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neighborlystudios · 7 months

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・﹒・﹒・ why are ya avoiding me? [1]

Summary: You avoided him at all costs because frankly, he was an asshole, doesn't mean he avoided you though. He constantly flirts with you but you just take it as him trying to anger you. It works, but you start to feel like he's being serious, and you have butterflies in your stomach just thinking about him. However, he finally confronts you one day, and you don't know what to do.

Warnings: 15+, suggestive remarks, pet names

Pairing: Jax x GN!reader

Series: Part 2

Notes: I'm not proud of this writing at all, but I'll keep it as it is for you guys!

It was a normal day at the digital circus, as normal as one day can be in this wacky place. The adventure-of-the-day just finished up and you purposely made it so you weren't close to Jax at all, but he kept slithering into your personal space like you haven't set clear boundaries. You hate him, simple as that, regardless of how many times Ragetha claims that you must have a crush on him. The audacity. Jax is a bitch, asshole, shithead, he was terrible to everyone, who could like someone like that?

Well, despite making your status clear on the relationship between you to, he didn't get the memo- no, no, he just didn't care. At every single chance he got, that bitchass rabbit would flirt with you. It frustrated you to no ends because he obviously was just doing it to get a rise out of you and it was working. Every time you got upset, he would smirk and call you "cute", it set you off even more. Even though his body (and everyone else's including your's) was just a fake, digital avatar, you still found him somewhat attractive.

I mean who could deny that he was cute? His voice didn't do him any favors either, but it didn't get rid of the fact that he was a bitch. Every time you blushed at his flirting (which was shamefully more than what you would have liked), he would get closer and tease you about it. Pomni made it abundantly clear that you two acted like a married couple, which is so far from the truth.

So why did it feel different this time? Zooble was talking to you about how they never liked going on Caine's "adventures" because they were stupid, which is fair considering he only did it just to keep us from going insane from boredom and abstracting, they always felt like something that would be in a game for little kids. You tried to pay attention to her, truly you did, but your gaze kept moving over to Jax as he was conversing with Pomni about something you couldn't hear. You shouldn't be staring at him so much, why were you?

"You gonna tell him?" Her question caught you off guard. Tell who what? You knew exactly what she was talking about, however you chose to play dumb even though it won't work.

"Uh what do you mean?" You ask, head turning to her, feigning innocence as she sighed and rubbed her nonexistent temple, grumbling.

"Don't be dumb Galka, you like him even though you say you hate him. Everyone knows, I mean you look at him like you love him" Love him? As if! Far from it, you hate him.

"But I uh...I don't! He really gets my nerves Zooble! He wants to piss me off because its fun! That's why he flirts so muuuuch!" You whine as you look over to the one in question, but this time he stared back at you. Eyes widening, you quickly turn back to Zooble, however, its too late as he's already saunter over here like he owns the place with his shit eating grin loud and clear on his stupid face.

"Well hello there Galka, looking adorable as always" Immediately, you felt your face warm he flirts with you yet again, refusing to look back at him.

"Leave me alone @@#@$, what part of "don't come near me" is hard to understand?"

"Oh I understand fully. I just wanna know oooone thing" His voice pissed you off, especially when he spoke in that tone, one that reeked of smugness. Yet, butterflies erupted in your stomach as he spoke, his presence made you flustered, why? Out of annoyance most likely, only reason.

"Why are ya avoiding me, Cutie?" There it is, the elephant in the room that you refused to address and that stupidly cliche nickname that you loved from him out of his dumbass mouth.

"I'm not avoiding you, I'm just...coincidentally not around when you are" Shamefully looking down at the floor so he didn't see your face, you knew it was a weak excuse but it was better than accepting fate and saying nothing. That didn't deter him in any way as his feet popped into your field of vision. Shit, he is right in front of you. His arm came into view as his hand sat under your chin, soon lifting it up to meet his gaze, smirk ever present.

"Yeah, sure, likely story. Wanna explain why you look like you're having very dirty thoughts right now? Are they about me?" His statement made you scoff and step back, waving your hands to separate from him. The AUDACITY, again why was everyone claiming you liked him? How could you want to be with this person when he said shit like that?

"Oh please! In your dreams #%#@$head" Turning around, you started to make your way to your room, it was a bit of a walk but you didn't mind it. Plans sometimes were never made to be followed through as Jax appeared yet again in front of you.

"C'mon let me walk you to ya room at least" How did he know you were heading there? God he never fails to ask to be punched in the grion.

"I don't think anything here is going to put me in any danger #%@$ Bunny, leave me alone" You spoke firmly, not wanting any slips to happen, voice strong as you walked with a purpose, pushing past him to the one place that Jax isn't present. Well...physically at least. Ok maybe you did have a feeeeww pictures of the rabbit in there, but it was to remind you how much you hate him, yeah that's it. Nobody else knew because you never let anyone enter and since nobody else had a key, it worked out.

"Oh are you sure sweet thing? Don't worry your secret is safe with me of-" He holds your shoulder to stop you before leaning in close your head "all those pictures you have of me"

#jax x reader #the amazing digital circus #jax #tadc #tadc jax #the amazing digital circus jax #x reader

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luvly-writer · 10 months

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“But Oh…Cara Mia”

Ch. 18: Deception is a tasty treat

———•———

Warnings: none

Author’s note: Hi loves! It’s been a while! I finally got through at least a little bit of my writers block and finally figured out how to carry one with the story little by little. Hope you all enjoy this chapter. Love you all and Missed you all deeply! Please do enjoy this chapter. As always, feedback is always deeply appreciated.

Taglist: @lorosette @nanas-teatime @prettyacademia00 @mxtokko @sarahkaliii @w31rdg1rl @Eurydicegrimes @writing-for-the-hell-of-it @alecmores @dakotali @sadraven1992 @camilalexa93 @bee814 @inejghafawifesblog

Series Masterlist:

————-•———-

How do you fool a family of detectives to believe that you are not in a secret relationship with someone who you’ve been in love with for years and they know?

Easy.

You continue to act as if nothing is going on and gaslight them to believe you are still irrevocably in love with the person but the other half doesn’t know it.

The last few weeks have been eventful at best. Dick and Y/n have been doing almost everything in order to enjoy as much as they can together without the rest knowing and surprisingly it was going well.

“Here’s the plan,” Y/n said, one night as Dick had just gotten out of the shower after patrol and was getting ready to go to sleep. He can’t remember the last time he slept in his apartment ever since the night they finally talked things through. He was currently brushing his teeth, with a white towel thrown carelessly on top of his head, without a shirt and black sweatpants. With a hand on his hip, he raised an eyebrow at her, asking her to continue. “We create a fake boyfriend.”

Dick finished brushing his teeth and laid next to her in bed, pulling her towards him and cuddling her. “I’d that so?” he said full of amusement. She nodded giggling and he couldn’t help but stop to admire her. “I can already think of 20 reasons why this could fail, why are we in Wonder Woman’s good graces fake you having a boyfriend that is not me?” he said making her laugh.

“Because if we can fool the world’s greatest detective, I can keep you for a little while for myself and yes, even though we know that it won’t be problem, they have made it abundantly clear that they want us together; but, I want you for myself for some time. No expectations, no pressure.” Y/n pulled him closer and kissed him. They both understood that it wasn’t that their families would be unsupportive. It was that they would be SO supportive that they would not be allowed privacy. Dick laughed because even though the plan was childish, it would be fun playing around with their family. Plus, having the privilege of saying that you fooled the world’s greatest detectives was something that appealed to both of them. Their own little prank. So, he agreed.

Step 1: Stage a fight.

If both of them began soft launching a relationship it would be too easy for the rest to figure it out seeing as he quite literally acted as a love struck puppy around her.

That part came easy to them, seeing as that’s where they most had expertise. They knew which words to say and how to create an argument convincing enough to fool their family and friends.

“-YOU JUST DONT KNOW WHEN TO QUIT, GRAYSON!” Y/n screamed at him. They were “arguing” in her lab just as everyone was outside in the cave. To them, what looked like a peaceful discussions between Dick and Y/n became an argument where Y/n was ready to burst into tears at any given moment. They looked at each other and sighed. It really was an endless circle. They joke, flirt, fight, separate, and reconcile; then it was all over again. “All for nothing” said Steph quietly as the rest agreed. So much excitement in the last few weeks and they went back to square one. Another sigh was let out the group as the continued their work, though this time a little bit discouraged. Damian stared at the two of them not believing how everything turned out. Kory was out of the picture, Yn was home, so was Dick, he gave her flowers for heaven’s sake! Why were they so disfuncional? if only- “JUST LEAVE!”

“FINE I WILL!”

“FINE”

“FINE!” Dick stormed off out of Y/n’s lab. Sun sat down in her chair placed her hands on her face and let out a frustrated scream. She tied her hair into a pony tail and got to work. “I don’t have time for him. Not anymore!” She said as she tapped on her laptop. Damian looked at her intently, trying to decipher what the argument was about. Dick was bothering Yn about something if she told him to quit and leave, but what could he have done so bad that she would want him to leave?

That night, when sun arrived to her apartment, a vase with fresh flowers was on her counter. Dick sneaked behind her and hugged her. “You make a very convincing actress, darling” he said as he kissed her cheek, making her laugh.

“As do you, my love, as do you” she answered.

Step 2: introduce the “new man”

“hmmmm”

“whats wrong, bubba?” asked Dick as he noticed his lover’s silence.

“I don’t know how we will do this without the public snitching on us. We are well known and you know Gotham Gazette is ALWAYS looking for an excuse to have us as their cover story. What if it gets ruined? What i-“

“What if we make a reservation? We do have enough money to clear the entire space? Maybe wear caps and sunglasses when we are out? Pay off anyone who wants to say anything? This all sound like good choices, don’t ya think?” Dick said making her laugh

“You know what? Those aren’t that bad?”

-•-

Now you definitely had their attention and maybe you were starting to reconsider if your plan was a good one.

“Is he blonde”

“no”

“maybe a brunette, you’ve always liked those”

“no”

“is he from your gym?”

“no”

Barbara and Stephanie had decided to question you on who was your mystery guy and frankly it’s was tiring tu the fuck out. First, they had threatened to search him out but you counter attacked that you would stop fixing their suits if they breeched your privacy like that. That seemed to get them to stop. Then they had settled for good old questioning. Every time they were near you, they would start to ask questions trying to find a way to find out who HE was. If only they knew that the majority of the time, HE was sitting near them trying to hide a big ass grin seeing as he thoroughly enjoyed how much they were annoying Yn.

This time, they found themselves in the middle of the living room, waiting for Duke, Tim, Damian, and Jason to choose a movie seeing as it was Wayne Kids movie night. The sofa was occupied by Yn, with Barbara to her left and Stephanie and Cassie to her right. Dick sat at the love seat watching the conversation with huge amounts of amusement. To the rest it just looked like he was happy she was getting annoyed which was true but he mostly was just enjoying the view (her).

“Was it the guy from the park?”

Noticing how much he was enjoying her suffering from the questions she had an idea.

Step 3: Throw off suspicions between them

“Mayyyybe”

Hearing this, all of them perked up.

“YOU ARE KIDDING!”

“OH HE WAS CUTE!”

Barbara and Steph screamed at the same time. Tim and Jason swapped knowing glances and nodded, they were definitely going to look into him later. Duke exchanged excited looks with Cass and laughed. Finally, Damian took notice of Dick’s behavior. His jovial state was clearly replaced by annoyance as he lightly glared at Yn, who in return softly laughed. Hmm interesting. Dick managed to cover it up with an eye roll and told the guys to hurry up. Finally, after a few more minutes, they had How to Train Your Dragon playing.

Throughout the movie, Damian kept on staring at Yn and Dick, wondering what that small exchange was about. At once, Dick pulled out his phone and texted someone. What a coincidence that aun received a text not short after, looks up at him, winks and texts back. He then notices Dick rolling his eyes at his phone and pouting at the tv to which Yn lightly chuckles. That was weird.

-•-

After the movie, Damian waits for everyone to leave and shoots a text through the chat they had made without Yn and Dick.

-•-

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glittery-ishfish · 1 year

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So, what are the Male Nyotalia counterparts supposed to be like?

I'm aware that canonically, the Nyotalia counterparts are pretty much irrelevant to the series and were probably made for fun, but this has been bugging me for a while.

So, canonically, the female Nyos have personalities that are separate from their male counterparts. For example, Nyo!England is a "Kuudere" instead of a "Tsundere", Nyo!Russia is "emotionally unstable" instead of "childishly cruel", Nyo!France is more argumentative and protective of Canada, and Nyo!China is supposedly more difficult to read emotionally than China.

Female Nyos are also "stronger than their male counterparts." Nyo!Italy, Nyo!Romano, Nyo!America and Nyo!Germany are all total badasses and, according to Hima, "Hetalia with female Italy would not exist because she would keep beating everyone up."

We have all this info about the girls, but...what about the guys?

All we have are the canon designs, but no info on their personalities.

So I've been theorizing a bit. Let's say that the Nyos, regardless of gender, are meant to be stronger than their counterparts. With that in mind, would that make Nyo!Wy less of a Tsundere, or make Nyo!Belgium less insecure about his looks? With the way Hima writes his female characters, who are generally meant to be stronger than his male characters, this wouldn't make much sense.

I think a more likely theory is that the male Nyos are actually weaker and/or more soft-spoken in comparison to their female counterparts. I like to imagine that their personalities are like that of the first drafts of the original female characters (which would make sense in Nyo!Hungary's case since Hungary was originally going to be male and a pervert). But outside of that, perhaps Nyo!Belgium is all happy-go-lucky to compensate for low self-esteem? Is Nyo!Wy is a bit more aggressive and headstrong but secretly lonely (kinda like Ladonia)? Maybe Nyo!Belarus is more of a shy, mild-mannered Tsundere who mutters under his breath like how Belarus was originally meant to.

With that idea in mind, what do you guys think the Nyo!Guys' personalities would be like? I'm more than happy to hear your ideas, so please feel free to share(＾-＾)

Update: I forgot to include Nyo!Monaco, turns out he actually has a personality (against all odds😅).

