#Eh even if it does look good I might remake them I enjoy making these figures yknow
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
fanboys-anonymous ¡ 11 months ago
Text
0 notes
peachpaws0 ¡ 2 years ago
Text
Tumblr media
Here is the Jake I made for todays daily art (right) and my other one I made awhile ago (left)
13 notes ¡ View notes
obae-me ¡ 4 years ago
Text
Maid!Brothers
Tumblr media
Here you go folks, some maid brothers as a treat. I know these are also probably just what they did for the butler event but...maids. SFW for these ones, although with enough convincing, I might be pressed to make NSFW ones. Enjoy!
Congratulations! For better or for worse, and for the next few days, the demons that reside in the House of Lamentation are now your maids. Is this due to a curse? Another one of Diavolo’s somewhat sadistic schemes? A dare gone too far? Perhaps you’ve used your pact powers for good evil? Who knows at this point? And to be fair, who cares how it started when you have seven demons greet you at the door every morning? 
Lucifer
He was very much not pleased at first. At all. But not for the reasons you’d expect. All of his time spent serving you completely is going to disrupt his enormous piles of work. However, Diavolo has given him a few days leave to...explore this new...career. Now that he’s in this situation with no way out for the foreseeable future, he has no choice but to be the best maid the likes of which you or the Devildom has never seen before. He must go the full mile for the sake of his pride. No one will be making fun of him once he perfectly fulfills his role, and just because he’s wearing a dress and an apron doesn’t mean he’s not still completely bone-chillingly intimidating. In fact, now that he has more free time and his eyes on you nearly everywhere you go, this new form of his is almost scarier. 
He wears a traditional outfit; Victorian. One with the long unruffled skirt and sleeves. You hardly see him in white, so the stark pureness of his apron and headband are almost off-putting, but it grows on you quickly. The buttons on his collar and cuffs are a bright royal blue. He’s insistent on still wearing his gloves, which somehow only add more flair to his uniform. You never assumed he’d be caught wearing something like this, and yet he’s so confident in it, you could mistakenly assume he’s done this before. 
His main chore is making sure the other maids (his brothers) are fulfilling their duties. He’s written up a beautiful schedule complete with shift changes and chore swaps so no one can complain too much. If he hadn’t done this, nothing would get finished, and all of his brothers would end up flocking to you instead. Of course, with him being in charge of this, no one can prevent him from making sure he gets to stick by your side more than the others by a considerable margin. 
Everything he does is absolutely flawless. Your room has never been cleaner or more organized, although now you have a difficult time finding any of your things. Your pens are gathered up by...ink density? And your clothes by material? Now you���re resorted to ask for his assistance. He knows exactly what you like, and how you prefer it prepared. And once, you’d even begin to sneeze and he’d already prepared a handkerchief for you. 
Of course...this new caretaking biz of his has unlocked a new side of him, or at least a side he’s never had the time or energy to show. He’s unbelievably, heart-wrenchingly, mind-numbingly...fussy. Constantly straightening your clothes, fixing your hair, asking you every five minutes if there’s anything he can do. You’re unsure if he feels you’re incapable of doing anything right by yourself, or if he just has such an overwhelming urge to take care of you that he can’t even let you put your own shoes on.
“Master, I can’t help but notice you’ve not completed your assignments for today. I’ve already prepared your desk, let me escort you to your room.” 
“Master, I know Super Crunchy Devil-Sweet Cookies are your favorite, but they are not good for you. Here, I’ve already prepared a perfectly healthy snack. I know you’ll love it.”
“Master, it is five minutes till your bed-time. I am fully aware you are an adult...yes...nonetheless, I have your bed prepared and will not leave till you are safely in a slumber. I will tuck you in, you must get good sleep after all.” 
“Master, let me make sure your bathwater is a safe temperature.” 
“Master, let me cut your food for you.” 
As the days dredge on, he gets more desperate. It’s been a while since you’ve done something on your own. Lucifer is almost always there. You enjoy it to a degree, but it’s a tad...how do we say...suffocating, knowing your every action is under his watchful gaze. At this moment in time, you’re still unaware if this is how he naturally is, or, without endless work to hold him back, if he’s spiraling out of control. Either way, as much as you appreciate him taking complete care of you, you’ll be happy when the old Lucifer is back.
However, as much as he pushes you, you enjoy the moments with him. You find more fondness for him with every soft brush of his gloves, with all the things he keeps hidden in his pockets only to brandish them whenever you need them. 
At one point, you’d both been so drained from the day’s activities, you both went for a stroll in the garden to clear your heads. Yawning, you took a seat on the soft grass, your back leaned up against the trunk of a tree. As you listened to the wind rustle the leaves, Lucifer looked down at you with a small frown. Then, sighing, he joined you, tucking the fabric of his skirt against his legs as he sat. How long had it been since he had simply sat outside for some air? Too long. You both embraced the silence for a moment. No more chattering maids, no more assignments, just the sound of gentle breaths against the breeze. You tilted your head back, watching from the corner of your eye as Lucifer brushed a stray leaf off his apron.
“I’ve exhausted you,” he proclaimed in a soft voice. 
You couldn’t quite tell him he hadn’t…”I’m just tired in general.” 
He huffs, knowing he was right but not pushing you any further. “Here…” You feel his gloved hand cup the back of your head. The heart in your chest squeezes, but you allow him to guide your body in a lying position, head in his lap. You can’t find the breath to say anything, so you simply adjust into a comfortable position, bringing one of your hands close to your face to gently grasp the apron fabric. 
You don’t remember falling asleep, so you don’t recall Lucifer’s arm wrapping around your waist, his sigh of relief when you get some rest, and his eventual slumber when he too lets the peace of your company lull him to sleep. 
Maybe him being a maid wasn’t so terrible after all.
Mammon 
He was also not happy. So unhappy in fact, he’d refused to have anything to do with this. How is he supposed to make money off this whole deal? Where’s the fun? The thrill? No, no, no, he was absolutely not going to participate. He expected some sort of begging or coercion, but actually each of his brothers were alright in knowing each of them would have more time with you with Mammon out of the way. Well, out of everything, he was not having that. Right after his outburst, he was all too happy to be onboard. He proclaimed he was going to be the best, the cutest, the most amazing maid ever. Naturally. So, all of his brothers might as well go home and leave it to him. The Great Mammon would take it from here. One, they were already home. Two, no, none of them were leaving. As a maid, he’ll most likely end up messing up a lot of things, but you’ve never seen him try harder in his life for something that wasn’t attached with a price tag. And that honestly made it worth it. 
He wears a uniform with short sleeves and a mid-rise skirt that stops right at his knees. It sort of reminds you of a diner outfit more than a maid uniform, with two separate pockets sewn into the apron. The apron itself doesn’t go over the chest and around the neck, instead, it simply ties around the waist. The bow wrapped in his hair and his knee-high socks are a pleasing gold color, one that matches the sunglasses he still wears despite it not fitting the rest of his look. 
His main chore is errand boy. He’s running from here and there to get you and his brothers what they need to carry out their chores. He’s always busy buying groceries, delivering things to your room, dropping off supplies for the other maids to use. Not only is he the fastest so this is more efficient, but it does a pretty good job of wearing him out at the end of the day. 
He always has had the capacity to be cute, but somehow with this new occupation of his, he’s become increasingly adorable. And it’s during this time where you realize how much he cares and pays attention to you. He may be considered a terrible maid, but you appreciate his efforts and the gifts he bought for you, even if he had spent the money for food on it. And where Lucifer strives to keep you safe, Mammon strives to keep you entertained, even if it means going against his older brother’s carefully laid plans.
“Master! While I was out grocery shopping I saw your favorite snacks and snagged them for ya! If you eat them now, I’ll take the trash away so Lucifer never knows, eh?” 
“Here is your dinner, Master. I’m sorry it’s so late, Satan was making it all wrong! Tch, What kind of maid forgets that you prefer it prepared soft and without any Super Spicy Devil’s Sauce? I had him remake the whole thing for ya.” 
“Welcome home, Master! I’ve finished all my errands for today! So...can I...spend the rest of the day serving you personally?” 
“Hey! Master! Lucifer is busy helping Asmo with the laundry, how about we sneak away? You deserve to have a little bit of fun, eh?” 
“Master? Oi, Master?...I can’t sleep...can I get something for you? Anything?...No, I didn’t say nothin’, go back to bed.” 
Despite the fact that he’s been working non-stop for a change, he’s not that different from the normal Mammon except...maybe not as tsundere. And you’d be lying if you said you didn’t enjoy the beam of joy in his face when he got to welcome you home. He’d make sure if you had another tasteless healthy dinner that there would be a steaming cup of ramen on your nightstand. He’d always keep a little gift in the confines of his apron pockets to give to you anytime he saw you. He’d no longer try to hide his affection, only now he’d excuse it away under the maid excuse. You’d miss it. 
You’d especially miss the thrill of having him squirrel you away, the shared giggles between the two of you as Lucifer and his other brothers would run all throughout the house, all in a tizzy, looking for where you’d run off to. Mammon and you both were aware they’d find you in time, so you’d never take the moments for granted. 
With one of those moments, he helped you up to the roof through the window. Absolutely dangerous? Probably, but he never once let you go. As he grasped your hand, helping you get steady footing amongst the shingles, the voice of frantic maids calling your title could be heard below. You lifted your head to look in Mammon’s eyes before the two of you started laughing. 
“How long ya wanna bet?” The glint in his eyes shone brightly against the Devildom moon, the cheeky tug of his lips manifesting into a smirk. 
“This time around?” A breathy scoff escaped your lungs, interrupted by the booming voice of Lucifer calling out Mammon’s name. You didn’t have long. “Ten minutes, tops.” 
“Ten?” His eyebrows raised, and he gave a little tisk. “I say seven. If I win, I get to keep this little trinket in my pocket.” He pat his hand over the proclaimed pocket, your curiosity sparking. “If you win, I give it to you.” You both heard a door slam open, and so Mammon quickly grasped the sides of your shoulders to pull you both away from the edge. But it had been too late. Lucifer was on the roof before you two before you could even blink, dragging you both inside the house from the back of your collars. 
You had figured Mammon won, since technically it was closest to his guess, however, later that night you found a strange little gift beside your bed. He’d won yet still given you his prize...
Levi 
Secretly excited. A little embarrassed, but pleased about the fact that he basically gets to cosplay? Without anyone making fun of him? It’s a little dream of his, and he holds maids in high regard so he gets a short confidence boost. In fact, for the first time in a while, his brothers look to him for advice. He knows all about maids after all, so he knows how to act, what to do, and what to say. No longer is anyone teasing him for being knowledgeable about this topic. As a maid, his Moe points went up by 35, his Dandere points went up by 10, but your overall love for him goes up drastically. 
You know he has to wear the most kawaii maid uniform you’ve ever seen. It goes mid-thigh, the skirt poofy from multiple ruffled layers. There’s an orange bow across the chest, some lining the skirt, and one large one in the back. It’s very Lolita, little lacy details scattered everywhere, even his headband. The only thing keeping his legs from being bare are the thigh-high stockings pulled over his feet. He was very embarrassed at first. He stayed in his room for who knows how long until he was sure everyone else was dressed up too. They tried teasing him, but the stars in your eyes and the exclamation of how cute he looked forced everyone else’s mouth shut. Now his siblings are the envious ones.
Levi doesn’t really have one main chore, but his focus naturally centered around anything water related. Watering the several plants in the house, washing dishes, scrubbing tubs, mopping the floors etc. He takes on more than anyone expected him to, but he doesn’t mind having a longer list. Not only is it simply a maid’s duty which he’s proud to uphold, but he sees them as objectives. Plus he doesn’t mind keeping busy, he’d go crazy without something to do. 
Surprisingly enough, Levi is almost neck and neck with Lucifer as best Maid. He gets things done quickly and efficiently. Levi’s determination has helped the House of Lamentation stay squeaky clean, and his shy stuttery nature somehow enhances this role of his. If it’s his unhinged personality or simply an act, you’ll never know. He can hardly look you in the eye, keeping his head bowed, and whether it goes against Lucifer’s wishes or not, he’s all too ready to help get you whatever you desire, as a good maid should. 
“W-welcome home, Master. No, please don’t step there! The...the floor is still wet, please forgive me. H-here, let me help guide you to the stairs.” 
“Let--let me pull your chair out for you, Master. There we go...is that good? Did--did I do okay?” 
“I can’t believe Lucifer denied you what you wished for?! That’s not what a maid is supposed to do! They’re supposed to do everything! They should do what their master asks with a grin and a bow! I can be ten times the maid he is!...So...tell me what it is you want, Master, and I--I will do everything I can to fulfill it for you…”
“I-I know I’m not as good as the other maids, but please, Master, let me do something for you!” 
Nothing makes him happier than seeing the smile on your face when he does something right. Only, he makes you a little worried. He’s been pushing himself really hard for this. Suddenly changing his lifestyle all at once must be difficult for him. How has he not gone crazy without playing any of his games? 
So you indulge him when you have the chance, ordering him to play a game with you or recommend a new show. Then the excited Levi comes back into view, some of the stress melting away as he describes the shows he knows you will love the best. You do like Maid Levi, but you miss his little rants about broken plot, his cries over character death. The otaku that you’d come to know he had hidden himself away these last few days. You’d be happy for him when it was all over. 
Until then, you’d let him take care of you. Even if you didn’t need or want anything, you’d go send him off to do something, watching him swell with happiness. Whenever he’d return, you’d make him bow, taking the time to rub his head and assure him he was doing a swell job. 
“Why don’t you get some rest, Levi? You’ve done a lot for me today.” 
“I can’t!--I mean, I’m alright, Master. It’s my duty to always be attentive!” He attempted a little curtsey, but you could notice his legs slightly tremble. 
“Levi…” Once again, you brushed your hand over the top of his head, a finger curling around one of his strands. “You’ve done the most out of everyone here, and even Lucifer is exhausted. I order you to get some rest.” 
“But--” 
“You would deny a direct order from your Master?” You raised an eyebrow, but kept the soft smile against your lips. He stiffened, but then slowly shook his head. “Good. While you’re at it, I order you to eat a good meal, take a shower, and get at least 8 hours of sleep, understood?” 
All he could do was stammer, shifting the weight of his body from one foot to the other. How long had it been since he’d taken decent care of himself? Much too long, probably. You’d felt strange at first dishing out orders left and right, but you didn’t hesitate with these, holding your ground until Levi lowered his head and obeyed. 
At least you still had a few more days left with this power. Maybe you’d make him say something nice about himself tomorrow. 
Satan
His annoyance was outweighed by the intriguing curiosity. He’d read about maids in some of his history books, but never had the opportunity to see one much less become one. So, he decided to give it a shot as a learning experience. After all, it was only for a few days, and unlike some of his brothers, he could handle nearly anything for a few days. Besides, he saw this as another opportunity to annoy Lucifer at any turn as well as one-up him by being the better servant. 
He wears a cat maid outfit, he really didn’t see another option. The fake cat ears atop his head match his hair color perfectly, as well as the fake tail tied around his waist, sticking out of the skirt. There’s a small kitty shaped hole in the middle of his chest and a green paw print pattern in the corner of his apron. A shiny golden bell attached to a green ribbon adorns his neck. He wasn’t embarrassed putting it on, but once he saw the look on your face when you first caught the sight of him, for once he nearly hid away. He could hardly breathe once you started playing with the bell strapped to his throat. 
His main chore is cooking. He knows his way around the kitchen well enough and always knows the proper cookbook if he needs to look up something new. Plus, he always tries to go the extra mile, adding little designs to the food he makes for you. Of course, they’re all cat themed. Not only does he find this a great creative outlet, but he relishes the look of excitement on your face when he lifts the lid to the tray. He loves it even more when you upset Lucifer by setting aside your work for him. 
His rather bold and assertive nature slowly melted away with time as a maid. Shy Satan is a rare character indeed, and it has you wondering if this is some sort of act he’s putting on for your amusement. He has been secretly taking lessons from Levi after all. Wherever this new side of him came from, you did your best to enjoy it while you could. 
“Here is your lunch, Master...I...do you really want me to say it?...Ahem, I--I’m sure you’ll find it cooked to purr-fection…”
“You called for me, Master? Really? You--I--fine...Nya~...can...I go back to work now?” 
“I’m not one to question you, Master, but...Is petting my head while I read to you truly necessary?...Alright then...Just don’t tell anyone else about it, please.”
“Master, do you know anything about the strange red light that’s been distracting me from my duties? You know nothing, huh? Hmm…”
“Meow-ster, Paw-lease, I beg of you, no more cat puns.” 
Out of everyone so far, you’ll be the most upset when Satan goes back to his normal lifestyle. He would always be off, doing whatever he wanted, requesting your presence at the strangest and almost most inconvenient of times. As a maid, you always knew where he was, and now he would receive affection on your terms, not his. Although, you can tell it’s driving him a little stir crazy, his head snapping to around with the slightest of noises. 
So, you thought leaving him to his own devices for a day and not teasing him would be good for him. So, that day, when he brought you breakfast, you thanked him and nodded, beaming at the whiskers on your pancakes, but then sent him away. He curiously tilted his head, but left you in peace. Lunch came, and you did the same, but this time he frowned. You even went as far as to tell him not to worry about dinner, thinking he needed more of a break, but that’s when he spoke his feelings. 
“Have I upset you in some way today, Master?” He turned his head slightly away from you, but kept your gaze. 
“Of course not, I just thought you deserved a break from my joking today. I’m sure it’s not fun, being stuck inside most of the day, having me as your master.” You gave him a grin of assurance, but he only seemed more upset. 
“Do you think I would put as much effort into my service as I do if I didn’t think you were a worthy Master?” He took a small step towards you. “I’m here because I want to be here, so don’t push me away.” He brushed his forehead against your shoulder, blushing but smiling brightly as you rubbed the top of his head. 
He could stay like this for a while longer, you didn’t mind. 
Asmo
Possibly the most excited of the bunch. Typically, he’s never a fan to take care of someone other than himself, but he did count you as an exception. He would look absolutely adorable for the next few days? And so would his brothers?! It had taken centuries of pointless begging to try to get them to dress up, but they never did, but somehow you always managed what he could not. He was a little clueless at first on how to take care of someone else, but then he figured he would treat you like he did himself, which resulted in the most caring and loving Asmo you’d seen so far. 
Did he already have an outfit in mind? Most definitely. Honestly, he attempted to wear nothing but an apron, but that plan was quickly quashed by his siblings. However, he still found a way to rock the maid outfit in his own way. It was a French style uniform, the top squeezing him like a corset. The skirt was so short, it just reached the top of his thighs. Instead of socks, he opted for fishnet tights and a pair of high heel shoes. How he would get anything done in that, you would never know, but he managed despite all odds. 
His main chore consisted of mostly laundry. Washing all the sheets, clothes, and curtains in the house, which would take up a surprising amount of his time. He’d make your bed and fold your clothes, preparing an amazing outfit for you to wear the next day. Other than that, he always made sure you and everything else around him looked amazing. 
Not much changed at first, he seemed like normal Asmo, complimenting his looks, standing in strange poses as he went about his daily chores. Then, slowly, he talked about you more, paying more and more attention to you till the unthinkable happened, he neglected himself to make sure you were taken care of. 
“Oh, Master! Look at what I’m doing! Wouldn’t you say I’m absolutely ravishing as a maid?” 
“Master! I picked out an adorable outfit for you to wear tomorrow, it’ll almost be like we’re matching!”
“Master, please, I know Lucifer said this needs to be done, but look at your eyes. Come with me, we must treat you at once.”
“I’m not sure, Master, I think in this case, Lucifer is right. A healthy Master is a beautiful Master! Although, I think you’re breathtaking already. I couldn’t serve just anyone you know!”
“Shut up, Mammon, I don’t care what my hair looks like right now! Where did the Master run off to?! It’s been hours since they drank any water! Their lack of self care is going to be the death of me…”
Asmo ends up being another one for team health. He does your skin care in the morning and at night before you go to bed. Somehow, he always knows when you run out of water, right by your side to refill your cup/bottle before going back to his chores. Asmo makes a great maid, and you’d be lying if you said you wouldn’t be sad to see him go back to normal. 
Somehow, he had the magical potential to make coming out of your comfort zone as comfortable as could be. Would he still do the same when this was over? Well, you guessed you had to enjoy it in the moment while it lasted, while he could put you on a pedestal without shoving other people beneath it. 
“Which one for tomorrow, Master?” He held up two articles of clothing, both of which were way different than you would normally think to wear. 
You frowned, rubbing the fabric of one of the options between your fingers. “For me? I don’t think either of those...work with me. Is there something else?” 
“Not work with you? Oh but, Master, anything can work for you. For example, This one,” He took the top and held it against your chest as he gestured to the mirror, “makes your eyes look amazing. And this one makes anyone look amazing, trust me.” 
You took a deep breath in, after all, you’d only really be wearing it at home. “Okay, um...this one. Let’s be bold.” He squealed, setting the right outfit aside for the next day, mumbling something to himself about the most beautiful master in the Devildom...whatever that meant. 
He always found a way to make you shine, and being a maid didn’t change that. 
Beel
He was rather indifferent to the predicament. Everyone was fine? No injuries or foreboding death? He could still eat? No problem there then. It would disrupt his workout schedule more than he preferred, but he found creative ways to use his chores like an at-home gym session. Plus, any excuse to get to hang around you more or do something for you is something he can get behind. Unlike his other brothers, he’s not seeing this as a competition. He’s going to do what he can to the best and fullest of his abilities, just like he always does. For this reason, he’s always been a sort of foundation to depend on, and you’re glad his new position won’t change anything with him. 
His uniform...was an issue at first. Either his sleeves and shoulders would rip or the buttons would pop off the chest, so it took a while until something could be form fitting but remain intact. It had gotten to the point where they opted out of sleeves altogether, they were just such a hassle. But other than that, Beel is surprisingly comfortable in a skirt. There’s no issues with the fabric needing to stretch and bend around his thighs. He could do squats for days without any tears! He does find it hard not to eat the red bows and ribbons on his outfit...they just look like pasta in the right lighting. 
