#I just know this trio would be comedic gold

[beatricefaelur]

Descendants x Tom and Jerry prompt | crack treated seriously, comedy mystery

Instead of going to the museum to grab Maleficent’s scepter, Audrey runs into the woods to cry her heart out.

That’s when she stumbles upon a cat and a mouse…wearing detective outfits.

Turns out, they’re Tom and Jerry, a detective duo searching for their missing friend, Spike. They ask for Audrey’s help, and since her day’s already weird, she figures, why not?

After following a series of clues, the trio discovers that Spike is stuck on the Isle of the Lost.

Now they need to find a way to get there without raising any suspicions.

[gravity-what]

I…look, I know this is supposed to be for OCs okay? But I was doing my Chinese practice so here we are…

(My practice was just colors and animals so there is a good chance that the other stuff on here is wrong, but I did my best. 😵‍💫)

Anyway, all of these are very specifically for the trio while they were together/before Chase’s betrayal. Including the songs which I put way too much research into. Hadn’t had the reason until now to read ancient Chinese poetry…

Translations and heavy details (fair warning, it’s a lot) under the cut:

Dashi

風/风龙 = Wind Dragon/Dragon of wind. Although there is a reason it’s so heavily obscured/faded.

大熹 = Dashi. Original named ‘大师’ (literally ‘Grand Master’) but he purposefully changed it upon joining the whole Dragon mess because he didn’t like the implication of his name and what it seemed to insist upon him. Instead he chose to replace 师 (shī) for 熹 (xī) meaning warm/bright. Dashi has no sir name per Zhang Zhung tradition.

银色 = silver (color). [all of the OG trio is represented by a precious metal in my stuff] in this case represented by Tibetan prayer wheels which are originally driven by wind. For Dashi in particular I tend to go with the Tibetan/buddhist symbolism of things so silver represents purity, protection, and ability to dispel negativity.

茉莉 = Jasmine. While in Chinese culture it represents long-lived love and loyalty, in Buddhism is actually is seen as a symbol of compassion, empathy, and showing kindness to all living beings in this world along with purity of intentions.

猪 = pig. While typically the pig represents abundance and happiness, and symbolizes honesty and generosity, in Buddhism it is also a symbol of ignorance and one of the three ‘poisons’ that cause suffering.

毽子 = Jianzi shuttlecock! Essentially a toy and one of Dashi’s favorite games to play (in my mind). Representing his playfulness and one of his main means of connecting to someone.

陌上来 = a yuefu poem called ‘Mulberry on the Path’ about a beautiful woman who gets hit on while on her way home from collecting Mulberry leaves for her silk worms. My choice of this particular piece for Dashi comes from a very specific analysis of the poem which says: “This poem depicts the image of a beautiful, chaste and intelligent mulberry-picking woman in a humorous style and comedic artistic technique as she turns down a man’s advances.” which I think Dashi would appreciate.

空 = Empty. It can also mean leisure or free time. This one’s a little complex because, while I chose 空 here, that actually isn’t considered a negative emotion. I chose it both for the initial western interpretation that comes with the concept of feeling ‘empty’ but also the deeper Buddhist/taoist interpretation of a ‘feeling between breaths’. A state of potential, openness, and the ability to receive new experience.

Guan

山龙 = Mountain Dragon (there are headcanons that go with this label but the gist of it is that the title of ‘Dragon of Earth’ didn’t actually solidify until later into 土龙 and part of that transition was Guan purposeful distancing himself from being a Xiaolin Dragon and pushing that title change so, if any scroll did magically show up with 山龙 next to his name the first association wouldn’t be to the Xiaolin Dragons.)

蕭關 = Xiao Guan. Xiao = sir name connected to the Xiao clan of Lanling with direct connections to the Southern Qi dynasty. 關 is a direct reference to Guan Yu a Chinese military general from 200 ce whose achievements were glorified to such an extent after his death that he was deified. Guan’s father named him 關 after him in hopes of him receiving as much renowned.

金色 = gold (color). While gold means a lot of good things (power, wealth, longevity, and happiness) I have specificity chosen to represent the color using the 馬蹄金 “Horse Hoof Gold” which I’m also using as a symbol of Guan’s Xianbei heritage and the cultural connection he is slowly re-affirming now that he is out of the more direct force of his fathers pressing demands.

寸寸金 = inch of gold. Meaning: Attracting wealth, rolling in wealth, great prosperity. It’s a plant mostly given during new years as a hope for these things in the coming year.

鹿 = Deer. wealth and longevity. But also white deer in particular are associated with immortality since it is believed that white fur is a sign an animals has achieved immortality. In deer specifically they are thought to live for 1000 years and to turn fully white at 500. For those who have read my Dashi era stuff you will probably recognize the additional connection to the 1000 year journey that represents the link between Chase and Guan’s friendship and ambitions.

關刀 = Guandao. While the first ever Guandao was made by General Guan Yu in 220-280 ce, Guan’s own version and modification of this famous weapon is already quickly changing it from a simple ‘Guandao’ to “the Spear of Guan”. it’s not quite there yet, but one day he is certain it will be just as famous as the Green Dragon Crescent Blade (青龍偃月刀).

木蘭辭 = The Ballad of Mulan, because Guan is a fanboy through and through.

无可奈何 = direct translation is ‘helpless’ but, from what I found online, it’s more specifically “feeling powerless or helpless in the face of certain situations, with no way to resolve them, leaving one with no choice but to accept them reluctantly.” Which, with his family situation…ya.

Chase

水龙 = Water Dragon aka: Dragon of Water

勇追 = Chase Young (Direct translation = Yǒng Zhuī, although Chase definitely still introduces himself as Zhuī Yǒng to be contrary. Also, post betrayal, he starts to use 永 (Perpetual/eternal) instead of 勇 (bravery) which are homophones of each other so, you know, still Yǒng Zhuī)

铜色 = copper (color). [If you have read chapter 2 of ‘gathering the dragons’ this is probably obvious]. However while Chase’s own interactions with the color are negative, copper does represent longevity due to how durable of a metal it is. Add that to the beautiful blue that is also becomes when exposed to water and oxidation and, well. Ya.

梅花 = plum blossoms. Meaning: resilience, perseverance, and hope. Furthermore, the five petals represent the five blessings (五福): long life, wealth, health, virtue, and a peaceful death. While not all specific to Chase, the number 5 is an important number associated with his and Guan’s relationship in my stories.

猫 = cat. Symbol of good fortune and used for pest control. While I mostly chose the cat because of its association with 9 lives (9 being an important number in Chase’s story) I also chose it because of just how much work went into adopting a cat in ancient China which…I liked they symbolism for for obvious (Omi related) reasons 😆.

手卷 = handscroll. (What can I say? In my mind he is a nerd who likes his scrolls. Side note: not sure about this particular translation at all since handscrolls seem to specifically refer to art scrolls and might not apply to historical/martial arts scrolls that I’m specifically trying to refer to here 🤷)

四坐且莫誼 = Let the Four Seats Be Quiet and Not Noisy. A Yuefu poem whose first line is 四坐且莫喧，愿听歌一言。which, supposedly, translates to: Please don't make any noise, I'd like to hear a song. Which mostly just makes me imagine Chase using it as a way to tell people to ‘shut up already and let me listen to the song already’. (Look, out of the trio Chase was the hardest to find a time-period appropriate poem for…which I still might have gotten wrong 🫠)

骄傲自大 = cocky/conceded/arrogant (negative). For…obvious reasons (tbh I love this character trait of his so, you know.)

[linawritesficsies]

h.s. | short n’ sweet (ig au) | part 3

sabrinacarpenter!reader x harry styles.

part 1 // part 2

a/n: ok, this is probably the last part, so i hope you enjoy it! 💗

warnings: language, some details may not be accurate, english is not my first language. credits to the pics' owners. not readproofed enough

🚫don’t copy, translate or put my work thru an AI.

liked by harrystyles, ynrryslove, annetwist and others.

yourusername met this cute bartender last night… he gave me free drinks

i know i sound a bit redundant but I bet we'd have really good bed chem😉

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ynfeatharry i’m actually screaming!!!

ynrrystan anne liked lol

harrystyles where art thou? why not uponeth me?

onlyangelstyles HAROLD?!?!

gemmastyles get a room!!!

ynrrysworld gemma is so real 😂

jackantonoff his drinks weren’t even good, can i speak with his supervisor??

yourusername ok, KAREN 🙄🙄

eicslover y/n, harry and jack are the best comedic trio 😂

harrysfineline he looks soooo fine in this pic ❤️‍🔥

harryscurls this is how a fanfic starts

hslot22 omg lmao

ynrryslove they match each other’s energy perfectly!!!

niallhoran wait, why didn’t I get free drinks?

narry1d lmao

yourusername he said only pretty girls like me got drinks for free

niallhoran bs. i’m way prettier than y/n, right? @/harrystyles

harrystyles @/niallhoran dude, don’t start again.

yourusername @/niallhoran you’re the prettiest girl 💗

niallhoran @/yourusername thanks y/n, i really appreciate it.

