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lizzaneia-elizalde · 5 months ago

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Yandere! Rival! Male! Teacher x gn! Teacher! Reader

This one is long overdue I'm afraid. Have my boy, Elias >c< not much yandere traits here, but I hope y'all enjoy still!

Trigger warning: toxic academic set-up

Yandere! Teacher name: Elias

Elias was about to loose his mind.

For years, he's the teacher that produced geniuses! It's his class that had majority of their students on honor rolls. It was his magnum opus, his way of teaching that pushes his kids to full potential.

Parents scramble to have their children under his advisory. He made sure that all of his students become the talk of the school.

Pressure? What's that? The students should be privileged to be under him and his care!

After all, Elias started small.

He's the black sheep of the family. The entirety of his family members were geniuses in their own right.

Of course, it meant Elias is also a genius.

But he kept getting outshined by his own step-brother, Tae-Joon.

Tae-Joon is not as much of a genius as Elias when it comes to academics, but he's charismatic to a tee and is an amazing singer.

Amazing in fact that he's a popular idol.

And poor Elias always getting snubbed due to his brother's naturally nicer personality.

And Elias? Straight up nasty sometimes. His tongue is sharp and is always more pessimistic than optimistic. He's higher than thou personality definitely earned him a lot of enemies. Even his own family.

He knew that he can't count on his own family to give him the validation he wanted. So, with a resentful heart, he made sure to snub his own family and focus on himself.

This made him want to help other people. And he did it by offering tutoring lessons to his struggling, dumb, and idiotic classmates who can't understand such a simple topic.

Well, not everyone can be a genius like him.

But this proved to be a good path, as Elias found out that he had a knack in teaching. His way of teaching was so easy to understand that a toddler will be able to know how to do physics.

It's odd, but it's true.

His classmates suddenly became experts on the subject and this snowballed into others wanting to learn from Elias too.

This inflated his ego a lot. He loved the fact that people wanted to learn from him. The validation he seek was given by his tutees who praised and thanked him for making them not just understand, but even excel in their chosen topics to be taught with.

And Elias knew he wants to go down the Education path.

At first, he's a bit whiplashed by how different actual teaching is to the "ideal" way of teaching is. It was almost too good to be true that even the professors said that the ideal way is just a bunch of baloney that they can just flat out ignore the way once they're actually on field.

Not for Elias though.

He wanted to bring to life the "ideal" way of teaching.

So once he graduated, he continued to exert so much effort in his instructional materials, his facade of approachability, but still so strict that it feels like you want to choke from it. Sure, he has the art of being a perfect teacher to a tee, but people know that Elias is a demon in disguise. He hates it when things don't go his way, or the rules aren't followed. One trash means a personal lection that ends up with the students in tears.

The parents? Only said that their student must have deserved it to have stoked the ire of the respectable teacher. Like a brainwashed hive, the parents and other staff say that "Teacher Elias won't do anything without reason". This meant that the students are walking on eggshells everyday. And they know they'll get Elias' anger if they don't improve at all.

And, with Elias' incredible way of teaching, and the "ideal" way combined, the students under him become geniuses.

Like his family genepool, the children Elias' produces are geniuses in their own rights.

Elias felt whole now. He has a family to boast about, to care and love, and to nurture unlike his idiotic family who favors his brother over him.

But what he didn't expect is that by the first recognition ceremony, his class will be shoved aside just like that by another class.

Elias walked down the isle up to the stage, smiling proudly as his stoic yet prideful students stood up to receive their recognition. 25 of them are in the honor roll, and 5 of them are high honors. That much elicited a thunderous applause from other classes.

With his head up high, he put medals on each of his student and gave a slight nod of acknowledgement. Everyone was mystified as this class took their awards with such entitlement and arrogance that some found it off-putting.

Did they care though? No. Did Elias care? Also no.

They're the pride of the academy! Who would dare to mock and snide them?

After giving the students their medals, they sat down and waited for the other classes to get their awards.

Elias' students, adapting his high and mighty attitude, looked down on the other students who walked to the stage to receive their "measly" awards of perfect attendances and other irrelevant, non-academic awards.

"Thank you, class Uranus. Now, class Neptune, the art program class!"

Art program class? When was that added?

Elias sneered. In his head, he hated anything that concerns art because of his brother. It just reminded Elias of being untalented other than being a genius and snubbed because of it.

He crosses his arms, looking at the adviser and scoffing.

Y/n L/n. From what he remembers, you are the same age as him, and was from a different school before you transferred here in the current school year.

What could a new teacher do in such a short time? Nothi--

"Class Neptune, boasting 5 high honors, 2 highest honors, and 23 honor students, and excellence awardees for their respective art specialty."

"EXCUSE ME?!"

Everything went quiet when Elias stood up, disbelief marring his face as he heard the emcee say the tally of the class.

It was so quiet save for the background music that sounds embarrassingly loud for such a pin drop environment.

Elias, feeling his ego and pride getting kicked and bruised, slumped down on his chair as he stared at you who was looking at him with disbelief.

You...

You're an enigma.

How did you do it?

He bits his nail, his eyes low and shadowed as he watched your sweet and proud smile directed at your happy students.

You don't look arrogant, nor prideful. Just happy and elated for your also equally elated students. No pretenses, no eyes that judges others, just pure joy.

It pisses him off so much.

That's where he knew he must take over you. Nobody dethrones him as the best teacher in the academy! Especially not some art teacher. Anything but an art teacher.

Once school resumed again for the second semester, he spotted you walking along the hallways with your students tailing behind you, talking and chatting happily.

"tch." Elias says underneath his breath as he watches how comfortable the students are with you. He envies it.

"Oh? Good morning Mr. Elias." You found him by his doorway and smiled politely. "Do you need something?"

He freezes, not realizing he's looking at you too intently. He clears his throat, looking away in embarrassment.

"I need nothing, art teacher. I will get going." He said coldly, slamming his class door close.

You didn't like that.

"well, that was rude." You whispered, clasping your hand together.

In all honesty, you didn't really like how Elias leads and teaches his class. You saw how tense they are, always studying and studying with nothing to do afterwards but only studying again. There must be a balance at all times.

"Let's go kids." You said sternly, looking at the closed door intently, sensing a competition forming.

After that, it was tense always.

Doesn't help that your class is across him.

Your students weren't hostile with them initially, but after the blatant aggression from them due to being upstaged in the recognition ceremony, they're starting to pick fights too.

So, whenever you saw Elias, you became hostile also. Not outwardly like him who's openly glaring, but you have your reservations as you smiled curtly everytime you pass by him, and words stringing along some sarcasm in them.

School events like quiz bowls, spelling bees, even exams became a fierce competition that made your students head butt with each other.

And you always made sure to support your students in a way that's opposite from Elias.

Elias pressured them, always making sure they're working hard by being extra strict than usual that one thin slice to the air can cut the atmosphere.

Meanwhile you encouraged your students, making sure they're well rested and happy while doing it. You made sure not to force them to do these honestly toxic rivalries.

So, guess which one excelled more?

"WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH ALL OF YOU?!" Elias yelled at his students, completely dissapointed at their performance at the annual intramurals' quiz bowl. Other than in the World Literature and Science section, they were second to your class. "DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY HOURS I SPENT TEACHING ALL OF YOU?!"

He's so close to snapping. Maybe he already did. But now he's going insane.

Everything he believed about himself is shattering slowly because of you and your class.

What's even eerie is that the students are just looking down, unfocused or dissociating.

Annoyed and feeling like he failed them, he marched out of the classroom and slammed the door close.

He sped walk outside, sitting on the grass as he tried to suppress the imminent tears settling on his eyes.

"fuck... I'm such a failure." He gritted out, gripping his once perfectly ironed shirt. "This is all I'm good at and I'm still lacking at it?! What am I doing wrong?"

He started to question everything. His worth, his value, his time and knowledge spent on nurturing geniuses like him.

Is he even a genius? Or just a hard worker?

"Sir Elias?"

He jumped, looking at you. Your eyes were wide with concern as your voice mellowed out from the usual curt yet cold voice you always sported when talking to him.

You sat down beside him as he looked away in shame.

"what happened? I heard yelling and..." You whispered, a gentle clasp on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Elias' throat burned, and his jaw trembled as he tried to stop himself from crying.

Did he really just have to get comforted by his rival? Really?

But god, did it feel nice to have someone care for him.

"I'm... I'm not." He whispered, looking away. "I know I'm a terrible person for pressuring these bright young minds but... How do you do it, y/n? How do you nurture students to their full potential? Are you some kind of monster or what?"

For the first time, you laughed out loud in front of him.

And for the first time also, it made his heart skip a beat. What's happening to him?

"No, I just... Teach normally." You said. "Well, other than that, I don't really pressure them to do anything. But I encourage them greatly with intrinsic motivations. And I make teaching enjoyable."

Enjoyable? When was the last time Elias enjoyed something? No. When did his students last enjoyed studying?

"Really..." He whispered, looking down. "Enjoyment, huh? And motivation?"

You smiled and stood up, handing your hand to him.

"Truce? I could teach you how to be less strict and let your students be more inclined to study without potential punishment." You suggested.

His eyes followed your hand, and his heart raced.

Without hesitation, he clasped it.

"Hey, did you do our project?"

"Yeah, duh. Here's mine."

"That looks so good!"

"I had help from the Neptune Class for the planets. It's actually really fun to paint, believe it or not."

"I had help too in exchange of teaching them with physics."

Elias smiled, looking at his students actually Converse with one another and not just burying their heads on their books. The once quiet classroom is bustling with life thanks to you.

After that fateful day, you taught him on what's the most important. And it's the students, not the academic gratitude.

Elias apologized deeply to his students, and they had a heart to heart conversation that you supervised to make sure both sides say their thoughts equally.

Now, the Uranus class is livelier than ever.

And you?

You're still the same brilliant teacher he came to admire and love.

Love is a loaded word, but he truly felt grateful to you. You made him see the truth, the light, and the way to become a teacher he tried to achieve by pretending.

He found himself wanting to be around you more and more.

At first, it truly was just gratitude. But now, he can't bear to be away from you.

You're his salvation that he deeply desired in his heart.

He wishes to worship the ground you walk on, the breath you take in, and consume your entire being to be with him.

His heart lurched when a student called for his name, breaking him from his train of thought.

"Teacher Y/N is here for you!" The student said, pointing at the door.

He quickly closed his phone, which the wallpaper is a stolen photo of you just outside of your home, and pocketed it.

You're the only one who understands him. The only one who asked him if he's okay, and sees him for him and not his genius.

And he'll be damned to let you go.

You're his family now, alongside your students.

He can feel the heavy weight of the engagement ring in his backpocket.

In his head, there's no way you're going to reject.

And if you do...

He shook his head. It's impossible! Truly impossible. He won't allow it at all.

In his head, you two are perfect for each other. He'll worship your entire being, and spoil you rotten. It's going to be a good life with him.

But the both of you aren't even together at all.

What will happen?

Who knows.

All you must know is that things aren't gonna go smoothly no matter the choices.

He's too far in his head to think properly.

#lizzaneiaelizalde #yandere writing #yandere male #tw yandere #yandere imagines #yandere boyfriend #yandere x darling #male yandere x reader #yandere x you #yandere fic

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cats-artbag · 7 months ago

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SwapOut/Webcomic/Twitch PSA!

Hi everyone 👋🏻 Zk here >< or Cats, for older followers

So I've been getting back into doing SwapOut again, but I would like to appeal to everyone who reads and loves the comic. Much love to all of you who's still sticking around 🙏🏻💙 But something has also always been bothering me throughout this journey.

As many of us know, we artists do these comics for free (especially fan comics), starting them out of love and taking a LOT of time and energy out of our lives to continue making them.

And it's amazing how many of you come from translations or comic dubs on Youtube, which are also very well-done and take a lot of effort to make, much love to them too. There is a difference, however.

Monetization.

And I'm not asking for pity! I'm appealing for understanding.

Because some comic dubbers on Youtube are able to earn ad revenue from the videos they upload. From the beginning, we artists have given them the permission to dub our works. But we don't receive anything from it, nor do we usually charge them for using our art (against our better judgement).

We let them use our comic pages in their monetized videos for free. And occasionally these videos receive thousands and millions of views, which I imagine gives a decent amount of ad revenue, while the artists themselves don't usually earn anything from their own artwork, nor do we ever want to put it behind a paywall of any kind. (we like reading free comics too so don't worry x|)

... But doing full-colored comic pages for free eventually gets hard to sustain without any income from it, even more so when we need to give our time and energy to other jobs to earn money for a living instead. We legitimately keep going on our comics purely out of love. Truly, we would LOVE to do our own art for a living. There's things like Patreon but it's only feasible if we're also able to produce bonus content or show BTS, and only people willing to spend money for them can help us, and not readers who aren't able to.

And we understand that not everyone can afford to support us monetarily. And that's okay!

But if you love these comics and want to really help us to keep going, there ARE ways you can easily support us for free!

For example, affiliates on Twitch (like myself) are able to earn ad revenue very early on (they must have at least 50 followers, quite a requirement, but still easier to obtain than Youtube's 1000 subscribers).

(my Youtube, btw. not much rn but drop a subscribe?)

But simply put, if the vast majority of readers from the yt numbers visit and stay for ads on the artists' Twitch streams (remember to have adblocker disabled for the site, if any), they'll be making an actual, physical contribution to the artist themselves, at no cost whatsoever. We earn up to 55% from any ads that run on our stream, so the more viewers, the better!

(this is my twitch on average 8 viewers, with a 3 hour stream. again, the more the better!)

(ofc you can also buy subs to watch ad-free and supports me directly, but i'm typing all this to share the free ways people can support their fave creators ✨)

And even if that doesn't work out, I'd be happy enough to see most of you there 🙏🏻💙 I've been treating my streams as work, so I'm striving not to break the streak.

So drop a follow on my Twitch, and catch the streams when you can! They're great if you need company or background noise, and also great for co-working~

Currently streaming WEEKLY, Mondays, Wednesdays (SwapOut) and Saturdays, 10.30AM EST

(art by @cupcakepaints)

>> twitch.tv/zkcats <<

Anyway thanks for listening to my Ted talk, please share this around for others as well >< 🙏🏻 Artists, make this a reblog chain or something! Promo your stuff!

