#not 2 get up on my soapbox again but maybe it is bad that all of humanity is on the same seven websites
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octopath traveler 2 - a masterclass in developing a sequel and an instant classic
I think that in games, when developing a sequel, it’s not uncommon to see a team take feedback and make changes that try to make it more widely received. Often, I feel that in that endeavor it’s easy to lose sight of what made the original game uniquely tick or feel like it did. Don’t just take my word for it (though what games I feel fall into this category can be controversial), it’s something that Sakurai has often mentioned before, for example.
Octopath Traveler II is a master class in how not to fall into that pitfall, and not just one of the best sequels (most improved award), but I think one of the best turn based RPG’s to date, at least by modern standards. I think it’s probably not a game that’s for everyone’s taste, but if you go in without expectations, I think it’s hard to ever really be let down. Likely spoilers below (especially end-game spoilers), but I’ll try to leave them to the end.
Before digging into the sequel though, I just want to briefly touch on octopath 1 in 2023. Something that I think about a lot is Scott’s retrospective on 3D World (I ain’t timestamping this one sorry), specifically, that 3D World was given a good bit of flack on release because it felt like it was “taking 3D mario into a bad direction” when, in a post-Odyssey world, we can really look back and really appreciate 3D World for what it is, and not judge it for what it isn’t (watch the whole video, it’s a great retrospective).
All this to basically say, I think a lot of the flack that octopath 1 got was kind of in the same vein. People really wanted it to be what it wasn’t. It’s not a Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, where you get a ragtag team of misfits banded together on a big journey, maybe with small individual branches along the way. It’s 8 very differently motivated individuals who just kind of pick each other up and just happen to help each other do their thing. The exp sharing and party system I can get being annoying, but I don’t think it’s really more than just a minor annoyance at worst, and I can get behind it being good to push the player to experiment with team composition (your leader gets somewhat overleveled but I really never found it that much more broken than synergies you get by mid-game). In another game that I love, Ruined King, they do have full party exp share, and while I loved experimenting and moving parts around to make different comps, I definitely felt that is very self-motivated, and the game doesn’t have too much in place to force you to move people around besides required character segments. Random encounters... I get complaining about it, but again it feels like idiot-proofing the level curve, because so often I see people in games with “walking encounters” just never ever fight them and then complain about being underleveled and having to “grind”.
This might feel like an odd rant to go on, and yeah it is partially just me getting on my damn soapbox and saying “octopath 1 was good actually”, but it’s important as context for why I find octopath 2 to be such a brilliant game (and because octopath 2 gives a new appreciation for these elements). I love the RPGSite review because it sums up this angle really well:
“As I mentioned previously, Octopath Traveler is meant to be a structurally open game that values player freedom. The overall arrangement of eight individual characters with eight distinct storylines may not fit the more traditional and expected structure of a unified JRPG party and a unified goal, thus some concessions are made in order to fit that vision in terms of character dynamics. Maybe it took falling in love with the SaGa games - which share some common components - for me to begin to understand what Octopath was trying to do all along, but I think this was the right direction to take the sequel in. I'd rather not see Octopath change dramatically and risk its identity in order to conform to expectations it doesn’t try to meet. If you’re looking for linear, story-driven, party-centric RPGs, there are an abundance of them.”
Don’t get me wrong - I’m not saying the original is perfect. I found some of the stories not that interesting (or maybe I just never gave them a chance!), and certainly the character interactions were a little sparse and unimpactful. But that’s where octopath 2 really shines beyond its origins, because I think the entire cast is absolutely wonderful, and their interactions, both in their paired quests and side-banted, ooze character. There is certainly a disparity between characters because they are all such different people, but as you get through chapters you can definitely feel them warm up to each other and get to understand each other’s perspectives. It’s such a breath of fresh air because in the original I felt like a lot of them were kind of just, one character asking the other for advice, and then they give it? And the structure of the chapters is so varied in the sequel, including how and when to use path actions (the night/day system helps a lot), when in the original it definitely felt a bit cut and paste.
I don’t even know where to start with the characters and their stories. I guess, like with Live-a-Live, I’ll just list them from my least favorite to favorite, but just know that I loved all of them.
8. Agnea - her motivations really kind of felt the most octopath 1 out of everyone, and not necessarily in the best way? I mean, she’s pretty much like Tressa, who I love don’t get me wrong, but it is just strange to me that, throughout every single chapter, it never really, like, felt like there should really be conflict? It’s a weird way to put it, but she is pretty much just going to become a star, and that sure is the journey she goes on. I don’t even really think she has many foreshadowing moments, but I might have just missed those? She’s super adorable and lovable and brings everyone cheer, and her story is very much the lighthearted one, so I suppose it fits. I don’t know, it just didn’t fully click for me. Great member of the party, I just wasn’t the most invested. Part of it may also just be that it feels like so different from Prim, who was easily one of the best characters from 1.
I think that is literally the only vaguely negative one I have, and I didn’t even really dislike her story, I just was least invested in it lmao
7. Throne (I will be leaving out the accent sorry I’m lazy) - I think the premise and split path and internal and external qualms are interesting, but I just kinda felt like it was Therion-lite. The final twist... sure is a twist of all time. I’m not in love with her story in retrospect, but it was like good enough moment to moment. Kinda like Lycoris Recoil, thinking about it.
6. I guess Osvald is 6th? These rankings past 8 are definitely pretty wishy washy. His character and story and motivation is just. anguish. Everything sucks (for Osvald). Harvey sucks. At every step you think you cannot get more upset at the situation and it just keeps on getting worse. How. Incredible.
5. Ok I fucking love Partitio but I would be remiss to rank his story too highly, because he is just god’s gift to mercantilism. He can do no wrong. There is no growth. But he’s really fucking charismatic and funny so it totally makes sense. It’s also really funny that he is the most socialist merchant ever, and he takes down the chains of capitalism and their absurd contracts and loopholes and then that final boss fight is just so awesome. I love Partitio.
4. Hikari also goes in the middle for just being A Political War Drama (I love those). He’s pretty much simba. But like, a dark, fucked up version of simba. I don’t know if I have that much else to say about it, that pretty much is everything.
3. Castti is really really interesting. Piecing together lost memories felt a little cliche to start, but the story being put together and the final few turns of the story were absolutely gut wrenching and my god what an incredible story. She is the mom of the group, and I don’t know if she was really that much more.
2. Temenos is a really interesting cleric character, and a huge departure from Ophilia (for the better). He is pretty much just Sherlock, from Sherlock. He can really be an asshole, and it’s really interesting to see this kind of angle, and not in a “church bad” trope, but in a “church good? but we need to fix the church?”. I would probably be mobbed for not mentioning Crick. So I have. I cannot talk about Crick without massive spoilers. If you finished his story you know why. Great character, great story.
1. Ochette may not belong up here but she is by far my favorite character what a fucking idiot I love her dearly. Just too stupid to live. There are like, a maximum of two things on her mind, ever. Her arc is great. She is voiced by Yuffie Kisaragi, the best character in FF7R. I am biased. This is my write-up. What are you gonna do about it.
Speaking of Live-A-Live, I can’t help but think Team Asano working on that remake helped reinvigorate some notable improvements in this sequel. Obviously the Octopath games have a lot of flesh and blood from Live-A-Live to begin with. But the final chapter of the game felt very reminiscent of that of LAL, both in terms of literal story structure, but especially with the worldbuilding and foreshadowing dropped throughout the game. I will spare many of the details, but I really liked the way that the foreshadowing is much more apparently integrated into events, major and minor, in each character’s story.
The combat system being pretty much the same, but with an extra new gauge, is great, because the original combat system was already really great. I truly think that if you have complaints about the break/boost system, the game probably just is not for you. I vibe with it, I get it, I love it. Latent powers just add a new extra layer to how to approach turn planning and break timing. Such a small change that adds so much.
Class rebalancing/skill changes were also very noticeable for the better. I feel like a good amount of people must have complained about access to aoe because good aoe is pretty much a premium now, unless your name is ochette (and even then you really have to look for it) or osvald (scholar privilege, ig). Support skills shifting around makes for different dynamics in approaching battles, and I especially love the new hidden classes, specifically Inventor, though Arcanist and Conjurer are neat too (though Arcanist gets really broken... but it’s ok because merchant is a pretty weak class otherwise?). My only real complaint is that I wish you could refund/re-allocate JP in some way, and that’s just because I love experimenting with class combinations.
The day/night system giving pretty much 2 of every “ability” per time of day makes pretty much any comp good for just roaming around town stealing getting to know the townspeople. Having time-specific passive abilities is a neat function, but I think there is definitely a good amount of room to build upon this. A very great seed planted for a future game. There will be a future game, right?
Being up to level curve was only really a struggle for one level jump, I think it was right before chapter 3, but I think they make patching up those last couple levels really easy with all of the exp boosting tools they give you, and really early (I had not equipped them because I thought it was only for the equipping character - no, they’re bonuses for the whole active party - and that’s probably why I got a little behind). Otherwise just going through chapters, traveling from one place to another, exploring the side dungeons, the natural leveling pace felt, well mostly unnoticeable, which I think is the best place for a leveling curve to be?
Dungeon design strictly in terms of explorability is nothing mindblowing, but it more than makes it up with the visual and sound design. Even now 2DHD still looks fucking wonderful and I wish so badly for the DQ3 remake to come out and other 2DHD games to come out. And yes, the music is incredible. I feel like often people just mention the battle themes, and yes, they go hard, but with both Octopath 1 and 2 every single environment has such unique sonic character. I don’t necessarily know if the best town themes come close to my favorites from the original (Orewell my beloved), but just the sheer variety in character, instrumentation, and composition is very much still ever-present, and I wish Yasunori Nishiki many many more opportunities in the future because he is genuinely one of the greats. Even better, though, like in any good musical design, is when the sound just cuts out. There is nothing more unsettling, especially in a game with such a lush soundtrack, than silence. Every such moment is incredible. I could literally make an entire separate essay on the sound design of these games (I have), but I won’t gush on and on here.
Octopath Traveler II is a game that really really plays into its strengths, and even while it successfully patches up most of of its original’s actual weaknesses, it is very much its strengths that continue to really shine. It is an RPG experience unlike any other out there, and if it’s one you are keen to experience, you will have a wonderful time. This is one of my favorite turn-based RPG’s, followed closely by Team Asano’s own Triangle Strategy, and I think it still has incredibly high potential to continue to iterate on its niche. I absolutely think this will be one of the more influential games of the genre for the future - a modern classic, while still feeling solidly rooted in its inspirations from the SNES golden era.
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Unpopular opinion: Would Lyanna be disappointed in Jon? I dunno, I think Lyanna would think the same way Jon is that Sansa is a rich kid who basically used her dealer for sex. Sansa never tried to get to know him outside of visiting his trailer. Jon literally has no one and is rightfully defensive and he has to be esp when he's dealing with rich kids whom Sansa publicly associates with and what they say about him.
I appreciate Sansa giving him an explanation at school but again its over 2 weeks at that point and she would know that Jon figured it out when he saw them together so her speaking to him afterward to "explain" doesn't come off as genuine (more like guilt) hence Jon's emphatic defense.
Please do a part 2! If you do a 2nd part will it pick up after we left off or would it take place before Sansa goes to college or rather 5-10 years after the locker incident? In which case I hope Jon does well for himself and Sansa.
*spoilers I guess for the fic I just posted earlier today? though honestly it’s too late if you already read the ask lol
Of course she'd be disappointed in him. He's dealing drugs and barely passing school. But also Jon's last thoughts are his own guilt, not necessarily what Lyanna would really think.
And now for my rabid Sansa defense: she's heard all about Jon's reputation as some bad boy ladies man, and when she asks, he doesn't deny it. Jon knows *exactly* what she's asking, and he lies to seem more experienced than he is. He has sex with her on a couch in his living room and then doesn't try to stop her when she awkwardly leaves after. And it's not like he's tried getting to know her, either, outside her coming to his trailer. He doesn't seek her out in school - in fact, he's basically run away every time they cross paths, like he wants nothing to do with her. Maybe if he hadn't, she would've tried to talk to him, or at least smile and wave. She's not so oblivious that she hasn't noticed his avoidance. It's only when she sees him staring at her & Harry in the hall that she realizes maybe he's hurt, and then tries to go explain herself. For all she knew, Jon was glad she was avoiding him. For all she knew, Jon kept letting her over to smoke hoping to get into her pants (as his reputation proceeds him), and now that he has, he's glad to be rid of her.
That's not to say Jon being upset & defensive isn't understandable, either. They're both messed up kids. That's why the tag is there.
As for a part 2, I haven't quite decided yet. My initial urge is to cut to 10 years later, because while I understand that some people get together in high school & stay together, it's also way more common for people to break up because (most) people are very different at 28 then they are at 18. But also now that I’ve gotten on my Sansa soapbox, I sort of want to write the next part from her POV
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October 2, 2023
Current Mood: fine, a little anxious
Day Rating: 5/10
Another day doing online college... Or so I thought. That makes it sound like I spent the day on some thrilling adventure, but really I just didn't have any work to do. I had the whole house to myself like I usually do on weekdays, so I spent today just lounging around at my kitchen table with my dog.
I feel bad for her though lmao. The kitchen window was open so we could hear all the birds tweeting outside, but I had a song stuck in my head. The Song with Five Names, a.k.a. Soapbox Tao, a.k.a. Checkmate Atheists! a.k.a. Neospace Government, a.k.a. You Can Never Know by Will Wood to be exact. Say that 10 times fast. See, when I have a song stuck in my head, I can't just listen to it once. Not twice. Not even three times. I have to listen to it over and over and over and overandoverandoverandoverandover again on repeat until I'm satisfied. I think that's a form of stimming. Lately I've been having one Will Wood song stuck in my head per day. I wouldn't be surprised if he's the only artist that shows up in my Spotify Wrapped. Anyways, back to my dog, poor girl just wanted to rest her old bones and take a nap, but here I am blasting some evil jazz on repeat because I can't function otherwise. Or maybe she's used to it by now :P
Later today, after dinner to be exact, my mom took me out driving again. I've only ever driven in parking lots, so she wanted me to get at least some experience on the road before I meet with my instructor on Wednesday (which, by the way, I found out there's no female instructors at that school. Being in a car with some random man? Yuck!) The original plan was just to drive around the block, but I eventually wanted to practice some more since I felt like I was getting the hang of things.