Like Levi, he has a lot of scattered cleaning to keep him busy. He mows the lawn, wipes down every window, and handles the vacuuming. It's a sight to behold watching him work. At one point, he got so focused, he picked up an entire couch with just one arm as he cleaned underneath. Do you slyly hide things under couches now to have him get it? That’s a secret only you know the answer to. 
He’s very good with his tasks, but he struggles with, as Levi calls it, “Moe”. He does his best, and while he might not get the highest points in this category, just him trying is absolutely enough. He desperately wants to succeed, even if being cute is entirely new to him. 
“Here, Master, I found this flower while I was working in the garden...do you want it?” 
“Master, I...Satan has banned me from the kitchen...do you have any snacks left? I promise I’ll make up for it.”
“Master, please! Do not come in here while I am cleaning! What if something hurts you? Here, let me escort you to safety.” 
“No….I won’t accept your dinner...you--you have to eat, Master. I know it’s not your favorite, but it’s good for you.”
“Hey! Where are you trying to go while no one’s looking? It’s not safe going alone, so I will come with you. Wherever you go, Master, I will be there with you…” 
He and Lucifer make a great overprotective gang. Beel hardly ever goes against his older brother’s wishes, and in this case, he agrees that your health and safety come above all else. And only now is he worried about every little corner of the house. Boxes? Dangerous. Hot food? Dangerous. How could he live with himself if you burnt your mouth? But not to worry, he is there to make sure you are completely safe. 
On one hand, you thoroughly appreciate his consideration, but on the other, you almost miss independence. Although, everything Beel does is with a little smile and those puppy-dog eyes you never have the strength to shoo away. 
And actually, his concern did come in handy on a few occasions. There was the time where the cleaning chemicals ended up being dangerous for humans, the time a stack of boxes nearly fell on top of you, but the one you remember most, the time the lawn mower snagged on a pebble and shot it out. With incredible speed, he had tackled you to the ground. You were about to question him until the sound of breaking glass could be heard behind you. 
“That was far too close,” Beel sighed, still covering you with his body. 
His weight of pure muscle started to weigh heavy on your lungs. “B-Beel…” He quickly got up, helping you to your feet. He straightened the new wrinkles in your clothes, frowning as he cupped your face, squishing your cheeks as he checked you over for wounds. “Beel..I’m okay.” 
He let you go as you grabbed his wrists, his brows furrowed deep in worry. “See, Master, I told you it’s dangerous. We should go right to your room.” 
“You also said the same thing about my soup, Beel…but...thank you...you always know right when to get me out of trouble.” 
With that, he widely beamed. “Of course, Master. That’s my main goal. I will do anything to make sure you are safe...”
Of course, none of that changes whether Beel is a maid or not. Protection is what he does best, that and eating. Although, as a maid, you never have to worry about him stealing your food...so you at least for a bit longer, your snacks are safe. 
Belphie 
He wasn’t the biggest of fans about the notion of being a maid. It just...sounded like so much work. Endless amounts of chores and menial labor? No thank you. Other than picking up after himself and the occasional chore rotation, cleaning for him was saved for mostly punishments passed out by Lucifer. So, being a maid sounded like torture. However, three things finally convinced him to come around to the idea. One, he always enjoyed ruffling Lucifer’s feathers whenever he could, and this had a lot of potential. Two, Beel was going along with it, and usually he followed his twin wherever he went. And three, you told him it was fine that he didn’t want to do it, which suddenly persuaded him to go along. He never said that he didn’t want to, but now that you mentioned it, he was going to do the opposite. 
His uniform is extra poofy and soft. The sleeves are round, the skirt almost sticks out more than Levi’s, and his legs are covered in fleece-lined leggings. His apron and headband are covered in a cow print pattern, and a purple choker necklace decorates his neck. You attempted to coax his tail free to tie a small cowbell around the end of it, but he didn’t entertain the idea. Too noisy.
He’s mostly assigned to dust and straighten cushions and pillows. However, the idea was a bit flawed seeing as how he’d usually end up falling asleep on aforementioned pillows, only to have to have them be messed up right after he fixed them. Although, to be perfectly honest, he’d end up falling asleep no matter what chore he’d been assigned. Just seeing him work though is a feat in itself.
Belphie as a maid hardly changes a thing personality wise, he still tries to pry you away from your responsibilities, tempting you to join him in his slothful ways. So, alongside Mammon and Levi, he focuses on making you happy first and foremost, only, he hopes your wishes coincide along his own. 
“Hey, Master, you look tired, how about you come take a nap? I did just fluff up your pillows for you, don’t they look cozy?” 
“What does it matter what Lucifer suggested? You’re the Master, do whatever you want. He won’t be able to stop you.” 
“I...zzz...no don’t eat that...Beel...Huh!? No I wasn’t sleeping, Master, I was just testing this cushion’s comfort levels. It passes.” 
“Okay, I usually say it as a joke, but you’ve been up way too late, Master. Here, it’s a nice cup of hot chocolate I made for you, it should make you sleepy. Once you’re done, we’re going straight to sleep. Yes, I said we.” 
He might not have changed all too much, but he does seem a bit happier, not as nonchalant about everything, plus he does get an absolute kick out of seeing Lucifer work alongside his siblings like everyone else. Although, the nighttime is when he thrives. While everyone else is asleep, he makes nightly rounds, ensuring everyone gets good rest, even Lucifer as much as Belphie acts like he can’t stand him. 
During the night, if you can’t sleep or end up waking during odd hours, he enjoys being the only maid around. He can have you to himself, and it’s hard to deny a Master who looks as cute as you do when you’re sleepy. 
“Another restless night?” He snuck into your room without a sound. He always seemed to know when you were awake. 
“Yeah...just my brain won’t shut up I guess.” You groaned, your body trying to remind you that you were exhausted, your muscles aching as you moved. 
“That won’t do at all. As much as I would enjoy you being up with me, my Master needs good rest.” He shook his head, and held out a single finger as he told you to wait before speeding away. When he returned, he threw a few more pillows onto your bed and unfurled a different blanket. Albeit a little forcefully, he shoved you back down onto the bed, pulling the new blanket over your shoulders. It surrounded you with fuzzy warmth, your eyes already heavy. The pillows smelled like sugar and lavender. “A little bit of help from Asmo and a nice dryer.” He settled down on his knees near your bedside, telling you stories about the stars until you fell into a restful sleep. 
He might not be the best at his tasks, but he always served you in his own little ways.
782 notes ¡ View notes
popculturebuffet ¡ 4 years ago
Text
Ducktales: Terror of the Terra-Firmians!  (Lena Retrospective) (Commission by WeirdKev27): Launchpad Looses his Last Brain Cell and I Loose My Patience
Tumblr media
Welcome back Weblena Warriors to the second part of my look at everyone’s favorite Emo Teen Shadow Lesbian Duck... and probably the only one but hey, semantics, Shadow Into Light, which was made possible by viewers like you, the ultra humanite and a commission from WeirdKev27. Picking up where we left off, we have our first episode that has a different intended order than airing order. 
As most of you probably remember, but some of you who joined later might not be aware of the broadcast order for the first half of season one is, in the academic sense, pretty fucked. It’s not Darkwing Duck’s entirely fucked by a web of badger spiders and a queen snake on top to make it some sort of train situation, but by just sorta airing whatever episodes they wanted to, Disney messed with the character balance so Huey got less focus, not that he got a ton of focus this season but still, as well as leaning into the episodes focusing more on the kids with less involvement from the adults which gave the wrong impression about the series. While it IS very focused on the triplets and webby, the show isn’t entirely about them, but as Frank has mentioned a few times, Disney Channel apparently has this WEIRD thing where they assume kids won’t like stories starring the adult characters. 
Tumblr media
Yeah I’ve been wanting to talk about this for a while. Mostly how it’s so dumb I could swear Pauly Shore was an exec at Disney Channel. And he might be I don’t know what he’s doing these days and i’d like to keep it that way. For starters, the Scooge comics, while barely published in the US these days, are still popular globally and have appealed to kids and adults for generations and are mostly focused on him, with the kids in a supporting role and Ducktales, you know the thing your directly remaking here, was also mostly about him with the triplets supporting, if a bit less than the comics. Most of the Disney Afternoon was about adult characters, with any kids in side roles in the main cast. And it comes off entirely hypocritical of them to say this when the MCU is easily marvel’s biggest cash cow at the moment, and marvel properties have appealed to both kids and adults, like the duck comics, for decades. And if it’s because the marvel cartoons weren’t doing well , I’ll let you in on a little secret: Those didn’t do well because they looked bland and from what I’ve seen of them felt kind of bland, though I haven’t seen enough to fully judge. Kids LIKE adult characters as much as kid characters, and also like teen characters despite not being teens. Focusing on either is valid and while I LIKED Disney’s youth starring shows I also want another X-Men cartoon before I turn 50, and I bet kids would like that too, with the last one only failing because you bailed on it because you were throwing a hissy fit over fox having the movie rights, and do not get me started on that. Point is this argument is horse shit and should stay in the stables. 
So yeah I do think this episode came too soon and it’s placement effected it at the time and as such it dosen’t have the best rep with the fandom aside from the Lena bits and that includes me. The fact it was very early in the series and the characterizations hadn’t yet sunk in really hurt this episode in places but is it really that bad? Join me under the cut to find out
Tumblr media
We open at the movies! Which scrooge apparently hasn’t been too since the 1930′s or seen any on video despite Della existing and being really stubborn. 
Tumblr media
A rant for another episode. But the kids just got out of a Mole Monster movie, along with Lena, Beakly and Launchpad. Their reactions are as follows: Lena, Webby and Dewey really enjoyed it, Huey found it unrealistic... says the boy whose uncle fought a dragon made of gold a month or two back but we’ll get to that, and Louie was bored and felt it didn’t have enough of the ultra violence, kids these days it’s not about the gore it’s about the tension. And Beakly.. is just pissed Lena tricked them into seeing this and said it was educational. And the more I think about it the more this sounds like BEAKLYS fault than Lena’s. BEAKLY is the one who likely bought the tickets, who saw it was likely an r or pg-13 and who as we’ve seen HAS A PHONE, and ulnike scrooge probably isn’t so stingy she wouldn’t spring for a smart phone, so she could’ve just googled it, or whatever bird related pun is in this version.. gandered it.. yeah let’s go with that, gandered it, and SEEEN it wasn’t appropriate or walked htem out of the theater and ate the cost if she was that bothered by it. Sitting through a Horror Movie you didn’t research, didn’t pull the kids out of and dind’t bother to even check the poster for or use basic common sense is YOUR fault. And this could’ve worked fine, had Lena talk the kids into begging for it or had launchpad take them and have Beakly find out after, having driven to pick them up as she didn’t trust launchpad to take them home. Instead it makes the former super spy look REALLY stupid and feels really out of character for a SPY to not to do research. And it wasn’t like they decided on this later, Bentina being a spy was part of the character’s backstory from day one and its made clear as early as episode 2 in both airing orders. This is just lazy writing to justify the episode and I expect better from this crew. 
But an argument errupts between Huey and Webby over the Terra-Firmians, a hidden race of rock people living in Duckburg’s discontinued sewer system, allegedlys. So Lena suggest simply going down which gets a disapproving look from Beakly, despite you know this being their bread and butter, and the fact that if she had a problem with Scrooge not being involved.. she could just call him. Exploring fabled rock people is something he’d be into. I mean there’s a low profit margin but it also costs him almost nothing to walk to the theater or have launchpad swing around and pick him up. Just gas which given how much he pays for jet fuel isn’t a big ask. But Beakly soon gets distracted by Launchpad whose convinced the film is real and is attacking the poster a grim sign of things to come as while Beakly annoyed me in this one on rewatch, especially after realizing the above... Launchpad annoyed me both times and for VERY good reason we’ll get into. This provides a distraction and allows the trio to escape. Cue titles. 
After the title sequence, our heroes head deeper underground, there’s too much panic in this town... I mean props to Donald for trying something new but he really needs to rethink his cologne choices. Sex Panther is just.. not a good smell on.. anyone. 
So our heroes journey through the depths of the subway system, and we find out part of why Huey’s so skeptical, as he finds anything that isn’t in the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook to not exist, though the cracks in this already show as he’s added anything that does. We’ll get back to this later but as you can tell the basic dynamic for 24 minutes is Webby being a wholehearted True Believer and Huey being a Skeptical Sally. And Lena is just sorta “Eh gives me an excuse for shenanigans” about it. We also get a peak into webby’s mind as we see her notes .. which really just come off as Terra-Firmian fanfiction involving a war of succession between two sides, the terra’s and the firmies, something based on previous media, and also some doodles of a fictional candy called webby-dings and herself as a superhero, both things I want to see. 
But yeah the first third of the episode is pretty simple, just them journeying, the occasional shift in the firmament, and it’s not bad, and there are a few great bits: Huey nerds out about rocks, and finds them way more interesting than a possible rock monster.
Tumblr media
Which leads to the best gag of the episode as when Huey tries to pick up a big sample Webby, annoyed at his hyperfixation on the JWG, asks him to ask his book for help.. which he does by reading it and actually manages to pick the large rock up. This is halted though when Lena screams.. though she really just did it to draw them to an abandoned subway car full of glomgold posters for glomgold products because of course a failed subway project has his name plastered over it. You can’t spell glomgold without failure.. the failure is silent. Glomgold is not. 
The fun is interuptted though by a livid Beakly who had realized they were missing in an earlier scene, after telling the Manager that McDuck Industries would pay for the poster.. and then found out Launchpad also destroyed the toilets “They come up thorugh the sewers!”. Launchpad that’s CHUDS, Ninja Turtles and Rats who raised Ninja Turtles like their own sons, mole people dig or use old mineshafts. It’s basic mole science. Also Beakly really shouldn’t sweat it, I just assumed the city has had a runnig bill witht he company for “McDuck Family and Employee Related Accidents, Mayhem and Shenanigans”. I mean he’s had Gyro on his payroll for at least a decade and a half by the series start, Gyro has leveled whole sections of city in an afternoon more than most giant monsters. Of which several have destroyed Duckburg. It got better. 
Point is she’s livid about them sneaking off with Lena pointing out their some sort of adventure family and Beakly.. saying she won’t see them again, or at least implying it hard. I’ll put a pin in this, as the train buckles and a bit of seismic, or rock men, activity means their stuck. So they divide into teams: Beakly will go try and unhook the train car from the busted cars so they can ride out, Launchpad will go try and fix it, and we get this lovely exxchange as a result
Launchpad: Cool never crashed a train before Beakly: Can’t you try driving it without crashing it? Launchpad: Wha? 
His face in that scene is priceless. He takes Dewey along. More on that in a second. Webby, Huey and Louie are told to stay put with Beakly only bringing Lena along because she dosen’t trust her. So since we have three split plots for a second... let’s split up gang, starting with the most aggrivating, middling with what you all came here for and why this is part of the retrsopective, and ending with the plot that directly heads into the final part of the episode. 
Launchpad and Dewey: GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Okay starting with the most infamous plot and easily the worst part of this episode, probably the worst plot in any Ducktales 2017 episode. That’s not hyperbole it’s really that bad and really pissed people off, as fans of the original launchpad felt they made him overly stupid. This is where the airing order’s a problem as putting an episode with a subplot where one of your characters is obnoxiously dumb right up front means they assume this is his charcter and not just one poorly written chapter in a very dumb but very loveable characters life, likely because the writers hadn’t figured out how to properly scale his stupidity with comptience. 
So as a result we get a good 3-4 mintutes if not agonizingly more of Launchpad assuming something he saw in a fucking movie film was real. That.. that’s his actual plot. Need I remind you, he’s in his late 20′s early 30′s. He’s not much older than me. While other episodes have him as dim this one claims he CAN’T TELL FACT FROM FICTION. 
Tumblr media
There are lines you have to keep with your characters to keep the audience from hating them. They crossed it about 80 times with this plot and make Launchpad into a gibbering dunderhead who can’t do anything right versus a regular dunderhead whose good at one or two things and loveable enough for us to like him and not care about his numerous safey violations and child endagerment charges. Thankfully this is the ONLY episode that gets this bad and they clearly learned from this, but it dosen’t make it any less of a tough sit. 
Dewey spends most of the subplot with a look on his face that just screams that he’s as done with this bullshit as we are, as Launchpad assumes he’s a mole person and brought along a pipe to presumibly bludgeon him, because wanting to cave his best friends skull in over stupidity is a GREAT look> Thankfuly he does not. And when the lights come back on Launchpad.. assumes he’s a monster because of bright light, GAH, and locks him out before they end up outside and the plto resolves itself by Dewey pointing out by Launchpad’s utterly baffling logic that he could be a mole monster, so Launchpad.. assumes he is. 
Tumblr media
The subplot’s later buttoned up as he claims “I love being a mole monster”, again diffrent subteranian creature launchpad, she says he’s not and my suffering is thankfully at an end. This plot just sucks, it’s bad, overly stupid and dosen’t work with an adult character. Someone like say Ed from Ed, Edd N Eddy, or someone who belivies in weird conspiracy stuff like Dale Gribble or Stan Pines. with either of them this plot would’ve been fucking great. I could buy it from Dale and it just comes off as his normal paranoid weirdness. With Launchpad it comes off like he seriously needs help because the episode frames it as if he can’t tell ficton from reality, and his splotlight episode later would directly contridct this and make this episode even more aggrivating, as he’s a fan of Darkwing Duck, and KNOWS it’s acted out by an actor, so why wouldn’t he get this? It’s just....
Tumblr media
It sucks, it sucks and I thankfully get to move on to a better subplot
Beakly and Lena: What You Are in the Dark
Beakly tells Lena she’ll never see Webby again after this.. then chastises her when she won’t help despite you know having just said she’s going to force their friendship apart, which Lena points out. She then gets mad at Lena making a sarcastic comment at her. Okay she’s lived with Louie for at least a week in airing order and a month or two in actual order. She has to be used to this by now. She’s insolent.. because you show her no respect, blame her for something that while sure she talked you into, you should’ve known better, and top it off by saying you want to keep her from the kids because they have bright futures and come from good familes and asks who rasied her and her face.. well.
Tumblr media
Yeah wheras Launchpad and Huey, more on that in a second, were hurt by this being some of their earliest big roles, Bentina wasn’t.. until later when we found out just HOW bad Magica is to Lena and how much she dosen’t care about her other than as a tool to use. At this point we didn’t know just how much Lena was playing webby, how much she was only manipulating her, and even with her heroic act here we didn’t know if she only saw Webby as her way to break free. The next episode makes it clear she dosen’t and genuinely does care, 100%, so in hindsight it makes Bentina come off as ghoulsih for horribly asssuming about a girl she dosen’t know, and even if she did know about Magica wouldn’t know the full story, just like us, and then BERATING her after already saying she’s going to rip her away from Webby, which itself is PRETTY bad as she’s the only friend the girl has and sh’es doing so on... talking them into a horror movie, which as I outlined was more Bentina’s fault than Lena’s, and leading the kids into a dangerous place whicha gain, Lena pointed out is something she lets Scrooge do. And trust me i know that she actually knows Scrooge, and we later find out, as we’ll cover next month, that she isn’t ware HOW dangerous things are with Scrooge. It dosen’t change the fact she knows they do dangerous stuff to a point and that Lena may just be acting out. It also dosen’t change the fact she drove three children, yes including launchpad, down here with her instead of sending them home with Launchpad.. granted that option isn’t the safest but it’s safer than taking her with them thena cting like it’s ALL lena’s fault when three of the children, again including launchpad, are down there because of HER. Not Lena, HER. I’m harder on her because she’s older, wiser and was “raised properly” apparently. Though given the way she treats a random teen off the street she again knows nothing about and dind’t bother to ask... it begs the question. 
Tumblr media
IT’s a good question. I could see the classism coming from being raised in 40′s and 50′s britain, judging by the timeline.. but even then she’s seen the world, and while her nature is supscious, the classit bullshit makes no sense after presumibly working with, and later spymastering for, various agents of various backgrounds. How has she not dropped this in decades. Scrooge very clearly dropped the racisim and homophobia of his time, so it still stands  on her for not dropping this. And Lena’s hurt shows under hte mask for the first time, that beneath the snark and secrecy.. is just an abused teenager with nowhere else to go and no way out being bullied by an older woman whose cutting off the only light at the end of the tunnel nto for good reason but out of classist, overprotective mallice.  My issues, which to be fair probably were intentional in the episode but sitll are a bit overblown, aside we do get an absoluttley tremendous moment later as a car falls on top of Beakly.. and Magica, speaking once more urges Lena to leave her, let her die and let their plans progress. And while that iself is.. dumb, what if someone finds her or her corpse later, especially since Scrooge would likely perosnally want to retrive the body to give her a proper burial as she’s his only friend at this point, or the rest of the family questoin the story?, it fits Magica’s lack of foresight we see throughout the season. But Lena... saves her. While she later gives an explination, and a valid one at that, it’s clear from her expressoin, her actoins and how she does it... that this is her. Part of it is defiance, as she glares at Magica before doing it, her own stubborn nature mixed with her hatred of her “aunt”, meaning Magica just made it all too easy for her to do this. But the real reason is clear: It’s the right thing to do. While pissing off her aunt and getting away with it is the cherry on top.. the real reason is that unlike Magica.. Lena is not a killer, not a monster, and not a heartless vacum ofa person. Even if she doesn’t like Beakly, for good reason.. she can’t, she WON’T leave her to die and leave Webby an orphan again. She loves Webby too much to do that to her and while she may deny it.. she’s too good a person to leave someone to die for something so petty. Even if she never sees webby again and the plans ruined. It’s better than the weight of knowing she let someone who wasn’t trying to harm her and whose actions, while terrible, were out of misguided protection of her granddaughter, die like this. She saves her. And as we’ll see it pays off.. but before that. 
