#But then this absolute BADDIE asks for my number

[not-a-biscuit]

guys ik this is totally irrational, bc she’s so nice and funny, and just has generally great energy (god I’m down bad) but I’m for some reason so anxious about this girl finding out abt my tics??? Like I am logically aware that she’d probably be super chill abt it, but for some reason I’m really anxious for when I see her in person again and she notices.

because we only got to see each other for a few minutes before we had to leave and I just didn’t have any tics in that period of time. But the next time we see each other will be more prolonged and I’m just nervous for some reason.

[spiderm444rk]

LOST IN TRANSLATION - mark lee smau

you, as the promising journalism student of NCUT, were more than willing to join the school magazine when you got offered. to your disappointment, the only section they let you have is the anonymous confessions one - which is mostly really, really boring. i mean, who even posts any cool confessions nowadays ? especially in a damn college magazine ? they only offered you the job no one else wanted.

on the other hand, mark, a business student, was never more annoyed with the choice of his major. sure, business is cool and hopefully it’ll earn him money, but it’s not something he could really get into. he always wanted to do music. but after long considering, he chose business instead, to make sure he gets a real job in the future. and he doubts that choice was correct more and more every day.

once the school band announces they’re looking for a new guitarist, he’s absolutely ready to apply until he reads the ‘music students only’ part. pissed off, he starts typing a message to the gc, but it ends up going to a different number - and you finally get to help some poor random stranger who confessed with something interesting.

business major! mark x fem journalism major! reader

GENRE — fluff, comedy, humor, slowburn, strangers to friends to lovers, non-idol au, college au

WARNINGS — a little bit of cursing, probably kys/kms jokes, mark is really unlucky and awkward, reader as a journalism student loves gossiping a LOT and she’ll get into everyone’s business to do her job properly, a lot of teasing, includes mlm, features other idols (aespa, enhypen…)

STATUS — ongoing

UPDATES — every wednesday and saturday

TAGLIST — open (reply or send an ask)

PLAYLIST — solo - frank ocean, ivy - frank ocean, highway to heaven - nct 127, pink matter - frank ocean, infrunami - steve lacy, attracted to you - pinkpantheress, leave the door open - bruno mars, only if - steve lacy, i like me better - lauv, 200 - mark, fireflies - nct dream, up to you - prettymuch+nct dream, it’s yours - nct dream

A/N — my first smau ever :) but i’m so excited ! hopefully it goes well 🙏🏻

profiles 1 || profiles 2

band introduction

Y/N’s magazine account

1) accidental confessions

2) don’t do anything stupid

3) y/n’s hit tweet

4) we are the most mysterious bitches in this cafeteria

5) they know what you did

6) you found me thanks to my private twitter ?

7) two baddies with connections

8) one at a time gentlemen

9) show them who’s the king

10) a little stalking never hurt anyone

11) we aren’t homophobic !

12) surrounded by opps

13) we’re locked in baby

14) she has a hand kink

15) hope they play charli xcx

16) party in the city where the heat is on

17) he’ll be the passenger princess next time

18) break his heart or his bones ?

19) you heard the boss

20) can you two stop flirting ??

21) one at a time ladies

22) how your email finds me

23) drinks or coffee ?

24) little spoon allegations

[stillprettyunoriginal]

Ok, but I reached an eureka moment and I need someone to hear me out: will x theo could be potentionally wholesome. Like, you have just some guy who's dating this perfect dude and Will is aware, hell he is probably used to people asking him how he bagged a baddie like Theo, all meanwhile Theo is Will's number 1 fan/supporter, he's absolutely smitten for this wet dog of a man. Their dynamic has so much potential.

NOW YOURE THINKING!!!! Oh my gosh what if I told you they’re in my ship list titled “to write”?

The fun thing about these two is that typically Will’s presence adds a sense of dedication and loyalty like no other to ships, sort of like Annabel in his weird little way that he genuinely WILL GO LEAPS AND BOUNDS. But Theo is dramatic, a bit of a typical sort of man, polite and witty and trying to establish his own life after his father’s while I’d imagine ending up a bit as his father’s golden child. I can imagine looking like a man who wanted the power, the presence that comes with dating this prize and top tier rich boy, entirely regular seeming and with little connection to wealth. But I doubt Theo could see it that way. Because Theo would see Will’s weaseling into his heart as evidence that he is loved, and he is more, right? Theo is rich and high class with his manners and music and the skills and life of what a man of the era should be, but Will loves him and that can be a jarring realization when he’s used to adoration for other reasons. Theo would LOVE him like that, and Will would do his best to try and change, adjust to his environment: be a richer man, learn how to live the life, try to tame his hair. But Theo would likely laugh at him in those fancy clothes, loving and telling him it looks so wrong. Theo would catch Will returning to the grounds or the garden, attempting to get fruit from their tree, and he’d fall in love again with the quiet thought and consideration and little moment of peace that Will gains. He’d love Will’s love, his care and attempt to learn and fit in, and his appreciation for small things. He’d love how he ACTUALLY LISTENS beyond the sound of money in his pocket or fancy clothes. They’d just love.

[antiyourwokehomophobia2]

There is something so funny about me fumbling two baddies at one time because of my absolute shit timing.

The story goes that I was in high school and I asked a girl for her number and she gave it to me! However, she had a girlfriend. I figured that out because I got a text from a random number that was basically just "hey that's my girlfriend you're trying to hit up."

And so I of course left them both alone.

Guess what? That girlfriend turned out to be a girl that I had a crush on in middle school.

As you can imagine, this girl absolutely hated me after I had the audacity to hit on her gf. You could hear her disdain when she talked to me.

What's funny is that, in middle school, she was still identifying as straight so I of course didn't pursue her. Then in high school I lose my chance with her and the hot girl that she was dating??? In one fell swoop?? What kind of shit is that??

[gone-series-orchid]

literally one of my biggest gripes with gone is just how wasted the characters are. like all the women obviously because god forbid a woman have depth but also the male characters.

like, i hate caine as the character he is and i’m so annoyed at the potential he had. he was given away while sam was kept. that’s gotta be damaging. he was sent to coates that had a reputation for “troubled kids”. he was bitter, jealous and most importantly 14. the shit he did in the first book was horrific but all the coates trio shouldered some blame (diana less but still) giving him some leeway. drake was turned into the “big baddy” giving the angle of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” allowing an opportunity for caine (and diana) to join perdido gang under “we kinda have to” circumstances in which we could’ve watched both of them grow and repent the best they could for their actions (again more caine than diana) and then caine could sacrifice himself and it wouldn’t have felt so hollow. i have so much more i could elaborate on but part of the reason i hate caine so much is that he could’ve been so much more just like so many of the other characters.

sorry for the rambling

never be sorry for rambling, anon! i love rambling. i do it all the time!