And apologies for the essay, I wasn't expecting to type this much sdghsgh this itself is not an ad for Twitch or whatev, I'm just a little frustrated with needing to juggle all this.

I was also considering hosting SwapOut somewhere that could get ad revenue, but I wasn't sure where until I realized I can probably earn that from my Tapas now (i think?? sdfhgh up to 70% ad revenue there but i haven't seen any yet) So maybe I'll post there a day earlier than here or something? We'll see. Go subscribe there! Check it out! Reread it! Help ME help YOU!

... Much appreciated ><

#catschats #undertale #webcomic #swapoutcomicupdate #typed this out mostly for people who aren't aware that ads support streamers etc.#im super tired now wheezee but im living

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justanotherwriter140 · 9 months ago

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Kung Fu Panda 4 - The Movie

The last really, really long discussion post (for now).

Major spoilers ahead!

This review is full of spoilers, so please refrain from reading through it until you've watched KFP4. I would highly suggest doing so, as I want everyone to form their own opinions without my influence. The movie has its flaws (some of which admittedly being a bit distracting), but it's a fun film that has things to offer.

Kung Fu Panda 4 is a fun movie (take that as you will) that takes its audience on an action-packed, surprisingly funny, yet relatively contained adventure on which Po doesn't really do much. It's an inconsequential, safe sequel that doesn't really hurt the franchise but adds close to nothing.

I had a good time watching the movie. It was obviously produced with its theater experience in mind and the action scenes especially reflected that priority. The humor was actually funny sometimes and I enjoyed Po and Zhen's dynamic. During the film, I was able to put most (most!) of my grievances aside and take the movie for what it is. I've discovered that the best way to watch KFP4 is with low expectations and an open mind.

I have a lot of things to say about KFP4, both complaints and compliments (though the former might be taking the forefront in this review), and I hope this review can help those of you who have seen the movie organize your thoughts. I've been having a lot of trouble with that specific aspect of things myself. Those who get it get it.

With that said, let's get into my full review of KFP4! I've been waiting for nearly 2 years to write this and I'm so excited to share every single thought.

I'm going to follow the format of my first discussion post and curate a bulleted list of my thoughts, followed by an analysis of each of these points. Keep in mind that everything I say is IMO and this is more of a rant post than anything else.

Here are my main points:

The Furious Five's role is comically minuscule in the context of the film. Their actions are inconsequential and add nothing to the plot (a confirmed last-minute add), and they have 30~ seconds of screen time. Shifu is also largely irrelevant.

Mr. Ping and Li's presence has little to no effect on the movie (though I won't complain too much because they were pretty fun to watch and this movie has bigger problems). In almost any scenario, I am adamantly against having characters present that don't add anything to the narrative; however, Mr. Ping is an exception. I love Mr. Ping. James Hong is a gem.

Zhen's screen time is not utilized well and her character is underdeveloped. She definitely wasn't annoying, but I didn't find her either compelling or funny enough to warrant the screen time she was given, especially considering it wasn't used to establish a backstory/strong motives. This makes me feel bad for the character because the movie kind of screwed her out of any substantial development.

The Chameleon, while complimented greatly by Viola Davis, is an underwhelming villain. Viola Davis is amazing in this film and I would suggest watching it for her performance if for nothing else, but the Chameleon is underwhelming considering the super cool concept behind the character.

The film feels very rushed. Apologies to those who disagree, but I think the pacing is atrocious and the final fight is anticlimactic. The movie felt like a word-vomit with no discernible intermissions that stops abruptly when the film ends.

I felt as though Po didn't change/grow as a person and the audience never had a chance to either bond with or relate to his character. His internal struggle is kept to a minimum and we don't spend a moment alone with him as an audience, which is disorienting and distracting. Watching the film felt like running into an old friend at the store who's too in a rush to have a real conversation.

The action scenes were strong with few exceptions. Creative art direction was utilized and I thought the martial arts choreography was entertaining and dynamic. I love the color palette of the film and many scenes were very impressive visually.

With my main points established, I do believe it's ranting time. Strap in, folks.

Let's start strong with the Furious Five: I'm gutted. Chagrined, despondent, crestfallen, etc.

The lack of the Furious Five negatively affects KFP4 so much, because not only does their absence hurt the atmospheric integrity of KFP as a franchise, it also forces KFP4 to bring in a slew of different characters—all while still noncommittally including the FF at the very end because I believe the marketing team required it—that clog up the cast a bit. It all goes to show how important strong, established side characters are.

The Furious Five are side characters, but the role of "side character" does not equate to being irrelevant, expendable, or exchangeable. I recognize that the Furious Five aren't super developed as characters beyond a handful of lines that allude to traits sprinkled sparingly among the members; however, I believe that the tiny bits of development we have been given have proved impactful in the past. Tigress's development in KFP2 is a prime example of how much narratively conscious changes (however small they may be) can positively affect these movies.

Because of limited runtimes, the Furious Five often operate as more of a singular unit than five individuals. Even so, I don't think discarding them is valid. They're so important to the KFP universe (to Po's universe!) and not having them with him feels so wrong. The Furious Five are fully integral to the heart of Kung Fu Panda, which is why I believe a lot of those who have seen the new movie have expressed something feeling "off" or something being missing.

I agree with this sentiment. To me, KFP4 didn't feel like a KFP movie. I don't need a Furious Five spin-off movie and I can be fully content with a KFP5 centered around Po's journey as an individual as was intended from the beginning, but he can't carry an entire movie on his back. As strong as he is in every sense of the word, he is only one character. He's the centerpiece of the franchise, but a centerpiece can only go so far without the rest of the design, so to speak.

For me, the Furious Five's absence is one of this film's biggest faults. It's huge and glaring. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, either, because the friends with whom I saw the film refused to talk about any other aspect of the movie after seeing it. Seeing them at the end was better than nothing, of course, but it was a disappointing culmination after eight years of waiting.

That all is to say I feel robbed. Despite all of this, though, I understand that there were reasons why the Furious Five weren't included in the movie. I don't believe the production team would exclude the Furious Five unless they weren't given a choice.

Shifu and Po's dynamic continues to be thoroughly delightful but their interactions are short and simplified. I would have loved to see more of them in this film, especially considering the extreme relevance of teacher-student relationships in KFP4. I (somewhat) digress, though, because the idea of Shifu having to live at the Jade Palace with only Po for an extended period of time is hilarious enough on its own. Maybe that's what the short film is about!

The comedy is odd but has some jokes that stand out. Po maintains a healthy relationship with his inner sass, which I think makes him more fun to watch and kind of eradicates the man-child verdict. Some jokes don't land, of course, but I genuinely thought KFP4 had some funny moments. Mr. Ping was consistently awesome and Po had some good lines sprinkled throughout the film.

As for Mr. Ping, he and Li Shan are the subjects of the film's B-plot as they follow Po to Juniper City out of shared concern for their son's safety. In my mind, they don't add anything to the story that couldn't have been brought about by other characters, but they had their moments of being entertaining. I enjoyed their silliness and thought they had a cute dynamic if nothing else.

Speaking of other characters, I want to discuss KFP4's deuteragonist and why I genuinely feel bad about the way her character was treated.

I want to let it be known that I'm still not on board with Po passing the Dragon Warrior torch to another character. While I agree that his arc is now calling for him to have a student, I disagree with the notion of him retiring from his DW role.

As I stated in my first discussion post:

Didn’t the initial significance and nuance of the title come from the fact that there is only one person who can be the Dragon Warrior, because the concept of the “Dragon Warrior” isn’t so much a title as it is Po himself? The universe (Oogway) must choose the Dragon Warrior because they are a singular being of legend. It is one person, and that person is Po. Wasn’t the point of the first film that the title ultimately doesn’t really matter because there is no “secret ingredient,” so to speak? The title doesn’t actually give Po anything. “It’s just you,” Po says, and that was the resolution.

When it comes to Zhen as a character, contrary to what I predicted I would think of her, I thought she was okay. While I was still a bit distracted by how out-of-place her design looks, I wasn't truly annoyed by her at any point and she and Po had some cute moments. Even so, I think their relationship could have been a bit more refined and developed.

While it's evident that Po and Zhen are meant to have a teacher-student/mentor-apprentice dynamic, I think their relationship feels half-baked. There were parallels that contradicted one another and ended up being confusing come the film's conclusion, and the nature of their relationship seems to vacillate depending on the scene. Additionally, the strength of their bond goes from zero to one hundred within thirty-ish minutes and left me with a bit of whiplash.

We're shown that Po and Zhen care about one another, but we're never shown why. They have a brief conversation during which they bond over being orphans, and Zhen says at one point, "You're actually a good guy," but that's it. This obvious lack of development is a bit disorienting because we're later led to believe that Zhen and Po care very deeply for one another when there's almost nothing to back it up.

A scene that sticks out to me when discussing this is when Zhen attack-hugs Po in a way that explicitly mirrors Tigress's hug from KFP2. This happens around the beginning of the third act, and while it had the potential to be an endearing moment, I think it fell flat.

The impact of Tigress's hug was brought on by her character's hardcore nature and reputation of being heartless, further strengthened with the knowledge that she was hugging Po (which was obviously way outside her comfort zone) as a show of companionship and fundamental understanding. Tigress hugged Po because he needed someone to recognize his strive for closure.

Zhen's hug had little to no impact because she had no reason to do it and it didn't indicate growth. She hugs Po because she's sorry for betraying him and doesn't want him to be killed by the Chameleon, but neither of these things are newly-established via this hug; we have already gathered by now that Zhen regrets betraying Po and doesn't want him to get hurt.

The hug is far from the movie's weakest point, but I think it's unnecessary given the context. I'm big on hugs in movies (an underutilized form of platonic affection, in my opinion), but it didn't fit here. I don't hate it, and I see it as an honest effort to bring emotionality to Po and Zhen's relationship, but it seems arbitrary.

Zhen and Po's relationship has a lot of potential and I'd be open to seeing more of them in the future, but I think some more thoughtful development needs to occur before I can humor it further. Even so, I can see myself featuring Zhen in some future post-KFP4 one-shots—sparingly, of course, because we have a lot of Furious Five content to compensate for.

Overall, they had a cute dynamic and some sweet moments but I'm not attached. I'm on board with Po having a student but I think their relationship needs a lot more development, something that this film unfortunately didn't give them time to either accomplish or earn.

Now, onto the Chameleon!

The concept of the Chameleon's character is admittedly super interesting. She's the deuteragonist's fastidious mother figure who feels that Zhen owes her a debt and as a result holds her to an impossible standard. That dynamic had the potential to be so interesting but I didn't think it was explored at all. There is no indication of Zhen having any internal conflict about fighting the Chameleon, no emotional complexity between them at all; it's disappointing because I think it would've added a bit of earnestness to the film.

Additionally, the idea of a shape-shifting villain is versatile. A shape-shifting villain gives those telling the story a lot of room to experiment with the protagonist and different ways in which the main character can be challenged and tested. It's yet another good idea utilized poorly. Just one idea: the Chameleon could have disguised herself as one (or several) of Po's family, friends, etc. and brought to fruition a new arc with his character (seeing as he arguably doesn't have one in this film), but she only disguises herself as Zhen very briefly in the movie.

Furthermore, the Chameleon completely relies on the powers of previous villains to pose any sort of threat to the main characters. She summons Po's former nemeses from the Spirit Realm (despite there being little logic in doing so considering Kai's literal evisceration) and takes their kung fu abilities for herself.

An excerpt from my first KFP4 discussion post that I think is relevant to the point I'm trying to make:

I don’t think it would be in the best interest of anyone if the past villains were to come back in any way that’s not a flashback (even then, I’m not sure I’d see the point). In all honesty, I thought that the whole point of the villains was that they died and stayed dead. They were defeated by Po once and for all as a testament to the idea of establishing Po's character growth and journey as a person through the bad things he’s able to overcome. It’d be highly contradictory to the messages of the other films if these villains were to suddenly come back.

While there was an honest effort made to portray the Chameleon as intimidating, I never felt as though any of the characters were endangered by either her or her army of lizard henchman. She's a visually appealing character (aside from her eyes, which I thought more resembled those of a gecko than a chameleon) and I greatly enjoyed Davis's performance, but overall I don't see the Chameleon as a notable villain.

The return of Tai Lung (had he been on his own) had the makings to be an excellent story, especially considering the importance of teacher-student dynamics in KFP4. To see him interacting with Shifu would have been incredible and could have led to further closure on Tai Lung's end (because I think that's kind of what the team was going for anyway), but it didn't happen.

It was nice to see Ian McShane reprise his role, but I wish Tai Lung's characterization had been more reminiscent of the way he was in the first film and more complimentary of his overall character arc. Tai Lung isn't a one-dimensional villain with a singular goal and motivation, and I couldn't help but feel as though the complexity of his character was simplified for the sake of KFP4's narrative.

Tai Lung's presence in KFP4 may be odd, but Shen and Kai's appearances are even more so. Kai, if I remember correctly, was fully obliterated by Po, reduced to literal particles on screen (which is kind of wild now that I think about it). Shen being in the Spirit Realm makes sense all things considered; however, Po and Li had no visible reaction to his presence, which seemed a bit unlikely considering Shen's deeds. This plot hole can likely be attributed to the fact that Shen and Kai's cameos (to my knowledge) were last-minute additions to the movie.

I have to talk about the pacing. I have to. I'm sorry, bear with me.

To me, the film's pacing is erratic and disconcerting. While I can appreciate a quick-moving narrative that doesn't dawdle on storylines that aren't interesting/important, KFP4 kind of flings itself too far in the opposite direction and ends up being frighteningly fast-paced. Once the credits began, I felt like I had been holding my breath for the entire movie.

KFP4 is confusing because while the runtime is standard for a KFP movie, it feels incredibly short. At the same time, the film's story moves at a breakneck speed and leaves little time for heart and development. These things culminate into a barreling boulder of a movie that simply doesn't have time to let its characters, story, or audience take a breath.