Huey, Webby and Louie: Into the Unknown This plot’s a bit shorter, as Webby and Huey continue their argument, with Louie eventually making it clear, and not even hiding it when directly asked by Huey, that he’s playing both sides with a delighted expression on his face as the movie was boring but this, this is interesting. Which it is. But it’s interupted by dings on the roof and while Huey assumes i’ts just a regular rock, it moves while their not lookiung.. and soon red eyed, horrifying beasts look out at them and the kids flee back to the car. This dosen’t pan out as the car starts to shake and is clearly going to collapse.. and while Webby and Louie are prepared to flee, rock monsters or no, Huey, in an utterly heart shattering image.. stays in place, terrified of moving. 
This is where this plot goes from mildly aggrivating, as Huey’s Skeptic shenanigans can get on the nerves.. to BRILLIANT. See at the time this was more annoying because it was assumed the skepticsim would be a part of Huey’s character and we’d get more episodes of him being annoying only to be proven wrong, as he semeingly dosen’t learn his lesson at this point, looging the terrafrimians in the guide book. But on rewatch.. this plot is amazing.  For starters the plot subtly introduced the defening characteristic of Huey’s personality, one that’s become more prounounced in Season 3: His need for Order. He needs things to make sense: He solves stuff because he likes there to be order in the world and something he can understand, he can put in a box in his head. Like a lot of neurotypical people, myself included, he struggles horribly when the clearly defined boxes of his life and things he undestand have wrinkles or complexities he can’t get. I for instnace easily got it when I was introduced to the concept of trans people or being non binary.. they just make sense in hindsight: given how our brains are messya nd complicated it makes sense some people would be born in the wrong ones, and tht with all the science and medicine we have to correct that, should be allowed to transition if they so choose. It makes equal sense that some people just don’t have a gender or are gender fluid, being both or neither. Despite struggling with non binary prounouns due to force of habit.. I get the concept with no real difficulty. But when it comes to accepting I don’t have to apologize for everything and that everyone is not angry or that anger is natural and people sometimes get mad and you can’t and shouldnt’ fix it.. it’s something I STRUGGLE with even knowing it’s not right, because my brain is just wired that way. 
That’s how Huey’s struggle comes off here.. he reveals he’s willing to stay and die.. because he’s SO scared of the unknown, that the idea of dying from something he at least knows what it is versus something he dosen’t.., so paralizyed by his own brain he can’t figure out the obvious.. it takes Webby reaching out to him figuratively and literally, to show him that sometimes you have to face the unknown. The unknown is fucking terrifying.. but it can be good and it’s better than sitting there, scared and unable to move. You have to try, to grow and take that risk that things may not go well to really LIVE. 
So he does.. and they reunite with the rest of the group.. and soon find the terrafirmains.. who as it turns out once we get some light on them... are actually just goofy looking,  brightly colored, each one matching one of the kids, kids themselves, and Huey reaches out and touches one, which by ET logic means their friends now, and the terrafirmians help them get out. And this lesson sticks. While sure Huey catalogues it and it seems it didn’t.. he’s never this skeptical again. This douchey skepticsim was only for one episode, his fear of the uknown replcaed with boundless curosity and from here on he’s CURIOUS about new stuff as long as it’s not trying to kill him. He loves taking in new experinces, maybe not to webby levels but he does actually try them and study them instead of just fearing them. 
Before we wrap things up, obviously we need to talk about the JWG not having entries on a lot of stuff. This would be corrected next season as it returns to being a big book of everything, but dosen’t completely contridct this as Timephoon! shows there’s stillcgaps.. which i’m fine with. While it knowing EVERYTHING was fine for the original series here, with things being slightly more groudned, it’d just be an obvious plothole if Huey didn’t use it every single time they ran into something and that’d get boring. Instead it’s simply that it dosen’t know everything, and really in the comics at times it didn’t and the triplets found out new things. It knew almost everything mind you, but having some gaps for dramatic tnesion is fine with me and Seasons 2 and 3 decided on that instead of just having it being a scouting manual which wa sfor the best. And even by later in the season hit has guides to getting a small buisness loan, so they already course corrected. 
So everything’s wrapped up and while Magica berates Lena for disobeying her.. Beakly interputps, thankfully not seeing magica and admits she was wrong and invites Lena for pancakes, even taking a crack about if their actually pancakes or english muffins with syrup, which sounds like my own living hell, in stride, having clearly grown. And Lena explains to Magica that this was the better approach: now she’s got the in theyw anted, and is above suspcison for now. Still not so much that an obvious act won’t be detected but enough that she dosen’t ahve to work actively around her anymore. Magica scoffs.. and while part of it is probably rage.. part of it is deep down both of them know she did it out of defiance.. and only Lena knows that she did it for the right reasons... she just dosen’t get why. She probably justifies it as playing the long game.. but deep down she knows something’s changing about her.. and she’s not sure if that’s a godo thing or not. 
Final Thoughts: This episode is as you can tell a mixed bag. It’s 2/3 of a good episode, with the Lena plot, my issues aside, being excellent and the Terra-Firmian plot likewise fun, even if Huey can get grating the payoff is worth it, and the jokes are really high quality. It’s just bogged down by that fucking launchpad plot that just crushed my soul in it’s palms every time it came back. I went on at length why i hated that one but boy oh boy was the hate of that subplot warranted and I stand by calling it the worst plot of the series. It is: it’s not funny, it makes no goddamn sense, and it drags down what’s otherwise a pretty solid epsiode.
Next Time on Lena: Jaws the shark, lurking in the dark, in the depths of the bin one day of a lark decides to get rowdy, get real violent takes a vacay out to Duckburg er.. Island.. also Scrooge faces his greatest Nemesis.. a PR Tour to clean up his image after an unfortunate giant Beanstalk Incident. Be there and be hip to be square. 
Next Time on This Blog: I Tackle a DCOM for the first time for another commissioned review as we take a look at racisim, specifically Apartheid and breaking indoctrination, with The Color of Friendship. See you next Rainbow. 
32 notes ¡ View notes
yandere-society ¡ 5 years ago
Text
Day 6 | Coffee
Tumblr media
Synopsis: Taehyung has always been protective of you– and as his little sister’s best friend, it’s your job to annoy him. When Hanukkah rolls around and you’re confronted with intolerance, Taehyung steps in, becoming a little more than protective.
The 12 Days of Black Christmas Event Masterlist
Pairing: Taehyung x Female Reader
Admin: @psycho-slytherin​
Trigger warnings: Profanity, mentions of violence, anti-Semitism
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“I have a tall vanilla latte for…” you narrow your eyes, only now reading the name written on the side of the cup: Voldemort. You sigh. “Taehyung. Tall vanilla latte for Taehyung.” He always does this.
Your best friend’s big brother approaches the counter with a smirk. “Are you sure that’s what it says on the cup?”
You hand him the drink. “Don’t you have better things to do than bother me at work?”
“I wish I did. Eunjin needed me to pick her up since someone–” he eyes you pointedly– “Is gonna be pulling a double today.”
“You’re being a bigger brat about it than Eunjin, and she’s the one that actually needs the lift. What kinda big brother are you?” You flap your hand at him. “Now shoo, I’ve got work to do.”
Taehyung smiles easily. “Yes, ma’am.”
Much, much later, you hang up your apron and sigh. It’s getting colder, and you’re not excited to learn the new holiday-themed drink recipes. If they’re not aesthetic enough, you know the customers will just throw a fit until you remake it. ‘Tis the season, after all.
You sigh. You’re tired of Christmas, tired of the decorations that are up from November to February, tired of consumerism, and tired of people assuming that you celebrate Christmas. 
You don’t. You’re Jewish. And while you’re happy that others enjoy the merry-jolly holiday cheer, you could do without the Christmas-ness of it all. It’s not like anyone’s ever said ‘happy Hanukkah’ to you.
“See ya around, y/n,” Namjoon, your manager, calls after you as you head out the door. “Merry Christmas.”
You smile dryly. “Yep, happy holidays.”
That Saturday, you’re at your best friend’s house, staring at– and yet not quite reading– your Economics notes.
“Man, like, how are you supposed to fix capitalism?” you groan eventually, flopping on Eunjin’s lap. 
“I dunno,” she laughs, laying down her notebook. “Throw billionaires at the Invisible Hand?”
“I can think of one place to throw them,” you retort, standing up and stretching. “I’m gonna make some coffee. Want anything?”
“A girlfriend.” “Besides that.”
“Some water?” You grin. “That I can do.” Humming to yourself, you make your way to Eunjin’s kitchen. You’ve been best friends since… well, forever. You’ve practically grown up in her house, and vice versa. Of course, the downside of being friends with Eunjin is…
“Boo.”
“Gah!” You yelp, a shudder running through your body when you feel Taehyung blow on the back of your neck. “You dickhead!”
Taehyung roars with laughter, not even flinching when you rear back and kick him in the shin. “Someone’s feeling feisty today.”
“You sure that someone is me?” you reply, fetching your favorite mug. “You’re the one going out of your way to bother us.”
Taehyung shrugs. “My winter break started early. It’s not like I’ve got finals to study for. So I’m bored. And when I’m bored…”
“You annoy us, I got it.” You stick your tongue out at him while spooning instant coffee into your mug. “Get yourself a girlfriend if you have so much time on your hands.”
Taehyung opens his mouth, closes it, and opens it again. “Sounds hard. I’ll pass.”
“You– whatever. I give up.” Coffee in hand, you march back to the living room without another word.
Several hours pass. “Economics is the study of the allocation of scarce resources,” you mimic your professor’s dry tone. “And economies of scale… can fuck all the way off.”
“Hey, what’s the difference between economic justice and economic equity?” Eunjin asks, staring at her notebook in confusion.
“I don’t know, let’s just be communist,” you reply. “Oh, I can’t pick you up from your internship tomorrow, I’m pulling another double shift.”
Eunjin ruffles your hair. “You work too hard. Yo, Tae! Can you pick me up tomorrow?”
“What, is little miss barista busy?” Taehyung calls from the living room. 
Yeah, you’re busy. Hanukkah starts soon, the twenty-fifth is next week, and the holiday rush seems to get more intense every year. Besides, your tuition isn’t getting any cheaper, and you could use every shift you can take. 
“It’s getting late, I’m gonna head home,” you yawn gathering your things. “See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, see ya.”
⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
“I’ve got an oat milk macchiato for…” you sigh inwardly. On the cup is written the name Aphrodite, goddess of love. “Taehyung?”
And of course, Taehyung swoops in and plucks the drink from your hand. “Man, I thought I’d get you this time.”
“You’re early today,” you reply.
“Eh, yeah. I’ll kill time here while waiting for Eunjin.”
You’re tempted to reach across the counter and boop his nose, but then you’d have to go wash your hands and he’d be achieving his goal of keeping you from your job. “Suit yourself.”
A couple of hours pass. Taehyung continues nursing his macchiato while scrolling through his phone, and you try to ignore him as you make drink after drink. 
“Two Americanos and a raspberry iced tea for Julian?” you call, sliding the drinks across the counter. Business has slowed to a crawl, with the only customers besides Taehyung being three young men loudly discussing their weekend plans.
They approach, grabbing their drinks.
“Enjoy! Happy holidays,” you say brightly. It’s so slow your manager might cut you early. You begin wiping down the espresso machine when you sense someone staring at you. The guy from earlier– Julian– apparently didn’t follow his friends out the door. “Can I get you something else?” you ask automatically. 
“Don’t you mean merry Christmas?”
“Uh… what?”
“Christmas is next week. Don’t you mean merry Christmas?”
Is he high? “I thought I said happy holidays?” Maybe you imagined it and forgot to say it aloud.
“No, I heard that.” Julian takes another step forward, leaning over the counter. Namjoon is at the register, and you can tell he’s wondering if this guy is giving you trouble. “Happy holidays is what the liberals say to destroy Christmas instead of offending the other snowflakes.”
Your eyes widen. Is this seriously happening?
“So instead of this ‘happy holidays’ bullshit,” Julian says as his friends reenter, clearly looking for him, “you say merry Christmas, sir. Understand?”
Gross. He’s gross. You want him out of the store now. You glue on your best customer service smile and say the only thing you can think of– “Okay.”
Julian glares at you with what you can only call unwarranted hatred. “Say merry Christmas, or I’m never coming back.”
Good.
“Hey yo, Julian, let’s just go,” his friend tugs on his arm, glancing at you nervously.
You purse your lips. You have witnesses, and you know Namjoon will call the authorities at a moment’s notice if the guy turns violent. “Sorry, I don’t celebrate Christmas, so I prefer saying ‘happy holidays’ to include everyone.” 
“You don’t celebrate Christmas?” Julian spits. “What are you, a dirty Jew?”
You recoil at his words, too shocked to cry, to breath. This has never happened to you before. The way his tone paints you as less than human feels like a knife in your gut.
Julian notices your reaction. “You are, huh? How do you like gas chambers?”
“O-kay, line way crossed, buddy. How about you leave before-” Namjoon strolls towards towards Julian with purpose, but before he can reach the guy–
Taehyung clasps Julian’s shoulder tightly. “Hi.” he says smoothly, his voice laced with something dark. “That’s my friend you’re talking to. I think you’re going to want to take that back.”
“Julian, come on, man,” his friend urges, clearly worried that you’ll call the cops.
“Y/n, go to the back.” Namjoon says, not taking his eyes off Julian and Tae. “You’ve got a car, right? I’m letting you go early.”
“I-I-” Julian’s eyes, full of malice, follow you as you go to the back and hang up your apron. What else can you do? Namjoon is taking care of it, and Taehyung…
There was something in Taehyung’s voice that you’ve never heard before. Something dark, and protective, and… scary.
You decide to leave through the back after clocking out. You’re scared to pass Julian again. What if he comes back to the cafe to harass you?
You parked five minutes from the cafe, and with your head down and your hands jammed into your pockets, you speedwalk away. Just as you’re getting to the car, Eunjin calls you.
“Hey,” you say, voice cracking.
“Hey. I finished early today and Tae said you’d be able to give me a lift?”
“Ah, s-sure. What about Taehyung?”
“I dunno, man, he said something came up. See ya soon, okay?”
Something came up? But he was just in the cafe– whatever. You just want to leave. You spend the evening after work at Eunjin’s house, studying for your last final. Taehyung doesn’t arrive home until late, and you ambush him before the door’s even closed.
“What happened?” You ask.
“Nothing, nothing. Your manager called the cops and they needed witnesses,” Taehyung replies calmly.
“Oh.” Somehow you expected something less anticlimactic. “Well, I’m going to head home.”
“Be safe,” Eunjin calls from behind you.
“Yeah. Be safe.” Taehyung echoes. 
You swallow and step out into the night. They live so close by that you never bother to drive. 
What are you, a dirty Jew?
Your phone rings, startling you. “Hello?”
“Hey, y/n, it’s Namjoon. I just wanted to check in. You doing okay?”
“Y-yes,” you reply. “Did everything go alright with the police?”
“What police?”
Your brows furrow. “Ah– my friend said you called the police.”
“Oh, the tall guy? Nah, he just pulled that asshole outside. I didn’t see them after that. I was gonna call the police, but your friend said it wasn’t necessary.”
“Oh. What happened to… that guy?”
“Dunno. Are you okay coming into work tomorrow?” “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay. And y/n?”
“Hm?”
“Happy Hanukkah.”
You crack a smile. “Happy Hanukkah.” By the time you hang up, you’re nearing home, and your car keys feel heavy in your pocket. You’ll just check, you decide. It’s a fifteen-minute drive to the cafe. You’ll just check. 
Fifteen minutes later, you’re standing in front of the darkened cafe. Taehyung took Julian outside, and then… what? Sent him on his way? But then why did he lie about the police?
“Ungh…” your ears pick up on a muffled groan coming from the alley behind the cafe. With dread settling in your stomach, you follow the noise into the alley.
If this were a horror movie, I’d be the first to die.
“Hello?” You whisper, switching on your phone flashlight.
“H-help…” Wait, is that coming from the dumpster? You hurriedly lift the lid, assaulted by the stench. Inside, curled up and covered in blood, is Julian.
“Oh my God, what happened to you?” You reach out, offering your hand.
“You– you! Don’t touch me!” He swats away your arm. “He’s gonna hurt me again! He told me not to get near you!”
“Who– you know what, okay, uh… let me call you an ambulance, alright?”
“He’s gonna find me,” Julian mumbles. “He’s gonna find me.”
“Who is? What happened?”
Julian meets your eyes, and you feel as though you’re looking at a dead man. “You really don’t know, do you?”
383 notes ¡ View notes
silver-wield ¡ 5 years ago
Text
Nobody asked for this one, but I said I was gonna do it anyway. Barret and Cloud's friendship development.
Don't worry, I'm not gonna make a mile long post. I'm just gonna hit on the key moments, but I think these two deserve a bit of spotlight.
Ok, spoiler warning for ppl who haven’t played – do I still need to do this? Eh ok, (I tag FF7R spoilers as final fantasy 7 remake spoilers) and it’s gonna be reasonably long.
Also, this is one person’s interpretation of the scene, so if you disagree that’s cool and we’ll agree to disagree.
You’re also gonna have to excuse the janky quality on some of the screens, I’m grabbing them from Youtube and it’s frustrating af trying to get the exact moment I want.
Other analyses if anyone’s interested.
Shinra HQ vision scene (Cloti/plot analysis) 
Chapter 3 (Cloti reblog) 
Tifa character analysis 
Aerith Resolution (plot analysis/theory – I should probably update this since I’ve had other ideas since then) 
Train graveyard (not really an analysis, but I got some sweet screenshots of Cloti) 
Clotiscrew tunnel analysis 
Cloti reunion analysis 
The Promise Analysis 
Andrea’s approval (Cloti ask response) 
Leslie analysis (not mine, but a good read) 
Cloti action touching 
Aerti friendship analysis 
Cloti body language chapter 3 
Cloti healthy disagreement 
Cloti post heliboss battle (chapter 15) 
Clerith playground scene 
Cloti body language plate fall 
Now, strap in and enjoy the ride.
I'm not recapping the whole game lol
Tumblr media
Chapter 1: Barret isn't impressed one bit with Cloud. Watching back their early interactions and I keep noticing this sad look on Cloud's face when he's excluded. But then, I'm also like “Well you pushed them away first”. But I also wanna hug him.
Yeah, so Barret isn't impressed and he's outright hostile, calling Cloud names and antagonising him. He even shoots at Cloud and then raises his gun to take out a security bot. This man doesn't like Cloud and isn't afraid to show it.
You gotta remember, Barret is 6'5 and built like a brick shit house and has a machine gun on his arm. He's not someone to mess with. Taking that in, Cloud's dismissiveness is pretty impressive. I mean he's almost a foot shorter than Barret, after all, and his sword probably weighs more than him lol
Perhaps by the end of the chapter – after Cloud saves Jessie – Barret might have thawed a tiny bit towards him, but he's still mistrusting and doesn't like him.
Tumblr media
Chapter 2 and there's not a lot of interaction between them. Barret does actually agree with Cloud when he says “what's done is done” in reference to the destruction. This shows Barret is pragmatic and not against Cloud himself, just his role. After that, Cloud's alone for the rest of the chapter until the above screen when he leaps into the cargo carriage of the train and Barret says, “You had me worried for a minute.”
He looks caught out when the others all look at him because he's been a total dick to Cloud throughout the mission, but this shows he cares about his team, even if he doesn't like everyone on it. Showing concern for his people is the trait of a leader and if the game were showcased differently we could assume that Barret is our leading man.
Tumblr media
“The folks down here don't have the luxury of choice, you know.”
Still in chapter 2 and this is such a great moment between Cloud and Barret! There's no arguing, just Barret giving Cloud a different perspective that's not the badass merc “Idc” one he's showcasing. You can see once the conversation is over that Cloud grows introspective, so Barret's words clearly resonated with him. This looks like another marker on Cloud's chart of going from a douchebag to a decent human being. He thinks about how things are for other people. Later, Marle tells him to consider others feelings, too. To listen. I'm loving all these small moments that come together to build a clearer of picture of Cloud's development.
Barret actually removes his sunglasses – why is he wearing them at night? – to meet Cloud's eye. This is a gesture that shows his sincerity and belief in his words. He's not just blustering for the sake of it. He cares about the people and the planet.
Tumblr media
Chapter 3 and we don't see Barret until near the end. He's back to being snappy with Cloud – understandable since he's being a dick going on about money.
(aside: can I just squee at Cloud smiling at Tifa through this whole bit. He's such a dork)
And when we see Barret again he's very professional and courteous. There's no emotion in his tone and his words are very formal. He could be talking to anybody. His head dips as he's speaking, in an effort to lower himself more to Cloud's physical level. On an emotional one, he's making himself non-threatening. This isn’t a confrontation is what he’s putting out.
Cloud doesn't look happy at the dismissal and something we know about him is his desire for acceptance, so this probably hurts, although he acts otherwise.
Tumblr media
We're up to chapter 5 and this is a turning point between Cloud and Barret's budding friendship. Barret's in battle dialogue makes it clear he's trying to show off in front of Cloud, who's dismissive still. There's a lot of back and forth between them in the kind of guy banter that suggests they kind of respect each other, but they also just have to put up with each other.
The above screen is the second before Cloud says to Barret that he's better than that in response to his arguing with the Shinra manager. Barret seems surprised Cloud even tries with him, but what's more telling is this expression from Cloud shows he gave it some thought before speaking. He considered the right words to address Barret which shows he's thought about the kind of reaction Barret could have. He took in Barret’s words from chapter 2 and Marle’s from chapter 3. This is called character development!
Tumblr media
Chapter and Cloud throws some shade and Barret blusters lol
Tbf Barret's grown a lot less hostile since chapter 1. He's not as combative to Cloud, nor is he maliciously insulting him anymore. They've entered a stage of snarky banter, which we all know is one of the big steps on the road to friendship lol
Clearly Barret being able to see Cloud in action and rely on him in battle – not to mention Tifa's enduring good opinion – are starting to colour his own opinion.
