out. If you have an agreement with stakeholders, make sure you get it in writing and get them to sign off on it!! Information is key to helping other people understand what you are doing, why you are doing it, what the expectations were from other related parties when you started doing it, and how it can be improved if needed. If you're a project lead or manager, start a folder or repository somewhere for all project communications, keep all your emails & slacks with stakeholders (because they will come back being snotheads and you can politely whip out receipts). :3
Be proactive. Observe the kinds of questions leadership asks, understand their concerns & needs. Then proactively make sure you are addressing those things in your work and/or in your reporting. For example, if you're reporting on a release failure in a weekly business review, make sure you call out things like: 1) what you tried to do to prevent failure, 2) what the ultimate blockers or root causes of failure were, 3) what your learnings were from that failure, 4) what you are going to do to fix it, and 5) what the revised ETA is. That way, even though things didn't go your way, leadership understands you are on top of things and proactively working to solve problems.
Understand priorities & tradeoffs. There will come a time where you have conflicting demands on your time. Work with your manager or org leadership to understand what projects are higher priorities than others, and do not be afraid to escalate to your manager or above if progress is threatened or if you need to clarify. For example, Project A is high priority and Project B is medium priority, but the project manager from Project B is all up in your business asking you to deliver something or investigate something that you don't know if you have time for. Loop in your manager to determine if someone else can take Project B, or inform them that doing B will impose these anticipated risks to A; are they comfortable with that? Then you can circle back to Project B to deliver the news that you're working on A, your manager has suggested this revised timeline or other POC they can work with, and if they have concerns they can escalate. (Usually this shuts ppl up :3)
Improve processes. I cannot emphasize this enough but try to think about how to do things better the next time around, even if things went solidly to plan. Do not get defensive about your work or the quality of your work; always be thinking (or asking other people) about how time could be cut off of something, what processes could be put in place to minimize touchpoints or decrease risks. If you can, try to impose this mindset on your team & ask for project retrospectives, and take specific action items out of those retrospectives! Trust me it makes things so much clearer and easier in the long run if you work to make things better over time!!
Get a mentor. Find someone who has the job you want to have or who seems to know the things you want to know about and ask them to work with you on that! Tell them what your goal is, whether to develop a special skill set to move roles, or develop a specific understanding of a project or concept, and ask them to help you develop a plan to get there. Set up regular time together and goals to work towards in that time. This helps you learn things faster and gives you someone who can vouch for you when it comes time for yearly feedback, role changes, or promotions.
Create a personal portfolio. Keep track of all the things that you do; all the projects you are on, what your role is, what you were responsible for delivering, and what resources you created as part of that, whether it's project wikis, some script, etc. Keep your manager aware of it so they understand your value and have visibility on your work; you can leverage this when it comes time for role changes or promotions. Additionally try to make sure you're working on high viz or high value projects; this gives you even more leverage!!
Do not tie your self worth to your performance or your job title. At the end of the day capitalism sucks, corporations are evil, and none of this shit matters. Even if you don't do something well once, you can improve in the future, and even if your company doesn't see it/isn't a good match for your skills, you have value!!! They profit from keeping you underpaid, stressed out, and dejected, but you are not just a 'resource' or a cog in a machine. You are a person; you will make missteps from time to time but you bring more value to this planet and the people on it just by existing than these capitalist enterprises could ever. Do do not burn yourself out trying to please them, keep yourself open to other job options, and make sure you have a good friend/family support structure in place to reality check you!!
Idk how helpful this was but I hope there was a little something in there that your friend could use. If she has specific questions on anything I'm happy to help out too lol; that might give me more idea what specific aspect she is struggling with & how to help!
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mythicalartistx · 10 months
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Riku being gay is more Canon then HC
The reason why I have trouble saying I headcanon Riku as gay is because there is a LOT of evidence— text evidence from the games he is.
Like shipping Soriku or Zemyx is HC. Those ships are stated the couples aren't together yet. But Riku being gay is actually implied through various scenes.
I'm not even including the novels and manga where he shows obvious signs of being gay and liking Sora—which some people consider not canon, but they were also reviewed and approved by Nomura sooo 🤷
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But in the games there is a lot of evidence especially looking at Japanese correct translations that imply he is not into girls, he is gay. He loves his best friend.
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In the Eng DDD with the TWEWY characters, Riku's interaction with Shiki.
He get almost offended when Shiki says, Aren't you my knight in shining armor?
Riku responds by saying, "Kn-knnight!? You got the wrong idea!"
He seems upset that a girl— someone thinks he is into her.
Then she seems to realize he's either gay or haven't been out much.
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Personally I don't mind this change.
In the Japanese version he tells her, Not that kind of knight.
It is still gay and she even calls him Knight Sama 😆
Another example is all the Riku Replicas displaying emotions and feelings to Sora
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Then in DDD Riku's conversations with Esmeralda and Quasimodo in the Notre Dame world is basically implying he is gay.
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Final Notes:
Also Riku refer to Sora several times in JPN version a phrase, Taisetsunahito which means precious person and he uses it a LOT like a ton and it's not just lightly. It could be seen romantic because other characters use it. But the English translation team has trouble translating get phrase.
He also calls Sora Aitsu which means some guy and it can have romantic interest involved.
Shipping Riku with Sora is head canon, other things is not.
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I can give so many more examples but the point is made. Like Riku was Jealous in KH2 and offered him a papou fruit to see if he might be interested the same way, and then rubs it off as a joke.
And like it's fine if someone doesn't ship it and I can see why someone might ship something else.
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bookishtheaterlover7 · 2 months
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I’m going to counter your anon who says AB isn’t getting karma.
I think she is. A Little bit already.
First, her “husband’s” fanbase despises her. Not all, but I’d say a loud minority that’s also out there ready to snatch her wig for anything she tries to do (lol).
Anytime she does something remotely embarrassing there’s a group of people waiting to out her - remember Liberia? 😂 and they have receipts and keep screenshots. She can’t hide unless she goes private but then she’ll never get more followers. 🤣
And if she thinks these people will stop if she has his baby? She can think again. That’s never happening. I think she burned all opportunity to make peace with his fan base and people want to see her gone. There are a ton of crazy fans that go way too far, yes, but unfortunately shes made enemies for life. Should have thought twice before having your soulmate mock and troll your fans on your behalf and then posting yourself showering to the world as an FU. Now when you try to claim you’re so shy your posts will be spammed with your own nudes.
The general public still does not notice or care about her. She’s so uninteresting and irrelevant her name is still getting spelled wrong. By people in her own country 🙈
Her movie backed by the largest US talent agency made no noise at all in any of the box offices and especially not in the United States of America. She was only only in it briefly and the reviews don’t even mention her. Not really going to help her future IT girl case because in comparison, like Jenna Ortega gained 10 million fans in like two weeks. I’m sure a bunch of them were bots too but let me tell you EVERYOne was watching Wednesday back in Nov-Dec 22. So her gaining that much really isn’t that far off the bat. Not to mention, AB’s big moment to shine was around the same time as Jenna and Jenna beat her and didn’t have to date anyone famous. 🙊
Even Chris back in 2019 - his peak popularity and then 2020 - he was trending at times daily, weekly. He was trending #1 on twitter for at least 24-48 hours during his oopsie weekend. His tweet after that telling people to go vote got millions of likes. He used to get crazy engagement just for breathing. I remember after endgame and then knives out people were talking about him like he had just popped up on the scene…this man had been in the industry at least 20 where at that point. lol
Chris came on IG and I’m pretty sure he gained a million followers in about 24 hours. Yes, there are celebs that did it faster than him but remember he’s always been more of an under the radar celebrity and he never really tried to be otherwise. So for the fact he was hitting 40 years old and joined IG ten years after everyone else and got 1 million the first day is impressive. So yes, he had star power. Jenna has it now.
And yes, CE has lost that star power and in part it’s due to him being with AB. So yes, he’s losing due to his decision to be linked with her, which could be called his karma…
But miss wannabe IT girl? Whew.
Try as she might, Her followers….basically capped at 840K and I will bet Elon musk’s entire net worth she was hoping to hit 1 million the night she went public with her now husband. People on tumblr even saw that she went and pinned her Mrs Harris movie post like the same day their pap pics came out. That’s how you know old girl was waiting and hoping to see her numbers go up.
Lastly, her “husband” is still more popular than her. Even though his fanbase has deteriorated she hasn’t gained more popularity’s I think this may really really grate her (don’t ask me why, I just have this feeling) because she’s the young and vibrant one. She wants to be adored and no matter what she tries to do, photoshopping herself in every picture she posts, she’s not outgaining him in terms of recognition. People will only know her if his name is added first.
So…yeah. Maybe you think she has it all and she’s not getting anything bad. But I would say karma works in mysterious ways. Sometimes it’s not as obvious as you think.
OH! THANK YOU, AN🫶N!!!
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God, this really made me feel so much better after reading all the shit Elijah posted on Medium. 🥹
Especially when you mentioned "Karma isn't as obvious as you think". It's something I made a realization recently. Because I truly believe in Karma, I just wanted Karma to be more obvious, but sometimes, it just isn't.
And honestly, that makes it better 😆
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Anyway, back to what you said about Albitch's Karma... Ohhhh, the number of laughs you gave me is PRICELESS!!!
I would seriously pay to see the screenshots of HER posts being filled with her own nudes 😆 Reap what you sow!
And I know it will not get any better for her. She's dragging Chris through the mud, and let's just say, that the fans that love Chris, definitely hate her. Beyond her "marrying" him.
Also, how Chris seems to contradict everything he used to say whenever he's with her. Hell, she doesn't even have THE ASS that Chris would be into 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 so, that's a VERY BIG contradiction. And, regards to their marriage... PRIVACY, MY ASS!!!
That said, I love how clearly you can see everything, once you get a level head. That means... Karma is definitely real.
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Also, lemme just tag @blue-ice715 because it's her post that I reblogged, and she would definitely love to read this. ���
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jenyifer · 3 months
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Dead Friend Forever Ep 9 initial reaction
HELL YES I WAS FUCKING RIGHT on multiple fronts wooooo I love it when things go the way I want.
Although also I was wrong on one thing which is slightly disappointing but whatever!!!!
I do have new questions because I’ve rewatched ep 1 and there are some things that still ain’t quite clicking. I’ll put the questions at the bottom.
Let’s get into the photo review.
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Okay I was suspecting drugging of the water when they showed Non getting drunk on something on the tape White saw. But what is up with Jin MAINLY feeling guilt about the teacher not Non. Very weird. He’s seen the dead teacher multiple times unless that’s Por? Which I don’t think so? Jin doesn’t know he’s dead yet.
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Oh Non…. 😭😭 I felt his absence all episode really it felt like he was always just in the background of all the actions.
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As an older sister I would never fucking stop if this happened to my little sister. New had obviously tried to be the perfect child for his parents to the point of ignoring his brother. I believe he fucking studied his ass off because in pretending to be Tan we saw how fucking smart he really was again and again.
