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i-am-beckyu · 1 year

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becky hello hello

i have some random questions that you should definitely answer because why not? :D /nf

these are just a bunch of q's i came up with off the top of my mind, feel free to skip some C:

favorite dsmp era?

what song song you think will be #1 on your spotify wrapped?

the reason you got into g/t?

favorite fruit/vegetable?

apple juice or orange juice?

how many google docs do you have?

top dsmp members in no specific order

a trope you wish came up more in gt/non g/t (totally not using this for personal purposes)

favorite fanon c!dream design

if you're on your phone for 6 hours, are you going to spend it on twitch or youtube?

favorite broadway show (if you listen to broadway)

shaniac, coward, or boogara (if you don't want bfu: skeptic, in-the-middle, believer)

favorite headcannon you've come up with (canon!dsmp, ff!dsmp, etc.)

favorite c!quackity ship ?

drawing or writing?

digital or traditional drawing?

are you left handed or right handed? ambidextrous?

favorite color?

first dsmp cc you watched?

if you're on a computer, is spotify in a tab or did you download it?

hardcore angst or tooth-rotting fluff?

t!tommy & g!wilbur or g!tommy & t!wilbur?

favorite au in this fandom? link it pls :D /nf

which c!dsmp member you an apologist for? multiple, one, wtv

and last but not least, if you lurked as an anon before becoming a more public account, did you use an emoji/name sign-off or were you just completely anon?

I HOPE YOU ENJOY THESE!!!!

I get it now. I get why people love asks now. They give so much serotonin 🥹🥹🥹

Brick Gorgeous I will answer them ALL

Answer’s under the cut because its LONG!

favorite dsmp era? mmmm Probs when I joined which was just after Wilbur Blew up L’mangberg. (SAD-ist with Dawn of 16th Animatic drew me in!!)

what song song you think will be #1 on your spotify wrapped? Pretty sure it’s gonna be Figure it out by RYLY. I love it so much!

the reason you got into g/t? Like most people just loved tiny things and the concept of being small or held by a giant. Didn’t realise it was g/t I loved till I found art of Chamomile-g-tea art on instagram of unicornofgt’s Giant Mech story here. And then found out a WHOLE community of people who liked g/t like me existed <3

favorite fruit/vegetable? Pineapple easy.

apple juice or orange juice? Orange juice

how many google docs do you have? of writing: 4

top dsmp members in no specific order TommyInnit, WilburSoot, TechnoBlade and Philza. (SBI my beloveds)

a trope you wish came up more in gt/non g/t (totally not using this for personal purposes) Ummmm... I’m a sucker for hurt comfort and angst but I love reading about found families too and I wish there were more stories of tinies/giant sizeshifters or shapeshifts hiding that they can shift because they’re afraid of rejection or being abused that when potential family figure finds out, (or hurts them when they do know) they bolt. Then lots and lots of healing and love.

favorite fanon c!dream design huh. Never thought about it tbh. Probs the ones where he’s all pristine and shiny in armor accentuated by White and Greens. Ya know? Smug boi attire lol.

if you're on your phone for 6 hours, are you going to spend it on twitch or youtube? Twitch. I like talking :3

favorite broadway show (if you listen to broadway) Disney’s Newsies. Man I love it to pieces and Once and for all is a Banger!!!

shaniac, coward, or boogara (if you don't want bfu: skeptic, in-the-middle, believer) am confused a bit but I don’t believe in ghosts. (I think I answered that right?)

favorite headcannon you've come up with (canon!dsmp, ff!dsmp, etc.) Ok so after season 1 ended, I came up with this thing that the S1 selves still exist, but are like trapped in the C! subconsciousness and that in Season 2, S1 self and S2 self will end up talking. And I have this thing where Tommy and Dream become friends but Tommy starts pulling pranks and shenanigans like he used too in S1 and Dream is just brushing them off even though he’s slightly bothered. To the point where weird shit starts happening on the server but no one can trace the source, while S2 Dream just keeps blacking out with headaches. Because S1 Dream is taking over his body and getting Revenge on Tommy for causing him the same pain. And at some point S1 and S2 Dream speak and it goes something like this: no tommy didn't destroy my build to hurt me. it was innocent fun! A prank!! s1 dream: No Dream. He did it to hurt others, hurt your real friends, to hurt us, hurt you. Or maybe a different route where S2 Dream is heading down that same road that S1 Dream did, and S1 Dream comes to S2 Dream with warning and basically its a self healing moment. And like this applies to Tommy too in different ways and I just think it would be cool if the S1 and S2 selves met each other.

favorite c!quackity ship ? ummmmmmm don’t really have one 🙃

drawing or writing? AHHHHH BOTH!!! CAN’T CHOOSE!!!!!

digital or traditional drawing? Traditional

are you left handed or right handed? ambidextrous? Right handed

favorite color? Blue!!! (Specifically Robins blue)

first dsmp cc you watched? Ranboo (Was the only person Live when I was awake..)

if you're on a computer, is spotify in a tab or did you download it? Downloaded

hardcore angst or tooth-rotting fluff? Don’t make me choose qwq

t!tommy & g!wilbur or g!tommy & t!wilbur? t!tommy & g!wilbur

favorite au in this fandom? link it pls :D /nf I have so many favs but the one I constantly keep rereading atm is this one The Secret World of Tommyinnit by Thatvivgirl1212 (Littledoodler12) on AO3 (why would you make me pic a fav!?!?! I CAN’T!!! THERE’S TOO MANY GOOD ONES!!!)

which c!dsmp member you an apologist for? multiple, one, wtv um probs Tommy.

and last but not least, if you lurked as an anon before becoming a more public account, did you use an emoji/name sign-off or were you just completely anon? Man I tried being an anon for a bit but it didn’t really seem to fit me well. And when I say a bit, I think that lasted a week from when I joined the site lol. I think I tried being the mysterious anon once and that flopped but I always gave out lollipops. Still do. Brick Bestie Gorgeous you’re the best!!!!!!!!! Now I’ve gotta ask you some questions when I find time again!!!!!

#ask #brick my beloved <3 #beckyu answers #SO MANY QUESTIONS!!!#I need to remember to use my own tags but I'm a goose and forget

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burnwithtears · 2 years

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just another rina breakdown

Okay I’m gonna put my thoughts out here real quick

Is it totally possible that EJ and Gina are going to have some angsty drama with jealousy and miscommunication just to solve all of it by the end of the season and live as a couple for the rest of the show? Suuure.

But if that's the intention all along, I think it's just bad faith to use Rina as a "plot device", going so far as to add it to the trailer as bait, knowing this ship's got a huge fanbase. Ricky and Gina got shippers since before EJ and Gina even spoke in season 1 (me!!!!!!! being clowned since 2019!!!!!!), and the showrunners know that. So if these scenes were added just to stir unnecessary drama and then drop Rina again (and their friendship) after midseason, like it happened in s2, I'll be PISSED. With the showrunners (and with capitalism lol). They could use another character to add jealousy to P*rtwell's relationship without making half of the fandom riot in rage for being deceived.

And, YOU SEE, people who ship Rina CANNOT BE CALLED DELUSIONAL if the showrunners keep giving us content and hints that something might happen! Like in so many TV shows I've watched before, slow burn IS a thing!!! If P*rtwells wanna be mad we're still here, hoping for a relationship, they should be mad at the writers for giving us ammunition 😂

But nowwww, some random thoughts of why I believe Rina is coming back:

- There was absolutely no payoff for the first 6 episodes of season 2 regarding them. the elefant IS STILL IN THE ROOM.

- EJ saying things are gonna be perfect for him and Gina has the same energy of Ricky saying everything is perfect between him and Nini. I love it for me

- One of my main complaints last season was the abrupt change of tone in episodes 206 and 207, with Gina still pining over Ricky for 6 episodes and then suddenly not. In my head I was like "okay she's just replacing one white boy with another and acting like she's over Ricky", which could be why there were no more scenes of them (because she just couldn't be near him without everything coming up again). I wanted AT LEAST their friendship restored, and IT LOOKS I SHALL GET IT YASSSSSSSSSSSSS. And now we'll see: is she tRULY over him???

- (answering my own question from above) I don't think so. Her lines give me the same energy of EJ's line klfjhlfdhslkdjglj

- (that being said, she better get that damn lead or i swear-) (99% of chance there will be drama about it)

- I know people dislike the thought of all 4 main characters dating each other at some point, but most teenage TV shows go for that, so, yeah, well

- (Disney is waaay too coward to give me Ricky/EJ and Gina/Nini, but Rina is definitely NOT knocked out of the table)

More random thoughts/headcanons that might as well become canon:

- after two seasons, Ricky might finally develop a passion towards theater, by working with someone who brings up the best in him byeeeeee

- THE CAR????%$&?%$?&?%*?$&?#?¨?¨??¨@? A PROM??%$&?$%&$¨?#¨?#?&??#&?# okay i'm good we're good everything's FINE

- Anna and Kristoff’s actors being forced to rehearse lines together oof OOOF yes

- Rina happy feels so good huh

Anyway, as long as these two are interacting normally (being goofy with each other, understanding each other without a word), given everything they represent to each other, and with just. SO. MUCH. TENSION. in literally ALL their scenes together, I shall always ship them.

#hsmtmts #rina #ricky x gina #ricky bowen #gina porter #a clown? maybe #but a clown for THEM #so much mispelling #im so sorry

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liopleurodean · 1 year

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Season 4, Episode 22: Lucifer Rising

CARRY ON

I think this is the first time they use this song

ASDFGHJKL THE DOOR SLAM

IM GONNA CRY BEFORE THE EPISODE EVEN STARTS

A convent? Really?

Nice

A convent full of demons. Irony at its finest

Oh no, they're not demons

Oop-

(pie hole? Someone's been listening to Dean)

That's a weird way to put it

Yeahhh

Those poor girls

Yikes

Nice car

Not even close

Liar

Nope!

It's a mixed bag

At least Ruby has faith

Right

Parallels

Nope

He won't

Family don't end in blood

If at first you don't succeed

Not for family

That's... unfortunately true

Only partially your fault

I think he does

Oh, Dean

Dean...

It's cry about your blorbo hours

I think I needed this as much as Dean

Ohhh, and that's what needed to happen

Oh, he was definitely a coward

And that's the gospel truth

He's getting it

Where'd he go?

Hi Cas

'almost'

I'm sure

Those poor parents

This is almost as freaky as Ring Around the Rosie

Mark it with an L more like

Not a fan of the deco

Heh. At least they've got drinks on ice

Ew, Zachariah

Pfft, Dean watching Disney channel

AND THE HARP IN THE CORNER

Huh

Uh...

Yeah, definitely weird

Every time Dean makes a Star Trek reference, I fall a little more in love

Fair

Great

It's a coping mechanism

Hmmm

That's the problem

...point

Unfortunately, Dean's word actually means something

Pop culture references make me laugh

A less painful death

Oh, Dean...

Wow, that was a quick voicemail

That's a great way to start

Of course

This is sickening

As ironic as it sounds

Stop it, Sam

This is nowhere near the Trench Run

This is going great

That's horrifying

Dang it

Don't do it, Sam

This is weird

Padre?

This guy is whack

There's a reason for that

The Antichrist

Wow

I mean, Azazel is the only known yellow-eyed demon

That'll take too long

Things keep getting worse and worse

That is too nice of a car to be treated like that (and yes, this also applies to Baby)

That's one way to get their attention

They won't let him

Not even close

Something something let the dead bury the dead

Exceptions

Angels, man

Yikes

Ruby!

Something's up

Good, hold on to that

That's not gonna help, Dean

Whack

Also whack

Sure

I should've known

Cas isn't in on it. Or he is, but he doesn't want to be

It's giving Good Omens

The mirrors make this freaky

My phone thinks a song called "Un Angel Llora" is playing, which. If it's true, the title means "a crying angel," so.

Analogies tend to fall apart pretty quickly, huh

"enema" is not the word I would use

Always plotting

Antichrist.

Man, this really is Good Omens

If I never have to hear "Marsha Marsha Marsha" again, it'll be too soon

Right

For what?

Oh right, they always wanted to have a Sam/Dean fight

Dude

Riiight

Unaware

Spooky

Lilith

That's not good

Hi Cas

That's one way to put it

Hey, Cas is starting to wake up again

That was so fake

Something something ineffable plan

Humanity

What about love?

But it'll never be the same

A good soldier knows when to question bad orders

Please, Cas

Nothing new there

Come on, Cas

And he ditched

You don't have a minute, but please take it anyway

Whoa, what happened

Did Ruby do this?

She did. Now I'm okay with killing her

Right. Thank Chuck

Cas?

Nice

That's a lot of blood

I'm glad that worked

Well, now everyone is getting duped

Really, Chuck?

Whack

That looks like a wedding dress

Riiight

Yup

Team Free Will!

Cas!

Ouch

Uh oh

Get her, Dean

This is so whack

What's Ruby's plan in all this?

Oh, good

A freak, huh?

Oh. Oh no

Dang it, Sam

Well crap

Don't. Don't do it

He broke the seal

You've been duped, Sam

Definitely not God

Really, Ruby?