(Tifa actually rears back when Barret waves his arm around in this bit lol)
Tumblr media
Barret looking to Cloud for back up here. I mean, they're all in the shit, but this is interesting that he's looking to Cloud for that reassurance they're gonna continue kicking ass. The fact Cloud agrees without even the tiniest disagreement is probably the first time they're genuinely on the same page through their own choice.
Let the friendship begin!
Tumblr media
Now, I bet you're thinking I picked this one to showcase cloti, well you're wrong. This is an example of how Barret's mellowed towards Cloud from his chapter 1 hostility to now. Cloud disagrees with him and instead of getting pissed that his leader decision is overruled, he lets it go.This could be a moment of contention between them, but they’ve both grown enough over the game to get to the point that not everything between them is a fight.
Tumblr media
Now, maybe Barret's saying this because he thinks Cloud is about to die, but that seems selfish and like he's saying it to make himself feel better after being a douchebag, and for a selfless man like Barret I just don't buy it. He's genuinely regretful of his past actions and this is the point between the two of them that they can start again and actually become proper friends.
There's no time for much of a guy reunion between them when Barret does see Cloud again all the way over in chapter 12 -- that’s a long ass time apart for Barret to think about how he treated Cloud -- and we kind of brush past Barret's feelings because the plate collapse takes priority.
After that, Barret is much nicer to Cloud, trying to get his praise in battle and being a proper support to him. There's still that snarky banter between them, but the hostile edge has gone. We see a culmination of their friendship development during the stairs climbing sequence. Where before their banter had a hard edge and combative nature to it, this is very friendly and full of jokes and warmth. Barret has definitely softened towards Cloud and considers him a real friend. You can't fake that shit.
Conclusion
Yeah, I kinda cut this short and didn't do the latter half of the game, but that's because it's much more clear than this early development. Focusing on the small interactions between them that built a gradual friendship, it took a huge shock to get Barret to reassess his opinion of Cloud and him dropping from the reactor, going missing and then showing up to save the day covered it. It was like he got a reset and from that he dropped his prejudiced preconceived ideas about Cloud and opened up to him more. Because there’s such a huge gap between the time Barret sees Cloud again, it’s easy to miss the middle part of their friendship. The part where it goes from dislike to like. It’s easy to remember Barret hating Cloud and then see them being a team after chapter 12 because those moments stick in your mind more. It’s the transition that gets lost.
I love their development and how they become friends. It's not the kind of friendship that Barret shows with Red. Those two are bros the instant they met. Cloud and Barret's relationship is more complicated because of Cloud's role and identity. It takes Barret a long time to see past that persona, especially when he's only got evidence of that to go on – unlike Tifa. Once he does, he gives Cloud his full support and trust.
I, for one, can’t wait to see how they go forward in Barret’s arc.
55 notes ¡ View notes
purplesurveys ¡ 4 years ago
Text
962
Do you have a pair of Beat headphones? I used to have a pair. I mean it’s still around in my closet, but it’s completely broken now with the cable all given out and the cushion for the left ear has been missing for a while. I just don’t have the heart to throw it out because it was my absolute favorite pair of headphones that gave me good memories during a particularly shitty time in high school.
How was your week? A little better. I’ve gotten into the groove at work so I’m no longer shy when it comes to asking questions and giving inputs, and I’ve gained a better grasp of the workplace’s dynamic so it’s also been easier to communicate with people. Heavy life stuff is still around and it won’t be leaving for a while, but they were easier to ignore this week.
Are any of your electronics not working properly at the moment? Not really, but my phone’s charger cable recently stopped working. I have a backup that I’m using at the moment and while it’s able to charge my phone, it’s starting to fray and I’m not feeling too good about the wires that I’m starting to see hahaha. I just don’t know how to take care of my cables, guys. Anyway, this question made me paranoid so I took a few minutes to wrap a shit ton of electrical tape on the frayed area so I think it’s all good for now.
Are you excited to pick out your wedding dress one day? I like thinking about my wedding but I truthfully dread the wedding gown part. I’ve never been able to decide what look and style suits me best and I’ve just never been good at determining things like that. I like to imagine that I’d leave that bit to whoever my maid of honor will be, because I’d definitely prize a second opinion more than my own.
When was the last time you felt relieved? Yesterday, 6 PM when I exited the last Google Meet for the day. It was a Friday night and it meant my work week was over :)) I mean I love what I do, but Friday nights will always hit differently.
Does it bother you when an artist remakes a song that one has previously done? I wouldn’t say it bothers me but covers are definitely a hit or miss for me, with way more misses than hits. Nothing wrong with acts putting their own spin on an already existing song, but I’m personally the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” type when it comes to music.
What brand of chapstick do you use? I don’t use any mainly because I’m bound to lose them within a week. Same goes for other care products.
Do you really think someone could be perfect? No. Everyone has their flaws and that should be okay to acknowledge.
When was the last time you cried? Wednesday, I think. It’s been three days! I’d count that as an achievement. But idk, my sadness comes in waves so I shouldn’t be celebrating too early. I’m sure I’ll feel a pang soon and be crying again over the weekend.
What’s a food that you like every once in awhile but not often? Cake. Too sweet and rich; I wouldn’t enjoy eating it every day. What letter is the song you’re listening to under? Not listening to music, but I have a YouTube video on.
Would you rather visit the 60s or 70s? 60s would be the lesser evil, I guess. I would NOT want to live through Martial Law in the 70s...I originally wasn’t even going to go with 60s because I think the world was a bit chaotic at the time, but I think my country was mostly unaffected by the political/cultural things happening then so it’s whatever.
Are you the type of person that enjoys getting hugs? I don’t actively seek them out but it feels nice when someone likes me enough to extend their arms out to me for a hug. I haven’t been hugged for a while and I feel kinda empty.
Do your socks say anything on them? I think some of my socks have the brand name on them but that’s it.
Name a TV channel that only has three letters in it. AMC.
Have you found out who your true friends are? For now, yes.
Gray or Grey? I use both spellings for no particular context. I simply like changing it up lol.
Will you be buying concert tickets any time soon? LOL of course not. And I’m very picky when it comes to concerts that I choose to attend anyway, so I doubt I would’ve bought any tickets in the last six months even without Covid unless it was for Paramore or Beyoncé.
Have you seen the movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower? Did you like it? Nope, but everyone was hyping that movie up when it came out. It never really looked like my thing < Yeah pretty much. I feel like it’s such a teenage-y movie so I was never drawn to it. I also think it would be too triggering for my depression, so I’ve felt wary about checking both book and movie out.
Is there something you’d fall apart if you didn’t have? One of my biggest fears is to end up alone, so I always have to have some form of a support system to fall back into. I would be very lost if I didn’t have at least one person to rely on.
How many weddings have you been to? I can think of four off the top of my head. I was either a flower girl or a junior bridesmaid for all of those.
When you smile, are you confident? Most times I am; I like to smile. But sometimes I smile just to fake it and avoid any questions.
Have you ever not done something because you were afraid of getting in trouble? Yesss, all the time. I’ve always been all about following the rules and I’ve never seen the appeal in breaking them. That makes me sound boring but at least I’ve never gotten in serious trouble lol.
Was the weather beautiful today? For me it is, but only because I like the rain and cloudy weather. Others might find it bleak and sad, but I feel right at home.
Do you have to have a fan on when you sleep? Yeah, all year long.
Would you rather have an orange, red or gray bedroom? If I had my dream modern/brutalist home, grey would be soooo fucking perfect for the bedroom. 
Would you ever dye part of your hair blue? I’m open to it, but I don’t think it’ll be a good match for my black hair as both are darker shades as it is. If I could dye my hair I’d pick lighter colors like green or even go all the way to blonde.
Have you ever gone to a private school? Yeah, from kindergarten all the way to high school. Private schools here typically give a better quality of education and they don’t give off the for-lazy-spoiled-kids vibe that I always hear from private schools in other countries, which makes them the norm for middle and upper-middle class families.
Is Finding Nemo a favorite movie of yours? I have other favorite animated movies, but that doesn’t stop me from loving Finding Nemo. :) I would always tune in for the whole thing if it were on.
Does/Did your school have a uniform? I had to wear one in my first school, but I didn’t need one for college.
Turn on the TV. What channel are you on? No TV where I am. I think my parents are watching a movie on their TV, but it’s on Netflix rather than a channel.
Does your house have security cameras? It does not.
Does a popsicle sound good right now? Eh, I guess it sounds fine but I’d rather have a pint of ice cream. I think that fits better with the weather and the mood that I’m in today.
What’s your favorite exercise workout? My weight training class last year was a lot of fun. I always felt dead after every session haha but I definitely felt healthier. I wish the semester had gone on longer just for that one class.
What’s your favorite thing to do? Lol I love doing many different things < Same lmao this question is so vague??? My favorite thing to do these days is binge-watch Rhett and Link content, but I like doing so many other things too.
What did you do for your 17th birthday? I was with Gabie that day and we went to a local art museum, as well as to a restaurant that she had wanted to take me to.
Does your local Walmart have benches in them to rest? We don’t have Walmarts.
Was your favorite stuffed animal really a teddy bear growing up? I never had stuffed animals. Well I was given a few of them as gifts, but I was never into them and they always ended up being owned by my sister.
If your house was haunted, what would you do? Not even think about it. Just show them that I couldn’t care less, lol.
Are you good at swimming? I can do a few strokes and am pretty good at treading, but I'm prone to panic-kicking when I can tell that the water is too deep.
What’s worse: Slow internet or slow walkers? Slow internet is such a pain in the ass. Shouldn’t even have to be an issue in 2020 anymore.
What is the rudest thing a guy has ever done to you? Cat-called, whistled at, winked at, lunged at. One good thing about this lockdown is that I haven’t had to deal with men as much as I used to. Do you sleep with the sheets tucked in or out? Well I only have one layer of bedsheet and it’s the one that covers up the mattress, so it’s tucked in by default. I have a blanket to cover me up when I’m cold.
What do you do to fall asleep faster? I find a few videos to watch as that tends to make me feel sleepy the quickest.
Do you carry a bottle of water wherever you go? I used to have a tumbler/water bottle in college but I forgot it at the gym one day and when I came back for it, somebody already stole it :( It was such a handy water bottle because it kept my water cold all day, so it sucks that I lost it. I’m planning to buy the same model again soon.
Are you afraid that one day you might get cancer? It doesn’t really run in my family save for one grand-aunt who had cancer, so I’m not too worried. But I’ve accepted the fact that it is at least a possibility.
Are you a fast or slow walker? I like being in the middle. Slow walkers are annoying so I try not to be one, and walking fast just reminds me of my mom and how quickly she walks at malls when she’s supposed to be spending time with her family lol.
Do you usually have to wear a belt with your pants? No. They all fit me just fine.
Does it bother you when people’s underwear hangs out? Eghhh, it really does. I know it shouldn’t but it really does. I just feel like it’s so invasive and it gives me a lot of secondhand embarassment.
Are you usually the person to try new things with your hair? Not really. I like staying safe with my hair. The most daring thing I’ve done with it is get bangs tbh, and I don’t plan on going any further than that.
When’s your birthday? April 21st.
What age do you look forward to reaching? I don’t feel that way about any age. Whenever I reach ultimate satisfaction and security will be a good enough age for me.
Name a state that begins with the letter M. Minnesota.
What’s the first thing you do after a car accident? Think about how to tell my parents. D:
What do you use to get rid of bad breath? Brush my teeth, drink water.
What exercise do you hate the most? Pull-ups.
What do you do at a party? Drink, socialize, tell stories, eat allllllll the food ha.
2 notes ¡ View notes
eldritchsurveys ¡ 4 years ago
Text
1045.
Do you have any fascination with the macabre? Examples? >> I mean, sure, I guess you could say that. I think decay is neat and I’m obsessed with death rituals, stuff like that.
Do you actually think skeletons are scary? >> I mean, if I was seeing my own skeleton, that’d be fucked up. The bones are supposed to be on the inside, after all. But no, in general I don’t find skeletons scary. It’s just when you’re seeing one when you’re not at all supposed to be seeing one... now there’s the spook factor.
The Addams Family or The Munsters? Why? >> The Addams Family. I’m just attached to them; I didn’t get attached to the Munsters the same way.
Do you watch any late-night horror hosts? (Like Svengoolie or Elvira) >> I’ve never seen any of those.
Do you enjoy old horror/monster movies, or just enjoy making fun of them? >> I do enjoy some old horror movies. Not all of them, but there are definitely some gems.
What monster movie is your favorite? >> I don’t think I have a favourite monster movie, specifically.
Have you ever seen the Rocky Horror Show live? If so, was the event held at midnight? >> I’m not interested in Rocky Horror so I wouldn’t go to one of these. I wish I could have seen Repo! the Genetic Opera live, I heard that was a similar crowd-participation type experience.
Have you ever made fake blood at home? >> No.
Which TV version of Sabrina The Teenage Witch do you prefer? Why? (^^The Melissa Joan Hart one VS. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) >> I’ve never seen either.
Do you ever watch the original Bewitched TV series? Which Darrin did you like best? >> No.
Did you like the Bewitched movie with Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell? >> I did not see it.
Have you ever seen The Witches of Eastwick? Did you like it? >> I did not see it.
Is Hocus Pocus really a good movie, or a bit overrated? >> I don’t know, I still haven’t seen it...
If you've seen The Craft, who was your favorite character and why? >> I didn’t have a favourite character. I wasn’t terribly interested in the movie when I saw it. It was okay, it just didn’t leave an impression.
Do you think a remake of it would be interesting? Or do you think it worked best in the nineties? >> I don’t think the remake -- which does actually exist now, for some reason -- would be interesting to me now, although maybe it’ll be interesting for the current teenage/young-adult generation the way it was for teenagers in the nineties. Or... maybe not. The nineties certainly were a different time, and witchcraft is less mystifying nowadays thanks to the internet than it was then.
What witch-themed movie/show is your favorite, anyhow? >> I don’t think I have one.
Do you like The Nightmare Before Christmas?  >> I actually don’t. You’d think I would, but it just didn’t stick.
Do you count it as a Halloween movie and a Christmas movie? >> I really don’t know what it’s classified as, but I always assumed it was a Halloween-y movie that just happened to be centered around Christmas.
Do you like Jack or Sally better? >> ---
What other Tim Burton works do you enjoy, if any? >> I loved Edward Scissorhands, and Corpse Bride is fun, but most of his other work has been “meh” for me. They hit better when I was younger.
Are there any 'dark' or 'spooky' films you recommend? >> I’m sure I could recommend many, but I’d have to know who I was recommending them to. 
Are any horror/suspense films actually scary to you? Which ones? >> Not really. There are a lot of engaging and immersive ones, but I can’t say they frightened me. I just enjoyed them.
Are there any songs that put you in a spooky mood? >> I don’t think so.
Just for fun -- what would your personal hell look like? >> I don’t think that’s a fun thing for me to think about.
What supernatural/paranormal themed TV show is your favorite, if any? >> The X-Files.
If you've watched Supernatural, did you like Crowley? >> I did like Crowley, when I watched it.
On Supernatural, do you like the angels or demons better? >> The angels. Most of them, anyway.
Did you have to read The Crucible for school? >> I did, and I fucking hated it.
Would you like to visit Salem, Massachusetts? >> Sure.
Would you like to visit the Winchester Mystery House? >> Eh.
What about Alcatraz? >> Meh.
Do you think it would be fun to stay at the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast, even though the 'hauntings' are so obviously faked? >> Probably not.
On that matter...do you think Lizzie actually did it? >> I don’t have an opinion.
Have you ever purchased anything from an occult or New Age shop? What? >> Just random things, I guess. Books, pretty rocks, incense, stuff like that.
Do you ever watch paranormal investigation shows even just to make fun of them? >> No. Also, since this has come up again... I don’t watch things for the purpose of making fun of them. That seems like a colossal waste of my time, when I could be watching things I actually enjoy...
Did you know Samhain is NOT pronounced Sam-hayn? (It's pronounced Sow-wenn.) >> I’ve also been told it’s pronounced “shah-vin”. I think it depends on whether it’s an Irish or Scottish person pronouncing it, and what part of the country they’re from, and so on. But yes, regardless, it is definitely not “Sam-hane”.
Do you know any Pagans/Wiccans? >> Yes.
Did you ever think that Wiccans worship the devil? (We do not. There is no such thing as the devil in Wicca, the devil is a Christian concept.) >> I am aware. No, I never thought that because I never had a reason to.
Do you know any Satanists? >> I think I might. I don’t remember.
Have you ever read The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth? >> Yeah.
Are there any animals that scare you? >> Not without context. Like, of course I’d be afraid of a bear if I was under immediate threat by one. But I’m not just arbitrarily afraid of bears or anything.
Would you ever keep a tarantula as a pet? >> I’d at least like to be friends with someone else’s pet tarantula.
Do you wear mostly black? >> Yes.
What do you think are some of the scariest things that happened in reality? >> Oh, you know. Genocide and stuff.
Are there any urban legends in your area? What are they? >> Probably, but I don’t know them.
Do porcelain dolls unnerve you? >> Nope.
Does your imagination get away from you if you're alone after dark? >> Nope.
Do you find dead trees beautiful? >> I do.
Have you ever been inside of an abandoned building? >> Yep.
What mythical creature do you think you'd like for a pet? >> What is people’s obsession with keeping things as pets, christ. Can’t they just exist and I can admire them doing whatever they’re doing without having to keep them for myself?
Is the light of the full moon eerie or peaceful? >> I mean, I just think it’s pretty.
Have you ever actually believed in monsters? (Like as a kid) >> Not in the child’s sense.
Any recurring nightmares? Care to share? >> No.
What myths/legends do you find most interesting? >> Which don’t I find interesting? (Spoiler: they’re all interesting.)
Have you ever watched The Twilight Zone? Night Gallery? Alfred Hitchcock Presents? If you've watched all three, which is your favorite? >> I’ve watched and greatly enjoyed The Twilight Zone. Never saw the other two.
Do you like the look of gothic mansions? >> Yes.
Do you own any books from Llewellyn Worldwide publishing company? >> Nope.
Did you ever go through a goth phase? >> Phase??? I can’t imagine what kind of insane warping of personality would have to occur for me to stop being goth.
1 note ¡ View note
lightsandlostbells ¡ 6 years ago
Text
Skam Italia season 2, episode 1 reaction
Hello, how’s everybody doing? We survived the first week of a S3 remake. I wrote a little (a lot) about it.
Just to be clear: I completely understand if people just want to hang on and enjoy the ride because it’s S3 again, we love it, it’s an important story for many people! But so far there are aspects of Skam Italia S2 that I am positive about, and there are areas where I have criticisms. Don’t read if you don’t want to hear some comments that are not 100% enthusiasm. For real, I’m not trying to be a buzz kill, like I’m fine with posting these to crickets, lmao, because it’s a fun exercise for me to analyze the remakes even if I’m essentially talking to myself. 
Thank you so much to everyone translating this show! Imagine if no one was translating this season. The fandom would lose its goddamn mind. You are literally saving the planet from destruction, thank you for your service.
At the risk of sounding pretentious, I’m going to put additional disclaimers here, because people have strong feelings about Skam S3, and people also have strong feelings about Skam Italia, and there is already drama when those feelings bump up against each other:
The reason why I started doing reactions to the remakes was to compare the versions of Skam and analyze what worked and what didn’t in the adaptation process. This was a clever change to fit this culture, this was awkward and didn’t work, etc. While I do want to judge S2 of Skam Italia on its own merits, I’m not going to leave the original series out of it and look at this season as something that exists in a Skamless void, because that’s not my aim with these recaps. So if you are really not interested in comparisons to the original show (positive, negative, or neutral) then perhaps don’t read further.
I’m also taking into account this is a different culture than the original show and noting how that might affect this story, and that it’s a big deal to have an LGBT Italian lead in a series and Italian fans are very excited. So I’m keeping that in mind! But I also think that, should Skam Italia bungle something, it’s okay to call it out, it doesn’t get a free pass. We criticized parts of the original series while praising it where it succeeded. Sana’s season, for example, is extremely progressive as a concept (a Muslim girl lead is extremely rare) but had numerous aspects where it stumbled, and as a fandom there was no shortage of criticism. This goes for both the social justice and educational aspects of Skam as well as writing, directing, acting, and other basic storytelling stuff.
Okay? Okay.
Episode 1
Clip 1 - GET OUT OF THE FUCKING TUB, LOSERS
Right away, I loved the voicemails. They sound like real accounts of homophobia, and I don’t know if these are actors recreating them or real people sharing their own experiences, but it was a powerful intro to the season.
I also like zooming in over the city while these voicemails played, over all these dark apartment buildings, because it felt like those voices could be coming from anywhere. They were anonymous. Your neighbor could be gay, the woman who lives downstairs could be a lesbian, and you might never know because they’re in the closet. You might never know how much they’d suffered due to homophobia. But they’re also everywhere. Despite their treatment in society, LGBT people aren’t “the other” but can be anyone you know. That’s why it zooms into the party, to link these anonymous voices to a face that we we do know.
I saw some people suggesting that maybe these have to do with Martino’s involvement in the radio station, and that this will be some part of a project that he does, and while I think it’d be awesome if the radio station came into play with his personal development, I’m ehhhhh about these turning out to be part of Martino’s project all along because it doesn’t seem like it goes with the real time format, and IDK, it seems too literal. But I’d be OK with it these were more of a thematic device and Martino has a literal confession along these lines later on. 
Rainbow logo 🌈🌈🌈
...who’s that blue-haired girl?
I feel like Edoardo being immediately on screen was to reassure any OG Skam viewers and Incantava fans who hadn’t yet gotten the message that EDOARDO IS DEFINITELY NOT GOING ANYWHERE THIS SEASON DO NOT PANIC.
Silvia is watching some girls dance and for a hot second I hoped they were finally hinting at the lesbian Vilde story we deserve, but it seems like she is watching them because of their slim figures, because she reconsiders the piece of cake she was going to eat. Silvia, no.