A fast pace is not inherently negative, but I don't think it worked in the favor of KFP4. The KFP franchise has always been very emotionally grounded (and just very grounded in general), so to see a film in which emotion/heart takes an aggressive backseat in comparison to action and comedy is jarring. While I think it's unreasonable for fans to expect the same emotional integrity as the original films to be present in the current and upcoming ones, I still think there's room for Po to grow and I felt as though the notion of him developing further was brushed aside in this film.

As for Po's growth, I felt it was nearly nonexistent. The previous trilogy wrapped up his character's journey beautifully and I know that KFP4 was bound to struggle with this particular aspect of making another KFP film; however, just because the strongest pillars of Po's character are established doesn't serve as a valid excuse to reverse his development and repeat what he learned in KFP3.

In KFP3, Po learned firsthand that he is capable of spreading wisdom and teaching kung fu. He also learns that he is constantly growing and that change is inevitable; there is always something more to learn.

"If you only do what you can do, you will never be more than you are now."

"I don't want to be anything more, I like who I am!"

In KFP4, Po pushes against this narrative despite fully accepting it in KFP3, actively reversing crucial parts of his character development achieved in the latter. KFP3 was non-ambiguously about learning to cope with change and responsibility, and I can't help but feel like KFP4 is simply copying this message while not adding anything to it.

Additionally, I felt that KFP4's Po generally felt less personal than he has in the past. In every KFP movie up to the franchise's most recent addition, I felt very connected to Po as an audience member. I felt like I was truly seeing the world of KFP through his eyes. I consider this to be one of the franchise's most impressive feats; it's incredibly difficult to build a universe around a character without making the audience feel limited to one perspective and one part of the world.

With KFP4, I felt both limited and disconnected. The world didn't feel as vast and all-encompassing as it has in the past and Po didn't seem fully like himself. This could be me nitpicking (as I'm prone to do), but I can't recall a single moment in the movie in which Po was alone on screen. Scenes like these are crucial for me because I see them as a meet-cute between the character and the audience, a moment for us to cross the bridge into their world in a way that's silent and intuitive. These little bonding moments are absolutely integral to feeling connected to a character.

Po's dream sequence in the first KFP movie is one of the best examples of this. It presents his aspirations, alludes to his way of life up to the point of the movie, and showcases his personality. During Po's dream sequence, the audience is quite literally inside Po's mind; we're there with him, seeing what he sees, subsequently feeling what he feels. Po is a dreamer at heart and makes the audience feel like dreamers, too.

In KFP4, I felt like I little to no point of reference when it comes to how Po was feeling. I didn't feel immersed in him and his world.

I know I've been very "doom and gloom" throughout this post, which is an exhausting mindset for everyone involved. I want to end my critique with something positive because I think some praise is deserved. Let's just say the movie could have been a lot worse, the details of which I'm sure you're all well aware.

Congratulations, you've reached the end! Thank you so much to all of you who took the time to read this unnecessarily long and detailed review. As long as I help someone translate their conflicted feelings into coherent thoughts, I'll call it a win.

KFP4 has its flaws and there are a lot of aspects that I dislike, but the I greatly admire and respect the hard work put into the film by those of the crew who put their efforts forward and tried their best to make it work. This does not at all excuse my issues with the movie, but it's worth saying.

As for the future of the series, I only hope that the next installment is more considerate of the franchise's origins and why Po's story is being told in the first place. I fully believe that another sequel could be good (even great!), but only given a strong, passionate crew with a great understanding of the characters and world (and I wouldn't be averse to some previous directors returning, just to put it out there).

Thanks again to those who took the time to read this crazy excuse for a movie review. Feel free to either disagree with me or add things in the replies/reblogs, I'm always looking for more thoughts to think.

Until next time!

#kung fu panda 4 #kung fu panda #dreamworks animation #kfp #kfp 4 #movie review #i'll add the actual picture of the furious five's cameo when i can get ahold of one of decent quality #my time has come #so i didn't love it #but it is what it is #free the five #perhaps i treated kfp3 too harshly #don't get me wrong the movie had good qualities and i can tell a lot of work went into it #a lot of missed potential imo #a lot of characters done dirty #i didn't even mention the score but i thought it was just okay #i wasn't wowed #i know close to nothing about composing though so i should probably just not even go there #credits were the best part both cinematically and musically #i feel mean but i'm not going to be dishonest #bc obviously you all simply must know how i feel about the silly panda movie #a more detailed version of the grievances i have w the dragon warrior plot can be found in my og discussion post if anyone's interested #as well as my thoughts on bringing back old villains #might make some edits to this in the future but this is all i have to say for now #doesn't hurt my love for the og trilogy but i'm still upset #alas we move on

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seventeenlovesthree · 4 days ago

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Since it's my personal mission to make everybody watch the Digimon Adventure Tri Stage Play, I dug up one of my favourite interviews again. I owe the producer my life, because he simply managed to create the best piece of Digimon Adventure media since Adventure itself (in my opinion almost as amazing as Our War Game and that MEANS something). However, I saw a few people being confused about a few things, so I wanted to clarify:

"Wait, is the Stage Play just Tri's story but done on stage?"

Nope, it does take place during the Tri era (between the third and fourth movie to be exact), but it is an original (side) story that can be watched without having any knowledge of Tri or Tri's plot.

"Does the story take place in the real or in the Digital World?"

That would actually be a spoiler and since there is no easy answer to this, I'm gonna say you have to watch it for yourself.

"Are the characters like in the original or like in Tri?"

That's the fun part - of course there are glimpses and pieces of the Tri characterizations, but the producer really did his very best to adapt the characters faithfully and as respectfully from the original source material as much as he could and I think you can feel that:

"To be honest, the generational timing was a little off for me, so I had never seen Digimon before. After I received the request for the stage play, I watched all of it, including the original TV series and the movie series, but I didn’t expect that I’d be crying so many times. It was a story of human growth and Digimon evolution being deeply intertwined, and I watched as that growth and evolution was overlaid with so many other things. Maybe it was because I watched it as an adult, but I was able to see it from all sorts of perspectives in regards to “people growing”. (...) While I’ve worked with other people’s stories and made plays out of them several times, it was usually in the sense of taking the original work’s story and repurposing it for the stage format. But for this one, even though I’m borrowing the original series’s characters, the story is being written from scratch, and it’s my first time writing words for characters that were created by other people. It was a high level of difficulty, and I still feel it even now. Also, it made me wonder how the scriptwriters for the anime must have done this. They were also writing the same characters in the same world, while sharing that job with tons of other people. It’s amazing that they were able to do that. But, naturally, it wasn’t just full of difficult and painful things, but once the story properly got going, I got to hear the lines I was writing in the voices of the characters from the original series, and getting to savor those kinds of moments was very fun. Someone like me, who works in the theatre field, gets to take over the job of writing the lines of characters made by others. And then I have Toei check over it, and we get even closer to the mark. So in other words, we bring these characters to life by sharing them between everyone. And especially in the case of Digimon, it was an interesting experience in that there wasn’t just one writer or director, but rather that everyone had their own version of Taichi and Yamato, and the dialogue was born from between all of that.

"Anything else I need to know?"

If you are able to see past some cringe, don't mind nostalgia baiting and are okay with a few... Questionable scenes in regards to the main antagonist (which you will definitely know if you've watched the original Adventure series), you will enjoy this.

Also, personally, I'd say this is the order of plot relevance of each human character, so if your favourite characters are in the top half of the list (and even if they're not), you are likely to have fun:

Taichi

Jyou

Koushirou

Yamato

Mimi

Hikari

Sora

Takeru

#digimon adventure tri stage play #digimon adventure tri stageplay #resource #interview #stageplay #stage play #digimon adventure #my two cents #seriously you are missing out #i know i am hyping it too much but i love it so much

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cantareincminor · 6 months ago

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Tribute to a DBZ author

In the early 2000s, I got into fanfiction through DBZ. At the time FFN may not even have been active yet. AO3 didn't exist. One of the most popular authors at the time was Lisalu. She wrote several epics that were widely agreed upon to be the crown jewels of the Vegeta/Bulma pairing: A Glad Day, World Enough and Time, and The Red Dragon Tetralogy. She was a master of worldbuilding and character development and redemption arcs. She wove together her own multiverse as the heroes across each timeline prepared to fight for the continued existence of the universe against a space-time-devouring enemy. And just as the conflict was kicking into high gear in the 4th story within the Red Dragon Tetralogy, she stopped writing in the fandom. She never came back to DBZ and moved on to Lord of the Rings, where she wrote another amazing epic called the Price of Freedom.

As a young reader back then, I was devastated that my favorite fic series of all time was left on a cliffhanger. I had written a few emails to her (back when fan interaction happened over email or in forums) praising her work and letting her know how much I looked up to her as a writer, and asking for her advice on how to write better. I felt very frustrated with my own writing. I thought I had a clear line of sight into what I wanted my writing to be (basically anything like Lisalu's caliber) and yet I could not produce it for the life of me when I sat down to actually write. I had all these ideas for multichapter fics that always sputtered out when I lost inspiration or hit a roadblock. In hindsight I should not have expected any different of myself. I was only a teenager. Lisalu kindly wrote back and encouraged me. She told me the only way to get better is to read a lot, and write a lot. Keep writing.

While I feel less shy about my involvement in fandom these days, I still feel self-conscious sometimes when people ask me who my favorite authors are. I wish I could say something fancy like Cormac McCarthy or Marilynne Robinson. But undoubtedly Lisalu is one of the first authors to pop into my mind, and that's only her DBZ alias. I don't know her real name, where she is right now, what she's been up to all these years, or if she's become a published author of original fiction (I hope she has). But if I could talk to her today I would thank her for her incredible contribution to the DBZ fandom and how she inspired countless young fans like me to keep trying and improving at our craft. Teenage me had never imagined that one day I would have written a 30 chapter Mozenrath fic in the Aladdin fandom (and ended it on a cliffhanger too, unfortunately...maybe one day!) or that now I am close to completing a 50+ chapter Spy x Family fic. Even all these years later, Lisalu's influence persists in my descriptive style, dialogue, and themes. The themes of revenge and forgiveness and slaying one's metaphorical dragon have never left my imagination.

On the small chance Lisalu is able to see this post one day, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

#writing #fanfic #fandom #dbz #vegeta x bulma #vegebul #lisalu

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sciderman · 7 months ago

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I won't lie, there's a centrain magic to reading comics, maybe it's because you have more control over the direction, speed, voices and music when reading over watching something, maybe it's how creative people can get with panel lay-outs, maybe it's all of those things along with the different art styles and way people express themselves through their comic runs, maybe it's the fact there's SO many of them and so many different runs, AUs, versions, solo-stories and characters that while not every comics is for everyone, there's A comics for everyone.

And it's something that only animation can come close to capturing, occasionaly some games because they can give us amazing set pieces and action and stylization through gameplay. But to me live action movies just miss the mark exept a few and even then i just enjoy the comics more.

I think one big thing for me is the narration, because it helps me relate to characters as someone who's thoughts are pretty loud and narration-like, and the fact it's ME who decides how i make the characters sound and talk rather than having to listen to someone else voice the character in a way that i feel isn't "right".

So i'd say personaly it's comics>>books (i like books, and i LOVE fanfics but the visual part stimulates my brain more) >>>animation>games>live action

i agree wholeheartedly! i don't know, i'm kind of in love with the comic medium. but i love writing, also. i just - i really don't like the passivity of animation and television - i need a lot more stimulation than that to get my brain working. i like all the brain work you have to do when you're reading words. and i love the challenge of pulling off "comedic timing" when you don't actually HAVE the dimension of time in your medium exactly - so you have to work with panelling, and you have to work with spacing in your writing - and it's just so sexy and more active for the brain. like you're inventing a language.

comedy writing in comics is so, so fulfilling because you're a comedian, but your format is visual. you need to rely on visual language to carry it. and jokes are all about expectation and subversion and timing. a joke can fall so flat if that timing is off. and - i don't know, i'm obsessed with comics, as if they're some kind of form of visual poetry. it's taken for granted, i think. it's taken for granted.

i think you become more restricted the more dimensions you introduce - so - writing is entirely free. you can do WHATEVER you want, all by yourself, without needing to rely on the quality of your art software or the actors you have at your disposal or anything - you can conjure any visual you like. comics - more challenging, you're limited by your artistic ability but again - you're not restricted by voice cast - god, i love being able to conjure any voice at all in my head for the boys. i think if i was restricted by voice actors i'd have to write them differently, et cetera et cetera... i'd be dealing with VAs and saying "actually. your delivery is all wrong. i have to rewrite the joke." - i'm so particular about these things, you have no idea.

i remember the first time i watched the deadpool movie after having read the original script over and over YEARS prior and having heard it play out in my head in the most hilarious of ways and then. hearing ryan's delivery of those jokes and thinking "oh. it's not that funny actually."

sorry ryan. it might've been funnier if i hadn't read the script already and hadn't already had the movie play out in my brain way funnier than how you did it. sorry. my brain is a better cinema.

something i also love about print vs film - i've had this problem with a lot of adaptations - i despise film adaptations of books i love, just because - something is so sullied about having so many hands in the pot. actors. camera men. producers. directors. all these people - when - what i loved about the book was feeling close to the author. it's just me and him. we're together, intimately. and all of that intimacy gets lost when you know there's a huge film crew behind it.

kind of weird. i love reading a book and just, giggling over the pages, like it's a joke between me and the author. i don't know, i'm a weird little saddo who craves intimacy. so i like the intimacy of it being a one-man show. i love things where i can feel close to the creator. i hope that's why people like my things too. and it's why i like my things. i sometimes think "ouugh. why can't i work for marvel" but i think about how - i'm lucky i get to create what i want to create without having to compromise or answer to editorial. and what i create can always be unapologetically me. and that means more. that means so much more.

#sci speaks #sorry marvel you'd ruin me.#im cringe and i am free

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crguang · 23 days ago

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I'm back. Miss me? It's been several months since I opened this apl

I literally just encountered my acquaintance story but I'll alter it a bit. Imagine this is violinist Kafka x Pianist (Accompanists) Reader.