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I’m ready to hunt them all down too. I don’t blame Tan for being fucking pissed at Phee about getting too close to Jin. Because Phee annoyingly didn’t find out anything when we as the viewers know Jin DESERVES A SHIT TON OF BLAME DEFINITELY MORE THAN POR. Anyways. So it is tough to watch the lovey Dovey scenes then see Tan trying his hardest to get justice for his brother Tan NEVER stops.
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Okay so White is younger and he’s not in on the scheme then. Idk when Tee starts dating him but I am kind of glad he had some happiness. As much as what he did to Non is fucked he did feel bad about it and was forced into it by his dad needing medication that his uncle paid for also his uncle probably paid for him a place to live too.
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Oh so maybe baby is alive. Or he was alive longer than Tee and Top pulling him out of the house anyways.
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Okay so I haven’t rewatched all of the early eps but I don’t know if Phee is aware Jin leaked the vid of Non. Also I find Jin’s approach to relationships psychotic. He’s extremely possessive and focused on his interest but he doesn’t really consider them people. When Phee tells him ‘oh we are just friends’ Jin doesn’t talk to him in two years?! I mean maybe Phee had a bad day or whatever it seems insane for Jin to assume he’s desperately in love with Tan and did it all to shame Jin in some way when what Phee did was consensual causal fling. But then again didn’t Jin go fucking crazy when he saw Non and Phee together from behind. Jin wanted non to be his but was ready to hate him at the drop of a hat. Jin didn’t love Phee or Non he loved the idea of being in a relationship with them for himself. He’s a narcissist.
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Oh so Tan/New is fucking desperate his mom and dad are dead his brother has been missing for years and he doesn’t have any leads. The police have given up. Phee his only ally has basically given up as well.
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Okay so the bathroom scene with Tee there was smoke. I guess the alcohol at the party is what Por was tripping on before he went into the woods. But also… someone had to have cut on Por…? Idk. I guess Tan drugged Top although I’m still iffy on that. So everything we have seen are the boys biggest darkest fears interesting.
So things I got right
New = Tan
Early events were hallucinations
Thing I got wrong
Phee doesn’t know what Jin has done
White is not involved with Phee and Tan
Questions I have.
Is Top mega drugged? Or did Tan get close to Top and he’s made Top confess already and while he is on drugs he’s actually in on the revenge thing. We did see Tan is probably closest to Top.
Is there another person involved still? Who slashed Pors arms with Non’s knife and left it in the basement? I previously thought it was the teacher but the teacher and Non’s fates are together I think they either both survived or are both dead probably the second one.
Still like to know more about White.
Is Non alive? He was dressed differently in that bus photo.
Why are Tee and Por’s personalities so changed when they meet Phee and Tan.
Is the cult thing real then? Because Tan said he got the herb from that cult right? I thought it was a set and made up for movie.
Why didn’t they make another movie I assume Por’s parents would have wanted him to do that.
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eletaniaaa · 4 months
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I want to do some kind of year in review. 1) I am far too chaotic for any sort of organized template. These are some of my favorite screenshots I've taken this year. I know I'll never get a ton of notes on what I post, but they've brought me joy. (On the subject of notes, the two most popular posts I've made since I joined tumblr are the most low effort trash and they don't bring me joy, but that ironically does make me laugh.)
Beginning of the year I made an unofficial decision (compulsion?) to focus on my fav OC, my sith inquisitor from swtor. It's become kind of a project seeing where I can stick her. She inspired me to write more, first with swtor then cyberpunk, which is partially why I became so attached. That and I put a lot of myself in her. I will say I have uhhh a weird relationship with my asian heritage? I ended up deleting Ixaphia 1.0 at some point because she reminded me too much of my mom (it was the hair, that hair had to go!) Not to get too real on main, but I think she might have helped me unpack some stuff I didn't even realize were a thing.
For 2024 I'd like to overcome the feeling that I'm wasting my time here posting my little pictures like a sad racoon who is too lazy to make gifs. It's a weird struggle of wanting to share and talk to people but also not wanting to put even the most vague personal details out there. See me, but do not perceive me. It's going great!
As for writing this year, I write sporadically, usually when blorbo thoughts threaten to start leaking out of my ears if I don't get it out. It's not something I share but @meonlyred has been subjected to the p o rn, bc what are friends for. I'm sorry and/or you're welcome. Not ready to put that into the void, but I will throw up the first few paragraphs I ever wrote for my Viktor Vektor fic in hopes that 2024 I actually finish the thing.
Jackie walked over to the punching bag Vik had hanging in the corner of his basement clinic and bounced back and forth giving it a few casual jabs. The man was a hulking fridge of perpetual energy. He sauntered over to some knick-knacks on a shelf and began rearranging them.
“I'm telling you Vik, she won't admit it, but V is sweet on you. I can tell.”
Viktor didn't look up from the equipment he was cleaning. The basic tools of every NC ripperdoc, plus a few he had custom modified for himself. Half the appeal of working back-alley was doing the job better than the corpo wage slaves tied down by miles of red tape. Besides the tiny tremor in his hand, a little souvenir from his boxing days had washed him out of the possibility of trauma team--even if it could be mitigated.
“Nonsense, Viky. You'd be good together! Me and Misty and you two, think of the double dates. Basically what we do already, just make it official-like.”
This time Viktor did stop what he was doing and looked up at his friend over the glasses half-slid down his nose. He took them off and rubbed his temple.
“Jackie--”
He was mercifully interrupted by the metallic clank of the door, before he found himself having to explain yet again why him and V were a bad idea.
“Sorry, Jack. Got an appointment. Still on for tonight? Malone v Hernandez. Fridge is stocked.”
“V will be there too, yeah?”
At the look Viktor shot his way he held his hands up in concession. “Okay, okay. I'll see you tonight. But think about what I said!”
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"What if Loki was Worthy?"- a book review
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Finally got around to reading the corporate fanfic! For a mass-produced novel, it wasn't the worst I've read, but IDK it felt something to be desired as well.
The story: A prank Loki is encouraged to commit ends up sending Thor to NYC, where he is killed but not before killing Tony Stark's best friend, Happy Hogan. Odin banishes Loki (to Buffalo, NY for some reason), where he lives in a trailer park (a la Buffalo) until Runa (our Valkyrie) comes in with a reluctant quest to bring Mjolnir to it's natural heir, Jane Foster (or is it Jane??). Meanwhile, Iron Man goes dark as Stark vows revenge on the ones who killed his friend and becomes the villain.
I will give props to anyone who has the 'nards to make who is arguable the epicenter of the entire MCU (Nick Fury aside) into a villain. I believed Stark's arc, having lost friends myself in a kind-of-similar manner.
Also, it WAS well-written on it's own. I used my eagle-eye to spot inconsistencies and only found one that nagged me: Runa would not know Loki's Laufeyson last name, yet she calls him by it several times. Then again, this is a What If story, so canon doesn't really apply anyway.
None of the new characters were very interesting, but I have a thought on them under the spoiler cut.
BRIEF SPOILERS UNDER THE JUMP
I didn't like Quinn being Thor's biological daughter. That leaves so many questions unanswered...like how tf does that work? Asgardians and humans can interbreed? And now Loki is basically where Thor was at the end of Love and Thunder, only in New Mexico.
Also, weird little note: all of Loki's allies save for Brian the Gecko are female-presenting. Not sure if the author did that subconsciously (probably) but it kind of smelled less like good rep and more like vicarious living through the OCs (and no, none of them are romantic or even hinted to be so, but I didn't ever expect this to be a romance).
I think my favorite headcanon from the author to come out of this is Loki's fascination with NCIS and other crime-related shows. I think it fits the character well. I can see him asking a ton of questions. I also approve of Loki's connection with animals that develops while on Earth. Again, something that definitely checks out, but only after he softens a little.
I will admit, seeing Loki end up in a place with people who support him (even if it's basically an OC harem) is infinitely more satisfying and happy than the end of Loki S2. The whole book has The Watcher framing it, and right in the beginning he references Loki being Yggdrasil, and if nothing else it serves as a reminder that he got shafted so hard and that Sylvie should have gone in his fucking place. So whether or not you like the rest of the book, Loki being in a nice, simple place with allies and friends for the first time will probably make you smile like it did me.
Overall: maybe if fans have the time, give it a read, but I wouldn't lose my shit over it or expect anything new or groundbreaking.
Two-and-a-half out of five Mjolnirs.
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jakesuit0 · 6 months
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Too Young Review
“Too Young” finally follows up on the newly deaged Princess Bubblegum, something fans were dying to see after no glimpses of her in the past four episodes. This would have been a more thematically appropriate season premiere, but I do like the building anticipation for the followup. The question of how this new dynamic would alter the status quo of the series going forward hung over our heads. Turns out: not at all. At least not in an obvious way.
Even putting aside the romance aspect, it’s just great to see Finn finally hanging out with someone his own age, something we never get enough of. He’s always hanging out with his older brother, and his other best friends are hundreds of years older than him. As Finn says at the beginning, he can just be himself. I like Finn stepping out to get moral support from Jake. His encouragement of Finn’s pursuit of Bubblegum is finally appropriate! Finn is a little nervous, this is probably his first ever date. But, he is overall pretty comfortable, as there’s still a strong familiarity between Finn and PB. There’s also no pussyfooting around between the two, they are very upfront with their feelings. PB already knows how Finn feels, and she basically tells Finn that he’s hot after he drinks her serum. He admits to not bathing, so it’s a good thing that BMO gets Finn on a bathing schedule by “Holly Jolly Secrets Part 1.” It’s interesting that Finn first asks if she’s trying to make herself 18 again. Part of him thinks this is all too good to be true.  
Not really sure how much I need to introduce him, but Lemongrab! He’s probably the tenth most prominent character in the series, and one of the most well known characters, period. He wasn’t given much of a personality in the outline. Tom Herpich and especially Jesse Monyihan, the storyboarders for this episode, really created Lemongrab. They succeeded in making such a distinct character, and with Justin Roiland bringing him to life with some of the best voice acting of the series so far, he was basically guaranteed to become a recurring character. (I know there’s a massive elephant in the room that I’m avoiding, but it’s just not pertinent to this review. It will be addressed when I get to “Prismo the Wishmaster” and morals will be condemned!) Lemongrab’s very screamy, but he does it in such an alien way that he’s not annoying. He’s introduced with his iconic “unacceptable” catchphrase, which is pretty great and has been memed to death. He was originally going to be PB’s uncle (I assume it would have straight up been Gumbald, albeit in a very different incarnation, since he was mentioned in “Susan Strong”). I’m very glad they didn’t go that direction. They were dangerously close to ruining much of the direction they’ll take PB’s character in. 
Lemongrab is now technically the rightful ruler due to PB’s deaging. I assume Bubblegum created Lemongrab with the intention of wanting an heir, and that stuck in Candy Kingdom law. Similarly to my take on “Hot Diggity Doom”, I don’t think Princess Bubblegum actually cares about the legal technicality, especially since she started creating the kingdom when she was a kid. She just wanted to delay the inevitable. She might also have more respect for the rules as a less jaded thirteen year old. 
