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joonapeach · 9 months

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on a night like this [MLB]

summary:

“Hey,” Chat starts off. “Hypothetically… if you liked someone-” “I do like someone.” “Since you like someone,” Chat continues. “How do you act with them?” “Hm?” “What are you like when you like someone?” he said. “I’m curious. Since I’ll never get to see it, it’s only fair you at least share the information, don’t you think?” (Alternatively… Chat indulges in his curiosity to find out what the girl of his dreams is like when she likes someone, only to realize it sounds oddly familiar.)

author’s note: fun fact this started as a drabble but ended up with me itching so bad to write and ensure that i haven’t lost all my skill in writing so it is now what it is... alternatively me feeling very self conscious about the quality of this compared to other things i’ve written on here but still wanting to write about two superhero teenagers and the weight of their lives and identities

also reposted on ao3

Quiet nights were Chat Noir’s favorites.

That wasn’t to say he didn’t enjoy the job of crime fighting, or of course, the moments after he’d done the work well enough to warrant applause and attention… but quiet nights had found themselves to be special to Chat Noir. In the still of the night, while still wrapped up in magical latex, there was a way to exist as both a boy and a superhero.

It was in these moments when he had nothing to do and nowhere to be at all, that he found himself thinking as Adrien and Chat Noir both at once. Did he finish tomorrow’s homework? Would Hawkmoth akumatize that crying woman on the street right now? Oh, was fencing in tomorrow’s schedule? Did he need to increase patrol nights after the last surge of villains?

It was a strange experience, to exist as two people, all the more strange to exist as them simultaneously. Adrien didn’t understand at times where he began and where Chat Noir ended.

“How different do you think you are?” he began. “To Ladybug?”

Contrary to what anyone else might think, it was harder to start conversations for Chat Noir while not out of breath and jumping from rooftop to rooftop. When he was forced to think only as his superhero self, there were a plethora of things he could find himself wanting to say to Ladybug in the heated moments of battle. She would respond in a beat too.

Now, with the luxury of all the time in the world and the chance to be both who he had always been and recently become, he found himself stumbling over awkward starter questions and pretentious sounding attempts at heartfelt conversations.

“You mean my not-Ladybug self to my Ladybug self?” her chirpy voice answered behind him. Chat Noir listened to the way her feet would land so delicately from rooftop to rooftop on quiet patrol nights, almost carefully as if she could fall from the wrong step. The way she moved when they fought, with all eyes on them, to now was starkly different.

“Yeah. Your everyday self.”

“That’s a little invasive, don’t you think?” Ladybug answered with a laugh.

Chat Noir rolled his eyes. “Come on, I can at least ask this much about you! Or would you rather doom me to isolating thoughts about this very abnormal life I live, who only one other person in this world would understand?”

“Don’t put it that way. You have Plagg,” Ladybug offered with an amused glint in her eyes.

“You think he can take his attention off whatever nasty smell is around him for more than ten minutes to console me on my identity crises?” Chat Noir laughed. It was not completely true that Plagg was so apathetic to Adrien’s confusion to his double-existence. Plagg had been more attentive of Adrien’s thoughts than any family in his house, though there was only so much a kwami could understand about a human’s mind.

There was a noticeable change to Ladybug’s demeanor when she spoke next. “Oh. Do you regularly experience an identity crisis?” she asked, her brows furrowing. “Has everything been okay?”

“You don’t need to worry, it’s not like that. Identity crisis is an overstatement.”

“Well, then?”

Adrien’s head looked down at the streets as the two stopped alongside the edge of a building. In the daytime, he too roamed around these alleys and paths, though as a completely different person. On nights like these, he found himself flying across skies.

“Living as two different people is something I’m still understanding,” he confessed. “One moment, I’m thinking about something so ordinary and human, like an assignment I have or cleaning my room. Next moment, the city’s under attack and I’m thinking about what I have to do in the next half hour to stop the deaths of hundreds of people,” he turned to Ladybug. “It feels like I’m living a human experience, then suddenly, it doesn’t… not that I’m saying Chat Noir is not a human or something! I don’t think I’m above anyone or anything, you know, I just- ah, where was I going with this?”

Ladybug smiled. Chat Noir loved that smile. “Don’t worry. I get it,” she said. “I'm probably the only other person in the world who gets it, right?”

He laughed sheepishly. “Something like that.”

She pointed to the next building in view after scanning the streets carefully. Chat Noir wondered if she, too, felt like two versions of herself existed on nights like this, while watching over the city with no imminent danger. Did she too feel like her mind was louder tonight, with the voices of two separate worlds?

Chat Noir swung from his metal stick from one rooftop to the next, with the ease of the movement feeling akin to walking. He landed on his feet perfectly. Something that looked so marvelous on television to others was just a simple repeated motion for him. As simple as catching a ball or jumping up.

Ladybug followed, landing behind him seconds later. “It’s not easy for me either. The way I have to think when I’m not in this suit is very different to the way I think when I’m fighting. No one in my life suspects I’m Ladybug either, despite some close calls, and honestly? Sometimes, that makes it worse. It makes it feel like I really am two different people, and I’m lying to my other self when I’m in the suit… I’ve wished for people to suspect me of being Ladybug sometimes, as awful as that sounds. Just so it would cure this.”

Chat Noir swallowed. “Oh. That different?”

“Maybe to the people who know me?” she shrugged and paused. After a moment, she hesitated to ask a question before finally indulging in it. “What about you? Would it be that much of a shock to the people who know you if they knew you were this whole other person?”

At first, Chat Noir’s immediate thought was no. He could see maybe his father being a little taken aback that his proper and polished model-citizen son was the same playful latex-wearing superhero. But Nathalie might see it as what it was – a perfect outlet for the parts of Adrien that never appeared elsewhere. His friends, Nino and the rest of the boys from school, too might not find it too surprising. The two halves of him bled into each other so seamlessly.

But then, Chat Noir thought of, strangely enough to him, a classmate who he had always worked hard to show his best self to - his kindest, most well-behaved, most perfect Adrien self he could be. Would Marinette find it believable that rowdy Chat Noir was really Adrien? She would probably lose a lot of admiration for him, he was sure.

He sighed. “I think my other self might be more preferable to some people,” he said, thinking too of the many fans Adrien Agreste had.

“Wow. You must really be all that,” Ladybug laughed. “I don’t think my civilian self could ever compare to Ladybug. She’s definitely the winner between the two versions of me.”

Chat Noir wasn’t sure what to say to that. Would it be worse to live like Ladybug, being preferred for his Chat Noir self or remain as himself? Questions like these came to his mind almost daily now.

“I think tonight seems good. We can end it here,” Ladybug offered, halting to a stop.

The end of a quiet night so soon, his favorite type of night, made Chat Noir let out a sigh. He would have to return home and think only as Adrien now till the world called for him again. He bent, ready to perch.

“But you don’t have to leave… so soon,” a cough interrupted his departure. Chat Noir turned to see Ladybug sheepishly staring out and seated down on the edge.

He blinked. It was rare to witness Ladybug want to cling onto being Ladybug any minute longer than she had to. Chat Noir fought the blossoming feeling of hope that he was the reason for her delaying her return. It’s just a friendly gesture, nothing more. Don’t ruin it.

“More identity crises to discuss?” he grinned before jumping down next to her.

“Oh, don’t start any more of that. You’ve given me a month’s worth of burden to unpack in my brain now,” she said. “If I was just Ladybug, like some of these superheroes in movies, who lived just to exist as a superhero, it would be so easy. Instead, I have a whole other life to think about at the same time, and then all this reflection on who I really am between these two people.”

Chat Noir nodded. “It helps me to think of what’s the same between them. Between Chat Noir and my civilian self, I mean. It kind of makes me understand how I can be both at once.”

That idea seemed to resonate with Ladybug. Chat felt pleased at how she blinked, deeply in thought, before turning to him.

“Can I trust you to very carefully share some similarities without compromising your identity and making me regret giving into my curiosity?”

He grinned. “Wow. So you do wonder about me too.”

“Don’t push it, kitty.”

“Well, for starters, since you asked so nicely, I have to share that my first similarity is I am so unbelievably handsome and charming in both selves.”

“I’m already regretting,” mumbled Ladybug, covering her face. “Forget it. I am no longer curious.”

Chat Noir laughed. Her exasperation, though he’d never let her know it, was just as delightful to watch as her moments of brilliance during fights. There were so many sides to Ladybug that captivated Chat Noir, ones that he discovered every day and night.

Quiet nights, especially. Quiet nights were his favorites, because she looked even more striking and beautiful when being accompanied by the scenery of a dark sky.

“Okay, okay. I think the easiest similarity is that I enjoy mischief just as much in my civilian self. But I can’t show that as much in that life as I can in this. It helps to be Chat Noir in that way.”

“Just as much of a delinquent in civilian life. Got it,” she said with a smile playing on her lips.

“And of course, there’s the similarity of admiring you. Both my civilian self and I, we like you very much,” he pouted. “You’re our idol.”

“Is your civilian self just as bad as hiding it?” she continued smiling, amused.

“Oh, he’s much worse than me. Can’t stop raving about her and defending her. They call me Ladybug’s number one fan.”

“Can’t be. That’s the Ladyblog.”

He grumbled. “Yeah, she’s my rival,” he complained while thinking of very real arguments Alya and him had in between classes. Alya’s justification for claiming the title was that she ran the biggest outlet for Ladybug’s news, while Adrien had nothing to offer – except of course, his countless days and nights spent in Ladybug’s company that could hardly be offered as evidence. In the end, Alya was unfortunately handed the title by the judges, Nino and a very bizarrely amused Marinette.

“Please do not terrorize her,” Ladybug suddenly blinked, eyes wide as if she really couldn’t be certain if Chat Noir wouldn’t. Then, with a laugh, she added, “she’s got a whole line of people debating her for being my biggest fan.”

Chat Noir only rolled his eyes. Even as Chat Noir, it seemed that he couldn’t steal Alya’s title from her. “This is so unfair.”

“Sorry, kitty. You can try being someone else’s devoted fan?”

“Whose should I be?” he cocked a brow teasingly.

“No other Paris celebrity you like?”

“Well, there’s this person…”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. I don’t know her name though. Or how she looks,” he paused. “But whenever a crisis happens, she goes and transforms into this superhero… I’m a huge fan of her,” he grinned.

“After me, Chat Noir!” she laughed. “After me, who do you idolize?”

He hummed in thought, taking the question seriously now. “That’s easy.”

“So quick.”

“Yup. It’s another girl.”

Ladybug’s eyebrows shot up. She watched Chat Noir attentively for his answer.

“It’s a girl in my class, actually,” he explained. “She’s really kind and she’s so smart at everything she does. I think she inspires me a lot. I feel bad about myself whenever I try to impose myself on her.”

“Why’s that?” Ladybug frowned.

“She doesn’t seem like she likes me very much. She avoids crossing paths with me and then when she does talk to me first, it’s usually something said in such a hurry so that she can quickly end the conversation,” Chat Noir sighed. “I get it though. She’s got a lot going on for her, it’s probably a waste of time to talk to me.”

“Don’t say that!” Ladybug huffed. Her frown was deeper now, embedded into the lines of her forehead. “She sounds awful. Why would you be inspired by such a terrible person?”

“Hey, don’t say that about her!” Chat Noir retorted. “She’s still one of my friends.”

“I think you can find better friends,” Ladybug grumbled before muttering, “it sounds like you have a crush on her, by the way.”

Chat Noir paused. Him liking Marinette? He doesn’t think he could ever subject Marinette to him liking her, not when she would struggle to reciprocate even a comfortable friendship with him.

“Are you jealous?” he grinned. Perhaps he was hallucinating or was the quiet night suddenly not so quiet anymore? Was that his heart pumping in his ears? Violins playing in his head?

“Don’t be silly.”

“I don’t like her, so don’t be worried,” he said. “She’s just someone I think very highly of. She’s a good person and she’s always trying to help anyone she can, with however much she has. I know it doesn’t sound that way to you, but trust me… if she had a Miraculous, I know she’d be out there doing what we do. Patrolling late at night, putting herself at risk, just so others would be fine. She’s that kind of person.”

A moment of silence passed. Chat Noir worried if he overdid it a little… that last part might’ve been a twinge too much to say. What if Ladybug took offense to it? He hoped she didn’t think he meant she wasn’t doing her job well, or that Marinette would be a better Ladybug to her.

“Are you sure you don’t have a crush?” said Ladybug. “It’s a little romantic to think of an ordinary girl as deeply as you have.”

Chat Noir blinked. “More romantic than my multiple confessions to you?!”

“I’m just saying,” she said in a sing-song voice. “You should reflect a little on that.”

“She’s just a friend!”

“It always starts off that way,” Ladybug mumbled. It was the last thing she said before the night returned to silence.

Chat Noir was left with a bizarre feeling in his chest at that. He looked over to Ladybug, only to see her looking at the sky and blinking wistfully. As selfish as it sounded, he didn’t like the idea of her being so lost in thought about someone else.

He swallowed. If Ladybug had talked about someone else the way Chat Noir spoke of Marinette, would he be able to accept it? What did that make him? Did it mean… that perhaps, his thoughts and feelings of Marinette transcended the norm of platonic respect?

No more of that. He shut down the thought as quickly as it came. Instead, Ladybug took over his attention and he watched her keep to herself. There was certainly a lot running through her mind, so much that she wouldn’t share for her own drawn lines of boundaries and safety. For once, he wished she could forego them.

There was so much more he wanted to know of her, so much more he wanted to understand about her. He wanted to watch her in her mundane life the innocent way he found himself watching Marinette sometimes – observingly and charmed. There was a whole other world of Ladybug he wanted.

“Hey,” Chat started off. “Hypothetically… if you liked someone-”

“I do like someone,” she said. Her gaze remained unmoving from the sky.

“Since you like someone,” Chat continued, placing his chin into his palm. “How do you act with them?”

“Hm?”

“What are you like when you like someone?” he said. “I’m curious. Since I’ll never get to see it, it’s only fair you at least share the information, don’t you think?”

Ladybug turned to look in surprise and laughed. The wind of the night pressed lightly against the two of them, carrying their furtive words away as soon as they were spoken. Her pigtails fluttered back and forth so delicately that Chat Noir couldn’t draw his eyes away.

“Now what is this question?” she said in bemusement. “Need to fact check your fanfiction?”

“I’ve got a point to prove to the Ladyblog on who knows Ladybug better,” he retorted.

The smile on Ladybug’s face was unwavering. Chat Noir was relieved, for he was not too certain that she wouldn’t yell at him for asking a potentially too personal question.

“What do you think I’m like?”

“Me?! You’re asking for my opinion?”

“Just out of curiosity. The whole identity crisis thing we have, remember?”

Chat grinned. What would Ladybug be like, if she liked him? That was the real question he asked himself to imagine. He’d been rejected so many times over the years that it was hard to imagine a response to his confessions being anything other than a scolding.

But if, by some miracle, he found himself presented with a Ladybug who liked him… what would she look like?

“I think you’d be upfront. Much like me, not beating around the bush, but a lot more cautious with wanting to confess at the perfect right time,” he said before reluctantly adding, “that’s probably why you haven’t asked out this guy, right?”

Ladybug sighed. “You’re right about the last part, but the reasons are all jumbled up. Oh, I’m not upfront at all. I mean, I try to be but the real me is a disaster at that.”

The real her… that’s what she called her self that wasn’t Ladybug. Chat tried not to think too deeply on what those words entailed, the possibility that the other part of her, the one he didn’t know, was far more real than Ladybug.

“You can’t be upfront with him?” he said. “Sounds like a terrible guy.”

“Watch it, he’s my friend,” she answered teasingly. “It’s not him that’s the problem. It’s me. He definitely thinks I’m so odd. Or worse… he thinks I’m rude.”

“Why would he think that?”

She sighed, and buried her face between her knees. “Ah, it doesn’t matter. No one will find someone they think weird and rude to be likable.”

“That’s not true. I’m sure it’s possible.”

