#i thought the series was fantastic!! i loved pretty much every moment of it!!! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

absolutebl · 3 months

Text

This Week in BL - Alan & Jeff Forever!

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Jan 2024 Wk 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

The Sign (Sat YT) ep 10 of 12 - I am a little concerned that this is getting too big for its britches, rather like Phaya’s recently recovered snake… shall we say? Adding in yet another character at this juncture isn’t the best idea. Still, I love how this show makes me cackle laugh with grandmas + Yai and then TENSION.

It’s a wobbly kind of balance but a balancing act is happening nonetheless. It makes the pacing of this show good. It may be all over the place but I'm never bored.

Pit Babe (Fri iQIYI) ep 11 of 14 - No trash talk this week, I was charmed & delighted. Who knew I would actually enjoy this show? Certainly not me. (not much of a...) Trash watch happening here.

Cooking Crush (Sun YT) ep 8 of 12 - I am pretty much skipping most of the 3 chef friends, and all of the side dish action (sorry Neo). And with OffGun apart for most of this ep, it didn’t hold together since they are the glue. Sigh.

Last Twilight (Fri YT) ep 12fin - Okay let’s talk about it.

Mhok should have gone off with someone else. Day treated him like shit and never once apologized. To assume an apology isn’t necessary is to pity Day in the exact way he didn’t want. (On a complete aside, one of my favorite Thai restaurants back in my mispent youth was in Hilo, HI… ah memories) meanwhile the "passing escalators trope" activated in the land of malls (it’s been a while my old friend).

Anygay, I hold that Mohk was not a fault and Day was the one who needed to apologize.

Although they did have one of BL's BEST ever face touch moments.

In conclusion:

The story of a blind man and his caregiver falling in love. Mark is great. JimmySea are spectacular. The support cast is GMMTV-good. And for the first 3/4 this BL was something rather special. But it was let down by its ending (for which I entirely blame the author). In order to like this show you must buy into the premise that Mhok was in the wrong and caused their breakup. If you don’t believe that, you won’t like this BL. Also "fixing a disability = true happiness" is gross messaging. For me, endings counts for a lot and this one was ultimately “happy” but felt like a failure. 7/10 and I was sorely tempted to go as low as a 6/10, so it should count itself lucky

I dithered my darling BLabies... I dithered A LOT over this one. But JimmySea alone held this one up.

GMMTV we gotta talk. You're fielding some of the world's best pairs right now. It's time to get them equally good scripts.

For Him (Thurs iQIYI) ep 9 of 12 - This installment had too much of the side couple in it. Although it was nice to see First/Dream (Twins) again. He's still a cutie, even playing a straight.

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) ep 23 of 24 - I have to say I’m very glad we are on the last installment of the series. Narcissistic hairdresser starts seeing a spirit in a mirror. Turns out to be a friend from his youth who he thought was dead. This one is kinda sweet, and I find the premise interesting. Is the kid actually dead and a spirit? Or is there something else going on? I am intrigued. And I like the actor playing the kid in the mirror. I suspect this will be sad tho.

Time the series (Thai Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - I don’t exactly know what is going on. And frankly I don’t particularly care, either. So far nothing seems to be happening, and I really intensely dislike one half of the main couple. DNF welcome 2024 here we go

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Love For Love's Sake (Korea Weds iQIYI) 1-2 of 8 - based on the Manhwa Love Supremacy Zone by Hwacha (they should have kept the original title). I adore the premise. IRL person has been sent into fictional universe to save a side character from doom. Fantastic. Every fanfic author's dream. Also, I love that our POV was the bad boy in high school so there’s also a redemption arc going on. I adore this kind of isekai (if you wanna call it that). Puppy/cat pairing too!

Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - Oh my goodness they too cute. Basically dating. Although only one of them realizes it, and he is such a drama queen. It’s GREAT. Also they are both so damn gay. I love the supportive bestie trying to cope with the girl who has a crush on his gay bff.

Happy Ending (Korea Tues YT) 1 of 3 - Strongberry is back and it’s very them and very atmospheric and cute. I’m enjoying it.

Sahara-sensei to Toki-kun (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 7 of 8 - Japan giveth and Japan taketh away again. Look, I just like the lost love teacher/teacher couple better. I'm assuming they'll have to do a time jump in the final episode to make this one work at all.

I am SO GLAD we have KBLs back on our screens.

It's done

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - will binge when I have any spare time. 2024 is crazy busy for me so far.

The Servant and the Young Master - from Vietnam so I assume it's on YouTube. I never even noticed. Anyone?

Began Beginning (Myanmar YouTube) - Is TRUST Entertainment bringing us the first ever Burmese BL? I don't know if it's really the first, but @heretherebedork vouched for it, so I will give it a watch through.

Beside You (Thai ????) - a 3 ep short that's supposed to have aired but I can't find it.

It's Airing But...

[NO INTERNATIONAL] Cherry Magic (Sat YouTube) ep 3 of 12 - yeah Japan put the smack down on our boys. Sadness. You can use a VPN if you like. Read all about it here.

Ossans Love Season 2 (Japan Gaga) - 5 years later, will anything have changed? This is Japan so… probubly not. I won't be watching this. I disliked Season one and actively hated the follow ups. No thank you.

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 14 eps - Dear Playboyy, it's not you, it’s me… I hate you. You’re about as deep (and as palatable) as a shot glass of cum. While I'm sure you’re someone’s kink, you're my weakest link. Goodbye. I DNFed this at ep 5. Frankly I'm impressed with myself for getting that far.

The Whisperer (Sun ????) 10 eps - Ends next week. Thai horror BL that ALSO involves cheating (what joy is mine). I don't think even the perfect single dimple can motivate me to watch. Word is... it's terrible.

7 Days Before Valentine (Weds WeTV) 10 eps - Giving me Luminous Solution vibes. I'm waiting to binge if safe.

Dead Friend Forever (Thai Sat iQIYI) - horror, meh, tell me if it's worth my time?

In Case You Missed it

All my year-end round ups:

TOP 10 BL Trends of 2023

Top 10 BL Secondary Pairs of 2023

2023 BLs Best Trope Execution Awards! TOP 10

All the BLs Announced for 2023 that didn't happen

BL 2023's Best:

Back Hugs Thailand & Elsewhere

Cute Bits of Domesticity

Boys Feeding Boys

BOOP!

Best Cuddles

Heads in Laps

Touching Head Touches

Thailand Put His Head on Your Shoulder

Put Your Head on My Shoulder (not Thailand)

BEST KISSES (not Thailand)

BEST KISSES FROM THAILAND

Next Week Looks Like This:

2/2 City of Stars AKA Fueangnakorn (Fri YouTube?) 10 eps - An actor falls in love with a programmer and the narrative intends to “explore the ramifications of being public figure in the social network era who must endure critics, bullying, and defamation.” Looks like another Lovely Writer/Call It What You Want sort of thing. But helmed by Star Hunter? Chaos will ensue.

2/2 Anti Reset AKA Anti-Reset (Taiwan Fri Gaga?) 10 eps - from Vidol (who aren't doing us very proud right now) - Human and robot find love.

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Say what you like about this show (and I have) they do some very gay cuddling. (Him the series)

I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.

This show, damnit, so close to being genius. (Last Twilight)

I don't that's a hardshi,p grandma ... although it may be a hard ship... get it.

I'll stop now.

(The Sign)

(Last week)

125 notes · View notes

prolix-yuy · 9 months

Text

Chapter 1: I Once Had a Different Path

Pairing: Jack "Whiskey" Daniels x F!Reader "Sugar"

Summary: It's only been a year.

Word Count: 2.5k

Warnings: T, discussions of a bad relationship, drinking, little bit of angst, will be E in later chapters so full series is 18+ MINORS DNI.

Notes: Welcome back to Westworld Whiskey! Almost the moment I finished Cognitive Dissonance the idea for this fic leapt into my head, and I've been trying to figure it all out since! The outpouring of love for this story makes me unreasonably giddy, and I am so excited to share what Jack and Sugar have been up to.

This story takes place exactly a year after the events of Cognitive Dissonance. Honestly, the Westworld timeline is confusing as heck, and so much happens that the public wouldn't know or see, so in terms of the show it's taking place after the fall of the Delos theme parks early in season 3. I'm taking some liberties with how Westworld and the world around it works, but we should all have a good time because of it. For those not as familiar with later seasons, the "real world" takes place in 2053 in a modern futuristic setting.

Cross-posted on AO3

Decoherence Masterlist || Whiskey & Westworld Masterlist

The glow of sun on your back, baking into your skin and spreading golden through your limbs, makes today feel like a really freaking good day. You’re wearing your favorite outfit, your shoes are comfy on your feet, and the air is just warm enough that you don’t have to wear a heavy jacket. When the door to the coffee shop schicks open, the uplifting scent of dark roast and cinnamon sugar practically dances on your tongue.

Strike that. A fantastic day.

Lacey is already at her favorite sitting spot, a low table with two high-backed armchairs jammed in a corner far from the automated baristas and hiss of milk froth. She catches sight and waves, bright peony pink in her chiffon dress. Curled in the chair she’s akin to neapolitan ice cream, and just as cool when she gestures to your waiting cup. Not before jumping up to give you a hug, though.

“I’m so glad to see you! It’s been too long!” she exclaims, a sentiment you’ve often heard from long-lost acquaintances but Lacey puts every ounce of honesty behind it. You give her another squeeze before settling in your proffered chair, cradling the thick retro ceramic mug in your hands.

“Well you’ve been pretty busy, Mrs. Hughes,” you sing-song, back, knocking your shoes off so you can settle more comfortably. “How was the honeymoon? The photos were gorgeous.”

You descend into vacation chatter, looking at photos on Lacey’s phone and laughing over whatever little anecdote she shares. The coffee buzzes pleasantly in your veins, bittersweet on your tongue. The sun streams in the café window and drapes warmth across your shoulders again.

It feels like the perfect day.

"How's married life treating you?"

Lacey smiles, bright enough to crinkle her whole face, and the radiance of it blooms in your chest.

"Not much different really, which is probably for the best," she says, taking another sip of her coffee. You're prepared to ask her something else, some follow-up question, when she reaches over and squeezes your hand.

"You look really good, too," she says, her eyes softening. "I know it was hard, with the wedding and everything going on with Eric at the same time, but...you look so much happier."

Your throat tightens, but it's a welcome feeling for once.

"I am. Much happier."

She’s right. It was hard. Once you were alone with your thoughts, your decision made, all of the terrifying reality had crashed down on you. You’d sobbed in your car, half curled in the driver's seat, trying to will yourself to go inside and face Eric.

It didn’t get any better once you finally did. The shouting, the accusations, the tears, and shockingly a chair kicked against the wall so hard it left an ugly dent. He never laid a hand on you, but the anger raked across your pounding heart, the cruelty sinking into your flesh like teeth. You grabbed just enough of your things to escape, his bellowing voice following you as your hands shook.

What the fuck do you mean you’re leaving?

What the hell did Lacey say to you?

Are you fucking serious?

After all I’ve done for us?

I can’t believe you’re being so selfish.

What has gotten into you?

The words echoed between your ears while you laid in your motel room bed, too raw and ashamed to call anyone for a place to stay. You woke stiff and silent and achingly alone, and regret welled in your throat.

Were you being stupid? Were you giving up the life you were supposed to have?

But then the day passed, hours spent driving aimlessly with the radio on low, long walks on bike paths lost in your thoughts. And while failure burned behind your eyes, the dreaded whispers of why didn’t you try harder creeping into your brain, the vice grip in your chest began to unwind. A lightness you hadn’t felt in years began lifting your shoulders, your head, even the corners of your mouth.

The neverending ache was finally gone.

You slept better that night, and in the morning you called Lacey. She drove out to pick you up, her tight embrace ushering in a new flood of tears.

“Oh sweetie, I’m so sorry,” is all she says at first, rocking you back and forth like when you were both young and upset about a schoolyard fight. Then more pointed questions, her face hardening as you detail the slow descent into unhappiness you’d been hiding from her for years.

“He never did anything bad. I just…I couldn’t…” You struggled to voice all the fears that still lingered until she squeezed your hands.

“He didn’t have to treat you badly to not treat you the way you wanted. And if he can’t change, or doesn’t want to change, then this isn’t right for you.”

A fresh wave of tears followed the well-worn tracks down your face.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

She rubbed at your face with a crumpled tissue.

“Everything is going to be okay.’

It took a few days before the tornado of Lacey’s true feelings pulled to the forefront. Later she’d tell you she barely kept her cool while you cried in her living room, Alan instructing her to punch it out at the gym rather than overwhelm you. But barely settled into your temporary housing, she rang you in the middle of the day.

“We’re getting your stuff.”

“What…?”

