#(as it was being upset at the idea of her central theme is not coming across in favor of other themes she’s considered less important | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

staghunters · 2 years ago

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Many thoughts on Pahanhautoja (Hatching)

Gonna put it behind a read more because this may get long, unfiltered, and full of spoilers. Enjoy!

So as may be clear, I'm still thinking about this movie lol. It's not Amazing per se but oof does it touch on things and keep you guessing at meanings even if the central theme of the movie is pretty clear.

Pahanhautoja is about spectacle/exploitation culture in the way that f.e. Nope isn't.

It doesn't have Big Moments, but it does show the strain of everyone working behind the scenes. "Capturing real authentic moments", taking pictures that are framed just right, for the irony to create a "perfect everyday life".

The Mother stands central in this. Arguably, it's all her idea, dream, and ambition. The Father even notes (though in the context of the scene, it's about something else) that he lets her do whatever she likes because she is so certain of things. Why he stays is a mystery. Perhaps the money, as he has bought a new guitar in the early bits of the film. But they sleep separately, he and Matias are clearly coordinated to look the same (hair, glasses, blouse), and he does not seem to have any input or agency whatsoever.

And here comes a tricky bit, because taking on Father's point you could read this as a horror movie where "women in power are evil". It isn't. Father is sympathetic because he isn't able to be himself. BUT he also doesn't stand up for his kids.

And yes, Mother is very unsympathetic. First and foremost she also is not a true parental figure. Like with Father, that is just a title that works well with the blog she has going. It's not something she truly puts into practice.

Some posts here have cited/posted the one-on-one scene with Tilja about Mother having fallen in love again as something that should be read as something creating sympathy for her.

(For context, it's this scene)

You Could read this as base-level, second-wave feminism "Women should not just live to please their husband". And while those are valid points to make in other contexts, maybe take a look at who the main character is in this film?

Mother takes Tilja aside and talks about finding love again and you can see from Tilja that she thinks Mother is talking about Father until Tero is mentioned by name. Her smile literally drops.

And before this, she has already caught her mom with Tero. Then it was wafted off as "adults have special friends" as a thin cover-up. But here Mother does not even stop to make her case and explain it to Tilja as best as she can. She just takes Tilja's acceptance of the situation for granted, just like Father would. Parallel to that is the "business weekends" that casually turn into weekends at Tero's. She could have created this situation at home maybe if the blog was put on a back-burner, but that is not the case. And as soon as they get to Tero's, the house is already being shaped into Mother's image.

And don't get me wrong: Tero is a good guy by all means!

He's more of a dad to Tilja than Father is, he tries to go against Mother, and even wants to help Tilja overcome her urge to achieve perfectionism for her mother's sake. And understandably, he is upset when Helmi has been put in danger!! But the only thing that Mother has to say to Tilja as they drive back home is

Tilja sprained her wrist here, lost a competition she worked so hard for, and has to pack up and leave with her mom for a second time, and all Mother has to say is that. Mother is complicated, surely, but by no means is someone you're supposed to sympathize with.

And Tilja!! Tilja just wants to be loved on her own terms and not for what her mother wants from her. It is frustrating, it seems fruitless, yet there is just enough little bits to keep her going for this goal.

When the bird flies through the window Tilja wants to put it back outside because it isn't harmed, but Mother simply kills it in front of her daughter's eyes and asks her to put it in the trash (but, sweetie, the biodegradable one). Tilja has fun at gymnastics, even if she's not as good as Reeta. And it is clear that she could have had more fun here, as well as made some friends if her mother didn't isolate her for the sake of fame and a viral moment.

What is so endearing is that once Alli comes into the picture, Tilja is able to give it/her(?) the love she would want herself even if she had never received it. And, let's be honest, Alli at first is not a very loveable creature.

The theme of puberty is inherent to Alli. Tilja is 12-ish and has to dress in frilly dresses and does gymnastics (a sport that is known for demanding parents/coaches, but also for keeping the ones doing it physically as childlike as possible for advantages). Mother wants to keep her young but the reality is that that will change. Pair that with a stranger's baby becoming more important than her own daughter, and you got a theme.

Alli goes from capital M Monster to a near-indistinguishable image of Tilja (this does make for some funny scenes where people mistake this obviously feral child for prim and proper Tilja).

I know that one time in sex-ed when we had talked about puberty (I was around 11/12), I got home and cried to my mom because I could not think about ever fighting with her. But I did.

Alli starts out as an abstract thing that Tilja fears but comes to care for. It is impulsive, at times over-excessive, but that is exactly what pubescent teens are like! Tilja and Alli are connected so closely yet act as separate beings (cue to moments of "why did I ever do/say that?").

When Mother stabs Tilja and Alli rises in her place, it is the only time we see Mother crying. In the context of the film, it may be because she lost her "real" daughter and is left with this "monster", even if they look identical.

Ultimately, it's about her child growing out of her control.

#pahanhautoja #hatching #long post #did end up quite structured if I say so myself #horror film #film analysis #spoilers!!!#be careful!!!!

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theretirementstory · 1 year ago

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Here I am again, bringing you a slice of my life in the beautiful Champagne region. It is currently 14c but I am assured, by Météo, that we will have 26c this afternoon. Unseasonably warm but I am not complaining after having spent a lot of the sunny days of summer in a hospital bed.

The Foire aux Bulles last Sunday turned out to be a successful day for the ladies of the knitting, crochet and patchwork group. Two of my items sold which was a nice surprise. Apparently, they were talking to a lady who is interested in joining the group, she sews as well so we may manage to attract more people if we offer that facility. the more the merrier I say.

While we are onto the good news, I really must pass on the wonderful news that “The Ex Psychology Graduate” received her grade for her dissertation and only went and got herself a first! She is now awaiting one more grade to calculate her overall Masters grade. Huge congratulations are in order 🥳🥳.

“The Trainee Solicitor”, celebrated his birthday and what a wonderful birthday he had. It has continued until the weekend (well why just keep it to one day!)

“The Daddy” has not had his children this weekend, he has been visiting elderly relatives and friends as well as working too. He has “irons in the fire” to make his work life more manageable, at the moment he has a long journey to and from work (I remember those days), to be able to reduce this is so much better, mentally, physically and financially. We will have to see what happens but I wish him luck.

I do believe I have employed my new cleaner 😃, she is coming on Monday and Thursday and I am so looking forward to that. She requested a step ladder, unfortunately I don’t have one and being unable to go out shopping I still haven’t got one. Maybe my neighbour could lend me his for this week so that she can clean the windows and the shutter housing.

I am still reliant upon my friends (and neighbour) to do shopping for me. It is so hard trying to think what to have to eat, at least if I was in the shops I may see something which catches my eye. As most of my friends cook from scratch (no convenience foods for them) one friend seems to not have the faintest idea of portion sizes. She was trying to buy me a 750g shepherds pie 🙄. I have to cook my food and eat it within 15 minutes, it cannot be reheated so I doubt I could have “polished that pie off” all by myself. I have been rather nauseous with no taste so it would have been a lot of waste I reckon. I was salivating this morning as I asked another friend if she could buy me some greek yoghurt, unfortunately the supermarket in town didn’t have any 😩, however, she is going out this afternoon (with her work) if she manages to catch the supermarket before it closes she will look to see if she can get some there.

Anie delivered some hot soup, compote and some jars of another concoction, I hadn’t the heart to tell her I couldn’t eat any of it, but I did send her the information leaflet I was given. She quickly responded saying you cannot eat any of that food! It is so sad because people are only being kind but I really need to keep myself “right” as I don’t want an upset tummy or worse while my immunity is still low.

Another success was phoning the plumber and arranging an appointment for him to service my central heating boiler.

My gardener pulled up outside of my neighbours house on Monday and I was trying to catch him about trimming my hedges. Typically, I turned my back and next time I looked he had gone! I did ring him and all he said was he would ring and let me know when he can come out. Well better than nothing I suppose.

It looks as if this week has been very successful for me, I like weeks like that!

Now let’s have a look at the songs I have chosen. It seems to be a recurring theme of musicians taken before their time but such is life and as I have said before they leave us with some fantastic songs that we can listen to again and again. So my first one this week is by Phil Lynott, the song is back to 1982, “Old Town”.

The second song I have chosen is an album track featuring the distinctive voice of a Middlesbrough (UK) born “lad”. The track is “Weep No More” from the album “Straight Shooter” by Bad Company released in 1975 (I remember it like it was yesterday) If you decide to listen to the album online (or even just want to hear this track) let it play the next track “Shooting Star” as it really was a toss up between these two tracks. Just this week I found out that Paul Rodgers had suffered a massive health scare 4 years ago. Although thankfully he appears to be fully recovered and has just released a new album.

The photos this week should be titled “What a difference a day makes” (cue for another song).

Well that just about wraps up my week for this week. There will be more from me next week!

Bon dimanche!

#barsuraube #trees #nature #photography #crafts #70’s music #80’s music

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ogradyfilm · 1 year ago

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Recently Viewed: Barbie

[The following review contains SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!]

Greta Gerwig’s Barbie opens with an extended montage depicting an average day in the glamorous life of Margot Robbie’s Stereotypical Barbie. She awakens in her pink plastic Dream House, dresses herself in one of her many fabulous outfits, cruises down the street in her pink plastic convertible—greeting Mail Carrier Barbie, Construction Worker Barbie, Astronaut Barbie, and President Barbie along the way—relaxes at the beach (where the surf is eternally gnarly, the “water” permanently frozen in a six-foot wave of molded plastic), and finally returns home to enjoy a night of partying, complete with elaborately choreographed dance routines. In Barbie Land, women can do and be whatever their hearts desire. It is, in other words, a feminist paradise—the exact sort of setting you would expect to be inhabited by the revolutionary doll that taught little girls everywhere that playtime isn’t just preparation for future domestic responsibilities.

That’s what the omniscient narrator (voiced by Dame Helen Mirren, of all people) repeatedly insists, at least; in truth, this “utopia” is as empty, illusory, and insubstantial as Barbie’s morning glass of imaginary orange juice. While Ryan Gosling’s delightfully demented Stereotypical Ken technically introduces the concept of “patriarchy” (albeit a comically juvenile facsimile thereof; his “Kendom” revolves around such shallow masculine signifiers as mini fridges, acoustic guitars, pickup trucks, pickup artistry, and frat boy posturing) to Barbie Land, the infrastructure of inequality was already firmly established. The Kens are essentially second-class citizens: whereas Barbies are allowed to be doctors, award-winning journalists, and heads of state, the subordinate Kens are seemingly forbidden from pursuing careers; they are glorified accessories, their worth defined solely by their relationships with their female counterparts. The Barbies likewise own all property; Stereotypical Barbie outright admits that she has no idea where the Kens actually live.

The Kens are not the only victims of this subjugation, either. Michael Cera’s Allan is frequently ignored and taken for granted—and despite his generally laid-back attitude, this casual disrespect clearly upsets him. And Kate McKinnon’s Weird Barbie is ostracized due to her failure to conform to her society’s beauty standards—a trait that she explicitly cannot control (her disheveled physical appearance is the result of being loved too dearly—and played with too roughly—by a previous owner).

This surprisingly nuanced meditation on the nature of power dynamics is further reinforced by the characters that our protagonist encounters in the Real World. The Mattel CEO portrayed by Will Ferrell, for example, is not actively malicious; indeed, he genuinely believes in the toys that his company manufactures, regurgitating the corporate mission statement of “inspiring children to dream” with absolute sincerity. His good intentions, however, do not absolve him of his complicity in a system that routinely marginalizes women; as evidenced by the fact that his board of directors is a veritable sausage fest, he still benefits from and perpetuates institutionalized misogyny. And rather than engaging in healthy self-reflection when confronted with incontrovertible proof his “invisible” privilege, he instead becomes uncomfortably defensive, his feeble justifications rapidly deteriorating into incoherent babbling: “I’m the son of a mother and the nephew of a female aunt! Some of my best friends are Jewish!”

Featuring stellar performances, spectacularly beautiful production design, and a gloriously irreverent tone, Barbie is an endearingly cute, fun, charming cinematic experience. To those viewers already converted to the cause that it champions, its central theme may come off as obnoxiously didactic and heavy-handed… but the alt-right’s ineffectually venomous reaction to the film makes it abundantly obvious that even a literal Deus Ex Machina is too subtle for certain audiences.

#Barbie #Greta Gerwig #Margot Robbie #Ryan Gosling #Michael Cera #Kate McKinnon #Will Ferrell #Helen Mirren #Warner Brothers #Warner Bros #Mattel #I am Kenough #comedy #film #writing #movie review

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jmalegni · 2 years ago

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Spirited Away

Wow, I am going to be honest, I did not go into this movie thinking that it would be an incredible experience. Initially, I had no idea what to expect, never heard of Studio Ghibli or Spirited Away at all and I thought it would be some generic kids movie. But I was so wrong.

I'll start with my impression of Chihiro, she starts as a scared girl who has just moved away from everything she had known. Her parents seem to not have much regard for her concerns either, especially when she is at an extremely vulnerable point in her life. I mean I can totally relate to her in this sense, as a child moving from all your friends, your home, your old school, and suddenly being expected to just fit into a completely foreign place is very upsetting. This along with both parents seeming to disregard her uncomfortableness with the theme park and them gorging on the suspicious food, paints Chihiro as a weak victim of her parents own desires. Now I understand that not everything a parent does needs to be catered toward their child but still, they are very much putting themselves first in this situation (even with the mother telling Chihiro to stop clinging to her!). However, after meeting Haku, and settling into Yubaba's resort/onsen she starts to become more confident. This is evident through the way she moves around, Lin initially yells at her for being a klutz because she is tripping and falling all the time, as she becomes accustomed to her new living conditions, she is able to run along pipes, and scale large walls. By the end of the movie, she is confident enough to pretty much face down Yubaba and win her parents back. I thought it was awesome to see her grow so much in this short period.