“And what evidence do you have?”

Chat chewed his lip carefully. At the sign of the dejected Ladybug, he rushed to say the first bright idea he thought in his head. “The girl from my class! The one I find really amazing. She can be a little weird, even a bit rude to me at times. I still think she’s great. You know, sometimes, it’s even charming. She keeps me on my toes and she’s funny.”

Ladybug narrowed her eyes. “So you do like her?”

“Not like that!”

She simply hummed disbelievingly in response. “How do you find that to be charming?” she said. “She sounds so different from me- well, Ladybug. Aren’t I your standard?”

Chat Noir shrugged. “I think she’s pretty cool too,” he smiled. “So tell me, what is it you’re like that you’re sure he finds weird?”

Ladybug raised herself from her desolate position on the ground before starting. “Well… I’m awfully shy. I mix up words and I can’t get a sentence out without combusting. I do stupid things like run away and freak out and oh , I even steal his things from the trash that he throws away just to see if I can know more about him. I’ll start the conversation, and then I’ll give up half-way. He’s just left there! How awful!”

“Oh. Yeah, that’s happened to me before. I’m sure he doesn’t take it to heart! I always assume she’s got something urgent to do,” he gave a reassuring, broad smile. “And the trash thing… It's sweet. Hard to imagine you doing that but sweet nonetheless. You must really like him,” he said with his smile unmoving.

He hoped not to show it but his spirit shattered from hearing about Ladybug being so lovestruck by someone that she would forgo all her regular headstrong ideals and rules.

“It gets worse!” she groaned. “I’ve tripped so much in front of him. On air . Sometimes, into the grossest situations!”

“He doesn’t help you?” Chat cocked a critical brow. Whenever Marinette did similar things in front of him, he would always rush to her aid. But in his case, whenever he’d offer to help, it would only make things worse. Marinette must really dislike me.

“He does. But by then, I’m too embarrassed to accept the help,” she sighed. “He’s perfect and I’m mortified that I’m a mess like that.”

Chat Noir instantly reconsidered his previous statement. Too embarrassed to accept the help? Was that… what Marinette felt like? Was she feeling mortification to accept Adrien’s hand on the ground? It had to be, because there was no reason for her to hate him so much that she would reject him like that.

“The worst part of all is that he likes Ladybug, and I know that. He’s obsessed with her. He thinks she’s cool and she’s so strong and she’s confident, and I’m not at all like that. Especially around him.”

“He could like you and Ladybug at the same time?” Chat offered hopefully, before instantly regretting his words. Stop trying to set them up, idiot!

Ladybug slumped further into glumness. “He has someone he thinks the world of. I can’t compare to Ladybug, even if I am Ladybug,” her voice wavered. “Identity crisis sucks, right?” she attempted humorously.

Chat couldn’t bear the sight. He hated to support whoever this awful person was, but he couldn’t allow Ladybug to feel like this because of him. “You can be that Ladybug and this other person at once. He can like you and her too.”

“I hope so. I haven’t stopped trying,” she murmured. “I’ve done a lot of things.”

“Oh yeah?” he said gently. “Like what?”

“Well, one time I gave him something that was pretty special to me. I thought it would show my sincerity better than my half-mumbled sentences to him,” she said. “He made me the same thing after a while as a gift. I thought it was a really nice moment.”

Chat thought back to the lucky charm stored in the desk drawer, away from the prying eyes of Nathalie. He could understand Ladybug’s story. Even in his own life, after Marinette had given that, he was certain she didn’t actually hate him as he sometimes believed.

“I’m sure he thought well of it.”

“I hope so. I hope he still kept what I gave him.”

“He must’ve,” Chat said with certainty. “I have a story similar to that and I kept what my classmate gave me.”

“Oh,” Ladybug said strangely. “Your classmate also gave you something?”

“Yeah. Actually, now that you started talking, there are some similarities between you guys. She stumbles on her words a lot too. I thought she hated me, but I think she might just be shy. Like you.”

Ladybug blinked, suddenly looking rattled. “Does she like you?!”

“What? No, of course not!” Chat laughed. “So back to your crush?”

“I think I’ve shared enough already,” retorted Ladybug. “And whatever I say, you can’t stop relating it back to your own classmate-crush!”

“She’s not my crush, my lady,” Chat countered immediately. “I just brought her up because I thought it’d make you feel better! About you know… your own thing.”

“How would she make me feel better?”

“Well, because you’re… similar?” Chat said confidently before trailing off into a question to himself. Marinette and Ladybug similar ? No, that didn’t seem right at all.

Oh, but then why did it sound so fitting in this situation?

“I am nothing like this girl!” Ladybug puffed her lip out in anger before then groaning. “I think I’m actually much worse. I broke into his private party one time! Where I wasn’t even invited.”

Chat Noir blinked, feeling a sudden strange chill creep over his body. “I’m sure he was happy that… his friend joined,” he said. A rather odd thought settled itself into Chat’s mind, and he attempted to respond as normally as he could to Ladybug while trying to shake it out.

“Gave him the wrong note one time for a prescription instead of a love letter. Ended with him giving me constipation medicine,” she groaned before slamming her head into her palms, as if the horrifying memory was fresh.

“I’m sure… he thought it was… amusing?” Chat Noir found himself answering robotically now. Coincidences happened, right? Surely they did. Surely they had to.

Such an innocent conversation couldn’t be changing the trajectory of Chat Noir’s life as he knew it. Surely not.

“Didn’t want to be apart from him on a trip abroad one time, convinced his dad to let him come,” she continued before pausing. “In hindsight, this one’s a little bit more positive press for me. But it’s still so embarrassing! I barely knew the guy!”

Chat Noir felt every nerve, from his toes to neck, sting his body in a surreal sensation. Such an ordinary conversation, such a quiet night couldn’t be the one to change his life and yet, Chat knew this was how life was as a whole. Things could change so quickly, in a routine moment, and nothing would be the same again. That was how he’d become Chat Noir, how he’d fallen in love with Ladybug, how he’d met Marinette.

Now, it would be how he solved an identity crisis.

“What? No positive reinforcement for that one?”

Chat couldn’t find it in himself to force out an answer this time. The great Ladybug, the one who leaped off buildings every day, put herself in harm’s way at any cost, protected the historic city of Paris… Chat had imagined being loved by a girl like this would be the bravest kind of love out there.

When he was alone, and miserable, he would try to think about how Ladybug might love Chat Noir, and consequently Adrien. The image he would conjure would be of a soft, caring yet stern and attentive girl, one who wouldn’t hesitate to put him in his place but fight for every chance to keep the two of them together.

How had he been so foolish to forget that if two parts of himself existed in Paris, two parts of Ladybug existed too? Ladybug could be shy too, she could be unconfident and unsure of herself, she could be pessimistic and clumsy. She could love naively, and not the perfect way he’d imagined she would love someone.

She could love like Marinette.

“Have I scared you?!” Ladybug’s shrill voice captured Chat’s attention again. Her expression was one of distress. “I’ve overshared, haven’t I? Now, you think I’m strange and a stalker and nothing like you imagined me to be-”

“No,” he interjected immediately. “I don’t think any of these things about you at all.”

She sighed. “You don’t have to lie, I can understand if you do. I know the guy I like probably does.”

Chat felt a new kind of a smile tugging at his cheeks. It was a miracle how he hadn’t fallen off the height they were sitting at from all the revelations he was having in his head. Instead, he just felt giddy, knowing everything he did now. “He thinks you’re charming and sweet… you go out of your way for him, even though he can’t imagine deserving that from you. Even the stumbling and tripping only shows how sincere you are. You’re a good person to be loved by Ladybug in every way… even in the way that isn’t what some might think Ladybug-like.”

Ladybug looked at him strangely. “I feel like we are suddenly having two very different conversations right now.”

That didn’t wipe the smile off Chat’s face. He couldn’t quite believe his luck. There were two parts of himself that existed out there, and two parts of her that existed out there, and all of them had still found each other. Ladybug had still found herself enamored by some part of who he was, and him some part of her.

He swallowed. Truth be told, he had found himself enamored by all parts of her. Before his feelings grew for Ladybug, the moments of tenderness he felt around Marinette seemed like a threat to his self-sworn loyalty. Now that he was here, he could finally admit it. This was a person that he loved completely.

There was no person in existence who Chat thought he would ever know completely, apart from himself. Not even Plagg, who he spent hours with, or his father, who he was in this world because of. But his belief was wrong, and there was someone in his world that crossed paths with him in every way. There was someone he found himself enchanted by in every way.

Ladybug feigned a cough. “Anyway,” she said, “we are going to pretend that I didn’t reveal all that.”

“Sure,” Chat nodded. Definitely not , he thought.

She narrowed her eyes at him. He’d been trying to disguise all that had been happening in his head at the last minute, hiding his excitement and joy at realizing what he did. But despite his best efforts, he was sure Ladybug knew him well enough to tell.

“What are you smiling about, kitty?” she said sharply.

“Nothing at all. Good weather, no crime, it’s great.”

She sighed. “You find it funny, don’t you? That what I’m describing sounds like a whole other person?”

“No. That’s just how our lives work, don’t they? Identity crisis and all, Ladybug and Chat Noir are only parts of who we are,” Chat smiled. “I still think you’re great though. That whole other person you’re describing.”

Ladybug looked at him incredulously before shaking the expression off. She cocked a brow. “So, what are you like?”

“What do you mean?”

“You asked me what I’m like when I like somebody. What are you like?”

“I tell you I love you everyday.”

She shook her head. “I mean, without the mask.”

He blinked. “It’s still you I like without the mask.”

There seemed to be a small smile playing on Ladybug’s lips at that. “What would Chat Noir be like around me if he wasn’t wearing the mask?” she said. “Just as confident?”

Chat thought about it for a while. He had a sense of confidence and freedom under the mask, all of which allowed him to be so direct to Ladybug. But as Adrien Agreste?

He barely thought himself to be good enough for her as Marinette.

“No,” he answered honestly. “I’m daydreaming and thinking about how great you are all day. I’m telling all my friends how good of a person you are and trying to get closer, but never really being brave enough to take any step further. Nothing like you, going out of your way to confess.”

“Why would you do that?” she frowned.

“This is the best part of me,” he gestured. “Existing as Chat Noir is my best selling point. But you… you’re so special without Ladybug too.” His eyes softened as he looked at her, so beautiful in this sight. How could someone like her just… exist?

“That’s not true at all. I told you, I’m a mess on the other side. No one would think to compare me to the great Ladybug,” she said. “And I refuse to believe Chat Noir is the best part of you. I think all parts of you must be good, if you’re like this with a mask on.”

Chat blinked. “That crush of yours,” he said, feeling his hands suddenly clammy. “Do you think he’s that good?”

“What’s he got to do with this?” she laughed. “But just since you asked, yes. He is great.”

“What’s so good about him?”

She shrugged, suddenly confused. “He just is… he really tries to be. I’ve seen it so I’m sure,” she said, staring out with a determined look. “It’s just like you said about that girl you knew, how she’s so selfless that she’d be Ladybug if she had to. The boy I know, he worries and he cares so much that he’d be Chat Noir if he had to. He’d want to do better by this city, just as you do.”

Oh, Marinette . Chat felt like he could cry at her words. It was the biggest feat of his life, existing at these two vastly different people. It was a maze of adversity, navigating being his civilian self who was so loved and being Chat Noir, his purest, best self.

Did Marinette really believe under her mask that he as Adrien matched up to Chat Noir?

“If you think I’m all that great despite what I said about who I am when I’m not Ladybug, then you should believe the same about yourself,” Ladybug said. “You’re good, Chat Noir.”

His chest felt like it could burst with love. He had never felt more in love than he did now, existing as both Adrien and Chat Noir in the quiet.

He grinned. “Good enough for Ladybug to want to go through my trash?”

She groaned. “You ruined the moment. I absolutely regret sharing that with you, by the way and now, I want to leave,” she said, pushing herself off the ledge.

“I’ve done some pretty embarrassing things too,” he said instantly and reached for her wrist. “I stayed up a few nights to learn how to bead things together so I could make a gift for this girl I liked.”

Ladybug frowned, stilling her movement and turning slowly. “Is this that girl from your class?! You said you didn’t like her!”

“I would say I didn’t like her to every person who asked, and then try anything to talk to her,” he said. “I would spend classes arguing about how great Ladybug is, and talking about how she was my favorite person in Paris to anyone who would listen. And then, in front of everyone, I told this girl that she was just like her.”

The look of jealousy, as Chat so hopefully identified it to be, dissipated slowly from Ladybug’s face. He watched her expression transform into one of disbelief, as if she were hearing something that sounded like a familiar song from her past, though she wasn’t quite sure the melody was all the same. He imagined this is how he’d looked only a few minutes ago.

“Gave up my spot on a gaming contest because she wanted it. Told everyone it was because I didn’t really want to play anyway, but it was mostly because it was her who wanted it,” he continued, gleefully enjoying the display of shock on Ladybug’s face. “Called her specifically to fix a costume for me on a shoot, even though I had a team of designers ready. Changed plans to be inconvenient for everyone just to stop by a bakery for the off-chance to see her.”

Chat had given up being ambiguous now. He would admit, there was a kind of joy to be talking to Marinette about himself as Adrien, while they sat atop Paris as the two most important people in suits. The magic of a quiet night had brought all four people to exist as one here.

“What are you… oh my God,” Ladybug fell back to sit, her body resembling jelly as she lost control. Her eyes, wider than usual, blinked in a staggering pattern and she mumbled to herself.

“I’ve done a lot of stupid things too,” he ended. “So you’re not so alone.”

Ladybug gazed at Chat in bewilderment. Her fingers reached out ever so slightly to attempt to graze his arm. At the last second, it retreated and pinched her own skin instead.

“Adrien?” she said in a breath.

Chat grinned. He’d never liked the sound of his name more.

“Funny meeting you here, Marinette,” he laughed. It was a new feeling to address Ladybug with that.

Ladybug remained frozen. “This is not happening,” she mumbled to herself. “I’m asleep. I’m dreaming. This is an akumatized villain-”

“I am very much real, and not akumatized. Have some better faith in me, my lady-”

“Have you been stalking me?!” she shrieked suddenly, looking at Chat skeptically. “Did you follow me to my room, see me transform… see my Adrien posters…” she trailed off, as if another world-ending thought came to her.

“You have posters of me?”

She gave a mean look. “Of Adrien. Not you!”

Chat chuckled uncomfortably, rubbing his nape. “That’s me… off-duty. Identity crisis, am I right?” he laughed.

Ladybug looked unconvinced. “You are not Adrien!”

“I am!”

Ladybug’s hand frantically pointed to a sight in the distance. “That’s Adrien!” she cried out at a perfume billboard. It was so small from where he was looking that Chat had no choice but to accept that she had memorized where that billboard was from anywhere in the city.

Chat wasn’t sure what to reply. He waited till Ladybug’s maniacal reaction had calmed down till he spoke again.

“I’m serious. I’m Adrien Agreste.”

A beat of silence passed between the two. Ladybug just stared at Chat.

Then she just burst out laughing. In a calmer tone, she said, “come on kitty, lying to get me to like you back is low for you.”

“No, I’m serious. I’m Adrien!” he crossed his arms defensively. He frowned at the amused smile on Ladybug’s face.

“If you really are Adrien, then all those stories should’ve rung a bell for you-”

“You talked to my father to let me go to New York with you, came to my house in disguise when that party happened, which, by the way, I had no part of organizing, and asked me to get you medicine from London. I didn’t know about the trash, and I still have the lucky charm. I am Adrien,” he said. “And you are Marinette.”

Ladybug blinked. “And we’re… Ladybug and Chat Noir?”

“Looks like it,” he said with a smile.

“There were a million people you could’ve been and you’re… Adrien?” she said slowly.

“You’re not disappointed… are you?” Chat’s lip trembled for a split-second. He worried he read the signs all wrong until he saw Ladybug look up, beaming with a warmth he’d never seen.

