#something something not every fiction gotta be taken at face value something something .....

[lunaticalis]

of course there's stupid discourse about the csm mp 100 crossover fanart of course there is. go touch some fucking grass

#luntxt #absolutely fucking tired of seeing shit takes #mkm is a creep and drawing her w mob is wrong etc etc BRO I DO NOT CARE SHUT THE FUCK UPPPPPPPPP #im exploding every single one of you discourse motherfucker with my mind #it is called having Fun bitch ass #something something not every fiction gotta be taken at face value something something ..... #the 2d defenders r nuts. go climb trees and eat fresh apple or something throw away ur phone while u r at it

[kikyan]

Yandere Pomefiore Headcanons

TW/CW: Dark Content up ahead!! Yandere content specifically!! Themes will include but not be limited to, yandere, possessiveness, violence towards reader or characters, manipulation, mentions of stalking, obsession, etc. (I think that should be it but unless I'm missing something please do let me know!!) Please proceed with caution!!

DISCLAIMER: These are my interpretations of his/her/their persona and none of these is 100% accurate. I don't condone any of these actions in real life and all of this is purely fictional and should be taken as such! Underage characters will ONLY be given SFW headcanons, please respect this decision!

Banner made by @herestrish please don't steal my bestie worked hard on it and I love them so much :((

Vil Schoenheit

Beautiful Vil indeed, Vil is one of the characters who I feel relate to the most. His desire to be the fairest is rooted in the ideology that he has to work twice as hard for the praise that comes at no cost for Niege. Vil’s S/O would be someone who can see past that, maybe someone who can see the ‘ugliest’ parts of him but still want to be with him. Someone that can accept Vil for himself. With that said, he’s a manipulative, possessive, and overprotective yandere. 

It needs to be said that Vil is probably the most reliable housewarden here. I feel like he’s the type you should go to for advice because he tells it to you straight. He doesn’t sweeten his tone or downplay the situation to spare your feelings, he’s direct. The best way I can describe Vil and Neige is that Neige is cute, and Vil is hot. Niege is the cutesy persona, the kind and charismatic main character that you can’t help but root for in every situation. He’s literally the one who beats the villain with the power of friendship. Vil is a sophisticated and respected individual, the one who worked hard to get what they have, because of this. . .he’s often made to play the role of a villain. The one who is blinded by greed and stops at nothing to prevent the MC from getting what they want. That’s the role he plays. His S/O would be someone who sees past that, long story short someone who can respect and love Vil for himself rather than some silly persona he’s been pushed to play. Someone who can see Vil in the worst light but accepts him. You see the ugly but rather than shy away from it you learn to embrace it. 

I don’t want to say that he’s manipulative to the extent that Jamil might be, but he’s good with words. Pomefiore is a dorm that radiates beauty, not just physical appearance but how one carries themselves. This makes sense when in book 5 he talks to the others about skincare and even reminds Epel that ballet isn’t exactly a gendered sport. Beauty is how someone carries themselves, what they reveal when facing a tough situation, and how they view themselves and others, that’s beauty. If his S/O ever had a doubt, they would seek Vil’s opinion first. Of course, he knows more and his opinion is highly valued. His manipulation isn’t too complex but it follows the ideology that if a stranger gave an unsolicited opinion you won’t pay too much attention. Still, if a trusted friend gave it, you’d be inclined to trust them more. Under his guidance, Vil will slowly alter your mindset as well as your opinions of others. He’s Vil, he has a keen eye for these things after all. Vil says things straightforwardly so you know he’s being honest, that’s gotta count for something! So while it’s not a big thing at the moment, his words start to weave themselves into your conscious decisions. He’s not someone you would doubt, much less disobey. 

He’s quite possessive. In the way Jamil doesn’t want to give his S/O up, he can’t stand the idea of someone taking you away from him! Vil is quite infatuated with you, you see. The one thing he wants is standing right in front of him, he’s not letting his opportunity go by. He’ll start by conviving you to spend time with him. You’re failing your potions class? Vil can offer to help but it won’t come for free! The occasional fashion advice or skin care opinion, always offering to teach you the ropes and how to accessorize. Granted if you don’t ask for it nor actively seek it, he’ll never push his opinions onto you. If you do however ask for his advice, he’ll make a tight schedule that takes up your time and includes himself in the mix. Would he isolate you from others? No, but he would drop some side comments that might make you reconsider who you should be hanging around with. The choice is yours but he’s quite persuasive. He would never let Neige know of you, he can’t risk you becoming a fan or choosing Niege over himself. He just can’t let that happen. This ties in with his over-protectiveness, he’s by no means a pushover. With fame comes risk and Vil is more than qualified and prepared to ensure your safety. In the event that he does go public with your relationship (which he will), some crazed fan might send something to you! 

Overall, there are no traits that I can use to define how dangerous Vil can be as a yandere. Vil would probably force you to go through some rigorous training, anything that proves your loyalty to him. I think it’s what he values the most. Loyalty to him. Once you prove you can be trusted, Vil might start to expose bits and pieces of himself to you but don’t get your hopes up. Does Vil want to be worshiped? Yes, but he wants you to love him. It has to be you, nobody else can suffice. Nobody else sees Vil the way you see him and that’s what he wants. He wants your eyes to be on him, He’s in the spotlight and you’re the only member of the audience that he yearns for. Don’t let your gaze wander, keep your eyes focused on him. While it’s your attention and affection that he yearns for, he by no means will resort to groveling. He has too much pride (though maybe in extreme feelings and conditions, he may but unlikely at the moment) and I feel like it contradicts his ideology of working to earn. If it’s your affection he wants he’ll work hard and strive to gain. Do I think he may have a moment where he slips up? Yes, like in book 5, that wasn’t supposed to happen but it did. He had the idea of beating Niege at a dance competition but towards the end almost took his ass out. I feel like it starts to be futile, normal means of gaining your affection aren’t working, or keeping your love he may stoop down to using potions. Designed as ‘sharing’ snacks and drinks, he may slip in a potion that will make you agree or idolize Vil to a certain extent. He by no means will buy your love or use cheap tactics to earn it, but he may fall into a fear that you may leave him resulting in a potion to keep your love. 

Also, I realized that with these headcanons I don’t exactly highlight something that makes them unique, but I will start doing that with the remaining characters! Vil, what makes him unique is that he’s as suffocating as the poisons he makes. He’ll slowly start making his way into your life and cloud your senses. Anything and everything you do is for Vil. The air you breathe is for Vil. He demands absolute loyalty (as I’ve repeated countless times but I can’t organize for shit) and that loyalty is slowly woven into your routine. You use his skin care, you style your clothes a certain way because Vil told you. You style and accessorize yourself according to his recommendations because Vil is right. You act the way Vil would appreciate (in your eyes because I'm a huge believer they will love you for being you), and you are dedicated to him. The most unique thing about this is that it’s all according to Vil’s design. He managed to flip the table and make YOU seek him out rather than him doing all the hard work. 

These headcanons probably don’t do him justice but on the scale, he’d be an 8/10. It’s Vil, he would never show such unsightly behavior and I think that is where people would fall for it. If anything I think pomefiore is a dorm that can show multiple faces. They hold themselves to such a standard that at first glance, they could never do that! He excels at potions and poisons so he is quite a danger to others and his S/O. His manipulation is hidden under the guise that Vil is only helping you out. It’s Vil, sure some of the things he says might sound rude but he’s just being honest. His reputation does help him conceal his true behavior. His love is suffocating and overpowering. Surely you can learn to accept this ugly Vil as you would the beautiful Vil.  Not to mention, he’s clouding your mind to the point all you can think about is him (managed to save these headcanons because I thought the song Aishite X3 (I’m typing all that out) and how I personally feel Vil would relate to it on some form.

After editing these headcanons I came to the horrifying truth that this sounds like Nate and Cassie’s relationship in euphoria. . . shit. Oh! Before I forget, on the rope-chain-saw scale I think he would be chain. He isn’t one to restrict you physically, but he would restrict with you magic and potions. As I mentioned before, he’d try to manipulate you to turn the tables around, it would be you seeking him rather than him seeking you which would put him on the rope scale. Since he has a possibility of using magic to keep you obedient (rather than make you because he still wants you to make that choice) he would be placed on the chain, you can win back freedom (basically he has no use for the potions at this point) as long as you continue to prove your devotion to him! Okay, this time FOR SURE I’m done! 

Rook Hunt

This man scares me, he’s horrifying. In canon, he’s probably just a bit off-putting and he’ll be nice to you but as a yandere? That being said, Rook is manipulative, possessive, obsessive, and sadistic. Let’s get into it!

The biggest thing with Rook is that we need to see his reference material, he’s a hunter. That predator and prey dynamic is quite strong as we’ve seen in the beanfest event, he likes the thrill. Normally I’d say to run but he enjoys the thrill of that so start walking slowly. Let’s talk about his S/O, I try not to put too many traits because I truly like to believe that they prefer the personality of their S/O as opposed to anything specific but he’d be interested in his S/O. Their way of thinking and the way they carry themselves. We know he loves beauty and has no problem voicing his admiration, but when it comes to his S/O, his comments increase a lot. He loves the way you dress, the way you carry yourself, the way you write your name, and the way you speak, if you have any anxious ticks they don’t go unnoticed and he loves them as well. He’s very observant of any and all things you do, it’s scary. He’s like Kalim who sees the beauty and the good things, he just communicates them differently. To be honest, right now, Rook would make you love things about yourself that you hate or never knew about. As a yandere, that doesn’t change but his love increases by a lot. Tying this in with his obsessive trait, he knows everything. When you leave class with Grim, his eyes are on you. When you take a test and scratch your head, look confused (stuff you do basically), etc, he’s watching. He takes in any and all information possible. Things that are routine to you, he analyzes and takes great interest. Like a hunter studies his prey, he studies you just as well. Maybe at first, it was just something he does, but then it started to become extreme. If you take walks around Ramshackle and you feel eyes on you, it might be him. He doesn’t do anything other than stalk but that doesn’t make it any better. His eyes are ALWAYS on you. Taking in EVERYTHING. He’s extremely obsessive if you couldn’t tell.

Manipulative and this is also where I want to include his ‘unique’ trait. He will NEVER trust you. I’m like jumping a couple of steps but this will all make sense, promise. His manipulation isn’t like the others where they isolate you and try to make it seem like you only have them. It also isn’t something based on authority where they say, “I’m this so you should trust me” or where they use their fame to get you to comply (AKA blackmail). No, Rook takes on a different route. He’s a hunter and he’s always setting up bait but his reasoning isn’t always to prove your loyalty and love, it’s because he finds it fun. Like the Leech twins, you’ll have to be constantly on edge with him. It’s all about observing you. If you read yandere fanfiction, I’m sure you’ve seen prompts that involve the yandere placing the darling (you) in a situation where they can escape, but it’s secretly a test. With Rook, you’ll NEVER know it’s a test. You could stay put for three hours and Rook comes back saying he was busy. You realize then, you could have gotten help but you didn’t. Sometimes, he’ll leave you for 15 minutes and the moment you turn around to run, he’s there. You’ll either have to try to escape at every opportunity or stay put at every opportunity. He could send you on an errand, running papers to a teacher. Out of the fear that he’s watching even though logically he wouldn’t be in the office, you don’t say anything. You realize too late that it was a perfect opportunity to flee from him. This ties in with his unique trait.

He will NEVER trust you. In fanfiction when the darling has been ‘loyal’ (basically playing into their hands waiting to get the upper hand and flee) for some time ranging from a couple of months to years and the yandere assumes that they’ve finally given in. Yeah no, that’s not happening with Rook. You could be together for 10+ years and with 8 children, but he’ll NEVER assume you’ve given in. He’ll play the role and display signs that make it seem that he has but rest assured he hasn’t. He can be the perfect husband, and doting father, and just be a textbook family. You think you’ve planned well, surely after all these years he would believe your charade but no, Rook still keeps an eye on you. Not to mention, he has an army of 8 kids. He probably taught them to recognize signs and to snitch on you. Imagine you’re planning on leaving him but taking the kids and you tell them the plan but all these fuckers turned on you. Yeah, trust is something that comes hard with Rook (if you ever gain it), but this also ties in with the rope-chain-saw scale. He’d be rope. He enjoys the thrill of the hunt and I don’t see him as someone who tires of it. He’ll have some restrictions but overall, he wants you to be as free as possible. You won’t have any extreme restrictions or anything holding you back other than your fear of him. Funny enough, this brings me to my second point, he’s sadistic.

He doesn’t mean to harm you physically, but mentally he loves it. Physically, maybe but it’s not that common. He’ll find your scared expression beautiful and exciting, it shows how much you’re afraid of him. Of course, he wants your love and honestly, in a non-yandere setting, he’d be the perfect boyfriend. As a yandere, he THRIVES off the idea that he’s the biggest threat in your eyes. It’s the thrill of the hunt that makes that catch so much sweeter. Despite all the opportunities of escape (test or not), you don’t take them because of that fear. Any and all bait (escape or not because it’s mostly used to track your reactions) is meant to cause mental anguish. If you do bite he may inflict some physical pain but it’s not something that happens often. In the commissioned fic I wrote, you ran and Rook used an arrow to stop you. Yeah, he’ll do that again. He’ll treat you very well after (medical sense) but he’s not above harming you temporarily. I didn’t put him on the scale as saw, because he doesn’t want to take away your ability to run. Back to the original point, the mental anguish he causes is so much worse. It’s the way he will pamper you, loves you, gives you gifts, and speaks sweet words that make you melt away in a blissful state. You seem to forget that his eyes are closed on to you, he sets up traps that you may or may not recognize until after he appears to give you praise or punishment based on the result. You can’t read him and you can’t predict his intention so you live in fear. That’s what sadistic Rook loves, he’s the cause of your pain and fear.

Wrapping these headcanons, Rook gets an 11/10 on the yandere scale. I wanted to say 10/10 because he’s a danger but because he’ll never trust you he gets an 11/10. Escape really isn’t an option (unless you want to end it all but even then your snitch children might step in). He’s possessive like most, if not ALL yanderes. You’re his, trust me others will regret messing with you. I don’t think Rook would isolate you so he’s not possessive in that sense (like some of the yanderes) but he still wants you to be his and his alone. I don’t think he’d brand you (this brings up a tiny point how despite what you think he sees you as an equal and not as a pet because the mental anguish he causes is what leads you to make that dynamic) but if pushed to the point, he may and find beauty in something of his on your skin. He’s dangerous because he causes an INSANE amount of mental anguish (cater levels) but he can also be physical if need be. He’s always watching and his love is like an anchor, constantly weighing you down and making it hard to breathe. All eyes on you as he sees everything and anything, not to mention his unique magic? Yeah no, escape has and will never be an option. Honestly, I feel like maybe (since this isn’t canon and a yandere headcanon) the whole Pomefiore dorm might be in on it. I see Rook trusting Epel and Vil with you or knowing about you. They might even be the unsuspecting bait that Rook plants. If you thought one pair of highly trained hunting eyes was bad enough, imagine a dorm full of eyes that are trained to see people in the spotlight.

Epel Felmier

So starting right off the bat I’m gonna say what his unique trait is. It’s his appearance. Book 5 was about Vil trying to get Epel to see that his cute face was something he could use to his advantage rather than a disadvantage. So, he’s going to take what Vil taught him and put it to good use. Overall characteristics would include manipulative and overprotective, with a hint of possessiveness.