Now, I will get to No Face. This character really puzzled me for a while because I couldn't really find why he seemed to be so important in the story or why he was so attached to Chihiro. I came to interpret that No Face is a kind of representation of "the golden rule" you know, treating others the way you want to be treated. No Face is set apart from the other spirits right off the bat with how he notices Chihiro through Haku's spell on the bridge, as to why he can I do not know. But when No Face finally "confronts" Chihiro, she treats him kindly by inviting him to come inside from the rain. No Face then reflects this compassion by helping her get a bath tag that the foreman refused to give to her. Later on, No Face encounters the greedy staff who would do anything for the gold he could produce. In response, No Face becomes incredibly greedy and gluttonous but Chihiro doesn't care for the gold and when she encounters No Face in this form he ends up becoming ambivalent and returns to following Chihiro. Something I cannot pin down is why he decides to stay at Zeniba's house. No Face acted proper and polite just as he should of because of Zeniba's hospitality and politeness, but as Chiriho leaves he stays, why? The only reason I can think of is that No Face is still being polite and is respecting Zeniba's proposal to stay with her. Still though, No Face seemed like a central character to Chihiro, and all of the sudden he just doesn't care about Chihiro, I think its a little strange.

As I have hinted at before there is a consistent theme of greed and identity. The greed is primarily seen in Chihiro's parents and the staff, identity is a bit more nuanced. I would say that No Face itself is the antithesis of identity, it adopts the personality of whoever it comes into contact with. However, No Face is not the only character that has a huge focus on identity. Yubaba, Chihiro, and Haku's relationship revolves around identity. Yubaba specifically gains control via taking/reducing their names and wiping it from their memory. If that doesn't scream about the power of owning one's own identity, I don't know what does.

I feel that I have ranted enough for today, so thank you for suffering through that. Hopefully, I will be able to better organize my thoughts as the semester goes on. I will most definitely be recommending this to my friends and family. 9/10

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septembersghost · 2 years ago

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is Bates Motel scary? I'm a horror wimp but have been curious about it

i wouldn't say it's scary in a jump scare horror sense per se, most of the fear is very psychological, but i'd want to give you a dozen different trigger warnings if you're sensitive because it is very dark and deals with heavy themes. saying that sounds like a negative - it's not, i love the show, and like i said to the other anon, S4 is a beautifully done (elegiac, i recently used that word to describe something else, but it's apt here) season of television, though by nature as a prequel/reimagining a heartbreaking tragedy, and the entire show builds upon that and examines difficult topics. putting them under the cut, also light spoilers due to the subject matter.

huge trigger warnings for sexual assault, not only because there's a brutal instance of it in the pilot (you see it coming, that doesn't lessen how terrible it is), but it's not forgotten or avoidable, norma's life has been shaped by this. she's a sexual assault and abuse survivor through childhood, through marriage. her dynamic with norman is molded by this too, both due to her trauma influencing her as a mother and her closeness with him being predicated on this idea that he's the one man she can depend on and trust while he's simultaneously her baby that she wants to shield and protect. he witnesses her being physically and emotionally abused by his father (the most upsetting instance of this comes up in 4x06), which is the origin of his disassociative disorder. it goes without saying their dynamic is complicated and upsetting, her attachment to him and his fixation on her is not normal. their relationship is also tender and empathetic. they love one another in profound and terrible ways, theirs is the central unconventional dynamic of the show.

the sexual abuse norma has survived is probably the part i'd urge the most caution about, it's a topic i actually often avoid myself, but in this context it becomes a necessary part of understanding her. idk if you've ever watched dexter, but in S5 of that show, the arc deals with that theme (in a different way than here, but still, it's difficult), and the character affected by it is also one of my favorites, it's always been a rare example of a show where i felt the theme was handled very carefully and humanely rather than exploitatively. i feel the same way about norma (maybe excluding the pilot scene - which drives everything else that happens, so i can't say it's unnecessary to the plot, but it feels every bit as cruel as it is). and she is a survivor, she is not defined by her experiences, but they also linger with her continually. inc*st/csa is part of her backstory, and affects the present story in relation to another main character (i can't say more without totally spoiling a plot). a subtle undercurrent of her arc is also the casual cruelty men inflict and the damage of misogyny on so many women (some of which she's understandably internalized). she also weaponizes her sexuality and the thrall men feel towards her at times, which is not an uncommon response to the things she's been through, even though she doesn't like/blames herself for that.

there's a very sad accidental animal (dog) death in S1, which also ends up providing necessary story. norman gets into taxidermy, which we see instances of, but he never hurts animals himself, and he tends to the ones he preserves with a great amount of reverence and care. there's some body horror given what happens to norma and her ending up in the basement.

S1 is kind of a mess with a couple of subplots, but it improves immensely as it goes. (and i think the subplots end up serving the characters well in the end.)

obviously, given the source inspiration, there are murders, committed for various motives by various characters, so tw for violence/blood, brutal at times. matricide (it's not graphic at all, though). there's also some involvement in the drug trade.

norman's deteriorating mental health is a constant part of the narrative and it deals quite bluntly with how broken mental health care is and how difficult it is to get proper treatment (and how terrifying and dehumanizing that process can feel). it is deeply sad as we watch him get worse. so tw for depictions of mental illness, medical neglect (imo), depression, hallucinations, and suicidality.

hopefully that covers everything! i don't want this list to sound too awful, writing it out probably makes it sound worse than it is as an organic part of the story. it's worth watching, but you should always take care of yourself first!

#anonymous #letterbox #bates motel

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eurydicees · 4 years ago

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top 10 ouran manga-only arcs

this is going to be such a long post i apologize in advance. the ranking system has absolutely no criteria other than "does this pass my vibe check.” bonus points were awarded if i could think about tamakyo while reading it; points were also awarded every time tamaki did something cool. this was a delight to make. anyways, without further ado, here are my personal top ten favorites, and no i will not be taking criticism.

1. THE TAMAKI EXTRAVAGANZA

(vol 16 chp 73 - vol 18 chp 80)

PLOT:

So much happens here that I couldn’t think of an actual name, and uh does it count as a single arc? Probably not, but I’m counting it as one because it has a single thread: Tamaki. My beloved. So. First, Tamaki finally, finally, finally moves into Suoh mansion #1, but when he gets there, he gets told that he’s only allowed to study the Suoh business and go to school and nothing else— meaning he has to quit the host club. Shizue threatens to out Haruhi as a girl and ruin her reputation— possibly losing her the scholarship— if Tamaki doesn’t break off all ties with her.

The Host Club disbands. Kyoya begins an Investigation™ into Tamaki’s mother— she had been incredibly weak and unhealthy when Tamaki was a child, but when Kyoya met her, she was pretty healthy. After some sleuthing, the hosts minus Tamaki discover that she probably had Bisco Hatori’s fictional version of lupus, which was cured by a mysterious foundation— which they discover was run by the Grantaine family, funded by the Suoh corporation, and actually researched by the Ootori conglomerate. Literally everyone is in on it. It’s fucking wild. Like. Huge “holy fucking shit I need to stop and take a breath” moment.

This information is suddenly released to the public, and then the Suoh corporation all vote Shizue out of her position, saying that she’s no longer fit for the job. She locks herself in her room and refuses to speak to anyone, breaking Tamaki’s heart. But now that she’s no longer top dog, Anne-Sophie can come to Japan— Yuzuru is super hyped and expects Tamaki to be as well, not understanding that Tamaki’s family fantasy includes his grandmother. Tamaki stops going to school and plays piano every day in order to cheer up the house, eventually luring Shizue out to listen to him play their shared favorite songs from J-dramas.

They begin to bond and Shizue sees that he’s not a failure because of his parentage, but it’s too late because Anne-Sophie is about to fly back to France. All is hopeless.

EXCEPT THEN. All of the hosts and all of the clients realize what’s happening and rush to help him get to his mother. They all adore him so much, and give their all into getting Tamaki to the airport. Shizue finally encourages him to go, realizing— with the help of Haruhi— that she has been bitter and selfish and Tamaki deserves better. They rush to the airport, and through a series of shenanigans that are no match for the combined power of the hosts and every single girl at Ouran, Tamaki makes it to the airport. They make it there JUST in time, and Tamaki gets a five minute reunion with his mother. Haruhi finally confesses to Tamaki that she loves him.

WHY I LOVE IT:

oh my God oh my God oh my GOD. Like. This is just. So much. So Much. We all know that I’m like. The #1 Fan of Tamaki Suoh. Like. President, vice president, treasurer, and secretary of the fan club, all at once. I love him so much, and this just gives him so much development. There is so much opportunity for him to grow and you not only really see who he is as a character, but you also see how much he’s grown as a person from his first introduction. You also get more of a glimpse into the world of Rich People, and the way that all of their families interact with each other, and then also with the way that they interact within their families. It’s just such an intense arc and it’s so beautiful and I love it so much.

2. THE SPORTS COMPETITION

(vol 10 chp 46 - vol 11 chp 49)

PLOT:

This one is HARD to rank, because I love it, but it also Hurts. Like. I genuinely cried over this one, though that’s not actually saying much because I cry at everything. So. Here’s what’s up. Tamaki gets into this idea of a sports festival, and then Kuze wanders in to fight Kyoya again, so Tamaki suggests a competition between the two of them. This is a very Tamaki thing to do, but Kyoya gets fed up with it and refuses to participate— until Kuze accuses him of being “Suoh’s pet” and that he’ll always let Tamaki win, and then Kyoya gets fired the fuck up.

But he’s still bitter at Tamaki for starting this, so the two of them stop talking and my heart breaks. This does not stop Tamaki from having heart eyes for Kyoya 24/7. Hikaru and Kaoru are assigned to competing teams, and begin their Very Long Journey into not being so codependent— Hikaru is on the red team with Tamaki, Haruhi, and Kuze; Kaoru is on the white team with Kyoya and Honey.

Essentially, each team goes through rounds of races in different areas that are like. Complete bullshit games, but whatever. It’s Rich People World. The white team gets ahead; the red team performs a scene from a Shakespeare show to rally their losing team together and begins to win, until they’re on even footing. The final race is between Kyoya and Tamaki.

There’s a heartbreaking series of panels of Tamaki just… thinking about Kyoya. I cannot get enough of it. Then there’s an even more heartbreaking series of panels of Kyoya just… thinking about Tamaki. You realize, alongside the other hosts, that Tamaki pushed for this race not really for benefit or fun, but to give Kyoya a chance to compete in something for real, without having to set it up so that Tamaki wins (as we see in the race for the central salon). It’s a chance for him to win and not put his family first. Tamaki still tried his best, because Kyoya would hate him if he threw the race, but he lost because Kyoya fought with the intention of winning for HIMSELF, and not just playing support to Tamaki or impressing his father.

Finally, in the last panel, it’s revealed that the class trip will be to France.

WHY I LOVE IT:

God it burns so good. So Good. The Tamakyo, the Hikaru & Kaoru character growth, the Kyoya development, the Tamaki being so so so good, the Kyoya being so brilliant, everything oh my lord. This is really one of the biggest points of Kyoya’s character development, and it’s the first place I’m going to point to when thinking accurately about who he is as a person. It shows who he is, and who he believes he is, and who he wants to be, and who other people see him as. It’s also just a Tamakyo goldmine, even though they don’t ever actually talk. It’s so beautiful and it makes me cry.

3. THE ORIENTEERING RACE

(vol 14 chp 66 - vol 15 chp 68)

PLOT:

In an attempt to make Tamaki realize that the hosts all love him just as much as he loves them, the hosts sans Tamaki put together an orienteering race. There are six checkpoints, each one with a task to be completed in order to get an ingredient that will make the best meal at the end of the race.

Hikaru and Kaoru play the return of the “Which one is Hikaru?” game, knowing that Tamaki has been able to tell them apart for a while by now; Nekozawa’s checkpoint is a quiz on cursed items, knowing that Tamaki is familiar with Beelzenef; Honey’s checkpoint is a game of whack-a-mole with little mini Usa-chans, knowing that Tamaki isn’t afraid of making him upset over a game, though all the girls are; Mori’s is a sword slicing thing to show that Tamaki will never give up on something; Haruhi’s is a “tell the truth or never pass” kind of thing; and Kyoya’s is a crossword puzzle of all the answers made up of things from previous club themes.

Tamaki pairs up with Konoya— who is in love with him and is the “perfect Haruhi” trope— and realizes that she’s incredibly different from Haruhi, and that he loves Haruhi for who she is and not who he thought he wanted her to be. He also realizes that— because the hosts have gone through all of this for him— they do love him for who he is, no matter what, no matter the bad parts of his personality, and they’re never leaving him.

WHY I LOVE IT:

Look. We know that anything about Tamaki is gonna make me happy. I am a simple woman and so easy to please. This is literally just three chapters about how much all of the hosts love Tamaki and want him to be happy. I cannot express in words how rewarding it is to watch Tamaki realize how important he is and how much he’s loved— because he is loved, he’s so loved, he’s so so so loved. This is also the arc with the building block / building a home metaphor, and it destroyed me both physically and emotionally (vol 14 chp 66). This is where the found family is really solidified, and we all love a good dosage of found family.