I drove around the whole town for a while, which wasn't really a lot since I live in a small town, and I eventually got the courage to drive on a real road. I didn't drive on the real road too much, to be fair, but it was still my first time actually being on one. It was a little scary, but there weren't many cars out this evening. The most aggravating part was waiting for cars to pass so I could actually turn onto the road.
Tomorrow, my mom wants me to take on more populated roads. Nothing big, just in the next town over. She specifically wants me to go to this store, and it makes me wonder if it's just an excuse to take her out shopping lmao.
Oh! I drove by some houses in my town that are already decorated for Halloween. There was one house in the very back road that did an excellent job utilizing the small yard they had to strategically place props. There didn't seem to be any specific theme, but I'm not complaining. All the stuff they had put out there was awesome. I'm going to go window shopping for Halloween props and decorations later this month, so maybe I can find where those people got their stuff from. People always hype up Spirit Halloween, but other stores like Party City and Home Depot have really cool things too. Sometimes they're even better!
I hope when I'm living on my own, I'll be able to make enough money where I can buy cool Halloween props too. Hell, I'd keep a couple in my house all year long if they fit my decorations. Man, if I had money, I'd be so cool. I hate that I need money in order to express myself and be happy, but I also want money so bad. The world is tough like that, I suppose.
Another diary entry where I rambled a lot about an uneventful day. I wonder what will happen when I have an eventful day. I might end up writing a novel lmao. Not that it matters. This is my corner of the internet. It's possible that no one will even read these entries anyways. Just me and my own thoughts. Marking my existence on the internet so I won't be forgotten.
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F1 Re-Watch 2013: Round 8 - Great Britain
I race I did watch live at the time... but had to watch a recording of it bc I fell asleep as I'd gotten back from a school trip the day before.
Anyway, my main memory of this race is all the very bad and very dramatic tyre failures which... big yikes. Seb also retired with some kind of mechanical failure which meant that Rosberg won. But apart from that I don't remember much else, so let's get into it and hope it's not completely awful 😵💫
Ah Silverstone, my forever beloved 💚
Okay starting grid: Merc 1-2 with Lewis on pole (spoiler alert: he's one of the drivers who has a tyre blowout :(), Seb P3, Dan P5 holy shit, Jenson P10 and Jev P12.
Helmet watch: I can't quite tell but it looks like Seb has pictures of all the RBR team on his helmet which is adorable
[Formation Lap]: Mediums and Hards are the tyres for this race.
cut to the stampede of mechanics and engineers trying to get back to the garages.
[Start/Lap 1]: Lewis shooting off at the start and Seb taking P2, I LOVE THIS SONG
Grosjean going round the outside of the of the McLaren's at Luffield holy shit dude
Jenson up to P9 🥰
or not Fernando just got past him :(
[Lap 2]: Lewis with an 8 tenths lead already, that's why they named the start-finish straight after him
[Lap 3]: aaaaand Lewis fastest lap.
Meanwhile Sutil is in P4. Team Silverstone once again be Team Silverstone-ing, at Silverstone
[Lap 5]: Lewis up to 2 seconds ahead of Seb, he's goating folks
The way that I know the tyre failures are coming but I have no idea on which laps they happen, it's like a really aggressive jack in the box.
(iirc Lewis, Jev and Checo were the affected drivers)
[Lap 6]: So yeah I'm just going to enjoy the Sewis 1-2 while it lasts 😭
[Lap 7]: Not Jenson complaining of his tyres overheating already, he's on the hards 😭😭😭
And Perez just got past him
and cut to Webber's busted front wing, man announced his retirement that weekend and someone decided to beat him up at the start as a send off
[Lap 8]: Seb fastest lap 🥰
ah shit there's Lewis' delaminated left rear tyre 😭😭😭
Cut to a v disappointed looking Ross Brawn
I know it's been ten years, but you can meet my fists Pirelli
The fact it happened down the Wellington straight too like.... big fucking yikes man
[Lap 9]: Anyway he's made it into the pits and is back out on track, although in plum last :(
[Lap 10]: So Seb's now P1 with Rosberg P2 and Sutil P3.
Oh jeez it was Massa that was the second left rear failure
[Lap 11]: cut to someone from Pirelli watching Massa's stop in the pit lane dbuhsfubh
[Lap 12]: Unsurprisingly, a load of cars have made their first stops
And a Grosjean fastest lap, because why not
"There's two men trying to stop Sebastian Vettel running away with the championship, and they're not doing a very good job of it" okay Brundle I will give you that one right.
[Lap 13]: Rosberg makes his first stop for hards.
[Lap 14]: and Seb makes his first stop, also for hards
The fact that Sutil is in P3, Team Silverstone baby!!!
[Lap 15]: Jev with tyre failure number 3 😭
The thing literally just exploded as we went through Stowe like... Pirelli I am in your walls
This race is legit the reason why I get anxiety every time I see one tyre failure bc my mind instantly goes back to the mess that was this race
[Lap 16]: And Safety Car. Likely for all the debris.
And honestly this race still pisses me off bc all the drivers were told to stay off the kerbs, but maybe Pirelli should have made better tyres in the first place
[Lap 17]: Adrian Newey with his head in his hands, a colossal mood
Anyway, soapbox away for now. Lewis is up into P14.
[Lap 18]: oooh internal SC cam. Bernd Maylander my forever Driver of the Day.
Cut to another Pirelli man in the Merc garage 👁️👄👁️
the TV director had a lot of fun with that, I can imagine
[Lap 19]: And also big shoutout to the marshals at the time for picking up all the little bits of debris in such record time.
"It's been a bit busy the past few laps" NO SHIT ROCKY
[Lap 20]: and a lap later he's calling out Seb for his fuel usage 😭
I can very easily see why I only remember the tyre failures from this race bc the replays of all the incidents are not fun
oh damn they even sent the track sweepers onto the circuit to clean up the mess
[Lap 21]: SC in this lap
stresssssss
(not bc I fear Seb losing the lead, bc I fear more carnage)
and off Seb goes!
casually just leaving Rosberg for dust
[Lap 22]: oh damn Perez got Webber on the outside of Abbey
...and Webber gets the place back
cut to Lewis driving on the kerbs at Maggots and Becketts, is2g
worth noting that not single driver has listened to their engineers when it comes to avoiding the kerbs. They are all menaces to society.
[Lap 24]: But he did get past Gutierrez going into Copse so... that was sexy I'll allow it
[Lap 27]: Somehow, Sutil is still in P3
the absolute scenes of it all
Seb's gap over Rosberg up to 3.3 seconds, that's my boy!!!
[Lap 28]: Dan passes Grosjean for P6!!
Another piece of debris on the track oh my fucking god
this race is almost causing me physical pain, maybe I had a point when I passed out watching this at the time
Okay apparently Gutierrez just trashed one of the break marker boards everyone's tyres are thankfully fine
[Lap 30]: Alonso makes his second (?) stop
[Lap 31]: oh shit Rosberg is 1.5 seconds faster than Seb???
don't tell me the DNF is coming sooner rather than later
I mean, I know it's coming, but still. This race has been too much.
[Lap 32]: Lewis up to P9... because of cars ahead making stops :(
It's okay bud you win the race a year later and do very iconic things you're all good
[Lap 35]: Rosberg pits again, I have lost track of the number of stops everyone's done ngl
At this point I just want everyone (excluding Seb's incoming DNF) to make it to the end of the race with all four tyres on their cars 😭
[Lap 36]: And Seb pits
while Webber got past Alonso for P4
[Lap 37]: Jenson up into P11
And Lewis into the pits again, he comes out in P11 so he could still get some points
okay this battle with Di Resta is actually really good, annoying that Lewis is down in P12 though
[Lap 38]: aaaaand he takes back P11 going through turn 4 *chef's kiss*
[Lap 39]: pls don't cut to a dejected Jev I am very emotionally fragile bc of this dumb race
[Lap 41]: *Lewis back into the points klaxon*
and there's Seb going slowly 😭
[Lap 42]: sounds like a gearbox failure
and Safety Car bc his car stopped on the main straight
p a i n
I have been personally victimised by the British Grand Prix of 2013
on the plus side at least Seb didn't have a long run to get back to the RBR garage 🥲
[Lap 43]: And Rosberg and Webber make their third (?) stops
[Lap 44]: Cut to Vivian, with some very on brand Petronas teal nail polish.
Okay so mainly recapping the running order for myself bc there has been too much going on: Rosberg leads from Raikkonen, Sutil, Dan, Webber, Perez, Jenson, Alonso, Lewis and Grosjean make up the top 10.
This has been a Motor Race™️
[Lap 45]: And off Nico goes!
[Lap 46]: Webber and Lewis both up a place at the restart
as is Fernando
jesus fucking christ there goes Perez's tyre
Pirelli you owe me emotional damages
[Lap 47]: Meanwhile Webber just shot up into P3
and Lewis is into P7!
[Lap 48]: or make that P6
worth noting that Lotus didn't pit Raikkonen under the SC, as Webber takes P2 going through Copse.
[Lap 49]: Lewis into P5!!!!!
this race has legit been batshit insane
[Lap 50]: Rosberg fastest lap, he has a 1.4 second lead over Webber
I should add we have three laps left
And Alonso takes P3
[Lap 51]: aaand Webber fastest lap
love me some fastest lap ping pong
Lewis P4!!!!!!!!!!
He had pole, dropped to last after his tyre failure, and goated his way back to P4. That's they they named the start-finish straight after him folks
[Lap 52]: Last lap. I am exhausted.
Rosberg has a 9 tenths lead so he's good
[Finish]: And Monaco Man wins the British GP!!!
Webber P2, Alonso P3, Lewis P4, Raikkonen P5, Massa P6, Sutil P7, Dan P8, Di Resta P9 and Hulkenberg P10.
My god, those last 10-ish laps combined with everything that happened beforehand... I need a lie down. Pirelli will be meeting my fists and paying my emotional damages even though it's been 10 years since the race.
Next race - Germany!
#bc what is summer break for than watching old races?#even if this one was quite cursed#f1 re watch#F1 2013 re watch
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#i think i am technically committing a /no it is the children who are wrong/ violation here#but it weirds me out when showrunners or creators or whatever are too far in fandom's business#i respect that making tv is not a democracy and you mr showrunner are not required to have the fans sign off on the canon content#but in my opinion being mr showrunner doesn't mean YOU get veto power over fandom content either#[drake voice] if you keep scrolling on ao3 you're gonna see some shit that you don't like#also tbh i do not understand the psychology of people who deliberately bring really fandomy stuff#to the attention of people involved in the canon#my best guess is that they think of canon and fandom as one big ecosystem and i think of fandom as a separate derivative ecosystem#i LIKE that they are separate and i think it's good that it stays that way tbh#idk i guess i do think of fandom participation as a hobby that is embarrassing a little bc there's so much emotional involvement#it is fine if my tumblr mutuals see me projecting onto fictional characters#we're all basically equals so it's fine to be vulnerable#an actor or a producer or an author is not my equal in the same way and i don't want them looking at my embarassing emotional games#even if i am using their characters as paper dolls to dress up in my own interests and concerns#not 2 get up on my soapbox again but maybe it is bad that all of humanity is on the same seven websites#¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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BnHA Chapter 325: Deku VS the Outside of U.A. ~Conclusion~
Previously on BnHA: Ochako was all “dear bloodthirsty mob, this kid you see standing before you has fought harder than anyone and put his life on the line to protect you all, so please chill the fuck out, jesus christ. like, putting aside that he’s humanity’s best hope and so it’s very much in your best interests to let him rest and recover someplace safe so that he can keep fighting for us, are y’all seriously going to turn away an injured and exhausted child in front of his sobbing mother?? seriously?? come on now.” I’m paraphrasing here but that’s basically how it went down. Anyway so then the mob was all, “...” and Deku collapsed to his knees in tears, and Gigantic Fox Lady and Kouta ran over to give him a hug but then the chapter ended.
Today on BnHA: Horikoshi is all “FINE, YOU CAN HUG HIM”, which, was that so hard?? The U.A. Clown Mob is all “come to think of it, we’ve kind of been taking the heroes for granted this entire time, maybe we should be less passive in the future. anyway so Deku if it’s not too much to ask, can you please save everyone and fix everything.” Deku is all “I sure can, and by the way I forgive you for swarming around all menacingly two minutes ago and trying to deny me basic shelter and stuff.” Ectoplasm is all, “hey Todogang get a load of this. [walks in a circle].” Hawks is all, “that’s literally the greatest thing I’ve ever seen.” Rat Principal is all, “anyway so that’s what your students did today, hope you’re enjoying your new *~*ROBOT LEG*~*, Aizawa.” Aizawa is all “[lots of exposition about Kurogiri and for some reason, Toga, while being all brooding and sexy].” All Might is all “[standing here right outside of U.A. doing absolutely nothing and being foreboding AF]” and that immediately sucked away all of the warm fuzzy feelings from the hugs, goddammit.
each new week has become a waiting game of “when will Deku finally get to take a bath so people will actually be willing to go near him and give him the hugs he deserves.” the stakes have never been so compelling. I’ve almost forgotten about AFO entirely
lmaoooooo
me: for the love of god will someone please give Deku a hug before I die of old age
Mineta: YOU GOT IT!! --
Iida: [SWIFTLY CUTS HIM OFF] NOT YOU
fucking losing it at Mineta’s crying face. he really wanted to hug him. I legit feel bad but this is also the funniest thing I have seen all week, omg
somehow Kouta, who last week was only a hand’s breadth away from touching Deku’s head, is now twenty miles away from him in this new chapter
can I make a Loki reference here. is this recap a good place to insert a joke about someone using a TVA time-rewinding device to fuck with my poor boy Kouta over here. well anyway there it is
AND NOW HE’S BACK ALL OF A SUDDEN OMG
(ETA: since when is he “niichan” omg?? can’t handle this cuteness.)
