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man-down-in-hatchet-town · 5 months

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VHSCC OH MY GOD

(no spoilers)

Starkid nation, you aren't ready.

So let's start with the obvious. Look, I spent thirteen years growing up with Starkid. That initial Michigan gang are deeply special to me and I will always miss Dylan, Brian R., and Corey in any show they aren't in. And this one's no different. But just as Janaya came in and took over Belle from Britney so flawlessly, Curt, Brian, and AJ were all WONDERFUL in their new roles. The gentle-but-high-energy, truly decent, romantic himbo charm Curt brought to our Springsteen boy Jim (you all are going to LOVE Jim, I promise) perfectly offset the defiant, sneering anger of Young Scrooge in "That Scrooge." Brian's reactions (particularly to the "rather take my own life" line) were so funny and some of my favorite parts of the show. And AJ... this is now my favorite thing AJ has ever done. And that's saying something. The smaller casting shake-up moments (Joey as Fezziwig, other little line re-distributions) were so fun as well!

The new act 1 is PERFECTION. I was actually surprised by how absolutely hysterical it was? Like, I won't tell you what was up with that clip on Instagram of Brian, Lauren, and Joey doing a freak-out dance, but I can tell you that their whole Act 1 deal threatened to steal the show every. Single. Time. I already mentioned Curt as Jim, but you will also love Della, who is so funny and real and truly carries us through the start of the show (Janaya is a STAR and she Curt have brilliant chemistry). Ali did a terrific job of balancing the sadness and hope that are both at the center of the devastating little Match Girl. And Jamie's Grandma... well, honestly I have no idea how to talk about Jamie's song without giving stuff away.

But the real star of the show in Act 1, as he should be, was our man Clark. I can't emphasize enough how much he nailed the writing of this whole new act. I mentioned that the new stuff is hilarious, but it's also deeply heartfelt, and also sad exactly when it needs to be. Like, the transition after Jamie's song? I can't really talk about it yet, but what that moment does with emotion is unreal. And, as expected, every song is a banger! My one complaint about this show, and it IS a big one, is that there is no cast recording of the Act 1 songs. I want to listen to them all the time.

But the good news is, I CAN listen to Christmas Carol as much as I want! The classic that started it all is back, with so many people reprising the hell out of their truly iconic roles (God I love the VHS Cratchits), and better than ever. I traditionally hate change, and I love the version of VHSCC Live! we already have so much, but I think I somehow loved this version even more? The staging is alive and clever and there are some additions and changes, particularly in "Final Ghost"/"Christmas Day," that frankly blew my mind and somehow managed to elevate the material even further. I can't wait for the digital ticket to come out so that I can talk about them. To put it simply, James Tolbert mastered his Starkid directorial debut like you won't believe. I'm so proud of him and grateful for the larger role he's taken in Starkid since they moved base to LA.

Also, the Ghost of Christmas Past is extra unhinged this year? Jaime pulled out all of the impish stops and it was the BEST.

Basically, everyone more than delivered. I haven't talked about Meredith yet but she rocked it in the band and continued to validate the hell out of my opinion that "3 Spirits" is the dark horse best song in the show.

And a special shout-out to June Saito for continuing to be a costuming GENIUS. I always love her work and this production is no exception. I honestly wanted to give the return of the Bob Cratchit costume its own round of applause.

You know, the world is a mess and everything is pretty much terrible. It's been a hard year in an impossible decade. But every once in a while you come across some art that takes all of that, acknowledges the truth of it, and somehow pulls back the curtains to harness the joy and hope that's still there under the rubble. To me, Starkid in particular has always been about finding and holding onto the hope and the beauty and humanity that allows us to endure an existence that can so often feel bleak. And VHSCC is maybe the most perfect encapsulation of that idea.

So thank you Clark, James, Meredith, Brian, and everyone who worked so hard on this little bit of magic. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Let's make a little light.

#apologies for any typos it is late and I've had a wild day #Also shout out to Meredith for the number of times she teared up while playing in the band #she is so real for that #starkid #team starkid #vhscc #vhs christmas carols #clark baxtresser #james tolbert #AJ Holmes #Meredith Stepien #Brian Holden #Janaya Mahealani Jones #Jamie Burns #Lauren Lopez #Ali Gordon #Curt Mega #Joey Richter #Jaime Lyn Beatty

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mickittotheman · 13 days

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Perhaps 3 (forehead kisses) for gallavich?

Most people make their most stupidass decisions when they’re drunk. Not Mickey. Mickey makes his when he’s sober, when there’s not alcohol clouding his mind and slowing his thoughts and drowning out the fucking urges he gets at the most randomass times.

Like right now.

Mickey isn’t drunk, but Ian sure as fuck is. He’d been doing some stupid fucking drinking game with Mandy. Mickey’s been listening to them giggling and shrieking like the schoolgirls they are for hours now, the music blasting from his speakers not enough to drown them out, not when he’s deliberately sitting with his back pressed up against the door of his room so he can hear them better.

He’s just keeping an ear out to make sure Ian doesn’t say anything stupid. Doesn't let anything slip about him. About them.

Ian doesn’t. Mickey isn’t sure why that pisses him off just a little bit.

He waits until a good half hour after the giggling has faded out. Creeps his way into the dimly lit hall. Pokes his head into Mandy’s doorway.

They’re both fast asleep. Mandy’s hogging all the blankets, because she’s a selfish bitch who always hogs the fucking blankets, awake or not.

Mickey rolls his eyes. Swipes at his nose.

He snags a random quilt from the living room and heads back, careful not to step on the squeaky floorboard near the foot of Mandy’s bed. He gets her sorted first, because he’s a good fucking brother like that, no matter how vehemently his siblings and he himself would disagree if asked.

He unclasps her necklaces so she won’t get strangled to death in her sleep. He pushes her hair out of her face so it won’t tickle her nose in that way she’s always hated. He kisses her forehead, soft, just like he has since she was nothing but a tiny little pink burrito of bundled up blankets that would scream and scream and scream her little lungs out every waking moment.