“Disappointed?” she laughed. “No. Not at all.”

Relief flooded him. “Good,” he said, smiling at her happiness. “Just so it wasn’t clear, you’re the classmate who Adrien can’t stop being enamored by.”

She shut her eyes tight, cringing. “Chat Noir’s the person Marinette’s made a fool of myself in front of. That’ll take me a while to understand.”

Chat Noir grinned before reaching for her hand. “I thought I was living as two different people, but I’ve gone ahead and fallen in love with the same person as both of them. Even in both lives, I found myself with you.”

Ladybug gave a small smile. “Solve any identity crisis for you?”

Chat Noir laughed. “Definitely explains a lot,” he said. “But even if it didn’t, it doesn’t really matter now, does it?”

“Why’s that?” Ladybug answered. Their fingertips were touching now, a small touch so shy that it was easy to pretend it wasn’t even happening. It wasn’t insignificant at all though. Right now, Chat Noir was touching not just Ladybug, but Marinette - his partner, his classmate, and the only person who understood what it meant to be so many people at once.

“Well, we have a whole lot of nights ahead of us to figure them out together,” he said with a smile. The rest of the night continued like this, with jokes and loud laughter about the strange coincidences of them, awkward moments of trying to hide identities from each other and everyone else, revealing embarrassing things they did for one another.

To any Parisian that night who would look up at the sky, they might be a lucky onlooker to the two celebrities of the city sitting atop a rooftop. But the truth would only be between the two figures up on the roof, who knew that on a quiet night like this existed something much more than Ladybug and Chat Noir.

#miraculous #miraculous ladybug #miraculous adrien #miraculous marinette #mlb #adrien agreste #adrien x marinette #chat noir #ladybug #marinette dupain cheng #miraculous fanfic #miraculous fandom #ladybug x chat noir #chat noir x ladybug #ladynoir fanfic #ladynoir

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beevean · 1 year

Note

Steven Universe was a, wonderful show. I have to admit it has been so long since I have watched an episode, I should re-watch it again. I am sure like many things it also has/had its flaws, but, right now I can't remember anymore. I have to say it is sad, how, it appears as if the shows has been, in a way forgotten. I mean, the fans still exist and it is still talked about, but I assume that is now more in the background / more quiet.

It, does make me sad that, in the present, when, you hear about Steven Universe, it is indeed, often people making fun of the show, instead of hearing about a team of passionate writers and artists, trying to break boundaries and having to face again and again pushback and defiance, either way trough censorship, their work getting leaked or people ridiculing the show. Steven Universe, will always have a special place in my heart, and I will remember fondly how this show expressed and voiced about topics, that even now, some people and shows rarely to never talk or avoid talking about

SU was flawed because everything is. Even not considering the network reasons (Steven Bombs affecting the format, the sudden and exhausting hiatuses that made people less forgiving about "filler" episodes, the rushed finale), it had its growing problems and its ups and downs.

But it's a heartfelt show. It was cozy, sweet, not afraid of tackling poignant topics but still keeping that warm optimism that everyone can become a better person... and I'm not talking about the antagonists, I'm talking about the heroes. Pretty much everyone was morally grey to some degree. Everyone was given the chance to understand the error of their ways and improve.

It's frustrating that I still see tweets like Steven singing "Change" to Jack Horner to make fun of his modus operandi (ignoring that Change was directed at Spinel, who is very much not a Jack Horner) (and side note, while I enjoyed PIB:TLW, Jack Horner felt so on-the-nose he almost stopped being funny. yeah i get it, he's a monster. so subversive.) from people who only know about the show through memes or 2 hour long inflamatory essays. Maybe, if you watched the show, you'd know that Steven did not "forgive" the Diamonds, he very much does not like them until the end, they are the ones who were confronted with the flaws in their reasoning and had the presence of mind to realize "no, this is not right, I'm hurting my loved ones, I'm living a lie". Idealistic? Yeah! But welcome to a kids' show that has been idealistic since day 1!

And this is not mentioning the fact that Sugar fought to have representation back when the most famous example was Korra and Asami holding hands. She fought for it not because she wanted to have token representation, she actually believed that children deserved to see all kinds of love. That is admirable.

SU is a good show made with passion and love and a genuine desire to give hope to the audience, and the tools to find happiness. Feel free to dislike it, but at least know what you're talking about.

#steven universe

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thewertsearch · 2 years

Text

Asks Compilation 30/05

And they really do. It’s kind of a crime that they never grew up together, because that would have been the funniest shit ever.

I’ll give them a look soon then! I’m planning on doing a few in-between things like that after the conclusion of Act 4.

That’s four accidental references. I guess when your comic is already so reference-heavy, this becomes kind of a statistical inevitability.

I really gotta check out this game.

That’s hilarious, but also - people do live reads on Twitch? That’s so fun! It wouldn’t be for me, but I’d love to watch some of those, once I’ve finished the comic. It’s such a novel way to do something like this.

The Midnight Crew are duplicated across sessions, and I think it’s pretty likely that the same goes for all unique Carapaicians. I’m fairly confident that WV, PM and AR all exist in the troll session.

If he’s always predisposed to rebel, then he’s just another card Sburb can play. It’s like anon said - if the Reckoning is coming on a little too early, he attacks the Black King to delay it, so Players can get there on time.

But he can’t ever win, because the game decrees that Prospit can’t be spared. This is why I hope he isn’t scripted, because if he is, this whole thing gets really tragic really fast.

Hah, I noticed after I posted it, but I didn’t bother to change it. It really captured the energy of those last few panels.

Hell yeah! 😍 It’ll be cool to see how the design evolves as I learn what each of the trolls’ features actually mean and signify.

They’re honestly a ton of fun to make. I haven’t done any sprite work in a long time, and it’s been really fun to get back into it!

Damn it, this is what happens when you type your FAQ at 2am...

Theory: The Guardians weren’t cloned from themselves. They were created from mutant TBH DNA, and the Striders are the least mutated of all.

As a former security analyst, I am honor-bound to practice good infosec and not share my birthday online. But yeah, we’re in my season!

I never liked having a summer birthday - I much prefer winter weather, since I’m kinda photosensitive. I’m also the only one in my family with a summer birthday. In defiance to Gemini symbolism, I stand alone. >:)

Oh, yeah, I can for sure believe that people would still ship these kids post-Veil - lest we forget the perfect storm of discourse that was early Supernatural.

It’s probably a good thing that these kids were thirteen-year-old online friends, and not eighteen-year-old college roommates. That could have got really awkward, and I imagine (read: hope) that Sburb intercedes to make sure such situations don’t arise.

Again: My heartfelt thanks to all readers for not asking me about shipping pre-Veil. I don’t think I would have shipped RoseDave or JohnJade, but if I’d actually had reason to think about it at the time, you never know...

Like, I know this stuff is probably just being alchemized, but I can’t get over the possibility that Players have ‘iconic accessories’ built into their DNA.

Except the Striders. They just get big ol’ eyes.

Love the idea that Battlefield Carapacians have their own distinct culture. Living in an eternal war zone would change you, no matter how deeply ingrained your Sburb programming was.

I like to think that when WV rose up, it was the war-weary Battlefield Carapacians who were the first to stand beside him

[ Rex Duodecim is really good but it spoils some stuff later on. you should watch it after Act 5 fully ends... maybe even liveblog it? - Cat ]

Thanks a bunch, and get well soon! I’m glad that the liveblog is helping you through it!

So it’s a fanmade video that was confirmed as canon later on? Or is it more that the author likes it so much that they consider it canon? Either way, I’ll check it out when I can be sure it won’t spoil me on anything!

Thank you! You can thank @beneath-these-bones for the initial design. It’s a fantastic base, and I plan to update it when I get round to drawing some alchemy gear.

It works either way! Despite the fact that I never get assigned the Space Aspect, I still love all things astronomical.

Yeah, I’m inclined to agree. I love the star’s dopey face, but the planet does look a lot better. Initially I made the planet’s ring fully horizontal, but this is definitely an improvement.

Chillingly plausible. Now that we know Rose’s Grimoire is the real deal, who knows what effect that thing was having on her, over the years? Plus, she’s been dreaming on Derse her whole life...

#asks #full liveblog #act 4 #classpect

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firewoodfigs · 10 months

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For the fanfic readers ask game!✨️

8) What I like the most about your writing - honestly, how poetic and full of feeling it is, always. I've been familiar with some of your works even before I entered the Royai fandom community (and yeah, I was too shy to leave comments back in the day, ahah, sorry about that x)), and no matter if it is angst or fluff (or maybe both?), there's always so much feeling in it, I'd say your works breath with grace and beauty, so any time I get into one I feel like I want to take time to let all the charm of the said work to sink in deeply into my soul, and let me tell you - I absolutely adore the authors that can give me this feeling - when I want to savor each and every word, and you're definitely one of them!

12) A fic of yours that i've re-read - "of confessions and cocktails", hehe x)

I think it was actually the first, or at least one of the first fics that I've read from you, and it's just so comforting and fun to read that I tend to come back to it pretty often :33

13) If i've ever shared/talked about your fic to someone else - oh yeah definitely! I mention you pretty often when giving fic/author recs to people who are either just entering the fandom or looking for something new to read. Given my especially soft spot for young!royai, ahah, I think one of the fics I've mentioned very often is "christmas (baby, please come home)" - like OMG this became such a personal comfort fic of mine that I can't help it, I really like coming back to it once in a while as well.

Hope you're having a lovely day, sending you all the appreciation and virtual hugs you deserve!! <33

Have I told you that I love you?!?!? I’ve been staring at your comment all weekend and am still incapable of coherent speech 😭 thank YOU so so much for always taking the time to write the most heartfelt, sincere and insightful comments — I literally learn so much just from your comments alone, and it’s been so helpful in navigating what works and lands and just inspires me to keep writing 🥹 for you, my love, I would write all the young royai in the world and more and AAAAHHHH I’m just rendered speechless every time by your incredible generosity.

Don’t even get me started on your art — it leaves me breathless every time and inspires a whole well of words in me and is just SO inimitable gorgeous and I just. Thank you for existing and blessing us with your art. You are a gift and I love you 💕💕💕

#asks #words to look back on with infinite fondness #smoothshine

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fae-fucker · 1 year

Text

Breaking Time: Final Part

Remember when I said “I could get this done before the end of the year”? Last year? Anyway. This is it, lads.

Chapter 26

So Klara’s father confronts her about her lying to him, but he does it in the least interesting way possible, because Sasha can’t write. You’d think an actual parent would be, I dunno, worried? Upset? But this guy is just so mild and understanding that it boggles the mind why this scene exists to begin with.

“I changed my mind about college. I thought I might get it back, or at least I was hoping to, but it just never happened. I wanted to tell you, but—” She paused. “It was Mom’s dream. I felt like I was crushing it by not wanting to go.”

Her dad’s brow furrowed in concern and in the next second, his arm wrapped tightly around Klara. “Her dream was for you to be happy, honey.”

Klara breathed out. Even though this wasn’t exactly her top concern right now, finally telling the truth felt like coming up for air. “And that’s not the only thing going on right now,” she added.

He was still nodding, still squeezing her with reassuring pressure. “Yeah, I kind of guessed that. Why couldn’t you tell me what was going on in your head? Did I do something? If I did—”

“No,” she said firmly, heart breaking that he could even think it was his fault. “I just—” She breathed, bracing herself. “Right now, I’m dealing with something else kind of...big.”

“You can always talk to me, kiddo. I know I’m an old fogey, but I have grown up before, you know.” He smiled down. “Or did you think I was born perfect?”

No, but with the way you’re acting right now, you’re clearly written to be perfect.

I’m in a fun position where I have one parent that sucks and one parent that’s good, so I can sort of compare and contrast. My mom is very understanding and tries her best, even if she fails a lot of the time. Point is, she trusts me and accepts most of my choices.

But do you think she’d be okay with finding 18-year-old me in a strange place with a strange man, after also figuring out I’ve preemptively dropped out of college? She’d freak the fuck out, justifiably. Ya know, because she cares about me? Not because she’s evil and or because she doesn’t understand or trust me?

I know what Sasha’s going for, that they’re so wholesome and understanding, but it’s just not realistic? If this has been his parenting style until this point, I’m surprised Klara gives a shit about him at all. She should be a spoiled brat with the way this man clearly sets no boundaries and offers zero discipline. The utter perfection of this relationship is saccharine and phony. I’m not asking for every parent-child relationship in media to be fucked up, but parents are people too? You could hint at some pain by just having the dad react differently, by letting him be upset at her sudden withdrawal. Now, with how unfazed he is, it both comes off as him not giving a fuck, and wastes the reader’s time because you’ve spent so many words forcing Klara to worry about hurting a parent who ends up being totally cool with everything.

They have some generic uwu wholesome child-parent banter that’s still deeply unfunny, they talk about Klara’s mother and he gives Klara her mother’s necklace for reasons, then the dad leaves the way he came, pleasant and understanding and not bothered by anything at all. Sasha, just make your protags orphans next time. Clearly you have no business writing parents if this is how you’re gonna waste their word count.

“I’m sorry for not telling you, Dad. I really I am,” [...] “I just—I need to do something, and I can’t tell you what. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” [...] Her father took a deep breath. “Everything within me is telling me to take you home with me but I know you. I trust you.”

Ain’t that fucking convenient.

Chapter 27

Time skip to the Samhain celebration. Because Callum reacting to seeing a parent and child have a heartfelt (well, supposedly) reunion would have no interesting effect on him, being an orphan and all. Gotta get to the good part!

Klara stopped. “Happy Samhain,” she said darkly, shifting the weight of the sword higher on her shoulder.

Callum looked at her, examining her face. Her lips glowed in the firelight, and in profile she looked like a Celtic warrior queen of Thomas’s tales. He tried to memorize every line of her lovely face—the strong line of her nose, the swoop of her jawline, the eyes which so often danced but now looked steady and serious.

Yeah I’m sure a lot of Celtic warrior queens looked like skinny upper middle class American YouTubers. This is so embarrassing. You’d have to pay me to write a self-insert this blatant and this girl did it for free and got (some) money for it? I’m being Jokerified.

Here’s an eyewatering exchange, and not because it’s emotional.

[...] “Do you really believe it could stop Llaw?”

Callum did not want to lie to her anymore, so he said nothing. The flames looked suddenly pale.

“Do you think anything can stop him?” she said.

“Ye can, Klara,” he said forcefully. It was the only thing he felt certain of. He put his palm over his chest and knelt to show fealty to her. “I swear it, with all my heart.”

“Oh my god, Callum.” Blushing, she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him up to his feet. They stood chest to chest, just barely a hand’s length between them. “But—how do you know?”

“Because I believe ’tis your destiny,” he said softly. “My purpose is here, my heart is here.”

“I don’t want to be your purpose, Callum. At least not like this.” She looked up, into his eyes. “I don’t want to be the reason you get hurt, or worse.” Her eyes welled with water, glowed fervently like a candle burning low. “I want to be the reason you want to live.”

Wish I was Jared, 19. And what, do you think this is the end of the trite regurtitations of a talentless hack? Because it’s not! They dance in the light from the bonfire with all the other people there, there’s music and song and laughter and bla bla bla. Just imagine the totes emotional bonfire scene in any other piece of vaguely historical romantic media and you’ve got it. Except instead of maybe being good or fun, it’s heavily undercut by the two main characters declaring their love for each other after less than a week of knowing one another.

Instalove is a fundamentally flawed trope that takes a very skilled writer to make work.

...

I think I’ll leave it at that.

Now feast your eyes on this:

“Ye’re not going to die—”

YE’RE?! YE’RE?!

OH MY GOD.

Anyway, one moment they’re making out, the next ... a couple breaks them apart? Somehow? This also somehow knocks Callum on his ass? Bro aren’t you a bigstrong hunky Scot fighter? What’s happening?