I imagine Kafka is like Chloe Chua, a famous prodigy that is known all over the world. When she was little, she has a cold yet talented accompanist (like the tone that she produced is warm. Quite contradictory with her appearance) this accom is reader (another prodigy that took lesson with a famous pianist, let's say the reader's teacher and Kafka's teacher is like a colleague that happened to perform together in the past, that's how reader can meet Kafka on the first place).

Suddenly Kafka's violin teacher replaced reader with another accom. Which makes her confused and becomes an annoying person. Like no one can stand Kafka and want to be her accom. But Kafka is talented, so people is using her so they can write it on CV like... "has performed with Kafka on Carneige Mellon" HAHAHAHA

Well, turns out the reader is some kind of retired but Kafka never knew about this fact. You know.... that one prodigy that people know as a prodigy, they never saw her musical journey till they grew up? Yup that's the reader.

And how do they meet again? I have no idea and I have no idea why reader retire. Just suddenly inspired by my acquaintance's story. I don't want to spill her story full, just taking the essence hahaha.

-🎹

HIIIIII AAAAA HOW ARE YOU!!!! has it been months already?… oh my goodness i hope youre doing great, i missed you and your violinist kafka thoughts <33 i neeeeed this AU written but i dont know anything about music so i wouldnt be the best person to write it but it sounds so GOOD.

kafka and R having perfect synergy because theyre so familiar with each other, maybe sharing some of the burdens of expectations at a young age, kafka being so focused on honing her skills that she’s kind of a loner and R was her closest friend growing up wow… R is more reserved and quiet while kafka’s a little troublemaker who never gets caught misbehaving and who drags R into her little schemes. they’re both pushed hard but they have each other; when one of them doubt themselves the other is there to tell them not to be stupid, they share a love for music that goes beyond spoken words like oh my godddd. maybe they’re each other’s first kiss and kafka initiates it because she wants to try and theres no one else. they never talk about it again.

anon your brain is so big even if that’s your acquaintance’s story like this is amazing— in response to your other ask i do think since kafka is naturally confident, if she knows that shes so important that other people are using her to boost their careers, she would be a little brat because she’d get away with it. once R is out of the picture i can see her pushing others to their limits, being dismissive of their struggles and getting irritated if they mess up some notes or cant follow her tempo because she knows who she wants to perform with, who would be able to follow her effortlessly and actually push her to be better and it’s not her eager peers. she’s condescending and keeps to herself so it’s hard to get past the surface and actually befriend her. no one wants to practice with her because she’s a hard ass but she doesn’t care… depending on her teacher i think she might grow up associating her worth with her skills and would be very hard on herself, especially if others start relying on her musical prowess to get better.

imagine her and R meeting again like a decade later omfg. R took a break from music while kafka hasnt and has only gotten more famous, but she recognizes them instantly despite both of them having grown up. R congratulates her on her success and asks how she’s doing, kafka answers talking about her next performance or her skills and R is like “that’s great. what about outside of music?” kafka ends up skillfully turning the conversation around because she doesn’t know what to reply with. the vision is so clear rn… R, as they’ve actually had time to find themselves outside of their potential, is the one helping kafka do that as well. when kafka finds out they’ve stopped playing the piano she’s personally offended. what a waste of potential. shes spent years thinking of them as the only person who could match her talent. she tries to get them to play again often and they refuse every time, but they do end up spending more time around each other and getting to know the other like they used to when they were younger. kafka’s gotten more guarded and confident, but R sees through her anyway and it makes her uncomfortable. she hides it well tho. oh that slow burn childhood best friends to strangers to friends who are new versions of themselves to lovers is REALLLLL ITS SO CLEAR IN MY MIND. FUCKKKKK

#sat answers #🎹 anon

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blueesnow · 6 months ago

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(6/6) Mikado Nagi's Private Story [Utapri Live Emotion]

Ch 1: (unlocked if you reached intimacy lvl 6 with Nagi)

-Hotel Lobby- Haruka: (Looks like there's still some time left before the new program's production presentation begin…guess I'll just wait here and look at the materials) Haruka: (Its content is educational variety and one of the main MC is--) Nagi: …Wah!! Haruka: Eh, Nagi-kun? …Kya! Nagi: Hey! If you keep that up, you'll fall…! - Nagi: ….Sigh, that was dangerous. Geez, why are you so clumsy? - Nagi: No matter how you look at it, you acted way too surprised just because I called you from behind. Even though you were supposed to be a working adult, that was so pathetic. Nagi: And to think that I took time to call you out. If you were somehow to fall just now that would make me look like I'm the bad guy, yknow? Haruka: Fufu, I'm sorry. Thank you for helping me out. Haruka: I came here at the invitation from a producer that I know, and by chance I was just about to go and greet Nagi-kun. Nagi: Hmm~? So you were looking for Nagi. But, if you think just normal greeting works on me then you're wrong! Nagi: There has to be something more that you need to say to me, right? Can you give me words that will make Nagi happy? Haruka: Yes! To think that you were selected as one of the main MC, that's so amazing. Congratulations…! Nagi: Why of course, it's Nagi after all! Educational program fits exactly for a genius like me♪ Nagi: With an incredibly cute MC such as me, there's no doubt that I'll make everyone smile in front of the TV☆

Ch 2: (unlocked if you reached intimacy lvl 11 with Nagi)

-Hotel Lobby- Nagi: That's the news site, and over there is the TV crew. Looks like there's a lot of media assembled here. Nagi: If it's like this then that means I can show a lot of people to a cutie Nagi. Make sure you also check me out too okay! Haruka: I'm looking forward to it! The starting time starts soon right… Nagi: Somehow people over there are quite in a hurry~? …Staff-san, is there something wrong? Nagi: Eh… The host announcer can't come? Isn't that a pretty bad situation? Haruka: That's right. Even if we managed to find a substitute, we have to at least delay the start time… Nagi: There's no need to do that. We also don't have to go search for a replacement. Who do you think is standing in front of everyone right now? Nagi: It's Mikado Nagi, the cutest and most genius in the universe! Leave the hosting to me, I'll do it in a flash. Haruka: (Certainly… Nagi-kun will be able to do it right away. But as expected, it's difficult to host without any preparations.) Haruka: (If I could somehow prepare something in this remaining time… Ah, those materials over there…) (choices) <I found the script> Haruka: I found the host's script. Here it is. Nagi: Nagi is perfectly fine even if he doesn't look at it though~? But, well, I should at least give my thanks to you. Thank you. Nagi: The MC's talk, explanation of the program content, Q&A session… looks it all went pretty much just as planned. <Sound and lighting instructions!> Haruka: Here is the sound and lighting instructions! If there's anything that needs to be changed, let me know and I'll pass that to the other staffs. Nagi: Heh~ That's very thoughtful of you. Since Nagi will be doing both the performing and hosting duties, we need to make him stand out even more. Nagi: For the BGM… can I ask you to play it during this timing? Also, put the pin spotlight on Nagi over here! (back to story) Nagi: Yup, it's all perfect! No one ever expects me to be the host, so it's going to be a fun surprise to everyone. Nagi: Make sure to pay attention on me okay, Haruka. That camera over there and this camera right here, Nagi will take them all!

Ch 3: (unlocked if you reached intimacy lvl 21 with Nagi)

-Hotel Lobby- Nagi: Hi everyone~ Thank you for joining us! Nagi will be your special host for today☆ Nagi: Fufu, were you surprised~? Then the surprise was a huge success! I hope you can keep your eyes upon Nagi's brilliant performance, okay. Nagi: Now then without further ado, let me introduce you to the members who will be helping me here together to make this show even more exciting. Let's give them a big round of applause♪ Haruka: (Amazing… While he manages to deliver words that needs to be conveyed, he also livens up the atmosphere with Nagi-kun's usual way of speaking) Haruka: (To think that he was able to easily handle the role of a host on such a short notice, Nagi-kun, you're so amazing…!) - Nagi: And that's all for the production presentation. Please look forward to it until the broadcast date, okay! Bye-bye~☆ - Haruka: Nagi-kun, thank you for all of your hard work! I was very impressed with how amazing you handle your role as the announcer host, I even forgot that you're supposed to just be a sudden substitute…! Nagi: Geez~ You're exaggerating a lot. But well, I knew how you feel. I mean, it turned out to be more than perfect after all☆ Nagi: Getting a perfect 100 score is a given. But the one who manages to get a result of 120 score is Nagi! Haruka: All of the staff members around were also grateful to Nagi-kun, you know. Nagi: I only did it because it would be a problem for me if the time was delayed. It's a new program after all, so you have to make a good first impression. Nagi: But, thanks to Nagi's brilliant way as a host, all of the expectations have risen. There's no doubt that this program will sure be a big hit♪ Haruka: Yes! I can't wait for the broadcast date either. Nagi: If that's the case, then why don't you go and check out during our recording later? You're probably curious how Nagi being an ultra cute MC, right! Nagi: This is not all that I have in store. I'll show you more just how charming Nagi is☆

Ch 4: (unlocked if you reached intimacy lvl 31 with Nagi)

-Photographic Studio- Haruka: …And done. After that… Eh? The one standing there, isn't that… Nagi-kun! Nagi: Hm…Haruka? What, I didn't knew you were also in this studio too. Nagi: Looking at you now… It looks like you've just finished saying goodbye to all of the people involved, and was on your way going home…I guess? Haruka: Eh… Wow, you're amazing! How did you knew all that? Nagi: Looking at the jacket that you were about to put on, plus the pass that you're holding in your hands. It was all obvious☆ Nagi: Hey, if you're free after this then come with me. There's a cafe nearby that I want to check out. Haruka: Wow, that looks fun. But, are you really okay going with me? I don't know whether Nagi will enjoy it or not… Nagi: Geez~ Nagi's the one who's inviting you, so of course it's perfectly okay☆ Nagi: Stop worrying about unnecessary things. As long as you're with me, that's more than enough. Nagi: Come on, stop hesitating. Let's go! - Haruka: This… isn't this a cafe that's currently trending on social media right now. Nagi: That's right! I heard that they also served cute foods and drinks too. So I wanted to come here for at least once. The menu is… Nagi: What will you order? With so many options here, it's hard to choose right! Nagi: Whoa… this, isn't this very lovely? This one is colorful. Oh, they also have one with Nagi's color too! Nagi: Hmmm, each one of them is cute but… Maybe I'll order the pancake. Ah, this one…!

Ch 5: (unlocked if you reached intimacy lvl 41 with Nagi)

-Cafe- Nagi: Look, there's a musical note imprinted on the pancake! Haruka: All of them are so cute it'd be such a shame to eat them…! Nagi: Aren't you glad that you came here♪ Let's take a photo right away. While holding the plate of the pancake…the angle should be around this much. Nagi: For the pose… That's right, I'm going to listen to your special request for today. Which kind of Nagi would you want to see? (choices) <The usual cute Nagi-kun, please!> Haruka: As I thought, the cute Nagi-kun is the perfect choice! Your smile would fits perfectly with the wonderful sweets, what do you think? Nagi: I'm already cute enough as it is, but you're asking for more? Can't be helped then~ How about this? Nagi: It's a special menu just for you. I'll give you a smile as sweet as a-whipped-cream♪ <Maybe a cool Nagi-kun…?> Haruka: While we're here, maybe a cool Nagi-kun…? Nagi: Are you trying to say that I'm only just cute most of the time? Don't you underestimate Nagi. Let's get started. Nagi: …Hey, Haruka. Look over here. Rather than sweets, you should just focus and be obsessed over me. (back to story) Nagi: …Yep, the picture turned out great! As expected of Nagi☆ Here, look. Haruka: Wow, what a wonderful picture…! It's full of Nagi-kun's charm! Nagi: Right☆ Hehe, thanks! I'll send it to everyone in HE★VENS later♪ Nagi: Now then, it's time to eat. Bon Appetit♪ …Mmm―! It's so sweet and fluffy! Haruka: …Fufu. Nagi: …Hey. Just now, you probably thought that Nagi was acting just like a kid, don't you. Nagi: Your face says it all. But you can't speak for others either, can you? …Look, you have a cream on the side of your lips. Nagi: Here, I got it. …Fufu, your face is all red. It's 100 years too early for you to treat me like a kid.

Ch 6: (unlocked if you reached intimacy lvl 51 with Nagi)

-Downtown- Haruka: Nagi-kun, thank you so much for today! I had a lot of fun! Nagi: You spent time with Nagi after all, so it's a given☆ That cafe had a nice atmosphere to it, right? Haruka: Yes, as expected of Nagi-kun! Please let me know if you found a nice place again. Nagi: Sheesh, don't just rely on Nagi all the time, you should also try to look for one too. But well, maybe I might let you know if I ever feel like it. Nagi: Oh and when you go home, make sure to keep your eyes on the road while you walk, okay. You're a klutz after all. Haruka: Yes, I'll be careful. See you later. - Nagi: …Now then, I guess I'll head home too. Oh, but before that, time for me to send the photos to everyone in HE★VENS♪ Nagi: We took a lot of pictures. Nagi is also a genius with his photography skill! The cuteness of the sweets is also doubled as well. Nagi: Oh, this one is her picture. *giggles* She had a cream near her lips again! Nagi: Her cheeks are so puffed up too. Talk about a weird face! Seriously, she's so funny. Nagi: Now on to Nagi's pictures… Yep, it all turned out really well! Was it because of the natural lighting? Somehow my expression looked much more better than the usual… Nagi: I seem to look like I had a lot of fun. …Was it because I was with that girl? Nagi: …Pshh, nu-uh. There's just no way. Besides, I'm the one leading her around all day too… Nagi: Everyone in HE★VENS is quite handful and troublesome people, so I guess that just means I'm starting to get used to taking care of the adults around me. Nagi: Yep, that's totally it! Geez, I ended up thinking of something weird. Let's go home quickly and make preparations for my next job~

#utapri #live emotion #mikado nagi #i'll be updating this as soon as i unlock another chapter #please correct me if my wording somehow not understandable as im not that fluent on both jp/en

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bootstrapparadoxed · 1 month ago

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I've gotten to the end of the current draft of FrankensteinWIP and man... I just really don't like how anything in the part 2 is written. The prose is so boring and flat and the scenes feel like they add nothing to the story. The plot is progressing technically but I'm not engaged in it at all. It is so weird how the quality just drops dramatically between part 1 and part 2 but I'm not surprised at all because most of part 2 I wrote while recovering from severe autistic burnout. So yeah. I get why it's bad.

