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sequinsmile-x · 1 year

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Backfire - Part 2

Another Thanksgiving in the Hotchner house.

Part 1 is here, but you don't have to have read it for this to make sense. This part is a little prequel based on a moment mentioned in part one <3

Also, side note, I have slept maybe 12 hours total since Saturday so this is very much sponsored by my insomnia...

-x-

This is a little Thanksgiving themed fic for you all (if you live somewhere like me that doesn't have Thanksgiving...just consider it some Thursday night fluff.)

This is also a birthday present for @ms-black-a. I hope you've had a lovely day, and please consider this your fluff warning 😘

-x-

Word: 2.5k

Warnings: pregnancy/brief hospitalisation (everyone is fine)

Read over on Ao3 or below the cut

Emily sighs as she sits back on the couch having successfully leant forward just enough to place her empty bowl on the coffee table in front of her. She breathes out steadily, adjusting herself so she was as comfortable as possible, her hand rubbing over her bump.

“I used to be able to run in high heels whilst shooting straight,” she grumbles, smiling as she feels a kick against her hand. She shifts again so her son was no longer compressing her lungs quite so much, making breathing a tiny bit easier. “Now I can’t even lean forward without feeling out of breath.”

“That’s because you’re 37 weeks pregnant, sweetheart,” Aaron says, appearing out of seemingly nowhere to lean over the back of the couch and drop a kiss on the top of her head. He rounds the couch, and grabs the bowl from the table, “Are you done?”

She looks up at him with eyes he just knows their son will inherit. Dark, beautiful, and able to convince him of just about anything.

“Just a little more?” Emily says, holding up her thumb and index finger close together. Aaron raises an eyebrow at her, smirking in a way she hated herself for finding attractive, and she rolls her eyes at him. “Come on, honey, it’s Thanksgiving and I am very pregnant. I should be able to eat as much mashed potato as I want.”

He looks at the empty bowl in his hand, before looking back at his wife. He holds back his comment about the fierce heartburn she’d had just a couple of days before after she’d eaten significantly less rich food than she had today. He hadn’t said anything when she’d gone for the second slice of pumpkin pie either and had quickly had to distract Jack from saying anything as the young boy furrowed his brows at his stepmother.

Aaron knows mentioning it wouldn’t work in his favour, and even if he did bring it up, he’d just end up bringing her the mashed potato anyway, except she would have cried first.

It was the aspect of pregnancy he knew she struggled with the most. The complete lack of control over her emotions her least favourite side effect. She often told him she’d rather have the morning sickness back, although he again held back any comments about how miserable she’d been in her first trimester.

“Ok fine,” he relents, and he can’t help but return her smile as she beams at him, “But I’m bringing you some green beans too.”

Emily scoffs as he walks away, and feels her son move again before turning her attention back to her stomach.

“Don’t worry sweet boy, I’ll eat around the green beans.”

___

“Are you sure you can’t come?”

Emily smiles at Jack and pulls him closer to her so he was pressed up against her side, “You’re going to have fun tonight with Aunt Jessie and your grandpa, sweetheart,” she says, kissing his temple, “And then you’ll come back in the morning and Dad will make us pancakes, ok?”

Jack sighs as if he’d just been told he had last-minute homework to do over the holidays, and it makes Emily’s chest ache. Ever since he’d overheard Roy talking negatively about Aaron he’d been a little hesitant to spend time with him. They never forced him to go, and always gave him the choice, and he always ended up having fun but this happened every time as if the young boy was worried it would happen again. Anxiety flowing through him in a way that made Emily wish Aaron would let her have five minutes alone with Roy. He’d made a very concerted effort to keep her away from Roy whilst she was pregnant, knowing her turbulent emotions would likely snap if the older man even looked at any of them the wrong way.

She looks at Jack and sees how he still looks unsure and she hooks a finger under his chin and smiles as their eyes meet.

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

Jack smiles sadly at her, “They’ll already be on their way.”

“I don’t care,” she says, shrugging slightly, “If you don’t want to go, you don’t go. And then you can hang out with me and your dad,” she smiles at him, her hand moving to tickle at his ribs, desperate to hear his laugh, to see his real smile, “Although, I think I’m going to convince your dad to let me eat more Thanksgiving Dinner in bed and then go to sleep.”

Jack giggles, shifting away from her so she can’t tickle him anymore, “The baby wants more mashed potato?” He asks incredulously, looking so much like Aaron that it makes her laugh.

“Yes, sweetie. He always wants more,” she replies, winking at him, proud of herself for cheering him up. It was during moments like this that she knew she could do it, all of her worries falling away as she told herself that she could be a mother.

Because she already was one.

The doorbell rings, followed by Aaron’s yell that he’ll get the door, and she smiles at Jack again.

“So, what do you want to do?”

Jack looks serious for a moment before nodding at her, “I’ll go! Aunt Jessie promised me ice cream, and Grandpa said he’s got a new game for me.”

Emily smiles at him and pulls him in for a hug, kissing the side of his head before he pulls away.

“Have fun sweetheart,” she says, smiling at him as he runs towards the door, “Love you.”

“Love you too, Emily.”

She settles back into the couch, grimacing as she feels a tightness in her belly, and her chest, a burning sensation rippling through her before it disappears.

She places her hand on her stomach, her fingers trailing over the tight skin, “What are you up to in there?”

___

The pain doesn’t go away.

She’s able to get to bed and fall asleep, early enough that she would have considered it embarrassing only a few months ago, but wakes up only an hour later, the pain is much worse. She’s alone in their room, and she can hear Aaron downstairs, the clattering of pans as he puts away the dishes from their low-key dinner echoing around the house.

Emily groans as she sits up, her hand pressed against her bump as she closes her eyes and breathes through the pain, sharp and right at the top of her belly.

“Ok, sweet boy,” she says, sounding calmer than she feels, groaning as she stands, “Whatever you’re up to…I think it’s best we go tell your dad.”

She’s sure it’s never taken her longer to walk down the hall, leaning against the wall. She makes it to the top of the stairs and realises she can’t make it down them alone, the pain almost constant, burning through her, and she sighs, her head leaning back against the wall as she takes in a deep breath.

“Aaron,” she calls out, not surprised as she hears a beat of silence, immediately followed by a loud clamour as he drops whatever he’d been holding.

“Sweetheart?” He replies, sounding slightly panicked as he comes into view, his concern clearly increasing as he catches sight of her hunched over at the top of the stairs, “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know,” she says, her voice shaking slightly, watching as he takes the stairs two at a time, reaching her side before she can say anything else, “I had a bit of pain earlier, but I thought it was just…being pregnant and always uncomfortable,” she explains, relaxing slightly as he wraps an arm around her, gently guiding her down the stairs, “But I just woke up and it really hurts.”

“Is it coming and going, or constant?” He asks, already sounding calmer than he had done moments before. She knew he’d slipped into work mode, that he was putting his concerns on the back burner until he knew she was ok, and she was grateful for it. Her nerves were fried, fear that something was wrong with her baby and the pain enough to make tears press at the back of her eyes.

“Constant,” she replies as they get to the bottom of the stairs, taking a moment to stop moving, her hand in a tight fist in his t-shirt.

“Do you think you’re in labour?” He asks, his hand against her cheeks, then her forehead as if that would give him the answer. She bats his hand away, irritation with him the easier emotion to feel over her overwhelming fear.

“I don’t know,” she replies, her hand grasping tighter at his shirt, catching his skin in between her nails.

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

She looks at him like he’s grown a second head, her mouth open in disbelief, “I mean I don’t know,” she says through gritted teeth, “Funnily enough I’ve never done this before.”

Aaron takes a moment to breathe, before nodding at his wife, pushing his own emotions down.

“Ok,” he says, leaning forward and kissing her forehead, “We’re going to get some shoes on you, and then I’m going to help you out to the car, and we’ll go to the hospital to get you checked out.” She nods, and the lack of an argument on any part of his plan, the hospital or the insinuation that she needed help to get into the car, is enough to let him how afraid she is. He takes a moment to cup her face, gaining her attention as he runs his thumb gently over her cheekbone, “Everything will be ok, sweetheart.”

She nods again, her jaw clenched tight as she forces herself to hold back the tears she knows he can see shining in her eyes.

Aaron smiles at her, an attempt to be reassuring that falls flat, and he leans forward to kiss her forehead.

“Come on, Em. The sooner we get there, the sooner they can tell us what’s going on.”

___

“How are you feeling?”

She smiles at her husband, raising an eyebrow as she turns her head to look at him, squeezing his hand in hers before she answers.

“The exact same way I did when you asked 5 minutes ago, love,” she replies, shifting on the bed she was sitting on, “Although it is nice to have my pants back on.”

She’d been examined by a nurse only minutes after they arrived, reassured that she wasn’t any more dilated than she had been at her check-up only a couple of days previously. They’d both smiled, and felt some fear dissipate when the nurse did an ultrasound, their son’s heartbeat as strong as ever, his little thumb in his mouth as he moved around inside of Emily. They were waiting for the doctor to come and see her, to figure out where the pain was coming from. She could still feel it, albeit a little less intense now than when she had woken up.

The curtain around her cubicle is pulled open, and a very tired-looking doctor comes into view, a smile on her face as she walks towards them.

“Sorry about the wait,” she says, picking up Emily’s file from the end of the bed, “You wouldn’t believe how many burns I’ve dressed today from people trying to deep fry a turkey,” she reads the paperwork and looks up at them both, “Everything looks good, the baby is in the right position, your waters are intact.”

“So I’m definitely not in labour?” Emily asks, squeezing Aaron’s hand a little tighter, grateful when he does the same back.

“No, Emily you aren’t,” the doctor replies, placing the files back down.

“Then where is the pain coming from?” Aaron asks, his concern for his wife and child written all over his face now the immediate danger was seemingly gone.

“I have my suspicions,” the doctor says, her hip against the end of Emily’s bed, “Did you happen to eat a lot of food today?” She asks, a wry smile on her face, “Turkey, potatoes, all the trimmings followed by a slice of pumpkin pie?”

“Two slices,” Aaron mutters, although not quietly enough if the way Emily’s nails dig into his hands the laugh from the doctor is anything to go by. “And a lot of mashed potato,” he adds, knowing he’s in trouble anyway.

Emily glares at her husband before looking back at the doctor, “Yes, I did…why?”

The doctor clears her throat, obviously amused by the couple in front of her, “You have very severe heartburn,” she says simply, “You woke up with it at its worst because you’d been laying down.”

Emily stares at her for a moment, before she feels her cheeks start to heat up, embarrassment replacing the fear she’d been feeling since she woke up in a panic.

“It’s…heartburn?” She asks her free hand pressing into the top of her belly before shifting to her chest. The doctor nods and Emily sighs. “Oh god, I’m sorry for wasting your time.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” the doctor assures her, “I did the exact same thing when I had my youngest 3 years ago, and I do this for a living,” she digs through her pocket to pull out her prescription pad, “I’ll write you up for some pregnancy friendly antacids,” she says as she does just that, tearing off the paper and handing it to Aaron, “and I’ll organise your discharge so you can go home.”

“Thank you so much,” Aaron says, smiling at the doctor, breathing out a sigh of relief that releases the final tension from his chest.

“No problem at all,” the doctor says, looking back at Emily, “And I know it’s tempting, but I’d suggest steering clear of a lot of really rich food in these last few weeks. Stick to fruit, veggies etc,” she winks at Emily, clearly seeing her embarrassment return, “Although I’m sure you can get your husband to stretch to the odd slice of pie.”

“Thank you so much,” Emily says genuinely, relieved that nothing more serious was wrong, and she keeps her smile fixed on her face until she is alone again with her husband, the curtain re-drawn around them. She looks at him and sees a familiar look in his eyes, one that looked a little too close to smugness for her liking. She points at him, her eyebrows raised in warning, “Don’t even think about saying it.”

Aaron clears his throat, almost choking on the laugh he swallows down, before he nods, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

“I wouldn’t dare, sweetheart.”

-x-

Tag list:

@ssa-sparks, @lukeclvez, @lyds102, @glockleveledatyourcrotch, @hotchnissenthusiast, @danadeservesadrink, @ssamorganhotchner, @emilyprentissisgod, @notagentprentiss, @freesiasandfics, @emilyshotchniss, @thecharmingart, @paulitalblond, @hancydrewfan, @camille093, @whitecrossgirl, @moonlight-2-6, @rawr-jess, @florenceremingtonthethird, @jareauswife, @ms-black-a, @sneetchestoo, @aubreyprc, @zipzapboingg, @psychopath-at-heart, @criminalmindsgonewrong, @fionaloover, @kinqslcys, @prentissinred, @ccmattis22, @denvivale317, @thrindis, @hotchsguccitie, @cmfouatslota77, @alexblakegf, @aliensaurusrex

Join my tag list here!

#hotchniss #hotchniss fanfiction #hotchniss fanfic #aaron x emily #hotch x prentiss #aaron hotchner x emily prentiss #aaron hotchner fanfic #emily prentiss fanfic

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mk-wizard · 7 months

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Top 10 Spinoffs that really need to happen

Hi, friends. I may not be a fan of cheap sequels or prequels we don't want, I do think spinoffs are underrated especially if they focus on characters that are beloved and have interesting stories to tell. I mean, look at the success of Star Wars' many series especially its two diamonds being Clone Wars and Andor. I was inspired to make this list after seeing the trailer of Daryl Dixon.

In this list, I will my top ten medias that could it even bigger if they make these specific spinoffs.

Marvel's War Machine (Film/TV Series) - Nevermind Riri. Let's focus on this guy who was not only around long before her, but since the beginning. In time where we want more black representation than ever, I think War Machine is should be the next big thing. War Machine aka James Ruper "Rhodey" Rhodes is a decorated soldier to begin and Iron Man's right hand man. Despite the similar gimmick, his personality is much more serious, professional and mannerly. He can hold out on his own and he is a hero anyone of any type can look up to.

2. Marvel's Mary Jane Watson (Mini Series) - While she started off as Gwen Stacey's replacement and would alter become Peter Parker's main woman, she has now come quite into her own. She has even gone on adventures of her own, has become more capable and even became an ally in action for Spider-Man. While the comics have gone sour, maybe TV can bring us back MJ and Spidey as not only a couple, but as equals who both have exciting stories to tell.

3. Marvel's (REAL) Spider-Girl (TV Series/Film) - Speaking of TV redeeming MJ and Spidey as soul mates, last I remember, at one point, they were not only happily married, they had a daughter Mayday Parker who had the mantle passed down to her long before Miles Morales, the other Gwen Stacey (Spider-Woman) and all these other modern incarnations. She is a very underrated heroine who fell into obscurity no thanks to how Marvel broke up one of its most iconic couples. She needs to make a comeback because she is the true Spider-Girl in every way possible,

4. Disney's Goofy kid's show (TV Series) - For a while, the Disney gang made a big comeback since Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and almost everyone got their own spinoff or reboot. Everyone, but Goofy which I find is a waste because unlike all the others with the exception of Pete, he actually is a father. So far, the only independent works Goofy has gotten are Goof Troop, the two Goofy Movies and two animated shorts in some holidays specials. I think Goofy can make for a great host in a kid's show because despite his goofiness, he is a very capable and in fact, wise father. He would be a lot like Mr. Rogers or Mr. Dress Up where instead just playing with kids, he's actually teaching them and even comforting them the way a father does.

5. Resident Evil's Billy Coen (Video Game) - I don't think there's an RE fan out there who hasn't wished to see what became of this beloved one off character. Between you and me, I think he's still alive and kicking zombie, and I would love see what became of him after RE0. He not only came from one of the few prequel media out there that was great, but he is a total badass with a compelling backstory. We even got to see what happened to Sherry Birkin later one. I think Billy is more than worth a chance in the spotlight.

6. Silent Hill's Heather Mason (Video Game) - I know what you're thinking, but hear me out. While she got her own game (technically, two if you count the first ever SH game), I don't believe her story should have ended with SH3. The Mason family is the closest thing to a true SH main protagonist as there is I would love to her a now adult Heather Mason still fighting the Order as it is still out there wreaking havoc. She was a great heroine and an underrated video game character in general.

7. Jurassic Park for grown ups (TV Series) - It's had a few spinoffs so far and the only that is a big hit is Camp Cretaceous. I think another one should be made and this time, it should be aimed for adults. In the beginning, JP showed a lot of promise when it came to making adult oriented spinoffs with the comics and the sequel The Lost World, but after that, it became more and more about the action and less about the horror factor and dinosaurs. Even the revival trilogy of Jurassic World lacked that horror element that adults appreciated in the first two movies and most importantly, the book. We need to make a spinoff that is aimed for grown ups without it feeling like it wants to be Indiana Jones.