Silvia is very upset about the hotties at the party and Sana says there only would have been four people there and reassures her that she’s beautiful, awwww. But Silvia is upset about some Argentinean girl, who I assume is an apex hottie that she fears will outshine her, perhaps?
Silvia waves at Edoardo, who ignores her. You know, Edoardo’s apology to Silvia would feel more genuine if he acted like a baseline decent human being toward her instead of refraining from basic politeness because OH NO he has to shake her off his back (except when he can exploit her interest for his own gain).
It’s Italian Eskild! He says that Edoardo’s hair is indeed shit, suggesting Eleonora has told him all about it (something for the Incantava shippers) and I mean, I support him giving Silvia a boost, and I support any dragging of Edoardo, except Edoardo’s hair is like the one thing about him that is not shit.
He takes Silvia to dance and comments about checking her boobs to see if she is a virgin, so this is filling in for S2’s “It’s Britney bitch” moment. I guess they’re going to incorporate some Skam S2 material into this season in order to accommodate for the switch in storylines.
Hey, you know what I could have strongly done without? Filippo grabbing Silvia’s tit out of nowhere. There’s sometimes a tendency for gay men to grope women and get away with it because it’s obviously not sexual, so what’s the problem? Except the problem is that men, no matter what their sexuality, feel like they have unfettered access to women’s bodies. I’m not saying HE’S CANCELED or anything, but it irritated me that they threw in such a small moment that wasn’t needed, especially because this is our introduction to this character. Thanks, I want casual groping to be my initial impression of this guy. (Just to be clear, this dialogue happens in the original, but there is no unauthorized tit-grabbing from Eskild.)
And the fact that this moment went so unremarked upon is a sign of how normalized this behavior is, frankly. But they played it off as a funny moment so it’s okay!! Lol Filippo, you’re supposed to be gay!!!
Incantava shippers get a morsel before Eleonora leaves for London as she and Edoardo share a ~glance.
So Filo is Eleonora’s brother, which is a good way to incorporate his character considering it’s unlikely for Martino or Eleonora to live with a random roommate instead of their families, and they hadn’t set up the Filo character in S2 so his appearance in Martino’s life is going to need to be established quickly. So that makes both the Eleonora-Filo and Martino-Filo relationships more plausible in this culture.
Although lmao, imagine some of Eskild’s S2 scenes now that he and the Noora character are related. I’m sure Eleonora will need to bleach her eyeballs if she walks in on her brother getting his dick sucked to Circle of Life.
Eva catches up to Martino in the kitchen, and the flirtatious vibes are there right away, you know this isn’t going anywhere good. She tries to kiss him, so this is basically that scene from S2 where Eva tries to make out with Isak at a party, except way more awkward because this Eva actually manages to get a few kisses on Martino. Yikes.
Of course he’s not into it, and she’s just like yeah, go to your friends. Go find Gio. She knows where his real interests like. 
Martino answering some random landline is pretty endearing, especially when he has cans of beer he needs to balance to do so.
Him being like “I am not the owner.” Lmao, he’s a sweetie. I suppose this was maybe a neighbor or someone wondering about the noise level and activity at the party, and that was why the police show up later? But I like to imagine that they were filming in this building, the phone rang randomly, and they were like, eh, throw it in.
So now we’re moving into the OG S3 content, with Martino entering the bathroom and sitting in the tub with his friends drinking and getting high.
Elia is the second person to mention the Argentinean girl, so I guess she must be a stone cold babe. Are we ever going to see her? Or will her hotness exist only in legends?
They do the whole song and dance where Martino pretends like these girls aren’t hot enough for him, while the other dudes are not having it. Well, to be fair, he really isn’t into them. I’m not sure what to make of his reactions, because Isak was very performative, and Martino just seems indifferent.
The boys claim to have gotten Fede a present, I wonder what it was? Probably just booze or something?
Lmao I was wondering why this girl would use this random out-of-the-way bathroom, but apparently two dudes are fucking in the other one (what are the odds it’s Filo).
What assholes, get out of the fucking tub for two minutes and let the girl pee in peace! I guess they’re just lazy and stoned, but JFC.
Instead of saying the girl looks like Eleven from Stranger Things, Martino tells her she looks like a frog… I kind of see it? But she’s also a babe, soooo. 
Not gonna lie, I really did not like how they adapted this scene. “We’ll leave you alone to pee but you have to hook up with one of us” is not … cute … like it takes it out of negging teenage asshole territory and gets creepy. Maybe because of the hellscape that has been RL politics for the past few weeks, but I’m not in the mood for any of this boys-will-be-boys shit.
We know that one new dude must be Magnus because he is instantly rejected.
Martino gives the boys the thumbs up once Italian Emma starts making out with him and they’re leaving.
Martino didn’t actually do anything to win over this girl, really? With Isak it was a performance: Emma came in and he made a determined effort to flirt with her, he negged her, he complimented her, he got out of the tub and was more active in his pursuit. All of that was because he was trying to seem straight in front of his friends. Martino, on the other hand, was far more passive. He made the frog comment but that seems less like negging when all four of them are sitting there being dicks to this girl, rather than him alone, and she just happened to choose him out of the four. Isak was putting some effort into it and pretending to be interested until the boys left and things got steamier, but Martino just plain is not trying. He ain’t feeling it.
This is one of the disadvantages of writing recaps episode by episode as they air and not when you can look at the full season, though. Because on the one hand, making Martino more of a passive participant in his fake heterosexuality is fine, but on the other hand, if that’s not their intent - if they’re more or less going to follow Isak’s character arc for him - then I think they missed a big point of this scene in not making Martino pursue this girl more actively. But we don’t know exactly if this is a thoughtful, deliberate choice or an oversight. (For example, in S1 of Skam Italia, several of Eva’s key moments of “who are you?” were eliminated, Gio’s skate park speech was rewritten with a different focus, etc. which made me wonder about her character arc. It could have worked if they had intentionally made these changes to arrive at a different conclusion, but in the end Eva’s final speech to Gio is the same, the arc is supposed to be the same even though crucial points have been left out, and it didn’t feel as strong. So it’s hard to say whether Martino’s character is supposed to be written with subtle differences that change his characterization, or if they don’t realize how small edits can affect the perception of this character.)
I am a little alarmed that the girl goes for the blowjob like immediately after choosing Martino? Isak was hardcore flirting with Emma so it made more sense she was trying to do that with him. With this girl, she’s just trying to pee and some random guy’s like “Hook up with one of us and we’ll leave you be” and she’s like, “Sounds like a plan!” Damn girl, didn’t you need to really use the toilet? But you’re going to stop to blow him? Okay.
Eva is stumped by seeing that Martino was in the bathroom with a girl,  probably moreso because he just rejected her upstairs. Well, this girl isn’t his best friend’s ex, sooooo it makes a smidge more sense, Martino’s sexuality aside.
Incantava moment: Edoardo brings up the deal with the apology to Silvia, so that made it into this remake. Part of the deal was to erase the wall of conquests - smart of Eleonora - and I guess Edo did that, hopefully, but he also reminds her that she agreed to a date.
What a power move of Eleonora to go to England to avoid this date.
At least Edo was not pursuing her prior to this, apparently. It would be a shame if they suddenly had him pressure her into a date in Eleonora’s season.
Okay, I realize that Martino didn’t appear to have the best options to hide his weed,  but he’s really just gonna put it in a box on the railing where it could easily get knocked over the balcony or blown away or something? Lmao.
The scene of the boys running away from the cops was cute and had that “reckless youth enjoying the night” vibe.
So Martino clearly still has Giovanni feelings, and Giovanni is going to be crashing at his place tonight. Look at that hand on Martino’s shoulder, probably burning through his shirt. I like perhaps acknowledging the idea that all this casual affection between guys in this culture can take on a hidden toll for a closeted gay kid.
Martino mentions that his mom is freaking out, so they’re openly acknowledging Martino’s mom situation in front of the other guys (when Isak was less open about it) and Giovanni gives him a hug that fucks Martino up. It seemed like Martino didn’t want Giovanni to come over, probably both because of his crush and because of his mom situation.
Clip 2 - Sad boy slumber party
Martino wakes up and stares at Giovanni, who’s still sleeping. Martino is not on the bed, but on the floor, ostensibly because Giovanni threw him off the bed but really because he doesn’t want to be so close to Giovanni. He pointedly turns down Giovanni’s invitation to get back in the bed. This is a really delicate situation; this is such a casual thing for Giovanni that he doesn’t even think about it, but for Martino it’s this extremely loaded scenario that comes with dangers, so better not risk it.
Eva calls and wants to talk to Martino, but he can’t since he’s with Giovanni. Giovanni says that he’s been trying to get back together with Eva, and making a fool out of himself, so Martino is certainly not enjoying about this reminder that Giovanni likes girls, Giovanni loved (loves?) Eva, it will never be Giovanni and Martino in the way he wants. Also, awkward of course because Eva tried to kiss Martino, which says a lot about how she thinks of Giovanni - probably not keen to get back with him if she can make a move on his best friend, even when drunk.
Okay, I have a deeply unpopular opinion and that is: while Skam Italia’s cinematography is often visually impressive, at times it does not work with the material it’s supposed to be conveying. It’s not style over substance, but style against substance. There are several examples, but to go into one now: why the fuck is the lighting so dark in certain moments. Whyyyyyy.
And before you tell me, I do know why the director is perhaps doing this. It’s supposed to reflect Martino’s state of mind, it’s supposed to make things seem bleak, it’s supposed to contrast with the sunnier scenes such as later in the episode with Niccolò, etc. etc. The problem is that I do not think it is effective for the format of this show. Here’s the thing: we are supposed to be in Martino’s POV for a reason. His reactions should not be hidden from us, this audience, and to me the lighting is a barrier from getting closer to him and getting fully into his mindset. Like, the camera should be eating this shit up! Give me all the microexpressions! Federico Cesari is doing a nice job of acting so far and it bugs me that the lighting is obscuring some of his facial expressions. Now it makes sense for ambiguity on the part of say, Niccolò, who will be keeping secrets for most of the season (based on Even’s role) but this is Martino’s season, and we as the audience should be deep into his head every step of the way. This is supposed to be an immersive experience. There is zero reason to obscure Martino’s reactions from the audience. Martino may have a barrier between him and his friends, his family, his schoolmates, society at large - but not us, the viewers. (And not just the lighting, but for example, that his face is shot in profile for part of this scene, which again doesn’t give us a full range of Martino’s reactions, or the amount of distance between the camera and Martino at times. Even if you can assume what Martino is thinking and feeling enough that you don’t need really clear reaction shots, it’s like there’s a gap and we’re not supposed to get too close.) 
Like obviously this cinematography is working for people, and if it is for you, great! If this were a different show, I could be fine with it. But not with a series that is supposed to put me fully into this character’s head, not keep me at a distance.
Covitti is the girl from the bathroom? She’s followed Martino on IG. I feel like, if they’re doing a repeat of Emma’s involvement, then it doesn’t work as well as to why she’d suddenly be interested in Martino. With Isak, there was something karmic about it, because he blatantly pursued when he met her, and it’s like he reaped what he sowed, you know? Don’t get me wrong, he absolutely did not deserve the much later repercussions with Emma outing him, but the immediate aftermath of him flirting with Emma showed that his actions had consequences. He couldn’t just make out with this girl for the benefit of an audience and then drop her. With Martino, he was so much more passive with Covitti, that it feels less earned. I mean he’s very cute, but him being doggedly pursued by her doesn’t have as much to do with his characterization, unless the point is that he refuses to put his foot down and reject her. (A valid characterization choice! But hopefully an intentional one.)
We get to see Martino’s mom and on the one hand, it’s pretty cool that she’s around in this version, but on the other hand, goddamn am I apprehensive about how they will depict her.
Martino really does not want to eat lunch with her. Apparently they have chicken and potatoes four times a week. Credit to Giovanni, he acts normal and is polite to Martino’s mom and is eager to eat with her.
Eva apologizes for trying to kiss Martino. So Giovanni is trying to get back with Eva and Eva made a move on Martino. Awkward! Eva is also probably dying to bring up the topic of that girl in the bathroom with Martino, let’s be real.
Giovanni chides Martino for being an asshole and says if he didn’t treat his mom like shit, maybe he would help her! Hey, no offense, Giovanni, but fuck off. I agree that Martino was not nice to his mom, I agree that he should treat her better. But Giovanni is a visitor. He is a guest in this household. He doesn’t know shit about what it’s like to live there or what’s the best course of action. No, actually it’s not as easy being kind to someone and it’ll fix their mental illness.
If I sound weirdly pissed about this, it’s because I am speaking as someone who has been a caretaker to a mentally ill parent. One of the most frustrating things was when people who were completely outside of my situation told me how to deal with it. It’s fucking easy to think you have the answers when you don’t live in this situation, when you have the freedom to go back to your own home when shit gets really rough. When you likely haven’t seen a loved one at their worst. 
To clarify, this isn’t necessarily a flaw of the show, just an area where I think a character is flawed. But I would hate for Giovanni’s POV to be validated. Of course Martino should not treat his mother poorly, but he needs to do that on his own, not because some outsider who has no idea what is going on in this house thinks so.
Anyway. Shut the fuck up, Gio. 
Eva also doesn’t want Martino to tell Gio, so you know Gio is going to find out at some point. Here’s the thing: if this drama is more along the lines of ~ooo Eva kissed Martino and he didn’t tell Gio and Gio feels BETRAYED when he finds out~ then it sounds tedious and exactly the kind of drama I don’t want. It’s not necessary, it’s honestly a very low-stakes situation. However, if it’s more of a lead-in to S1’s drama being revealed, and Gio learns about what happened with Martino ratting out Eva, that would be interesting. I’d be very interested in seeing where it goes. I think the writers have to know that this would be the most compelling aspect, so here’s hoping.
Not gonna lie, one thing I liked about S3 was the lack of heterosexual relationship drama (other than what directly serviced Isak and Even’s relationship), and I don’t want this season to stray too far into Eva/Gio stuff. Though I realize that by switching S2 and S3, they probably feel like they have to account for their relationship.
In S2 of the original, we saw the remnants of Eva/Jonas more on Eva’s side, through Noora’s eyes. Eva told herself she was over Jonas and they were just friends, but we could see that wasn’t totally true. With this season, though, we’ll probably see Eva/Giovanni more through Giovanni’s eyes, because even if Martino is Eva’s friend, he’s Giovanni’s best friend.
Clip 3 - The Phantom Clitoris
Lmao, Luca being like “Guess what happened to me” and Gio being like “Did you put an egg in the microwave again?” (I mean, you can cook eggs in a microwave even if it’s not the best way!)
Luca hooked up with a girl! If we believe him. She didn’t have a clitoris! Except he didn’t know what it was called. I don’t know whether to think that if it he didn’t know what it was called, he probably didn’t know how to look for one, or that he’s straight up lying. But this is interesting because Jonas was the one who went down on girls in the original and had this dialogue, and then Magnus was the virgin seeking wisdom from Isak, and here apparently Luca is already banging girls? Or he’s pretending to.
Martino sees Niccolò for the first time! Niccolò is adorable. He’s got the Even denim jacket and a nice smile. Sana and Silvia are shown going up to him while he’s talking to another dude.
Luca is like, I watched a 20-minute porn tutorial of how to eat a girl out. No offense bro, but I doubt you were in a very studious mindset during that. Or maybe he was! Maybe he made flashcards.
Martino gets a text from his dad about having dinner “with us” and I’m guessing that his dad has a new girlfriend or something, because it’s kinda weird to text your kid “have dinner with us?” about both his parents when his dad left his mom.
Silvia and Sana come up, Elia brings up the girl with no clitoris to them (why was that the first thing out of your mouth, dude), and Silvia mentions that she and Sana are now in charge of the radio. So this is our kosegruppa! I wonder if the radio itself will have more plot relevance for the season.
The guys are conveniently too busy to help on Thursday! But Sana thinks they’ll be helping soon enough.
For a moment I thought Luca was frightened by Silvia and saw that as a point toward Luca/Silvia happening, since it would be in line with Magnus’ sado-Vilde dreams, but then I was like, oh right, he probably means Sana, lol. (Silvia is way less intimidating than Vilde. Silvia is cheerful, Vilde was sugar layered over a core of menace when she pitched kosegruppa to the guys.)
Martino checks out Niccolò again, because who wouldn’t, and Niccolò is talking to the other guy … maybe Niccolò is flirting with that guy?
The boys suggest smoking a joint but Martino didn’t get the weed back yet, so the boys are bummed, but Gio keeps his disappointment restrained to a few jovial  throttles of Martino’s neck. Martino dies inside and tries not to develop a choking kink.
Niccolò did not look at Martino in this clip, there’s no evidence he saw him in this scene, and he was in fact preoccupied with conversation with another dude. So ... has Niccolo seen Martino yet? In an “I saw you the first day of school” way? Because with that knowledge in mind, in the original we could look back at Even’s first appearance in the cafeteria and see that he had obviously grabbed a seat with a good view of Isak and was sitting there alone, possibly sketching him. I guess you could say that Niccolò was standing there to get Martino’s attention, maybe even trying to make him jealous by talking to another guy, but that seems .... really convoluted. If they do include the “I saw you the first day of school” line, they should have had Niccolò look at Martino for even a brief moment. It didn’t even need to be eye contact! Like you could show Niccolò looking toward Martino when he’s out of focus, as a background event, a little Easter egg for the eagle-eyed viewer.
This is one of those original clip comparisons, so hold on to your butts. In the original clip, the way the scene is shot and acted combines multiple details to demonstrate Isak’s alienation from the other boys. Tarjei’s acting shows that he is disconnected from this conversation - he’s picking at his sandwich, checking his phone, he’s not really engaged with the cat tongue/clitoris talk. He has a few mild smiles but his facial expressions and body language show he’s checked out. He doesn't participate in that conversation at all, actually, other than a look or two. There’s no dialogue from him. And the camera contributes to this impression that he’s withdrawn: it’s often just on Isak with the conversation coming from off screen, rather than showing him in the shots with the guys. It shows him alone instead of showing him connected to the group. When it does show him with the group, he’s not reacting to them much. So when he hears a boy's laugh, it seems plausible that it would get attention as the boys’ conversation is not holding his interest.
With this clip, Martino might make a comment like "Oh no, don't tell us your dirty story" but he is otherwise very engaged in this conversation. He leans into it, he's listening, his face makes him seem eager. He's frequently shown in the shot with the other guys, part of the group rather than isolated. Gio repeatedly looks back at him and shares looks with him so there’s something reciprocal happening. Martino speaks to Luca and he high fives him. He's just a definite participant in this conversation, so there isn't much of a feel of alienation here. I mean, we know he's gay, and maybe we can assume that his participation in this conversation is forced or half-hearted, but that's not coming through in how it's portrayed. And I like Federico, I think he's one of the better actors on the show, but I also think he's playing it too comfortably, though I blame Bessegatto more for that since his direction is what guides the performance. It seems like Martino's a nice guy with some friends, who doesn't seem too detached this conversation and who seems totally fine with looking at a cute guy over there. Not much of an internal struggle. Not much of an external struggle either, really. 
It felt like there were missed opportunities. For example, when Martino says he doesn’t want Luca’s TMI, and Gio is like, “Yes we do, don’t listen to him,” we don’t even get a reaction shot from Martino to see how that affects him? We could have seen him annoyed, or exasperated, or uninterested in this conversation. We could have seen him drifting and doing something with his body language to indicate he’s not comfortable, and then THAT is when he sees Niccolò, because his mind is already wandering. Not when he’s engaged in this conversation. Or keep in Luca asking Martino about going girls and wanting to know how Martino finds the clitoris, and Martino having to struggle to answer that when the boys are all looking at him.
I mean, again, it makes me wonder what they’re going to do with Martino’s characterization because they’re playing up his struggles with his attraction to Gio, but he does not seem to be struggling as much with the public performance of liking girls. Or even perhaps the internal conflict of liking boys. And that would be fine except it seems like it should be. Martino was the one who introduced the idea of liking Eva back in S1, before Eva had even suggested it herself. He was definitely on the defense then, so what’s going on now? 
Also, Isak glanced at Even and Even looked back, which made Isak look away. Julie pointedly did not show Even again in that clip because Isak was clamping down on his attraction and forcing himself not to look. Martino allows himself a second glance. It frames the scene way more comfortably.
Clip 4 - Fede almost had it all
12:12 ...it begins...
Martino sees Fede and Sana, so he approaches them. He calls them “rays of sunshine,” which is cute! Though he’s totally doing it to butter them up so he gets his stash back.
LMAO I love the part where Federica is like, I found a drill, who brings a drill to a party? (Someone you pray to God remains sober.)
He asks if he can come over and Federica chokes on her drink. She’s really cute in this scene. Honestly, she didn’t make a ton of impression on me in S1 compared to other girl Chrises from the remakes, but I enjoyed her here a lot, she’s sweet.
They can “study” together in the living room because Fede’s parents are gone. Oh babe, I think you’ll be disappointed at the amount of actual learnin’ that would take place were such a study session to take place.
Sana sits there texting Martino that she has his weed while he’s right there next to her. I guess Fede was just really excited by the prospect of having Martino in her house, but did she really not notice that Sana was texting and Martino just so happened to receive a text at the same time?
Sana saying that it’s “a friend of her brother’s” who has Martino’s “necklace.” Is that an actual nod toward Niccolò or just a coincidence? If she means Niccolò, then why is she bringing him up?
Like I know people like this theory, but I don’t think it makes sense that Sana was trying to hook up Isak and Even all along (or Martino and Niccolò if the circumstances are the same), because how does that explain her reactions to being asked about Islam’s view of homosexuality, or to Isak being outed? Of course they could be going for a diferent approach in this remake.