“Eric is at work, Alan did a drive-by and checked. He’s waiting with the truck. I’m picking you up and we’re getting your things, then we’re going to leave your key on the table and never go back.”

She was chatting in low tones with Alan when you answered the door, face lined with concern. The stern expression melted into dismay when she took in your tired eyes and sloped shoulders.

“That motherfucker should be ashamed of himself for doing this to you,” she spits out, crushing you into a hug that almost suffocates you.

“Lace, I was the one…” you tried to say, but she cut you off with a sharp chop of her hand.

“I’ve got plenty to say about Eric and what I think about him when everything settles, but I’ll tell you this - I fucking hate him for making you feel like this. And we’re going to get your things and never see him again.”

So you did, emptying your drawers and shared closet - always less room allocated for you than him. Lacey shuffled through mail and tossed in anything that had your name on it in a bankers box. Later you’d have to disentangle your lives, but for now you could take solace in having your toiletries back, and placing your photos and family heirlooms safe in Alan’s truck. He helped move your grandmother’s hope chest into the truck bed, and silently drove as Lacey let you lean on her shoulder. Your childhood stuffed dog sat in your lap, and its gentle weight gave you a moment of relief.

Eric’s shouting through the phone later that night sliced across your chest, but only for a brief moment. You’d left the ring on the counter, and that thankfully shut him up.

The following months had been a blur of canceled engagements, severed services, broken agreements and bitter voicemails. Eric tried a few times to entice you back, forgiving you for having cold feet and wanting to get dinner, coffee, to talk. Your heart tugged at the softness in his voice.

We can still make this work.

But then the cold reality of the situation crept in. He wanted the picture-perfect life he thought he deserved. He wanted to have everything without working for it. And most of all, he wanted you to be grateful for him giving you everything he thought you deserved. Not what you wanted, but what he decided you should want.

That was never going to change.

Lacey and Alan helped where they could, but you didn’t want to taint the excitement of their upcoming nuptials. So you told them you were fine and signed a lease on a modest apartment while you picked out the barbs of Eric’s latest outburst. You picked out a dress for her wedding and were secretly grateful that she didn’t make you a bridesmaid. You didn’t think you’d be able to keep it together in front of all her family and friends. You drank too much champagne and considered a tumble with one of Alan’s single friends but instead threw up in your hotel room toilet and woke up fully clothed on top of the bed. The first thought that greeted you once you could see through your headache was, “Thank fuck I’m not getting married.”

The giggles were sharp against your sore stomach, but with that you finally felt something in you begin healing.

“...and I know I wasn’t around as much as I could have been, and it kills me that you were going through it alone, and on my bachelorette for crying out loud, how insensitive was that…”

Lacey’s diatribe brings you back to the café and your cooling coffee and Lacey’s earnest grip on your hand. You shush her with a few squeezes.

“You were a big part of why I finally got up the courage to leave. And I am so fucking glad I did,” you say, earning another smile that glitters with morning light.

“I think someone else also had some influence,” Lacey says, looking pointedly over her cup as she takes an innocent sip. Your brow furrows briefly before the implication of her tone slams into your chest.

Jack.

“That was a year ago…holy shit, today,” Lacey exclaims, twisting her wrist to verify on her smart watch.

“Wow, yeah,” you say weakly, swirling the dregs of coffee in your cup.

Yet again, Lacey isn’t wrong. Jack did open your eyes to a world that could offer the care and comfort you were yearning for. But you’d been forced to push memories of him to the back of your mind.

Weeks after the breakup, with Lacey lying on your brand new bed in your half-empty apartment, you told her about your weekend with the suave yet gentle cowboy. She interjected with excited “I knew it!” and “Holy shit yes!” exclamations as you recounted the cattle run, the innocent lie, the dinner, and the lust-filled night (heavily redacted, met with disappointment). Once the story was told you laid beside each other, silence stretching until she finally said, “I’m so happy Jack helped you realize you deserve more.”

So were you.

“Did you ever think about booking another weekend?” Lacey asks, placing her cup down so she can more fully watch you, playful smirk making you roll your eyes. “I mean, before all the stuff in the news about them.”

Guests injured in the park. A veil of silence and NDAs falling over Delos. An uncertain return.

You chew on your answer for a moment. It’s easy to chalk up not going back to the current state of the park, but in recent weeks you had been thinking more and more about Jack. Maybe it was some old movie you caught late at night, horses riding across gloriously wide plains. A cowboy hat or two you swore you saw in a crowd, only to be tricked by perspective and light. Strong, broad silhouettes that reminded you of large hands, a clever mouth, a warm embrace.

Tell her the truth.

“No,” you finally sigh, putting your cup down a little firmly.

You couldn’t.

“Why not?”

“It’s all fantasy, I’m not into that more than once.”

You couldn’t bear to see him again.

“Not even a little more fantasy with a certain cowboy?” Her eyes drop to your left hand, and you realize you’ve been slowly rotating the turquoise band she gave you on your ring finger. When you returned the engagement ring it became a comforting weight replacing what you’d given up. You fold them instead under Lacey’s watchful eye.

“It’s not real,” is the excuse you give.

He’s not real, and you can’t have him.

Lacey shrugs, looking at the time again and gathering up her coat.

“Real enough that you changed your whole life over it,” she observes, not unkindly. You stand up as she gathers her purse.

“It was a perfect weekend. Going back would have ruined it.”

Him not remembering you would have ruined it.

Lacey sighs but acquiesces, giving you a hug and confirming your next coffee date in a couple weeks. They’ve become a sweet schedule you look forward to more than you thought.

Once she breezes out the door, all summer blush and cosmopolitan chic, you join the line to get a coffee to go. The machine at work is dismal, and you’d much rather spend the four dollars. You enter your order on the cool blue holoscreen and step to the side to wait. The warmth of a good conversation bubbles in your veins, a beam of sunlight caressing your back. Even the brief memory of Jack you allow - his hands soft on your skin, the tender brush of his nose on your cheek, how safe you felt in his arms - fills your heart to bursting. A smile plumps your cheek. Today really is an exceptional day.

But oddly enough, your toes are wet.

Looking down, you can’t help but let out an exasperated, “Oh c’mon you idiot,” as you realize you didn’t put your shoes back on, and have now stepped in someone’s spilled beverage. So maybe not the perfect day, but you’re close enough to home to swing by and grab a new pair of socks. Shaking your head, you spin on your heel to retrieve your abandoned shoes.

You could have done it a breath sooner, or later, and never been the wiser. Or you could have kept your damn shoes on - do we live in a barn, your mother’s voice echoes in your ears - and avoided the issue in the first place. But today, on an exceptionally perfect day, you turn and take a step just as someone passes behind you, propelling your frame into their broader form. You almost bounce, but the stranger catches you by your shoulders, large firm palms wrapping around your biceps.

“Whoa there,” a deep voice says, laced with a southern drawl. It tickles something in your brain, neurons firing at memories close to the surface.

“Shit, sorry,” you mumble, stepping back to apologize properly to the man you almost bowled over. As your eyes begin their ascent the voice is clearer, sharp as a bullwhip crack.

“You okay Sugar?”

Your breath freezes in your throat, eyes snapping to the man’s face. He swims in your vision before the soft curl of his brown hair, the delicate trim of his mustache, the hawkish curve to his nose comes into focus. If that wasn’t enough for your short-circuiting brain to manage, his plush lips part in concern, deep chocolate eyes darting across your face.

Jack?

“I - oh,” he says, his grip tightening on your shoulders. You wrench back, stumbling a half step away, still locked on his face.

Jack Jack Jack Jack Jack

People are looking at you now, agape and struggling to pull in a full breath, your brain tumbling like Alice down the rabbit hole.

Can’t be.

Jack.

Not real.

Jack.

How?

Jack.

“I can explain…”

Then the whole world shifts, and you’re falling.

#jack whiskey daniels x you #jack whiskey daniels x reader #jack whiskey daniels x f!reader #jack whisky daniels fanart #jack daniels x f!reader #jack daniels x reader #jack daniels x female reader #agent whiskey x female reader #agent whiskey x you #agent whiskey x reader #kingsman the golden circle fanfiction #westworld fanfiction #prolix fics

189 notes · View notes

be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie · 1 month

Text

Avatar: The Last Airbender Live Action Thoughts!

-First of all, ya'll need to leave those child actors alone, they are babies and they didn't write the show, nor was it their idea to do it. I have seen way too many people body shaming children; leave them alone they all did well!

-I think Gordon makes Aang just as cute and small and powerful as I always saw him as!! He manages to joke around and be fun even when the storyline is a lot darker and more serious.

-I really wish Sokka was able to be more of his goofy and silly self. I understand why he isn't, and his humor is more sarcasm and dark jokes, but I saw glimpses of him in there! His excitement when he was with the Mechanist, engineering and getting to do something other than be in charge. Also when he has any older brother convo with Katara or Aang. I'm hopeful with time he'll be able to loosen up!

-(Speaking of the Mechanist, my boy Danny Pudi was SO GOOD, I love him, him and his little son).

-I wish Aang would practice waterbending with Katara :( those scenes of them practicing together were always some of my favorites in the series. Just beautiful kataang moments. I'm glad they addressed it but I missed those moments.

-I don't understand how you guys can't be having fun watching this, I get so excited waiting for little moments of lore, or when Jet and Katara were fighting in the forest I was sitting in front of the TV like "WHERE'S SMELLERBEE AND LONGSHOT. OH MY GOD NO IT'S PIPSQUEAK!" It's just so much fun! The colors are beautiful, the effects are gorgeous, and the plot and characters are entertaining. Think about the piece as it's own thing and enjoy it!

-Adaptations are just that; adaptations, and things will be changed! I think so far I haven't minded their changes, I understand why they've been made. There are things to criticize, but I think this is pretty well done.

-Zuko is fantastic; I think all the child actors are fairly good but Dallas' pissy attitude and the faces he makes are so so fun! I feel for Zuko and I'm scared of him when he shows up, and he's just as annoying and bratty as ponytail Zuko should be. His physical motions are fantastic!

-TEO WAS SO LITTLE?? Oh my god, like as a kid I thought the cartoon version of him was kinda hot so when they wheeled that tiny baby in I was HORRIFIED.

-Idk why YOU ALL weren't scared of Lizzy Yu's Azula, but her little smile in her intro scene gave me a lil chill. Maybe it's because I was away when the show first came out so I saw post after post about how bad she was, but I just.... Thought she'd be worse?? She did really well! Ya'll better be careful though or Gaten Matarazzo will come for you, that's his girl.

-So far the mushing of plots has made sense to me. Yes, I miss the silly filler episodes and the traveling the Gaang did, but it allows us to sit in a scene longer, and to colorize the world better, when we're in one place and one plot for longer. I think that's important for this type of medium and this amount of episodes. They might be able to justify more next season if this show does well enough.

-I am OBSESSED with Zuko and the 41st division oh my god, what a fantastic and well thought out addition. The reveal, and they're bowing for him when he comes back was DEVASTATING.

-They we're GIVING us Sokka and Katara best sibling moments, I loved all of them. They are so cute, they just mean so much to me.

-I don't feel Appa or Momo as characters like I did in the cartoon. I'm hoping this can change, because rn they surprise me every time they get on screen. I'm like "WHAT- oh it's Momo, he's here." How are we going to feel Appa's loss as much as we did in the cartoon if they continue to like barely be in it.

-Ken Leung SLAYED as Admiral Zhao, I watched him go literally insane as the episodes went on.

-Aang's imposter syndrome and feeling of failure being focused on I will always enjoy, even if I hope he can be silly next season too. His entire character arc this season just made me want to cry.

-Bro the coloring during the the Siege of the North was A M A Z I N G. The way the color faded in and out with fireballs and the monster koi passing nearby, just so pretty. It looked awesome.

-Making Yue a waterbender? The best. Her freezing Sokka in place so he can't stop her? Heartbreaking.

-Iroh and Zuko paddling off looking for bestie Lt. Jee?? Okay.

-They really grew this show up for us adults that watched it in 2005 and focused in on the really painful moments, themes, and details.

42 notes · View notes

lazorbeanz · 1 month

Note

Why do you personally ship, like, or appreciate Sonamy? What got you into Sonamy? What’s your favorite moment between the two?

Why do I ship Sonamy?

Okay, ima admit it..for someone who is a diehard sonamy fan, and thinks about AND ONLY about them literally every waking second, I can not think of ONE reason why I ship them to begin with….