narrysgirl this is gold 😂

liked by yourusername, harryftyn, joeyking and others.

harrystyles A miracle has occurred…

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yourusername excuse me what are you insinuating???

ynrrystan they act like an old married couple i can’t-

ynrrysworld this is too cute 🥰

joeyking if you’re making your famous carrot cake you’d better save me a slice😠

yourusername don’t worry hun, there’s a full container waiting for you in our fridge 🩷.

harryftyn wait a minute.. our freezer??? 😶

onlyangelstyles are they living together?

harrystyles @/joeyking hurry up or i’ll eat them too

joeyking @/harrystyles stay away from MY cake styles.

yourusername this is why i never cook 🤷‍♀️

      ynsfeather your humor kills me y/n 😂

gemmastyles share the recipe plz

yourusername on my way babessssss 🫶

       stanningynrry y/n and gemma’s relationship is so cute too 🥹

       ynrryscoincidence ik right?

thatsynespresso how can she look this beautiful 😭

                eicslover effortlessly beautiful 💜

niallhoran never let her go bro

liked by gemmastyles, harrystyles, annetwist and others.

yourusername oops someone fell asleep at work 🙊

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harrystyles if this is because of the baking joke i’m officially regretting it.

yourusername there’s nothing i do better than revenge 💋

       tayynstan i love when you quote taylor 💖

gemmastyles that outfit? are you my brother or my grandpa? 

       annetwist i’m sorry honey i can’t defend you there

       harrystyles why is this the ‘make fun of harry’ post??

       yourusername 😂😂

       onlyangelstyles not gemma and even anne roasting harry 😂

       ynrry i love their dynamics 💖💖

niallhoran this would explain why you fall asleep mid sentence

      forevernarry NIALL LMAO 😂😂

      harrystyles @/niallhoran it was just ONE time.

      niallhoran @/harrystyles sure, grandpa. let’s get you to bed.

      yourusername @/niallhoran he called me gemma the other day.

     harrystyles great. my best friend and my girlfriend against me. wonderful.

ynrryschild they’re a married couple indeed!!

liked by yourusername, ynrryslove, taylorswift and others.

harrystyles The view is gorgeous. 

Venice is pretty nice too.

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yourusername aww h!!! stop it 💘💘💘

harrystyles just stating facts…

       stanningynrry my heart has just stopped

gemmastyles aww baby bro being romantic!!!

harrystyles shut up.

torilovesyn she looks like a princes!!!

annetwist beautiful 💖 

y/nsfeather thank you harry for all the free y/n content🩷

niallhoran you’re so whipped it hurts

onlyangelstyles omg harry is in loooove

liked by harrystyles, onlyangelstyles, harryspearls and others.

yourusername i’ll be looking disrespectfully 👀👀

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ynrrystan y/n thirsting over her boyfriend episode 5625

harryssunflower i’d do the same if i had her boyfriend ngl

       onlyangelstyles she’s just one of us

harrystyles can’t you be serious for just ONE post???

yourusername @/harrystyles haha you love me🥰🥰

       harrystyles @/yourusername it’s true, i do.

       ynrrystan i’m gonna pass out

       harryfeatyn they’re the cutest!!!!

niallhoran hey @/harrystyles don't forget your sunscreen

liked by taylorswift, yourusername, harrystyles and others.

killatrav @/taylorswift and @/yourusername have been too busy chatting among themselves to even remember their boyfriends.

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harrystyles we feel really neglected.

yourusername @/harrystyles oh stop being so dramatic!

       taylorswift @/harrystyles @/killatrav don’t blame us, we haven’t seen each other in a while.

downbad4tayyn omg this is too much!!

ynrrysworld they're calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend now?

ynrrystan is this a double date??

tayvisforever this is so funny

ylnftswift i love they’re all friends now

jackantonoff you feel neglected??? why wasn’t I even invited to this???

yourusername @/jackantonoff you said “double dates are so lame duuudeee”

        jackantonoff @/yourusername and I stand by it but it sucks to be left out

       taylorswift @/jackantonoff you said you didn’t want to go.

      jackantonoff @/taylorswift i do not remember saying that.

      ynsfeather this is better than any tv show 😂

taylorslore i absolutely love this! 🩵

stanningynrry what a great day to be alive!!!

liked by harrystyles, taylorswift, jackantonoff and others.

yourusername opening night of the short n’ sweet tour was… WOW!!! thank you so so so so so much for spending this friday night with us 🩷 i hope you had a blast just as i did!! 

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joeyking YOU WERE AMAZING!!! 💘💘

ynsfeather i can't wait to go, my show is next💞💞

harrystyles i'm so proud of you, baby! absolutely breathtaking.

yourusername @/harrystyles thank you for being there 🥹

stanningynrry aww they're sooo cute 🧡🧡

thatsthatynespresso stunning! 😍😍

eicslover the third pic i can't 😂

ynsoutfits how iconic were the bodysuits? 💯💯

taylorswift congrats on your amazing opening night!!

torilovesyn the juno position made me gasp

sweetyn beautiful 🩷

niallhoran i had to give harry several napkins to wipe out the drool lol

lovelyyn you're so beautiful it hurts!!!

liked by annetwist, stanningynrry, niallhoran and others.

yourusername 

the bad thing: the weather is awful

the good thing: i get to stay in watching movies with this cutie🥰🥰

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harrystyles can i choose the film?

yourusername nope.

harryftyn lmao

onlyangelstyles his arm 🫦

ynrry 💘💘

niallhoran can i come over?

yourusername @/niallhoran it depends. can you bring more snacks?

niallhoran absolutely!

yourusername @/niallhoran then yes you may come over

ynft1d y/n + harry + niall = my favourite people

mialovesyn yes and adding taylor to that list too.

ynrrysworld they're my favourite couple!

liked by ynrry, harryftyn, ynrrystan and others.

ynrrysupdates 📣⚠️Harry went on stage with Y/N at the #ShortNSweetTour 😳

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ynrry i've never felt so much FOMO in my whole life!!!

ynsfeather WHATTTT??

stanningyn harry's face when y/n made the juno position 😂

ynrrysworld she looked at him right after 😂

harryfeatyn the matching outfits, hello??????

eicslover i'm so lucky i got to be there!🙏

harryssunflower harry blushed several times while watching her 😅

ynsespresso how could he not?

ynrrysvalentine amazing day to be a ynrry stan 🥰🥰

ynsfits the color red looks stunning on her 😏

onlyangelstyles i loved when they sang sweet creature together ❤️

harrysgirl and then they sang hopelessly devoted to you 🥺🥺

ynxharrystan this reminded me of harryween

ynrrysworld omg you're right!😳

liked by yourusername, harrystyles, gemmastyles and others.

niallhoran they're perfect for each other bc they match each other's weirdness.

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yourusername yeah but we're the cutest 💁‍♀️

harrystyles i was just trying to get her to give me a kiss

yourusername 🥰💗

onlyangelstyles harry being harry 😅

jackantonoff why were you dressed like that? weirdos!!!

yourusername it's a little project stfu!!!

thatsthatynespresso what project y/n???

ynftharry mom i'm scared!!

eicslover her dress is so pretty!🩷

gemmastyles guys you didn't keep your hands off each other last night

ynrrystan gemma and her big sis attitude 😂

ynrry i need more pictures from last night 🙏

ynsfeather cuties!!!

stanningynrry they're barbie and ken 😂

aaaaaaand that's all folks. i hope you've enjoyed it 🩷 i'd love to read any feedback in the comments!

[noangeleither]

everyone knows jeremy allen white is an amazing dramatic actor but i also feel like his comedic acting is underrated as well.

you would have to be a great one after being on a wacky show like shameless for 11 years.

my favourite comedic moments with carmy:

1) in Hands when Richie and Carmy fight over caulk (😭😭😭) with sydney in the middle of it all. Carmys anger and him saying caulk over and over is just hilarious to me. and i’m fully convinced this is high on the list of why Jeremy, Ayo and Ebon all got Emmy noms bc the way they execute this scene…best trio ever

btw what s2 was missing was scenes with all 3 of them. i hope s3 brings them back as a trio, their scenes r the best

2) All of Dogs like….imo the funniest episode of the Bear period. Carmy getting into a fight with Richie (“name a cohort. name an associate. one fucking person, i dare you” LMFAOOOO). Carmy being annoyed with Pete. The Xanax incident. Gold

3) When Carmy and Claire go to that house party in Pop. Carmy pretending to be Logan was soooo funny to me. I die at the way he just goes along with it and really gets into spinning this lie. Great for him to get out of his comfort zone and just extremely funny

[grappleghosts]

AEW Feels Like a 90's Sitcom (And Why That's A Good Thing)

There's been something bugging me about "All Elite Wrestling" lately.

For weeks now, there's been a certain nostalgia to the twice-a-week program that I just haven't been able to place.

It's a living, breathing anecdote to good old 90's nostalgia.