8. DC's Batgirl (TV Series) - Nevermind Batwoman, Batgirl was around first AND she was solo before joining the bat family officially. I mean, even her father Jim Gordon got his own spinoff series before she did and she's actually a super. And apparently, her film never saw the light of day because it was not up to standard. I say, we make a TV series that does live up to standard AND we make it animated like we did Harley Quinn. Barbara Gordon set the standard for a lot lady supers came after her and she iconic. EVERYONE knows who Batgirl is. Even people who don't read comics know who Batgirl is. What I don't know is why she hasn't starred in her own solo media yet beyond comics.

9. DC's Catwoman (Film/TV Series) - Speaking of iconic DC heroines, it is funny how one of its most iconic anti-heroines, love interest's to Batman and just recently, bisexual supers still hasn't gotten any independent media beyond her comics. If there's one woman who doesn't need no Batman (let alone man in general) to stand on her own two feet and have a compelling story to tell, it's her. The only thing we have gotten are two films. One which is imposter media starring Halle Berry and another no one knows about. Seline Kyle deserves so much more than that. I say she gets her own proper show or at the very least, a proper film. She's worth it.

10. Capcom's Dino Crisis (Video Game) - I think this franchise only got one spinoff (two if you count the third instalment that went off the rails), and it wasn't a hit. Dino Crisis was clearly inspired by the original Jurassic Park especially when it came to horror and the feeling of being genuinely threatened by the dinosaurs. This game felt like the long lost twin sister of RE. With that said, it should get a spinoff because it's worth a last hurrah and who knows? It mind revive this lost gem of a series. I say we go for it and put our best foot forward doing it. Let it be true to the lore, the setting and theme. None of the dinos in space silliness.

Anyway, that is my list. What is your opinion on it? Would you like to see these spinoffs or can you suggest another? Let me know.

Thanks for reading and as always, stay safe.

#comic #film #tv series #mini series #dino crisis #catwoman #batgirl #spin off #jurassic park #marvel comics #dc comics #selina kyle #barbara gordon #rhodey rhodes #war machine #goofy #goof troop #fandom

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inquisitor-apologist · 10 months

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Star wars: 3, 5, 7, 10, 12 ♥️

3. which character are you actually most like?

Probably Sabine Wren—I’m a punk teenager who loves to die my hair, and I have a lot of combat experience. (7 years of karate) I love painting, and I’m trying to be more active in fighting against the empire I live in (usa). Perhaps one day I will be able to blow up fascists with homemade bombs…

5. what planet would you most like to visit?

Considering I literally named myself after it, I kind of have to go with Korriban, don’t I? Cool, ancient planet full of giant statues, evil holocrons, and malevolent ghosts, what’s not to love? Honestly tlt it’d be worth it just to see the giant statues.

7. who do you hope you never meet?

Grogu. Little dude is exactly football-sized and I don’t think I could resist the urge to drop-kick him. I would feel terrible about it afterwards, but I don’t think I would be strong enough to stop myself.

10. do you think the jedi were right or wrong?

This one’s pretty obvious if you look at my blog, and, well, imo, if you look at the movies. The Jedi are, as presented by Lucas, unequivocally the good guys. The core dichotomy of Star Wars is the Dark side and the Light, (or, in the OT, the Dark side and the Force) compassion versus selfishness, and the Jedi were the compassionate guys, the ones who used the force to better themselves and help others. Their philosophy on non attachment is heavily based on Buddhism—George Lucas actually converted to Buddhism and described himself as a Methodist-Buddhist—so I think it’s fair to say that it was intended to be a positive, healthy way to live. (Please, Star Wars fandom, I am begging you to look up what attachment means in Star Wars, it’s different than what attachment means to USAmericans) Also, the ‘no romantic relationships’ thing makes a lot of sense when you realize the Jedi are monks first and foremost, and monks that have super dangerous government jobs. I know it’s annoying for shipping, but it does make sense with the worldbuilding.

The tragedy of the prequels was that Anakin, in his selfishness and greed, betrayed the Jedi and allowed the rise of the Empire. That doesn’t work if the Jedi are the bad guys, then it’s a completely different story. So, yeah, the Jedi were absolutely right.

12. do you care who rey’s parents are?

Ok, so since this ask game was posted when the sequels were still coming out and my opinion has changed a lot since 2019, I’ll answer this two different ways: how I felt then, and how I feel now.

When the sequels were coming out: No. I was pretty young back then, and not fully into Star Wars yet, and I basically took what the movies said at face value. Oh, they abandoned her? That’s sad, guess we won’t see them. Oh, they were junk traders that sold her? That sucks, I bet Rey feels really bad about that. Oh, she’s a Palpatine? That’s cool, I wasn’t expecting that. I watched a lot of those theory videos talking about how she could totally be a Skywalker or a Kenobi or a Solo, but I never really had a strong opinion on it. My reaction to her being Palpatine’s granddaughter was mostly ‘huh, how would that work? I don’t think he had a wife?’ I get now that it was a big question that everyone wanted the answer to, but I was too young to care.

Now: Yeah, actually, and I really like the idea of her being a Palpatine. I think it was a really good idea, and had they actually planned the story around it, it would’ve worked really well. Like, if she was established as a Palpatine in tfa, it would’ve added a lot to her character. Why is she so desperate to stay on Jakku? Because she’s hiding from the First Order. It would have also explained Snoke and Kylo Ren’s interest in her—as Palpatine’s heir, they would’ve really wanted to get her on their side. I really like the idea of her being a Palpatine, but the execution was so awful, just like most of the sequels.

Thanks for the ask! These were really fun to do

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lea-andres · 1 year

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🎢

weeeeeeee

🎢 Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

*sigh* ...I have three candidates: Miserably Loving You, The Catalyst, and my unnamed time travel shenanigans WIP. If crossover fics count, we can add @bitter-sweet-coffee 's and my prequel WIP to this list as well. But let's focus on the three that are just mine for now.

Let's get the Catalyst out of the way now, because it's the simplest one to explain: I stole the Snap from Marvel. So uh... Lots of carnage there. I've apologized to the survivors in previous posts... Because the method I used to pick who goes and who stays is BRUTAL.

Next simplest is MLY: it's mostly just Ursa being a grade A bitch. Let's run through a brief list of SOME of the shit she pulls:

-This one's a major long story as to how this would've been accomplished, but she does try to get Jewel and Bean killed (and Bean was a for shits and giggles, while she was at it target!), but my idiot archaeology puppies prevent this from occurring without totally realizing it. (Dinah is also, through the same means Ursa was trying to get them killed with, responsible for Patience existing. I might explain if someone asks. 🤪)

-She stalks Bark and Jewel for an unknown amount of time.

-She attempts to get Bark and Jewel to break up by several means. Including trying to get an "other woman" involved. (Luckily Tiara Boobowski, our "other woman", was pretty much long conning Ursa for the hell of it, so that plan did not work out LOL. Also each member of Team Hooligan tried their own interference on that plan, and Jewel enlisted Wave for an... Interesting solution)

-Through her absolute careless, despite SEVERAL warnings from Jewel, Infinite, the Chaotix, and the Babylon Rogues, almost gets all of North Island destroyed by Eggman and the Deadly Six. (And you know you've fucked up if the ROGUES AND INFINITE are going "Don't do that!")

-She and Opal get into a huge fist fight. Luckily, Opal broke her collarbone and she has to drop out of the snowboarding competition. 😈😈😈

-She never thanks Jewel for fixing HER mess, by the way. Closest thing she gets is the offer to help find a surrogate mother for when she and Bark decide to have kids. 🙄🙄🙄

And finally (of the just me candidates), we have the time travel fic. Most of my OC kiddos (some of them are too young to appear and/or do not exist yet, Patience is the cutoff line!) snuck off to go bother Eggman, resulting in everyone (including Eggman) being flung back in time to IMMEDIATELY RIGHT AFTER THE EVENTS OF SONIC GENERATIONS LOL!!! (Like seriously, the second that final cutscene ends is when all these guys come crashing in, poor Sonic can't enjoy his birthday in peace.) Here's some of the shenanigans that ensue:

-Several people are introduced to each other way earlier than they should've.

-Fang goes on a mission to mug Briar and Ivy after they stole his airbike, because he mistranslated them calling him "Uncle Fang" to mean they were his sister Nic's kids.

-Briar accidentally told Tangle and Jewel everything. Well, almost everything. He left Patience out, because he barely has enough sense to realize Jewel would hit the roof at that news.

-Espio loses a battle of wits to his own daughter. To be fair, she did cheat. 😂😂😂

-Eggman tricks my idiot archaeology puppies Team Cerberus into thinking Sonic and Co have kidnapped their future apprentice (Patience) and they roll up to the party to (attempt) to fuck everyone up and rescue her. As usual, Team Chaotix kicks their asses instead. 😂😂😂

-Future Eggman does his own timeline meddling while everyone else is distracted by the kids mucking around, and creates a "darkest timeline". Let me put it this way: All the biological kids fade away the second they enter it because he prevented their existences in the first place. So only the adopted kiddos are left to fix things. To give another idea of what exactly he's done: Orbot and Cubot no longer exist. (I know, I'm sad too. 😭) None of Eggman's helper robots (Scratch and Grounder, ...the ones from Sonic X I keep forgetting the names of..., Ergo, etc.) ever existed. He's been holding a certain beetle captive for a LONG time he makes do that work...

So, uh, yeah... Those are probably my wildest rides. 😬

#writer asks

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littlemousejelly · 3 years

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Lena peppering little kisses all over Kara's face: sorry if this looks gay to the audience

Kara sits on the couch warm and happy, full of good food and boundless, infinite love for her friends as she listens to them argue over whatever the hell Winn's just drawn on his whiteboard. She's warm and happy and at least five degrees past elated and veering into quiet ecstasy because Lena's laughing in her lap, hair tickling her chin, cheeks, and nose. Her body jostles with the force of her joy and Kara can't help but slide her arms around Lena's waist to squeeze her a little, affection overflowing.

She's not entirely sure when Lena wiggled her way into her lap, but she's definitely not in any rush to have her out of it any time soon. Especially not when she seems so small like this, tucked in the sling of her hips, hair gently tousled, oversized knit sweater hanging off her shoulders, thick glasses perched on the nose she's scrunching cutely as she turns to smile curiously at her.

"Karaaa," she says, drawing out the vowel in a half-buzzed, half-accented slur. "What's up?"

Kara watches her dimples wink, heart skip-skipping as she commits the way Lena looks and feels in her arms to memory.

"Kara?" Lena repeats, and Kara blinks, a big, dopey grin spreading across her face.

"Nothing," she says, pulling Lena the slightest bit closer. "Just happy."

Lena studies her for a moment, then huffs a laugh, straightening enough to press a soft kiss to her cheek. Unexpectedly. She pulls back enough to meet her eyes and murmurs, "I'm really happy too."

And she's just, so pretty. So pretty. That Kara simply has to return the favor and kiss the adorable pink of her cheek.

Lena lets out the tiniest of gasps and twists her hand into her shirt.

"Oh," she breathes, lips parted and pupils large.

"Sorry," Kara rushes out, nervous. "Sorry, was that not okay?"

Lena's hand tightens in the fabric of her shirt, then relaxes again. Her fingers brush over Kara's stomach and send a little shiver up her back.

"It's okay. It's very okay," Lena says quietly, scanning Kara's face for… something, nibbling at her lip until she seems to find whatever it is she's looking for. She leans up and kisses Kara's other cheek, pulling back with her cheeks rosy.

For symmetry's sake and not at all because Kara wants to feel her peach fuzz against her lips again, she tilts Lena's chin with a finger and mirrors the action.

Lena giggles then, and it's light and lovely and perfect, quite possibly the only laugh Kara ever wants to hear again. Quite possibly the only laugh Kara ever wants to be the reason for again. But before she can think of a way to make her giggle again, Lena starts peppering kisses all over her face. Her forehead, her nose, her jaw, her cheeks, again and again, each time inching closer to her lips—not that Kara notices—and each time Kara finds she has no choice but to kiss her back, grinning harder and harder into every one until she's just pressing her smile to her face.

"Hi," she sighs out, nuzzling at a warm cheek.

"Hi," Lena whispers, hand somehow under her shirt now, fingers stroking directly over her belly.

"I like it when you kiss me," Kara admits, flexing her abs just in case.

Lena's fingers falter briefly before she continues exploring. Slower.

"I like kissing you," she says, brushing their noses together, mouth dangerously close to Kara's. Dangerously kissable.

"...Can I kiss you some more?" Kara ventures, and the question is barely out of her mouth before she's already beginning to tilt her head in, aching for a taste.

"Yes, please," comes Lena's reply, breath tickling her lips.

Right before a chorus of groans interrupts them.

"Aww, come on!" Winn whines, and Kara stifles a disappointed sound before reluctantly lifting her forehead away from Lena's to see what's going on.

Everyone is looking at them with varying levels of amusement on their faces.

"Seriously?" Alex asks, an incredibly pained look on her face and absolutely the least amused. "We take five minutes to tell Winn how that"—she gestures at the misshapen blob on his whiteboard—"is not a muffin and you're all over each other?"

Lena buries her flushed face into the neck of her shirt, letting out a quiet Ow when it pushes her glasses into her cheeks. Kara slips a hand under her sweater to rub soothingly at her back.

"This is obviously a muffin," Winn grumbles, and James ruffles his hair affectionately. "But they're totally all over each other."

Kelly wraps an arm around Alex's waist and plants an exaggeratedly loud kiss to her cheek before catching Kara's eye and winking. Kara has no idea why.

"I think it's sweet," she says. "They're cute together."

"Wait, you're finally together?" Nia asks, eyes lighting up. "Does this mean we can go on real double dates now?"

Kara blinks, still thinking about kissing Lena and more than a little annoyed that everyone interrupted them.

"Uh, together?" she says slowly, trying to tamp down her irritation. She draws aimless patterns on Lena's back and feels her heart do a funny dance when it makes her squirm. "What makes you say that?"

Alex looks like she wants to throw something at her head, Kelly's jaw drops, and Nia rolls her eyes so hard Kara's almost worried they'll get stuck.

"You're joking," Kelly says, voice flat.

"She's not joking," Alex says.

"Not even a little," Nia adds, shaking her head. "Fellas, is it gay to want to kiss your best friend?"

Kara opens her mouth to respond with No, of course not, but then Kelly says, "Super gay," just as Alex answers with, "Totally gay," and her mouth shuts with a click.

"It's… pretty gay," Lena mumbles into her shirt and Kara pauses where she's dragging her thumb up and down her spine.

"It is?" she asks.

"Mmhm."

"...Oh."

Kara continues stroking over her back as she considers, deeply enjoying the way Lena seems to be trying to burrow closer with every brush of her fingers. And when one particular brush has Lena arching into her with a pretty whimper, something inside her snaps.

"Okay," she announces, swallowing hard, limbs suddenly shaking as she thinks about making Lena do that again, and more. "So I think it might be gay?"

#anonymouse #mouse writes a little jelly #just a little more and maybe kara will Get It you know?#this is probably perhaps maybe the prequel to the other thing #but not necessarily because i just like running my fingers over someone's back #so obviously i need to write it into everything because self-indulgence #but it totally works as the prequel and like they just kick everyone out after this and put on a movie and cuddle and touch #i was very tempted to break the fourth wall and cut myself off #'so i think it might be ga-' [queller snipes me]#i literally changed the 'what's up' line so many times cuz i could not figure out what lena would say/be able to say with her accent #i felt like the 'what're' in 'what're you thinking about' would have been a little mangled especially with a buzz

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donaidk · 3 years

Text

Baby Badger - Daniel Ricciardo

Okay, there was this video, that did things to me sadly. And then this drabble was the outcome. Am I fully back to writing? Not really. Somehow it's hard for me to just sit down and write, but this one was really fun. Hopefully I will kick myself back to normal before summer ends and will finish up all the half done wips I have 🥺 But until then, I hope you will enjoy this and all my other works 😊 Have a great Friday everyone! 🧡

Prequel & Sequel & Hide&Seek

Masterlist | Taglist/Queue | Request

“ Do you have a bit of time after this? ” I looked up from my phone, turning my head towards Daniel who was laying on the massage bed while Michael worked on his back. He turned his head towards me immediately, his eyes a bit sleepy as they usually do during these sessions.