“So you just ship them for basically no reason WHY?!” Pretty much 😅

And I’ve seen so many other people give their really good reasons and opinions on why they ship sonamy, and I full on agree with ‘em, but as for myself, I rack up nothing…and it’s my favourite ship too I mean come onnn TwT

I’ve also had my sister ask me this same question not long ago, and all I could do was just sit there and think “Damn your life almost revolves around these 2 HOW CAN YOU NOT HAVE AN ANSWER?!” I constantly beat myself up for this because I know I should 😭

And I mean, stuff like being the dynamic duo that they are, (whether in battle or not) their attitude and affection for each other evolving over time, respecting the other’s wants and needs, respecting boundaries (kinda the same thing tbh lol) , enjoying each others company, and just how the whole idea of sonamy has turned from what some people may see as “toxic” or “forced” (that might be the better word for it) from early 2000s media, to something more laid back and healthy like recent media because of all the character development over the years… etc, etc…are all fantastic reasons, and even reasons I would now apply as to why I love the ship even more…BUT they’re not the reasons I began to ship them in the first place, because these things I NEVER took into consideration when I starting doing so.

To put a long story short, I just saw pink and blue hedgies and was like, “ooooh I sense chemistry”

I feel like I could be going no where with all this. But all I’m tryna say is that I LIKE sonamy simply because of who they are…just a speedy blue boi and his hammer-wielding pink girlie. I APPRECIATE them solely because of their existence, especially in my life. They are like- one of the few things I ever look forward to these days. I SHIP them because unlike any other ship that has sonic or amy in it, sonamy just… “works” (I don’t know how to explain it but you know what I mean right??) And despite not being canon, (YET! 😏) they have got to be the closest ship to becoming canon (besides vectilla) ..unless I’m just biased :p

What got me into Sonamy?

Well, I did kinda just answer this in the previous question lol but I have to elaborate!

So yeah it started off with just seeing them 2 together and thought “I like where this is going hehe” tho tbh it never really went anywhere…because I was watching Sonic Boom at the time XD, the first piece of Sonic media I consumed since regaining an interest in the franchise. AND WE ARE NOT going back to like 2015 or 16 when I first discovered Sonic…idek what I did regarding shipping back then…I think I like shipped blaze and shadow or something OH LAWD-

Also to think that those short lived Sonamy moments in Boom didn’t even bother me in the slightest?! Present me is disgusted by such lack of interest or care! 😫

Okay okay I’m straying from the question, I’m sorry!!

There are a few things that got me hooked on Sonamy. First was definitely the tv series’. Boom, Prime and X all had adorable and wholesome moments that I could’ve almost died of cuteness from! Some of it was also hilarious too. In Sonic boom for instance, sonic and Amy would fight like a married couple lololol

Another thing (and this was the game changer) was the fanart and animatics. These became the addiction for me; one comic would lead to me reading another, which lead me to read another and so on. Or I’d find an animatic on YT and watch that and then begin scavenging trying to find more animatics to feed these cravings of sonamy I was beginning to gain all of a sudden.

And it just got worse and worse to the point I practically need a daily dose of Sonamy or I just might go feral

But I mean, how could I not?! YOU GUYS ARE SO GOSH DARN TALENTED AKJDJSJDND

Sadly now my food hath runneth dry over the months…so if any of u like come across anything sonamy pls don’t hesitate to tag me or send it to me pls I need it ajhshsjs

On top of all that, came the brainrot. My growing love for this ship and all the incredible media really sent me into a serious Sonamy delulu era. Literally almost ANYTHING can send me into deep thoughts about those 2, no kidding. I literally planned out in my head an entire story of them a couple days ago. Sometimes it’s a head canon or 2, other times just something extremely wholesome I’ll imagine them do and I’ll be deceased. Those rats live in my head rent free omg-

As I said, ANYTHING can trigger this brainrot; a song, a scene, a quote, a random object…you name it, I’ll come up with a Sonamy headcanon in relation to it.

I can’t also forget other sonic media that also boosted it like game cutscenes and IDW. Lately IDW has been CARRYING it for me with the little Sonamy moments like in the 900th adventure, #67 and other tidbits I’d find in former issues. The amount of frames I’ve seen of them hugging warms my heart waaa🥺🥺

Overall, this fandom has really impacted me and my love for Sonamy. (and sonic in general) all the things I’ve learnt and discovered have made me love them all the more because of it. My life has almost become an Sonamy aesthetic now…I am NOT joking when I tell you my PJs are Sonamy coded, and that was hardly intentional…🤣

Favourite Sonamy moment?

Arrghhh why just one?? Pretty much ANY moment involving those 2 cotton candy hedgies are bound to be my favourite!

Totally not saying this cuz I can’t pick a favourite *cough cough*

Take this, it’s the only Sonamy image I really have in my photo album rn.. (I should be in jail for this)

Its one of my favs so it counts :)

Woowee that just about covers it! Now you know all about my weird and wonderweird love for my favourite ship :D 🩷💙

#sez says #asks #answered asks #sonic #sonic the hedgehog #sth #amy rose #Sonamy #sonic x Amy #sonic and amy

40 notes · View notes

cevansbrat0007 · 2 years

Text

The Curious Case of the Chicken McNuggets

Summary: You sneak out one night to satisfy a late night craving, with every intent to make it back before your overly tired husband wakes up. Also, check out Andy’s P.O.V.

*Warnings: Implied Smut, Manhandling, Pregnant!Reader, Brat!Reader, Angry Andy, Light Spanking, Overstimulation (mentioned), Chicken Nuggets, Cursing, Minors DNI

A/N: Part of my Growing Pains Series. Semi-proofread. Not beta’d. All mistakes are my own.

---

You stare at the ceiling trying to talk yourself out of what you knew was pretty much inevitable. For a moment, you thought about waking your sleeping husband and asking him to go for you, but it was late. Just after midnight. And he’d been working such long hours lately that, truthfully, you just didn’t have the heart.

But you desperately wanted chicken nuggets. Specifically a twenty-piece McNugget from McDonald’s. With honey mustard. All of the honey mustard. And some fries.

You look over at Andy as your mental debate wages on. There was a 24-hour McDonald’s just down the street. And you were pretty sure that you could make it there and back without your husband ever noticing. That way he could sleep and you could eat.

Decision made, you slip out of bed. Out of habit, your hand goes to rub your baby bump. At six months along, your belly was pretty darn big. But you loved it. You weren’t waddling or anything like that yet, but you knew those days were coming sooner rather than later.

“Mmm.” You hear Andy stir. “Where you going, baby?” The sound of his raspy voice makes you smile.

“Bathroom, honey. And then to get some water. I’ll be right back. Go on back to sleep.” The first part isn’t a lie. You were going to the bathroom. Mostly because your baby girl loved sitting on your bladder like it was her own personal lawn chair.

“Okay, see you in a min…” His deep voice trails off as he dozes off again. Good.

You take your time going to the bathroom, not that you were super fast these days anyway. By the time you’re done, your Andy Bear is totally fast asleep again. Time for some McNuggets.

Snagging your phone from the nightstand, you sneak downstairs to grab your keys and purse. And then you’re out the door. Those crispy, golden chicken chunks were almost within reach. Jumping in the car, you raise the garage door, put it in drive, and set out on your journey. There was no time to waste, damn it!

Ten minutes later, you make it your destination. You do a little dance in your car as you pull up to the drive-thru speaker. “Welcome to McDonald’s. Can I take your order?”

“Hi, yes! Can I please get a twenty piece Chicken McNugget? And can you be sure they’re fresh? Sorry to be a pain, but I’m kinda super pregnant….and I need this.” You wince a little, knowing you sounded needy. But your meal needed to be fresh for maximum enjoyment.

“Sure thing, ma’am. No problem. We’ll drop them fresh for you. Would you like to make it a meal?”

Ah, thank the Lord on high.

“Yes, please. With a Sprite. Thank you so much!”

“And your sauce?”

“Honey mustard. I’m going to need at least four, please. It’s a thing.”

She gives you your total and then you pay. And then they have you park in a loading zone or something to wait while they cook your food. Fuck, you were so damned happy!

While it takes a little longer than you would have liked, eventually you have your food. You delicately place it in your passenger seat. You even briefly debate draping the seatbelt over it. No. That would be too much.

You race home. Becoming super excited the moment you pull back into the garage and kill the engine. Grabbing your bag of goodies and your drink, you exit your vehicle as fast as you can and head into the house. Jiminy Crickets, this had been a fantastic decision!

Food in hand, you head towards the kitchen, only to see that all of the lights are on. Wait. You hadn’t done that. You set your bag on the kitchen table as you try to muddle your way through your confusion.

And then in strolls a shirtless, very pissed off Andy.

“Um, hi honey!” You squeak. Just that fast you regret not getting him anything. “What are you doing up?”

“I don’t know.” He growls, his muscles flexing. “What were you doing out?”

Feeling mildly brave, mostly because your pregnancy cravings didn’t understand the concept of fear, you fish out your box of nuggets and pop one in your mouth. “I…I got hungry.”

Andy leans his big body against the counter, his hands going into his pockets of his maroon sleep pants. “See, I know I was half asleep at the time, but my hearing is pretty damn excellent. Did you or did you not tell me that you were going to the bathroom and then to grab a glass of water? Isn’t that what you said?”

Ahh crap. Your husband was going into attorney mode.

“Would you like a nugget? I’ll share. Oh, and they’re fresh! Plus, I have honey mustard.” You try.

No dice.

His nostrils flare as he glares at you. “Answer my goddamned question, baby.” Clearly he would not be swayed. Which sucked, because all you really wanted to do was eat your food and go back to bed.

“Yes, that may have been what I said. And, in my defense, I did go to the bathroom. But see, I had been up for a good hour or so craving some McDonald’s and I didn’t want to wake you -”

“So you lie to me and sneak out of the house.” He interrupts. It seems like your man’s Boston accent gets thicker with every word.

“I wanted to let you sleep.” You mumble as you gaze longingly at a packet of honey mustard. Throwing caution to the wind, you grab it and rip the foil so you can dunk another delicious nugget. “Are you sure you don’t want one, baby? Or some fries, maybe?”

“Do you realize that I had no idea where you were, Y/N? I searched this whole house for you. And then I saw that your keys and purse were gone. And the whole time, I’m thinking to myself, where the fuck could my wife have gone at this hour?”

“Andy, sweetheart. I’m sorry. I really just wanted you to rest. And I was really hungry. Please don’t be mad.”

“Too goddamned late.” He hisses. When he starts to approach you, you pick up your food and begin to maneuver around the table. Why couldn’t your big man just let you eat in peace?

“You get hungry at night? Then you wake me up and have me go get it, you stubborn little brat.” He snarls.

“Hey! I wasn’t being a brat. I was trying to take care of you and myself and -”

“You know how I feel about your safety!” He yells. His booming voice echoes throughout the room. “You want something to eat this late, then you wake me the fuck up, little girl. What you do not do is sneak out of our house after midnight without letting me know where you’re going!”

Andy continues to circle around the table like a panther stalking his prey in his attempt to get to you. You felt like you were being fucking hunted, but it still didn’t stop you from popping another bite of chicken into your mouth.

“Baby, if you weren’t six months pregnant, I would have you bent over my knee right now.” His voice is rough with emotion. “And I would blister your ass. Swear to God, you would not be able to sit. For a long fucking time.”

You feel yourself pale at his words.

“Andy, I said I was sorry. And I am. Next time, I’ll wake you and we’ll ride together. I promise. Please just let this pregnant woman enjoy her chicken nuggets before they get cold.”

You decide to take a risk and let him get close enough to grab you, which he does. And then you shove a nugget into his mouth. He gives you an evil look, but he proceeds to chew and swallow. You repeat the action, this time with fries. And then you hold out your Sprite to him.

“Wash it down?” You whisper. Which he does, his eyes never leaving yours. When he’s finished, you sit your drink onto the table. Your teeth go to nibble your lower lip.

“I really am sorry, Andy. I won’t do it again.”

“No, you won’t.” He takes you into his arms. And then he proceeds to deliver a series of very hard swats to your ass. “Ow! Ow! Ow!” You screech with each smack. It’s not like one of your usual spankings. You’re standing, your pants and underwear stay up, and he’s holding you…almost tenderly.

Cupping your chin with his hand, Andy forces you to meet his eyes. His thumb brushes away a stray tear. “Do not do this again, young lady. Do you hear me?”

You whimper softly.

“I made a promise to you the night you told me you were pregnant, did I not?”

You nod.

“Whatever you want, you get. But what you do not do, not ever, is sneak out of this house in the middle of the night and leave me to wonder about where you are. I’m too young yet to be having heart palpitations. Are we clear?”

You nod again. His grip tightens on your jaw. “I need the words. More specifically, I need to hear a yes, Daddy.”

“Ye-yes, Daddy.”

Andy smiles then, his hands going to caress your slightly bruised backside. Your husband had given you way worse spankings in the past, so you knew that you had truly gotten off light this time. And only because you were pregnant.