She hasn’t changed all that much since she was a baby, really.

He deals with Ian next. Rolls him into the recovery position, because he doesn't sleep on his side like a normal fucking person, he sleeps sprawled out on his back like a fucking starfish. Ian doesn't so much as twitch as Mickey shoves and pokes and prods at him.

He drapes the quilt over him, gets it tucked in nice and tight at the edges. Stands there for a long time after, just looking. He never gets to look, because the stupid fucker is always staring right back, and Mickey always has to either look away or risk giving away too much.

He doesn't have to look away now.

He flits his gaze over the map of spattered freckles, over ridiculously bright orange hair, over plush pink lips parted in sleep.

He tugs his own bottom lip between his teeth. Gnaws.

What the fuck ever.

He swoops in. Presses his lips to Ian's forehead. Soft, then harder. He closes his eyes. Breathes.

Ian snuffles sleepily.

Mickey jerks away like he’s been electrocuted. He’s back in his own room in a split second, door shut firmly behind him.

He leans against it once more. Pants. Tries to catch his breath.

He rubs his fingers at his lips. Tries to scrub the phantom feeling away.

In the morning, he kicks up a fuss about the quilt being missing from the living room, blaming Mandy for stealing it when she already has half the blankets in the fucking house hoarded away. He and Ian fuck, quick and messy, while she’s busy making scrambled eggs and eggos to soak up their hangovers. He bites Ian for the first time, digs his teeth into Ian’s pec hard enough to leave little indents in the shape of his teeth.

After, he whisks the blanket and a stolen eggo back to his own room. He wraps himself up in it, in the faint remnants of Ian’s smell, and he scowls.

#my scribblings #prompt games #gallavich #extactly 666 words because i think i'm funny (i am)#also yayyyyyy thank you for the prompt hope i did it justice!!!#it is way past my bedtime so apologies for any typos

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thistledropkick · 9 months

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Last year, Kasai Jun was interviewed as part of the interview project DEATH, which interviews various people about death in order to find a better understanding of how to live and appreciate life.

I thought it was a fascinating interview, so I decided to translate it.

Please go visit the original interview - the photography accompanying it is absolutely gorgeous.

Also, please don't repost this whole translation elsewhere. If you want to quote an excerpt of my translation for something, please make sure to also credit the original team behind this interview and link back to the original interview.

Deathmatch Fighter Kasai Jun - 4/27/2022

“It’s not a deathmatch until you return home alive” The reason this 47 year old Charisma Wrestler continues to shed blood in the ring

Within pro wrestling, there is a genre called “deathmatch.”

An extreme set of rules that allows deadly weapons and has no disqualifications. Brawls with fluorescent light tubes, and dives onto barbed wire boards. Without hesitation, wrestlers stab their opponents in the head with fistfuls of bamboo skewers. When wound-covered bodies violently collide, shards of glass and sprays of blood shower the ringside seats.

Upon first seeing it, surely everyone thinks “Why are these people hurting each other like this?” “What the hell am I looking at?”

This is the world of the man known as “Charisma,” professional Wrestler Kasai Jun of the independent promotion Pro Wrestling Freedoms.

In November of 2009, he had a “razorblade board plus alpha deathmatch” against Ito Ryuji in Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall. Kasai, 35 years old at the time, dove from the second floor balcony, a fall of 6 meters, onto a table, aiming for his opponent Ito.

Afterwards they continued to fight with various weapons, in a match that concluded 15 seconds before the 30 minute time limit. That year, this match was awarded the Best Bout award. And Kasai, the winner of that match, became a living legend overnight.

12 years have passed since then. Kasai is now 47 years old, and he continues to rule over the world of deathmatch wrestling. Under the weight of many literal life-or-death battles, Kasai’s body no longer moves the way it did when he was young. Even so, why does he continue to set foot in such a dangerous place?

We asked “Charisma of Deathmatch” - a man who makes the crowd go mad in the space between life and death - about his views on death and on life.

Desiring to truly feel alive

- Normally, people try to avoid pain and suffering. Kasai, why do you continue to shed blood in the ring?

Hahaha. From an outside perspective, you must really wonder “Why do you keep doing something so painful” huh? That’s a normal way to feel. But from the wrestler’s perspective, it’s completely different.

In your normal daily life, do you ever feel like “Ahh, it’s so glorious to be alive”? You’d almost never unconsciously blurt out something like that.

But in a life or death battle in a deathmatch ring, after you step down from that ring, that’s exactly what you feel. “Ahh, I’m alive. I’m so grateful to be alive.” Because of that, I can’t quit.

Mountain climbers and stuntmen probably feel like this too, don’t they. Stepping into a situation where their life could end, and returning home safely. I wonder if they’re searching for that feeling of being “truly alive.”

This feeling is passed on to the audience too. Fans often tell me “Watching Kasai Jun’s deathmatch gives me the strength to continue forward.”

They say things like, “I’m being bullied at school so I wasn’t going to go any more, but now I feel like I can keep going.” Or, “It’s exhausting to keep going to work, but after seeing Kasai persevere while shedding blood in the ring, I can persevere and keep going to work.”

Recently I can’t do this much because of covid, but in the past when I’d sell merch, fans would often say things like this to me.

Because of this, it seems to me that deathmatch wrestling is simultaneously a way for wrestlers to feel truly alive, and a way for those who watch it to feel more positively about living.

- Because of the sensational way “death” is shown in the ring?

Probably, yeah. Because it looks like we’re doing something really painful.

But don’t get me wrong. We aren’t in a particular hurry to die. And we aren’t wasting our lives either. What I always say is, “It’s not a deathmatch until you return alive.”

[Note from me - this phrase (生きて帰るまでがデスマッチ) is a play on a well-known Japanese phrase 家に帰るまでが遠足 “The field trip isn’t over until we return home.” This started as something a teacher would say to students in their care, and Kasai has altered it into his motto towards both himself and other deathmatch wrestlers.]