Finding a way to tie in his unique trait with these characteristics is simple but let’s get into it! Manipulating you and others is quite easy for Epel. Though he doesn’t like being seen as some dainty and petite individually, he’s more than content using it to get you and others to listen to him. You would probably lower your guard a lot more with Epel because it’s Epel. At first glance, I think most of us could push him away if things ever got physical. Which is why Epel doesn’t seem like a danger at first. Epel's gentle and soft-spoken nature is something so refreshing to be around with (especially after hanging out with Ace and Deuce) and is usually quite calming. Epel is sweet and caring, always minding his manners which are suited for someone in Pomefiore. He doesn’t need to do any extra work because you feel comfortable around him talking about your personal life. When something occurs, you may ask Epel for his advice or maybe just to listen (which he’s always down for). It’s different from the others because sometimes Ace happens to say things so bluntly and Deuce, while having good intentions, says things that just don’t work. Epel is a soft-spoken person who offers advice in a tone that doesn’t mean to criticize or look down upon. Finding ways to effectively get his point across without the need of hurting your feelings. You trust Epel so much and while he appreciates this, he knows it stems from his appearance.

I can see him slightly being annoyed by this at first until he starts to slip up. Imagine your surprise when Epel is single-handly arguing and fighting the students who made fun of you. Imagine your surprise when the sweet boy starts to act out, saying things you didn’t expect to leave his mouth and just starts acting different. It’s total whiplash. Once he’s gotten your trust and you start to reconsider, his appearance comes to the rescue when you start accusing Epel of things he’s done. Honestly, I can see Vil and Rook stepping in if things get serious but most of the time his good looks do the talking. What do you mean Epel scared you? He grabbed your wrist and left a nasty bruise? That doesn’t sound like the Epel I know. Did he say all those mean things to you? Are you sure? Epel doesn’t speak like that! Suddenly, he’s making everyone turn against you for speaking out against him. How scary is Epel?

I want to include overprotectiveness and possessiveness together because they go hand in hand. Epel loves you and he’d fight for your honor! It’s quite cute, brave, and courageous to see someone of a small stature standing up against the bad guys. He was raised on the principle of treating everyone with respect and you’re no different! His possessiveness ties in when others try to steal you away from him. No doubt looking down on him because of his size and he needs to show them who’s boss! Well, he sounds tame, so what’s the big issue? Ladies and gentleman, it’s a power dynamic scale we have going on. See Epel is so used to being seen as someone small and petite and while he appears that way to his darling, he has the ability to remind them who is in charge. Though I don’t see Epel as being someone to get physical with you off the bat, there are times when he sees it as his last resort (and by last I mean he tried one other option and gave up). Considering he has a short temper, it’s more often than not. He can be like Ace who says some mean things and basically degrades you but no point in telling anyone because it’s not like anyone would believe sweet Epel would say that. He can pose a threat and when all else fails, start resulting to hitting you to keep you tied to him but again no use saying anything because who would believe you? Granted, there is only so much he can hide behind leading me to a small point, I think Vil and Rook would encourage his behavior.

Vil would dislike the way he’s so rough with you but he did gain your trust with that pretty face of his. Rook would find it amusing. Honestly, he’d feel the same when he thinks you shouldn’t be too rough with your darling, but Epel is a stubborn one who doesn’t accept defeat. In the rope-chain-saw scale, he’d be split between rope and chain. Honestly, like Rook, you start to grow a fear of Epel. While most of the time he’s his usual self (the one you came to love), saying the wrong thing could set him off and spell disaster for you. It’s like walking on eggshells for your safety. So at some point, Epel has no need for too many restrictions but Vil encourages him not to slip up. Not to get too cocky and assume he’ll always be at the top because an unssuspecting person came come and steal you away. It’s as if they’re trying to make him worse than he already is, resulting in the border between chain and rope. Depending on what happens and how he feels, he made add too many restrictions and he’s always inconsistent with them, but most of the time he’s a rope. Doesn’t feel the need to keep you caged and away when you already know the consequences that await you.

Epel overall isn’t too dangerous, maybe a 6/10? His behaviors can start to get predictable but do be careful with that face. He may even stage a situation where you’re the one hurting precious Epel and onlookers judge you. How could you come to hurt someone like Epel? Surely he didn’t pose too much of a threat. Though, while he physically is strong and has a quite short temper, his behaviors can become routine and easy to follow. He’s really only a danger more than Deuce because he would have the help of Vil and Rook. I’m sure that over time you could turn the tables on him and either fight back or paint him to be the villain he is. He’s truly like the poisoned apple, beautiful and tempting on the outside but rotten to the core.

#yandere vil schoenheit #yandere vil x reader #yandere rook hunt x reader #yandere rook hunt #yandere rook x reader #yandere epel felmier #yandere epel x reader #yandere twst #yandere twisted wonderland x reader #yandere twisted wonderland #yandere #yandere x y/n #yandere x reader #yandere x darling #yandere x you #yandere headcanons #yandere headcannons #yandere imagines #kikyan

[calamity-bean]

Barkskins (2020)

Lately I’ve been posting some gifs and such from a new show based (loosely, my impression is) on the Annie Proulx novel of the same name. I haven’t read the novel and knew very little about the show before I started, but I thought I’d post a bit about my impressions thus far, as of episode 1.04.

So! Barkskins is a period drama set in the late 17th century in what is now Quebec, centered around a remote little French settlement called Wobik. There are multiple plot threads at work, but the initial hook driving the narrative is the suspicious massacre of another nearby settlement. This mystery wraps around the lives of the varied people competing to survive and thrive in this corner of New France.

Short and spoiler-free opinion: I'm enjoying it so far! The tone is fairly dark and gritty, always with an edge of danger and even some hints of a sort of religious/folk horror element at work (we’ll see if that comes to anything meaningful, I suppose). The cast has a lot of talent, and based on what I’ve read, there does appear to have been a serious effort to value and involve indigenous voices throughout the creative process. Moreover, it’s a historical setting that interests me, and I like some of the characters a lot. I suspect that one of the biggest dangers this show runs, giving its fairly wide scope and limited number of episodes, is that it may fail to deliver on / fully develop everything it’s hinting at or touching upon... but we’ll see.

Longer description and opinions, potentially with vague/general spoilers, under the cut.

(there is a lot of focus on trees in this show. you may not have expected that from the name.)

Anyone who follows me would be forgiven for thinking that there are only two characters in this show, because I’ve only been posting the same two over and over. Shockingly, there are, in fact, more. Prominent ones so far include:

A traumatized young girl (Lola Reid) who is apparently one of the only survivors of the aforementioned massacre, yet no one recognizes her as being one of the people at that settlement.

Rene Sel and Charles Duquet (Christian Cooke and James Bloor), indentured servants newly arrived from France.

Claude Trepagnay (David Thewlis), an eccentric but ambitious French settler, and Mari (Kaniehtiio Horn), the underappreciated Wendat woman who lives with him.

Hamish Goames and Yvon Kirkpatrick (Aneurin Barnard and Zahn McClarnon) of the Hudson’s Bay Company, who are investigating the disappearance of a colleague. Goames is British, Yvon Anishinaabe.

Melissande and Delphine (Tallulah Haddon and Lily Sullivan), filles du roi brought from France to become wives of settlers.

Mathilde Geffard (Marcia Gay Harden), a no-nonsense and very observant French innkeeper, along with other townspeople of Wobik.

As you can see, most of the lead characters are white Europeans. Given the history of this era and the premise of the show, colonialism (and the conflicts/violence thereof) is naturally a major and inescapable part of the narrative. I was unsure, going in, how the show was going to handle the portrayal of Native characters and cultures. It’s not a topic I can offer personal insight into, as I’m white and not very educated in the irl history/cultures of this setting anyway, but it is a topic I care about. So I looked online to see what better informed people had to say.

This article by The 1491s’ Migizi Pensoneau discusses his involvement with the show (including his initial skepticism) and highlights the indigenous voices who contributed to Barkskins — including writers, actors, historians, and community leaders and advisors, both in the writing room and on location. In Pensoneau’s words:

“Barkskins” is still historical fiction told for television, involving multiple stakeholders and stories, and made within the studio world. In other words, it’s not perfect. But the Native spaces and Native people depicted were handled with just as much care, time, and investment as every other aspect of the show. Instead of a Hollywood producer shorting Native representation based on profitability, we placed as much control as possible into the hands of the communities depicted. The integrity with which we approached this task tells a better story, and I’m excited for everyone to see indigenous characters and communities portrayed on television in a new way.

Steeve Gros-Louis, director of the Huron-Wendat Sandokwa dance troupe, has also spoken positively about his experience of the show’s approach to his culture. Overall, I would definitely say that the story thus far has been told primarily through the lens of colonists. But there are characters from multiple indigenous cultures of the region, two of whom are leads, and general reactions to the portrayal of these characters/cultures seem positive.

(this shot was SO sepia before i adjusted it, like i did a lot and yet it is still very sepia, fair warning that this show’s indoor scenes often suffer from a chronic case of Everything In History Was Sepia.)

Most of the lead characters are also male, though there are about five prominent women so far. (...Honestly, I’ve watched period dramas with fewer.) Among these, I think an interesting phenomenon the show’s chosen to explore is the filles du roi — young women who’ve traveled from France at the king’s expense specifically to provide wives for the overwhelmingly male population of early settlers. These young women differ in personalities and motives but all seem to be very much alone in the world, and it seems clear that they have chosen this path in hope of better opportunities but are also anxious about how their lives in this “new world” will turn out. The show is closely following the journeys of two of them in particular (ambitious Melissande and shy Delphine, both of whom have secrets), and while it is a bit tiring that women in historical fiction are so often defined by their relation to a man, I appreciate that this storyline is about the wives themselves.

Personally, my two favorite characters so far are the Company men: Goames and Yvon. Goames is very much the sort of character I’m often drawn to, in terms of his manner and apparent worldview: “the implacable sort, rigid in his thoughts and actions,” serious and decent and imo with hints of a storyline challenging his loyalty to his institution, which has in the past been the sort of storyline I very much enjoy. (I uh, would be lying if I said I wasn’t also simply... drawn to Mr. Barnard in general.) Yvon stands out for his dry snark and eloquence and for the bigotry he runs into as a Native man operating within white spheres, which casts a pall over his generally unflappable demeanor, and I have a lot of curiosity about his background. Their partnership is a highlight of the show, imo, and I’m quite interested in where their storyline will go re: their individual character arcs as well as the overall narrative. I’m also particularly fond of Mari and Delphine.

(my BOYS! this is not an actual still from the show but look at Aneurin. look at his silly pose.)

As far as the content goes, I don’t think it’s been too egregious so far, but be advised:

Primary warning is for violence. It’s not overly gory, but there is fighting, blood, bodies, etc. One act of violence I will warn for specifically: in the first episode, a group of Iroquois men are killed (offscreen), and their bodies are displayed hanged and impaled. This is clearly presented as an atrocity, and the bodies are mostly shown from a distance so that they’re small and indistinct, but there are a couple close-up shots.

Also, as I’ve mentioned, characters such as Yvon and Mari do face racist treatment/remarks from white characters.

There has been a nongraphic instance of attempted sexual assault, which was successfully rebuffed.

So... yeah! At time of writing, half the season has aired — it airs Monday evenings on Nat Geo and goes up on Hulu Tuesday afternoon, and they seem to be airing two episodes a week, which is frankly annoying, I’d rather get either a proper savor or a proper binge. The reviews I’m seeing online are mostly positive (I’ve seen at least one trot out the dreaded “It’s the next GoT!” line, which I think is inaccurate re: its tone/focus and also, like, why are people still trying to say that as though it’s a good thing), and there seems to be a small little fandom getting started here on Tumblr. (Not that I’ve really met many of y’all yet. If you’re reading this, hi!) And while Proulx’s novel covers some 300 years — it’s one of those generational sagas, I gather, following characters and their distant descendants — thus far I’ve seen no indication that the show is going to be set up that way. I recall reading something that said they’d basically taken a small part of the novel and massively expanded the characters, etc., so for now, at least, I’m going to assume the show is staying within this one slice of history.

Anyway, though. I’ll admit I’ve not been devoting 100% of my attention to any given ep, as I gotta work on other things while I watch, but so far, it’s intriguing, it’s got a number of actors and characters I like in it, and I appreciate learning that it had input from a variety of indigenous contributors. Overall, I intend to continue seeing where it goes!

#barkskins #period drama #aneurin barnard #david thewlis #zahn mcclarnon #kaniehtiio horn #marcia gay harden #tallulah haddon #lily sullivan #christian cooke #james bloor #my meta #op

[fablecoingolf]

elaborating on what I said like.dhdkd a few days ago this was not meant to take me this long I just kept forgetting, I’m really not feeling positive towards fable 4 like, whatever, if it’s not good it’s not good I like plenty of probably bad games but there’s a difference between bad and Bad and Bad is the problem over bad here yknow? I don’t trust them to change these things that were present in the rest of the series and if they don’t change these things there just shouldnt be a fable 4 and ,

to like say words or type words in a way that makes sense I gotta repeat them a lot in my head so this is just like two things I can put together in a way that’s hopefully coherent I have no idea how to format this, I’m super sorry if it’s hard to read

first thing, -this isn’t an order of importance it’s just a way for me to place them in my head- is the morality morph thing it’s like a main feature so theyre probably gonna keep it and if they keep it it’s gotta change coz like, it’s just awful, if they wanna keep it maybe they should stick to things that aren’t just features of people, maybe things like your eyes are blue if you are good isnt good to have in your game, I feel like I shouldn’t have to point out specific things about this just looking at the chart on the wiki or whatever critically for a minute speaks for itself hopefully? If it stays it needs to stick to like, like how good in 3 is blue tinted skin with the cool eye pattern that’s way cooler in every way too, the wings are sick, there is a way that it can be ok I Think but it needs to be only fantasy stuff the whole way through and even then it’s gotta be carefully done coz fantasy stuff doesn’t just exist to itself yknow? I just see the morality morphs taken at face value a lot and please don’t do that

second thing character customisation for fucks sake, just like let you pick your characters skin and eye colour and have a couple of face presets at Least, only having the player character be white is shitty as hell and this is like bare minimum stuff, if the reason for it not being there is the morality morph stuff conflicting either get it to work(without it being terrible Please), or just take it out, this is more important than having butterflies float around your head if you eat enough tofu

side third thing that I think a lot about but that maybe, I don’t know if there’s a way to have it not be bad I personally can’t think of one, being heros being tied to genetics/blood/whatever is super uncomfortable, it’s a thing a lot in fiction and goes by without being thought about a lot I feel because of that so I don’t expect it to change, but it becomes eugenics talk real fast like, being considered inherently better or stronger or more capable or Whatever coz of genes and that’s. yknow??!! also something I see talked about without examining the lore any and it’s really really bad,the lore is a mess anyway they can change this and even if it wasn’t it’s not real they can change Anything there isn’t an excuse, I don’t expect them to but, this is kind of a half thought which is why it’s a side thing I can’t word it quite right but I thiiink it makes sense?

I have my own fix for that last one that is still not fully cooked but is enough to be edible that I’d like to, serve? I think I’ve lost track of this thought, I’ll post about that another time though it’s not really relevant here I’m just starting to space out so I’ll stop here about, all this just has been rattling around my brain since ages and it’s not everything by far but it’s what I can get to kind of make sense right now, hopefully make sense at least!

#fable #ask to tag #i did not read back through this #and it probably shows #hopefully it is readable and makes sense #im completely out of words #but it feels like theres #more to be said #i feel like im #i said this in the other post but #its the only way i can word it #digging through the junk pile #that is 1-3 #and then someone is creeping up behind me #ready to dump more junk on my head

[iliketowrite1996]

Mistakes, Mismatches, and Near Misses 2

trigger warnings and themes- heartache, regrets, secret relationship, crushes.