“ Yeah. Before the interviews… Why? ” He asked back, his lashes almost touching his cheeks already, the whole drowsy look on him making me chuckle. It was a mistake as his eyes shot open at the little cooing noise that Ava let out at me shaking her with my laughing.

For a second all three of us held our breath, staying as silent as possible in order not to let the situation fall out of our control. After 4 months we all knew well how this, otherwise deemed cute, sound was usually followed by crying that was always a challenge to make stop. Even Michael stopped his movements, looking at the baby who was laying on my chest, astonishingly still asleep, only getting back to the massage when we could be sure Ava didn’t actually wake up. I let out a relieved sigh, lifting a hand onto her back, gently stroking to make sure she really would stay asleep.

“ I just want to go to the bathroom before we leave if you have time to hold her for a bit. ” I got back to why in the first place I spoke up, watching as Mike got back to the massage as well. I was always amazed by how much he knew all the tiny places where Dan could have knots and tiny pains, and also knew how to help him with them. “ It’s going to be quick, and I can take her back before you have to leave for media duty. ” I added, although I knew he wouldn’t reject what I asked for anyways. He always took just as much care of Ava as I did, the both of us sharing every part of her life.

“ Course. Just a minute or two and I can take her. ” He sent me a smile and Michael nodded as well, agreeing with the time frame Dan gave us. “ You’re staying the whole day, right? ” Without looking in their way I just nodded a little as we didn’t have any plans other than supporting him through the Free practice and Qualification rounds today, and then going home together when he was finally free.

As promised, just a few minutes later Dan got off the bed, pulling on a McLaren shirt and coming closer to sit down right next to me. I carefully gave his daughter over to him and just watched as Dan leaned back, with his signature smirk already visible on his lips as Ava slowly blinked her eyes open. She already had her usual nap, meaning Dan would get to spend some time with her awake until they would have to leave. As much as I wanted to stay and just watch them until the world ends, my urges were stronger and got me to finally leave the driver room as soon as I had my hoodie on. It was already well into autumn but also an exceptionally cold and windy day right from the start. Even through the hoodie I could feel the air pricking my skin everywhere it could come into contact with. If I didn’t know better I would have guessed we were already at least at the start of the winter season. I was glad we could finally fly to a race together, but would have liked to pick one with better weather if I knew in advance.

I tried to be quick with my journey, but thanks to the hospitality’s bathroom having a bunch of people in front of it in a queue I braved myself and tried finding another one. However the paddock here, in the Netherlands, was totally new to me as I never attended the Dutch Grand Prix before. It took me at least 10 minutes to find another toilet and even on my way back I managed to get a bit lost between all the hospitalities and motorhomes. In the end, after around 20 minutes and getting help from a Mercedes employee, who probably recognized me and was quite surprised I required some assistance to navigate the paddock, I finally arrived back at the building and could get up to the driver room. It didn’t completely surprise me when the room was already empty both human and clothing wise, which told me they were either on their way to the media pen or already doing some interviews.

With another sigh I took my jacket from the hook on the wall and left the room in hopes of finding the media pen without another journey where I get lost in such a small and organized space. Fortunately the sounds helped a lot to lead me to the side of the pen, from where I could easily spot Dan and his communication personel right next to him. My face would have resonated with his grin anyways but the sight of Ava right beneath his jacket, with only the top of her head sticking out, made it even wider on my face. I was stuck in place, just watching him speak, with one arm under the little girl's butt just to give that extra bit of support, while the other flailed around in rhythm with his words. Moments like these made me realise anyone could have been sure she was Dan’s kid by how much she was kicking and flailing around even before she was born. Then she finally decided to meet us and came out as a perfect carbon copy of her dad in every way possible.

He was so focused on the questions and the answers he was giving to them, that he didn’t spot me right until I was truly in front of him and right next to the interviewer. She was someone I knew quite well, since Daniel somehow always managed to get a few minutes of conversation with her into his day, either about F1 or just general topics outside of the media pen. That’s exactly why I dared to interrupt them quickly, although she beat me to speaking up.

“ Oh, so you didn’t run away. ” She turned to me for a second, and I appreciated that the camera stayed the same way on Dan. As much as we were public all the way, I didn’t mind staying off screen most of the time. “ He said you left saying it’s only 5 minutes but then never came back. ” She jokingly rolled her eyes, letting me a bit closer so I won’t have to shout.

“ Yeah, I got a bit lost… Just the usual, as new paddocks always disorient me. ” Laughter bubbled out of me at my own stupidity, before turning to Daniel and Ava. “ But I can take her if you want. Don’t want her to be in the way. ” I reached out my hand in offering, but he didn’t seem like giving up his little cuddly package.

“ Nah. She’s pretty comfy. ” Dan shook his head, looking down at her tiny head and fixed the jacket to make sure it wasn’t too tight and also wouldn’t get in the way of her breathing. “ Right? We’re getting used to this kangaroo style. It should be in my blood anyways. ” He shrugged a little, making me chuckle at his Australia joke as I stepped back a little.

“ Just stay away from jumping around. ” I let out a sigh, but knew he wouldn’t do anything dangerous. As much as he had his few shares of sport injuries and extreme sports he liked to do, around Ava those tendencies got buried deep down. “ I’m gonna be with Michael, if you need me to take her anyways. ” I added, making sure she wouldn’t be in the way if she starts fussing or anything of that accord. As much as she was a peaceful baby, she had her moments.

“ We’re happy to see her, as well. I feel honored to get her first interview done. ” The interviewer turned towards me with a grin, which helped calm my anxiety about her being a nuisance for them in any way. “ Natalie tried to steal her away a few minutes ago though, so I would be careful around the paddock and pit lane. You can never know where she shows up. ” She shielded her mouth like anyone would try and hear what she told us, while I let out a quiet laugh at the idea.

We exchanged a few words but then I said my goodbyes and slowly got out of the media crowd, without stepping on anyone’s feet or bumping into them too much. Finding Michael wasn’t a challenge as he always stood out from the crowd, literally. Standing right next to him I watched as he prepared a few more things for the post-interview plans and also got his helmet half-ready for race day. I was always amazed at how much work actually goes into a race weekend like this and I was sure behind the scenes there was even more I will probably never see. Mike was just finishing up with the helmet’s visor when Dan left the pen and immediately turned our way. Without anyone stopping him on the way in just seconds he was already standing next to me, taking the little snack away that Mike was handing him.

“ So you introduced her to the big public and the world of interviews? ” My hand lifted to pull down the zipper on his jacket and reveal a bit more of Ava. The air was still chilly, but it didn’t hurt her for that one second while I left a kiss on her head and pulled it back up. “ Did you wrap the scarf yourself? ” I couldn’t wait for his answer before asking another question, now looking up at him.

“ He may have gotten a bit of help, but did it mostly alone. ” Michael beat him to it, not letting him tell any lies, and then endured when Dan decided to punish him by slapping his arm with the snack he got and was still just opening up.

“ I feel offended that you think I’m not paying attention when you show me. ” Dan huffed out, finally taking a bite from the bar and munching away. My brows might have lifted for a second but in the end I couldn’t hold back my laughter. “ I’m just a slow learner, and this can end with a scary situation if I mess it up. ” He added with a shrug, making me shake my head a little as well. We both knew he would be too careful and would take several precautions before trying anything new that could harm Ava or any child if we’re at it.

“ Let’s get back to the hotel. I’m sure she’s exhausted after stealing so many hearts throughout the day. ” I stroked Ava’s back gently through the fabric of the jacket and she let out a little groan, almost like she wanted to agree to my words. The three of us had a little laugh about how she probably will be the chattiest person in the future if this is where we start from, as we slowly walked to the parking lot.

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wanderinginksplot · 3 years

Text

Rex + Engineer!Reader

This is the prequel to the Rex + Blanket Fort + Kisses one-shot found here on my masterlist. As this is a prequel to that story, you don't need to have read it for this to make sense. And as you could probably tell from the picture, this takes place during the Onderon arc.

Rex x gn!reader: intended to be early romance, but could be read as platonic.

Word Count: a bit more than 3,400

Warnings: canon-typical violence, including spoilers for the Onderon arc (S 5, E 2-5) of Star Wars: The Clone Wars

---

"And Captain Rex will train everyone in the encampment on basic combat skills and maneuvers," General Skywalker announced.

You didn't pay overly much attention to that. The general was younger than you had anticipated, but he was clearly used to combat and had the kind of authority usually honed through commanding large groups of soldiers. Still, you knew his order didn't apply to you and moved to slip away from the area. Your schematics needed a lot more work before the rebels could attack without bringing buildings down.

"And where are you running off to?" a muscular man with light hair asked, stepping into your path.

You gave a tight smile. "Classified, sorry."

The man nodded toward the general. "General Skywalker says everyone needs combat training."

"Oh, not me," you reassured him. "I'm a contracted engineer, not one of the Rebels. I'm just here to make sure they destroy as little of the infrastructure as possible while they take back control."

"And do you live in the encampment?" he asked.

You narrowed your eyes at him, feeling sure this was a trap. Eventually, you gave a short nod.

"Then you'll be training with me," he said firmly. "Captain Rex, 501st Legion."

You reluctantly shook the hand he offered and introduced yourself, finishing with, "-but I'm strictly an engineer."

"We're worried that this isn't likely to end without one or several attacks on this encampment," the captain told you. "A few hours of training could save your life."

"And a few hours of work on the city's schematics could save the lives of countless civilians," you argued. Sending that he would continue trying to convince you, you shook your head. "The Gerrera siblings are the ones who hired me. I'll let them make the final choice."

"And I'll leave it to the Generals," Captain Rex agreed.

Clearly not taking chances, he marched off toward where Steela Gerrera and Lux Bonteri were talking with Generals Skywalker and Kenobi, as well as a Togrutan female you vaguely remembered as being a commander.

"Generals, Commander," Captain Rex greeted with a crisp salute. You rolled your eyes. Soldiers. "We were hoping you could settle a difference of opinion."

"A difference of opinion?" General Kenobi repeated with a frown.

"What opinion would that be, Rex?" General Skywalker asked.

The captain explained the situation while you stood in silence. Steela met your gaze at several points during the conversation, looking concerned each time.

"We're only here to train the rebels," General Skywalker said after Captain Rex had finished talking. "Not anyone else."

"All of us are rebels," Steela argued, ignoring your signals that you didn't want training at all. "Just by being here in opposition to the Separatist forces, we are all considered a threat to their power."

"A contracted employee is different than someone who joined your cause because they believe in it," the commander countered, wrinkling her nose. "We aren't offering training to mercenaries."

"We're talking about an engineer, not someone hired to perform assassinations," Lux contributed. "What could it hurt?"

"Generals, Commander," Rex said, his quiet voice somehow drawing their attention. "I think every member of the rebel group needs to be trained. I think it's important."

"Rex…" General Kenobi sighed, but Skywalker interrupted before he could expand on his thoughts.

"I trust Rex's instincts," he told the older general. "If he thinks everyone needs to be trained, we'll make it happen."

You made a frustrated noise before you could stop yourself. "I don't need training. I'm an engineer. I don't work in combat situations."

"That's the thing about combat," Skywalker said with a shrug. "You don't always have to look for it. Sometimes, it comes to you. Especially in wartime."

The group split up immediately afterward, seemingly having come to an agreement. You followed Steela, determined to make your case and get back to your schematics.

"Steela, you know I'm not here for fighting," you said, jogging to catch up to the young woman who had hired you. "It isn't part of my contract."

"It isn't, you're right," she agreed. "But I would think carefully before I turned down a chance to learn such a valuable skill considering how dangerous the galaxy is right now. Surely this could be helpful as a freelancer traveling the universe alone?"

You didn't have an immediate answer to that. Steela clearly noticed, nodding solemnly at you before turning away. "The choice is yours to make."

You gritted your teeth, but your feet refused to move from the spot. To your left was the strategic tent and your unfinished set of schematics. To the right, the Jedi were helping the rebels set up some kind of training ring.

"Well?" a voice prompted. You already recognized it as belonging to Rex.

You stood still for a beat longer before giving a loud and heartfelt groan as you turned toward the freshly constructed training ring.

---

You were bad at fighting.

It wasn't really a shock to you. You had never been particularly graceful or good on your feet. That was why engineering had been such a draw - all mental work, almost no physical.

Rex, to his credit, turned out to be a surprisingly good teacher. He had kept everyone basically together as they learned new skills and practiced as a group. Still, he was determined that you would learn to defend yourself and here you were, fighting to shoot targets in the dying light, long after everyone else had scattered.

"I'm sorry," you apologized yet again as you missed. You were half an hour into intensive shooting lessons with Rex and you had yet to hit a single target.

"You don't need to apologize," he assured. "We'll just keep working until you get it down."

"I don't know if I can," you admitted, lowering the heavily modified blaster pistol until it was resting on the table in front of you. "We're losing the light and it's a bad idea to illuminate any more of the jungle than we have to."

"That's true," Rex agreed, rubbing at his neck while he studied the unharmed target. After a moment, he took the blaster pistol from your hands and holstered it at his side, then removed the holster belt as well.

You nodded sympathetically, hoping you could call it a night and put in a few hours of work on your schematics so the day wouldn't be a total waste.

Rex sighed, removing the subtly armored jacket he had been wearing during that day's training. "I guess we'll… we'll just have to switch to something less impacted by visibility."

"Wait, what?" you had time to ask before the stoic captain flat-out tackled you.

You were aware enough to know that Captain Rex had twisted to take part of the impact himself, but you still hit the ground hard enough to knock the breath from your lungs. In that moment of hollow gasping, Rex had pushed you onto your stomach and pinned your hands behind your back.

"The first rule of unarmed conflict is that you can't let anyone surprise you." Rex paused for a moment. "Actually, that's the first rule of any kind of conflict."

"Is the second rule that you shouldn't suffocate your sparring partner?" you croaked out, turning your head slightly so your face wasn't actively being pressed into the dirt anymore.

Rex laughed. It was the first time you had heard anything other than firm orders from him and you paused. It was a nice laugh. You were forced to gather your thoughts a moment later as he released you and helped you to your feet.

"You probably won't see a lot of hand-to-hand fighting with droids, but the armies aren't capable of anything beyond following orders. The armies are commanded by sentients, and those sentients are often closer to the armies than you would think."

"I have no intention of going after Grievous without a weapon," you joked. "Preferably more than one."

"You should stay away from Grievous no matter how many weapons you have," Rex advised. "But this is good to know, anyway."

"Actually, I agree with that," you said, surprising you both. "I'm a freelancer. Anything that helps me defend myself in a potentially hostile situation is a good thing."

"Okay, let's work on your hits, then," Rex suggested.

What followed was two full hours of unarmed combat practice. Rex was always the target, letting you throw punches and kicks against his open palms. When he realized that you were pulling your strikes because you were afraid to hurt him, he found a padded guard among the assortment of equipment the Republic had sent along.

Eventually, though, you were panting and bone-tired. Rex seemed to realize that without you saying anything.

"One last set of strikes and you're done for the night," Rex told you. It was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever said to you.

But as you punched, Rex moved the guard you had been aiming for. You shot him a look, but he only held the guard up, wiggling it slightly. You set up again, but Rex pulled away at the last second, dodging your fist to bop you on the shoulder with the guard.

"What are you doing?" you asked, exasperated. "You said this was the last set."

"It is. Or, it will be as soon as you actually manage to make contact."

You grimaced at him. This time, when he twisted the guard away, you turned with it. You were focused on keeping your footwork correct and your hit strong. You never even saw him move his foot between your ankles, but with a light tug, you were on the ground again.

"Seriously?" you asked from your spot in the dirt.

Rex laughed again, and this time, you didn't enjoy the sound at all. "Do you think your opponents are going to stand there and let you hit them? They're going to fight dirty - they always do. You just need to-"

As it happens, you never did learn what you needed to do. Rex had stepped too close, and your engineering experience told you that his ankles were at an angle that made him vulnerable to a hit. You kicked his ankle lightly, barely making contact, but it was enough to send one of his feet careening against the other. Rex stumbled, failed to regain his balance, and fell.

All of this was done on instinct and you felt as surprised as Rex looked when he landed on his butt in the dirt next to you.

"Good job," he said, breathless but sincere.