I think I get what Sasha’s going for, that Callum loses Klara in the crowd, but they were literally making out. As in, occupying the same space. As in, holding each other tightly. You’d have to put conscious effort into breaking a couple apart like that. Granted, Sasha does try to make it work by saying a loud voice forces them to part first, but I call bull. Figure out a better way for Callum to get lost. Especially when he spots the bean-nighe right after this. Why couldn’t he just see her in the crowd and come up with an excuse to leave Klara? Whatever.

Callum runs after the bean-nighe. She’s all evil and mysterious and says some nonsense bullshit that’s supposed to mean something but won’t. Make up your own mysterious dialogue, whatever you come up with will probably fit in here because there’s no point to it anyway. Once Callum gets the strength of ten men, he runs off to find Klara, but she’s left without him. He runs off to the Ring of Brodgar, the final mystic center and sees Klara ... step ... into ... the mist? Idk.

It’s supposed to be dramatic and all, but I’m struggling with the sense of scale and distance in this thing.

Chapter 28

Klara hated this feeling.

It reminded her of visiting the pool with her family when she was young. She insisted on jumping off the tallest diving board with the big kids. With each step she took, the more frantic her heart beat, the rougher the board scraped the bottoms of her feet. At the top, the sun bore down on her from above. She wanted it to melt her on the spot.

All she had to do was get to the edge of the board and do it. Just do it.

“Can’t she just jump already?”

“Hurry up.”

“Loser.”

Oh great, is this where we find out Klara was bullied, too? This book is so fucking funny. Like a collection of a writer’s first mistakes. Klara was bullied but she has totally loving and understanding parents! She’s an awkward loner but had a boyfriend in high school and is gorgeous! She’s totally not rich but lives in a massive historic mansion and has never struggled financially in her life! Ok girl.

Klara enters the ring and takes out her Main Character Sword.

If she was going to win this fight, she would have to use her power, her wits. Her heart. There was no technical training for that. She closed her eyes, and focused on her heart—the string that had pulled her in the right direction every time before. Her gut, her intuition, her destiny, whatever it was, it would take her to what she needed to do.

The plot. Call it whatever in-universe thing you want, but functionally, that’s the plot. She may have the Main Character Sword, but she still can’t act for herself and has to wait for the writer to hold her hand.

She stabs the sword into the ground and a bunch of mist appears and is very mysterious. Not sure how it connects to the sword being stabbed into the ground, as the mist appears from the outside and in instead of pouring out of the earth, but ok. Missed an opportunity for a cool visual and some logic to Klara’s plot-demanded actions, there.

As this is going on, Klara’s narration keeps referencing Stephen King and horror movies. No, really.

The mist closed in on her and gathered around her feet. She took a step. The mist clung to her like a shadow, as if she were in a Stephen King novel.

Well, she didn’t like that. If you ended up in his books, you’d probably end up dead. Or worse, wishing you were.

[...]

There was a reason Klara hated horror movies. It was the suspense, the lead-up to a jump scare that always nearly killed her. She didn’t need to fear being murdered, because she would die of fright waiting for the killer to pop out from a closet or under the bed. Right now, she felt fear churning in the marrow of her bones.

It’s like Sasha knows that reading and enjoying other media will improve your writing, but took it to mean that you should just reference the material instead of learning from it.

Given the level of “analysis” in her book reviews, I’m not particularly surprised.

I know horror is hard to write, but maybe going “You know how scary those things are in other stories? Yeah, this is like that” is not the right way to go about it. Especially referencing movies in a book. C’mon. You’re a different medium.

Anyway, Klara finds her mom in the Otherworld.

Chapter 29

Callum is standing about when he hears a spooky howl in the distance.

Callum closed his eyes and let his senses focus. He had always been a decent tracker and patient hunter, perfecting his stillness while Thomas lazed about and sang songs, sometimes scaring a hare from its den with sheer luck.

Okay? Drop new info on us three chapters before the book ends, why don’t you?

Being a decent tracker and patient hunter doesn’t help Callum in this case, because Llaw shows up with four more scawy cweatuwes and hands Callum his entire ass. Again.

“Hellhounds,” said a familiar voice.

Callum whirled. Llaw. Smiling.

Such writing.

Alright I’ll give the guy some credit. Callum does take out the wolves before going for Llaw. But Llaw kicks his ass in the end anyway and Callum fucking croaks lmao.

He’s kind of useless for a bigstrong heartthrob Scot, isn’t he? It’d be endearing if it was intentional, now it just comes off as a bit embarrassing. All that bean-nighe angst only to get killed off almost immediately.

Now that I think about it, a lot of this book is characters worrying about shit that doesn’t end up mattering in the end or is resolved super quickly.

Moving on.

Chapter 30

So I won’t go too hard on the reunion of Klara and her mother because it reads pretty okay and feels disctinctly like a more genuine and less self-indulgent personal touch from Sasha. The need to connect with a dead loved one and get some closure is very human and I won’t harp on a person including that in their novel for some personal catharsis. That’s what art is for, after all.

However, everything after their heartfelt reunion and once Arianrhod crashes the scene? Free real estate, baybeeee.

Arianrhod explains that Llaw can’t enter here, aka the Otherworld. We knew this already, yet Klara reacts with surprise and relief. Then ...

Klara remembered Llaw’s speech. He talked about ushering a new age of gods and men, which she had scoffed at and dismissed. He yearned for a world that gave him power, though he didn’t deserve it. Not anymore, at least.

But the power had existed, Klara realized—it existed here, where she stood, in the Otherworld.

“That’s what he wants.” Klara shifted on her feet, growing eager as understanding dawned on her. She felt her mother’s protective presence next to her. It kept her bold. Safe. “He wants to walk among the gods as an equal—”

Y-yeah? I ...? Yeah?

I’m sorry, am I being gaslit again? How is understanding dawning on you when you’re repeating information that has been explicitly stated to your face multiple times at this point?

This book is a fucking fever dream what the hell.

Arianrhod says that Klara is safe here but that time is stagnant, and if she stays, decades will have passed by the time she returns. Meaning she can’t camp here and wait for Llaw to croak on his own time unless she wants all her loved ones to die, too.

Klara says that she came here in order “unlock her powers” and asks if Arianrhod can help with that.

“I am the Silver Wheel. The goddess of life, death, rebirth, with a throne in the stars.” Arianrhod stared at Klara. “It seems like there is something in you that needs to be born.”

Relief, along with fear, washed over Klara. She was pretty sure that was goddess for yes.

Well, I’m glad Klara could make sense of that, because it’s pure nonsense to me. It probably was nonsense, too, because Arianrhod does and says nothing else after this lol.

Her mom embraced her. “Sometimes I get really annoyed with myself for doing such a good job raising you,” she whispered [...]

Yeah, ya didn’t.

Her mother’s hands gripped her. They radiated warmth; the warmth spread through her veins, then grew hot—but this was not pain. Not at all. It was renewal.

The fire spread through her, washing her body clean of what was, replacing it with what is. And yet somehow, at the same time, it was only revealing what had always been.

For her whole life, she had been one of billions. But her true self—her secret—was hidden within. In that moment, Klara could see herself suspended in the space between worlds, hair blazing around her like a halo of fire. The dormant power fully awake, no longer buried and forgotten.

I’m so glad this wealthy, pretty cishet white girl finally feels as special as she thinks she deserves to be. Confirmed by a goddess, no less.

And she didn’t have to do anything to get there, either. It was just bestowed upon her by a higher power. Lifted above others by chance rather than merit or effort.

I guess Klara truly is a self-insert, isn’t she, Sasha?

You know what’s funny, though? This whole book was about Klara and Callum going to mystic centers to try to unlock Klara’s powers, which they sort of did, right? But in the end, all it actually took was asking Arianrhod to do it. There was no final trial or test, no character development to justify this power-up. Arianrhod didn’t even say anything about Klara finally reaching her potential or proving that she deserved to have her powers unlock. Even Klara’s little epic inner monologue comes after Arianrhod gave her the go-ahead. It’s a little sad, really. She didn’t do anything herself. Even her supposed specialness is only there because a goddess gave it to her for no apparent reason. And once again, it shows how much of this was a waste of the reader’s time. If all Klara actually had to do was ask Arianrhod for help, why did we bother watching her prance around Scotland with her boytoy?

Klara yeets herself back to the real world just in time for Callum’s dead ass to land at her feet. It’s very funny, but I don’t think it’s supposed to be.

Chapter 31

Klara collapsed over him, as if her body could shield him from the injuries that had already riddled his body. She placed a hand along his damp cheek, she could see the clammy beads of blood masking his face.

“I didnae imagine death would have such a sweet embrace.” He murmured from his bloodstained lips.

Oh god, kill him faster before he says more cringe shit!

It was then, at the final moments, that she realized, he was it for her. He was the man she loved.

And now he was gone.

[...]

She wanted to pinch herself and wake up from this nightmare, but she knew that this—this devastating, irreparable moment—was her reality. Nothing she could do would change it. It didn’t matter if she had a goddess’s blood running through her veins. She was alone, with a power she didn’t understand and the boy she...loved...dead.

So anyone else kinda rooting for Llaw? Hear me out. He’s evil, but he’s hot. And he wants to kill Klara and already killed Callum. That’s pretty sexy of him, I think. Sasha just hates to see a girlboss winning so that’s why he’s the antagonist.

Klara gets the random idea to try to summon Cernunnos because he said something about how he’s always there for her.

But instead, Llaw just ... materializes in front of her and shoves her to the ground with his boot? I genuinely don’t know, it’s so awkwardly written, especially when he says nothing and Klara barely reacts and instead seems to focus more on Callum. Either way, she’s on the ground next to Callum’s busted-ass corpse and with Llaw’s foot on her chest. That’s all you need to know.

The shadow of the waning eclipse acted like an extension of [Llaw’s] darkness. He tipped his head down to look at her. To her surprise, he did not look angry, nor did he glare at her with hatred. Instead, he smiled, as if bemused by the very sight of her. A slick of white hair fanned down to his shoulders. Behind him, the shadows seemed to darken, as if a mass of monstrous beasts waited just out of sight. The hem of his cloak swirled around her in waves.

Days ago, she might have said he looked godlike—but she would have been wrong.

He looked tired. His eyes were ringed with darkness, as if he had not slept in days. A shudder passed through her. How long had he walked the earth? Hundreds of years? Thousands?

His unkempt appearance gave her a sliver of hope. [...]

Me too, honestly. I think I could fix him.

Klara gets a power surge and throws Llaw off. He lands on the ground on the other side of Callum’s busted and borked Scottish remains.

The eclipse was almost total, as if a symbolic reference to Callum’s life. She wished it were not; the thought ruptured her soul.

Yeah, totally makes sense for her to be thinking this. Love how Sasha just states it’s symbolism instead of using symbolism. Chef’s kiss, truly.

And ruptured her soul? Really? Okay.

They exchange some “middle schoolers hopped up on shonen anime” type dialogue. Check a look.

“You find this funny?” [...]

[...] “A little girl, thinking she knows how to wield the strength of a god? If not comical, then it’s just pitiful.”

[...]

“You are pathetic,” she said. “Honestly, I almost feel sorry for you.”

“And why is that?” he said.

[...]

“Because I know what you want, Llaw, and you’ll never get it,” she taunted. “All of the lives you stole will have meant nothing. They’ll have died for nothing.”

“You know nothing, child,” he said. “Enough games.”

Klara scoffed. “That’s rich, coming from you .”

“Your blood belongs to me,” Llaw said.

[...]

“You can’t have it!” she cried.

Truly some “mom said it’s my turn on the xbox” shit.

Klara taunts him that she was welcomed into the Otherworld, unlike him who can’t go in there because his presence “has no weight in the hearts of the dead or the eternal.” I’m confused. So is Klara able to go in there because of her super special blood, or her mother wanting to see her? This doesn’t make any sense.

Anyway, Klara chops Llaw’s hand off. He’s like “omg what” but then is all like “whatever, man” and tells her it’s not over yet before stabbing her sword into himself. It’s unclear whether he dies or not, I assume not because of his threat before, but either way, light bursts out again and Klara is yanked through time and space.

Chapter Epilogue

Klara lands in Rosemere, in the same spot where Thomas got shanked. Except Thomas is still alive, his wound wrapped in bandages.

She knew only a few things to be true in this moment, in her current reality.

Thomas was alive.

Callum was dead.

And somehow she had ended up five hundred years in the past without any clue how to get back home.

She’s a literal time traveller and doesn’t know how to get back home? Huh?

Yeah I ... don’t know, y’all. Nothing means anything.

Multiple reviewers complained about the random cliffhanger and I have to agree. It’s not even bad, it’s just ... confusing? Perplexing? Not even exciting, it feels like a non sequitur, like Sasha pulled it from her ass last minute.

Most importantly: Do we think this will get a sequel? Or has Sasha's pride been wounded by the paltry and mostly negative reception? I suppose only the sales will tell, and I have no way of checking those.

I’m conflicted. I don’t want there to be a sequel, because Sasha needs to learn how to write before trying to publish again and that’s clearly gonna take the better part of a century if this is what 6 years of work looks like. Buuuuut I also need to read the rest of this trainwreck.

Guess we’ll see!

Acknowledgements

I’m not gonna critique these, obviously, but her editor’s name is Kate Sullivan. Just uh ... putting it out there. For reasons.

As for my acknowledgements: Thank you everyone for your patience while life happened and I scraped together the time to write these. I hope you enjoyed this journey, and may we have many more in the future! I’ll be posting a review of this novel later, which will mostly be based on these posts, so that’s something to either ignore or look out for.

Thanks for reading!

#eff reads: breaking time

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thethingything · 1 year

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3, 11, and 23 for the end of year asks ^_^

3. Favorite musical artist / group you started listening to this year?

oh boy there are a whole bunch. just off the top of my head we started listening to MCR, Phoenix, Will Wood, ELO, Depeche Mode, and Ghost, but I'm sure there are a bunch of others as well.

the favourites depend entirely on who you ask, because M would say MCR, and I think 🦋 would say ELO, and Sylvain would probably say Phoenix, but I'm not really sure which is my favourite.

11. Something you want to do again next year?

you get a list for this one because there are a bunch of things I want to do again:

handing out candy to trick or treaters on Halloween. I had a lot of fun with it and it's really cute watching all the kids getting really excited about getting sweets.

maybe planting some more stuff and seeing how that goes. I want to try propagating a couple of our succulents again.

raising moths from caterpillars (well actually we raised a bunch from eggs which was really cool). it was really fun and I miss them.

23. If you could send a message to yourself back on the first day of the year, what would it be?

agdjhsgjh okay so if I'm sending a message right back to new year's day, I didn't exist back then so it'd probably read more like a warning of "this fucker is going to irreversibly change the way your brain works" than anything else. imagine getting that message though. "hi I don't exist yet and you don't even know my source, but I'm going to be your new host and it's going to be very chaotic but you're also going to love me and my friends". it'd probably be a lot longer than that with a lot of rambling in it and a lot of heartfelt stuff, but yeah.

if it was just like, a message to myself on the first day of me being in the system back in February, it'd probably just be an explanation that yeah, things are gonna be chaotic and stressful at times, but it will turn out alright eventually. I don't know how much detail I'd give about what exactly happens, but yeah, there'd at least be some reassurance and maybe an explanation of how the system functions now, and some stuff about some of the nice things that have happened lately. I think me from back then probably would have coped a lot better knowing how things would turn out now.