"He's said to be strong, a gourmet, and enjoy driving, but he's rather bad at gambling despite the prevalence of casinos in Monaco. He owns a Japanese-style garden and has a weird, but good relationship with France, despite the one fight that they had (two days after the fight he said "It’s no good without big brother France" and they seem to have made up.) Oddly enough, the France he was depicted with, and as having an odd relationship with, was male France.

He was originally under Spain's protection, eventually wound up with France, then Italy, and then finally gained his independence with France's help, though he leans toward France nowadays." -Hetalia Archives

We can see here that Nyo!Monaco, while being considered "pretty strong", is still a lot more meek and soft-spoken compared to his female counterpart. Versus Monaco herself, who makes it abundantly clear from the moment you meet her that she bends backward for no one.

Thanks for further supporting my theory, HetaArchives.

This is also proof that the Nyos canonically coexist with their counterparts (other than Hima not specifying whether it was Canada or his Nyo that Nyo!France is protective of).

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blackcatrph · 1 year

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» ━━ WILLOW (2022) QUOTES : EPISODE ONE : THE GALES. PART TWO.

quotes taken from the 2022 series “willow”. please alter any pronouns if required when sending.

“How’s the party?”

“You should see the prince, he’s a mouse.”

“We both know how fond i am of our little chats, but unless it’s to bring me a slice of cake, why are you down here?”

“Maybe it’s because you want me to tell you not to force your child into a loveless marriage?”

“You know I don't have a choice.”

“Everything I've done, I've done to protect the people I love. It costs a lot. I’m tired.”

“How long can you keep it up?”

“Maybe I'm overreacting. It doesn’t mean that our life has to change…”

“I’ve been accepted to train with the shining legion. To become a Knight.”

“They’ve made an exception. It’s their first ever, actually.”

“I wanted to tell you before, but I didn't know how to…”

“So. We’re getting married. That’s weird, right?”

“Why? You don’t even know me.”

“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the realm.”

“I am getting acquainted with my betrothed here, but you can go wherever you want, as you’ve made abundantly clear.”

“Have you ever heard the story of Taramis?”

“She was, like, by all accounts, like, the most gorgeous woman that ever lived.”

“Make yourself useful.”

“What? Scared you might blind my pretty twin brother?”

“I’m worried about that..”

“You embarrassed the prince.”

“You showed everyone in that room who you are, a petulant child who needs to grow up.”

“I’m a prisoner, sentenced to a life I didn’t even choose!”

“No one chooses their life.”

“It’s fine. Everything’s fine. I spoke to the prince.”

“He’s not actually such a terrible guy if you get to know him.”

“I think you should stick to chasing girls rather than sticking your nose in matters that you are incapable of understanding and are not your concern!”

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Huh? Oh, are you going to beat me up? Because I’m a little tired.”

“I didn’t ask for your help.”

“No. But you’re going to get it anyway because you’re my sister and I love you. Despite your winning personality.”

“Everybody loves you because you’re so charming and fun, as long as they don’t expect anything from you. The moment that they do, you’ll just leave.”

“Just like dad did.”

“I’m not him. I’m not going anywhere.”

“I think it’s best we stop seeing each other.”

“Seeing you with them just… made me crazy! Made me mad.”

“I was so distracted, I… I burned my muffins.”

“I never burn anything, ever!”

“I suddenly realised, how can I expect you, the prince, to commit to me, muffin girl, when you’ve countesses and trollops shamelessly throwing themselves at you!”

“What if i did? What if I was ready to commit?”

“It’s not the greatest marriage proposal, in fact, it might be the worst. But what if… what if it was better?”

“That's definitely something we can discuss.”

“You scared the blummins out of me!”

“I’m leaving. I came to say goodbye.”

“I know you’re upset…”

“I’m thinking clearly, for the first time in my life…”

“I’m looking for something, and it’s not here. It’s out there.”

“You’re going to be a great knight, but I’ll still kick your ass.”

“It’s a symbol of my commitment to you, just until I can get something more real.”

“You could just look at me, just like that, for the rest of my life.”

“You know there’s nothing brave about running away…”

“I’m always… relatively careful.”

“Let our love be your strength!”

“Right. Definitely gonna do that…”

“We’re under siege.”

“Fellas, fetch my cleaver.”

“Would it be too much to ask you not to do anything stupid?”

“Oh, man. I'm sorry. I thought you were gonna let go of her.”

“He was just behind me, fighting that witch.”

“They took him. I think… he’s what they came for.”

“False. Patently false.”

“I was concerned for the welfare of the animals. Is it a crime to care, huh? To feel?!”

“You’re just the leader this expedition needs.”

“Where the Princess goes, I go.”

“You know, I think we’re good, fellowship-wise.”

“You’d let your bride-to-be travel beyond the barrier without you?”

“It’s not ideal, but I'd learn to live with it.”

“Terrific. All the sorcerers are gone.”

“The last thing he said to me was that he would never leave me and when he said it, I… I didn’t care.”

“Just be careful. We have enemies without and within.”

“A knight is defined not by skill in battle, but by the oaths they keep.”

“The fate of Tir Asleen may well rest on whether you succeed or fail.”

“I won’t fail.”

“I won’t let anything happen to her.”

“She’ll need you to be sensible when she’s rash.”

“I’m counting on you as I would any knight.”

“Don’t worry. There’s plenty of stuff I’ve done that you haven’t.”

“I think someone’s following us.”

“You know, that’s what I thought. Then I realised you’d have to be daft to follow us, considering we’re all going to die.”

“Wait, you think we’re going to die?”

“I wish someone had told me that. I’m really scared of dying. That and communal bathing..”

“Hey, they’re coming. Get down.”

“You think I’m a fool, fine, I don’t care. What we have comes around once, maybe, if you’re lucky.”

“Have you ever been in a fight?”

“You mean like, verbally?”

“I mean like, defending yourself against someone who wants to hurt you.”

“I can do other stuff, whatever you need! Tend to horses… Somebody’s gotta cook, right?”

“Are you any good?”

“I’m phenomenal.”

“So, what can you cook out here?”

“Seriously? You brought a flute?”

“Yeah, was that not a good idea?”

“My nan believed that music was a balm for the soul…”

“This is not some jaunt or your chance to see the world. It’s dangerous.”

“Well, you’re all so naive, it’s adorable.”

“You’ve never known pain, fear, hunger.”

“Out there it won’t matter who your parents are, or what you think you deserve. The world is bigger than you could possibly imagine, it doesn’t give a damn about any of you.”

“I know this is a silly question, but what is the barrier exactly?”

“It’s a force field, forged by Raziel and Cherlindrea to protect the realm. It was a refuge for those who wanted a life that was more than just survival.”

“I was the only one who survived.”

“That what you really think or what you wanna believe?”

“Why would I want to believe that he chose her instead of us?”

“Sometimes it’s easier to hate them.”

“One night of sleeping on the hard ground will cure anyone of their romantic fantasies.”

“Got to admire her persistence.”

“She’s going to get herself killed!”

“You’re not the boss of me, Princess! Not out here!”

“I like her. We should keep her.”

“Enough. We don’t have time for your bickering.”

“I don’t care if you like each other, we’re all in this together now.”

“Out here, in the world beyond, if you’re not vigilant at each moment, you will not survive.”

“This is exactly why you can’t come with us.”

“Why are you riding so slow? We’re being chased!”

“That’s not me, mate! You’re thinking of someone else!”

“I've never seen horses do that. What is Hsu-Gala?”

“It's an ancient Angorian word. It means, "Stop."”

“I wanted to say, I'm sorry, for the way I behaved. I was very childish.”

“I can understand not wanting to marry someone that you barely know. I wasn’t happy about it either.”

“You’re a very pretty person.”

“I just think you should be in love with someone before you commit to spending the rest of your life with them, right?”

“What about our responsibility to unite the realm?”

“One day you and I are gonna be in charge, and when that day come, we don’t have to do things the way our parents did.”

“Oh, Daikinis. Terrific. Just what I need.”

“What happened here?”

“Plenty. And if you’re not careful, it’ll happen to you too.”

“I’m out of the sorcery business now.”

“I’ve retired. So jog on.”

“My mother told me that once long ago, you stood together against the forces of evil and defeated them.”

“The world needs you again. It needs your magic.”

“It’s okay. She is who she claims to be. I read her mind.”

“Had you there, didn’t I? I didn’t read your mind.”

“You remind me of your mother.”

“Your brother’s alive.”

“I'm sorry, did you say, "beyond the Shattered Sea "?"

“I've travelled all across the world, met some real magical marvins, but I never met anyone who crossed the Shattered Sea. That's where all the maps end.”

“And that's where we must go. Beyond the edge of our world, into the unknown.”

“You shouldn’t be here, but it’s so good to see you.”

“No, you’ve made a mistake. I’m not… I’m nobody.”

#rp meme #rp prompt #rp memes #ask meme #rp ask prompts #rp ask memes #sentence meme #rp sentence meme #rp sentence starters #willow rp meme

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garden-bug · 5 months

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Let's fix Star Wars!!

(I said at the start of the summer and wrote nearly 100k.) (It needed a lot of fixing ok.)

Here is a fix-it fanfic but it's for three series and the entire sequel trilogy. I will be posting about this more because I am determined to finish it soon (and then redraft it wooo!).

Description:

Somehow, Darth Maul returns. (As a force ghost.) (Somewhere Ahsoka thinks is probably the living Force.)

This changes everything.

In other words: The Mandalorian S3 but make it Din/Luke; the Ahsoka series but make it EZRA AND THRAWN SPACE ADVENTURES; and ��somehow Palpatine returns’ is ripped to shreds because I connect plot points and add new characters.

Chapter excerpts below!

Chapter 1 excerpt:

“Not as far as I remember. Oh, wait! I wanted to rule the galaxy… shame.” He rolls his shoulders again. “Can’t do much about that now. Being dead is quite demotivating.” “I’m sorry for your lack of motivation.” “Don’t make fun, Lady Tano. Have sympathy for this poor, dead, ex-Sith.” “I guess 'dead' is your only personality trait now.” “You preferred me before?” Ahsoka grimaces. She can’t argue with that. “No, sorry." “I will be honest,” Maul says, “I haven’t felt this peaceful since before I lost the lower half of my body.” Ahsoka fixes him with a reproving look. "You were Palpatine's apprentice then." “Yes.” Maul sighs wistfully, chin sinking into his hand. Ahsoka rubs her eyes. Maul has already given her a headache and they've only been talking for a minute. There is still nothing but darkness and flickering light, and Maul’s steady, yellow eyes. “Do you know where you are?” Ahsoka asks. “Why should I help you figure this out? You didn’t help me once. Also, in case I haven’t made it abundantly clear, I’m dead, so I don’t care what happens to you or anyone else who is still alive. Some of us aren’t so lucky, you know?” "If we figure this out, maybe I'll get peace. I really don't want you as a voice in my head." Maul grimaces. “B’ahor,” he mutters. “In the Al'har system?” "There is a dark power on that planet… I sense evil, but also… something else." His eyes burn. "Perhaps you will go there and die. That would solve this problem quickly."

Chapter 2 excerpt:

“What was that?” Mayan asks as they hurry towards the mountain. “That feeling… the…” “The Force,” says Ahsoka. “The Force exists all around us. It is created by all living things, it moves through them, and it binds the whole galaxy together.” “How do you know about it?” “I was trained as a Jedi.” Ahsoka is surprised when her face remains impassive. There is no flicker of recognition, no spark of awe in her eyes. She just nods. “In my village, people like that are called world breakers.” “There are more of you?” “There were.” Mayan looks away. “The legends say that world breakers can take a planet in their hand and shatter it.” “That's... impossible,” Ahsoka says. She wonders why she had never considered that remote planets may have different legends about the Force. “According to the stories, we are children of the Great Universe. If we follow its will, it will guide us... That's how it used to be.” Ahsoka means to ask if there is more to these legends, but Mayan comes to a halt suddenly and points to the rock face in front of them. “This is where the curse is,” says the girl. “Yes.” Ahsoka can sense it too. This is where the Force has been leading them. It reeks of Sith and of evil. Something terrible must have happened here.

Chapter 4 excerpt:

Fleeing vehicles kick up a cloud of dust, and Luke jumps up onto the roof of the adjacent building, crouching close in preparation to drop down. Sweat licks the back of his neck. For a stupid moment he thinks how this is the complete wrong time of day to be out, when both suns are high in the sky. Then he leaps. There isn’t even time to be annoyed as the roller-wheeler careers around the corner. “Peli, I told you to keep him inside!” “He wanted to see his dad!” Peli screams. Luke sends Grogu a withering look. The little guy sticks his tongue out from where he is held securely in the Mandalorian’s arms. “I am so sorry,” says the Mandalorian. Luke doesn’t even know where to start. “It’s alright, can you hang on to him?” The roller-wheeler jolts suddenly, and Grogu squeals in what’s probably excitement. “Yeah, but you can’t get through their shield with your lightsaber. I tried with mine.” “Ok.” Luke tugs the vehicle slightly to adjust its course. “We’re gonna have to talk about why you have a lightsaber later.” He senses annoyance from the helmet. “Did you kill a Jedi?” “Won it from Moff Gideon.” “You defeated Moff Gideon?” “Watch it.” The Mandalorian blasts a Pyke who was aiming for Luke from the top of a building. “Good shot.” The Mandalorian nods. Next thing they know, a Pyke has taken out the droid, and Luke somersaults off the roller-wheeler before it flips. He plants his feet in the ground and catches the vehicles momentum that everyone lands relatively unscathed. The Mandalorian caught Grogu immediately, so Luke draws them towards him, until his hand meets bescar. “Nice catch,” says the Mandalorian. Luke grins. “Is Grogu ok?” Grogu pops up over the Mandalorian’s shoulder. He’s a little shaken, but a smile breaks across his face when he sees Luke. Peli spits out a tooth from where she’s lying.

Chapter 5 excerpt:

“We’re even,” Boba decides. He makes a hand gesture for the blue liquor, which Fennec tosses to him with a roll of her eyes. Boba places his helmet beside him on the seat and takes a swing, acid-scarred face regarding him cooly. Luke bows respectfully. “Thanks a bunch.” Boba waves an arm dismissively. “Go see the little green guy.” He turns to leave, but Boba isn’t done. He comments, offhandedly, “I thought you would’ve gotten a few more scars since the last time I saw you.” Luke turns, puzzled. “Why?” “Haven’t you been Jedi-ing?” “Jedi-ing...” “Saving the galaxy.” “We... I did that.” “What about Tatooine?” Luke’s smile falters. “Tch. ∂ι’кυтℓα נєтιιѕє.” “What's that s'posed to mean?” “It means I don’t like you.” “He called the Jedi useless,” says Ahsoka. Luke meets her eyes, trying to stifle the burn in his skin. Ahsoka clears her throat. “We’ve been gone a long time.” “That’s why I want to rebuild what was lost.” Ahsoka looks at him for a long moment. “I know.”