The Ensemble Cast & Formula:

Sitcoms rely on a diverse cast of characters to strike a balance and keep people coming back every week. Amidst the brand's high-octane matches and fiery promos, its structure and storytelling truly revive what I loved about 90's television.

Each member of its expansive roster have such distinct personalities that at times, I wish we'd see more of. Nonetheless, AEW captures a close - if not the exact formula of "alternative media."

A hallmark of 90’s sitcoms was their ability to tell self-contained stories while also weaving in larger arcs. The 'All Elite' employ a similar approach. They tie in broader narratives with an oddly .. complex 'comedy gold' that we look forward to every week.

The Roster & Their Sitcom Counterparts:

It's easy to see how AEW's larger than life stars are worthy of their own "90's intro parody". Think as if "Too Many Cooks" & "Full House" had their own twisted and dysfunctional reboot.

As much as I'd love to analyze the entire roster, I'm not that insane.

1.) Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) & Frasier Crane.

Frasier Crane and MJF are performers who thrive on attention and validation. Undoubtedly, two sides to the exact same coin.

(Years on TV: 1993-2004)

Similar Traits:

A taste for theatrics: While Frasier Crane's life is filled with his own dramatic blunders - MJF shamelessly brings the drama with him wherever he goes.

Overconfidence: Both men radiate a bold self-assurance. They each have a knack for flaunting their intellectual prowess. Utilizing more than a touch of arrogance along the way.

Self Absorption: MJF's famous line, "I am better than you in every single way, and you know it," is self explanatory. Frasier's ego is rooted in culture, but they both take pride in setting impossible standards.

At the end of the day;

Frasier Crane and MJF are showmen who crave the spotlight. They wield their sharp humor, charm, and over-sized egos in fancy suits.

2.) Harley Cameron & Kimmy Gibbler

(Years on TV/Pre-reboot: 1987-1995)

Main. Character. Energy.

I know that they're seen as 'secondary characters', BUT they are far from it. Both of their antics are pivotal for comedic relief but beautifully displays their strengths.

Similar Traits:

Unapologetically Quirky: Whilst they may seem unconventional or out-of-place, without their humor the main plot would be much more dull.

Confident: This is the cornerstone of why I believe this comparison fits. They are unshakably self-assured. Never failing to speak their minds and express themselves in oddball ways. While unconventional, there's never a staleness and always a level of unpredictability.

Thrive Under The Spotlight: Often inserting themselves into conversations or situations, Harley and Kimmy immediately take center stage. No matter how brief it may seem.

These two gals are important to the equation.

They bring a natural enhancement- like salt to sweet, to the dynamics of those they’re on screen with.

3.) The Learning Tree (Jericho, Bill & Keith) & The Simpson's bully squad (Jimbo, Dolph & Kearney.)

Same energy:

Hierarchy, plain and simple.

Both of these trios are notorious shit starters and troublemakers.

Similar Traits:

Unconventional Leadership: Let's be honest, in their own ways both Jericho and Jimbo pull the strings in their own ways. With an aura of cartoonish coolness and love of immaturity? The shoe indeed fits. Jericho’s mentorship of Big Bill and Bryan Keith? Strangely mirrors Jimbo’s informal guidance of Dolph and Kearney. AEW is by all means their proverbial 'playground'.

The Enforcer: Big Bill and Kearney take their places on the field solely as 'the muscle' here. They both step in to reinforce the groups utter intimidation and sheer dominance. Not a thought goes on behind their eyes though, honestly.

The Rising Star: Bryan Keith and Dolph are both the mostly silent yet hungry types in their respective groups. Under their mentorships, they have the most to prove but show equal promise. These two bring a well rounded energy needed to complete their units. The groups arguably wouldn't be the same without them.

The dynamics are eerily striking once you put them under a microscope.

Well, that was a journey. Huh?

I could honestly make this idea an entire series. It was difficult enough to narrow down the list to cover.

I'd definitely want to hear YOUR thoughts on these comparisons.

[thestobingirlie]

ranked stobin trios:

stobancy - (steve, robin and nancy.) the shipper and the ship. beautiful. what’s not to love. a battle trio. my three girls. nancy becoming closer to stobin as a representation of her overcoming her guilt about barb’s death. *chef’s kiss*

stobickie - (steve, robin and vickie.) once again, the shipper and the ship!!! we’ve got two bisexual babes and a lesbian. what is not to love. honestly, if we’d had more canon interactions with vickie, it would be much harder to place this trio second. anyway. love how all three of them represent hope in different ways!!!!

stobin + erica - three of scoops troop, of course they’re going to place high on this list. i know what we’ve got on them isn’t a lot, but what we do have is solid gold, okay? even just looking at the way they move together, robin stepping in front of erica, and ushering her around. the verbal battles between steve and erica. can’t beat it!

stobin + dustin - stobin and steve’s first child. great comedic trio, beautiful protective bonds. another shipper and the ship trio, but this time the evil version lmao. (though i blame that on dustin’s jealousy over robin stepping into the role of steve’s best friend, and wanting to shift her into the girlfriend role so he can be steve’s best friend). would’ve ranked higher if not for s4 and *****.

stobin + lucas - absolutely would’ve ranked higher if we’d gotten more content, but as it stands, stobin being two of the three characters that attended lucas’ game? i don’t care what canon says, i know they went up to congratulate him afterwards.

stobin + max - (honestly max and lucas trios are kinda tied for fifth place) we’re getting into the tough to place trios, because they just haven’t spent enough time in canon together. but i know they could be so good if only the duffers would let them. max writing steve a letter? robin being the one to save max’s life by figuring out the music? it’s all set up to be a beautiful friendship.

stobin + argyle - incredibly upsetting to place him this low, but i know if they spent even a second together, they’d be running off to get high in argyle’s van, and the duffers are just too afraid to show it.

[dareers-horniness]

Scaly Desires

Never trust a kobold to do a dragon's job." You muttered under your breath.

You had sent your three most quick-witted kobolds to confront and deal with a sorcerer that had locked himself away in a crevice in the mountains you lived in.

But the three stooges came back much worse off than when you sent them.

The trio now adorned diapers designed for infants, perfectly swaddled around their waists. To make them look even more pathetic, the scalebrains had an insatiable LOVE for the padded garments.

Constantly rubbing them or asking one of their fellow kobolds to hump their padded rears.

Your lead kobold even had the audacity to waddle up to you and ask you, his OWNER, for 'diaper humpies.' How DESPICABLE! You would be sure to undo this mental magic that had plagued their brains once you got back.

You exited your cave, bound for the short flight to the other side of the mountains. Sure, they were far enough away from you that you would never see them, but they were YOUR mountains! You couldn't have some magically-talented, rambunctious mink in your home!

There was only room for you!

So you flew around the mountains, locating exactly where the mephitis had housed himself.

When you finally found his abode and entered, you looked upon the intruder with a confused gaze.

This simple skunk looked hardly different than any other magicless specimen!

How could he have mentally overpowered your kobolds?

Without even turning around, he greeted you.

"So you're the one who sent the little simpleton kobolds to 'deal' with me?" He inquired rhetorically, clearly thinking the situation was comedic in some sense of the word.

You grunted at his arrogance. The whelp didn't even seem to recognize the magnitude of the situation he was in. He clearly didn't know YOU.

"Yes. And you sent the dim-wits back to me uselessly babbling about diapers." You sneered, slamming your tail against the ground in anger.

"Oh? Your kobolds seemed quite happy with their new garments. I don't see what the problem is, dear dragon." The skunk snickered.

This enraged you, the mephitis clearly understanding how mad you were, but toyed with the seriousness of your plights nonetheless.

"The PROBLEM is that you rendered the minions of the lord of these mountains as dim, horny, diaper brained idiots!" You exclaimed, baring your fangs.

A grin spread across the skunk's muzzle.

"Oh? And I suppose the 'big lord' is fussy he isn't in the same boat!" He presumed.

"Of course not!" You shot back, balling your fists up in frustration.

"And since you're clearly not content to leave, I'll remove you from my home and dispel whatever magic you filled their minds with!" You stepped forward, ready to deal with the intruder.

As fast as you moved forward, however, he moved even faster.

A wisp of magical essence shot from his paws, whizzing in front of your eyes for just a moment before lodging themselves in your ears.

You approach was abruptly halted, now twitching as the magic reached your brain.

"Why don't I just show you EXACTLY what your 'diaper-brained idiots' are going so crazy over." He spoke, venom dripping off of every word that left his muzzle.

But you were focusing less on that, and more on the magic that was seeping into your brain.

You could already feel it at work.

It was as if it was smoothing out all distinguishable aspects of your personality.

Aspects of pride, dulled down.

Desire to breed, snuffed out.

Your natural leadership, smoothed away.

Your thoughts of greed were the only thing that still remained, but even they were not untouched.

You had an inclination towards gold. A shiny metal, one that brought reason to many dragon's lives; a greedy desire that ran their emotions.

But your greedy inclinations were slowly being moved towards something… much different. Much less covetous.