"Thanks," you accepted with a grin. "Does that mean I surprised you?"

"Not a bit," he denied, deflating your ego a bit. "I knew you were capable of it. You're an engineer. Engineers like angles and math. That's all combat is, adjusted for whatever you think the other side is going to do."

"Wait, that's… that's a really good point," you mused slowly. "Can I see your pistol again?"

Rex didn't move. "If you shoot me, you'll surprise me in the wrong way."

You snorted. "I'm not planning on shooting you, Captain. I just want to test how the application of math might help me."

After eyeing you for a moment, Rex stood in an enviably graceful motion and hauled you to your feet as well. Wordlessly, he handed you one of his blaster pistols. He had warned you before you began shooting that he had made numerous alterations to them, but you were still surprised by the weight of the weapon in your hand.

This time, instead of relying on instinct - point, aim, shoot - you worked to apply some logic. When you were sure about your angle, you squeezed the hyper-sensitive trigger and watched the resulting beam of weaponized light hit the target.

It wasn't a perfect shot, of course. Math couldn't fix everything. Still, you had hit the target and you cheered aloud, echoed by Rex's congratulations behind you. You had the presence of mind to set the pistol down before you turned, then Rex was grasping your forearm in the odd way warriors shook hands.

"Great job!" he told you warmly. "You're getting better."

"Thanks," you accepted, trying to vocalize your gratitude. You probably could have been offended by the tone of surprise in his voice, but you chose to overlook it.

"Now we just have to dial in your aim and get you comfortable with firing at moving targets, especially during chaotic situations."

Despite your best efforts, you felt your expression fall at that. Rex laughed again. When had he gotten so cheerful? "I'm kidding. That can be done tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" you repeated doubtfully.

Rex folded his arms across his chest and stared at you steadily. "In one session, you've gone from unable to shoot a gun or throw a punch to knocking me down and hitting a target. If you can keep that pace of improvement, you'll be a force to be reckoned with."

"Or at least be able to stop clients who try to cop a feel," you added.

Despite his darkening expression, Rex's tone was unconcerned. "I'm sure you could break the hand of any di'kut dumb enough to try it now. With some training, you'd be able to tear that hand off completely."

And so you continued to train with Rex after everyone else had finished learning to disable tanks and other intense activities. During the day, you finalized schematics, studying holoimages of Onderon’s capital city of Iziz. Your goal was to record your best guesses for the most and least structurally-sound sections of the city.

The dedication the rebels showed for the safety of the Onderonian people was a big reason you had agreed to take this job. Despite what the Jedi seemed to think, you weren't actually a mercenary. You chose your jobs very carefully, and if something didn't match your morals, you would respectfully decline.

Between schematic work in the day and training at night, your time with the rebels flew past. Captain Rex continued to be patient and helpful as you worked to master the combat moves he taught you - ones decidedly more focused on self-defense than the moves he taught the rebels. The first day you had beaten him in a grappling situation, he had beamed up at you with dirt on his face and told you how far you had progressed. The squeezing of your heart at the praise warned that it was probably good that the captain and both Jedi generals were withdrawing from Onderon shortly, leaving Commander Tano to assist with the remaining rebel efforts.

Despite your determination to stay out of the conflict, you had eventually been forced into it when the Separatist armies had attacked the rebel base. One of the rebels you had known by appearance if not by name had been hit by blaster fire before he could use the rocket launcher held in his hands. He had held it up to you, begging with his eyes that you take out the ship that had fired on him before it could do more damage.

You had accepted, and the ship was a roiling ball of flame before you could make yourself nervous about shooting anything other than Rex’s now-familiar blasters. You tossed aside the rocket launcher and found a discarded blaster. From that point until the combat had ended, thoughts of schematics or building solidity were gone from your head. You were as much a part of the rebel group as anyone else, and you watched with the same horror as Steela Gerrera fell to her death, despite the best efforts of Commander Tano.

The funeral was lovely. Onderonians didn’t believe in mourning for their dead. Instead, they truly celebrated all that the departed had done to create a better society… and Steela had done a great deal.

When things had ended, you were sitting on a raised set of stairs overlooking the ceremonial area. The dais holding Steela’s cloth-draped casket was filled with people far too important for you to bother. You were glad to see Saw speaking with King Dendup. After he had handed you the agreed-upon payment for your services - despite your many attempts to refuse the credits - Saw had left, ignoring the sympathy you tried to offer. He needed to speak with someone, and if that someone was the man he and Steela had worked so hard to save, so much the better.

“Nice ceremony, huh?” someone asked from behind you, and you twisted a bit to find General Skywalker standing there with Captain Rex beside him.

You nodded, but you could feel that it was a half-hearted motion. “Steela was so young. She had a lot of promise.”

“She died fulfilling the mission she set out to finish,” Captain Rex countered. “She knew the risks and thought Dendup was worth it. Her choices were her own. All we can do is respect them.”

With a joyless smile, you said, “Doesn’t make it any easier.”

“It never does,” General Skywalker admitted, sitting next to you. Rex’s comlink chimed and he stepped a respectful distance away before answering it.

Skywalker sat beside you in silence for a while. Normally, you would speak first just for sake of politeness, but you weren’t feeling that generous. You let the silence linger while you watched the activity on the dais.

“Have you ever thought about using your talents for the Republic?” the general asked eventually.

“I thought I was a soulless mercenary?” you asked before you could think better of it.

“And I thought you didn’t work in combat situations,” Skywalker countered. “But I’ve seen the battlefield recordings. You handled yourself well.”

You glanced over at him in surprise. “Are you trying to contract me on as a soldier?”

“Force, no,” he denied quickly. “As an engineer. I sent samples of your work to a friend of mine who works as an engineer in the private sector and they were impressed. The GAR is struggling to find good engineers comfortable working in combat. The pay is a bit lower than you’re used to, but it’s steady work.”

Ah, he had cut straight to the heart of your problem with freelancing. The fight to survive between jobs meant that anything extra you were making was eaten up by the time you were hired on again. And your morals meant that jobs weren’t nearly as frequent as you would like them to be. But being in constant combat… Yes, you had survived this time, but that didn’t mean you were rushing to repeat the experience.

You grimaced. “I appreciate the offer, really, but I don’t know if it’s for me. Combat engineering isn’t really my specialty.”

“I think you’re selling yourself short,” General Skywalker told you seriously. “I’ve seen samples of your past work, and a lot of it is on worlds that have a lot of fighting. I’m sure you know that none of your structures have sustained extreme damage, no matter how much combat was happening around them. That’s an impressive record.”

“You researched me?” you asked, feeling a little stunned.

“Well, the Republic likes to know who they’re hiring. But honestly, I’m not the one who did the research,” Skywalker said, looking past you. You followed his gaze to Rex, who was suddenly very intently looking at his comlink. With a mischievous grin, the general added, “I think my captain has taken a liking to you.”

You fought back a grin, turning away from the captain, and your eyes fell on Steela’s casket once more. Suddenly, keeping a straight face wasn’t as much of a struggle. “If I said yes, what would my official job duties be?”

“You would oversee a group of construction experts - both civilian and enlisted - using maps and satellite footage to find the best possible choices for locations to build bases, bridges, or other structures to help us complete campaigns,” he answered easily. “Preferably, to win campaigns, but that’s more on us than you.”

“And would I work with your group?”

“The 501st?” Skywalker asked, sounding surprised. “I’m not sure, but probably. We’re a planetary landing battalion, so we always need someone who has the knowledge of places to build. You might have to stay behind on some planets to supervise base construction, but you could always catch back up with us. Is that something you would want?”

“Yes,” you said firmly. “If I did agree to that-”

“I’m no good at negotiations,” he interrupted with a self-deprecating smile. “You speak clearly about what you want and I’ll do what I can.”

“I’ll work for the Republic,” you said, feeling the nerves twist in your belly. “If you can make sure I’m permanently attached to the 501st.”

“Deal,” General Skywalker accepted immediately, holding his hand out for you to shake. “Welcome to the 501st.”

---

A/N - I assure you that there is no timeline of any sort happening in my writing, so don't think too hard about where this should fit into the narrative. It won't end well.

Thanks for reading!

Next | Masterlist

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#star wars #star wars the clone wars #star wars fanfiction #sw tcw fic #tcw rex #captain rex #rex #rex x reader #rex x you #star wars fic

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starlightshadowsworld · 3 years

Text

YGO Protagonists

Atem:

*Oldest brother... Literal dad

*Is very protective over the rest of them

*Seriously don't touch a hair on their heads because you will lose your soul.

*He totally has Kaiba on Speed dial and calls him over the dumbest things to get a rise out of him (but they are friendly?( Seto would also murder you dead if you hurt these munchkins he just won't admit it... (I will not apologise for this)

*Does not understand memes (mee mee's?) but tells dad puns for days.

*Always gives compliments and gives great life/dueling advice to the rest (puts a hand on their shoulders with that knowing and proud look).

*Will spend hours bragging about how far Judai's come, how smart and talented Yusei and Yusaku, how Yuya and Yuga created original dualing rules, how Yugi is awesome. He will tell anyone and everyone (they all secretly love it)

Yugi Mouto:

*Younger older brother? (identical twins but younger of the two)

*Super optimistic, always there to lend a hand and is very pacifistic... but will throw hands if the situation requires and without hesitation.

*Has Kaibaman in his deck to spite Kaiba (it works every time)

*HE SHARPENS HIS HAIR!

*Yes it can pierce a wall... It was for science.

*Usually the one to help escalate the chaos, and than pretends to have no idea why the house is upside down... And on fire... And the fire is green.

*Is the only one other than Atem to get Yusei to go to sleep.

*He loves puzzles, telling riddles and leaving little clues around the house for the others to solve (and they always get a present even if they get it wrong because they tried.)

*Doesn't see anything wrong with his fashion sense.

Judai Yuki:

*Problem child 1, needs a hug

*Memelord, will constantly troll Atem with movie references, and anything he can think of. (Yes he does quote the star wars prequels during duals.)

*Yubel makes sure he's looking after himself and has woven their way into the family. They and Astral have fun conversations. (Pharaoh the cat gets on very well with Atem... Werid.)

*Either he's happy, outgoing and herding the younger kids into various pranks. Rounding up Yuya, Yuma, Yuga and Yugi into his antics, (we don't speak of the Eggwitch incident). Sometimes he manages to drag Yusaku in to join them, giving them all a part to play and praising their efforts (they haven't been caught)

*OR he's depressed, haunted and full of guilt. He finds comfort by spending time with the others, hating being on his own. Everyone even those fairly reserved pick up on his mood and direct him to different tasks. Especially with Yuya, both of them can talk for hours about what ifs, shoulds and shouldn'ts.

*Favourite non dualing activity is helping Yusei to bake, he has burned many a cookie but he loves icing cakes.

*Very protective, will tap into the power of the Supreme King and Yubels abilities sometimes as unconsciously when one of the others are upset, or he's pushed into a corner.

Yusei Fudo:

*Oldest after the twins, literal mum

*Can't take care of himself to save his life but cares deeply for the others. Packing them lunches, helping them with school work etc.

*Takes Yusaku under his wing as soon as he sees his tech skills, both of them stay up for hours working on projects until Yugi scolds them at 4 am.

*Always half asleep, covered in oil and holding a cup of coffee (no he doesn't have a problem.) He mumbles codes and always seems to fall asleep holding a wrench.

*Usually he's accompanied by Yuga or Yusaku, either sitting and asking questions about their projects or working on a shared on/Yusaku's own stuff. He doesn't like working alone so it works out.

*Can do the "Mum look" and it has stopped the Supreme King, Dark Zexal and Zarc in their tracks.

*Card games on Motorcycles...having his bike borrowed by the little ones who want to play a card game on a bike but aren't old enough or know how to drive.

*Likes to bake, learned from Martha to give the others birthday treats and finds it fun.

*Claims he can never get sick... Liar.

Yusaku Fujiki

*Problem child 2 (all problem children need hugs and therapy, Kaiba get your wallet)

*Tried to stay closed off from the others but finds he enjoys their company and their antics.

*He has a Metapod hoodie that Yuya won at a carnival and gifted him. He wears it all the time, its cosy.

*Pretty Awkward, very cold sometimes without meaning it but somehow there all able to understand what he means without getting upset or offended.

*He spends hours working on projects with Yusei, neither talk much and it's a comfortable silence. Yuga often accompanies them, full of questions and joy and he enjoys sharing his work.

*Prefers to watch the others dual than to dual himself, absorbing the strategies and while he doesn't quite understand their motives... He finds himself smiling at Yuya's shows, wondering what he means with his smiling routine.

*Offhandedly told Kaiba that he fixed some holes in his security system. Kaiba went on a firing spree (yes with his firing people coat) and his was promptly hired. He actually enjoys it, and is now Kaiba's favourite brat.

*Also... The missing persons list is growing after Yusaku finally opened up about his past.... Werid.

Yuya Sakaki

*Problem child 3 (see above)

*Smiles go for miles

*Finds a lot of comfort from the others. The first time he let slip about Zarc, Judai was right there with his glowing green/orange eyes and they bonded instantly.

*He tries to only dual for entertainment and fun but that can't always be the case, though it really rattles him up afterwards. Do not make him mad in a dual if you value your life.

*Plays a lot with Yuma and Yuga, as the oldest of the trio he tries to set an example... He never said it was a good one....hes part of Zarc.

*He always has a game, an idea and the others will always be his faithful audience. He's made real solid dualing into an art, Atem and Judai have made his monsters real at times without the need for the tech (it was beautiful)

*Starts the appreciate Dragons Fanclub with Yusei and Kaiba.

*Yes to capes (Sorry Edna)

*Fusion dimension isn't available at the moment... Or the forceable future.

Yuma Tsukumo

*Second youngest, space boy

*Atem gives him advice and praises every one of his duals even he loses, teaching him that every one can be used as a step towards success.

*Astral befriends Yubel, and often makes remarks at the Zarc fragments, he and Yuuri get on the others nerve.

*He spends most of his time with Yuya and Yuga, either dualing, watching Yuya dualtain or pranking. He started their lengendary prank war against Judai and Yugi...(Yusei was out of the house for a week and Atem gave up). It was a battle for the ages.

*He does worry at times that he's so behind the others skill's levels but as he gets closer to them it matters less. He cheers on every one of them, bragging about how cool they are.

*He takes up other hobbies, baking, cooking, and dragging everyone into family game nights. Which all end fine and do not result in a pissed of Zarc threathing Wario before kicking his switch out of a window... Nope absolutely not.

*Has a constellation book.

*Likes using big words he doesn't know the meaning off. And than trying and failing to convince everyone he knows exactly what he just said without googling it... While Astral facepalms, definitely picked it up from Yusei.

Yuga Ohda

*Tiny baby

*Yugi picked him up once and everyone starting to sing "it's the circle of life."

*He loves watching Yusei and Yasuke work, because they answer his questions properly and look at his inventions with respect and a critical but kind eye. They slowly teach him his to improve and it shows in his work.

*All of them were interested in his Rush duals and listen to him explain, finding it interesting and another new way to play.

*Yuya teaches him how to dualtain, both of them putting on hippo-tastic shows for their friends and loved ones. Fulfilling their goals to have fun.

*He steals everyone's hoodies and jackets, doesn't care how big they are he will steal them and wear them. And look adorable despite his argument that he isn't.

*Everyone is the most protective of him as he's the youngest and while he's touched, he's super protective over them and offers himself as a cuddle buddy whenever anyone has nightmares.

And there all one big crazy family

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okayto · 4 years

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Mini-Review: Bungo Stray Dogs

Atsushi Nakajima is having a bad week. First, he gets kicked out of the orphanage he called home--home to abusive adults, but still. Then, he seems to be stalked by a bloodthirsty tiger so he has to stay on the move. Also, he’s about to starve. THEN it turns out he is the tiger--specifically a weretiger, but he didn’t know and can’t control it.

My initial reaction from episode 1, and my current reaction 37 episodes and 1 movie later, are the same: Atsushi is a sweet cinnamon roll who needs a HUG and a THERAPIST and to SLEEP FOR A WEEK and I LOVE HIM

While Atsushi is our entry into the series and one of the main characters, BSD follows the supernaturally-gifted members of the "Armed Detective Agency," who accomplish different tasks including running a business, solving mysteries, protecting people and running interference with the local mafia, which also employs a number of supernaturally-gifted people.