- It’s not a deathmatch until you return alive.

If you get in a ring where you might die or get seriously injured, and you do die, or you do get seriously injured, you’re no different than a rank amateur, right? But a guy who dives into a deadly dangerous situation and returns from that ring unharmed, he’s the absolute greatest and the absolute coolest.

Like a stuntman, right? If he returns home alive, people say “amazing,” but if he dies, he’s no longer a pro.

At 35 years old, his view on life did a complete 180 during a match

But, when I was young, I thought about it completely differently. I never thought “I’m grateful to be alive.” In the ring, I did dangerous stuff and defeated my opponents. I just thought of it as my job.

The more dangerous stuff I did, the more people said “Kasai is amazing!” That felt really great. Every time I stepped into the right I thought, if something goes wrong and I die I guess that’s how it goes. I thought “Deathmatches should be a memento mori.”

- What caused such a big change in your values?

That match against Ito Ryuji in Korakuen, in 2009. It changed my mental state by 180 degrees.

The truth is, I went into that match thinking “This is my last match before I retire.” Because it was my last match, I would do everything I wanted to do. Win or lose, I went into the ring thinking “I’ll retire.”

But during the match, my feelings completely changed. I thought “If I quit like this, I’ll be half-dead.” There’s nothing else I want to do, and I’ve never felt joy like this anywhere else. It was just too much fun.

So, after the match ended with 15 seconds remaining, I announced my decision to continue wrestling. “I was thinking of retiring but, I’m gonna keep going.” That’s what changed.

- Since your values have changed so significantly from when you thought it’d be good to die in the ring, what’s your “ideal death” now?

Spending the day with my family as I always do, watching tv with an after-dinner drink as I always do, getting comfy in my futon as I always do, and passing away. That’s the best death, isn’t it.

I’ve said it before but, people who say “It’s my ambition to die in the ring” are just trying to look cool. For a pro, it all comes down to returning home alive. And so, I believe that when the life of Kasai Jun the human being comes to an end, Kasai Jun the wrestler will die as well. I want to be a pro wrestler until I die. That’s how I feel now.

When I was young, I thought the best time for a wrestler to retire was when he could still move, when people would say “It’s a shame, because there’s still more he can do.” But if that’s true, I’ve already missed my best time to retire.

Since I’ve come this far, maybe it’s better to keep doing this until my death. Since around the time I turned 40, I started thinking this way.

Gaining years = leveling up. I’ll reach my peak just before death.

- Since you’ve been doing this for so long, it’s inevitable that your body has become weaker. Kasai, how have you dealt with aging?

The word “elderly” is a concept created by human beings, isn’t it? Since that’s the case, I believe it’s something we can absolutely overcome. I don’t think increasing in age is the same as becoming elderly.

Look, it’s true that my physical stamina has decreased and my muscles have gotten weaker than they were when I was younger. But my will and my spirit have continued to grow. Instead of just breaking even, I think I’ve leveled up. 47 years old is level 47. I now see growing older as a positive, like leveling up every year.

Because of that, my peak has yet to come. I’ll reach my peak just before I die. I’ll be at my strongest just before my death. That’s the ideal I envision for myself.

There was a time when I felt insecure about my age. When I hit my mid 30s, I hated that my body was becoming weaker.

But then, while drinking at home and watching a documentary on TV about (rock musician) Yazawa Eikichi, I realized something. “If you think about it, uncool young people are uncool, and cool guys are cool even if they’re old.” Since then, my way of thinking changed. I started calling getting older “leveling up” at around that time.

[Note from me: Suzuki Minoru also refers to getting one year older as “leveling up” in the exact same way. They are friends, so I assume Suzuki got it from Kasai.]

- I'm surprised that a pro athlete who uses his body as a weapon would think of aging in that way.

Pro wrestling and deathmatch are unique among sports. Unlike say, track and field, or swimming, it isn’t a competition where every second counts. I can’t move the way I could when I was young any more, but through my facial expressions, pauses during matches, and so on, I have many ways to express myself.

A guy can be handsome, macho, with great muscles, and completely suck as a wrestler. In contrast, a guy like me who’s ugly, short, and middle-aged, can get support from the fans. It’s a completely different genre, and that’s what makes pro wrestling so interesting.

- What about your emotional struggles? In your documentary film you said you were having some difficulty maintaining your motivation, which you described as “Deathmatch Erectile Dysfunction”

Yeah, well, that can definitely be a problem. When you’re young, you’ve just got piles of hopes and dreams and things you want to do. But as the years go on, and as you accomplish those things, you can kind of get lost.

What’s helped me increase my motivation has been the existence of people who make me think “I absolutely don’t wanna lose to this guy” or “I don’t want this guy to take all the best stuff for himself” In my case, for example, that’s been (fellow PW Freedoms deathmatch wrestler) Takeda Masashi. Or, although he’s from another organization, New Japan Pro Wrestling’s El Desperado.

That’s why for the past 3 or 4 years, I’ve been asking people to “stimulate me.” I want intimidating people to keep approaching me. Well, on the other hand, if they take the most delicious part for themselves, that’s a problem.

A fear of death led to a “selfish life”

- Incidentally, perhaps it’s too late at this point, but do you worry about being injured or dying?

I said it already but, “It’s not a deathmatch until you return alive.” Since I’m a pro, I have the skills required to do this without death or injury.

But, it’d be a lie to say “I’m not afraid.” Even now, for several days before a match I get so stressed that I can’t sleep. Despite how I look, I get plenty scared. Much of my life has been driven by a strong fear of death.

- How do you mean?

It sounds silly, but when I was in grade school I believed in “The Prophecies of Nostradamus.” Have you ever heard of it? “In the year 1999, all of humanity will be destroyed.” Every night I shook with fear in my futon, thinking that my life would end at the age of 24.

Propelled by that fear, I concluded, “If the earth is gonna get destroyed anyway, I should quit studying. Instead I should use the rest of my remaining lifetime to do stuff that I like.” I completely quit studying, and instead spent all my time watching pro wrestling, which I loved.