The flashback establishes that she created Lemongrab. It’s the first hint that PB created all the candy people, but it could still just be assumed that Lemongrab was an exception. The implications of PB creating life aren’t explored here, but this establishes a trait for her that will be explored a ton. We don’t know exactly when she created him, but it’s implied that it happened a long time ago, possibly hundreds of years ago. My theory is it happened before the flashbacks seen in “The Vault”. PB was used to making candy people dumb on purpose, probably straight up using dum dum juice. It’d make sense to not want her heir to be incompetent, so she’d need a different formula, especially since she isn’t using parts of the mother gum like she did with Gumbald, Lolly, and Chicle. This caused the experiment to “go wrong”. The reason I think it’s before “The Vault”, is because we see a young Peppermint Butler in it, who I don’t think was created with dum dum juice. She must have perfected the formula by then. Pep wasn’t intended to be an heir, as she’s still trying in “Goliad”, but she’ll eventually realize he fits the bill. Calling Lemongrab her “first” experiment to go wrong, is a straight up continuity error due to the Uncle Gumbald backstory. It’s also hard to believe that she didn’t have any other experiments go wrong. I think my theory could recontextualize the line to mean it’s the first one of her experiments with her new formula to go wrong, but it’s a little handwavey. As if this flashback didn’t already have enough interesting implications, we see that PB still has her memories. This raises the question of if she still has the same experiences, is her relationship with Finn still problematic? I argue that it isn’t. She behaves like a child in her new state. Her brain, just like the rest of her body, has less candy biomass, and is the brain of a child. She’s seeing her memories through the lens of a kid. 
Finn and Bonnie try to solve their problems like kids would for once, with pranks. Their relationship is so pure and adorable. Bonnie cuddling up to Finn on the castle roof is one of the most wholesome moments ever in Adventure Time and Finn looks so incredibly happy. It really captures the innocence of a young child’s first romance, and it stands apart from the awkwardness that defines his relationship with Flame Princess and the maturity that comes with his dynamic with Huntress Wizard. At the same time, Lemongrab gets more defined as he tries to laugh and have fun with the pranks after Peppermint Butler’s explanation. He wants to fit in with others, but he just doesn’t see the world in a neurotypical way, so it comes off as forced and awkward, like his bobbing head laughter.
Peppermint Butler tells Lemongrab that food comes from Mars. It’s a weird lore detail that isn’t ever explained, but is referenced again. It’d make sense for a world of talking animals and talking food to get food from an outside source, but there’s plenty of examples of them eating food from Ooo. I’ll assume that industrialized food comes from Mars, and this is considered more civilized. Lemongrab eating the spiced food is a great sequence, and causes him too much pain for him to just laugh off.
Princess Bubblegum finally decides it's time to stop delaying what she knows is inevitable: becoming 18 again. Finn’s upset, but has the ability to recognize the greater good enough to swallow those feelings. This whole experience was more of a well needed break for PB, than a true commitment to a new permanent identity, just like a later arc she’ll have. But unlike later, she doesn’t change the way she conducts her life through learning from this ordeal. Many fans don’t think this episode works with PB’s portrayal in the rest of the series, but I disagree. She sacrifices her happiness for her people, which will be explored as a character flaw later down the line that ends up backfiring for her kingdom anyway. She views having fun as something mainly for children, and work as something that must consume adults. There is no middle ground for her. The pain this causes PB just makes her double down on work as a distraction. Some of that analysis is based on future episodes, but a lot of it can be taken away from just “Too Young”. It’s great to finally get an episode that focuses on fleshing out Princess Bubblegum’s deeper feelings and motivations. It’s really the only episode in the first three seasons with that accomplishment. 
Princess Bubblegum says she needs her lab equipment to engineer more candy flesh, an even bigger hint that she created the candy people. I love the scene of her citizens giving PB parts of themselves. They recognize how selfless Bubblegum is, and sacrifice pieces of themselves like she does for them. Finn uses the power of love to catalyze the re-aging process. He gets to return Princess Bubblegum’s favor in “Mortal Folly” with the like-like sweater! It’s cheesy but it’s such a perfect resolution. Princess Bubblegum’s goodbye to Finn is heartbreaking, and it’s really tragic, especially after seeing how happy they were together. They hug and Finn has his first kiss. It’s a really special moment, and it really should be his only kiss with Princess Bubblegum. Fuck you “Wizard Battle” for taking away a little bit of what makes this moment so special and tragic. 
Bubblegum turns back and is pretty cold to Finn, but I love the contrast of her just saying “‘scuse me Finn” and how much taller she is than Finn. She’s also cold to Lemongrab, calling him a butt, which is even more problematic given the fact she’s responsible for him. The next moment is soooo important. Finn comes on to PB, which I can’t even condemn him for this time given the circumstances, and PB immediately shuts him down. She takes the crush slightly more seriously than just innocent puppy love. I love how awkward Finn asking if she wants to hug more is, really highlighting how this relationship does not work with this age difference. She responds by not humoring him finally, saying “that was like 5 years ago” and “you really gotta move on.” People have criticized Bubblegum for being too cold to Finn. I do understand calling those comments, and her joking about the situation, insensitive. It comes across to Finn like the relationship they had means nothing to her now. I really don’t think it meant nothing to her, as we’ll see by her subtle changes in behavior and a line she has in “Burning Low.”  But, I’m sure it was hurtful and confusing for Finn. I still can’t really blame PB for how she responded. She definitely could have been more sensitive about it, while still clearly turning him down. But, it’s an awkward situation. She was still trying to be kind about it, even if the joking manner came off as hurtful, and she’s very clear in her rejection which is good. She still doesn’t know the true extent of Finn’s feelings.
Season two’s cliffhanger being immediately reversed in one episode is a controversial decision. It’s the first example of one of the biggest criticisms leveled against the series, not committing to interesting status quo changes. Turning Bonnie back to 18 is a decision I 100% support. Yes, it’s sad how much of a more entertaining character young PB is compared to the regular state of her character so far. But, essentially replacing the most boring character of the main cast with an entirely different character would feel like such a lame solution to a problem the series has. Working on making her a more engaging character is the correct path. The path they take Bubblegum on is my favorite aspect of the series, so I’m glad this didn’t stick. It’s just unfortunate that it takes another season for that to happen. It makes reversing back to the status quo more questionable. Also, we can’t lose Hynden Walch! To be fair, restoring the status quo after only one episode is the aspect of this that’s more contentious. I wouldn’t have been opposed to seeing young PB in a few more episodes, but I don’t really see what more could have been done. I think “Too Young” fully explores everything interesting that can come out of this plotline: her relationship with Finn and how Princess Bubblegum acts differently at this age. This also isn’t entirely a reset. Not only does this episode color Princess Bubblegum’s character moving forward, it also sets a clear new dynamic for Finn and Bubblegum. She stops humoring his advancements (except for “Wizard Battle”, but again, fuck that episode). It’s the first of many times “everything stays, but it still changes” is applicable. We’ll see how long that ends up being a good excuse moving forward though. 
Finn calls Jake and he gives Finn some pretty bad advice if you take it as him still telling Finn to keep pursuing PB! To be fair, he doesn’t yet know that Bubblegum is an adult again. But Finn tells him that he got dumped. You could also interpret Jake’s advice as being persistent in finding love in general, not necessarily referring to Bubblegum specifically. His speech was intended to be important and to foreshadow the rest of the series, but I’m not sure if this really panned out. He does defeat a demon lord (whether it refers to Hunson, Ke-Oth, The Lich, or evil in general). Finn definitely warps through several worlds (“Puhoy”, “Crossover”, “Beyond the Grotto”, etc). Walking up the wizard steps could foreshadow Huntress Wizard, even though it’s unclear if they ever get in a committed relationship. The magic key and water world don’t really come to pass, unless you wanna say “President Porpoise is Missing!” I’m probably taking it too literally. I think it’s true meaning is to just be persistent in finding love despite all the obstacles. I think that’s what Jake’s means, so I like the speech. The episode ends with Finn looking at Bubblegum up above. It seems like Finn takes it as advice to keep pursuing PB specifically, as we see in upcoming episodes. A lot of fans took it this way, thinking Finn will just have to wait until he becomes 18 to get with PB. With him aging throughout the series, that does seem like a plausible endgame. But there’s obviously problematic implications with that. The series ends up going in a different direction and doesn’t make romance a central part of Finn’s final arc, so this speech really doesn’t end up feeling as important as it was set out to be. 
This is a really iconic episode with a super memorable story and introduction of a major character, and it’s one of my favorites so far. It’s essentially a what if scenario, the one time we see what Finn and PB could be like as a couple. The one time Finn gets to live out his greatest desire. I’m not a Fubblegum shipper, but I’m glad the shippers get this episode. Shipping them outside this episode is weird, but I’m fully on board with their relationship here. I guess I’ll end with some controversy. You can’t tell me Princess Bubblegum didn’t have real feelings for Finn in this one. I totally interpret her as bi just because of this episode. 
Grade: A
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greatbigbellies · 5 months
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2023 PREGNANCY KINK ADVENT CALENDAR (DAY 7)
McPreggo Mukbang Part 1.
Penelope pulled the food items out of the paper bags they came in, making sure everything was in order. She’d learned the hard way before that the paper sacks that fast food places used were notoriously loud and could wreak havoc on even well-balanced audio. Burgers, chicken sandwiches and strips, …fried pickles? She’d never eaten here before, but some of her friends and a ton of her viewers all suggested she check it out for a mukbang or food review. She figured she could stream the mukbang, review the food as she went, condense the highlights for youtube, and kill two birds with one stone!
“McPreggo, huh? This stuff just magically knocks you up?” she asked her friend on video call. “Yeah. Shit really works!” her colleague stood up from his chair to show his ripe, bare bump on the video feed. Penelope just shook her head. “There’s DEMAND for that? I’ve never met a parent who said the pregnancy was supposed to be the enjoyable part!” she said in disbelief. “Oh yeah. Some couples want to try it out before they do it for real, some actors order it for parts when they play knocked up characters…. And some people are just freaks!” he laughed, before taking another bite of his burger.
Penelope raised her eyebrow at him. “Uh huh. So uh, which one are you? You seem like you’ve indulged quite a bit…” she smirked. He beamed “Oh nooooo my wifi is dying gotta go! Don’t get stuck on your back, these things don’t skimp on weight. Okaybyeeee!” he closed the video chat, leaving Penelope to start her stream.
She sat down, surrounded by amazing smelling food. Everything was fresh and hot and ready to enjoy, and she had skipped breakfast for extra content today. Time to see if the McPreggo fad was all it was cracked up to be! She started the stream.
Instantly, a few dozen viewers rolled in. She’d been hyping this up on social media for a couple of weeks, and the buildup seemed to have paid off. She did her standard greeting and thanked the few subscribers that’d popped up between stream, before shifting into the good stuff. “So I imagine 99% of you know what we’re doing today. It’s the pregnancy fast food place that’s making the rounds right now! McPreggo! This is gonna be both a mukbang and a review stream, because I want you guys to know whether or not it’s worth going out and getting long before the highlights go on youtube! So, uh, this isn’t sponsored. I dumped like $65 on food for this and I intend to try all of it! I’m not sure how big I’ll get. There has to be some kind of built in limit on this stuff, right?” She watched her chat flow for a few moments, looking for a consensus.