“Finish your food, Y/N, so I can take you back upstairs. And then you’re going to lay back and offer your sweet little body to me by way of apology. You owe me at least four orgasms for your misbehavior, and that is non negotiable. And let me be clear, I don’t care how long it takes, because apparently I need to teach you that no matter how tired I am, you always come first.”

His eyes glaze over as he continues. “You’re going to cum on my mouth, on my fingers, on my cock...baby I’m going to wreck you.”

You clear your throat, unsure of what to say.

“Now eat. You’re going to need your strength, honey.” He leans forward to kiss your nose. “Also, I’m taking the day off tomorrow. So if you don’t give me what I want tonight, I’ll make sure you give it to me tomorrow. And trust me when I say…”

He grabs your ass again and squeezes.

“If that happens, I plan to add to the tally.”

END

#Chris Evans #andy barber #chris evans smut #andy barber smut #chris evans black!reader #andy barber black!reader #chris evans woc!reader #andy barber woc!reader #chris evans imagines #andy barber imagines #chris evans fanfiction #andy barber fanfiction #Cevansbrat0007 fic #cevansbrat0007growing pains series

1K notes · View notes

curioushabitforarivergod · 16 days

Text

dark(ish) academia books that I don't see recommended enough

I read a lot, both fiction and non-fiction, and a lot of the stuff I've read over the past 2-3 years has had underlying academic tones. I've tried to include books I've at least enjoyed, although there are a few 3 star ratings. All of these books are ones I haven't really seen mentioned in compiled dark academia lists (mainly because some of them fall outside the general scope and are more ✨vibes✨). Feel free to add more less well-known books. I've included my own blurbs of the books but I've got shit memory and some I read like 2 years ago so yeah

Fiction

"Let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world." Voltaire

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

Takes place over 10 years and explores family and the destruction left behind after WWI. It discusses the feminine vs. masculine in art and while it can be a little slow to read (took me close to 3 weeks!) theres some really beautiful passages and also some funny ones as well — the characters spend several chapters at a dinner party convinced everyone hates them and constantly hating other people too.

The Dark is Rising (series) by Susan Cooper

Okay, yes this is a kids book series from the 70s/80s but it explores English, Cornish and Welsh mythology and has really good characters and world-building. Even though chronologically the series goes: Over Sea, Under Stone; The Dark is Rising; Greenwitch; The Grey King; Silver on the Tree, it's best to read The Dark is Rising first and return back to Over Sea, Under Stone. Anyway, I love this series and I read The Dark is Rising every Christmas because it corresponds pretty much with the days and is easy to place and that's kind of what makes it feel very cozy and academic. Also, theres some brief moments of time travel to the past.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

This is a beautiful written masterpiece set across the 20th century featuring plenty of train rides across Europe and vampires. It explores some of the history of Walachia and Dracula, as well as the Ottoman Empire and European politics of the time. It's a hefty read but I loved it because it combines history, dark academia, fantasy and vampires.

Macbeth by William Shakespeare

My favourite of Shakespeare that I've seen so far and honestly murder is so dark academia I don't need to talk any further. Strangely, I don't see this recommended enough.

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

This was quite popular a year or two ago, and honestly for good reason. I think it's only really academic because it's linked to Shakespeare and explores the less well-known lives of Shakespeare's family, but it's very good and I thought I'd include it anyway.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

This one feels really light academia to me, but I think it's mainly because of setting. It's set in this fantastical old and crumbling mansion that goes on forever. It's filled with statues and it floods and only two people live in the world. The story is told entirely through diary entries, but it's so well-written because it defamiliarises the reader entirely. It was a light and easy read for me, which is probably why I'm associating it with light academia rather than dark academia.

The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li

This book kinda mixes chaotic academia and cottagecore academia and is a reflection of girlhood and youth spent in the French countryside in the 50s. There's a toxic relationship between two friends who write a book together before one of them attends prestigious girls' school in England. Also the opening lines are amazing: "You cannot cut an apple with an apple. You cannot cut an orange with an orange. You can, if you have a knife, cut an apple or an orange. Or slice open the underbelly of a fish. Or, if your hands are steady enough and the blade is sharp enough, sever an umbilical cord."

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

Another classic! I love Waugh, and Brideshead revisited is amazing and my favourite of what I've read of his. The book is quite homoerotic — explicitly so at times, which is fascinating for something published in 1945 — and deals with romanticisation. It nestles quite snugly between Picture of Dorian Grey and Secret History in terms of a dark academic literary canon.

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

This is more gothic than dark academia, but it's also a satire of the gothic genre so I feel like it counts. It's definetly not as well known as some of Austen's other works and feels much more raw, particularly because its her first work (although not published until after her death). It's not my favourite Austen, but I love it all the same, especially because of its commentary on warning the romanticisation of other peoples lives and the gothic/dark academia. Although dark academia wasn't a thing in Austen's day!

Possession by A. S. Byatt

I love the main story but because its so metafictive and explores the relationship between two made-up poets (one of whom is bi and cheats on her gf with the second) from the perspective of modern academics, it can get quite hard to read sometimes. It's also really long, but definitely worth reading.

Non-Fiction

I feel like non-fiction is pretty over-looked when it comes to the academia aesthetic which really says something, given that its… kinda the whole point of academia?? Anyway, I read a lot of history books, but I only put down the ones which I found interesting or easy to read, so they're more popular histories than academic histories. Also; essays.

The Year 1000: What Life Was Like At the Turn of the First Millennium by Robert Lacey

This explores early medieval life in England based on the Julius Work Calendar, an Anglo-Saxon manuscript believed to date to 1020BCE. It's honestly a really light and interesting read and it talks about what everyday life was like, which I think is important in history. It's in a narrative style so it's quite easy to read even if you don't consume history often.

Oh, to Be a Painter! by Virginia Woolf

This is actually a short, published collection of Virginia Woolf essays on art. I read the essays all in one sitting because they're quite short, but if you're into art and art academia, I'd highly recommend. There's also an essay on the cinema which provides some interesting insights into todays world particularly as Woolf was writing at the time when cinema was only just becoming widespread and an industry in its own right.

A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift

This is a satirical essay on attitudes towards the poor and it suggests that poor people might sell their children as food for the rich, highlighting the callousness of the upper classes. It's available free online and very much relevant today, despite being written close to 300 years ago.

The Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England by Ian Mortimer

Very useful if you ever find yourself stuck in the Elizabethan period! It's read as a sort of travel guide but includes plenty on history as well, providing a picture of what England looked like in the late-Tudor period. Also people will think you're a time-traveller if you carry it around, which adds to your intrigue and mystery.

A Memoir of Jane Austen by James Edward Austen-Leigh

If you like Jane Austen and haven't read this memoir, you should. It's written by her nephew, so it's quite biased and it's not amazing in any way, but it provides a lot of context to her life and is a good light-read or coffee table book. Also my copy was pale pink so win.

Thats it folks. Feel free to include your own less well-known book recs that follow dark/light/chaotic, etc. aesthetics! I'd love to compile a huge list and read more outside my comfort zone.

#dark academia #light academia #chaotic academia #art academia #cottagecore academia #books and reading #book reccomendation #book reccs #books

34 notes · View notes

lowpolyshadow · 8 months

Note

Something i don't really agree or get is fandom perspective of shadow being lame,cringe and bastard meow meow cus that's not really it either(surviving and trying to cope with the horrors? The coolest thing), more like a modern distorted loved notion of people, yeah is funny but also projected and kinda westernized(the inaccurated dub versions and dialogue), leaning away from the original cultural backgrourd that get's sleep on and puts a more nuanced perception of the games. Idk where im going with this but i don't get people popular perspectives idk sorry im a killjoy i just love the fucked up aspect of this silly franchise and it's characters(i wish it could get that deep again).

theres a lot of things that indicate shadow is a cringe little bastard from jp to eng, it’s like his whole. Thing. the fanon flanderization of shadow is crazy but the part where he’s a bastard is pretty blatant in canon

like, he’s genuinely cool and stuff, he has a lot of fantastic moments (if the world chooses to become my enemy i will fight as i always have, the entire somewhat ridiculous yet awesome finale of shadow the hedgehog, sa2’s ending literally cemented his popularity so hard he came back to life in heroes because people thought he was fucking awesome and compelling), but a big appeal is the fact that he’s also still a silly guy in a series full of whacky silly guys

the eng and jp dubs have their differences in tone in a lot of ways, and eng is not incredibly accurate bc of it, but shadow even in jp is still like. a loser (affectionate)—he’s constantly talking about how much better he is, he insists on showing his dominance over sonic (and others, but especially sonic) even when it doesnt fucking matter ala tsr, he constantly FULLY believes he is the most correct person in any and all situations, and that his actions are always the best way to go about it even if it’s reckless or sometimes unnecessary (the mow things in my way down solution)

he’s so earnest in everything he does, in his own special cringe little way, where he’ll say factually correct statements in a blunt manner, but also not quite … ? he’s very honest. he’s incredibly straightforward. every single comment he says, no matter how fucking absurd or edgy or funny, he truly means it. thats his APPEAL he says shit like “ive hit the ultimate jackpot!” and “this is like taking candy from a baby, which is fine by me!” and somehow also “no one else should experience the things ive gone through” and thats all FANTASTIC

i like this twitter thread and a lot of jib’s threads on shadow, bc they know a lot more about the jp side of things, but tldr: shadow is my funny little guy. my stupid little pogchamp. my cringe little bastard boy who is the coolest and also the lamest motherfucker ive ever witness. i’m going to dribble him like a basketball

#i think ur trying to separate the silly and the fucked up but the appeal to me and many people #is the fact that u have these silly ridiculous guys in fully serious fucked up situations #and THATS when theyre the most appealing (to me)#shadow the hedgehog (2005) wouldnt be NEARLY as appealing To Me if shadow wasnt also a silly guy #look at sonic in that goddamn game! hes ridiculous! hes like the best part bc hes goin around saying WOOHOO while shadow is having loke #the crisis of his LIFE here!!! thats so funny!!!!!#the basic building blocks of shadow are in place so that if u cared about him in sa2 #u will still care especially towards the semi hero and hero endings #but the weird shit in between. the silly nonsense sonic guys who tag along with him. his funny karate chop of the computer. idk #he’s cool but hes cringe. duality. the perfect character #speaking #long post #asks

79 notes · View notes

filmmarvel · 3 months

Text

PJO Series Overall Thoughts + Pros and Cons

Disclaimer! First of all, there are a lot more cons than pros here, and if you loved the show and don’t want to hear my criticism just keep scrolling. Second, I’m not someone to complain just because it isn’t exactly how it was in the book! I have quite a range of feelings about story changes. In regard to the ones I’ve listed as cons, i’m just irritated that they haven’t been able to match the book in frankly any capacity. I believe that if you’re making changes, it should be a) out of necessity, b) to improve upon the material, or c) taking positive creative license to try a new spin on an element from the source material. But the changes I’m complaining about, for the most part, haven’t met any of those requirements.

Pros:

Sets and Visuals

It was so magical seeing camp come to life!

The Underworld looks fantastic, the visuals are super cool, especially the Fields of Asphodel. That was a really cool spin on the books- the CGI was pretty good, and the concept there was really interesting.

Olympus was very cool looking too! It reminded me of Asgard.

Overall I Just Think There’s Lots of Potential!

Since the leads are fairly inexperienced (and kids), you can’t expect them to be incredible. They’re doing just fine, but I think they have a lot of potential, and I’m excited to see them grow over the course of the series!

Generally I still really like the casting and have high hopes for these actors, I just wish (for our sake and theirs) that they had better material to work with.

Plot Changes

This ones kind of a pro AND a con: Generally, I really like the flashbacks! They add a lot more depth to Sally, and her relationships with Percy and Poseidon. That being said, the episodes typically feel far too short to be adding material that wasn’t in the books. I thought it was fantastic in episode 7, but in other episodes it didn’t quite work when so much else was cut, or there were opportunities left untaken as a result.

I also liked that they included a few flashbacks with Luke in the finale- there was so much training and time at camp that didn’t fit into the first two episodes.

They got rid of the “names have power” stuff which is great (never made sense in the books).

They did a really nice job humanizing Medusa, but still creating conflict with her, and simultaneously setting up further issues with the gods.

I also agreed with their decision to move the fight from Santa Monica to Montauk, to save time.

Cons:

Dialogue and Writing

The dialogue is definitely less charming than in the books. It’s a huge part of what makes them fun, and the dialogue here is honestly pretty bland. The characters don’t totally feel like themselves, but it isn’t only the acting. Forcing the characters to be explaining stuff to each other nearly every time they have a conversation makes them a lot less personable.

Honestly, this series feels kind of elementary in comparison to the middle grade books. I’d imagine that, like the books, they were aiming to create something that could be enjoyed by young kids and adults alike. But I didn’t find it as successful as the book in this regard.