Chapter 6 excerpt:

“σяιтѕιя!” Koska yells. “Bo-Katan Kryze!” Bo-Katan’s eyes widen, she drops her gaze and breathes softly. “Stop yelling.” “You… you…” Koska clenches her fists. “иιвяαℓ! αяυєт!” She kicks the metal desk, exclaiming incoherencies. Bo-Katan shakes her head. “What do you want me to do?” She sits back, hands out. “I don’t have any way to unite our people, and Mandalore is inhabited by a clan of psychos.” Koska’s lip trembles, but she bites it down. “We were going to follow you. We were going to get our home back,” her voice cracks. “Don’t tell me it’s all over now. After everything we’ve been through to get here.” “Mandalore, and my legacy, is dead,” Bo-Katan seethes. “Even with the darksaber, would we be able to subdue, or, live alongside that… Clan куяαу¢, knowing what they did to Mandalore?” “Just get the darksaber from him!” Koska says. “If you get it our clan will stop kriffing falling apart and we can take them down.” Bo-Katan slumps into her hand. “This is why we fell apart in the first place. We fought each other instead of the Empire. It’s not a path I am willing to go down.” “The others are,” Koska states. Bo-Katan looks up. “And they will,” Koska continues, eyes hard. “That’s why you need to decide what to do now before they decide for you, and we end up going down a path of self-destruction. While they’ll still listen to you, choose.”

Chapter 8 excerpt:

Ahsoka clenches her jaw. “Maul,” she grits out, “what did you do?” “Em, an… indoctrination ceremony? It was mostly just for fun,” he assures her. “Ezra thought it would be fun.” “You indoctrinated him into your clan?” “That’s…” Maul blinks. “Yes. He could be considered a son of Dathomir.” “And that’s why the night sister magic took him to Dathomir.” Ahsoka groans. “Well, this was a complete waste of time! Now I have to deal with Thrawn and get out of here somehow.” Maul nods, as though that had been his plan all along. “How long has it been since they returned from the unknown regions?” he asks. “I don’t know.” “Find out,” insists Maul. “Spending too long on Dathomir with the spirits of the night sisters… would not be advisable.” Ahsoka narrows her eyes. “How so?” “They will attempt to resurrect, using whatever means they can get their hands on. I wouldn’t be surprised if they sacrifice his mortal body to gain strength to cross back over into the physical world.” “Are they immortal?” “They are… like Force ghosts that can absorb energy. With enough energy, they can reconstruct themselves, piece by piece, until all they are lacking is a physical body. They will need many sacrifices to resurrect fully.” “Hold on… could you resurrect?” “I would prefer not to,” Maul says simply. Ahsoka’s eyes widen. “Okay… why?” “Haven’t you asked enough personal questions?” he snaps. “Leave. I’m busy trying to wallow in misery.” “Sure, okay.” Ahsoka shrugs. “But if you want to talk about it—” “I said go,” Maul hisses.

Chapter 9 excerpt:

The smaller tunnel winds further down, deeper into the centre of the planet. There’s the slightest movement in the air, vibration, and Luke recognises the energy of life forces and stops walking suddenly. “There are… people down here,” he says. Din casts him a dubious helmet tilt, and they continue until it is unmistakable. Voices echo through the tunnels, many, it seems, perhaps a covert worth. “Do you wanna go say hello?” Luke asks. “Perhaps they can help us find the living waters.” The tunnel breaks off into several other small passageways. This close, Luke can pick out the soft glow of light, and he gestures for Din to switch his torch off. When he does, they are plunged into darkness, but gradually, Luke’s eyes adjust to the light, and he leads Din by the arm towards the light and the voices. The voices hush suddenly. Luke pauses, he wonders if they should stop, go back, maybe confront these people somewhere they have more of an advantage. But Din steps past him, leaving Grogu in Luke’s arms. “тισи’¢υу?” “иι αℓιιт мαи∂σ.” “иυ тισи’αℓιιт ѕσℓυѕ?” “иαу¢… αѕн’α∂.” “к’σℓαя.” Din steps into the room. Luke follows after him. Inside the large cave, is a group of Mandalorians. One of them stands abruptly, blaster raised. “тισи’ѕσℓєт?” he barks. “єни,” Din responds. “тισи’ναιι?” Din reaches for Grogu, and takes him into his arms. “иєя ιк’αα∂. иι куя'тαуℓ gαι ѕα’α∂,” he says. The Mandalorian stares at them for a moment, then sighs raggedly, and sinks back onto the rock. The others in his group relax, but keep their eyes fixed on the newcomers. Their armour is in a state of disrepair, some of it clearly salvaged from the ruins. Some wear their helmets while others do not. The faces that Luke can see are pale and gaunt, as though they haven’t seen the sunlight in a long time and their torn clothes hang off their body in a way that makes Luke think of skeletons. “Do you speak basic?” Din asks. “We haven’t,” the Mandalorian says harshly, “since a long time.” His eyes are dark, hooded, his hair matted and entirely grey. “We are looking for the living waters,” Din explains. “Do you know how to get there?”

Chapter 10 excerpt:

Mayan has gotten better at interpreting binary speech, but she’s not quite there yet. It takes her a moment to figure out what the little beeps mean as she stuffs some out-of-date rations into a makeshift pack. “Um… we’re going to rescue Ahsoka.” R2 spins excitedly. Then he stops and says, “…. --- .--?" “I don’t know how.” Mayan ties her boots. “By now, the blue man will think we’ve gone, so we can surprise him, right?” R2 whistles uncertainly. “Well… there’s no other choice.” Mayan grips the lightsaber in her hand. “You said Luke can’t come… so…” R2 bumps into her as she walks towards the ladder. “Ow, that was my toe.” Mayan groans. “What is it?” “-.. .- -. --. . .-. --- ..- …!” “I know it’s dangerous. You didn’t want Luke to come because he’s an important Jedi, right?” Mayan squeezes past him. “If the blue man finds him it’d be bad, so it’s better if I rescue her.” R2 whistles a sad note again. Mayan clambers up the ladder one-armed, her other arm tucked into a sling under her cloak. It’s completely useless. She doesn’t know how bad the break was, but since it happened, the skin has gone from red to purple — the edges faintly green. If she tries to use it, a sharp pain stabs through her. The town is quiet this early — even the fruit vendors haven’t opened their stalls yet. Mayan sneaks around the side of the blown-up house, pulling her cloak over her feathered hair. She gestures for R2 to follow. She thinks if she can get to the mountain again, she can… well, she doesn’t really know. Mayan has always been good at getting out of dangerous situations, not getting into them. Maybe R2 can come up with a plan. “This is hopeless,” Mayan decides. They sit within viewing distance of the tall mountain base, hidden in a valley of rocks. “--. --- ……. -… .- -.-. -.-?” R2 suggests. Mayan rubs the wrinkly skin of her fingers. “I don’t want to give up, but I don’t know how to get in, or where she is. I’ve never even seen a prison before.” She pulls her knees up to her chest. “I don’t know why Ahsoka even believes in me at all.” “… -.- -.-- ……. .. … ……. .- -- .- --.. .. -. —.!” Mayan smiles a little. 'Sky is amazing,' R2 said. It’s nice that he gave her a nickname after she said she wanted one like Ahsoka had as a padawan.

Chapter 11 excerpt:

Their arrival must have caused a minor uproar. A dozen Mandalorians watch from every hallway Luke glances down. They are all blue, presumably Bo-Katan’s people, and they don’t seem happy. They are brought into a large hall, where spear-shaped windows bite into the ceiling, and white crystal casts a steady light over the room. A long carpet leads to a throne that resembles a hardened splash of lava, and on it, sits Bo-Katan. She’s really got the throne thing down, maybe even as much as Boba Fett. Luke would not mess with either of them unless absolutely necessary purely based on their throne demeanour. “What the kirff are you doing,” Bo-Katan says. She doesn’t yell, just sounds exasperated, maybe even exhausted. “I’m taking you up on the offer to join you.” Bo-Katan looks at him. Her amber eyes narrow, and she gets up, and makes her way towards them. “You’re too late now,” she says. Her expression touches on cold rage. “I’m barely holding this together as it is. With the arrival of your covert, things have only gotten worse.” “Mandalore is habitable,” Din says. “There are other Mandalorians already living there.” “The clans on Mandalore are belligerent and mad,” Bo-Katan snaps. “And the Empire has eyes on the planet. With the numbers we have, staging anything with only attract attention and get us all killed.”

Chapter 12 excerpt:

“You have redeemed yourself?” asks the Armourer. “I have,” says Din. The intense blue of the forge reflects off both of their helmets and the heat dusts Luke’s cheeks with warmth. “And you have acquired another foundling…” The Armourer’s tone shifts to something decidedly less serious and more akin to amusement. “What is the name of this child?” “Kymir,” Din says. “Kymir, do you wish to join our covert?” the Armourer asks the boy. Kymir looks from Din to the Armourer, brows furrowing. “He doesn’t speak basic,” Din says. “Kymir, тιαи’¢σρααиιя тσ αℓιιт?” he translates. Kymir bites his lip. “иαу¢,” he says. Luke infers that his answer is no. Din looks at the Armourer. “He has had a bad experience with his covert. He will not trust easily.” “Without a covert, he will have no protection.” “I will watch over him.” “At this time, you are also in need of protection,” says the Armourer, lightly. “You were almost killed this morning.”

Chapter 13 excerpt:

“Ahsoka? Ahsoka!” Mayan shakes Ahsoka’s shoulders, but her master doesn’t stir. She holds her face and tries to somehow will her awake with the force, but nothing seems to work. Her eyes remain closed, eyelids twitching minutely every few seconds. “Is she alright?” Leia asks, crouching by the broken tree Ahsoka rests against. “I think so… she goes into deep sleeps sometimes. I don’t really know what…” Mayan hugs her arms. “Um, is the Falcon okay?” “Ships fine,” Han says, an edge of annoyance in his tone, as he walks over to them. “But Ahsoka better wake up soon so I can ask her what in the hell just happened.” “We went through a portal,” Mayan says. Han squints. “How d’you know that?” “I’m a Jedi padawan…” Han throws his hands in the air. “Not another one! Come on, Chewy,” he says, “let’s go help Sabine get the engine started like normal people. Damn Jedi…force portals…” he mutters. R2 beeps in a pattern that Mayan recognises as a laugh as Han stalks off. “I hope Ahsoka wakes up soon…” Mayan says, mostly to herself, though Leia is still beside her. “Yes, well,” Leia starts, “we need to get back home. This was meant to be a drop-off, not another adventure.”

Chapter 16 excerpt:

“Come with me to Mandalore,” Din says. “But I don’t think I’m supposed to do that.” “Do you want to?” “Yes.” Luke glances at him from over his shoulder. “But I can’t,” he says. “I’m a Jedi, I have to follow the will of the force.” Din is silent for a long time, and Luke wonders if the conversation is over. But finally, he speaks. “I understand.” Luke huffs dubiously. “Really?” “Yes,” Din says. “I know what it’s like to be told that something that feels right is somehow wrong.” Luke’s stomach twists. Nothing feels right. Nothing. He let the force guide him here and now the force is telling him it’s time to leave. What if Din and Grogu still need him? He’s almost certain they do. But the galaxy needs him too. Perhaps his responsibilities lie elsewhere, maybe he got caught up in his emotions and mistook this for being the right thing. The problem is, Luke doesn’t know. The uncertainty makes him afraid. (Jedi should not be afraid.) He remembers his vision in the mythosaur lair and his throat tightens until he can barely speak. (Fear clouds one’s judgement.) “I can’t choose you,” Luke whispers, and a laugh catches in his through. “I can never choose you. Can you really tell me you understand that?” Din brings a hand up to his helmet. “I don’t know.” Luke stands up and catches his wrist. “Don’t,” he says. “I can’t let you give up your creed for me when I wouldn’t do the same for you.” Din’s hand falls. Luke stares into the dark visor, feeling further from his eyes than ever. The words of Obi-Wan’s Force-ghost echo in his head. “Had she said the word, I would have left the Jedi Order to be by her side.” “I’m sorry,” Luke says and lets go of his wrist. He steps back, gaze falling to the floor. If he wasn’t among the last Jedi… if the fate of the galaxy didn’t rest on his shoulders… But the Jedi are gone. Palpatine and Vader made sure of that. And now Luke has to spend his life paying for his father’s mistakes.

Chapter 18 excerpt:

“Leia, I don’t like this.” Luke tries not to squirm in his seat. If he had no appetite for the fancy Coruscant food before he certainly doesn’t now. “A Moff, after a force-sensitive child, working with a cloner? What the kriff were they doing?” “He might just have been after him because he was force sensitive and you know how the Empire felt about the Jedi.” “I wish I’d asked Din about this! I’m such an idiot.” “Who’s Din?” “Never mind. Okay, I’ve got to find out what Pershing was doing for Moff Gideon. I have a seriously bad feeling —” “Okay,” Leia says. “I trust your judgement. Are you finished? Let’s go speak to them.” Luke’s stomach swoops. “What?” “Sorry, farm-boy. Sneaking around isn’t how we learn things on Coruscant. You’ve got to play the game.” “What game?” “Politics, Luke.” “Oh great.”

Chapter 19 excerpt

“Good. I’m going down. Kymir and I can reach them fastest. Once we know where the creature lives we can go with a small group and rescue Ragnar.” Bo-Katan narrows her eyes, searching his visor for something to reassure herself. Din’s stomach drops when he realises that she’s desperately searching for his eyes. He touches her shoulder instead. “Keep them together,” he says, nodding in the direction of the others who are still reeling from the shock of the attack, some badly wounded. Bo-Katan sighs. “That’s what I’ve been doing for years, Din.” She shakes her head. “Let me wrap your arm. Take some more painkillers or you won’t be able to think when you’re down there. You might still lose the arm the way it is now.” Din stares at her. “Yeah, okay,” he says. “Okay?” Bo-Katan squints, winding the bandage around his arm which is thoroughly smothered in bacta. “I think you mean fuck.” “Fuck,” Din says. “It’s fine. I still have another arm.”