Princess Shuri Udaku of Wakanda has always been a very… auspicious human being. She’s always strived to make the very best, most innovative devices and armor that she can. This means she spends countless hours in her lab, designing and perfecting each and every invention that she comes up with.

It also means that, at the tender age of fourteen, she sought out the only other person in Wakanda who she deemed to have the scientific and technological intellect that she posses- you.

Shuri came to you whilst you were in the middle of teaching one of your science classes at the University of Wakanda. She sat quietly in the back, waiting for you to finish as her Dora Milaje kept watch both in the classroom and outside of the classroom.

The way you explained the lesson was so in depth, so detailed, so animated that she couldn’t help but be fascinated by your knowledge and passion. Of course, she’d heard of you- her baba had a great deal to do with the University of Wakanda and often times mentioned that Shuri should attend, just like T’Challa did. And, not that she’d ever tell you, but she loved watching the live streams of presentations you’ve done,

‘’That’s all for class today,’ you had said, glancing at your watch, ‘’Any questions?’’

One student in the front raised her hand, tossing her locs over her shoulder after having been called on, ‘’Not to be rude, but how long is it going to take for you to knowledge that the Princess of Wakanda is just oh so casually sitting in our classroom?’’

At your confused expression, she pointed up to the entrance, where Shuri offered you a sheepish smile and wave while the Dora Milaje offered blank expressions and fierce protectiveness.

‘’I could not interrupt your lesson. I was happy to wait while you finished. But I would like to speak with you in private, if you have a moment.’’

‘’Um, yes… I mean, ‘Yes, Princess Shuri’,’’ you spoke again, awkwardly giving the Wakanda Salute as your students file out of the classroom.

Shuri had descended the stairs then, her two Dora Milaje members following and giving you wary looks.

‘’I have heard that you are the best that the science department has to offer,’’ Shuri piped up, not one to scurry around the matter and wanting to get straight to her point.

‘’I would not say that,’’ you had shaken your head.

‘’My baba says it, though. And he is right. I’ve seen your presentations, your lectures, heard the podcast… you’re a genius. And I want you to be my mentor.’’

And that’s how it all came to be- the princess of Wakanda, Shuri Udaku, the most intellectual person that you’ve ever met- asked you to be her mentor. Anf, of course,you accepted. This led to countless visits to each other's labs, working side by side, Shuri being your teacher’s aid for a year ( and -note the sarcasm- students totally were not distracted by a princess in their midst) and finally, just last year, you being offered the job to work side by side with her.

Of course, you accepted.

This job has brought you happiness, resources, and a girl that you consider to be like your younger sister, despite the fifteen year age gap.

However, it’s also brought you face-to-face with T’Challa Udaku- the now King of Wakanda.

The Black Panther.

And someone you can almost- almost- honestly say you wish that you had never gotten close to.

It’s been two years now. Two years since you accepted, and you aren’t exatly sure if you regret your exposure to T’Challa or not.

And, as cliche’ as it may sound, it’s not him. It’s you.

T’Challa had always been polite, ifa bit quiet, while you were in the lab. He’d say helo, ask how you were doing, having the manners of any other person.However, you often felt that it was forced. It was expected for him to be princeley and pilite, and that’s why you felt he even acknowledged your presence in the first place.

And you were fine with that. You’d listen to Shuri taunt ehr brother,s, sarcastic remarks bouncing back and forth between the two of them like the ball at a tennis match. But it’d always be Shuri-5, T’Challa- love.

Currently, it’s been about

‘’Brother. As you know, I am going to speak at his a science and technology expo this weekend.’’

‘’Ah, yes. This must be like going to an amusement park for you, Shuri,’’ T’Challa smirks.

‘’...I will let that slide. But that means that my lab would be left unattended, and you know that I do not like that.’’

‘’I understand. So do you want me to guard over your lab?’’

‘’I do not trust you.’’

‘’I am the protector of Wakanda,’’ he sputters out, looking over to ypu for help.

‘’I am just here for the inventions,’’ you laugh, going back to your own blueprints.

He purses his lips then, before looking back to his younger sister, anticipating her next launch of witty comments

and jokes at his expense.

‘’You are the Black Panther, yes. You should focus on taking care of Wakanda. And Erik, since you decided we could let him live in the palace. Of all places.’’

‘’It’s been six months, and I have seen a tremendous change,’’ T’Challa shrugs, ‘’Any way. What do you want me to do,’’ hebquestions, crossing his arms over his chest and eyeing his sister warily.

‘’I want you to meet my second in command scientist,’’ she clasps a hand on your shoulder.

‘’Princess Shuri… with all respect… you want me to be what now?’’

‘’There is no one that I trust with this lab more than you,’’ Shuri states, ignoring T'Challa's indignant scoff, ‘’And this lab is just as much my baby as it is yours. You will take care of it. You know it like the back of your hand.’’

All of what she is saying is true. THis lab has become like a second home for you. Grieving, insecurities, laughs, good times, bad times.s. You and Shuri have had them in this lab.

‘’I will do my best.’’

‘’That’s all I ask,’’ Shuri grins at you, ‘’Oh. By the way, I need you to make the necessary adjustments to T’Challa’s Black Panther suit while I’m gone.’’

‘’Shuri!,’’ you and T'Challa both cry at her lack of tact and warning at this moment.

‘’Can’t hear you, gotta pack, bye,’’ she shouts, running up the stairs to the main level of the palace.

You and T’Challa both stare after the teenager as she winds the staircase, leaving the two of you alone in the lab.

‘’Listen, Prince T’Challa-’’

‘’I do not mean to cut you off, but, please. Call me T’Challa. Please.’’

‘’T’Challa,’’ you try out, liking the way it rolls off of your tongue so excellently and effortlessly, ‘’I understand that you may not trust me to work on your suit that’s main functions are to… well… keep you alive.’’

‘’I do trust you. If Shuri trusts you, then I do, too. And Shuri does not trust lightly,’’ T’Challa looks to where his sister exited, ‘’She is wise beyond her years.’’

‘’She really is. I value her intellect and opinion,’’ you admit.

‘’As do I. So, if she thinks this is a good match, then… I do, too.’’

Little did the two of you know, at the time, that this is exactly what Shuri intended.

So the two of you spent all of the weekend together, coming up with designs and ideas. Well, during the time where T’Challa was not busy running a whole country. Which meant a lof of late hours and early morning.

‘’You should sleep, my king,’’ you tell him as he rests his head on a clean and cleared lab table while you worked.

‘’I do not need to sleep,’’ he speaks before a huge yawn falls out of his mouth.

‘’I can tell that you and Shuri are related. She does the same.”

“I am nothing like my sister,” T’Challa frowns.

“Youre making the exact same face,” you laugh, closing your laptop, “Why don’t we go get something to eat from the kitchen? Unless you want your cook to make you something.”

“I am capable of making my own meals,” he chuckles, standing and stretching.

And cook he can.

If cooking involves a quick pasta dinner followed by a gigantic ice cream sundae.

“This is going to rot our teeth.”

“It’ll be worth it. For me, at least. You’ve got a beautiful smile.”

You stop eating then, spoon stuck in your mouth as you look to the king of wakanda.

“I apologize,” he begins as you give him nothing but silence, “I do not mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“You didn’t. I guess I just want to know where this is coming from.”

“It is not hard to notice that you are a very beautiful woman,” he looks off, “But I fear that I may have overstepped my boundaries.”

“Thank you fit that. You’re very handsome, T’Challa. I just… I am not looking for anything serious right now. So… sorry to disappoint you.”

“That is quite fine. We can be just friends. If you are alright with that,” T’Challa amends.

You give him a smile then, scooping up another spoonful of ice cream,”i would like that.”

So friends you became. When you weren’t working, you were spending with him and vise versa. You’re working on the suit, hanging out, getting dinner or lunch together.

But pretty soon you find yourself laughing at his bad jokes.

Thinking about his brown eyes.

Thinking about his eye lashes, his smile, his walk, his personality.

And you feel that it’s wrong to fall for him. You both agreed to be just friends. He is the older brother of a girl that’s just like you’re little sister and yet… if it’s so wrong…

If T’Challa doesn’t feel the same way…

Then why are you getting the strong feeling that he does?

And why are you letting yourself accept these feelings?

It’s wrong. It’s so wrong. Because it can never really be.

You know this.

He knows this.

He has certain duties and expectations, and you know better than to get your hopes up.

And yet… and yet he lifts them and you let him. And you agree to see where this goes. And it goes well, it does.

But had you known that you’d be in this spot now… watching Nakia show off that ring on her finger…

You never would have taken that leap.

Disclaimer- I own no Marvel characters or their fictional worlds, countries, galaxies, planets, etc.

@ashanti-notthesinger @destinio1 @afraiddreamingandloving g @starsshines-blog @airis-paris14 4 @syreanne @chaneajoyyy @90sinspiredgirl @shemiahsmelanin @zillmonger r @skysynclair19 @marvelpotterlove @constantlycravingtheunknown @imaginewhoever @wakanda-inspired @pocmarvelworks @theunsweetenedtruth @dreampovx @adrioola21 @supremethunda @thisiskayesworld @mcusocialimagines @priya212 @kumkaniudaku @airis-paris14 @alexundefined @fonville-designs @mellowjellow6 @omg-itsnadi @maddiestudentwritergaines @dadinhas-heat @jozigrrl @kaykay0829 @nerd-lovely @babygotl01292003 @oceanscorazon @id-rather-be-an-outsider

[blandmemoirs]

Reflection in the Dark

Sometimes you watch a show and it changes your perspective in subtle, nuanced ways. Sometimes you consume information in a way that informs you of something you always understood about yourself, but in a way that makes it more clear. Lately, I've felt, lost? I'm not sure that's the right way to describe it. Perhaps I am trapped? In the dark? Lets go with that. I've felt as if I am in a dark place, slowly marching through the thick of it. I cant see in front of me, and I don't know if I'm making progress or if I'm just going back to where I came from. The more things change, the more they stay the same. And my life has received some small changes with larger overarching meanings that have left me confused and... At a loss. I walk down this lonely road and wonder if the path really means anything, or if I'm slowly pacing towards a bitter end. My senses tell me tragedy is on the horizon, but I am blind as to where it is to come from. Normally I see the bullets coming my way. What does intuition command my path is to be? Its silent. I hear static. I'm in the dark. What do I choose? Am I at a crossroads or have I already taken the turn? Am I going backwards? What is progress? Does it even fucking matter? Or am I concerning myself with things that dont even matter? Do I just drop it all and let go? Let it freeze over. At least the cold takes me where the wind blows.

I do as I have always done and turn to the world of fiction for answers. Be it fate or my own unwitting subconscious, I read of tragedy and loss. I see heartache and hurt. I see broken men lose it all. But as is a constant in the world of comics and capes, they persevere. They are grieving, but they still do what they are called on to do. They still protect and serve and save. Because that is their purpose. It is what they are meant to be. The memory of love lost, and a willingness to carry on. An acceptance of the loneliness and an ever-changing world. They choose to be a constant. To never let the weight of their personal conflicts hold them back from their purpose.

This brings me very specifically to The Punisher Season 2, which I just finished watching. Frank Castle is a man wandering in the dark. No sense of purpose, just drifting. He lost everything, all the love he had in the world ripped from him violently by evil men, some close to him. But he made them pay for it. He punished every piece of shit that had anything to do with his loss. But then what? What is he? Where does he go? He finally lowers his guard to start anew, only for his whole world to go back to shit and the person he fell for to be wounded in the fray. Frank is a man of conviction. He cant see suffering and let is persist. He must step in and put a stop to it. Even if it costs him a "normal life". And so he embarks on a journey of his own making in which he faces a new enemy and an old enemy he couldnt put down last time. In it he must face himself and the decisions he makes. He avenged his family. He put down eveyone involved. Yet here he is, on a violent path again. This time for no motivation other than to protect someone he has no obligation to. In the ensuing 13 hours the show took to finish, I found myself remembering just why I like this character so much.

Frank Castle is a tragic character. His wife and two kids gunned down in front of him. His only meaning in life taken from him. He takes up arms and exacts brutal, bloody punishment on those involved, and eventually, every evil doer who crosses his path. Frank lives in a world of black and white. Of good and evil. Evil must be killed, and good protected. Frank is neither good or bad. He is the line seperating them. He is the executioner carving that bloody divide. Frank doesnt see himself as good, he just sees himself as what he is, The Punisher. He kills the bad people. Thats how simple his world is. You do harm to other people, you hurt the innocent, you must be punished. Frank differs from the traditional hero because he kills. And he feels no remorse for it. He is THE Anti-Hero. He does bad things for the benefit of the good. There are times when I would like to be that. When I consider becoming that way. There are times I have done bad things to help good people. Obviously, I've not done anything as drastic as Frank, but the themes are similar. I am a man of themes and rules.

I see Frank Castle as being the model by which a part of myself wishes to emulate. A man with nothing to lose and a code to enforce. No feelings or friends, just channeling all of my anger and hate into hurting the ones who deserve it most. Its not a sustainable model, and it would only result in my loss. Frank is a sad character in great pain. There isnt a day he doesnt miss his family. But he knows the things he has done would make his family ashamed of him, so he fights his endless war instead. Frank is twice offered a new life this season, both times rejecting the women who love him for the pursuit of his purpose, punishment. Frank ends the show by "becoming what he is meant to be", The Punisher. After a season of him considering what his role in the world is, and whether he can ever allow himself to enjoy a happy ending, Frank pleads his closest friends to be permitted to be what he is meant to be. Frank has given up on his hope for a happy life, and instead is resigned to enacting pain on all who do evil.

I do not want to be like Frank Castle. He is not a role model like Captain America, or a guiding example like the Hulk. The Punisher is a character that has given up striving to be good. He just does what he wants to do because its what he does best. He has rules and a code. He has a sense of morality and purpose, but he has no humanity left in him. He has no love. He only has his wounded soul and a hate fueled by the anger he feels in his loss. Frank is a sad example of what a person can become when they resign themselves to purpose.

I enjoy The Punisher because I can feel what he feels and indulge myself in his reality without becoming him. Its catharsis. The fantasy of beating down abusers and making them swallow their own teeth and beg for mercy as they choke on their own blood. Season Two experimented with a more merciful Frank Castle. But Frank is not meant to be merciful. He is an executioner. Mercy is for the other heroes. The hope of redemption for evil or faith in a system is what separates Frank from those like Daredevil or the Batman. Each instance of mercy was unique in that's its causes and consequences were different. Sometimes more innocents are hurt, other times the man he spared was someone doing evil against their own will, fighting for a cause out of their control. Frank spares many soldiers who are only following orders so long as they can admit their orders were wrong. "Do what you gotta do" he says.

The Punisher will always capture my imagination because I feel the connection to him. That one bad day could spiral me into a position like his. My values remain, but my soul is gone. My purpose is clear, but my heart is cold. I am simply a shell of myself, acting more as a machine or a force of nature than a man. Frank is even referred to as a "whirlwind" at one point. He is defended as not being a criminal, but also not being a hero. Hes just Frank. Sometimes I see myself in a similar vein, not a good man, not a bad man, just Robbie Bland. A constant.

Frank Castle is a forbidden future I hope I never find myself venturing into. I don't want to become like that. So sad, so tragic, so hurt. But committed, committed to a purpose. Committed to a cause, a war. There is no peace for Frank Castle, and perhaps there may never be a peace for Robbie Bland.