And the dialogue is consistently so surface level! Stiff, boring, and above all, CONSTANTLY telling over showing. This affects the likability of the characters, and the ability of the actors. Both parties are deterred by the info dumping, as they aren’t really given as many genuine lines or interactions as they should have.

Honestly, it kind of feels a bit like they gave some of Percy’s personality to Annabeth in parts of the show? I saw someone else point out that they’re kind of giving Annabeth the Hermione treatment (ie giving her some of the other characters good moments), which I kind of agree with. However, a lot of that was towards the beginning and middle of the season and has somewhat improved since.

I posted a whole rant earlier about the Lotus Casino episode, which I’ll just summarize: theres a consistent pattern in the show of having the characters figure out what’s going on immediately, removing the danger, and more importantly, not allowing the characters to make mistakes, which weakens both them and the plot. In addition, I didn’t like that they brought up May Castellan already, primarily because it was just another info dump, which (in my mind) gets lost amongst all the other info dumps and removes the poignancy from the reveal. Now, there’s absolutely time to fix the May Castellan situation and ensure that it still packs a punch later on, but for this season it wasn’t great. Go check out my last post if you’d like to hear the rest of my argument on that episode!

Some additional examples of the ‘not letting the characters experience danger’ thing: Procrustes (obviously), and Kronos- forget whether or not Percy should know who Kronos is, the biggest issue is that there’s very little evidence or buildup, so (again) there’s no tension or shock at the reveal. And finally, with Luke. I was so annoyed when Percy figured it out! I could’ve believe that they were doing it AGAIN. I still enjoyed that scene because Walker and Charlie were great, but that was disappointing for sure.

The thing with the pearls honestly amounted to nothing, and there was no reason for Annabeth to not be present in the underworld: that was just a tearjerker for the sake of being a tearjerker (manufactured drama).

Lowering the Stakes

I just wish they’d made it SLIGHTLY more mature- don’t get me wrong, it’s a kids show! I’m very well aware of that! But this feels a lot tamer than a lot of kids (PG) movies involving monsters and stuff.

Gabe was a real piece of shit in the books, but in the show they just kinda made him look lazy and turned him into comic relief. And I don’t believe in the argument that they had to make this change to benefit a younger audience- they didn’t really need to change anything there.

Throughout the majority of the season, I felt like they weren’t allowing the gods to be truly intimidating, or powerful. First with Ares, who wasn’t BAD but generally didn’t have that kind of dramatic presence that he had in the books. Again with Hades, who wasn’t shown as being REMOTELY intimidating, and perhaps the biggest offense of all- Zeus. Having the deadline pass with seemingly zero consequence or threat of consequence does absolutely nothing (and certainly doesn’t increase tension like I’m pretty sure Rick Riordan said was their reason for changing it). Up until the finale, viewers had very few reasons to fear the Gods. Even Dionysus and Hephaestus! In the books there’s a clear line- you can interact with them, but you DONT want to offend them. There’s a clear threat of power, and that just wasn’t remotely present for a while.

And again, I just want to clarify- this is an overall writing problem! It’s not that Ares, or any other one of the gods I just mentioned has a different personality than in the books, it’s that a show like this (KIDS OR NOT) should still be compelling, and part of that includes having real danger and clear stakes.

I would add that they did a much better job with this in the finale! Lance Reddick gave such an amazing performance, and truly made Zeus an intimidating figure. The fight on the beach with Ares was great as well. So I’m optimistic about this criticism moving into season 2, but I stand by the idea that this was an issue for the majority of the series.

Overall, it felt like they weren’t taking the serious parts seriously, AND they didn’t take the comedy as seriously either? So it isn’t as lighthearted OR as impactful as the books. It feels so much more bland and watered down by comparison.

Episodes Were Too Short

Everything just flowed really well in the books, here the pacing is off and the dialogue isn’t as natural (again, they’re forced to rely on a lot of telling instead of showing which takes away from genuine moments). Many character details and personality traits were cut for the sake of additional verbal explanation

As many others have pointed out, the fight scenes also feel pretty rushed, and haven’t quite conveyed the sense of urgency that they should. It all just lowers the stakes.

This Ones Kind of a Joke, but the Casting for Hephaestus

It’s mostly my book bias. This guy was NOT giving Hephaestus. Mainly because Hephaestus is the god of the forge, and I can’t picture this guy anywhere near one of those. He kind of looked like one of Santa’s elves, he’s giving tinkerer not GOD of the FORGE. This is also something they can absolutely fix/win me over in time lmao

Changes

I already mentioned most of the changes (good and bad) already, but there’s one more. I kind of wish they had kept Percy’s dream about Tartarus, especially given that they decided to have Percy figure out Kronos is behind it all earlier- it just would’ve clicked a little easier.

Finishing Thoughts

I don’t want to totally sound like a hater! I’m still enjoying the series, and I really hope it gets renewed for season 2! I was just disappointed in the weak writing. I hope that the writers will be able to recognize these flaws and improve for season 2.

Alright, I don’t really expect anyone to read this whole thing, but if you made it: thanks for reading! I’m curious to hear your thoughts, so I’d really appreciate comments, just keep it civil!

#percy jackson disney+#percy jackson #percy jackson and the olympians #pjo #pjo show #percy jackson show #pjo tv show #pjo finale #percy jackson finale #percy jackson and the olympians review #pjo series #pjo spoilers #pjo episode 8

29 notes · View notes

obstinaterixatrix · 6 months

Note

I read all of The Honest Life of a Game Studio and now I am obsessed do you have recs for anything like it.

I wish. I FUCKING WISH. but it’s really one of a kind. higefusa really just wrote mundane slice of life office drama with the level of detail that could only be provided by a gamer who has worked in the industry AND he threw in some life or death stakes as a treat. how often do we get an incredibly normal office worker stuck in time prison??? and it’s ONE ARC??? not often enough.

none of these are gonna be just like game-ya but in terms of romances with attention to detail for industry/niche fields… ok all of these are gonna be kind of weird so bear with me.

double section is a BL about an auditor for an insurance company and an insurance salesman, I wouldn’t necessarily give it a blanket rec but I liked how Passionate the main characters were about audits and workplace regulations. a lot of heated drama for the most normal office setting possible. in the author’s note the artist talks about interviewing health insurance salesmen.

ginmokusei is more of a conventional BL but it’s about a guy who inherited his grandpa’s tailor shop and an ex maître d who shows up and demands to help him before he goes bankrupt. there’s a little bit about branding and marketing and bank loans. what has Always Stayed With Me is when the love interest basically goes like ‘you’re using all these flashy ads and being really pushy with discounts. are you selling beef bowls.’ every time I pass a clothes shop that goes really flashy with the discount banners I think ‘are they selling beef bowls…’

panel x magic. okay I said it was going to be weird. so this yuri is about a recent graduate who applies for office jobs and ends up doing image editing for… I guess a brothel? it doesn’t go into critiques of the sex industry, but I thought it was interesting how it takes a really logistical perspective in terms of marketing, advertising, and image manipulation… one of the chapters has the main character going like ‘oh god I’m trying to edit this risqué photo by making the thighs thinner and giving the face a glow-up but I keep making the model look like a weird alien this looks like something from a photo booth’ and gets advice from her coworkers like ‘hey why don’t you look up makeup tutorials to get a sense of what to touch up.’ hasn’t been translated in a while but it kind of hits that… really in-depth look at the logistics of a job.

I think there’s more I’m not remembering at the moment, at one point I think sundry made a joke about rating office romances by how much office work is shown. there’s a couple ones that *kinda* fit but not really… wait. wait wait wait. WAIT. oh my god it has such a h•rny title. okay. so I’m being 100% sincere when I say that the main story for hammered and pounded is a BL with interesting office politics. it’s also incredibly h•rny, but game-ya gets pretty h•rny so whatever. but yeah there’s a whole subplot where the love interest, who works in sales, has actually always wanted to work in R&D, and it becomes A Whole Thing where the head of R&D is in conflict with the head of sales over whether or not a transfer is gonna happen and there’s no romance involved with the conflict it’s all office politics

and in a similar vein, to your right, you will see my boyfriend is about a guy who’s working as a tour guide in kyoto and at the artist talks about how she used to work as a tour guide. I think it’s fun, though I have my qualms. the main character does do studying about how to be an effective tour guide and goes from being like ‘ugh I’m saying all the facts but no one’s listening’ to ‘haha check out this extremely long name of the temple we’re about to see! make sure to remember it, it’ll be the password for getting off the bus ;D’

I have another category of vaguely similar vibes of genre bending mundane office work + fantastical situations

tokusatsu gagaga is a gen series that’s a BIG fave of mine, the main character is an OL who loves tokusatsu so she imagines a lot of scenarios with that sort of vibe. it’s not diagetic, but it’s really fun when it’s stuff like ‘I’M AT KARAOKE WITH MY COWORKERS BUT I CAN’T OUT MYSELF AS A TOKUSATSU OTAKU THIS IS JUST LIKE BEING ATTACKED BY A KARAOKE-THEMED MONSTER EMERJASON HELP ME!!!!’ the eng tl hasn’t been updated in a while but there’s a live action adaption that’s really good

magilumiere co. ltd. is a gen series that’s basically ‘what if magical girls were like… sanitation workers for monsters’ so it’s a lot of company logistics in a fantastical setting. I don’t think I got that far into it before getting distracted, but it was interesting (though perhaps overly generous/idealistic about start-ups as a concept).

#ask #anonymous #gylb #orlbs #there’s also stuff like #perfect propose I really enjoyed for how it really highlights how toxic workplaces manipulate/exploit workers #(consent is an issue for that series tho)#and 24 hour kiss actually has stuff like ‘the manufacturer fucked up our bags what are we going to do’#(consent is a REALLY BIG ISSUE for that series tho)#anyway I’m not sure I’d consider these recs so I won’t put them in my recs tag #my god I spent like an hour on this #Gohan no Otomo ni… kinda…?#recs

20 notes · View notes

the-eeveekins · 5 months

Text

The 13th Day of G-Witch: Keep Marching on Instead of Running Off

Delling does what I would consider something of the bare minimum of being a good parent: protecting your child's life with your own. He reveals to Miorine that they decided together that if anything should happen, at least one of them needed to survive to take care of Miorine. Miorine is clearly frustrated that once again her father withheld information about her mother from her, and wonders why they both couldn't have escaped.

Sadly we never learn what happened. The way the show kept Notrette so vague and mysterious is so frustrating.

Thank you for saving Earth House Nika. And Martin, what she did was save your life and everyone else's life in Earth House, you shouldn't be a little snitch.

So, remember what I said about Guel trying to play the hero around Suletta, and paying the price? Yeah, he does it again here. As soon as the doors open and he hears the Aerial is nearby, he makes a dangerous escape into a mobile suit and jumps right into a life or death battle to...go see her? Save her? I don't really know what he was thinking here, but I think after this he learned not to stick his neck out trying to save a girl who can take care of herself and doesn't need a hero. The people who clamored for Guel to be the main character kind of missed a point. Every time Guel tries to be a main character, he suffers dearly for it.

Look, I have mixed feelings about this scene. I know Guel loves his dad and killing him is an absolutely massive and terrible psychological blow. But also...Vim Jeturk was a terrible man and the world is better off without him. It's a shame he had such a strong grip on Guel's heart.

This scene is amazing and one of my favorites in the series. Suletta is confronted with murder and death up close and is naturally terrified. But Prospera IS correct here. Sometimes you have to kill to protect your loved ones from people who would harm or kill them. But it's the way she applies that logic to her motto and twists into a way to prime Suletta into being so ready and willing to kill to protect her loved ones that makes it truly insidious.

Suletta stating that she's ready to move forward as she steps from the clean floor onto the blood, from the shadows into the light, and repeats her mother's motto with that look on her face. This moment is pure gold.

This fight is fantastic, but almost criminally short! I really wish they had saved a bit more runtime to show the Aerial Rebuild in action just a little more. Especially the criminally underused GUND-BIT Rifle. The music here is incredible, and the parts of AERIAL REBUILD that the show uses in this scene do not do the whole song justice, you should absolutely give the full version a listen.

What a way to end the season. There are many slaps in Gundam history, but this one may go down as The Slap. It was a pretty shocking moment for pretty much everyone watching (except I suppose the tryhard Gundam edgelords). The sudden gore, Suletta cheerfully extending a bloodstained hand for Miorine, who has been splattered in blood. And of course her shocked reaction.

We got plenty of Yandere Suletta takes out of it for the next 3 months. And of course the agonizing wait to see how they would move forward after this.