i agree that caine's character had wasted potential. i really think mg just exaggerated his cruelty way too much in the first book for any redemption to work, though, at least imo. i'm not sure the argument that the coates trio all had a part in the cementing really holds up under scrutiny--caine's clearly positioned himself as the ultimate authority on things, so drake successfully swaying him to do such a cruel thing either makes caine weirdly malleable (which feels too vaguely out of character for me to take seriously, especially since he just established that he wanted to be king of the fayz, thus not sharing the power with orc or any of the perdido beach thugs).

not to mention cementing however many mutant kids in coates must've taken a lot of time and premeditated activity, (getting the cement in the first place, etc.). even if caine did it with his telekinesis, there would be a lot of time for him to come to his senses about how screwed up it is. and he just...doesn't. which to me seems a lot more evil than i think mg wanted it to be. drake may be a sadist, but he's not the one insisting he should have unchecked power and doesn't pretend to be doing things for the greater good. and diana is definitely culpable, too, but she doesn't have any direct hand in the cementing as far as we know. still is an absolutely terrible look for her morality-wise and one of the number one reasons i've never liked her much, but she definitely isn't as bad as caine.

i totally agree that, once drake lost his arm and was cemented (ha!) as the big bad antagonist he is, caine should have stopped being an active thorn in sam and co.'s side. it's kind of baffling that caine's one of the only characters who's gone into the mineshaft and realized the extent of the gaiaphage's evil, to the point of going catatonic over it, but then after he recovers he just goes on as normal, trying to take over the fayz. he makes tenuous peace with sam in order to get the mineshaft plugged up or whatever at the end of hunger, but his trajectory doesn't change overall. it's low-key maddening. i totally agree that a sooner redemption would make caine's sacrifice that much more narratively satisfying!

thanks so much for the ask! please feel free to send more!

[twistedtummies2]

Year of the Bat - NUMBER ONE

Welcome to the final entry for Year of the Bat! In memory of Kevin Conroy, Richard Moll, and Arleen Sorkin, I’ve been counting down my Top 31 Favorite Episodes of “Batman: The Animated Series” throughout January. And now, it’s time for the big moment. Today, we’ll be covering my absolute favorite episode from this great series! OUR FINAL EPISODE QUOTE: “You’d think one of us would have got ‘im by now.” NUMBER ONE IS…Almost Got ‘Im.

Alongside “Heart of Ice,” this seems to be the episode that almost everyone names as their favorite, or at least very high up among their favorites. I am obviously no exception, but I do find this fact funny, since, really, this and “Heart of Ice” couldn’t be more different from each other. “Heart of Ice” is an artistic powerhouse of an episode; Wagnerian in its themes and presentation, with a dark and sardonic edge. “Almost Got ‘Im” is…basically just another episode. It’s not poorly animated, but it’s not necessarily the BEST animated. It’s not one that goes deep into the minds of the characters, or one that features depressing concepts or especially disturbing visuals. (In fact, in many places, it almost feels like something out the 60s.) So what makes this episode so special, and a favorite for so many? I have no idea, but maybe the plot will give us all a hint: the story begins with five of Batman’s greatest villains – Joker, Penguin, Two-Face, Killer Croc, and Poison Ivy (who arrives late) – all sitting down in a bar and playing cards. Each of them starts arguing about who has come the closest to killing Batman, and they each decide to tell a story about when they feel they came the absolute closest, to see whose story is the best. And…that’s basically it. Yeah. There’s a bit of a twist at the end, which I won’t reveal here for all…what, five of you who haven’t seen it? But aside from that…that’s pretty much all there is to this story. It’s just a bunch of baddies sitting down and playing poker, while chatting about their foiled schemes. And, to be honest…that’s exactly WHY this episode is so great. It’s such a simple idea, and one ripe for so many creative concepts. And while we’ve had many episodes that have focused on the villains and their origins, I’d argue never before have they felt so…human as they do here. They’re not really up to anything dastardly in the moment, they’re just…a bunch of people playing cards. They tease each other, and rile each other up, but you never feel there’s any real DANGER here: for one reason or another, they’re just…playing cards, and managing to hold themselves together, despite all their differences.

I think that exact reason is why this episode is so beloved. Watching these villains interact this way, seeing the different relationships and personalities at work, and in such a relaxed and humorous sort of episode, is really something unique. You never really get a story like this anywhere else in the Animated Series (the closest thing to it I can think of is “Joker’s Wild”)…heck, it’s hard for me to think of anything like this in any comics I’ve read, or even in other superhero TV shows. It almost feels like a theatrical play, or something similar to “Five Characters in Search of an Exit.” It’s funny, it’s bizarre, and there’s just that little touch of darkness always lingering on the sidelines (these ARE villains, after all). And while Batman himself is barely in it, his proverbial specter looms large throughout. “Almost Got ‘Im” is not a perfect representation of what makes “Batman: The Animated Series” so great. It’s by no means what I would say is the “definitive” B:TAS episode. But that’s precisely what makes it so special and so beloved. It’s one of a kind, in the best possible way. If you love Batman Villains, the Animated Series, or just these kind of weird stories in general, and you haven’t seen it yet…well, then all I have to ask is, WHY NOT?! Go and watch it. Now. That’s an order. BEGONE!

Anyway…that was “Year of the Bat!” Thank you all for joining me, everyone! I hope you’ve all enjoyed this trip down an animated memory lane (or Crime Alley, as the case may be). Here’s hoping 2024 is a fine time for all! :)

[sephirthoughts]

Weirdo/Villain/Wet Possum Character Ask Game

I made a character headcanon ask game of my own, because I like these a lot, but I wanted something for people whose blorbos are weirdos/ villains/ ridiculous edgelords/ wet possums/ enemy agents/ necromancers/ career criminals/ ancient demons/ yandere siblings/ sullen loners/ tentacle horrors/ /juvenile delinquents/ serial killers/ vampires/ cyborg war criminals/ people who like cilantro etc. 

Respond in the ask box with the number(s) and character you’d like headcanons for!

NOTE: Wherever I’ve used “you” in here, it’s the general sense, just referring to whoever they’re close to/into/shipped with/etc. 

NOTE 2: All questions are meant to be open-ended and the examples given are just prompts to get you thinking!

What ‘normal’ thing do they love, that no one would ever guess?

What seemingly innocuous thing do they absolutely hate?

If applicable, do they realize they’re one of the baddies? If so, how do they feel about it? Are they proud/indifferent/ashamed/amused/delusional/other?

Assuming they can consume human food/drink, what is their favorite?

What is their living space like? Austere and impersonal? Elegant? Ultra hip? Full of self expression or devoid of it? Super weirdly cheerful? Covered with pizza boxes and empty beer cans? A howling abyss which no mortal may enter unscathed?

What is their attachment style? I hate everyone but you? I eat everyone but you? I must possess your body and soul to the exclusion of all others? You’ll see me when I feel like it or need food (stray cat style)? I quietly watch you from the shadows? You’re one of my many toys? You’re the only thing that stops me from [certain behavior]? You’re the reason I [certain behavior]?