As I wander through this dark in my life, I wonder what I may become, if I am to change at all. I wonder what road I may choose, and if it will be the right one for me. For now, I persist in this limbo state. A good enough job in a good enough apartment surrounded by what I hope is endless support from my loved ones. The times are a-changing. But the more things change, the more they remain the same. The more I begin to think I am not alone, the more alone I feel. For now, I can only persevere and wait for the sun to shine.

Waiting, I'm growing good at it. I'm a patient man, no doubt. I can wait a long time. I just need to know what I'm waiting for, and if what I'm waiting for is the right thing in the first place. I am not growing impatient. I am wondering why the hell I am waiting for something I dont fully understand. But, maybe that means I'm bad at waiting.

I'm in the dark. Wandering. Waiting. Contemplating. I think more to the past with each passing day, making peace with some things and plans for others.

Punisher Season 2 has made me realize that I do not want to let go of the chaos my heart hold. That I do not want to let my heart freeze over so that I can commit to purpose and survival. I'd rather feel and pursue what makes me happy than resign myself to loss. Whatever tragedy approaches me, I will face it, and I will make myself better from it.

Getting to live in Frank Castle's head the last day or so has me knowing it is not a place I wish to remain permanently. Merely to indulge at times when I need to be reminded why I chase the things I do.

Good things come to those who wait. I merely need to be patient, the night is darkest before the dawn.

[justmysicklypride]

P-P-P-Play that shit: ptv analysis - Part 2

 Hi what’s up everyone and welcome to this week’s pew news. This is a continuation of my last post where I pretty much summed up Pierce The Veil’s career from the beginning to present and gave an overview of their rise and downfall. You can check it out here, but if you already know about everything or have read it already then feel free to ignore it. In any case, I was originally gonna make these two posts as one but ran out of room bc who the hell would read that much text in a blog post (me) so here you go - part two of this fucking conspiracy theory because I didn’t even get to share any of my thoughts in the last one. (I also forgot to put headers with each new topic smh apologies to the English language)

Edit: it’s been fucking eons since I wrote the last one/started writing this one like legit I even changed my user. The reason why this has been put off for so long will be explained later but yh smh

Gigantic obligatory disclaimer: Everything that I will discuss whether it be in this post or my last, or any future posts that relate to this subject IS NOT going to touch on the subject of the “sexual relations with a minor” incident in itself. I will not go into detail about my own views on this specific matter as there is literally no way to win because whatever I say could be taken out of context by literally anyone. That being said, I do not condone pedophilia, I do not condone sexual harassment or rape, and I do not undermine the importance of consent. I respect the laws of different states, as I know they vary with time and place, and I understand that everyone has their own opinions and I do not wish to impose my own onto others.

In regards to this, however, I do have to acknowledge that I, first and foremost, do not think that Mike Fuentes is innocent, and I strongly believe that how the band handled this situation was just plain terrible, but I do also have to acknowledge the fact that this situation is to stay between the accuser and the victim, as well as their respective legal teams and that I should not go nosedive headfirst into anything like this when it does not directly affect or require my judgement as a necessity, lest I face any legalities or blacklash as a result. Furthermore, everything that I will be talking about are conspiracies only and I do not in any way assume or imply that any of this is true.

In other words, I don’t mean to offend anyone but if you end up getting offended then that’s on you, not me. Let’s begin.

Introduction 

The points that I am trying to highlight in this essay post is, in simple words, that Pierce The Veil’s... well, everything, comes off as kind of a conspiracy, almost, to me. I have had these thoughts for a long-ish time, and so this post is basically me finally making a post that covers all things that I have been thinking of in the past. Unlike my previous post, this one is a lot less fact-based and a lot more opinionated, so if you’re not into that, then that’s fair. Otherwise, I will be discussing the following things (in this order): the topic of kellic, Misadventures, and the accusation + response.

When Life Gives You Lemons, You Ship Them Together And Call It Lemonade

I refer to my last post and assume that everyone understands how “kellic” came to be and what it means. To summarise to the bare minimum best of my abilities, it’s the ship name of Vic Fuentes and Kellin Quinn, aka what people call it when someone wants or is keen on the idea of these two frontmen having an affair with each other in a (typically) fictional setting. It happens all the time, especially in this day and age where you can easily just find someone with the same obsession as you with a click of a button. That’s why King For A Day, and inadvertently Collide With The Sky, became such a huge success. It appealed to the right demographic of teenagers and tweens who were ecstatic at the prospect of shipping, and went on to achieve even more impressive feats following that. How you ask? Well, by going on a tour around the world of course. Together. Playing shows every night that ends with one of them literally carrying the other off the stage. Gotta give the people what they want, hey?

I have a strong belief that the key to success is through beating the system at its own game. In this case, the game is simple - get fans, get money. Unfortunately, as we all know, getting fame isn’t as easy as simply earning it through grit and determination. To achieve fame, one must find a way to do something at the right time in the right way so that people will notice. If one person does, and your fire doesn’t die out right away, then you’ve got yourself a forest fire. Then later on, all you gotta do is keep this forrest fire going, but assuming that there isn’t someone standing on the other side with the whole fire department’s resources in tow, then the only thing stopping this fire is itself, because with all things in life, fire dies out, and fame stops accumulating after a while if nothing is done about it. Humans need entertainment. If something starts to fail to pique their interests, then they move on. That’s why YouTubers are required to change up their content every now and again in order to try and relight that spark they once had, and even then there’s a good chance that they won’t. 

I was originally going to write another blog essay about this whole YouTube analogy thing but quickly realised that for one, I don’t have time bc I’m getting my ass fucked by university on a daily basis; and that for another, there’s most likely a billion other videos or essays about this topic as is, so I’ll just link one or two of them here. I haven’t watched them all yet or I don’t remember much of them, but all they do is pretty much summarise up stuff like how YouTubers become successful and their downfalls and all that, and even though they kinda focus on a specific person or group of people, I feel like it could be generalised.

Even without the YouTube metaphor, we know shipping works. It is evident in multiple works across various media that giving the fans what they want is often what gives these people their continued success, such as Dan Howell and Phil Lester, who have all but stopped trying to create their own individual branding (save for their separate merch stores that are probably there just to get more people to buy their overpriced clothing), and who at this point have become such an overused example that I actually hesitated writing that. Why do you think movies and shows and cartoons mostly have a romantic subplot? Romance is an essential trope in literature and easily one of the most popular genre out there for various reasons. According to a Bustle article written in 2016, romance often gives the readers a sense of hope or gives them a way to live out their fantasies in the easiest way possible, and while this may not apply to everyone, (personally I’m not a romance fan much at all but I can appreciate good literature), it’s hard to deny the phrase “sex sells”.

Given that, you’d think that any company with half a brain would learn to exploit it, but for some reason this wasn’t the case in Pierce The Veil’s management, and no matter how I look at it, I can’t really see the reason why. It’s not like the band members are uncomfortable with the ship - Jaime Preciado has been seen kissing Vic Fuentes on stage (not on the lips guys chill) (I had forgotten how fucking difficult it takes to find this one specific clip so here’s a couple different fuenciado pictures instead to make up for it smfh), and Vic Fuentes has mentioned kellic in a live stream once jokingly - and Kellin Quinn is notoriously known for being completely okay with it (so long as he doesn’t have to look at it), so just what is the reason?

This Ain’t A Hiatus, It’s A Goddamned Arms Race

I’d be lying if I didn’t miss all the memes that all stemmed from the Pierce The Veil boys not being able to release an album when they’d promised, before postponing said album yet again and disappearing off of the face of the earth digitally for another year or two, giving them a total of four years as their unofficial, unannounced hiatus. For this, I have several questions.

We all know Vic Fuentes loves taking his sweet ass time releasing music - he’s admitted to remaking his first album a second time before releasing it, as stated an interview a couple years back - but you can’t honestly tell me their management just let them get away with it. Sure, through this time they’ve been pushing out new merch to no end, but something tells me that this giant gap they’ve wedged between the new album and Collide With The Sky isn’t gonna be good publicity, despite all the memes that’ve sprouted from it. There’s been fans who stopped taking interest in this band because of it, as well as fans who have just gotten fed up with having to wait so long. They scrapped a whole completed album in the process of creating Misadventures too, and while it’s not uncommon for bands to throw away near-completed ideas at whim, it’s also not unlikely for there to be some external factors or reasoning behind why they did it. Could it be that the album they threw away stayed too close to their roots and management or some other person told the band to start again, so that they can create something more appealing to this day and age? Or could it be something else that is hard to see at face-value?

You’ll Never Get Ahold Of Me Now

Finally, I’m gonna address the overdue elephant in the room. If you want to read the full thing, here it is because I’m tired of having to reiterate what happened. Mike Fuentes received a sexual allegation by some girl(s) and the band released a shitty statement that has since gotten deleted - that’s the general gist of it. 

Like I said, it’s been literal months (or weeks idk my perception of time is severely fucked) since I actually started making this post so literally no one cares anymore, but regardless of what past me has promised or written down, I’m not going to be discussing the allegation in itself, but rather what and/or how the band and their subsequent management has handled it, in that they handled it so bad that I honestly can’t believe they did it like that. 

Edit: I wasn’t gonna bother finding another copy of the statement bc no one’s gonna give a shit but then I’d be doing some baseless shit and I honestly can’t stand people who half ass these things, despite my growing urge to do the same thing, so here’s the statement. 

For starters, who the hell waits one whole month before releasing a statement? From what I can remember, their excuse was allegedly that pretty much management forbade them to talk or make a statement about it earlier for... reasons? (Just realised I don’t actually have the source for this so idk take it with a grain of salt I guess because I was sure I had read this somewhere but I can’t back it up.) 

That’s not even the worst part, either. The statement itself gave zero closure to literally everything. Yes, they acknowledged the allegation, but that’s just about as far as they went. The whole point of a statement is to clear things up, whether the accuser was right or wrong, and what steps will be taken from there, whether an apology is to be issued or not. No shit you know about the incident, who in the fandom wouldn’t? Instead pointing out the straight up obvious, what they should’ve done was 1) not waited an entire fucking month before talking about it, most likely hoping the whole thing to blow over by then and 2) actually talked about the incident in their statement instead of tiptoeing around the subject like some sort of time bomb ready to go off. There is no right or wrong answer, because literally all they had to do was tell the truth - as in write down a statement from Mike (not the whole fucking band mind you) about his take on the whole thing or get him to say what had happened from his point of view. Then resolve it privately with your legal team and whatnot if they really feel the need. Hell, all he needed to do was apologise. Whether something like that classifies as assault or rape or whatever is up to you but the fact of the matter is that she’s underaged at that point in time. Even if she was fully aware of the risks and whatnot and gave legitimate consent, under the eyes of the law and pretty much 80% of the people reacting to this incident, it will be deemed illegal and inappropriate behaviour. All these people had to do was literally just be open and honest about it regardless of whatever the hell happened, because this is all happening on a public platform where everyone can see/read it to their hearts’ content. Viewers can’t judge or make a decision to support or not support you if you don’t tell them your side of the story, so for the love of god, why the hell didn’t they?

The statement was filled with bullshit about how they love the fans and all that shit, and honestly my thoughts can be accurately summed up in this video right here. So much backlash could have potentially been avoided had they just told it as it is, because now all we have is a vague ass response that gives no closure and tell us nothing as to whether Mike actually did it or not, because in the statement he manage to spout some bullshit about how he’s “never intentionally manipulated or abused anyone in [his] life” and that he’s just a ball of empathy which at first glance could suggest he at least thinks he’s innocent, but then they go on to say how Mike’s taking a temporary leave from the band for, you guessed it, absolutely no reason. At least, no reason that they’ve given us (what else is new) (I’m becoming more petty as the night drags on it’s literally 1am). Honestly, .@piercetheveil, please tell me why the honest to god fuck did you have him leave just after suggesting that he might be innocent? I know the world isn’t black and white but when you’re making a stance and defending yourself or admitting to something, it really is - black and white that is. Either you’re innocent or believe that you’re innocent and stand your ground by not leaving the band, or you admit that you are guilty, in which case your leaving of the band would actually feel justified, because now it’s like you’re gonna come back as well, so what does that even mean? Mike isn’t gone indefinitely, he hasn’t pleaded guilty or innocent, and now the band is telling us they love us? Fuck out of here with that bullshit.

Yes, I support the band’s decision to pull out of the All Time Low tour and to not have Mike out there in case fans feel threatened or unsafe or whatnot, but if you’re pleading innocent, then honestly the whole band should’ve just said “hey we’re gonna go on hiatus for a while until our legal team’s finished with taking care of everything”, and not just said hey guys we’re gonna kick him out because he may or may not have done something that we’re not gonna tell you because we’re shady fuckers like that. I know they are on hiatus right now, but at the “start”, they only said that Mike would be withdrawing temporarily or whatever so it’s kind of like, okay? Sure? It’s a right mess I assure you. Honestly, throughout this whole incident, it was this statement part that made me really fed up with this band. My interest in them had died down significantly from since I hit fifteen all those three years ago, and right now when I dug up an old iPod shuffle to bring with me to university to save my phone battery throughout the day, I can honestly say that I won’t be adding any Pierce The Veil songs onto it anytime soon unless I get peer pressured to. Personally, I feel like that’s kind of the mentality of a lot of had-been Pierce The Veil fans, too.

That’s Great And All But What’s Your Point?

Pierce The Veil’s management sucks ass.

There’s no easy, lawsuit-prone way for me to say it but, and this is just a conspiracy theory I swear to god if I get the fucking ASIS kicking down my door in the middle of the night you better read the fucking disclaimer, there’s obviously some shady shit going on in there no matter what way you slice it. Either they’re sabotaging Pierce The Veil’s success or whether it’s all some big confusion or misunderstanding, or if they’re just plain dumb, we can all agree that this whole thing - the kellic fan service, album making, allegations and subsequent statements - should’ve and could’ve been handled a hell of a lot more gracefully and professionally. Believe it or not, waiting until things blow over is frankly just childish and solves literally nothing, so either they can pull their act together quickly with this next “special secret” album to redeem what little quality/dignity they have left, or they can just fade away into irrelevancy and become a band that no one cares about anymore. 

History repeats itself. This band is quickly becoming just another Leafyishere, and as ominous as that sounds, it’s honestly not unlikely at this point. I am intrigued as to where they go from here, because if they manage to breakthrough again, then I would be very surprised given their current situation. I want to know how they choose to handle this - whether it’ll be the same or not, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Thank you so much if you read through this honestly like I am beyond happy that this is fucking over because I have a bunch of non-band related post essays I’ve been meaning to post but this one’s been nagging at the back of my mind for the past few months or however long it’s been. I’ve clocked in at around past 3k words for this one, and none of this is edited because I’m honestly so done with this you don’t understand. Like I said before, this took ages because I was gonna make another post talking about other shit that relates to this before realising that there’s way too many people that’ve addressed the whole YouTube thing so me doing it would literally be pointless, and even though no one really reads this shit, as big of a nerd as I am, I do enjoy writing bullshit because maybe then I’ll stop ranting to my friends and family about topics they don’t care about.

Regardless, that’s it for this two parter thing, and until next time or whatever.

Catch’ya x

#pierce the veil #ptv #vic fuentes #mike fuentes #jaime preciado #Tony perry #kellic #kellin quinn #fuenciado #bands #music #emo #misadventures #collide with the sky #selfish machines #a flair for the dramatic #alternative press #rocksound #kerrang #altpress #perrentes #snatched #essays #rants and whatnot #shit talking

[a-writers-block]

𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬

[9] Lost Boy

The time seemed to pass by in a blur, days and nights, Gio got a hold of a whole lot of experience of the Indian culture. He went beyond the compass can reach and saw amazing sights and beautiful people.