Federica is really adorable freaking out over how she ALMOST had Martino within her grasp. Poor girl, I’m sorry to tell you that your day is never coming. (Lmao, I guess one day a remake could swap out Emma for Isak hooking up with the Chris character? I mean Chris >>>>> Emma, but then I’d feel so bad for her.)
Clip 5 - Here we gooooooooo
So the carrot cake (made by Silvia) suuuuucks. Martino’s disgusted face is pretty good.
The girl squad is trying to Skype with Eleonora. Meanwhile Martino sits there by himself, not having a great time. As a contrast to the girl squad who are laughing and having fun, Martino is on his own because his dumbass friends ditched him.
Sana wants Martino to let them use his Internet connection to continue the Skype call, he’s like lmao, she’s ditching you guys on purpose. Gonna go out on a limb and say that he’s projecting.
Tbh I do think it’s odd that they wrote out Eleonora so much if they didn’t need to. Like I know people think they switched S2 and S3 for dramatic, important reasons, but I get the feeling it was just a matter of actor availability. I could be wrong!
That random curly-haired dude at the meeting is the true star of this clip. He was INTO everything that was happening.
SIlvia says it took forever to make her cake. And it still sucks, apparently. Good thing that the girls never seemed to get her pineapple cake from S1? Was Silvia behind the Jell-O disaster, too?
She doesn’t want another piece, which might be another hint at her ED, but the cake is garbage soooo maybe she just has taste buds and a self-preservation instinct, IDK.
It’s actually intriguing that Silvia seems to be baking cakes for people and yet she monitors her own eating so closely.
Lmao at there being dead noise when Martino sees Niccolò enter the room. Everything fades except this smiley hottie. (For a second I was like “is he flat-lining?”)
Niccolò walked in with some other people, including Covetti. He sits on the table beside Martino. Martino keeps glancing at him but Niccolò will NOT glance at Martino. Again, if they’re going to go with “I saw you the first day of school,” I don’t think they set it up that well. It’s fine if they don’t, but there are really no fun “extras” you get from these scenes with that reveal. In both of his scenes Niccolò has been hanging out with other people, he’s not glancing at Martino. There’s no foreshadowing. You can be like oh, Niccolò positioned himself outside the school for Martino to see, he DELIBERATELY didn’t look at Martino for reasons! But that’s not very enjoyable on a rewatch.
The way Martino begrudgingly greets that Uglydoll or whatever is the best part of the episode.
Covitti notices Martino looking over at Niccolo, by the way.
Okay, WHO IS THAT BLUE-HAIRED GIRL. Like it seems as if she would make a good Sonja, she reminds me a little of Theresa. 
Covitti whispers something to Martino but we don’t know what.
“Bad story about Chicco Rodi” Who was that? I vaguely remember the name from S1? Oh wait, was he the guy who got the award for worst attendance? I hope that “tutorial” is foreshadowing for Martino and Niccolò breaking into the school at some point.
Silvia comes across as positively chill compared to Vilde. It must be Osvaldo’s influence.
Why is Covitti even there, since she’s not interested in what Silvia’s saying? To stalk Martino? How did she know he would be there? Emma knew Isak was going to be there because of signups, were there signups for this? (This is nitpicky and I’m sure that’s what they meant, it’s just that they’re skipping over some parts where her motivations become clear.)
Martino: Sorry I have to take this totally real and not at all imaginary call!!!!!
Wow, no finesse, just like our man Isak.
Martino’s fake phone call is pretty funny, like he lets it go on way longer than necessary.
He plops down in a chair in the radio room and then he starts talking to himself and pretending to be on the radio. I really do like the idea of Martino finding his voice through the radio, literally and metaphorically. And actually, when he starts speaking by himself, he sounds pretty good to me! Confident, composed, his voice sounds good, the words come easy. So maybe this is a move from him being passive to speaking up for himself.
That shot of Martino, fractured in the glass, when Niccolò turns on the light is fabulous. Showing how Niccolò’s introduction is going to break apart Martino’s sense of self. And Niccolò‘s image is clear and whole so Martino perhaps sees him as this cool, confident dude who’s got his shit together. So he thinks. (Plus Niccolò literally turns on the light on and all.)
Niccolò says it’s a shame Martino stopped talking, basically, and they laugh about Silvia’s dry-ass cake.
Niccolò has a shitty ancient phone? Would that play into his avoidance of social media because of his manic episode? Since you can’t post to IG/FB/any apps from one of those. Or is he just a hipster who hates technology? Or something else? 
Lol, I didn’t have to wait long before the “breaking into the school” prophecy was fulfilled. They end up climbing into a part of the school that’s closed.
Beautiful view on the roof, obviously. I guess for O Helga Natt, Martino is going to run and find Niccolò here, maybe? And then he’ll be in the radio room instead? Will they stare at each other from behind the glass? 
Niccolò asks if Martino knows Silvia, and he says no, she’s a friend of a friend. Niccolò asks which one, so he’s probably wondering if Martino is good pals with Sana.
Niccolò notes that Martino doesn’t seem happy to be there, and neither does Niccolò. Taking him at his word, he’s doing this as part of school-work interchange. So I guess he didn’t show up just to meet Martino? Again, I have no problem with that changing that (I loved it with Evak but I’m fine with them not repeating it), I just want them to do a good job of foreshadowing if they do go with that.
We get the conversation about Niccolò being from a different school, but there’s no line (as in the original) where Isak notes with some incredulity that he transferred during his last year, so there isn’t as much of a hint that something happened to Niccolò, provided they are still keeping in his backstory. (I think he’s still in his final year?)
The camera gets very close up in the boys’ faces as they talk about more personal topics, THANK GOD. Like I do think the coldness and distance in other clips is intentional, I just don’t think it works with this show, but at least we can get warmer, closer scenes when necessary.
Covitti (whose first name is Emma, by the way) shows up and literally comes between them. They do the whole thing where Martino “introduces” Niccolò to Emma, except they’re not trying to pretend they’re already partners to avoid her. 
“Fares” means horseman or knight in Arabic, so I guess Niccolò is going to be Martino’s knight in shining armor? Or fight for him? That would explain his flipbook in the trailer with stick figure Niccotino on a horse.
Covitti isn’t very awkward as a person. She and Niccolò have a polite, maybe even flirty conversation when filtered through certain jealous ears; it’s Martino who suddenly feels like a third wheel. Covitti is still making eyes at Martino, though. Niccolò says he and Martino will stay back and smoke, which pleases Martino, but she invites herself to smoke with them. It’s awkward but way less so that with Isak, Even, and Emma, in my opinion, maybe because Covitti seems like she’s enjoying herself even if the boys aren’t. 
The poppy indie song at the end of the clip feels out of place. Like if they wanted to emphasize the awkwardness, they should have just ended in a stranger song or complete silence to drive home how Martino did not want her there. If they wanted to use this song to emphasize Martino’s crush, show closeups of Martino glancing at Niccolò with the sunlight bouncing off his face without including Covitti in there. 
Oh god. Don’t kill me for this. Okay. So we have Niccolò’s introduction in this clip, obviously, and I like him in the sense that he's a friendly guy with an utterly beautiful smile. But I felt like they made him just like ... a really nice, smiley guy, in a way that was one-note. And I’m NOT criticizing the actor’s abilities, because I’ve seen his acting clips from other projects and I think he could do justice to the character. This is more about directorial decisions.
Part of the reason I love Even is because he’s fucking strange. Sure, he’s Isak’s dream boy with his denim jacket and styled hair, and he’s got a smile like the sun, and he just feels cool, but he’s also a bouncy, twitchy weirdo coursing with energy. In his first clip he makes a HELL of an impression and it’s by pulling a bizarre stunt in the bathroom with paper towels and then by making a blowjob joke as one of his first lines to Isak. Now I don’t think every Even of the remakes need to do that, not at all, but Even felt like a really specific character to me, someone who was weird and strongly himself and presented in a way that made us fall for him piece by piece. And one fear I have about the remakes is that they’ll remove some of his weirdness to make him more of a general artsy hipster type who gets along with the Isak. (Or maybe him an artsy hipster asshole, but that’s another story.)
I feel bad because I do actually want to love Niccolò I think the actor is tremendously adorable and enthusiastic about is role, and I think he can make Niccolò into someone specific and memorable. But the way this scene was directed and performed, it felt like Bessegatto told Rocco to be charming by smiling a lot. And I mean, he DOES have a great smile, but Niccolò has the same amused, benign friendliness the whooooole clip, and my gut feeling was that they were trying too hard to make us like him and eliminating anything that might make the character off-putting, which is unfortunately some of what makes the character compelling, especially this early on as he should be something of a mystery both for Martino and the audience. 
Where this approach would have worked more for me is if Niccolò was this unstoppable force of sunshine against Martino’s constant grumpy iciness, and he couldn’t help but melt in the face of it. But the thing is, Martino isn’t a constant grump who’s freezing people out. He’s actually pretty friendly to people. So it was like radiant sunshine against slightly less radiant sunshine, and there wasn’t a lot like I felt I could mull over, IDK. 
And yes yes I know this is only the first clip. Niccolò has tons of time to make himself into a distinctive, memorable character. I’m aware of that. But I don’t want to lie about my reaction. 
General Comments/Social Media:
Continuing with Martino’s crush on Giovanni makes sense considering only a few months have passed. Though it should be said that I never thought Isak getting over Jonas from S1 to S3 without any elaboration was like .. a flaw of the show? It depends on how deep you think Isak’s feelings were. Personally I never saw him as in love with Jonas, I saw it as an intense crush, compounded by Isak’s bad home life so that Jonas, his best friend who was always there for him, was someone who really made his life better at the time, and whose attention he craved.
There was almost a year between the end of S1 and the start of S3, and during that time, Isak had seen Jonas go from Eva to other girls, so I’m sure it sunk in that Jonas wasn’t suddenly going to go for him just because Eva was out of the picture. And Isak had moved out of his parents’ home so there was less of an immediately chaotic situation where he was more dependent on Jonas for support. I mean he’s clearly not in a great place at the start of S3, but he was able to get some independence and distance from his parents. I think his life was more stable on a day-to-day basis. So it’s not hard to see how Isak’s crush would have faded with those factors in mind. Martino, on the other hand, has had less time to get over Giovanni, Giovanni perhaps has not moved on to other girls since he’s still trying to get with Eva, and Martino is still probably depending on him for more emotional support since he has to deal with a more directly stressful environment at home.
In the texts, Giovanni refers to Sana as “Sana Escobar” in reference to her taking the weed. Pablo Escobar is obviously extremely well-known on his own, but I do think it’s a nod to all the Narcos/Escobar mentions in Isak’s season. Or at least they took inspiration there.
Elia is apparently one hell of a dumbass according to an essay he wrote that showed up on IG.
I wonder if they’re going to swap out the Grindr clip with Eskild for the first meeting with Filippo. I really do wonder how that relationship will come across, because I know people are excited about seeing them meet (and I am too) but the thing is, a big part of what made Isak and Eskild’s relationship in S3 meaningful was that they had months of trust to be established between them. Eskild saw Isak repressing his sexuality for months, and when Isak finally came out to him, there was pride in seeing this kid’s long journey to acceptance. We also got plenty of little scenes between them so the dynamic wasn’t just a big dramatic thing, we saw the casual side of their relationship. So I’m not sure how they can replicate that with a relationship that cannot help but have less buildup.
Niccolò is a pianist and there’s a video of him playing on YouTube! I’m really glad they incorporated the actor’s talents into the character and gave him his own artistic skill to make him a little different from Even. I assume that Martino will find the piano video and watch that endlessly. And it’ll be fun if Martino is all convinced Niccolò is a serious classical music snob but then Niccolò is like, “YES, this is my JAM” over a cheesy pop song.
One big problem I have is that it feels like a lot of potential for conflict or tension (both internal and external) is being minimized across various relationships, in multiple situations. It just feels safer for Martino despite him still going through some major problems that Isak was not at this point, and so it really shouldn’t. And that makes it harder to get involved in his POV or to immerse ourselves in his struggles. For example:
The boy squad isn't angry or annoyed with Martino for losing the weed, they're just kind of like lol, get it back. 
Sana and Martino don't clash with as much tension, and does Sana even explain why she’s holding onto Martino’s weed instead of giving it back? Sana B. was disgusted that Isak left the weed in Eva’s house where Eva could get in trouble if it was found; Sana A. is just doing it to be sassy, so far? Knowing that she found Isak’s actions distasteful upped the animosity of the Sana-Isak relationship, whereas Sana-Martino doesn’t have that element. I mean it’s certainly a reasonable inference that Sana is mad at him for potentially getting Fede in trouble, but it’s not a clear motivation. Martino doesn’t know why she’s randomly holding on to his weed. Does he think she’s doing it because she’s Muslim and disapproves? Because she wants it for herself? Just to torment him?
Italian Emma comes across way more of a chill, tolerable girl than Nowegian Emma and less of a persistent nuisance causing him stress just by existing.
Martino is less alienated and uncomfortable and more like a chill dude who likes to look at guys. The boys talking about going down on girls doesn’t make him uninterested and detached from the situation, he just mildly protests about TMI but continues to engage. He can look at Niccolò without having to make himself look away. He puts up less of a show to perform heterosexuality than Isak.
Martino doesn’t want to get involved in the radio show, except when he’s left alone he starts talking into a mic and pretending he’s on the radio, suggesting that it is of interest to him even if he’s not into Silvia’s leadership or whatever (as opposed to Isak who just didn’t want to deal with kosegruppa).
Even the Martino and Niccolò meeting had them bantering right away, practically as soon as they spoke, rather than encountering any moments of uncertainty or confusion, no time where they had to find their groove. And people are going to be like “They got along right away when Isak and Even didn’t!” when the reason Isak and Even were a little awkward at first was not because they clashed but because they were attracted to each other. Isak was shy about talking to a cute boy and taken aback by Even’s approach; Even was overwhelmed about talking to the boy he’d liked for weeks. It’s also a mark of how genuine Isak’s interest was: with Emma he was all slick and insincere, with Even he was real and tongue-tied. I mean, think about episode 2 and what a great moment it is when Isak runs into Even on the tram and they fumble for words at first. It’s so good! It’s human and real. It’s vulnerable, especially from Isak’s POV since we know how hard he has been pining over the last week, but also from Even’s POV especially when you know he’s liked Isak for a long time. The thing with Martino and Niccolò is that they settle into conversation so instantly, without any bumps, that I don’t think I would buy a moment like that happening. It’s not like I expect them to immediately become best friends but it would feel strange after this scene. And personally, it’s not like this relationship needs to develop the same as Isak/Even, but it’s good to leave some room for build-up from a narrative perspective. That’s why it’s so satisfying when Isak goes from barely being able to speak to Even to getting so comfortable with him that he can joke around and laugh with him. Like, let Martino say the wrong thing, or not know what to say, or make a mistake, so he can earn that more comfortable place with Niccolò, or so we can savor the moments that show him as vulnerable. (I mean, did people not enjoy Isak and Even being shy around each other? Because the awkwardness, the long silent pauses, the fumbling for what to say ... I ate that shit up. I loved it.)
Now on their own, it’s not wrong for any of these plot threads or scenes to go more smoothly. But do you see how cumulatively, they don’t contribute that much to creating a stressful internal and external climate for Martino? He’s just so much milder about everything, and the people around him are milder to him, and from a dramatic perspective it’s not as engaging.
I mean fandom does this thing where it’s like “These characters get along better! Things are Softer! Cinnamon rolls!! It’s an improvement!!!” but that’s not ... actually great from a narrative standpoint. We’re at the beginning of Martino’s story and it makes more sense to emphasize what a shit place he’s in so we can build him up over the season. 
The conflict that IS there, and felt like it had more of a presence on screen when it was addressed, is Martino still having feelings for Giovanni and Martino’s issues with his parents. I’m not sure how much farther they’ll take Martino’s crush on Gio, since now Niccolò is in the picture, but they’ll likely have Martino keeping secrets from Giovanni that are Eva-related. And we have Martino living with his mother and dealing with her problems, but I felt like that should have been more emphasized in this premiere episode and not just one clip, since it’s really fucking huge. It’s not a problem he can kind of repress like Isak because Isak can just ignore his mom’s texts. Martino has to go home and deal with it every day. (Like I would have put the radio/weed stuff for episode 1 and kick off with Martino’s parental problems and meeting Filippo, since that should set sooo much of the stage for this season, emotionally.)
I’ve also seen the idea that this season will focus more on Martino dealing with external homophobia than internalized homophobia, and that’s certainly a good idea, but then they really should have hit the ground running with that theme. Show the boy squad making casually homophobic comments, show him fearing what his mom will say. Show some random assholes making gay jokes about Filippo at the party and Martino overhears. 
I think they’re doing the meeting with Filippo in episode 2, so hopefully we get more meat to Martino’s conflicts.
I sound like I’m being negative, probably, but I’m aware this is only episode 1, and there’s plenty more to come. There are things that I do like, such as Filippo being Eleonora’s brother and the introduction of the radio. I think those could be really cool for the season. And I’m still intrigued by everything else, because this is S3 and of course I’m wondering how they’ll adapt it!
Please feel free to correct me if I missed or misinterpreted anything!
If you got this far, thank you for reading! Especially if you disagreed with me, lol.
69 notes ¡ View notes
skammovistarplus ¡ 6 years ago
Text
Culture and Translation - S01 E01 C01-05
Welcome to the first post in what a I hope is a series of thorough cultural and linguistic explanations. I’ve had a lot of fun learning about other cultures from other Skam remakes, and I’m seriously looking forward to sharing Spanish high school culture with people abroad. 
This first post was getting pretty long, so I decided to stop with clip 5. There should be a second part coming at some point. 
General notes:
All of the characters pepper their speech with discourse markers. You can read up on those at the link, but they are words and phrases that, generally, don’t change the meaning of the sentence. Some of the most typical discourse markers in English are: oh, well, now, then, you know, I mean. By contrast, these are some of the discourse markers the characters use: pues, es que, bueno, eh, a ver.
Even though they have no real value at the meaning level because they don’t change the meaning of the sentence, I have tried to include as many discourse markers as possible. The main reason I’ve done that is because the characters are teenagers, and teen slang commonly uses a lot of discourse markers (see: Valleyspeak). The second reason is that they add nuance to a scene or a character. The more chill a character is in a certain scene, the more discourse markers they will use. And vice versa.
Ciao: I have opted to translate all instances of “chao” as ciao. As in English, “chao” is an Italian loanword, which origin is ciao. “Chao” is a common usage word, in that it’s not perceived as Italian by Spanish speakers. However, the way it sounds is recognizable to English speakers as ciao. I’ve decided to keep it, instead of using something else like bye. Spanish speakers already have many other ways of saying bye, so I find it pointless to translate “chao” as something else when English speakers already understand what it means from sound alone.
As happened in the OG and many of the remakes, the characters use a lot of English loanwords. Chalk this up to American cultural imperialism. By the way, I find it strange that people have no issues with the European characters peppering their speech with English loanwords, but seem to think the Austin characters peppering their speech with Spanish loanwords is unrealistic. Texas used to be part of Mexico, for one, and for two, they use Spanish loanwords because it’s part of their upbringing, their characters, and the culture they live in. Just something I thought I should note.
The characters swear, and swear often. Spanish people of all ages swear as often as the characters in Skam do. I will get to each specific swear word as it comes up.
CLIP 1: Last day of summer vacation
Bachilller/Bachillerato: Already wrote about it on Twitter. Bachillerato, or Baccalaureate or Upper Secondary School, is a type of schooling that prepares students for university. It consists of two grades: first and second. Eva, and all the characters born in 2002, are starting Bachillerato this year.
There are five kinds of Bachillerato tracks: International, Arts, Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences. Not every high school offers all five tracks, which is why some students will transfer to a different high school for a specific track.
Most Spanish high schools offer both the Mandatory Secondary Education (or ESO) program and the Baccalaureate program. This is why some of the characters are new to the school, while others have been going to the school for years.
“Hostia,” which I translated as shit, is an extremely common Spanish swear word. It literally means sacramental bread, as in the one used for the ritual of the Eucharist. I’m not completely sure how it evolved from a religious word to a swear word. I posted a theory on twitter that it might’ve happened when people started saying, “te voy a dar una hostia,” to mean, “I’m going to slap the shit out of you.” “Hostia,” as in the swear word, means either a hard slap on the face, or serves the same purpose that “shit” does in English.
I can’t tell wtf Eva is eating in this scene. I think it’s some kind of bread sticks, or possibly these.
CLIP 2: Boy squad two seasons early
“Mierda como un piano,” which I translated as A PILE OF SHIT, literally means, “a piece of crap as large as a grand piano.” I thought the expression I used did the trick.
“Urbanización,” the housing complex where Hugo lives, can either mean a rowhouse complex, where each house has many stories, or an apartment complex, where there are two or more apartments in each story. Either of these can feature, as a perk, a pool for the exclusive use of the residents. It’s not made clear whether Hugo’s family owns a rowhouse or an apartment.
“Se me fue la puta pinza” literally means, “the fucking clothespin slipped away from me.” Not too sure about the origin of this expression, lol. I translated it as, “it slipped out of my damn mind.”
This was the first, and so far, the only appearance of the boy squad. As far as I know, this hasn’t been confirmed anywhere, but I believe this is the boy squad we will see in season 3, should we get that far. I believe Hugo is the Magnus expy, while Dilan is the Mahdi expy. Anyway, I am a big og boy squad fan, and I really liked the boys’ dynamics in this clip. I really, really enjoy that Lucas is so loud and talks over everyone. I don’t necessarily think this is a departure from Isak. In my opinion, he’s just in a good mood in this clip, for reasons that shall become clearer as the season unfolds. He’s definitely more low-key in clip 1.
CLIP 3: Ye olde bait-and-switch
Already covered the stuff about Baccalaureate tracks. Lara transferred to this high school because they offer the Arts track, which was not offered at the school where she did Mandatory Secondary Education.