He can't do it

It's partially your fault, Sam

You can't think he'll ever trust you again, Ruby

Not with anything he wants

Gank her, Dean

That's the first good thing Sam has done all year

Oh, Sam

It's too late now

Time to face the music

Oh, that's trippy

#ashla chick flick moments #supernatural #season 4 episode 22 #lucifer rising

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canonicallysoulmates · 2 years

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I did a binge re-watch of TBOBF and now I have some thoughts so excuse me while I ramble a minute.

Sometimes when you binge watch something, especially a show on streaming which is meant to be binge watched you get a different perspective and you understand the show better. That's not really the case with this show.

I did notice some things I hadn't before, and there are some parts I like more for example I like the character of Boba Fett even more now but what binge watching it really achieved was to highlight the shortcomings. This show is kinda boring and forgetable with the exception of 4 episodes and 1 of them doesn't even have the main character, another has him but with no speaking lines. Of course the thing that was most glaringly noticeable is the difference between chap 4 and chap 5.

It's like literally being dropped in the middle of a season of the Mandalorian, and then in chap 7 it all entertainingly but messily comes together in a crossover episode. After chap 4 TBOBF ceases to exist, you watch two eps of The Mandalorian and then a crossover episode that somehow feels like it skipped important points from both shows to get to this point. It's a bit of a mess.

Re-watching this I wish even more that they had dedicated time to explain more of Boba Fett's and Cad Bane's relationship, I get that if you're a huge fan then you prop know the backstory but the rest of us would like to know too without having to do re-search into it, I also wish we had gotten to see more of him with the Tusken's. As well as better build up and development to the whole fight that happened.

Din Djarin was the best part, he just was. He stole the show from the moment he appeared on screen. And chap 5 was the best episode, I will not be hearing arguments.

Controversial chapter 6 was a surprise because I liked it more upon this 2nd watch! I still don't like how the choice was framed and phrased but I noticed more of Luke's concern and confusion as to what to do when it comes to Grogu and ensuring that he was going through this training because it's something he wanted to do not because he felt like he had to or like he had no other option.

I was gonna include this in the tags of another post I'm making but I'll just include it here; I'm willing to bet that it was not Disney's intention to create more DinLuke shippers but I finished re-watching chap 5 and 6 thinking 'you know what? those DinLuke shippers are unto something.'

Disney don't be cowards give the people what they want, proper Din and Luke interaction.

It's an okay show and I'm glad I watched it but it could have been better.

#tbobf critical #tbobf #it's filler disney just wanted a place holder while the mandalorian comes back #non spn #mine #the dinluke is barely there but i'm gonna include the tag just in case #dinluke

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itsgivingsadd · 3 years

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DISNEY GIVE US DAREDEVIL SEASON 4 YOU COWARDS…. But apparently Matt’s gonna be in No Way Home so…. Ya never know

#oh and he might be in She Hulk..#netflix daredevil #matt murdock #foggy Nelson #Karen page #honestly I want the whole squad to show #pls #I beg u #no way home

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margridarnauds · 4 years

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I know you prefer a-cast, but what are some pros to buying m-cast instead? There's a bit of a war going on abt which is better. I heard m-cast is better bc the cast is more senior and experienced, but I don't know what to believe. Is a-cast or m-cast just a taste thing, or is it abt smthing else? Would you mind making a chart or smthing for the pros and cons of both versions? Maybe ratings per category? I know you have a preference, but I just think you are quite nuanced. Thanks in advance!

I am very honored that you would think of me as someone who’s fair and nuanced!

Before I begin, I’m going to say one thing that might or might not be considered....well. Very American of me, from the perspective of Japanese fandom: I do not believe, when it comes to spending the amount of money that these cost, on holding back information in order to appear diplomatic. I’ll try to be diplomatic, for the sake of people who might like anyone I criticize, but, also, if I dislike an aspect, I will try to find SOME way of making said displeasure known, because, again: The amount of money required to buy one DVD, let alone two, is quite a lot. I personally like to buy both, since it lets me compare and contrast, but my God, is it a bit of money (and this year, with the exception of the 2016 Elisabeth, I’ve had to cut down quite a bit while I’ve been abroad: I haven’t touched Frankenstein or Phantom...at least not yet.)

Also, I am always willing to arrange streams of either/both casts, since this musical is my baby, so that anyone reading this now can see whether what I say is true or not, as well as in order to determine your own preferences.

Alright, so that disclaimer out of the way, let’s start off:

I kind of disagree that M cast is more experienced, as a whole. Let’s compare:

Marie

Rena Sasamato (A Cast) - Had her debut when she was ten years old, in 1995. She is a Toho veteran with many, many musicals under her belt, including The Woman in White, Love Never Dies, Jekyll and Hyde, Les Miserables, West Side Story, Rudolf, Fiddler on the Roof, and, of course, the original 2006 production of Marie Antoinette, where she played Margrid Arnaud.

Hanafusa Mari (M Cast) - Almost needs no introduction, such is the fame that she has. And I say this as a detractor. My personal feelings about her personality, acting, and singing aside, I can admit that Hanafusa Mari is a living legend in the Japanese musical industry. She certainly lives up to her title of “Empress”, in all senses of the term. She had her debut in 1991 (after, admittedly, undergoing the training of the Takarazuka Revue, so I will give her that she had experience beforehand, just not in acting and singing on stage), and remained there until 2006, when she retired in conjunction with her fellow top star, Yoka Wao. From 2010 onward, she appeared in non-Takarazuka roles, including my very first exposure to Japanese theatre, Dracula, in 2011.

Now, of the two of them, I won’t deny that Hanafusa has more experience, however I also feel like saying that Rena has less experience is making it sound almost like she was some starving waif that Toho picked off the side of the streets in order to star in their new musical, as opposed to a seasoned actress in her own right who, on top of having an impressive number of musicals under her belt, also has experience in the musical itself. Hanafusa, when it comes down to it, only has four years’ more experience than Rena, though she is almost a decade older and undoubtedly, when she premiered, had more polish than 10 year old Rena. But, on the other hand, she DID remain with the Revue an impressively long time, which is very intense as far as how many musicals they perform on a yearly basis (most Top Musumeyaku only last about...2-3 years or so), she was the original Elisabeth in Takarazuka (a legendary role in its own right), and, my snark about her having the best career money can buy aside, I am willing to say that, for the most part, she’s earned her status as a legend.

And I want to say that I’m not ripping YOU apart when I say this, I want to make that absolutely clear. You’re asking me a very good question, but it is something I tend to find quite a bit of when I talk Japanese musicals, in the sense that there is often this...assumption that actresses who started off in non-Takarazuka musicals (also a moment of silence for the Shiki actresses, who I almost never talk about but who are kicking ass as Disney Princesses) are somehow...lesser, or that they have less training. Takarazuka is and remains very prestigious, but it’s hardly the be-all, end-all of all musical theatre, and, in many ways, I would argue that Rena has more experience than Hanafusa, in terms of the world of Toho musicals, which require a different style of acting and singing: Less stylized, less affected, more what you would expect from a Broadway or West End show. It’s actually something that I find quite a few Takarazuka actresses struggle with when they come to Toho, as they have to adjust how they’ve done things for a new audience.

Now, what does this have to do with the overall point? Well, a lot of people bought Marie Antoinette FOR Hanafusa to begin with, since she does have a huge following. I have seen plenty of people admit that they only bought it for her in the first place and didn’t bother with the other cast. I have even seen, in the past, people argue with me on the idea of a musical that DOESN’T have Hanafusa in it getting a proshot, simply because, for them, she IS the world of Japanese musical theatre. Coming from that perspective, of course Rena is less experienced, because she, simply put, isn’t Hanafusa.

In terms of their overall presentation of the characters, I found that their respective training really impacted how they portrayed the characters: Rena played Antoinette as being very elegant, with a pride that could turn to haughtiness. It made for an Antoinette that is interesting in her own right to watch, which is tricky, since I find that Antoinettes tend to be overshadowed by the other characters, especially Margrid, Fersen, and Orléans. She did include certain aspects of a Takarazuka performance in her performance, since her mother was a Takarazuka star in her own right, such as how to properly use an 18th century fan, but, for the most part, I’m willing to say that she played it much more naturalistically.

Hanafusa, meanwhile, emphasized the tragedy of Marie’s life. Throughout a decent portion of the musical, she can be seen crying, especially during the trial (which Rena played straightfaced, playing a Marie that is totally numbed by grief), and expresses her happy, joyful moments in a very exaggerated, almost forceful way, more what I would expect from a Zuka actress given that Zuka performances tend to emphasize extremes of sadness and happiness. (Keeping in mind, of course, that traditionally, it’s expected for musical/opera singers to act in an exaggerated way in order to be seen from the back.) If you are used to Hanafusa, then you’ll LOVE it, because she is very much there, and it’s very much what you’ve been accustomed to. She does show her training; she doesn’t miss a single note in the entire production, but I do find that, in this one area, her added age over Rena might be to her detriment, as I find that her voice has thinned somewhat with age, comparing her now to where she was in Dracula or during her Takarazuka days. Her vibrato also isn’t quite to my taste. Not BAD, but not for me. She isn’t UNPLEASANT to listen to, and again, if you are buying it to hear Hanafusa Mari’s voice, that is exactly what you’ll get, but I also do think the luster of it has faded.

So, in terms of overall ratings, here is what I would put them:

Rena:

Year of Debut: 1995

Acting: 9/10

Singing: 10/10

Hanafusa:

Year of Debut: 1991

Acting: 4/10

Singing: 6/10

Margrid

Sonim (A Cast) - Sonim’s history has been gone into detail here by my friend, @chibimyumi who, unlike me, has a native speaker’s understanding of Japanese (as opposed to getting lucky with Google Translate), so I’ll leave it to her. But, suffice it to say, Sonim had her musical debut about...2007 or so (she was involved in other stage projects, but for sanity’s sake I’m marking her appearance as Johanna in Sweeney Todd as her musical debut) after the idol industry decided to be cowards and kicked her out because she didn’t conform to their pretty pink princess dreams, was offered the title of Ogosho IMMEDIATELY upon her joining up with Toho, and, since then, has distinguished herself as one of their undisputed leading ladies. She has appeared, to my knowledge, on three proshots, two of which I own: Mozart, 1789, and Marie Antoinette, and has also appeared in Kinky Boots, Tanz der Vampire, FACTORY GIRLS, and Rent.

Natsumi Kon (M Cast) - Natsumi Kon is, admittedly, also no slouch in the world of Japanese musical theatre: She had her debut in 2011, with the coveted role of Juliette Capulet in Romeo and Juliet, and has since been in Les Miserables, Grand Hotel, the Addams Family, The Fiddler on the Roof, and The Secret Garden, as well as being the voice actress for Belle in the 2017 Beauty and the Beast. She has been praised as essentially being “the next generation of the musical world”.

By the same standard I’ve set re: Hanafusa and Rena, there isn’t THAT much in terms of their ages, since they have the same difference in debut time (though in this case, it’s in Sonim’s favor, and I also think that it’s much more dramatic in terms of younger musical performers as opposed to older ones.)

I feel like, of the two of them, more people would have come for Sonim, since she is an Ogosho herself, being at the same level of ranking as Furukawa and Hanafusa. What I suspect, in fact, is that Toho, in a CLASSIC Toho move, split the cast that most people would have wanted, with Hanafusa, Furukawa, and Sonim, but I can’t confirm and, honestly, I feel like Hanafusa’s very expressive Antoinette would have clashed with Furukawa’s more aloof Fersen, but that will be dealt with down the line. As it is, M cast has Hanafusa, and A cast has two Ogosho-level performers for the price of one with Sonim and Furukawa. (Meaning that, on a purely technical level, it has the most starpower behind it.)

Sonim has a strong belt and has a reputation for playing scrappy girls, possibly because she herself easily qualifies as a bit of a “scrappy girl” herself. Her Margrid is bitter and cynical, not necessarily kind. The years on the streets have warped her into someone who is primarily motivated by herself and her own personal revenge. She uses “the people” as a self-justification to pursue her own vendetta, only realizing by the end what it’s done and cost her. She doesn’t care for social norms AT ALL, and would be the exact type of person that you would see on a tabletop counter at 2 AM, legs spread out, trying to stuff an entire pizza down her mouth. She’s distrustful, especially towards men and, even for those that she trusts, she has a low level of tolerance for. She is, frankly, a bit of a bitch. And I adore her for it, because it’s more realistic to what I think someone would be like after undergoing what she has. She’s a kind of female character we get relatively little of, really. I do think that, on a few occasions, Sonim perhaps outbelts herself here but, in general, I feel like it suits Margrid’s personality more.

Natsumi Kon took a more tragic bent to the character. Her Margrid IS a good person, at heart, but she lets her desire for justice, along with her own revenge, steer her towards a course that just causes more suffering. She is more like an 18th century Eponine from Les Miserables, the street girl who, if she’d JUST had the upbringing that Antoinette had, could have been a great lady like her. She seems to play up the love triangle with Fersen more, getting a little closer to him at different times, giving him more longing looks, while also seeming to have...some sort of dynamic with Orléans, with the two of them often touching and laughing with one another. She does have a very smooth, strong voice, though I feel like, on some level, she has never quite escaped playing ingenues, and, rewatching it with a critical eye, I think that, as the musical continues, her voice starts getting a little breathy and strained. I don’t really know whether this is by intent or simply because of the musical being very vocally demanding for the Margrids, but I do think that, if Sonim overbelts at times at the beginning, Natsumi has some issues by the end; the notes aren’t coming out quite as clear or as strong as they should be. Her Margrid has a little bit more of a polish to her and, in general, seems a little younger and more naive compared to Sonim’s. I do give her credit for really being willing to go UP CLOSE to her fellow actors in stand-offs, giving her Margrid the sense of being a little bit of a bull in a China shop; during the duet that Marie and Margrid share, there’s one point where it seems like Natsumi is only INCHES away from her face. I know that it’s out of style to make Harry Potter analogies, but Sonim plays Margrid as a Slytherin; Natsumi as a Gryffindor. She didn’t do a BAD job as an actress, and in fact adds some nice touches to Margrid that I do like, but she doesn’t really do anything too new with the character.