4. RACE FOR THE CENTRAL SALON / THE SCHOOL FAIR

(vol 6 chp 22 - vol 6 chp 26)

PLOT:

This is where the anime diverges from the manga, and I have to say that this version of the school fair is just so much better than the anime version. Like. Just So Much Better. Basically, the club is setting up for the school fair, and the best spot to set up— essentially, the spot that will get the most foot traffic form the parents— is in the central salon. To figure out which club is going to get the spot, they all compete in a literal race, both mind games and physical games and it just slaps overall.

The b-plot is that the Host Club is getting threatening letters telling them to drop out of the race, alongside blank papers that are sent with the notes; the hosts have to figure out who is sending the notes and confront it. This is the arc that introduces both Kuze and Yuzuru Suoh for the first time. Kuze is captain of the football team and Kyoya’s rival and also definitely his secret ex-boyfriend. Chairman Suoh is… just. A lot. Just. That’s it. A Lot. He’s A Lot.

Anyways, part of the winning race is capturing this crown that’s hidden on campus, which turns out to be at a swimming pool. The football team gets there at the same time as Haruhi, and Kuze pushes her into the pool and goes for the crown. Kyoya and Tamaki reach her at the same time— Tamaki’s instinct is to go for Haruhi, but Kyoya tells him to get the crown and thus the glory of winning, while Kyoya rescues Haruhi.

Later, it turns out that Yuzuru was sending the blank papers with harmless messages written in invisible ink as a prank to emphasize the literal hate mail that the hosts were getting. The follow up to the race is the actual school fair, where we meet Yoshio and Shizue. Fuck Shizue, not even going to get into that right now because I WILL cry, but just know that it’s even worse than it is in the anime. Yoshio, though, is eons better in the manga than in the anime— he is genuinely proud of Kyoya and says that he actually wouldn’t mind appointing Kyoya as heir.

WHY I LOVE IT:

Volume 6 does SO MUCH for Kyoya and Tamaki and we all know that I’m ride or die for the two of them. Kyoya finally gets a chance to shine as team leader and it’s what he deserves! Tamaki takes a little more of a backseat, which I don’t even mind, because Kyoya does such a good job of pulling attention here. The scene at the swimming pool is just so good— it really shows the huge amount of trust between Tamaki and Kyoya, and does a good job of setting up the relationship they need to have as Rich People, outside of their friendship, which is something that we don’t see a lot of. Overall, it’s a very Kyoya-centric arc, and it does amazing things for the development of his character and personality. It’s one of the biggest insights into how he functions as a kind of mastermind for the club. We also finally get Tamaki’s full-ish backstory, which genuinely makes me cry every time.

5. THE HITACHIIN FAMILY

(vol 10 chp 45 / vol 11 chp 51 - vol 12 chp 53)

PLOT:

So this is technically two plot lines, but I’m going to count it as one because it’s all about the twins, my loves. In vol 10 chp 45, we get a little insight into the life of the Hitachiin family and why the twins are as fucked up as they are. Quick rundown— their parents can tell them apart but pretend not to for whatever godforsaken reason; Kaoru admits he’s in love with Haruhi for the first time and Hikaru remains oblivious; Kaoru begins to realize how unhealthy he and Hikaru’s relationship is and how, one day, they aren’t going to be able to have all of the same things; there’s a cookie metaphor; Tamaki gets lost in the Hitachiin manion; it’s all a good time.

In volumes 11 and 12, we begin the actual split between the twins, where they realize that they can’t stay the way that they are forever. They can’t be one person forever. They realize this in a fight over Haruhi, where Hikaru suggests they “share” her as a sister, and Kaoru rightfully thinks this is bullshit. They get in their first— and only— genuinely real argument. Hikaru breaks down in Mori’s house, Kaoru breaks down at Honey’s place, literally no one is happy and I am crying.

Kaoru asks Haruhi out on a date, and then ends the date by explaining that he could never date her knowing that it would be hurting Hikaru. Haruhi is, understandably, very confused by this whole thing, and no one is telling her anything.

Kaoru then makes up with Hikaru, saying that he’ll give up on trying to pursue Haruhi, but tells him that they actually do need to live separate lives at some point— and that point might as well be now. He wants to break apart entirely, but Hikaru explains that while they need to break apart in a lot of ways and find their own identities, they can never fully forget each other. They agree that they can influence and love each other without depending on each other for a personality.

They keep up the incest ACT at the club, though. Bisco Hatori couldn’t manage to write her way out of that one.

WHY I LOVE IT:

So this one just. Really hits home for me. It’s a genuinely heart wrenching arc, and the progression of the whole thing was just so slow and so steady and it was so well done. The twins are two of my favorite characters in the show/manga, and their relationship is something that I can analyze for days, and this arc is a huge part of why it’s so interesting. It does amazing things for both of them as developing characters, but it does even more amazing things for their character growth as people. It also provides a nice catalyst for the Hikaru/Tamaki/Haruhi love triangle. Anyways, it made me cry and apparently that’s my only criteria.

6. THE FRANCE ARC

(vol 10 chp 46 - vol 12 chp 56)

PLOT:

On the Ouran 2nd year school trip to France, Kyoya decides he’s going to spend the trip searching for Tamaki’s mother, rather than spending it with the other students. He works himself to death trying to find her— he ends up literally falling asleep on the ground because he’s so exhausted from searching and taking literally no breaks. Kyoya finds her eventually, and has a really nice conversation with her— she has a bunch of photos of Tamaki, and clearly is constantly thinking about him. When he gets back to Japan, he tells Tamaki about her— about how beautiful she is, about how she smiles, about how she thinks of her son every day.

We get more of Tamaki’s backstory, and his close relationship from his mother and how his mantra— living life in Japan to the fullest and being as happy as he can be every day— all comes from his mother. She told him that she’s happiest when he’s smiling, and so when he leaves her behind in France, he decides to be smiling every day and make everyone around him smile as well.

While Kyoya is in France, Tamaki stays behind in Japan— he gets closer to his father, who offers to begin to train him to take over the Suoh business. He visits Haruhi, and tells her a little bit about his life in France, and Haruhi’s love for Tamaki begins to make an appearance for the first time.

WHY I LOVE IT:

So I went into this list thinking that this would be my favorite plot, so it’s wild to me that it didn’t even make the top five. It’s kind of weird and I didn’t expect it, but I’m still satisfied with this list. Anyways, I really love this one, even if it’s not the top five. It’s like. The ultimate Tamakyo story, and there’s just. There’s just so much to unpack there. Like. We don’t have time for me to go through the whole thing and analyze every part of it because there’s just so much of it. It’s so good, and it makes my heart grow three sizes. It’s another brilliant development piece for Kyoya, and shows his softer side, as well as just how much he loves Tamaki.

7. MORI AND HONEY GRADUATE

(vol 15 chp 71 - vol 16 chp 72)

PLOT:

Honey and Mori announce that, after graduation, they’ll be splitting up and going to different universities. This proceeds to emotionally destroy literally everyone except for them. Mori is challenged to a series of duels at the Kendo club in which he has to fight every underclassman who wants the honor of fighting him before he graduates. He’s exhausted and worn down, and he loses to a second year, which is bad for like. Honor reasons. RIP. Anyways. He reveals that he’s just been really worried about something but before he can tell anyone, he has to duel Honey. It hurts.

They start preparing for the fight— which Kyoya is capitalizing off of via movie rights and betting rings— and scare everyone that they’re going to never speak again. When the fight comes, they fight on the Windswept Hill™ at Ouran (the same place that Chika and Honey fight on way back when). They go for it and pull no punches, until Honey tries to do a flying kick and Mori catches him and gently places him outside of the boundaries of the fighting ring, thus winning the duel.

Because he won, he pulls out a sheet of paper in which he’s written down all of the things that Honey needs to do in university because Mori isn’t going to be there to take care of him: brush his teeth, cut down the cake by 90%, and stop bringing Usa-chan to classes. Mori felt that he didn’t have the right to tell him these things until they were on equal level because he had won the duel.

They make up and everything is okay— they graduate, everyone cries, including me. Kasanoda gives Mori flowers, it’s all very cute. Haruhi makes cookies, and when Tamaki goes running down the hallway to find her, they bump into each other and drop all of the cookies. While they’re picking them up, they share the classic ~accidental kiss~.

WHY I LOVE IT:

This is one of the only Honey & Mori-centric plotlines that gets fully fleshed out and like. More than a chapter. It really does lovely things for their relationship, and it’s the end of an era. Even though it’s the end of an era, though, the resolution is incredibly satisfying— Honey and Mori’s stories are wrapping up, but it’s really well done. It’s sad, but it’s a really rewarding ending. They’re such sweet boys. Also, it’s not like they’re gone forever, so it’s all okay.

8. REIKO x HONEY

(vol 10 chp 41)

PLOT:

Reiko is part of the Black Magic Club, and falls in love with Honey when he gives her a hand in getting up after she trips over Usa-chan. However, she believes that falling in love with Honey is equivalent to him “stealing her soul,” and so she uses “curses” to steal his soul back. These curses are basically just love spells.

In the end, Honey tells her to just, like, be herself. Talk about her interests. Get to know him. Be honest. Then she won’t need love spells to make him like her. Even if she messes up or is awkward or says something weird, he’ll still like her because she’s being true to herself. This is one of the only Honey-centric chapters, and Reiko is one of my favorite side characters.

WHY I LOVE IT:

They’re the OG goth x pastel couple. The blueprint for all other couples. Icons. I love them so much. This makes it on the list just because I love their relationships. I also love the whole Moral Of The Story, in that it’s important to be true to yourself. It’s so sweet it hurts.

9. HARUHI AND TAMAKI’S FIRST DATE

(vol 18 chp 81 - vol 18 chp 82)

PLOT:

So. Right after the two of them confess their love to each other, everyone expects them to get together and be a couple right away, but Haruhi is just kinda chilling. She’s not super stressed about dating, it’s just a relief to have said it out loud. Meanwhile, Tamaki is kind of a mess, stressing out over their first date and trying to make it as perfect as he possibly can. Seeing him so stressed, all of the hosts band together to help him out in planning a date. When Tamaki finally gets up the nerve to ask her out, he falls in the fountain and Haruhi has to fish him out. She’s then the one to ask him out to the amusement park.

In true Tamaki fashion, he gets incredibly stressed out again. He gets fashion advice from a series of unfashionable people. The hosts sneak around the amusement park and follow them around, finding out that it’s actually going really well, as long as they’re not interfering. After the Lobelia girls show up and try to sabotage the date, Tamaki and Haruhi run away— while Kyoya Handles™ the situation— and they go to her mother’s grave. There, it’s revealed that Haruhi will be going on an exchange program to America.

WHY I LOVE IT:

It’s just. So cute. Like. I’m Tamakyo for life, but I do adore them so much. It’s lower on the list because of the sheer amount of second hand embarrassment, but overall, I loved reading this one. Tamaki is just so genuine and earnest about everything he does, and I think these chapters do a lot to show why the two of them work as a couple. It also does lovely characterization points for Haruhi, and begins to wrap up the ending. Bonus points for a jealous and heartbroken Kyoya.

10. PRINCESS MICHELLE

(vol 9 chp 38 - vol 9 chp 39)

PLOT:

Princess Michelle comes to Ouran to do a week of school in Japan. After meeting her, Tamaki essentially puts him and the Host Club at her beck and call, doing anything that he can to make her happy, no matter how insanely extravagant her demands are. Everyone else finds this infuriating, until Kyoya points out that Michelle looks similar to Tamaki’s mother, saying that the last time Tamaki saw his mother, she was crying— and if he sees Michelle smile for real, it might help him picture his mother smiling again.

Overall, it’s just a very soft arc that begins to unfold Tamaki’s family-related trauma. It also kickstarts Tamaki’s realization that he’s in love with Haruhi and doesn’t actually have paternal feelings for her (that’s the whole next chapter, but make it funny rather than introspective); and it’s one of the moments that Haruhi realizes that Tamaki is genuinely just a good person.

WHY I LOVE IT:

I wasn’t sure that this one would make the list at all, but I do really love this story. It’s pretty short, just two chapters, but it’s overall really sweet. I like Michelle as a character a lot— she seems a bit like a bitch at the beginning, but she gets fleshed out and given an actual personality as the chapter goes on. It’s a really good example of Bisco Hatori’s writing.

HONORARY MENTIONS:

Mei (character): probably the most significant character in the manga that doesn’t appear at all in the anime, which is pretty tragic, but I think that the anime really wanted to emphasize that Haruhi doesn’t really have any female friends / friends outside of the hosts. But anyways, she’s Misuzu’s daughter and Haruhi’s friend; she’s lowkey transphobic but she’s getting better! Had a brief crush on Tamaki but she ends with being the #1 Tamaharu stan. Great friend to Haruhi.

The masquerade ball: Haruhi's going away party, and the reveal that she's a girl.

Haruhi gets kidnapped: Haruhi is kidnapped and held for ransom, the hosts find her and break down doors to get there.

#ohshc #ouran manga #ouran koukou host club #ouran high school host club #ouran liveblog #ouran #ouran high school host club manga #please rb this i worked SO HARD on it #also please add your opinions #there are a few different lists that are valid. and many that are not.#i will vibe check your lists if you post them

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carewyncromwell · 3 years ago

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Maybe part of the reason JC shies away from utilizing Duncan more is, not only does he know too much WHICH HE DOES, but any development into his character would just be too dark for the game. Anything past his "im dead lol" jokes just gets... depressing. This is a kid who was murdered in a very painful way with no hope for the future. Everyone he loves will die and leave him alone forever. Is this level dark stuff allowed in a kids game? Part 1

Whew! Okay, so first off, wow! Very interesting sidequest idea for Duncan. Thank you so much for sharing it with me!