They got a cell phone (if they’re a tentacle horror or other nonhuman creature, just imagine it’s a magical communication device that they can use). How often do they make calls? Do they actually answer their phone? Do they text often? What kind of messages are they (lovey, silly, jealous, purely practical, cryptic)? Do they use emojis?

Do they enjoy the spotlight? Or would they rather go unnoticed? Or are they indifferent to such matters?

What super annoying little habits do they have?

Do they pet the dog?

Are they social? Popular? Relentlessly solitary?

How do they feel about family? Want one of their own? Hate the very idea? Would grudgingly accept one? Want a spouse and (number) children? Produce thousands of offspring and can’t be bothered to know their names?

Are they loyal to a specific person/organization/clan or family/ideology? Intentionally antagonistic to the idea of belonging to someone/something? Do they just not care about anyone/anything that much?

Do they have a nemesis/rival/someone who they absolutely despise? Who is that? Do they really despise them, or is it a love-hate thing? Do they have sexual tension with them?

Do they have some sentimental item that they care about deeply and would flip out if they lost? What is it?

[Person of interest] shows up at their door (or equivalent) late at night, covered in blood. What do they do? Do they let them in? Do they help? Do they take advantage of the situation?

How intelligent are they? Smarter than most people? Average? Kinda dumb? Possessed of the eternal and unknowable secrets of the universe, incomprehensible to mortal minds?

What diagnosable mental health issues/chronic conditions/disabilities do they have, if any? How does that affect them?

What’s their sexual orientation (in your headcanon)? Also, are they asexual? Hypersexual? Demi? Where do they fall on that spectrum?

How experienced are they with romantic/sexual stuff? Never touched another being in that way and it would never occur to them to do so? Awkward virgin? Monogamous but intense? Enthusiastic slut?

What’s their most toxic trait?

How do they feel about children? Indifferent? Annoying? Precious? Delicious? 

Do they have parents? Are they living? What is their relationship with them like?

They make [person of interest] dinner. What is it?

Do they remember anniversaries/traditional holidays/sentimental occasions? What is their favorite holiday, if they have one? How do they observe it?

Name five items that they always have with them (if any).

[thebardisabird]

I did send you asks about Karamatsu's AU from Hesokuri Wars, and these pictures

Karamatsu with blonde hair is absolutely sending me. Like I can’t tell how I feel about it. It’s like when a cat goes to the vet and when it gets home all the other cats are like “I know you but who are you?!” lmao

His Shiva au though, that’s incredible. Shiva is my second favorite Hindu god (behind Kali), and his depiction is very interesting - though if I’m being honest, Jyushimatsu’s Ganesha might be my favorite from that set. I don’t see a version for Totoko, but I imagine that they would’ve made her Kali lol

I don’t think I’ve seen the remix set before but look at him slaying in those boots

And finally the bad bitch of the joshimatsu- do you SEE this queen?! Men, women, non-binary babes are LINING UP to get her number cause she’s a baddie fr. Don’t tell me you don’t see those hips when she walks! 10/10 god is in fact a woman okay

[yestolerancepro]

My dear girl, there are some things that just aren't done, such as drinking Dom Perignon '53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That's just as bad as listening to The Beatles without earmuffs!” A blog inspired by the music world of James Bond   Part 3B View to a Kill a sad Goodbye to Roger Moore and More

Introduction

Hello there and welcome to another episode of my blog that looks at the musical tastes of James Bond over the last 60 years the last episode looked at the Bond films that I don’t like for various reasons this chapter continues that trend.

I really have mixed feelings about A View to a Kill if you asked the 8 year old me about it in 1985 what I felt about It I would have said I was really excited after all Roger Moore was my favourite Bond and their was a lot of Buzz around the film it seemed to be everywhere I remember one offer on Smith crisps offering a Free Poster I eat all the crisps and got myself one it looked really exciting the Tagline for View to a Kill was Has James Bond Finally Met his Match judging by the Posters and the film trailers I really thought they would kill James Bond off they wouldn’t do that would they ?

Jumping ahead 38 years and taking off my rose tinted glasses I wore as an 8 year as the Doctor says in a 1984 episode called Warriors of the Deep “there should have been another way” and in the case of View to a kill I agree with him.

  The film starts really well a great title song by Duran Duran you can watch the video for the song by clicking here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp4CR2HcHLQ&list=PL17vqAEJv6CUxmeZBk3JGDLBbcPEd4CDp&index=39  It  also has one of the best pre-title sequences ever featured in a Bond film. But that’s about as good as the film gets.

The Villians in the film namely Max Zorin and his Hench woman May Day played by Grace Jones are both just way over the top even for A Bond film.

I even find Tanya Roberts as Stacey Sutton off putting as well as she seems to channelling Faye Ray from King Kong in her performance.

When Roger Moore himself dislikes the film you know there is something wrong. I love Roger Moore as Bond but his era shouldn’t have ended like this he should have left the series with his head held high at the end of For Your Eyes only or Octopussy.

I don’t know what made them do this but the What Culture website decided to give Christropher Walken’s performance as Max Zorin the best bond moment of the film,

A View to a Kill is quite possibly the worst James Bond film ever made. It's been widely criticized for still having Roger Moore as Bond even though he's visibly almost 60 years old, and the sight of this far-too-old action hero awkwardly stumbling his way through the action scenes and bedding women young enough to be his daughters is a great analogy for the movie itself.

View is every bit as energy-free and cringe-worthy as its lead performance, thanks to its disastrous mixture of terrible action, risible comedy and total lack of zest, but as has been said before, greatness lies within every Bond movie. In this case, Christopher Walken is legitimately brilliant as main villain Max Zorrin.

 Both fiendishly entertaining and chillingly evil, the great actor is absolutely magnetic every moment he's on screen and he's so good it feels like you're watching a different, far better movie every time he appears.

Comparisons to Alan Rickman in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves - a terrible movie that only becomes watchable when Rickman's incredible villain is on screen - would be completely justified here.

His Super intelligence also makes Max Zorin a great bond baddie according to the Screen Rant article the top 10 Bond Villians with Super Powers where Max Zorin landed at number 5 in their list Screen Rant had this to say about his brain power

By the time A View to a Kill was released in 1985, Roger Moore was arguably too old to play Bond and it wasn't believable for him to fight henchmen with superhuman abilities. The 57-year-old no longer looked like he could take on men with robotic arms. The filmmaker's solution to this was Max Zorin, a byproduct of Nazi experimentation that lead to hyper-intelligence. While not as visually spectacular as other Bond villains, Christopher Walken lends Zorin an eerie presence that gives the very goofy film some stakes.

Likewise Mayday came in at number 3 on Moviewebs list of the Deadliest women in the Bond Franchise Yes she is but she is still bloody awful here is what Movieweb said about Mayday

Portrayed by model, singer, and actress Grace Jones, May Day is the fierce and incredibly strong lover and bodyguard of the German KGB operative-turned-billionaire industrialist Max Zorin. She is also responsible for selecting and training all his female guards, and assassinating anyone he deems a threat, whether via strangulation, a poisoned stage prop, drowning, or defenestration.