Now, why does THIS matter? Well, for one, I think that, if you go in expecting the best of everyone, Sonim’s Margrid can be like a dose of cold water. Natsumi is more...palatable. Less conflict, less difficult questions, especially since it becomes that much easier to separate Orléans-As-Villain from Margrid-As-Heroine.

Overall:

Sonim:

Year of Debut: 2007

Acting: 10/10

Singing: 9/10.

Natsumi:

Year of Debut: 2011

Acting: 8/10

Singing: 8/10

Fersen

Furukawa Yuta (A Cast) - Probably one of Toho’s most bankable male leads at the moment. His presence in a musical is generally a VERY good sign to me that Toho is planning on a proshot, since they know that fans will buy anything he’s in. (To illustrate: I wasn’t PLANNING on buying Marie Antoinette, I had more than my fair share of doubts after the disastrous German run, but then I saw Furukawa Yuta and Sonim were signed on and I promptly got both casts. Best insanely rash move I’ve ever made in my life.) He had his stage debut in 2007 with The Prince of Tennis series, and since then he’s played in the Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji) musicals, Elisabeth, 1789, Romeo and Juliet, and Mozart. Though he initially made his name with his dancing and acting abilities, along with his personal charisma, he has since worked on his singing, putting himself through Hell and back to earn his spot as Ogosho. While Mozart was his official debut, I would argue that, in some ways, it was as Fersen and then, later, Romeo that he REALLY got to demonstrate what made him star material.

Mario Tashiro (M Cast) - Mario Tashiro, like Natsumi Kon, is absolutely no slouch either. He has a full, operatic voice that he uses to excellent effect, making him very recognizable even if you don’t know who exactly he is. Plenty of times, I’ll be listening to a trailer on Youtube and hear this BOOMING voice and go “MARIO TASHIRO?” He has been very prolific on the Toho scene, taking roles in Sunset Boulevard, Chess, Love Never Dies, Elisabeth (marking the first time in known history that Fersen is locked in a love triangle with Fersen for Marie Antoinette and then seduces Fersen’s son, Fersen), The Great Gatsby, Jekyll and Hyde, and Sweeney Todd, among others.

In terms of approach, both men took very different approaches to their role. Furukawa played Fersen as much more aloof and distant, which makes for a contrast with Marie’s sunny, naive personality. He has a dry sense of humor and has a long-running cat and mouse game with Orléans where both understand, on some level, that they’re on equal ground. His love of Marie, while definitely a real, true love, is also very idealistic: Marie represents a world that, for Fersen, is slowly dying out, she represents the best part of humanity for him, especially after being gone during the war. I do not believe, looking at Furukawa’s Fersen, that he and Antoinette ever actually slept together, rather that it was very much a courtly love. He cares for Margrid, entreating her to have compassion, but there’s just enough wiggle room to wonder how MUCH of it is genuine VS him needing something from her at the time, and he’s very aware of his status as an aristocrat and makes use of it. It’s really unlike any other take on Fersen I’ve seen, in any media, and it’s part of why I ended up leaning towards this production, since it’s generally a MASSIVE feat to make me like Fersen. Furukawa’s voice in the role is softer, lacking the strength of Tashiro’s but still making for some very impressive low notes.

Mario Tashiro, on the other hand, focuses more on Fersen as a romantic hero, full of dash and daring. He has a notably dramatic take on Fersen, with flourishes and exaggerated movements, which, as an opera singer, are probably part and parcel of his acting training. If he’s aware of Orléans’ general presence, he doesn’t seem bothered by him, with their being really little sign that Orléans has any respect for him at all. He loves Marie as well, but it is much more of a sort of fairytale, Rose of Versailles love. There’s not as much moral gray areas to his Fersen, even though he makes the exact same decisions as Furukawa’s and, like Hanafusa Mari’s Marie, tends to go through extreme emotions. His voice was, as always, phenomenal, I give him full and complete credit for it, however, unfortunately, when put up against Hanafusa Mari, I found that the two of them had the tendency of trying to outbelt one another, leading to a distinct lack of chemistry during romantic scenes. (And you’ll notice that, despite generally being weighted against Hanafusa, I am NOT giving her the full blame for this one.)

Furukawa Yuta (A Cast)

Year of Debut: 2007

Acting - 10/10

Singing - 9/10

Mario Tashiro (M Cast)

Year of Debut: 2009 (He had his singing debut in 2007, but his overall musical debut was 2009)

Acting - 7/10

Singing - 10/10

Louis

Takanori Sato (A Cast) - Probably the baby of the group, in the sense that he had his own debut a little while after the others, in 2015. In his case, and his case alone, would I say that there was a REALLY strong case for him not having as much experience compared to his counterpart. He has played in Titanic, Elisabeth, the Scarlet Pimpernel (the one with Kazutaka Ishi), Mata Hari, Legally Blonde, and Chess, the latter possibly most impressively since he did the entire thing in English.

Yuichi Harada (M Cast) - I’ll be honest, I’ve never in my life been tempted to look up his biography before, but when I did, I was impressed to find that he’s actually been working in the world of musicals since 1992, when he was in Anne of Green Gables and then again in Les Miserables as Gavroche. He has had a long career with Toho, too, being in musicals such as Les Miserables, The Sound of Music, Titanic, the Beggar’s Opera, and La Cage Aux Folles, none of which I literally had any idea about until today, but that is very impressive. Massive props to him, honestly, as well as working as a director for Bare: The Musical, which...well. Props to him for branching out. I will never understand the love for Bare worldwide, but you know what? Almost all musicals deserved to be loved by SOMEONE. He has an impressive track record, I’ll give him that. One of these days, I’ll probably have to dig deeper, since I suspect that there’s a lot more to him than meets the eye.

Takanori has a very smooth, strong voice, without the projection of Mario Tashiro. I found that his take on Louis was quite charming, tender to his wife, a normal man who Marie respects even if she doesn’t love him in the same way as she loves Fersen. (Honestly, can I just say: While we all know that Orléans has my entire heart....if Takanori’s Louis asked me to marry him....#PhilippeWho.) He’s a steady man, not really dumb, but well-intentioned and occasionally oblivious to the real danger, and it’s that that kills him, in the end.

Yuichi’s Louis is much more...confused throughout the thing and, while I think Antoinette has some compassion for him, I don’t really feel like it’s love so much as...affection, mixed with a certain amount of pity. He does show moments where it looks like he knows a lot more than he lets on, but in general, I think he did play it as much more humorous, a lot more...well, dumb, at least until the second act. He does have a solid voice, I give him that, but in general, it felt like there was a little less subtlety in how he interpreted the role. There’s something almost childish about the way that he grasps Orléans’ hands when he’s asking him to intercede for them, whereas in Takanori’s case, it’s more him realizing that his cousin is...well. Orléans, but knowing that he has to do a little bit of crawling if he’s going to survive.

Yuichi’s Louis DOES still get sympathy from me, but it’s in a way that is kind of insulting to him as a character, mainly because it’s less about HIM and more like “......god. Killing him is a bit like kicking a puppy. Like, you could do it, but my God, why would you?” Like, I do kind of want to write a fanfic where he can just......be safe........far, far away from everything, because I’m not sure if he would notice if they took him any place else, but it does kind of...take away his complexity? I will say, in his defense, looking over his entire performance, that seeing him constantly trying to smile as he’s being led while Marie panics, trying to let her know this is all going to be alright, is a tearjerker, though I still feel like his Louis is played a bit too much like the caricature of Louis that, at this point, I’m kind of used to seeing. That being said, while I don’t necessarily like all of the DIRECTION he took Louis, I can see that he put genuine thought into constructing the role, so I’m not going to nuke him too much in the acting category.

This one, more than any of the others, is probably YMMV, because I know people who were genuinely shocked to realize Louis is double-cast at all. Mainly because it isn’t like the role leaves THAT much of an impact, overall, having only one major song. I honestly think that the 2021 cast is making the right call in splitting Orléans and giving Louis one role, all things considered.

Takanori Sato

Year of Debut: 2015

Acting - 10/10

Singing - 10/10

Yuichi Harada

Year of Debut: 1992

Acting - 8/10

Singing - 8/10

The Case for M Cast

Now that we’ve gone through the rankings, it’s time for the original question: What are the pros of M Cast? And, if you just listened to me laying all this out, you would think that I wouldn’t have much positive to say. That being said, when I was back in the States and could spend an hour or two watching musicals every day, a LOT of the time, I would watch M Cast. There has never really been a point where I said “You know? I regret getting that cast, I wish I’d just had A the entire time.” If I was dangling off a cliff and I could only save one cast recording, I would HAVE to choose A (and then promptly sob), but I do, genuinely, like M on its own and would recommend getting both simply to compare.

- Mitsuo Yoshihara. Now, this is going to be odd for anyone reading, because I can hear it now: “But he wasn’t double cast! Wouldn’t you get him on A too?” Yes, you definitely would. But he is a very unique type of Toho actor in the sense that he changed up his performance for EACH cast he was in. If you look at M cast, he has a much warmer dynamic with Natsumi’s Margrid, either as a paternal substitute (making up for her own aristocratic father) or as a prospective love interest. He is MUCH more hurt in the final court scene, very clearly viewing Margrid’s decision as a personal betrayal. As the admitted and confessed Morléans shipper, I have to eat the angst up like it’s candy. The two of them have a nice amount of familiarity and chemistry with one another, presumably due to having worked with one another on other projects before.

- Mario Tashiro’s voice. This deserves its own section because it is REALLY, REALLY phenomenal. You know whenever you’re seeing Mario Tashiro in something simply because that voice is VERY distinctive and is totally overwhelming each time you hear it. I noted my misgivings in his section, but overall? It is very much worth the price of admission just to hear him.

- Different shots. I’m still figuring out exactly WHAT shots dramatically change from each cast, but M cast does contain some shots that A doesn’t have and vice versa. M cast doesn’t have this shot of Margrid and Antoinette, and A cast doesn’t have the one here of Antoinette and Fersen’s hands touching, which is a wonderful little bit of cinematography. I do think that, depending on the shot, you can get more or less of a character’s motivations in that moment. A personal favorite is Hébert trying to get Margrid alone during the scene just before the ball and Margrid shoving him off, which foreshadows what happens near the end of the second act.

-Hanafusa and Natsumi’s voices actually do go quite nicely together at the end.

-Mario Tashiro does make for a very splashy Fersen; yeah, you might not spend too long dissecting what he’s doing when he’s on stage, but he is fun to watch swish around in his 18th century officer’s outfit.

-My griping on Natsumi’s Margrid aside, I do think she has a lot of charm. No, it isn’t my FAVORITE take on the role, but I do actually like what she does, she adds quite a few nice touches to it, and she does make the song “Enough is Enough”, near the end of the first act, her actual bitch, adding her own riffs onto it to give it a sense of individuality. The parts where she’s smiling, hanging onto Orléans’ arm, make even my wrinkled, shriveled heart grow three sizes. I’ll be genuinely excited to see her return to the role in 2021 to see if there’s anything she changes, though I doubt I’ll be able to see any part of it in person.

-If you’re a Hanafusa Mari fan, you get to see the kind of performance from her that you’ve grown to expect and appreciate. If you’re not, you get to see her get splashed in the face with champagne. Win, win, win.

Overall, I think that it will depend on what you’re looking for. I really enjoyed the realism and the grit of the A cast, but not everyone WANTS grit, and in that case...I suppose M cast would appeal more, since M cast relies on everyone involved being much better human beings than A cast, though I do want to emphasize that everyone in A cast is still redeemable. (Except Hébert. Because fuck Hébert.) M cast is....easier to digest, in many ways. There’s a good queen, a stupid-yet-sweet king, a dashing hero, and a misunderstood-yet-angry-poor girl, manipulated by the siren’s song of the Revolution and her unrequited love for Fersen, who bullies the poor, downtrodden queen when she gets a chance before realizing the error of her ways. I think that, for many people, that’s perfectly fine, and that’s what they wanted, especially if they’re already used to Rose of Versailles. I do still LIKE it, because it’s a production of one of my top 2 favorite musicals, but I do think that, if it was the ONLY version of the musical available, I wouldn’t have spent so much time picking it apart. (Though I still would have thought it a MASSIVE improvement on the German.)

I do put a lot of it on Hanafusa Mari’s influence, though, because of the prevalence of her fanbase and the general belief that no one could ever come close to their star, so why bother getting another cast. Especially given how....devoted the Takarazuka fanbase is in comparison to the Toho fanbase, and the Thing I’ve noticed where fans try to argue that there is some sort of empirical reason for their bias as opposed to simply liking one more than the other.