Now the good news is that I know how to fix the content, I already made a bunch of editing notes for myself. The bad news is that reading part 2 killed all the enthusiasm I've generated after reading part 1. I do not feel confident in my writing ability and any time I try to write anything new, I just get stuck because I expect it to be shit. It's like I've forgotten how to produce good prose. I hope it is a temporary thing, considering I can still feel the effects of burnout, but damn is it demotivating.

I don't know if to ignore the bad bits and keep drafting until the end or go back and re-write them now. I doubt I can edit them effectively without a rewrite because it would require fiddling with every single sentence basically and I feel like at that point it's just easier to do it from scratch. Worse than that, I have zero confidence in my ability to rewrite it in the way I will be happy with. I could just keep going, like I haven't lost the ability to produce text, it's just that what I am able to produce sucks. And I don't want to write out of some sort of obligation just to get it done or have the word count go up. I want to actually enjoy the writing and re-reading the bits I wrote.

So I'm stuck now. I know this novel has the potential to be amazing and I still like my outline/plot, but the actual text I am able to make is not up to my standards and I don't know what to do to fix that...

If anyone has any advice, please share, because I feel awful and I want to delete the whole document. I won't do it, but I want to.

#frankensteinwip #writeblr #writers on tumblr

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ray935sworld · 2 months ago

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Today Part 2 Jorge Lorenzo x Alex Marquez

Basically just porn

Sunday evening

Part 1

Alex went straight for the bed when he finally managed to get away from his brother. He let himself fall on the mattress, not even acknowledging his half naked boyfriend that was currently dressing himself. He just made a loud grumpy sound and hide himself in the covers. His face was burried in cushions and he couldn't help but scream.

The muffled sound was answered with a soft hand on the back of his neck. He felt a hugh amount of pressure leave him as soon as he felt the touch. He always had that affect on him.

Jorge kneeled next to him, softly messaging the stiff muscles. He already knew why his lover was frustrated. It had been another bad race. P18 while Marc took the victory. For the younger brother, it was hell. He had long accepted that he didn't have the talent of his brother but failing that miserable in a lower class felt humiliating to him. He knew that he was for some reason expected to be as good as Hondas golden boy, baby champion.

"You know, watching you race today was really fucking hot" Jorge whispered hoping it'd help. By now, he had buttomed his shirt up. "You look amazing on those bikes-" Alex span around, looking at him with a death glare only a 19 year old was able to produce.

"I ended up P18. Nothing hot about that and outside the points. Not really amazing. Today was terrible." he exclaimed. He was pissed. There was no other way to say it.

"I was basically alone. Meanwhile Marc - well he won. As you know. And of course he did." He sat up, clearly ready to talk everything out his soul. Realizing that this will be a rant, Jorge sat down on the ground next to him, leaning his head against his boyfriends leg, putting his face on his thigh, willing to stay and listen as longs as needed.

"What a fucking surprise! You should have seen papa! Like - I know that Marc's win is great but he could at least act like he would want to comfort me. But no! It's always Marc Marc Marc." Anger and sarcasm were filling his voice. It wasn't real anger that was rooted in hatred towards his family. It was momentarily and caused by frustration.

His face was scrunched up and his eyes a little wider than usual. Jorge just wanted to reach for him and ease his features but he waited.

"Okay he didnt had the perfect season with his 3 race dnfs. But a bad season is worst P5. And apart from that and the dnfs he was always on the fucking podium! So how bad can it really be?! But I am having a pretty shitty rookie season so far! P9 as a best result! Like -! Are you kidding me?! And they don't even care. 'You just need some routine', that's all Marc said!"

Jorge knew that this was a regularly occaring topic between the brothers. More than once had he already told him about it or had sent him a frustrated text, complaining about Marc's tips that didn't really worked.

"Easy for him to say! He almost won in his moto2 rookie season. He has no fucking clue what's it like to actually struggle with racing abilities. Not with injury. He knows that too well but -" he sighed loudly. The anger was almost gone. He took a deep breath to calm down. "Oh fucking hell, I must sound like a horrible person"

Jorge smiled at him. He knew the feeling of seeing oneself as a horrible person to well. It haunted him many times. He'd do anything to protect Alex from it. "You don't" he said. "You sound like a person"

"But I'm complaining that my own brother has a good race. I'm supposed to be happy for him!" "You're complaining that your season doesn't go as good as you hoped. That's normal. But that doesn't mean that you aren't good. Okay? Alex, you're amazing in everything you do. You're the most amazing and the kindest man I ever met."

"You sweet talker" "You love it" "I love you" "I love you too" he whispered and stood up. As much as he wanted to stay with his younger lover, he couldn't.

He had to attented the team dinner. It was tradition to go on Sunday for dinner and play nice with his teammate. And he surely would be the one breaking the tradition.

"I have to head out. I'm sorry" he said apologizing. He stood up to take a better look at Alex. "I know, I know..." The young Spaniard had once again fallen back in bad, but this time less frustrated and more at ease with himself.

He could even smile at Jorge again. "It's really mean of you to leave your sulking lover all on his own" he commentated. And apparently, teasing was also an option now.

But little did he know, that that was excatly what he had hoped for. "I know... All on your own with your thoughts... Maybe... If you want to, I could try and distract you from all this? Till I get back?" he offered with a daring grin.

"Mm? How?" Alex was now once again staring at his lover. His eyes were deep and only focused on him. His gaze making the older ones knewss weak. Making him feel seen and heard. But now he had to play bratty.

He checked his watch - an expensive Italian one. "Actually... I have to go to my team. They'll kill me if I'm late. You know how things are pre-break" He ignored the sulking look Alex gave him. Instead he leaned down to kiss him.

He kissed him softly and then changed his approach. He got more intense. Daring. It somehow felt like a challenge.

And when they let go of the other, Alex cheeks red and his lips wet. Jorge knew he probably had some signs of the kiss as well. But unlike Alex, he had one last thing up his sleeve or more up his ass.

He was still lingering near Alex. He was hovering next to his ear and then whispered. "I'm wearing a butt plug" before turning around to leave.

He heard the younger one yelling as he closed the door. He had felt Alex stare on his ass, as if he could see through his pants and therefore see if his statement was true.

It was.

He smirked, knowing that with him being outside, in public, Alex had lost his chance to do anything. Not that Jorge had really given him a chance anyway.

Instead, he went for the team dinner. And Alex had to figure out how to deal with his cock that had gotten immediately hard once the realization and the implications of the statement had meant.

Silently he was cursing his own anatomy and age for being so easy. Even though he knew that Jorge loved playing with it. Just like now. He was sure that he had seen it when he looked behind him as he quickly left the room.

No texts or calls were shared in the meantime as they went on their evening.

Jorge had a plan. So maybe he had taken longer than he had needed to get back. The dinner long over, but maybe he had some more private conversation with his mechanics afterwards. He had been more social than usual which wasn't as hard since he and his team have known each other for years now.

So he had no problem with staying a little longer and having a drink or two. "It's summer break." he had said. "Time for some fun, right?" A little inside joke with himself. Quite literal.

He grinned and laughed about their jokes and made his own. With every movement he felt the metallic thing stretching his hole a little bit more. At first it was still an uncomfortable sting. But after witnessing his lover reaction to his statement, he knew it was worth it.

Every time he thought about it, his excitement grew. He hoped his plan would work cause his body sure as hell was all ready.

He felt the muscles clenche around the metal. Maybe he would have fooled himself believing it was Alex. But he knew Alex was better. Alex filled him out perfectly. He knew exactly how to play him. Like both of them were made for the other.

Even the uncomfortable feeling of having to face Lin while some material was dangerously close to his prostate, didn't bothered him as much as it may should have. He was good at pretending everything was fine.

And Alex was the right motivation and now he enjoyed the added hidden play between them. It felt like it made their secret relationships even more real, more prominent all while kept in secret.

For him, it was the perfect way to start the summer break. He wanted to make sure that he wasn't able to walk tomorrow and teasing his hot blooded lover like that, was arguably the best way to guarantee that.

He hoped to put him on edge to get the perfect fuck. That was the goal behind his act.

As Jorge finally made his way back, he realized that he wasn't even sure if Alex was in his motorhome. They hadn't excatly made plans.

But thats how things usually went between them on race weekends. Alex ended up in his Motorhome as often and as long as possible. Sometimes it was just for minutes, sometimes he stayed the night. Sometimes he arrived when the paddock was so busy that no one noticed a lanky moto2 rider and sometimes it was too dark to recognize his features.

So he wasn't excatly sure what he could expect. Maybe Alex had gotten fed up with having to wait on him and left. Maybe he joined his brother and got drunk.

In that case he would either get some funny texts during the night and an apology the next morning or he'd be met a drunk and cuddly version of his boyfriend.

He took a short look at his Motorhome, despite knowing that the black windows were impossible to see through. Not even light could shine through. The only way to know if he'd be alone or not was to enter.

He opened the door and was met with darkness. The hallway was dark so he went towards the living room space which was dark as well. "Alex?" he asked and looked around.

He bit his lip, realizing that maybe he really was alone. A wave of disappointment over came him. He had really hoped not to be alone. He was aware that he didn't had the right to ask for it, since he was the one who lift. But still...

He sighed and decided to go to bed and deal with it himself. He opened the door to his bedroom and was met with two things. Dimm light. And his boyfriend.

He barely made a step inside the room when he was already shoved back. Hands grabbing his shoulders. He was pressed against the wall, Alex barely an inch away. "You asshole" he breathed. His voice silent but hoarsed.

He didn't let him get a word in. Instead he just kissed him. Jorge responded immediately. With a smile, he returned the gesture. His hands reached for the taller mans cheeks. He softly touched his skin, pulling his head slightly down towards him.

He kissed him hungryly, demanding more space and more speed. He wanted a rough kiss. He felt Alex change the ankle. He felt him biting his lip. The senation excatly hit what he had wanted. The little amount of pain combined with his clear want for him.

But sadly the need for oxygen was stronger and they broke apart even if Jorge would gladly die for Alex to never part again.

"I fucking hate you." the younger Spaniard whispered, not meaning it. "Telling me that just to leave. That was cruel. That was an asshole move" "Was it? Well, maybe you deserved it" he suggested.

He knew that his little darling was the purest and kindest person on earth. He deserved all the love he could give him.

"I didn't. I was nice. But you weren't... So you deserve a little punishment for being asshole Lorenzo to me" "Maybe I just am an asshole. Ever considered that?"

Everyone knew he could be an asshole. He had proven it for years. And yes... In those moments, he actually was an asshole. But he'd never be an asshole to Alex to actually hurt him. He'd never hurt him. Not if he had a chance. But sometimes, like now, he was an asshole to Alex just for fun. One word of the younger and he'd stop immediately though.

And now his behavior got him excatly what he wanted. He was backed against the wall, starring at those deep brown eyes.

Alex blocked him with his hands on his side from leaving. With everyone else, this moment might have been creepy or weird, maybe even scary. He hated it to be cornered. He hated it to be kept in one place and feeling like he was at the mercy of someone else. But not right now.

He was cornered but he felt safe and secure. He knew one word was enough to make Alex stop and apologize. But there was no need for that. He didn't need Alex to stop. He didn't want Alex to stop. No. He needed him to continue. He needed to find out how far he'd take it, how far he could get him and what would happen.

There was something in the way of looking at him right now. The moto2 riders seemed hungry. No, not just hungry. It was deeper. There was an even deeper need.

Addiction.

He felt like Alex was addicted to him and he was willing to feed in that addiction as much as possible.

One part wanted Alex to be free, to live his life the way he wanted and needed. Even if that didn't include him. He wanted him to be the happiest he could be. Even if that didn't included him. He even consider that this was a real possibility. In their job. With his relationship to Alex family while they were an important part of his life.

But right now, he didn't care about that. He wanted to be selfish. He wanted Alex addicted to him, in a way that he couldn't leave him without going insane or falling sick. He wanted him hanging on his side for the rest of their life, sharing everything. He wanted to grab him, bring him to his place and keep him there safe and happy for the rest of forever.

So he leaned in and their body touch. His chest was bumping against his. He felt the growing hardness in the younger ones pants press against his jeans.

"You looked so sexy when I said it." he whispered. "Like you were about to jump me and tore my clothes off and keep me here, fucking my brain out, not caring about the team dinner I had" "Oh I would have. But someone ran. So it's your fault, lorenzo"

And the next thing he knew, he was in a tight grip, his stomach on Alex shoulder as he was lifted in the air. Before he could comprehend that he was currently hanging with his face next to the Spaniards ass, he was thrown down and landed on his bed. Alex above him.

The act made Jorge feel powerless, almost helpless, like he couldn't have done anything against it. It made the 4 time world champion in one of the most dangerous sports in the world feel weak. And it was perfect.

"I think I should make sure that you weren't bluffing" Alex decided and Jorge grinned as he felt his hands on his body. They had slipped under his shirt and were now touching his stomach.

Alex smiled. He actually wanted to act all cold and self assured but having him this close, all for him to touch was giving him a happiness he couldn't fully grasp. The feeling the older ones skin on his fingertips was always something that grounded him.

He quickly opened the buttons of the shirt and got rid of it by throwing it to the side.

Now he got a glorious view. Jorge Lorenzo, on his back, staring up at him with lustfilled eyes, clearly horny, half naked, his beautiful chest and abs free and only his to touch.

He smirked and decided to be an asshole himself. Just for now. He got his hands on the waistband and let his hand find it's way above the boxers. He got an hiss as an answer. He cuped his length and pressed his fingers down, feeling the warm against his hand.