“Yeah no triplets is the limit”
“No limit” “There’s no limit”
“I’m stuck in my car from this stuff rn be careful”
“If there IS a limit no one has hit it yet” “The limit is your imagination”
She glanced nervously at the collection of food sitting around her. Surely it didn’t ALL make you more pregnant, right?
“Whatever, let’s just… there’s no sense in worrying about it. If it was unsafe the FDA would have shut them down by now!” she grabbed her first item, a single quarter pounder burger. “I didn’t get the like… double and triple burgers cause like… it’s basically the same burger but more meat, and I want room for the other stuff! If this one’s good, they’re all good!”
The first bite was perfect. The patty was hot and juicy, the bun, warm and fluffy, the vegetables cool and crisp, and the sauces brought it all together. “God, this is like… yeah, okay, if it’s all this good, I can see why this is popular. Like I’d get knocked up for a burger this fine,” It didn’t take long for her to put the sandwich away. Someone made a stream donation in response.
“Hi Penelope. I hope you’re wearing loose fitting clothes.  Also try to pickle chips next, they make everything else taste better.” she read out loud. “I-...” she started to respond before being cut off by the strange sensation in her gut. Her hands went to her belly as it swelled fuller, going from mildly plush to rounded out over about 15 seconds. Her palms filled with tummy as her fingers spread trying to hold it. The process wasn’t painful, or even particularly uncomfortable, but it was jarring, especially for the first time. She lifted up her blouse to bare her belly, staring down at it. Her navel was still an innie, and she didn’t have any stretchmarks, but she carried far forward, her singleton belly taking up more space than she really thought a pregnant belly would. It was heavy too, feeling like a water filled sphere, a little over the size of a bowling ball, resting squarely on her hips.
Her chat lit up.
“It works” “IT WOOOORKS YOUR A MOMMY NOW”
“MORE MORE!” “Poggers”
She swallowed firmly. “I felt it actually kick,” she said. She stared at it. She knew it’d be real, and that it’d work, but didn’t expect it to work so well and feel so real. She took a moment to center herself, patting her tummy, before returning her attention to her stream. “So, uh, yeah… this stuff really works. Fast too, and didn’t hurt! Was just… kind of unexpected!” she put her stream voice back on and got back to work. “So the pickle chips huh? I’m not super into pickles but they’re fried so… maybe they’ll be good?”
She grabbed the carton, a large order, and tried them one chip at a time at first, then two, then four, then by the handful. She demolished the whole carton in less than a minute. “Wow, those, uh, those hit the spot. And hey, I’m not any more pregnant soooo, they’re like… safe to eat if you don’t want to pop your buttons!” she smiled. Her tummy growled in anticipation, and Penelope found herself craving the remaining items. Maybe polishing everything else off wasn’t going to be so difficult after all?
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andromedasummer · 6 months
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Hello, I just saw an ask you sent abnerkrill about f1. I'm very new to the sport (I'm on s4 of Drive to Survive and have just begun following the current season), and doing some research into f1 history for a project I'm working on. Do you have any resources on the history of f1? And do you know where I can find the Senna documentary? No pressure to respond, of course, and thanks for sharing your insight in that ask.
Hell yeah I can help! DTS is docudrama which means it will make a storyline outta nothing, so you've probably been given a very warped view of the sport. Which isn't to say it isn't good fun! Its just not helpful to understanding the sport.
I've been into motorsport coming up on 4 years now and I've read/watched a bunch on the history of F1 and motorsport. I'll list some of that stuff here:
MY RECOMMENDATIONS:
One: Life On The Limit (documentary)
Free on youtube. Interviews tons of drivers. Got me into the sport. I mean it when i say it interviews a ton of old drivers/important people from multiple eras and paints a real picture of the danger of the sport. Fair warning: it contains footage of fatal crashes and if you find that upsetting I totally understand and won't blame you for skipping it
Lauda (Documentary)
Eveyone should know about Niki. I say this half-ironically. Hes my fav driver so I'm biased but his impact on the sport cannot be overstated. His story, from his championship to his horror crash and full body burns to his next two championships and his fight for driver safety is incredible. He was half of the pair that organized the famous driver strike! Whole grid locked themselves in a bedroom instead of driving to protest the lack of safety!
Rush (Movie)
Again Niki Lauda related, however this is THE motorsport movie. It's very accurate to the battle between James Hunt and Niki Lauda for the championship, along with their friendship. It's great and even non-motorsport enjoyers loved it.
Biographies/Auto-Biographies (Books)
Tons drivers have tons, some have multiple (like Senna or Schumacher) and you can get the more well known ones from the more well known drivers off Z-Lib or annasarchive pretty easy (use a vpn and go to r/piracy and navigate to their masterpost of piracy links. if you dont have a vpn dw they list a really solid free one) you should also be able to find a host for the senna doco through there. I would recommend reading about figures like Prost, Schumacher, Lauda, Hamilton obvs but also non-drivers in the sport like Ross Brawn and Sid Watkins.
Life on The Limit (Books)
Two books by Sid Watkins (doctor who made f1 safe) that were released in tandem with the doco I mentioned and go into great detail about his friendship with past drivers. Really funny at multiple points and then absolutely heartbreaking when it comes to the things he saw and lost during those days. Highly recommend.
My friend Laura who has been watching since infancy also recommends:
- "In general for freebie resources, overtakefans as a site has a Ton of resources and history archived"
- "and if you search for 'F1 season reviews YouTube' you will usually find the short season round ups they used to do that provide you with some basic history and that can be really good if you want to know more about certain eras but don't know where to start."
Silver War (documentary)
It's abt nico and lewis and their lifelong friendship into bitter toxic rivalry into. whatever the fuck it is now. is on youtube, (I personally haven't seen it.)
Grand Prix: The Killer Years (Book)
About the deadly years of F1, I believe. (I haven't read it.)
Enzo Ferrari: The Man and The Machine (Book)
from Laura: "even though it starts WAY WAY WAY before f1 and is probably too heavy for a newbie to handle it is a VERY detailed look at not just Ferrari but early Motorsport in Europe and how that eventually led to the creation of F1 and why Ferrari has always been a presence in it"
The book also touches briefly on fascism in the sport which I will be talking abt under the readmore because I do feel it's an important disclaimer.
So, I put this under a readmore cos it's a bit long. But the one last thing I wanna say is that I think it is important when looking at F1 both in the current day and it's history to discuss the grim realities about why Motorsport is so elitist, and how that has been ingrained since it's founding.
A big thing to know about F1 history is that is was founded by the wealthy, juuust pre (late 1920s) and then post WW2 (paused during the war). It was the wealthy of this era who could afford to buy and race motorcars. From there, it was only those wealthy who could fund and form those teams. It was a rich mans hobby. And unfortunately, more often than not, those very rich men had fascist ideals (which were very, very popular in England and Italy and Europe in general and up until WW2 which made it a more distasteful ideal, although enough people certainly persisted with these beliefs more quietly).
Nazis raced in it. Nazi sympathizers raced in it. Ferrari had to work for Mussolini and Mercedes had to work under Hitler making weapons during the war, some members of these companies more willingly than others. Hell, one of F1s most famous circuits it raced on is the Nurburgring. A massive stretch of track that was made on the orders of Hitler, next to a small town where the small Jewish population had been purged. It was built to show off German Engineering and with the hopes to show off to the rest of the West (they lost against the English in the inaugural race and threw a fucking fit abt it loser fucking nazis).
These echoes of facism and elitism do still exist in european motorsport to this day and, like fascist ideals, have expanded into other continents. I don't think I could name a Brazilian driver who doesn't support Jair Bolsonaro. The Piquets are personal friends with him, Nelson (4 time world champ, prolific racist) drives him around for political rallies. Emmerson Fittipaldi (another old champion, Brazilian) ran as an MP for the Italian fascist party. Bernie Ecclestone (owned the rights to f1 for a WHILE) believes in fucking insane conspiracy theories about Jewish people and described Putin, who he is friends with, as a "good man" on national television when questioned abt the invasion of Ukraine. Max Mosely, who was head of the FIA until the late 2000s, was a youth fascist who handed out handwritten leaflets on "racial inferiority". His parents wedding was attended by Hitler himself. He was the nephew of Oswald Mosely, who was done for treason during the war for his loyalty to the Nazis and belief in Nazism. Max was still in charge when Lewis, the sports first black driver (one of two ever now, out of 70+ years of history), came into the sport. And that's not even going into the morality of some of F1s sponsors (Armco, etc) and the places they race (too long to list)
This is uncomfortable, yes, but it's not often talked about when recounting F1's history. Certainly not in documentaries or books. The creators of which who, frankly, dont even know how to touch on the subject or think it's fine to skip over. But it is a reality of the sport and it does intertwine in an irremovable way with its history, especially when you look at the people who both competed and still do compete. When you look at its current day classism, its racial inequality, sexism, homophobia, ableism etc.
Just because its easier to hide these days through weak statements, a stance of individualism on drivers political views and co-opting of activist language without actual moves towards change, certainly does not mean it isn't there. And while things have absolutely improved in terms of diversity and will hopefully continue to improve with the presence of people like Lewis Hamilton and Susie Wolff, F1 and European motorsport is and was unfortunately, founded in an era of fascism and elitism and it will be a while until those parts of the sport can be removed from its structure.
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NSFW
Z has oral fix/breeding/praise kink? Triple combo I'll never recover. Both like to finish/be finished inside? Lord how I won with this poly I'm on my knees 🛐
I want to mention my sub MC with the same kinks as Z (just as touch starved and same views on sex) + cockwarming will make a fine addition to this throuple
Hi sunshine!
The throuple would love to have your MC! Please send in your resume, a cover letter, and at least 3 letters of recommendation. We will begin reviewing your application shortly.
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I also think that Zero would find V's kinks and sexual experience quite...daunting? Z is a virgin, V is the first and only person they've ever kissed, and although they don't shy away from conversations about sex, it's understanding that V wanting to tie them up and use knives on them would be intimidating.
I listed a bunch of Z's kinks, but Z doesn't even know they like those things yet. Z hasn't given much thought to what they'd like in bed. Everything would be so new to them. To be with someone like V is like walking into a BDSM club when you're someone that thinks choking is high on saucy kink lists (so basically Z is relatable, they just like me fr fr) You're a bit scandalized, a bit scared.
Then, there's Z's paranoia. What if they end up hating what V likes and V dumps them? What if they aren't "kinky" enough for V? They hyperventilate just thinking about it. Little do they know that V would move mountains for them and would have the most straight laced, vanilla, missionary style with the lights on type of sex for the rest of their life if that is what Z wanted and was comfortable with.
V: "i could have nothing as long as I have you."
Z: "??????????????"
I can imagine it'll be the cause of some necessary conversations! I think we should all talk more about how there is nothing wrong with "vanilla" sex and someone isn't "boring" for not having a laundry list of kinks that they're into.
*slams fists on table* SEX WITHOUT EXPECTATIONS !
I went off on a whole tangent ooo i'm sorry my friend!!
Oh and one last thing...