“Delegado de clase” is a concept I translated as class president, although I’ve seen other fansubs that use “delegate.” I initially wanted to use class representative, but it seemed like class president is more understandable to English speakers. I’ll go into a little more detail about this role: in Spanish schools, students are assigned to groups of about 30 kids, which remain more or less stable through every class period. We’re already familiar with this through og Skam, where Even says to Isak that he’s in 3STB. In Skam España, a character would say they are in 1ºA. 1º means first, and 2º means second. A would be the letter assigned to that specific group. Lara and other students in the Arts track will take different courses, but join the bigger group for most courses. This is the reason Lara only meets Eva at 11:30, rather than in first period.
Anyway! Unlike the United States, where the Sophomore class president will represent all Sophomores, class presidents or “delegados” only represent the lettered group they belong to. These class presidents act as a go-between students and teachers/the school. As Lucas and Lara explain, this is a job most Spanish students would rather not deal with. However, if there are two or more people in the running, it becomes a popularity contest. Therefore, if someone has a history of being an outcast at school, they might run on purpose for validation.
“Marrón” and the superlative form “marronazo” literally mean “brown” or “big brown.” I kind of suspect this word might have its origin in the color of poop, because of course. That said, a “marrón” is something annoying that you have to deal with. Hence, pain in the ass.
CLIP 4: Eva’s mom is at the hospital
I’m checking the subbed episode now, so I’m seeing some of the finetuning I did when we went from subbing clips to subbing full episodes didn’t make it to the final edit. I’ll deal with that at some point.
Anyway. Eva’s mom is most likely a doctor or a nurse. The literal translation of what she says would be, “I’m going to the hospital!” Of course, that line, as is, in English, would come across as hugely alarming, lol. The translation I eventually decided on was, “I’m going for a shift at the hospital!”
When Eva’s mom says she sees that Eva is online, she means that she can see Eva is online on Whatsapp. That means that Eva’s mom is also checking Whatsapp as she’s going out the door!
CLIP 5: Russefeiring a la espaĂąola
Viri is an INCREDIBLY weird way of shortening the name Elvira. Spanish people are more likely to shorten names by using the first couple syllables in a name, not the last two. For a long while, fans were stumped as to what was Viri’s full name. Some of the guesses were Virginia and Viridiana.
That said, it’s not surprising that Viri prefers to have a cute nickname. Elvira would sound fairly plain to a teenager’s ears.  
This is as good a moment as any to deal with the “tío/tía” stuff. Translated literally, “tío” and “tía” mean uncle and aunt. We definitely use these words to refer to our actual uncles and aunts, too.  But we also, consistently and across all age groups, use them to address or refer to literally anyone. “Tío” and “tía” are fairly casual, so you’ll generally want to be peers to address someone as such, but in conversation with someone else, a Spanish person will refer to any one person as “tío” or “tía.” It can be your best friend. It can be someone you just met. It can be your teacher. It can be your boss. It can be the prime minister. It can be your mailman.
I have opted to translate the instances of “tío” and “tía” as (the, to me, gender neutral) dude, for the most part. So Jorge can call Eva dude, and it’s just a friendly way of addressing her, no other connotations. That said, there are instances where I’ve preferred to translate “tía” as girl, such as when Viri tells Lara that there are a lot of things she wants people to get involved in. I feel that there’s a nuance to that “tía” in which Viri is trying to come across as open and friendly to Lara, in a way that is specific to women wanting to be friends with other women. So, for that particular instance, I chose girl. In general, if the subs say “girl,” but you’re clearly hearing “tía,” it means that there’s a specific nuance to the dialogue that makes it relevant that the person addressed or being talked about is a woman. Otherwise, it’s dudes straight down the line.
Eva doesn’t mind being late to Maths. Slacker.
As Viri has noted, she too is a new transfer to the school. Meanwhile, it seems like Cris has gone to this school for years. At least, she seems to have her own circle of friends/acquaintances.
Class trip as substitute for russefeiring. In Spain, my experience has been that class trips are organized by the school, for all the students in a specific grade. They have designated victims, a.k.a. teachers, who travel with the students and are responsible for the well-being of hormone-ridden semi-domesticated teenage forces of nature. These trips have a set price per student, which the parents pay for. That said, the school will organize fundraising events, so that the price per student is lowered. These trips are not mandatory, students sign up for them. In my case, I went to Mallorca on a class trip when I was 14. By the time I got to Baccalaureate, neither I nor my friends were very interested in hanging out with people from our year, so we didn’t sign up.
In the universe of Skam España, it looks like students can’t give two fucks about class trips, and so the school has ceased organizing them. Therefore, Viri has taken it upon herself to organize a class trip, whatever it takes. I don’t REALLY mind it, but it’s definitely not how class trips work in Spain. I’m not sure to what extent parents would be comfortable having their school aged kids go off on their own somewhere. I will write more about this when we get to the meeting clips, though.  
42 notes ¡ View notes
songbird-and-her-fos ¡ 6 years ago
Text
So, after a lot of thinking about it, I’ve decided to post the remake of my first fanfiction. It’s based on my daydreams. I hope you enjoy!
Beyond Daydreams
Chapter 1
A whole new World
The day began like any other. I woke up long before my alarm clock would do its daily duty, and spent a few minutes in the velvety darkness pondering all of the things I had to do today. First I'd go to work, then I had to help my younger sister with her homework, and then... what?
I would have loved to spend some time with my friends, but most of them had significant others now, and thus were to busy to hang out. Especially during this time of the year, when the summer sun mercilessly scorched the country with her rays, they had all taken some days off to enjoy the heat.
It sucked to be the only single in my friend group.
I stood up, absentmindedly rubbing the sleepy dust from the corners of my eyes, and walking towards the kitchen, where, judging by the scent hanging in the air, my mother was preparing breakfast.
„Good morning, Cassie“, my mother greeted me. „Did you sleep well?“
She was packing my sister's lunch, still in her nightgown and obviously still very tired.
I grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl next to the fridge and shrugged. „Eh, so-so. I always have trouble sleeping when it's so hot.“
Mom looked over to me. „You know, it wouldn't hurt you to have breakfast with Genny and me every once in a while, instead of just eating an apple and leaving.“
„Mom, you know that I just can't get myself to eat in the morning.“ I looked around. „Speaking of Genny, where is she?“
„I think she just went outside. Tinka climbed the old tree again and won't come down.“
I sighed. Tinka was our cat, a beautiful, pure white European Short-Hair. But her lovely looks seemed to hide the fact that she appearantly had trouble remembering that she was scared of heights. „I'll go get her.“
My younger sister Genevieve, Genny for short was standing in front of the old tree in our backyard. Nobody quite knew what kind of tree it was, only that my grandmother had planted it in her youth. It kind of resembled an oak, except that the nuts it bore every fall certainly weren't acorns.
Genny turned around when she heard my footsteps. She looked at lot like me when I was her age, before I got my glasses. We both had brown hair, though I had been keeping mine in a short, messy bob for the past few years while hers reached her mid-back, and we both had green eyes.
„Tinka is too scared to come down“, she told me softly. A habit she had picked up when she found out that I was very sensitive to people talking loudly.
I smiled at her. „That's okay. Go inside; breakfast is ready. I'll go get Tinka.“
She nodded and poked me in the arm as she walked past me and I poked her back, something we started doing as a way of showing affection a while ago, as Genny did not like being hugged.
Once the door closed behind her, I turned to the tree again and sighed. „Here goes nothing...“
Climbing the tree was no trouble for me, as I had been climbing that tree a lot as a child. I carefully reached for higher branches, carefully scanning for the ones thick enough to hold my weight, until I was high enough to grab Tinka. That's when I noticed it. It was as if someone had carved a small hole into the tree, and hidden something sparkling in it.
„Concentrate“, I told myself, but the object in that hole seemed to attract my thoughts like a magnet. So I carefully reached inside, and felt the cool, smooth surface of something resembling glass. As I pulled it out, I heard Tinka hiss. Suddenly, the object began to glow so bright that I had to shield my eyes, lost my balance, and fell.
The fall seemed to last an eternity. The tree wasn't very high, so what took so long? Or maybe I had already hit the floor and was just knocked out? But then how could I feel the edges of the shard I had pulled out of the tree so clearly against the palm of my hand?
After some time, I finally hit ground. The impact knocked the air out of my lungs and the glasses off my face. It took some time for me to be able to breathe again. However, I did not see much upon opening my eyes, as I was as good as blind without my glasses. Then I heard footsteps. Tiny footsteps, as if a group of children was approaching me.
„Who is it? What is it?“, one of them asked. It was the voice of a little boy.
Another, the voice of a girl, said:„A Hylian!“
„Nonsense“, a third voice hissed. „Have you ever seen Hylians with ears or clothes like that?“
„What does it want?“, asked another. „How did it get here?“
Now, they were all talking at once, quite loudly, too, which prompted me to press my hands on my ears, like I always did when there was too much noise. The sudden movement seemed to startle the children, as they went quiet.
„Oh no, I think we scared it.“ As I looked up, one of the children had left the group and approached me.
„Saria, don't! It might be dangerous!“
„It doesn't look dangerous.“ The girl named 'Saria' now stood right in front of me, close enough that even I could make out some features. Most notably her green hair, but also the green clothes.
„You know“, I said dryly. „It's very rude to call someone 'it'. I'm a she, if you want to know.“
„It talks!“, I heard one of the other children whisper.
Saria leaned closer. „I'm... sorry, but we've never seen someone like you. And we didn't mean to scare you.“
„You didn't“, I replied. „I just don't like it when many people talk at once. It hurts my ears.“
„Oh. Well, we didn't mean to hurt you, either. Do you have a name?“
„Cassandra“, I said. Then I turned to scan the ground for my glasses again. „C-could you please help me find my glasses?“
„What's a glasses?“, Saria asked.
I sighed a deep sigh. „It's something that helps me see. My eyes are really bad, you know?“
„Oh.“ She walked past me, looking at the ground and finally picking something up and handing it to me. „Is this what you're looking for?“
„My glasses!“, I cheered. „Thank you.“ Maybe now I could get a better idea of where I was and what had happened.
Once they were in their place again, I turned to the group of children. All of them seemed to be around 10 years old, with either red, brown or blonde hair (or green, in Saria's case). They all wore green clothes, made of a fabric I couldn't quite name.
I had never seen any of them before, so I was about to ask what they were doing in my garden. But when I looked around, my jaw dropped. I was not in my garden anymore.
I was in a forest, at the foot of an absolutely massive tree. I had never seen a tree this big before. Then I noticed the signs of decay on its trunk and how the last leaves were falling.
This tree was very, very dead.
„Where am I?“, I asked, even though it felt terribly clichéd.
„This is Kokiri Forest“, Saria answered kindly. The name struck a cord in me. It seemed so familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had heard it before.
„Yes, and you shouldn't be here“, a boy from the group snapped. Then he turned to Saria. „Saria, this thing is bad news. First the Great Deku Tree's death, Link leaving, and now a weird... thing showing up here? This just spells trouble!“
„Mido! You're being very rude. Can't you see that Cassandra has no idea where she is?“, Saria scolded him. Then she turned to me again. „Can you stand?“
„I... think.“ I carefully got up, still a little wonky, but at least standing. „So. Kokiri Firest, huh? Do you kids live here? Where are your parents?“
The group of kids began to whisper among themselves again. „Parents? What's she talking about?“, one boy asked.
„I.. I think she means adults“, another said.
„Adults? We don't have those here.“
I let out a small laugh of disbelief. „You're pulling my leg. You're telling me you kids live here... all on your own? No adults?“
„No adults“, Saria confirmed. Then she looked around. „Mido may have been a bit rude before, but he had a point. You cannot stay here. Otherwise, the magic of the forest will turn you into a monster.“
For a moment, I thought that she was joking, but then I saw how utterly serious her face was.
„You're kidding“, I said.
„Unfortunately not“, she replied, taking my hand. „Come on. I'll lead you out of the forest.“
She led me away from the giant dead tree to another clearing in the forest, through a small village of child-sized houses, all carved into the stumps of trees.
Only then I saw the many floating lights.
„What are those?“, I asked, staring at them.
„Have you never seen a fairy before?“, Saria asked, and like on cue, a small ball of light with a green aura popped out of a pocket on her clothes. It had wings, but due to its glow, I could not make out any other features.
„Fairies“, I repeated slowly. „No. Not outside of books, at least.“
But as fascinating as this was, I also had the nagging feeling that all of this seemed eerily familiar.
As we approached what seemed to be the exit of the woods, Saria let go of my hand. „This is as far as I can take you“, she explained. „I do not know anything about the world outside of the forest. I do not know what will wait for you on the other side.“
„That's okay“, I replied. „Thank you for your help.“ Then I stepped out of the woods and into the bright light of the outside.
1 note ¡ View note
amplesalty ¡ 6 years ago
Text
Day 1 - Night of the Living Dead (1990)
Tumblr media
They’re still coming to get you Barbara...
Once more into the breach!
Another year, another Day 1 where I lament my inability to make it all the way through October watching movies everyday. That said, last year I watched more than usual even if I wasn't posting about it here until summing everything up on Day 31. Let's give it the old college try again, eh? Double figures this time at least, two years in a row of just 4 is a shambles. State of your reviews, mate. I've had a few things in mind to watch this year, did some scouting around on Netflix and even found a great website that has a whole bunch of stinkers on it ripe for watching. However, some last minute reading of the Twitters lead me to discover that today is the 50th anniversary of the original Night of the Living Dead. Since I already watched that back in the salad days of 2012, why not this remake instead?
Tumblr media
And hell yes, the Candyman himself, Tony Todd, is here! He might not have the creepy-cum-seductive charm of a man covered in bees, but he's still very engaging here as Ben gradually loses his grip on the situation that is slowly spiraling out of control. He's almost hesitant at first to dispatch of the shambling figures approaching himself and Barbara, but he's a lot more short tempered with the people he finds on the inside of the house. To be fair, Cooper is a bit of an asshole.
Tumblr media
Ben can swing a crowbar like he's Gordon Freeman too. For all the emotiveness (apparently that’s not a word, I don’t care) at the start though, it does take a small turn for the over-dramatic as he starts cursing the heavens for letting all this madness unfold.
Tumblr media
Speaking of emotions, Barbara isn't just a blithering wreck this time! In fact, she's the one taking charge at times, going a little overboard with the rifle, popping zombie melons left and right. And, spoiler warning, she's the only one that makes it out alive by the end of the movie. For all that Night... gave to the genre, it's taking back a little now by leaning on the 'final girl' trope. Well, either that or even in 1990 SJW's were able to sway the minds of the Hollywood masses into turning this damsel into a gun touting badass. I blame Tumblr...
Tumblr media
One thought I had going into this was that I was expecting a lot of gore to really contrast this against the black and white original. Now that we're live and in living colour (and not that fake colour like where the Cemetery Zombie had orange hair), I was expecting maybe Johnny's head to explode as it cannoned off the gravestone at the start of the movie or something but everything is relatively subdued. You still get your splashes of crimson though and everything is looking good makeup and effects wise with Tom Savini on the scene as director. Albeit, not the greatest of experiences for him by the sound of it as he wasn't able to quite put the spin on things that he wanted.
Tumblr media
I feel things drag a bit in the middle of the film as we get past the initial tenseness of Barbara exploring the house and encountering Ben. We settle into the 'hell is other people' portion of things as the survivors bicker amongst themselves. Cooper calling everyone "a bunch of Yo-Yo's" is pretty funny in an absurdist kind of way, it feels like such a non-insult.
Tumblr media
I was wondering where this was all going ultimately as Barbara ended up running into some more well equipped survivors who end up saving her and taking them to their redneck jamboree. Hurray for social commentary though as we get to enjoy the rituals of zombie cock-fighting and target practice on a bunch of strung up zombies. "We're them and they're us." A little seen spot of sympathy for the zombie.
With Barabara saved and in relative safety, it felt like things were just petering out to a non-ending but there's still a little intense twist at the end as she makes her way back to the house. It's not quite the heavy handed ending of a black man being shot dead by a lynch mob but hey, it's been 22 years, maybe we've made some progress? Not bloody likely.
1 note ¡ View note
chill-that-ur-inmyhead ¡ 4 years ago
Text
we always walked a very thin line
Do you have a pair of Beat headphones? nope
How was your week? I went to london yesterday to collect my iPad and got my nails done, went shopping, had some food, it was great, so that was deffo the highlight, I miss london dearly
Are any of your electronics not working properly at the moment? nope, I recently got my iPad checked and it is working fine
Are you excited to pick out your wedding dress one day? yeah, it is gonna be cinderella style, MASSIVE skirt is all I have planned
When was the last time you felt relieved? Yesterday, my iPad was sent to my old address and I had to wait ages to go and collect it, I was worried it wouldn’t be there or stolen but I got it so I am happy
Does it bother you when an artist remakes a song that one has previously done? nope but whether I like the remake or not is a different question 
What brand of chapstick do you use? the normal vaseline
Do you really think someone could be perfect? nah
When was the last time you cried? a week ago,  struggling to find a job and feeling depressed about the future is what caused it
What’s a food that you like every once in awhile but not often? Mince pies at Christmas, I love them but the fact that I only have them at Christmas makes them even better! What letter is the song you’re listening to under? M - Mirrorball (Taylor Swift)
Would you rather visit the 60s or 70s? 60s sounded like an exciting time
Are you the type of person that enjoys getting hugs? depends who they’re from
Do your socks say anything on them? just the ralph lauren polo logo
Name a TV channel that only has three letters in it. BBC
Have you found out who your true friends are? yep and it is a great feeling
Gray or Grey? grey
Will you be buying concert tickets any time soon? nope
Have you seen the movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower? Did you like it? seen it but eh it’s not one I’ll watch again it was okay
Is there something you’d fall apart if you didn’t have? yes, without my family or friends I would fall apart but objects maybe not being able to listen to taylor swift would hurt
How many weddings have you been to? none :((((((((((((((
When you smile, are you confident? sure
Have you ever not done something because you were afraid of getting in trouble? ofc
Was the weather beautiful today? no but it was okay
Do you have to have a fan on when you sleep? nope
Would you rather have an orange, red or grey bedroom? red!!!!!!!!!!!
Would you ever dye part of your hair blue? if I realllllly had to yes it would be an option as opposed to the other colours
Have you ever gone to a private school? nope
Is Finding Nemo a favourite movie of yours? nope but it sure is a good movie
Does/Did your school have a uniform? yep
Turn on the TV. What channel are you on? BBC 1
Does your house have security cameras? nope
Does a popsicle sound good right now? nah
What’s your favourite exercise workout? dancing to workout
What’s your favourite thing to do? daydream
What did you do for your 17th birthday? I went to an all you can eat buffet with friends
Does your local Walmart have benches in them to rest? no walmart here
Was your favourite stuffed animal really a teddy bear growing up? nope it was a Labrador puppy
If your house was haunted, what would you do? hope the ghosts are friendly
Are you good at swimming? yes
What’s worse: Slow internet or slow walkers? Slow internet for sure
What is the rudest thing a guy has ever done to you? insulted my family Do you sleep with the sheets tucked in or out? out
What do you do to fall asleep faster? read
Do you carry a bottle of water wherever you go? yes I try to if I know that it will be a long day and free water won’t be available
Are you afraid that one day you might get cancer? it is a worry but I don’t let it consume me
Are you a fast or slow walker? if I am with friends I am slow but by myself fast
Do you usually have to wear a belt with your pants? nah
Does it bother you when people’s underwear hangs out? yeah
Are you usually the person to try new things with your hair? nah
When’s your birthday? 10th feb
What age do you look forward to reaching? my thirties - everyone seems to enjoy them and have things more figured out than in their twenties
Name a state that begins with the letter M. Minnesota
What’s the first thing you do after a car accident? call for help
What do you use to get rid of bad breath? floss and brush
What exercise do you hate the most? stairmaster 
What do you do at a party? meet new people, dance and drink
0 notes
songs-and-noms ¡ 7 years ago
Text
I don’t write reviews but Star Wars gave me so many emotions I had to write something. (Spoilers for The Last Jedi)
SPOILERS FOR STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI
Just to start off it was an amazing movie and I am 100% on board for the next movie.
So on the initial release of The Force Awakens I was hype. Obviously I was hype. It was STAR WARS. It was my CHILDHOOD! And while I enjoyed the movie, it wasn’t really a good movie. I understood that making what almost amounts for a shot for shot remake of the classics was needed to get people back into the series that felt burned by the prequels, and introduce a new generation to the magic that is Star Wars, so I was okay with that, but I wanted more. This movie more than delivered. It managed to take a darker turn (that bombing scene run almost had me crying and the movie was only just beginning), but also keep a good balance of humor that makes the story fun. I found Carrie Fisher’s part to be so incredibly well done. The almost fake out with her death and allowing Leia to show off her incredible force powers that have been criminally underused was a wonderful addition. Carrie Fisher played the role with a sense of grace and strength that only she could. I would be lying if I said most scenes with her didn’t have me wiping some mist out of my eyes. Finn, oh man Finn. I was so glad to see that his complicated relationship with the First Order and the Resistance wasn’t simply shored up and he was still conflicted. That his first and foremost priority was protecting Rey that was just THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP! And can we take a moment to talk about Rose? Rose who is babbling and happy to meet a HERO but will also taser him right in the face. Who is willing to give up what amounts to her last connection to her sister and a prized possession with barely a moments hesitation because she is committed to the rebellion. Who utters one of the most amazing lines ever spoken in Star Wars? “We're going to win not by fighting what we hate, but saving what we love“
Are you kidding? And she delivers that line so well! I cannot wait to see her in the next film. Mark Hamill as a grumpy Hermit was not what I expected. I can see how this decision may upset some people. I was quite eh on it at first, but as Luke spoke of the Jedi and what he had lost I came to understand and respect it. Luke’s narrative in his story was always one of triumph. Here we got to see a far different aspect. One of Failure and Shame. I personally loved that, especially because it gave us a chance for Yoda to come back and teach us one final, inspiring lesson.