#Anonymous #long post #toho stage #jmusicals

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imlovethomassanders · 4 years

Text

Destined - Chapter 5 (FINAL)

You can also read on ao3

Thanks so much to everyone who has stuck around for the whole thing! I hope you enjoy this last chapter!

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4

Summary: Damien never wanted soulmates. When his fifteenth birthday came, he prayed he wouldn’t receive a “hint” - a way soulmates are connected to help find each other. And to Damien’s horror, the universe gives him multiple soulmates. He’s determined to not let them find out about them. He wants to let them live in ignorant bliss and not force them to deal with him. As Damien grows older, he moves away and goes to college - He even manages to find a boyfriend that he chose himself, and Damien tells himself that he’s happy. But on Damien’s twentieth birthday, the universe gives him and his soulmates another hint - and this one is not one Damien can avoid.

Pairing: DLAMP

Warnings:Abusive romantic relationship (physically, sexually, and verbally), past physical parental abuse, sex and alcohol mentions, general angst (but happy ending)

Words: 3030

Taglist:

@touchstarvedvirgil

@lamp-calm-sanders

@ninjago2020

@confinesofpersonalknowledge

@secret-novelisthost18

@phander-sides

@sherlock-lives-on-bakerstreet

@fortheloveofvirgil

@what-up-dudesss

@roxiefox24

@stan-logan-you-cowards

Damien pushed an actor out of the makeup room and huffed as he closed the door. Finally, it was the last scene of the last performance. He allowed himself to lean against the door and take a breath. He was the one person in charge of makeup and the director decided to cast a musical with thirty actors. He was exhausted. But he knew he couldn't relax just yet.

He heard the final number begin to play and he went to pack up all this things before the actors rushed in. As soon as he packed his bag and hit it under the bench so no one would mess with it, the door swung open and the room was filled with actors, all buzzing with excitement.

"Damien, can you wash the gray out of my hair?" "Damien, I can't get my eyeliner off." "Damien, is there any makeup still on my face?" "Damien, do you have a hairbrush I could borrow?" "Damien, I need more makeup wipes."

"Brush it out with this first and then I'll come back to you to get the last of it out." "Here, use this instead. It's specifically for eye makeup." "There's a little under your jawline." "There's one on the end of the counter." "Here, I have plenty more."

When things finally relaxed, he found where Roman was sitting and collapsed on the bench next to him.

Damien was not particularly pleased with how much time he's had to spend lately with the eccentric Thespian. With dress rehearsals and performances the last week, Roman and him have had to see a lot of each other, which was the opposite of what Damien wanted. But the theatre came first, so Damien sucked it up and did his job.

"Thanks for all the help these last few nights," Roman said as he wiped makeup from his forehead. Damien grunted.

"Thanks for actually knowing what you're doing and not requiring my assistance every damn second."

Roman laughed.

"Seriously. I swear, you were the only person who paid attention at my base makeup demonstration. Everyone else was bothering me to help them."

"You're incredible."

Damien prayed that he wasn't blushing.

"...You still have makeup on your neck and side of your face," Damien noticed and he reached for another makeup wipe. He placed his other hand on Roman's face and started removing his makeup, which wasn't unusual. He helped plenty of other actors remove their makeup, especially the men who weren't used to wearing it. But then he noticed the sly way Roman was looking at him. Roman gently took Damien's hand that was holding his cheek and kissed his palm. Damien scowled at him and hit him in the face with the makeup wipe before finishing.

Roman waited for Damien to finish helping the other actors to get them to leave and helped him clean up the makeup room, and the two were finally able to leave. Once the two made it to the lobby, the other three rushed to them to congratulate them. When Damien was complimented on the special effects makeup he did, he brushed them off. He still didn't know how to respond to compliments.

"Damien, we usually go out after Roman's performances," Patton explained. "But if you really don't want to, we can just head back home."

Damien could tell Patton was just making the offer to be polite. He knew the four of them really wanted to go out. Damien really didn't want to, but he knew he should since they were letting him stay in their apartment, and he didn't want to become such a burden on them.

"I don't care."

And that's how Damien found himself at iHop, squished in a booth between a window and Roman. Apparently, iHop was a theatre kid tradition, since they saw plenty of other actors there.

Patton sat on the other side of Roman while Logan and Virgil sat across.

Damien spent most of the time just staring out the window, ignoring the conversation and the food Patton had ordered for him. That was until Roman said his name.

"Hm?" Damien hummed as he turned towards them.

"I asked how you got into theatre. Did your parents take you to a show when you were young? That's how I got into it."

Damien grimaced.

"Um... no. I just discovered some cast recordings in middle school and watched a lot of bootlegs."

"Oh. Well, what was your first show? Mine was The Sound of Music."

"I haven't had the chance to see a musical live outside of school performances."

Roman's eyes widened.

"Well, I can't allow that! I am always a seasonal ticket holder at the regional Orpheum, and starting today, you will always be my plus one. The Lion King is coming next week."

Damien's heart leaped. That sounded so incredible. But...

"That's a very nice offer, Roman," Damien said as he turned his attention back out the window. "But I'm afraid that won't be necessary. I'll be gone soon."

Roman's smile disappeared and he looked at the others, but they didn't know what to say.

"Come on, Dee. At least let him take you to The Lion King," Virgil said.

"But don't feel pressured to!" Patton quickly added.

"...We'll see."

That wasn't a definite no, so the they relaxed a bit as they continued their conversation.

But they didn't let Damien go again. They kept asking him questions to keep him engaged, and somehow, Damien found himself not hating it. He tried his best not to show it, though.

Once Patton finally got Damien to laugh at one of his jokes, he gave Damien a soft smile that he hoped let him know that he belonged here. He fit with them, they wanted him.

Damien glanced away from Patton as his throat tightened.

Damien tried to keep a balance of distancing himself while also not being terribly rude to his helpers, but he was failing miserable. Whether it was Roman sweeping him into a dance mirroring the one playing on the current Disney movie, or Logan reading to him to calm him down, or Patton dotting cookie dough on his nose when he helped in the kitchen, or Virgil lounging beside him and showing him just, just like they used to - whatever it was, Damien found himself entranced.

Besides, what's the harm of indulging himself a bit before they inevitably get sick of him?

Damien had just been watching a movie, when the next thing he knew there was a pillow fort being built around him by Roman and Patton. And now he was lying on the floor between the others.

His phone dinged, and when he checked it he saw it was a confirmation email from an apartment complex saying his background check was cleared and that he could come down and try to work out paperwork.

"Are you okay, dear?" Roman asked from his direct left.

"I'm leaving soon," Damien said as he put his phone back in his pocket.

They all froze, and Damien couldn't stand the tense silence that fell over them.

"Why, sweetie?" Patton asked, pain evident in his voice.

"It will be better that way."

He didn't expect them to understand yet, but once he's gone they'll realize how much better it is when they don't have to deal wit him.

Virgil placed a hand on Damien's right arm and Damien went to move his arm out of Virgil's grasp, but when he saw Virgil's hurt eyes gazing up at him, he let Virgil wrap an arm around his.

"I just got you back," Virgil whispered as tears welled in his eyes. He quickly ducked his head onto Damien's shoulder to hide his face. "You can't just leave again."

"Talk to us, Damien," Logan said as he sat up from his spot on the other side of Roman. "Tell us what we can do to help."

"There's nothing you can do," Damien said, trying to ignore the wet spots forming on his shoulder.

"Please, what's troubling you, darling?" Roman asked.

"Nothing you can fix."

"Let us try."

"I can't let you do that."

"Damien, please," Patton cried. "Let us help you-"

"Stop." Damien snapped. "Just stop. If I stay, you're just going to get sick of me. You're going to find out how awful I am to have around, and I don't want to be here when you finally realize how unlovable I am."

Silence.

"Damien," Virgil said with a shaky breath. "You were an asshole when I first met you, and yet you still managed to make me fall in love with you..."

Damien's eyes widened.

"Who did this to you?" Roman whispered. "Who was so evil that they tricked you into believing such lies?"

"No one tricked me," Damien muttered. "It's just the truth no one has ever loved me before. Not even my own mother. Not until Jackson, at least. But you four are adamant he never really loved me."

"You don't hurt the people you love," Roman said defensively. "We can't let you think that's how love is supposed to be."

"Well, there you go," Damien snapped. "Everyone I've ever loved never loved me back."

"Oh, sweetie, I'm sure someone-"

"No, Patton," Damien interrupted. "My mother literally tried to kill me. All my foster parents abandoned me. None of my classmates liked me, my teachers hated me, my counselors gave up on me. No one has ever loved me."

"You're mother did what?" Patton whispered as he sat up, all four of them staring at him in horror. Virgil tightened his grip on Damien's arm.

Damien groaned as he ran his hands down his face.

"Look, it'll just hurt all of us if I stay. You'll understand in time."

"No, no, sweetie, wait," Patton said as tears welled in his eyes. "Please don't leave, we-"

"I love you," Virgil whispered into Damien's shoulder. "I don't expect you to say it back, but I want you to know I love you. Every part of you."

"A troubled past does not diminish one's self worth," Logan said.

"I know we haven't known you as long as Virgil has," Patton said through tears. "But we care about you so so so much."

"Damien beloved, darling, dearest," Roman said gently as he raised a hand to cup Damien's cheek. "More than anything, we want you to be happy. But know that we want you here, with us, in our relationship and our lives. We know it won't always be easy, but we want to work it out with you. For you, dear, anything."

"...No," Damien whispered as he gently moved Virgil off of him. "No, no, no. This can't happen."

"Damien, what-"

"I didn't know how much I had fooled you already," Damien interrupted Virgil as he sat up. "I can't let myself deceive you into thinking I'm good for you."

"No, Damien, wait!" Virgil cried as Damien stood up. Virgil reached for his wrist but caught himself, and Damien locked himself in the bedroom.

Damien didn't let himself see the others at all over the next few days. He responded to the email to set up an appointment time. Everything would be resolved soon.

As Damien quickly walked out of the campus building, he checked his phone for the time. If he hurried, he could get back to the apartment before the others do.

He cut through a student parking lot when he heard a familiar voice.

"Damien!"

Damien didn't even look behind him before he started running, but it wasn't long until there was a hand around his wrist and he was being pinned against a van.

"Where have you been, Damien?" Jackson asked. "I've missed you."

His grip grew tighter.

"You have to come home, Damien. I-"

Damien kneed Jackson's stomach, used that brief moment that Jackson let go of him to try to run, but Jackson quickly grabbed Damien's wrist again and slammed Damien back against the van, slapping his face before grabbing Damien's hair.

"You're really trying to run away from me again Damien? You really want to get in trouble, huh?"

Damien felt tingling on his arm.

"What's going on here?"

Damien looked over to see Patton and his face paled as fear shot through him. He couldn't let Patton get hurt. Oh, god, Patton was going to get hurt and it was all his fault-

"Who are you?"

"A friend. Now I'm going to have to ask you to let go of him."

"Look, you really need to mind your own business and leave before I-"

"Patton!" someone yelled. They heard heavy footsteps running towards them before Roman came into view. "I saw your message," he said, holding up his right arm.

It was very unnerving to see the usually very happy and excited Roman now look very intimidating and very, very angry.

"Let go of Damien. Now."

"So these are your soulmates?" Jackson laughed as he pressed his arm against Damien's throat. "What happened to not wanting anything to do with them?"

"I said let. Him. Go." Roman said as he walked towards Jackson. Jackson threw Damien behind him and Damien hissed in pain as his hands made contact with the concrete. In his peripheral, he saw Patton duck behind a car. Jackson shoved Roman away from him, but Damien's view of the fighting was soon blocked by Patton kneeling in front of him.

"You're okay. It's okay," Patton assured him. "Deep breaths. There you go. You're doing great."

Patton gently but quickly got Damien to stand up to lead lead him away.

"Where do you think you're going?" Jackson called out. Damien whirled around and quickly blocked the punch that was heading towards Patton's face. Patton yelled out as he caught Damien who staggered back. Roman quickly kicked the back of Jackson's knees and pinned his arms back once he fell.

And that's when Logan and Virgil ran over with campus police.

Damien collapsed onto the couch once they got home. Explaining what happened to the officers took longer than he liked. Of course Jackson tried to defend himself, but once they checked the parking lot cameras, he didn't have much of a case. Roman's attack on Jackson was ruled as self defense, and Jackson would be charged accordingly. It was then agreed that Damien would get a restraining order.

Virgil came to sit beside him as the others whispered in the kitchen.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Virgil said. "...I'm so sorry."

"What for?"

"That you had to deal with that monster for so long."

Damien didn't say anything. But when Virgil opened his arms, Damien hesitated only for a second before falling into them.

"They put themselves in harms way for me," Damien whispered as he looked at Roman and Patton. Roman was being dote on by Patton over his acquired scrapes and bruises, and Damien was sure that Patton would do the same to him, too.

"Of course they did," Virgil said softly. "...Are you still thinking of leaving?"

Damien sat up from Virgil's arms, and worry flashed over Virgil's face.

"Because you know we won't stop you from leaving, but we're worried that you don't realize how much we care about-"

"No," Damien whispered.

"Huh?"

"I'm not leaving. I don't think I could even if I wanted to."

A large grin grew on Virgil's face and he opened his mouth to say something but paused when Damien placed a hand on his cheek.