He didn’t know how gorgeous India was before then. There were ruins in the area that seemed familiar in pictures and he thought maybe those were the new sights in the present. What can he say? It’s the olden times! Taj Mahal wasn’t created in this era!

Well, he hadn’t been in India from his real world so, it does make sense that he felt new with the country. He just saw a handful of movies about India but this is the real deal. Him and all the cultures.

Well, in the fiction world alright. But it counts!

India is a religious place to live in at these times. Gods and goddesses are involved in every piece of literature Gio has come up with. This world is like a series of stories he found in the Book. Characters in the stories, authors, normal people live together in some kind of weird harmony.

Yeah, weirdly, Gio saw crazy and unpleasant results of each battle and wars between protagonists and antagonists. Sometimes, in his journey, he found himself picking flowers and drops one off in a bloodbath or painful end of the stories. He kind of felt responsible.

One day, while Gio walked around the market to find himself some food to eat, the clouds began to pour down light showers of rain. It was fine weather at the beginning but all of a sudden, a glum feeling churn his stomach and pushes him to take a walk. The rain became heavier each step that bothered him.

In this world, he’s homeless, alright. The heavy rain doesn’t need to rub it in.

He wonders if it’s raining outside the book. It’s the middle of September in his hometown. Just before he got to know the existence of the magical world, it was pouring rain when he’s on the way home. A struck of lightning and a grumble escaped from the clouds. Gio sighs. Whenever something like that happens, his mum would call out his name and he would sit beside her and wait until he fell asleep.

If it were raining, how is she?

Gio didn’t know but too much freedom for how many days is kind of tiring that he almost wanted to go back home. But what the hell, he’s on a mission. His destiny. Maybe this is what he deserves after all he’d been through.

He needed a break from all that keeps him from what he is really meant to be.

—

On another page, a child is trying to escape from the grasp of a merchant at a local meat shop. The crowd surrounding them were crying as they laughed at the story of the young boy.

He was being joked about because of stealing a large raw meat from the shop to feed his giant friend.

“Who’s this friend you say?” The merchant wiped off the beads of tears on his eyes.

The child huffs, “I told you already…” and inhaled deeply, readying himself, “It was a lion!” He bits of the merchant’s arm and dashes off the crowd. The merchant stopped laughing and angrily shouted at him, “Come back here, you thief!”

The merchant rans off the crowd not knowing that a priest is looking at the spices just a corner near them.

“Sir, please. He’s just a child.” A priest who’s watching the whole scene approaches the merchant. The merchant who happens to have fear of the gods and goddess shuts his mouth and mutters an apology. 

He walks back to his shop.

The merchant slips off and a loud thump comes after as he was already damped from the rain.

“Damn it!”

The priest looks back and watches as the kid runs off to the darkness of night.

Gio clutches onto his robe and tightened it around him, although he’s already damp. In a split second, someone came running towards him which led to Gio’s satchel to fall on a puddle.

“Hey!” He shouts as he hurriedly picks the bag up. Dang, it’s already wet. He checks on his notebook. The pages he collected were intact and slightly damp.

Gio curses under his breath as he tries to wash off the mud off the fabric. While immersed with that, a man approaches him and, “Child, may I ask you a favor?”

Gio looked at him and somehow felt a chill run down his spine, “S-Sure, Sir.” He said out of confusion and awe.

The man looked worried as his eyes followed the kid. Gio then followed his line of sight. It’s like a scene from a movie that he once saw. A face of a kid glitches through his mind. He didn't know who that was but the memories were vivid. Him and a… stranger… setting of for a journey.

As the raindrop fell off the sky, Gio came dashing into the night. Under the endless tears.

The man hides his hands behind him and walks away from the market.

–

In another path, a child walks around the shade of trees. Something about the trees felt home for him. He’s been living on his own now, no mother or father or even sibling to take care of him. He doesn’t want to pertain to himself as a lost boy. He’s been living by himself for many years and neither the scent nor memory of his life before were faded by these trees and animals.

For a child, he’s wise and strong. Living all by himself taught him about survival. Stealing food for him and his Lion is one thing he does on constant days. He doesn’t give a damn about the dirty looks he gets when people see him. He’s a child who has wits to outsmart the law, breaking them is one thing he thinks he’s made of.

But why does it matter if no one knew about his existence?

Why does he always have to go back in the city just to steal food when nature already provides? Well…

He’s searching for this kevach (armor).

By the moment he was 10, voices in his head kept bothering him, telling him to fetch his kevach that had been lost when he was drifting by the wind in the forest. It was Devas’ words that the voices brought to him.

“What do I do with that armor?” He once asked.

The voices answered as if echoing, “The armor determines who your father and mother are.”

“Why can’t Devas just show me the path to them? Why do I need to suffer alone…?”

“You’re not the only one suffering. Your mother is grieving upon your loss, your father has come on a journey searching for you.”

“Can’t you at least tell me who they are?”

“King Dushyanta and Shakuntala.”

“Don’t worry child, someone will come to your aid someday.” Bharata just stood there confused, listening to the whispers of the fading winds.

It was as if a surge of longingness came onto him and he cried. A child. Alone and lost.

He promised himself to find his lost armor and find his family.

He caressed his Lion’s mane as it let out a low growl and the child slowly wrapped himself with its warmth until he drifted off to sleep.

–

Gio found himself back in the woods. It seemed to be an unusual place he hadn’t been to since he came to India. A deep shade of green covered the ground; the tall grass dances with the wind. The leaves of the trees rustle as the wind blows a whistle.

He sighs.

What’s going on with him? The child seemed to be familiar to him… as if he had seen him for some time now. Why did he chase him? It’s as if he was overpowered by his body and not own mind.

One thing’s for sure: He gotta find that kid.

He is about to take a step beside a boulder when he tripped onto something. In a swift move, someone came flying down the tree and hopped onto Gio. He tried wiggling off the child from his shoulders.

“What the hell?!” He pulls an arm around Gio’s neck and gives him a head lock.

“Don’t move,” The child warns.

“Are you crazy, kid?” Those words came out gibberish as the lock tightened around his throat. How the hell is this a kid?

“Move and I’ll let Haidar have you for a meal.”

Gio was baffled, “Who?”

Another step back and… a fuming Lion growls into Gio’s ear.

!!!

--

“Don’t touch that, kid.” Gio struggles as he is pushed back to the tree he was tied up in.

The Lion growls. Gio gulps.

The child holds up his satchel and shakes it, dropping every bit of the content in the bag, “Sweets, spices, a scarf…” The child enumerates as he piles the souvenirs Gio had on the plain ground, “Oh, what’s this?” He raises up the book Gio needed to fill in with the lost pages.

“Kid, I’m telling you, don’t touch that…” Gio tries to warn him.

The kid taunts him by slowly putting the book behind him, “I think it’s an important thing, which means it has a high value. I’ll take it.” He smirks.

“No!” Gio protests and is taken aback by the force of pulling himself out of the tightrope, “Look, kid. That’s not something you should play with–”

“Finders keepers, losers’ weepers,” The kid stuck his tongue out, playfully.

“You’re stealing it. From me.”

“Too bad, you can’t get it back now.” The kid started to walk away from Gio.

“Kid!” Gio grunts as he watches the child laugh wickedly, turning his back on Gio.

For the last time, the Lion growled at Gio and let out a steam from its nose, following the child.

Gio was disheartened as he sat there and couldn't do anything.

⥺ Chapter 8            Chapter List           Chapter 10 ⭄

#indian-literature

[gzw1689]

For that anime ask thing you posted a week or so ago, if I can ask multiple simultaneously, then #4, #7, #9, #23, #29, #30, #37, #38, and #40. If I can only ask one, then I guess #4.

This ask is in response to these questions.

I’ve gotta admit, I found some of these questions kind of tricky, but I suppose all of them have an answer that’s hopefully satisfying.

This goes against my usual way of doing things, but I also decided to use a lot of Western names (with a few exceptions) when talking about the anime. I don’t really know why, I guess I just felt like it.

I put it under a “Read more”, since it ended up getting pretty long. Here goes.

4: If you could make a spin-off of any anime, what would it be?

The way I understand the question is this: what if I could make a spin-off myself?

Hmm… I don’t know. To me, that almost sounds like writing fan fiction, and I’m not sure if I’d really want to do something like that. Even though I like fiction writing, I don’t really feel the desire to extend the universe of any of the series that I like with my own contributions. At any rate, I think I’d really need to improve as a writer before I’d even be confident enough to do such a thing.

If I had to choose one though… This is probably going to sound kind of odd, but Welcome to the NHK. I have a story idea in my head that I kind of liken to a Canadian take on that series’ premise (though I think it still has a lot of developing to do; like, years even), so if that idea could be taken as a spin-off of the series, then sure, maybe. I think the series kind of fits with my current writing style too, so I suppose that works.

7: Have you ever watched an entire anime in one sitting?

I’m not sure if it was one sitting, but I distinctly recall watching Puella Magi Madoka Magica for the first time until like 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning. I might have taken breaks during the earlier episodes, but by the time I got near the end, I was really hooked and had to know what was going to happen next.

I think I’ve probably done this with other series too (especially when I was first getting into anime; these days, I usually feel like I need a few breaks in between), but that one is probably my most vivid memory of doing something like that.

9: Name an anime character you absolutely hate

I thought this question would be difficult, but it turns out it’s not. These next few paragraphs may seem a little out of character for me, because I don’t think I usually get so fired up about something like this.

Sora from No Game No Life. Almost four years of watching anime (and three years since I’ve watched that series), and for me, he has always been the definitive answer to questions like these.

I think it was about the second episode when he started to get on my nerves for how smug he is about how much of “genius gamer” he is (quotation emphasis mine). Then I think it was around the fifth episode when it really went into hate territory, where–if I remember correctly–he starts harassing and intentionally humiliating Stephanie (who was the character I probably felt most inclined to identify with at the time) for his amusement (and I’m pretty sure we’re supposed to find it funny too).

Every time I see that smug smile of his, I want to punch him in the face. I’m sorry. But I’ve never found any other character that pisses me off as much as him.

23: What is the most times you’ve re-watched an anime?

If we’re only talking series, according to my AniList profile, I’ve re-watched Madoka Magica twice (which, now that I think of it, maybe isn’t all that much).

If we’re counting movies too, I’ve seen Kimi no Na wa, the 1995 Ghost in the Shell movie, and a few of the Kara no Kyoukai movies that many times as well.

29: Has an anime’s fanbase ever made you hesitant to watch an anime?

This was a bit tricky. Usually, I don’t think I really look into the fanbase of an anime much before I watch it. When something like this happens, I think it’s usually due to something having a massive amount of positive hype surrounding it, and fearing that I’ll be disappointed. In cases like these, I like to wait until the hype dies down a significant amount (or I’m just less surrounded by it) before I start to get into it.

For a non-anime example, I can think of The Dark Knight. My peers were calling it things like a masterpiece or the greatest movie of all time, and the sheer excessiveness of the praise sometimes made me think that I’d be disappointed if I set my expectations too high. When I eventually watched it though, it did end up becoming one of my favourite movies.

Here’s the thing. When I go into any piece of media, I like to do so with as few expectations as possible. I don’t even really expect it to be “good”, whatever that means. I just want to be able to meet the thing on its own terms, no baggage or preconceptions about it. That said though, I realize my experience of it will be influenced by my own past, values, opinions, and so on; so based on that (rather than preconceptions about the work itself), I’ll decide how I feel about the experience. Of course, this can be hard to do with some works, but in cases like those, I try not to let any preconceptions influence me too much.

Sometimes I do think something is really artistically well put together, and I really like it. Sometimes I might find something kind of silly, yet still find it entertaining in its own way, and that’s fine. Sometimes I might even find something that I think is “good”, but that I just find boring or that I don’t really care about. That’s always an interesting experience, because I think people tend to think that we all naturally like “good” things, but I find that’s not always the case.

Anyway, I digress.

To finally answer the question, when I try to think of it in this way, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is probably the closest candidate. Before I got into anime or even learned what the series was, I could see some of my peers quoting it on Facebook. When I found out what it was, I saw so many of its fans talk so passionately about it and how much it means to them. I think one or two of my friends who watch anime were really into it, too. I had to give it a few weeks for my expectations to settle down, but I finally watched it at one point.

As for what I thought about it… I don’t know exactly what it was, but I didn’t really care for it. I think a lot of it had to do with the style. I found the hot-bloodedness of it all exhausting rather than energizing, and I didn’t really like how the characters yelled so much of their dialogue (I felt the same way about Kill la Kill). I guess I just couldn’t really get past that on my first (and, so far, only) viewing.

I think there were other things that I didn’t like about it substance-wise, but it’s been so long, so I don’t think I can really go into any detail about it.

30: How many anime episodes is ‘ideal’ for you?

Hmm, this question could be answered in a number of ways.

In terms of storytelling, probably however many episodes it takes to effectively tell the story. Some work with just 12 episodes (eg. the aforementioned Madoka), and some work with more (maybe something like Welcome to the NHK, which is based on a novel, and whose adaptation could probably have been very different if the episode count was different).

On the other hand, there’s some that maybe feel rushed with only 12 episodes (like Tokyo Ghoul’s second season), and some might feel padded and stretched out when they’re given more (arguably, Your Lie in April).

In terms of myself (as in, what would I prefer to watch?)… Usually anything that goes above 26 episodes feels like too much for me. For example, I’ve still been kind of holding off on watching both Fullmetal Alchemist series, even though I have them on Blu-ray, haha. I think anything under maybe 70 or 80 episodes is something I could possibly get into though; I’d just need to gather the motivation to get through some of the longer ones.

On the other hand, anything above 100 episodes is probably off the table for me. For example, I would probably never start something like One Piece or Naruto just due to the sheer amount of episodes there are.

Something like the Monogatari series might be an exception to this, in a way. That also has a lot of episodes, but I think their separation into distinct seasons (and, perhaps, the fact that I got into it early in my anime-watching “career”) makes it easier to digest.

37: Name a popular anime you love

To be honest, I don’t really know what counts as “popular” when it comes to anime. I get the impression that some of the anime based on long-running shounen manga like One Piece and Naruto are considered the mainstream stuff (maybe because their localizations saw very wide distribution? I dunno), but I don’t think I really know many people who like those ones.

And going to an anime club, anime conventions, and seeing what people talk about online, I find it kind of hard to tell what’s considered most popular.

Based on what I can tell though, Madoka is probably the prime candidate for something like this, but maybe that’s just because I hung around quite a few people who are really into it. I’ve talked about that one so much already though, so I want to pick something else.

Maybe Love Live! Sunshine!! could count. Whenever I go to something anime-related, Love Live! culture is pretty visible and audible, whether it’s in the clothing and accessories people wear, the visuals they use in general anime presentations, or music playing at an event.

I’m not sure if I’ve talked about it on this blog much, but while I wasn’t really that into the original Love Live! anime, I really liked Love Live! Sunshine!!. I think it was because, especially in the latter half of the first season, the themes it incorporated–the worries about being a creative person in a world where there’s so much competition, the issues that can occur due to lack of clear communication–really resonated with me on a personal level. I don’t know if it can really be considered a “good” series (for example, I’ve been seeing quite a bit of negative criticism about it–particularly when it comes to how they handle the characters–some of which I find understandable), but I love it nonetheless.

38: Name a popular anime you hate

The only one I can think of is No Game No Life. I can tell it’s at least somewhat popular, since I still see people walking around with “I❤人類” shirts at anime events every now and then. I’m not exactly sure if I “hate” it per se, but I can say for certain that I disliked it.