But to your first point, at the very top...this is kind of one of my biggest problems with Jam City and its writing. “Is this level dark stuff allowed in a kids game?” And my counterpoint would be it should be.

Look -- I work at a Disney theme park. I work with kids every single day. And from my experience, I can say with certainty that kids are a helluva lot more intelligent and reasonable than a lot of adults give them credit for. They know that terrible things happen in the world, and they know that the world isn’t always fair. And there would be ways to use Duncan’s character where he doesn’t have to be doomed to watch everyone he grows to care about fade away forever -- who says he couldn’t find some measure of peace through his friendship with MC and Jacob and be able to finally pass on into the next life knowing he really did make an impact? That’s what I plan to do in my headcanon version of events.

And for that matter, this game is not played by very young children -- it’s geared for 12+, as in the audience that Harry Potter as a franchise was always geared toward. And I’m sorry, but for all of J.K.’s faults as a writer, she never doubted that young people could handle dark subject matter like murder, bigotry, etc. without being coddled. We’ve already watched MC’s friends get Imperiused and tortured. We’ve already watched a character we got emotionally invested in at the very beginning of the game get brutally murdered before our very eyes. Yes, maybe it was upsetting, but that’s the POINT. Stories shouldn’t just be fluffy and inconsequential all the time. I can’t help but feel like the vast majority of the sidequests as of late have suffered because they have so little of substance or stakes behind them, even compared to what came previously -- and honestly, even the main storyline since mid-year 6 has petered out to nothing because R is busy doing things like dropping off random magical creatures from around the globe in Britain and apparently putting memory potions in haircare products rather than doing things a real Cabal would do. It doesn’t feel like some grand plan or conspiracy, or even like some well-planned distractions while R does more evil things on the side, since we don’t get any evidence R is actually USING those things to do anything more serious, like getting access to classified Ministry intelligence or killing people. (Instead they steal one Portkey, and the Ministry doesn’t even bother to find out where it’s Charmed to go, since that might be a pretty big hint about their true intentions. I mean, there’s a bloody CHARM to turn things into Portkeys, you don’t need to steal specific objects to turn them into a Portkey.) It feels like some rabble-rousers causing trouble for the government, a la Carmen Sandiego stealing random pieces of world history for the thrill of it, not a group trying to destroy or overthrow anything or terrorize people to get their way. Young Harry Potter fans could digest the Death Eaters back in the day -- they could handle R being more of a real threat, just as they could accept other types of dark subject matter. They could handle discussion of PTSD post-Redacted -- Harry goes through some of that in Order of the Phoenix. They could handle a discussion about bigotry and prejudice -- that’s one of the central themes of the original Potter books. They could handle both Duncan and Jacob being sort of stuck out of time after dying prematurely and coming back as a ghost and being stuck in a portrait for so many years -- that same sort of thing happens to Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers in the MCU, and plenty of young adults watch the MCU.

I understand doing anything with Duncan could be “depressing” if not properly balanced out, but you know, being sad isn’t a crime. It’s part of being human. I frankly think getting a real emotional reaction for a character you created should be a welcome thing, rather than a half-hearted shrug like the vast majority of these recent sidequests have prompted out of me. It means that people actually care about the characters you’ve created -- go figure.

As well -- I don’t think Duncan “knows too much,” personally. I know this game is called Hogwarts Mystery, but it can’t be a real mystery if we don’t have tools that could allow us to start putting the big picture together ourselves. Again, for all of her faults, Rowling understood this as a writer. We could put together, with all the info we got about Snape throughout the books, that him killing Dumbledore wasn’t because he was truly evil all along. We could put together that Rita Skeeter was an illegal Animagus, like we learned the Marauders were a book prior. We could put together that Harry was a Horcrux, based on what we learned about Horcruxes and Harry’s connection with Voldemort. And maybe having someone who could help us get a better picture of what R wants would help us better define these antagonists we’re facing and develop them into a real threat, instead of this vague red-robed shadow that honestly just seems to do random things for the hell of it rather than as part of some grand plan. I understand not understanding someone in small doses can make them intimidating, but it also makes them less fleshed-out and developed as characters and makes it harder for us to care about whether they get what they want or not. As they say, a hero is only as good as one’s villain.

#ask me #lol recycled art #duncan ashe #opinion #hphm #hogwarts mystery #jam city #goddamn it jam city #opinon #now you see why i have the tag 'oh boy here i go' on my home blog

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megashadowdragon · 4 years ago

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whats the point of yamato

comments on youtube

Here's my take: the Wano Arc is about the "burden of inherited will." By this I mean something like, the burden of upholding the promises and dreams of those who came before. We've seen inherited will as an unambiguously good thing in the series so far, but the Wano Arc is trying to complicate the narrative, by showing what a burden it can be to take on the dreams of those who came before. And this theme isn't just in one storyline, it's laced throughout the Wano Arc, in the motivations of so many characters: * We have Momo struggling with the burden of living up to his father's legacy as a leader, and the burden of the throne of Wano. He's anguished over this, he weeps, because it's a burden to live up to someone as great as his father. * In Oden's flashback, we seem him struggle with the burden of his own father's dreams (that he become the Shogun, settle down, etc), only for him to eventually return and take on the burden of the country (literally, he puts his followers on his back!). * We have the Scabbards struggling with the burden of achieving Oden's dream of opening Wano's borders. They spend twenty years waiting and suffering, or travel across the sea and suffer, all for the sake of their leader's dream. We see Ashura-doji grow bitter under this burden, we see Denjiro mentally break, we see Kine'mon refuse to have a joyful reunion with his wife, all because they suffer under the burden of an inherited dream. * Orochi felt compelled to uphold the will of his ancestors and depose the Kozukis and throw the country into ruin. There's a reason we see his ancestors basically manipulate him into pursuing his path. They pass on their dream to him. * So obviously we have Luffy also taking on the dream of Oden, to defeat Kaido and Orochi, etc. But it's not a coincidence that in this arc we have two characters to whom Ace made promises: Tama and Yamato. They've become part of Luffy's burden, because he inherited Ace's will. (That's one way Yamato fits in) * But we also have Yamato struggling under the burden of a will she does not want to inherit, her father's. He wants her to be imprisoned, literally chained to a will that is not her own. That's quite the burden, I'd say. But there's another will she would prefer to inherit, obviously: Oden's. I think in the conclusion of this arc, we'll see characters (Luffy, probably) say something about inherited will being something chosen, it has to be a burden you choose to bear, not one forced on you. Yamato will probably feature in this conclusion in a few ways: (1) as a character foil to Momonosuke. It's not a coincidence that they're the exact same age and each want to take on the will that was forced on the other. Momo was swept across the world and travelled with Luffy in order to fulfill his role as Oden's son, but he wants to be Shogun. He takes on Kaido's appearance (via his Devil Fruit). Yamato was chained to Onigashima, and wanted nothing more to escape and travel the world with Luffy, but Kaido wants her to become the Shogun. She takes on Oden's appearance. The arc will conclude with something about Yamato and Momo freely entrusting each other with the dreams of their fathers, or something. (2) as a feature in Luffy choosing to uphold Ace's will. By taking her with him and reaffirming a promise with Tama, we'll see Luffy choose to take on Ace's will. In this way, we'll see that what makes a will truly inherited isn't a bond of blood or destiny, it's a bond of friendship, trust, et cetera. Yamato's storyline will be used to punctuate that theme for Luffy and Momo, the actual central characters of this arc.

I feel like Yamato’s storyline is learning about inherited will and not having to actually be someone (Oden) to carry on their will/dreams.

Hannya, which Yamato’s mask is based on, are well known in Japanese theatrical stage culture for representing characters who are the physical manifestation of twisted female souls.

Yamato seems to be inspired by Oscar François de Jarjayes, from the shōjo manga The Rose of Versailles, who is a woman raised by her father as if she were a boy in order to succeed him as the commander of the Royal Guard at the Palace of Versailles.

an authors comment for chapter 945 oda talked about how he read rose of versailles and was surprised oscar was a woman

The Shogun must be a male of Seiwa Genji lineage according to Japanese history so this explains why she is referred to as son. Oda based Yamato on 2 people. 1) Yamato Takeru a crossdressing Japanese prince and 2) Oscar from Rose of Versailles. Yamato Takeru being the son of Emperor Keiko who crossdressed to kill his enemies. Oscar being a girl raised as a boy to succeed the throne. Oda is mixing Japanese folklore with Rose of Versailles to tell a story of Kaido trying to force his daughter to be the Shogun/a boy. Do you think I rip this from nowhere? Chapter 945 if I recall correctly on VIZ Oda is on the authors comments speaking on Rose of Versailles. Yamato wears a Hannya mask which originates from Noh theater and represents female obsession (Oden obsession) and I bet this arc has a theme of deliverance. Not just deliverance from physical chains but familial bonds as well. The people who refer to her as “he” miss the underlying themes the Shogun must be male and Kaido is probably upset he has no actual son. Yamato does not want to be the Shogun and referring to the last chapter Kaido is trying to tell her what her fate is. The Vivre Cards will not say (Male Heart) like in close reference to Kiku’s card and she will not come out and say “I am a man at heart!” She uses the pronoun boku which is ambiguous and abnormal which is in reference to the “Oden” funny delusional act she has going on. Coming chapters will reveal this more and more. Since the combination of the title card saying daughter -> the Hannya mask -> explosive cuffs and the Shogun theme it was clear she was being bruteforced into something.

Not trying to speak for everyone here, but to say people use "he" because they don't pick up on themes is simply not the case. People use "he/him" pronouns because so far in the story, that is how Yamato has made clear that he would like to be referred to and so people use he/him pronouns out of respect for those desires. I'm not trying to say at all that I disagree with the themes/connections you've mentioned, but to say that you've "cracked the code" and you know better than Yamato on how they should be gendered is disrespectful to them. It may well be the case that everything you said is true and that by the end of the arc Yamato will wish to be referred to with she/her pronouns, but like I said to just assume this before it actually happens is disrespectful. Imagine refusing to use he/him pronouns for a trans-man because you know that their father always wanted a son and assuming their desire to use these pronouns only exists to validate their fathers wishes. I'm not trying to draw a one to one equivalence with this example, I get that One Piece is a story where information does just exist but is introduced with a specific purpose, I just hope I can better explain why many people believe he/him are the correct pronouns to use for Yamato at this time. Frankly, I think the presence of Kiku as a trans-women in this arc might be odas way of setting up the exact scenario you mentioned with yamato while still making sure he doesn't come across as invalidating trans identities. Hopefully that makes sense. Again I'm not trying to be argumentative, only trying explain why many people believe it is more respectful to use he/him pronouns at this time for yamato DESPITE the themes you've mentioned.

Quick fact check: Oscar wasn't raised as a boy to succeed the throne, she was a raised as a boy to become commander of the royal guards

This might not be accurate as I'm just saying off the top of my head but in a way, Yamato might represent wano itself. She was chained up and abused by Kaido like he does to wano in a sense.

Yamato is literally old name of Japan, lol

Yamato by taking Oden legacy she is impersonating the man who's the main representation of wano to the world

On a larger scale we are fighting to save wano from kaido

On a individual scale Yamato who disguises as Oden who represents wano is fighting to save herself from kaido

It's like NAMI all over again

A girl who is representing an entire population and territory is fighting to save herself and the people and territory she represents from a fish that keeps her and her territory enslaved

Her not being part of the mainland is symbolic to Wano exactly lol, isolated from the other world and chained there by Kaido for decades. She, like the people of Wano, has this black and white perception of Oden that they blindly follow without looking into why he did what he did. Even now people are putting Momo on some pedestal worth dying for without understanding who he is, similar to their past expectations of Oden for his dad. Yamato is doing the same with her declaration of dying for him based solely on his dad and the stuff in the journal.

Yamato's development seems to fall in parallel to Momo. Momo had to deal with the expectations of being Oden's son and his people want him to be just like Oden they don't see Momonosuke Kozuki.

On the other hand Yamato similarly was thrust with a path set by Kaido her father but wants to be Oden this person who inspired Yamato to the point of worship that every action is posed with the question "what would Oden do."

The climax of both their arcs might be to just choose to be who they are and act as they would do not as their predecessors as they both could never be Oden for instance.

I sort of dislike how some people act like Yamato realizing not to “be oden” and Yamato joining the strawhats are mutually exclusive

if yamato does join the strawhats and is the 11th that would confirm the idea that yamato isnt trans she just cosplays as oden due to idolizing him if you believe the MFMM theory due to people noticing that in east blue the recruitment went zoro, nami, usopp, and sanji in grand line it was chopper, robin, franky and brook a male female male male .

jinbe is the 10th who joined in new world ( the male ) and it fits for him to be followed by the 11th a woman . ( so if yamato joins the strawhats and is the 11th ( meaning carrot doesnt join) yamato isnt trans

if yamato and carrot both join then yamato really is a transman

both okiku and yamato wore hannya masks

after okiku put on a hannya mask she revealed that she was a man in body but a woman in heart and a hannya mask represents female demon

yamato was introduced as kaidos son while in a hannya mask but after she took it off revealed she was his daughter

"Yamato" (大和やまと?), meaning "Great Harmony", is an ancient name for Japan (originating from the Yamato Province) and can can also refer to the Yamato period of Japanese history, which lasted into the 8th century. Relating to that, Yamato is the dynastic name of the ruling Imperial House of Japan and further refers to the dominant ethnic group of Japan, the Yamato people. Otherwise:

Yamato Takeru is a legendary Japanese prince of the Yamato dynasty, prominent in mythology.