The two gazed at each other for a moment, and then Damien kissed Virgil.

Kissing Virgil was so much softer than Damien ever imagined kissing someone could be. Virgil's arms wrapped securely around Damien's waist, and Damien felt safe.

They parted and gazed at each other, but only for a moment before they both leaned forward to reconnect their lips. Virgil made Damien feel cared for, adored, loved. Tears fell down Damien's cheeks as he placed his other hand on Virgil's other cheek and pulled Virgil closer, desperate for as much contact he could get. He couldn't think of a time before when he was handled so lovingly.

The next time they parted, Virgil gingerly wiped the tears from Damien's cheeks.

"I love you," Damien whispered. Virgil's eyes widened but a soft smile graced his face.

"I love you, too."

He leaned in for one more gentle kiss that made Damien's cheeks grow even more red.

When they separated for the last time, Virgil looked behind them and smirked to see a beaming Patton and a blushing Logan and Roman.

"Come here," Damien pleaded, and they quickly came and joined them on the couch, Roman sitting on his right side with Logan by Virgil and Patton by Roman.

Damien pressed a kiss on Roman's jaw where a bruise was forming.

"Thank you," Damien whispered. "All of you."

"Of course, my angel," Roman murmured as he kissed the top of Damien's head.

"Does this mean you're staying?" Patton asked, trying and failing to hide the hope in his voice.

"Yes," Damien said as he curled into Virgil's side. "If you'll have me. You all make me want to try."

"Of course, sweetie," Patton cooed as he reached over Roman for Damien's hand.

Damien soon moved onto the couch, insistent that he's been hogging the bedroom for far too long. But it wouldn't be that much longer before he moved into the bedroom with them.

First kisses would soon be shared between Damien and Patton, then Roman, then Logan, and later then the first "I love you"s. But it wasn't always easy. On the road to recovery, Damien sometimes found himself take a few steps back. He'd get angry and lash out, or say something he'd regret. Sometimes the others argued back, and sometimes they'd accidentally make Damien flinch. But they always ensured that things ended okay. None of them liked to fight, and any disagreements would quickly bubble down and end with what Patton called the "cuddle puddle."

Damien was happy, he was safe, and he was loved - things he used to never imagine for himself. And for the first time, he was certain he was where he needed to be.

Thanks so much to everyone who hung around for this whole thing! And thank you so much for the kind words, it means a lot!

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themattress · 3 years

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OUAT AND ME: SEASON 4

Story - The story for the first half of the season is the Frozen Saga and the story for the second half is the Operation Mongoose Saga. The Frozen Saga is about Elsa from Arendelle crossing over into Storybrooke in search of her sister Anna, bonding with Emma in the process and helping her face another Snow Queen who has a secret connection to both of them, while the Operation Mongoose Saga is about heroes and villains alike searching for the elusive author of Henry's storybook so that he can give them their happy endings.

The Frozen Saga is noteworthy for being the last time that OUAT was big in the mainstream, due to the ubiquitous nature of the Disney phenomenon it was capitalizing on not even a year after its release in theaters. And despite the initial apprehension of many, it's actually the Frozen elements that are the strongest part of this story. The flashbacks tell an interconnecting tale serving as the backstory of the present-day events much like the flashbacks of the Dark Curse Saga did, making excellent use of both Frozen and OUAT's established mythology. And the present-day story is all about the unexpected yet perfectly natural bond between Emma and Elsa, and it's honestly one of the strongest depicted friendships the show has ever had. The way the two of them are further linked through the Big Bad is also ingenious, bringing about a great feeling of cohesion to the narrative.

In fact, rewatching this arc after Frozen 2, it's kind of funny how I actually prefer it as a sequel to the original movie than the actual sequel! Like Frozen 2, this arc deals with why Elsa and Anna's parents left on their fateful voyage, the discovery of a secret from their mother's side of the family, a revelation of what the source of Elsa's power is, Elsa making peace with herself while Anna learns to be more independent and ends up marrying Kristoff, and a location called the Enchanted Forest. But it does so in a way that feels more true to the characters from the original film and avoids all of the pratfalls that Frozen 2 stumbled into. There's no over-its-head political message, no sisterly separation ending, and no Olaf.

Unfortunately, there are two subplots that put a damper on things. The first subplot starts off well enough, with Rumpelstiltskin returning to his former villainous glory as he sneaks and schemes and manipulates his way through a plan to obtain the power of the Sorcerer's Hat of Fantasia fame, but it sadly fails to stick the landing in a way that matches the build-up and there end up being no lingering consequences to it when there really should have been. The second subplot is horrendous, focusing on the increasingly skeevy romance between Regina and Robin Hood while also pushing Regina forward on a ridiculous quest to find the Author of Henry's storybook. Why? She believes some cosmic rule is preventing her from having a happy ending because she was written as a villain in the book (and not because, y'know, she was actually a villain in the past), and if she's rewritten as a hero she thinks that will change. Yes, that is the absurd idea that this whole subplot is founded upon, and the fact that everyone goes along with it as if there is an ounce of logic behind it is cringe-inducing.

Sadly, that subplot ends up becoming the plot of the Operation Mongoose Saga, which on the one hand gives Season 4 more connection between its two arcs than Season 3 had, but on the other hand it's so fucking stupid. Now, whenever it's Rumple leading around his villainous team, "the Queens of Darkness", to find the Author before the heroes can, things are fun and watchable in spite of the plot's stupidity. But whenever it's Regina and Robin's continued relationship angst or a horrendous new subplot about Snow and Charming having secretly been villains in the past by causing Maleficent to lose her child, it's tiresome and insulting. The finale, a two-parter actually named "Operation Mongoose", is highly enjoyable, but it can't fully wash away the taste of what came before it....or what it sets up to come after it.

Characters - Heroes and villains everywhere, and not always where you expect.

* Remember how in Season 3, Emma had a great character arc in the Neverland Saga but then it came to a halt in the Wicked Saga until the two-part season finale finally picked it up and resolved it? And that the Wicked Saga did her dirty by building her up as the only one who could defeat Zelena only for Regina to defeat her instead? Season 4 does kind of a repeating of these problems, except this time around they are a lot more glaring.

For most of the Frozen Saga, Emma has a great arc that's essentially her and Elsa's shared journey toward self-love; learning from each other to accept themselves and their innate powers without having to always rely on the approval of a loved one. But then, after a huge broo-ha-ha is made about how Emma must be the one to defeat the Snow Queen....she doesn't, and Anna barges in to help the Snow Queen see the error of her ways before Emma can lift a finger. She isn't even the one to save her own boyfriend from Rumple afterward, Belle does it instead. It makes Emma look like the definition of a Boring Failure Heroine.

And things don't improve for her in the Operation Mongoose Saga. Her roles are being subservient to Regina in spite of the abuse Regina had thrown her way in the previous arc, being unreasonably angry at her parents for keeping a secret from her, being vilified for daring to kill a heinous villain in defense of her son, going back and forth between being a friend or an enemy to her "dark half" Lily, and being hyped as the key to restoring reality to the way it was in the season finale...only for Regina, yet again, to end up taking that role away from her. I think it was Disney's insistence that Emma be tied to Elsa and have that arc in the Frozen Saga, because Adam and Eddy clearly couldn't care less about her.

* Snow and Charming....SIGH. In the Frozen Saga, Snow is the new mayor of Storybrooke...until the Operation Mongoose Saga, where she suddenly isn't anymore and Regina takes up the mantle again. Through both arcs, Snow reaches new levels of bad motherhood toward Emma while continuing to coddle Regina, which is not touching, it's creepy. Charming, meanwhile, is revealed to have been a long-haired coward during his shepherd days and owes his bravery and swordsman skills to Anna, which neuters just about any coolness he ever had. And then, of course, there's the egg-napping subplot from the Operation Mongoose Saga, where Snow and Charming are revealed to have stolen the egg containing Maleficent's baby, transferred Emma's darkness into it while Emma was still in Snow's womb, and then sent it away in a portal. All because of some nebulous prophesizing and interference from Isaac. And this revelation means, according to the show, that they were villains all along and thus all this time have been pious hypocrites who just do things the easy way rather than the right way. Doesn't Regina look so much better in comparison to them now? Because that's clearly the intent behind this fucking writing decision. Character assassination at its finest.

* Henry sucks, Henry sucks, Henry.....doesn't suck? Yes, for most of the season Henry is lamer than he's ever been, still being treated like a precocious kid character even though Jared Gilmore has clearly entered puberty. But then he ends up as the leading character of the season finale, and shockingly rises to the occasion. It concludes with him becoming the new Author, and this marks a turning point in Henry's character that has been a long time coming, which I will go more into detail about when I talk about the next two seasons.

* This is the season where Regina officially crossed the line into Mary Sue territory. She decides that Marian's reappearance means that she is being punished for being a villain...not because she actually was a villain, but because some Author dared to write her as a villain in a storybook, and that he needs to rewrite her into a hero so that she can get the happy ending that she's entitled to. And in true Mary Sue fashion, she warps the plot and characters around her so that nobody objects to this idea and instead whole-heartedly embrace it.

Every good guy in Storybrooke fights to help Regina get her happy ending, constantly repeating that she "deserves it" and has "come so far" even as she continues to act in ways contradicting that notion. In the end, she doesn't even need the Author since she gets Robin Hood back, gets the adulation of being a "Light Savior" who restores reality back to normal, and has Emma sacrifice herself to the Dark One curse in order to save Regina and her "hard-earned" happy ending. I think the scene that best displays the problem is in the flashback of the episode "Mother", where we see Regina in the past remorselessly murder a groom on his wedding day for no good reason, then immediately go cry over Daniel's grave since this is the anniversary of his death, and then we cut to present-day Regina mention how life always "kicks her in the teeth". Yeah, I kinda think life kicked that groom in the teeth WAY more. So where the Hell is the Author who's gonna give his poor widowed bride her happy ending?

* Rumple, for the most part, is great in this season. In the Frozen Saga, we see him going back to his Dark Curse Saga roots as he plays the role of the true villainous mastermind behind the female Big Bad, dealing and manipulating his way toward one single objective - in this case being to use the power of the Sorcerer's Hat to "cleave" himself from the Dark One dagger. And in the Operation Mongoose Saga, he steps up as the direct Big Bad who leads a team of other villains in pursuit of the Author, under the promise that he can give them their happy endings. It helps that Robert Carlyle is clearly enjoying himself; that fun is infectious.

Unfortunately, there is a problem: Rumple fails to stick the landing in his last three episodes of both arcs. In the Frozen Saga, his failure to absorb Emma into the Sorcerer's Hat seems to drive him bonkers because he then rips out Hook's heart, relying solely on commanding him to do his dirty work all while ranting and raving repetitively about how when the stars in the sky and the stars in the hat are aligned, he will cleave himself of the dagger and he will kill Hook to do so, and that Hook better enjoy so-and-so because it'll be his last and blah blah blah. It's boring and silly, and Rumple's arrogance as he keeps saying it just makes his failure that much more pathetic. And in the Operation Mongoose Saga, his suddenly revealed heart condition ends up taking its toll on him and he is ultimately unable to mount a final assault against the heroes on his own, requiring the far less impressive Isaac to do so instead. The "Light One" version of him that Isaac overwrites him with manages to put up a fight, but that's not nearly as good. Rumple as the Big Bad should have gone out with a bang, not a whimper.

* Hook remains one of the best characters in the ensemble, forced to reconcile his pirate past with his heroic present in both the Frozen Saga and the Operation Mongoose Saga. In the former, his fears of regressing allow Rumple to manipulate him into servitude, which Hook ends up fighting against until Rumple rips out his heart. In the latter, he contends with the way in which he'd wronged Ursula in the past, and with the help of Ariel (whom he also finally does right by), he is able to rectify his mistake and grant Ursula her true happy ending. I'm not really a big fan of his new modern leather jacket, though. The pirate coat was iconic!

* Following such a good Season 3 performance, Belle looks like she's on track to become even better at the end of the Frozen Saga when she finally sees Rumple for who he is and dumps his ass all the way across the town line. It was a powerful scene with some great lines from Belle, and by all logic it should have been the end of her and Rumple as a romantic pairing. They needed to be done after that, with Belle now being free to develop her character entirely apart from Rumple. But of course, Adam and Eddy would never allow that, so all she does in the Operation Mongoose Saga is date a man she doesn't actually love to soothe her heartbreak, fall passed out on the floor, have her heart stolen by Regina and then have it recovered by Rumple which causes her to inevitably crawl back to him at the end of the finale. As the next seasons will show, this damaged Belle's character beyond repair, turning her into the very Stockholm Syndrome-afflicted abuse victim that stupid detractors of the Disney version always claimed she was. This isn't a love story anymore. It's a horror story.

* Robin Hood is a regular for this season in all but title, being present for many episodes in the Frozen Saga and even getting his own focus episode in the Operation Mongoose Saga. If there was any chance of salvaging this horrendously misused character, it died the moment it showed that he still desired a relationship with Regina even after learning that she was the one who killed Marian, which would have stuck if not for Emma and Hook's time travel adventure. I'm sorry, who does that!? That is not realistic human behavior! And it only gets worse when he ends up deliberately and vocally throwing away his honor code by cheating on Marian with Regina while Marian is frozen solid and could possibly die! Oh, but Marian ends up being Zelena anyway, so all's cool. No! All's not cool! Why did this show make Robin Hood into such a lame character!? It's especially a disservice to Sean Maguire, who's a smooth and funny guy in real life and the Robin Hood he plays utilizes none of his charm.