#ask #🍬 post

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troglobite · 6 months

Text

lkfajsdflk

more thoughts abt fatness and desirability etc re: that one post i rbed and tagged

i can think of like Two characters who are actually fat who are cool interesting complex and their fatness is a neutral thing.

and they're both from the same show

laszlo and guillermo

like that's it lol

but i love them both bc they're complex characters who (as far as i know, bc again, i don't engage in fandom bc hhhhhhh) aren't FLATTENED.

yeah guillermo wears sweaters and is idealistic and goofy

but also? he kicks so much ass physically and emotionally

he is morally grey, fucked up, selfish, melodramatic, occasionally just MEAN

and ALSO a very loyal friend

he's not made to be ~comfy cozy~ or a joke just bc he's fat

it's just part of him, and it doesn't hold him back from having boyfriends and desires and BEING desirable

OR from being a truly fucked up piece of shit on occasion lol

and laszlo is The Most Desirable And Horny Man ever

and he's not portrayed as unwelcome in his advances, he's never portrayed as crude or rude or unwanted (except in very specific hilarious circumstances that have nothing to do with him being fat and horny)

he's not made out to be this lecherous freak

he's just exceedingly horny and eclectic and weird and funny and also sweet and heartfelt but utterly clueless about the weirdest things

he's a fun and complex character, and being fat is a neutral thing about him.

so when people make these two characters soft in fanart or fanfic, it's bc they're doing fandom shit, not bc they're fat (or at least, there's enough plausible deniability that it doesn't immediately read as that lol)

but az/raph/le is an irritating case to me

bc on the one hand YES MAKE CHARACTERS FATTER, IT IS A NEUTRAL THING! DO IT! GET USED TO SEEING FAT CHARACTERS AND IT NOT BEING A BIG DEAL! AND THEM STILL BEING DESIRABLE AND COOL AND LOVED!!!

and all of the other positive shit they said

on the other hand i am REALLY FUCKING SUSPICIOUS of people's motivations in making him fat in the VERY SPECIFIC WAYS they are making him fat

because you know what they ALSO do?

they make him SHORTER

and part of that is bc then together, he and cr/wl/y look like this:

and ppl love that for some fucking reason

(baseless speculation that it's bc of reproducing gender roles and power dynamics in relationships that don't have them--ANYWAY)

people also draw/write him knitting. all the time.

i'm PRETTY sure he NEVER did that in the show. in reality i'm pretty sure he would be absolutely baffled by how it works bc it's a complex human thing. his only human interest outside of music and books is magic.

he doesn't even WEAR knitwear.

and yet. everyone draws him short, fat, round, and knitting, with this little placid smile on his face.

tell me that making him fat, doing those things, and calling him azi is in any way a neutral or positive thing 100% of the time.

okay that was really combative--

clearly i think a lot of ppl just don't think about it.

and some are just following fanon trends.

but either way, they are creating and reproducing something that relies upon shortness and fatness to convey "somft, smol, roumd, sweet uwu bb"

and it is INFURIATING.

I AM SHORT AND FAT

AND I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW OFTEN PEOPLE HAVE STEREOTYPED OR UNDERESTIMATED ME

they would see my anger as laughable or cute

my interests as childish

my glee and excitement as weak and youthful

my threats funny

and i'm REALLY FUCKING ANGRY that giving him the same traits i have is meant to fucking woobify him so he's smol and cute

and then there are posts that are like ooohhh!!! he's a badass! he has a PLAN! he's so cool and tough!!!!

all in the same tone of like. fucking. talking about your 9 year old wanting to dismantle the patriarchy. or a small dog managing to scare bigger dogs.

so while i'm glad that there exists a lot of fanwork that makes him fatter AND desirable

and just has his NORMAL, CANON ATTRIBUTES (goofy, endearing, a bit gullible, but also steadfast and loyal, also self-denying and occasionally clueless or reticent) that are PART of him but not meant to be EMPHASIZED by his physical attributes

like that's great

i'm REALLY fucking irritated to see him made shorter and fatter as a shorthand way of conveying uwu smol bean

he's not. any of those things.

so THAT is why he in particular being made fatter (AND SHORTER) in fanworks just grates on me

yes i have tried blocking tags but blacklist systems no longer work consistently on here :)))))))))

so i see a lot of it unwillingly and then scroll past at lightning speed

but yeah. those. are my thoughts.

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dancing-to-architecture · 11 months

Text

22 - LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (2007)

Sound of Silver, more like "Sound of my Post-Collegiate Bummer Years".

This band rules. This album rules. Listen to it if you haven't yet. Thank me later.

It might be the best example of nü-disco, which isn't really a thing but it fucking SHOULD BE.

•Get Innocuous!-

This intro is forever, but it slaps so hard you barely notice it's been 2 ½ minutes when the singing finally comes in, and the fading-out singing is such a cool sound.

Normalize "it making you feel alive"!

•Time To Get Away-

Let the vocal acrobatics commence! For a guy who kinda talk-sings through most of the songs here, his ability to go from a low note to a high note is pretty amazing. Freddie Mercury-level octave leaping on display.

Otherwise, it's a funky-ass bop about breaking up.

•North American Scum-

As something of a North American scum myself, I love this song. Unfortunately, the last time i was given the aux at work... let's just say I was alone in my enjoyment.

"And for those of you who still think we're from England? We're not."

The chorus is simple but effective, and it WILL get stuck in your head.

•Someone Great-

Another long intro that i absolutely love. It just moves.

This song's instrumentation reminds me a lot of Oingo Boingo, in that everybody in the studio is doing something entirely different, and the whole thing really shouldn't work, but it does and it's beautiful.

This song's lyrics just (and likely will always) remind me of the last time i heard it: the day David Bowie died.

•All My Friends-

Starts with one of those chaotic piano bits that sounds like it's easy to play but I'm sure it's actually incredibly difficult, considering how it sounds just slightly out of time with itself, and it just keeps up like that forever.

Also, one of the most relatable songs on the album. I miss hanging out with all my friends. It's been too damn long since I've seen most of them.

•Us V Them-

This one has always had big Talking Heads energy to me. Might be the odd percussion and kinda anxious vibe.

Kinda repetitive at the end.

•Watch the Tapes-

Eh, it's alright. Imo, the weakest song on the album, which isn't to say it doesn't pull its weight, just the one I fuck with the least.

•Sound of Silver-

"Youth may be wasted on the young, but nobody old really wants to be young again, because being young FUCKING SUCKS and there's nothing to do but get torn asunder by your own out-of-control hormones and waste your youth."

•New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down-

Honestly, put this in my top 30 favorite songs of all time. One I've always wanted to try at karaoke, too.

I've never lived in NYC, never even been to New York state, but I've lived enough places and watched them change entirely to have this one really resonate with me.

(A personal aside: i miss the living hell out of you, dirty sketchy downtown Normal, Illinois. I miss your weird little shops and your holes in the wall that were all torn down to make way for hotels and CVSs and 5-over-1 "luxury apartment complexes" that all only exist to bilk college kids out of their money. They tore down and paved over everything that made you cool and interesting and replaced it with corporate bullshit, and you will never be avenged because nobody but me even cares about what you were anymore.)

This track is Completely Different from every other song on the album, but one of the most heartfelt songs of true despaired longing that i could name off the top of my head.

Nothing else i can think of properly conveys the sense of: 'yeah, sure, this place was objectively terrible and truly filthy and incredibly dangerous but it was ours and we loved it dirty and scary and wonderful. It felt like home.

And now you fucking suits and state senators have gone and cleaned it up and sanitized it and moved all the weirdos out and raised the rents to keep it the riffraff and made it "acceptable to the public" and ruined literally everything that made it special and fun and different and unique and good.'

The piano is so beautiful, the drumming at the end is inspired, and the video is exceptional, too.

Damn, this album is so good.

Favorite Track: New York, I Love You, But You're Bringing Me Down. If you listen to one song on this album, make it this one.

If you listen to two songs on this album, pick North American Scum to go with it.

Least Favorite Track: Watch the Tapes.

As prophet of our age Laura Les put it best: "we don't want to watch the news, we just read statements".

#1001 albums #dancing to architecture #LCD Soundsystem #Sound of Silver

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m0th-gh0st · 2 years

Note

OH YEAH you’re right about kaitlyn lolol sorry i was thinking of an entirely different thing (the distraction of sean and lees love took the cake for me in act three apparently)

also, never thought about it, but sean being the same age as lee is absolutely fucking heartbreaking, i mean lee got the opportunity to go through college, take his finals, exist before everything happened, and i doubt with sean being so devoted to the speaker that he would want to take any time off, he basically died still as a teenager too, i wouldn’t be surprised if there was some envy lying with sean because of lee too

i agree with you via the sean helping lee out with guilt, i think one part of the entire series that stuck with me the most was sean going “it talked to you, you heard it too” in reference to lee basically saying sean was addicted to the speaker and his influence, i don’t know why but in my mind, it makes sense on why sean would want to help out lee in the end, especially during his final monologue to lee about either getting out of purgatory or ending everything in general

i would’ve also killed for sean and lee to have an actual heartfelt discussion, or at least lee expressing more of his emotions during their time together, since i feel like sean, while not in the same position as him, would relate on a similar yet different level of carrying those feelings around

- seanlee anon (this is so much fun talking with you lolol hope you have a good day)

MAN I BARELY EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY TO THIS YOUR SO RIGHT

Sean rlly got dragged into a mess that was none of his buisness years before he needed too all for some knife huh? Honestly id be jealous too, and then to get tossed away the moment he wasn't useful anymore, really feel for the guy ngl.

i mean basically from the moment we meet him Seans getting every thought eseentially filtered to him via the speaker, he was manipulated.

its honestly why i like the speaker so much as a villain, its more direct then slender is. i always liked how it basically showed sean and lee too different realities. torturing lee while promising sean power or w/e.

even if we didnt get a good heart to heart honestly that moment on the bridge always kills me. like "we were friends once." Does sean not consider lee a friend? or does he just assume lee wouldnt want to be friends after everything. AND AT THE END ISTG HE WAS GOING IN FOR A HUG BUT STOPPED HIMSELF LAST MINUTE (also kinda paralles seans first appearance which is is also gonna drive me insane)

#pine moment #seanlee anon #i have very many thoughts about them and absolutely no way to formulate any of them #like man during act 2 im sure that was fucking eating him up inside because he felt bad for hurting his friend #but also convinced that he needed too #im just *clenches fist*#ALSO I ENJOY TALKING TO YOU TOO I LOVE SEEING YOU POP UP IN MY INBOX #HAVE A GOOD DAY/THREAT

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anime-grimmy-art · 3 years

Photo

Told you guys I’d ramble in due time.

I absolutely adore Bravely Default 2. It came at a really bad time cos I can’t waste 70 hours on a jrpg, but well, it’s too late to be concerned about that now. And as is tradition with me obsessing over a new game / show / whatever, you’ll basically find a fullblown review disguised as ramblings right under the cut. Be aware that I’m gonna talk about EVERYTHING, so spoilers are a given. Some maybe even for the previous Bravely Default games.

Also, if you wanna talk about this game in any capacity, hit me up, I’m DESPERATE to talk more about it.

Just for reference on how long this is gonna be, I made a voice recording while driving to remember all the points I wanna make, and that recording is almost 2 hours long. I did cut it down but still, this is gonna be a lot.

I’ll start off with the things that actually bugged me about the game, since there are only 3 things that really bothered me. First of, I really don’t like that you can name Seth. He has too much personality to be a self insert and player integration is not that big of a part in the game that this decision can be justified. It wouldn’t bother me that much if it didn’t leave a bad mark on the ending. First of all, we were robbed of Gloria desperately shouting for Seth, which makes the impact work less, and it’s just so prevalent that the name can’t be said because you have all the normal sound design going. If they’d just let the credits still play I wouldn’t have batted an eye, but because every other sound comes in it’s so obvious they’re just silently shouting in this scene, which makes it look silly. Like I said, this decision is more a detriment than an addition, and it’s a shame it casts a shadow on an otherwise heartfelt ending.

Speaking about lost potential, the other thing that really bothers me is the lost potential in certain plot points and character conclusions. I mainly mean Adam and Edna here. Both of them have been built up to be these formidable foes but they just, die. If it was just Adam I’d be fine with it, since you expect Edna to backstab him and be the actual big bad of the story, but I cannot fathom why they dropped Edna this HARD. If not Edna herself, I don’t understand why we don’t get more of a reaction from the Fairies and especially Adelle. I mean, Edna was her sole reason she left for her journey in the first place, then Edna dies and that’s it? No part where she grieves for a second? No concern from the others about Adelle? Mind you, I haven’t finished all the Sidequests, so maybe there actually is one in which this is addressed, but I think even just a Party Chat after Bad End 1 would have been sufficient to show how Adelle suddenly feels about the loss of Edna. It would have made Bad End 2 / The Secret Ending even more impactful, because, yeah, of course, you kinda know Adelle isn’t going to turn her back on fairy kind, but one of the reasons she doesn’t leave is because if Enda didn’t get a happy ending, then she shouldn’t either. It would have been amazing foreshadowing if she showed this sentiment before this scene happened. Other than that, it’s a shame that we know so little about Edna, or rather, how she became “bad”. I get she’s supposed to be corrupted by the Night’s Nexus, but how did it even come to this? It can’t have been a gradual thing, after all, Adelle says Edna was always good natured and then just disappeared one day. Really would have loved seeing more of that plot point.

Ok, last gripe I have, some choices in the soundtrack and sound design. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the OST, and I will get to that, but damn, whatever Revo used for the lead instrument in Wiswald hurts my ears. It’s a really good track, but I always have to turn down my volume because these high pitched sounds physically hurt. And for sound design. Dude, the Night’s Nexus is the least threatening, nightmare fueled abomination that ever existed. I get that its growl is kinda supposed to be layered with Edna’s or sth, but it, it just sounds silly. If they went the route of just swinging between different voices or began distorting it from phase to phase, it would have been fine. But the choice they made really made an otherwise creepy design just absolutely silly.

Ok, enough jammering, on to the good stuff. Like I said, there’s going to be a lot, so I’ll try to be brief in each aspect.

Gameplay

I honestly like the new battle mechanics more than the old ones. This individual, turn based system feels way more dynamic and it’s easier to strategies in battles. Because nothing made me more angry than setting up for a heal and the enemy suddenly being faster than me and killing my healer. Now it’s easier to plan ahead a bit.

I also found myself experimenting more with the jobs. Not sure what it really is, but none of the party members leaning more towards certain types of jobs and the job leveling being way faster probably helped.

And I know some people get up in arms because the boss sometimes can be a real pain in the ass (looking at you pope dude), I still found it very interesting getting around counters or even using these counters as a benefit. As an example, I made Adelle my main physical fighter and gave her lots of counter abilities to help her profit from being countered by enemies themselves. Now, she can attack enemies, get countered, automatically evade that counter and earn a BP at the same time. Made a lot of boss fights way easier and fun to exploit.

Music

Ok, I will try my best to be really, really brief, because in my recording this part takes up almost 40 minutes. Anyways, Revo might have just become one of my absolute favorite composers ever. I don’t know what kind of magic he used, but I initially wasn’t that impressed with the OST, but every time I listened to it, I just fell in love harder and harder. Before getting into specifics, I wanna highlight the two things that made me love this OST overall. First of all, this soundtrack almost seems like a refinement of BD’s. While losing some of that fairytale vibe, it sounds even more fantasy now. And in contrast to the original, this almost sounds more balanced? Like, BD’s OST felt high energy throughout, BD2’s on the other hand manages to find a good balance between high and low energy pieces. Like, the character themes or battle themes are absolute hype, but the overworld themes are a lot calmer and easier to listen to while exploring. Second big point that makes this soundtrack amazing is that Revo is an absolute god at using emotional progression/storytelling and leitmotifs in his songs. And heck, do I love myself my leitmotifs. You’ve got some obvious ones, like the final battle theme in which all the character themes and other leitmotifs are integrated. Then you got some maybe more subtle once, just like how the overworld themes are just the main theme, just a lot calmer and using the lead instruments of the towns of the areas.

But my absolute favourites gotta be the character themes and the main theme. I love how fitting the themes for the characters are and in general, each of them is such a bop. At first I prefered Elvis’, because I sure am a sucker for jazzy vibes, but over time Adelle’s became my fav. It’s just something about the trumpets, and how the theme almost sounds a bit melancholic and bittersweet, that drew me in. And considering her story, mostly her bad end, that the bittersweet tone really fits.