Yamato is the name of a prominent WWII-era Japanese battleship.

Yamato nadeshiko is a phrase that refers to the idealized image of a Japanese female.

#one piece #op yamato #one piece yamato #one piece meta #op meta

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chessdaze · 4 years ago

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Happy Halloween!! ...I mean Valentines Day!

I started like a 6 page comic last year for Halloween but it was around the time my mental health was REALLY getting bad so I never finished it and I still don’t have the motivation too. so instead I cleaned up and colored one (and the best) page from the comic and I wrote a small fic for it instead! Time to give you guys some Quinn lore! I hope you enjoy!

“I wasn’t sure at first….” Edelweiss started, looking over the other residence of the dorm gathered in the main foyer, “But the mafia theme was a good idea, Heaven.”

“Right!” The upperclassmen beamed above her, crossing her arms and puffing her chest out in pride. “Everyone looks great!”

Truthfully the rest of the residence had had much of a say in the idea - because once Heaven has an idea, it’s hard to get her convinced otherwise. Some at least agreed to the idea readily, and started planning out the event the dorm would hold - which was a play of sorts around two opposing mafia families, written by Edelweiss herself. The looks down at her own outfit, a simple black suit with a frilly blouse and a pocket watch with the initials for the dorm on them connected to her bright red bow instead of a tie. It was decided that those who lived on her side of the dorm would wear red ties, and those on the opposite side would wear blue ties. Simple but effective. But, that begged the question…

“Nevaeh!” The girl jumped slightly at her name being called so loudly. No one else in the foyer seemed to bat an eye, Edelweiss yelling had become commonplace. Nevaeh and Heaven were wearing nearly identical outfits, like the twins they are, black suits, respective colored ties, their clips pinning back some of their hair also have the respective colors - and their hair pulled back the exact same way. If they weren’t wearing the different colors, one wouldn’t be able to tell them apart at all.

“Y-Yeah…?” Nevaeh laughed nervously, which already tipped Edelweiss off to the answer of the question she had yet to ask, but she does so anyways as she steps up to the other twin.

“Where is Quinn?! We have a schedule to keep and I told them to be on time, today of all days!”

Not only for the event, but for the so-called ‘halloween carnival’ the school was having in general. The dorm representatives had jobs to explain what event their dorm was hosting and lead people to the area in which it would take place. There was still time before the school opened their gates, of course, but Edelweiss was not going to be late (not this time, she refused).

“Um, well, she, they’re--” Nevaeh stumbles over her words, which causes both Edelweiss and Heaven to raise an eyebrow at her. Definitely not typical Nevaeh behavior. But with them so focused on Nevaeh and her reaction, they missed someone else approaching the group completely.

“Right here, Edelweiss.” a familiar voice said, placing a hand on Nevaeh’s shoulder. They all looked towards the direction of the voice, and any profanity that Edelweiss would have said aloud was thankfully covered by a loud chime of one of the many clocks throughout the dorm.

Quinn was definitely there alright, head to toe in everything not on Edelweiss’s specific outline for the outfits for today - except for the color and pocket watch. The blue kimono looked beautiful on them, no doubt about it. Despite the rather steampunk-ish nature of them, with prints of gears on the kimono and on the hair pieces holding Quinn’s long hair in a bun and also dangling off the side of their face, the gear pieces catching the light and them looking even more beautiful as a result. The corset they wore instead of the traditional ties for kimonos hugged their waist unlike the former. Belts hung around their waist too and it was then it was noticed that instead of multiple layers of the kimono, they were wearing dark pants and black boots underneath it. If they were going for a steampunk look, they definitely nailed it. On a normal day, Edelweis might have entertained the idea of complimenting their outfit. On a normal day, but this was no such day and instead her face went red with anger.

“Sorry I’m late,” Quinn says so nonchalantly, closing the fan they had been holding in front of their face. Oh they had a fan now?! “It takes forever to change into this. Did I miss anything?”

There’s a moment of silence between the group, aside from Nevaeh’s nervous, flustered, laughter. Heaven was blushing as well but looked more confused or bewildered. And Edelweiss? Was just angry. Quinn was always like this! Ugh!

“What’s with that outfit?!” Edelweiss finally snapped, the twins parting and standing behind her, having their own quiet conversation while she yelled.

“Hm?” Quinn tilted their face so innocently, holding the tip of the fan up to her lips. “Whatever do you mean? It’s Halloween and--”

“Don’t be a smartass with me. You know what I mean!” She gestured to the twins behind her, who were still having some kind of silent sibling conversation. “I had put out a specific dress code! We all have to look unified for the play! Your outfit is--”

Suddenly it was like the temperature in the whole dorm dropped as Quinn moved their fan back down to their side and away from their face. Other students finally stopped in their tracks to see the conversation happening, inching backwards to not get caught in the crossfire of whatever was about to happen. Edelweiss felt a shiver down her back as she felt the red anger drain from her face when Quinn looked down at her - a heavy shadow casting over their visible eye.

“Are you saying my outfit looks bad?” Quinn asked, in such a tone that no one in the dorm has heard them use before. It was stiff, serious, intimidating-- “Well, Coney?” Quinn only used people’s last names when he was upset too.

“Well, uh, no! Th-The outfit is fine…” There she goes, folding into herself as fear is shown across her face and she stumbles a few steps backwards. “It’s great, even! But--”

“Aw, thanks!” The heavy tension is suddenly lifted at the drop of a hat, Quinn making an extravagant twirl. “It’s one of my favorites! I just had to wear it for the play.” Hevean has taken the chance while Quinn is talking to step in front of the shorter girl, while Nevaeh stands nearby, unsure how to react until Quinn calls for her. “Nevaeh, come with me.” Quinn all but orders as they head towards the door, Nevaeh following like a puppy after her.

“I’m going on ahead, Edelweiss.” Quinn looks over their shoulder with a smile, snapping the fingers of their free hand. In a puff of smoke and sparkles, a fedora appears in their hands. Which was put on the explanation of the dress code as an acceptable addition. But this one had a blue band around it along with a similar looking gear piece to Quinn’s own hairpiece. “You forgot this.”

“Oh! My bad.” She laughed and took the fedora, flipping it in her hands before putting it on her head as Quinn turned away from the dorm as he stepped out, “See ya!”

Silence still hangs heavy between Heaven and Edelweiss until the two are completely out of sight. Edelweiss takes a deep breath once they are gone, the other students moving about and doing their business. “You good?” Heaven finally asked, looking back and down at Edelweiss. The rabbit gives a small nod, reaching up to smooth down the fur of her ears that was currently standing on end.

“Yes, sorry about that.”

“It’s not your fault, that’s just how Quinn is.”

Was it though? That seemed…so different than normal. After smoothing the fur down, she brings one hand up to her mouth as she thinks about the encounter. “Well...it might make sense if….”

“If?” Heaven questioned her, turning around to face her completely as she put her hands on her hips. “What’s up Ed?”

“Quinn didn’t want to do this theme.” Heaven nodded, remembering how they were one of the few people who wanted to reject the idea. “I didn’t tell you before but, he approached me in private to ask me not to do the theme, a few times in fact.”

“Really? She did?” Heaven blinked. “Why would Quinn be so adamant about not doing a mafia theme?”

“Well….” Edelweiss looked around for a moment before pulling on Heaven’s arm and leading her down to their side of the dorm - they get to the dining room and Edelweiss guides them both inside and shuts the door behind them. Their dorm wasn’t involved with making any food for the events, so it was empty in here, “Sorry just…didn't want to make these rumors worse.”

“What rumors?” Heaven blinked, clearly confused by this point. Edelweiss sighs and takes off her round glasses, rubbing at the bridge of her nose for a moment.

“There are a lot of rumors about Quinn, as I’m sure you’re aware.” Heaven nods - being in the same grade as Quinn probably meant that Heaven had heard a lot of the rumors, but especially because her twin sister kept hanging around them. “Well, one of the most damaging ones I’ve heard…..is that Quinn is from Underland.”

“Un-Underland?!” She says with a small gasp, “Isn’t that like, crime central?”

“It’s the organized crime capital of the world, yes.” Edelweiss says as she puts her glasses back on. “That city has the most organized crime families than anywhere in Twisted Wonderland, they pretty much run the place. The specific rumor is that Quinn is from one of those families….” As she trails off, she notices that Heaven’s face is getting red like hers did earlier.

“Shit.” Heaven breathes out before heading towards the door.

“Wait! Where are you-”

“I’m going to get Nev!” Heaven announced. Just as she was about to slam open the door though, Edelweiss grabs her wrist and pulls her back.

“Calm down.”

“I’m not letting some crime freak-!” Heaven said, trying to pull her arm out of Edelweiss’s grip.

“LISTEN.” She said sternly, causing the older to falter. “It’s just a rumor, we don’t know if it’s true or not.” Heaven slowly started to calm down as she listened. “Besides, even if they were from there, hasn’t Quinn proven that they’re, at least somewhat, a good person?”

“Somewhat.” Heaven agrees in a huff, looking at the hand holding onto her. Edelweiss gets the message and releases her - Heaven staying put now that she was a little calmer.

“Besides, even if it was…” Edelweiss shook her head. “Why the hell is someone like that going to this kind of school?”

---------------------------------------------

“Are you sure it was okay?” Nevaeh finally asks after they have walked in silence towards the main school building. They were wondering when she would finally ask. “I mean, that is one of your old outfits….”

“But it’s perfect for the part, no?” Quinn chuckled, opening up the fan again, mostly just for effect as they passed by people who stared. They cover their mouth with it and hums. “Besides Nevaeh…. I’m not one to be afraid of my past.”

“....” Nevaeh could only stare in awe, and maybe a bit of confusion, before she laughed and adjusted her hat. “Well, if you say so, Boss.”

“Good gods, that brings back memories, doesn’t it?” Quinn laughed behind her fan, looking off into the distance. “Feels like just yesterday you were calling me that while helping my family move contraband through the gates. You weren’t even a part of the family.”

“ ‘ey, my ‘rents said t’ be nice t’ ya, so I was.”

“Yes...yes you very much were.” Quinn stopped in their steps, Nevaeh stopping a bit after them, looking back with a confused look. “I never thanked you for all of that kindness, did I?”

Nevaeh blinked before smiling, grabbing Quinn’s hand and kissing his knuckles. “Y’ let me run ‘way w’h ya, that’s bout the best thanks ya coulda giv’n me.”

Quinn chuckles softly, still hiding their lips before their fan. “Your accent is coming out.”

“Eh, let it, it’ll help with th’ ‘ffect, ya know?”

“Sure, Sure. Now let’s go, before we’re actually late.” With that, the leader and their henchmen went to rule the night.

#twisted wonderland #three wishes institute #twst fanschool #twisted wonderland fanschool #twst #twisted wonderland oc #twst oc #twst fic #twst fanfiction #my art #digital art #comic page #original characters

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donutloverxo · 5 years ago

Text

Salty Baby

Chapter three

Authors note- From now on please read the warnings as the chapters will be explicit. If you want in on the taglist let me know.

Please do not repost or steal my work. Reblogs are welcome.

Summary- When you moved to New York in hopes of living a glamorous life this isn’t what you expected. Steve offers to help you but your pride gets in the way. Pride isn’t going to pay your rent and college loans.

Pairing- Steve Rogers x reader

Warning- smut, loss of virginity, virgin reader, misuse of cucumbers, sugar daddy/baby themes

Word count- 3k

Chapter one | Chapter two | Chapter four | Chapter five

Masterlist

Over the next month you saw Steve thrice, sometimes four times a week. He insisted on planning and paying for the dates. He bought you flowers or chocolates every time he saw you.

It was strange initially, but now you were used to it. Considering the era he was from it made sense that he wished to take care of you.

Tonight was a movie date. Those were his favorite. He said that they were timeless and reminded him of his childhood.

“That was nice. A happily ever after. Such wish fulfillment” you scoffed referring to the romcom you had just seen.

You were walking hand in hand with him, with no destination in mind. You wanted to ask him to show you his home, maybe that could lead to more things but you didn’t want to seem desperate.

It was strange to be with him. You felt things you never thought you could.

You’d feel your entire body trembling, when he dipped down to kiss you, squeeze your hips, touch your lower back or hell even just smile at you.

It’s not like you didn’t see him yearn for you. Not that there was much about you to yearn for. You had caught him staring at your cleavage twice. Both times he got so red you were afraid he’d combust. You were pretty sure you felt his eyes on your ass.

But he was old fashioned and a gentleman. He wanted to court you, to treat you like a proper lady. If only he knew just how unladylike you were.

You were apprehensive about dating a 100 year old initially. That whole thing was still bizarre. Steve didn’t act like a hundred year old, not most of the times anyway. Any unsuspecting person would just assume he’s a regular guy.

“How about Sunday?”, you suggested when you were both discussing when to meet again.

“Ah Sunday...” He trailed of running his hands through his hair. “I’m going to DC to see a friend.”

“Oh” You knew he wouldn’t be at your beck and call every time you wanted him to be. The thought of not seeing him was still disheartening. Your schedule was packed after Sunday with work and classes. “That’s alright!” You faked some enthusiasm to hide your disappointment. It wasn’t his job to make sure you’re always happy.

“Yeah. Maybe I could take you sometime? She'd love to meet you” He asked with a sheepish smile.

“You talk about me?” You smirked. Feeling some pride creep up in you “Who is she?”