"Fuck. Alex, come on. Do something" he tried to get him to move but the taller one acted like he hadn't heard a word. He added some more pressure and then gave Jorge's dick a tight grip. Squeezing him but not yet pleasuring him.

The approach caused a sound Alex wanted to burn in his brain. High pitched and with no hesitation. No amount of acting could fake something like that.

It made Alex want more, so he cut the play short. He took the older man's pants off and tossed them to the side. Without another thought, the boxers followed. No hesitation. No question asked.

He sat back up, looking him over. He didn't say a word, carefully guarding his facial expression. He just took in what was displayed just for him.

He looked his boyfriend all over. He was now completely naked while he was still fully clothed. He was well aware that while he had no problem with that when the roles were reverse, for Jorge it added to the humiliation.

It felt odd and wrong to the older. And it made him feel things... "Alex. I-"

Alex made point in taking his time. He looked him up and down. From his strong and hairy legs to his dick, standing thick and filled with blood almost against his stomach.

"Stop staring and do something. Please."

His perfect stomach, not fully abs and his wonderful chest. He let himself linger on this particular part of his anatomy. "Lex. Move. Move. Please. Just - something!" It was a wonderful soft curf, perfect for him to bury his head in his skin.

It was his safe space. He felt his lovers warmth and he could hear his heart beating. And Jorge always started caressing his hair or hugging him. He started telling him sweet things or stories until he fell asleep.

Lingering on the thought of their habits as a couple, he turned to look at his neck. His muscles clear, decorated with a small love bite from the morning, as a good luck gift for the race, that until now had been hidden unter the collar of his shirt.

"Alex, I swear to God, do what you want but do something. Anything. But fucking hell, do it! Or I swear, I'll do it myself" Alex grinned at his impatient lover. "Good idea. I'd love to watch you fuck yourself on your fingers , begging for my dick but I think we'll pass that to another day."

And with that, Jorge Lorenzo was speechless.

Alex decided to grant him the wish anyway. Therefore he leaned over the older one, very aware that his still clothes stomach was pressing against Jorge's dick. He moved slightly up and down to create some friction.

"Too many clothes" he heard Jorge whine as he started to reach to his own hoodie. To Jorge this whole thing felt like flashes through his body. He felt itchy and nervous. And the only thing that could stop it was skin.

"Wanna touch. Let me touch you. Please, Alex. Please. So hot"

Raw naked skin. His boyfriends raw naked skin that was pressed against him. The buzzing feeling and excitement grew as he let his finger linger on his collar, trying to pull it up but not getting any help to actually achieve something. "Yeah it's getting hot in here"

He seemed to have mercy and decided to pulled the thicker cotton off, only to reveal a certain JL99 shirt. The shirt that he had been wearing under his team shirt and hoodie everytime he wasn't sweating or at risk of having to change in front of someone.

"That's good. I think I'll stay like this" The sentence felt like poison. Jorge whined and shook hifs head. "No. Alex. Alex, I wanna-" he reached for him, pulling him closer and trying to sneak his hand under his shirt.

But instead, Alex grabbed his wrist and forcefully pinned him down. His hands pressing against his skin, holding him against the bed. Jorge stirred against it, trying to move slightly but failing miserable.

So he remains like that, unable or unwilling to move. He wasn't sure what it was. He just looked at Alex, eyes big, like a dear caught in the head lights. The younger one just fixed his gaze on him with a warning glance.

"You are going to keep your hands to yourself for now. Since you decided to leave, I don't see the necessity for you to be touching my body... Yet. So your gonna be a good boy and let me have my fun first"

And he knew how to have fun.

First step was to put his mouth to work. He planted his lips on Jorge's nipples. And started sucking. Hard. No warning. No foreplay. Just sucking and a few strategicly correct pulls

The effect was immediate. A loud moan mixed with a growling sound was reflected by the wall of the motorhome.

"A-Alex, oh god... Lex. Lex. You're..."

He was gasping for air when Alex felt a sting at his head. He felt fingers, pushing in his hair, slightly scraping the skin on his head. He slowed down, thinking Jorge was about to toss him away. But he wasn't. He was holding him in place, keeping his head close to his chest.

So he smirked, realizing he was now in control. So he licked Jorge's beautiful, perfectly formed nipple once more. The normally brown spots were now almost growing red and pink from all the lucking and biting and tearing skin open. There was even a bite mark that perfectly matched Alex teeth as.

"Oh my fucking hell! You're killing me!"

Alex silently prayed the truck was really as sound proof as Jorge has ones told him. Apparently a feature originally from Jorge and Rossi's spying contest but now pretty useful for other purposes.

At the same time he moved his hips in regular movements. He felt Jorge matching his thrust. He tossed in the air, his ass lifting up, shoving his exposed dick against his jeans.

He knew that it couldn't be a nice sensation. It was rough and hard. Jorge was hard, already leaking. Alex was well aware of that so he decided to go ahead with his plan.

He kissed Jorge. None of them really focused on what their lips were doing so it was more a smashing lips against each other. Alex lower lip somehow ended up in Jorge's mouth who just started sucking hit.

Alex moaned, Jorge's voice was already dry from all the moaning. He wasn't even producing words anymore, only sounds that resembled begging and asking and want. Want towards Alex and the climax he was going for. It only took a few seconds and Alex moving tbe perfect way when he came.

It hit him like a train, falling back in the cushions, his body going limp, no tension in his muscles anymore. He came all over Alex. His shirt to be precious and the younger Spaniard didn't even think about moving away. He wanted all of the white cum all over him, painting the black fabric.

He stayed hovering over Jorge, leaning over his body like a predator leaning over it's pray. He watched him closely, looking at his closed eyes. He watched how his chest rose and fell again in an irregular pace.

Jorge at least did seem to have the trust in it, as he started to gasp for air, repeating a few words all over again..

"Fuck... A-A-Lex. That was - fuck - eugh"

The other man laughed softly, his hands hovering around to make the next step. At first it was no more than simple touches. He had his hands on his hips, stabilizing him. His fingers caressed the skin on the bone that was pointing out before he found his way down the V-Line.

"Oh fuck - yes." "Yeah? You want me to come closer?" Jorge blinked his eyes open, nooding.

He took in the sight in front if him. He hadn't even noticed when the other had changed his position but suddenly Alex was sitting in between his legs, with a daring, almost devilish expression. It was a hard difference to his natural soft features. But, fucking hell, it was the hottest thing ever.

"Use your words." "I want you." "I know." But he didn't do anything. He still kept his hands on the part were his upper body met his thighs but he didn't moved them any closer.

"You're an asshole. Do soooomethiiiing!" he sat up slightly, trying to fiddle with Alex shirt again and get him to move, but the only reaction he got, was a hand on his chest pushing him back. He didn't put up any resistance and let himself fall on the mattress.

His spent cock was already re-awaken. Feeling his dick fill up with blood once more in such a short time was painful and he just wanted to get ride of it. He wanted his 2nd orgasm but only in one way.

"Fuck me. Come on, Alex, fuck me like you mean it. Make me believe it."

Alex grinned. Apparently that was the secret code to make him move. Out of no where, he had gotten a certain tube and showed it to Jorge. Lube. And it was then, that the older one noticed that the others pant were gone as well. Apparently Alex had quiet some stuff done while he was catching his breath.

He leaned against his legs and kissed his knees. "You really ready?" he asked quietly. Just a way to make sure they were both on board with this. "Still? After... That?" Jorge almost laughed as he saw how his younger boyfriends cheeks started to become a shade redder at the mention of what they just did. But he didn't start laughing. Instead he smiled, thinking how lucky he was to have such a considerate lover.

"Couldn't be more ready" he promised and not even a second later, he felt a tugging at the butt plug that was still buried in between his ass cheeks. He expected to feel it being pulled out almost immediately but instead he felt the cold lube against his skin and the plug was shoved back inside him onyl to be bought back to his rim.

The sensation tingled through his whole body. Starting through his ass and cock, it hit every nerve. He moaned and threw his head back. One of his hands was trying to reach Alex. But he was to far. He only managed to get a short touch at his shoulder. He hated that, but he didn't say anything. His other hand gripped the sheets. His knuckles started to turn white quickly.

He screamed as the motion was repeated. "Fuck! Alex- Jesus, that's-" he howled. He threw his head back and clenched his jaw. "Stop playing with the stupid plug and fuck me."

"Sorry? I think I couldn't hear you, what do you want me to do?" The playful demeanor was back in his voice. "Fuck. Me." "You have to be a little more detailed." Alex teased and suddenly Jorge wished the younger one would feel at least slightly embarrassed now again. He wasn't, however.

Instead he was looking him straight in the eyes, smiling slightly as his fingers were buried inside his ass, holding the butt plug and stretching his muscles a little bit more with every movement. The sensation made the older even more desperate. It made him horny and he wanted the other even more. If that was somehow even possible.

"I want your cock. I want your hard throbbing dick inside my ass and then I want you to fuck me in the mattress until I pass out so I can still feel you during the next days. I want you to come inside me"

"Demanding aren't you?" "Alex-" he whined, he started to get impatient. His oversensitive cock was hard again. It started to hurt but he was too horny not to find lust in the feeling.

"It's okay. I'll take care of you, horny bastard" Alex whispered as he kissed him softly. This time it was a caring kiss, filled with love. "You just be a good boy and let me take care of you"

Jorge was tempted to respond. He didn't. At least not with real words. Instead he responded with a painful cry as he felt the plug being removed in a swift motion. Despite the addictional lube and the careful try to losen his muscle rim some more, it still hurt like a bitch.

But Alex just laughed and to Jorge's shock, he simply shoved his boxers down, just enough to get his cock out. He gave himself a few quick stockes despite being rock hard since they started. It had taken a riders level of self control not to come just from dry humping and sucking his lovers nipples.

He had been leaking for quite a while now and his own patient was gone now. He was tired of teasing. Not when he was so close to getting what he wanted.

So he placed himself in the older with one strong motion. He felt the heat around him. He felt him so close. He leaned over him, feeling his boyfriend as close as he only was when they were having sex. He never wanted to miss this feeling. He buried himself inside him with no mercy or regard of the pain that it produces in the oversensitive body of the older. Not that he cared.

On the contrary, he loved the feeling. It pushed all the right buttons and caused an itching sensation under his skin. He leaned forward, looking for Alex, feeling his body against his own and grabbing him hard. He felt the soft material of the shirt and clinged with his hands in it as he groaned.

After a few seconds of heavy breathing and a few caring kissed, he felt Alex moving. At first it was just a little, like he was testing how far he could go. But as soon as the younger one noticed that he wasn't protesting or showing any indication of unwanted discomfort, he started to go faster and faster.

Alex just took in that moment. He was in full control and he knew that. He had his lover exactly where he wanted him to be. Naked. Underneath him. Begging him. Begging for his cock. Begging to be fucked by him.

"Fuck you're so tight" Alex groaned. "Tight and hot and... GOD! You look amazing filled with my cock" "Harder. ALEX! Fuck! Per favor!" He even slipped in Mallorcan.

Marquez got what he wanted. He wanted to be in control and feel the power he had over him. He wanted to use it to make his lover feel good. He wanted to see him fall apart so he could build him up again. He wanted to realize that this was his doing.

The first time they switched roles, it was different. Jorge had taught him what to do and explain it to him. If felt more like Jorge had guided Alex hands while fingerling him open and then fucking him.

But now he was free and able to do whatever he pleased because he knew Jorge would give him everything he wanted willingly. He didn't had to beg if he didn't want to. He didn't had to ask cause it wasn't a question.

Jorge gave Alex everything and Alex gave him just as much. He took for his own pleasure and gave it straight back. He was addicted to the feeling of being connected to his lover. He needed to feel his skin pressed against his, irregular thrust creating a sound clapping sounds, like applause that they did the right thing by having found each other.

Alex thrusted deep inside him, over and over again. Constantly screaming and grunting, moaning and begging to go harder. They voices ecoed through the room, bouncing back, heard by the other but cause they were too deep in the moment, they didn't realized them. They disappeared meaningless and yet holding an undescribed worth for both of them.

They were entangled. Their bodies and minds and words. They were connected and it was the most perfect sensation for them.

When they came, it was like a firework. They came chanting the others name, both drunk on the sensation. The words were dancing througj the Rom. "Jorge" "A-Alex" falling in the right places, intervened together like themself.

Alex felt the tight sensation around his spend cock. Jorge's muscles were clenching around him, getting impossible tight with every breath. Just from this feeling, he could come again. But he was too tired to find out.

He had come inside Jorge as requested and fell now on the bed next to his lover. The white liquid started dripping out of the older man. Not that they cared. The sheets were by far the last thing on their mind.

The Ceveran was too busy to quickly wrapped his arms around Jorge. He was the only important thing and the one only he wanted to be close to know. He was holding him tightly, as they were both trying to catch their breath.

They didn't speak. Not yet. Their vocal cords were rough from the yelling and moaning and their breath was still shaking. They needed to get air in their lunges first. And their brains didn't ahd the capacity to understand or produce words anyway. They just kissed.

Alex kissed his face and neck and babbled away. He got his energy back way quicker and used to it to tell his lover sweet endearments.

After a few minutes, Alex suddenly stood up. He whispered something, the other didn't understand. But Jorge felt the hot body that until than was pressed closely against his skin leave it's familiar spot. He felt the mattress giving in and then straighten up.

Confused he blinked. His vision was blurry, so he needed a few seconds to comprehend that he was watching Alex stand up. He watched him turn his back on him and cross the room. He had left his place on his side.

For a horrible moment he thought he'd got up to leave. Jorge thought this little stunt had been Alex final straw. The one act of annoying that had been too much. The thing he had feared the most.

He regretted it so much. He knew he should have talked about it more. He knew he should have made sure that Alex was actually on board instead of just accepting his offer of taking control. And now he had to deal with the consequences. The man he loved the most in the whole world ended up leaving him used like all the others did before him.

"Alex" he whined. He had to try at least. He felt tears getting in his eyes and his hand reaching out to him. He was shivering, still weak from the orgasm. "No. Stay. Please. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, stay. Please. I'll be better. I'll be whatever you want me to be"

It was then that Alex turned around. It was a swift and quick moved. He took one look at Jorge and immediately crossed the room. He gathered his lover in his arms again, pulling him as close as somehow possible and kissing him softly.