The Lonely Loser Survivor's Club watching V have one night stands with people that look like Zero:
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You know how during the pandemic, there were a ton of babies being made and born? All people wanna do during the apocalypse is fuck and fight LMAOOOOOO I can imagine that when groups of survivors do come across each other for brief periods of time, if they aren't fighting......they're doing some horizontal tango.
Thank you for your message, darling!!! ♡♡♡
All my love,
Cheye👾
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kamenstranger · 6 months
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Before I dive into this review proper I want to give a heads-up that I am about to get into book spoilers and will be approaching this review with the assumption you've read the source material, which the show also expects. Likewise, I cannot talk about the show without getting into spoilers, due to the very nature of it. If you want my one piece of spoiler-free advice; think of it as a spin-off. Cause it kinda is. You'll have a much better time in that "What If?/Elseworlds" mindset.
If spoilers are cool with you, let's jump into it.
So, I was pretty much obsessed with the series in 2010. I was about 17/18 when I first got into the series. The 6th book wasn't out yet, and I can't even remember how I got into the series to begin with. But I believe I ordered volume 1 followed by 2-5 as soon as I finished, or maybe I went all in. I know for a fact I preordered vol. 6 when I finished vol 5. Still have the receipt for it; July 18th, 2010. 10.58 total.
I followed the various video updates on the movie, fan art, fell in love with the game, bought a Smashing Pumkins shirt, and the Anamanaguchi soundtrack was even the first digital album I bought for myself. I was basically just at the right age and state of mind for the series to grab me and have a profound effect with its themes. I think it's something I needed at the time.
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But as much as the series meant to me, it's something I mostly moved on from. After all, the book ended in 2010, and until recently I probably hadn't reread it since 2013 or so. My books are in remarkable condition, actually. I mostly kept up with O'Malley's other works, and preordered Seconds when that was announced. Sadly haven't been keeping up with Snotgirl as much as I'd like, but I digress.
So when the show got announced… well, honestly my first reaction was "That thing they should've done after the Adult Swim short" Because, yeah, animation is a better medium for it. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the 2010 movie- one of the best theater experiences because the like 5 other people in the audience were massive fan girls loving all the bits. And there is a lot to love about the movie: its visual gags; the performances; the music selection; the overall direction- seriously, Edgar Wright doesn't get enough credit for how good he is at keying in on visuals. Dude knows how to translate comic panels and mimic the vibe of the source.
But it lacked the depth of the books. There's no major character arc for Scott and Ramona addressing their flaws. Hell, the books weren't even finished yet. There are a ton of great translations from comic to screen, but mostly the superficial. Moments like Scott's meeting with Knives in the alley showing that he's becoming more empathetic and confronting his mistakes are either absent or glossed over. Likewise, Knives' own journey of maturity isn't there. This isn't a complaint mind you, it's not like those cuts are unreasonable. I can hardly blame them for not cramming 6 (and incomplete) books into a two hour film. That just ain't gonna happen.
The biggest advantage in a series as opposed to a movie is the opportunity to properly explore the characters beyond a surface level. I'm not saying anything particularly revolutionary by stating the most universally agreed-upon element from the books is that Scott is a bit of a shit.
However, I think that statement is overly simplifying the situation and the character, one far too often invoked by hack frauds who don't truly engage with the work, because clickbait engagement is more valued than a nuanced analytical one. I won't sit here unpacking the full 6 volumes, you can check out someone like Popculturebuffet for that. But part of what works so well with Scott is that we don't initially know the extent of his baggage- and rightfully so. His worst aspect early on is ignorantly getting involved with Knives in the first place, stringing her along even after becoming enamored with Ramona, and being a bit of a slacker. This is something which is pointed out by literally everyone (sans Stephen) as being shitty. But otherwise, he seems fairly average and even endearing in a way. Scott's an affable character that's easy to like in spite of his very major flaws, and that's a statement that remains true throughout. The reader doesn't even get to simmer much on the scenario with Knives until later- and to some degree, this even applies to Scott himself. He's slightly oblivious to his actions, past and present. A prime example would be that we're initially under the impression that Scott doesn't like to drink, which is mostly true. Mostly.
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It's not until volume 6 that it becomes clear he got into a drunken fight with Envy on New Year's, suddenly re-contextualizing that and other events. It doesn't negate how Envy was very much a bitch who treated Scott like complete garbage, cheated on him, and screwed his head up something fierce. She is unequivocally the worse person there. But it adds nuance that wasn't present before. I focus on the event with Envy because it's sort of a perfect microcosm of Scott as a character. Scott "doesn't" drink because of what happened, except on the 3-4 social occasions over the course of the 6 volumes, showing how he has a habit of just flat-out lying in various ways, including to himself. He's aware on some level, but simultaneously suppresses that awareness from memory and even re-imagines scenarios outright (Sometimes with a little help, unbeknownst to him) acting like everything was always fine on his end. This is even more true in his prior relationship with Kim.
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Scott's solutions are half measures where he can pretend that he was always the victim in a breakup, or at least innocent and free of blame, thus never growing in a meaningful manner. Hell, that's the reason he ended up with Knives in the first place; he was trying to get over Envy, but not in a healthy manner. Change is seen as scary to Scott, and yet it's inevitable. That is, at least due in part to Envy changing into a hateful person. As such, Scott wants something simple where he doesn't have to put in effort. Knives is naive and doesn't see Scott for the dick that he is, she doesn't ask him to be better because he's already perfect to her naive mind. It's shallow, and a tad messed up, and everyone knows it, including Scott- hence his continued dreams about being alone. He knows it's not, cannot, and never will be serious. He's stupid, but not a monster- but stupidity can be a form of malice if one doesn't change their heart. It's not exactly like the story is even subtle about this. The entire existence of Nega Scott is that you can't fight the past, you can't run from it even if you hate that part of you. You have to confront it and accept it to move on, hopefully changing for the better. To say nothing of how Gideon is what Scott could become if he never owned up to it. That angle is why I felt Scott and Ramona worked. Quite frankly, Ramona is just as flawed of an individual running from her past. She's constantly trying to change herself, but always on a surface level. She's afraid of normalcy, of being stuck in a routine, of being happy. She makes out (Not that much) with her ex, Roxie, in anger because she sees Scott hanging with Lisa Miller and suspects the worst. She (rightfully) gets enraged at how Scott was still with Knives when he and her first went out, thus cheating- yet she did the same with the Katayanagi twins, and possibly Lucas. And, ya know, she never formally handed off the breakup letter to Gideon, so she's kinda doing the same thing Scott did with Knives and her. Ramona's past is just as checkered as Scott's. She's just as jealous, hypocritical, and nuanced. It just takes longer to realize that because she puts up emotional barriers and isn't the titular character/main focus. Neither one is evil, but they've wronged people. Often they've been wronged, and sometimes it's not a clean-cut scenario of easily blaming anyone. For all the great supporting cast, gags, fun references, and so forth, our two main protagonists being flawed yet likable is what makes the series compelling. The heart is two people gradually learning to get over their selves and their mistakes. To stop running away, and accept their faults and one another. Over the 6 books, we see them (albeit mainly Scott) put in the effort to be better, to build and maintain something special, and not just go with what's simple and easy. It's not about fighting the exes, it's about fighting for each other.
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That type of character arc requires time for development. So, when it comes to this Netflix series, my biggest hope was simply that they would capture that element found within the books. In the lead-up to the show, there were some rumors about the exes having more to do, and I can see that working. As much as I do think the book does a fine job, Todd and Roxie are the only ones with a decent amount of depth. Matthew works perfectly because his simple backstory is a gag in itself. Lee is a fun character with a tiny bit of backstory, but it's barely there. Gideon I can forgive due to his mysterious final boss nature and his schtick is being the extreme opposite of Scott. But the Twins? They're shafted pretty hard. They're there to fill out a roster. Honestly, though, even Roxie would've benefited greatly from the smallest of backstories ala Lucas Lee. She's perhaps the most interesting because she and Ramona are on good enough terms to have coffee together. Hell, Rox genuinely cares for Ramona, and unlike Lucas Lee, she's prominent enough in the story that a simple flashback could have been the cherry on top of all that.
The other part is streamlining story elements. No surprise there. From the get-go, O'Malley said it was not a 1-1 adaptation, and honestly, it shouldn't be. Some parts should be changed for the sake of convenience, and frankly, the book has some superfluous parts. Does anyone even remember Jason Kim? He shows up like twice as "dude with car" and apparently dating Kim Pine until dorking her housemate. That gives the impression of each character having their own life and drama that we're not privy to, which is nice. But it's also not important to include outside the books. Kim (Pine) becoming self-conscious when Envy is brought up, smiling when Scott stays over, or her dead-eyed expression as she lies during the fight with the Twins. All of that says far more about her, her feelings, her love life etc.
Then there's Knives' dad. Fun in the book, wouldn't take him out. But completely unneeded for emotional and narrative development. Sometimes you gotta look at the source material and realize that even if you like something, tacking on an extra hour for the most obvious whodunit would kill the pacing in an adaptation. (That was a LOTR reference for those playing at home)
However, the above scenarios are a trepidatious path. How does one decide what needs reworking, cutting, or expanding? They're necessary for an adaption, but they're not always obvious. If you're not careful, you can completely undermine or mishandle key elements that made the original so beloved. You risk removing seemingly innocuous moments that add a lot to a character's growth. Above, I mentioned that the Twins got shafted in the book, but there isn't really a good place to expand upon them in the original story. They're not as important as Ramona's growing discontent. It's why Scott's fight with robot 01 is relegated to background gags while we focus on Ramona and Kim. You could put a flashback during the final confrontation with the Twins, but that would muck up the pacing and take away from Kim's far more important character moment in lying to Scott to bolster him. The Twins are just narrative scaffolding holding a spotlight on what we should be focusing on. That's what all the exes are to some extent. Shallow, sure, but only so the other characters get depth.
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It's not an easy line to walk. If you push too hard on telling a more original story or focus too much on "correcting" various details, you can negate what were otherwise successful plot points. Do too little and the pacing falls apart because the medium is completely different. Would the changes made still contain a similar level of depth and satisfying character arcs, or would it merely be a shallow reworking of the broadest of strokes? The only way to not lose is not to play. These are the concerns I had in the lead up to the show, which is fairly routine. We also weren't getting a lot of information storywise, aside from that it would be mostly doing its own thing (This is something that should have been emphasized more in marketing) The trailers showed familiar set pieces; that Ramona delivers DVDs for Netflix now, which is a great and absurd change; You saw some of the streamlining by having Scott rent Lucas Lee films, thus inadvertently getting a head start on that and cutting out the No Account Video segment; there's a brief original bit where Ramona talks to Julie about how well the date with Scott went. Most of the setting also looked like it was from the first and sixth volumes, which was a tad odd. But other than that, they were tight lipped about the narrative. Most of the promotional focus was on music, the returning cast, and the animation. All great things unique to this medium that we will get into in due time. Speaking of, let's finally discuss
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
So you know how Final Fantasy 7 Remake emphasized the "Remake" part? Well, we kinda have that here with the "Take Off" part.
I'll just cut right to the chase. Scott seemingly dies in the fight with Patel in the first episode. Episode two is his absolutely absurd funeral. Almost the rest of the episode is centered around Patel wanting to take over the league for himself, and succeeding in doing so, gaining all of Gideon's assets, while the league dissolves once they realize Patel didn't even get Ramona back after winning.