After being betrayed by Zorin, she joins forces with Bond (Moore), but is killed by an explosion. Her dying wish from Bond is, “Get Zarin for me!”.

Jones’ portrayal is so on-point that, according to her autobiography, even Moore himself was afraid of her on set.

The film is also way too violent there is way too much killing in it particularity in the last 20 mins why the film only got a PG rating is beyond me

To watch a retrospective review of A View to a kill from Oliver Harper’s You Tube channel click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsuG2nOmbrs Sorry about the unintended pun

To watch a trailer for View to a kill click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buOK9kJIJA4

To watch a tribute to Roger Moore from the You Tube channel Jo Blo orignals click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FX8JsR1D9Vc&list=PL17vqAEJv6CV1syq4_fFKgBwSqGdJzH9z&index=286

To watch a short video which shows Roger Moore best bits of James Bond Click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee4ghr-Y1tI&list=PL17vqAEJv6CV1syq4_fFKgBwSqGdJzH9z&index=287&t=45s

To read an article on how the Roger Moore James Bond films are ranked by James Bond fans click here https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2555559/roger-moores-james-bond-movies-ranked

To watch a tribuite video for a View to a kill click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46x4H9heJoM

Further reading 

According to this article A view to a kill is the best bond film of the franchise  click here to read it https://movieweb.com/james-bond-a-view-to-kill-best-movie-in-franchise/

Licence to Kill

The last James Bond of the 80’s and the last James Bond film to star Timothy Dalton which to me was a shame as he was excellent in the Living Daylights but for me this is not the way Timothy’s Bond  should have gone.

 But once again let start with the positives first and finish with the negatives later the film has an excellant title track by Gladyis Knight.

The Music

Here is a little background on the song with thanks to Wikipedia.

Initially Vic Flick, who had played lead guitar on Monty Norman's original 007 theme, and Eric Clapton were asked to write and perform the theme song to Licence to Kill and they produced a theme to match Dalton's gritty performance, but the producers turned it down[30] and instead Gladys Knight's song and performance was chosen. The song was based on the "horn line" from "Goldfinger", seen as an homage to the film of the same name,[30] which required royalty payments to the original writers.[31] The song gave Knight her first British top-ten hit since 1977.[32] The end credits feature the Top 10 R&B hit "If You Asked Me To", sung by Patti LaBelle.[33]

The song was composed by Narada Michael Walden, Jeffrey Cohen and Walter Afanasieff, based on the "horn line" from Goldfinger, which required royalty payments to the original writers.[3] At 5 minutes 13 seconds it is the longest Bond theme, though 45 single releases featured a shorter edit, running 4 minutes 11 seconds. The version used in the movie itself was edited to 2 minutes 53 seconds

To watch a video for the song click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1iRaS3gqws&list=PL17vqAEJv6CUxmeZBk3JGDLBbcPEd4CDp&index=41

On the production front Carey Lowell is excellant as Pam Bouvier she made number 15 in Collider films list of the 16 best Bond girls this what they had to say about her:

Timothy Dalton’s tenure as Bond, albeit being just two movies, is the most underrated era in the franchise’s long and illustrious history. Nestled within it are some of the most raw and engaging characters the Bond films have to offer, which is brought to the fore in Licence to Kill as it combines the Bond movie formula with a gritty revenge narrative.

 As Bond strives to avenge his friend and colleague Felix Leiter, he finds a valuable ally in Leiter’s CIA collaborator Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell). A former fighter pilot for the U.S., Bouvier is more than capable of looking after herself and even rescues Bond as they seek justice for their comrade.

The films Villain is very good if slightly underrated Robert Davi plays Franz Sanchez in Licence to Kill The Collider Website rated his performance as number 1 in their top 10 list of James Bonds underated Villains so what makes him so good.

The films spawned from Timothy Dalton’s brief tenure as 007 boasted a toughness their predecessors lacked but still had a healthy appetite for flamboyance when the opportunity arose. While this resulted in an underwhelming villain in The Living Daylights, the franchise struck gold in Licence to Kill with Robert Davi’s Franz Sanchez.

 A violent and ruthless drug dealer, Sanchez attracts the ire of Bond when he had Felix Leiter maimed and his wife brutally murdered on their wedding day. Sanchez is one of the most violent villains Bond has ever encountered, and yet the intimidating criminal was made all the more compelling thanks to his moral code and the value he placed on loyalty.

The Death of Franz Sanchez in Licence to Kill was highlighted in the Screenrant.com article as one of the 6 moments that defined 007  in the article they comment

Timothy Dalton only played Bond in two movies, but he’s been lauded for being the most faithful to Ian Fleming’s source material. Dalton’s Bond is a cold, calculated killing machine. His second and final outing, Licence to Kill, is a violent revenge thriller that sees 007 abandoning his official MI6 assignment to pursue a personal vendetta against drug lord Franz Sanchez for killing Felix Leiter’s bride. In the explosive climax of the movie, 007 lights Sanchez on fire with the lighter that Felix gave him as a gift. This moment is an appropriately brutal ending to the darkest Bond film, and the use of Felix’s wedding gift offers poetic justice.

Franz Sanchez was also included in the screenrant article Every James Bonds Iconic Villain Ranked in that article they say

Timothy Dalton only ever appeared in two Bond films, but out of his two villains, Licence to Kill’s Franz Sanchez is much more memorable than The Living Daylights’ Brad Whitaker. Whitaker is a typically smarmy arms dealer who adheres to all the Bond villain clichés, but Sanchez is wholly unique within the 007 canon. Licence to Kill is basically Bond versus Scarface as 007 pursues a personal vendetta against a ruthless drug lord. Sanchez is one of the most brutal Bond villains. He kills and maims people for fun. He’s so evil that he gets the audience emotionally invested in Bond’s fight against him.

Q Branch

The film makes good use of Q as well which is always an added  bonus when 007 makes Q an agent to help in his revenge scheme which gives Desmond Lewleyns Q probably his longest appearance in a Bond film he also brings with him a whole load of gadgets to help Bond on his quest these include:

 Exploding alarm clock

"Guaranteed never to wake up anybody who uses it."[84]

Signature camera gun

A camera that can be taken apart and assembled into a sniper rifle. The grip is programmed to recognize only Bond's hand.[85]

Laser Polaroid camera

When the flash is used on this camera, it shoots a laser. It can also take x-ray pictures.[11][3][9]

Broom radio

used by Q to communicate with Bond's companion while disguised as a grounds man. Q throws this item away after using it.[7]

By far the Best gadget in Qs overnight bag is the Dentonite Toothpaste which also made number 8 in Den of the Geeks Top Ten of the Best Gadgets used in the Bond films.