"Oh darling, who said I was leaving?" he asked kissing his cheeks softly. He kissed his face and his shoulder and every piece of skin he could reach without letting Jorge go of his hug. "I'll never leave you. I promise"

He tried to speak as careful and as softly as he could all while convincing his boyfriend. "Please, my love, my darling... I.... I don't want you to be sorry. This was fun. This is fun. I'm having fun. I swear and I want you to have fun too. I want you to enjoy this as much as I do. And if you don't like something, I don't want it either. So please... Please don't try to be something you're not. Not here. Not with me. Not when I love you to bits when you are yourself"

He felt the other nodd, his eyes falling shut again and Alex kissed him. "It's okay, my love... Go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up" And he decided that cleaning them up wasn't as important as staying with Jorge.

#Motogp rpf #alex marquez #jorge lorenzo #Alex/Jorge #Ray's writing #My tumblr almost gave up with this one

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mediumtires · 9 months ago

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Hi Ell 👋🏼 okay so I've seen your last response about seven years and Christian. And I agree with you and your approach. I'm obviously someone who really loves your series and think you have an incredible talent writting stories that feel real and raw.

That being said and that's not against anon or anyone else really but I feel like we need to talk about it. Like you said if the investigation had another outcome I couldn't see myself continue reading your series should you would have decided to continue it in that scenario. I'm glad to see that you are sensible and are standing with the potential victim first no matter how much you can appreciate Christian.

I think we need to remember that yes the Seven Years series is a masterpiece and this Toto and this Christian feel real and raw and every bit of an healthy relationship. But Real life Toto and Christian are fucked up like really fucked up, they're not the first nor the last to be like that. But yeah, anon it's not against you really but when I saw your ask even though I understand you, because really no one wants to see situations like this happening in real life even less see them in fanfic, I just want to say that we need to always keep in mind a distance with fanfic and real life.

I have a lot of celebrities that disappointed me through the years and even if I liked them, some of their actions were really not it. So I think it's because I matured or I always expect the worst from people, but even if we like celebrities we need to keep in mind they're humans, and humans are flawed. They can be capable of amazing things just like the worst. So yeah. I understood completely why you ask that anon and I'm not blaming you but frankly if Ell decided that no matter the outcome of the investigation the seven years series would come to an end, it would have hurt because this series became a safe place for me, but I would have understood and supported the decision.

Once again anon it's not against you because frankly a few years back I would have probably asked the same question. But yeah at the end of the day, seven years is Ell's work and if the situation called for it and the series ended up discontinued or even deleted I would have understood. Sending you love anon, it's not against you it's just because I needed to speak about it 💜

As for you my dear Ell, like I said above, no matter your decision concerning the series I would have accepted it and supported it. But I would also want to ask of you to not stop writing. Not specifically seven years, if you want to stop it stop the series, but don't stop writing anything you like because you have a real talent in it, you're an inspiration and I would love to one day be able to produce works of this quality.

Just know that I will comment as much as I can your works and I cannot wait to see what else you have in store for us. Also if you ever decide to write for another pairing I will read it. Even if it's a ship I cannot stand, just because it's you I will be really giving it a chance. So thank you for your work, your ethics, and I hope to read more from you really soon 💜

Lots of love to you and the amazing community you created with your genius piece of literature 🧡

This is very very important actually. I agree, I think we need to and should address it. I certainly can’t pretend it didn’t happen and that it’s not a very real thing that happens to so many women in this sport and beyond on the daily.

Weather Warnings currently feels very removed from the entire situation, timeline wise as well as plot wise, and that’s why I feel okay finishing that part of the series. I uploaded chapter 1 almost two months ago and most of the story is already written and was written well before this became public knowledge. As for any other parts in the future, I will have to think very hard about whether I want to continue the series overall. I don’t really have a perfect answer to that yet - though there’s a part of me that wants to bring this series to an end on my own terms, in whatever way. It doesn’t feel quite finished yet.

Either way, first and foremost - and i’ve read great thoughts on this in my inbox - rpf is a delicate and in some cases very problematic thing to write. exhibit a) this mess. And that’s fully on me, as I chose to write about two wildly problematic and dislikable powerful rich men, and look what it got us. Though i do want to stress again that my version of them is simply based on their faces and their jobs and the structures of the sport - that’s it. Seven Years was inspired by what happened in real life of course but I tried to put my own spin on it, and hopefully enough to make them distinguishable from the people these characters were inspired by.

Anyway. Thank you for this my love 🩵

#christian/toto #seven years

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mariana-oconnor · 1 year ago

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The Norwood Builder pt 3

Back to the tragic tale of the unhappy John Henry McFarlane (was that his full name? I remember it was JHM because that was so similar to JHN last time) and his unfortunate framing for a murder he did not commit (that I'm pretty sure did not happen).

Last time, in a story set several years before fingerprints would be an accepted form of evidence in English courtrooms, we had falsified fingerprint evidence, which goes to show that crime is always a few steps ahead of crime prevention technology. Or that the author was applying future knowledge to a past time... one or the other of them.

Also, Lestrade is about to be told he's wrong.

Lestrade knew my friend too well to disregard his words. He laid down his pen and looked curiously at him.

He was a bit smug in the last section, but he's still willing to listen. Good man, Lestrade.

“May I ask if they are all large, able-bodied men with powerful voices?” “I have no doubt they are, though I fail to see what their voices have to do with it.”

Holmes wants to start a wrestling choir, obviously.

I get that the police would have had some sort of physical requirements, but vocal training was not one I would have thought of, but Lestrade seems to think this is an obvious police skill.

“In the outhouse you will find a considerable quantity of straw,” said Holmes. “I will ask you to carry in two bundles of it. I think it will be of the greatest assistance in producing the witness whom I require."

I... don't think he's been hiding in the straw for the past however many days.

"I believe you have some matches in your pocket, Watson. Now, Mr. Lestrade, I will ask you all to accompany me to the top landing.”

Burn it down. Burn it all down...

🙂🙂🙂

(I mean, smoke him out...

... or burn it down. Your choice.)

At one end of the corridor we were all marshalled by Sherlock Holmes, the constables grinning and Lestrade staring at my friend with amazement, expectation, and derision chasing each other across his features. Holmes stood before us with the air of a conjurer who is performing a trick.

He's certainly not keeping Mr Cornelius up his sleeve. There are no mirrors. There will be smoke, though, I suspect.

“Would you kindly send one of your constables for two buckets of water? Put the straw on the floor here, free from the wall on either side. Now I think that we are all ready.”

You're just going to set fire to it in the middle of the floor?

WHAT THE FUCK?

I thought you were going to hold it and do that wafting thing, not just make a pile of flammable material onto the wooden floor of the old house that is probably a large percentage wood and just... set alight to it.

I know I said to burn it all down, but those are original hardwood floors, Holmes. Do you have any idea how much damage you're about to do to them? Just go up into the attic and grab him. Now when Mr McFarlane inherits the house after Mr Oldacre/Cornelius is hanged for the murder of whatever poor unfortunate soul he burnt in the stable, he's going to have to explain the scorch marks.

Lestrade's face had begun to grow red and angry. “I don't know whether you are playing a game with us, Mr. Sherlock Holmes,” said he. “If you know anything, you can surely say it without all this tomfoolery.”

I know we like to pick on the police in these stories a bit, but Lestrade's not wrong here. Holmes could absolutely explain his theory to them without setting fire to anything. Sure, there's chance Lestrade wouldn't believe him, but there's got to be a better way.

I guess he's doing this because the attic space has a concealed door and he doesn't know where it is, so this is the best way to get Mr Old Cornacrelius to come to them.

I don't know why I am surprised by this turn of events. We established early on that no one in this story has an ounce of chill in their entire body, and what could be less chill than actual flames?

Go forth and burninate.

“I assure you, my good Lestrade, that I have an excellent reason for everything that I do."

Debatable. A reason, sure, an excellent one? I feel like that's pushing it a bit.

"...you must not grudge me a little pomp and ceremony now."

Holmes. You're about to set a fire in the middle of the floor of the house that you are all standing in. A house that doesn't belong to you and which is still a crime scene. I don't think that counts as pomp and ceremony.

I think there have to be explosions for it to be pomp and ceremony.

And he makes Watson light the fire.

"Might I ask you all to join in the cry of ‘Fire!’? Now, then; one, two, three—” “Fire!” we all yelled.

The Victorian equivalent of waving a lighter under a smoke detector. I get that the fire isn't large and they've got water to put it out, this still seems like a really dumb move.

“Just once more, gentlemen, and all together.”

Altogether now...

Once more with feeling.

The fact that this plan works is hilarious to me. There was really no other way out of there?

It was an odious face—crafty, vicious, malignant, with shifty, light-grey eyes and white eyelashes.

Watson once again with the descriptions.

Oldacre gave an uneasy laugh, shrinking back from the furious red face of the angry detective. “I have done no harm.”

Then whose smouldering, unrecognisable corpse did they find in the stable Mister Cornold Liusacre?

No... really. I need to know. Were you waiting to spring this plot until you found a convenient dead body lying around or did you coincidentally happen to find a cadaver at the same time you wanted to frame someone for your murder? You'd clearly been planning this for a while, as evidenced by the transfer of much of your funds to 'Mr Cornelius'. So did you have a dead body on ice in your house that whole time. I know that would be illegal now, but was it illegal then? I guess that wouldn't really be called 'harm', but even so.

Also, there's still a missing hat. Mr McFarlane needs his hat back.

“I am sure, sir, it was only my practical joke.”

Frame someone for murder for the lulz.

The upsetting thing is that given some of the TikTok 'pranks' I have heard of, this isn't actually that unbelievable. Doesn't make it a good joke though, or decrease the guilt.

“There's the advantage of being a builder,” said Holmes, as we came out. “He was able to fix up his own little hiding-place without any confederate—save, of course, that precious housekeeper of his, whom I should lose no time in adding to your bag, Lestrade.”

Even though it's the title of the story, I did forget he was a builder.

"We could, of course, have gone in and taken him, but it amused me to make him reveal himself; besides, I owed you a little mystification, Lestrade, for your chaff in the morning.”

So you did know exactly where the entrance would be and yet you still went with the actual real fire plan.

I get that Lestrade was kind of a git in the last part, but there were ways of doing this dramatically without setting fire to anything.

"When those packets were sealed up, Jonas Oldacre got McFarlane to secure one of the seals by putting his thumb upon the soft wax."

Ah, yeah okay. That answers that question.

"...and the animal remains and buttons in the wood-pile..."

Those were animal remains?

Does Scotland Yard not have a doctor of any sort. By this point in time a doctor should be able to tell the difference between human bones and animal bones. There's no way that fire got hot enough to burn bone beyond recognition. Did they not find a skull? The bones burnt but the buttons were still in good enough shape that they could read the letters on them?

I... Animal remains? Seriously? I talk shit about Victorian medical practices.... because they were shit (seriously). But they at least knew what a human skeleton looked like, surely?

Did they just go 'oh, this is definitely a bone and this is a button, so it must have been a person because a pig couldn't work buttons with its trotters?'

Animal remains?

I'm actually a little upset about this. Sure, it's good that no innocent people were killed in this story, but Mr Oldacre. Commit. to the. Bit. If you're going to fake your death, you've got to make it believable. Put some effort in. If the Resurrectionists could dig up a fresh corpse to further medical science, then surely you could wend your way to a graveyard to further your own self-interest. For shame, Mr Oldacre. This is why you didn't prosper: you're half-arsing this.

“I have to thank you for a good deal,” said he. “Perhaps I'll pay my debt some day.”

Wow, my dude. You need to learn to let things go.

And also not to threaten people in front of the literal police.

"Well, well, I dare say that a couple of rabbits would account both for the blood and for the charred ashes."

No. no no no no no.

I was going to give some leeway if it was considered to be a pig rib cage or something like that. But rabbits?

Let's play a game.

Spot the difference! Which is two rabbits and which is a human being?

Sorry, I don't know how that ferret pic ended up in there (Sorry Lestrade. You were always my favourite character in BBC Sherlock. Seriously so sorry! Rupert Graves, you look nothing like a ferret.)

Let's try that again: Which is the rabbit, which is the human being?

I'm going to have to content myself with the idea that ACD knew nothing about how bodies burn...

Or maybe he didn't know the difference between rabbits and humans.

OMG Maybe ACD was secretly two very large rabbits in a trenchcoat this whole time. It explains so much.

Can't believe Mr McFarlane got arrested for a murder where they didn't even have a body.

They probably burnt the hat, though. Since it never did turn up. It really isn't Mr McFarlane's week.

Ooh, Bruce Partington Plans next! I remember that title. I think I remember some of it. Hopefully in that one our intrepid detectives will have greater luck distinguishing their hominidae from their leporidae. They may or may not have more chill. Probably not, but who can say?

#Letters from Watson #Sherlock Holmes #The Norwood Builder #long post

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mdhwrites · 2 years ago

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What are your core problems with The Owl House?

I'm feeling sick so I'm doing one that's weirdly a little simpler. Not simple but simpler. (It did not stay simple. Shocking, I know.) So if I were to be objective, I think the core problem with TOH is ego. I've been saying it a LOT recently on my Discord that "Ego is the death of art." Eventually, once you get your head shoved so far up your ass, you just stop being able to produce something good because you can't even make the statements you're wanting to make. That's the real death knell for TOH. It is so focused on being special and being meaningful that it forgets to be fun but it's also so self satisfied and convinced that its elements are sacrosanct that they don't question how they're using those elements or what they're actually saying. There's a reason why I'm personally happy as an author that I normally figure out themes within my works post figuring out what they're going to be like because my first goal is just making sure the story is COHERENT. And TOH doesn't give a FUUUUUUU- But subjectively... It's the characters for me that are the core of what lost me with TOH and what attracted me at first. S1 doesn't have the greatest cast. I literally brought in a two off antagonist in Boscha to have a third main character in my stories and focused WAY more on the Blights than literally ever including King in Power of Love. But... That is also is fine because just Amity and Luz in S1 by themselves has an incredible amount of potential as well just being incredibly likable. In fact, for all the shit I gave Eda and King a literal day ago, S1 of them are... enjoyable enough. King's joke is well and truly played out by then so I literally could not care about him but he is the best comic relief in S1. Not a high bar but he does clear it. Meanwhile, Eda has enough interesting going on with the curse to make her flaws not as apparent. Lilith is a compelling antagonist and the possibility of her bringing her more interpersonal comedy style into the main cast was exciting. Gus and Willow are barely characters but they're written likably and don't ever do anything truly wrong which could be said about them for the whole show.