* And then we have the regular in title only, Robin's former associate Will Scarlet, carried over from Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. Of all the screwed-over regulars the show has had, none can compare with Will Scarlet. He does little of interest in the Frozen Saga except for enticing viewers with various mysteries about who he is, why he's here and what's he up to...and those mysteries get absolutely no pay-off in the Operation Mongoose Saga, where he barely shows up and when he does is mainly just Belle's new boyfriend (whom she scarcely interacts with directly!) so that Rumple can get jealous and more determined to find the Author. In the end, Will Scarlet is a nuisance who has fuck-all to do with anything that's going on in the season, leaving viewers scratching their heads as to why he was included to begin with. I can't believe that in his last speaking appearance, the show actually has him deliver the line "I warn ya, I'm scrappy", to which Rumple replies "All right, Scrappy." It's funny because Scrappy, in the TV Tropes usage of the word, perfectly describes Will here.

So, what went wrong? Well, originally the Wonderland spin-off was meant to take place during Season 2 of the main show, with the originally filmed pilot making this explicit. So Will in Season 4 was to be the Will we have after the Wonderland Saga's conclusion, meaning somehow he'd gone back to Storybrooke and regressed back into a selfish, self-esteem lacking, seemingly heartless thief separated from his true love Anastasia / the Red Queen. Highly unoriginal of Adam and Eddy, but whatever, there were still plans to move forward with him as a character on the main show. But those plans failed to materialize and Michael Socha spent a lot of time on set doing nothing, a miserable experience which he was very vocal about afterward. And what was Adam and Eddy's excuse? "It’s just, you know, there’s just so many…there’s just so many people that it’s like, it’s sometimes hard to do that story and sacrifice Regina’s story. That’s just showbiz." It all comes down to Regina. Of course.

In the end it's for the best that the confirmation of the Wonderland Saga as taking place in Season 2 never happened in the pilot we actually got, since Will's existence in this season only makes sense now if it was happening before the Wonderland Saga rather than after, thus my headcanon will always be that Will's fateful break-in to Granny's was after it closed up on the night "Operation Mongoose" ended on rather than the night of the wraith attack.

* Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven, Hans, Grand Pabbie, Oaken, the Duke of Weselton, and the former King and Queen of Arendelle are all lifted from Frozen to OUAT, and for every character that required an actor they got an actor who perfectly brought the animated movie character to life. They are also written accurately as well, with Elsa naturally being the stand-out given how much she gets to do and the bond she forges with Emma. And then there are the new Frozen characters invented for the show: Elsa and Anna's aunts - the deceased Helga and the icy-powered Ingrid, who is also the Frozen Saga's Big Bad, the Snow Queen. Ingrid, played beautifully by Elizabeth Mitchell, is essentially what Elsa might have become if Anna hadn't been so unconditionally loving toward her - her mind warped by her past pain and trauma, embittered toward all normal people, and willing to cross any moral boundary to find a family and place to belong to. Her connection to Elsa and Anna is perfectly exploited, her interactions with characters like Emma and Rumple are fascinating, and her ending where she realizes the error of her ways and sacrifices her life to reverse the damage she's done is the show's most beautiful, emotional send-offs for a villain since Rumple's death.

* The Queens of Darkness are Rumple's cohorts in the Operation Mongoose Saga who also desire the Author to write them a happy ending. The initial group is the trio of Maleficent, Ursula and Cruella De Vil, and it's later revealed that not-so-dead Zelena is also a member.

Maleficent, in spite of being played competently by Kristen Bauer van Straten and having great fashion sense in both worlds, is the weakest of the initial trio, since she is saddled with the mind-bogglingly stupid eggnapping subplot. Ursula isn't actually reflective of the Disney version of the character (Regina already did that in Season 3) and is more like a dark version of Ariel in regards to her backstory. She also isn't nearly as villainous as her peers and naturally she is redeemed rather quickly and easily as a result. And then there's Cruella De Vil, who is not a fairy tale character so everyone feared how she'd come off. Well, she's not only the best of the trio but one of the show's best villains, period. Victoria Smurfit looks, sounds and moves like the cartoon character made flesh, backed up by strong writing that makes her both funny and menacing - especially the latter when it comes to her backstory, a twisted little tale that subverts the show's usual "evil isn't born, it's made" mantra HARD.

Zelena.....SIGH. Like I said before, Adam and Eddy were dropping obvious clues that she wasn't really dead at the end of Season 3, which begged the question why they did a fake-out death to begin with. Apparently, it's because of this season's twist where, with almost no foreshadowing whatsoever, Marian is revealed to actually be Zelena in disguise, having traveled back in time with Emma and Hook and then killed the real Marian in order to take her place. She's revealed to then be pregnant with Robin Hood's child (since he slept with her thinking she was Marian...therefore, she raped him) before being hauled right on back to Storybrooke prison again. It's awful writing, salvaged only by Rebecca Mader's performance.

* We get some welcome returning characters this season, including Sydney Glass, Blackbeard, Ariel, Cora, and against all expectations August Booth. There are some interesting new side characters introduced as well, such as warlord Bo Peep (yes, really), Ursula's father Poseidon played by the great Ernie Hudson, and the Sorcerer's Apprentice, keeper of the Sorcerer's Hat and the Author's boss, meaning he naturally plays a major role throughout the season. The Author himself is Isaac Heller, played by Patrick Fischler, and he turns out to be a surprise villain who abuses his powers to influence events, which an Author is not supposed to do. While I wish he didn't take over the Big Bad position to such a degree in the finale, Isaac is still a very entertaining villain, especially when he's playing off of Regina and Rumple. His sardonic and cynical attitude also make him the perfect foil to Henry.

And then there's this season's biggest waste of a new character: Lilith "Lily" Page. There are three major problems with Lily. First of all, her origin - she's Maleficent's child that Snow and Charming kidnapped, passed all of Emma's natural-born darkness onto, and sent through a portal when she was still in an egg. It's so utterly stupid. Second, she is played by a Latino actress as a child only to have a white actress playing her as an adult. How does that work!? Finally, for all of the build-up she receives, she and her story go absolutely nowhere after she is reunited with her mother. They even make a point of giving her a scene toward the end about wanting to find who her father is, and that never gets followed up on. Even worse, the next story arc is all about Emma going dark, which Rumple had been trying to make happen throughout this arc and Lily was linked to, and yet Lily, her literal dark half, ISN'T involved!? Honestly, Mal from Descendants made a better "daughter of Maleficent" character! MAL!

Atmosphere - The Frozen Saga's atmosphere is very...Frozen-y; I don't really know another word to describe it. At least whenever it's focused on the Frozen characters. The Rumple subplot gets progressively darker to the point of becoming unpleasant, while the Regina subplot is just romantic and existential angst 24/7. These atmospheres don't fit in with the Frozen one at all, which is a testament to how Adam and Eddy are going the wrong direction with this show. Once the Operation Mongoose Saga happens, the atmosphere of the show goes insane, flip-flopping back and forth between family fairy tale wholesomeness to dark and disturbing and depressing to campiness on a level that feels off even for this show.

Episode Quality - For the most part, the Frozen Saga's episodes are perfectly fine and entertaining, although stretching out the 8th episode, "Smash the Mirror", into a two-parter was a horrible idea that cost the show terribly in the ratings. The only two standouts of badness are the 5th episode, "Breaking Glass", which introduces Lily in the flashback story while the present day story is all about Emma just having to sit back and take Regina's verbal abuse in spite of doing nothing to deserve it, and the final episode, "Heroes and Villains", whose only redeeming quality is the scene with Rumple and Belle at the town line, which doesn't even have lasting consequences. For the rest of the episode, we either spend time giving the Frozen cast a rushed, underwhelming send-off, having Rumple continue to abuse Hook while none of the idiot heroes catch on, fixating even more on Regina's angst as she has to let Robin Hood leave town in order to "save" "Marian", and watching a stupid Rumbelle-based flashback introducing the Queen of Darkness trio. In short, the episode is more the start of the Operation Mongoose Saga than it is the end of the Frozen Saga, which feels like a slap in the face to the last thing that made this show relevant to the mainstream.

And the Operation Mongoose Saga's episodes....actually got a lot better on a rewatch!? Don't get me wrong, this story arc is BAD. But when you detach yourself emotionally from the show and its characters, it becomes So Bad It's Good. It's as if the entire saga is Isaac's fanfiction; after all, it truly got started in "Heroes and Villains", and that's the name of Isaac's book in the "Operation Mongoose" two-part finale. Some episodes are unironically fun: "Darkness on the Edge of Town", "Poor Unfortunate Soul" and "Sympathy For the De Vil", but the other episodes are also fun when you just embrace how batshit crazy this whole story is and just enjoy watching how these poor actors are struggling to make something out of the material, and it's just as much fun when they fail as it is when they succeed. "Heart of Gold", the Robin Hood focus episode that reveals the Marian = Zelena twist, is one I have a soft spot for, because between Mader and Carlyle's acting, the scene of that reveal is hilarious.

Overall - Season 4 is basically the inverse of Season 2. Whereas Season 2 was horribly structured but a lot of strong material in either writing or acting was able to make it stronger than the sum of its parts. Season 4, on the other hand, has a solid structure with two inter-connected story arcs, but the material gets so increasingly shoddy that it doesn't matter. Until Seasons 6 and 7 came along, this was definitely the weakest season the show had to offer. If you don't mind a So Bad It's Good quality, then you should stick with the entire thing. But if you only want something that's actually good, then just watch all of the Frozen material.

#Once Upon a Time #ABC #OUAT and Me #Opinion #Analysis

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drkineildwicks · 3 years

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Thinking about what could have been with a BH6 season 4 and...

Oh yeah the Fred/Olivia date episode was so squee

Especially with how he was showing off his English major chops and doing a comic-book version of Romeo and Juliet with all the references to stuff they both like

And how the others had to remind him how that ended

Fred: my dudes it won’t end like that

And yeah Richardson tried to screw it up but the power of comics and anime were on their side

Plus BH6 working on the other side and un-sabotaging it all to make sure everything goes swimmingly

Impromptu serenade was A+

Oh and then the follow-up episode where Olivia finds out about the secret identities??? And is just immediately into the comic book references and oh of course you didn’t tell me civilian and alter-ego and such but DUDE SO COOL of course I won’t tell anyone

And then the follow-up episode to THAT where Olivia becomes a hero-in-training and teams up with Lab Lady and Super Sleuth when BH6 needs the backup yus

Our girl Olivia getting the character development and arc she deserves is just *chef’s kiss*

Alongside Karmi and Megan our little babies are all grown up and destroyin’ people

And can I just say that I love the Trina redemption arc? All the teeth-biting with her escaping and trying to corrupt the Mascots only to learn empathy and eventually save everyone? Pure poetry I love it *kiss*

give it to us disney you cowards

#bh6 #big hero 6 #big hero 6 the series #big hero six #big hero six the series #why yes I'm still salty months after the fact whatever gave you the impression I'd be otherwise?#might include these ideas in my fanfics someone's gotta do it #olivia mole #karmi #megan cruz #trina aken #also Trina redemption story #send big salt shipments to Disney they deserve to drown in that mineral #season 4 #hypothetical #give it to us you cowards

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seddm · 5 years

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¿Do you think is bad for me thinking that the show not making starco canon at the end of the day is plain on stupid and bad writing? I don´t about how long have you been a fan of svtfoe or when you started to ship Starco, but in my case in mainly was back on season 2 in which I felt more and more in love with the idea of starco being a thing. I don´t know what it was, but after bon bon episode aired it completely hook me to the point of me not just looking for fan art about it, but fanfics (1/5)

as well regarding this ship. And then it happen, season after season Daron not only did she prolong it the issue of Starco, but added more ships into the mix for the sake of drama (because honestly, I don't see other reason) and so far the show has done nothing more than hurt me emotionally because of it. There have been of course some people that say how "you shouldn't be complaining because she never promised you anything and she can do whatever she wants because is her show" or "that (2/5)you should be happy regardless of who ends up with who and that at the end of the day this is just a cartoon about fictional characters" and I know that they are correct with these statements,but even knowing that at the end of the day is Daron choice to decide what to do and how to end her own show, her creation, I just feel that after all the teasing, after those heartfelt moments that both characters have shown (showing how deep their chemistry is) and the fact that they (3/5)still tease it, with the whole Knight Shift episode (especially the last shot with the capes) I think is pretty unfair to end Starco after all that saying that the blood moon was mainly the cause of it and making those other ships canon, since to me they aren´t at the same height as Starco and I want to stop being so obsessed with Starco, but I just can´t do it (I really hate Daron Nefcy does she hate the people that ship Starco community, did we piss her off somehow) (4/5)I don´t know what type of response you can give me about this if you are reading this ,sadly even then I don´t know if it would help me ease my mind and hope that Starco becomes canon, after all, we have through (Obviously you might at this point be asking yourself ¿why the hell are you bothering me with this then?, but I just don't have anyone to talk to about this and it really gives a pain that you can´t imagine) I'm sorry to have bothered you and wasted your time with this question (5/5)

Don’t worry, I completely understand, feel free to vent. Obviously Daron and her crew can make whatever show they want, and no one can be entitled to anything, it’s not like she/they owe the fans anything specific. This being said, it’d obviously look bad for any kind of show, especially one aimed at kids and made by Disney, to end in a way that glaringly goes against all its themes, going against expectations for the sake of it, or just to deconstruct a trope, when nothing in the series up to that point suggested it. And as of S4 (this was already true in S3, but there might have been some hint of wiggling room, now there isn’t anymore) there are essentially only three potential outcomes for the series (with hundreds of smaller variations and specifics obviously, I’m talking about macro themes here):

Star and Marco realize they love each other, Starco happens fully crowning the idea that the best relationships, those who can truly last a lifetime, are those based on strong friendships; the romance side is not just an extra but a whole new world that allows these two characters to truly intertwine their lives together forever with a level of commitment that platonic friendships can’t fully have

Star and Marco love each other, but for some reason the show decides to be a fucking coward and the ending is left vague and open, with the two in a state of mind along the lines of “we walk into the future hand in hand, we’ll probably get together one day but not today”, which would be ridiculous and pathetic and they essentially already did that minus the romantic undertones in The Knight Shift, the episode literally ended with them looking at their futures together while nestled in a heart.