This is a VERY FUN SERIES. It starts out seeming like a straightforward Underdog Good Guys vs. Well-Funded Big Bad Organization, and that’s not necessarily wrong. But as the series progresses, the “bad guys” get their share of the spotlight too.

Now first, I want to say, because I was confused for the longest time: this takes place in an alternate modern day. They’ve got smartphones and the internet, but there was apparently recently some big sort of war that doesn’t correspond to anything real, and the characters’ dress is...well:

For several episodes, despite the cell phones and computers I swear I thought this was set in the 1920s, but no. They just all have the fashion sense of a 10-year-old playing with paper dolls.

I mean, look at the image above. And then look at Mr. Edgy High-School Vampire below:

These people not only inhabit the same city, but no one ever seems to think they look out of place.

Not a criticism. I admire a series that has devoted itself to such distinctly cosplayable designs and refuses to give an explanation.

Anyway.

The general storyline is usually: the Armed Detective Agency receives a job that involves investigating something murderous and/or supernatural, or that involves protection from something murderous and/or supernatural. Sometimes this is straightforward, sometimes this is part of a longer story that means things even more murderous and supernatural are lurking in the shadows.

The players are often the Agency vs. the Mafia, but these orgs will occasionally team up for the greater good if an outside threat tries to move in. Some members of one org were previously with the other, so there’s a lot of history and emotions between certain factions.

One such complicated person is this dork: Osamu Dazai. He’s the one getting strangled by his partner.

He’s often found in the middle of a [failed] suicide attempt, or asking a pretty girl to commit a lovely double suicide with him. He’s cheerfully nihilistic, not intimidating, comes off as an airhead and a dork.

...and then you see this face, which is Universal Anime Face for “character who knows SO MUCH and is excellent at scheming.”

The characters are this show’s strength. If you’d told me during the first handful of episodes that one of my top 2 characters would be a mafia leader, I’d laugh, because why would I like a bad guy *that* much? When something is set up as clearly good vs. evil, I don’t tend to land on the side of evil regardless of evil’s extremely good character design

But hey, lots of evil gets a backstory and turn out to be super interesting--heck, this guy here is part of the focus of a half-season prequel! (Season 2, for the record--the first half is a prequel, then the second half picks up after the end of season 1.)

The series is about fighting, and people get hurt, and people have to make tough decisions. But it’s often balanced with humor, and that’s part of why I enjoyed it so much. There’s so much to track--people on both sides with tragic backstories, the city- or world-ending plots that pop up, the many, MANY attempted murders--that if it went straight through, it would be overwhelming.

But in the midst of all that, you have characters making jokes, or being inept, or responding to a hostage situation by playing rock-paper-scissors to see who deals with it, or tripping their enemy in the middle of a Very Serious Battle like Bug Bunny showing up to fight Thanos.

(None of that really translates to gifs well, but here’s a character, in the middle of a dangerous fight, picking up Mr. Teenage “I Swear I’ll Kill You If You Laugh At Me” Hot Topic Model and carrying him like a sack of potatoes.)

Another fun thing about this series is that the title translates to “Literary Stray Dogs,” and all the main characters are named after famous late writers. This is easy to miss if you’re American like me and have never heard of “Doppo Kunikida” or “Akiko Yosano,” but once international characters show up in season 2, you’re faced with “Louisa Alcott” and “John Steinbeck,” part of a group led by "Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald.”

The characters’ powers all vary as well. Their names are often weird, until you learn that the names are all lines/titles of the original authors’ works (Chuuya Nakahara’s Upon the Tainted Sorrow gravity manipulation sounds ridiculous, Astushi’s Beast Beneath the Moonlight weretiger ability sounds pretentious until you know the connection). Abilities range from “cool fighting ability” to “useful defensive ability” to “Herman Melville creates small flying whales and that’s...cool, I guess?”

Verdict

English dub? Yes, and I love it! I tried watching both, and I actually prefer the dub’s voices.

Visuals: This is a show dedicated to its aesthetic, at least as far as fashion is concerned. I don’t know if any of the character designs/outfits are based on their namesakes (although remember my comment that I thought this was set in the 20s for a while? A lot of the namesake authors were active/alive between 1900 and 1930, so...), but maybe? Or maybe they just wanted to have suspenders and hats and long coats. Whatever, it’s cool and looks good, as does the rest of the series. Much of it it bright and/or takes place in the daytime--avoiding the “too dark to see what’s going on” thing.

Worth watching? YESSSSS. Please watch sweet cinnamon roll too good too pure for this world Atsushi find a place of his own and learn he does get to have nice things. Please watch Dazai act like a total goof before the next scene shows us he’s five steps ahead of everyone else. Please watch Chuuya manipulate gravity so his hat stays on while he flips upside down. Please watch characters snark at each other even as they team up to defeat city-destroying monsters.

Where to watch (USA, as of September 2020): Funimation (sub and dub), Crunchyroll (sub and dub, plus Spanish and Portuguese)

Click my “reviews” tag below or search “mini review” on my blog to find more!

#bungou stray dogs #bungo stray dogs #literary stray dogs #the manga series is ongoing so there's always the possibility we'll get more anime in the future #and BOY HOWDY DO I WANT MORE #just writing this review has me longing to go rewatch the entire thing because I loved it so much #particularly relationships between characters and PARTICULARLY relationships between characters that don't want to admit they like eachother #reviews #anime #recommendation

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the-desolated-quill · 4 years

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The Mandalorian Represents Everything I Hate About Disney - Quill’s Scribbles

This post contains spoilers for the first two episodes, if you care about that sort of thing.

Yes, after four months of wallowing in a depressive funk, your lord and saviour the Desolated Quill has returned to (hopefully) start posting semi-regularly again. And what better way to mark my return than by kicking my favourite dead horse Disney.

So what have you been doing since this coronavirus epidemic started? I for one have been spending most of the time trying and failing to persuade my mother not to get a Disney+ subscription. The rise of streaming TV services represent the very height of greed and stupidity within the film and television industry. See it’s not enough for these studios to share their profits with the likes of Netflix and Amazon. Rampant capitalism dictates that they must have every conceivable penny imaginable, hence why we’re seeing the slow gating off of content and the emergence of new streaming platforms like Disney+, Starzplay, DC Universe, HBO Max, Apple TV and YouTube. Yes, even Youtube has a subscription service now. It’s like that episode of Oprah Winfrey. You get a streaming service, you get a streaming service, you get a streaming service, EVERYBODY gets a streaming service! Except the problem is that the reason why Netflix and Amazon took off was because it was convenient to get all of our entertainment from one location. Now with content spread out across multiple platforms, customers are having to pick and choose who to subscribe to as only the very rich can afford to subscribe to everyone. It’s ostensibly a televisual arms race coupled with classism. Make no mistake, the motivation behind the rise of streaming services is not motivated by customer satisfaction nor artistic merit, but rather corporate greed. And Disney is by far the worst offender. There is literally not a single reason why they couldn’t have kept their stuff on Netflix. The only reason Disney+ exists is so that they can get their grubby mitts on even more money than they already have (which is quite a lot).

So my mum got a Disney+ subscription because she never fucking listens to a single word I say and we ended up sitting down to watch the first two episodes of The Mandalorian. The new Star Wars TV spinoff created by Iron Man director Jon Favreau set in-between Return of The Jedi and The Force Awakens.

As much as I have complaints about the way Disney have handled the Star Wars license, I confess I was curious and dare I say even excited about The Mandalorian when it was first announced. I’ve gone on record to say that I didn’t want nor care about a sequel trilogy because, as far as I was concerned, Return Of The Jedi was a perfect ending to the Skywalker saga and we didn’t need to see what happened next. That’s like wondering what happens after Cinderella married Prince Charming. We don’t need to see it. They lived happily ever after. The end. The spinoffs, on the other hand, including the Anthology films and The Mandalorian, I was much more excited for because it was an opportunity to tell different kinds of stories and explore areas of the Star Wars universe we wouldn’t normally get to see in the main films. If the Star Wars franchise has to be expanded upon, I’d rather it was like this. Lets move away from the Skywalkers and the Jedi and concentrate on other stuff. So a space western set after the original trilogy depicting a lone bounty hunter trying to make ends meet after the fall of the Empire was very appealing to me.

Sadly that’s not what I got.

I’ll just be blunt. I saw the first two episodes of The Mandalorian and I didn’t like it very much. It’s not bad as such. It’s competently made. I’ve seen some behind the scenes videos and there’s clearly a lot of talented people working hard on this show. That being said, the story of The Mandalorian is... well... kind of rubbish.

So lets talk about it, shall we?

As far as I’m concerned there are three reasons why The Mandalorian doesn’t work. The first is the complete lack of tension. It’s a problem that’s plagued Star Wars since The Phantom Menace. Despite all the challenges and obstacles that are thrown at the characters, it never seems to affect them or even pose much of a threat. We saw that with Anakin Skywalker in the prequels and Rey in the sequels, and it’s the same here. The Mandalorian is this amazing dude who’s skilled and awesome and the bestest fighter ever. He can take out all these bad guys single-handedly and can do all these cool things. Except none of that is interesting. It’s boring. People like to defend Rey saying she’s no worse than Luke Skywalker, but that’s not true because, unlike Rey, Luke isn’t perfect. He struggles, he makes mistakes, and he grows and evolves over time. Rey is just this perfect woman who can do no wrong and who can pull any random superpower out of her arse for the sake of plot convenience. It’s just bad writing. While The Mandalorian never gets quite as bad as that, there does seem to be this obsession with making this awesome, cool dude, but that ends up coming at the cost of any tension or threat the story could have.

In the first episode, we see his bounty explore his ship. This could have been an opportunity to create some tension. Maybe he could try and sabotage the ship. Or try to escape. Complicate matters for the Mandalorian. But no. The Mandalorian knew what the guy was doing and instantly recaptures him. Same goes for a scene later on when the Mandalorian and some killer robot has to fight a whole army of mercenaries. How are they going to get out of this? Very easily it turns out. Not only do they beat them within a couple of minutes, the mercenaries are also clearly the worst shots ever. The robot is like seven foot tall and moving at the speed of frozen treacle, and yet they don’t manage to land a single hit on the guy. Where’s the suspense? Where’s the danger? By the end of the first episode, I was just bored senseless.

Which leads me to my second biggest problem. The total lack of originality. Is it really too much to ask for someone to actually come up with their own fucking ideas? Literally everything in The Mandalorian is basically nicked wholesale from other, better Star Wars films. The first two planets we visit in episode one are basically variations on Tatooine with the same architecture and everything. There’s even that eye thing that pops out of the door like in Jabba’s Palalce in Return Of The Jedi. Then, to add insult to injury, we then end up on the actual Tatooine (or at least what I assume is the actual Tatooine. I mean there are Jawas). The Mandalorian is like this Frankenstein assembly of Star Wars memorabilia. Everything has been taken from other films when it makes no sense to do so. The Mandalorian freezes his bounties in carbonite, except that was a process specific to Cloud City. Darth Vader improvised a trap using what was at hand to try and catch Luke. He wasn’t even sure if Luke would survive the freezing process, hence why they tested it on Han Solo first. The only reason it’s here in The Mandalorian is for fanwank purposes. Same goes for the stormtroopers. Why the fuck are there stormtroopers?! Remember where we are in the Star Wars story. The Empire has fallen and the New Republic is taking over. Imperialists are going to be pretty unpopular, wouldn’t you say? So why the fuck would you have stormtroopers wandering around in full armour out in the open? It makes zero sense. Even the killer robot is copied whole sale from IG-88 from Empire Strikes Back. Why don’t you come up with your own killer robot design?

Then there’s this little shit:

Yeah, I kind of knew this was coming because I’ve seen the GIFs circulating on Tumblr beforehand, which kind of ruined the ending of the first episode somewhat. But even if I didn’t know this was coming, the ‘twist’ still wouldn’t work because it’s not really a twist if you think about it. What actually happens? The Mandalorian finds the Child and it’s an eighty year old gremlin. Okay. So what? The only reason it’s ‘shocking’ is because it vaguely looks like Yoda. Other than that, who gives a shit? It doesn’t really mean anything.

Which leads me to my third biggest problem. Why should I give a shit about anything that’s going on? What are the stakes? There aren’t any. We don’t know anything about the Mandalorian and we have no reason to care about him or his job. We don’t know anything about the Child or why he’s so important. The only reason people are interested is because it reminds them of the other films. As a story in and of itself, there’s simply nothing there. I don’t know who any of these people are, what they want, why they want it and what will happen if they fail. So why should I give a shit? And nowhere is this more apparent than in the second episode. The Jawas agree to give the Mandalorian’s ship parts back if he retrieves an egg from some monster. Why do they want the egg? I don’t know. I literally have no idea. They never say. And yet that’s what the entire episode revolves around. This isn’t a story. It’s just random stuff happening. And what’s more it has nothing to do with the overall plot. You can literally cut out the entirety of episode two and it wouldn’t make the slightest bit of difference. Same is true of that annoying fuckface that keeps insisting ‘he has spoken’ (I swear by the end I wanted to kick that old git in the face, he irritated me so much). We waste the second half of the first episode watching the Mandalorian piss about with some toad/horse thing only to then make his way back to the ship on foot in episode two. So what was the fucking point of that then? Why is anything fucking happening?

And this is what perfectly sums up the problems with Star Wars under Disney’s regime. If anything The Mandalorian acts as a microcosm for everything that’s wrong with the current movies and indeed Disney as a company. These movies aren’t movies. They’re products designed to pander to a gullible fanbase’s nostalgia. The entire sequel trilogy was basically the original trilogy repackaged and resold with nothing unique or original to offer. And the reason The Rise Of Skywalker felt so unsatisfying to everyone watching was because the story was never planned. They pivoted it to whatever the focus groups enjoyed about the previous film. That’s why the whole trilogy felt so uneven and directionless. And it’s not just Star Wars. Obviously there’s the live action remakes of the Renaissance movies, now with added nods and winks to meta commentary without actually addressing actual complaints people may have had. This also extends to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. How many of these fucking movies have we had where the bad guy tries to take over the world with an Infinity Stone? Thor: The Dark World and Guardians Of The Galaxy are pretty much the exact same movie. Spider-Man: Far From Home, a film co-produced with Sony, is ostensibly a rehash of Iron Man 3, which in turn had recycled a lot of its story from Pixar’s The Incredibles, another Disney product. Even Black Panther, a movie I absolutely adore, borrows its basic plot structure from Thor: Ragnarok. Disney are so unoriginal and so lazy that they have effectively started cannibalising themselves. The Mandalorian is just the latest example of this. At least with Black Panther you had a talented filmmaker like Ryan Coogler who was able to take these borrowed elements and spin it into something more meaningful and with more emotional impact. At least there was some actual passion put into that film.

People are no doubt going to have a go at me saying I’m being too harsh and that I haven’t given The Mandalorian a fair chance. Well I’m sorry, but I’ve given it two episodes and I’m bored out of my mind. It’s a cynically produced, uninspired load of waffle. I’m not going to waste my time sitting through more episodes in the hopes that it might get good later on. That’s not how good storytelling is supposed to work and it sickens me to think that this has pretty much become the new normal for this industry.

#the mandalorian #star wars #disney+#anti disney #quill's scribbles

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sweater-daddiesdumbdork · 4 years

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Night In

Summery- Bucky and reader just having a night in. Prank get gets played. Bucky does have the nicest hair after all. Fluffy. No warnings.

word count: 1372.

You were lounging on the couch, your hand flipping through the expanse of channels Tony paid to have while dipping your hand into a half gone bag of cheetos. Popping one in your mouth and chewing the obnoxious orange crunch of deliciousness that you would admit to consuming more then enough for the team. Oh well, everyone has there vices.

Flopping the remote down with a sigh, tv just wasn't doing it for you. You had finished your training, for the most part, done a job well done on your first out in the field mission, sure you had a few bruised tender ribs. Nothing serious, but Captain decided to go all authoritative and state since it was your first mission, take the win and heal up before going back out. Easier said then done, the first few days although sore, you were ready for some action. Natasha and Bucky took some pity on you, Natasha did some easy hand to hand with you, some stealth work. Bucky had you working on sniper skills. Both extremely skilled in there crafts, and you soaked it all in, gaining an easy friendship with the members of the team.

Tipping your head to the back of the couch, you catch sight of Bucky placing his cleaning kit on the table in the main dining area, and settle in to start dismantling his Sig-Saurer Pistol. Meticulous, each piece being set in a specific order on the table. This was something you know hes done more times then any of you could count at this period. Shifting on the couch so you were kneeling facing him, bracing your chest against the back of the couch, your arms criss crossed to brace against the back. You watch him silently for just a moment before you start in.