And that also just kind of brings up the awkward element of S1. You have Amity and the curse but otherwise... It all feels like setup. Like we're seeing the first traces of these characters but we still haven't gotten a good, deeper impression of any of them yet. Including the world quite frankly. For fanfiction this was AMAZING. Everything was setup to go in a billion different ways, especially with Amity and Luz (individually or together) and it was exciting to theorize about. I tempered my expectations of course, I doubted I'd ever get the true nuance of my own version of Odalia and Alador but... I expected something a little smarter. The show seemed like it trended that way after all. That a bit more care and realism was put into the characters of the show. And then S2A is... more setup. Or just entirely changing characters to new forms of themselves that we still don't really know. All we do know is that they're less compelling. Amity becomes literally nothing more than Luz's girlfriend and how easy her change becomes more and more apparent with each passing episode. We get Momma Eda in one of her like... Two, maybe three appearances as any sort of criminal in S2 and they're ALWAYS motivated by someone else's scheme. I guess maybe not with Reaching Out but I'd have to check. The point is that the firebrand version of Eda is FIRMLY dead. Lilith becomes a total joke who's hard to even give credit to for the curse because Affearances is making her nothing more than a pathetic woman with unresolved mommy issues because... Sure. That's what the ex-coven head is just like now. Willow has ALL traces of either her morality or really any personality just gone for half a season, in part because she has no part in this season. She even insults Gus for his illusions in Escaping Expulsion in a scene where I SWEAR they swapped Amity and Willow's lines. Not that either should be pushing for bum rushing the door but it makes more sense coming out of plant goddess Willow than theoretically smart girl Amity.

And then you have Luz who is acting even more indignant this half season? Like not a lot has changed but the shifting tone is catching up to how they write Luz. How she can so quickly get annoyed at things not going her way or people not treating her like she's special. How she'll use her friends for personal gain. How she needs to be better than everyone else, both in her eyes and the writer's eyes. All while this isn't getting properly getting interrogated by the characters or even a bit of snark from Eda like it would in S1. It frankly reminds me of something I would say about bad porn: It's Barbie dolls being mashed together. They may have a little flair, like this one is wearing a skull hat or this one is non-binary, but as far as real personality goes... It didn't matter. You could swap out anyone and the writers would force it to work regardless. What personality was there was becoming increasingly cookie cutter or accidentally mean and cruel, just like toxic beauty standards. It's not Barbie's fault that sticks on a torso is the beauty standard to America but it also has no interest in being smart enough to make an appealing doll while avoiding reinforcing the worst parts of it.

And like bad porn, the reason this is done is similar. Rather than actually dealing with the emotions and complexities present in the topics and actions that are desired for the story, they make it so the characters just do it anyways. In porn, you get fucking. In The Owl House, you get... Subversion and representation I guess. But like sex with no setup or emotion, you need to only want the face value elements of these things or else you're just going to feel like you're watching other people having a MUCH better time than you while you're wondering why you're there. Also, yes, this is a weird metaphor. It's mostly done I believe. I do want to mention though that this is why my erotica series struggled to have a lot of sex scenes because those books took themselves and their characters and concepts pretty seriously so I couldn't just ignore the characters if they just weren't in the mood.

The fact that the main payoffs are emotional and metatextual statements that are poorly setup is a REAL problem. It has the feeling of a highschooler who's spent too much time on Twitter seeing their seven year old baby sister playing with her dolls and stopping her from doing that to then put the Barbie on a soapbox and lecture their sister about how dolls are oppressing her and having fun like this is awful. It's not just boring, it's literally anti-fun. Worse yet, it's not smart enough about the topics not to feel mean spirited and somewhat misguided in how its doing it. As an example, they wanted good queer rep. Unfortunately, Amity turned into an incredibly bland trophy for Luz, as boring a pointless as any straight female love interest frankly, and Raine is criticized by much of the fandom for obviously existing only for Eda. They're not just turned into a sexy lamp: That's almost their point from go with how little time they AREN'T just about Eda. This all culminates in the real turning point of the series. Now yes, I've said the point of no return is Escaping Expulsion but that episode is more the objective core issue's turning point. It's the show going "We're not as smart as we think we are and so are going to murder some of the elements that are stopping us from doing whatever we want to... But that doesn't mean we're gonna have fun with it either. Instead, we're going to act lazy, bitter and make the laziness and forced aspects of this episode way too apparent as we move on to what makes us feel special like Lumity." For the characters, Yesterday's Lie is the final nail in the coffin. I've talked before about how Vee's callout of Luz not only makes the problems of S2A being awkward with Luz's character more questionable, it throws her entire CONCEPT into question. Whether she ever was made an outcast because of others or because she told other outcasts to go fuck themselves. Why didn't she know anyone like Mascha after all? They clearly exist in Gravesfield. Why was she trying to be a cheerleader when she clearly isn't interested in sports or athletics. At least most of the time. S1 seems really fucking confused about whether or not she's a nerd or a truly basic bitch school kid who likes everything at least a little bit. But you didn't question it until the new statement that wanted to be made with Luz was "We have a dramatic, changing protagonist who is not just a ball of sunshine but also capable of extreme levels angst and change. She's not just another cartoon main character."

Boy that statement is reeking of ego though, isn't it? Especially when the point Luz isn't going to become "Reality matters over fantasy, others are more important than me," but instead her character finish is "I literally need everyone to recognize that I'm the most special person on the planet and I will only properly listen to anyone who is like me since I blatantly ignored everything my mom said until she earned my attention by being a closet nerd." Luz's character finish is REEEEEALLY BAD.

And no, I don't blame this on the shortening. Just look at fucking Amphibia. It has a VERY vivid cast that mostly keep to their own roles that are dictated by their personalities and despite the lack of time characters like Sasha get, the show knows how to sell their personalities, their relationships, what they're doing, etc. like that almost instantly and part of that's because it's having fun. It's willing to take things to the extreme from go. Sasha's INTRODUCTION is convincing someone to turn themselves into a CLOWN and leave their entire life behind so as to make it so she's no longer guarded. You are sold IMMEDIATELY on this being some master manipulator... But then she also saves Grime and her manipulations are through kindness rather than cruelty like most others which reinforces the loose threads we already had on Anne and her's relationship. You can see she's such a close friend... But why she's not a GOOD friend. And you know all of this by the end of S1 where she gets ONE AND A HALF EPISODES. That is frankly more than I can say about, especially firmly, the majority of TOH's cast by the end of S1. MAYBE Luz and definitely Amity clear the bar but that's the main character and her love interest. Not King. Not Eda. Not even Belos, the main fucking antagonist. I could have speculated on him but I could have told you more about Grime through the toads, Sasha and effectively his ONE episode than I can about the leader of the ENTIRE ISLES.

It really does continue to make me wonder why I'm not compelled to write Sashannarcy instead of Lumischa, the two share a lot of similarities after all, when even S1 has Sasha and Anne as so much more dynamic than Luz and Amity. I guess I liked the playground though. There was more empty space for me to play in with my own writing and I definitely will admit that the fandom, for both TOH and Amphibia, have made me feel far more connected to the shows than the actual products. I'm just weird that way I guess and it's probably why I keep ending up here. Where the show has gone fallow on me and I no longer see the characters as fun people with potential but instead just mean spirited Barbie Dolls.

It happened to me with MLP and it happened to me with TOH. *sigh*

============

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I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead, If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

#the owl house criticism #toh critical

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kivaember · 8 months ago

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Slides in to say that if you ever do write anything on the scenes that don't' fit, that're about the world around them, would be 10/10 down to read!! The worldbuilding you've put in your fics is super fascinating (still thinking about the eternally moving and rebuilding earth) and being able to see others' visions of what that world is like is \o/\o/\o/!!

I am always down to ramble about the worldbuilding in APV!!! If you have any pressing questions about specific things, just let me know, and I will write an essay about it (I am not joking...) Literally, I had so much fun doing the worldbuilding for APV and how it all ties together... I'm surprised not many people had questions about the UEG and the like yet (I am making a wiki page about them tho bc... complicated earth-centric politics....)

BUT!!! Since you mentioned it and it only really got a passing mention in decoding: let's talk about Earth in APV and how fucked it is!!!!

The tl;dr is this: space colonisation was pushed pretty aggressively before they'd even fully ironed out the kinks in the whole, colonising a whole ass planet that humans didn't evolve to live on. There were lots of failed colonies for a while, but this was deemed a necessary evil as Earth was completely fucked. After numerous wars, a runaway climate, and even suffering from a cataclysmic meteor event, Earth was basically on the verge of total collapse. Essentially it was less imperial expansion and more like humanity fleeing their homeworld in an effort to survive, like, shooting out long-distance colony ships in random directions level of desperate.

(One of these colony ships hit the jackpot that is Rubicon, since that planet was near identical to Earth in terms of atmosphere and compatible ecosystem, so colonisation there was a cakewalk and resulted in Rubicon becoming a very successful colony very rapidly, but that's its whole own essay)

Anyway they had just enough colonies that survived for Earth to progress onto the next stage: RESOURCE EXTRACTION.

The purpose of the colonies wasn't to make new homes, it was to land on planets that had the raw resources they needed, or the capability to become bread baskets. Once they had been set up, the worker bees proceeded to produce the resources they needed to ship it back to Earth. To ensure no one got any smart ideas like "hmm why should we do this... shouldn't we just... abandon earth and start over in this system?" they ensured that these industrial colonies were was uncomfortable as possible. You could survive there, yeah, but you couldn't really live there in any capacity.

This right was reserved for the solar system. Earth gov was pretty adamant in building up a kind of mythological status about the solar colonies, how life there was so amazing and great, and that if you!!! you the worker on this backwater industrial colony!!! produced enough and was obedient enough and was well behaved enough, you could get the chance to promote to a solar system worker, and live on one of the many luxurious colonies there!!!!

(it's all a lie of course)

But Earth is fucked, right? Well, yeah! But not everyone knows this! By this point a few centuries had trundled by, the while the colonies on Mars and Jupiter's moons have been spruced up to be very nice and gentrified and all that jazz, Earth has been busy with their 'Rejuvenated Cities'. Most people's introduction to Earth as well is by progressing through the solar colonies, which get nicer and more lavish the closer you get. So by the time they're at Mars their expectations are high.

However. Earth's biosphere is completely fucked. Most of the landmasses are wastelands, covered in derelict ruins and the air choked with pollution. Destructive supercell storms are common, and majority of flora and fauna are extinct. Any attempts to rebuild cities is more like a race against time, as eventually the pocket of stable climate they'd build in would collapse, and destroy whatever city they had built there. But Earth is their homeworld, and they spent centuries feeding propaganda about how it's the paradisical homeworld of humanity, so they made the most expensive and wasteful con in human history.

Rejuvenated cities are built where they estimate the climate would be stable for like. a good century or so. They've prefabbed the plans for these cities at this point. A good decade or two and they've built the solid core of the city, and encourage people to start moving out of the old ones. As people move in, they continue expanding it out, and the old city is gradually left abandoned. Earth, of course, is very strict about who gets to move.

Earth citizens are ranked by tiers: Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze. You then have the workers who aren't actually citizens, but they can work towards citizenships in very certain and rare circumstances (and even then, only achieve a bronze citizenship). When the Big Move happens, Platinum, Gold and Silver are automatically approved. Bronze, however, are picked, and if you weren't lucky, well, you have to stay in the old city and figure something out (which is basically a death sentence, so most become a worker, because then you will be allowed to move into the new city.... underneath it specifically... getting worked to the bone until you earn the "right" to become a bronze level citizen again, but it's better than being abandoned to survive out in the deadly wastes).

It's just a big scam. Everyone wants to win the luxury of living in Earth's Rejuvenated cities, because once you're in there you want for nothing. You're in paradise, so long as you toe the party line and don't make any trouble - and you don't want to make trouble. You don't want your citizenship takenaway and for you to become a worker. Just ignore the big high walls and the odd smell that drifts on the wind from time to time, and how you can never leave the city unless you want to find yourself on a desolate wasteland where the planet is essentially dead but kept on life support, just so that the people in charge can continue to cling to power, demanding endless resources from their extrasolar colonies and ruthlessly crushing any that start wising up and trying to make a new life for themselves away from Earth. The moment people realise that Earth is just a husk and that society was structured for the many to benefit the very few, the whole system would fall apart and the colonies would try to fracture off into their own nations.

(Genuinely, if the Fires never happened, Rubicon would've eventually come into conflict with Earth, because it had broken away, it did make a new home for itself, Earth had to negotiate and simper and grovel at its feet for its lauded Coral technology, shifting the balance of power and making people question why they should go to Earth when it's so much easier to go to Rubicon... makes you wonder how that war would've shaken out: Rubicon with its C-weapons and other advanced technology, or Earth and its zerg-rush style tactics of endless waves of troops, no matter how poorly armed... true quality vs quantity match up, that.)

Uhhh anyway i rambled way too long about that but yes ;;w;; worldbuilding!!!! i love it... if you have any questions about anything else, lmk...!

#armored core ramblings #this is also why rubiconians are very insistent on calling themselves rubiconians #rather than humans which is smth considered very earth-centric #they drew a line in the sand and decided they were a distinctly separate people #and they're half-right really #after centuries of living on rubicon they assimilated pretty well with the ecosystem there #specifically the coral that had a symbiotic relationship with every living thing on that planet...#well before they started using it for fuel but #well

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