Diapers… crinkly garments for the young of all species. Of course, dragons tended to graduate from them earlier, as a sign of their mental superiority. But right now… they seemed to FILL your mind. Wearing them… feeling them… they were SPLENDID!

You LOVED to hoard diapers! USED diapers! SOAKED diapers! MESSY diapers! Even CLEAN diapers were desirable! You could just fill them later! Because diapers were the BEST! You LOVED to hump and fill and piss in diapers! They were the BEST!

As the mage's magic slinked in your brain, your twitching gradually lessened, your shocked expression being replaced by a placid, open-jawed smile. Meanwhile, your waist swelled, the skunk's magic manifesting not only mentally, but physically as well.

You bit your lip as the garment finally materialized. It wasn't any secret what it was.

You crouched, the magic tendrils no lingerie slinking into your brain, but simply staying put, resting there, the latent magic still seeping into every inch of your once-brilliant noggin.

You clenched your paws and lifted up your hefty tail, causing a light crinkle in the process.

But even that little noise was enough to accelerate your actions.

You squinted, crouching lower as the mephitis's magic finally retracted.

Your tail flagged high, the floodgates that were your bowels, nonexistent.

Instantly, your diaper sagged, drooping with your draconic mess.

Warm, babyish muck pushed against your scaly rump… and it felt AMAZING.

Your hard, rigid scales basked in the warmth that was your poopies. You shivered, still pushing on your rump all the while, mess still filling your seat.

You LOVED diapers! They were PERFECT for diaper-loving dragons like you! Getting to fill your diapers ALL day, HUFFING your used ones and readying your current ones to be huffed! Rutting your minion's mushy rumps! NOTHING compared to the ecstasy of diapers!

Suddenly, diapers were all you cared about. Hoarding diapers, filling diapers, snorting diapers, kissing diapers. You LOVED smurshing them together with other dragon's diapers and having them humped by your minions! Diapers were EVERYTHING for a dragon like you!

Your tail dropped onto your seat with an audible smursh, your paw idly moving back to scratch your rump, only eliciting another smursh.

"So? Does the hatchling see why his minions LOVE diapers so much?" The skunk inquired with a chuckle, clearly enjoying your new state of mind.

You found yourself giving him a placid nod, mumbling something about "poopy diapees."

"Good. Now go show your minions what you learned. I'm sure THEY have something to give you as well." He commanded, leading you off back toward the entrance of the cave.

When you finally made it back to your cave, a hatchling-minded scent still following you and your diaper significantly bigger than when you exited the skunk's abode, you found all of your kobolds to be adorning diapers, many of them used.

You sighed, just how you liked it.

[construingseacats]

Umireread: Legend of the Golden Witch - Chapter 14: Boiler Room

Sun, Oct 5 1986 - Indeterminate

The following contains spoilers for the entirety of Umineko. Please do not read if you are yet to finish it.

And we’re off… with another Wikipedia section.

I kind of let it slide last time, when they were talking about Maria and childhood development, but I want to take that back now. George lost both his parents in a horrific murder moments ago. There is absolutely no way he would be engaging in intellectual discussion about the specifics of locked room mysteries, in the same way that the trio shouldn’t have been going “this is also interesting from a sociological standpoint!” a couple hours after they saw their parents/love interest mutilated in an abhorrent murder scene. Bad writing.

Gonna be real: this is fairly uncomfortable. It’s played lightheartedly, but hitting Maria several times, even semi-playfully, feels very inappropriate after the scene in the rose garden. None of these characters are acting anything like they should under the current circumstances.

This story is very obviously fictional and fantastical in nature.

And so we get to the big scene. While the first twilight is my personal highlight of Episode 1, I’m pretty sure most people agree that this one is probably the most important.

So, Yasu throws away the title of furniture, and sacrifices the Kanon persona, knowing there is no turning back now - there’s no shortage of analyses for that. What really stood out to me here was the roulette discussion - it’s something that has been brought up quite a few times, as the concept of the Demons’ Roulette is pervasive throughout Umineko, but I haven’t had any major thoughts on it so far. Here, as the focus, I think the roulette is a reflection of the massacre as a whole.

Yasu wants to be stopped - but she, at this point, knows that’s almost certainly not going to happen. The family are too caught up in their own drama, they’re too self centred, their thoughts have turned to staying alive rather than solving the Epitaph. They want to solve the murders, but they’re not on the right wavelength to understand Yasu. Her motive is inscrutable, her methods esoteric. The Ushiromiya family is doomed. The roulette is red or black.

She, however, is the zero on the roulette. Yasu is the green. When Kinzo spoke earlier of the high risk, high reward of the roulette, this is what he meant - either everyone dies, Yasu gets her revenge, we see the likely outcome of red or black. But if someone solves the Epitaph - if someone understands Yasu - if someone discovers her, this extra spot on the roulette, they win. And she wants to be understood. By someone - anyone. She wants them to win.

Beatrice’s game is one where she always wins; she casts a dice and cares not for the result, as she is content with any. If the roulette is red or black, the house wins, she profits. But if the house loses - and the family are rewarded with their 10 ton payout - she still wins. Because she has traded all the gold for an honour that no money could ever buy.

Man, it always feels unfortunate when I have to go directly from making a deep point to a more surface level observation, or comedic note - but I do like the consistent use of “makeup” across the murders. Very funny when it’s quite literal for the faked deaths. But even for the real bodies - earth to earth - it adds this layer of doubt and fantasy to the level which should have none.

Yasu has had little control in her life. She has suffered because of the actions of others, from the moment of her conception to where she is now. The events of October 4 and 5 - presuming the roulette hits red or black - is a final gambit to wrestle control back from the world that denied her. And just as Yasu decides to go out on her own terms, Kanon wrestles the stake from his chest, a final action that gives him the say in his own demise. It is an act of agency - an act of one who is no longer furniture.

Kumasawa, once again, is having WAY too much fun with this. She can’t even hide the smile this time.

I think there’s something to say about the Ushiromiya pride being their downfall here - bodies are dirty. They don’t want to disgrace their own hands with them. They must send for the doctor so that they may make the inspection. If any of them had taken a pulse, checked for themselves, or even tried to rush to assist - the plan would be over. But Yasu knows that these people will fall prey to the fantasy. Why would they help her? No-one ever has. This must have been cathartic to write.

So given the Kinzo situation, this must be the moment that Natsuhi immediately clocks the servants as being culpable. Being aware of what she knows, and aware of what she knows they know, contextualises a lot of her upcoming jitteriness towards them.

You know, we haven’t had Kanon’s death tip yet. I suppose it might be because they’re going with the whole “he could be alive in Nanjo’s office”, but it’s another cute little hint that something’s off here.

Oh we have it again with the characters going off about the history of polydactyly in the family. Umineko is at its best when we are really feeling the human behind these characters. It’s at its worst when they’re listing off facts in a scientific manner right after someone close to them just died.

Oh yeah we get Kinzo’s death tip before Kanon’s. This scene is so suspicious before you even start to really think about it.

So that means Krauss and Shannon are in the clear, right? After all, we saw Krauss with half a face, and Hideyoshi told us that Shannon was there with half a face as well. It’s a good thing that there are no co-conspirators here who would lie to us to preserve the mystery.

Oh, the clock’s getting bigger as we progress through the Epitaph. I like that a lot. Very imposing.

[astro-break]

Thoughts on the 6th ep of Hypmic Rhyme Anima+. Spoilers beware

Season 1 | Ep.1 | Ep.2 | Ep.3 | Ep.4 | Ep. 5

LMFAOOO they look so unimpressed i love it!! even ramuda looks so serious wwww Fling Posse's nail in the coffin of gentaro just straight up reading during the gag and Dice just falling asleep is pure gold

the rivalry is so strong i adore MDC, their comedic potential is off the charts

Ooooo flashback!

eyyy his life is not fair jacket is beautiful its such a hack

awww they're right softies huh.

i assume the narrative will be that they are hypnotized into doing TBH's will or they were unsatisfied with something so bad that they defected

EYYY squirt gun lmfaoooooo

dude his nicotine withdrawal is gonna just get worse www

look at jyuto being a baddass and only reading through skimming

LMFAO they're acting like tourists going to famous places and sightseeing their fill

oh my god they're FP fans and cosplayers

I'm getting second hand embarrassment from them www for once i agree with ramuda they're kinda annoying

LMFAO Bustedddddddddd

oooohhh so they don't have to be directly there to hypnotize people, interesting and opens up a lot more possibilities with who is possibly under their influence

OH FUCK HE'S ONE OF THE CLONES????

Ramuda angst is always top tier, the existentialism!