 A Bond movie wouldn’t be complete without explosives. All manner of situations require a little dynamite to help an agent on their way, and Q usually had an ingenious method to hide these lethal gadgets in plain sight. For License To Kill, the movie took an unexpected approach, relying on a household item. However, unlike other equipment from the series, this was not based on a real-world brand.

His Majesty’s Secret Service had transformed a tube of toothpaste into an explosive device. Comedically titled Detonite, the false branding alluded to the contents within. It’s terrifying that someone could have mistakenly used this product as was intended, but James Bond took advantage of the gadget when he made an assassination attempt on Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi). While his goal was unsuccessful, the toothpaste itself destructed without issue. A cleverly disguised cigarette packet became the detonator in another spectacular design choice.

So what's my issue with Licence to Kill?

I get that the film is a revenge story but the film is ruined by too much killing  Timothy Dalton  who was excellent in Living Daylights is turned into a John McClane clone.

James Bond is not Bruce Willis The tag in this film should be James Bond meets Die Hard and for me its not a good look.

To watch a retrospective review of Licence to Kill from the Oliver Harper You Tube page click herehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL10kuq39gw&t=8s

To watch a video of Timothy Daltons best moments as James Bond click here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XJu4vWLUSs

If you have read and liked this blog please consider giving the Tolerance project a donation by clicking on the above link https://gofund.me/5cf25de4

Pictures

1) Smiths Crisps View to a kill Poster Promotion

2) Poster for a view to a kill

3) Max Zorin

4)Tanya Roberts as Stacy Sutton

5) Grace Jones as May Day

6 a foreign poster for Licence to Kill

7) Cary Lowell as Pam Bovier with Timothy Dolton as James Bond

8) Robert Davi as Franz Sanchez

Notes Thanks to Oliver Harper for the respective on Licence to Kill also thanks to Stormchaser Z for the video on Timothy Daltons best moments as Bond thanks also to the following websites Den of the Geek for their article the top ten best gadgets used on the Bond films What Culture website for their best moments and the Culder website for the 16 best Bond girls article also Wikipedia for some of the background material.

[geekinthelowlands]

Day 50 - 100 Warm-Up Roleplaying Questions

Every day I use an RNG to pick a question from this list and answer it as four of my dnd characters: Hanne, a human bard; Gat, an orc rogue/warlock; Cogwynn, a half-elf paladin; and Shadow of a Star, a tabaxi wizard. Today's number is: 63

63 Is your character willing to risk the well-being of others in order to achieve their goal?

Hanne might, but not with pleasure. It would really depend on the context. Are the others baddies? Do they know that their well-being is at risk? How badly are they at risk? Are they innocent people about to lose their lives? No, I don't think she could easily do that. Are they only going to be minorly inconvenienced? Well.. maybe.

Gat would, yes. He assumes others would risk him without a second thought.

Cogwynn absolutely would not. She would not ask anyone else to do something she wouldn't do herself. And she'd find it hard to knowingly risk other people's well-being for her own goals. [Though I could see a way of twisting that to allow for the 'greater good' to seep through...]

Shadow of a Star would be torn about this decision. The weight of the goal versus the well-being of others. She likes to think she wouldn't just harm people willy-nilly to further her goals... but then again....

[gleppy]

Hi sheep! Its StrawberryWritezz! I have a few questions for you

1. How do you feel about fanart? :0

2. In relation to art question, can you describe what N and Uzi look like for reference?

3. Whats your writing process?

1. i LOVE fan art! i've gotten a couple of pieces of fan art inspired by tiny angels already and i've been absolutely floored by it every time. you honestly don't even have to ever ask my permission to make art inspired by my fics, all i ask is that if you're posting it somewhere you include a link to the fic.

2. nolan: 6'2, white, same curly hair as he has in canon but more of a pale blond than straight-up white, amber eyes, heart-shaped face, muscular (he's not like, ripped, but he ain't scrawny either)

uzi: 4'11, asian (japanese/mongolian), olive skin, also the same hair colour/style she has in the show, grey eyes (but a very dark grey, like, almost black), round face, freckles, blonde eyebrows (she bleaches them), slim body type. it's also mentioned a few times in the fic that she's heavily pierced and tattooed, so here's specifically what i imagine her to have -

piercings:

left eyebrow

right side of nose

septum ring

snake bites

tongue

she has a lot of piercings on her ears too but i haven't thought specifically about what she'd have so just take some creative liberties with that i guess

she used to have her nipples & belly button done too but unless you're drawing her naked it isn't really relevant lmao

tattoos:

octopus on left shoulder/upper arm

gothic cathedral sleeve on right upper arm

vampire bat across chest

laser gun on lower stomach

constellations on the top of her foot (specifically the ones for cancer, sagittarius, capricorn, and gemini - yes this will make sense later. she also gets more constellations on her other foot at some point)

deftones "white pony" album cover on forearm

a crow somewhere (i'm thinking right below the octopus maybe)

patchwork sleeve on her thigh of caps from various anime/manga she likes (eg. serial experiments lain, oyasumi punpun, neon genesis evangelion, & junji ito's uzumaki, to name a few)

the date of her and n’s wedding anniversary on her left ring finger

a really ugly poorly done stick n poke of a skull and crossbones on her wrist that she did in high school but has never gotten removed or covered up despite how shitty it is because she sees it as a part of her that tells a story

at some point after her daughter is born (since pregnant women can't get tattooed) she gets an american traditional style portrait of her late tarantula on her shoulder blade. she also gets a tattoo for her daughter buuuuut i can't say what specifically it is because #spoilerz

she probably has way more, these are just the ones i've put thought into, however most of these would probably be a complete bitch to draw so if you wanna give her different tattoos or even forgo the tattoos entirely i would not be mad LOL. n and uzi's marriage in my fic is so funny to me... a goth baddie and the most normal guy ever

3. this is a pretty vague question haha but i'll try and give a generalized answer. the number one rule i have for myself (and the biggest piece of advice i can give to other writers) is to only write when i feel like writing. the reason i've been able to update tiny angels as frequently as i have (idgaf what anyone says, 100k words in 3 months on top of grad school and a job is damn productive) is because it's a fic i feel excited about and have a lot of ideas for. on average i'm able to post a new chapter within 2-5 days, but there's also been a few incidents where it's taken me a week or two. when this happens, it doesn't always mean i've been too busy to write, it usually means i either A) didn't know what i wanted to write or B) didn't feel like writing. or both.