This is uh, certainly a direction to go.
Let's put aside not following the source material and this being an original story. Why should I care about this story? I'll concede that he and Gideon have a great fight. The animation from Science Saru is great, and the voice performances are great: Shoutouts to Satya Bhabha, his delivery is impeccable, hilarious, and a major highlight of the show. But why should I care about these events, this retake? What's the hook? Thus far, the primary purpose of the show feels like a fake out, gags, and fights. I spent the opening of this review going over the emotional weight of the books, that's the anchor. So far, I'm getting moments without substance. Am I supposed to care because I have a prior connection to these characters? This is something I wouldn't figure out a proper description and answer for until the finale. My issues also felt exacerbated by both the advertisements not making the original story angle clear, and also how good the first episode starts off. Because Cera as Scott is truly perfect. Cera was a voice actor before transitioning to the screen, and his performance is top-notch in addition to being a great vocal fit to begin with. So it's kinda disappointing to not have him around for quite a bit. Anyway, the second episode ends with Ramona dreaming and hearing Scott's voice, meaning that Scott isn't dead, he's in Subspace or somewhere.
Episode 3: Ramona Rents a Video.
As if answering one of my questions immediately, the third episode finally gives a hook as Ramona starts playing detective, like Pikachu Columbo. That's the selling point, that this is primarily Ramona's story.
She checks out footage of the Patel fight, showing that someone pulled Scott through a portal (Hence the title of the show, wink-wink.) Ramona then heads to First Cup to get a person of interest list from Julie- which is a pretty damn funny sequence, actually. I'm starting to enjoy the show at this point, and it's kinda wild how much more enjoyable Julie is in both the movie and show compared to the comics. Sure, she's a bitch, but she's a fun bitch due in no small part to Aubrey Plaza's wonderfully riled vocals. After getting the necessary info, Ramona is led to Kim since she knew Scott the longest. We even get a cute story about the poorly drawn Sheep Scott did, which looks hilariously WAY worse in the show.
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There's also a key comment from Kim that I think is to make a point for dorks like me. Kim mentions that she was once kidnapped by a guy named Simon and rescued by Scott. That was a false memory of Scott's in the books. In vol. 6, Kim pointed out to Scott that Simon was just a dude she went out with like twice, probably hugged, and Scott beat up. This is one of a number of clues that seem to be here to firmly establish this isn't the same continuity as the books being messed with, and should not be thought of as a sequel if that was a concern.
Anyways, their conversation is cut short when Roxie arrives in the hope of rekindling her former flame. But things go south pretty quickly and Roxie's hotheadedness takes over.
What follows is one of the best fights in the show, equal parts funny and clever. Hell, it starts with Rox drawing her sword and accidentally cutting the sprinkler line. It adds a dramatic pseudo rain that's completely negated by Kim's wonderfully deadpan expression as all the damn tapes in the store become soaked.
During the scuffle with Ramona, a shelf of movies falls on the two which… somehow transports them into various movies? I dunno, we're working off video game logic, I guess Gex counts. It's a sequence that I'm sure was done purely for looking interesting. To its credit, the visual styling is on point. From Japanese historical drama to a post-Matrix early 2000s green filter era, to a scratchy film-grain-heavy WW2 film. The backing track also flows into each film genre. I also love a quick gag where Kim watches the fight on a CRT and fucks around with the rewind and pause feature, allowing Ramona to counter an earlier attack. Roxie gets knocked back into the store, smashes the remote, and gets dragged back into the movies by Ramona. That's great.
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As the fight continues, Ramona and Rox begin arguing about their relationship, and we get that flashback sequence! It's a small thing, but they show that Ramona left without a word and how that tore Roxie up. Good lord, someone hug that poor girl, she looks like a sad puppy. In a legit great moment, Ramona has to confront how she treated Roxie, sincerely apologizing for it, which Roxie tearfully accepts it. I gotta say, Mae Whitman really gets to shine in the role more than ever. She's one of those I point to when talking about just how perfect everyone sounds exactly how I'd expect.
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After the fight, she hangs out with Ramona and Kim for a bit, being very flirty with both. Kim even smooches her for the hell of it, although both admit there wasn't anything there. But hey, they managed to still get a Bi-curious Kim in here, and in a way that was better than in the books.
Elsewhere, a beat-to-hell Gideon arrives in town, meeting with Julie, an old schoolmate.
I legitimately liked this, there's actual emotional weight going on, there's interesting shit being done, and I'm settling into the show's intent. I like the idea of giving Ramona her own story with a slight focus on how she feels about her past. I think her going out of the way as much as she does for Scott, a dude she just met, is a little flimsy. Again, it's really expecting the audience to care because we, in theory, care about them getting together.
Ep. 4: Whatever.
Things get really fucking meta in this one. Ruling Roxie out as the kidnapper, who didn't even know Scott was alive, Ramona turns her attention to Lucas Lee, who is starting a new picture in Toronto.
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Turns out the movie is from Young Neil's screenplay, which "he" wrote back in ep 3, or rather a mysterious "sleep paralysis demon" he saw did. The movie is about Scott's life if he won the fight with Patel.
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This toying with the universe thing is getting a little unsettling.
Most of this episode is one big meta gag about making a Scott Pilgrim movie with Director Edgar Wrong. I'm not even mad at this, I'm just completely flabbergasted at what the hell I'm seeing. And this will become a reoccurring bit throughout.
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Also hope you like gags about Knives' age cause holy shit they reference this a lot throughout the show.
It's at this point in my viewing process I have developed a headache.
To give some credit, Lucas is fun in this episode. He's more in line with the film version, and Evans actually sounds better than ever, likely thanks to age and simply having more to say. And like with Roxie, Lee has a Flashback. There isn't much more than what was in the book, but I think the presentation is better. Seeing Ramona patch him up after a bad fall, and Lucas arranging his Locker (which is filled with photos of Ramona) as she and Todd walk behind him. Man, that stings.
Needless to say, Lee isn't responsible for Scott's disappearance and with the whole "controversy" regarding him dating a 31 year old actress playing a highschooler, he's hounded off the lot and has to be replaced by Todd, which seems to be a reoccurring thing for him.
Ep. 5: Lights. Camera. Sparks?!
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I'm now starting to believe this entire show may have been an elaborate troll towards people obsessed with adaptation accuracy to a fault. I almost want to applaud the sheer audacity of it. Suffice it to say, 95% of this episode is done in a documentary style, and there are a lotta hijinks on set. Ramona is working as Envy's stunt double just so she can have easier access to the set and hopefully get a lead from Todd. Wallace also bones Todd. A LOT. Oh yes, Wallace shacks up with Todd, and Todd is really into it. Wallace, on the other hand, just wanted to hook up with a hot dude, leading to a whole excursion and depressive vegan breaking episode for Todd. Brandon Routh really gets to go full ham here, and it's wonderful.
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Some damn funny parts aside, Todd wasn't behind the portal, but it was certainly vegan in nature. Ramona is otherwise back to Square one until Patel, by happenstance, arrives on the lot to fire everyone. Afterward, Patel has a brief confluence with Stephen Stills and Knives, who manage to get an in with him. Since Scott's apparent death, Knives has taken his place in Sex-Bob-omb on Bass (and keyboard) making decent music with Stephen Stills. The importance of that will come into play next episode.
Patel then turns his attention to Ramona. Obviously, Patel wouldn't have any reason to keep Scott around, but it's entirely plausible Gideon, or rather his real identity, Gordon Goose, would as part of a revenge scheme.
Ep. 6: WHODIDIT. This episode starts with probably the best opening gag that I kinda don't wanna ruin despite spoiling everything else. I'm probably gonna be adding "I was gone for 90 %#&! minutes" to my quotes, though.
In any case, this is a fairly straightforward episode. Ramona interviews Julie once again, but it becomes clear that Gideon, Goose, has neither the mental state nor resources to pull something like that off. As an aside, we get a flashback with him as well, showing that he was the school nerd. He supposedly had no fear (No pain) until he aimed well above his status in asking a girl out, leading to him being laughed out of school, which Julie remembers all too well.
It seems like another dead-end, but when Ramona accompanies Julie back to her house, they both see a familiar Robot, the Twins' 01 Robot, which has been making very unsubtle appearances in every episode up to this point; Lee's place; outside the video store; the studio lot, etc. We also have a B-plot with Stephen Stills and Knives making music for a stage adaption of Neil's Screenplay so it doesn't go to waste.
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Cute.
It's here where it becomes known that Neil didn't write the script, and upon checking the original file, realize something is off and that Ramona should be informed. All parties gather in Ramona's apartment as she goes over the pertinent information in whodidit (dunit?) fashion, including treating us to another flashback, this time with the twins. It's probably the least engaging of the flashbacks, honestly. Even in this, they get shafted. Regardless, the who and how are solved. But Not the why or where. Where Scott is remains a mystery, but it's likely the Twins know, which is where Ramona intends to check out.
Oh, and the information the gang has about Neil's Script? The metadata says it was written 14 years from now. But just as more questions are raised, another winds up on Ramona's doorstep; Scott, safe and mostly sound. The Twins were in fact behind it, and the robot, and… himself.
Ep. 7: 2 Scott 2 Pilgrim.
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Yes, the one who pulled Scott out of Time was himself, from the future; a 37 year old Scott. The how is rather simple and already answered; the Katayanagi twins. Older Scott and them became friends in the future, even starting a band; Pop'n TwinBee (RIP Shatterband.) By the way, if you ever wanted to hear Will Forte sing a hilariously bad cover of Konya Wa Hurricane from Bubblegum Crisis as an older Scott Pilgrim, this is the show for you. I was laughing my ass off at this.
Anyway, the robot was disconnected from a fixed time stream, and being a vegan cause, ya know, robot, is able to create portals. Therefore Time portals. As to the why, Scott showed his past self using a virtual reality machine on the Virtual Guuy[sic], complete with red and black pixel art mimicking the style of the game. Past Scott sees memories on the not Virtual Boy; Defeating the Evil Exes, future marriage to Ramona, their honey moon at Universal… and divorce. Well, technically they're just separated after 13 odd years of marriage. Older Scott has since been living with Wallace and his husband.
Exactly what happened is never stated, just that the pain was so much Scott decided to follow through on a sarcastic comment from Wallace and prevent falling for Ramona in the first place. Old Wallace sums up the mental state of Old Scott to regular Scott, describing it as "Like after Envy, times ten." Which uh, yeah, no wonder Older Scott's a tad kooky.
It's at this point I have to bring up personal stuff, and it's something that I thought I might have to. So, when Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour dropped in 2010, I distinctly remember reading an interview with O'Malley about the ending. In the lead-up to the final book there was a lot of speculation from fans that maybe Scott and Ramona wouldn't end up together (there was a strong case to be made for Kim) maybe it would end badly since both Scott and Ramona have their struggles. Some people even thought he would end up with Knives, which is missing the entire point of her character arc, and also fuck no.
Ultimately we got the ending we did because, at the time, O'Malley was happy, so he thought Scott should be happy. But O'Malley divorced in 2014.