OH damnnnn if he is someone who isn't a fake, that would be ruthless.

and here comes the TBH crew

Theres some seriously supernatural stuff going on. or is it because FakePosse have been brainwashed so much that its another illusion that only they are seeing

OH DAMNNNNN clone battle and ofc ramuda is the loser. he don't got much more candy and is on borrowed time

eh i think The Loneliness, Tears, and Hope of a Puppet did it better with their depictions of their trio dynamic. also because this takes place between season 2 and 3, its unclear for anime onlys if Gentaro and Dice know that Ramuda is a clone

Generally i do think that the voice dramas have much better writing than the rushed pacing of the anime

the paper is full of the character 愛 which is the character that Rabuta uses in his name

that gentaro animation of him floating up onto the banister looks a little janky ngl

Dice's 777 underwear wwwww

casual threats is beautiful i adore the stupid MCD and Naughty Busters bickering, they're just kids no matter what amaguni says. they're silly children

OH FUCK THAT WAS SICK, sasara just casually rebuffing samatoki's threat while kuko throws in his own religious. For those who don't know nenbutsu is basically like prayer but its for the intent of being mindful of Buddha, hence the name. to outsiders it sounds more like punishment tbh

oooo flashyyy still makes me wonder if they're all under like some sort of mass hypnosis. TBH crew has only appeared that way twice and all in this episode

gods i miss FP's silly fashion sense. very summery jazz ED with the sax as the main instrument and latin beats. i like the chill trendy vibes going on with it

[fangirlforlife97]

I finally finished Succession and OMG IT'S SOOOOO GOOD!!!!!! The twist at the end of s3 had me shooketh haha, I literally gasped and had my mouth hanging open in shock. Shouldn't have been surprised, but I was. Shiv, Roman, and Kendell were done so dirty and by both of their parents, yikes. I loved it, I love the show, it made me laugh and cry/tear up, etc and I need a s4 asap!! Does anyone know when s4 is coming out?? I tried looking it up before and wasn't really given a specific date so Im not sure. I hope it's soon though!!?!!

I really hope the show makes Tom and Greg's dynamic/relationship romantic. Sure their dynamic hasn't always been the greatest in a way but I love them, TomGreg was the reason I wanted to watch the show in general. I watched for them but then loved the show and watched because of that as well. I love shows like that where you can enjoy the ship and the show. I think it would be a hugely missed opportunity if they don't go a romantic route with them though. Not to mention the chemistry is amazing and it'd be hella great to see everyone react when and if Tom gets with cousin Greg haha. Plus like I've said, Tom is the most queer coded character I have ever seen. Why have him be portrayed that way unless he's gay or bi!!?? Fingers crossed for canon Tomgreg. Also I would love to see more of a Connor, Tom, and Greg Trio friendship. We got a little bit of it during Tom's bachelor party under the tunnel near the rat (I believe) and think it would just be comedic gold to have those three interact more. I doubt we'll get it after Tom's betrayal but one can hope! Also since I'm speaking of Connor, I feel bad for him cause of the whole Willa situation. Like at times I feel like maybe she does like or love him but then other times it feels like she's using him or whatnot and so I feel bad for him.

When I first started watching the show my favorite characters were Kendall, Tom, Greg, and Frank, even though we didn't get much of him. He just seemed so likable or had a likable face. I feel like in some ways he kind of reminded me of Bill from Killing Eve. Frank I feel like is the "Bill" of Succession. I also liked Connor, I thought he seemed the most mellow and mature but boy was I wrong haha. He's great though. I wasn't too fond of Roman and Shiv at first, especially with how Roman treated and taunted that kid during the first episode at the baseball game. And Shiv because of the whole situation with Greg and his $20, and how she treats Tom. As time went on though I ended up slightly disliking Kendall and liking the others more, but ya now I pretty much like all of them. Logan's a prick but I even like him cause he adds extra tension and drama to the series.

Am I the only one hoping in the next coming season or couple seasons that we get flashbacks of Shiv, Roman, Conner and Kendall when they were kids?! And a prequel series of Logan and his family and upbringing!!!???? I'm so intrigued and would like to see both of these things happen in some aspect.

[lesbianrobin]

What do you think are the good and bad aspects of each season of ST?

ok 1. thank u for this question omg and 2. this answer may or may not be a mess, but either way it’s long (almost 7k words lmao) bc i’m insane, which is why it’s under a cut. it’s still by no means an exhaustive list but these are the things that just kinda came to mind.

also i realize you asked “good and bad” and i wrote this whole post as “strengths and weaknesses” which um. is not Exactly what you asked. but close enough <3 i also ended up including a lot of au ideas ksjdckmn bc like i personally hate when people say a certain plot or whatever was bad without suggesting anything that could have improved it yknow so whenever possible i tried to provide Some idea for fixing the issues i had with the show!!

season 1

strengths (this is probably gonna be the longest section but that’s because a lot of these strengths also apply to s2/s3 by default)

nostalgia and authenticity

this one’s pretty simple, but i think that season one did a good job of blending classic eighties media homages (such as the many many e.t./el parallels) with explicit pop culture references (such as mike’s yoda impression, mentions of the x-men, etc) to create a show that’s essentially dripping in early eighties nostalgia without it feeling too forced. before st, i think the most popular depiction of the eighties in mainstream media was that overly exaggerated neon scrunchie aesthetic from the mid to late eighties, and it was usually done in a comedic sense first and foremost. st took a different approach, instead focusing on the early eighties, a time that’s often ignored in favor of going either Full Seventies or Full Eighties, and i think that this choice likely resonated with adults who lived through the eighties and hadn’t yet seen something that felt quite so accurate to their own adolescence. a lot of young people who watched st were totally unfamiliar with this period of time, unfamiliar with books/movies like “stand by me” that st borrows from heavily, and i think st lent more seriousness to the eighties than most young people had experienced so far, and this was refreshing and interesting!

the use of dnd in the show is also quite genius in a way i’m not sure i can articulate?? it isn’t something Everyone would have played at the time, but it’s something that existed within a different context back in the eighties than it does today, and it really lent a sort of authenticity to the naming of the show’s sci-fi elements. like, of course these kids would name parallel dimensions and monsters and superpowers after these similar things in their favorite game! it just feels so real and it grounds st in our reality moreso than you might expect from the typical sci-fi or horror universe.

utilization of existing tropes

almost every single character in st clearly originates from some popular trope. the plot itself is riddled with classic eighties movie tropes. almost every single element of stranger things can be clearly traced back to some iconic eighties film or just to, like, overused horror/sci-fi/mystery/coming-of-age movie tropes in general. this might sound like a bad thing, but it really works in st’s favor! starting off with familiar tropes gives st the ability to easily create a lot of complexity and make a big impact by selectively deviating from those familiar, comfortable tropes!! while el’s whole plot, hopper’s character, etc, are all examples of this in action, i think the steve/nancy/jonathan plot is the greatest example. even from the start, the fact that good girl barb dies while nancy is off having sex with her asshole boyfriend is an incredibly thorough inversion of the most well-known horror movie trope in the book. how often do girls in horror movies have sex for the first time, walk home alone in the dark of night, and live to tell the tale? nancy and jonathan’s dynamic at first glance is a sort of classic “good girl meets boy from the wrong side of the tracks, discovers he’s actually got a heart of gold” thing, but instead of following this well-trodden path, st diverged. nancy is brash, impulsive, and at times downright insensitive. jonathan is angry, bitter, and actually a bit of a creep at first. while they have the capacity to emotionally connect and support one another, they can also bring out each other’s darker side, which is not what we’ve come to expect from that initial tropey dynamic.

in addition, steve, the popular rich asshole boyfriend, is actually... a human being! unlike the cartoonishly evil jocks that we’ve come to expect (especially from eighties movies), steve has complexity. despite his initial immaturity and selfishness, he’s also kind to barb, he backs off when nancy says no, he’s gentle and sweet when they sleep together, his first big Dick Move of the season is in defense of nancy, he realizes the error of his ways after the fight and does what he can to fix it, he’s worried about nancy when he sees that she’s hurt at jonathan’s house, and to top it all off, he ends up saving both nancy and jonathan’s lives when he could have just walked away, and the three of them all work together to fight the demogorgon. like... steve began as the most stereotypical character of all time, and by the end of the season, he had one of the most compelling and unique arcs among the whole cast!

finally, at the very end of the season, instead of dumping steve for jonathan as expected, nancy ends up getting back together with steve, and they’re both on friendly terms with jonathan. i realize that i just kinda. summarized s1. but my POINT is that i don’t think the dynamics between the monster hunting trio would be nearly as fun and interesting had the characters of nancy, steve, and jonathan not been set up to follow certain paths that we already had charted in our own heads. like, within the first couple episodes of s1, it’s pretty obvious that nancy and steve are gonna break up, nancy will get with jonathan, and steve will either die or go full evil or just never be seen again. like, duh! you’ve seen this story a million times! you know that’s how it’s gonna go! so, when the story DOESN’T go that way, the impact of each character’s arc and the relationship dynamics become stronger due to their unexpected complexity and authenticity. 

distinct plotlines separated by age group

this one’s rather obvious, but the way that the adults in s1 were essentially in a conspiracy thriller while the teens were in a horror flick and the kids were in a sci fi power-of-friendship story and all three converged at the end... wow. brilliant showstopping etc. not only was it just really well done and unique, it also gave stranger things near-universal appeal. like, there’s genuinely something for pretty much everyone in season one!