“Her names Peggy. I knew her before the ice”

All color fell from your face. You knew who Peggy Carter was. You had read about her while researching Steve. She was ,apparently in love with him. You didn’t know if Steve returned her feelings.

You hadn’t really talked about her or past relationships yet. Of course there had to be something wrong. No one is ever as perfect as Steve Rogers. He was still hung up on his ex girlfriend. Were you just a placeholder for her? Someone he could use to move on?

“What’s wrong?” He asked. You shook your head trying to evade the question looking away from him. “You don’t want me seeing her?”

“No. I can’t tell you what to do. It’s just... do you still have feelings for her?” You asked even if you weren’t sure if you wanted to know the truth.

“I... I used to. I was angry I didn’t get to have a dance with her. But then I realized how happy she is. She lived a fulfilling life. And I’m happy for her. She’s just a friend I promise” He held your hand with his looking at you with a pout. The last thing he wanted was to hurt you. “I have feelings for you” He continued when you refused to talk “In fact” he stood up straighter if he was going to do this he will do it properly “I was going to ask you to be my girlfriend”

You blurt out a quick laugh smothering your mouth with your hand. He furrowed his brows at you. “No ones asked me that before it’s... weird. But a good kind of weird”

“So that’s a yes?”

You smiled brightly at him. Perfect innocent Steve Rogers. “Yes. And you’ll be my boyfriend?” you cover your mouth to stop yourself from laughing further. “I’m sorry it’s just so cheesy. I guess we’re going to be that cheesy gross couple”

“I could get behind that” He returned your smile. Bending down slightly to give you your routine goodbye kiss.

***

Steve hadn’t heard from you for over a week. He knew you’d be busy so he kept his phone calls short. He couldn’t stop himself from worrying about you. You sounded so exhausted. He wished there was a way for him to help you.

He dailed you number on his phone. Hoping to sneak in a quick good night. Maybe if you weren’t tired you could talk like you used to.

“Hello” You picked up your voice hoarse. He could hear traffic in the background.

“Hey. What are you doing out so late?” He had told you to call him to pick you up if you were out late. But of course you’d refuse to accept any kind of help.

“I don’t know” You voice broke. You were sobbing trying to calm yourself down.

“Where are you? I’ll come get you” He quickly got up getting his jacket on.

“No... I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I’m fine really”

He used his ‘captain voice’ as Tony called it and sternly said your name. “Where are you?”

After some convincing you told him where you were. He asked you to wait for him. In less than twenty minutes he was with you.

He took in you state. Your eyes and nose red. It was obvious you were crying for quite a while. Your eyes bore black circles. He felt his heart swell in his chest. He should've known something was wrong.

You were in no mood to talk. He got you on his Harley and drove home. He would get some tea in you and make you comfortable before he asks what’s wrong with you.

He was waiting for you on his couch staring at your empty tea cup. You hadn’t said a word since you both got home. You refused to even look at him. He didn’t take it personally he knew something was going on with you. After what felt like hours you got out of the bathroom sitting beside him on the couch.

“You ready to talk?” He knew he shouldn’t press you too much but you shouldn’t be keeping things bottled up either.

“I just had a fight with Anna. She doesn’t want me to leave. She needs me there to help take care of her kids. Which is so ridiculous. I pay her rent I don’t have to look after her rugrats” you huffed looking at him. The tea and his presence calmed you a bit. “Thanks for being there for me”

“Always” He smiled lacing your fingers with his “You can stay here as long as you like. Nobody should treat you like that” he said kissing your knuckles.

You both cuddled on the couch a bit. He stroked your hair hoping to sooth you a bit. Watching some show on the TV. You couldn’t care to remember. All you could think about were his arms around you. His hot breath behind your ears. His fingers drawing random patterns on your stomach. You couldn’t even remember what you were upset about. You sighed feeling yourself sink further into him.

“You wanna go to bed?” He drawled hastily getting you off of his lap. You stared at him confused. He sat up straight licking his lips. “You can take the bed. I’ll take the couch” He stood up heading towards his bedroom.

You followed behind him with purpose. He collected a pillow and a blanket wishing you a good night heading back towards the living room. You stood in front of him blocking him.

“You could just sleep here you know?” You said as seductively as you could.

“Well I can’t have you sleeping on the couch”

Perfect, innocent, clueless Steve. “I meant we both sleep here”

“Oh. Are you sure?” he asked putting the pillow back on his bed. “I really don’t mind...” He was cut off by your lips attacking his pulling on them with your teeth.

After the mild shock wore off he pulled you into him by pulling at your waist. He let you slip your tongue in his mouth.

“Wait” He broke the kiss shaking his head to clear it. You looked at him with your eyes dark with lust. “Are you sure?”

“Yes I’m sure. I’ve never been so sure about anything”

You both settled on his bed with you straddling his lap. You pulled at the hem of his t-shirt he helped you by pulling it off tossing it somewhere.

“Wait-“ You broke the kiss when you felt him sneak his hand up your shirt.

“What? what’s wrong?” he panicked. Putting some distance between you to look at you face.

“It’s just.. I’ve never done this before.” You said looking down at your thighs wrapped around his hips. “I just wanted you to know in case you thought I wasn’t good at it” You shrugged nonchalantly.

He gave you a small nod. He was unsure of the entire situation now. You were vulnerable, he would feel as if he was taking advantage of you.

He cleared his throat trying to think straight. He cock was already straining in his pants from your kisses and heavy petting.

“Then I need to make it special for you doll” He quickly corrected himself saying your name. He knew you didn’t like nicknames but sometimes he couldn’t help it. “Take you out to a fancy dinner. Flowers and everything. Maybe we could take that horse carriage through Central Park”

You smiled at the childlike excitement in his voice. His twinkling blue eyes looking into yours shyly. Afraid he’d gone too far.

“You can call me anything you like”, you said pecking his lips “It doesn’t have to be any more special. It’s already special because it’s with you” You lightly scratch his scalp the way you knew he liked.

He leaned into your touch extremely tempted to give in.

“Besides it’s not like I’m saving myself for someone. I was just always too busy with something. I’m not technically a virgin. A cucumber did the deed long ago”

He stared at you shocked with wide eyes. He had learnt some things about modern sex toys. But this was something new. “A cucumber?” He asked titling his head more curious than anything. He felt himself heating up at the thought of you pushing it in and out of you. Making yourself cum with it. He shifted a bit when he felt his pants becoming even more uncomfortable.

“Anything’s a dildo if you’re brave enough” you smirked grinding your hips on his erection making him grunt. His put his hands on your hips to still you. “I’m glad it’s with you though” You gave him a tender look hoping to convince him.

He took a few deep breaths to steady himself. He couldn’t think with his head since all his blood was flowing elsewhere. Here you were, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, sitting on his lap asking him to make love to you. Only an idiot would say no to you.

You got tired of him staring at you, choosing to leave some hickeys on his neck. He moaned when you sucked on a spot below his ear. You pulled his earlobe between your lips giving it a few soft sucks.

But then he realized. He could smell you. Smell your arousal. Timidly he snaked his hand inside your panties. His breath hitching when he felt your wet pussy. You whined into his neck. Putting your hand on top of his pushing it deeper into you.

He can have something for himself at least this once. He decided to be selfish with you. He could only be Americas golden boy for so long. Even if he didn’t deserve you, your innocence, you were willing to give it to him. It was good enough for him.

He pushed you down on the bed, your head hitting the pillow. Taking his hand out of your pants he sucked his fingers quickly to clean them. You lifted your hips to help him take off your pants.

You looked down and cringed at the brown cotton panties you were wearing. Had you known you were going to fuck your dream guy for the first time you would’ve wore something more pretty.

He didn’t seem bothered by it. Kissing your mould over your panties. He pulled down his pants along with his boxers. You sat up on your elbows throwing your shirt in the growing pile of clothes around you.

His mouth dropped open at the sight of your bare breasts. You pinched your right nipple rolling it between your fingers just to goad him a bit. You wondered how far you could push him.

He grabbed your wrist pinning it beside your head peppering kisses all over your clavicle and chest.

“So beautiful” he’d mutter here and there. Your back arched into him when you felt him suck on your nipple. You took a sharp breath when he softly bit it.

You pushed on his head. Trying to get him to give you what you really needed.

He released your nipple with a pop. “What? You want somethin'?” he drawled out and you knew you were in trouble.

You pathetically nodded your head, not so subtly pushing on his shoulder.

He finally gave in. Moving down while leaving open mouthed kisses on your stomach. He pulled down your panties, spreading your legs to settle between them. You tried to grab onto the short hair on the back of his head to brace yourself.

He chose to make you wait some more by leaving kisses on the inside of your thighs. You whined loudly when you felt him smirk against your thigh.

“Alright alright” He finally gave in taking in the sight of your pussy. He could stare at it all he wants later he needed to tend at your needs right now.

He gave you a few kitten licks, exploring to see what you liked best. He pushed his tongue inside of you licking it up towards you clit. He pushed you down on the bed to stop you from squirming, not too harshly he needed to remember he was much stronger than you. A thought that only fuelled his lust.

You came all over his tongue holding onto your pillow clutching it tightly in your hands. You screamed and thrashed for a few minutes before slowly coming down from your high.

You jerked a bit when you felt his fingers tracing your entrance. You opened your eyes to see him looming over you staring at your face. You moaned when you felt his finger inside you. He pumped it in and out of you before adding another.

“Gotta get you ready doll” You whined again at his words. You never thought your innocent Brooklyn boy could so easily turn your putty in his hands.

You bit your lip staring into his eyes. You squeezed his bicep stopping him.

“I wanna come on you” You mumbled shyly wrapping your hand around his length. You didn’t get a good look at it yet. But it felt long and thick. Bigger than anything you had put inside you. You stroked it slowly.

“Shit” He cursed dropping his head in your neck. “I don’t have a condom” He groaned when your strokes became faster. He pulled at your hand to still you or he’d come on the spot.

“It’s ok. I’ve been on the pill for years” you said stroking his hair as he sucked at your neck.

“Are you sure?” he asked again aligning his dick to your pussy.

“Yes I’m sure. Fuck me” He kneeled between your legs spreading them a bit wider. You took a moment to look at him. His defined abs, bulging biceps, hard pink nipples (you needed to get your mouth on them) you breathed shakily bracing yourself.

He pushed his tip in slowly entering you. His eyes fixated on you, to make sure you weren’t in pain.

You closed your eyes when you felt your pussy burn at the stretch of him. A most delicious welcome burn. You looked back at him to see him staring down at where you both were joined. He finally pushed in completely bottoming out.

He draped himself over you again, needing to be closer to you. He snaked a hand under your waist to pull you into him.

You grabbed onto his bicep and shoulder as he slowly rocked into you. He whispered sweet nothings in your ear before sneaking a hand between your legs to play with your clit.

Soon enough you were on the brink of your second orgasm. Between his hand on your clit and his cock inside you, you couldn’t hold on much longer. The knot in your stomach tightening before you released clenching around him. You bite on his shoulder sharply to keep yourself from shouting. You didn’t need any noise complaints from his neighbours.

He came right after you. Feeling you clench around him his thrusts became hard and sloppy before he spilled inside you. He collapsed dropping some of his weight on you nuzzling your neck.

You smiled biting his ear. You felt warm and tingly with his cum inside you. You whined when you felt him pull out of you. His cum spilling out from your pussy. He told you he’d be right back.

He returned with a washcloth gently cleaning you up. He knew how sensitive you must be from how red and raw your pussy looked. He cleaned himself with the same cloth before tossing it in his hamper.

He settled down beside you pulling you into his arms. He kissed your forehead.

“Good night” He said stroking your shoulder.

“Good night” you drifted off into a dreamless slumber. He sure knew how to make a girl feel better.

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undinoble · 4 years ago

Photo

Crazy long text ahead i warn you, just explaining some process I went through while drawing this Frank and Julie low light dying thingie, probably gonna drop some wips along the way, you may want to see… idk, dealer’s choice

!TRIGGER WARNING! Violence, death, suicide. Proceed with caution.

Well where do we begin? The inspiration maybe?

Exploring the magical world of Spotify when a band came in, one of the first songs (if not the first one) of theirs I heard was Partners in Crime by Set It Off, you know, love at first sight, love for their voices, their music style, aaand the lyrics, OH BOI the lyrics, check it out:

“You’ll never takes us alive We swore that death will do us part They’ll call our crimes a work of art You’ll never takes us alive We’ll live like spoiled royalty, lovers and partners”

Dunno, for two passionate juvenil delinquents that just wants trouble this line really fits to me, the dreamy couple feels invencible.

“Everybody freeze Nobody move Put the money in the bag Or we will shoot Empty out the vault And me and my doll will be on our way”

It’s actually interesting to think of the Legion robbing a bank, it’s not like troublesome teens didn’t do that in movies c’mon, it’s a small city, they wear masks, ez!

“Our paper faces flood the streets And if the heat comes close enough to burn Then we’ll play with fire ‘cause

You’ll never takes us alive”

THIS. This is so a Legion thing to say. Can you imagine their masks all around the streets as a warning like “HEY, WE ARE HERE, FEAR US” I love this

“Here we find our omnipotent outlaws Fall behind the grind tonight Left unaware that the lone store owner Won’t go down without a fight Where we gonna go He’s got us pinned Baby I’m a little scared Now, don’t you quit He’s sounded the alarm I hear the sirens closing in”

The second big moment, the adrenaline along with the instrumental is crazy for real

“The skies are black with lead-filled rain A morbid painting on display This is the night the young love died Buried at each others side”

THIS. (again) is the main theme of the drawing, it’s where the inspiration flood over me, the scene was clear in my mind, c’mon if you read till here there’s absolutely no reason not to listen to the song you won’t regret im not even getting payed to show it off

ACTUALLY FORGET IT- i just won a sub on Cody Carson’s stream WHAT IS LIFE??????? Thanks Max!!!