Other than what I’ve already said about Sora earlier, I wasn’t really into how the series mostly revolved around Sora and Shiro basically winning everything, and how the series presented it as so easy for them. From what I remember, quite a bit of their winning involved a lot of loophole abuse (ie. “the rules never said anything about this, so we’re allowed to do it”). In quite a few cases, the way the world responded to this felt kind of implausible to me. On top of that, it made them come across as kind of underhanded, unethical, and condescending (not sure if that’s the right word; but from what I remember, they seemed to like making their opponents feel stupid for not thinking about the same things they did), which was really irritating to me.

There’s also this quotation I found on TVTropes when I looked up the page for “Loophole Abuse”:

“In No Game No Life, one of the Ten Pledges everyone in Disboard is bound to states, ‘Being caught cheating during a game is grounds for an instant loss’. Sora quickly realizes this means that if the other person can’t prove that you’re cheating, you can cheat all you like and get away with it. Of course, he’s not the only one who realizes this.”

The show seemed to go out of its way to make Sora and Shiro look cool for doing things like this, so I’m pretty sure we’re supposed to be rooting for them. I’m sorry, but I just couldn’t do it.

40: Thoughts on live-action adaptations?

As a whole (including Japanese-made ones), I guess I’m kind of indifferent toward them, and I’m generally not really that interested in watching them. I am a little bit curious about the new American Ghost in the Shell and Death Note ones though, just to see what the filmmakers did with them.

As far as American/western live-action adaptations go, I honestly don’t really expect them to be that faithful to the source material, especially if they’re adapting to an American setting for an American audience. I actually think it could potentially be interesting to see how taking the same premise and putting it into a different setting (like America) could change things.

From a lot of peoples’ responses to these adaptations though, it sounds like they don’t turn out very well to say the least (though I wonder if that has more to do with the execution of a lot of these adaptations, rather than the very idea of setting them in or adapting them for America), but I have yet to see and judge for myself.

Of course, I suppose I’d probably feel very differently if it was an adaption of something that I really care about. Like for example, if someone adapted Fate/Stay Night for an American audience and significantly changed the very substance of it, I think it’s possible I’d be really upset about that. I probably wouldn’t be able to watch it without constantly comparing it to the source material, likely unfavourably. And if such an adaptation becomes a major part of the mainstream cultural consciousness, and the more niche consciousness surrounding the Fate series (and, consequently, likely confusing people even more), I’d probably get really annoyed by that, haha.

So in the end, I guess it’s just a matter of me not really being affected very much by the whole thing.

Well, I guess that’s it. Thanks for asking, this was fun to write! I might just end up doing the other questions too, like you said. :P

#b1689q answers #sejinpk

[lady-nevermore]

Tagged by: @kibitoshinkai​ 

A - Age: 25 going on 26 

B - Biggest fear: Loss/Losing a loved one, The possibility of Nothingness after Death aka the thought of my consciousness just dissipating into nothingness/losing all sense of self after death really scares the crap outta me on a hyperventilating/panic attack kinda level, Heights/Falling, Drowning, Bugs/Insects/Arachnids, Oh, and let’s not forget about Sleep Paralysis, that can be a real bitch too (haven’t had one of those in a really really really long-ass while, welp here’s hoping I didn’t just fucking jinx myself *sigh*). -___-;

C - Current time: 10:25 PM

D - Drink you last had: Vanilla Chai Tea

E - Every day starts with: Waking up perplexed and trying to contemplate what little I can remember of my fleeting dreams, before they slip outta my grasp completely.

F - Favorite song: Tbh, just like with books, films and anime/tv-series, I’m fond of a lot of different varieties of genres of music, and can never really just stick with one sole fave song (from punk-rock, soft rock, indie rock, jazz, hip-hop, r&b, pop, electronic, etc); So for now let’s just say that I’m really digging J-pop/J-rock, RWBY/RvB ost, YYH ost, a mix of several Anime opening/ending themes, 80′s/90′s rock/pop songs, Green Day, etc. ^^;

G - Ghosts, are they real?: Heh, If someone had asked me this years ago, my stubborn smart-ass teenage self would have scoffed and probably would have disputed against this to no end, convinced of the illogicalness of it all. But surprisingly enough, coming from a semi non-religious/agnostic person like myself…..I gotta say: Yes on this one. And I say this for Three reasons. 

The first being, that deep deep down, the mere thought of my consciousness just dissipating into nothingness after death, and losing all sense of self just really really makes me uneasy and overall just really scares the living-shit out of me, on an almost hyperventilating panic-attack kind of level. 

For another, when I was but a mere youngling (around 7-12), we lived in a “supposedly haunted house” (let’s just say that I remember there were times when things def. felt really really off, uneasy, and just plain eerie, the chills down my spine didn’t help either). Who knows maybe growing up with YYH subconsciously helped me not be so damn freaked out about it all, and helped me handle the possibility of it with a bit of grace. lol xD

The last reason, a real personal and selfish one at that, is that deep down, a part of me really wouldn’t mind if the idea of an “afterlife” did hold some real truth to it, mostly cause the thought of meeting up with an old friend of mine that has long since passed from this world, is a rather comforting thought. 

H - Hometown: Back in the day, as a teenager, my friends and classmates would often exaggeratingly refer to it being just: (plain-ass boring), but in reality it was nothing more than a small, quaint, peaceful little town called: Fairfield.  

I - In love with: I’ve always been in love with the art and craft of storytelling; just any and every amazingly well-written / crafted fantastical stories of fiction, in any form of media, whether it be via the written word/books, through anime/web series, TV series, films/movies, videogames, etc. Speaking of which, besides RWBY, I’ve gone and spiraled right back into being in awe of Yu Yu Hakusho, and just how amazing Togashi is at his craft. ^_^

J - Jealous of: Nowadays, nothing really. 

Though the few times I’ve actually felt real envy, were a couple of times as a child …..And the main reason for that was due to the fact that I didn’t have the best childhood, let’s just say that emotional abusement, and domestic house fights all thanks to my super religious Catholic, and overall a pitifully poor excuse of an Aunt who was living with us at the time, obviously didn’t leave me entirely unscathed (hence why I have anxiety problems as well as trust issues, why I used to sometimes have a sorta hard time with religion, struggle with the concept of having faith. But yeah, I guess I’ve sorta made my peace with it all……But back to the matter at hand, that’s why, as a kid, I envied those, whom I presumed must of had a nice, stable and so-called “normal” childhood.

….Yup, though that was indeed a particularly dim time in my life, I’m just glad that Yu Yu Hakusho helped get me through most of that shit, which was nice, well that and the possibility that our old-house was “supposedly haunted” (so yeah, I could sorta relate to Yusuke on some of these levels, which at the time helped me to feel less alone and less of a misfit than I thought I previously was, especially in regards to not having the best or normal living situation, nor the best childhood, and that a team/group of friends was also a real possibility of the word “family”, it’s why I don’t take betrayal lightly and why I value the concept of friendship / loyalty / camaraderie so damn highly, it helped to fill a much needed void). ^^;

The other time I felt a twinge of jealousy were a couple of times during my pre-teens/teenage years (mostly for stupid silly little reasons), like feeling a bit insecure about my place in certain friendships, but being reassured later on that I wasn’t being replaced, or overlooked. (like I said it was stupid). ^^;

N - Number of siblings: None, I am an only child.

O - One wish: I wish could have gone about things a little bit differently in the past….. So many things that were left unsaid, things I didn’t realize back then that I had taken for granted or should have appreciated more. 

Oh, and let’s not forget the stupid, silly, face-palming moments I had as an adolescent that still haunt me/make me slightly cringe from embarrassment to this day; some I’m willing to accept and can even look fondly back on …..but, there are a few stupid moments (things I’ve said that had slightly hurt others) were I wish I could just go back in time and slap myself upside the head for, or at least take back and erase all together). -__-;

But in all seriousness, there is one thing I really wish for. Remember that old friend of mine that I mentioned a while back in this post…..well, it’s been about 8 years give or take since they passed away from cancer, I was 19 when it happened, and I know I’ve made my peace with that ages ago, but there are still times I really wish I hadn’t taken those moments with my friend for granted; looking back I really wish I had taken the time to really appreciate it all a lot more.

My old friend was the type of person who said they considered themselves as “obnoxious” (which always left me rather perplexed and made me raise an eyebrow skeptically at them in response; I never once considered them as obnoxious, I mean stubborn sure, optimistic and always trying to look for the good in any situation as well as an incredibly kind and gentle soul, for damn sure, quick-witted, wise, with a brilliant mind when it came to arithmetic and science most definitely (something I really respected, admired and even left me a little in awe with how natural and easily these two subjects came for them, considering I can’t even solve a sudoku puzzle to save my life, that’s how bad me and math don’t mix lol), was incredibly open-minded (a trait I always had but later became even more reinforced and ingrained into my psyche in thanks to them) even though they were religiously devoted and faithful to a tee (something I still struggle with from time to time but have long since their passing, semi changed my perspective on), something which used to cause us to butt heads here and there, was a massive Star Wars, Lord of Rings / Tolkien, and Firefly fan, was real fond of the color green and Tigger from Winnie the Pooh (hence their fave TTFN aka Ta Ta For Now farewell they’d give), was the type to give the best out of the blue bear-hugs, was someone whom like myself really loved the rain (used to say that they considered it quite cleansing to the soul) was the person who first introduced me to the wonders of Tea, was a bright light in my life that helped healed the scars and broken remnants that remained from my really messed childhood, was someone I greatly admired as well as respected, and was maybe even a little more of a playful dork than I could ever wish to be (I mean, for fuck’s sake, we used to have actual poke-wars and keep tabs of who was winning). lol xD  

But never, never did I once think that they were annoying or obnoxious.

……..I just wish it could have occurred to me at the time to have told them that face to face (back when there was still time), and reassured them otherwise, I mean looking back at it now, in hindsight, it was obviously something they were always a little insecure about and just played it off half-jokingly, something I never even realized till now, and It kinda twinges/tugs at my heartstrings a bit (in regret) that it just never really occurred to my stupid, oblivious, teenage self back then to have told them otherwise. 

I just hope that deep down my dear old friend knew how much we cared, how much they really mattered to us in the end, as well as how deeply and sorely they’re still missed (cause not a day goes by where I don’t think of them). But most importantly, I hope they knew that they were someone I was real damn proud to consider and call: Friend. :’)

P - Person you last texted: My Mom

Q - Questions you’re always asked: Besides the typical, “What’s up?” or “How are you?” lol xD…. Lately it’s been things like: What are your thoughts / speculations on what’s to come for the latest season of RWBY and the like, which is nice, considering the hiatus we’re currently on. ^-^

S - Song last sung: More like hummed; I had that damn catchy Level E Opening Theme song stuck in my head a few nights ago, and ended up humming it whilst in the shower. lol x)

T -Time you woke up: 6:00 A.M. 

U - Underwear color: Black and White.

V - Vacation destination: Japan would be pretty cool. :D

W - Worst habits: Besides my bouts of indecisiveness, speaking fast when I’m nervous, and insomnia from time to time as well as coffee being my vice? o.o 

Hmm - Welp, let’s see….I can be a real worry-wart, and have a bad-habit to unnecessarily over-think and mull over even the littlest things, especially over past or upcoming situations (I can thank my anxiety/social anxiety for that one).

I also have a really hard time when it comes to opening-up/baring my soul aka letting others get too emotionally close to me. Rest assured, I’m not proud of it, but it seems like keeping to myself or keeping others at arm’s length seems to be my go-to comfort-zone / coping mechanism when it comes to avoiding getting hurt, and what’s worse, if it get’s really bad, I tend to do this subconsciously and pull away or distant myself emotionally for a bit, especially on harder days, when I’m more susceptible towards my depression, which really really fucking sucks cause if there’s one thing I really value rather highly, it’s the concept of loyalty / friendship / camaraderie a great deal.

....And it’s not like I want to deliberately push people away, the problem is that over the years it has manifested itself as a goddamn reflex, hence it being one of my more worse bad habits that I sometimes still find myself struggling with at times (and it doesn’t help that as an introvert, I prefer to really enjoy time on my own / quiet moments to myself a lot more). 

Tch, I’m starting to sound like a loner / lone wolf here. -____-;

....Either way, I guess I gotta thank my fucking social anxiety/apathy/depression and overall past trust-issues for this one as well. *sigh* Trust me, I know I have issues, and if this affects you in anyway, just know that it ain’t nothing personally against you, I know/am well aware that I’m the damn problem.  -__-;

X - X-rays you’ve had: Dental X-rays when going to the Dentist, but yeah that’s it really (never broken a bone in my life). ^^;

Y - Your favorite food: I’m actually really partial to: Italian and Chinese food, though I’m always down for doing a small cook-out/grill out once and awhile. 

Z - Zodiac sign: Western Zodiac (Leo) / Chinese Zodiac (Sheep/Ram).

Tagging: @angelotics , @theamazingflyinglion , @the-dork-knight-dot-exe , @spidersmiceandeverythingnice , @bottomofthewell , @nightjasmine10 , @1nerdygurl , @desenhosrabisco , @yangsmash , @hellfire47 , @boserwulf , @red-moon-eclipse , @youko-fairy , @ravenhull , @animatedjoke , @tifa-the-bacon-goddess , @fionaandcake27 , @howtobook101 , @blueteamproblem

#tag you're it #lol x) #shit this is long - sorry about that! ^^; #don't feel obligated to do this if you don't wanna (it's cool)! ^^; #meh - haven't done one of these since myspace first started to become a thing (damn i'm old) lol xd #dunno why i suddenly felt inclined to do one of these (i don't normally like to put myself out there like this). ah well. #personal #this got way too personal actually #tumblr survey thing

[evanstandefensesquad-blog]

Paper Moon Part 13

MB - @thecountessakasha here once more. Part 13 is finally finished. There’s a bunch of smut in it to make up for the last chapter.

I’m going to tag a couple people who I’ve told about this and my really special love who keeps betaing this for me @evansscruff - thank you, darling.

A/N: Bucky and Steve end up at a venue that has a 40s night and meet an OFC, Melissa Rose, a singer in a local club. They both are smitten by her, and start to vie for her affections. They end up finding out more about themselves in the process.

This honestly started out as maybe a one shot but as I got going, I decided it’ll be chapters. How many? No frigging idea. This is my absolute first time writing a fic of any sort and yes I did base the OFC on myself. I hope y'all enjoy.

Word count: 3200+ because I am a wordy bitch.

Warnings: Minimal angst. Mega smut. And as always, a lil fluff.

STEVE’S POV

Bucky and I finished cleaning up the kitchen while Melissa was still in the bedroom. We could hear her tearing apart her closet and muttering to herself obviously trying to find the perfect thing to wear to the tower.

“Maybe we should go help her, man. She’s gonna drive herself crazy.” He’s running a hand through his hair and looking at me with his brows knit in worry.

I glance down the hallway as I hear the thud of shoes obviously hitting the wall. “I mean, maybe? I don’t know. I don’t know how to do this. To navigate this.”

Laughing softly, Bucky waves a hand at me. “It’s fine, Steve. I got it.” He gestures to the living room, “Maybe you can clean the rest of this place up while I help her, alright?”

“Alright. That’s sounds like a plan.” I get to work on the living room, straightening up. I didn’t intend to do a deep clean, but as I got into it, I figured I may as well. She deserves the world, but for now a nice clean apartment will do.

While cleaning, I’m also exploring. Learning more and more about her. She clearly values comfort over appearance. An overstuffed couch, two big recliners, an old oak coffee table covered in little nooks and crannies to organize things. Warm and worn hardwood floors, small lamps placed here and there give an inviting atmosphere.