I dislike bringing that up, but that was leading me to speculate (and brace myself) if that would have an impact here. I mean, how could it not? And look, there is a good argument that Scott and Ramona needn't stay together for their journey together to be satisfying. It would fit right in line with the theme that things don't always stay the same. People can grow apart, even the important ones that change your life. I don't like that outcome, but it's not as if it's wrong to consider. Particularly for a story like this.
But I also think there's an element of overt cynicism to that. What's interesting is that the show doesn't go in that direction. In fact, it's actually insistent that Ramona and Scott can't help but be drawn to one another, there's a spark there. We even get a scene of Scott hooking up the 01 robot to the VR, and since 01 is connected across time, he can see into the past versions. The robot seen throughout the show was Scott seeing that Ramona was constantly looking for him, and that's genuinely sweet.
Still, the situation is bad, as Scott is trapped in the future and can't use the Robot to travel for reason.
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On Young Scott's insistence, he and Older Wallace meet up with Older Ramona, discovering she was the one who went back in time and wrote Young Neil's Screenplay in a failed attempt to preserve their story and hopefully thwart Older Scott. (Let's not go crossed-eyed thinking too hard about paradoxes)
He's a misguided idiot, but Ramona still loves the moron, even if she has her doubts after her failed plan. But Scott's words of encouragement about his Ramona never giving up on him gives her hope. Importantly, she can time travel with her DeLorean roller blades, which is how Scott can and did get back to the past.
But even after Scott's return and reunion, their problems aren't over, as a force field prevents Ramona and Scott from kissing. Someone is still interfering, and the list of who might as well just be the entire list of exes. Thankfully, Stephen Stills and Knives have a convenient plan: The stage musical is going to have all the exes in attendance, so they've got one big gathering spot to get to the bottom of this.
This is one of my favorite episodes of the show. It's cool seeing older versions of the characters, and frankly, the presentation is just great. I do think that too much of that emotional weight is relying on events from the books for your investment. I know, I know. Can't enjoy a good thing without a critique. Still, this is a great episode, one of my favorites along with ep. 3, and our next and final episode.
Oh, and the end credits has a proper rendition of Konya Wa Hurricane, so that's fucking cool.
Ep. 8: The World Vs Scott Pilgrim.
So here we are at the big finale at the premiere of the Scott Pilgrim Musical.
The thing is, none of the exes seem to be suspect. Gideon is the only one with ulterior motives, but they're not towards Scott and Ramona, he just wants to blow up the stage and Matthew Patel.
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But not long after everyone is seated something goes awry. A portal appears and transports all the exes and Scott's friend group (And also Julie and the robot) to a barren land.
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The one behind this, and the force field, was an Even Older and very buff Scott (47) He slipped past Scott nano machines as a backup to prevent him from ever getting close to Ramona, but even that wasn't enough. So for 10 years he trained to take everyone out, as it's the only way to be sure. And so our final battle begins: The World vs. Scott Pilgrim. If you listen closely to the track during this scene "Big Bad" incorporates elements of "The Dark One" Nega Scott's theme from the game. That's a nice touch.
Even Older Scott is no pushover, he breaks Ramona's Hammer, and despite a fairly good comeback from regular Scott, he beats him pretty bad. The others come to his aid, Knives attacking with daggers, but Even Older Scott punches Knives so hard he knocks the highlights our of her hair.
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Ramona begins handing out items from her bag, cyber broccoli for Todd, a cyber skateboard for Lucas, and a cyber sword for Roxie, just as the sub boss music from the game kicks in. Along with Matthew's mystic arts, they mange to actually lay into Even Older Scott, but that only causes him… to go… even further beyond, and One hit KO the four.
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The Twins Robot is ineffectual and even Gideon's not quite the glow-douken has no effect. Even Older Scott just grabs it and turns it against Stephen, Knives, Kim, and Neil. This. This is actually fucking awesome. It's going full Shonen ham.
We're down to just Ramona and Scott, who team up and hit him together, followed by Scott and Even Older Scott literally butting heads. We get our obligatory speech between a younger Scott just wanting to live his life, and Even Older Scott saying he'll just end up where he's at if he does.
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And it finally clicked into place what the hell Scott Pilgrim Takes Off actually is. This is like a Shonen spin off story. Your Broly Trilogy, Hunter X Hunter The Last Mission, Naruto Blood Mission. But with an X-men time travel plot slapped on. It's an excuse to play around and do different (mostly cool) shit with a set of familiar characters. Like a movie or OVA, the characterization isn't as deep as the main source material. It banks on you giving a damn because of the familiarity so they can mostly get right to the cool bits and not try as hard or waste time on the re-interpretative parts. Don't think too hard about the misgivings, think about Akuma Scott beating the shit out of everyone while the familiar music you're nostalgic for plays.
And goddamn that's frustrating because that's what they should've led with. All the damn trailers were dancing around the new material and making it seem like an adaptation. To keep on the Anime brand, if people are expecting a "Brotherhood" or "Ultimate" version with a Cast they like, and then they don't get that… well yeah that's not gonna go over well. I can't fault anyone for being mad about that. That's having the rug pulled out from under you. But once you realize what this is, and what it's doing, it's a lot easier to enjoy and be its own thing. It branches off a similar story to the books, but it's not like this is a canonical revision or sequel to them.
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That said, just because it's "less developed" doesn't mean this is without heartfelt moments I enjoy. When it seems like Even Older Scott has the upper hand, an even older Ramona shows up to chew old Scott out for not even texting in 10 years, fighting people in the past rather than fighting for them, all because of one rough patch. It's funny, but it also confirms the biggest divergence. This is a world where Scott was never kicked out during the Roxie chapter, a world without Gideon's "Glow" mental manipulation, and presumably Scott never faced his inner demons because of it. This also means Ramona didn't run off after the twins' defeat because the glow wasn't affecting her mentality, and thus she faced her own. That one line snowballs into a lot of stuff not happening for their character growth. That- that is an interesting concept.
This all leads to a poignant scene where Ramona questions her older self if she should even bother. What's the point if it ends up like this? Maybe it's best to just keep moving. But, that's also Ramona's thing, isn't it? Running away from what she loves, which is presumably (along with his own stupidity) what set Older Scott down a spiral in the first place. In a scene that parallels Scott's own understanding within the books, Ramona comes to realize she's ran all her life.
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In the end, Ramona chooses to stop running and embrace herself, quite literally. Both Ramona's combining into, as Scott puts it "Super Ramona" Able to see the situation for what it is, one Scott still in many ways a dumb kid, the other Scott just a sad mess. She simply sends Older Scott back to his time with the hope he'll straighten out. Meanwhile, the nano machines are still a problem with current Scott. But that's nothing a super form can't overload with a determined kiss. Daww.
Before things go back to normal and because she'll have trouble saying it later, she tells Scott she loves him, and that she tends to run away from what she loves. But who she was in the past isn't who she is now. She just needs help remembering that.
Everyone returns to the theater to enjoy the rest of the musical, and Patel's demon girls subvert Gideon's plans. After the show, he and Julie are apprehended, but Matthew instead begs Gideon to take all his crap back. He has no idea how to run a company, is stressed out, and has lost billions. All Matthew wants is to continue the stage show.
We then get an epilogue. Lucas Lee takes up a job at Second First Cup; Todd has returned to being a Vegan with coaching from Roxie; The rental store Kim worked at closes down; Wallace takes a vacation to Paris where he meets Mobile; Knives continues performing with Sex-Bob-Omb as their keyboardist; Ramona gives up delivery work and instead returns to being a stunt double.
We end on Ramona coloring her hair once again, before heading out and meeting with Scott and the others, as Plumtree's Scott Pilgrim plays us off.
Only for a mid-credits scene to show Gideon and Julie plotting revenge. Oooo.
And that is Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.
s'allright, innit? Okay, joking aside- I think I'm gonna have a hard time conveying my feelings on this one. But I still have three more things to talk about before we get to my final thoughts.
First off, the voice acting is great, shockingly great. I'm a person who is very much of the mindset that you should hire voice actors for voice roles BUT, in this instance, I can understand why. It's incredible they got everyone back and how well they work. I've already given my praise to Cera, Bhabha, Plaza, Whitman, Routh, and Evans in the story portion of this review. But I'm drastically overdue to talk about Winstead's performance. I think this was the one people were most curious about because in the movie there was this aura of Ramona feeling more "cold" in her personality. This was due to the original direction they wanted to take that version, and sadly it meant we didn't quite get a more angles. Here? Yeah, this is pretty great. We hear Ramona full of regret, angry, annoyed, sentimental. It's a much more well-rounded version. My one nitpick is Winstead needs to work on her battle cries, it really stands out in the Roxie fight opposite a veteran VA like Whitman. But otherwise, this is how I imagine Ramona sounding. And I'd be remiss if I didn't bring up how anytime Ramona has a vulnerable moment talking about Scott, she genuinely sounds smitten. The Future Ramona (the first one) in particular stands out to me. That's a version of the character that's older, clearly hurt, and weary, but still very much in love. I can't help imagining that being applied to scenes from the book. In Vol. 5 the part after The Twins are defeated and Scott returns. That scene always tears me apart when I read it. I'm fairly certain if I heard Cera and Winstead's performance of that it would rip my soul out. So maybe it's best we only have this original story. So yeah, I'm happy to see that she fits right into the role better than ever.
Another performance I've yet to mention is Ellen Wong, who is just as perfectly energetic as she was in the film. It's a shame we don't get to hear her do a somber Knives in this setting, but it's hard to complain with how pleasant it is hearing her chipper over the top excitement. Alison Pill's Kim Pine is as sardonic as always, and much like Routh and Evans, I think she's even better now. Johnny Simmon sounds exactly the same, no complaints, 10/10. Jason Schwartzman is an experienced VA, so no surprise he sounds fine. He doesn't get to stretch out much since Gideon isn't super prominent here. Although episode 6 did show a lot of range and potential for what you could do with him. Maybe next season? Similarly Brie Larson's Envy doesn't have a whole lot of screen time, but she's equal parts charming and manipulative. Honestly, for a small as the role is, it made me realize just how much Larson is good at the role and how that level of emotion is often subdued in roles elsewhere. Honestly, I hate to say it, but Mark Webber's Stephen Stills is probably one of the weaker performances on the show. It's not even that it's bad, it's fine and works- except for the animation. That's the one caveat. There are a couple of moments where Stephen Stills is pantomiming, and the voice doesn't match that energy. Truth be told, I even sorta have a similar issue with Kieran Culkin's Wallace, which I swear looks like the syncing was off in the earlier episodes. The saving grace is that Wallace has more scenes than Stephen Stills and therefore Culkin got more opportunities. This is sorta the area I mean when I think it's best to get trained VA. It's a completely different medium and hard to jump into immediately.
I don't wanna end this segment on a downer, so I'll once again mention Will Forte sings Like a Hurricane. OH, Segue.