BUT THEY’RE STILL NOT HUGGING HIM FFFFKFFFFF. WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO. WHO DO I HAVE TO BRIBE AND/OR BLACKMAIL
OH NO KOUTA IS CRYING THAT’S IT I’M DONE FOR
“when I heard that lady I knew that I had to go, but then stop again within inches of actually touching you because you smell like week-old rotten onions.” listen Kouta, I’m not saying I don’t get it, but you all can’t keep doing this to me. it’s the way you guys keep teasing it. like, if you’re gonna hug him, hug him. don’t just stand there with your arms held rigidly out in front of you like a molded action figure
OH MY GOSH BUT HE SAID THE THING
KOUTA SWOOPING IN AT THE LAST MINUTE TO TAKE ALL THE CREDIT FOR FIXING DEKU LIKE THAT ONE KID IN THE GROUP PROJECT WHO DOES ABSOLUTELY NOTHING BUT STILL TAGS HIS NAME ONTO THE REPORT ANYWAY, WHAT A KNAVE
GASP
( ´͈ ᗨ `͈ )
SHE PICKED HIM UP LIKE A LITTLE BABY OMG?? she just leaned right over and lifted this child like he was a small animal. like a lil baby futon that she was about to hang up to dry. oh my god
-- HEY WHAT
(: well that’s extremely fucked up. though sadly not too surprising given what we just saw these past couple chapters
incidentally, I hope that anyone who was legitimately defending the civilians’ perspective earlier takes note here of how quickly that line of thinking -- “we’re just trying to keep our families safe” and all that-- can lead to straight up bigotry. if you’re willing to deny a child shelter and protection simply because he’s not YOUR child, and because you’ve decided based on Internet rumors (no real-world parallels there, I’m sure) that he might present a threat, it’s really not that much further of a leap to discriminating against entire groups of people simply because you perceive those groups as being dangerous. I’m sure the people who turned Gigantic Fox Lady away also told themselves afterwards that they did it to protect their families. “better safe than sorry.” “she’ll be fine, someone will take her in, but as for us, we can’t afford to take that risk.” people can come up with all kinds of justifications for treating other people as less than human, and the really scary thing about it is how fucking easy it is
one last quick side note, which is that Horikoshi does a great job here of showing how scapegoating works, given that AFO is the one who’s really to blame and who presents the actual threat, and yet Deku is the one who ultimately winds up being the target of the mob’s fear and outrage despite him being as much of a victim as they are. gotta love that irony, which unfortunately plays out far too often in the real world as well.
anyway I’ll get off my soapbox now, sorry about that. let us continue
YES, FINALLY OH MY GOD!!!!
AND THAT’S THE STORY OF HOW GIGANTIC FOX LADY BECAME THE GREATEST HERO. PACK IT ALL UP, WE’RE DONE HERE KIDS
holy shit. the real MVP right there. thanks for getting it done champ
jesus christ I have had it up to here with these people
literally the bar is set so low at this point that I’ll go ahead and take it. helping him because it offers them a tactical advantage is at least one step up from not helping him at all
“WHY NOT SHIKETSU” MOTHERFUCKER I SWEAR TO GOD
-- thank you!!
okay this one guy with the antennae hair is having himself a character development speedrun here
-- okay, but this part?? fucking this part, right here??
can we repeat that again?? the part where this guy acknowledges that the problems of hero society were caused not just by said heroes, but also by said society?? the part where he acknowledges that they treated the heroes like celebrities who were putting on a show for them?? the part where he acknowledges that when push came to shove, the vast majority of those heroes, when faced with a situation that offered no reward, were nonetheless willing to put their lives on the line to protect the very same people who then turned around and blamed them rather than thanking them?? are the civilians of BnHA even allowed to have actual deep thoughts about this stuff. holy shit
bro!!
ANTENNAE HAIR GUY SHOVING KOUTA AND GIGANTIC FOX LADY OUT OF THE WAY TO SLAP HIS NAME ONTO THE END CREDITS AS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER. CONGRATULATIONS SON YOU FIGURED OUT THE CORE PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTION AT THE VERY HEART OF THE MANGA. WAY TO GO BUD
meanwhile, on today’s episode of “one more chapter to go till the big volume cliffhanger, how else can I drag things out let’s see”
it’s a panel. of people’s feet. just a bunch of normal feet. with sneakers and shit
this All Might shirt guy is getting more screentime in this arc than 90% of the class 1-A kids
I guess I’m supposed to feel sorry for this dude now that he’s all “if we let you stay here do you promise to somehow magically fix every single problem that we are now currently facing?” those are some ridiculously exacting standards my dude. come on now
KACCHAN SIGHTING
thank fuck I’m not the only one who’s thoroughly unimpressed by absolutely all of this lol. I feel better now. meanwhile Iida and Kouda and Kiri are ready to run over there and hug them all. you guys are way too forgiving. damn you and your pure hearts
anyway so Deku’s like “yeah, definitely”
(ETA: almost forgot to comment on the “I’m no longer alone” part – he basically corrects the guy and says “sorry, but you’ll need to direct that question towards all of us, not just me, because moving forward we’re a team.” good stuff.)
you know what though, all joking aside... fuck yeah. because perfect victory, right. the strongest guys don’t settle for anything less. so I guess Deku has pretty exacting standards himself
also can you all just take a look at this fucking kid who’s got so much light in his eyes now that I’m gonna need eclipse goggles. hot damn. “you’re welcome” says All Might Shirt Guy as he is frantically interviewed by several local news networks asking him how he daringly managed to save Deku all by himself. “well I guess I’ve just never been the kind of guy who can sit back and let a bunch of rabble-rousers blame a little kid for all of humanity’s problems. someone had to step in and take action, you know?”
oH MY GOD THE SCENE IS FINALLY ENDING
don’t let the door hit you on your way out All Might Shirt Guy
but meanwhile, sudden Tododrama action??
oh shit
there are honestly so many ways in which Ochako’s very moving speech could have wildly backfired that I genuinely have no clue where this is headed lol. how exciting!!
so now Horikoshi is once again stalling for time with random filler panels, but this one is 10x better than the shoes lol omg
(1) was Ectoplasm’s jacket always this oversized. (2) did you guys know that if you go back to chapter 319 you can see that Horikoshi gave us a sneak peak at Enji’s Sad Detective disguise and I in fact made a joke about it in the 319 recap not realizing it was actually the stone cold truth. (3) did Shouto deliberately speed up out of impatience because Hawks was walking so fucking slow and he couldn’t take it any longer. (4) and what, I ask you, is up with these dramatic speedlines. so many mysteries here. what a masterpiece
everyone is acting all shocked about something ahh what’s going on
wait what
what the heck. did they just loop around behind everyone. what was the point of that lol. “anyway, so this is what they look like from the back” well okay, thanks for that Ectoplasm
(ETA: so it seems like they were actually hanging out someplace else away from the crowd this whole time, I guess? here I thought they had more faith in Enji’s disguise. I guess Shouto and Hawks don’t particularly want to attract this crowd’s attention themselves right now either, though.)
I am so fucking confused lmao
speaking of All Might WHERE THE FUCK IS HE lol. but yes, good, OFA brings everyone together, and Hawks is very deeply moved about this out of the blue all of a sudden. you know how it is
aw heck yeah now this is another filler panel I can get behind
Mineta really wants that hug, good lord. I genuinely love this actually. Mineta if you could just stay little and cute and keep crying about how much you love your classmates in a non-gross way for the rest of the series I would be so appreciative. you’re doing great
IIDA IS HOLDING DEKU’S HAND THIS IS NOT A DRILL. ONE TIME WASN’T ENOUGH FOR MY MAN HE’S ADDICTED NOW
what did I tell you. Kiri wants to get all of the mob’s autographs now. Kiri you’re a peach
Shouji having a conversation with another mutant type is a very nice touch! we really need to get to his backstory soon. I feel like that casual remark from GFL earlier was kind of hinting at more to come
is this the first time we’ve ever seen the Yaoyorictionary in action?? never forget that Viz tried to call it the “Yaoyorozu Reference Book” because they hate fun
last but not least, KAMIBAKU IS BACK ON THE MENU, FUCK YEAH. Kaminari trying to spice things up and introduce a little bit of controversy by smacking Kacchan on the back of the head for god knows what. I will be deeply disappointed after this if I can’t find at least one person unironically declaring that KamiBaku is now toxic and abusive
lfkdlWLWK TODODRAMA??
oh my god. Shouto’s face. Enji’s face. the back to “oyaji” again. the blunt, not-taking-no-for-an-answer, “I don’t know how much louder the universe can scream at you that doing things alone is not it, so hopefully you got the point” directness of it. fffdlkslj I’m so ready for this Horikoshi please don’t fuck it up my expectations are so high
HOLY FUCK
I SCROLLED DOWN AND HE WAS ALL “( ❛‿❛)” AND I JUST WASN’T FUCKING EXPECTING THAT OKAY. JESUS CHRIST. GIVE ME A SEC
lol okay moment over and now Enji’s pulling his hat down all dramatically like a world-weary Cowboy
OH MY GOD WERE YOU FACETIMING??
AHHHHHHHHH
(ETA: not to put Iida down or anything, but it’s kind of strange that Aizawa is all “the class rep sure did great” when Ochako is the one that was giving that whole big speech for like twenty minutes just now lol.)
(ETA 2: “thank god Iida stepped in just in the nick of time to keep Mineta from hugging Deku.” sorry Mineta I really do like you lately but it’s still low-hanging fruit lol.)
HE LOOKS SO SAD??! HE LOOKS LIKE HEARTBREAK ITSELF??! I AM BESOUGHT WITH THE URGE TO REACH INTO MY SCREEN AND PULL HIM INTO THE SAFETY OF MY ARMS??? MY GOD, AND I THOUGHT DEKU NEEDED HUGS
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH okay I was gonna just hold down the letter H for a full minute and count it out loud but within about ten seconds I realized I needed to chill lol
-- but then again NO, I DON’T NEED TO CHILL, I HAVE ZERO CHILL, ACTUALLY, BECAUSE IT’S AIZAWA WITH A ROBOT LEG AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
COMPLETE WITH ROBOT TOES FOR THAT EXTRA TOUCH OF AUTHENTICITY!! I LIKE HOW HORIKOSHI PUT ALL THIS EXTRA “!!!” EMPHASIS AROUND IT IN CASE WE COULD SOMEHOW POSSIBLY FAIL TO TAKE NOTICE. “REMEMBER, EVERYONE?” SAYS HORIKOSHI HELPFULLY. “REMEMBER THAT TIME AIZAWA CHOPPED OFF HIS OWN LEG?” oh wow now that you mention it we somehow forgot all about that. like who do you take us for
OH NO NOT THE SAD BOYFRIEND ANGST THAT I WAS SECRETLY LOOKING FORWARD TO WITH GLEE
well at least he’s not M.I.A. or back with the villains again like I thought he might be. still, that’s gotta be brutal to know your friend is in there somewhere, but to not be able to reach him again no matter how hard you try. that’s the kind of angst that pays off in final battles just when you most expect it. such is my hope, at any rate
what’s this now??
trying to decide if this is Horikoshi’s way of saying don’t worry about that, or his way of saying definitely worry about that lol
anyway so Aizawa is out here being all irresponsibly handsome once again. when is someone going to do something about him
here for Sexy Robot Leg Eyepatch Aizawa clenching his fists and making speeches about revenge. pretty sure we’re all here for that
WELL, WELL, WELL
IT’S ABOUT FUCKING TIME
I’M VERY GLAD YOU’RE ALIVE AND SEEMINGLY WELL, THOUGH!
BUT WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK THOUGH, ALL MIGHT
ffff. bracing myself for that cliffhanger next week. you’d better not touch one hair on this man’s head Horikoshi. I’m watching you
#bnha 325#midoriya izuku#u.a. clown mob#class 1-a#aizawa shouta#bnha#boku no hero academia#bnha spoilers#mha spoilers#bnha manga spoilers#makeste reads bnha
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About Stan body count:he hasn't killed 40 heroes before he was arrested, he killed around 23(if I'm not wrong), this hints that he has been killing people offscreen (who knows wheter or not the samurai dude is still alive just by this fact, what if he killed all those who defected, Death arms probably died too)
(In reference to this post about Dabi and Stain's body count)
Okay so I was really racking my brain trying to find where this was mentioned. I looked at Stain's wiki and it said this too, but I was also trying to find if there was any reference to these numbers in the manga. Finally, I found this
From chapter 57 regarding the 17 who were murdered
With the 24 injured, I did find this one panel here
From chapter 49. It's the only one I can find that implies 24 seriously injured. It doesn't say it outright, but, I'll take it (4 x 7 = 28, which isn't 24 but it's near as damnit. Or maybe it's actually 28? But Stain's wiki says 24... idk lol I'm bad at math but I can't find any other panel that actually references those who were seriously injured so...)
This is very interesting actually! In the linked post, I was thinking it was 40 in the past too, but thanks to this, it looks like his only count was 17 murders, 24 seriously injured
Which actually... amazes me more. I kept saying about how, with him being a famous killer, and the name Hero Killer, you would think he'd killed hundreds or millions!