Conversely, my fear of death also led me to become a pro wrestler. After graduating high school, I got a job in Tokyo as a security guard, but I gave into temptation and visited brothels daily. One day I happened to be reading a magazine with an HIV checklist inside, and almost every item applied to me.

At that time, I still thought “AIDS = death” so I thought “Oh, this is AIDS.” “Oh, this is how I’ll die.”

Luckily, when I got tested the result was negative, but after preparing myself for death, I thought “I really should do what I want” and knocked on the door of Big Japan Pro Wrestling. My life has always been influenced in this way.

- I get the impression that many wrestlers die at an early age. Since then, your fear must have increased.

Nah, that’s not really true. I’m surprisingly practical about the deaths of others. I just accept it, like “That’s the kind of life you lived.” I suspect my fear of death isn’t a fear of death itself, but a fear of becoming nothing.

- A fear of becoming nothing.

I’m no (actor and spiritualist) Tanba Tetsuro, but if after you die, you go to the spirit world, and cross the Sanzu river, that’s not all that scary is it? I wouldn’t go so far as to say “it’s fine if I die” but there’s some kind of hope or meaning. But if “After death, you become complete nothingness” “After death you feel no joy or sadness” I think that’s really scary.

But these days, I don’t experience that fear of death as much as I used to. If after this interview a dump truck hits me and I die, I wouldn’t have any regrets. I could say I did what I wanted to do.

Pro wrestling is a business where you depend on your popularity with an audience, but I’ve never tried to flatter the audience to get sales or support, or thought about how to increase my popularity. Ultimately, Kasai Jun puts himself first. I’m my own number one.

To die without regrets is to win at life

- But, if someone wanted to imitate your way of life, I think most people would be profoundly afraid of not getting by financially, or of being rejected by society. Why do you think you remain stoic in the face of such fears?

What’s there worth imitating about me? If you’re selfish like me and you can change it, you should want to!

But, this is probably related to that “fear of becoming nothing” I mentioned earlier. Ever since I was little, I’ve thought stuff like “This whole world isn’t real” and “Maybe all of this is just a dream.”

Nothing in this world is certain. Since that’s the case, all you have are your own body and your own feelings. In short, I don’t believe in anything but myself, so I put myself first.

- So in order to “feel truly alive” you throw yourself into the painful world of deathmatch wrestling, which leads us back to where we started.

That’s right. I guess you could say that pain is the only thing I believe.

But when I was young, I did understand the fear of not making enough money to survive. When I was around 30 and my son had just been born, I was seized by that fear.

Really, I was broke, and I couldn’t even pay into the National Pension Fund like I was supposed to, so I went to the ward office and said “I do intend to pay, so please wait a little.” I thought to myself, “Living is so expensive and so difficult.”

- A deathmatch fighter scary enough to quiet a crying child, with such an everyday problem.

Three years after my debut, when I was around 27, I was badly injured. I quit Big Japan, and after a year’s absence, I transferred to a different group called Zero-One.

Zero-One was founded by ex-New Japan Pro Wrestler Hashimoto Shinya, and the pay was good compared to Big Japan, and they held a lot of shows, so I could wrestle frequently. The environment there was very pleasant.

But, due to the policy of the organization, I couldn’t do the deathmatches that I love. During that time as a “salaryman wrestler,” I survived, but I think deathmatch fighter Kasai Jun, pro wrestler Kasai Jun, was completely dead.

“I really should do the pro wrestling I want to do,” I thought, and I quit Zero-One, and persisted with the pro wrestling that I love. Maybe that’s why I feel like I can now “die without regrets.”

Ultimately, if you live your own life as you wish, and think “I have no regrets” when you die, you win. Maybe people today have lost sight of the essence of what it means to live. It’s fine to work hard at your job, but if you’re spending every day miserably, is that kind of life really okay with you?

I’d rather live for 20 years and laugh every day than live for 100 years and never smile. If you’ve lived for 100 years and never laughed, that’s the same as being dead, isn’t it?

写真：本永創太 ~ Photographer: Motonaga Souta

執筆：鈴木陸夫 ~ Author: Suzuki Atsuo

編集：日向コイケ（Huuuu）~ Editor: Hinata Koike (Huuuu)

#kasai jun #jun kasai #pw freedoms #pro wrestling #deathmatch #my translation #This is definitely the longest thing I have ever attempted to translate!#I've got nobody checking over my work or anything like that so as always apologies for any typos or errors that I didn't catch

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caramel-flan · 1 year

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🏮 3.4 LANTERN RITE EPILOGUE

// SPOILERS AHEAD

There’s so much to unpack here regarding Venti and Zhongli but can we talk about this exchange at the end:

Going insane because the way the scene is framed and how the conversation pans between the two of them... it seems like Venti is speaking indirectly about himself and Zhongli.

If we take a look at some of the previous scenes:

What’s interesting are the moments after the dinner, when Hu Tao and co. are gathered to re-light the incense.

While Hu Tao makes her speech we see Venti looking contemplatively at Zhongli while everyone else is looking at the incense.

He applauds Hu Tao for her idea before nominating Zhongli as the most distinguished guest

This part is hilarious, to the humans present it sure is strange that Venti would immediately nominate this person he’s just met and chatted with briefly as opposed to one of his equally accomplished “old friends”?

But Venti gives his reasoning and finally this leads to another scene we aren’t talking about enough:

For the majority of the night Venti and Zhongli have been so un-serious with each other. At the dinner table they’re having fun with their ridiculous 4d compliments battle slash game of ‘Hey stranger’.

And it’s understandable that the masks are up tonight, the two of them can’t speak openly about earth-shattering plot-moving topics without giving away their identities after all.

But it’s here that we the audience get a glimpse of Venti and Zhongli at their most plain and honest about each other:

“If knowledge were a form of power, one could even say that you’re a wielder of unlimited strength.”

“But when it comes to having a way with words, the notable bard is certainly one cut above the rest.”