Floor to ceiling windows make up the wall her couch faces. They give a perfect view of the busy city street below. The other three walls are lined with bookshelves that are stuffed to the gills with everything from classics to non-fiction tomes on the Holy Land to current newspapers and magazines.

I run my fingers over the spines of the various books as I dust, feeling as if I can get a sense of her by touching things she obviously holds dear. These books are well loved, well used.

There are pictures in frames everywhere. Family, friends, fans I assume. Her stunning wide smile is ever present in all the ones she’s in. Even those that are clearly her as a child. I love how she’s memorialized these experiences.

Making my way around my eyes land on one that gives me pause. It looks older, like a picture from my time. A beautiful young woman with dark waves, near crystalline eyes, and a small smile that looks as if she’s holding a secret.

She looks so much like Melissa.

I make a mental note to ask her about it.

New Orleans street scenes, shots of the Gulf of Mexico, fleur-de-lis, magnolias, oak trees, pelicans, and stylized skulls in the manner of Dia de Los Muertos make up most of the art pieces that join the photographs littered about her apartment. Nearly every square inch of wall and available table space is covered by something.

I spy a couple of hand woven reed baskets overflowing with spare blankets, a large standing empty ashtray by one recliner, and a huge brass hookah with what looks to be about 4 pipes is in one corner. I’ve never seen her smoke, never tasted it on her. Maybe she has it for guests.

On a little table perched beside one of the recliners is a large, messy stack of sheet music with lyrics handwritten on the pages. I gather the papers, intending to merely put them in a more orderly pile but curiosity gets the better of me and start to thumb through them.

Looking them over, I see she has written little notes for herself near the titles. “Tennessee Whiskey in the style of Chris Stapleton. At Last in the style of Etta James. Between the Bars in the style of Madeleine Peyroux. Hallelujah in the style of k. d. lang. Brave by Jhene Aiko. WWOZ by BTE.” I’m reading them aloud, wondering what they would sound like in her voice.

I come to the next one and my eyes widen, “Fucked My Way Up To the Top by Lana del Rey.” With grin and a shake of my head, I straighten the papers and set them back on the little end table.

“Find something interesting, Steve?”

I nearly jump out of my skin at the proximity of her voice. “Holy shit, Melissa. You can’t sneak up on an old man like that.”

Her head falls backwards as she gives one of her full, loud laughs, “And here I thought you were a super soldier.” She reaches out running a fingernail down my forearm.

Turning to face her, my eyes take her in. “Melissa…you look great.” I can see nearly all of her tattoos, the ones decorating her legs, her arms, her shoulders, a tiny peek of the one down her spine. My knees weaken a bit when I realize I can also see the outline of those delicious little barbells through the material of the dress.

She looks down at her dangerously low cut sundress then back up to me, her cheeks and chest flushing pink at the compliment. She hooks a thumb over her shoulder, “Bucky’s suggestion.”

I see him grinning behind her nodding his head. “As soon as I saw it, stuffed all the way in the back of the closet I might add, I knew that’s what I’d want to see her in. Seems you like it, too.”

“I do!” I grab her in my arms, spinning her around, her feet swinging off the floor. She starts laughing loudly, “Bucky help me!”

“Hey, you’re on your own, Angel. Ya gotta take the consequences for being so beautiful.”

She groans loudly at the cheesy statement. “God, y'all are dorky.” I start to laugh as I plant her back on the floor, taking note of the black strappy sandals adorning her perfectly pedicured feet.

I lean down kissing her gently, taking her a little by surprise. “I was just looking around. I love seeing all the pictures you have.” Gesturing to the one I was most curious about I continue “Who is this beautiful dame? You look an awful lot like her.”

Melissa reaches out for the picture, holding it gingerly in her hands. “My maternal grandmother. She’s the one who gifted me with her knowledge of wartime era fashion. Her and my grandfather taught me all the songs. They also taught me all the dances. Everyone in the family always said I was her spitting image.”

Bucky gives a soft hum of approval, “Then we owe her a great debt.”

She brushes her fingers tenderly over the image. “They all said it was like she’d been made again in me. I was just like her in temperament and personality. Looks, too. Except for one thing.” Her eyes meet mine. “She had ice blue eyes and I ended up with the Irish green from my father’s side.” She shrugs a little.

“And a stunning green they are. My favorite color.” I slide my hands down her arms then take her hands in mine. “Are you ready, doll? I know this is still very overwhelming for you. But we’ll be there. Right beside you. Each step of the way.”

“They’re gonna love you.” Bucky’s low voice comes out muffled as he’s taken up the position standing behind her, his lips attached to one of her exposed shoulders.

She wraps an arm around my waist resting her head on my chest, then pulls Bucky closer behind her. “If you two think you’re ready, then I’m ready. I won’t say I’m not scared. I am. But some things in life take risk. And I believe you two to be worth that risk.” Her eyes find mine as she speaks the last sentence, and I can see the worry. I can also see how sincere and how heartfelt her words are.

“Merci, Maîtresse.”

“Thank you, Angel.”

BUCKY’S POV

While I make Steve clean her apartment, I quietly slide into her bedroom. What I see makes me stop in my tracks. She has torn apart her closet, her dressers. Shoes and clothes are strewn everywhere.

She’s sitting on the floor, back against the bed looking on the verge of tears. “Angel? Melissa? Are you alright?”

Shaking her head she gestures toward the room, “I have nothing to wear. I can't… I can’t go to the tower. I can’t meet the team. They’re your family, Bucky. I need to make a good impression.” Her voice is small, soft, tinged with fear.

I sit on the floor beside her and gather her in my arms, “Hey, hey. It’s ok.” My fingers slide up the sides of neck and I cup her cheeks turning her face to mine. “Listen to me. You’re beautiful. No matter what you wear, you are beautiful. I want you to be comfortable. That’s my main concern.”

“It’s going to be enough of a shock to them about you and Steve. When they meet me and realize the part I play in this, they’re going to hate me.” She’s trembling as she says these words. “And so are your adoring fans. I just …I don’t fit the bill. Not to mention when we go public with our relationship. People won’t be able to handle it.”

I tighten my grip on her. “Melissa, we are all adults here. This is our choice. So what if people don’t like it? They don’t live our lives.” My thumbs brush her cheeks. “And Steve and I want you. More than that, we need you. Neither he nor I have felt as good in our lives as we have since you came along. It fits. You fit. You belong with us.”

She seems as if she has some reply, some counter, but she closes her mouth and just looks at me. Really looks at me. After a moment, she places her hand on my chest and shakes her head. “Oh, Bucky.”

Seeing her like this, I’m overcome. She is perfection and she just doesn’t believe it. I give a shake of my head and suddenly I’m pressing my lips to hers. Her eyes widen a second then she’s kissing me back, sighing softly into my mouth. Her small hands grab for me, tugging at my shirt.

My fingers slip into her robe, pushing it off her shoulders to let it pool around her hips. I’m groaning against her skin as I move from her lips to her jaw making my way to her chin. “How can you not see that? How can I make you understand?”

She’s melting under my touch, her fingers slipping into my hair pulling me close. My lips move against the hollow of her neck, “Everything about you makes me crave more and more.” My tongue darts out licking along her collarbone, teeth nipping at the muscle connecting her neck and shoulder.

I have never heard such delicious sounds from anyone in my life.

“Bucky…” she’s whining. “I have to get dressed, baby boy.” I slip my hand lower, the backs of my knuckles just barely brushing against the wetness between her legs.

I growl against her neck, “But you’re soaking for me, Angel. How can I resist?” My fingers part her folds and I find her little swollen bundle of nerves, pressing against it lightly.

A gasp falls from her lips and I bring my left hand up to cover her mouth. “Shhhhh, lover.” She gives a little whimper as I pull her onto my lap, and I quickly shimmy my sweats down. My hardness slides against the damp heat between her legs making me groan.

Our lips crash together, the kiss all tongues and teeth. She wraps her body around mine as I slide into her, sheathing myself fully. “Oh fuck…” she whispers, her forehead pressing against my chest. Her fingers glide into my hair and she yanks my head back forcefully, her eyes meeting mine.

The gaze is heated, longing and we stare at each other for a moment before her hips start to move a bit, letting me know it’s ok to begin. I grip her ass, fingers digging into her flesh as I start the push pull of her on my cock.

“Quickly, baby boy. Harder…” She has one hand still tightly wrapped in my hair, tugging. Her other raking nails down my back filling me with a shiver of sweet pleasure at the pain. Her hips rock in time with my thrusts.

I take one hand and slip it between us, finger tripping over her clit in small circles as I keep thrusting up into her. “That’s it Bucky baby… yes just like that..fuck I’m close…”

She bites into my shoulder to muffle her screams as her orgasm washes over her. “Fuck Angel you’re so Goddamn tight…!” and I’m spilling into her, her climax setting off mine. We shudder together then still, breathing heavily wrapped up in each other’s arms.

“I hope I didn’t break your skin.” She laughs darkly, licking the spot where she bit me.

I snort, “Somehow I don’t think you’ll lose sleep over it if you did.” I pull back and place a kiss on the tip of her scrunched up nose. “Now, where were we? Oh yes. Let’s find you something to wear.”

MELISSA’S POV

Yep. The death of me.

I’m dressed in a rather revealing sundress that Bucky picked out. The bodice of which is a deep blue that fades into a lovely aqua by the time it reaches the hem resting just above my knees. I’m not sure I’m entirely comfortable with it. I do love these strappy gladiator style sandals that wrap up and around my calves, though.

Both he and Steve have assured me I’ve never looked more beautiful and that it’s the perfect thing to wear for the “mission” we’re undertaking. If they are happy, then I am happy.

They’re currently my giant bookends as we walk the few blocks toward the tower, arms linked, chatting between ourselves. Occasionally they’ll lean over me and peck little kisses on each other’s lips and it makes my heart swell.

I look up at each of them just before we reach the tower. A little gasp comes from me as I get choked up, teeth pressing harshly into my bottom lip. “Y'all. Can we just …can we hold up for a second?”

They stop immediately looking down at me as I stare at the massive building across the street from us. My eyes move from the bottom all the way to the top spire and the gigantic A adorning it.

I’m taking slow, deep breaths. Steve moves in front of me, fingers sliding around the back of my neck, thumb brushing my cheek. “It’s ok, Melissa. I promise. We promise.” I feel Bucky’s arm around my waist, squeezing my side reassuringly.

“I trust you. Both of you.” I reach for Steve, kissing him hard. Pulling away from him I turn and do the same with Bucky. I close my eyes, once again taking several deep breaths. My hands clench and unclench. After a long moment I link my arms into each of theirs and give a sharp, quick nod of my head. “Alright. Let’s do this.”

Stepping off the curb and crossing the street we make our way into the lobby. A couple of quick turns, a couple of quick hellos to random employees and we reach a deserted corridor. A female voice comes from somewhere, greeting the boys.

“Captain Rogers. Sergeant Barnes. Glad to see you’re back.”

Steve pipes up, “F.R.I.D.A.Y., we’ve brought a guest. She’ll be visiting often. Her name is Melissa Rose. Can you please set up a profile for her?”

A profile? What the fuck…?

As Steve speaks to this… F.R.I.D.A.Y., Bucky realizes I’ve frozen in place. His fingers link through mine and he runs a hand down my arm, “It’s ok. It’s just a matter of precaution. We want you to be safe here. And that requires some security measures.” He brings my hand to his lips, placing a feather light kiss on my palm.

“Of course, Captain Rogers.” Steve guides me to a wall with scanners and such on it. “State your name, please, ma'am.”

“Melissa Anne Rose.”

“Now, please step forward and place your hand against the plate. Lean in and keep your eyes open so that I may scan those as well.”

At least her voice is comforting. I do as she asks, giving her a scan of my right palm as well as my eyes. Suddenly, red beams are scanning my whole body. After a few seconds, she speaks again.

“Thank you, Ms. Rose. I have everything I need.”

“O..okay.” I turn to the boys, “Well, now y'all know everything, huh?” my lips quirking into a small smirk as they laugh.

“Come on, Angel. Let’s head up.” Bucky takes my hand, pulling me to the elevator as Steve follows.

“Lounge floor, F.R.I.D.A.Y., if you please.”

“Of course, Captain Rogers.”

The elevator doors close and suddenly they’re both pressing against me. Steve has his face buried in the crook of my neck as he’s pushing me back against Bucky’s chest. “You look so beautiful, it’s been hard keeping my hands to myself.” He paws at me, making my knees weak. Bucky is holding me up, keeping me steady on my feet as Steve takes advantage of the small space.

I feel his thumbs scratch against the material covering my nipples and it’s then he realizes I’m not wearing a bra. He tugs lightly on the barbells, grinning against my neck. “Melissa… you’re so naughty.”

“This dress doesn’t have a need for a bra, mon petit Capitaine.” I feel Bucky’s hands on my hips, gripping them tightly as Steve growls against my neck. His hand travels down reaching the hem of the dress. He tugs then lifts it slightly, rubbing his fingers against my clothed core. I immediately start to soak through the flimsy cotton, my knees buckling, “Shit, Steve.”

I hear Bucky chuckle darkly behind me. “What’s wrong, Angel?”

“You know Goddamn well what’s wrong, Sergeant.” Steve takes advantage of Bucky distracting me to slip two fingers inside the waistband and into my dripping cunt. “Steve! Fucking hell…”

“Oh god, Maîtresse. You’re soaking.” He quickly kneels down, his strong arms parting my legs as Bucky continues to hold me up. I feel Steve’s tongue press against the fabric covering me, then he roughly pulls it aside to assault my folds with his mouth.

I cry out loudly which brings Bucky’s hand to cover my mouth. “Quiet, Angel. No need to arouse suspicion.” He drops his mouth to my neck, nibbling and licking as Steve devours my pussy. His grunts and groans sending vibrations all through my body.

I cum hard and quick, all over Steve’s talented mouth, my screams muffled by Bucky’s hand. I release Steve’s hair, which I had bunched tightly in my right hand, and he stands after fixing my underwear and my dress. Licking his lips, he grins, leaning in to kiss me. God I love tasting myself on their tongues.

He then grabs Bucky over me, kissing him hard so that they share my flavor. I feel Steve’s hand on my breast, tugging gently at the barbell there through the fabric of my dress. I giggle softly, trying to fix his hair.

Separating as the doors open to the lounge floor, we exit the elevator with huge smiles plastered on our faces. As we step into the large room, the boys grab my hands in theirs as they bracket me. Steve gives a wave to the room.

“Hey guys.”

Tagging:

@alievans007 @buckysbackpackbuckle @justareader @anice-1 @ya-girl-evanstrash @hardcollectiontrashworld @mewsiex Thanks everyone!

#mb posts #my fic #paper moon #bucky x ofc x steve #bucky x ofc #steve x ofc #bucky barnes smut #steve rogers smut #thecountessakasha

[tsfrbss]

Paper Moon Part 13

Bucky and Steve end up at a venue that has a 40s night and meet an OFC, Melissa Rose, a singer in a local club. They both are smitten by her, and start to vie for her affections. They end up finding out more about themselves in the process.

This honestly started out as maybe a one shot but as I got going, I decided it’ll be chapters. How many? No frigging idea. This is my absolute first time writing a fic of any sort and yes I did base the OFC on myself. I hope y'all enjoy.

Word count: 3200+ because I am a wordy bitch.

Warnings: Minimal angst. Mega smut. And as always, a lil fluff.