if i feel excited about writing something (and this could be anything, from fanfic to essays for school - yes i am that nerd who gets genuinely excited to write essays), i will shit it out in no time at all. i see a lot of posts by other fic writers about being excited to write only to then open and stare at a blank google doc for hours on end, and i can sympathize with this to an extent but can't relate to it at all, because if i'm looking forward to getting my next chapter out there, the words will literally just flow from my fingertips and onto the document. sounds cliché, but it's true. if i'm forcing myself to write when i don't actually want to, then i'm putting out something that's less than the best work i can do. at the risk of sounding selfish and ungrateful, i'd much rather keep my readers frustratedly waiting for a new chapter and have it turn out great than deliver a lackluster, mediocre chapter just because people got tired of waiting. think of it this way: if you wake up early enough in the morning, you'll have time to make yourself a nutritious, filling, and tasty breakfast. bacon cooked to perfection, eggs prepared whatever way you like them, a stack of fluffy pancakes doused in maple syrup, a bowl of fresh fruit, coffee with just the right amount of milk and sugar (or tea if that's what you prefer, or freshly squeezed orange juice if caffeine's not your thing). if you wake up late, you'll throw a slice of bread in the toaster, slap some butter on it, scarf it down and head out to work, school, or wherever it is you need to be. both options are edible, sure, but one probably sounds much more enjoyable than the other, right?

something else i do is never coming up with an excuse not to write, even if i'm in a situation where i'm typically not "supposed" to be writing. as creatives, we can't control when or where inspiration hits, and if we don't log our ideas immediately, they can leave us just as quickly as they came to us. i have these little mini-notebooks that i bring with me everywhere along with pens, so that if inspiration strikes when i don't have access to a computer, i can just physically scribble down whatever i'm thinking and transfer it to a google doc later. this especially comes in handy when i'm at work - i don't think i'm exaggerating when i say probably about half of tiny angels was written while i was on the clock, LOL.

also: i never don't proof read. proof reading is helpful for not only catching grammar, spelling, punctuation, and continuity mistakes, but making sure i'm effectively conveying whatever it is i want to convey. i can't tell you the amount of times i've re-read a chapter before publishing it and decided to throw in an extra sentence or even just an extra word because even the finest of details can make a HUGE difference in impact. it also helps me to realize if i've repeated the same word too many times in a single chapter - for example, before publishing chapter 18, i read through it and noticed that i had used the word "completely" about 5 or 6 times. so i went back and swapped out some of those instances of the word for a different word with the same meaning - something like "utterly," "definitely," "totally," "entirely," etc. now, the word "completely" only appears twice within the chapter (and it's within the same sentence, which is intentional). a varied vocabulary is so, so important!

on that note: DESCRIPTIVE LANGUAGE. SIMILES. METAPHORS. these things are your best friends. use them, but don't over-use them. not every single sentence of your fic needs to be poetic prose, there's no shame in the occasional simple "He sighs." or "She shrugs." but a total lack of poetic language isn't going to make your story memorable and it sure as hell isn't going to evoke strong emotions in your readers (which is exactly what you're trying to do as a writer). for example, take this short paragraph from chapter 18:

Jade's eyebrows twitch up briefly and her eyes flash with something that almost looks like anger, as if she can't believe her brother would dare to challenge her like this. But just as quickly as it appeared, the indignation in her expression evaporates, her face frosting over with indifference instead.

now imagine if i had written this instead:

Jade briefly looks angry, but her face quickly becomes indifferent instead.

both betray more or less the same thing - that jade is mad at nolan, but is pretending not to be by pulling a poker face. however, the first one is much more immersive, and actually gives the reader an accurate glimpse into how jade is feeling during this moment. every word i've written here was carefully cherrypicked to make a statement about jade's character. "flash", for example. what else flashes? lightning flashes. ambulance & police lights flash. flashing indicates danger. the indignation in her expression doesn't just "go away," it "evaporates." evaporation is the process of a liquid turning into a gas. gases can be toxic. jade is toxic to nolan. her face doesn't just become indifferent, it "frosts over." frost occurs in the coldest months of winter, when temperatures reach below freezing. jade's personality can absolutely be described as cold. she assumes an unfriendly, emotionless demeanour here to conceal her true feeling, which is anger - thus, the word "frost" is appropriate. that post about how "the author just meant that the curtains were blue" couldn't be further from the truth - every word that went into this line had at least some layer of intent behind it.

that was a really fucking long winded answer. i'm sorry. tldr: write whenever you feel like writing but ONLY when you feel like writing, proof read, try to avoid repetition, use poetic devices but don't abuse them.

oh, and lighting either a scented candle or some incense while i write. i have no clue why it helps, but it does. 👍

[thetentaclecommander]

*Why do you seem to mostly write RE rarepairs?* Is a question I asked myself a lot. At first (and the number one main reason) it was that I like this pair, they speak to me and are interesting/hot to me together. Later it was 'oh, cause I just like monster/human ships'. Which woulda held true if I didn't end up doing other human ships so that punched that sole reason in the face. Many pairs I've ended up writing sure, came from fleshing out the AU and becoming ascended extras that I love writing about, too. I'd figure you kinda have to at least like a pair to write it imo (I don't believe in being miserable while you write). But they all tended to be just as rair as my crackship main. This was so unintended. And it's not like I don't like the more common fandom wide pairs (most RE pairs/polys/ect aren't canon so it's not canon avoidance either!) I literally will read any configuration as long as the story moves me. Heck, I've been asked to write more common ships (usually in this rude offtopic way: No, I probably won't write your Cleons or Chriskers unless you venmo me a 'I might think about it' fee - again, I only write for free what I enjoy writing about). Every time this happens, I search the pair requested in question up. I see the sheer hundreds if not thousands of fics for them and ask WHY? You are so well fed? My writing style might not even fit them >.> (thou, I'd be more flattered if that was the angle requests were coming from). This also made me realize I prefer writing pairs that barely have a page of works to their name.

I also think to me it's the 'difficulty spike' in writing a pair that draws me in. Like for example Valenfield*. It's baby's first gateway ship for a reason - they are always in someway together canonically with a pre build professional relationship, have extensive history together, they are simply comfy to pair. Thing is, they have to me so much canonical history it's like 'what could I personally even add that canon didn't already?' I'd feel boxed in cause as much as I'm team 'write whatever you want forever' I personally try to semi stay/dance around within the canon box before I diverge AU nasty style. And Jill and Chris have so many fics already that'd I'd be adding a drop in the available fic bucket; both in the permutation of character interpretations and odds are my added story wouldn't even bring anything new to the table. They are simply Too Easy for me and just don't bring anything new to mind that I could write about. But that also brings up that I simply like creative freedom. I like the generalized canon but not liking that a pair already has an established dynamic/story in canon. Yes, I know you could just...not consider it but I just don't want to rebuild over a thing that is serviceable, I want to build what wasn't there in the first place. Your Valendfields, your Aeons ect kinda has that set up already and I hate having things 'given' to me. If I wanna do a whatif then I will DO a WHATIF. And the fun in doing a whatif is the difficulty. The lack of setup. Like there is NOTHING supporting Nemmy and Jill together. Fucking nothing. Just big baddie mon and soldier fighting. That absolute nothing would scare people away; I see free real estate to get creative and build housing on. Because there is nothing I am able to go hog wild and *make* something. Something that other people are not likely to also come up with (or not in the same way). I can break with established norm and feel like I'm treading new ground. This extended to humans - why not have Ada interact with Carlos? They both operate 'under the table', with one affable with a bit of a scruffy boy outlook despite his history as a merc and the other being a cool and coy spy and not giving out info unless they have to with both being playfully flirty? Who despite both being in the same city never meet? Why not? The canon certainly didn't think they should meet on screen but I did! And sometimes, I break my own rules and think there *is* so much there in the canon imo and not many take it, like Creva. Like, now I'm just doing it cause they deserve more - I've no idea why they are so rare (and no, I don't buy into racism or anything like that as the why I think it's just lack of interest, sadly...and people mayhaps afraid to multiship for some reason?) cause they both are likeable and interesting together. I don't see them as a rare pair yet they are, hmm. *Not to say I don't have them on the future fic docket, shhh