“∂ιи ∂נαяιи נσя иєя’вυιя נιι.” Din Djarin is… my… Din grabs a wall to steady himself. The words bounce around his helmet and his ears ache. He shuts his eyes, tries to focus on the words through the pain. They’re the important thing. “σяι’νσ∂ вυяк’у¢. ναιι’уαιм ∂яαgσи?” My friend is in danger. Where is the dragon’s home? “куяαмℓα.” He’s dead. “иυ ∂яααя!” Not never! “кумιя, уαιм’σℓ.” Kymir, come home. Din steps out to stand beside him. He tries to stand straight. He pulls out the darksaber with his good hand. “gαα’тαуℓιя,” he says, and ignites the blade. Help me. For a moment, nobody moves. Then, somebody asks, “ιвι¢… иι ¢єтα?” Will this… redeem us? Din looks at Kymir. Understanding wells in his eyes. "Do you forgive them?" “иααѕα∂ мι’ѕυя’нααι,” says Kymir. Not in my eyes. Din nods. Good. “мєн’gαα’тαуℓιя, нιвιяαя gαя иι ¢єтα.” If you help us, you may learn to forgive yourselves.

Grogu frowns in concentration. He peers out of the window, ignoring the computer completely, but his hand shifts on the stick and suddenly his eyes widen and he presses the button down. It hits the dragon and the creature screeches in agony, twisting up into the sky to escape from the onslaught. “Mu?” Grogu turns to Din. “Uh, lucky shot,” Din says. “I wouldn’t shoot without aiming first, kid. Wait, actually… can you use your Jedi stuff to aim? Is that what you’re doing?” Okay. What would Luke say? Something like… “In that case, just focus, and… listen to the — is it called the Force? Yeah, listen to the Force.” Grogu snorts. “What? Wouldn’t I make a good Jedi?” Din smiles, but Grogu can’t see it.

The guns bombard the remaining dragons with enough firepower to essentially obliterate them, and litter their scaly corpses across the ground. Boba-Fett lands his ship with a whoosh of hot air. Din stares as he lowers the landing ramp and marches towards him, Fennec following closely. “Thought you could use a hand,” says the gruff voice. Din tries to speak but his legs decide to give out. “Woah, there.” Boba keeps him upright with a firm hand on his shoulder. “Let’s get you inside, Manda’lor,” he says. “Someone oughta throw you in a bacta tank,” says Fennec. “We don’t have a bacta tank.” Bo-Katan scowls from the cave entrance. “What are you doing here, Fett?” “I heard there was a get-together on Mandalore. Someone must’ve missed my invitation.”

Chapter 20 excerpt:

The magic tethering her to Dathomir tugs sharply on her wrist as she falls again into the familiar darkness. And then stops. Ahsoka can hear her breaths this time, sharp and cutting, and she scrambles to her feet, searching for — “You…” “Get away from him,” Ahsoka snarls. Leia’s lightsaber ignites with a burst of blue. Palpatine, or whatever’s left of him, has found them. His dark cloak drowns his physical form, making him almost impossible to discern from the flickering darkness, if it wasn’t for the ghastly, misshapen white of his face. Yellow eyes melt through the darkness, and grey lips stretch in a triumphant gleam. “He is of no more importance,” Palpatine snarls. Maul’s body twitches in the air, hands grasping desperately at his throat. “Let him go,” Ahsoka says. “S-sever our dyad,” Maul gasps. “Don’t let… don’t let him…” Ahsoka rips her arm free of the green string. “No!” Maul cries. Now there is no going back. “I will not leave you with him.”

“Grand Admiral, Sir, permission to speak freely?” “Permission granted, commodore Faro. You know I always value your input.” “Well, Sir, we’re kriffed.”

Chapter 25 excerpt:

“Thrawn,” Eli starts, looking into his red eyes, “y’know I—” The security feed beeps. Eli’s eyes widen when he sees Ezra waving up at the camera from the supply room. Eli clicks the comms. “Um, Ezra, wha’d’ya think you’re doing there? Actually, how’d you even get on board?” “Space portals!” “Right. I see.” Eli rubs his forehead. This is going to be a long day. “You need anythin’?” “You won’t believe what happened down there,” Ezra practically yells. “Anyway, I need the key now because we’re locking Dathomir so this doesn’t ever happen again, then we’re all jumping through a space portal to you guys. Is that alright?” “Sure. See ya in a bit.” “Excellent,” says Thrawn. He turns to Eli. “What were you going to say?” Eli sighs. “Moment’s gone. Alright, let’s get this data ready for Ezra-kid to look at.”

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lovedbythelaw · 10 months

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The biggest problem with Psycho Pass is it couldn’t generate a new audience as time progressed.Of course cyberpunk social commentary with philosophical references is a very niche genre in itself.But people both Japan and overseas practically rejected the third season.Which doesn’t bode well for the series’s longevity.Because from my understanding the torch have been passed to legacy charecters already.The recent release and psycho fes made it abundantly clear that the audience for psycho pass are all from 2012-15 era who are only there for the OG squad.They don’t necessarily like or care for PP3 charecters.Releasing PPP in this chronology is weird to me because they already did a soft reboot and the legacy charecters are supposed to be important for the conclusion somehow or I assume so.Shouldn’t they put more effort into making them connect more with the audience?What I find interesting is they are getting a significant number of Kougami x Akane shippers with PPP which I imagine is their worst nightmare scenario for them(I don’t care about their baiting at all)and definitely isn’t something they are looking for.All I am saying is if they are doing legacy they should just commit instead of baiting and make the new gens more well fleshed.But then again that doesn’t guarantee popularity or acceptance either so idk.

Hi! All great points!

I believe the fact that Psycho Pass as a story survived 10 years is largely thanks to our wonderful creators who love the concept and characters so much that they wanted to keep it going.

As we see with most reboots, when the audience gets new characters thrown at them, it's very hard to make an emotional connection to them immediately. My personal opinion on Season 3 (and this my opinion, others may feel differently) is that it was fun. I wasn't too emotionally invested, - I could casually watch it. There was some great choreography with Arata's parkour and the fight scenes; and of course I was there to inhale any legacy cast crumbs that were sprinkled in. I actually re-watched Season 1 recently and there was definitely a stark contrast in how I felt about the separate installments.

I do understand a potential reason to release PP3 + FI before PPP may be to have the audience grow some interest in the new cast before the release of such an $$$expensive$$$ insane budget and frame rate film.

I think the characters definitely have potential. Arata is criminally asymptomatic and Kei is an immigrant who "chose" to live under sibyl (although with all the turmoil outside of Japan, it maybe wasn't a choice), those could be interesting stories if developed properly.

The rise in Ko x Akane shippers is something that also intrigues me. Then again, I don't have any numbers on hand nor have I performed any statistical analysis to claim that it's significant [Disclaimer]. I have a ~theory~ that perhaps the studio and the marketing team especially thought of highlighting our heterosexual "couple" as a promotional tactic. I recall reading how this was an issue with Suzume, where Makoto Shinkai no longer wanted to write anymore screenplays with hetero couples because he felt he already exhausted everything he had to say on that, but his higher ups insisted, so we ended up with a male lead who was a chair during 75% of the film. That being said, I don't know what the PPP creators were expecting even if this was just a marketing strategy... I don't think anyone in the room thought: "let's release a 4K HD highly detailed screencap of Kougami and Akane literally on top of each other in the premiere handout - yeah people will definitely only see them as purely professionally colleagues from that" (I have to admire the detail on that photo, because everything down to the broken glass and reflection on the glossy floor definitely looks like hours of work that an overwhelmed artist did with their own 2 hands). With that and all the interviews containing denial of them ever being an official couple, I suspect there's some disconnect among the team as a whole... but who knows - I wasn't invited to this meeting ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Now, my biggest critique is that the story with our legacy characters wasn't formally concluded before they introduced the new squad, and that's frustrating. Because now, we're stuck in the middle where both sets need to get some level of attention - and that's expensive. Drawing, writing, voicing this huge cast. The PPP character list is probably the most amount that Psycho Pass has had to work with in a single installment, so it was a reach endeavor to say the least. However, the general thoughts on Akane is that her character arc will be complete after PPP. She's reached her resolve and will likely serve as only a support or a mentor going forward (if we ever get more PP that is).

I am excited to see Providence regardless of the mixed feelings on it. From all the content that has been released, one thing is certain to me: this movie was made with a lot of love. For the world-building, the characters, the emotions, the fans. That's not something I can say about most films these days - especially animated films (particularly in the West). So I will thoroughly enjoy the everything out of this.

That being said, although I want more PP content, I think there should only be one more installment (whether it's a movie or season) to wrap up the rest of the story with Bifrost/Peacebreakers/Kei&Arata's motives that were left open-ended in PPFI. Having something go on forever is worrisome, because it's hard to keep the momentum up for so long - especially on the creative team's part (unless it's One Piece I suppose). I just want all the characters to have proper epilogues and leave the rest up to interpretation by the audience. Ending strong is always more noteworthy in my book - because that's the most recent impression that people will have after consuming the content, so it's very crucial to nail the third act even if we mess up in the middle. If we end on Providence (& Psycho FES if we count that), then judging by the Japanese audience reception so far - it seems like a strong endpoint. I'll be content with that.

#psycho pass #akane tsunemori #shinya kougami #psycho pass providence

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bubble-popping · 2 years

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If I'm honest? I think Dislyte would've been more successful as an animated series.

Idk if the devs have just never made a game before but it's abundantly clear none of them know what to do with all this feedback and it's rly hurting the game. I still enjoy playing, but I've been playing another game, Tower of Fantasy, recently and it's infinitely more rewarding with the gacha system. Using that as a comparison with Dislyte almost seems unfair lmao. ToF has been out barely a week and already it's a more fun experience.

Not to mention, there's multiple channels on the Dislyte official discord of ppl giving feedback and all the devs do is?? Explain more? Like there's ppl literally saying 'the new gacha system isn't better, it's in fact worse and hurts players who've been saving and f2p/low spending players' and their response is just 'actually ur wrong, shut up.'

There's so much they're doing correct, a diverse cast, backstories for characters, an interesting world, REALLY talented artists, and they're fucking it all up with how they're catering to the top 1% of gamers.

But that animated short of Gaius? THAT SHIT WAS AWESOME! I CRIED. The emotion and the visuals and the voice acting, IT WAS ALL THERE. THAT'S why I think Dislyte should be a series instead. It'd be more interesting if every few weeks or however long it takes they released little stories or episodes of the characters, I'd eat that shit up! That's rly why I'm playing! U think I'm playing to pull from an awful gacha or to do the same five things in game? (New content for late-game players, and I mean NEW CONTENT not just another game mode that requires hyper-specific espers for this one boss that only gives rewards that buff characters A LIL BIT, is scarce.)

NO. I like the characters! I like the stories (not the main story. It's 'okay' but the team is clearly artist heavy, I'll get to that in a second), I like their personalities, I wanna see them interact more! I want lore!

The only thing they would need to make an animated series happen is getting a good team of writers! That's literally ALL they're missing.

And while on the topic of artists, the game's artists should srsly feel for the fan base rn. We all know how many artists who want to make it their career often struggle to make ends meet. Well, NEWS FLASH, artists are the BACKBONE of every community. If ur content isn't accessible to that very important category, then all ur left with is whales and a tiny group of superfans that basically make their own content and try to forget the source material.

Dislyte either needs to start listening to fans when A LOT of them r saying there's things wrong with upcoming event content OR they better start investing in some writers and make a series.

#there's probably still stuff I forgot to say but this basically sums it up #I just rly wanted to say smth and Twitter is not conducive to long rants like this lol #it's just so demoralizing when u rly enjoy characters from a game or whatever #but the team behind it clearly doesn't care abt it's fans only the money they can make from 'em #sry this was so long had to get it out of my system #dislyte #bubble rants #bubble says

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kiruuuuu · 1 year

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Kiru's Advent Calendar, Day 23🏆

The day is here - finally, the Great Rainbow Bake Off actually takes place! Read all about who won and why :) This whole series was really fun to write and I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did 💕 (Rating T, chaos/fluff, ~3.8k words)

The outpour of support is overwhelming. IQ helped her source and install a few more ovens in Rainbow’s canteen, multiple people provided identical utensils, appliances and other kitchen needs, and both Mozzie and Echo volunteered for the camera work. Even Mute got involved and set up a livestream and a large screen in the lounge so absolutely everyone can follow the competition without getting in the way. Identifying the two judges was easy and Twitch herself is content in merely commenting on the proceedings and making sure everyone gets their time to shine. As host, it’s her duty to introduce the contestants as well as set an appropriate mood, and if the complete silence in the lounge next door is anything to go by, the pastries she provided for the audience are doing the trick.

After explaining the format a little and welcoming everyone, she turns to face the orderly queue of bakers with Sledge at the helm.

“I’m confident”, he replies to her question of how he feels about today. “It’s been a while since I worked this hard on anything, and I’m already proud of what I’ve accomplished so far. As long as I don’t accidentally break anything, I should be good.”

Once he’s moved out of the frame and to his workstation, Kapkan takes his place, facing the camera stoically. “I am going to win”, he states and immediately leaves.

“Against popular demand, I will not reprise my brownies from Rainbow’s first Christmas party. I do value my pay check too much.” Bandit grins at the instant uproar from the lounge and good-naturedly flips everyone off.

Finally, Dokkaebi appears, already wearing her apron, her hair neatly pulled back. “I’m just here to prove that Asians can bake”, she says as if anyone had ever questioned that fact.

Huh. Twitch turns to the other end of the room where Ace is busy listening to a seemingly endless anecdote by the second judge. Addressing Dokkaebi, she asks: “Did he -”

A nod, followed by a smile that’s a little too bright. “Sure did! That’s why I prepared a special surprise, just for him. To show him what I’m capable of.”