Then there’s the main theme. Just like BD’s it shouts “triumphant anthem” and it definitely gives you a very familiar vibe, but I’d argue it has even better emotional progression. Heck, the first time I heard the music start up in the reveal trailer, I didn’t have to look at the screen to know this is gonna be a BD game. Also, the credit song version had me weeping at the true end. I’m someone who’s very easily affected by music (if me shouting about soundtracks on this blog wasn’t proof enough) and just hearing that ending song, getting the after credits scene, just for the second credits to start as a freaking duet. Dude, at that point I just started sobbing, I’m not gonna lie. Just this little part showed how much Revo knows how to put emotion in a song and also write it in such a way that he can elicit strong, emotional reactions from you too.

Story

People have been complaining how the story is too boring and kinda disappointing in comparison to the last one, but I just think the games tried to accomplish different things here. Since the BD series is a celebration of old, classic jrpgs, “cliche” storytelling is a given. Though, BD did throw a lot of meta stuff in there too. BD2 in contrast just feels like a direct execution of that initial idea. It feels familiar, it feels comfy and it feels safe. Except for the little things with the endings and then overwriting the Nexus’ “save file”, BD2 doesn’t really get that meta, which is totally fine. It doesn’t try to reinvent or innovate anything, it just wants to be a fantasy story, that might be cliche, but still fun and enjoyable in its own right.

I’d also argue that the pacing is a lot better than the old game, because with BD I sometimes found myself skipping through scenes to get on with the story. Not that this game didn’t have me rushing through stuff as well, but I found it kept my intrigue way better than the original.

Characters

Next to the music, this is the part that I absolutely love the most. While, yes, they did lose a lot of potential with some characters, mostly with the villains, the main cast is just so much fun. I love these 4 dorks so, so much.

I honestly can’t stand how much people compare them to the original cast. Yes, ofc, I’ve been doing my fair share of comparisons too, but calling these four a more boring version of BD’s party physically hurts me. Because except for some initial impressions, the Heroes of Light are completely different from our beloved Warriors of Light.

While yes, Seth and Gloria give off strong Tiz and Agnes vibes at first, they both grow into such different characters that they’re not really comparable. I think this shows with Adelle and Elvis even more. I do understand how people could compare Adelle and Edea, since they’re both the feisty girl type, but I can’t understand how people can see Ringabel and Elvis as the same character type. While those two are the “suave” party members, they act so differently from another. And that’s honestly apparent the first time you meet them.

Anyways, I love these 4 so much.

We technically don’t know a lot about Seth at all, but they manage to pull so much out of just the fact that he’s a sailor, that it makes him really endearing, really fast.

I was kinda disinterested with Gloria at first, because again, the initial impression was Agnés2.0, but she grew on me a lot. Gloria is way more hard headed and honestly sassy in comparison to Agnés and I absolutely adore it.

Elvis. Elvis, my man. I love this fantasy scottosh wizard so, so much. He’s such a ridiculous character but so endearing at the same time. You got all this dorkiness, with him setting himself on fire as a student, him doing god knows what for a good drink or just laughing danger and prejudice in the face. But then you got his super empathetic and caring side. Mind you, most of his wise moments come from quoting Lady Emma, but still, as much as he’s hopeless with certain social situations, he’s actually still really good at reading the room and playing things smart. He’s a smart and powerful idiot, which makes him a danger to everyone and himself, and I love him for it. (I also can’t believe they called him Lesley I MEAN COME ON)

And then there’s Adelle. I liked her from the start, but I didn’t think she would stick out to me. I think now she’s my favourite character. Not even talking about all the stuff that happens in chapter 3 and onward, because these story threads are awesome in their own right, but there’s just something about her personality that’s interesting and appealing to me. Like I said, I’m not surprised people compare her to Edea, I did too at first, but while Edea walks very close to the line of a Tsundere, I was really surprised that Adelle is, well, not a Tsundere at all. Yeah, of course she’s putting Elvis down a lot, but that stems more from her preventing his ego from going to his head than her being all embarrassed. No, Adelle is actually really well adjusted when it comes to communication. While it’s hilarious that she and Elvis met with her chucking her shoes at him, the two just got along well right from the start. Adelle in general has this really open and helpful personality, but also doesn’t shy away from putting her foot down, even if that sometimes comes out as an embarrassed sputter. She’s also the mother hen of the group. She looks out for the other three and gets concerned about them real fast.

I dunno, Adelle just really grew on me over the course of this game, and then her kinda being paired with Elvis too, as partners and as partners, makes me like her even more. Because as much as I like their personalities individually, I like their character dynamic even more. I honestly love the relationships between all four of them a lot. You really feel them grow closer as friends and all the little character sidequests just always made me really happy.

Conclusion

You might not believe me, but I really held back there. This could probably have been 3 times its length. As much as I love this game, it’s of course not perfect. It struggles and flails in some parts a lot and it certainly has some aspects that might turn people off. But for me, it was just a very familiar and comfy game that didn’t necessarily deliver anything new, but that told its story in such a way that it still got me excited to keep going. The soundtrack is absolutely amazing and the conclusion of the story actually got me to cry. While not groundbreaking, this game is highly enjoyable and leaves you absolutely satisfied at the end.

Also, I would like to iterate that I am desperate to get more content about this game, so if you wanna chat about it, hit me up.

Anyways, anyone else felt like having a fever dream when everybody in chapter 2 started talking fantasy scottish? Cos I sure did.

#bravely default #bravely default 2 #bd #bd2 #fanart #review #ramblings #seth #gloria #adelle #elvis #elvis lesley

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lokiondisneyplus · 3 years

Text

Natalie Holt's timeline was turned upside down last fall when she landed the highly-coveted composer gig for Marvel Studios' Loki series on Disney+.

"My agent got a general call-out looking for a composer on a Marvel project," she tells SYFY WIRE during a conversation over Zoom. "So, I didn’t know what it was. It was [described as] spacey and quite epic ... I sent in my show reel and then got an interview and got sent the script and then I realized what it was for. I was like, ‘Oh my god!’ It was amazing ... Loki was already one of my favorite characters, so I was really stoked to get to give him a theme and flesh him out in this way."

***WARNING! The following contains certain plot spoilers for the first four episodes of Loki!***

Imbued with glorious purpose, Holt knew the score had to match the show's gonzo premise about the Time Variance Authority, an organization that secretly watches over and manages every single timeline across the Marvel multiverse. The proposition of such an out-there sci-fi concept inspired the composer to bring in uniquely strange sounds, courtesy of synthesizers and a theremin.

"I got my friend, Charlie Draper, to play the theremin on my pitch that I had to do," she recalls. "They gave me a scene to score, which I’m sure they gave to loads of other composers. It was the Time Theater sequence in Episode 1. The bit from where he goes up the elevator and then into the Time Theater ... I just went to town on it and I wanted to impress them and win the job and put as many unusual sounds in there and make it as unique as possible."

The end result was a weird, borderline unnatural sound that wouldn't have felt out of place in a 1950s sci-fi B-movie about big-headed alien invaders. Rather than being turned off by Holt's avant garde ideas, Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige embraced them, only giving the composer a single piece of feedback: "Push it further."

Holt admits that she was slightly influenced by Thor: Ragnarok ("I loved the score for it and everything"), which wasn't afraid to lean into the wild, Jack Kirby-created ideas floating around Marvel's cosmic locales. Director Taika Waititi's colorful and bombastic set pieces were perfectly complimented by an '80s-inspired score concocted by Devo co-founder, Mark Mothersbaugh.

"To be honest, I tried not to listen to it on its own," Holt says of the Ragnarok soundtrack. "I didn’t want to be too influenced by it. I watched the film a couple of times a few years ago, so yeah, I don’t think I was heavily referencing it. But I definitely had a memory of it in my mind."

After boarding Loki last September, Holt spent the next six months (mostly in lockdown) crafting a soundtrack that would perfectly reflect the titular god of mischief played by Tom Hiddleston. One of the first things she came up with was the project's main theme — a slightly foreboding cue that pays homage to the temporal nature of the TVA, as well as the main character's flair for the dramatic. "He always does things with a lot of panache and flair, and he’s very classical in his delivery."

She describes it as an "over-the-top grand theme with these ornate flourishes" that plays nicely with Loki's Shakespearean aura. "I wanted those ornaments and grand gestures in what I was doing. Then I also wanted to reflect that slightly analog world of the TVA where everything has lots of knobs and buttons ... [I wanted to] give it that slightly grainy, faded [and] vintage-y sci-fi sound as well."

"I just wanted it to feel like it had this might and weight — like there was something almost like a requiem about it," Holt continues. "These chords that are really powerful and strident and then they’ve got this blinking [sound] over the top. I just came up with that when I was walking down the street and I hummed it into my phone. There’s a video where you can just see up my nose and I’m humming [the theme]. I came home and I played it."

As a classically-trained musician, Holt drew on her love of Mahler, Dvořák, Beethoven, Mozart, and most importantly, Wagner. A rather fitting decision, given that an actual Valkyrie (played by Tessa Thompson) exists within the confines of the MCU.

"I would say those flourishes over the top of the Loki theme are very much Wagner," Holt says. "They’re like 'Ride of the Valkyries.’ I wanted people to kind of recall those big, classical, bombastic pieces and I wanted to give that weight to Loki’s character. That was very much a conscious decision to root it in classical harmony and classical writing ... There’s a touch of the divine to the TVA. It’s in charge of everything, so that’s why those big powerful chords [are there]. I wanted people almost to be knocked off their socks when they heard it."

With the main theme in place, Holt could then play around with it in different styles, depending on the show's different narrative needs. Two prime examples are on display in the very first episode during Miss Minutes' introductory video and the flashback that reveals Loki to be the elusive D.B. Cooper.

"What was really fun was [with] each episode, I got to pull it away and do a samba version of the theme or do a kind of ‘50s sci-fi version of the theme," she explains. "I can’t say other versions of the theme because they’re in Episode 5 and 6…or like when Mobius is pruned, I did this really heartfelt and very emotional [take on the theme] when you see Loki tearing up as he’s going down in slow motion down that corridor. It was cool to have the opportunity to try out so many different styles and genres. And it was big enough to take it all. It was a big enough story."

The other side of the story speaks to the old world grandeur of Loki's royal upbringing on Asgard, a city amongst the stars that eventually found its way into Norse mythology.

"I went to a concert in London three years ago and I heard these Norwegian musicians playing in this group called the Lodestar Trio," Holt recalls. "They do a take on Bach, where they’re kind of giving it a folk-y twist … [They use] a nyckelharpa and a Hardanger fiddle — they’re two historic Norwegian folk instruments. I just remembered that sound and I was like, ‘Oh, I have to use those guys in our score.’ It seemed like the perfect thing. I was like, ‘Yes, the North/Norwegian folk instruments.’ It just felt like it was the perfect thing for his mother and Asgard and his origins."

That folk-inspired sound also helped shape the music for Sylvie (played by Sophia Di Martino), a female variant of Loki with a rather tragic past. "Obviously, we’ve seen in Episode 4 what happened to her as a child," Holt says. "I just feel like she’s so dark. She’s basically grown up living in apocalypses, so she has that Norwegian folk violin sound, but her theme is incredibly dark and menacing and also, you don’t see her. She’s just this dark figure who’s murdering people for a while."

And then there were all the core members of the TVA to contend with. As Holt mentioned above, fans recently lost Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson), may he rest in prune. We mean peace. What? Too soon? During a recent interview with SYFY WIRE, Loki head writer Michael Waldron said that he based Mobius off of Tom Hanks's dogged FBI agent Carl Hanratty in 2002's Catch Me If You Can.

"There’s this thing that he loves jet ski magazines," Holt says. "I had this character in my head and then when I saw Owen Wilson’s performance, I was like, ‘Oh, he’s actually a lot lighter and he plays it in a different way from how I’d imagined.’ But I was listening to Bon Jovi and those slightly rock-y anthemic things. ‘90s rock music for some reason was my Mobius sound palette."

Mobius is pruned on the orders of his longtime friend, Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), after learning that everyone who works for the TVA is a variant who was unceremoniously plucked out of their original timelines. A high-ranking member of the quantum-based agency, Renslayer has a theme that "is quite tied in with Mobius and it’s like a high organ," Holt adds. "It doesn’t quite know where it’s going yet. But yeah, we’ll have to see what happens with that one."

Wilson's character isn't the only person fed up with the TVA's lies. Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) also became disillusioned with the place and allowed Sylvie to escape in the most recent episode

"Hunter B-15 has this moment in Episode 4 where Sylvie shows her her past, her memories. I thought that was a really powerful moment for her," Holt says. I feel like she’s such a fighter and when she comes into the Time-Keepers and she makes that decision, like, ‘I’m switching sides,’ so her theme is more like a drum rhythm. I actually kind of sampled my voice and you can hear that with the drums. I did loads of layers of it, just like this horrible sliding sound with this driving rhythm underneath it. So, that was B-15 and then her softer side when she has her memory given back to her."

Speaking of the Time-Keepers, we finally got to meet the creators of the Sacred Timeline...or at least we thought we did. Loki and Sylvie are shocked to learn that the red-eyed guardians of reality are nothing but a trio of high-end animatronics (ones that could probably be taken out by a raging Nicolas Cage). Even before Sylvie manages to behead one of them, something definitely feels off with the Time-Keepers, which meant Holt could underscore the uncanny valley feeling in the score.

"When they walked in for their audience with the Time-Keepers, it was like this huge gravitas," she says. "But you look up and there’s something a bit wrong about them. I don’t know if you felt that or if you just totally believed. You were like, ‘Oh, this is so strange.’ I just felt like there was something a little bit off and musically, it was fun to play around with that."

Holt is only the second solo female composer to work on an MCU project, following in the footsteps of Captain Marvel's Pinar Toprak. Her involvement with Loki represents the studio's growing commitment to diversity, both in front of and behind the camera. This Friday will see the wide release of Black Widow, the first Marvel film to be helmed solely by a woman (Cate Shortland). Four months after that, Chloé Zhao's Eternals will introduce the MCU's first openly gay character into the MCU.

"I just feel like it’s an honor and a privilege to have had that chance to be the second woman to score a thing in the MCU and to be in the same league as those incredible composers like Mothersbaugh and Alan Silvestri. They're just legends," Holt says. "Another distinctive thing about [the show] is that all the heads of department are pretty much women. Marvel are showing themselves to be really progressive and supportive and encouraging. I applaud [them]. Whatever they’re doing seems to be working and people seem to be liking it as well, so that’s awesome."

Holt's score for Vol. 1 of Loki (aka Episodes 1-3) are now streaming on every music-based platform you could think of. Episodes 1-4 are available to watch on Disney+ for subscribers. Episode 5 (the show's penultimate installment) debuts on the platform this coming Wednesday, July 7.

Natalie isn't able to give up any plot spoilers for the next two episodes (no surprise there), but does tease "the use of a big choir" in one of them. "Episode 6, I’m excited for people to hear it," she concludes. "That’s all I can say."

#Natalie Holt #composer #Loki #OST

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montrealmadison · 3 years

Text

drink deeply

or, as they say at samwell, “penitus potes.” shitty gives the toast at jack and bitty’s wedding. for @zimbitsweddingofficial and day two of zimbits wedding week: the wedding itself!

just for fun, a draft version of the beginning of this fic with lardo, ransom, and holster’s “helpful” edits can be found via google doc here. hope y’all enjoy! <3

Good evening, everyone! On behalf of Jack and Eric, thank you all so much for being here tonight, and welcome to what could very well be the most highly anticipated wedding reception of 2019. I mean, this party was planned by the likes of Suzanne Bittle and Alicia Zimmermann. We are in for a treat, folks.

Before we get to all that, I’d also like to extend a particular welcome to those in attendance who are part of the playing, coaching, and/or office staff of the Providence Falconers. Glad you could all make it this evening; I know this past week was a little bit busy for you guys.

[Insert appropriate pause and gesture to the punch bowl, which on closer inspection is actually—oh yeah—the Stanley Cup the Falcs won three days ago. Hold for inevitable applause, general hysteria, and/or hooting/hollering from Tater.]