I totally didn’t draw this while listening to the music when i should be working what are you talking about??

Hold the sketch, focus on the gun. It’s dope aint it?

Anyways, here goes the lore, along with the music lyrics I filled up the gaps, well, Suz and Joey are not around, maybe doing school stuff Julie didn’t feel like doing so she decides to hang out with Frank in the meanwhile, they’re on the lodge, bored, upset about the world cause it’s what teens do in their free time, listening to one of their mixtapes, probably Frank’s, the more hardcore one when the idea hit: what if they try some good mischief? “There’s a small banks a mile from here, want some adrenaline babe?” And oh of course she does, grab your mask, here we go

Sorry, not a big legs-drawing fan…

They grab their knives, put on the masks, get ready, drive to the bank. I didnt really think this part through, the song says it all. Long story short - they rob the bank, the police arrives, the action begins.

They brought their knives, didn’t expect the cops to show up with guns, damn they didnt even know little Ormond cops had actual guns. After long minutes of hiding on the bank safe the couple decides to fight their way out, they would be more useful alive than dead so laws could apply, but that went out of question once Frank stabbed the first bank employee on his triumphal way out, the police don’t think twice before shooting to protect the citizens inside.

Frank and Julie have too little time to react, the stress and anxiety kicks in, they go feral, crazy cinematic bullet avoids, for a moment it’s possible to get away. It all happened too quick, but in Julie’s vision it went slow motion. She just saw a cop leaning behind a car, aiming directly at Frank, even her fastest reaction wasn’t fast enough to stop the trigger from popping. With tears in her eyes she watches as the bullet hits her boyfriend right in the chest.

She snaps. One target in mind, she sprints to the cop and stabs him over and over until she’s sure he won’t see the sun set ever again. She takes his gun and rushes towards Frank who is kneeling against a taxi holding his torax, she screams that they must go to the hospital immediately but he refuses, hospital would be just a quick stop on his way to jail. No fucking way.

He demands to go back to the lodge, the cops are too busy helping their wounded partner to look for them, they think Frank may be dropped dead somewhere on the street after multiple shots, the two of them must flee before the cops realize the mistake and go hunting for them. NOW.

Julie side-carries Frank back to their car, the lack of a license of her own won’t stop her from driving as fast as the car can. Breathing heavily while constantly telling Frank to hold on, they will find a way out, they must do. Oh what a fucking stupid idea holy SHIT.

The travel takes half the time it usually does and still feels like hours. The car gets all red with Frank’s blood that keeps leaking. Once they arrive, Frank wants to go upstair, Julie shouts at him to keep next the central campfire once he should grab some heat (and for god’s sake why is he still carrying the money bag they stole????), anyway he gets the last word and they climb the stairs up and lay on the bed, Frank hisses from the pain but also sighs in relief for the soft spot under him, ignoring Julie cursing besides him, saying she can still call an ambulance, she doesnt want to lose him, Suz and Joey will be devastated, although he just replies with the phrase they were saying sooner that day “They’ll never take us alive”.

After 20 minutes of agony, low whispers of memories of how they met, what they had been through together and a huge amount of blood moisturing the covers, Frank says he’s feeling light-headed, Julie looks at him and he’s paper white, the blood loss is finally getting to him, she wants to cry, scream, curse and stab that damn cop a hundred times again, but all she does is cuddle her head harder against his shoulder and tell him she loves him, that she will keep his legacy alive, with Joey and Susie, she will revenge him. He chuckles and slowly feels the life being drained from his weaked body until everything goes black.

Julie need a few seconds to process. Frank died. For real. He was good a few hours ago, he was right. They would never take them alive. Death could do them apart, but, he never said for how long they would be apart.

She reaches for the gun on the hand under Frank’s body. THAT DAMN GUN. She aims it to the side of her head, never leaving Frank’s side on the bed. Triggers it.

“Partners in crime”

Damn did I just write a fucking fanfiction? This shit is way longer than I expected, did anybody even get down here?

Well, this is the part of the drawing where i left cause I just couldn’t afford to work on it, have in mind everytime the file were opened the whole lore came in my head, and fuck did i feel dizzy writing it all down. Hell the bloody details get me, seeing Frank so white with a blue undertone simulating the lifeless body gave me headaches fr. My escape was drawing other things until the courage to finish it came back. It was easier because the story kinda faded away from my mind, the drawing became “lighter” to deal with.

Well, guess that’s it. I hardly have this big insight while drawing, to visualize the finished piece on my brain and it’s just so fucking cool, making art with so many mixed feelings along, and overall pride, cause i feel so proud with the result you have no idea. It isn’t perfect tho, but i like it anyway. So, thank you so much if you made it all the way here. gonna sleep now for fucks sake im gonna pass out bye

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ao3gingerswag · 4 years ago

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okay headcanonnnsssss I've put my thinking cap on let's do this.

okay to go with the prompt earlier about cas reading to dean, I'm playing with that and making it into them telling stories. Sam, obviously, the nerd that he is, devours any and all stories he comes across. It wasn't so many when he was with John, for obvious reasons, but as he starts his education once he arrives at Willow Inn he starts reading about all these stories from all these different cultures so of course he shares them with cas and dean (further along the healing process so they're all happy together) and he loves telling them these stories about all these crazy things and ideas and fairytales because these they can understand, unlike all the fancy stuff like science he's learning, and he loves seeing their faces as they sit enraptured and happy as he rants excitedly about the so and so tribe and obviously they're happy because he actually gets to learn this stuff but also its stuff that's so beyond their tiny little world and it's so exciting and Sam is so happy to give them this knowledge because their so responsible about taking care of the inn and him but when he tells them stories he gets to see the excited teenagers learning about distand lands and creatures.

with dean, his stories were the ones he could give to Sam. bedtime stories, made up fairytales, little comedic rhymes to help Sam get to sleep. he didn't think much of them, of course, but he found himself enjoying the peaceful moments where he'd be curled up with Sam, talking about the faraway prince, pinching Sam when he interrupted to question him about the details. he liked to drift off into the worlds after Sam had eventually fallen asleep. perhaps the stories always had a central theme, two brothers going on adventures, but they were full of light and happiness and sometimes there wasn't even any bitterness as they recalled their situation (I'm imagining the stories always starting with the same line or something). once they're settled in at willow Inn together, the bedtime stories stop. dean never thought much of them anyways. Sam, he loved them. he'd tell himself his favourite plots and storylines when he was going to sleep, or when he was upset. and maybe at one point when sam is upset at the willow Inn he asks Dean to tell him a story to calm him down, and dean is so happy that he remembered and still thought of them and they sit there together as Dean begins with that same line, knowing that they don't need to desperately imagine any more.

cas's stories, would come as a surprise to sam and dean I think. there are two kinds. the ones he makes up are simple, based around nature, more poetry than anything as it simply praises the idyll he grew up around. theyre not much stories in the way of entertainment, but sometimes, perhaps when it's particularly cold or wet or miserable and they're all tired, they'll all sit in front of the fireplace and listen to cas's soothing voice as he talks about the meandering rivers and the animals and the trees, and describes the way he sees the world in his own unique way. sam and dean love to catch a glimpse of it too. the other type of story is the one that surprises them. cas, of course, has worked in the inn all his life. it wasn't the busiest, but it still got its fair share of traffic and moreover, his lack of talking led to him overhearing some interesting conversations as he worked. and every once in a while he'll slip a little annocdote into a conversation about a man who was going up the country to search for treasure, or the women who believed she'd found her lover in the old minstrel on the hill. Sam and dean love it, and at first cas is a surprised at how fervently they ask for more details (and probably a little uncomfortable) but as they settle down and they get used to his annocdotes, cas becomes more comfortable sharing his thoughts and opinions and guesses about where they end up, and sam and dean learn to treasure his little quips and thoughts and cas gets to share his experiences of the inn and his little section of the memories and lives the inn has held.

I got carried away in this a little, but hopefully this little headcanon does something to brighten your day :))

oh pls get carried away all u want i love this so much!!!!! oh yess sam would love to tell them all about stuff from around the world. and like ur right they will listen while he talks their ears off about math and science but they dont really get what hes talking about. but stories from around the world they love!!!! so he tells them them and reads that shit to them all the time :)

oh my god dean telling sam bedtime stories when theyre miserable just trying to imagine a happier life ;~; and then doing it again when they are happy without the same desperation, just to soothe normally ;~; !!!

cas’s stories make me emotional. u have such a good grip on the characters in the way i think of them it makes me so happy!!! yes yes most of cas’s “stories” would just be him like rambling about the world in a poetic manner...this is so sweet and would be so soothing and they would love it but it is also very funny to me to imagine sam the first time being like tell me a story!!! and cas being like uuuummmm...and then dean being like yeah cas tell us a story it will be fun!!! and then he ends up like monologuing about the migration habits of certain insects in the area. and theyre like. ....what. gvuhij like not that they dont enjoy it for what it is but theyre just like ????????

but then yes them coaxing out little anecdotes and his thoughts later on fcgvhjbhj ahhh i yes yes yes!

#asks #wander home #wander home vibes #prompts #ao3gingerswag

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ordinaryschmuck · 4 years ago

Text

What I thought about WandaVision

Y'know, it's kind of crazy to think that it's been over a year since we've been given any content involving the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel Studios announced so many great movies, on top of new TV shows that actually impact the story, way back in the summer of 2019. But then 2020 happened. Resulting in everything, and I mean everything, we were promised getting pushed back for another year. So, when it was finally announced that the series WandaVision was, at last, ready to be released, fans were both excited as well as skeptical. Because the first thing that would reintegrate us back into this franchise would be a show about how two Avengers are stuck in a sitcom. It might be new, long-awaited content, but it also doesn't sound all that interesting. Could a story involving two characters who have yet to stand on their own be enough to carry a brand new adventure? Well, for eight whole weeks, fans were given that answer. And personally, I will admit that WandaVision might have been better than anybody could have ever expected...for the most part.

(Final spoiler warning if you haven't seen the show yet)

WHAT I LIKE

It Just Goes: This is easily the best way the series could have started. We are given no context about what is going on. We're just shown that Wanda and Vision are currently stuck in a sitcom, and that's it. By making it a mystery, fans are given this sort of interaction with the series as they find clues and come up with theories about how and why this happened. Sure, some assumptions were more far fetched than others (did people think Mephisto was confirmed just because of one misinterpreted line involving the Devil?), but it still makes the show a ton of fun to watch. Plus, even when we're given answers, it's only tiny pieces of the puzzle. We're always given a chance to figure out the bigger picture, resulting in an image that is, I'll admit, somewhat satisfying to see. Just as long as you ignore the crybabies who get upset that their favorite theories turned out to be wrong.

The Homages are on Point: I also love how straight the cast and crew play with the idea of two superheroes being stuck in a series of sitcoms. Everything they use fits in the era each sitcom takes place in. With things like camerawork, set design, special effects, acting quality, tropes, and even theme songs, everything works as a proper homage than just having two episodes in black and white and the rest in color. Each new sitcom that Wanda and Vision are rebooted in feels so genuine, to the point where they seem like they could be actual shows that could have existed. Seriously, my dad showed me stuff like The Dick Van Dyke Show when I was a kid, so trust me when I say that the very first episode nails the style that it's honoring. Not only is it charming as all forms of hell, but it also works in making these moments when characters break from the spell (get it) all the more jarring and even disturbing at times. Because when you're so keen on watching what seems like a fun and cheesy sitcom, you feel a bit unsettled when a character suddenly acts in a way that's a tad foreboding. Still, it's fun to watch and is easily the central hook for what makes this show work.

The Comedy: The homages also nail the comedy that came from each type of sitcom. The jokes fit with each period, from the cheesy and charming 50s to the cynical and dry 90s and early 2000s. It's another thing the writers play straight with, and I think it works. The only jokes made by most stories like this are just pointing out that these serious characters are stuck in a silly sitcom. Instead, the writers tell jokes that work for the period it's in, and it is all genuinely funny if you're used to those types of goofs and gags. If you didn't laugh, that's because the comedy isn't trying to reach out to you. It's reaching out to the people who actually watched these types of sitcoms. Or, in my case, the type of people who had their parents show them these types of sitcoms. And even then, I still think there are these lines and deliveries that are still funny even if you don't get the joke. For example, there's this brief moment with Vision and a toy baby that got a genuine chuckle out of me for how absurd it was. I wasn't expecting to laugh that much, but on top of the many surprises this show gave, being funny was definitely one of them.

“My husband, and his indestructible forehead”: He...hehe...hehehehahahaHAHAHAHA! AH! HA! HA! HA!

*Slowly starts sobbing*

>Squeaks<

I see what you did there.

Paul Bettany as “Vision,” “Vision,” and Vision: Can we give Paul Bettany a round of applause for basically playing three different characters, each with their own varying levels of emotions and purposes? Because goodness gracious, this man is a champion! I've seen tons of people praise Elizabeth Olson for her performance as Wanda, and to be fair, she does do a fantastic job...aside from one blatant issue (which I'll get into later). But as great as Olson is, Bettany still deserves some credit. Throughout most of the series, he has this level of comedic-timing that I didn't even know he was capable of, by going ham or just having a dry wit. Seriously, was someone going to tell me that Paul Bettany can be funny, or was I supposed to find that out for myself? On top of being hilarious, Bettany delivers such raw emotion that none of us would have ever expected from this character. That screaming match “Vision” has with Wanda shows the very first time that any version of him has ever been angry, and Bettany does a great job at making that moment as jarring as it needed to be. And that's just from playing one version of the character! I didn't even talk about how he nails the naive yet still wise Vision from the flashback in "Previously On" or the cold and robotic "Vision" from "The Series Finale." Bettany has range, and WandaVision is a great show that proves how. One just needs to have the right amount of vision to see it (HhhhhhhhhhhHA!)