And thus ends Season 1! Honestly, I always found S1 to be really strong, even if it's slow by Gundam standards. But I really think that's one of the show's strengths. The way it started off slowly, but always had those problems lurking just under the surface absolutely helped ratchet up the tension for when things finally started getting serious in episode 10. I thought it was a stronger approach than just jumping immediately into a war right away.

My biggest issues are the set-up of the mystery around what happened to Notrette (and never explaining it in S2) and the decision to pass on explaining stuff that really should have been explained THIS season (the Space Assembly League).

#25 days of g witch #g witch #the witch from mercury #gundam #g witch spoilers

18 notes · View notes

elizabethwritesmen · 2 years

Text

Notice - Part 1

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Curvy!Reader

Warnings: Self deprecation, Body image issues, Self hatred, Angst, Slow burn, Mutual pining and smut to come in later chapters

Summary: Reader is at a bar with her friends and it seems that all of them are being hit on except her, which is usual. She falls into a fit of self moping when a strange man pulls her out of it.

Word Count: 3,011

AN: This will be a series, but the amount of chapters is undecided thus far. It depends on where the story takes me.

╔══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══╗

Every man in the bar seemed to be fixated on the two girls that commanded it, hanging onto their every word and whim as if they were goddesses to be worshipped. Y/N watched as Evelyn and Ashley made their way around, downing drink after drink, none of which they had to pay for. She scoffed, staring down at her 5 dollar beer and silently wishing she had chosen to stay home.

It's not that she didn't like going out. On the contrary, she loved it. Getting dressed up and hanging out with her two best friends in the world was a fantastic break from her soul crushing job, and it was a great boost to her confidence to wear something as provocative as the lacy bodysuit and leather skirt she had chosen. Or so she thought, but now she looked at her clothing with hatred, not for the fabric but for what lay underneath it.

Maybe if she were skinny like Evelyn, a man would approach her. Maybe if she were pretty like Ashley, a man would buy her a drink. Maybe if she weren't worthless, someone would pay her attention, attention that she needed desperately. One of the strangest phenomenons she had ever experienced had to be becoming invisible. But she was. In a room full of men, nobody ever notices the fat girl. Her words fall on deaf ears, and nobody seeks her company without a motive. You'd think she would have grown accustomed to it, but still, her silly little heart hoped and wished and begged that every time they went out would be her time. Her moment. Her night. The night she finally was... well, noticed. Validated. The night she finally got the attention she needed. But the night would never come, this she knew, and she let the despair sink in as she drowned her sorrows in cheap alcohol.

Across the bar sat two men. One tall, hair nicely trimmed, eyes as green as emeralds shining in the sun. The other even taller, hair shaggy and sandy brown, the kind of man who obviously took care of himself.

"Dean," the taller one turned to the other, "I'm surprised you're not all over those girls. Every other man in here seems to be."

"Pshhhh," Dean scoffed, "Come on, Sammy. You know the first rule to picking up women - the ones that everyone wants are never worth it. Besides, I'd rather not have to deal with either of them. One has enough bleach in her hair to turn her brain white, and the other is just annoying. I can hear her laugh from over here, she sounds like a witch cackling."

"So much for your plan to hook up with someone tonight," Sam laughed.

"I don't have to hook up to have a good time, you know. And besides, I've been studyin'."

"Studying what?"

"That girl over there. She came with the bimbos, but... she's not like them. She almost seems sad."

"She's probably just trying to scare off random men like you, Dean. Nobody approaches a sad girl at a bar. I'll bet she knows that."

"I think I should go talk to her. You know, make sure she's okay."

Sam raised an eyebrow, "Go for it, but Dean, if she is sad, don't make it worse."

"Never, Sammy," Dean winked, sauntering over to the table where Y/N sat alone. He was almost nervous to talk to her, she wasn't his usual type. He was into the bimbo persuasion, not the devastatingly beautiful persuasion. He couldn't believe his luck that every man in the bar wasn't all over her. Thank God for her friends, distracting them all so he could have a shot.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, "You okay, sweetheart?"

Y/N looked up from her beer for the first time in minutes, searching for the source of the deep voice that had just rattled her bones. Her eyes landed on Dean, and she had to take a moment because, damn, he was absolutely breath taking.

"If you want me to help you get with my friends, sorry but I can't. They're into who they're into, my word has nothing to do with that."

"Who, them?" Dean scoffed, gesturing to the girls in question. Y/N's eyes averted as her heartache worsened.

"You should just go talk to them," she sighed, "I really can't help you."

"But I don't want to talk to them. I wanna talk to you."

Her eyes snapped up to meet his, her brows furrowed with utter disbelief. Was this a joke? He had to be joking,

"What?"

"Well, I didn't walk all the way over here for my health. Let me buy you a drink."

"Why?"

He sighed, wondering why she was so stubborn and guarded. Wondering if it was worth it to keep trying.

With one look into her eyes, he decided that it was. In fact, he would try anything to make this pretty girl pay him attention.

"You're the prettiest thing this bar has ever seen. I'd be a fool if I didn't at least try to talk to you, sweetheart."

There it was again. The pet name. Only this time it surrounded her, cradling her in its arms and easing the pain.

She turned away from him once again, peeling the label off of her beer, her nails and cuticles red from her anxiously biting them. She knew he would get sick of her after a moment or two and walk away. She knew he was just talking to her out of some weird need to be a good person. You know, talk to the fat ugly friend and win some brownie points with God, or whatever.

Sensing her inner turmoil, he spoke, "I'm not asking you to go home with me, or to marry me or anything like that. I just wanna buy you one beer and maybe have a conversation, see where this thing goes."

"I don't believe you," she huffed.

"Well, I don't know how to change your mind but I'm gonna start by ordering you another one. I'll be right back."

He walked to the bar and her eyes followed him the entire way.

Really, why was he talking to her? I mean, he couldn't actually be interested in her. He couldn't actually want to have a conversation with her, right? And what happens if she does humor him and have a conversation? He'll walk out the double doors and she'll never see or hear from him again. It was the way of her world. People either ignored her or left her. It was all she knew, and it was what she deserved.

"Here you go, sweetheart," he snapped her out of her trance once again and placed a freshly opened bottle in front of her. She almost immediately commenced to peeling the label off. "Do you have a name?"

"It's Y/N."

"Pretty. It suits you. I'm Dean, and that giant of a man over there glaring at us is my brother Sam. He's probably a little bored."

"Should you go back to him?" she asked, sure that he would take the bait and take his leave.

"Only if you go over there with me," he smirked, "I'm sure he'd like to meet you, and hanging with us would be way more fun than hanging out here at this table alone, watching your friends have a good time."

She thought it over for a moment. Really, it couldn't be any worse than the hell she was already putting herself through. And, well, as much as she didn't want to admit it, the attention Dean was giving her was seeping into her bones, becoming a part of her. She could feel herself becoming needy for more, whatever he was willing to give her.

They walked over to Sam's booth and slid into the side opposite him.

"Sammy, this is Y/N, and our goal tonight is to get her to have an actual conversation instead of just avoiding questions and looking away."

Sam chuckled, "He comes on strong, doesn't he?"

She nodded, a small smile gracing her features, and Dean reeled. It was the first time he had seen her smile at all, and it was marvelous. If he thought she was beautiful before, it was nothing compared to this.

Fuck.

"So, Y/N, whereabouts are you from?" Dean asked.

"Well, here, really. I grew up a few towns away. What about you guys?"

"We're from a little bit of everywhere, but we're living in Kansas right now."

"Oh, so you guys are just passing through?"

"Yeah, unfortunately. We'll be here for another night or two then we'll be headed back home."

"I see," she nodded along with what they were saying, but her insides felt like they were being crushed. She had known him leaving was imminent, but damn. The sting was potent. This man had noticed her. He had seen her in a room where she was invisible. And he actually heard her voice, and cared what she had to say. And he was leaving. To her, this was heartbreaking, no matter how much she anticipated it.

"But, you know, we make our way around a lot, so we'll be back. We never stay in one place for long," Sam chimed in, sensing the awkwardness rising.

"I'm gonna go to the restroom. I'll be right back, guys. Don't go back to Kansas while I'm gone," she joked, standing up and walking to the dark corner of the bar in which the restrooms were nestled.

"Dean, what the hell are you doing?" Sam asked him.

"What do you mean?" the older brother asked, eyebrow quirking up.

"Aren't you just trying to sleep with her? Why did you bring her over here?"

"Well... I was, but now, now I just wanna talk to her. Get to know her. I have a feeling men don't do that enough."

"I've never once known you to just want conversation with a woman."

"Well, I guess hell is frozen over," Dean shrugged.

"Don't go caring about this girl, Dean. We both know we're just passing through, and you have the potential to really hurt her here."

"I'm not! It's just, well, Sammy, you met her. There's something about her, she's not like her friends, she seems genuine. And come on, you saw her, she's the hottest girl in here."

"She is a pretty girl, and she does seem sweet, I just want you to be careful. She doesn't deserve to get hurt by you, she's better off lonely."

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Y/N stared at her reflection in the mirror, tears smudging her mascara.

"He doesn't matter. You don't need him. You don't need anyone. All you've ever had is yourself, that's not gonna change just because some man gave you his time," she scolded herself. She was embarrassed at the heat he made rush to her cheeks, at the smile that he caused, at the way her heart beat a little faster when he looked at her. She knew who she was, and she knew she was meant to be alone. Some people just aren't made to be happy. Some people are made to make other people happy, and she knew she was one of them. She couldn't let herself feel the pent up emotions. She couldn't risk actually caring. That, for her, would be suicide.

She took a deep breath and fixed her makeup, walking back to the table. She didn't sit down, though.

"I think it's best if I go back to my table," she sighed, bouncing from one foot to the other in anticipation.

Dean's confusion was evident, "Why, sweetheart? We were just getting started talking to you and now you disappear on us?"

"I just think I'm better off over there," she shrugged, and began walking away. But a gentle hand on her wrist stopped her, and she turned around.

"Please," he looked her in the eyes, his voice gravel but heavenly on her ears, "Don't go. I want you here. Sammy wants you here. Let us cheer you up."

The words she had said to herself in the bathroom began fading away and she could feel herself giving in. She glanced to Sam to see if he did, in fact, want her there, and it didn't go unnoticed by him.

"You should sit down, Y/N. We've all got beer, time, and stories to tell," the younger brother sent her an encouraging smile. Suddenly, her negative affirmations were gone completely, and replaced with hope. She wanted to let herself have this. She just wasn't sure how.

She took her previous seat, clearing her throat lightly and staring at her beer, peeling the label off once again. Dean saw this and took it out of her hands, removing her distraction from him.

"Drink it, sweetheart, don't deconstruct it."

"Nervous habit," she sighed, grabbing it back from him and placing it far enough away that she couldn't fiddle with it comfortably.

"So is biting your nails, but I see you do that, too," he pointed out.

A wave of burning embarrassment flooded through her, scarring her cheeks red. "I can't help it, please don't make fun of it," she said meekly, her voice barely higher than a whisper.

"Oh, I'm not making fun of you, I do it, too. See?" he smirked, holding his hand out for her to see that he was telling the truth.

"We should probably both stop," she remarked, and Sam snorted.

"Getting Dean to stop anything is just about impossible," he explained, and Dean shot him a glare.

"I'm not that stubborn, Sammy," Dean rolled his eyes, and Y/N stifled a giggle as she watched the brother bicker.

The conversation flowed between the three of them like a river, and, for the first time in what felt like ages, Y/N felt seen. And heard. Like she had a voice. Her heart was swelling with the overflow of attention from the boys, and she was almost awestruck at how well she got along with both of them, and how nice they were to her.

Similarly, the boys were in awe of Y/N. She was so shy initially, seemingly insecure, but once she was comfortable with them, she became this beautiful personality, a kind they had never seen before. She was smart but kind, bold but tactful, funny but down to earth. She was the kind of person that made them feel like the work they did was worth it. Even Sam had completely warmed up to her after an hour of aimless conversation, and he couldn't help but notice the way Dean was looking at her.

"I'm gonna head back to the motel, but you guys should stay, drink some more, keep talking," he informed, standing up from his seat and stretching.

"Oh no, Sammy, you can't leave now," Y/N all but whined, staring up at him, her eyes wide with a vulnerability she hadn't shown when she first talked to them, "We haven't even finished deciding which one of the guys in here my friends are gonna go home with!"

"My money is on Evelyn going home with too-tight-shorts guy, and Ashley going home with too-much-hair-gel guy," he chuckled as he grabbed the keys to the impala, "Dean, can she give you a ride back?"

"Yes," she responded for the younger brother, "I can." She then stood up and walked over to the moose like man, reaching up to give him a hug. "It was so nice to meet you, Sam. Take care."

"Yeah, you too," he smiled, hugging her back and bidding his farewell.