Zhongli is genuinely impressed that his ‘new friend’ can spin such an ‘unexceptional skill’ into an ‘unparalleled talent’ and he humbly downplays the claim.

But Venti is absolutely correct. Having a photographic memory is an extremely powerful and valuable skill to have in the world of Teyvat if we recall the events of Sumeru, and the purging of knowledge from Irminsul.

Zhongli likewise acknowledges Venti’s exceptional literary skills as a bard. We know now that fiction can be used to depict knowledge that has been erased from Irminsul, anything that can be recorded into song or ballad is ‘safe’ and therefore can be retrieved later.

For all their bickering, Venti and Zhongli recognize each other’s strengths in the effort to record Teyvat’s history, and preserve the ‘truths’ of the world.

It’s easy to see then why both of them would be so important and invaluable to each other as friends, and why they’ve stuck together for so long.

- 🏮 -

At the beginning of Lantern Rite Zhongli tells Traveler: “Setbacks are inevitable over the course of a long journey. If you wish to share what's troubling you, allow me to lend my ear. There is no need to shoulder all burdens by yourself.”

Through lore and gameplay we know that Zhongli and Venti are the last surviving members of the first iteration of the Seven.

Both have yet to personally reveal anything about their origins before the Archon War, only scattered hints that implicate Venti having strong connections to the God of Time Istaroth, and that Zhongli may not originally be from Teyvat.

But regardless of which theory you subscribe you, it’s clear both of them understand all too well the hardships of being on a long journey, and the importance of having someone there by your side to help shoulder those burdens.

#genshin impact #venti #zhongli #morax #barbatos #zhongven #lantern rite 3.4 #lantern rite #the exquisite night chimes #sdfslfk this is a mess but I needed to get my thoughts down after playing the quest #I apologize for any typos I'll go back and edit later this weekend if it's not too busy #but guys???? I still can't believe zv interaction is here and I Can't shut up about it

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idontlikeem · 13 days

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What made Geno your fave?

Oh boy!

For background, I started watching hockey in fall of 2009. I was bored over the summer and decided to get into a new sport. I’d never cared about hockey because my family didn’t follow it (we are football and basketball people), so I had no particular team I had allegiance to, so I did what any reasonable prospective fan would do: I looked up the most recent championship team and scanned their roster for hot guys.

There was Sid, of course. About my age, captain, and oh he’s cute, ok I can work with that. I did some research on his story and found it fascinating, because who doesn’t love a good golden boy narrative? A promising start.

Jordy Staal was also really cute to me, and Flower was pretty. And then we got to Geno, who the first picture I really remember seeing of him is one where he was smiling big, and as we all know he has the BEST smile.

After that, his backstory was just as interesting to me as Sid’s, in a totally different way. I mean, it sounds like a spy thriller, right? It’s crazy. And then he won the MVP that playoffs, and the highlights were up on YouTube, and wow, look at him skate. Look at him and Sid skate together, wow they’re so good. Look how Geno spins and cuts through guys out there, look how quick he is, how fast his hands are moving the puck.

I knew fuck-all about what I was watching but his skating style is so distinctive that I was able to pick him out on grainy 2009 and earlier footage with ease; let me tell you, focusing on ONE player for a full game or even period is such an underrated way to learn the sport. You see what they do when they don’t have the puck and it helps you figure out strategy, how plays develop, what defense is. Highly recommend.

He was still pretty quiet with the media then and I don’t think he was on Twitter yet, but he seemed funny and cute and I really liked his accent! And all the guys seemed to be friends, and I love that in a sports team.

It was summer so I watched a lot of the Pens’ old YouTube features. I learned about Mario and Jagr and the first set of back to back cups, and Sid’s draft, and how the team almost left the city. I learned about the rivalries with other teams, and the way the league worked, and what a salary cap is, and all the different penalties. And as it got closer to the start of the 09-10 season, I watched the road to the cup video for the run I’d just missed (it’s on YouTube now!) and there was that shot of Geno looking up, you know the one, with his scar, and that was my tipping point. The coverage of him in the Carolina series just sealed it.

He fascinates me. He’s shy but loud, funny but so publicly emotional. He’s flawed as hell but he tries so hard. He’s arrogant but he deserves to be, and he’ll never ever allow anyone to give him credit for when he’s playing well, he deflects. He’s accurately predicted the future twice. He’s so loyal it’s to the point of folly, almost. He has an unbelievable smile and rescues alley cats and is scared of big dogs. He’s a bully who’s never met a charity he didn’t contribute to.

And holy shit can he skate. Holy shit does he play beautiful, brutal hockey. He’s vicious with his stick and graceful with his hands.

And, yeah, he’s hot. That’s important to me too and I’m not sorry about that!

Anyway, I like him a lot. Thanks for sending me this ask and letting me talk about why :)

#evgeni malkin #pittsburgh penguins #here have some idontlikeem lore #apologies if there are typos I’m on my phone and this was total stream of consciousness and I can’t be bothered to read for errors #when I’m being sincere I don’t like to edit what I say anyway it makes it feel artificial #posts like this are always genuine and from my heart! I’m not trying to be or sound any particular way #anyway I love him so bad he’s my very special guy #also anything for an excuse to promote the torchtoburn primers #please read them if you haven’t they’re excellent and you’ll learn a lot

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unboundbnha · 9 months

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Okay I’m gonna post something controversial

#I KNOW THERES A TYPO LEAVE ME ALONE #anti tim drake #god I finally get to use that tag #listen. I don’t want to piss in anyone’s cereal. but I’ve seen polls that got flooded by t*m fans #oooooohooooooo the poor baby ooohoohogogooogkdjf shut up #if there are 1000 Tim drake haters I am one of them. if there are five Tim drake haters I am one of them. if there are no Tim drake haters?#I’m dead.#I’m so tired of both him and his fans #HE AINT THAT GREAT #also god. I’m a jason fan and I can’t imagine being a duke fan or a cass fan #watching them get erased for any of the ‘’main’’ bat boys #that shit would be infuriating #as a Jason fan I apologize :( I also love your special little guys and gals #they! deserve! better!