"Bucky"

"No"

"Buuuuucky"

Doesnt even pause as he cleans out the barrel. "Nope"

"You don't even know what I'm gonna ask"

"Still no y/n"

“Come on.... How about a movie? I hate watching movies alone.”

A sideways glance he finally gives you, as he sets down the current piece he was cleaning, and moving onto the next. By the way he would act, your an annoyance, pesky and irritating him. Flashing him a hopeful smile, he rolled his eyes and sighed. “Go pick out something, and when I finish I will watch it with you.” A whoop of success escapes you as you scramble to pick out something, when your out of sight he gives an affectionate grin and shake of his head, you’ve managed to get to him over the week, growing to actually like you.

Going up to the wall, of course it had EVERYTHING imaginable. Like Tony thought you all really had alot of down time. Your eyes scanned over the titles, you didnt want anything to serious, and yet you weren't sure Bucky would really enjoy the comedies of your time. Your fingers slip over cases, pulling one out and assessing the back blurb of the story. Finally you decide on The Fellowship of the Ring, a personal favorite of yours. Just as you mess around with the television system, Bucky returned from taking care of his gear, choosing an end corner of the couch for himself. “So what did you pick for us?”

You flopped down next to him, folding up your legs in a criss cross while messing with the remote, till the screen started playing. “Personal favorite, The Fellowship of the Ring, like the Avengers in a fantasy land. Kicking ass and taking names!” You grinned as you reached into the front of the hoodie you were wearings and dug out a giant bag of peanut butter m&ms. Were you a damn squirrel hoarding snacks everywhere? Maybe. Immediately his hand reached out for a handful, which you promptly poured into his cupped palm. Wedging the bag between the two of you to share, the next few hours were filled with dramatic scenes of escape from the black riders, both of you had feet outstretched onto the coffee table. Ohs and Ahs at the right spots, once in a while shooting a candy at the other, trying to aim into the mouth.

Afterwards when the credits started rolling, and you were stretching out dormant muscles, Bucky threw up his hands in a what gesture. “That’s it?! Do they ever get the ring to Mordor? What happened with the Ranger, Elf and Dwarf? what about Merry and Pippin? That cant be it.”

You start laughing as you fold the remainder of the bag closed, tossing it onto the coffee table. “Dude, theres 2 more just as long, and a whole prequel we can watch afterwards. Answers all those questions and then some. Dragons buddy, dragons. Get ready.” It was great seeing Bucky just have fun with something, typically he was so quiet and serious, that this was a side you hadn't seen from him before. “Actually, you know what. You look like Aragorn a bit, with this long hair of yours.” Reaching over you gave a gentle tug on it, his hand coming up to brush it back out of habit, leaving it tousled and falling back into its usual place. “But give me half hour with it, and I can braid it up all nice.” Bucky scowled a bit at your teasing. “Hell no you are not braiding it, in fact get that idea right out of your head right now.” Warning you off, oh damn, GAME ON. You clasp your hands together now in a begging manner.

“Please please please Buck?! No one has to know. Steve and Natasha wouldn't ever see it, and I bet you would ROCK some braids”

That was it, evening over. He dropped his feet to the floor and moved to a stand. “You come at me, i’m cutting you.” He threatened, but that just made you grin more. “Its after midnight, I’m going to bed, and you should to. We have target practice in the morning, and I don’t want you going cross-eyed on me aiming.”

You waved a hand at him and a roll of the eyes, this was nothing you weren't used to. Watching his retreating back, you figured it was time to see how well Natasha taught you those super stealth skills. Turning off the television, and shutting off lights, you went off to your bedroom, knowing it would be a couple hours till you could try.

It was hours later, and barefooted you tip toed into Buckys room, watching him carefully to make sure he was in a deep sleep. This would be an excellent test of your skills. It wasn't easy to sneak up on Bucky, and to actually manage to braid his hair, well the idea made you bite back a giggle welling in your chest, covering your mouth to keep it from slipping out. Finally under control, you make your way to the side of the bed, carefully sliding your fingers through his hair to branch into three sections, as much as possible. Digging for a band in your pocket, you quickly tied it off, and when he rolled, you dropped to the floor, baited breath, but a soft snore snagged from above you. Might as well quit while your ahead and you retreat back out to the hallway. Once the door closes, you let out a whoosh of air, shocked you had apparently gotten away with it.

Morning came, and you were passed out in your bed, head buried under pillows and burrito style in your blankets. Probably should have been up a while ago, but your wake up was coming, You should have suspected this, but it came as a total shock when all of the sudden you were rolling out of the fold of your blankets, and blinking up at Bucky standing over your bed, pointing to one side of his head “Y/N, what the hell?! God damn it, in my sleep?!” You blink up at him momentarily, then bust out laughing, rolling around your bed in a fit.

He grumbled at you while you were still howling with laughter “Hurry up, we got drills to do, and there better not be any pictures of this”

Mission accomplished.

#bucky barnes #bucky x reader #fluff #mcufam #sebastian stan #poor bucky

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thewebcomicsreview · 4 years

Video

youtube

All Elite Wrestling has a storyline where the main good guy, Cody Rhodes, was screwed out of the world title by his protege, Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF). Cody is now forbidden from ever challenging for the world title ever again ever (which is carefully phrased so that he can get the champion to challenge him, but shhh), and he wants a match with MJF so that he can get revenge. MJF had a list of stipulations: Cody can't touch him before the match or the match is off. Cody has to defeat Big Minion Guy in a cage, and Cody has to let MJF whip him with a leather belt ten times.(Content warning for, um, welts. It’s not as violent as the VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED warning in the title implies)

That last one is weird. Even in wrestling, that's weird. And there was a lot of groaning and speculation when this stip was announced. Perhaps there'd be some kind of swerve, like Cody whips MJF and MJF is so mad he challenges Cody to the match anyway, even though Cody broke the rules? Surely, they wouldn't have their main good guy come out and stand stand there while MJF fifty shades'd him. He'd look like such a loser!

But, in fact, that's exactly what happened. And it was great, it got AEW some of it's best ratings in months, and wrestling forums were full of dudes saying they were literally crying. So, what the fuck? How did "Pro wrestler gets slapped a bunch" become such a big deal? And can we learn from this as creators?

First, they just spent a lot of time building this up. MJF betrayed Cody all the way back in November, and MJF and Cody have been talking about this ten lashes thing for weeks. Literally anything can be a big major moment if you hype it up enough. I've talked about, say, Prequel, and how all the misery porn made the eventual turn to Katia as an actual factual action hero so amazing and satisfying, but this is true for anything. Gunnerkrigg Court makes it a huge deal when Anthony tells a joke in front of his daughter, for instance.

But the much more interesting thing they did is something they did in the same episode that the whipping happened. MJF gave an interview where he hyped up the whipping and made a point of stating that, should Cody wuss out before taking all ten lashes, then he would get nothing. And, when you think about it: Duh. Obviously that's how it works. The rule is that Cody has to take ten lashes, so if he gives up at nine he didn't take ten and thus no match. This doesn't need to be explained to you. But because they explained it to you, the entire scene changed. Before, the segment was "Cody will get whipped ten times", which is a statement. But by raising the possibility of him giving up, the segment changes to "Can Cody survive getting whipped ten times?", which is a question, and questions are a lot more dramatic than statements. If Cody were tied to a post and wasn't able to quit and was just getting whipped, it's not really a story. If Cody has to hold on and MJF is trying to get him to quit? That's a story. There's suspense, and there's tension, and that tension can build.

And the tension builds to a climax is a very shounen anime way, not just in the broad strokes but in the details of how these characters change over the course of the scene:

Cody comes out, and MJF is totally smug and evil. Cody, big tough action hero protagonist of a wrestling show, takes one whip with grace, but MJF's feeling pretty good. A bunch of butchers, bunnygirls, dentists and other ne'er-do-wells all come out to watch. Already the stakes are escalating, because now Cody has a jeering crowd. MJF does a second whip, and tries to goad Cody into hitting him, because that will get Cody to not get the match. Cody doesn't take the bait, because he's powered by the desire for revenge, and MJF starts getting irritated. He hits Cody with a bit of a running start, much harder. Cody goes down, collapses, after only three hits. The stakes are raised even further: Cody can't do this. He's going to lose. His coach comes out to give him advice and moral support. MJF, who's apparently aware of the power of friendship, gets super mad and drives Arn off, but Cody is powered up enough to take another hit. Cody gets up and takes a fourth whipping. MJF starts screaming at Cody to quit, because that's what MJF really wants. Cody gets up and appeals to the fans to support. The power of the scene is starting to change. It's starting to look like Cody might win. MJF whips him again and starts screaming at him to quit. We're five whips in, and it's not just "thwack thwack thwack", each whip is actually advancing the story.

We're five hits in, so it's time for Act 2. Cody's older brother Dustin comes out and tries to sacrifice himself and take the remaining whips himself. MJF refuses, and says "It has to be him". Dustin gives Cody some moral support. MJF tries to get it off by doing whips six and seven really fast. His entire demeanor's changed. He's losing, and he knows it. You can see it in his face (MJF's facials during this leather whipping scene are great). He goes for whip eight, as hard as he can, but the power of friendship is too strong. Cody gets up and flips MJF. MJF is hopping mad, what is he going to do? He winds up for whip nine, even though he clearly knows it's not going to work (For it is he who has given up!), but Big Minion Guy stops him. MJF had not too minutes ago stopped someone from taking Cody's place, but he has no problem letting someone take his place.

Remember what I said about how making you wait for things makes them bigger? This is a great example. BMG has been around for a month or so, but this is the first time he's actually done literally anything besides stand next to MJF and be a big minion guy. BMG hits Cody way harder than MJF did, and even the power of friendship can't save Cody, who collapses dead. (Wow, this dude dropped Cody in a single hit! How can Cody possibly beat him in a cage match in two weeks?! Wow, this scene isn't just telling a story, it's subtly setting up the next chapter!). MJF declares victory, everyone despairs. It's the part in the second act of the story where everything's fucked right before the climax, and that climax comes in the form of Cody's wife Brandi making an appearance, which is a bit of a surprise for reasons I won't go into, but anyway he wife shows up and gives him a pep talk. MJF is freaked out, he says "shit" on live TV he's so freaked out, and now Cody has something even more powerful than friendship.

He has love.

He gets up, he survives, MJF gives him one last whip on the nips, but his heart isn't in it. He lost. Cody stands triumphant, as MJF fumes

Then MJF kicks Cody in the nuts and runs away for dear life because he's an asshole and he's so great, and we go to commercial as a plant "fan" is so mad he tries to fight MJF and gets beat up.

And this whole shtick is all about pro wrestling, but these basic rules apply to nearly any scene you want to be dramatic. You could replace the harder whips with an anime transformation, or a harder question on a test, or really anything you like. Every single thing that happens either ups the stakes of the peril the hero is in, or gives him another tool to combat that peril, all while advancing the character relationships (and building up a later challenge), and building to a satisfying climax in a segment that follows the three act structure all by itself. Even though the plot is really really simple, and even though this is basically a pro wrestling match with only one move, the way it builds tension is excellent and worth studying.

#Wrestling #AEW #All Elite Wrestling #Scott Pilgrim

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inhale-fandoms-exhale-asdfghjkl · 4 years

Text

Starkid Musicals Ranked

So I know I've done this before but it was quite a while ago and Black Friday has come out now so naturally I've had some changes in opinion. Also I've got nothing else better to do in self-isolation and I had plenty of time so i thought why the hell not.

I’m sorry for the fact that this post drags on a bit. I just really love Starkid if that’s not already obvious. Please keep in mind I wrote this at 3am so if it’s riddled with spelling errors or doesn't make sense, please bear with me.

This time I wanted to be really thorough in how i ranked the shows so i went through a few processes.

First I ranked each of the shows based on the writing, music, production, humour, costumes and the cast’s performances (which is really just criteria that makes a show great for me personally). For each category i gave them a score out of 10 which I then added up and each show what given a score out of 60.

The results of this were:

Hmb (53/60)

AVPS, Starship, Twisted (52/60)

AVPM & Black Friday (47/60)

The Trail to Oregon (46/60)

TGWDLM (45/60)

AVPSY & ANI (44/60)

MAMD (37/60)

Firebringer (35/60)

To be honest, i was quite surprised by some of these scores. Some shows were way higher or lower than i though they’d be but some were pretty accurate. However, i didn’t think these scores alone really reflected my actual personal opinions of these shows as a whole. There were a few shows with the same scores so I tried to figure out a way to kind of rank them by personal taste while still using the scores. Really all I did was I ranked the ones with tied scores.

HMB

Twisted

Starship

AVPS

AVPM

Black Friday

The Trail to Oregon

TGWDLM

AVPSY

ANI

MAMD

Firebringer

Now I definitely thought this list was much more accurate but I still felt a few shows were out of place. In particular, HMB. A good portion of the reason of why it got such a high score is purely for my love of the costumes. Therefore, I pretty much abandoned all the previous work I did and then just listed them based on my personal enjoyment of each show which actually isn’t too different. Because at the end of the day, no matter how high I score a specific criteria for a show, that doesn’t necessarily mean I enjoy other aspects of the show equally.

For each show, I go into a pretty lengthy description of things I love about the show, commenting on the writing, music, production, humour, costumes and the cast’s performances. I also give provide an MVP for each show which is just a specific cast member or two’s performances that I particularly like to or stood out to me. I also give my favourite song and scene of each show.

Also this is just MY personal ranking of each show based on things that I do or don’t enjoy about them. I absolutely love every single one of these shows, don’t confuse me being a little critical with some of them as hate or disrespect. Please understand that these are my opinions, which I am allowed to have just like you and I ask you to respect them even if you disagree just like I would respect yours.

So without further ado, this is my final ranking of Starkid’s musicals:

1. Twisted

In my eyes, this show is quite possibly the closest thing you will ever get to perfection. Whether it’s the soundtrack (BLESS YOU AJ HOLMES AND YOUR RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING SONGWRITING SKILLS) or the acting (DAMN YOU DYLAN SAUNDERS FOR MAKING ME CRY SO MUCH, IT’S REALLY NOT FAIR) or just Nick and Matt’s writing which let’s be honest is always amazing. This show perfectly balances both the comedy and dramatic elements of the story, which if I’m being truly critical, not every Starkid show does. It’s a ridiculously beautiful, heart-warming show but it never takes itself too seriously. It has this amazing ability to have you both laughing and crying at the same time. Aladdin is one of my favourite Disney movies and I have to say it’s an amazing adaptation, it’s legitimately better than Disney’s live action remake in my opinion. Like all of their adaptation/parody shows, Starkid is able to stay true to the original text while also making it their own which I think is what make their shows so unique and refreshing.

MVP: I mean I gotta go with Dylan Saunders. I know it’s an obvious choice but how can I not. I mean I can’t believe it took them five years before they have Dylan a lead role because let’s be honest he’s amazing and he absolutely nailed this fucking role. Not only does he perfect every single one of those heart wrenching monologues/scenes but like his comedic timing is perfect. But Jeff, Joe and Rachael are definitely honourable mentions.

Favourite Song: IF I BELIEVED. If you don’t believe this is the best song on the soundtrack then you can bloody fight me, alright. I’m getting emotional just thinking about this song, just imagine when I listen to it or worse, when I watch the scene.

Favourite scene: I really love the entirety of Twisted with all the other Disney villains but literally any scene with Achmed is very fun to watch.

2. Starship

So I explained this in my original ranking post but I’m going to say it again. This show holds an extremely special place in my heart. It was the first Starkid show I watched after initially joining the fandom through AVPM and AVPS. I honestly couldn’t tell you what my favourite thing about this show is or why I love it so much, I just do. This show was my favourite show (until Twisted was released) and I would literally watch it over and over again. I love the music, I love the writing, and I love every single one of the cast’s performances. I legit have almost close to zero critiques on this show. It’s one of Starkid’s best written and produced productions (I mean the set, the puppets, everything was on point). This is such a hilarious show with some of Starkid’s best and most iconic jokes and yet it still manages to be such a beautiful and inspiring show.

With all this being said, this show is so criminally underrated and I really do not understand why but I guess everyone’s got their own tastes and all but okay. You do you.