40 already seemed like a low-ish number, but 17? It's amazing that, for an independent famous murderer, his kill count is lower than you'd think it would be!
I mean, for me, it definitely seems low. Again, with the whole "famed murderer" storyline, how old he is (31) and his alias alone, I would have thought higher
There's a lot to take into account with those murders though. Based on before he went to prison, with the 17 murders, it suggests that Stain was picky with who he killed?
Maybe, when he just started out, he would give Heroes who begged for mercy a chance to redeem themselves? Or maybe it was just harder to trap Heroes on account of their quirks? The latter actually seems more likely. I mean, Stain has his blood quirk, but he's basically human too. No heteromorph qualities that could help his agility more than normal, no speed or agility quirk, no strength quirk either. If the majority of those he tracked down had those kinds of quirks, then it would have probably made it harder for him to trap and kill
Kind of similar to Aizawa in the USJ battle (or in general). He erased quirks with his sight but he still had tricks up his sleeve, which was likely the case with Stain but there were definitely Heroes who slipped out of his grip
There's also the fact that Stain started to train in the art of killing from his late teens
So, it really varies but, ages 16 17 18 or 19 he could have been doing his soapbox speeches. Then "in the ten years that followed" of training, that brings us to ages 26, 27, 28 or 29
We don't know exactly how he trained. Could he have just been practicing with his blades with a dummy target? Or could he have at least killed a few people in order to sharpen his skills and train? Idk, but if he actually did kill people, I don't think it would have added to his kill count
Stain is 31 years old. When he finally went full Hero Killer (again it varies in age), he was in his late 20's. That gives us a 2-to-5 year gap between when he started out and before he went to prison
2-to-5 year gap for 17 murders. With the 24 seriously injured Heroes, I would say Stain simply didn't have enough skills to catch up with and/or trap all of the Fake Heroes
I guess maybe this shocks me because, in most media, you hear of a famous killer and their total count is something in the 60's, or in the hundreds. Sometimes even millions. Yet the killer in this series had a total of 17 kills
This also shows that Stain is actually a pretty recent Villain! For how long the system has been in place and how long he's been alive, he's very much famous for having that many kills in under 5 years and not being captured yet! Very interesting!
So, fast forward to now with the "40 murders" comment, I think you're totally right that Stain started to catch up with his work. Stain got out of prison, ready to catch up with the world, to find the media naming every retired fake Hero. Without meaning to, they served up targets to him on a silver platter! So he went to killing
17 murders before prison, which means he killed 23 Heroes after he got out to get a total of 40
I think he would see them retiring as being fake Heroes and not sticking it out to the end, regardless of the reason (I know we've focused a lot on Heroes who were only in it for the fame, but wouldn't there also be Heroes who are simply too traumatized to continue? I mean idk I know the majority are fake but, come on, there's gotta be at least one or two Heroes out there who would gladly help everyone but are just too traumatized to act...)
Though, personally, I hope he didn't kill Death Arms😔 I actually liked him
Thank you for letting me know about this! I honestly forgot all about those statistics, so this really helped in my understanding of Stain :)
I'm gonna edit the linked post with my thoughts on this and ALSO how it could relate to Dabi now. I also really need to make a post about independent villainy VS villain groups, cuz I thought about that while answering your ask so. I’ve been inspired to write more about this haha
#many thoughts head full#this ask really got me thinking now lol#thank you for the ask!😊#bnha#bnha 326#bnha manga spoilers#boku no hero academia#stain#chizome akaguro#bnha asks#asks with metty#lastsunlight
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Just a few random thoughts and observations about Daryl’s Origins episode.
Basically my stream of consciousness bullshit brought over from Twitter, lol. I almost didn’t watch the episode after seeing all the drama over there, but ultimately I decided to because frankly? I don’t trust certain fans’ perceptions of events. For reasons. It’s best, I feel, to always watch with your own eyes and form your own independent opinions because this fandom is teeming with people that delight in tormenting other fans by being very selective and oftentimes downright misrepresentative about what they pass along.
More under the cut because this is random and all over the place and basically excerpts of my live blogging while watching the special. Did I mention it’s random?
You know. It sure would be nice not going into one of these things so apprehensive. Maybe one day, hmm?
First things first. From the very beginning of this Origins episode, I’m reminded of two things: 1). Our introduction to Daryl, his colorful Dixonese, and his particular brand of humor certainly stands out as one of show's more memorable introductions. 2). TWD certainly regressed on the deer front. I mean. Daryl's deer>Richonne's deer.
I’m never going to get over "On Golden Pond." Never ever and look. I actually liked Dale but Daryl spitting those words at him still makes me laugh until I'm weak.
Daryl's still searching all these years later. Or is he? Really? Seems to me the man's found exactly what he's been looking for and he's been chasing it since he came back from those woods: a future with his soulmate. The one that happens to be his best friend. OFC, I’m talking about Carol. Who else?
How pretty and soft are baby Daryl and Carol? Too pretty and soft for this tired heart to withstand. Like I love all versions of them, but baby Daryl and Carol just hit different.
My immediate thought re: the Beth comment-- Misreads the situation? WTF? Whoever wrote this script just had to re-inject some eww into the narrative didn't they? All those damn dirty spoons. Ever think about how much it probably reeks in that office space?
Moving along, though. Here’s some real facts. Carol is so intrinsically woven into the fabric of Daryl's story, the only way she can be removed is if they are literally both destroyed and cease to exist. Something happens to Carol? The man is going to be a reanimated body without a heartbeat. Basically a Walker.
An aside, I know they're not making me rewatch a scene I haven't watched since the first time it aired. The way Negan's head bashing tendencies had me seeing red and wanting that barbed wire bat shoved up his ass every time I saw his face. My JDM love really took a serious hit for awhile. I'm never going to forgive the character that hateful act. I just can't.
Somehow I wasn't expecting this to be a teleprompter-fest. Like who wrote this script? Hmm. Sorry. Don't mind me. Lost in my thoughts per usual.
You know. It still strikes me as hella insensitive that Rick had Daryl leading the Sanctuary community knowing what he suffered there. There's no way Daryl would have returned that kind of favor.
Yep. Leah still feels tacked on last minute. A means to an end. Sigh. They completely glossed her over here. Too bad they had that lapse in judgment with some other toxic waste. I cannot believe they touched that with a ten foot pole. It's just cringe-worthy and wrong.
"Daryl can't say no to Carol." They say those words and I’m like “Join the club, my dude. Join the club, lol.”
You know. All the Carol-related moments in this Daryl Dixon recap speak for themselves. She's his person, dammit.
Okay though. That reunion in the tall grass with the sun shining on them all golden and picturesque, after Alpha’s taken Daryl to show him her horde? That's some romance novel shit right there.
"Look at me. Just look at me." I'm never going to recover from that moment or the discovery of Sophia. They break my heart so.
This recap is literally 2/3's Carol and the other 1/3 Rick and everybody else. I mean. It's so obvious. Utterly and completely misrepresented by some agenda-driven folks.
"We have a future." Oh. Just some pretty, meaningless words you say everyday to all your friends, lol. Just friends my whole entire ass.
"I'm never gonna hate you." Okay, AMC. Back up all the talk with some action that even the most willfully blind cannot deny, m'kay? Because they're not going to buy it until you're explicit about it. Just saying.
The amount of times "Carol" has left this man's mouth during this recap, lol, and some people keep wanting to ignore it.
Aww. Guess who they showed when Daryl mentioned family? How sweet. And when they mentioned purpose in connection with C0nnie, it was not any indication of romance, IMHO.
Let me explain.
By the time C0nnie is lost, Daryl’s floundering because he feels he hasn’t been able to help Carol despite giving it all and pushing back his previously established comfort zone(s). Enter these pair of sisters. And they put him in mind of the good parts of him and Merle. Probably they make him remember the Greene girls when things were good and hopeful before they went sideways. In some small way, he’s probably reminded of other family units like Rick and Carl and Lori and Carol and Sophia and later Henry. And all of those people have something in common. Well, besides being people Daryl has known and cared for. They’ve seen their family units fractured and/or destroyed by tragedies wrought by the world they live in. They made a point and emphasized that Daryl’s a searcher and also that family matters to him. In some way or form he’s been doing his best to help repair or reunite all these different family members since the beginning and ultimately he’s failed to succeed each time. So yeah. He’s been given a purpose in a time of uncertainty again with her because this time he’s determined to get it right. This time he wants to bring the two sisters back together the way he couldn’t do for the Greene girls. Like I did not, do not read anything romantic at all into that comment. Just my take on things. Obviously, everyone else’s mileage may vary. I’ll step off my soapbox now. Hopefully, maybe these words might comfort.
So relax, lovelies. It wasn't as bad as I feared. Sure, they could have left that one icky comment out but they didn't and honestly? I don't think it's a positive for that particular 'relationship' because it's something that's brought up to show just how messed up Daryl was. Because grown men that have their heads on straight don't usually have those type of misreads. They know they are inappropriate. Like I'm not putting Daryl into the pedo category because I don't feel like he belongs there. But I can see how him being so emotionally stunted and naive so far as interpersonal relationships and the nuances of friendship and non-toxic family could lend itself to him maybe reading more into those moments than were really there and not really knowing how to deal.
Whoever wrote that teleprompter script though? That particular asshole is probably grinning like a donkey with a mouth full of briars at all the unnecessary drama they stirred up yet again. Like newsflash, goober. There are better ways to foster interest in your show.
They should hire a team of fans to do the promotion. Fans that represent all factions of this fractured fandom so the promotion is well-rounded and not so heavily slanted toward any one of them but the diverse fandom as a whole.
Stop fanning the stupid ship wars and just celebrate the damn characters and the overall story. Nothing new or groundbreaking to see on this first Origins story but hey. Who doesn't mind a decent recap now and then? That said, don't sweat not having AMC+ or feel like you missed all that much because you didn't.
I do have to say. Them pretending B3th was the first girl to be nice to Daryl really had me going WTF.
I mean, there’s this little exchange from Carol, the first woman to be nice to Daryl, probably the first person from the group--
"You're every bit as good as them. Every bit."
AMC? TWD? Do you even watch your own show?
There you have it. My bullshit stream of consciousness, originally posted over on Twitter as I liveblogged the show. Hope you got something helpful or of entertainment value from this.
Goodnight, lovelies.
Until next time.
#The Walking Dead#The Walking Dead: Origins#Daryl Dixon#things that make me smile and cry#for reasons
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Writer Meme
@loved-the-stars-too-fondly tagged me!
What’s your all-time favourite ship?
To write? Skimmons or Daisy/Jemma, of course! I only created the AO3 tag and wrote about 2% of that tag, that’s all.
How many works do you have on AO3?
106, which is spread out over ten years, but damn lol.
What’s your total AO3 word count?
2,045,848 words, at least half of which is mallverse (1,088,386 words) and again, stretched out over a decade, but still!
What are your top 5 fics by kudos?
connect the dots and draw a different picture up AKA mallverse (873)
you've been dropping hints like bombs on me (661) (the first Skimmons high school AU)
you are the ditch I tumbled into running blind (526) (the first Skimmons fic on AO3! and part 1 of my s1 canon-adjacent series which I stopped in the middle of)
dropped my caution, stopped my watching (352) (part 2 of s1 series)
turning the lights out, burning the candles (235) (our first Skimmorse smut!)
Do you reply to comments, why or why not?
I do sometimes, usually if somebody asks a question or mentions something in the fic I’m really proud of/excited about. I used to pretty consistently but I got very lazy about it in my old age.
What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?
I literally went through every single fic of mine trying to answer this question adequately lmao. I don’t...this is the opposite of my brand, I take angsty ends and I make them go away! But I suppose disregard the details of this strange elusive world, in which Lady Sif teleports into Westeros and helps Daenerys Targaryan out in multiple ways (some of them sexy), ended sort of sadly because they obviously don’t get to see each other anymore after that. I mostly just wanted to give this fic a shoutout because I think B and I did a really good job on this and for obvious reasons it doesn’t get a ton of attention.
What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?
This is also difficult because most of my fics ends happily? But I ended up going with forever going with the flow, but you're friction, which is the SHIELD AU B and I wrote where everybody is popstars and it’s Kara/Melinda and I just think it’s very cute.
Do you write crossovers?
A lot of what I write is like, a merging crossover where everybody in SHIELD are stand-ins for the cast of Dollhouse or Buffy or Phantom of the Opera. I have on occasion written a proper crossword, like this series where Sif just fucks random women from other canons (and the MCU because sure why note).
Have you ever received hate on a fic?
Not as often as you’d think? There was the incredibly funny comment (abridged for length) on mallverse from a person who, to their credit, was mainly expressing “this fic is not to my taste” rather than outright hate:
Anyway, you also have this habit of turning entire chapters into soapboxes to stand on. You turned an entire chapter about the 4th of July into a PSA about how fireworks are bad.
Also, just a personal question… why ignore the canon couples that actually do work? Bobbi/Hunter, Tony/Pepper, FitzSimmons, Matt Murdock/Karen Page… they’re all GREAT relationships helped by vibrant characters, and they’re not even given an ounce of credibility insofar as being acknowledged, let alone played-out. Scott Lang and Wilson Fisk aren’t even *in this story* as far as I know, but their partners are mashed together into these oddball pairings… why? But then maybe I missed something in the story, or just haven’t reached that point yet in the narrative, I don’t know…
As for the lopsided way in which you write characters of one gender versus characters of another gender… that kinda got under my skin after a while. I kept waiting for some semblance of equality in the way in which the characters are portrayed to crop up, but either it isn’t going to happen or I just haven’t, and won’t, get around to it; as of this chapter, the writing is very heavily weighted against the male demographic of your story.
We also used to get people mad at us for tagging too much on that story lol. Other than that, I’m actually shocked that I haven’t gotten more outright hate, because I sure did mock and/kill Ward frequently and with great relish.