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bigboysteveharrington · 1 year

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Jonathan Byers thinks that he and Argyle are just best friends that do everything together and tell each other everything and sometimes fall asleep in each other’s beds and that what they have is just what having a best friend is like since he’s never had friends, let alone a best friend before

But then one night they’re lying outside high and watching the stars and talking about dumb shit and then Argyle oh so casually rolls toward him and kisses him and Jonathan kisses him back automatically but it still takes him a moment to totally realize what’s happening and that he’s participating in it and enjoying it so when Argyle rolls back to where he was and goes back to pointing out his made up constellations with a slice of pizza, Jonathan’s just lying there on his back processing but Argyle just keeps talking away

It isn’t until Jonathan hasn’t pointed out any stars or made any comments for a few minutes that Argyle turns his head to look at Jonathan who is still staring up at the sky and asks, “You alright, man? You went all quiet on me” And Jonathan tells him “I’m fine. Just thinking”

Argyle points at the sky and asks “About how much the stars over there look like a bong?” and Jonathan laughs

Argyle leaves it at that for a minute, then asks “Are you freaked out? Because it’s totally my bad if I read into things the wrong way” And Jonathan tells him “You didn’t”

Because now that Argyle did kiss him and Jonathan enjoyed it and had his mind opened up to the possibility of there being something more going on with their dynamic, Jonathan’s realizing things haven’t really been as strictly platonic as he’d been thinking they were and that they’ve basically been dating without the kissing for a while so that was kind of a long time coming and Jonathan’s just glad Argyle was capable of reading into things enough to do anything about it

And in retrospect maybe the fact that his main example of what best friends are like is the Will and Mike situation where Will’s clearly in love with Mike and Mike’s seemingly oblivious to it didn’t help Jonathan with the whole not realizing that his feelings and the stuff they’d been up to wasn’t strictly platonic

Argyle asks, “So then what are you thinking about, dude?” And Jonathan says, “I was thinking I should go tell Will.”

Because Jonathan’s first thoughts were wait, am I dating Argyle? (which he’s still not 100% sure about but he’s thinking he basically is without the label) and then immediately after that thought came I should tell Will

Because he didn’t realize that he was interested in any guys at all until a few minutes ago, but he wants Will to know he’s not alone in it. And because he wants Will to know that even though it’s a lot harder for Will to find someone than it is for guys who like girls, there are still guys out there that like guys too and it’s still possible to find a guy that’ll be interested in you and willing to take a risk to show you

Jonathan tells Argyle that he was thinking about telling Will because it was what he was thinking about and so Argyle knows he’s going to say something and can stop him if he wants to. But he also tells him because he knows that Argyle picked up on the same things about Will and his feelings toward Mike that Jonathan did back when Mike visited. It’s not something they discussed at all, but he knows Argyle knows from the ways he reacted

And Argyle tells him “Go for it, bro”

When Will finds out he’s shocked at the news that Jonathan’s apparently into guys and girls and he’s relieved not to be alone and the family freak and he’s glad that they decided to tell him but he’s also bitter that Jonathan has known that he’s queer for like five minutes and he’s already with a guy (and to add extra salt in the wound, that guy is Jonathan’s best friends) while Will’s known that he was gay for practically his whole life but he still has no experience with any guys and no chance at ever having anything happen with his best friend

#I’ll probably turn this into a one shot when I have more time for writing #Bc rn all my writing time is dedicated to working on my in progress fics that I haven’t had time for lately #It is late at night and I should be sleeping so I apologize for any typos and mistakes I didn’t reread to check for #Jargyle #Jonathan Byers #Argyle #Argyle Stranger Things #Will Byers #Stranger Things #ST #ST4 #Mine

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moonlitkilljoy · 10 months

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the symbolism, similarities, and contrast of all the pier scenes involving both edward and oswald truly make me lose my mind

in the first pier scene edward and oswald are facing each other, oz has his back turned to the water. edward means to kill oswald here, and in doing so kills a part of himself, perhaps unknowingly— at least to an extent. oz means no harm to ed here, quite the opposite even. oswald dies this time and edward survives— though he loses a part of himself in the process. the atmosphere is gloomy and we see the scene from far away— it’s all grays and the one subtle beige of the pier. clouds fill the sky and rain crashes into the water.

in the second one they "both" (barring the fact that this isnt actually oswald and is just a hallucination) face the water, oz behind ed. this time edward MEANS to kill both what remains of oswald (in his eyes) and a part of himself. his vision of oswald watches as nothing more than a spectator, he might as well not even be there at all. the lighting here is completely different, as is the framing. this is not a scene about revenge or murder, it is about rebirth. clouds cover the right half of the sky, yet they do not rain, and the sun shines in from the left. in a way i think the clouds passing and revealing the sun kind of symbolizes edwards acceptance for the fact that he DOES care about oswald. hes not hiding from his feelings, even if that means nothing at all anymore— after all, he’s already thrown it all away. birds fly through the air. there is life. oswald stands by the sun, edward by the clouds. edward destroys his past self and his feelings for oswald, represented here by oswalds apparition.

in the third rehashing it is gloomy again. no clouds in the sky- this scene focuses on oswald (who we've seen framed by the clear sky compared to how ed has been framed by the cloudy sky in these scenes. edward intends for this scene to be about rebirth, but we can clearly see that it much closer resembles the one focused on death. again we see the scene from far away, its all greys with the slight beige of the pier. edward has failed and it is once more about death. they both face towards the water, ed behind oswald this time. obviously this is because ed believes he’s going to shoot oz again this time, but its also kind of perfectly symbolic. this time it is oswald killing his old self, his love for ed, and destroying ed in the process— instead of the other way around like the second or first scenes. neither of them are the same after this. though, there is no rain. the hardest part has passed, and while this is emotional, it is not the most they have gone through. this time oswald faces the water and he intends to kill.