Star and Marco decide that they work better just as friends, or that they don’t have time for love right now, which would be incredibly insulting because it’d retroactively mean that teens can’t have meaningful relationships because they can only be either like Kellco and Tomstar, which would be even more heavily characterized as useless wastes of times lead by crazy hormones by this kind of ending, or perfect mature adult relationships that can’t happen while one is young.

And it’s easy to see how the 2nd one would be absolutely infuriating and a cop out for no good reason, while the 3rd one would absolutely shit on everything the show stood for so long, essentially stating that all the shipping up to that point was useful just to make the characters feel miserable and fail over and over again, and that the final lesson was something like “True Love is unavailable to teens, don’t even waste time with it, you just can’t you pathetic kids, wait until you’re older!”.

So I’m not saying that Starco is going to happen for sure, nor that Daron HAS to give us Starco, but everything up to now (more than ever with The Knight Shift, see this post) points toward Starco, and going against such expectations wouldn’t simply be “oh what a twist!” at this point, but it’d betray the series’ intentions as a whole. There’s a difference between being entitled, and not liking being deceived and mocked with no reason.

#seddm answers #svtfoe #star vs the forces of evil #starco #seddm ramblings #anonymous

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Loki: Best Shows to Watch If You’re Missing the God of Mischief

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The God of mischief might be off in a different timeline prepping for a second season but we still need something to put in our eyes. Assuming you’ve already binged the MCU shows WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, we’ve rounded up some other great series that could scratch that Loki-shaped itch. Some of these are spiritually similar, some are great showcases of Loki’s cast and others explore similar themes. All are crackers though and well worth setting your tempad for.

Flowers

This Brit black comedy which aired on Channel 4 in the UK ran for two seasons, each equally special. Is it similar to Loki? Not at face value, but it does feature a stand out turn from Sophia Di Martino who stole the show as female Loki, Sylvie. Written by Will Sharpe, it’s the story of a highly dysfunctional family, with Julian Barrett and Olivia Coleman as parents on the verge of separation and Di Martino and Daniel Rigby as their troubled twins. Flowers is surreal, magical realistic, gothic and often bleak while remaining funny and moving at all times. Not a big world-hopping show like Loki, then, but it does tackle existential crisis head on, and it’ll only make you love Di Martino more. RF

Lovecraft Country

Like many Marvel projects, the Loki TV series has a deep bench of impressive acting talent. One of the most undersung (and honestly underutilized) members of the first season’s cast was Wunmi Mosaku, aka Hunter B-15, who was asked to depict a deep and abrupt change in loyalties over the course of six episodes. Mosaku pulls it off, mostly because she is a phenomenal actress. If you’re looking to see more of her work, look no further than HBO’s Lovecraft Country (but also watch In the Flesh, in which Mosaku plays the Season 2 antagonist), which also features He Who Remains’ Jonathan Majors in the main cast. (A two-fer!) Mosaku plays Ruby Baptiste, a Black singer living in 1950s Southside Chicago in this social horror. Come for Wunmi Mosaku and Jonathan Majors, stay for… Wunmi Mosaku and Jonathan Majors, but also for a TV series that has more supernatural twists than even the most bonkers episode of Loki. KB

Rick and Morty

If your favorite part of Loki was the existence of a thriving multiverse, then we’ve got some good news. Beloved Adult Swim series Rick and Morty (that also admittedly can have an overzealous fandom) is all about the storytelling joy that multiverses can provide. Mad scientist Rick Sanchez and his grandson Morty Smith reside in a plane of infinite universes and therefore infinite possibilities for bizarre adventure. Rick and Morty alum Michael Waldron served as Loki‘s head writer and the writing staff consisted of several more vets of the animated hit. Fans of Loki’s many variants will certainly enjoy encountering the countless versions of Rick, Morty, and their family. Just wait until you meet Lawyer Morty. Look at the little guy go! AB

Doctor Who

Not an original comparison, but one that absolutely stands up. After all, what was Loki episode three if not Doctor Who gifted a Disney budget? Nexus Events, the Sacred Timeline, doomed moons, memory reactivation… almost everything about Loki has one foot in the world of Doctor Who. The Marvel series may have had Time Keepers instead of Time Lords, variants instead of regenerations, and an alligator in place of… well, which Doctor would be the most likely to eat a cat? (Troughton’s, obviously), but there’s common DNA here. The really good news for the Loki fan who hasn’t already travelled with the Doctor(s) through space and time is that instead of just six episodes, there are roughly 10 billion of them plus novelisations, audio adventures, comic strips, videogames and a TV movie. Allons-y! LM

The Night Manager

Tom Hiddleston’s bum. But also this is an excellent series adapted from the novel of the same name by John le Carré and directed by Oscar winner Susanne Bier. Hiddleston plays Jonathan Pine, manager of a luxury hotel who gets recruited to infiltrate the inner sanctum of Hugh Laurie’s violent and volatile arms dealer. Olivia Colman co-stars once again (Hiddleston, Laurie and Colman all won Golden Globes for their performances) with a supporting role for Elizabeth Debicki which was very much a precursor for her part in Tenet. Post-Night Manager, Hiddleston was top billed to be the next Bond, so given Tenet basically was Bond but on another timeline, and featured time travel as an integral part, Loki and The Night Manager are basically the same show… RF

Timeless

If you wish Loki had been a bit more of a time-hopping procedural, then we have a show for you. Timeless, which aired on NBC for two too-short seasons from 2016-2018, stars Abigail Spencer as Lucy Preston, a historian who gets recruited by a secret department within U.S. Homeland Security in order to stop a mysterious organization that has stolen a time machine. Lucy teams up with scientist Rufus and soldier Wyatt, and the three unlikely bedfellows must learn to work together in high-stakes settings like the Hindenburg, Ford’s Theatre, and the Alamo. Co-created by The Boys showrunner Erik Kripke, Timeless has tons of character-driven twists that make the time travel personal, tying together these characters and settings in unexpected ways. KB

Legion

Loki is such a bold, creative superhero series that it’s hard to imagine that there’s every been anything quite like it. Believe or not – that’s not entirely true! While Loki is one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first big heady sci-fi TV swing, it’s not Marvel’s first overall on television. From 2017 to 2019, Marvel-adjacent property Legion enjoyed a bizarre, colorful three-season run on FX. This series is based on the X-Men character David Haller a.k.a. Legion. Diagnosed with schizophrenia at a young age, David also just happens to be a mutant with nigh-omnipotent powers. This show from Fargo‘s Noah Hawley revels in the strange potential of its premise. Legion is often confusing, but always intriguing. It’s a show that largely replaces superhero battles with dance offs. It’s well worth watching the entire run while you wait for Loki season 2. AB

The OA

Very different to Loki in tone but very similar in head-messing inter-dimensional WTF-ness, The OA is a strange and beautiful beast. If you could follow the Marvel show’s timeline hopping, then you’ve a strong chance of grasping the madness at play in Netflix’s The OA. It starts off as a story about the return of a woman (played by co-creator Brit Marling) who’s been missing for seven years, and ends up as a story about… parallel dimensions, arcane rituals, experimental physics, sci-fi magic and a kind-of-haunted house. It’s a total trip, in short, and should scratch any itch Loki fans are experiencing for TV of the weird variety. Speaking of which, give us season three, Netflix, you cowards. LM

Quantum Leap

Before the TVA there was Doctor Sam Beckett. Played by puppy-faced Scott Bakula, Sam is a scientist who invented a “quantum accelerator” (time machine) that randomly transports him back in time to put right events which once went wrong. In each episode of Quantum Leap, Sam wakes up in the body of someone else at a distinct point in history and has to figure out his mission with the help of his best mate, in hologram form, Al (Dean Stockwell). Sam is essentially maintaining the sacred timeline at the expense of his own life and free will, which would make Al…. Miss Minutes? Either way, it’s a hugely good natured show which ran for five seasons and it’s well worth a visit. RF

Continuum

Continuum protagonist Kiera (Rachel Nichols) has serious Sylvie energy. While they might not have much in common when it comes to their background—Sylvie is trying to take down the time authorities while Kiera, a cop from the corporate-controlled future, is an authority—they’re both incredibly focused women who will do what they have to in order to achieve their goals. Continuum follows Kiera, when she is unexpectedly stranded in our present. Desperate to get back to her family and her life in the future, Kiera teams up with a teen genius, as well as local detective Carlos Fonnegra. Filled with complex character arcs and alternate timelines, Continuum is a must for any fan of time travel TV. KB

Life on Mars

Loki’s crime procedural/time-hopping/fantasy cocktail may have been made famous by Quantum Leap, but it achieved its apotheosis (that’s right, five syllables, count ‘em) in BBC One’s Life on Mars. That’s the story of Sam Tyler (John Simm), a Manchester police officer who’s hit by a car in 2006 and wakes up in 1973. Like Loki, Tyler has to piece together what’s really going on behind-the-scenes while running his own investigations. Tyler may not be a God, or have magical powers and other planets to visit, but Life on Mars still took him to some odd and captivating places. It ended prematurely after two seasons (at the request of Simm, who said he wanted to spend more time with his family), after which the tale continued with sequel Ashes to Ashes starring Keeley Hawes. Currently, plans are afoot for a belated third series. LM

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teamikaruga · 7 years

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Bajillion Questions Meme Rules: Answer all questions, add one question of your own and tag as many people as there are questions!

Tagged by @chemychems

1. Coke or Pepsi: Probably coke? I haven’t had either in so long I don’t remember which I like more

2. Disney or DreamWorks: Dreamworks

3. Coffee or Tea: Tea

4. Books or Movies: Movies

5. Windows or Mac: Windows

6. DC or Marvel: Uuh, I’m pretty equal on both, honestly

7. Xbox or Playstation: Xbox

8. Dragon Age or Mass Effect: I wanna go with neither but I guess I’ll slap down Mass Effect. Never played it but I’m still so disgusted by the gameplay in DA: Origins.

9. Night Owl or Early Rise: Night owl

10. Cards or Chess: Cards I suppose.

11. Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate all the way

12. Vans or Converse: Not a big shoe person. Only shoes I own are a pair of work boots and a 7 dollar pair of slip on faded glory sneakers

13. Lavellan, Trevelyan, Cadash or Adaar (dragon age): I have no clue who any of these people are

14. Fluff or Angst: Fluff I love cute heartwarming moments.

16. Dogs or Cats: Cats

17. Clear Skies or Rain: Rain

18. Cooking or Eating Out: Eating out cause I LOVE EATING OUT MY BITCH, BOI. (But actually cooking, I just wish I was better at it)

19. Spicy Food or Mild Food: GIVE ME THE SPICE BOYS AND FREE MY SOUL.

20. Halloween/Samhain or Solstice/Yule/Christmas: Christmas

21. Would you rather forever be a little too cold or a little too hot: Cold, cause I despise sweating

22. If you could have a superpower, what would it be: I think teleportation stuff would be really neat but assuming it couldn’t be that, limited super strength. I wanna punch good

23. Animation or Live Action: Animation

24. Paragon or Renegade (Mass Effect): I never played Mass Effect but I think Renegade is more wild card so I’ll go with that

25. Baths or Showers: Showers the idea of siting in filth water seems weird.

26. Team Cap or Team Iron Man: Team Cap.

27. Fantasy or Sci-fi: It depends for me, but I guess I’d generally rather go for sci-fi

28. Do you have three or four favorite quotes? I can’t think of any at the moment.

29. YouTube or Netflix: Don’t have Netflix so I guess YouTube

30. Harry Potter or Percy Jackson: Harry Potter

31. When Do You Feel Accomplished: Uh, whenever I do something I was set on doing, I guess

32. Star Wars or Star Trek: StarGATE, fuckers. (But Star Wars)

33. Paperback Books or Hardback Books: Not much of a reader, but I guess paperback

34. Handwriting or Typing: Typing, my handwriting is terrible.

35. Velvet or Satin: I have never touched either.

36. Video Games or Movies: Viddie games

37. Would you rather be the dragon or own the dragon: Depends, do I get to look like a normal human with dragon powers or do I have to be a scalie? Cause if I have to be a scalie then I wanna own the dragon. Especially if the dragon can be a Charizard.