Do you write smut? If so, what kind?
LOL do I write smut. Part of my brand is/was a Skimmons kinky smut series B and I wrote together. Also we have a different series of Defender f/f smut sometimes ft. Matt Murdock, a valid man. Oh and some Dark Fate smut too, if you prefer that. I used to be very scared of it but now I’m slightly more comfortable!
Have you ever had a fic stolen?
I had an incredibly hilarious experience wherein someone emailed me to let me know that part of this Skimmorse threesome B and I had written had been stolen - but pretty much immediately it became one of the funniest things that has ever happened to me because the person who stole it just couldn’t write for shit, and also they repurposed part of the explicitly consensual fluffy threesome (which contained previously established pet/scene names, also) into Raina kidnapping the three of them and sex pollening them into having sex in front of her, and also they distinguished the parts of the fic that they wrote from our writing with “MINE” AND “NOT MINE.” Also in their author’s notes their excuse was “i can’t write good sexual fanfic” and “from Mine its min again” [sic]. Here is an excerpt from their writing (I kept screencaps on my phone bc this amused me so much): (content warning for the worst written sexual demand you’ve ever seen in your life)
The two other girls regain consciousness and both exclaimed “Where are we!!!”
“I don’t Fuck’in know” exclaimed Bobbi.
[...]
“What do you want” cried Jemma
“Simple, you three will have sex for me NOW” Raina exclaimed.
“NO” all three girls shouted.
“Tough, you will”
It was so fucking funny and after laughing my ass off I immediately commented like “uh excuse me, please take this down, I do not give you permission to use my writing” and they did, to their credit, take it down immediately and post an apology in which they claimed “i had writers block” [sic]. I left them a (frankly, nicer than I should have) comment with some basic writing tips and then never heard from them again. We still quote some of the above sections sometimes in private conversations.
Have you ever had a fic translated?
A really lovely German reader translated I'll sing you every known love song (until you can sleep through the night), a very old Red/Snow fic from the five minutes I was in OUAT fandom.
Have you ever co-written a fic before?
Lololol this is half of my brand - originally it was because B and I were long-distance and our “dates” were basically just writing fic on Google Docs until 2 AM every night, and now it’s just like, well, I like writing with her! She’s the only person I think I could cowrite with, really. I tried text RPGs in high school and even those were just so stressful because I don’t like giving control over to other people when I write.
What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?
I feel bad that I left off that Skimmons s1 series where I did, but I really can’t go back now - part of the authenticity of it was that I was writing it as the episodes aired.
What are your writing strengths?
I feel like I’m pretty good at character voice, not least because i have the ability to keep “sound clips” in my brain of how characters sound and test what I wrote against that. I generally like my dialogue too. I asked Brynna out of curiosity and she says I write animals and animal behavior well, which makes me happy because i really try. Like with my werewolves AU, I tried REALLY hard to keep the wolf behavior realistic while still retaining some of their human characters and I feel like I did a good job with that.
What are your writing weaknesses?
I feel like I sort of just meander around for awhile until I stumble upon plot points like they’re holes I trip into. y’know?
What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?
I do it occasionally but I try not to unless I’m pretty confident I’ve got an accurate translation because I don’t want to be insensitive.
What was the first fandom you wrote for?
Technically, I wrote Winnie the Pooh fanfic when I was 2-6. Back on ff.net, my first fanfic was a Cyberchase interview with the cast. And on AO3, surprisingly my first was You and Me, Old Girl, just a short little character piece about the Eleventh Doctor and the TARDIS.
What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?
What a terrible question lmfao. I think in terms of sheer like, emotional and mental effort I’m going to say say you will, the 45K Endgame AU I wrote where Clint dies instead of Natasha, and also Natasha and Laura have a romantic history. i wrote this as a love letter and also a goodbye to both Natasha and Laura, and also I made all the Barton kids autistic and I love them all so much because at this point they’re basically my OCs, and I did so much work to make the timelines work out, and I’m really proud of it. Obviously it doesn’t get a ton of attention, but some people have really enjoyed it and that pleases me.
Tagging @unwind-myself @swiftzeldas @theomenroom @purlturtle and uhhhh. Anyone else who wants to, I’m so bad at remembering which of my friends write fics, I’m sorry!
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The Wilford Rant Post that Nobody Asked For
I’m drunk again and ABOUT TO GET BACK ON MY SOAPBOX!! We had several Audrey posts, now we’re talking about (🍗*drumroll*🍗) Wilford! Buckle the fuck up, because I have so much to say about this guy I had to put it under a cut.
Wilford is...an odd character. Like very odd. He's supposedly this master strategist who is semi-omniscient and is always one step ahead of our heroes...yet he makes the dumbest decisions possible:
1. Treatment of Alex,
2. Handling of the Till situation,
3. That dinner/carnival show scene.
First up we have his treatment of Alex. Oh boy. He made several large blunders here. Even though Wilford can accurately sense Alex pulling away, his reaction is to push her away even harder? He’s also jumping the gun hugely - we can see that Alex is severely conflicted about going back to Melanie, which would be the perfect time for Wilford to maybe have a conversation with her about it, like ‘hey kid, don’t forget who was with you these last seven years when your mom abandoned you!’ instead of doing that (which would be the common sense thing to do if he wants to keep her close) he actively antagonises Alex to the point that she reveals all that stuff about the culling that he did on Big Alice - like, why? She’s his lieutenant who’s spent seven years with him and has all the dirt he probably doesn’t want the Snowpiercer people to know. Even if he feels angry and vengeful that is his protégée is going back to his mortal enemy, why would he not at least try to cover his bases? Not only does Alex know all of his bad deeds, assumedly she knows everything about how Big Alice works. Isn’t that information you’re trying to keep semi-secret?
TILL! Righteous queen, we love that. What's up with this? Wilford's turned into a poser all of a sudden with the guilty First Classers. Till’s like ‘no, we can’t kill them, that’s the wrong thing to do’ and Wilford’s like ‘lmao whatever I’m still gonna kill them’ and I’m like...exactly what does that do for you? How is that meant to get Till on his side? He must deduce that having the train detective on his side is important, and Till is clearly shown to be at least a little unsure of this guy’s motives, so...why? What’s up with this? That whole scene confused me (but it was very visceral. Tick✅ of approval for Things That Flip Gohoubi’s Biscuits)
The carnival scene!!! What the fuck was the point of that!!! I don't think I need to explain that to y'all!
Antagonising Alex✅
Antagonising Bennett✅
Freaking out Ruth, Till, Winnie etc✅
Giving LJ a good show ✅
Like okay, maybe Bennett is a lost cause, but he has Till, Ruth, Alex and others who are CLEARLY conflicted about who they want to swing with, yet he just is like nah we don’t need them. Like they're all arguably very socially powerful people on the train, who would be useful to have around, but Wilford’s like nope I’m gonna drive them all away and then be surprised when they end up rebelling. Like. WHAT?
And like, I’ve heard some people talk about how Wilford is this hugely egomaniacal, arrogant guy who’s so overinflated by his ‘Engine Eternal’ image that he just does whatever and expects to be able to put everything back together the way he wants after the fact. But..he hasn’t been played as a character who is arrogant and does whatever he wants without abandon, at least not in that way. Despite his sociopathy, characters keep referring to his plans as something that he puts some thought into and how he's willing to play the long game. It’s shown in the text as well:
1. He sabotages Snowpiercer’s gills (lol) so that he can get access to the engine, and save everyone so it’s not seen as a hostile takeover;
2. He foments tension and terror in Snowpiercer with Pastor Logan and the murders so that when he shows up, he can pretend to set everything to rights;
3. He supports Melanie’s research-station-retreat so that he can leave her behind later, despite knowing that any entertainment of the climate model idea weakens his influence;
4. He at least pretends to show some goodwill even in situations that would probably disadvantage him so that he can gain the trust of the SP citizens.
Does that look like stuff that was come up with on a whim? This guy clearly thinks ahead, y’all. Basically: have the writers just been hotboxing the whole second season? Cuz if so, I want in on that. #JusticeForJoe
This doesn't even get into the queer-coded bullshit and treatment of sensitive topics by the writers related to Wilford, however I'll leave that to someone more qualified than me to talk about
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bro can you just do like the entire ever on meme, I could read your headcanons and commentary all day (but for real, your takes are super interesting!)
a n o n. bsdhfsdh
How many kids do you want Rapunzel and Eugene to have?
in all honesty i Literally could not care less. maybe twins as a nod to the original fairytale, but like, a good ten years into the future. rapunzel deserves a nice long stint of just Living Her Best Life before she even thinks about having kids
Where do you want or see Cass going?
answered here. also, self indulgently, in my head at some point she ends up in antares, which is a city-state near the dark kingdom which i developed for bitter snow. it’s big and old and crowded and given that it’s built on top of a bunch of huge black rocks we’re going to just... ignore what happened to the black rocks in canon when the sundrop and moonstone fused, k?
What are some of Queen Rapunzel’s new policies?
blah! i like to think she would also institute widespread public schooling, because she’s so curious and so many of her skills are self taught out of passion and personal interest and i think she would want to inculcate those values in the children of her subjects. coronan literacy skyrockets under her reign
What will Varian think of next?
i think it’s sort of funny to take varian at his word when he calls himself an alchemist and assume he is, in fact, in a perpetual state of trying to make a philosopher’s stone.
How many partners will Cass have, if any at all?
i mean look at her she could have her pick of any gay woman on the continent. um. in bitter snow she dates or has flings with 2... people, maybe 3 depending on how exactly we define “dates.”
What will Captain do now?
he will grow an ever more glorious beard. also this.
How will Hector, Adira, and Edmund live in the Dark Kingdom again?
they’re going to have a very welcoming immigration policy otherwise dark kingdom 2: electric boogaloo is not going to last for very long, now is it.
i think adira will spend a lot of time being the voice of reason considering that edmund lived in total isolation for twenty-five years and went a bit funny while hector lived in total isolation for twenty-five years and turned into a feral tree man and then got possessed. i also think the dark kingdom will be instrumental in the development of fantasy-telegraphs, because they do after all have a pretty pressing reason to do so
How are Stalyan and Brock doing?
stalyan met brock in, like, a dive bar somewhere and went oh my god you have to come to corona with me and pretend to be my date it’ll be so fucking funny so that’s what they did. anyway caine happened to be out on parole at the time and they bumped into each other and stalyan was like 👀 and caine was like 👀 and they’re pirate queens now. stalyan and brock are still bros.
How are the Stabbingtons doing?
they’re like three months away from getting out for good behavior. eugene is so proud.
How many times will Andrew keep trying to escape?
He Will Never Stop
How will Vex and Quaid rebuild Vardaros?
i mean we’re all basically agreed that quaid is an expy of sam vimes, right? right? which is to say they’re going to drag vardaros kicking and screaming out of the hole its in through sheer raw stubbornness and innate sense of justice and fair play. also at some point quaid is going to arrest a dragon, probably
How will the Baron react to Stalyan dating Brock?
you think stalyan is still in contact with her shitty dad? HA! it is to laugh
How are Hookfoot and Seraphina doing?
seraphina did several months of community service due to her sentence being considerably lightened after her willing return of the stolen pearl and she has since gotten her life in order and is doing a tour of the coastline with hookfoot while she tries to figure out what she wants to do with her life instead. possibly she will become a singer, since she is, as you’ll recall, immensely talented in this department.
How will the Pub Thugs react to reuniting with the Hook Brothers again?
all i know is big nose is going to ask seraphina if she has any mermaid friends she could set him up with and she is going to give him the most withering look on the planet and he’s going to write bad, sad poetry about it for at least a week. also there will be a dance party
Will Varian talk to Quirin about his mother?
my headcanon is that varian is old enough to remember his mother, and that she died when he was perhaps eight or nine. i think after the series quirin would understand that shutting down and refusing to talk about things with varian doesn’t help either of them so they will be able to have normal conversations about her sometimes.
Will Varian have his own adventure?
in all honesty i don’t think about post-series varian all that much outside of the canonical royal engineer thing so instead i’m going to talk about bitter snow varian and say that: yes, he gets a hell of a lot more adventure than he ever bargained for.
Does Varian have a room in the Castle now? Or does he stay in Old Corona?
i mean he’s like sixteen i assume he’s still living with his dad for at least a couple more years. he’s more urban than quirin is so when he comes of age i think he’ll eventually get himself a nice little flat in corona somewhere.
Will Faith stay as Rapunzel’s lady-in-waiting? If so, will they be close friends?
i think in once a handmaiden faith booked herself passage on the next carriage to koto and is living her best life there. it’s what she deserves
Will Nigel ever reunite with a dragon again?
[gets on my soapbox] nigel’s story is a cautionary tale about the perils of taking wild animals out of the wild and attempting to keep them as pets and having seen firsthand the dangers of doing so nigel is never going to make the same mistake again. however, he learns to appreciate them as they are, in their natural habitat, living as they please, and will one day found a dragonspotting club. [/gets off my soapbox]
Will Eugene ever talk to Edmund about his mother?
yes and edmund will tell eugene like nine million stories about her and show him the letters she wrote for their son on her deathbed and eugene will realize that he actually has more in common, personality-wise, with his mom than his dad and will end up feeling very close to her even though he never got the chance to know her.
Is Lance still smitten over Adira?
nah not really, though he still admires her very much and i think they end up having a decent friendship. they’re foodie buddies and whenever she passes through corona she teaches the girls survival skills or practices fighting techniques with them.
Did Max and Pascal rescue the wedding cake?
probably
Will Varian and Cassandra keep in touch?
i think she’ll keep in touch with him as much as she keeps in touch with any of team corona, really. they’re friends but not especially close, yknow?