For those of you who don’t know me, I’ve been trying to decide whether I should introduce myself by my first name, which will inevitably get me mocked by my friends until the end of time, or by my nickname, which will definitely scandalize anyone who has not spent a significant amount of time around twenty-year-old guys who play hockey. However, as I look around the room, I’m realizing that most of you probably either raised, spent significant time around, or were once a twenty-year-old guy who played hockey. To the rest of you, I am profoundly sorry.

So, hi! I’m Shitty, and I’m Jack’s best man.

read more below or on ao3

Being someone’s best man, as I’ve realized over the last few months, should really come with a playbook or an instruction manual or something, because it’s a task unlike any other you’ll ever take on. In addition to being a friend, you have to be a confidant, an expert at bachelor-party debauchery (I think my college resume definitely prepared me for this part) and someone who’s not afraid to step in to make last-minute decisions so the grooms don’t have to. You also have to do all of these things without getting fired from your job or stepping on anyone’s toes, up to and including: the couple getting married, the other people in the wedding party, the grooms’ parents, the wedding planner, and most importantly, Moomaw, whose word is law around here.

(Seriously. She made the pie tonight, people. Bow down to her.)

But as much as the role can feel a little bit like you’re being thrown in at the deep end, it also definitely comes with its perks. Tonight, I have both the honor and the challenge of somehow summarizing how much I love Jack and Eric in a speech that is heartfelt and witty yet also brief so that we can get to the aforementioned pie as quickly as possible. If you’re still following me here, that is a tall order—but here goes nothing!

I met Jack Zimmermann on our first day of freshman year at Samwell, during the bright, hot summer of 2011. I was participating in the time-honored tradition of moving into a dorm on the third floor of a building with no elevator and no air conditioning in the middle of August. It builds character, or so the good folks in Samwell administration probably tell themselves. Anyway, athletes got to move in early for preseason, so I was expecting to be one of the only guys on the floor for at least a couple days. I was just carrying the last box into my room when the door next to mine opened and—well, you can probably guess who walked out.

Now, I grew up in Boston, which means I also grew up around hockey culture. I’d heard the news that Jack was coming to Samwell, so I knew who he was when he stepped into the hall in that same vague way that you kind of-sort of recognize celebrities hustling down the street or through the airport with their sunglasses on. And he gave me that same vibe—“I know you know who I am, and I’d very much like not to be bothered about it.”

Here is something that will not shock you if you know us: Jack was the first friend I made in college. Here is something that might shock you if you know us: That definitely doesn’t mean we were friends at first. By his own admission, Jack wasn’t at Samwell to make friends at all. He told me, much later, that he was only planning to go to play hockey, get his life back on track, and keep his head down as much as possible.

So in retrospect, maybe it was an unlucky thing for Jack that he ran into the one person who wasn’t going to let him do that.

Because no matter who you are or where you’re from, freshman year of college breeds a unique kind of terror I’ve never felt anywhere else. There’s a lot of pressure to completely remake yourself, to become the person you maybe never could have been in your hometown. By coming to Samwell, I wanted to be a different kind of kid than the one that Andover had raised. Jack wanted to be a different kind of kid than the one he’d spent twenty years telling himself he had to be. As much as neither of us wanted to admit it, we both wanted similar things out of our college experience, and we needed a support system to do that. And so, however begrudging the two of us were about it at first, we started to bond more and more.

It wasn’t always easy. For one thing, my idea of a good time was a lot louder than Jack’s—who enjoyed such scintillating pursuits as “watching golf” and “going to bed at a reasonable hour”, neither of which were quite in my vocabulary at the ripe old age of eighteen. Also, if it’s before six in the morning, he has a hard time remembering to speak English, which used to make for a lot of stilted conversations between the two of us as we walked to early morning practice. (On a completely unrelated note, the first and probably only thing I ever learned in Québécois is how to swear.)

I don’t remember the exact tipping point at which Jack and I really became friends; I think it was more of a quiet acknowledgment that we liked having each other around, that we balanced each other out in ways that neither of us initially knew we needed. What I do know is that, slowly but surely, I started to get glimpses of the Jack that exists off the ice. And so began one of the most extraordinary journeys of my life, because the only thing crazier than knowing Jack Zimmermann is actually knowing Jack.

Here are some things that I’ve learned in the process: He’s on his third pair of neon yellow running shoes, which he buys specifically because the color makes him happy. Before either of us tried Eric’s pies, the only thing that could make him cheat on a meal plan was a sleeve of Double Stuf Oreos. (Don’t ask him how to eat them correctly unless you’re interested in a twenty-minute speech on exactly how they have to be pulled apart.) And he loves Captain America, although it is the opinion of this best man that America’s ass has nothing on his hockey butt. Have you seen that thing? It has Internet fans in at least two different countries.

But I digress.

In our sophomore year we lived next to each other again, by choice instead of by chance, in what I can only describe as the pinnacle of American college living: the Samwell Men’s Hockey Haus. We used to pull the comforter off of one of our beds and climb out onto the roof and clear off the snow so we could share the blanket, look up at the stars, and listen to the bass thumping through the wall of the house next door. On nights when other things felt confusing, this one part of my life was clear. There’s something about sitting out under the open sky that just makes it easier to talk to a guy, you know?

Some nights the conversations we had were funny. Some nights they were serious. Some nights we said nothing at all, just sat secure in the knowledge that someone cared enough to exist alongside us for a little while. There was always an unspoken agreement between us on nights like these: I got your back. For me, Jack’s friendship became a rock, a refuge. It’s something that I came to depend on that year and still do to this day.

As for the content of those late-night conversations—well, some things do have to stay between friends. I’m sure Jack will agree, especially because he has so graciously allowed me to get up here and lovingly roast him just a little bit.

So let’s skip ahead again, to yet another August, the start of our junior year, and the arrival on the scene of one Eric Bittle. This kid burst into our ranks like a ray of Southern sunshine and turned pretty much everything upside down in the process. In the first five minutes of being in the Haus, he somehow made us a pie? Folks, I'm not kidding, it was the best thing I’ve ever eaten. We were a bunch of guys who didn’t know what we were missing until we had it, and let me tell you, it was one hell of a semester after that. In pretty short order we had curtains on the windows and baked goods on the counters, and Samwell Men’s Hockey started to become not only a team but a family.

That was off the ice, at least. On it, things were a little more complicated. As our dear friend and former goalie John Johnson said to me, Jack and Eric hadn’t gone through their character development yet—whatever that means.

Take our third or fourth practice with the full team that year, for example. It had gone… uh. Poorly, would be a word. Later that night I heard some rustling on the roof outside, and God knows I was willing to do just about anything but my homework—so I stuck my head out the window and there was Jack, watching the stars. I asked him if he wanted a buddy, and he said alright, so I slid out and sat down next to him.

That was pretty usual for us at this point. What wasn’t usual was the topic of conversation. The first thing Jack said to me was, “Bittle’s gonna get eaten alive when our schedule starts.” (Remember, people, they’re married now!) The second was, “I want to help.”

Here’s another thing about Jack: Underneath the veneer is a guy who just cares so intensely it’d shock you if you knew nothing else about him. It shocked me a little that day. I think it even shocked him to admit it, to the point where I had to say, “Jack, it’s not a criminal offense to care about other people. Even if it feels like you’re doing it for yourself.”

So he helped. He offered an olive branch, and Bits took him up on it. I’d hear the two of them get up in the morning, hours before the rest of us had to be at Faber, for checking practice. None of the rest of us ever knew exactly what went down, but one thing was for sure—Eric put in a ton of work to overcome some of the fears that had followed him to college. He got better, and Jack relaxed. The two of them really started working as a team, and things started looking up from there.

The day that they told us they were dating was pretty amazing. Eric is so full of light no matter how bleak a situation may look, but that day he was literally almost glowing. And I’ve seen Jack in moments after victory and loss, at his best and at his worst. But I’ve never seen a Jack who was so happy, possessed of such confidence in a decision he’d made, as I saw him that day at brunch. And that’s when I knew this relationship was really special.

From there, many of you know the story. You watched it play out on ESPN and social media and the front pages of every single gossip magazine on the supermarket shelves. But if you’re sitting here with us tonight, you also watched it play out between Jack and Eric themselves. You’ve watched them handle expectations as a united front. You’ve watched their unfailing dedication to each other while they navigate the pressure of being some pretty big firsts. You know that, behind the scenes, these are two incredibly genuine people who bring out the best in each other and are dedicated to doing that every single day.

In the last four years, I’ve watched Eric become self-possessed and confident because he was given the space to do so. In the last six years, I’ve watched Jack grow from a kid with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove to a guy who finally believes that he deserves all the good things the world has given him and then some. If you take nothing else away from this speech, I want you to know this: I’m incredibly proud to call myself a friend to both of them.

Jack, Bits, you’re always gonna be my brothers, my best friends, and two of the finest damn men I’ve ever had the pleasure to know. I wish you both a long and happy marriage. Take care of each other, be good to each other, and never forget where you started—as a team.

So please join me in raising your glasses, everyone, and as they say at Samwell—penitus potes to Jack and Eric!

#shitty knight #jack zimmermann #eric bittle #zimbitswedding #omgcp #check please #this idea jumped into my head and refused to leave #shitty & jack & bitty friendship my beloved #my writing

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thebeautyoffanfics · 3 years

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Hiya! I love your blog! Could I please request a platonic Akane x reader x Aoi where th reader is their best friend and they are a trio (Aoi finding reader to be one of the few people she can be herself with and also being a wingman (wingwoman? Wingperson?) for Akane) and the reader decides to make a raspberry pie for Aoi with Akane since she's been seeming down lately but none of them can't cook and reck everything so they get a mildly amused Aoi to help them despite wanting it to be a surprise

(platonic) akane aoi x gn!reader and x akane

a/n: hello hello!! Love these guys!! I can’t remember the last time i wrote for aoi, so that’s definitely fun!! Thank you so much for requesting, and thank you for the compliment!! <3

warnings:

word count: 1,583

Seeing Aoi feeling down was unusual. When you asked her about it, she told you she wasn’t sure why either. “I’m fine, (Y/N). It’s just one of those weeks, you know?”

Yes, you definitely knew. But, it didn’t make it any better. All you could do was be there for her, and rely on Akane to be the one to make her laugh- he’d be there as well, but his confessions always brought a smile to her face. When the smile she usually wore at one of his attempts was blatantly empty, Akane approached you as well.

“She’s feeling really out of it,” He sighed, looking at the school’s beauty from across the room. She was watering the plants, eyes slightly downcast, though she “cheered up” when someone took notice of her. No matter her smile and raised eyebrows, for you and Akane, it was easy to see through. All you could do was nod. He didn’t need to point it out- you both were aware. It was just him… noting it. Getting it off his chest?

“Say, Akane, do you have anything to do after school?”

“Technically, I have to do things for the student council. Teru usually takes my work load when I’m ‘not doing it properly’ or ‘getting on his nerves’, which entails simply existing, but- I can get out of duties, if you need me to.”

“I was thinking… Aoi likes sweets, yeah? What if we made her a pie or something? Dropped it by her house after we’re finished?”

Akane raised his eyebrows, nodding in agreement. “That’s actually a good idea. You know how to make pie?”

“Nnnno, but, there’s gotta be a recipe online, or in a cookbook somewhere. While you get your student council stuff done, I can run to the store quickly.”

He nodded again, telling you that it sounded like a plan.

If only that enthusiasm could have influenced the results-

“It can’t be too hard!” You had said, looking at the array of ingredients after washing your hands.

“For Ao-chan, it’ll be a piece of cake.”

“A piece of-”

“Please don’t-”

“Pie.”

Akane rolled his eyes, looking over the recipe. “Anyway, preheat the oven to 425.”

You walked over to the oven, preheating it, then feeling rather proud of yourself. One step down, only so many more to go! Easy-peasy!

Grabbing a pie plate, you reached for the pastry. “I’ll roll out the crust if you’ll work on the filling?”

“Alright… I just put everything in it?”

“Yeah. Measure the stuff and whatnot.”

Akane grabbed the ingredients, putting the necessary amount into a bowl, as you glanced at the recipe.

“Oh, but not the egg or water-”

“...(Y/N), I swear to-”

You tensed as Akane sighed in frustration, walking to the trashcan and pouring the combination of ingredients into it. He rinsed the bowl lightly, before taking the recipe and reading it over once more. After reading it, he began to make the mixture properly, not sparing you a slightly annoyed- though harmless- glance. He mixed, then pushed the bowl your way.

“I mixed, you put it in.”

It was your turn to roll your eyes, as you poured the mixture on top of the crust, then wet the outside of the crust lightly. Once that was finished, you reached for the rest of the pastry, setting a knife aside as you rolled it out.

“Are we gonna make it all criss-crossed?” Akane asked, walking over to you, and peering down as you took the knife.

“Yep, as best we- aH ouch, ouch,” You yelped, dropping the knife and bringing your hand to your mouth.

“Oi, don’t put your hand in your mouth- you’ve been touching the dough, wash it off first.”

You grumbled, walking to the sink and wincing as you washed your bleeding finger off. Luckily, it was nothing more than a knick, but it still hurt-

“You got blood in the dough,” Akane groaned, walking over to you and placing the knife and plate in the sink, then tossing the dough. He walked over to the counter, taking an extra thing of dough that he was now glad you bought, and rolling it out. He took it upon himself to slice the bits, telling you to mix the egg and water while he did so.

So, he placed the slices over the pie, and you lightly applied the egg-water mixture, smiling as he crimped the edges. You sprinkled a small amount of sugar over the top, then placed your hands on your hips proudly. Akane shoved the pie in your direction, then motioned to the oven.

“Cook for 15 minutes, then, once that’s over, we’ll lower the heat and cook it a little longer.”

“50? Isn’t that a little long?”

“15? Not really, no, not unless you have a plane to catch.”

You shrugged, placing the pie in the oven, then setting the time for 50 minutes. All that was left to do was wait.

You walked back over to Akane, then took a seat on the floor. He looked down at you, then followed your actions. “You think Ao-chan will like it?” He asked after a moment, causing you to shrug once more.

“I think so. Heartfelt things are supposed to mean more, right? Nothing gets more heartfelt than a homemade pie. Though store bought would have been easier, the trial and error just makes it better. At least, that’s what I hope-”

“That’s true. You’ve got the cut to prove it.”

“Shut it, four-eyes.”

Akane laughed, as the conversation continued lightly. Mainly talking about Aoi, drifting to how you hoped she’d feel better, drifting to how the pie smell was starting to get strong.

“I told you, Akane, I feel like 50 minutes is a little too long.”

“...HOW MUCH-”

“50?? Did you not say 50???”

“50? Five-zero?”

“Yes???”

“I SAID 15- ONE-FIVE, FREAKING-”

You both jumped up, running to the oven. You turned it off, while Akane grabbed the oven mitts, opening the oven and grabbing the pie. The brown, slightly smoking pie. The burn smell filled the room, but… at least it still smelled somewhat like raspberries…?

“(Y/N), we’re friends- but more importantly, you’re one of Ao-chan’s best friends- so I won’t say what I’m thinking. But I do want you to know, I have a few choice words that I’m keeping to myself.”

“Maybe you should enunciate-?! You’re top of the class, and for what???”

“Okay, first of all-”

“(Y/N)? Akane?”

“Ao-chan..” Akane muttered, in sync with your, ”Aoi...”

The purple-haired girl sniffed lightly, before her eyes landed on the pie resting in front of the two of you. Her expression was pure curiosity, practically asking the both of you “what’s going on?”

“Ah… Akane and I were just trying to… make a pie…”

“What for? You guys know I can cook, I would have helped.”

“Well- it was supposed to be for you, Ao-chan. We ran into… some misunderstandings though.”