38. Sunrise or Sunset: Sunset cause the only time I ever see the sunrise is when I stay up too late like a fuckening fool.

39. What’s your favorite song: Fuck if I know, I can never answer these kinda questions.

40. Horror Movies, yes or no: I love horror movies, but I am a HUGE fucking coward. I cower behind my hands at jumpscares and hide under my blankets at night afterwards.

41. Long or Short Hair: Short. I hate having long hair. It touches my forehead and it annoys the fuck outta me

42. Opera or Theatre: Never been to either.

43. Assuming the multiverse theory is true and that every story ever told has really happened somewhere, which one of the movie/book/tv show/game/etc worlds would you pick to travel to first: Uuh, I can’t think of answer so I’ll just steal Chemy’s answer and say Boku No Hero.

44. If you had to eat only one thing for the rest of your life what would it be: Salads. You can make anything into a salad if you try hard enough.

45. Older guys/girls or younger guys/girls (I guess you can change this to your preference): Uuh, I don’t mind either way. As long as they’re within like, four or so years of me, it’s all good.

46. If you could erase any show from TV history, what would it be: Teen Titans Go just cause CN is literally killing off other shows to give it more air time. Mystery Train looks so good but they fucking shit canned it from the get go cause they needed more time slots for TTG.

47. Singing or Dancing: Can’t do either, but I guess dancing.

48. Instagram or Twitter: Twitter, I guess. Never used Insta tho.

49. Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit: Haven’t seen either.

50. If you could create either a sequel or bring back any tv show/movie, what would you choose: Please bring back og Teen Titans. I want an actual fucking ending.

51. Who is your movie/tv show character that you are looking up to and why? Generic answer probably but I guess I’d go with Kamina from TTGL.

52. If you were ever convicted of a crime, what would it be? Uuh, I have no idea. I don’t think I’ve ever done anything illegal, but knowing my fear of driving it would probably have something to do with driving.

53. Anime- subbed or dubbed? Dubbed. I like scrolling through Tumblr and shit while watching and I can’t do that if it’s subbed.

54. City or countryside? Countryside

55. What book have you read over and over? Probably not any, honestly.

56. What is your personality type? I don’t know? Introvert, I think

57. Would you rather change a moment in time or have a glimpse into the future? Glimps into the future, I guess.

58. Is there a popular series that you just can’t get into? Walking Dead, I tried, got to the start of season 2 and didn’t care enough to continue.

59. Dream job? I wanna make viddy James. I wanna make something popular and cool and have my name remembered for it.

60: Top three video games? Halo cause it got me into shooter games, Dark Souls, and Banjo Kazooie/Tooie cause they were a huge part of my childhood.

61: Yea or Nay; Jean shorts?: If they’re being worn by John Cena then yea.

My question

62: Favorite track from a video game:

Gonna tag @bigbossdidnothingwrong083 @ruffleo @sadiebun Uuh, I can’t even think of anyone else to tag cause my brain is shidding (AND FARDING) but if you wanna do it, just pretend I tagged you.

#My posts

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the-giant-made-of-stone · 6 years

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you as well have to do all the numbers, todd coward ass binch

First of all, I’m no todd you muppet.1. First game you played obsessively?Modern Warfare 3. Get all the things, do all the challenges, get the good guns, every now and then remember to actually try to do well.2. A game that has influenced you creatively? Writing, drawing, etc.I’ve never really written or drawn much but I think aesthetically speaking Star Fox 64 got me down the path of Sci-FI and star ships and such. I never actually owned it which just furthered my intrigue whenever I could get my hands on it.3. Who did you play with as a kid?I didn’t play with anyone really. I’d occasionally play against my brother but he would only ever want to play Sport Game 2kYear.

4. Who do you play with now?@thisisbud Tanner who deleted his tumblr @delicontessa @charizardon5. Ever use cheat codes?Usually only the funny ones. Or costumes. And unlimited webbing in Spider-man the game cause it made it actually playable.6. Ever buy strategy guides?I distinctly remember having two strategy guides. One was the official Donkey Kong 64 strategy guide, and the other was this strange off brand Mario 64 strategy guide that had, like, how-to draw-anime-characters looking dudes telling you tips.7. Any games you have multiple copies of?Bioshock and Bioshock 2 thanks to the purchase of the full remaster collection.8. Rarest/Most expensive game in your collection?The Metroid Prime Trilogy Collector’s Edition for Wii. Bought it on a whim when it came out and never looked back.9. Most regrettable purchase?Either Mirror’s Edge Catalyst or Star Wars Battlefront. I wanted both of them to be so good and they just absolutely did not execute. At least I got Mirror’s Edge Catalyst once it got cheaper though.10. Ever go to a midnight game release or stand in line for hours?The Smash 4 Wii U/Pokemon Alpha Omega midnight release. Just a bunch of people standing in the cold playing other Pokemon games. I was there exclusively for Smash though.11. Have you ever made new friends from playing video games?I probably owe it to Smash for having my best friends.12. Ever get picked on for liking games?In general? Not recently. Occasional crap from a family member. As for specific games I don’t really have any guilty pleasures besides Brink but I absolutely stand by it.13. A game you’ve never played that everyone else has?Any Final Fantasy game, Pokemans Red Blue Yellow, basically anything that only went to a Sony system like Spyro or Crash or Uncharted.14. Favorite game music?Splatoon. All day every day. If I have to be specific Splatoon 2 has passed it’s predecessor.15. If it was a requirement to get a game related tattoo, what would you pick?Probably something Metroid related. Like the screw attack emblem.16. Favorite game to play with your friends IRL?Smash Bros every time. Fun skill game that can be made lighthearted with a few item switches.17. Ever lose a friend over a game?Not for more than a few hours. Yes in Smash.18. Would you date someone that hates gaming?I would date @delicontessa19. Favorite handheld console?You can just say favorite portable Nintendo console. DS. I have no nostalgia for the Game Boy (and Switch doesn’t count)20. Game that you know like the back of your hand?Mario 64. I don’t know any glitches or anything but I can 100% that with relative ease.21. Game that you didn’t like or understand as a kid but love now?I didn’t get Tetris at all cause nobody told me you were supposed to clear lines by filling them. Now that I have that information I like to indulge in some Tetris every now and then.22. Do you wear game related clothing/accessories?A frankly ridiculous amount.23. The game that you’ve logged the most hours into?Modern Warfare 3. I really. REALLY. like clearing challenges.24. First Pokemon game?Diamond. I am like little baby. 25. Were you ever an arcade game player?Physically am not old enough to have been to arcades that aren’t located in a pizza based restaurant26. Ever form any gaming rivalries?That’s pretty much what Smash was for my friends when it came out. A lot of these are Smash based.27. Game that makes you rage?League of Legends. Other than that I tend to avoid anything I know makes me mad.28. Ever play in a tournament?Smash Doubles for a club in college. Think we won? We didn’t go back.29. What is your gaming set up?A TV, four consoles, one HDMI port, and a Macbook that has served it’s purpose in getting me through school.30. How many consoles do you own?5 counting a 3DS I probably should use more. 6 counting a Wii that was made obsolete due to the power of backwards compatibility.31. Does the 3DS and/or Virtual Boy hurt your eyes or give you headaches?Can’t speak on Virtual Boy but 3DS only happens after like several hours.32. Did you ever play a game based on your favorite show/cartoon/movie/comic?I absolutely did. Who hasn’t? Movie tie-ins are pretty much always bad. Show tie-ins are usually the same way. The comic games tend to be fun though. Like Ultimate Spider-man or the Arkham series.33. Did you ever have any bootleg games or plug-n-play games?I had some of the Namco plug n plays that did like Galaga and Pac-Man and Pole Position. They were pretty solid.34. Do either of your parents play video games?My dad used to play our NES and sports games with my brother. My ma recently picked up a Disney themed candy crush clone for her phone.35. Ever work in a game store? Or do you have a favorite game shop?Nope. As for favorite game shop, if you can call it being the only game store for miles being my favorite, GameStop36. Have you ever shed actual blood, sweat or tears over a game?Sweat, a lot. Palms sweaty when stressed. Definitely no blood. I have cried when I was younger but that’s cause I would get kicked off the games I was playing via force from my brother.Oh. And bile. I used to get headaches if I played games too much. These would make me vomit.I would get headaches a lot.37. Have you played E.T. for the Atari 2600? Do you think that’s the worst game ever, or do you have another nomination?I have not. I have seen the footage. This is fair.38. A game you’re ashamed to admit that you like?I don’t really have game shame so here’s a hot take: Nintendo Land is one of the most criminally underrated party games ever and should get a sequel.39. A sequel that you would die for them to make?Dying is a weird kickstarter donation tier. That said, Jet Set Radio Future. I need it. And Sega knows it exists cause it’s in that damn racing game so WHERES THE GAME SEGA?40. What to you think of virtual reality headsets or motion controls?HTC Vive looks lit. So much so it makes everything else look inferior. That said I also think augmented reality headsets are crazy cool.41. A genre that you just can’t get into?Sony as a whole due to shored up bitterness that I’m trying to tone down. Also sport games besides WWE.42. Maybe it wasn’t your first game, but what was the game that started you on your path to nerdiness?Probably either Mario 64 or Donkey Kong 64. Both were the first ones that really game me clear cut objectives in a game that I paid attention to.43. Ever play games when you really should have been concentrating on something else?Most of the time I’m playing games I should be doing something else. Especially sleeping.44. Arcade machine that has consumed the most of your quarters?Tron. Good game. Fun game. A E S T H E T I C.45. How are you at Mario Kart?I can usually podium if I try. 46. Do you like relaxing games like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon?I used to like Animal Crossing more but it’s such a hassle to move from entire real life to entire fake life these days.47. Do you like competitive games?I like competitive games with friends and the occasional shooter.48. How long does it take your to customize your player character?Usually a decent chunk of time. The simpler the customizer, the more time I’ll spend making adjustments as well. Back when I played Halo if I saw anyone using the same armor or same color scheme I had to immediately change.49. In games where you can pick your class, do you always tend to go for the same type of character?Nah I like to mix it up. I constantly rotate on wanting to be an immovable object of strength, a stealthy sneaky boy, or some ridiculous meme. Fallout 3′s Rock-It Launcher is the best weapon in the game and I’ll argue about this.50. If you were a game designer, what masterpiece would you create?Jet Set Radio Future sequel. It needs it. It deserves it. In glorious 4k cartoon rendering.51. Have you ever played a game for so long that you forgot to eat or sleep?Yes. Enough that it isn’t worth mentioning all of them.52. A game that you begged your parents for as a kid?Guitar Hero World Tour. No regrets. Quality game with a banging soundtrack. That said I always had to be on drums at parties and stuff cause everyone else sucked at them.53. What’s your opinion on DLC these days?Most of the time it sucks. Seems kind of shitty that you can tell me the contents of the season pass several months before the game releases. Maybe just add that content in? Hmmmmm? Octo Expansion for Splatoon 2 is a treasure though.54. Do you give in to Steam sales?I have a Mac so most Steam games won’t run for me. That said I expect to fall victim to them soon.55. Did you ever make someone you hated in the Sims and did mean stuff to them?I literally never played the Sims before. So no.56. Did you ever play Roller Coaster Tycoon and kill off your guests?Did not play Roller Coaster Tycoon. Maybe I should add these to the “never played but everyone else has” list.57. Did you ever play a game to 100% or get all of the achievements?Any game I like that has a mildly realistic 100% is one that I will 100%. I’ll even do it for games I don’t like that much.58. If you can only play 3 games for the rest of your life, which ones do you pick?League of Legends, Overwatch, Smash Bros. Ultimate. If I can only play them for the rest of my life, I want to make sure that they’ll at least keep getting updated and let the servers keep running.59. Do you play any cell phone games?I am not a fan. I don’t like the way the kill my battery and most of them seem pretty shallow.60. Do you know the Konami Code?Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start Slide to the Left Slide to the Right Right Foot Lets Stomp Left Foot Lets Stomp FREEEEEEZE.EVERYBODY CLAP YOUR HANDS61. Do you trade in your games or keep them forever?I used to do trade-ins but I realized that months later I would want to play them again. So now I keep them forever.62. Ever buy a console specifically to play one game?Nope. I got several games for every console.63. Ever go to a gaming convention or tournament? I don’t think Comic Con counts but Immah count Comic Con.64. Ever make a TV or monitor purchase based on what would be best for gaming?I have not. I’m not too picky graphically.65. Ever have a Game Genie, Game Shark or Action Replay? Did it ever mess up your game’s save file?Nope and nope.

66. Did you ever have have an old Nokia with Snake on it?My grandma did. I did play it a lot.67. Do you have a happy gaming-related childhood memory you want to share?I mean they’re pretty much all happy.68. Ever save up a ton of tickets in an arcade to get something cool?I’ve saved up a bunch of tickets and got something so shitty I can’t remember what it was.69. In your opinion, best game ever made? Hey how about fuck this question. I’d probably have to say Breath of the Wild. In terms of games, it was absolute top quality, excellent writing, and a very unique experience.70. Very first game you ever beat? I actually don’t know. It very likely was on the Xbox though. It’s possible it’s The Godfather but that might just be the one I remember clearing most earliest.

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