casting

obviously this applies to every season sorta by default, but when i think about what made season one So successful, i always think about the cast, and not just winona ryder. yes, she’s absolutely amazing in the show and it’s very doubtful that st would be as big as it is today without her name being attached to it from the start!! however, i think the greatest determining factor in st’s success is the casting of the kids, particularly millie bobby brown. like... el is just absolutely incredible. she’s amazing. this has all been said many times before so i won’t harp on it, but millie and the other kids are all So talented and charismatic and i think their casting has been instrumental to the show’s success.

strong visuals

the way that multicolored christmas lights which have been around for decades are now kinda like. a Stranger Things thing. jesus christ. those lights are probably the biggest stroke of stylistic genius on the show.

atmosphere and setting

this is probably like. the least important one here for me sdjncdsc because i think s2 and s3 both had like Even Better atmospheres and shit but s1 was good too and it laid the groundwork!! i know a lot of people would have preferred st be set somewhere more Spooky with lots of fog or giant forests or whatnot, and while i do enjoy thinking about alternate st settings and how they might alter the vibe, i think hawkins indiana was a good choice. as the duffers have said, placing stranger things in a fictional town allows them more flexibility than if they’d gone with their original plan of using montauk, new york. besides that, i think the plainness and like... flatness... of small-town indiana just Works. like, the fact that hawkins is never really scary on the surface is a big part of the horror in the lab’s actions and their impact. hawkins isn’t somewhere that people just disappear all the time. it isn’t somewhere known for strange occurrences (prior to s1, that is). it isn’t somewhere shrouded in mist and secrecy. hawkins on its surface seems like the sort of place with no secrets and nothing to fear, and that’s the point! the lab is out in the open! it’s right there! everything is so close to the surface, yet so far out of the public eye, and i think that really works.

the byers family’s whole deal (specifically the joyce/jonathan dynamic)

this is going here bc i miss it so bad in s2 and s3. i’m not one of those people who believe The Byers Are The Whole Point of the show, because st is and always has been an ensemble, and el, hopper, and the wheelers are just as instrumental to the plot as the byers, but ANYWAY, i do think the byers were one of the most interesting aspects of s1. joyce’s difficulties with supporting her sons as a poor and (implied mentally ill) single mother, jonathan’s stress as a result of having to earn money, care for his brother, and keep the house in order when his mother is unable to do so, and the resulting tension between them when will’s disappearance and supposed “death” brings the situation to a tipping point? holy shit! it’s so good! that argument after they see will’s “body” is just incredible and gut-wrenching. their relationship feels so real and messy and i think it’s just... good. also winona ryder REALLY acted her heart out and she carried a lot of s1 which i think people often forget to mention so i’m saying it here.

weaknesses

pacing/timing

ok so pacing is probably going to go in each season’s weaknesses, to be honest, because i think they all had a blend of some good and some bad pacing. good pacing is invisible pacing, though, so i probably won’t be putting it in any of the strengths sections and will only be focusing on it in the weaknesses. i’m also probably not going to talk about weird day/night cycle things, just because i don’t want to get nitpicky on timelines because that would require going back and rewatching things to double check timing which i don’t wanna do at the moment lmao. anyway, when i think of bad pacing in season one, i primarily think of two things: nancy’s little trip into the upside down and subsequent sleepover with jonathan, and the sort of staggered nature of the climax in the final episode. the latter is simple so i’ll explain it first: while i understand that each group’s respective climax is like part of a chain reaction and that’s why each big moment happens separately and at different times, i think that st is strongest when the whole group is together, and i think that makes the stakes feel higher too, so i’m not In Love with the way s1 separated everyone and gave each group their own climax. 

okay, now on to the nancy/upside down thing! idk if i’ve ever talked about it before, but i think the worst decision made in s1 by far is the inclusion of nancy’s brief trip into the upside down, wherein she dives headfirst into another dimension with absolutely no backup, watches the demogorgon chow down, freaks out and runs around for a minute, and then leaves. like... what the fuck? even putting aside what an idiotic decision this was (because i do think nancy’s tendency to rush into things headfirst is an intentional and consistent character trait), it just kind of destroys any remaining suspense surrounding the demogorgon and the upside down, and it accomplishes basically nothing besides scaring nancy enough to have jonathan sleep over, which is lame. i will break it down.

like, first of all, nancy just getting to waltz in and out of the upside down and get a good, long look at the demogorgon makes the entire thing far less mysterious, and by extension far less scary. like... before this scene, we the audience haven’t got a good look at the demogorgon. we’ve seen its silhouette briefly and we’ve seen a blurry picture of it, but nothing more, and i think that is far more effective at building fear than this jaunt nancy goes on which gives us a full view of the thing and makes it into less of a horrifying nightmare and into more of a humanoid animal. like, maybe this is just me, but i found the demogorgon far less intimidating after that scene than before. it also lets nancy and jonathan know For Sure that they’re right without providing any crucial information that they need to fight the demogorgon (aka it’s unnecessary to the plot), which removes a very compelling story element (the faith nancy and jonathan need to have in order to keep going against a vague and poorly understood enemy, the doubt they might have about each other and their own sanity, the possibility that they might be wrong, the trust they need to have in each other) a bit earlier in the plot than i believe is ideal. at the end of episode 5, nancy goes into the upside down and jonathan doesn’t know where she is and it’s intense!!! you’re thinking like, oh fuck, not only is nancy missing and fighting for her life now too, jonathan might be implicated in her disappearance!! some people already think he’s the one who killed will and people know that he took creepy pictures of barb and nancy before they both disappeared, maybe this is gonna cause some serious problems for him!! maybe nancy will find will in the upside down and she’ll help him survive!! fuck, maybe she’ll actually die!! this is huge!! and then episode 6 starts and they’re immediately like oh nevermind jonathan found the tree and got nancy out and she’s fine. my point with all of this is that nancy entering the upside down could have done A Lot in the grand scheme of the plot, but all it did was just... get jonathan to sleep over so he and nancy could have some awkward romance moments and steve could see them together and pick a fight. which could have honestly happened at Any point while nancy and jonathan were working together to hunt down the demogorgon, without ruining the demogorgon’s and the upside down’s mystique. so yeah <3

weird behavior and dumbass decisions that make no sense (aka the whole camera thing)

gonna go off about the teen plot again sorry but: why was nancy so unbothered and quick to forgive jonathan for taking those pictures? girl what the fuck are you doing? why wasn’t that a bigger deal? why was jonathan’s motivation for doing it so weak and why did they just kind of forget about the whole thing? why did nancy TRACK HIM DOWN AT THE FUNERAL HOME while he was PICKING OUT HIS BABY BROTHER’S CASKET to be like hey can you tell me what’s in this creepshot you took? it’s insane. it’s so insane. i mean i think the funeral home thing is hilarious and i don’t mind it being in the show necessarily but like my point here is that i think a lot of character decisions in s1 just kind of.. happened because they Needed to happen for the plot. like, they wrote this plot that required jonathan to be secretly taking pictures of the party and required him and nancy to work together after seeing something odd in the pictures, but they didn’t like... really consider what that event would mean for their characterization and relationship. the whole thing was sort of just dropped with minimal discussion and i think it did both nancy and jonathan’s characters a disservice and was really mishandled.

lighting and saturation/color grading

i am literally begging horror/sci-fi shows to let me see shit. i GET IT okay i understand that when you’re doing cgi effects it helps to keep the lights down and i’m not mad at any of the lighting in the demogorgon/upside down scenes!! i’m really not i think the demogorgon scenes in s1 all look sick!! but like... dude. the colors. where are they. why does everyone look like a vampire. i know blah blah this was probably an intentional stylistic choice intended to mimic film at the time blah blah but dude a lot of old movies are very colorful!! please just let people have color in their faces so everyone doesn’t look like a sheet of paper!!! also i’m white and not a professional lighting designer so yknow grain of salt but i think lucas was kinda poorly served by the lighting sometimes in s1. not Hugely so, not to the degree that i’ve seen poc be poorly served by lighting in other shows, but there were some times where it felt kinda like the lighting setup was just not designed with darker skin in mind. 

horror

i just personally don’t find s1 very scary like... ever. i don’t think they were really Trying to be extremely scary yknow so i’m not counting this as a big deal, but i do think that each season has improved on the horror aspects. i think s1′s horror lies more in the mystery and the unknown than in what’s seen onscreen, and as i’ve said already, i think s1 kind of fumbled that suspense ball.

season 2

strengths

the possession plot

i’ll warn u rn this whole s2 strengths section is probably gonna be really short bc idk like. how much there is to really say i feel like it’s all so self-explanatory skjncmn. anyway yeah the possession plot!! eerie as fuck, and noah OWNED. so did winona tbh and finn and sean etc but like. noah. wow! i think the possession plot helped the show maintain a good amount of tension and suspense throughout the season, and a lot of scenes with possessed!will are flatout disturbing to watch. in a good way. i think the mindflayer and will’s possession were far more genuinely frightening than s1′s demogorgon, and it provided a new layer of depth and intrigue to the antagonist besides just “bad monster want eat people.”

tone and aesthetics

halloween season... literally halloween season. halloween season. that is all.

actually i will elaborate a bit and just say that i think s2 did a good job of having the sort of foreboding vibe that s1 was often going for, but without the annoying darkness and desaturation. so points for that.

also st2 is like one of the best Autumn pieces of media ever like it just. like steve and dustin on those train tracks with the fallen leaves all around them.... god. god the vibes are unparalleled. all of the halloween stuff also really contributes to the nostalgia st runs on yknow it makes you think about childhood and trick-or-treating and you kind of get transported like damn... i remember going to the rich neighborhoods to score the good candy..... idk i just think the whole thing is incredibly effective. 