STEVE’S POV

Bucky and I finished cleaning up the kitchen while Melissa was still in the bedroom. We could hear her tearing apart her closet and muttering to herself obviously trying to find the perfect thing to wear to the tower.

“Maybe we should go help her, man. She’s gonna drive herself crazy.” He’s running a hand through his hair and looking at me with his brows knit in worry.

I glance down the hallway as I hear the thud of shoes obviously hitting the wall. “I mean, maybe? I don’t know. I don’t know how to do this. To navigate this.”

Laughing softly, Bucky waves a hand at me. “It’s fine, Steve. I got it.” He gestures to the living room, “Maybe you can clean the rest of this place up while I help her, alright?”

“Alright. That’s sounds like a plan.” I get to work on the living room, straightening up. I didn’t intend to do a deep clean, but as I got into it, I figured I may as well. She deserves the world, but for now a nice clean apartment will do.

While cleaning, I’m also exploring. Learning more and more about her. She clearly values comfort over appearance. An overstuffed couch, two big recliners, an old oak coffee table covered in little nooks and crannies to organize things. Warm and worn hardwood floors, small lamps placed here and there give an inviting atmosphere.>/p>

Floor to ceiling windows make up the wall her couch faces. They give a perfect view of the busy city street below. The other three walls are lined with bookshelves that are stuffed to the gills with everything from classics to non-fiction tomes on the Holy Land to current newspapers and magazines.

I run my fingers over the spines of the various books as I dust, feeling as if I can get a sense of her by touching things she obviously holds dear. These books are well loved, well used.

There are pictures in frames everywhere. Family, friends, fans I assume. Her stunning wide smile is ever present in all the ones she’s in. Even those that are clearly her as a child. I love how she’s memorialized these experiences.

Making my way around my eyes land on one that gives me pause. It looks older, like a picture from my time. A beautiful young woman with dark waves, near crystalline eyes, and a small smile that looks as if she’s holding a secret.

She looks so much like Melissa.

I make a mental note to ask her about it.

New Orleans street scenes, shots of the Gulf of Mexico, fleur-de-lis, magnolias, oak trees, pelicans, and stylized skulls in the manner of Dia de Los Muertos make up most of the art pieces that join the photographs littered about her apartment. Nearly every square inch of wall and available table space is covered by something.

I spy a couple of hand woven reed baskets overflowing with spare blankets, a large standing empty ashtray by one recliner, and a huge brass hookah with what looks to be about 4 pipes is in one corner. I’ve never seen her smoke, never tasted it on her. Maybe she has it for guests.

On a little table perched beside one of the recliners is a large, messy stack of sheet music with lyrics handwritten on the pages. I gather the papers, intending to merely put them in a more orderly pile but curiosity gets the better of me and start to thumb through them.

Looking them over, I see she has written little notes for herself near the titles. “Tennessee Whiskey in the style of Chris Stapleton. At Last in the style of Etta James. Between the Bars in the style of Madeleine Peyroux. Hallelujah in the style of k. d. lang. Brave by Jhene Aiko. WWOZ by BTE.” I’m reading them aloud, wondering what they would sound like in her voice.

I come to the next one and my eyes widen, “Fucked My Way Up To the Top by Lana del Rey.” With grin and a shake of my head, I straighten the papers and set them back on the little end table.

“Find something interesting, Steve?”

I nearly jump out of my skin at the proximity of her voice. “Holy shit, Melissa. You can’t sneak up on an old man like that.”

Her head falls backwards as she gives one of her full, loud laughs, “And here I thought you were a super soldier.” She reaches out running a fingernail down my forearm.

Turning to face her, my eyes take her in. “Melissa…you look great.” I can see nearly all of her tattoos, the ones decorating her legs, her arms, her shoulders, a tiny peek of the one down her spine. My knees weaken a bit when I realize I can also see the outline of those delicious little barbells through the material of the dress.

She looks down at her dangerously low cut sundress then back up to me, her cheeks and chest flushing pink at the compliment. She hooks a thumb over her shoulder, “Bucky’s suggestion.”

I see him grinning behind her nodding his head. “As soon as I saw it, stuffed all the way in the back of the closet I might add, I knew that’s what I’d want to see her in. Seems you like it, too.”

“I do!” I grab her in my arms, spinning her around, her feet swinging off the floor. She starts laughing loudly, “Bucky help me!”

“Hey, you’re on your own, Angel. Ya gotta take the consequences for being so beautiful.”

She groans loudly at the cheesy statement. “God, y'all are dorky.” I start to laugh as I plant her back on the floor, taking note of the black strappy sandals adorning her perfectly pedicured feet.

I lean down kissing her gently, taking her a little by surprise. “I was just looking around. I love seeing all the pictures you have.” Gesturing to the one I was most curious about I continue “Who is this beautiful dame? You look an awful lot like her.”

Melissa reaches out for the picture, holding it gingerly in her hands. “My maternal grandmother. She’s the one who gifted me with her knowledge of wartime era fashion. Her and my grandfather taught me all the songs. They also taught me all the dances. Everyone in the family always said I was her spitting image.”

Bucky gives a soft hum of approval, “Then we owe her a great debt.”

She brushes her fingers tenderly over the image. “They all said it was like she’d been made again in me. I was just like her in temperament and personality. Looks, too. Except for one thing.” Her eyes meet mine. “She had ice blue eyes and I ended up with the Irish green from my father’s side.” She shrugs a little.

“And a stunning green they are. My favorite color.” I slide my hands down her arms then take her hands in mine. “Are you ready, doll? I know this is still very overwhelming for you. But we’ll be there. Right beside you. Each step of the way.”

“They’re gonna love you.” Bucky’s low voice comes out muffled as he’s taken up the position standing behind her, his lips attached to one of her exposed shoulders.

She wraps an arm around my waist resting her head on my chest, then pulls Bucky closer behind her. “If you two think you’re ready, then I’m ready. I won’t say I’m not scared. I am. But some things in life take risk. And I believe you two to be worth that risk.” Her eyes find mine as she speaks the last sentence, and I can see the worry. I can also see how sincere and how heartfelt her words are.

“Merci, Maîtresse.”

“Thank you, Angel.”

BUCKY’S POV

While I make Steve clean her apartment, I quietly slide into her bedroom. What I see makes me stop in my tracks. She has torn apart her closet, her dressers. Shoes and clothes are strewn everywhere.

She’s sitting on the floor, back against the bed looking on the verge of tears. “Angel? Melissa? Are you alright?”

Shaking her head she gestures toward the room, “I have nothing to wear. I can't… I can’t go to the tower. I can’t meet the team. They’re your family, Bucky. I need to make a good impression.” Her voice is small, soft, tinged with fear.

I sit on the floor beside her and gather her in my arms, “Hey, hey. It’s ok.” My fingers slide up the sides of neck and I cup her cheeks turning her face to mine. “Listen to me. You’re beautiful. No matter what you wear, you are beautiful. I want you to be comfortable. That’s my main concern.”

“It’s going to be enough of a shock to them about you and Steve. When they meet me and realize the part I play in this, they’re going to hate me.” She’s trembling as she says these words. “And so are your adoring fans. I just …I don’t fit the bill. Not to mention when we go public with our relationship. People won’t be able to handle it.”

I tighten my grip on her. “Melissa, we are all adults here. This is our choice. So what if people don’t like it? They don’t live our lives.” My thumbs brush her cheeks. “And Steve and I want you. More than that, we need you. Neither he nor I have felt as good in our lives as we have since you came along. It fits. You fit. You belong with us.”

She seems as if she has some reply, some counter, but she closes her mouth and just looks at me. Really looks at me. After a moment, she places her hand on my chest and shakes her head. “Oh, Bucky.”

Seeing her like this, I’m overcome. She is perfection and she just doesn’t believe it. I give a shake of my head and suddenly I’m pressing my lips to hers. Her eyes widen a second then she’s kissing me back, sighing softly into my mouth. Her small hands grab for me, tugging at my shirt.

My fingers slip into her robe, pushing it off her shoulders to let it pool around her hips. I’m groaning against her skin as I move from her lips to her jaw making my way to her chin. “How can you not see that? How can I make you understand?”

She’s melting under my touch, her fingers slipping into my hair pulling me close. My lips move against the hollow of her neck, “Everything about you makes me crave more and more.” My tongue darts out licking along her collarbone, teeth nipping at the muscle connecting her neck and shoulder.

I have never heard such delicious sounds from anyone in my life.

“Bucky…” she’s whining. “I have to get dressed, baby boy.” I slip my hand lower, the backs of my knuckles just barely brushing against the wetness between her legs.

I growl against her neck, “But you’re soaking for me, Angel. How can I resist?” My fingers part her folds and I find her little swollen bundle of nerves, pressing against it lightly.

A gasp falls from her lips and I bring my left hand up to cover her mouth. “Shhhhh, lover.” She gives a little whimper as I pull her onto my lap, and I quickly shimmy my sweats down. My hardness slides against the damp heat between her legs making me groan.

Our lips crash together, the kiss all tongues and teeth. She wraps her body around mine as I slide into her, sheathing myself fully. “Oh fuck…” she whispers, her forehead pressing against my chest. Her fingers glide into my hair and she yanks my head back forcefully, her eyes meeting mine.

The gaze is heated, longing and we stare at each other for a moment before her hips start to move a bit, letting me know it’s ok to begin. I grip her ass, fingers digging into her flesh as I start the push pull of her on my cock.

“Quickly, baby boy. Harder…” She has one hand still tightly wrapped in my hair, tugging. Her other raking nails down my back filling me with a shiver of sweet pleasure at the pain. Her hips rock in time with my thrusts.

I take one hand and slip it between us, finger tripping over her clit in small circles as I keep thrusting up into her. “That’s it Bucky baby… yes just like that..fuck I’m close…”

She bites into my shoulder to muffle her screams as her orgasm washes over her. “Fuck Angel you’re so Goddamn tight…!” and I’m spilling into her, her climax setting off mine. We shudder together then still, breathing heavily wrapped up in each other’s arms.

“I hope I didn’t break your skin.” She laughs darkly, licking the spot where she bit me.

I snort, “Somehow I don’t think you’ll lose sleep over it if you did.” I pull back and place a kiss on the tip of her scrunched up nose. “Now, where were we? Oh yes. Let’s find you something to wear.”

MELISSA’S POV

Yep. The death of me.

I’m dressed in a rather revealing sundress that Bucky picked out. The bodice of which is a deep blue that fades into a lovely aqua by the time it reaches the hem resting just above my knees. I’m not sure I’m entirely comfortable with it. I do love these strappy gladiator style sandals that wrap up and around my calves, though.

Both he and Steve have assured me I’ve never looked more beautiful and that it’s the perfect thing to wear for the “mission” we’re undertaking. If they are happy, then I am happy.

They’re currently my giant bookends as we walk the few blocks toward the tower, arms linked, chatting between ourselves. Occasionally they’ll lean over me and peck little kisses on each other’s lips and it makes my heart swell.

I look up at each of them just before we reach the tower. A little gasp comes from me as I get choked up, teeth pressing harshly into my bottom lip. “Y'all. Can we just …can we hold up for a second?”

They stop immediately looking down at me as I stare at the massive building across the street from us. My eyes move from the bottom all the way to the top spire and the gigantic A adoring it.

I’m taking slow, deep breaths. Steve moves in front of me, fingers sliding around the back of my neck, thumb brushing my cheek. “It’s ok, Melissa. I promise. We promise.” I feel Bucky’s arm around my waist, squeezing my side reassuringly.

“I trust you. Both of you.” I reach for Steve, kissing him hard. Pulling away from him I turn and do the same with Bucky. I close my eyes, once again taking several deep breaths. My hands clench and unclench. After a long moment I link my arms into each of theirs and give a sharp, quick nod of my head. “Alright. Let’s do this.”

Stepping off the curb and crossing the street we make our way into the lobby. A couple of quick turns, a couple of quick hellos to random employees and we reach a deserted corridor. A female voice comes from somewhere, greeting the boys.

“Captain Rogers. Sergeant Barnes. Glad to see you’re back.”

Steve pipes up, “F.R.I.D.A.Y., we’ve brought a guest. She’ll be visiting often. Her name is Melissa Rose. Can you please set up a profile for her?”

A profile? What the fuck…?

As Steve speaks to this… F.R.I.D.A.Y., Bucky realizes I’ve frozen in place. His fingers link through mine and he runs a hand down my arm, “It’s ok. It’s just a matter of precaution. We want you to be safe here. And that requires some security measures.” He brings my hand to his lips, placing a feather light kiss on my palm.

“Of course, Captain Rogers.” Steve guides me to a wall with scanners and such on it. “State your name, please, ma'am.”

“Melissa Anne Rose.”

“Now, please step forward and place your hand against the plate. Lean in and keep your eyes open so that I may scan those as well.”

At least her voice is comforting. I do as she asks, giving her a scan of my right palm as well as my eyes. Suddenly, red beams are scanning my whole body. After a few seconds, she speaks again.

“Thank you, Ms. Rose. I have everything I need.”

“O..okay.” I turn to the boys, “Well, now y'all know everything, huh?” my lips quirking into a small smirk as they laugh.

“Come on, Angel. Let’s head up.” Bucky takes my hand, pulling me to the elevator as Steve follows.

“Lounge floor, F.R.I.D.A.Y., if you please.”

“Of course, Captain Rogers.”

The elevator doors close and suddenly they’re both pressing against me. Steve has his face buried in the crook of my neck as he’s pushing me back against Bucky’s chest. “You look so beautiful, it’s been hard keeping my hands to myself.” He paws at me, making my knees weak. Bucky is holding me up, keeping me steady on my feet as Steve takes advantage of the small space.

I feel his thumbs scratch against the material covering my nipples and it’s then he realizes I’m not wearing a bra. He tugs lightly on the barbells, grinning against my neck. “Melissa… you’re so naughty.”

“This dress doesn’t have a need for a bra, mon petit Capitaine.” I feel Bucky’s hands on my hips, gripping them tightly as Steve growls against my neck. His hand travels down reaching the hem of the dress. He tugs then lifts it slightly, rubbing his fingers against my clothed core. I immediately start to soak through the flimsy cotton, my knees buckling, “Shit, Steve.”

I hear Bucky chuckle darkly behind me. “What’s wrong, Angel?”

“You know Goddamn well what’s wrong, Sergeant.” Steve takes advantage of Bucky distracting me to slip two fingers inside the waistband and into my dripping cunt. “Steve! Fucking hell…”

“Oh god, Maîtresse. You’re soaking.” He quickly kneels down, his strong arms parting my legs as Bucky continues to hold me up. I feel Steve’s tongue press against the fabric covering me, then he roughly pulls it aside to assault my folds with his mouth.

I cry out loudly which brings Bucky’s hand to cover my mouth. “Quiet, Angel. No need to arouse suspicion.” He drops his mouth to my neck, nibbling and licking as Steve devours my pussy. His grunts and groans sending vibrations all through my body.

I cum hard and quick, all over Steve’s talented mouth, my screams muffled by Bucky’s hand. I release Steve’s hair, which I had bunched tightly in my right hand, and he stands after fixing my underwear and my dress. Licking his lips, he grins, leaning in to kiss me. God I love tasting myself on their tongues.

He then grabs Bucky over me, kissing him hard so that they share my flavor. I feel Steve’s hand on my breast, tugging gently at the barbell there through the fabric of my dress. I giggle softly, trying to fix his hair.

Separating as the doors open to the lounge floor, we exit the elevator with huge smiles plastered on our faces. As we step into the large room, the boys grab my hands in theirs as they bracket me. Steve gives a wave to the room.

“Hey guys.”

#submitted #submission #story sunday #thecountessakasha