Part of her was elated to be alone with Dean, but another part of her was extremely nervous. He had played it cool in front of Sam, but what if it was all an act? And she couldn't fight the sadness she felt deep down over Sam's departure. She had developed a camaraderie with him, the kind that she didn't have with the girls. The friendship she found in Sam wasn't superficial at all, and there was no inclination that he was talking to her out of pity, or worse, to boost his own self esteem. He had hung onto her every word and offered plenty of his own, engaged in the conversation like he had known her forever. Like a brother would be. She could tell why his relationship with Dean was so close knit. And now she would likely never see him again, which, for her, was a greek tragedy.

"You okay, sweetheart?" Dean drawled, taking a sip of his beer, his tongue slipping out of his mouth to lick the rim of the bottle. She quickly snapped her eyes away, but he noticed the way they trailed the movement.

"I am, it's just... I hate that you guys are just passing through."

"I hate it too," he sighed, "More now than ever."

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" she smirked, turning in her seat to face him and throwing back her own bottle. A drop of her beer slipped down her cheek, then her chin, then continued its trail all the way down to her breasts, hardly concealed by her top. Dean pulled the same move that she had, shyly averting his eyes.

"Because I've never met a girl like you, sweetheart, and I don't know if I ever will again."

Her eyes met his in a flash of emotions, and the emerald reflected what she was feeling.

"Do you wanna get out of here? Go for a walk?" he asked suddenly.

"Dean," she sighed, "I don't want to hook up, if that's what you're getting at."

"I don't want to either. You... you deserve better than that. I just wanna talk, somewhere that doesn't smell like cheap beer and bad decisions."

She looked for any sign that he was lying, and found none, so she grabbed her purse and stood up.

"Well, what are you waiting for? We've got a walk to go on."

╚══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══╝

#dean winchester smut #dean winchester x reader #dean winchester #supernatural #spn #spn x reader #spn fanfic #spn smut

284 notes · View notes

bookaddict24-7 · 2 months

Text

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

EVERY WEEK I WILL POST VARIOUS REVIEWS I’VE WRITTEN SO FAR IN 2024. YOU CAN CHECK OUT MY GOODREADS FOR MORE UP-TO-DATE REVIEWS HERE.

___

42. Identity by Nora Roberts--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

One of the best things I did for myself with this book was going into the story without reading the synopsis. I legitimately knew absolutely nothing about this book and man, when that first twist happened I was HOOKED.

The familial relationships in this book were everything and I loved that there weren't any of the usual tropes in this one when it came to the romance. It was a thriller first and a romance/familial story second. I did love how all of the characters communicated and worked together, even if their dialogue was sometimes a little awkward--especially when discussing intimate things. I know all families are different, but I wouldn't confess to my mom and grandma that I just came back from a night of pure sex LOL. But hey, to each their own.

The love interest was interesting. I really liked him and his blunt delivery, but sometimes he DID push that line of like "Alright, I guess we're just going with this." It was funny watching these two come together and I'll be honest, when he was a certain way (which I know is just his personality), I thought "wow, our standards are flat against the floor." While the relationship sometimes felt stilted, it didn't detract too much from the story for me.

Now the villain was something else. He was creepy and horrendous. I actually pictured his face changing from when he first meets the MC to when he sees her sick friend. It's horrendous and he was so well written--especially when we get to see his steady decline into even more madness.

Overall, this was FUN and had some very disturbing moments. Roberts is a little too good at writing someone who thinks so horrendously and does some horrible things to his victims. I recommend this for the sweetness of the family and a character who loves her job, but also for the creepy POV of the serial killer.

___

43. The Unknown by Katherine Applegate--⭐️⭐️

It's been a few weeks since I've read an Animorphs book because the library holds time is sometimes brutal. Why am I mentioning this? Because this was one of the rare books in this series that I didn't feel any urgency to read. I'll be super honest: This one felt like a weird dream. Half the time I was confused about how the characters got to certain points in the story.

I'll still be reading the rest of the series, of course, but this one was just okay. I do love these adventures, but this felt almost like a filler book?

Anyway, onto the next one!

___

44. The Titan's Bride Vol. 1 by ITKZ--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I will admit that while this storyline was actually sweet and pretty intriguing, this book is...nearly all porn. Had me blushing through the whole thing. I'm intrigued by where the story is going and I'm kicking myself for not having ordered the rest of the books yet, but yeah, this was basically porn with a sprinkling of a sweet and fantastical storyline.

I will say that the artwork is stunning!

Sigh. LOL.

___

45. Once There Was by Kiyash Monsef--⭐️⭐️⭐️

ONCE THERE WAS would have been better as an adult fantasy book. Why? Because so many things in this book felt like an adult fantasy book--there weren't any adult themes, but a lot of the circumstances were a bit of a stretch. I think I, as a reader, wouldn't have had to suspend my disbelief so much if this had simply been an adult.

I mean, a fifteen year-old inherits her dad's Vet practice and and lives alone?

By the end of the book, I had forgotten this was YA.

Moving on from that, this book had a really cool concept. I loved the idea that there's a vet out there destined to take care of mythological monsters. I also loved that it was such a diverse set of characters too, including the MC. We get to see more about her culture and her father and what happens when Western society stamps out that aspect of an identity. For example: food, language barriers, and culture.

While the book felt a little all over the place, I really liked seeing the MC in action when it came to these magical beings. I also really liked how Monsef explored the concept of grief and how important it can be to just feel the emotions.

Overall, this book was OKAY. There were points where I was a little bored and a little confused as to why this was YA, but I can also see why so many people might love it. This was like Dr. Doolittle for mythological creatures.

___

46. Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura-- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I didn't know what to expect from RAIDERS OF THE LOST HEART, but I had a pretty good time with what Segura gave us. From the badass FMC to the stuttering and himbo of a MMC.

I think with books like this one, I need to not take the storylines too seriously so I can fully enjoy it (which I did). The romance, tension, and spice were great. The adventuring was fun (even though I would have loved to see a bit more). I think reading the author's note also helped in realizing how much leeway was given to the characters' adventuring, since it isn't really like this in real life.

This really felt like I was watching a movie. It was a quick and addicting read and had me hooked from the very beginning.

There is one character, however, who is clearly Pansexual and I do wish they had said that instead of having the FMC confused as to how one person could like more than one gender. I do like that this character explains it, but I do wish Segura had gone the extra step of saying the term.

Anyway, I enjoyed this for what it was and I'm glad I didn't pay attention to the rating!

___

47. Olive Harvest in Palestine by Wafa Shami & Shaima Farouki (Illustrator)--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I don't normally rate or talk a lot about the storybooks I come across. But I came across OLIVE HARVEST IN PALESTINE while scrolling Instagram and I knew I immediately wanted it on my shelves. It's beautifully illustrated and the story it tells of an event that was a yearly tradition of harvesting and pressing olives in such a beautiful place like Palestine was both eye-opening and heartbreaking.

It breaks my heart to know that all of that beauty is now only on pages of storybooks, memories, photographs, and videos taken in passing. My heart ached while reading this important book. My heart cries for those olive trees that were hundreds of years old.

If there is a storybook you pick up this year, let it be this one.

___

48. Block Shot by Kennedy Ryan--⭐️⭐️

When I read the first book in this series, I was hooked. I thought it was powerful, heartbreaking, and incredibly addicting.

And I don't know if it's because I spent yesterday sick in bed, but BLOCK SHOT was the last thing I wanted to finish (even though I only had like 4 hours left in the audiobook). I finally finished it earlier today but because I knew I wanted to finish it so I could get to the third book. Normally, I tell friends to DNF books but sue me, I wanted to give this book a shot.

All of that being said, I WAS intrigued at the beginning. I loved how these two knew each other from way back when and how, even years later, they still couldn't fight the chemistry between them. Call me wild, but I personally don't know how I would have reacted if I the FMC and the events of the first part of the book happened. On one hand, I get it because being a fat girl has always been my identity. Being the butt of fat girl jokes? Been there, done that. But on the other hand, I found that this FMC had a massive chip on her shoulder that she carried for the majority of the book, which she then moulded into a slightly unhealthy thing.

I'll admit, I found the portrayal of her body and how even the MMC referred to it (like being fat is a horrendous thing) really icky. I know that this was written a few years ago, but it made me so uncomfortable that the fat girl's humiliation was one of the big motivations for the FMC to "better" herself, as if her intelligence and already existent beauty wasn't enough. Don't get me wrong: wanting to feel a certain way and looking a certain way isn't a bad thing, I think the phrasing of it was just not it.

Which leads me to saying that...the FMC was one of those characters who supposedly had a powerful presence and was touted as this saint, but LOL, let's be real. She wasn't. Sure, she could put her business face on, but man, she was someone who was so easily manipulated. There were so many instances where I wanted to shake some sense into her. Like, we KNOW the MMC was an asshole, but at least he admits it? He was honest about who he was, while she was the one play acting.

I won't even touch on the fact that there's cheating in this and it's not like in the first book, where it felt like a glimmer of hope and fear. Here it was all pure selfishness. And I don't think we should always like the main characters in books, but like...at least make them consistent. I don't know, the FMC annoyed me and again, while I didn't like the MMC, at least he was honest.

Also, that twist. I saw it coming, but it added a whole other level of ick to everything and the FMC.

I'm disappointed with this book, but I'll still be picking up book 3.

___

49. My Love Mix-Up! Vol. 1 by Wataru Hinekure (writer), Aruko(illustrator), & Jan Cash (Translator)--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved MY LOVE MIX-UP! and how much fun it was. The storyline was entertaining and while I think things happened a little too quickly in this first volume, I did love the antics and honesty the MC had for his situation. I can never tire of these kinds of stories where kids are just casually living their lives and falling in love with the unexpected person.

This reminded me a lot of BLUE FLAG, which was one of my favourite reads a couple of years ago. I loved the friendship aspect and how, even though things have the potential to be messy, that friendship perseveres.

I also laughed quite a bit at that twist at the end. Will definitely be aiming to get this entire series!

___

50. Happy Place by Emily Henry--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I think I always kind of know what to expect from an Emily Henry novel, so while I went into HAPPY PLACE with a bit of nerves, I also knew I would probably enjoy it. I didn't read the synopsis, as per usual, and I was (unsurprisingly) hooked from the beginning. This book was a shot of melancholy, heartbreak, and that magic feeling that summer sometimes brings out in us that anything is possible.

At first, I was put off by the going back and forth with the past and present. Mainly, I've always found these kinds of stories feel a little abrupt when they have a flashback chapter every so often and I become impatient for the present day story. But as the story progressed, I realized it was impatience mingling with anxiety. I was afraid to see what broke these two up; what had the power to come in between these proclamations of forever I-love-you's and soulmate-y kind of love stories. I was worried and while I had to force myself to face it, I'm glad I did. I obviously won't say what it was, but I will say that it felt like a very real reason, even though these two would heavily benefit from couple's therapy.

I also appreciated the friendships and how this book isn't just about the romance that broke, but the relationship between friends. There are different kinds of happy places in this book and many of them include these amazing friends who are guilty of a huge crime: growing up. I find that I related a lot to the one friend who spent her time chasing that high of youth caught in a summer breeze. I remember summers long past full of memories that will never be replicated, but growing up means knowing that those memories exist, even if life and time changes everything.

Much like many other Henry books, this delves into deeper topics as well, like familial trauma, grief, mental health, and abandonment issues. Those were palpable on the pages as the characters faced these very real parts of themselves.

I'm not giving this a full five stars because of the flashbacks and how messy the MC and her love interest were. Communication is a golden rule I wish more romances adopted, but I also can understand that in order to have diverse characters, we need to be mindful of the ones who genuinely have a hard time communicating--usually because of mental health and traumatic responses. All of that being said, I still stand by this couple being chaotic--even if they were probably my second or third favourite couple in the Henryverse.

ALSO, DID EVERYONE PEEP THE BEACH READ EASTER EGG?? Hell yeah.

___

Have you read any of these books? What were your thoughts?

___

Happy reading!

7 notes · View notes

katarh-mest · 4 months

Text

finished Apothecary Diaries Vol #4

Holy smokes it's an absolute shame that the first two couers of the anime are likely only going to make it through the first two novels. And even the manga itself is only scratching at the start of volume 4.

It is, plain and simple, a delightfully well written narrative.

I say this as an avid reader, a sometimes writer, and a general appreciator of a well crafted story.

(Minimal spoilers through volume 4 follow)

Clues are laid down. Maomao acknowledges them by dint of being so observant, then immediately forces herself to forget them or not think too hard about them (her biggest character flaw, but obviously one that came about as sort of an instinctual survival coping mechanism in Verdigris House and later on the rear palace. No client would like a nosy little serving girl learning too much, after all.) She can recall them when she's forced to, but it's an interesting masking trait in and of itself. Feign ignorance or die.