Fair enough, Twitch is intrigued. After everyone has taken position, she motions her judges over and addresses the four contestants who display varying levels of excitement (ranging from manic by Dokkaebi to deadpan by Kapkan). “Welcome to your first and only challenge today here at the first Great Rainbow Bake Off. These are your judges, Håvard and Adriano, and they would like -”

“Wait.” Sledge seems confused. “Why are you a judge, Adrianito?”

Twitch has never before witnessed Maestro being at a loss for words. He squirms uncomfortably next to her, starting a few sentences yet unable to follow through, and after a few seconds, Sledge is overcome by a sudden realisation.

“You can bake!”, he accuses with the same gravitas a widow would the murderer of her husband. “You lied to me.”

“I had to, cioccolatino, you would have used me to cheat.”

“Maybe we can postpone this conversation until -” Her attempt at defusing the situation is interrupted by the righteous fury of a Scotsman wronged.

“I trusted you. I felt for you. And as I stood there, filled with the despair of a man doomed to fail, as I laid my soul bare in our kitchen, all this time you could’ve fixed it? Was all my blood, sweat and tears just a game to you? I saw how well you slept, your conscience clean, did my plight mean nothing to you?”

Sledge’s emotion-laden roar easily triumphs over Maestro’s weak excuses. “I can’t be accused of favouritism, amore mio, I didn’t want -”

“After this, nobody will ever think of you as anything but impartial, well done, you have made it abundantly clear where your priorities lie and it’s not with your talentless, pitiful husband.”

“Please listen to me -”

“And Jesus wept!”

By now, Bandit looks like he’s going to crack a rib from suppressed laughter any minute. Neither Kapkan nor Dokkaebi seem particularly impressed, and there’s obvious panic lining Ace’s features as he looks back and forth between the arguing couple like it’s a tennis match. Twitch is pretty sure Sledge would be winning if it was, and also absolutely certain the Scotsman has spent entirely too much time with the Martello family and their dramatic streak. “Perhaps it’s better -”

“I will be baking today, but you know what? I am not doing it for you anymore.”

Sledge’s crossed arms indicate his side of the conversation to be over, and though Maestro must be dying a thousand deaths inside, he pulls himself together and lifts his chin defiantly. “Very well. I look forward to the results.”

“Get a room”, Dokkaebi comments and earns two genuinely frightening glares.

“In any case”, Twitch continues as if nothing happened at all, “the, uh, judges would, um, like you to make sixteen identical cookies. They don’t need to be Christmas-themed, although it doesn’t hurt your chances, and they should be baked well, taste amazing, and have just the right consistency. You have one and a half hours – on your marks, get set, bake!”

And it’s wonderful to watch them just burst into activity, getting out mixing bowls and scales, sort their ingredients, check their recipes. Like a bunch of well-oiled machines who form something greater than the sum of its parts.

“Should we make the rounds? Check on everyone?”, Twitch suggests to her two judges. Maestro’s expression gives nothing away as he nods, so she leans over to him to whisper: “Do you need a quick cry? Or are you alright?”

“I’m perfectly fine”, he assures her and she chooses to ignore his quivering lip.

As it so happens, Sledge is the first one they approach. “So, Seamus – what are you baking for us today?”

“Shortbread with a side of betrayal”, he replies evenly and when Maestro immediately starts defending himself again, Twitch and Ace exchange a brief look before sidestepping to Kapkan’s workbench instead, dragging Mozzie with them so the other two men can argue in peace.

“So, um, Maxim, what kind of cookies are you making?”

“Pryaniki”, comes the curt answer.

“What are they?”

“Delicious.”

“I mean… what are they made of?”

“Flour. And honey.”

“Just flour and honey?”

“Some other stuff, too.”

“Okay. Great talk. Thanks and good luck!” Twitch and Ace just shrug at each other, unsure of what they’re going to be eating later, and then move on to Bandit who’s currently watching his stand mixer beat some air into what looks like egg whites.

“Hi”, he greets them cheerfully, straightaway putting Twitch on edge.

“These are egg whites, right?”, she inquires with a healthy amount of scepticism.

“Yep.”

“… just egg whites.”

“Sure are.”

“Nothing else.”

“Of course not.”

He continues beaming at her with possibly fake innocence as the noise level rises in the other room, the other operators no doubt speculating as to the actual composition of the stiffening mass. “He wouldn’t be so crass”, Ace dismisses Twitch’s suspicion, earning muffled laughter from their audience. His expression slowly shifts from unconcerned to vague dread at that reaction. “… right?”

“Can you tell us a bit about your cookies?”, she intentionally shifts the focus away from what might become a meringue, provided Bandit isn’t lying, which is a 50-50 chance. She’ll take it.

“I could, but I don’t want to”, is his enigmatic reply. “It’ll be a surprise.”

Twitch’s alarm bells are going off and yet she forces a smile. “Well, we’re… looking forward to it. Did you practice a lot?”

“Made them once. I’ll be fine.”

As they make their way over to Dokkaebi, Ace addresses her in a conspiratorial whisper: “If that’s a meringue he’s making, he’ll mess it up for sure. You need to bake it long enough but not too long, it needs to be beaten to stiff peaks and I doubt he knows what that looks like, and if he’s folding anything in, he’s likely to knock all the air out of it if he’s not careful. It’s ambitious and I don’t believe he’ll pull it off.”

Though Twitch had much the same thoughts, her inherent optimism refuses to accept Ace’s assessment at face value. She still believes in Bandit, even if he’s prone to sabotage competitions like this one. “Will you be impressed if he gets it right?”

“Yeah, I’ll give him a handshake if he does.”

“How about you snog him if he does!”, Smoke calls from the other side of the room.

Is he even supposed to be in here?

Ace rolls his eyes. “Sure. I have so little faith in him that I accept that.”

The Brit manages to exchange an encouraging thumbs up as well as a wide grin with Bandit before he’s thrown out into the lounge and if she’s honest, Twitch is quietly rooting for Bandit now.

“I actually have a little surprise as well”, Dokkaebi informs them once the attention is on her. “I’m making two kinds of cookies, one is macadamia chocolate chip and the other a very special treat for Ace.”

Interesting. “What makes them so special?”

“Glad you ask.” Thusly prompted, Dokkaebi pulls out a small jar of what looks like to be a light brown paste. “This is an ingredient you don’t find in normal cuisines here, that’s why I really wanted to use it. My second set of cookies will be baked with it, and it’s made specifically for you.”

“I’m intrigued.” Ace eyes the mystery ingredient with a frown. “What’s it called?”

“Gae-sae-kki.” And with a lovely smile, Dokkaebi simply gets on with it.

The next hour and a half is a flurry of events Twitch can’t even summarise succinctly. Sledge and Maestro finally manage to make up after half the time is over, meaning Sledge is scrambling for the rest of the time, running around in a panic until Dokkaebi offers her help which he gladly accepts. Bandit is done early and starts harassing the other bakers, first and foremost Kapkan who eventually challenges him to a blindfolded game of tag – meaning Bandit spends fifteen minutes crashing into things and yelling for Kapkan to disclose his location whereas Kapkan took the blindfold off immediately and went back to icing his pryaniki without a care in the world.

At least one oven malfunctions, Dokkaebi burns her butter and makes everyone cough their lungs out (even next door), Echo nearly commits suicide by Kapkan when he stumbles and almost knocks his finished cookies off the counter, Maestro recounts various stories at least one of which features a bog mummy (it’s not entirely clear with the other two) and Mute features audience-made memes in a corner of the livestream, allowing them to vote on them to keep engagement up.

And then, finally, Twitch gets to announce: “Your time is up! Please stop fiddling with your cookies. Well done, everyone!”

The lounge erupts into loud applause after which they do another short round of interviews while the four contestants clean up their stations. There’s a tension palpable in the air, now that the stress is over: they feel it, it’s getting serious. The judging is about to begin. All eyes are directed to the front, to the small table placed before Maestro and Ace.

Twitch savours the silence a bit longer, relishes the attention for just a moment. She knows how hard they worked during the past week (most of them anyway, she’s not convinced Bandit has worked a day in his life), knows they finally got a taste of what it means to spend hours in the kitchen producing delicious goods to share with others, knows they’re all trying to win. This is partly why she stepped down from judging herself: she’d declare all of them winners, no doubt. She couldn’t pick a favourite.

“Grace, would you like to bring your cookies to the front?”, she eventually prompts, to which Dokkaebi just nods.

Her first batch is beautiful, slightly browned on the outside, a good balance of macadamia nuts and chocolate chips, not too flat but also not too dense either. They’re uniform, all of them the same size and colour. Twitch can tell both judges are impressed. While they’re chewing, she grabs one and tries it herself – and wow.

Okay.

Forget about all that not being able to pick a favourite, this is the best chocolate chip cookie she’s ever eaten. The browned butter gives it a light roast aroma, the brown sugar emphasising this darkish sweetness, and the macadamia nuts lift the taste back up, brighten it a little. It’s delicious. She needs this recipe.

“Amazing”, says Ace, utterly flabbergasted. “These are perfect. I have absolutely nothing negative to say.”

“What a flavour. What a flavour! You have created a miracle, my dear, this is a feast for the senses, utterly divine, if I could choose my last meal on earth right now, it would be this. Never before -”

And while Maestro waxes poetically into the nearest camera, Dokkaebi points to the second, smaller batch she’s presenting. “These are just for you, Ace. I hope you like them.”

The Norwegian eagerly shoves one of the unassuming-looking biscuits into his mouth, likely expecting similar excellence. The longer he chews, the more confused his expression becomes until it flips over into thinly-veiled disgust. With difficulty, he swallows everything and is left grimacing wildly. “An… acquired taste. I’m sure it tastes different to you, but -”

“Oh, I’d never eat this”, she objects, remaining unfailingly pleasant.

Ace blinks at her. “Didn’t you use something traditionally Korean? Or something like that? What was that stuff you showed us?”

“That was just pureed dog food. Merry Christmas!” With that, she grabs the tray with the chocolate chip cookies and walks out the door, only to be greeted with roaring approval in the lounge, the noise deafening for the brief moment before she closes the door behind her.

“I think you deserved that”, Twitch mutters in Ace’s direction, the man staring down at the dog food biscuits in horror and seemingly contemplating his life choices.

“- a poem in baked form”, Maestro finishes his verbose speech and turns back to the two of them. “On to the next one?”

They take a short break while Ace brushes his teeth and drinks about a litre of water just to get the taste out of his mouth, and Bandit admits he’s not so sure about wanting to kiss him anymore. Twitch fills Maestro in about what he missed and the Italian laughs so loudly he causes a brief feedback loop and even Mute takes the time to dash into the lounge just to congratulate Dokkaebi.

Twitch does feel a little bad for Ace, all things considered, but he takes it in stride despite his slightly paler face than usual.

“Let’s continue then. Dom, do you want to present your cookies next?”

“Sure.” When he puts his tray down, Twitch instantly knows he won’t need a mistletoe this year. She’s not sure what kind of cookies they are, but she knows a good meringue when she sees one – next to no cracks, shiny on the outside, and when she picks one up, it’s wonderfully light without being sticky.

“They look good”, Ace admits reluctantly.

“Made them especially for you.”

“Forgive me if I’m hesitant to eat them, but the last time I heard that…”

Twitch snorts and is the first to try them. It’s crunchy, lovely and sweet with a hint of almond – probably ground almonds folded into the mixture. And yeah, it’s nice, but… nothing groundbreaking. There’s no twist on it, no personal note she can discern, and it’s certainly no reason to stare motionlessly into space and look like the world just stopped turning. Concerned, she nudges Ace. “You alright?”

He shakes himself out of his stupor and stares at Bandit who’s displaying his trademark smug grin, the one he wears whenever he’s inordinately pleased with himself. “Where did you get this recipe?”

“Remind you of something?” Bandit is positively beaming. “Well, Siv sends her regards. These are her vepsebol.”

Twitch is worried Ace’s eyes are going to fall out of his skull any second now. “You – you talked to my mum?!”

“Yeah, no biggie. She’s absolutely charming. I asked her what your favourite cookie was when you were a kid, and she was kind enough to help me bake it.” No wonder Bandit is exuding self-satisfaction. His grin is contagious and Twitch finds herself smiling along with it. “I told you I was taking this seriously.”

Ace is speechless, for the second time now.

“They are quite good”, Maestro agrees and Twitch considers taking the tray back just so he doesn’t eat them all.

And something happens just then, something shifts in Ace’s expression as he realises the man notorious for playing pranks on everyone, the man said to care about nobody but himself, the very man who’d normally torpedo a happening like this went to the lengths of finding out something this personal about him just so he could present him with cookies from his childhood. No sarcasm, no backhand.

“Do you need a cry?”, she asks him quietly.

“I’m fine”, he replies, a little choked up. “Let’s, let’s just keep going.”

Still radiating smugness, Bandit goes back to his workstation to make space for Sledge.

What looks like plain shortbread turns out to be flavoured with lemon zest and ginger, a delicious combination they all compliment, much to his pride, and Twitch is glad to see the couple back to their usual harmony when Maestro holds yet another speech about how it’s the journey that counts and not the destination, and that he’s so proud of how far Sledge has come.

The implication isn’t lost on her, though. The shortbread is fine, but a little unimpressive.

Kapkan is the only one left and from one peek, Twitch can tell his offering is something else. He’s baked the pryaniki into small slabs and decorated them to perfection, adorned them with simple yet elegant Christmas designs like baubles, stars, a Santa hat and even a delicately feathered fir branch. The royal icing is piped with precision, framing each cookie with a cute ribbon and flooded with white so the colours he’s employed stand out more.

“These look exquisite”, Ace speaks what they’re all thinking. “They’re properly set, and underneath they’re all the same colour.”

Twitch lets out a content hum when the taste spreads on her tongue, a rich, satisfying, warm flavour – there’s all kinds of Christmas-y spices involved and the honey brings it all together. This is exactly the kind of cookie she wants to eat throughout December when it’s cold and wet outside and she needs a little pick-me-up.

The two judges concur with her mental assessment, expressing their enthusiasm vocally to an entirely impassive face, and suddenly it’s time to retreat and choose a winner.

While Maestro and Ace withdraw to a corner of the room to compare the participants’ creations, Twitch joins the four bakers (Dokkaebi begrudgingly returned for the award ceremony) to congratulate them on a job well done.

“I’m just happy with what I made”, Sledge summarises his experience with a sincere nod. “I’ve never spent that much time in the kitchen before and I doubt I’ll do it again, but it was fun.”