NOW. scene 4. they face eachother again. farther from the edge of the pier, neither of them dies here this time, in any sense. the clouds frame ed once more, the clear sky behind oswald. the scene is framed closely, reminiscent of their second pier scene where no one actually dies. it seems that the far away shots signify death, whereas the close ones signify rebirth. while oz faces the water in a technical sense, he doesnt actually— not really. hes facing ed, that much is clear, but he isnt looking out at the water. theyre looking at eachother and nothing else. once more there are colors that aren’t just grey. its nice. again they coexist, this time for good and not just for the brief fleeting moment before death.

i just think that the visuals at play here are truly phenomenal

#riddlebird #nygmobblepot #oswald cobblepot #the penguin #edward nygma #ed nygma #the riddler #gotham #gotham 2014 #gotham spoilers #benny beeps #apologies for any typos or clunky wording ^^; i did my best to proof read this

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poewriteslemon · 1 year

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there needs to be more kunikida smut in the world… maybe something between him and an ada!reader?

True!! I don't see enough Kunikida smut even though he's so hot 💔

Kunikida x ada!reader

Contents: headcanons, scenario that was meant to be short but I got carried away-, established relationship, fluff & smut, Dazai being Dazai, reader is g/n, blowjob, hair pulling, reader swallowing cum, Kunikida curses (let him say fuck!)

A/N: sorry this is all over the place! I was considering making Dazai interrupt the blowjob scene but that'll be for another fanfic ♡

NSFW warning!

You fell in love with him almost as soon as you started working in the ADA, this part was pretty obvious to everyone especially to Ranpo and Dazai who would sometimes tease you about it. What they didn't realize is that Kunikida had also started to like you back, and eventually the two of you started dating

Kunikida made it loud and clear that he does not want the others to find out so soon, and he especially doesn't want you to be touching him so much during work. He's in the office for a reason and he doesn't want you to think he's going to put it to the side just because you're dating

...But of course sometimes you get a little desperate and waiting hours for him to finish working just so he can fuck you seemed like absolutely torture to you

The solution? Give him head. He's become accustomed to having you between his legs and have his big cock inside your mouth during work hours, he was definetly not proud of this so he would only indulge when he's extremely stress and needs it. Other than that? You have to either masturbate in the bathrooms alone or wait until you both go home, not the best feeling but you can't really expect much out of such a workaholic like Kunikida

Always fucks you how you want, though he's not really into BSDM since sex is all about the intimate love, not lust. He'll still do it from time to time and use his notebook to create any toy and bondages for you

He's a very simple person, loves missionary the most since he gets to be close to your body and hear your beautiful moaning right next to his ear. When he's feeling more lustful though expect a lot of pushing you against a table and fucking you from behind

Kunikida is... a very punctual person, he'll write down the day hour and minute you two should have sex, he would even write the positions and everything- of course, this removes the fun of doing it in the moment so you've been trying to get him to lossen up a little and stop planning so much

This came with...various results. In one hand he would listen to you and try to just let his urges win instead of having to constantly put them under control, which meant you would get more time with him!

But on the other hand...he's not too great when he doesn't have a plan. He'll be more worried about messing up or hurting you so please reassure him that it's okay ♡

The sun was beginning to set, some of the detectives have already left to go home but Dazai, as usual, was bothering Kunikida to no end to the point that even you were starting to get annoyed by it. "Look Kunikida!" The brunette called out, showing a little origami bird he made with the paperwork he should be filling out, Kunikida glared at him for a second then back to his computer. "If you're going to be wasting time then go home already." Dazai dramatically pretends to be offended. "Aw cmon Kunikida-kun don't be like that!"

...no response.

You look to your partner and you could just feel his stress and irritation growing by the minute, he was typing more aggressively and was seconds away from strangling Dazai, but he tried to remain cool by ignoring him..

It did not work.

"Ku-ni-ki-da-kun~" Dazai sings as he shows a paper cutout that had the blonde's face drawn in it, and with that: Dazai was fucked. Kunikida slam shuts the computer and walks next to Dazai, the brunette now regretting just a little bothering him so much, Kunikida grabs him by the back of the collar and drags him out of the office, shutting the door to keep him away. "Kunikidaa!" He cries out but gets the silent treatment again. Dazai wanted to keep bothering him but better leave that for tomorrow, at least he has the perfect opportunity to leave work a bit early.

You awkwardly sit next to his chair, not knowing if speaking to him would be the greatest idea, but as his partner you should probably do something, right? He loudly sighs as he continues to work, clearly too annoyed to think straight. "Kunikida?" You quietly ask, he again sighs and turns his head to you, his expression softens but not enough to hide hoe tired he was. "Yes? Do you need something?" You shake your head no, placing your hand in his leg. "You should take a break and leave this for tomorrow, love" He quickly dismisses the idea and continues to work. "Absolutely not, besides I'm used to Dazai acting like that, I'll be fine." He said, you frown trying to think how to make him stop, and an idea strikes you almost immedietly.

You 'accidentally' dropped a pen that landed below Kunikida's desk, you tap his shoulder to grab his attention "Sorry but could you move your chair a little? I dropped my pen." He obliges but his hands are still on his computer, not realizing you've moved entirely under the desk.

You slowly moved your fingers over his thighs, making him gasp and look under the desk. "(Y/N)! Get out of there, now isn't the time for this!" He shouted, but you only smirked in response as you began to touch the zipper of his pants. "No one's around so whats the harm?" You plead with innocent eyes that contrasted your hands already removing his dick off his boxer. After more complaining from his part, he finally gives in and agrees, still working but stealing glances at your adorable face as you happily hum and start stroking his dick with both of your hands, he wasn't giving any reaction but he couldn't thank you enough for the help. He was soft considering this all happened so suddenly but you were confident that would change soon "I'll help you feel better, okay~?" With his other hand he gently puts it over your head, patting you as you did your business. You started to lick his cock as your hands picked up the pace, "Does it feel good?" You asked and he places his hand to your cheek reassuringly "You're doing great" You take that as a sign to go further, so you slowly started to suck on the tip, making him grunt, he could feel his focus slowly leave his mind.