Soundtrack
So I did not know what to expect going into this. I mean, I was a fan of Anamanaguchi, but I hadn't kept up since Endless Fantasy, sans the Miku single- which is really good by the way. And Joseph Trapanese I was most familiar with from his collaboration with Daft Punk on Tron Legacy, so no worries there. But I did wonder how well a chiptune heavy sound would work. As much as I dig it, it's a very upbeat vibe. Even some of Anamanaguchi's more dramatic tracks have a charming bubbliness to them. How would that work within a series? Well, the short answer is they don't have as much chiptune going on as you would assume. There are a few that incorporate chiptunes to a limited degree, others a bit more, but most not at all. The vast majority of the OST is more traditional fair and Synthwave, and in a way, it sorta mimics my own evolving tastes. I still listen to Chiptune stuff, but I'm also really big into synth music nowadays. It feels like a proper bookend to my late-teens early twenties listening to Anamanaguchi, and later Dance with the Dead and Midnight Danger, and now Anamanaguchi's synth offerings. One of the tracks, Yet Another Winter Again (Calling back to the first stage in The Game) has a Redbook audio sound with a hint of Chiptune, but not the NES/GB Anamanaguchi is known for. It sounds like a SNES. In fact, I would compare the track to something you'd hear in VA-11 Hall-A. So even when there are chiptunes, we're branching out quite a bit in both sound fonts and style. Of course, there are a couple of vocal tracks as well. Like the movie, there are universe songs for Sex-Bob-Omb. They have a unrefined roughness to them, which is perfect for a small unprofessional indie band. As for some of my favorite tracks, the aforementioned Yet Another Winter Again; He's You; And They were Roommates; Blame it on the Goose; Big Bad; Bad Guys; Knives & Kim; and God Only Knows. I'm sure that'll change as time goes on. I'm really digging Lucas' flashback music, and Fond Memories, nice parallel between those two. In fact there's quite a few pieces that, in tandem with the animation, do a lot to sell those heartwarming (or wrenching) moments.
Animation.
Oh right, the animation. So, if you read my Castlevania Nocturne review, you know I went on a slight tangent about how I think it's silly that they labeled it an anime despite it being produced and partly animated in goddamn Texas. It was just a label because they're embarrassed to call their super serious animation what it is because they think anime sounds more mature. I swear some people still think it's 1985 and Vampire Hunter D is the wildest shit cause blood.
Funny thing about Scott Pilgrim though, it's just straight-up animated by Science Saru. I'm not here to get into semantics, because then we'll be asking if Batman TAS counts because Sunrise. I just find it funny. At the very least Takes Off certainly fits the bill more than Nocturne does. But back on topic, it's fucking good. I mean, I don't think that comes as any surprise. Science Saru has made a name for doing really impressive work from Devilman Crybaby, to Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, and the shorts Akakiri and T0-B1 for Star Wars Visions. Not to mention supplemental work for the Garo anime, OK-KO, and Adventure Time. So Scott Pilgrim is perfectly in their wheelhouse, and they do an incredible job capturing O'Malley's illustrations while adding their own unique flare to the styling.
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Sadly Tumblr's gif size limit means I can't easily showcase some of the fights as much as I'd like, but suffice it to say the level of fluidity and cinematography is astonishing. Again, episode 3 is an amazing showcase in itself.
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To say nothing of how expressive everyone is in the show.
Also this is a weird one, but I think with the exception to episodes 5 & 7, each episode has Ramona going through a bleaching and dye routine. It is bizarrely satisfying to watch, like the tea making in Samurai Jack.
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Final Thoughts.
Takes Off was both a confusing shock and a pleasant surprise upon first viewing. It's impressive in its existence, and has moments that I fucking love. Like the Shonen it emulates, it does also come off as a tad superfluous or melodramatic in many respects. But it is fun to bust out old toys and play with them again. The fact that in 2023 I'm seeing a new work related to Scott Pilgrim is fucking incredible. I'm happy that this exists, I'm happy to hear the cast together again, and happy to hear some great music tracks. And I do love the characters of Scott Pilgrim, I love the performances in this show, I love numerous parts of this show. But, I also think it's fair to say what I love most aren't these characters. And that's okay. Those characters should remain in the series that ended in 2010, while these are easily malleable versions for an animated series to have fun with. Maybe you could never capture or replicate the exact magic of the books again, so it's better to just do your own thing. Takes Off was, in the end, a fun time that I think works best when you know what you're getting into. Once you're armed with that knowledge, I think you'll find a show much easier to appreciate.
All that said, as backhanded as this is going to seem, I still think the nicest thing that Takes Off did was get me to re-read the book series for this review. I got to re-examine a profound series from the perspective of a 31 year old, but still find all that I originally loved as a 17 year old. When it comes to adaptive works, no matter what, the nice thing is you'll always have the originals to go back to. You change, maybe your tastes change, and certain things hit differently or don't hold up when you go back. But it's nice to revisit. I think nostalgia can be a poison. Too many people get caught up in wanting to relive the exact moment, to be trapped. But I think it's more fun to see something you love still remain a love even after so much time has passed. I'm happy with how I felt as a teenager reading a story about emotional growth. Some personally, some apart, and others closer. In my 30s, I still appreciate that, and it still affects me and resonates. But just because I cherish that above all else doesn't mean I wouldn't be interested in more Scott Pilgrim. And if O'Malley and Grabinski wanna make more people sing 80s anime songs badly, I'll be on board for that alone.
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Or Roxie flirting with every woman. Seriously, she's so much fun.
As always, thanks for reading. Reblogs are appreciated and you can find me elsewhere on the worldwideweb at: Bsky Ko-Fi
So does Gideon still have his exes frozen somewhere, or is that another difference?
Oh, and now that we have a Netflix Series, can we get a Nendoroid Ramona? There's been like no high end merch since Mondo in 2017.
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cereusblue · 7 months
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A minor piece of advice from a Healthcare worker, listen to the reviews on emergency rooms before you ever have to go to one.
As someone who just went to the ER today, I'm glad I knew what I was getting into. The big hospital in town has been known to make people wait for over 24 hours before even moved to Triage, which for those who don't know? Is the first stage after being checked in. This is where they take your vitals/urine sample/and ask you basic questions on what's been going on. Literally the one I went to today? 15 minutes till triage. We were there a total of like 2.5 hours. People who very nice. The other hospital? A family member had to go to via ambulance. Took us 4 hours just for a nurse to look in his room and tell us he could be seen. And this is before greed took over and they fired their good nurses. And I'm talking a shit ton. Like 30% of their nurses. (Maybe not that much, I'm kinda outta it right now and I'm not looking up statistics for privacy.)
Next thing is my pcp is apart of the same organization as the ER I went to. So I didn't have to do the shitty intake stuff too. So that was nice. They also had all my previous x rays.
In short, you will eventually have to go to an ER in your area *eventually.* Please, please do your research and weigh your options. Also, always, always when you move somewhere establish a new primary care doctor. Because when things happen, they are a much cheaper option (in USA) to follow up with rather than the ER. They will also help refer you to the places you need to go. When you get hurt, having places to turn to that you know you can rely on is so, so important and makes the process so much easier. When you're hurt, you're going to be exhausted. Having the quickest path to recovery/diagnosis is so important. Because there are many things the ER cannot diagnose you for. Viruses and the like, broken bones, easy as pie for them. But deeper problems? Not so much. Make sure you have a support system ready just in case.
Also if you live in the US, your specialists/pcp NEED to see you within 3 years to keep you considered an active patient. So if you can't afford two times a year or even once a year? Go back every two years for them to check in on you. This will keep you active and not have to go through the new patient process again (because insurance sucks.) Re-establishing care after those 3 years means they have to consider you a new patient and the appointment can take months to get to. The best option I had when I established my pcp when I moved here was 3 months out. The next best was 9 months. No I'm not kidding. Every, and i mean *every* other pcp in town were at capacity and couldn't take new patients. Set up your pcp because you never know what the area around you is experiencing.
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rhetoricandlogic · 1 month
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Against All Gods by Miles Cameron review
Review
Epic Epic Epic awesomeness!!
Such a fun and epic start to a fantasy story. These are exactly the type of stories I look for when reading fantasy. A wrap tag group of people brought together by one insurmountable goal. The ultimate David vs Goliath underdog story. Humans against Gods!
The premise alone already enticed me since I’m a sucker for a story where Gods are used as a mechanic, even better that they’re the enemies. The Gods really didn’t disappoint, they felt equal parts powerful, petty, vain, and threatening for all the wrong reasons. I like that they’re seems to be a mystery behind them too. They obviously came from somewhere else 1000 years ago, possibly running from something. There is something going on with their true appearances, the fact that they’re these hideous insect like creatures (and one lion creature) masquerading as these perfect beautiful people. It’s fascinating and something you couldn’t really do if the is was just another Greeek mythology narrative. The politicking was engaging as well, I don’t normally care for politics but the scheming of the Black and Blue Goddesses and the Storm God kept me wondering what was going to happen next and trying to get a sense of they’re overall plans. I didn’t quiet understand why the Storm God didn’t just kill them if he even suspected them(or why he kept them alive in the first place if they’re the “Enemy”) There is history there and I can’t wait to find out what it is. Overall I’m excited to get more from them and see the Storm God get punched in the face by Zos. Thats’s going to be epic
Speaking of Zos, the human characters in this book were all great. Zos is the perfect aging hero I want to follow, Era is badass and capable, we need a women like her in the group, Pollon’s magic, Archery and general knowledge is that wild card we need and even Anat and his family were endearing and will do well to ground our heroes. Gamesh and the black smith were fun too. They all read like epic heroes being told throughout the ages and I know they’ll be even more powerful when they get their hands on these God weapons. I know it’s coming!
The magic was basic but I still liked the idea of Aura being used. I’m a sucker for magic weapons in fantasy and I want to see more of these in the vault in the next book.
The plot itself flowed at a fair pace that always kept me from getting bored. It does this thing I really like where it skips over the travel time or prep work to get to the next plot relevant point/place. So many books will decide what to do next for the plot then spend 30 pages talking about and preparing to do that thing. It’s tedious and I always catch myself thinking “All this could have been cut out”. So I’m so happy this book didn’t have that problem. I tend to like faster paced plot heavy stories though. It wasn’t a ton of action throughout but I didn’t mind since what we got was well done and I had fun seeing everyone get where they needed to be. I was super happy when all the POV characters got together fairly quickly. Freeing the slaves, killing some demons and Gods where all super fun to watch. The ending was epic and on par with anime scenes I’ve watched.
The worldbuilding was cool. I liked the Dry ones, The Jekers and the different cultures we caught a glimpses of. The location names themselves were a little confusing and did not really stick in my mind but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment. Overall the Bronze Age aesthetic was refreshing (I’m so tired of English medieval fantasy) I want to see more from this world and lore.
A couple negatives:
*For Whatever reason I never cared Pollon’s POV chapters/moments. I was always so bored during them. I like him as a character but I think he works better as a side character rather then a POV character
*The writing was a tad bit bland. It didn’t take away from my enjoyment but I do think it played a part in why it took me so long to read this relatively short book. Normally a book this size would take me 3-4 days but it ended up taking me about 7 days.
*I’ve seen a few review where people say the villains were just evil for the sake of being evil. I agree but it doesn’t really bother me but I thought I’d mention it
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