“babysitter” steve

by sending nancy and jonathan off together, the show created a problem: what to do with steve? this problem pushed them to create the unconventional and unexpected duo of steve and dustin, and the world is so much brighter for it. seriously though we all know steve and dustin are great i don’t need to argue that point. all i’ll add is that i think allowing steve to grow in this way, serving as a mentor figure and becoming genuine friends with someone so unexpected, really took the originality of his character to the next level. no longer content just to defy his archetype, in s2 steve begins branching out in ways that never would have been considered in s1, creating an incredibly complex and interesting person from the sort of character that most shows would have simply written out or killed off for convenience’s sake. and it works and steve and dustin are such a joy to watch and i love them. <3

the lucas/max plot

so first of all max mayfield is the most perfect baby girl on god’s green earth and idk what i would do without her but anyway. i think lumax is the best romantic relationship in the show and not just because they’re the only ones with like an age-appropriate approach to the whole thing. it’s also because their relationship accomplishes more than just putting the two of them in a relationship!! lucas and max spending time together motivates billy to do his evil shit, providing more conflict in the narrative, and it also helps establish max as part of the group in a relatively natural way while giving both her and lucas a great subplot. lucas (and dustin) has a crush on the new girl, they start spending some time together, and lucas ends up needing to decide whether he’ll keep the secret of the upside down and lose her, or risk both of their lives by telling her the truth. that’s a pretty big, character-defining decision that he gets to make!! max has to choose whether to trust this boy she barely knows and endanger herself, or to walk away and stay safe, yet another great character-defining choice that also contributes to the sense we get as an audience of max as somebody who’s incredibly lonely and desperate for love and connection. this post is way too long already and i have a ton more to say so i’ll stop now but yeah i think lumax really Works in the show without ever distracting or detracting from the overall plot and narrative in the way that some other ships (coughjancycough) often do.

balance between the normal and abnormal

s2 i think did a pretty solid job of melding daily life with more fantastical sci-fi horror elements. i enjoyed seeing so much of the kids at school in the first few episodes!! you really get a strong sense of where they’re at in life, what their daily lives are like, and you get a sort of gradual shift into madness that makes everything feel more grounded than i think it would if they had just leapt straight into the horror shit, yknow? 

the el and hopper dynamic

go back and rewatch s2 and tell me that’s not one of the most moving portrayals of parenthood and trauma and growing up that you’ve ever seen. you can’t. or well you can but i won’t listen. i really can’t imagine stranger things without el and hopper’s relationship, and it’s my absolute favorite part of s2. their whole dynamic is so beautiful and complex, and gives them each amazing personal arcs in addition! the black hole scene is literally one of the show’s greatest moments of all time. any given scene between the two of them in s2 is just guaranteed to be heartwarming as well as heartbreaking, and i think that makes for an incredible show.

weaknesses

flashbacks

okay this applies to Every season they All have too many flashbacks but in s2 specifically... please stop showing me shit from season one. i watched it. i know what happened. you don’t need to spoon feed everything to me!! flashbacks can be a really helpful way of delivering information to an audience, but st has a bad habit of not only being kinda demeaning in how often they flash back to shit that the audience already knows, but they also have a bad habit of using flashbacks almost as a crutch to avoid having to deliver information subtly and naturally. 

you know i gotta say it... the lost sister

this is so sad. the lost sister really is like a great concept for an st episode, and i’m not mad about the idea of st taking a break from the normal action to focus on one story for a full episode, but the execution of it was just dreadful. kali and her crew feel very over-the-top and stereotypical, and its placement in the season totally kills the tension and excitement that was built in “the spy.” 

i think the lost sister honestly could have gone over far better, even with the stereotypical fake-feeling gang kali has, if they had just swapped it with “the spy” like... ok, the end of episode five has el setting off to find kali and will collapsing on the ground seizing. right? imagine if, instead of immediately following will to the lab, we’d followed el. we don’t know what’s happening with will, but it’s a very simple cliffhanger that leaves us on edge without making us feel cheated by the show cutting away. we follow el on her little journey, everything happens much the same as canon, and then at the end, el sees hopper in scrubs. she sees mike, screaming, sees that they’re both in danger. holy shit!!! what the fuck!!! what’s happened since we left will seizing on the ground??? we feel el’s fear and confusion. she decides to go home. and then... boom. “the lost sister” is over. now, we rewind, right back to will seizing on the ground, and “the spy” commences. we learn how they got into the danger that el saw in the end of “the lost sister,” and we sit on the edge of our seats all through “the spy” and “the mind flayer,” KNOWING that el is on her way back to save them but not knowing when she’ll arrive!! idk i don’t think that would have necessarily saved lost sister but i think it may have alleviated some of the issues that i and many others have with it, timing-wise.

the nancy/jonathan sidequest

once again, the idea of nancy going off on her own little mission to find justice for barb after s1 is like. amazing. genuinely i love that plot for her and i can’t imagine anything better for her to have focused on in s2. unfortunately though i think her and jonathan’s little trip to see murray was just kind of... lame. the whole thing just felt like an excuse to get the two of them alone together, yknow? which is fine i guess people contrive all sorts of situations to get characters alone together for romance reasons but in this case i think it just really doesn’t work for me because of what it’s juxtaposed with. like, will is POSSESSED, and jonathan is just off on a mini road trip and sleeping with his bestie, and jonathan never seems to communicate to joyce/will that he left town, and joyce never like... thinks to tell him that will is like sick and fucked up and they’re looking at him in the lab??? like it’s so weird i know joyce always forgets about jonathan when shit’s happening with will but jfc you’d think at some point in that like... 72-ish-hour period where jonathan was out of town she would have thought about him. like at least once. maybe i’m forgetting something and she mentioned him sometime and i missed it but even still, i hate the juxtaposition of nancy and jonathan just like cheers-ing at murray’s place and sleeping together and whatnot while everyone else is dealing with possession or trying to hunt down dart yknow? it feels really boring in comparison and i think it could have been done far better. like it was SO insanely easy for them to get into the lab and get an admission of guilt and escape with it!! i think it might have been a lot more engaging if maybe someone from the lab tailed them to murray’s place and they had to like lose the tail and race to get the recording out to as many news outlets as possible before they got caught, or something like that. the tension in their plotline is completely resolved in episode four!! episodes five and six are just them screwing around and addressing envelopes. while there were a lot of strong ideas in this plotline (i really enjoy nancy going out of her way to get justice, and the fact that they have to water down the story to make it believable), i just think the focus on nancy and jonathan getting together hindered it a lot without adding a ton to the plot or their individual characters.

season 3

strengths

starcourt mall as a setting

while i don’t think the mall was utilized quite to its full potential (something i could make a separate post about if anyone’s interested), i do think that starcourt was a genius addition to the series. i’ve said this before, but building a new mall is a literal Perfect in-universe justification for a significant leap forward in fashion and aesthetics, and it provides a great location for characters to just... be characters. idk how else to articulate this i just think that the mall is a great setting to let people interact with each other and to bring people together who may not have been otherwise (i.e. scoops troop). not to mention how sick it was to see the mall get wrecked toward the end kdjncdkm like they were able to do so much more with the mall in terms of like The Finale than they could with just the byers house or the cabin or the school or even the lab. i love all the back tunnels they run through it’s such a fun like acknowledgement of how this glitzy eighties mall is just a real place where employees get shipments and take out the trash and shit idk it’s all about the perfect facade and what’s hidden what’s underneath what’s hiding in plain sight etc etc i’m just saying words now. anyway. 

willingness to experiment and go against expectations

gay robin. neon aesthetics. giant fucking meat monster. i know some people hate both the neon and the meat monster but i personally think they were kind of amazing and like. yknow regardless of personal tastes i think it’s impossible to deny that s3 had a lot of incredible visuals, and they’re all visuals that just wouldn’t have been possible if the show were too afraid to stray from its s1 aesthetic. robin being canonically gay (and her resulting friendship with steve) and the season’s striking visuals are two things that most everyone (besides like homophobes skjncdknm) can agree were great, right? and they were both departures from where the show began and what we all expected!! so yeah i think while some of the experimentation in s3 wasn’t ideal it was also that experimentation that allowed for some of the season’s strongest elements to come about.