Dokkaebi agrees. “Yeah, I’ve already found twenty new recipes I wanna try out. No dog food, though.”

“If they give you the win, I’ll strip for you”, Bandit promises (threatens?) her. “They can’t. You probably made the best cookies, but you bet people will try to feed Ace the most disgusting shit if he lets you get away with that.”

“Do you mean yourself by ‘people’?”, she grins.

“By the way, were you actually trying to win?”, Twitch wants to know from Bandit, who gives her an enigmatic shrug.

“Well. I won’t win the competition I don’t think, but I’ve won something else.” He catches Ace’s gaze across the room and winks at him, earning no discernible reaction. Though Twitch thinks she sees Ace’s cheeks darken a little. Then, something else occurs to her.

“Are you not worried, Maxim?”

The Russian frowns at her question. “Of course not. With Grace disqualified, I’m going to win.”

“But aren’t you worried about the implications?” He’s still not understanding. “You’re known as a fearless hunter. You crush cans with your forehead and open bottles with your eye socket. You have a reputation, you know. Don’t you think being crowned best amateur baker in Rainbow because of your delicate decorations will… undermine that? A little?”

Finally, realisation sets in and Kapkan’s eyes widen. “Oh. Oh no.”

Just then, Maestro and Ace step back into the limelight, carrying a trophy and trying their best to look professional. “It was a difficult decision and I’d like to preface this by saying you’ve all done really well, except for Grace, who can go eat a dick.”

“Fuck off!”, Dokkaebi yells back, chipper. Nobody is paying much attention to an increasingly frantic Kapkan.

“But now we can crown the first victor of the Great Rainbow Bake Off! And the winner is -”

“No! Don’t say it!”

“- Maxim!”

“No!”

“Come over here and accept your trophy.”

Sledge manages to grab the man before he can escape and together with Maestro, they wrestle him in front of the camera, ignoring his cries for help and attempts to break free – Dokkaebi shoves the small trophy into Kapkan’s hands while Echo snaps a few pictures, just in case, and Twitch is somehow not at all surprised this ended in chaos.

To ensure at least their audience experiences a satisfying conclusion, she pulls Mozzie off to the side and smiles into the camera. “I suppose that’s it, thank you all for joining us, it’s been a joy to -”

“Actually, can you stand over here?” Mozzie is focused on something in the distance, motioning for her to step a little to the right and gives her a thumbs up once he’s happy with her position.

“Uh, like I said, it’s been great and I hope we can do this again sometime.” Mozzie is still not looking at her. Without turning, she asks: “Let me guess, Dom and Håvard are making out behind me?”

The cheeky grin is all she needs to know.

“Sounds like a few Christmas miracles happened today. Happy holidays everyone, bye!” And as she waves, Mute lets her know he’s cut the livestream.

That’s it then, the event is over. And as Twitch surveys the room, all the bright smiles and easy laughs, the people trickling in from the next room eager to deliver supportive messages to their favourite participant, hands grabbing cookies and breaking them in half to share them, she affirms that yes. Yes, she’d love to do this again.

#rainbow six siege #fanfic #great rainbow bake off #grbo #kac #twitch #ace #maestro #sledge #kapkan #bandit #dokkaebi #bandit/ace #this took SO LONG to write now I'm really behind ahhh #maestro really rubbed off on sledge #AND JESUS WEPT

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gunsli-01 · 2 years

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Love Below 0°

The Milgram fandom on here is a cozy type of small... Yet, somehow completely unhinged. Which makes sense for a web series centered around a bunch of fictional killers. Can't lie, I've been really entertained looking at what people will or will not forgive. It's even more fun to see what others think is going on with these characters. So, I'm going to put myself out there and say my interpretation of what they did. Plus, what I speculate the pairings represent.

I'll be throwing these out in pairs. Starting with Yuno and Haruka. I won't be going into too much depth. Since, I've spoken about Yuno in length before, and Haruka is a considerably straight forward case.

It is my belief that how the prisoners are paired together is indicative of the motive/emotional intent behind their actions. Bearing that in mind I believe the thing that ties Haruka and Yuno together is their Envy/attention seeking behavior.

For context, I was dragged into this whole thing by @apatchworkstar during the tail end of the first trial. So, most of the prisoners had a definitive verdict by the time I got into this. The only ones who didn't have a verdict were Amane, Mikoto, and Kotoko. However, after seeing Haruka and Yuno's first music videos. I was shocked to find they had been voted innocent. Cause I would have voted them both Guilty during the first trial.

Haruka clearly killed a kid who I thought to be his sibling, that and someone around Amane's age given he says he's not good with kids her age. Plus, animals during his first music video. I also didn't believe speculating he had a learning disability excused this or that he had one to be honest. Yuno's first music video made it abundantly clear she was partaking in a form of entrapment the extent of which I was uncertain about at that time.

Given my interpretation of what was shown I believed they both should have been voted guilty and would have voted them that way if I were there.

I'm certain that most have gathered by now they both killed due to envy/jealousy. They're the easiest pair to figure out. Haruka doesn't lie at all, and Yuno lies in such a blatantly coy way that I don't even perceive it as dishonest anymore. They are the most blatantly honest about what they did wrong and how they wish to be perceived and treated within Milgram. The ways they go about showing that though directly contrast each other.

Yuno is more passive leaning on being outright disdainful and cold to get the message across while Haruka will just say he wants something. Yuno will manipulate behind the scenes to get what she's after while Haruka will blatantly act up or behave to get what he wants in a shameless way. Making them nice foils for each other. If you look at it from a passive aggressive and aggressive framing.

Both of their second trial videos are out now. Given Haruka's second trial I'm voting him innocent. He clearly did the things I thought he did, the only thing that changed were a few environmental factors that recontextualized the issue. I'm a firm believer in yes, his mom fucked up on that one and if she couldn't use negative reinforcement to fix his behavior than there is no way that we can. Lol, hope he has fun here.

When it comes to Yuno though... I'd be happy with a fifty/fifty but I'm voting her guilty because of the noticeable hypocrisy. Yes, I know I sound like Futa but to be honest hypocrites are just annoying. Plus, Yuno is annoyed by that aspect of this as well. After stating she's the one who chose to allow us in to begin with asking, "Happy or sad? Why decide? Where'd you get your half-baked sense of justice? So, nauseating. So, creepy. Will you please disappear?"

Before brushing it off like she always does because she won't be bothered and going "Phew, anyway." and inviting us to grasp around blindly trying to find her again. In a coy if you want to know me open your eyes and look or stay blind searching for this idea of me you've created. Measuring her against our morality means she can only be innocent or guilty by our standards, never her own. It's something forced on her without her input or consideration towards how she feels about her actions. Causing her to become the same sensationalized topic, she berates in her first voice drama.

I understand why that would be annoying. Truthfully, Yuno is not special she is very much in here for the same shit Haruka is. Technically something I consider more pointless than what Haruka is in here for. He wanted affection from his literal parent who is shown to be physically and emotionally neglectful. Yuno, to her own admission, has a fine life and just wants the attention of someone she's romantically invested in. Despite her character not liking psychoanalysis the only thing I could gather that would excuse her behavior is blaming it on father issues.

This is because she states her family structure is her grandparents, mother, younger brother, and her. Though blaming it on that would be a disservice and a belittling of her character. Even if it were the case, just because someone is romantically interested in another person doesn't mean they are entitled to that sort of interest in return. She isn't owed anything more by her clientele than payment for her services. Parents on the other hand should ideally have unconditional love for their kids regardless of that child's capabilities or age.

Despite whether Haruka's mom intended to or not her actions clearly ended up giving Haruka a distorted understanding of affection. To the point that he takes all forms of attention as positive and smiles at being slapped. Cause he conflates being reprimanded and punished with being cared for. That's a parental failing. Parenting is difficult but fuck his mom. It's to the point that I can't even fault him for considering Mu to be his real mom.

Hell, she's a better option than his real one. At least Mu's conditions are ones that he can meet just never say no to her and behave well. While his actual mom's according to what we've been shown were impossible to meet from the start because he was just born wrong. I just find it wild that a bunch of people were like he just needs help, he can't do things as easily as other people while knowing he's a murderer during the first trial. Then when he got a bit of confidence from that recognition be like no we've got to put him back in his place. For his benefit though, like alright, okay...Sure.

I feel mostly the same way towards anyone voting Miss I don't know why the public sensationalizes adultery so much innocent. Then being like Kazui might have cheated and that's bad. Where's that energy you guys had at Mikoto being shirtless in his own house while showering towards Yuno wearing lingerie throughout her entire second trial video? The animators knew what they were doing there but not here, okay. Super weird that she did the things she did for love like Mahiru did but since she's not unabashedly traditionally feminine she gets a pass while Mahiru is at death's door. Can't imagine what that says about most voters.

Phew, anyway...to the next pair then.

#milgram #milgram haruka #milgram yuno #these next two are gonna be a doozy

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anhed-nia · 2 years

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BLOGTOBER 10/8/2022: HELLRAISER (2022)

I think this movie is shining a light on the difference between how horror fans judge modern movies versus older ones, and perhaps especially versus the films of their childhood. I feel like I'm seeing a lot of responses from viewers who were immediately hung up on the glibly-deployed elements of addiction and recovery in HELLRAISER 2022, and so found themselves unable to engage with anything else in the movie. Personally…I just didn't take it so personally, and it occurred to me that I've never heard anyone complain about the ludicrous portrayal of mental illness and autism in HELLRAISER II, or the specter of incest that haunts HELLRAISER '87, and I could easily branch out into other much-adored movies that are not too socially-just, but that remain cozily swaddled in nostalgia, loved and forgiven. Maybe there's a feeling that newer movies should know better, coming as they do from an enlightened era of being fully informed about the suffering of others via the educational power of the internet, and therefore taking everything as seriously as possible. Maybe that makes modern viewers feel like it's too late to correlate the scourge of addiction with the quest for experience sought through the lament configuration. I mean, everybody has a right to their reactions and I think it's culturally healthy for even a really great work of art to take a few slings and arrows, to keep us all off autopilot. But I think that holding the human grist in HELLRAISER to the standards of neorealist drama is sort of missing the point of a movie like this—which is, of course, the cenobites.

And the cenobites are great! Director David Bruckner gives good monster yet again, having delivered a fabulous beast in 2017's THE RITUAL, and true to the spirit of 2020's THE NIGHT HOUSE, he shows a refined understanding of infernal geometry. David S. Goyer joins the screenwriters of the latter movie, Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski, to set up a plot about a rich pervert (Goran Visnjic) who has a typically disappointing transaction with the cenobites, and so he manipulates a group of young dirtbags into helping him negotiate a new deal. I guess there are never enough survivors of cenobite commerce for word to get around that they only offer a monkey's paw type of thing, but I don't really care if the characters make a lot of dumb decisions so long as the tradeoff is always that I get to see cenobites.

The story centers on recovering addict Riley (Odessa A'zion, who I just have to mention is one of Pamela Adlon's kids!) who discovers the lament configuration during a robbery planned by her sleazy boyfriend Trevor (Drew Starkey). Riley's lapse of judgement allows the cenobites to make off with her brother (Brandon Flynn), and so Riley and her friends pursue the secrets of the puzzle box to try to save him. While HELLRAISER '22 has been described as a remake and a reboot and a reimagining in various quarters, David Bruckner has been clear that it's, like, just another Hellraiser story. There are a lot of books and comics and movies about all the different people who fall prey to the box's enticements, and it's totally reasonable to just make another one of those based on the series' abundantly flexible premise. Actually, while my husband and I were watching the movie, we started compulsively riffing on all the different things you could do: First we felt like Riley's misadventure with her unlucky friends was just like an episode of Search Party, which made us think about how funny it would be to introduce the lament configuration in other Bad People sitcoms like Seinfeld, or Curb Your Enthusiasm, or It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, and then before long we were imagining a whole season of The Rehearsal where Nathan Fielder tries to get a series of unfortunate rubes to open the box for him.

What HELLRAISER '22 offers is not grand insights into human nature, but fun experiments with the basic conceit. The lament configuration is one of the greatest designs in horror to be sure, and yet somehow nobody has ever gone into detail about why it assumes so many shapes. I normally do NOT want a bunch of anal retentive rules and dry explanations added to my horror movies; I find that the less mysterious things are, the less emotionally effective they are. In this case, the coding of each of the box's configurations as representing a different human longing both honors the original lore, and adds complimentary flavors—and speaking of flavor, I'd love it if someone would realize my idea for a breakfast cereal with freeze-dried marshmallow configurations. But anyway, the love of design and its expressive capabilities is laced through the whole movie, from its inventive architecture, to its fabulous new cenobites. A lot of love went into crafting these things, and Jamie Clayton easily earns her place in the expanded scheme of things. Viewers who are too distracted by HELLRAISER '22's tangential references to the real-life horrors have my sympathy, because if you can watch around the corners of that issue, there is much to enjoy.

#blogtober 2022 #blogtober #hellraiser #hellraiser (2022)#david bruckner #david s. goyer #Ben Collins #Luke Piotrowski #odessa a'zion #drew starkey #jamie clayton #Brandon Flynn #clive barker #horror #monster #cenobite #supernatural #occult

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teaveetamer · 2 years

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The Ask Answerathon

Long post, but I'm just gonna bang out like 90% of these anons in one go because the thought of making 20 additional separate posts about this issue is, frankly, exhausting.

I always hate the argument that "Edelgard critics just hate 3H", ugh. I won't say its my favorite game in the series (not by a long shot) but I didn't develop a disdain for it until the fandom decided to act like this. And even then, I don't like Edelgard much but there are absolutely parts of 3H that I do enjoy, even if my opinion on the game started out kind of mediocre and it was all downhill from there.

I assume this is referring to the post I made about how liking characters who do bad things in games is not indicative of who you are as a person.

I mean, I don't particularly like her for her actions either, not to mention the sexist writing surrounding her that I've already discussed elsewhere. But her personality isn't particularly endearing to me either (I like the occasional "cold girl who melts for you" type of character, I just don't think it was done well here) and her stans didn't help. But I would never imply people who just happen to like Edelgard support stuff like genocide or imperialism... the problem is the people who claim liking Edelgard is this super moral awesome thing to do while also openly defending imperialism and genocide.