You smirk and continue going deeper until you cant take anymore, you start bobbing your head up and down, your hands still stroking his now hardened and bigger cock. His shoulders finally manages to relax and he goes back to grab your hair, moaning quietly at every touch you give him. "Fuck..." He pulls your hair to make you go faster, you gag a little but keep his dick inside your drooling mouth with no complaints. You looked up to him with your eyes tearing up a little, he was ashamed to admit how hot you looked like this, but his cock twitching was enough evidence to tell you this. You pull out for a moment to breath again, your mouth wide open- this was for Kunikida but now you could feel yourself getting wet. "Kuni.." you moaned out but he pushes you back inside him, never letting go of your hair or slowing down his pace. His moaning is now louder as his breathing becomes uneven, "ah...fuck you feel so good.." He removes the buttons on his shirt and starts thrusting into your mouth, you put your hand on his cock so he wouldn't shove it all in and make you gag. Your moans are muffled by the lewd noises and Kunikida's own moans, the room was anything but silent at this point.

He thrusts into you harsher, his hand still making your head go faster, his moaning becomes desperate as he could feel a warm feeling take over his body "Shit- I'm going to cum..!" He let's go of your hair so he could cum on your face instead but you start bobbing your head even faster than before, your hands trailing below his shirt and into his warm body, he feels a shook down his entire body as he whimpers before moaning loudly and releasing his load inside your mouth. You moan as the thick liquids fill your entire mouth, it felt so good ♡

He takes a moment to calm down before cupping your face "Sorry I didn't mean to do it inside, you can spit it out" He gently says, but you open your mouth to reveal you had swallowed every drop of it "Too late for that Kuni~" He sighs and moves his chair back for you to stand up and clean up. "I think we should go home now." You nod in agreement, hopefully he'll touch you when you arrive as a thank you gift

#This was my first request so i hope you like it :)#i couldve made the last part more detailed but it was meant to be short so sorry about that!#i want to write for kunikida now- maybe ill get around to it soon!#bsd smut #bungou stray dogs smut #kunikida doppo smut #kunikida smut #smut #kunikida x reader #kunikida x y/n #i didnt really read over all of this super well so apologies for any typos or mistakes!

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biancadavri · 5 months

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nothing but the best posts here on biancadavri dot tumblr dot com

#apologies for any typo or awkward wording i've slapped this together quickly before the idea slipped my mind #dragon age #dragon age origins #aeducan #dwarf noble origin #bhelen aeducan #my posts

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alienaiver · 5 months

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cw; hurt/comfort, toxic family dynamics, cutting parents off, soft ending

you sniffle as you press yourself further into shinsou's shirt, trying to contain your tears but failing miserably. it feels gut-wrenching to keep them back so against your active will, you let them flow. shinsou's hand rubs gentle circles onto your back, not entirely sure how to comfort you in this situation.

he's no stranger to unhealthy family dynamics and even the story you've unveiled for him through the time of your relationship has sounded eerily familiar to what his home was like before he became an orphan.

"am i a terrible child?"

his heart skips a beat at the question before he feels a boiling anger rise to his head. not at you, not at the question itself, but at your parents for making you feel like this.

he coos gently as he kisses your forehead, trying to sound calm, "no, they're terrible parents."

his certainty, the determination in his voice makes you flinch before you hide again. you're flustered at being an adult crying like this to your boyfriend, but deciding to go no-contact with your parent proves incredibly hard as their presence keeps haunting you like unrestful ghosts.

he kisses your forehead again and you let out a new series of sobs. he so badly wants to help you through this; he sees the flinching when your phone rings, the name familiar on the screen. he sees the dysregulation in your stability when it's brought up. he sees the way you curl in on yourself whenever you have to defend your choice.

you willingly orphaned yourself and some people have made you out to be the villain.

but what child - no matter how old they may be - would willingly want to lose their parents, if not out of a desperate need for survival?

your parents messed up, not you.

he says this as he pulls you closer, into a tight hug. you squeeze your eyes impossibly tighter, feeling hot from the embarassment of complaining about your parents when you know how his abandoned him. you're priviliged and spoiled, right?

it's like he reads your mind because he presses a kiss to your wet cheek and pulls your head up by the chin to look into your eyes, "our situation's not the same. you looking out for yourself is neither terrible nor selfish of you. i am so sorry that they do not appreciate you for who you are, but i'm here for you, and"- he tugs a strand of hair behind your ear and wipes a tear from your cheek with his thumb -"whatever terrible thoughts are going through you right now, i am not thinking any of that, i promise you. you deserve to have your boundaries - which are very basic, by the way - respected. you've tried, you've communicated, you've given chances. you haven't given up on them without a fight, so this is their own doing, okay?"

your underlip wobbles as another fat tear spills from your eye, but you nod and lean into him again, inhaling his scent as you try to unclench every muscle. it's going to be okay. you're not alone in this.

"they made their bed." you say finally, hiccuping as you take deep breaths. shinsou nods, "yeah, and they're grown adults who've made choices. i know it hurts - but you're not alone."

"thank you hitoshi."

he smiles and kisses the crown of your head, "i'll always be there - together with all your friends. we see you and we support you. you deserve better."

he wants to tell you that family isn't blood, that he could be family, that he wants to be family but you're overwhelmed right now and this is not how he's planning to propose; the ring's already hidden in his locker at the agency, waiting for one of your friends to finish a crocheted commission of your cats that he'll need to make his plans perfect.

he knows a husband isn't a substitute for having a mom or a dad, but he hopes he'll always make you feel loved and appreciated when he one day becomes your family.

#UUH HI. i had a . uhm. family thing today and im COPING #this was written on my phone so idk the word count and i apologize for any typos!!!! 🥺🧡#bnha x reader #shinsou hitoshi x reader #bnha comfort #nohr.bnha #nohr.writing #comfort tag

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