Also, just gonna go off on a tangent for a bit. This musical is what made me fall in love with the beautiful, amazing, talented Dylan Saunders. I could not believe that the same man could play the adorable and very loveable cutie pie that is Tootsie Noodles/Mega-Girl and the hauntingly charismatic Pincer who is by the way one of Starkid’s best villains. Yes I said it. Nonetheless 12 –year-old me was absolutely flabbergasted by this man’s talented and really had no choice but to fall in love with him. Apart from Twisted, this is most definitely Dylan’s best performance (Not that he has any bad ones. Let’s be honest, that man is perfect). Legit, I challenge anyone to try watch this musical and not fall in love with him. It’s literally impossible.

MVP: I don’t think I could pick just one, I mean they’re all so amazing. I’d probably have to go with Joey. I think Bug was a great character for him and really showcased his abilities, which have just grown exponentially over the years. It was great seeing him play a more serious role rather than his previously more comedic roles (Ron and Joey) while also getting to goof off a little bit. It’s so fun to watch him in this and I really don’t think he gets enough appreciation for this role. Oh and also Meredith is amazing in Starship. I absolutely love her as Mega-Girl and it’s my favourite role of hers.

Favourite song: The Way I Do. Bro the chemistry between Meredith and Dylan is off the charts and this song just shows it. I love everything about this song. It’s so beautiful, I can’t even. Also not too be too like generic but Kick it up a Notch is phenomenal and one of Darren’s best. Actually this show’s whole soundtrack is probably my favourite of the ones that Darren wrote.

Favourite scene: I don’t think I have a favourite but I love the scene with Junior and Mega-Girl where he calls her a toaster and all that. Some of Brian’s best acting and he and Meredith’s chemistry really is really present here. It’s not often you get to see these two play opposite each other so it’s fun and interesting to watch.

3. A Very Potter Sequel

As a major Harry Potter fan, it’s only natural that I hold the Potter series with the highest regard. Despite the fact that this show is a parody by a bunch of college kids, it literally is a better adaptation than a whole eight-part, multi-million budget film series and that’s saying something. How the hell did Nick and Matt write every single one of these characters more accurately and consistently than professional screenwriters and at times, JK Rowling herself? It’s very rare that you ever hear me say that a sequel (I guess it’s technically a prequel) is better than the original but here we are. Don’t get me wrong, AVPM is iconic™ but this show just somehow improved what AVPM already perfected. The plot was much more fleshed out and every single character was written so perfectly and also everybody was casted perfectly. If you follow me you probably know of my love for Remus Lupin and while his character is AVPS is written absolutely ridiculously, it is one of my favourite things about the show. In this show Remus is written to be like this total mess of a person, who is like homeless and just walks around the school half naked, covered in blood and forces a child to eat a dead deer and is just drunk all time and yet I can just totally accept it. Like if the movies had written Remus like this I’d be like “hmm no” but when Brian Holden does it I’m like “um yes this is amazing”. This is quite possibly Starkid’s funniest show, I literally cry of laughter EVERY TIME. Honestly this show is comedic gold for any Harry Potter fan. From anything that comes of Lupin’s mouth or the entirety of Umbridge’s character to Lucius’s dancing.

This being said, I can totally understand why anyone wouldn’t like this or the other Potter shows as much as the others or not think it’s funny if they’re not a fan as most of the humour is based on knowledge of the original series and obviously this for the other parody shows like HMB or ANI. Nonetheless I still think anybody could enjoy this show and its humour as Starkid pretty much has the same sense of humour running throughout most if not all of their shows.

MVP: Brian Holden. I don’t think I need to explain again. But also Tyler Brunsman and Joe Walker are scene-stealers too. Also Corey Dorris as Yaxley in this show is peak comedy.

Favourite song and scene: okay so these kind of go together for me for this show. The whole scene with Those Voices brings me to tears every time. I fucking love the whole marauders era so them showing Sirius Black seeing James and Lily in the Mirror of Erised is more than my heart can take. Nick and Darren in this scene is just *chef’s kiss* and then you add Brian Rosenthal harmonising in the background, well it’s enough to make any girl break and you bet it does every time.

4. Holy Musical B@man!

Oh my god this is just such a fun show and if it was a person, I would die for it. When I first watched this, I wasn’t that big of a DC fan at the time so I couldn’t fully appreciate it for what it was. It’s actually so amazing and it’s a real shame that it sometimes gets overlooked. Nick Gage’s song writing is actually amazing and I really love this soundtrack. I mean I literally get chills every time I listen to the end of Dark, Sad, Lonely Knight. You know which part I’m talking about.

Also can we talk about the costumes for this show? June really fucking outdid herself with this show, they are literally the best costumes out of the whole Starkid canon and you cannot tell me otherwise. Not only did she nail like the classic comic book character costumes like Batman and Superman, etc. while also making them her own but she also created completely original and amazing costumes like Sweet Tooth and Candy. I wish I had even a small percentage of that talent and artistic ability. Anyway this show is so hilarious and also so emotional at the same time it’s not even fair. I’m not a big fan of Batman or Robin and yet this show almost has me changing my mind. And honestly, Nick Lang deserves the fucking world, I absolutely love watching him act and it’s unfortunate he doesn’t do it a lot because he’s amazing.

MVP: Joe Walker. Don’t get me wrong, I love watching Joe play all of his over-the-top comedic roles but I particularly love watching him play a slightly more serious role like this, it’s really refreshing and I really think he knocked it out of the park. Also Jeff Blim as Sweet Tooth is one of my favourite Starkid characters. No joke, 12-year-old me was OBSESSED.

Favourite song: either Dark, Sad, Lonely Knight or Rogues are We.

Favourite Scene: the whole To Be a Man scene.

“Batman or should I say Butthead”

“Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh”.

If that’s not comedic gold I don’t know what is.

5. A Very Potter Musical

This show is and always will be Starkid’s most iconic show. I think it says a lot that a silly parody musical put on by a group of college students has been able to inspire a whole decade’s worth of beautiful, creative, crazy works of art which only continues to grow. This show was never meant to become what it did but how lucky and fortunate are we all that it did. I am so grateful that 8-9 (tbh I can’t even remember anymore) years ago I decided to watch a silly musical about Harry Potter because I cannot imagine my life without Starkid in it. No this show might not have the best set or props or costumes or sound/video quality (it was 2009 guys, give them a break) but it is absolutely amazing in every single way and that’s all I’m going to say.

MVP: fucking everyone. I mean I’m around the same age they were when they started all of this and I can’t even imagine being able to create something even remotely as creative and wonderful or having any kind of success as close to that any time soon.

Favourite song: I feel like I should go for a classic like Not Alone but I’m not gonna lie I’m a real sucker for Missing You.

Favourite scene: oh man I don’t know the whole show is so iconic. I don’t know how I can pick just one.

6. Black Friday

I’m sure some people would be surprised that this show would be so high on this list for a number of reasons. Mostly due to the fact that I’ve been known to be quite fond of, and pretty biased towards some of Starkid’s older shows. But I think that’s just because I’m really nostalgic for how the fandom was back 8 years ago when I joined. And also when I joined the fandom, HMB was like our TGWDLM. It was the newest show out and everyone was talking about it. And also this is the show I have been rewatching the most lately and vie literally had the album on repeat for the last month.

A lot of people don’t really like the new direction that Starkid has taken with this show and honestly I don’t get it. Yes, it’s considerably darker than their other shows and while they classify it as a horror-comedy, it doesn’t really have a whole lot of comedy. But in my opinion, I think that’s what makes the show so great. The main focus of this show is the characters – their pain, their desires, their struggles and I think any excess of comedy would just take away from what’s really important. I really love watching Starkid delve into this new kind of story-telling and I think they’re doing an amazing job with this Hatchetfield series. I think this show did such a great show of introducing us to all the new characters, developing their arcs and really establishing their role within the world of Hatchetfield while simultaneously blending them perfectly with the already established characters from TGWDLM. What I really like about this show and even TGWDLM is how the characters are written. They feel so real not as cartoonish as some of the characters in Starkid’s previous shows which are why the audience can really relate to these characters.

Also this editing and cinematography of this show is fucking amazing and unlike anything else we’ve gotten from Starkid over the years. The choreography is outstanding and the musical is phenomenal. This is easily Jeff Blim’s best work and I have a feeling some people might disagree with me on that. The music in this show is so beautifully intricate and the lyrics have so much depth and emotion which I just feel like TGWDLM lacks. I know some people have been a bit offstandish about the singing in this show and I guess I’d have to agree. The live vocals on the youtube version do seem a bit off but I just suspect some cast members may have been sick or maybe they were just having an off day (it happens guys, even to professionals). Also I love the additions of some new members to Starkids, everyone was absolutely great in this show. For some of these actors, the characters they played were completely opposite to roles that they’ve played in the past but they all nailed it – Joey, Jon, Lauren. My only complaint in terms of casting is that I wish they gave Jaime more, while she is often praised for her singing skills (rightfully so), she often gets overlooked in her acting abilities and it would be great to see her play a bigger role in the next show.

Also I get it, Santa Claus is going to High School is very hilarious and great but please don’t make it another Workin’ Boys thing. Don’t go demanding Starkid to make a short film for this too, let them focus on their other bigger and better projects, please.

MVP: this show had some of my favourite performances from many Starkids but if I had to say someone who particularly stood out to me it’s definitely Kim. Before Black Friday, I will admit I hadn’t really seen anything with Kim in it so this was a great surprise for me. I am literally in love with her voice; it’s one of the most beautiful things in this world.

Favourite song: Take Me Back. Dylan and Kim are just amazing in this song I can’t even explain how much I love it. I’m also a major fan of Feast or Famine and If I Fail You. Ooh and Made in America.

Favourite Scene: I really love the scene with Tom and Becky in the movie theatre but I also really love the whole What Do You Say scene, I think it’s hilarious. But I think my favourite is with the whole Black and White scene with the President, Wiggly and Wiley. One of Joey’s best performances in my opinion.

7. The Trail to Oregon

So on my last list, this show was considerably higher but, on my recent rewatch of the AVPM shows and HMB, I’ve realised how much I really love those shows and unfortunately TTO had to be downgraded. Don’t get me wrong, I still very much love this show. It’s one of the most fun shows to watch and has me smiling the whole time without fail. In saying this, this show also does an amazing job of adding in these beautiful emotional dramatic scenes that brings the audience to tears. At the end of the day, this show really is just about family and how important it is to love and appreciate them no matter how insane they are or how much they annoy you. I know Jeff is really beloved in the fandom but I still don’t think he gets enough appreciation for how good of a writer (both script and song writing) he is, as well as an actor. This show is so unexpectedly beautiful and I’m really grateful for Jeff creating this story.

I don’t really think this show gets enough credit for how good its production actually is considering it only has six cast members. This show is proof of how diverse, creative and talented all these actors really are. It’s such a different concept from their other shows and I think they executed it so well.

MVP: Joey absolutely smashed it, I’m sure it’s not easy having to play all these different characters and literally change between them in a matter of seconds while giving each of them their own separate, unique identities. Another performer I got to give credit to in this show is Rachael, When the World’s at Stake is an amazing performance and Corey is so funny to watch in this show. Grandpa is probably my favourite character as well as the son.

Favourite song: probably When the World’s at Stake but also Independence. I cannot possibly estimate how much time I spent trying to learn those lyrics and sing it at that speed and get it right but I finally got there.

Favourite scene: the whole scene when the Grandpa, Son and Daughter are hunting makes me laugh every time, it’s so funny. But there’s something about that scene with McDoon and Cletus that ends with them riding on the horse together that makes me crack up.

8. The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals

Okay so I know the last time I did this, TGWDLM was like no 5 or 6 but like it’s been like a year and a half and a lot of my opinions on this show have changed. I’m also aware that by the time the next Starkid show is out I’ll probably also have changed my mind about Black Friday but who knows. I am eternally grateful to this show for introducing me to the amazing Jon Matteson. In a matter of 2 hours, this man somehow became one of my favourite human beings in the world. His portrayal as Paul is just, I don’t even know but something about it just sticks with me and I absolutely love it. This concept of this show is actually so amazing and you really gotta give the Lang’s credit for being able to come up with stuff like this. A lot of the beauty of the show is that it seems like such a simple concept but if you really think about the implications, you can actually understand why it’s so terrifying. Production-wise, this show isn’t anything fancy in terms of set, costumes props, etc. But the lighting design is amaaaaaazinggggggg!

The soundtrack for this show is pretty great but if you’re comparing it to Starkid’s other scores, it’s not the best. I said it before; the music in this just lacks the depth and emotion that is so heavily prominent in the Black Friday score.

MVP: Jon Matteson for the reasons above. And also Joey’s monologue as Ted to Bill gives me chills every time.

Favourite song: I feel like as the show goes on the songs do tend to get more personal, detailed and emotional which I why I probably favour those over many of the songs in act one. Let it Out and Inevitable are two songs in particular that I love and definitely stand out to me.

Favourite scene: the whole Let it Out scene with Jon trying to resist the apotheosis. And also Lauren’s acting at the end of Inevitable is amazing. Her running around the stage, distressed is both so horrifying but also absolutely hilarious.

9. Me and My Dick

I mean I guess I understand why a lot of people don’t like this show but that doesn’t mean I can forgive the fact that it’s so underrated. Yeah the humour is a bit crude and I get that’s not everyone’s thing but literally this show is two and a half hours of pure golden comedy. Honestly, who thought a show about high school kids and their walking and talking genitalia could be one of the most wholesome and heart-warming things in the world. I don’t think anyone other than Starkid could pull of something like this which honestly says so much about them. These people come up with some of the most craziest, outrageous stuff and somehow turn them into beautiful, amazing works of art.

The soundtrack for this show is so freaking good man. And AJ Holmes is literally one of the most amazing and talented people on this earth. How the fuck does he write such good music? I need to know, it’s really not fair. And for all those people who complain that it took Corey Dorris ten years to get a solo, I urge you to simply watch MAMD.

This show doesn’t have the best production and the sound quality is not great but you know what? Fuck you. Because the acting is this show outshines all of that. The energy each of the performers has in this show is crazy and they are all extremely talented. Literally AJ as Joey’s heart is next fucking level. And Arielle is criminally underrated for her role in this. And Nick Strauss is a comedy king. I’ve said it before and will say it again; The Old Snatch and Flopsy are the most iconic duo.

MVP: AJ and Nick. Like I said. Next level and iconic™.

Favourite song: Listen to your heart. But also Even Though. And Finale is a certified bop.

Favourite scene: I love the scene with Dick and Flopsy but I don’t know if it’s my favourite. But one of my favourite quotes is when Dick is talking to Joey about Miss Cooter’s hair and Joey’s delivery of “on her vagina?” cracks me up every time. And honestly there’s not a lot that can beat Brian during Gotta Find His Dick just intensely repeating “Someone tell him where his dick is”. It makes me laugh so hard I really don’t know why.

10. A Very Potter Senior Year

Alright so let me take you back to 2012. I remember the day they posted the video announcing they were not only making another Harry Potter show but that they were bringing back almost every Starkid member. It was actually such a weird time for the fandom because it really did seem like this show was going to be the end of Starkid. When you watch the show, you can see that the actors are not only saying goodbye to Harry Potter and the characters that they had been playing for the last 3 years but also they were saying goodbye to each other. It was heartbreaking to watch then and it still is now 8 years later. 2012 me was absolutely devastated because I had only just discovered this fandom and I thought I would already have to say goodbye to something that become so special to me in such a short amount of time. Luckily for us all this was not the end of Starkid.

This show really holds a special place in my heart, for so many reasons. First off, it was the first Starkid show that I got to watch as it premiered. Second, I was still grieving the end of the Harry Potter movies and these musicals had kind of replaced that for me but then this was ending too. And third, it really just is the most perfectly executed ending to the AVP series.

This show makes me both laugh and then cry and then laugh again and then cry and laugh at the same time. In my opinion, it is one of the best written Starkid shows, on par with the other Potter shows and I think the only reason why it gets overlooked is the fact that it’s a stage reading rather than a proper production. But you know what, considering this show was literally put together in such a short amount of time and the actors literally had a few days’ worth of preparation, they still managed to put on an amazing show. I wholeheartedly believe that if this show had been a proper production, it would be pretty fucking perfect. The soundtrack for this show is probably the best out of all the Potter shows for me. Every one of these songs is a bop and I love them all so much.

Long story short, people need to stop sleeping on AVPSY and appreciate it more.