I still haven't played Live A Live!!!! I've been meaning to get to it, but honestly? I'm kind of feeling a nostalgia trip coming on so I might just go play My Sims after I'm done answering these asks, lol.

I will take your word for it since I am not familiar enough with whatever you're referencing to argue for or against it.

"That didn’t happen.

And if it did, it wasn’t that bad.

And if it was, that’s not a big deal. (That guy is Here)

And if it is, that’s not my fault.

And if it was, I didn’t mean it.

And if I did, you deserved it" (Though they occasionally dip into this one)

FORREAL. Like I won't claim Nilsh was flawless. I didn't follow him in part because I was kind of sick of the discourse when he really got going and because I didn't see much point in constantly responding to takes you don't agree with (which is what he did for a while). However, I think what has transpired after Nilsh's departure has just made it abundantly clear that their problem wasn't possibly someone coming into their space and interrupting their fun by disputing them. It was literally anyone disagreeing with them anywhere at all about literally anything. Even if you think Nilsh, or even BWIIDT (because they read Cap's fanfic) were ever out of line for what they did, that doesn't explain coming after the multitude of creators on this platform who have literally never done anything to you. And the response was far disproportionate to the actions done to them. It's like responding to a light slap by beating someone and their entire family and group of friends until they're all on life support in the hospital.

(I've been informed that referring to someone as a "Kevin" is a German thing. I personally associate it with that semi-infamous Reddit thread from a high school teacher)

Anyway I won't speculate on his mental state. I think the way he's been responding is incredibly troubling and indicative that he might need to step away from online discourse for a while, though.

I'll say to this that I'm definitely not a big fan of kink shaming. That said, it's very clear that this guy has not squared away the ways in which his kinks contrast with his espoused personal views, and I do think that could be a point of self-reflection for him.

I am of the opinion that kink does not necessarily contrast with social justice, because kinks (provided everything is both legal and consensual) are simply adults expressing power and control over their sexuality. Considering how stigmatized sexuality is, especially for the LGBTQ+ community, this can be an extremely valuable tool for helping people take back power from the prevailing, dominant, cishet sex-negative culture.

If those kinks do contrast something (e.g. an infantilization of women fetish naturally slotting into sexist mindsets) then it might be worthwhile to unpack... but also, I think saying "yeah I think it's hot, and also I think sexism should die in a fire and I would never play out this kink with someone who wasn't a fully consenting adult who is also completely into it" is a lot less skeevy to me than trying to hide or be ashamed of the kink.

But anyway, I think the way he has been treating the women of this community who disagree with him is a lot more telling about his stances toward women than his kinks or his favorite characters.

This behavior isn't exactly exclusive to men and feminism either, though obviously that's the most pertinent example. The most recent example I can think of was some Twitter thread where some (from what I understand) cisgender woman tried to make an "educational powerpoint" on how to "properly" treat gay men in fictional writing and in fandom. Which was littered with a bunch of weird stuff that had absolutely no basis in the actual gay community (I read it at the time, I recall it being a lot of really infantilizing "plz don't write things I don't like" type of points). And when gay men in fandom tried to call the OP out, OP blocked all of them and started complaining about how everyone was just so unnecessarily mean to them for no reason whatsoever before they eventually deleted the post for the backlash.

I couldn't tell you where it comes from. Some kind of audacity that comes with privilege that makes you believe you're allowed to speak for groups you don't belong to, I guess? There's admittedly a fine line to walk between being an ally and being a bulldozer, but I think your clearest indication that you are behaving like the latter should be people from the group you're trying to defend literally telling you that you're acting like a bulldozer and not listening to them.

I suppose it's appropriate for the month. I guess those people really need a spooky month boogeyman and Nilsh is always their go-to lmao.

I'd prefer if we don't resort to ad hominems in my ask box. I know I've probably been a little lenient on this, but now that I've had a few days away from the intensity of the situation it's not something I'd like to encourage on my platform. I'll also reiterate that I don't want anyone here to send the guy harassment. Keep any interaction constructive and/or calling out his actions.

Anyway, I can't say him not responding to anons that aren't completely positive to him is out of line with what I was expecting. The guy has never been interested in "debating" or "correcting misinformation" like he claims. It has always been about cultivating a certain image and trying to punish people who disagree with him. He wants to be the "hero" that saves the standom from the "evil Edelgard Criticals" and he doesn't look very righteous if he has a bunch of people telling him that they don't like him or think he deserves criticism for his actions.

Yep, this is an extremely common inroad to radicalization. If you position yourself as a victim, then the logic follows that there must be an oppressor for you to unite against. In some cases this is absolutely justified (like, when people are actually victimized by bigotry) though you should be careful people don't take advantage of that. Aaaaand in some cases, it is absolutely not justified (like, when someone else doesn't like your waifu and expresses that on the internet).

#Edelgard discourse #long post

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yrptraumacentermanga · 2 years

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Hey, I really love your series! I’ve always thought about making a webcomic adaptation of a game like you’re doing, but it always seemed like so much work. Do you have any tips or advice on making comics?

Hey there! Glad you're enjoying the series!

As for my advice, here is what I can offer from my experience with working on Trauma Center and my own comics:

Before you start drawing pages, script out the story. I can't stress this enough but having a written script has been a life saver for me. Helps with keeping things on track and gives a rough idea how long chapters are gonna be. (And the story as a whole)

It's okay to make adjustments as you go. Sometimes when something was written awhile back you might not have considered a possible scenario. So if something new comes to mind that might work better and doesn't break anything then give it a shot. If you compared some of the recent chapters of Trauma Center to the original script it would be noted they look nothing alike. (This is abundantly clear with later chapters.)

Thumbnailing (The process of making quick little rough sketches) is a beautiful thing. Saves you from making more pages than you need to and helps you figure out pacing with quick drawings rather than sketching out whole pages then finding out maybe you made too little or too much. (Also helps with formatting)

Have a friend or group of friends who can act as editors/beta readers. It's always good to get feedback to make sure a story is making sense and to check pacing. (And checking for typos. Though be warned sometimes even after three people, typos can still sneak past. I speak from experience and I often scream internally when I realize there's still a typo.)

As an addition to the editor/beta reader thing that's exclusive to Trauma Center, it was good to have a beta reader that wasn't familiar with the source material. I wanted the manga to be friendly to both fans of the game and people who have never played. I never wanted playing the game to be a requirement to enjoy the manga. So, it's a good way to check.

The last bit of advice I can offer, and this specifically in regards to adapting a game into a manga, don't be afraid to make some changes. With any adaptation, it's okay to take some liberties. Gameplay mechanics in particular have to be slightly ignored since it won't make sense in story. (For example: Don't know if anyone has noticed, but we don't bring up the stabilizer even once in the manga. We threw it out entirely.) Important thing is to keep the main story beats and character arcs intact. If you want to expand on something the game didn't? Go for it! Want to shine some more light on a character? Do it! Want to add some extra characters to make the world feel more lived in? Go nuts! (I did all three of these things.) Bottom line, don't feel like you need to do a 1 for 1 adaptation. It's actually pretty limiting if you do it that way.

And that's all I can think of besides the general advice of studying other manga adaptions of games to see how others handled it, studying comics in general so you can figure out how to format your own, and so on.

Though one last thing I will mention quickly. Be prepared for the work load cause yeah, it is a lot of work to make something like this happen. Comics/mangas take a lot of time and it can be intimidating. But the important thing is to pace yourself and well... don't stress too much about it. Have fun with it and take all the time you need to get it done. Just be patient with yourself and if you need a break, you need a break. Your project will be there when you're ready to start work again.

And that's it. I wish you the best of luck with your project and I hope this advice helps!

#trauma center #trauma center manga #ask #pewycert

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gold-pavilion · 2 years

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In your opinion based on the dozens of dialogues and moments in the manga that they have had is there something romantic going on between Mikey and Takemichi? are their moments legitimately in light of romance or are shippers misreading their relationship? Adding to the total disinterest that Takemichi showed in the Bonten arc for his "dream" wedding preparations and also for his fiancée Hina.

These asks are fun DFHSDF

To be clear, it's just my opinion that I'm throwing here! BUUUUTTTT, first things first:

As always, my man, ship absolutely anything you want. May we all do the same and have a blast. It doesn't need to be canon or canon-valid or anything to ship and go nuts.

That being said…! While I don't personally see anything explicitly romantic there up to this point (dialogue has stayed at a platonic level, many gestures that are certainly grand but open to interpretation on what their emotional significance is, no particular action that's unmistakably romantic, that kinda stuff), I can see the shipping material.

There's a million gestures and cues that make it abundantly clear that Mikey favors Takemichi a ton, and that Takemichi grew to care for Mikey immensely; so much that he'd risk the timeline where everyone but Mikey was okay in order to give him a chance at happiness too. They're close, no doubt. To each their own interpretation of that emotional bond, what is and isn't a factor in it.

Personally, I think it does speak about their bond that he's seeing Hina in the wedding dress and keeps thinking "damn this is gonna be a great day and Mikey should be in it, imagining my homie so much right now". It's kinda funny, kinda goddammit Michi respect your fiancée a lil bit more, kinda sweet, kinda woah Michi date a buddy if you're gonna be like that lmao.

One has to remember, though, that he's been in contact with a lot of traumatic events around Mikey in particular, and as the very last element left out of a 'perfect' future, it's understandable that it sticks in his mind. He both adores Mikey and is super worried about him. Humor aside, he's abundantly displayed his interest in Hina staying strong throughout the series with all he's done to make sure she lives to adulthood and how nuts he goes at anything she does, so I wouldn't quite say he's grown disinterested - he's happy to get married - but that his head isn't all there at the moment.

If that means other developments and other things about his emotions is up to interpretation, as usual. Pretty great stuff for exploration in fanworks!

(I can leave the extra note, though, that some things with Takemichi and Hina easily fall in an area of cultural differences that translation alone can't bridge, which is partly a reason why things can seem odd between them. What I mean is, their couple behavior is easter-style and old fashioned to a fault. Both in the cute sense in which it takes a long time of relationship to arrive at a first kiss and hand-holding is still a big deal, and… old fashioned in the less pleasant way; in japanese culture, sadly, viewing a girlfriend/marriage as one thing and sex as another has historically been a thing, giving men more justification than is reasonable about cheating, to name an example. In general, I don't think Takemichi is a great boyfriend nor good with/for girls, but it's Hina's call on who she dates. I don't doubt he loves her, but he's also a fucking fool. It's a whole thing!)

#asks #i always talk a lot sfdhsdhf #it's how I roll so pls expect me to ramble at the slightest thing #specially if it's a complex character thing I'll ramble a lot more #hanagaki takemichi #sano manjiro #tachibana hinata #thoughts and talk and so

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andswarwrites · 8 months

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It's Friday, so it's time to slack off in the writing and make a list of favorite things. I'm currently watching the science fiction series Firefly with my daughter, and experiencing her reactions and responses is proving to be quite an experience for me. I've loved Joss Whedon's universe and the Firefly ship Serenity's crew ever since I first met them when a friend brought over the movie, and while we were dating, my future husband bought the boxed set of DVDs so I could watch the precious thirteen episodes. I do not love each episode equally, that is why I'm going to make this list. I'm going to do my best to keep spoilers to the minimum, but if you are reading this and have not seen the show and movie, stop reading and go watch them. It doesn't take long, and it's quality sci fi.

Number One: Serenity (Pilot)

As I said, I met the crew through the movie, so I had a vague idea who they were, but when I watched the pilot, I was blown away by how the characters were brought together, and how extremely well written the dialogue was. From Wash playing with his plastic dinosaurs (see, spoilers), to Jayne calculating the percentage of nothing, to Mal's discovery of River: this was not a cohesive group of individuals with a united goal, this was chaotic, conflict could be explosive, but there were moments of tenderness, there were glimpses of potential friendships and relationships. I love a good introduction, a great first chapter. I've seen many pilots, but none I could watch repeatedly as if it were a standalone movie. The pilot is a masterpiece.

Number Two: Out of Gas

Mal is an enigma, because in one way he cares for everyone on board his "boat", and he takes seriously his responsibility as their captain to keep them safe, but he tends to keep everyone at arm's length. This episode is divided into three specific stories, all mashed together: first, there's Mal, and he's all alone. He's injured, he's in danger. Next you see flashbacks of how he first met his ship and then the people who joined the crew along the way, and third, you see the story unfold of how he wound up alone on his ship, and the suspense builds as he struggles to make a desperately needed repair, all the while losing blood. It becomes clear, as you watch it, that it's Mal who brought this crew together. He made connections with everyone, and he didn't judge their background or actions. From this episode you learn how Mal thinks and operates, and if he wasn't before, he definitely becomes your Captain, too.

Number Three: Objects in Space

I love any story that focuses on River. I had difficulty choosing between Safe, Ariel and Objects in Space for the third rank, but I have to say that Objects in Space wins the place, just for that opening scene of River wandering the ship and our glimpse into her mind. The other factor that makes me feel like this episode is one of my top favorites is how unabashedly brutal, sadistic and clever Early is. Niska by comparison is a manipulative coxcomb, and up until the point where you meet Early, Niska seems like the worst villain they had the misfortune to encounter. While everyone is worrying about River, she takes matters into her own hands and plays mind games with Early. River is vulnerable, yet resilient. She is forthright, direct, yet there is much she keeps to herself. Following Early through the ship, watching him take control of matters, but then seeing him bested by River and her plan, now that is a satisfying storyline.

Number Four: Trash

Christina Hendricks is a treasure. Of course, we meet her in Our Mrs. Reynolds, but Trash is a heist episode. As will soon become abundantly clear: I love heist episodes. There are so many twists in Trash; first you think one person has outsmarted the rest, and then it turns out they themselves were outsmarted. There's a certain measure of suspense, as there should be with a heist, but Trash is mostly fun, thanks to quipping, bickering, playfulness and the like. We got to know the vixen in Our Mrs. Reynolds, but we learn so much about her indirectly in Trash. She's a thrill seeker, though somewhat pathetic. She always has to have the upper hand, and she's wily. And yet, you can't help but feel affection for her. And you have so many questions about her backstory. You may get a smidgen of answers, but you're left wanting more.