Rey flirting with the dark side, even going so close as to willingly search out for it, was exactly what I would expect of her. She is curious and the Force is new, yet familiar to her. Her aggression does not always mend well with the typical Light side of the force, but why should it? Rey is not a typical Jedi. She is the beginning of an entirely new Jedi. She will be part of the eternal balance between the light and dark, standing on a scale that is ever changing.
Which beings me to the the relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren. It was fascinating and I love what they did with it. I know there are many people who ship the two together, but I have never been able to see it that way. I have always found it to be a rather one-sided sense of perverse attraction and this movie has further cemented my thoughts on that. Rey is an idealist. She has an idealist view of the Jedi. An idealist view of the first order. Even a idealist view of who her parents might be, and how they WOULD come back for her. I find it to be this idealism that keeps her from giving up hope on Kylo Ren completely. She sees the turmoil in him and she wants to save him, just as Luke was able to save Vader. Even knowing the the force bond between them was created by Snoke, knowing that there is darkness inside of him, she still reaches for his hand, but knows that she can never truly reach him. There is a sense of affection in her for him, but it is not love and it is not romantic. And this movie seems to make it clear that this affection has been effectively, yet remorsefully, extinguished. Kylo Ren.... what do say about Kylo Ren? Except that Adam Driver’s performance was off the charts in this movie. In TFA we got to see the tantrums of Kylo Ren and peek at the conflict raging inside of him. He was the broken child with too much power. In this movie he became so much more. Kylo’s aspirations to cast aside everything, not just his past, but his present as well and look forward into the future cemented him as a true Sith in my mind. The only connection he craved was Rey, someone who he said was insignificant. A nobody. I felt like to him, her position only exists because of his. When she denies him, I believe that is the final push that sends him over the edge. He has fully embraced the dark side in a way unseen in the Star Wars films before. Even at his worst, Anakin/Vader was still under the thumb of the Emperor. Kylo Ren has become his own emperor and he what he seeks is destruction. He’s raw and untethered. He is trying to remake the galaxy in his own image and that is a villain that I want in my Star Wars film.
The Music was fantastic, but what more can you ask for from John Williams? I mean come on, the man is a complete legend and to say otherwise is just foolishness. I will be anxiously awaiting the next film.
4 notes ¡ View notes
silver-wield ¡ 5 years ago
Text
Tumblr media
Okay, as requested a few days ago, a Cloud and Aerith analysis. I feel like I've spent a lot of time in chapter 8/9 today lol 
Ok, spoiler warning for ppl who haven’t played – do I still need to do this? Eh ok, (I tag FF7R spoilers as final fantasy 7 remake spoilers) and it’s gonna be reasonably long.
Also, this is one person’s interpretation of the scene, so if you disagree that’s cool and we’ll agree to disagree.
You’re also gonna have to excuse the janky quality on some of the screens, I’m grabbing them from Youtube and it’s frustrating af trying to get the exact moment I want.
Other analyses if anyone’s interested.
Shinra HQ vision scene (Cloti/plot analysis) 
Chapter 3 (Cloti reblog) 
Tifa character analysis 
Aerith Resolution (plot analysis/theory – I should probably update this since I’ve had other ideas since then) 
Train graveyard (not really an analysis, but I got some sweet screenshots of Cloti) 
Clotiscrew tunnel analysis 
Cloti reunion analysis 
The Promise Analysis 
Andrea’s approval (Cloti ask response) 
Leslie analysis (not mine, but a good read) 
Cloti action touching 
Aerti friendship analysis 
Cloti body language chapter 3 
Cloti healthy disagreement 
Cloti post heliboss battle (chapter 15) 
Clerith playground scene 
Cloti body language plate fall 
Cloud and Barret friendship 
Resolution scene analysis (A) 
Barret character analysis (chapter 13) 
Cloud character analysis (Honey Bee Inn) 
Cloud character analysis (Barret's death) 
Now, strap in and enjoy the ride.
Recap time!
Okay, our delightful heroine (I will rein in the sarcasm, but Aerith aggs me when Cloud says no and she ignores him. No means no.) and our moody af hero have finally got done with the flowery side quests, kiddos, Rude and the giant hands of crash crash boom oops there's an invisible wall there minigame trip through sector 6 to reach sector 7.
Aerith says “let's take a break.”
Cloud says, “No.”
They take a break anyway.
(I've already done the slide analysis, link above)
Back down from the slide and it's time to go. Aerith opens up the underground link into sector 7 and we're venturing into awkward goodbyes.
Tumblr media
So, we're starting with Aerith being chipper and cute with the quips. Standard stuff. It's possible she's feeling regretful they're parting, but I've said plenty of times that of everyone in this, Aerith has the best poker face. There's very few times she lets that mask slip and lets us see what she's really feeling and it's usually in times of intense stress. This isn't stressful, although she was feeling down a few moments ago while talking about Zack, so maybe that'll make her a little easier to read. For now, though, she's fronting like a boss.
Tumblr media
Hmm interesting. He's definitely thoughtful here. So, I'm gonna have to put together some possibilities.
He's clearly mellowed his attitude towards her – he was proper stroppy at her house the day before, shouting and so on – so this isn't negative. We could say he started feeling more positive towards her through their interactions over the day or maybe when he saw the whole Rude bit and realised she's not quite what he first thought. Or it might have been when he saw her looking downcast about not high fiving or it could've been their chat on the slide that finally thawed him out towards her.
Tumblr media
And Aerith's the same. Her smile falters just a bit and she can't meet his eye. Maybe she knows they have no reason to meet again or that her mother told him not to see her. We don't know for sure, but it's possible, otherwise why is she disappointed? She could expect to see him again. They could make plans. It could be meta!Aerith knowing that Cloud is probably better off not getting to know her.
Tumblr media
Eugh dammit. Does anyone know how hard it is to analyse people's motives when you can't see their faces clearly? I bet this was on purpose, thanks Square.
I mean, having to go by the above data I've mentioned, they could both be feeling the same lingering regret intuitively. You know like how you just get the sense how someone's feeling? That.
Their poses are identical, and coupled with the slightly awkward intonation on “so” I'd look at this and say this comes across like a couple of teenagers who kinda like each other and don't know how to take the next step. You know, that kind of immature I have no idea what I'm doing with my life kinda deal. That's not to say it's romantic, especially not from Cloud. He's an awkward introvert. Aerith has no social skills. They're not friends and up until five minutes ago Cloud was annoyed af at her. That'd make for an awkward goodbye.
Aerith laughs, Cloud doesn't, and she moves aside so he can leave. Looks like the moment’s over.
Tumblr media
Before going, Cloud turns back to ask if Aerith can get home ok. This looks like polite concern, which I'd expect considering they just came through an area full of monsters, mech and bandits. If Cloud wasn't concerned, I'd call him a douchebag. His eyes widen a little as he speaks, but it's not that same kind of expression he pulls whenever we're suspecting a visit from real!Cloud. This is SOLDIER!Cloud asking. 
(I've said that typically Cloud's eyes go very wide as a hint that his real self is reacting to things, but widening eyes on their own do not indicate real!Cloud. It's something about the way he does it that shows it's not quite right for the SOLDIER persona we usually see. I can't explain it properly, but it's likely something the devs have done to his microexpressions on purpose to differentiate between the two and without knowing exactly what I can't put a pin in it. All I can say is when it looks like real!Cloud is expressing himself and when it isn't because there’s a difference that I’ve picked up on.)
Tumblr media
This is flirting. Plain and simple. Head tilted, little smile, crinkling eyes. She's amused and teasing him in a flirtatious manner and her dialogue backs that up, although at the same time the tone she puts it in also sounds quite matter of fact, like she's genuinely asking what if she wasn't ok? That likely does appeal to the protective SOLDIER side of Cloud. He wants to be known as the hero. Still not romantic.
Tumblr media
That's what I like to call a shit-fuck-bollocks moment. The realisation he should take her back home and make sure she's safe, but then he's also got to get back to sector 7, and this is all SOLDIER!Cloud's debate. There's no sign of real!Cloud and there's a quick decisive result that he should do the right thing, which is why he says he’ll take her home.
This is nothing like in the honey bee inn later when you see the clear back and forth of his eyes darting around as he argues with real!Cloud about dancing to get Andrea's approval.
Tumblr media
And Aerith laughs again because I think she's aware how ridiculous it is that he'll walk her back when he needs to get home. She was teasing the entire time, but it looks like it went over Cloud's head – colour me unsurprised.
I mean, there's no romantic undertone to her expression here. It's genuine amusement and I'd definitely say friendship towards Cloud.
Tumblr media
Ah the image that certain people hang their hat on. Let's get this one done.
Aerith says she has a backup route for emergencies that's safer than the one they used. You can hear Cloud start to speak—- ask a question because the sound is a “W” -- then cuts himself off and smiles. That smile is a mix of bemused and amused. 
For anyone who doesn't have a stupidly large vocabulary and thinks those two are the same thing:
Bemused
adjective: puzzled, confused, or bewildered.
Amused
adjective: finding something funny or entertaining.
Cloud's bemused because back at the start of the collapsed expressway he literally asked if there was a better way and she avoided answering. So, he's caught her in a lie and what can he do about it? Nothing. That's why he's all "of course there's a safer route".
And then we're back in control and moving onto the next part of the game.
Conclusion:
Well, they're awkward. Both of them. Cloud is an introvert with mental issues and Aerith has no social skills and a terrible personality flaw in which she bosses everyone around and doesn't listen.
I wouldn't say they're friends, more like comrades. Cloud's still very resistant to her company even after she helps him save Tifa.
36 notes ¡ View notes
bronzeflower ¡ 7 years ago
Text
Second Chance
Chapter 2: The Meeting of Various People
Also on ao3
Bakugou seemed to treat Izuku with more respect in this lifetime. It was probably because Izuku stood up to him multiple times before. He still called Izuku ‘Deku’ though, except maybe it had a different meaning now.
Izuku really wasn’t that sure, since Bakugou was still as explosive and as angry and proud as ever. Then again, it would probably be weird if he wasn’t.
They were marching along in a forest with some others. Izuku vaguely recognized this scene, but he couldn’t recall exactly what happened here.
His questioning was answered when Bakugou fell off a log and into a stream.
“Kacchan!” Izuku shouted. He seemed to be the only one who was worried, as everyone else was saying that Bakugou was going to be fine because he was strong.
But not Izuku, no. He found himself down at the stream before he had a second to think. He held out his hand to Bakugou.
“Are you okay?” Izuku asked. “It would be bad if you had gotten hurt.”
But something that didn’t happen last time happened. Bakugou took his hand.
“Of course I’m okay, Deku!” Bakugou insisted. “I can’t be the number one hero if I got hurt from something like that!”
“I’m glad you’re okay!” Izuku said.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Bakugou rolled his eyes. “I’ll race you to the top of the hill.”
And with that, Bakugou took off with Izuku running behind him.
“No fair! You got a head start!” Izuku complained.
“Eh? I could beat you even if you had a head start, nerd!”
“I’d like to see you try.” Izuku challenged. Bakugou grinned.
“I’ll take you up on that challenge.”
This act of challenging each other continued to the point where they declared each other their rivals. But, instead of having horrible tensions like in Izuku’s last life, it was a friendlier rivalry filled with competitions that were had in good fun and faith.
The competitions were in everything from fighting to racing to even baking. They encouraged each other to be the best that they could be, although Bakugou always did it in a rougher way. Izuku knew what he meant though.
It was during one of those competitions when Izuku caught sight of one of his future classmates in UA. It was Tsuyu!
With her were two kids who looked like they were related to her. She actually looked like she had her hands full, both literally and figuratively, as she had a baby in her arms and was talking to a young boy who must have been her brother.
He should go over and talk to her. So he did.
“Hey, are you lost?” Izuku asked. He figured it would probably be weird if he just suddenly introduced himself to someone who currently doesn’t know him.
“What makes you ask that?” Tsuyu questioned. Straight to the point, as always.
“Well, uh, it’s just that…” Izuku frantically waved his hands around. “I don’t see your parents around her, and it looks like you’re having some trouble looking after your siblings.”
“You’re very plain looking!” Tsuyu’s brother said. “Like a pear.”
“Eh?” Izuku was a bit taken aback. Like a pear?
“Samidare, it’s not nice to say stuff like that.” Tsuyu said.
“Eh? But it’s not an insult.” Tsuyu’s brother, Samidare, apparently, frowned.
“You usually don’t comment on someone’s appearance when you first meet them.” Tsuyu explained. “Sorry if we gave you the impression that we were lost. Our parents are often traveling for work, so I’m usually the one to take care of my siblings.”
“Tsuyu is the best!” Samidare exclaimed. “She’s going to become the greatest hero someday!”
“Ribbit.” Tsuyu looked bashful at her brother’s praise.
“Really?” Izuku acted surprise. “Me, too. I’m Midoriya Izuku. It’s nice to meet you.”
“I’m Asui Tsuyu. Call me Tsu.”
“Then you can call me Izuku!” Izuku grinned at Tsuyu, who smiled back at him. It was then when he heard yelling coming from behind him.
“Deku! Did you really just ditch our competition?” Bakugou sounded angry as hell, but there was the slightest bit of hurt in his tone.
“Ahh, sorry. I have to go, Tsu. I hope to meet you again in the future!” Izuku turned away and went over to Bakugou. “Sorry, Kacchan, I thought she and her siblings were lost, and you know I can’t ignore a person in need!”
“Yeah, yeah, we all know that you go sticking your nose into places it doesn’t belong.” Bakugou frowned. “But we were in the middle of a competition! Here I was thinking you were going to take it seriously!”
“How about a rematch?” Izuku challenged. He could see the determined fire light up in Bakugou’s eyes.
“Oh, you’re on.”
It was at least a few months before Izuku ran into anyone else who was going to go to UA. This time, it was Tokoyami.
He was sitting by a tree alone, so Izuku walked up to him and sat next to him.
“It’s a nice day out, isn’t it?” Izuku asked. It was honestly way more casual and friendly than one would greet a supposed stranger, but Tokoyami seemed to take it in stride, even as he looked a bit surprised at the sudden voice.
“It is.” Tokoyami nodded. “The name’s Tokoyami Fumikage.”
“I’m Midoriya Izuku.”
Tokoyami nodded once again, and the two of them sat in silence, simply enjoying the lovely day.
Izuku took out his notebook and began doing a drawing of Tokoyami. When he was reborn, that meant that he no longer had his notebooks, so he resolved to remake all of them. After all, it was important information to have.
Tokoyami looked over to him.
“What are you working on?” He asked.
“Ah, well…” Izuku paused for a moment. “It’s kind of embarrassing, but I like making notes about heroes and other people’s quirks and how they use them because I want to become a hero.”
“I don’t think that’s embarrassing. It’s actually a logical thing to do. Maybe I should start doing something similar.” Tokoyami commented. “After all, I want to become a hero as well.”
“I think you’re going to become a great hero!” Izuku proclaimed.
“Thanks. You too.”
Izuku grinned at him, and they continued enjoying each other’s company in relative silence, which was only broken when Tokoyami explained his quirk to Izuku. Izuku already knew Tokoyami’s quirk, but Tokoyami didn’t know that, so Izuku let him talk about it while also avoiding the topic of his own quirk.
They essentially spent the entire day together in the park.
“I hope I get to see you again!” Izuku said. He knew for a fact that he would see Tokoyami again in a few years.
“You too.” Tokoyami echoed the sentiment, and they went off to their respective houses.
A mere three months later, Izuku was shopping with his mother when he saw Shinsou. While he might not have been in Izuku’s class in his last life, Shinsou was still someone who he respected, and he greatly admired his ideals and determination.
However, what was surprising to Izuku was the fact that Aizawa-sensei and a man with long blond hair and glasses were with Shinsou. Izuku had no idea who the blond man was, but he was certainly shocked when he saw Aizawa kiss him.
Inko must have noticed his staring because she questioned him about them.
“Did you know them?” She asked. It was clear exactly what she was talking about. Inko was asking Izuku if he knew them in his past life.
“Yeah.” Izuku responded. “I don’t know who the blond man is though.”
“You should go talk to the kid.” Inko said. Oh. So she only thought that Izuku knew Shinsou. But, she was right, and Izuku did want to talk to him.
“Hi!” Izuku greeted Shinsou. “I’m Midoriya Izuku!”
Okay, so it might have been weird to suddenly introduce himself like that, but did that really warrant the stares he got from all of them?
“Hi.” Shinsou said, but in a much more reclusive manner. “I’m Hitoshi Shinsou.”
Okay, this wasn’t really going anywhere. Izuku could work with this. Maybe.
“Are these two both your dads?” Izuku asked. He sounded like a kid, but, to be fair, currently, he was, so he might as well use that to his advantage.
Izuku waited until Shinsou nodded.
“That’s so cool that you have two dads!” Izuku exclaimed. “I don’t really have a dad. It’s just my mom and me.”
Aizawa and the blond man looked more relaxed. Oh. They must have been worried that Izuku would be mean about seeing a gay couple.
“What happened to your dad?” Shinsou asked.
“I don’t know.” Izuku answered truthfully. He knew his mom and dad divorced when he was young, but he doesn’t remember why.
“Hmm. Well, your mother seems like a nice lady.” Shinsou said.
“She is! She always takes care of me, and she makes the best food!” Izuku boosted.
“Beebee is usually the one to make food. Dad always burns it whenever he cooks.” Shinsou said.
“Beebee?” Izuku questioned. Shinsou pointed to the blond man.
“It would get awkward if I called both of my dads ‘Dad’.” Shinsou explained.
“I guess so.” That meant that Shinsou called Aizawa dad. Izuku now knew that Aizawa was bad at cooking. He had no idea what to do with this information.
“What does your mom do for a living?” Shinsou pointed towards Inko, who was now talking with Aizawa and ‘Beebee’.
“She does a lot of writing,” Izuku replied. “And some other freelance work. What about your dads? What do they do?”
Obviously, Izuku already knew that Aizawa was a pro-hero and a teacher, but he had no idea what the blond man did.
“They’re both pro heros.” Shinsou proudly replied.
“Really!? That’s so cool!” Izuku exclaimed. He looked at Aizawa and the blond man, as if trying to determine which pro hero they were. He really was trying with the blond man though. “Is he Eraserhead? You know, The Erasure Hero.”
“You know Eraserhead!?” Shinsou asked. He looked so excited. “Nobody I ever talk to knows Eraserhead because he’s an underground hero!”
“Why wouldn’t I know about Eraserhead?” Izuku replied back with just as much enthusiasm. “He’s a fantastic hero! I think it’s awesome how he fights essentially quirkless.”
Izuku didn’t miss the look Aizawa gave him then. He actually looked kind of happy.
“Huh.” Shinsou thought for a moment. “I guess you’re right. That just makes Dad even more awesome!”
“Of course it does!” Izuku exclaimed. At this point, Aizawa looked positively bashful. “And, I don’t mean to be rude, but I can’t figure out who your other dad is.”
“That’s understandable. He looks completely different as a civilian.” Shinsou nodded, as if agreeing with his own statement. “He’s actually Present Mic: The Voice Hero!”
“Really!?” Izuku shouted. Really, of all people, Present Mic was probably the last person he expected the blond man to be. But, then again, it couldn’t have possibly been anybody else.
“Really!” Shinsou said.
The realization dawned on Izuku.
“Wait, are they married?” Izuku questioned.
“Of course they are!” Shinsou declared. “But they always wear their rings on a necklace so that it doesn’t get in the way when they’re doing hero work.”
“Ah, that makes sense.” Izuku honestly couldn’t handle this. He couldn’t believe his future teachers were married. But, then again he didn’t really have any proof that they weren’t married in his past life.
Mostly because Aizawa-sensei never talked about his personal life.
“You like heroes, so you must want to be a hero when you get older, right?” Shinsou asked.
“Of course! I’m going to be the best hero!” Izuku declared. “You too, right?”
“Yeah, I want to become a hero. But…” Shinsou frowned.
“What?”
“People always say that my quirk is a villain's quirk.” Shinsou said. Oh right. Izuku remembered him talking about that when they fought.
“Well, what is your quirk?” Izuku already knew, but Shinsou didn’t know that Izuku knew.
“I have a brainwashing quirk.” Shinsou said.
“That’s super cool!” Izuku exclaimed. “You’d be able to capture any villain!”
“Yeah!” Shinsou grinned at Izuku, and Izuku grinned back. “What about you? What’s your quirk?”
“Well, uh-”
“Hitoshi, we still have more shopping to do, and I’m sure they do too. Say bye to your friend.” Aizawa said. Shinsou frowned but nodded.
“It was nice meeting you Midoriya.”
“It was nice meeting you, too, Shinsou!” Izuku then took out his notebook, as well as a pen and turned towards Aizawa and Present Mic. “Um, before you go, could I have both of your autographs?”
“Of course! Anything for a fan!” Present Mic immediately went into hero mode, and Izuku wondered why he didn’t figure it out sooner.
Present Mic signed his name in the notebook and handed the notebook to Aizawa, who ended up signing as well with some prodding from Present Mic.
“Thank you so much!” Izuku bowed. He then turned towards Shinsou. “I hope we’ll meet again, Shinsou. You too, Aizawa-sensei.”
Izuku didn’t realize what he just said until he Aizawa squinted at him suspiciously. He froze. Inko looked slightly surprised, but she then realized that Aizawa was probably Izuku’s teacher in his past life.
Oh god, he was going to die. Aizawa was going to kill him. How was he going to explain knowing what Aizawa’s name was? He was going to have One for All in a few years. How would he explain having two quirks?
Honestly, Aizawa looked like he had so many questions, but, luckily, Inko saved the day. She was truly Izuku’s hero.
“We should probably get going. It was very nice meeting you and Yamada.” Inko said, guiding Izuku away from Aizawa and out of the aisle.
“Thanks, mom.” Izuku stated.
“I don’t think you wanted your future teacher to know that he was your future teacher.”
“No.” Izuku shook his head. “Definitely not.”
14 notes ¡ View notes