[valthevalkyrie]

simple, unserious rant

back in december 2019 my hair was at its most beautiful. my corkscrew curls were shiny and juicy, and my hair had my dream shape, and my bangs fell so beautifully and layered so nicely. the few highlights i still had left over from a year past were some nice little accents. and I was able to maintain it until about april or may 2020.

from that point on due to being at home during the pandemic, i really didn’t let it down. i didn’t see if it was still as nice.

in august 2020 I caught covid and i had it pretty bad. double pneumonia, in the hospital for almost a week, and out of work for like a month maybe a month and a half. to this day, my lung capacity is not quite the same as it was and until the other day i had lost most of my sense of smell, and i’m only just now starting to regain some of it.

six months later, my hair started to fall out and my curls were dying.

because of the stress of losing my hair, which is my pride and joy (and literally the only thing I like about myself and even that I struggle to not find some flaw), i decided to shave off my hair. i was also having an insane amount of gender dysphoria. so, two birds, one stone.

i had never felt such a euphoric experience as when i shaved off all of my hair and walked out of that barbershop with literally the most interesting combination of colors on my head.

for about the next year and a half i not only dyed my hair about two more times with some fun designs, but i continued to shave my hair and i felt so comfortable and free.

as time went on though, i really did miss my curls and i missed having the security of a curl to play with when i’m stressed or nervous, so i decided to grow my hair back out. in march 2022 i did my very last design on a buzzed head for my birthday, and in april i did one last trim in order to start growing my hair out.

fast-forward two years and my hair has never had a health trim, had about 3 inches of split ends and the longest point reached past my shoulders, touching my upper back. it also had no shape whatsoever.

this past wednesday i decided to take it upon myself to at least trim off the split ends and see how much my hair would bounce back. mind you, my curls have not been curling the way they did before i got sick in all the time i've been growing it out (which is a very sad development for me because I absolutely loved the texture of my hair).

unfortunately, i ended up with a somewhat lopsided shape. nothing too bad, one side was just not as rounded out as the other (think circle v. triangle).

today after work, i decided to try and fix that.

big fucking mistake.

i have cut it in a way that i have never managed before in all the times i’ve trimmed and styled my own hair. once again one side is perfectly rounded and layered and the other side is this choppy, blocky mess that i genuinely don’t know how to fix.

it’s bad enough that i think i might have to shave my hair again.

which is i guess a blessing and a curse because i’ve been wanting to do something fun with my hair again and of the few things in my life that I have control of, my hair is literally number one (because it feels as though i have no control over literally any other aspect of my life).

so while i am very sad that i fucked up my hair again, i’m also pretty excited that after the trim on wednesday my hair bounced back quite a bit (the shrinkage is alive and well, thankfully). i think, had i given it the proper trim and continued maintaining it with the right products and care, it would probably be back to its former glory by my birthday.

although i’m going to miss my hair and my curls, i think i’m really excited for the possibility of shaving my hair within the next three days and dying it a nice fun color.

granted, i was never supposed to touch my own hair in the first place. i was supposed to save up enough money to go to a hairstylist. but that lady was asking for $230 that I don’t have. being a baddie on a budget, i thought i could handle it myself. and then, i thought i could fix something that i guess didn’t even really need to be fixed until i maybe went to the lady, because all I did was fuck something up even more.

all of this to say: wish me luck for the next week or so. we'll see how this little cut i've given myself presents itself and decide on shaving it from there. whether or not i shave it off completey, i'm stuck with really short hair again so it seems i am about to start another hair adventure sin querer queriendo 😅

[betweenlands]

Ok ill bite whats dominion smp?

BOY AM I GLAD YOU ASKED

dominion smp, which some members call DSMP for what's probably seo reasons but i find intensely hilarious because it's technically not wrong to abbreviate it like that, is a small lightly modded server based around the origins mod! basically, each member has a different origin, and in much the same way empires members are loosely the ruler of their respective countries, you can sort of consider each dominion member to be kind of a paragon of their respective origin.

thing is, while dominion is defined in part by its relation to the origins mod, there is also a lot of plot stuff that happens that is only tangentially related to the fact that everyone is creatures -- you've got people beefing over stolen goods, everyone sort of vying for power in a vacuum while trying to not seem obvious about it, taxes of "give me all of your diamonds every two weeks i am no longer asking nicely", and also. whatever the hell is going on with shadowmech.

oh yeah also literally like 75% of these ccs have 2000+ day hardcore worlds so the builds are insane.

here's a masterpost on everyone's povs! it doesn't have their Vibes down rn but i can do that really briefly (EDIT LOL NO IT'S NOT BRIEF THIS IS GOING UNDER A CUT):

starting members:

jamiejoan/jammers, dragonborn: elected queen of the server during s1. has a corruption arc, as one does. not many s1 episodes, but (without spoiling anything) her pov for s2 is unique and worth checking out

grady, enderian: doesn't have many episodes and is mainly a streamer. his character is half wet cat and half "guy that makes that's what she said jokes", but somehow in a different direction from scar?

legundo, piglin: champion of the piglins, sent to the overworld by his people for. well for takeover purposes probably. this mostly involves doing capitalism and having trusting-distrustful dynamics with the besties. actually the main server admin but this never comes up incharacter.

fixxitt, inchling: starts off as a thief, escalates WILDLY until by episode 5 welsknight is telling him "you fucked up, buddy" and then he builds a gigantic house. has 2 musical numbers in the middle of episodes that will absolutely knock you out if you're not prepared. also has very good cinematics.

nukeri, elytrian: democracy lover and guy who really, really just wants everyone to get along. canonically descended from icarus; all my friends have emotions about him and i haven't watched him yet but he's a major blorbo-in-law. i'd make a joke about how he's the resident gay scot of the server since they couldn't get smajor, but he literally does have a voice cameo from scott in his s1 finale.

rnjoy, witch: loves doing mad science, committing tax fraud, and has a mushroom son in s2 now. not a lot of s1 episodes but she loves her ravager gertrude i know that much. currently being hunted by --

shadowmech, witherborn: hitman of the server who is only withered rn because he ate a really bad porkchop. no episodes currently, he's in the process of doing a supercut of all his s1 stuff. is also in the process of uh. being very possessed and possibly being the s2 arc baddie rn. it's. fiiiiine. he's just not speaking to anyone and also attacking them during blood moons! totally chill

sneve, blazeborn: like if keralis was oli orionsound but with less musical numbers. sneve is an experience that cannot be described. just. watch his episodes there's only like 3 of them it'll tell you everything and nothing you need to know

taneesha, goat: lover of domes and also psychological warfare. started an advancement race probably as an excuse to steal people's shit. not a lot of s1 episodes but has some plot stuff anyway since she kind of got invited to join jamie's. void cult. yeaaaahhhh.