MVP: Joey Richter. I don’t even need to explain. Just watch Act 2 Part 11. Actually him in the entirety of Act 2. And also that delivery of “losers like us that’s who” just makes me cry every time. How did Starkid portray Ron more accurately in these musicals that WB did?

Favourite song: it’s a tie between I Was and I’m Just a Sidekick.

Favourite scene: The whole scene with the resurrection stone and Everything Ends. Absolute Perfection.

11. ANI

Like the Harry Potter shows, I can understand why people don’t like this show. If youre not a fan of the original text, you probably won’t like the comedy or understand the entire plot or whatever. And honestly that’s the only reason I put this show so low. I have very very little knowledge of Star Wars so pretty much all of the jokes and that go right over my head. However, I still find it very enjoyable to watch and most of that probably has to be credited towards the fact that it has a killer soundtrack and a pretty perfect cast. Also like I said with HMB, I love the rare occasion that we get to see Nick perform. This soundtrack, oh my god, it’s so amazing. Why do people keep overlooking it? I get that it’s different because it’s not the character’s singing it but like that choreography though. Clark Baxtresser has one of the most beautiful voices so you’ll never hear me complaining about a whole score of pretty much just his voice. But that’s just me. I hate how much hate I see for this show. Everyone worked extremely hard on this show, particularly Nick and Matt who wrote the whole thing and the lack of appreciation for it is horrible to see. It’s actually such a fun show, and you can tell the cast had so much fun doing this show because their energy is so great in this.

MVP: Nick Lang. Again, he deserves the world. And Chris Allen is incredible in every role he does but particularly this.

Favourite song: With My Own Eyes and Long Ago and Far Away. I just really love the vocals.

Favourite scene: Nick’s scene as Obi-Wan.

12. Firebringer

CoNtRaVeRsIaL oPiNiOn but sorry but I don’t like Firebringer. It’s not that I hate it. I’m just not really fan of it or its comedy – mostly because I don’t think it has any. I’ve seen people say that Twisted or MAMD rely too much on using swearing/ profanities for humour but honestly I think that’s more of the case for this show. That’s not to say that there’s not things I don’t like about it. Apart from HMB, this show probably has some of the best costumes. I can’t really fault Nick and Matt’s writing too much but I have to say this is some of their weakest work. I don’t think the plot as a whole is bad I just think there’s parts that don’t work for me or just don’t feel right. And I’m not really a fan of the characters and their development. I never thought I’d ever be able to say that I dislike any role of Meredith’s but honestly I find her character really unlikeable and I know people might attack me for that but it’s just my opinion. I like Zazzalil, I think Lauren did a great job, as always but I don’t know I just don’t think there’s any particular character or performance that really stands out for me in this show. If I’m being completely honest, I have only been able to watch the full run of this show twice, maybe three times and it has been a while since the last time I watched it but if I’m being honest I don’t see myself sitting down to watch it again any time soon. One thing I can definitely praise this show on is the female and LGBTQ+ representation, although that should go unsaid but even in 2020, seeing positive representations of female, LGBTQ+ or POC in media is still somehow refreshing and surprising and ain’t that just a little bit sad?. Another thing I can praise this show on is the music, I actually quite enjoy majority of the soundtrack.

MVP: Both of the Lauren’s. Lauren Lopez because she’s amazing in everything but especially in this, I’m so happy she finally got a lead role, she deserved it 100%. And Lauren Walker is just fucking hilarious. Why hasn’t she been in another Starkid show since?

Favourite song: probs climate change

Favourite scene: like I said, there’s really not a lot that stands out to me in this show so I really don’t know what to pick.

#i really just did all this for myself but i feel unproductive so I thought i'd post this #i feel a little more productive now #starkid #avpm #avps #avpsy #starship #hmb #twisted #ani #tto #tgwdlm #black friday #mamd #firebringer

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nny11writes · 4 years

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can you do a fic rec for family oriented tcw fics? I feel like I've read everything lol

Hey anon, thanks for stopping by! I can certainly try, but I’m not sure exactly what you mean by family oriented. Just, like, generally across the genres Imma try. But I will say as I was doing this, several of these are not strictly TCWs. Some are actually outside that completely but still include the main trio and Padme as major characters so I’ve put them in here in case you’d like to give them a whirl.

My absolute #1 suggestion for under appreciated family fics:“Where I’ve Always Been” series by Gabby (Kirahsoka)

It’s not clone wars exclusive, it does build from TCW’s forwards and is both a barrissoka fic and semi-medieval AU. But you wanna talk family oriented? This series is THE BEST FUCKING THING!!!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone comes together and there’s a constant focus on family first. Gabby does a great job at address the ups and downs of family, and always writes relationships that are either A. Healthy as Fuck and Beautiful, or B. Unhealthy With Everyone Involved Trying. I love this series. I could probably write a whole fucking long ass post about this series lol! It’s got god damned everything, Luminara is amazing, Obi-Wan is fantastic, the original characters I would die for. The thing that might be lacking for you in here is there isn’t a lot of Padme or Anakin. There’s more Anakin than Padme, but he’s really not a main character of this series. Ahsoka, Barriss, and their daughters really become the focal point but I’m not lying when I say basically everyone fucking shows up to this one. It’s amazing and I beg you to give it the chance it deserves, it’s SUPRA, and you will understand what the hell I mean when you get in deep enough lol!

Also straight up, up front, Mylordshesacactus and alexkablob have both written some fantastic barrissoka fics that often also have a focus on family (looking at you Brave AU and Beauty and the Beast AU). If you haven’t looked at their stuff, and don’t mind the barrissoka, I think their works are fantastic!

NOW ONTO THE REST OF THE RECS

“Stuck in the Middle With You” by victoria_p (musesfool) is a fucking delight of the trio having to share a bed platonicly (or however that’s spelled ig??). It’s got great humor and the way the three of them are just so well written is excellent. I love re-reading this one!

"Sometimes a family is a cultural anthropologist, a PoliSci PhD, a snippy sophomore, a golden cat, a Snorkie, and a guy who just wants to build a really smart robot” by all these lovelies: bessyboo, cantarina, exmanhater, forzandopod, heartequals (savvygambols), Opalsong, reena_jenkins, sophinisba, theleanansidhe!!! This is actually a pod fic/audio book, but I have trouble listening to stories so I am SO glad they included a transcript. This shit is gold! It’s sweet, it’s funny, it’s ridiculous. Anakin and Ahsoka run a youtube channel for “Waffle or Waffle Not!” where they pour various things into a waffle iron to see what works. Padme and Obi-Wan show up too, as it is obianidala. I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I love this fic and the dynamics between everyone.

“The Living Force” by mathelode (engmaresh) is quick look at Anakin teaching Ahsoka how to choose insects and bugs to eat. There’s some crude humor (barf jokes mostly) but I do like the way Anakin and Ahsoka interact!

“Of Love and Family” by Ferith12 is exactly what is says on the tin. All about Ahsoka and the family she finds along the way.

“Saw The Waves But Not The Tides” by Meiloorun is a bit dialogue heavy but focuses on Anakin and Rex talking about war and family when they get a transmission from Mandalore. It’s a really nice fic to me, feels cozy!

“Little One” by Fawkes_Rinzler is a great Plo Koon & Ahsoka Tano fic about sharing a language together. They’re family and this is the hill I will DIE ON.

Parts 3-5 of the “Pesky Birthday Gifts” by peskylilcritterare short and sweet little slice of life fics that aren’t explicitly family oriented but I read then that way. It’s totally possible the rest of the series is great too, I just haven’t had as much interest to read them/look at them (some of it is fan art I think).

I know this is not a TCW only fic recs, but! I swear my stand by these days, “Of Queens, Knights, and Pawns” and “Shifting Sands” are both fantastic Leia centered fics by chancecraz! There’s a lot of focus on what makes family, and family relationships/importance in both of them so I’d highly recommend them. They are VERY long, and there is plenty of drama and angst inside so it’s not family in that fluffy happy fam way all the time. Vader, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka are all major players, as is Rex. But it /is/ more OG and Rebels than TCW. Still I’d say give them a read!

The “Jedi Shmi AU” series by MirandaTam covers more than just TCW, but a lot of it does take place during that time frame. There’s some great Tatooine culture building in the series and I really love the way the characters are imagined in this AU. “Shwiya Root Soap” by sharkcar is a great look at the dynamic between Obi-Wan, Anakin, Ahsoka, and Padme. It’s a relaxed feeling fic to me. No high angst drama, and a lot of really nice long hold points with characters working through a lot. There’s still some action and romance etc, so it’s not sedate. A well balanced one I think! It is 1st person PoV which I know can throw some folks off but I think it’s fantastic.“The Light You Leave Behind” by laventadorn is a post Ahsoka leaving the order fic, and did in large part plant the seeds of Padme Says No, which exploded after I saw a post here on tumblr that was *mwah*. It is unfinished with the last update in 2016, I still rec it! It’s got a good mix of things going on genre wise, and I love the way Padme was written in this one.

The whole “b sides (SW lawyer AU)” by triviaseesaw (ladydaredevil) kicks ASS. It is a daredevil AU but you don’t have to know anything about that to enjoy it. I also really like that this one is multiple SW fandom friendly. There are stories focusing on prequels, og, and sequels, as well as the animated series but you can sort of pick and choose which ones you want to actually follow. There’s fluff, drama, angst, the whole nine yards dude. There’s a lot of focus on what is family and how to connect with one another. It is vaderkin status tho so just a heads up!Okay, look, “good opinion once lost” also by triviaseesaw (ladydaredevil) isn’t completely a family oriented fic, it is a barrissoka fic. But there is still family stuff involved! It is a Pride and Prejudice AU, and while I will admit I never got into P&P, I love this story and I had to rec it

Alright, I need to just rec all of triviaseesaw (ladydaredevil)’s stuff. While some of it is more romance focused, almost everything still includes a good cast of people in really unique and fun AU’s and settings. This is probably not what you’re look for but I realized I was gonna rec more of their work and so here’s the link.“all the words you do not speak” listed via orphan_account, is not a happy family fic. It is hurt/comfort post Rako Hardeen, but it focuses on the Trio and their bonds so I think it would still work out.

The “Circle ‘round the Sun” by risinggreatness is one that I remember loving. I went nuts every time I saw that series name pop up in my emails as updated. But I will also be honest, it’s got so many entries that it’s all become a mush of “oh HELL yeah” in my head. Like, I wanna go feral over the characters and relations but I can’t explain why. I do know that it deals across a lot of times and relationships which is part of why I liked it, but it is focused on TCW.

#star wars #fic recs #star wars the clone wars #here's the thing this is what I found after just an hour and a half #refreshing my memory in my history section on AO3 #and it's a slim fraction #hopefully there's stuff on this list you haven't read before!#but if you look at this and go #T-T I've done it all and/or I can't stand a trope/set up in these #hit me up again and I will look some more!#192 is a reminder for ME #hey future me #fuggin don't forget dumby!#Anonymous

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wonderfulworldofmichaelford · 4 years

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Psycho Analysis: Jack Torrance

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

“HEEEEERE’S JOHNNY!”

Jack Nicholson has played many crazy guys over the years, but perhaps his best and craziest character is the one where you actually get to watch as he slides into and succumbs to madness – Jack Torrance. Jack is the guy we spend the most time with in The Shining, and it’s a good thing we do, because it ends up turning him into a pretty rich and engaging character in his own right beyond just being a great villain.

Motivation/Goals: Jack just wants to bounce back by doing a good job maintaining the Overlook Hotel�� is that too much to ask? It might be, because Jack was an alcoholic and a rather bitter person even before the hotel by all accounts, at one point even hurting his own son (and if you take Doctor Sleep at face value, his ghost outright states he just couldn’t stand his wife and kid). So really, it’s not too shocking when after the constant suspicion and shakiness with his wife and the numerous strange incidents around the hotel, Jack slowly but surely slides into madness.

Really though, his character isn’t particularly driven by motivations or goals like other villains, because for much of the movie he’s technically a dark protagonist. We’re following Jack as we see the hotel latch onto the darkness in his heart and victimize him, turning him into its agent. His ultimate goal after he has finally snapped is to kill his wife and child, which is a chilling goal to be sure, but with Jack it’s really about the journey and not the destination. Frankly, the Overlook is the villain of the film with a goal in mind, though what exactly that is doesn’t became totally evident until Doctor Sleep; in The Shining, it’s all about the harrowing ambiguity of the haunting that pushes Jack over the edge.

Performance: This was apparently one of the things Stephen King hated about the movie; he thought casting Nicholson was basically a spoiler in and of itself, that Nicholson and his eyebrows were just way too sinister to sell the idea of a good man driven to madness. As much as I love King and his work, I think Kubrick made the right call for the story he wanted to tell; Nicholson’s performance is easily his definitive villain portrayal. Even before the hotel’s influence really kicks in, he portrays Jack as a man who always seems on edge, who feels like he’s moments away from snapping to begin with, and that the hotel’s influence was the little push he needed to let loose. It’s a really fascinating portrayal of a likable yet somewhat unsympathetic jerk slowly going insane… and then when he does finally lose it, all bets are off, and Nicholson finally gives you exactly what you would want to see out of him. The laughing, the faces, the snarling, the ax craziness… Jack in the final act is truly a murderous, raging lunatic for the ages.

Final Fate: In the end, the Overlook Hotel wins, as Jack freezes to death in the maze, unable to kill his family, and then joins the ghosts in the hotel. This is a bit vague in The Shining and even more vague in Doctor Sleep; whether he really ends up as a ghost or his appearance as the bartender to annoy Danny was just the hotel trying to get to him in the latter is open for interpretation. What is clear is that Jack is most definitely dead.

Best Scene: Hmmm, I wonder… could it be the scene that is plastered on several DVD covers for the film and also has been referenced and parodied relentlessly ever since the film was released? The scene where Jack axes the door to get at his wife and utters the immortal reference plastered at the top of this review is so utterly famous that even if you’ve never seen the film, there’s a high chance you’d recognize this scene.

Best Quote: Yeah, yeah, everyone always points to the whole “Here’s Johnny!” thing but quite frankly I don’t think a pop culture reference should be considered his best quote, Especially thanks to the following quote he delivers to his wife right after she finally discovers her husband has well and truly lost it:

“Wendy? Darling? Light, of my life. I'm not gonna hurt ya. You didn't let me finish my sentence. I said, I'm not gonna hurt ya. I'm just going to bash your brains in! Gonna bash 'em right the fuck in!”

What really makes it good is how Jack is moving up the stairs towards Wendy, the looks on his face, the evil laugh before he drops that last sentence with its beautiful precision F-strike… in fact, the whole framing of this moment is so good that Rose the Hat pulled it off herself in Doctor Sleep. I would have honestly put this as the best moment, but sadly it never really gets the acknowledgment it deserves compared to the most iconic scene mentioned above.

Final Thoughts & Score: Jack Torrance is truly a villain for the ages, and yet as a villain he hardly accomplishes anything. Yes, he killed Halloran, but that is basically the only thing he accomplished before he himself died. But despite all of that, he has managed to worm his way into the cultural consciousness in a way few villains can ever claim to have, and it’s all because of the simple fact that we are with him as he becomes the villain.

The “protagonist journey to villain” plot is not new or groundbreaking, but it is usually interesting. The entire Star Wars prequels were a three-part saga showing this sort of journey for a reason; showing how a good person could become so corrupted they commit great evil is fascinating. But Jack represents something a bit rarer: he is a protagonist who is NOT good. He is flawed, he is bitter, he is abrasive, and yet when he is finally driven to madness it’s still sad and pitiable. Of course, this mostly comes from his attempts to drag his wife and child down with him, but I think a tear can be shed for Jack. If there was a bit of good in him and the ghost in Doctor Sleep was merely lying, it can be hard to see a broken man who was trying to be better fall back into his old ways and not only return to being bad, but actually end up worse. Being an alcoholic is one thing, attempting to chop up your family is pretty much a whole different story.

Jack easily scores himself a 10/10 because not only is he a fantastic character and pretty much the definitive Jack Nicholson performance, it’s hard to argue that Jack has had a pretty profound cultural impact. You’d be hard-pressed to find a work where a door is axed down in a visual medium since 1980 that doesn’t reference his attempted murder of his wife in some way. Of course, it was never done quite as well as the original; you just can’t beat good ol’ Jack, can ya?

#Psycho Analysis #Jack Torrance #The Shining #Jack Nicholson

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