Developing Wanda: But as great as Paul Bettany, and to a lesser extent, Vision, is, Wanda Maximoff is clearly the star of the show here (And yes, I know that it's Wanda who's the character and Elizabeth Olson is the actor, but...I'll get into it!). If WandaVision has taught me anything about these Disney+ shows, it's that we are finally going to get some long-awaited development to characters that are starved from it. And Wanda definitely needed it. Don't get me wrong, Wanda was great in past movies but wasn't that compelling of a character. Here, trust me when I say that the opposite is true.

We are given a deep dive into not only Wanda's morality but also her psyche. The writers really play around with how scary Wanda can be. As well as questioning if Wanda has the capability of being evil. Because, yeah, what she did was not right. True, our "heroine" was going through some rough s**t, but that doesn't excuse the amount of torture Wanda put the people of Westview through, no matter how unwittingly. Just look at that scene where everyone grills Wanda about what she's doing to them, not only pleading for whatever compromise they can get and even begging for her to kill them instead. That is dark! That is the darkest concept the MCU has ever offered, and the ending of Avengers: Infinity War exists!

But, while it doesn't entirely excuse everything, there is a reason why Wanda did all of this. You see, throughout WandaVision, Wanda goes through the five stages of grief. It all starts with denial as she pretends to live in a sitcom that she created where Vision is alive, and they get to even have kids together. Soon comes anger when she destroys anything and physically harms anyone that tries to bring her back to reality. Next, there's bargaining as Wanda strengthens her hex and expands it to keep outsiders out and keep Vision in. This leads to depression as the weight of all of Wanda's actions finally sinks in, and she's forced to realize the damage she's causing. Until all of it ends with acceptance, as Wanda finally, finally, gets to say goodbye to Vision. Something she never really got when Thanos ripped the mind stone out of Vision's forehead. It's both incredible to watch as it is fascinating. Wanda, through the course of her own little spin-off series, just went from a decent character to one of the most intriguing to dissect in the MCU. And we have this show to thank for it.

The Commercials: These commercials offer three things.

They're more homages to classic television, each product and filming for each one honoring how commercials looked in each era.

They offer more of an insight into Wanda's psyche as we see how each commercial shows bits of her history, regrets, and deepest desires. You see all of the above in the Lagos' paper towel commercial.

There are neat bits of foreshadowing of what's to come, like how Hydra Soak ends by saying it's for "your inner goddess" or how the 90s commercial ends by saying Magic isn't meant for the weak.

With all of that, these commercials are as fun to analyze as they are disturbing as hell.

The Dinner Scene: This was the moment it was clear that WandaVision wasn’t going to just be fun and games. The second that "Mr. Heart" starts screaming at Wanda about why she and Vision came, it becomes clear that the whole wacky scenario our heroes are in isn't as harmless as we all thought. And when "Mrs. Heart" playfully tells her husband to stop it when “Mr. Heart” starts choking, only to desperately scream at Wanda to stop it, audiences begin to piece together that the people of Westview are prisoners--no--victims. As for Wanda? She's the unknowing dictator forcing them to do what she says. And it was this scene that I knew I was going to really enjoy this show.

The Blip Scene: And it was this scene that made WandaVision skyrocket into top-tier MCU territory! As much as I love Spider-Man: Far From Home, I will admit that making a joke with the concept of something like the blip might not have been the best move. But showing the chaos of everyone coming back all at once? On top of showing the confusion that a person would have from being told that a five-second nap was five years? Yeah, that's more in line with what we want.

Returning Characters: Not only was I surprised by the fact that these pretty minor characters in the MCU made a return at all, but I was also shocked to find out they work better in this series than they did in their respective movies. First, there's Monica. Not only is she reintroduced as a brand new hero (with, admittingly, confusing superpowers), but she also works as the anti-Wanda. Both characters had someone they care about dearly die without getting a chance to say goodbye. The difference is that Monica doesn't have the abilities Wanda does and is instead forced to quickly accept that her mom is dead and won't come back. She even admits that she would bring her mom back if she could. But that just makes Monica the perfect person that Wanda needs. A person that understands where she's coming from and tries to convince Wanda to do the right thing, no matter how hard it is. Monica's methods may have been a tad bit sloppy, but she is still ten times more intriguing than that little girl who screwed around with the color scheme on Captain Marvel’s suit.

Then there's Jimmy Woo, who is both funnier here than in Ant-Man and the Wasp, and actually shows signs of being a competent FBI agent. A step up, I might add, from the hilariously incompetent character we saw in his previous appearance.

And also, Darcie is here...and still slightly annoying...but at least she still has a couple funny lines here and there! Which is more than I can say with Thor and Thor: The Dark World.

In my opinion, it's a good move having these characters with pretty small roles in vastly different stories make a return. It shows that they are not limited to their one little corner of the MCU. And that they can branch off into taller tales that suit them perfectly. It's pretty cool, and it makes me wonder what other small characters could make a triumphant return.

Billy and Tommy: These two are...fine. Billy and Tommy give me Zach and Cody vibes sometimes, the kids playing them do a decent job, and they both offer some great emotional moments. The problem is that out of the list of characters that WandaVision introduces and reintroduces, there's not much to talk about with Billy and Tommy. Honestly, the only reason why I briefly mentioned that I like them is that I don't want dozens of people crucifying me for not saying anything about them. I don't hate them, but I don't much care for them either.

Evan Peters as Quicksilver: Although I would have loved it if it was Aaron Taylor-Johnson who made a return, seeing Evan Peters in a good Marvel movie again is more than worth it. He plays a much more fun version of Quicksilver while still nailing the sibling relationship the character has with Wanda. In a way, it's a lot like how Marvel cast J.K. Simmons as J Jonah Jameson at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home. It's admitting that no one could have played the character better than this one actor and briefly making fans happy in the process. While also not doing something crazy like having it be the exact same Quicksilver from the X-Men movies. Only f**king idiots would believe something like that...

...

...But hypothetically speaking, let's say some people were stupid to believe that. While making an outrageous claim that the writers "lead them on to doing so." In which case, I will say the same thing that one would say when friend-zoning someone: "Nobody led you on to s**t. You were just too busy focusing on what you wanted to see instead of what you needed to see."

Because there was no evidence that it was the same Quicksilver other than the fact that it was the same actor. And, hypothetically speaking, if there were dozens of crybabies who were upset about it not being the same Quicksilver, then I have so much more respect for this character being nothing more than a boner joke. Because you did this to yourselves...hypothetically speaking.

Retconning Wanda’s Powers: ...I'm ok with this. Retcons happen all the time in the comics, as well as in movies and television. It's just a matter of making the retcon believable enough where there are few holes in what you're telling people. As for Wanda apparently having magic this entire time, but the mind stone amplified her powers? I can buy that. Besides, it's an acceptable excuse to make Wanda as powerful as she is in the comics (from what I've been told), so like I said, I'm ok with this.

“I can’t feel you…”: ...That's fine. I didn't need my heart anyway.

“Vision’s” Talk with “Vision”: Forget the horrible CGIed battles. I want more of this!

Now, I put both Visions in quotation marks because while they're both the same character, they're also...not the same. Which is, funnily enough, what this scene is: A philosophical discussion between two versions of the same android about what makes them both/neither the definitive version. One may look the same, and the other may be the same body, but neither "Vision" really is the true Vision. However, the fact that these two stop their fighting so they can have this discussion in the first place helps secure that while different, they are still the same. It's a thought-provoking discussion, and it is ten times more interesting to watch than Wanda and Agatha's CGI fight in the sky. Although it is kind of odd that White-Vision just peaces out the second Hex-Vision gives him a reboot. But hey, that's for the future movies to deal with.

“Thank you for choosing me to be your mom.”: >Deep inhale<...Girl.

Wanda Saying Goodbye to Vision: >DEEPER INHALE< HOOOOOOOOOOO BOY! I did not expect this much emotional turmoil from f**king WANDAVISION!

Joking aside, this is a well-handled scene. It's incredibly emotional to see these two characters say goodbye to each other as their arcs come to a close. "Vision" peacefully leaves knowing who he is in the world, and Wanda can finally start moving on as she gets to say goodbye to her one true love. It's as bittersweet as it is beautiful.

WHAT I DISLIKE

MCU logos flashing in every episode: You know how CinemaSins has this bulls**t excuse about how the MCU opening logo wastes time to get to the good stuff? This is the only instance where that's applicable. Because the opening logo was cool to see again for the first episode, but having it play in every single one after breaks the immersion when trying to binge the series. It's for a couple of seconds, sure, but after a while, it does get pretty annoying.

Elizabeth Olson as Scarlet Witch: Now, to be clear, I have no problems with Elizabeth Olson's acting ability in this series. She juggles being funny, heartbreaking, and threatening so well that I am likely to laugh and cry with her as I am to s**t my pants while in her presence. Elizabeth Olson does a great job with this character. The problem? Well, in the comics, Wanda Maximoff is Roma, and Elizabeth Olson...isn't. This means that WandaVision, and the MCU as a whole, has a bad case of white-washing.

I could go on about the issues this brings, but I am not as educated about this subject, and all I know is just stuff that seems like common sense. For instance, I believe it is more than reasonable to hire an actor of a specific race or ethnicity for a character who is of a that same race or ethnicity. But that is as far as my knowledge and personal stance goes, and to expand on it would be too much of a risk because I have no right to criticize the representation of something I am not a part of. So instead, I'm going to point you to @earnestdesire‘s blog and Jessica Reidy’s article on the subject. They do a great job at discussing the issues with Olson’s Wanda and pointing to the issues the MCU has in representing Wanda and Pietro's representation in the comics. And they do it in a far better way than I ever could have. So check them out to truly see why, despite doing a great job, Elizabeth Olson should not be the person donning the suit.

It Was Agatha All Along: AND I STILL F**KING HATE THAT!

I know, I know, I am in the minority on this one. And I still don't understand why! To me, Agatha has all of the problems that Hans has in Frozen. Sure, there are hints if you pay more attention during a few select scenes that are slightly questionable. Like how she refers to Wanda as "the star of the show" or coincidentally shows up with a dog house for Sparky. However, much like how Frozen didn't need a villain like Hans, WandaVision didn't need a comic book villain like Agatha. The story was perfectly passable as a personal conflict involving Wanda's grief where the only obstacle was the director of S.W.O.R.D. and his agents. There is nothing Agatha adds to that.

"But she helps Wanda find out what happens!" Yeah, but Monica could have done the same thing by actually breaking through to Wanda and calmly asking what happened. From then on, they could have worked things out together by having Wanda retrace events that transpired through the information that Monica knows as well.

"But Agatha helps Wanda realize what she's doing is wrong!" So could Vision! He could have shown up, did that mind-meld thing to the townspeople, and Wanda would finally learn what she was doing was wrong through the person she trusts the most.

"But Agatha helps Wanda learn that she's the Scarlet Witch!" Ok...but did that need to happen in this series? Because when you think about it, when the central conflict is all about exploring Wanda's grief, throwing in this narrative about becoming the Scarlet Witch has little to do with anything. Meaning that if you cut it from the story, little would change other than cutting a CGI battle that everyone agrees is the worst part of the series.

The most Agatha adds to the story is a secondary conflict that could easily be cut, and the overall quality would stay the same, if not better. And that is a problem. Agatha needs to add to the central conflict in a way that no other character could have. Like, give her a reason to be involved in Wanda’s life that goes beyond feeding off her magic and leading Wanda to her destiny. Because as is, even if you argue that Agatha is a good twist villain, she's a villain that really didn't need to be here.

Director Haywood: But as much as I don't like Agatha, I think we can all agree that Director Haywood is the worst villain in the MCU. Because one issue that Haywood has is a lack of motivation. For instance, why does he try so hard to write off Wanda as this supervillain? It was never explained, and for something so bizarre and crucial to his character, I feel like it needed to be. It would be passable if he was motivated out of fear and ignorance, but Haywood goes so far as to misedit security footage to prove his point. And I don't get why.

Is he sexist?

Did Wanda not show up at his kid's birthday party?

Did he secretly want to use Vision as a sexbot and didn't want Wanda to get between them?

I don't know, and I'll never know.

Plus, on top of having no motivation, Haywood is just forgettable. Agatha may piss me off to no end, but at least I'll remember her. I honestly forgot Haywood's name half the time, and I'm willing to bet that you did too. Case in point, his name isn't even Haywood. It's Hayward. And in the off chance that you didn't even know about that misspelling just proves my point about how forgettable Hayward is. While it's one thing to be hated, it's another to be forgotten. Because that just means that you left so little impact that you aren't even worth getting upset about.

------

And that is what I thought about WandaVision. If I had to base this off my usual score, I'd have to give the show the same 7/10 that everyone else gave it. Because there's a lot that I love, but the stuff that I hate is so problematic that it takes the WandaVision down on a couple of notches. It's still a fantastic series with a solid story, a great message, incredible acting, and phenomenal character development. It's just that not everyone is going to be willing to tune in as much as you might think.

#marvel cinematic universe #wandavision #mcu reviews #wanda maximoff #vision #agatha harkness #what i thought about

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