Number Five: Ariel

Firefly mixes space with small towns on backwater moons, livestock with fancy parties, guns and ammo with advanced technology, but then in Ariel you get to see the inside of a futuristic hospital in a bustling city. The color scheme is less warm, more cold colors creep in. This episode sets up a heist storyline, but then there are other elements that come to play. Two nemeses that were introduced back in The Train Job demonstrate how dangerous they truly are. An "interesting day" which was alluded to back in the pilot comes to pass. Simon finally truly shines as a doctor and a devoted brother, and a decent human being. But most of all, the story itself is compelling and suspenseful. A proper heist, with twists and turns, peril and betrayal.

Number Six: Jaynestown

One of the funniest episodes, in my opinion, this episodes also has depth, especially in its final scene, where the theme song of the entire episode quietly, subtly plays while Jayne utters "Don't make no sense." Jayne is one of the most straightforward characters. He likes money. He likes women. He looks out for number one. But even Jayne shows us that his conscience can smite him, in his own way. Jayne goes from confusion and wild-eyed stage fright to lapping up adoration to an earnest wish to make a difference to expressing heartfelt remorse and confusion at how strange people can be. And then there's Inara and how she influences a young man crushed by the personality of his father, helping him find his own. Part tender, part heartbreaking, and full of humor.

Number Seven: Safe

River looking into the soulful eyes of a cow. River dancing. River telling Simon what she knows to be true. Shepherd Book revealing that he isn't quite what he seems. "Big damn heroes" showing up "in the nick of time". And then Simon asking Mal why he came back for them and being told "You're on my crew." Simon and River are on the crew. Shepherd Book is on the crew. Mal has to prioritize one who is injured, but that does not make him abandon the others or choose and easier path. There are so many precious moments in Safe. It's like a scrapbook of Firefly's greatness. And while we heard Simon and River's story in the pilot, seeing it in Safe reveals so many details that were left unsaid.

Number Eight: War Stories

I figured out what I love best about this episode while discussing it with a friend. The best feature, for me, of this particular story, is how Wash simply shines. From that very first episode, where "He's the captain, Wash," is met with "Right, I'm just the husband," we see the underlying resentment Wash feels, under all the playful banter, behind the light-hearted quips, he feels threatened by just how close Mal and Zoe really are, how they have something he isn't part of. But in War Stories, we see Wash's epiphany, where he realizes what Mal did for Zoe: Wash has his wife thanks to who Mal is, how his survival instinct is contagious; Mal is a force of nature and Wash finally owes him in the same way Zoe does, bringing them closer together as they mount a reckless rescue operation as husband and wife. I could mention more scenes, more lines, from Kaylee getting pinned down and River coming to the rescue, to the way Book roasts Simon.

Number Nine: Heart of Gold

This one is a stand off between a band of misfits and a selfish sexist who apparently has the upper hand. It breaks my heart every time I watch it, so why isn't it lower on the list? Just like I love YoSaffBridge, I have tremendous affection for Nandi and the life she has carved out not only for herself but the family who inhabit the house with her. I love every scene with her in it, because she's a lot like Mal in feminine form. She handles crises well, she is a natural leader, she has authority as well as compassion, she knows how to protect those who rely upon her, she will take matters into her own hands and she has her own code which only she knows and follows. No wonder Mal and Nandi connect instantly.

Number Ten: The Train Job

We’re getting to the point where I'm asking myself "Why isn't this one higher up on my list?!" and then I look at all of the ones that precede them and I go "Oh, because they're all superb, so ranking them is really an impossible feat." Honestly, I would have ranked The Train Job higher if I had never learned that it was a substitute pilot. Of course, it does its job very well; it introduces the characters, it's snappy, it's fast-paced, its overall tone is good, and it introduces a minor character I adore, the sheriff of the town. All that being said, I'm so angry that the network decided to air this as the first episode instead of Serenity, which as I have stated is in itself a movie of such tremendous quality, I can't help but notice how the dialogue must carry so much exposition to make up for the fact that the audience was pitched into this story headlong. I have mixed feelings about The Train Job, but I still love it, because it introduces Niska, who is a comprehensive sadist who we love to hate, and as I said, the sheriff. As a pilot, however, it should never have been one.

Number Eleven: Our Mrs. Reynolds

Why is Trash higher up on the list than Our Mrs. Reynolds? Sometimes a story where we already know a character is more compelling than the story where that character is introduced. It's why I love GotG2 and GotG3 the most, even though when I first saw GotG, I thought it was the best movie Marvel had made so far (thank you, James Gunn, for this awesome trilogy). Honestly, my favorite character to be introduced was Vera. I still randomly say "I call her Vera" in conversation, and anyone unfamiliar with Firefly is completely lost as to my meaning. I also sometimes have Mal shouting "She was naked! And…articulate!" pop into my head making me laugh. Also Book leaning with his head at a comical angle reiterating "The special hell." It's a masterpiece. They all are.

Number Twelve: Shindig

When we meet Badger, he's a slimy, no-good half-pint crook. But in Shindig we see him interact with River, and that adds so many more layers to him, "a sad little king on a sad little hill." Like Jaynestown, Shindig is one of the episodes with a lighter tone, a lot of humor. It's also visually lush, stunning at times, and the commentary on high society and so-called refinement is deliciously scathing. Kaylee is just so sweet in this episode, Inara is graceful, Mal is "all right". Atherton Wing is a snake. And the end of Shindig sets up Safe. Shindig may be before-last in this "ranking", but as I said: they're all masterpieces.

Number Thirteen: The Message

The one thing I truly appreciate from The Message is a certain piece of music that Greg Edmonson composed. He was working on this episode when he learned that the show had been cancelled, and he put all his grief at this news into a sort of musical dirge, which moves me every time I hear it. Honestly, however, I have no tolerance for this episode's antagonist. His fate when he meets it seems so pointless to me. He was so hell bent on manipulating people who cared for him, he didn't stop to think that if he straightforwardly asked for help instead of wearing mask after mask to trick them, he would have obtained help and would have made it out of the situation. The way he can't ever bring himself to finish that sentence, and Zoe has to finish it for him: "You find someone to carry you." He had someone, two someones in fact, who would carry him, but he couldn't bring himself to ask. The tragedy physically hurts me.

And that's it! In order of my favorite to my least favorite, these are the thirteen episodes of Firefly. I'm sure every Browncoat on Earth could make this list and have a completely different order, while many might refuse to even attempt it, saying that they are all equally good. The thing about Firefly is that it was so brief it is basically a miniseries, self-contained, a story full of genius, a work of art. It is one of my all-time favorite shows. This list was fun to put together, but I might have to revisit it in ten years and see if the order changed. My appreciation of certain plots and characters develops as I do, my outlook shifts. Nothing should ever be set in stone, not while we are flesh and blood.

#andswar #firefly #science fiction

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yanderenightmare · 3 years

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Hi I have no idea if requests are open, but how would our yandere boys (of your choosing) react when their come home to their pets wearing their hero/villain outfits? I know many of them would be amused, but I feel since they're each a different type of yandere they'd have a various dark thoughts.

yandere ! BNHA thirsts

goodiebag WARNINGS: nsfw, dubcon/noncon, profanity, dumbification, condescension, degradation, FLUFF, obsession

BAKUGO KATSUKI - KACHAN

She looks like a little ninja in that mask. She wasn’t able to put any of the other things on because of the sheer size of them compared to her. She wouldn’t really ever call herself petite, given she’s a clumsy mess, but standing next to Bakugo, it’s safe to say she felt like a mouse next to a bear. And though she was standing in his great big boots, swimming in them, the mask was the only thing that fit. Resulting in her standing there, in her underwear, in his massive black heavy combat-boots and his menacing black mask.

Scratch the first note. She looked, briefly, like a ninja in that mask, but as she noticed him lurking in the threshold of the door, she made the mistake of trying to jump like the skittish bunny she is, her feet caught in the trap of his shoes and tripping before she could catch herself, all graceless and clumsy and not at all like any ninja. No worries though, seeing how Katsuki’s quick on his feet, she was never even close to hitting the floor before she was hugged tightly to his chest.

He’s amused, it’s the first thing she notices, that great big sun-swallowing grin stretched on his face, the gleaming glint in his eyes, so bright she’s forced to giggle in her unbalanced yet secured embrace. She looks like a little rookie sidekick, in desperate need to learn a thing or two from him, or an amateur cat-burglar who thought she could poach one or two things from him, caught red-handed, trapped. He can already feel his dick perking, twitching in his sweats, growing warm and heavy just at the sight of her stupid giddy smile. She’s only wearing his fucking mask, but holy fuck, why does she have to be so fucking cute all the goddamn time?

TAKAMI KEIGO - HAWKS

She doesn’t often think about how much bigger Keigo is than her. Sure, she knows it, he’s bigger, taller, stronger, faster, but they’re not facts he opts to make abundantly clear. Keigo is like a child more often than not, he’s ridiculous, pouty, petty, always pulling pranks, cracking jokes through sarcasm and a sly smile, where other times he’s just a horny spaz. He’s not really one to exert dominance, not really a personality that screams alpha. Yet, as she treads on his suede flight jacket, she realizes just how small she is in comparison to his lean frame.

They were fresh out of the shower, towel wrapped around her to dry, Keigo still in front of the mirror fixing his hair to look neatly disheveled, but as she stepped out, leaving Keigo to his vain antics in the bathroom, she caught eye of something that would be way more comfortable than her towel. The fur was stupid soft, and warm, and smelt so undeniably like Keigo, and felt really nice against her sensitive ripe raw skin after having been taken by her wild animal in the shower for hours.

She was so lost with her eyes closed, holding onto the feeling of the softness wrapped around her to even notice Keigo leaning in the threshold of the bathroom-door. His deep chuckle brought her back to reality fast enough though. Drowsy blissed eyes looking to his amused ones, smile stretched into a toothy smirk at the sight of her cuddling with his hero-jacket. She shouldn’t be surprised to find herself tackled to the bed. He had a towel wrapped around his torso, but it fell to the ground in the tackle, naked body pressed against her nude frame, warm flesh and the softness of the fur, his darling giggling at his absurdity as he peppers kisses down the valley between her breasts.

MIDORIYA IZUKU - DEKU

Seeing her in that bunny-mask alone is enough to spark an obsession, no mind to the boots and gloves. The hero-costume is supposed to act disarming to the public, given how bunnies are a sign of good-luck and seem cuddly and cute and not at all like they could have your skin and flesh ripped from your bones with the mere flick of a wrist. But his darling is just that, isn’t she? A harmless little ball of sweet precious softness. This brittle breakable dainty little thing, flimsy and frail and feeble and all his. Safe to say he fucked her stupid that night, had her seated on his lap, hopping up and down the length of his cock like a precious little bunny for hours.

He doesn’t care much for the rest of the outfit, but he does take it upon himself to buy a series of other bunny-inspired accessories. Cute ears in all shapes, both large and pointy, and short and strutting, as well as long floppy ones. She looks so precious, what with that adorable fluffy pompom tail behind her, so chaste and innocent looking despite the sheer lace and mesh of the lingerie, leaving all her tender bits on display for him. Especially cute with those fluffy handcuffs around her wrists, and that slightly anxious look on her face as he completes the outfit with a collar around her throat and a leash trailing to his hand.

His little pet, she looks like such a playboy picture, placed so perfectly on his bed, large pillows placed around her, other bunnies in the form of stuffed animals, such a pristine cotton-flavored pastel-hued paradise, all for him to destroy with those hands of his and those teeth and that dirty depraved mind.

CHISAKI KAI – OVERHAUL

He doesn’t usually appreciate being made fun of, but when his darling clasped on his plague-mask, opting to intimidate him with the most calculating stare she could manage, he couldn’t help but crack a smile. And when she drummed her white-gloved-fingers up his chest, climbing to sit in his lap, eyes still holding his gaze with a witch’s spell, her voice the most ominous rust she could muster, telling him how she could destroy him with one mere measly touch, mocking him so much so he didn’t need to see under the mask to know how wide she’s smirking, he’s livid with thrill, only barely holding himself together, hanging onto every single movement she made.

He hadn’t known he was such a narcissist, but he had to admit seeing his darling in his moss-green bomber-jacket, large enough to reach under her ass, hiding her body like a tease with indigo-fur splayed thickly around her shoulders and up around her ears, nestling her head that had his mask protruding like a bird-beak out towards him, that tantalizing look in her eyes, it was turning him on, madly so, he could barely sit down as her hands, clad in his surgical gloves, danced up to undo the zipper to the jacket in one agonizingly slow movement, only to reveal she wasn’t wearing anything but his white tie. He was about to lose it.

He pounces, like a vulture, mask thrown to some unknown corner of the room, her body pressed firmly into the mattress, tie used as a collar and leash as he presses his firm lips into her pillowy ones, kissing with desperation, with hunger, with need. Hands so harsh in their worship, grabbing onto her, pushing her knees apart, granting access to the tempel between her legs, where he can plant even more kisses.

AIZAWA SHOTA - ERASURHEAD

He’s seen her tangled up in his scarf more times than he’s seen her with clothes on, but as a capture-weapon it’s been unwillingly and meant to immobilize and secure her more than comfort her. Most times she’d whine when being handicapped by the tight bondage, looking like a kitten who’s managed to tangle herself up in a ball of yarn, but now she’s wrapping it around her naked body like a blanket, cuddling with the tresses, head sunken inside the nest laid thickly around her shoulders, hanging off and falling around her bare arms and breasts.

It reminds him of Halloween. A poor attempt at trying to look scary, wrapping herself in like a mummy, or trying to pass as some wraith, or as though having bandaged cuts and bruises, meant to look so scary but not at all able to hide how she’s simply a small adorable little soft cuddly kitten, incapable of achieving anything remotely scary-looking. He scoffs and grins as he looks down at her, needing to touch what ridiculous display she’s conjured and intertwined herself in.

She threw her head back with a strange smile on her face, trying to imitate him, stopping him in his pursuit of grabbing her as he had to slap his face with a groan, a smile forcing itself up on his own face at the feel of his heart warming, throbbing, in his chest, butterflies causing a ruckus in his stomach. How he wished he could digest those feelings, stomach acid melting the wings of those bothersome insects. He doesn’t have the time for such pleasantries, but his darling doesn’t seem to mind being a distraction whatsoever. She should know... there are consequences for being such a little tease.

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