Who will Cass run into on her adventures?
like i said in one of the other asks i think she passes through ingvarr at some point and maybe bumps into the princesses there. i definitely think she encounters caine and stalyan at least a couple times in contexts that range from adversarial to reluctant allies. the idea of her passing through vardaros and helping quaid and vex out with some mystery is kind of fun.
Will Cass become a famous adventurer or live elusively?
cass is going to fall into the sam vimes camp of her reputation preceding her completely by accident
Who will be at Rapunzel and Eugene’s child(ren)’s christening(s)?
i assume, like, all the important people. fred and arianna and edmund, lance, varian, cass if she’s around. plus they’re royalty so like, a lot of noble types and diplomats and whatnot.
What will Rapunzel and Eugene name their children?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Who from their adventures will Rapunzel and Eugene visit? The Lorbs? Calliope? King Trevor? Vex and Quaid?
i think there will be occasional trips to the dark kingdom via hot air balloon and they’ll probably check in on vardaros from time to time. can’t see them visiting calliope unless they absolutely have to. diplomatic visits with equis are... probably unavoidable, but filled with Regret. i think the lorbs would probably be happier if the crazy fleinfloofers didn’t keep coming back to the island to trigger horb the lorb’s various failed magical cures for depression, all things considered.
Will Rapunzel make amends with Lady Caine? Will she pardon her father and let him reunite with Lady Caine?
i think caine’s dad is dead. and i think rapunzel would try to make amends, but caine is in the category of... things can’t always be made better? her father was taken from her in a horribly traumatizing way and then in all likelihood either executed (remember that corona canonically hangs thieves) or died on a prison barge years ago, and there’s nothing rapunzel can realistically do to make that better. sometimes an apology isn’t enough, you know? i think she could provide caine with some closure by helping her find out exactly what happened to him, but caine would never harbor any positive feelings for corona or for rapunzel.
Will Cassandra settle in Corona, abroad, or remain indefinitely itinerant?
i think she’ll eventually settle down but i also see her as developing a real love for travel and continuing to do it frequently even after she finds her home base, so to speak. i also tend to lean on the side of she comes back to corona to visit but doesn’t have enough positive connections to the place to ever feel completely at home there.
Will Madame Canardist ever learn of Vigor’s origins?
madame canardist is a racist romani caricature and i don’t like thinking about her if i can possibly help it. it leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.
Will Varian rebuild any of Demanitus’ work?
dunno, maybe? varian is a demanitus fanboy for sure and if he encountered a demanitus blueprint for a machine that he could put to good use i think he’d absolutely build it at the first opportunity. i can see him rebuilding the weather device just in case zhan tiri’s blizzard were to reoccur, for example. but also, a lot of demanitus’s inventions were pretty dangerous (see: the portal to the lost realm, the body-switching ray) and varian as of season three has learned his lesson about doing Reckless Science so i think he would approach with a certain amount of caution.
Will Cass be nervous when meeting her New Dream nieces and nephews?
...a bit? maybe? i guess? prior to this i spent literally 0 braincells thinking about new dream children so i dunno. i’m not a kid person and i rarely if ever speculate about non-canonical children of fictional couples. she’d be the fun adventuring family friend i suppose.
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“i’m… i’m trying. i really am.”
Steve can’t sleep, not that it’s big news that he can’t sleep but he just can’t. He’s slept for too long. His room is too big and too quiet. Even his goddamn bed is too soft. Lately, he’s been put through the paces in training and that helps him pass out from exhaustion but even at times, that’s not enough. Though training isn’t all that bad, far from it. He’s got a partner who’s got a few powers of her own. They’re a hell of a whole lot different from anything he’s ever seen but it seems that’s just par with the course in the future. Daisy is a damn good partner, tough and quick -- funny too. She’s got a lot of attitude and Steve finds that pretty amusing. It makes all this academy stuff a lot more interesting when she’s there beside him. It also helps that on their downtime she’s helping a lot with all this new future stuff. Daisy is handy with a computer and Steve’s a quick learner. They’re really just trading the tools of their trade. Steve helping out with teaching her combat and she helps him with well --- everything that is a step above a radio.
Steve pushes up out of bed. The clock reads somewhere close to 2 am. He should really try to get a little more sleep but Steve doesn’t think he can. His fingers are already itching and his blood starting to pump with the idea of heading down to the gym for a few rounds at the punching bag. Stark has been working on prototypes to try and make on that Steve can’t break. If anything he’s being useful at this odd hour and helping Stark out with this challenge he’s presented. Steve decides to slip on a shirt as he packs up a few things for the gym if he was to see anyone he’d like to be a little decent. With his shoes tied on and sweats tugged on he heads out of his room and heads towards the gym. Steve thinks Fury had something to do with his room placement being so close to the gym, but he’s not complaining. It’s a short walk to the fully equipped gym and Steve is thankful for it. More often than not these late-night workouts are because he’s got too much on his mind that he doesn’t want to think about. So a short walk doesn’t let him do that.
However, as Steve shoulders his way into the gym it seems he’s not the only one here for a late-night workout. He recognizes Daisy the moment his eyes land on her. Steve smiles a bit to himself as he tosses his gym bag down. “Can’t sleep either?” He asks her, but as Daisy continues her set and doesn’t acknowledge him, he frowns. It’s only a few moment’s later that it dawns on him. “Earbuds.” He mumbles to himself. Is he a little stupid to take this as a teaching moment when he knows her powers are still a bit out of control? Yes, he is but that doesn’t mean all that much to him. There isn’t a need to be quiet when she’s got earbuds in but he is careful not to cast a looming shadow over her that would let her know it was him. Instead, he crouches down a bit as he approaches her, hand coming to rest on her shoulder. It’s a quick reaction from there. Steve dodges out of the way of a swing as it comes his way, laughing a bit when Daisy all but rips her earbuds out of her ears. He gives an innocent shrug as the woman scolds him. “How else was I supposed to get your attention? Someone has to keep your senses sharp, and maybe it’s the 40′s talking but I’d leave one earbud out.” Daisy isn’t the only agent who listens to music while she works out. In fact many do. It rubs Steve the wrong way most of the time. They’re losing one of their most vital senses and unless they’re like Barton and don’t have the choice he thinks they should be listening to their surroundings at all times. But he digresses, Steve won’t bother her with his soapbox tonight.
“Can’t sleep?” He asks again, knowing this time she’s heard it. He doesn’t get much more than a shrug in response and it’s a bit suspicious. Daisy liked to talk, not that Steve ever minded, but the quietness isn’t something he’s used to. For a while, he’s okay with the quiet, gives it up to the late hour but the longer it stretches the more Steve grows antsy. He waits until he breaks the first bag to actually break the silence. He watches the beans spill out on the floor before sighing a bit. “I don’t think Stark’s gonna like that I broke this one faster than the last one.” That earns him a bit of a laugh but nothing more. “Alright -- enough of the bags let’s have a little one on one.” He motions for her to follow and thankfully Daisy doesn’t seem to hesitate.
The sparring is quick-fire. Both of them already awake and full of adrenaline from a previous warm-up. He’s careful with her as he always is, despite having powers that doesn’t mean she’s not prone to being hurt by actual hits by him. Their goal is to strengthen and perfect and not harm. It’s going well until Steve decides to kick it up a notch. He catches her fist easily and they both know what he wants. “You can’t hurt me. -- Try a little bit.” Expect the problem with that is she’s got no control. Her little bit is suddenly sending him flying across the room, back colliding painfully with the brick wall. The air is knocked from his lungs but nothing more than that. He pushes himself back up to his feet, brushing dust from his shoulders. “Don’t let me touch you, but don’t send me into the wall. Just stop me,” Steve tells her from across the room. Daisy looks a bit hesitant but seems to gear herself up. Steve tries to rush her and well -- she does send him flying into the wall again. Yet again, Steve rises back to his feet. There’s an ache in his back for a moment but the next moment it’s gone. “Again.” And they do this for hours it feels like until Steve can taste copper in his mouth.
“I’m… I’m trying. I really am.” Daisy sounds defeated and Steve can’t have that. “Hey -- I know you are,” Steve speaks softly, a fond smile appearing on his lips. “You aren’t sending me through the wall anymore and that’s progress in my book.” He laughs a bit before reaching out to gently rest his hand on her arm in comfort. “It’s gonna take time, can’t deny that but you got the most indestructible punching bag on earth cheering for you.” He gets a bit more of a laugh from her and that makes Steve feel all the much better. With the rising sun, Daisy is the one to suggest breakfast and there’s no way in hell that Steve can refuse breakfast. Steve is confident that one day she’ll have perfect control over her powers even if that day is not today. Maybe then he could convince everyone else to let her join the Avengers team.
#meme: steve#otp: good god i know its dangerous but its you that i need (steve and daisy)#folklorewrites
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He’s Mine: A BakuDeku Fic Spork- Chapter 2
Here I am with chapter 2 of this mess!! For those of you who are new, I read a terrible My Hero Academia fanfiction and made funny commentary on it with some good buddies.
Chapter 1 is here!
https://wingsporkhalo.tumblr.com/post/190957730961/hes-mine-a-bakudeku-fic-spork-chapter-1
Support me on Patreon! I am poor!!
https://www.patreon.com/WingSongHalo
And check out my YouTube channel, where you can see video sporks!!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgTMFf7W6SyWoZdpqY9ZdPw/
Last time, the story started in the middle of an inexplicable fight, Izuku gave Shoto his phone number and had multiple houses, and Katsuki told Izuku he doesn’t want Izuku to call anyone by their first name but him! Because being controlling is romantic, right?? (Sarcasm.)
In today’s chapter, Katsuki attempts to confess his “love,” Izuku is forced to dress as a girl, Shoto kidnaps Izuku, I rant about people uke-fying my favorite characters, and Kirishima offers some terrible advice!
Special thanks to my dear friends @the-wizard-l, @kittykatz009, @satsuneade, and Phos for co-commentating!
Without further ado, let’s move ahead to Chapter 2!
My friend Phos: It’s reviewing the same stuff!!! What??
Me: but Phos!! This time it's in a different Point of View, though you'd never know that from the lack of detail!!
Um what am I doing here .
[sigh] I ask myself that every day, sonny
Why dose? Uh, because it keeps you from taking too much medication?
Why dose my chest feel weird when I see deku with half'n'half.
Uhhh... maybe you know he's lactose intolerant and you're concerned for him as a friend?
....naaahhh
Phos: “Damed nerd”
Me: I mean, from what i know of Bakugou's character, he always instantly regrets talking to Izuku
Why would he be stuttering in his own head??! Also, what the fuck is damhed? Is it like being a shithead, but less profane??
Disided. Uhhhh... I guess that's when... something has two sides? I guess??
After I payed for the thing I wanted,
God this detail!! I'm so moved!!
Why was Izuku just running around? Was he late? I thought you were 10 minutes early?
I catched up to him
Sure. With your umbrella? Were you using it to travel like fucking Mary Poppins??
“Ahh” he said falling on the wet ground
I love how unemotional that is.
"DEKU HEAR" --the sound of me being completely out of character? Oh yes. I hear it
Wh--? What bottom of his uniform was he grabbing? I??? I hope you mean like the edge of the blazer??
My friend Jaz: Bottom of his shoes
Phos: Bottom of the uniform might mean bottom of the pant leg— Oh
Me: I mean, valid interpretations all of them, but it really sounds like he's grabbing ass if you just say "the bottom of his uniform" because that's... where the bottom is... moving on.
I don't get it. Has Bakugou supposedly found Izuku's stare cute this whole time, or is this a recent thing? It's so outside the realm of possibility that it's not computing
We walked to school together.
Oh my, how exciting! I wondered what was going to happen next!! And you told it so efficiently, with as few words as possible! Bravo!!
So like, WERE you getting closer or did it just FEEL like you were?
I feel like if their faces ever touched, reality would just collapse in on itself because the laws of nature would be violated
(either that or it would have to be a "one of them literally fell from a great distance onto the other one" situation)
(Which I guess isn't too far fetched since they get thrown around a lot)
Again the damh nerd is here.
Did I say something wrong?
SINCE WHEN HAVE YOU EVER CARED???
Ohhhhkay I'm just. So confused. WHY is Bakugou suddenly aware of his "feelings," WHY is he suddenly so much nicer, and WHY is he just deciding all of a sudden to confess his love?? That's the kind of thing you WRESTLE with, if you accidentally fall in love with the dude you've hated for like 11 of your 15 years of life!!
My friend Wiz, evidently affected by the reality-warping powers of this fic: jhwbebhjfewjhbwfjh
Uh why did he have to come at a time like this.
B... because the bell is going to ring?...
Wow, I wish I could communicate entire sentences with just my face. Seems like a useful talent. Maybe that guy in class 1-B with the speech bubble for a head would be best at that
"Kacchan here" Why yes, he is here. Not sure why the sudden caveman-speak, though
Then half'n'half went of with my deku
[sits there staring at nothing for 5 seconds] [shakes self] Sorry I was just reeling at the sheer ridiculousness of everything about that sentence
I felt kind of bad leaving kacchan behind.
Then it just transitions to the next scene because fuck internal monologue I guess
Jaz: When did he become Your Deku?
Me: THEIR TEACHER NEVER SHOWED UP??? BITCH WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO AIZAWA??? Also, wouldn't it naturally fall to Iida to take over and decide their next course of action, as class rep? Why are the girls all hijacking the class???
Jaz: They hogtied Iida, of course
Me: They're putting their names on a stick... oh god... tHEY'RE ORGANIZING A DEATH TOURNAMENT
"Deku come with me" "I'd love to but that's not the pairing of this fic"
Jaz: Dhdududidifhf
I love how Izuku has no agency in this fic; he just goes with whoever and does whatever, helpless against the whims of those around him. And by love, I mean hate. I fucking hate that.
Uh *sigh*
Wow that's a mood.