started midway thru s1:

vikingpilot, phantom: SOMETHING IS SO VERY WRONG WITH HIM. sweet ghostboy who is also incredibly unhinged. canonically dead and was also intangible and invisible for the beginning half of s1 up until the dragon fight. does dark magic, or is at least planning to do dark magic. pluralcoded and you can fight me on this. honestly my top pick for "if you only get one pov"

started at the beginning of s2:

progamebot/josh, sporeling: one video so far! joy's mushroom son. helping her make potions out of a van in the desert atm, which is. actually a breaking bad reference, not a reference to that other dsmp. canonically like a week old at the most. doing pretty well considering this.

kiply, fairy: no episodes yet, but uh. i've been watching her other stuff on and off and something is seriously wrong with her in the best way possible. plays on i think at least 2 different lifesteal-type smps? she is unhinged. she is not a reliable narrator. i love her.

dalilred (wolf) and itsryan (iron golem) also REALLY recently joined so i haven't gotten a pin on their vibes yet. red seems like she has a little bit of a cottagecore aesthetic and ryan seems to be kind of closer to sneve on the shitposter end of the mcyter spectrum, but that's all i've got

[dizzysnowbully]

⚠️ Mild spoiler alert for the 11/23/22 main story quests. ⚠️

.

.

While in the library the girls made some DND jokes. I couldn't stop thinking about what DND classes the soul riders might play in a campaign. Here are my thoughts on that. This is for DND 5e. Keep in mind I'm not the most knowledgeable on the subject, but this is what I think based on their personalities.

Lisa:

No doubt Lisa would play bard. She loves music, and is a powerful healer. In 5e bard is a great support class with some pretty good healing spells too. I think it's an obvious pick for her.

Linda:

Linda is probably ALWAYS the dungeon master for most games, but I think she would play a wizard. She craves knowledge and is very talented with magic. Linda probably knows all about the best kind of build, and what spells to pick too.

Alex:

This one is a bit tough to decide. I think Alex would be interested in every class and have a hard time picking just one. In the end I think she is best suited for fighter. Alex is a powerful soul rider, She always strikes first and asks questions later. Fighter is a versatile class that is skilled with a number of different weapons and also uses magic.

Anne:

Like Alex I had a hard time deciding what class Anne might choose. In the end I think that monk suits her best. In 5e monks focus on harnessing the power within themselves to exceed their body's natural capabilities. To me Anne seems like the type to push herself to be the absolute best she can be. She's also a baddie and could punch me in the face any day.

[bravelywego]

Tahirah, Nuriel, Arlyn and Rafaele nodded in understanding at James' explanation. "I see..."

Janne sighed in response to Oddette. "I promise that I'm not that scared of random snakes..."

Geist nodded. "Er...good luck, everyone."

Soon enough, the three groups used their teleportation crystals...

-----

Kamiizumi, Nadine, and Lena found themselves entering the area upon hearing Luciano and a now-healed-up Usama...well...arguing a bit.

Luciano threw up his hands briefly, scowling. "This is ridiculous, we should've just stormed the entire base already and defeated them all! We've been waiting forever for the enemy to just straight-up surrender!"

"Without our backup?" Usama sighed, shaking her head. "You told me about what happened when you and the others busted out DeRosa, Luciano! We can expect similar tactics from our foes here too."

Candace noticed the three first, waving at them. "Greetings. Thanks for coming along to help us out - and, er, sorry about Luciano and Usama, those two argue with each other half the time."

"As long as it doesn't get in the way of accomplishing our task, we should be fine," Kamiizumi reassured her. "What's the situation?"

Candace pointed up ahead. "We've already cornered all the dragon baddies within their base. We're trying to negotiate to get them to surrender - mainly because I really don't want to deal with more fighting. But, they're being hard-headed about not surrendering, so...."

"So...?"

Candace sighed. "I need you three to sneak into the building and start bashing heads. We already found a hidden entrance that the enemy did an embarrassingly horrible job of hiding, so you can use that to go through. We already got rid of all the traps."

----

Janne and Oddette found themselves staring at none other than Araceli Nemesis, who smiled a bit upon spottting them. She wore a surprisingly shiny dress, jeweled and elaborate, but there was some chainmail embedded into it for the sake of protection.

"Well, well, look who the cat dragged in. I presume the Countess told you what needs to be done?"

"More or less, yeah." Janne answered, facing her. He noticed several other armed people with Araceli, and there was also...a backup band nearby. "Where's the baddies?"

"Right up ahead." Araceli pointed at the base, before smiling at them. "So, tell me, what experience do you have with killing people while performing a musical number?"

"Er...none?" Janne blinked. "Why?"

"Why, we're going to bedazzle them to defeat them! We'll storm the base, start up the music, and defeat them while it's all going on." A chuckle left Araceli after. "And I'll have my precious friends pick off whoever's left standing, too."

"Friends...?" Janne immediately noticed a longer snake staring at him while perched on Araceli's shoulders. "Ah. I get it now."

Araceli hummed, nodding. "All I need for you two to do is to shoot down and stab anyone that tries to escape. Sounds pretty fun, right?"

----

Geist, James, and Mona found themselves in the midst of soldiers preparing for the battle ahead. Ariel had redressed in armor and a bit of fur lining to go with it, and he greeted the three as soon as he spotted them.

"Good timing," Ariel noted, before glancing down at Mona. "And you are...?"

Mona stared up at him. "Mona. I can use illusions and stab people." She held up her teddy bear. "And this is my friend."

Ariel looked like he was about to question why the heck Countess Tahirah sent a literal child to join them on the battlefield, but he decided not to ask after he heard about her abilities. "How elaborate are these illusions? Can they..." he paused, pointing at the base ahead, "Can they create the illusion of bad weather in a specific area, like surrounding that building?"

Mona nodded. "Yep. How bad do you want it to be?"

"Absolutely terrible. I want to strike fear in their hearts. The moment they start feeling helpless, it's all over for them." Ariel looked up at Geist and James. "I also heard from one of the spies I sent that there are some magical beasts locked in the base somewhere, so we'll have to be careful with handling them when we find them."

Geist raised a brow. "Are they dragons...?"

"Fortunately, no. There are, however, a bunch of golems, salamanders, and possibly a gryphon."

"That many creatures?" Geist stared. "Are any of those native to any places in Melodia!?"

"The salamanders can be taken back to the Anwara Region. The golems were probably summoned from who knows where, and the gryphons are usually in the mountains."

[ Yew Finds a Wild Janne and Geist! ]