Aoi’s surprised expression melted into genuine joy, which quickly melted into sweet laughter. You saw Akane’s face flush slightly from the corner of your eyes, and you couldn’t blame him- even platonically, her laugh really was purely… music. She was laughing at the two of you, you both knew that- but, the two of you made her laugh. For the first time that week, she was smiling, laughing. She was happy. You and Akane exchanged victorious glances, fist bumping underneath the counter.

“Ah, it can’t be helped then. (Y/N), Akane, are there extra ingredients?”

You nodded, grabbing the extra things of dough from a grocery bag, then motioning at the already-out ingredients.

“Great! Akane, preheat the oven please? 425 for now.”

Akane nodded, walking over to the oven and preheating it. While he did that, Aoi handed you the dough, and took over the ingredients for the filling. “Roll that out, please, (Y/N). I’ll take the filling- but, Akane, I’ll trust you to roll out the second thing of dough. I can cut it and apply it to the pie,” She ordered, placing the necessary ingredients into the bowl. The way she went about things was neat, showing off her perfectionist tendencies. Compared to the mess you and Akane had created earlier… she really was a diamond in the rough.

---

Time had passed, the pie finished and cooled off, though the sun was nearly gone. Aoi cut the pie, offering the both of you a slice, then taking one for herself. Cheerily, she took a bite, as you and Akane followed suit.

The sweet smell filled the room, so much nicer than the burning smell created earlier. The taste was just as lovely- accompanied with Aoi’s smiles, everything in the world suddenly felt right again.

“Even if it didn’t go as you two planned, I am really grateful for you both. I know the two of you wanted to try and cheer me up… I think this was a really sweet way of going about it. And, to be completely honest, I am feeling better.”

“Ao-chan… I love you so much…!”

“Hmm… 5 points! 3 bonuses for the pie.”

Akane sighed lightheartedly, taking another bite from the pie.

“Aoi, I love you so much,” You spoke, placing a hand on your chest and smiling at the girl. “Platonically, of course-”

“I love you too, (Y/N),” Aoi smiled, closing her eyes cutely.

“(Y/N), those choice words from earlier really are seeming very nice to share with you-”

#anon #request #platonic #platonic x reader #gn!reader #x gn!reader #tbhk #jshk #toilet bound hanako kun #jibaku shounen hanako kun #aoi akane #akane aoi #tbhk x reader #jshk x reader #toilet bound hanako kun x reader #jibaku shounen hanako kun x reader #aoi akane x reader #akane aoi x reader

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popculturebuffet · 2 years

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Amphibia Weekly Reviews and Analysis Mid-Season Finale!: Froggy Little Christmas: The Keith David Murder Santa We Deserve

Happy Holidays all you happy people! I”m Jake, I review and analyize stuff and things and i’m in a heck of a christmas mood.. not the least of which because one of my dearest friends @jess-the-vampire bought me this lovely fanmade tuca and bertie merch featuring my boy

But warm heartfelt gifts aside I just love Christmas, how it can bring out the best in people, the warm memories of christmas past, and relevant to this blog the sweet sweet ichor that is Holiday Television. We’ve gotten tons of great Christmas episodes, a handful of great hannukah episodes and far less Kwanza or Ramadan episodes than they deserve. Writers tend to break out their best stuff, so it’s fitting that much like last year we kick off full holiday hyjinks with a great chistmas episode that’s a capper to a great round of episodes in general... and one of the last hurah’s of the series before it enters the final stretch. Last year Ducktales did the honors with it’s all time classic third christmas episode, this time it’s Amphibia’s.

It’s also time to say goodbye to the show for now, and thus a time to reflect on how awesome this season has been thus far. Granted we have half a season left for things to go south and while you’d THINK a show couldn’t entirely botch things for it’s final season THAT fast... THIS still exists

But I also know my fears are likely unfounded: Season 3 is easily the show’s best, taking what makes the show great, it’s slice of life mixed with fantasy feel, great characters, gorgeous animation and top shelf humor, and added some new things in that make it better.

For starters this is the series best pacing period: each episoe feels important, but it keeps the series slower pace to allow it to have fun with the new setting. The resulting mix allows the plot to move at a steady clip, while still having the episodes feel like you aren’t wasting your time waiting for something good to happen. Given how much of a mess season 2a was this is a welcome change. We get plenty of answers while still having some room for some one off fun. It’s perfect

Not only that but thanks to having a looming villian instead of having to wait for the finale, we get frequent conflict: Andrias isn’t sitting around anymore and our heroes are in constant danger from him or X and it adds a nice sense of tension: any slice of life episode could turn into a life or death struggle and has.

The next is the setting: Moving to earth was a brilliant move and a geninely shocking twist back in True Colors as I assumed, via standard fantasy tropes, that Anne wouldn’t go back till the story ended and if she did before then, it’d be in the endgame.

Instead shifting to earth allows us to learn more about Anne’s life outside of her disfunctional realtionship with her girlfriends. The best part of this is meeting Not-Jeff and Mae, Anne’s parents. Yes we finally got a name if on Brian Sonaluth’s twitter. God bless him. But since i’td be weird to still call him Mr. B i’m calling him Not-Jeff, since Jeff turned out not to be his name, until we get one. The two just add tons with Not-Jeff filling the unlucky dad void in my heart left by Donald, and Mae being tons of fun. The two are just adorable as heck while still being hilarous and often the highlight of their episodes. Especailly not-jeff. I also have to give props to On Braly: as far as I can tell this is her first voice acting role but she steps up to the plate with the rest of the main cast like it was nothing, as does Sonaluth though he has a tad more experience. Not EVERYONE can pull that off, only select few like Olan Rogers or Alex Hirsch have really stepped up to the plate that fast, and i’m proud to welcome Mrs. Braly to the club.

So yeah, Season 3 is excellent and I can’t wait to see where it goes... but before we can get to that next year and say a tearful goodbye, we have to say hello to the newest episode so join me under the cut for that! Full spoilers as always and happy holidays!

We open with CHRISTMAS! Mae is decorating up the place at a rapid place and is easily the happiest i’ve seen her since her daughter came back. She’s just so dang gleeful as she christmases the hell out of places and it’s so nice to see her just so happy given all the crap she’s been through these past 6 months.

Anne and Not-Jeff are naturally compeltely stoked. The plantars.. are taking things less well...

With this new tradition confusing them Anne TRIES explaining it, but it’s difficult as you’d expect. It’s also cut off by some big news as Mae gets an important call: it’s from the parade board. The downtown LA Parade wants her to take part at long last. Turns out this has been a lifelong dream of hers... and one she reluctantly turns down to her husband and daughter’s shock.

The explanation for this is the obvious one: She dosen’t want to risk exposing the Plantars, as having the three frogs in such a public venue, and one that will likely be recorded and threw up on youtube immediately by thousands of people, while their actively being hunted is just too risky. This is her lifelong dream sure.. but it’s not worth risking their lives over. And i’m sure some of you watching it thought: “Well why doesn't she just not include them?” And the answer.. is as obvious as it is so heartwarming there’s a tiny sun where my chest used to be (it itches slightly): She dosen’t want to do this without her family.. and the Plantars ARE family. She’s gone from wanting to get rid of them so she can forget about all this... to seeing them as so much a part of her world that leaving them out, even if it means her dream, just isn’t an option. Their part of this too. It’s all of them or none of them. While she’s visably crushed to be giving this up, if trying badly to hide it.... it’s worth it to protect the people she cares about.

Naturally Anne can’t let this slide and spirits the plantars off to her room. She uncancel’s the float, and explains why to her froggy family: Anne feels she’s already done enough to her mom with her absence, having to stash the plantars, and that porthole to hell she opened up last week. She’s not costing her her dream. So Anne’s going to sneakily build the float and unveil it as a suprise and the Plantars are naturally in. She even has a beautiful design ready to go that has the plantars incorporated in a way that keeps them safe by passing them off as just part of the show. And really the town buys the ninja turtle logic of them being just humans in coats so this is somehow MORE of a disguise than usual.

Meanwhile at the Legion of Doom er... at Andrias Floating Castle, the three Newt Advisors are still working for andrias and unlike Olivia and Yunan seem to be fully on board with their bosses horrifying new ambitions.

Their also dressed as elves, having been told about Christmas by Marcy. You know the girl whose currently being used as a horrifying meat puppet, something you three Schmucks clearly have no issue with. And no i’m not letting them live that down: Oliva and Yunan may be MIA but at least they TRIED to do something instead of kissing Andrias titanic ass.

Speaking of which they have a gift for him: a new dragonfly drone , complete with wireless controler and headset to send after anne. Andrias tests it out on them, as he should, and prepares to send it after our heroine.

Meanwhile Anne is putting her plANNE into action. You can’t hate me for that pun on christmas it’s .. yule law... yeah. That’s it yule law..... .... just let me have this.

So she gets help from their various allies. First up she needs tech support and Polly knows just the gays for the job so it’s time for a ROBOT PARTY!

At the community college their apparently headquartered out of, the IT Girls are throwing a robot rager. Anne even hits on ... whatever this is

Good to see her get a rebound while she waits to get her girls back. Good for her. The Gals naturally gladly agree to help, sweethearts they are. The Plantars are naturally even more confused as Christmas now apparently involves mechanical men, so they ask the Gals what Christmas is. The two try their best to explain it but at best get out that you shouldn’t light trees on fire and that you should get people you care about nice gifts.. and we get this as a result.

Well my heart just collapsed on itself from adorable.. it’s a dwarf star now. This naturally sends Sprig into a panic about getting his best buddy Anne a good enough gift.

Onto their next stop Dr. Jan, who turns out is nuts about christmas and is intense about explaning it as I am about explaning marvel history. Fun Fact: Vision and Wanda’s wedding in the comics was a double wedding with Mantis, whose a space jesus in the comics, and the Swordsman, who was a bad guy who turned good then died then got reborn by fusing with a plant monster and the marriage was procided over by Immortus, one of the various kang variants. Why any of this happened.. I have no idea. No really I geninely don’t.

Jan is naturally happy to help Anne and gleefully allows her young friend to raid whatever she needs for her float, which Anne gladly does. So while Anne pilfers valuable historical displays for her float, Jan tries explaining christmas to the Plantars.. but has the opposite problem of our technogays. Instead of underdoing it, likely not knowing exactly HOW to unpack something like christmas for someone who has no idea what it is, Jan OVERDOES it and goes deeply into the history of it so much it makes Sprig’s brain grow three sizes. Thankfully Hop Pop at least finaally has SOME grasp on it as it’s like their own holiday, swamp hollow’s eve.. just without the ritual sacrifices.

So with our heroes slightly less confused they set to work and we get a montage.. set to a minty fresh new song from none other than Rebecca Motherfucking Sugar. If you don’t know who that is first off...

And secondly she’s the creator of Steven Universe, having run the show, written the vocal songs for it, and in general being a delightfully nice and thoughtful person. While she’s currently between shows because making a show is exausting and she needs a break before doing a new project, she gladly did a song here, showing up as herself casually singing an often odd but still heartfelt christmas song as the episode goes on. It feels perfectly fitting given this show has a lot of Steven Universe’s dna in it: it’s also a slice of life show that slowly builds to universe saving levels, while never loosing it’s focus on character growth or empathy. So I feel this is a wonderful way to tribute it by letting the show’s creator have a cameo.

While rebecca strums Sprig struggles with gift anxiety and the Thai community helps Anne with her float because their just the best. With that Anne’s masterwork is finished, a loving wintery tribute to her culture. The next morning she shows it off to her mom whose brought to tears by it and her daughter’s efforts, with Anne also showing the Plantars in a crows nest, with Hop Pop as santa.. and a great runner about him forgetting the final ho. Mae hugs her daughter and graciously accepts the gift and they head out for the parade.

A the parade, which looks downright gorgeous by the way, our heroes gladly celebrate and work the crowd... .and we find out WHY Mrs. B wanted this so long. We find out that she and Mr. B immigrated here and thus she’s always felt getting into the parade meant finally being accepted by this country. It adds a shocking and suprising amount of depth to the story, and as Anne points out she can relate having gone through the same in Amphibia, her trip there itself an allegory for Braly’s own trips to thailand. It feels like Matt is , through mae, letting his mother tell her story and it just warms my heart back up to supernova. It’s truly beautiful.

So our heroes party on the float like their the joker. But since we have a chunk of episode left we can’t just leave it there. Andrias has been hunting them, but while he can now fly the drone properly, it dosen’t have the fancy scanners the annesterminator did so he can’t find them as easily. Lucky for him Anne just happens to be on a giant float, with her last name on it screaming her full name for the crowd for no reason, so it’s time for our big climactic fight.

So Andrias finds a santa float and jingle jangle hey chris kringle’s now got nanites in his veins for a reason. So thus we get keith david piloting and voicing (since the drone has speakers.. despite not having a mic. ) a murderous santa claus. They say the best christmas gifts are the ones that suprise you and this proves them right.

So after the giant santa attacks the crowd Anne has the IT gals book it as their driving.. once Polly snaps them out of their giant robot stupor because as we all know, Chicks Dig Giant Robots.

So an awesome chase/fight insues as the nanites allow santa to have tree themed sheileds, candy cane lasers.. it’s just so wonderfully insane. Our heroes throw everything they got at it even the kitchen sink but eventually Anne realizes the way to stop it is a chekvos gun: light the tree on fire. Polly’s time has come. So they use the old video game standby of attacking it when it’s weakpoint is open and fire it into it’s mouth leading to the best two bits of the episode in rabid succesion. First...

Anne: Merry Christmas!z Andrias; (geninely and reflexivley) Merry christmas! .... wait OH NO!

This destroys santa which a young child sees and asks if santa is going to be okay to his dad... who says no reasuingly. Back on Amphibia, Andrias blames the controller.. before the Core gets him to compose himself. Once he has Andrias decides his master is right and that this loss dosen’t matter.. their army is almost complete... and is terrifyingly massive.

So with that our heroes escape and now it’s clear SOMETHING’S going on to the public, and everyone’s worn down.. and Mae STILL enjoyed it because they were together. And because let’s face it who WOULDN’T love killing a giant robotic santa. Anne finally explains the true meaning of christmas: it’s not the getting, i’ts not the getting, it’s the loving. It’s spending time with those you love most and the presents and trappings are just to celebrate that. Sprig gives anne her gift, a handmade action figure and she loves it. Awww. Our heroes go for cookies.. and clearly the fact the invasion is happening SOON isn’t enough of a wham for one episode as we FINALLY tackle one of the most obnoxiously hanging plot threads of the season. But I was patient since I figured Matt had some sort of plan for it.. and he did... as Anne writes anonomus letter’s to Sasha and Marcy’s parents, promising their okay , telling them about the other dimension thing.. and saying she swears to bring them back, singing it a friend. Because SURELY four grown adults can’t spot the handwriting of one of their daughter’s best friends. Surely. Also we find out Sasha’s parents are divorced so that’s a thing.

We go out on some closing credits, as we see something fans kept bringing up even AFTER a christmas episode was announced finally also resolved: Anne gives her mom the pin she got her last season, to tears. Mr. B is just as generous giving Sprig a Tarantulaman figure, HP a book on directing and Polly a nerf machine gun because she apparently wasn’t terrifyign enough. Add in domnno perched on frobo’s head and it’s just.. so fucking sweet. Merry christmas, see you next year Plantar-Boonchuys. You’ve earned a break.

Final Thoughts: This special is terrific: sweet, heartflet and featuring Keith David in the part he was born to play, this will be required viewing every year for me here on out.

If you enjoyed this review consider jingle jangling a few bucks over to my patreon which has exclusive reviews and just ONE contributor means i’ll start covering the first season monthly, so you get a nice gift too.

LINK TO MY PATREON IS HO HO HERE

And if you want to talk frogs while we wait for the rest of the season, dash in a one horse open sleigh over to my discord, which is open to all

INVITE LINK IS HERE. JOIN THE PARTY.

#amphibia #froggy little christmas #rebecca sugar #anne boonchuy #mae boonchuy #mr boonchuy #sprig plantar #polly plantar #hopidiah plantar #king andrias leviathan #the core #the IT girls #dr jan #christmas #holiday

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