Jaz: Wtf is even going on
Me: lskjdlkksjdf Not that Izuku wouldn't dress up as a girl if someone told him to, but I think he'd usually at least like a reason for it
"Izuku the All Might Cheer Squad is missing a member; could you sub in?"
"[throws everything off his desk and stands up at once] I've been waiting for this moment"
My friend Satsu, just arriving: Finally caught up and I'm CACKLING
Me: Somebody get Ochaco to Recovery Girl!! She's taken a blow to the face and there is BLEEDING
aH THANK U SATSU <3
Satsu: HI MOM, ((note: my server calls me Mom. LOL)) lol this is so bad 😂 😂
Wiz: I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING HERE JHBDJBH
Me: Honestly, I think Izuku would be dreadfully embarrassed if everyone stared at him no matter WHAT he was wearing
Satsu: Yeah but like, why uraraka suddenly dressed him like that??? What is the thinking process that that would be okay in the school omg
Me: “Why would you do this to me uraraka-san“
Wiz: I’m crying
Me: "Look, it was in my contract that I had to appear in 50 badfics a week. I'm sorry, Deku"
"[hangs his head] No that's fair"
Satsu, didn't you know?? This is just what happens when the teacher doesn't show up
Satsu: Aw damn, if I knew ;-;
Wiz: I am. So confused wjhbfe
Satsu: They all ran of
Me: he stoped, but I can't.
Then I ran of
It was a run of girlishness and embarrassment, I'm guessing.
Did they all say the slashes, or?
Jaz: Did Todoroki just kidnap Deku?
Wiz: These things happen
Satsu: Oh dear, the last sentence
My eyes
Me:
Izuku ran of
--Shame and frilliness--
Mabey we went to far
"Sorry, I can't go with you this weekend. Mah bae and I are going to far."
"To where?"
"Far. It's this restaurant across town"
Wiz: jhwbewehbj
Me: What the--why was Izuku running for his life? WHAT DID HE DO
Shoto: [pushes Izuku]
Izuku: thank you!
Shoto: uh... s-sure... should I be concerned that you just thanked me for shoving you
Izuku: Probably!
Wiz: MOOD
Satsu: Kdbdkdbfkjf
Me: What the--why's Shoto rubbing Izuku's head? Is it a good luck ritual or has Izuku turned into a puppy? Wait, no, he still has hands. I'M CONFUSED
Phos: I still don’t understand the dress and wig.Well, girls uniform.
Satsu: You’re not alone with that lol
Me: Look, sometimes ya see an adorable messy-haired befreckled shonen protagonist and ur just overwhelmed with the desire to see him in drag....... I guess?
Phos: I mean
Yeah that sounds exactly like what this fic is doing
Me: It sounds to me like they wanted to write moments where Shoto and Katsuki would get to interact with Izuku while he's a delicate, soft little maiden [rolls eyes]
Wiz: :’))
Me: STOP UKE-FYING MY IZUKU, YOU FETISHIST
Satsu: They always do that to my dear main characters :(
Me: Me pulling these badfic authors up by their collar: listen here you yaoi sluts... my son Izuku is more manly than 90 other shonen protagonists put together...
Jaz: Omggggg WING
Phos: "yaoi sluts" I will never have a chance to use that and man I’m upset about that
Satsu: Heck yeah!
Me: LSJKFLKSDJ PHOS
Satsu: MOOD
Phos: I’m not in a lot of fandoms where yaoi is the norm in badfic!
Me: Really? It kind of seems like it's the norm in every fandom nowadays.
Look I love a lot of slash pairings, but yaoi I have a problem with. Yaoi is fetishization, yaoi is semes and ukes and one of them has to be "the girl" essentially and it's gross
Phos: Agreed!
Me: ANYWHO [steps off my soapbox]
Wiz, a bit behind on the messages: YAOI SLUTS JHBFJHF
No body saw him, but several pairs of eyes did. Three of them were Shoji's.
Wiz: Wing I love you
Me:
Something told me he went out side
Was the something lazy writing?
I LOVE U TOO WIZ <3 <3 <3
Satsu: It's cracking me uo that it says "Bakago P. O. V"
Me: Does... does this person honestly think that's how you spell "damn"? I... wh? The kinds of mistakes this person is making are not really things I see from people who speak English as a second language--tenses are more or less usually correct, etc--so I'm just. How. How do you get it wrong that many times
"Ahh" I heard someone screaming
Really? Cuz when you write it like that it looks more like what you'd say while sinking into a hot bath after a long day.
Satsu: Wait, didn't Todoroki kidnap him? Where did he go?
Phos: He’s been consumed by the love triangle void
Satsu: He just vanished lol
Me: Yeah he was like "finally, my Love Interest™️ is in drag, so I must make the most of this and Romance him" and fucked the hell off dragging poor Izuku with him
Satsu: LMAO PHOS
Me: SLAKFJDLKJ PHOS
Phos: bows Thank you
Me:
It was Deku being chased by boys
The Izuku Midoriya tag on pixiv, basically
I picked up deku and put him over my shoulder.
This is the second BakuDeku fic I've seen where Bakugou throws Izuku over his shoulder like a goddamn bag of potatoes and it's portrayed as Romantic.
Wiz: w h y
Satsu: I'm still wondering, is this supposed to be BakuDeku or TodoDeku? Or both?????
Phos: Both, I think
Me: I think it’s both, yeah
Satsu: Aw, dang. My poor baby. :(
Phos: I’d bet real money this doesn’t end properly, like it’s not finished
Me: yeah the story is technically called "he's Mine! (tododeku kacdeku) (boku no hero academia)"
Satsu: Kfbdkfjf jf
Wiz: Oh joy
Me: which, like, first off, who the FUCK calls it Kacdeku? I'm pretty sure I heard my cat say that while throwing up once
Wiz: gfthghuji
Phos: Adobe
(That was a corrected keysmash)
Satsu: I was about to say about kacdeku veing a very weird ship name lol
Ah fuck, I always end up changing one letter or eating a whole word
Me: "ADOBE" IS THE BEST KEYSMASH LSKJDKFSL
mkay SO I don't think Bakugou would literally kill those boys, but he would definitely threaten it Also, how is Izuku supposed to get changed? Did he bring his other clothes with him??
Phos: BOLD ITALIC AUTHORS NOTE
Wiz: jhbjhbjhk
Me: I... guess he had his uniform?
ALSO YES, ONE OF MY FAVORITES, DEFS A SQUARE ON MY BADFIC BINGO
Phos:
Or ... fuck him
Wow I hate this
Me: I do not remember Bakugou ever looking like a lost cat, nor do I think a lost cat is a very good descriptor because cats just kinda hide or come up to people and yell when they're lost. ...Actually that second one does describe Bakugou; never mind. Katsukitty
"ALL THEM BOYS" SHEEEEE-OOOT! IZUKU DONE GOT HIMSELF A HUMDINGER OF A SOUTHERN ACCENT, NOW, AHYUH-HYUH!!!
I walked on a head? Wow, that takes talent. Most people use their feet but I guess if you wanna be Extra
I all ways want to force him
I mean, there are a lot of ways; do you really have to want all of them?
to force him agents a wall
Whoa, what? Where did these agents come from?? Are they investigating Todoroki's sudden disappearance??
Satsu: In which universe Bakugo is nicer with Deku more than with Kirishima
Me:
and kiss him passionately
jfc. I just... hhhh. No.
Or... fuck him
Yeah that's about right.
Katsuki: [thinks of Deku] well, fuck him :\
Satsu: LMAO LFBFKFHFKFB
Phos: Scbsbsfddb
Me: Also, Satsu, you summoned my favorite rocky cinnamon roll
Satsu: Also I don't remember what part of season 3 are you refering to dear author lol
JUST, PLEASE STOP WITH THE DAMH ALREADY
Phos: What even is that page....
Me: So I guess I should be surprised that Kirishima is just suddenly here, but considering he seems to follow Bakugou everywhere, I'm not.
"I've seen you with midoria and I thought I could help"
What's midoria? Is it a medical condition?
"Man, I came down with a nasty case of midoria. I was in the bathroom like seven times last night"
If that's the case, Kirishima could help by just giving him some Pepto.
Satsu: Kdbejqhevjdvfjd
Wiz: pfffft
Me:
"Well for one change your..."
Mind? Clothes? Tires once every four years or 10,000 miles?
Satsu: Your brain cells!???
Me:
"well be less angry and more happy with him"
WOW!! STARTLINGLY ASTUTE ADVICE!! IF ONLY SOMEONE COULD HAVE PINPOINTED BEFORE WHY THEIR RELATIONSHIP IS SO STRAINED!! YOU DOIN' THE LORD'S WORK, AUTHOR!!
Phos: Adsvads
Me:
"Are you telling me to change who I am!!"
"Well... yeah, kinda. I mean, I love ya, bro, but your attitude kinda sucks."
"........Okay, fair"
"Unless you want him to be with todoroki!?"
Uhhh, does what Izuku wants factor into this at ALL, or...?
Also, sure, if someone doesn't like you, just change who you are! Works every time, at least until you forget which version of yourself you were using with each person!!
Wiz: yaaaaaaaaayyyy
Me:
Damh him
Uhhh... okay. [points to self] Wing, me.
"Fine I'll change but only when I'm around deku!"
Sure! Sounds like the basis of a healthy relationship! (: The last decade of abuse doesn't matter!!
Wiz: :')))))
===========================================================
AND THAT IS ALL FOR CHAPTER 2! Next time, Shoto makes terrible jokes and lies to Izuku’s mother, Izuku and Shoto go on a date, and our helpless damsel protagonist gets attacked by a villain!! Next post will be up very soon! Thanks for reading <33333
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I feel maybe I was a bit grumpy in my movie-going this year (at least when it came to new releases): there are plenty of films that other people liked that just didn’t click for me. Like The Souvenir – no.4 in The Guardian’s list – which left me a bit cold, and annoyed. Or Hustlers, which I found aggressively unoriginal. Or Pain And Glory, which was great and then two-thirds of the way in took a direction I didn’t like at all. Or If Beale Street Could Talk, which isn’t a bad film by any means, but fell way short of my expectations after how special Moonlight was. On the other hand, I enjoyed Midsommar and Burning, and felt their directors had achieved what they had set out to do, but neither quite felt like it belonged on this list. The movie I most wanted to see and didn’t was the Argentinean thriller Rojo, and the film I suspect I’ll either love or hate that I haven’t managed to catch up with is the British film Bait.
There were, though, some films I did really dig, and here they are:
1. Support The Girls
So many films rely on their characters doing stupid things to sustain the narrative: not calling the cops, splitting up when there’s a killer lurking, not getting an abortion, leaping into the sack with someone clearly unhinged, not killing James Bond when you capture him and have already murdered dozens of others without a thought... Which is why every now and again it’s good to see a film about someone who is competent and rich in common sense but to whom shit happens anyway, because that’s how it goes. Lisa, wonderfully played by Regina Hall, is one of my favourite movie characters in recent years: she’s the manager of a bar-restaurant in Texas where the waitresses have to wear crop tops and hot pants, a job she does with great skill and little appreciation. The film mostly covers one day: it’s funny, it’s warm, it’s human and humane, it’s aware of issues of power and race and gender and inequality without being up on a soapbox for a second. I loved it.
Full review here
2. Booksmart
One way to judge a comedy in 2019: you’ve seen the trailer half a dozen times and it hasn’t killed all the best jokes. Booksmart passed that test easily. It took a very familiar set-up – high school kids looking for a party on the eve of graduation – and made it fresh again. It has fine comedy performances from Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein, my favourite supporting turn of the year from Billie Lourd, a great drugs scene and a touchingly defiant speech on an unexpected topic. A marvellous directing debut from Olivia Wilde.
Full review here
3. Under The Silver Lake
This is unapologetically a list of movies I liked. Which means sometimes they need a bit of a disclaimer, because they can be movies that people with reliable taste hated. Under The Silver Lake is a movie that left plenty of critics and some of the few punters who saw it baffled or bored or both. But if for some strange reason you do like the idea of a sprawling, weird, shaggy-dog story of an LA noir, laced with spiralling conspiracy theories, inept amateur sleuthing and lots of references to classic movies, then I recommend this unreservedly.
Full review here
4. Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood
The biggest and best surprise of the year for me: a Quentin Tarantino movie that was bearable – more that: properly good. For most of the running time, it’s plotless, but it’s an agreeable and atmospheric meander around the LA of 1969, with winning turns from Pitt and Di Caprio.
Full review here
5. Marriage Story
‘I know I should see it, I’m just not sure I can face it…’ That’s what some of my friends have said about Marriage Story, and I get their reluctance: watching someone’s relationship fall apart seems either sadistic or distressing, depending on how things are going in your life. But Noah Baumbach’s film, although it has brutal moments, is not a misery fest, nor is it a sentimental account of the damage done to an innocent kid by selfish adults. It’s sharp and smart, and contains by far Scarlett Johansson’s best non-sci-fi performance post-Lost In Translation.
Full review here
6. The Favourite
In all the critics’ 2018 lists, and in London cinemas late December 2018, but according to the Film Distributors Association, The Favourite was a January 2019 release in the UK (and that’s when I saw it). If you are expecting a standard historical drama, it’s bonkers. If, though, you are familiar with the films of Yorgos Lanthimos, it’s almost (almost) mainstream. Deserved the bag of prizes it got.
7. Knives Out
The trailer made it look annoying and gimmicky, so I’m glad I was persuaded to see Rian Johnson’s sort-of-old-fashioned murder mystery. It’s tough to say more without spoilers, but what the trailer disguises is that there is a point of real sympathy in the movie, and a political stance (if not a hugely complex one). It has not just an all-star cast, but one that stretches from stars of the 1960s (Christopher Plummer) through the 1980s (Jamie Lee Curtis! Don Johnson!) right up to someone for Marvel fans (Chris Evans), for Neflix-watching teen goths (Katherine Langford) and for those – like me – somewhat obsessed with the TV comedy Atlanta (LaKeith Stanfield). Plus, Daniel Craig, who is doing a very strange accent, but it’s such pleasure not to see him playing Britain’s least intelligent intelligence operative (I think he’s excellent here – it’s a knowingly broad performance).