The writer's choice of omniscient third person lets us flit from mind to mind, character to character, and know things that would otherwise have to remain a mystery. And confirm that characters live or die, even if Maomao has to stay ignorant for now. I appreciate that sense of closure.

So far, Chekov's feifa hasn't remained unfired. It's great! Vignettes that seem like cute little slice of life moments have major plot implications two volumes later. (The ghost stories chapter from Volume 2 is a fantastic example of that. Shisui's surprisingly good acting skills, plus the mystery of the organizer being dead. At first I thought it was Hyongang since she said she wanted someone to continue the tradition, but then later I was pretty sure it was the elder woman from the clinic... who wouldn't have been above having another dozen women in the gardens dead..)

I love that every character in the La family so far has their own variation of neurodivergence. Lakan with his face blindness and military savant, Lahan with his ASD number and pattern recognition, Luomen with his brilliant mind but occasional ADHD-like problems, and of course Maomao the autism queen herself. Pretty sure she got that straight from her mom, for that matter.

Anyway, I'm already chewing on volume five. I haven't binged this much on a book series in years. I'm hyperfixated to the point of tuning out reality. Glad it hit during Christmas break because I quite literally might get through all 12 volumes before New Year's Day.

I'm giving to understand that the original web novel is a hair on the darker side, and a lot of the things I'm gushing about are no doubt results of a solid editing process after the fact for the light novels.... but isn't that a good thing? There's no shame in a good clean up editor.

#apothecary diaries #them's good reading #apothecary diaries novels

14 notes · View notes

themirokai · 11 months

Text

For my new followers: I’ve been watching Person of Interest really slowly and posting reactions to each episode with gifs. Check out the tag #miro does poi if you’d like to see more. Or, ya know, blacklist it.

POI 03x23: Deus Ex Machina

I thought some parts of this episode worked and some did not. Gonna do some big overarching thoughts, then call out some specific moments.

I generally liked Collier as a villain. Some of that is an affinity for Leslie Odom Jr., but as I said in a prior post I also really like villains who have a point but take it too far. And I thought Odom played him really really well. The guy is crazy charismatic and brought every ounce of that to bear in this role.

So I felt a bit let down by the trial as culmination of his arc. It’s just… kind of dumb? Like did they actually believe that doing this show trial at gun point - of two political operatives and three people no one knew - was going to … what? Convince people to rise up against the government and demand greater privacy rights? Or was it to make themselves feel better about killing the people responsible for Northern Lights? It just seems pretty half-baked for a character who I felt had been previously set up to be intelligent and driven.

And I didn’t really like the reveal that Greer had been pulling the strings the whole time. It made sense for the broader Samaritan plot but it undermined everything about Collier. I think I would have preferred if they just had Decima influence how the trial went rather than have them be responsible for the entire Vigilance movement.

The trial did create the set up for Harold to be self-sacrificing. Again. Still. Some more.

So much of Harold’s actions throughout the series seem to be motivated by guilt. Actually, remorse is probably more accurate. He only thinks he’s important in terms of what he can do for others. BRB my heart is breaking.

Another thing that got my wheels turning was this part with Control where she gives her experience on 9/11 as her motivation for undertaking the surveillance program, and I’m interested in how that reads to younger people and people who aren’t American.

I was 17 on 9/11 and it isn’t much of an exaggeration to say that you could feel the country change in real time. Control’s story of having the rest of her life motivated by that day isn’t at all rare. I know several people who signed up for the military on 9/12 or shortly thereafter.

Probably most of the people using this site weren’t even born on 9/11 and I wonder if Control’s story comes off as contrived or manipulative to you. I know that for me, I do feel the remove of 22 years. I know that 9/11 jokes and memes are pretty common now. But I don’t think that was the case when this aired. I think we were still too close to it then, and Control probably came off as sympathetic or at least doing the wrong thing for the right reason. I’m not sure this part of the show has aged well. But also Camryn Manheim’s performance is fantastic.

I find it super interesting that when I try to use gif search, the majority of gifs that come up, and the first ones, are ALL Shoot. I’m not sure if that’s because there’s just more of them or if Shoot fans tag their stuff differently or what. I didn’t embed any here because this was getting lengthy, but this scene was great, they have excellent chemistry, and I generally love how their dynamic is developing.

Fusco’s arrival was fantastic because I’m always happy when he shows up but also Root … apparently sent a message on??? with??? Bear? We’re not going to interrogate the mechanics of how Root got Bear out of the library while she was going after Samaritan but I was very glad Bear was there too.

Also! Fusco still doesn’t know about the Machine!!! 🤦🏻‍♀️

Oh look, Hersh ends up being great and I’m kind of attached to him now. Of course he’s dead at the end.

Let’s talk about the Rinchiness. As always, we have John’s single-minded determination to get Harold back for the majority of the episode.

But then there is this oh so gentle and affectionate scene that I suspect lives in every Rincher’s heart.

Sigh.

And the ending. Goddamn the ending was gutting. RIP Library.

That’s a wrap on season 3! Thanks for sticking with me, y’all. Reminder that my ask box is open if you want to share your thoughts!

#miro does poi #fewer gifs because this got so long #poi 03x23: deus ex machina #person of interest #irrelevants #rinch #long post

40 notes · View notes

rays-of-fire-and-ice · 8 months

Text

BLEACH: The Thousand Year Blood War Ep 18 & 19 Reactions and Thoughts

Overall reaction:

First up, I didn't write anything for episode 18 last week because when I sat down to do it, all I could think to talk about was Renji's bankai reveal, which was epic, but didn't have much more to say beyond that. I loved the whole thing though, they made Renji look like such a badass throughout. And the reveal itself was *chef's kiss*

As for this week...WOW. JUST WOW. INCREDIBLE, AMAZING, WOW. There's one main highlight and you all know what it is. Just...look at her:

This is one of the most stunning things I've ever seen coming out of this show, that includes the original series. Hell, this is one of the most stunning bits of animation I've ever seen. How did they make her bankai more pretty and elegant than it already was in the manga?! I just love that her collar and sleeves are transparent, and the little details like the snowflake pattern that constantly moves over her clothes.

The visuals for this episode were so amazing, and as you can tell, I can't reblogging gifs of it. I loved every second from a visual standpoint, everything was beautifully drawn and coloured, whether it was make Rukia look fierce or terrified or beautiful, or to make As Nodt more creepy and hellish than he already is. I mean, just look at this creep:

I loved this design in the manga, and I am LOVING it here now! Paired with church bells and music, this was a fantastic reveal.

As this adaption continues to show, when it comes to the fights of this arc, it's 10/10. Whether it's added content, hearing these characters say the lines, or just finally seeing these panels animated, it's reminding me of why I was so desperate to see this arc adapted into an anime. The moment I saw As Nodt's hand graze Rukia's, and she flinches and tries to find him, I got hyped. The moment he transformed into his Vollstandig, I was screaming. And then Rukia unleashes her bankai, and I was rolling in my chair. If As Nodt vs Rukia doesn't go down as one of the best anime fights from this year, I'll be shocked.

For one, while it goes without saying at this point, I cannot emphasis enough how GOOD the animation is:

I also loved the call back to decaying characters and the flies and how they were used for Rukia's greatest fear. It's a connection to Byakuya, an experience they can say they've both shared now, and it adds to the scenes that come next when he tells her he's proud of her and he helps her defrost.

Speaking of that scene, it was already a great moment in the manga, but see it not only animated but voiced, I teared up a little. I looked forward to seeing the dub version of the scene too, I have no doubt Michelle Ruff and Dan Woren will do great here. It's a small, emotional moment for the two them, and it's more or less a conclusion their brother-sister arc. We've come a long way since the beginning, huh?

While we're on voice acting, can we give As Nodt actor absolute praise. He made him so gosh dark creepy throughout. This is the kind of voice I would hear while reading the manga, and the way he was able to morph his voice from quiet monotony to raging growls was just amazing. He was a standout in the episode for me honestly.

If I had two nit-picks about the animation, one is that As Nodt's eyeball monsters looked a little weird and out of place, but it's so small it didn't take away from the fight for me. The other is the weird video filter they used over Rukia's flashbacks; not sure why they used that filter? Is it trying to say the original show is that old now? Were they trying to be creative? Regardless, it jarred me a little, but again, it's a nit pick in what is otherwise a fantastic episode.

Overall, it was an amazing episode that will likely be in my top fifteen of the arc of the show. Next week, I'm preparing for two shikai reveals and maybe a few tears ;_;

#bleach #bleach episode reactions #rukia kuchiki #as nodt #byakuya #renji abarai

13 notes · View notes

ninjapotatohead · 2 months

Note

What do you think about each Megaman X’s main games?

These may not be my in-depth thoughts on the X series, but if you want the gist anyways...

• X1 was (and still is) a fantastic first impression from both a gameplay and story standpoint. Makes me all the more salty that Capcom thought that making Maverick Hunter X a PSP exclusive was a good idea. In all seriousness, it accomplished what it set out to do (being the start of a MegaMan series for the next generation). Oh, and the OST slaps.

youtube

• X2 was a pretty damn good follow-up to the first game. Opens up strong (RIP Green Biker Dude), and the X Hunters provided that extra layer of tension in rebuilding Zero before they do. Oh, and the OST slaps.

youtube

• X3 was an okay game. Not spectacular, as it did fall short of the first two, but you also never forget that moment where Zero bursts in from the ceiling and - OH SHIT, I'M PLAYING AS ZERO?! Shame Zero was implemented so haphazardly after all that hype from X1 and 2, tho. Anyhow, I've played X3 the most out of the early X series to the point where I can name off every single X3 Maverick by heart. Always thought that Dr. Doppler was neat, too. Oh, and the OST slaps.

youtube

• If playing as Zero in X3 was only an appetizer, then him being fully playable in X4 is the creme of the crop! I always admired that Capcom stuck to their guns and kept X4 a 2D game instead of just diving headfirst into 3D (we would eventually have Legends for our 3D MegaMan fix). Gameplay was fantastic (if a little on the easy side) and I never brought this up before, but I love X4's selection of weapons the most. The story of X4... not gonna lie is kinda dumb in retrospect. Okay, I'm gonna TRY and talk about X4 without bringing up its... "infamous" English dub, but I just can't empathize with Repliforce (except maybe General's sacrifice at the end) because their situation could've easily been avoided. Not that X and Zero were much better, given that Zero shouldn't have attacked Colonel if the latter just wanted to talk, and X... let's be real here, X got completely shafted from a story standpoint because the interesting story beats (and I use that term loosely) happens in Zero's campaign. Well, at least this game gave us Magma "HE BETRAYED THE IRREGULAR HUNTERS AND HID HIMSELF IN A VOLCANO" Dragoon, and the armors you can get for X are fun to mess around with. Oh, and the OST slaps.

youtube

• X5... Hoo boy, X5. You know the saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"? Well, X5 feels like the result of someone who didn't quite get that memo. It's not a bad game by any means, but it does a myriad of questionable things (oh hey, Alia). I always wondered what it was about Capcom making the 5th entries in their franchises the most handhold-y yet also most frustrating games ever (oh hey, Dual Destinies). Not to mention the Enigma cannon having a chance of failing even at 100% completion. As a (at the time) finale to the X series, it stumbles in places, but it's an okay send-off, in my opinion. Even has a celebratory vibe to it from the moment you boot the game up. Oh, and the OST slaps.

youtube

PS,

• X6 was a headache and a half; doomed to fail from the start since it was greenlit (and against Inafune's wishes, no less). Also, Zero's back now! Never you mind that he was just an arm and a talking torso the last time we saw him; he hid himself while he tried to repair himself, clearly! In all seriousness, this game was very slapped together to make a quick buck off of brand recognition, and it shows. Even the plot feels like little more than a first draft (how much of that is due to the game's REALLY poor English localization if it had any, who knows?) The Nightmare was poorly thought out too, and the bosses? What can I say? They suck too. At least the OST slaps.

youtube

• What can I say that hasn't been said already about X7? It controls like molasses, the 3D sections were forcibly tacked on, the voice acting (while not nearly as bad as X4's imho) was stiff and atrocious, X's portrayal in this game (though I didn't mind it as much as most people did) is infamous for a number of reasons, and the less said about one particular fire-based Maverick, the better. If anything good came from X7's existence, if you asked me... it's Axl. No seriously, I remember being one of the few people on the planet who actually liked Axl as a character (not sure if that's changed any in recent times, though). At least the OST still slaps.

youtube

• X8 was a decent (if a little mis-timed) pallette cleanser after X7 came and went. Although, weirdly enough, it's the only game in the X series I played from beginning to end once, and then never touched again. I can never remember why, though. Oh, and the OST slaps.

youtube

#spud's inbox #megaman #mega man x #megaman x

3 notes · View notes