8. The Irishman (I Heard You Paint Houses)
Having sabotaged himself with the sadistic running time and the atrocious CGI ‘de-ageing’ (yeah, right), Martin Scorsese somehow managed to pull together an absorbing, elegiac film that hopefully marks an end to the cinema’s fascination with the Mob.
Full review here
9. Little Women
Almost everyone else who sees this will be comparing it to the book and/or one or more of the many previous screen versions. But I’m 85% sure I never read the book and know I have not seen any of the movies the whole way through (I will see the 1933 George Cukor/Katharine Hepburn one someday, promise). I went to see this one, then, not because of any affection for the source material but because it was directed by Greta Gerwig and stars Saoirse Ronan and Florence Pugh. There’s a balance to be struck with period movies: on the one hand, it can be unconvincing if the characters simply behave if they come from the year the film was made, not the one in which it was set.
On the other, the characters are living in what to them is a turbulent, fast-changing modern world, and you have to create a sense of that. Gerwig leans strongly – maybe too strongly for some fans of the book – in the latter direction, but that’s what I enjoyed most, including one big showpiece feminist speech each for Ronan and Pugh, plus an ending that really sold me on the film.
10. Doubles Vies (Non-Fiction)
I half-wonder if it was a dare: Olivier Assayas is not a director who lives in a French cinema bubble, so he knows the stereotypes he is dabbling with here. This film largely consists of a bunch of well-paid white people mostly working in the arts (the lone ‘outsider’ is the aide to a leftwing politician) gathering for meals and discussing the future of book publishing in the digital age. When they are not doing that, of course, they are shagging anyone but their significant others. That it stars Juliette Binoche is almost a given. Did I mention that Assayas’ ex, Mia Hansen-Løve, also made a film in which French intellectuals discussed ‘where now? for book publishing’? In the words (but not the meaning) of the characters in The Irishman, it is what it is, but if you have any appetite for films in which over-educated Parisians talk and talk and talk, this is actually plenty of fun.
11. Maiden
As a piece of filmmaking, this documentary is utterly conventional: a mix of old footage and participants reminiscing. But it has a great story to tell, and plenty of archive to tell it with. It’s about the all-female crew who took part in the 1989-90 Whitbread round-the-world yacht race, after only five women in total had taken part in the previous race. The film focuses on skipper Tracy Edwards, who is far from the lifelong boaty type you might imagine. It’s a tale of her and her crew’s persistence in the face of the expected but still outrageous sexism, from female journalists as well as rival skippers (on the publicity trail 1989, Edwards categorically denied being a feminist, now she’s proud to accept the label). There are nuances, though, that the filmmakers don’t avoid: let’s just say that being relatively underprivileged in the yachting world isn’t the same as being underprivileged full stop.
12. Eighth Grade
I can’t say I actually enjoyed Eighth Grade: it’s a film about a socially anxious child that all too vividly immerses us in incredibly awkward moments. But its main character and the gap between her YouTube pronouncements and her reality is as acute a portrayal of the way a chunk of people live right now as you could get.
13. Minding The Gap
Dilemma: the most effective way to see this documentary about a multiracial bunch of skateboarding buddies in Rockford, Illinois, is to know as little as I did beforehand. But I don’t think I could comfortably recommend a film that is in parts so distressing without warning you that it gets pretty brutal. I was reminded of it when I watched Jonah Hill’s drama Mid90s, a drama that looks at a similar scene – Minding The Gap is not only much more affecting, but does a much better job of making non-skaters understand the appeal of spending hours upon hours drifting around on a rolling plank.
Best old films I saw on the big screen
Unfaithfully Yours
Preston Sturges’ wild comedy about a reluctantly jealous husband (Rex Harrison at his finest) is a film I’d been waiting the best part of quarter of a century to see, and yet managed to exceed my expectations. The best film I saw in a cinema this year, and that’s saying something because I also saw…
Full review here
Aventurera
Singing! Dancing (and what dancing!) Betrayal! Tragedy! Vengeance! Unrequited passion and wild coincidence! The highlight of the BFI’s classic Mexican movie season was this gloriously bonkers 1950 melodrama, a star vehicle for the extraordinary Cuban nightclub star Ninón Sevilla, who had masses of blonde hair and huge dark eyes, a jaw that looked like it could withstand a heavyweight’s uppercut, and thighs built for proto-Beyoncé dance moves. Aventurera makes the most of her cabaret skills, but also puts her in frenzied, noirish narrative. An utter joy.
Los Califanes
The great thing about living in London is that I was able to see four films about Mexican nightlife on the big screen this year: as well as Aventurera, I saw another Niñon Sevilla film (Victimas del Pecado) in the BFI season, the brand-new but 1980s-set Esto No Es Berlín at the London Film Festival, and then 1967’s nouvelle vague-inspired Los Caifanes at the Barbican as a tie-in with their Into The Night exhibition. This one is about a posh young couple who have a wild 12 hours or so in the company of a group of working-class hipsters, and is a terrific you’ll-feel-as-bleary-eyed-as-the-characters movie.
Full review here
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Ramblings of a grumbling mad Kat.
Epic fail.
Sorry tumblr.
But I stayed off for nearly 8 MONTHS.
But STILL GOT 45 SPAM FOLLOWERS.
3 said "sensitive content"
I had ONE REAL FOLLOWER.
I HAVE OVER 2,000 SPAM FOLLOWERS.
SO I CHERISH MY 300 REAL ONES.
Tell me again how getting rid of the people who were your foundation helped?
My blog has been less of a sexual nature & more of a love of beauty within nature, people, & relationships.
I haven't had sexually explicit content.
[Unless your going after my ♡s????]
Nor many gifs for that matter.
But..
The picture I took with mine own eyes..
through my camera's lens.
at 6 o'clock in the ever lovin' morning
you decided to take down as my background image.
GGggrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!
Maybe now everybody knows why I have stayed away..
Kat bez pissed.
And make me look like 1 of the blogs us real people should be blocking automatically.
This adds work, rather than simplifying the experience of tumblr.
And why is a picture of a black leopard lounging a vile thing might I ask?????
How about actually stop the
dating- hook up- fake- bot- blogs
that are the actual scrouge & let us real people enjoy our freedom of speech.
Ya know..
That pesky first amendment thing that since your based in NY you are supposed to be upholding.
Ahem.
Course my lil corner has imploded with nightmares of health issues & bad home contractors too.
So Kat's been too busy & just too freaking exhausted to put up with these shenanigans so I waited..
Tumblr, can we PLEASE just be the adults & govern ourselves?? Hhmm??
Why is ANYONE under the age of 18 years old even on here?
Sigh.
This was supposed to be a place to see pretty pictures, not be accosted, & just relax.. meet other people & enjoy the world..
If you take care of the bots & fake-o's & sneaky underage people all would be good.
Sigh.
This is just my humble 2 cents because I feel like we have all lost with this decision.
No one wins when a multitude of voices are silenced with an arbitrary guillotine.
Tumblr, you have lost real people.
But kept fake, machine generated blogs.
Was that really the intent?
I still see sexual blogs, without the "sensitive content" blurb.
I still see hookup commercials.
Is that better?????
If someone else has answered these questions, then my apologies for being redundant.
But also, as I mentioned afore.
My personal world has imploded & just not in a place to deal with irrational corporate behavior.
I will step back down off my soapbox now.
Try to stop my grumbling.
And watch the world tilting on its axis.
Now..
I hope everyone has had a better year than me!
American troops, leo's, first responders,..
My heart is with you.
My deepest, sincerest thanks for all you do daily.
For those suffering..
You have my prayers.
I quietly lift you up.
And America...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!
LET FREEDOM RING!!!!
So eloquently sang by Martina McBride.
~slowly trotting back to my grotto..
Turning..
Looking at the world..
Be at peace world.
~Kat🐾🐯🦉🌺🌱
Su.7.7.19 12.40pm
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Cobra Kai Q and A
1.) How many times have you watched Cobra Kai? Did you binge or take things slow? I watched season one and two the whole way through twice. Then I watch my favorite parts like when John Kreese and Johnny Lawrence are on over and over.
2.) Who is your favorite character in the show, and why? John Kreese. Because he is a very fascinating character. I’ve always been intrigued by him since I was a child. I saw his picture of him in the Army and knew he had lots of demons from when he was in Vietnam. I mean he teaches “Strike First, Strike Hard, No Mercy.’ I actually wanted to take Karate because of him and Cobra Kai. And I did. I actually did have an instructor similar to John Kreese. The man fought in Vietnam and had curly hair. He was also my American Civics teacher and home room teacher in High School. I;ve always loved “bad guys” that were complex. I love Negan and The Governor. From TWD. (I hate Rick) “Bad guys” are more interesting to me than “Good Guys”
3.) Who is your least favorite character in the show, and why? I; know I’m going to get hate for this but: Daniel Larusso. IMHO the man never grew up. He holds grudges. He was angry when Johnny Lawrecne opened Cobra Kai. Never gave him a chance. He acted like they never left high school. Then when Daniel saw john Kreese; he smart mouthed him. After two seconds of seeing him. “How’s your knuckles’ I mean REALLY. It’s like Daniel saw the teacher he hated from 30 years ago in High school and the bully and decided to start the feud again. I mean grow up! IMHO Daniel acts like his shit don’t stink. Pardon my French, but I got no other delicate way of putting it. Daniels holier than thou attitude makes me want to puke. Daniel reminds me of Rick from TWD. Me all good everyone else all bad. BLECH!
4.) Which character, in your opinion, has had the best development over the course of both seasons? HMM that’s a tough one. I’d say Hawk. He went from a shy boy who wouldn’t say boo to a goose to a bad ass. Yes people may say he’s “evil” now. I don’t’ think so. He was bullied most of his life. It’s very common for the bullied to end up bullying other people. People think he’s corrupted by John Kreese. I think he might learn a lot from him.
5.) What has been your favorite fight? The one between John Kreese and Johnny Lawrence. I’ve been waiting for the fight for 30 years. I always wondered if Johnny would fight Kreese when he was all grown up. When Johnny kicked the cigar out of Kreese’s mouth, that was classic!
6.) If you could say just one thing to any of the characters in the show, what would it be, and who would you say it to? I would say to John Kreese. Please get some professional help. I know you think psychiatrists are “Bullshit” I know you think that if you talk to somebody that shows weakness. It doesn’t. It takes a a strong person to recognize they need help and seek it. It takes great strength to face your demons.
You can’t keep your pain bottled up inside. I don’t know what you’ve been through the past 30 years, but I know it was painful. You never really truly left the war. What happened wasn’t your fault. You may think that “you’re a broken man that can’t be fixed” but that’s a cop out! You don’t want to take the time and effort to help yourself. You need to man up.
I know you tried to talk to Johnny, but he didn’t care enough to listen. I don’t think anyone asked you why you teach No Mercy. Nobody ever listened to you. But part of that is your fault. You can’t expect someone to listen if you don’t open up. If you need someone to talk to, I’ll listen. I will try to help you. If I can’t, I’ll find someone who can. Taking medication and seeking professional help is not weakness. I know you may have tried and failed, but you need to get back up and try again.
If you don’t seek help, you will lose your students again. You will hurt them just like you hurt Johnny. You might even kill one of them. I’m sorry to say this, but if you refuse to get help, STAY AWAY FROM CHILDREN! They don’t’ need a man who refuses to get help. They need a sensei who faces his demons. You may never become completely fixed, but you can be better. You owe it too your students. (I know this is more than one thing, but I just ran with it.)
7.) Given the choice, would you train with Cobra Kai or Miyagi Do? That’s a tough one. If it were me, I’d train with Cobra Kai. But I’d want both Johnny Lawrence and john Kreese teaching. Or maybe with Terry Silver and kreese. I think Kreese needs someone there to keep him in check. I feel Kreese is heading for a breakdown. He shouldn’t be alone with any kids.
8.) What is your favorite ship/pairing (any are okay!), and why? I would ship John Kreese and Lucille Larusso. I would love to see what Daniel would do if he found out his mom dated his bogie man. It’s the ultimate love/hate ship. Maybe Rosa? (Miguel’s grandmother) and John Kreese. I think they would be cute together. Then we’d have Johnny and Carmen and Kreese and Rosa on a double date. That would be awesome. (Involve a few bottles of Tequila and things could get freaky-deaky!)
9.) How did you find out about the show? What made you decide to watch it? I saw it on You Tube and on Twitter advertised. I’ve always wondered what the characters did after movie three. I watch the entire KK series at least once a year (along with Rocky movies) They did a “reboot” of Rocky with the Creed movies and I thought “do that with KK movies!” and I got my wish!
10.) What is one thing you want to see happen in season 3? I would like to see more about John Kreese other than “grrr evil bad man” Maybe show he’s not a manipulator. In his mind, he’s really helping Johnny and his other students. I would love to see his backstory. I hope his PTSD Issues will be addressed. Maybe talk about how he spent time sleeping on the street. About how difficult life is being an aging veteran. There can be many issues addressed using the John Kreese character. IF the show decides to dive deep. But then again, the show doesn’t want to be a soapbox and preach at people. I wish John Kreese could find some peace, but I doubt it. I don’t think he can be 100% redeemed. I just want the man to have his say. To finally have somebody listen to him without judging him.
This is a long shot, but have Kreese and Daniel, and Johnny sit down and talk with each other. They might find out they’re not all that different. They can learn from each other. That both dojo’s have it’s own merits.
(I nominate anybody who loves Cobra Kai.)
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