the hospital sequence (and the season’s action/horror scenes in general)

this one is fairly self-explanatory. while they may have underutilized the “body snatching” element of the season, the hospital sequence with nancy and jonathan fighting off their possessed bosses did an amazing job of building tension and creating a genuine sense of really intense and personal danger.

in general i think that s3 melded action and horror rather well, particularly in the sauna test, the hospital, and when the mindflayer busts through the roof of hop’s cabin. horror can come from many things, and in this case, st elicited horror largely from the feeling of helplessness, and it was really effective for me personally. i think it worked better for me than s1′s brand of horror because it doesn’t rely so much on a lack of knowledge or a sense of suspense that inevitable disappears upon a second viewing.

the body horror we got in s3 was also really fun! that’s it i just think all the blood and guts and slime were fun and i would like more of them. once again, the impacts of body horror are less dependent upon the viewer being in the dark or unsure as to what’s happening, and as such i think it tends to be a little more effective at eliciting reaction in the long term.

timing and mechanics of the battle of starcourt/finale

i think the battle of starcourt is just fucking awesome, and beyond that personal opinion, i think it’s the most high-stakes and intense finale of all three seasons, and this is for two main reasons! 1. el is out of commission, and 2. (almost) everyone is in the same cental location. this means that (almost) everyone is in danger all at once, and they are all working together at the same time to fight the same threat. s1/s2 have their groups more fragmented for the finales, and while i understand why in each case and i wouldn’t call either season’s finale necessarily weak, i do think the centralized nature of the s3 finale just Works on another level. in s1 and s2, large segments of the cast are already perfectly safe by the time el dispatches the primary threat. in s3, however, everybody save for dustin and erica is still in danger up until the last moment, and el is seemingly (you can def debate how much power she still had in her when she peeked into billy’s mind and whether the memory broke the mindflayer’s hold on him or if she was actually controlling him to some degree) completely vulnerable. this increases the tension and raises the stakes, making the finale a real crescendo to fortissimo as opposed to a series of little mezzo forte moments. i hope everyone reading this knows music idk how else to phrase that my brain is stupid.

emphasis on friendship and adolescence (but in a different way than s1/2)

this is definitely a controversial one but i think that s3 really did like... show a side of friendship that had been more or less unexplored thus far in the show. el and max were amazing, and i think it’s really nice that we got an opportunity to see the kids have some growing pains as well as see them support each other through Normal Adolescent Stuff like boyfriends and breakups instead of just like. death and trauma. this is maybe just a personal preference, but i think it can be really enlightening and provide a lot of depth when you get to see how characters respond to normal everyday conflict and not just how they respond to giant world-ending conflict!! letting el use her powers for goofy teenage shit like spying on boys and messing with mean girls at the mall is not only fun for her and the audience, but it also really emphasizes just how much those powers are a part of el, making it that much more devastating when she loses them at the end of the season. 

weaknesses

tonal dissonance

so this is like. obvious. but it must still be said! i won’t go on and on about it since we all know this so i’ll try to like talk about it from an angle people don’t usually? anyway. it seems to me like they were maybe a little worried about s3 being too dark. while the choice to really lean into humor was definitely driven by the sorts of eighties teen films from which s3 drew inspiration (like fast times at ridgemont high), i think it was also done in an attempt to alleviate the more troubling implications of some events in the season, particularly the russian bunker plot. like, yeah, st can be incredibly dark, but if they’d played the whole “children being stuck inside of a foreign military base, tied up, tortured, and drugged” thing completely straight without the humorous elements that exist in canon, it had the potential to be like... disturbing on a new level. steve and robin don’t have powers like el yknow their kidnapping/torture doesn’t have any sci-fi elements to sorta soften the blow. they’re just innocent teenagers being brutalized and traumatized by grown men. so anyway yeah i think maybe the writers were concerned about this storyline coming off as too dark and they wanted it to be a little more whimsical but they ended up pushing way too hard in that direction and creating extreme dissonance at times. this goes for joyce/hopper/murray/alexei too, but to a lesser extent. i think the ridiculousness in that group felt a lot more like... realistic. but still. 

newspaper plot

once again i feel like i don’t even need to say this skjdncmn we all know it was insane how the show basically ended up delivering the message “while misogyny is a serious problem poverty and classism are not” and i’ve said it on this blog a million times so i don’t need to repeat myself. i’ll focus on another weak point of this plot: the fact that it completely separates nancy and jonathan from everyone else. once again, the show’s preoccupation with j/ancy held them back! like... can you imagine a version of s3 where nancy and jonathan both worked in the mall? i have a lot of ideas about this possible au and like how the plot could play out differently if they worked in the mall but first of all it’s just more realistic, second of all it further utilizes the mall as a central setting, and third of all, it would bring everyone together. as it is in canon, nancy and jonathan were unnecessarily isolated from the rest of the group, and this isolation was detrimental to both of their characters. like, they only ever get to interact with each other! if they’d gotten summer jobs in the mall, they could have had more interactions with the kids/steve/robin, and they absolutely still could have had a similar argument! maybe in this case, nancy notices the rat thing (or something else odd) herself when taking out the trash behind the mall, and she wants jonathan to ditch work with her to check it out bc she thinks it may be related to the lab. jonathan doesn’t want to ditch work because he needs his job, nancy argues that they’re working shitty mall jobs anyway and who cares if they get fired, and we get more or less the same thing as s3 without the cartoonishly over-the-top misogyny. i mean honestly i think the rat shit could have been cut entirely it didn’t rly... accomplish much of anything. in my opinion. like imagine s3 without the rat plot you literally would not be missing anything except it would be more surprising when the dudes melted into goo at the hospital. so yeah i think it would have been better if nancy and jonathan had jobs at the mall, weren’t isolated from everybody else, and were maybe absorbed into the party’s plot or the scoops troop’s plot from very early on, allowing them to interact with more characters and have a less... dumb.... plot. like god splitting up nancy and jonathan between the party/scoops troop would have been So Much better i just. sdkjcnksdmn anyway yeah.

briefness of group reunion/separation of groups

remember in s2 at the beginning of “the gate,” where mike and hopper had a confrontation and max and el met for the first time and el hugged everyone and steve and nancy had their sad little moment together outside... where’s that energy? obviously the s2 reunion wasn’t that long either, but it made space for some significant emotional moments to take place. s3′s reunion had some hopper/el/mike resolution, but besides that... there was nothing, really. i just think that the whole group getting together in s3 was SO exciting and powerful the way they did it (with both the scoops troop and the adults having their own Big Moment reconnecting with team griswold family), but the emotional potential was more or less squandered. 

i also think in s3 at times they were really stretching to keep everybody separated even though it made no sense. and like... in s1 the separation worked bc nobody else knew that (x group) was experiencing weird shit too, and beyond that, each group (as i mentioned in the s1 section) was sort of operating within their own genre and bringing something unique to the season. they’ve stopped doing that though! now, the groups aren’t separate bc each plot is tonally/structurally different, the groups are just separate bc... they need to be, because it’s a big ensemble cast and you can’t just have them all be together for a whole season or it would be way too difficult to coordinate things and keep the show dynamic. all this is to say that i’m excited for s4 because the location differences make it so there’s a Reason for each plot to be separate at the beginning, and i think that’ll work better.

general ridiculousness

i dont mean like i think it’s bad that they made jokes this is just me lumping in all the dumb shit like hopper not worrying about el and not wanting to check on the kids, him and joyce bickering long after they both know they and their children are in danger, max seemingly forgetting that billy is a racist abuser, etc etc. i think many of these are just a symptom of the show 1. trying desperately to keep the groups split up a certain way even though it may not make any sense, and 2. trying to fit into a certain genre/trope mold when their actual characters are more complex than the tropes they’re imitating. this is so fucking long already i am not gonna elaborate further rn but i trust u all know what i mean.

soooo... yeah, that’s about all! i mean it’s not all there are definitely many more things i could talk about and i know i focused sorta disproportionately on the teens which is my bad :/ but i’m done for now. thank you for asking, and apologies for the delay in responding!! i’m sure some people reading (if anyone read this far) will disagree with some of what i’ve said and that’s alright like i’m not The Authority on st or anything i’m just trying to talk about like my own thoughts yknow? so yeah luv u all i hope someone enjoyed reading this!!

[birbleafs]

[fic] A Much Ado About (PSI)oulmates

Series: Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan || The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. Rating: T Genre: Humour, Breaking The Fourth Wall Character(s): Saiki Kusuo, Aiura Mikoto, Satou Hiroshi, Akechi Touma, Toritsuka Reita Warnings: None, save for canon-typical shenanigans Summary:  Aiura decides to combine her divination abilities with Kusuo’s powers for a super special comedic segment on Affinity Levels. Fic can also be read on AO3 _______

Excerpt taken from clairvoyant Dame Mata-Mata’s advert for Amazing Psychic Services:

99.9% accurate affinity readings and guaranteed life-long happiness! Discover your twin flame with as little 10,000 yen per hour! Some would say it’s foolish to risk your future and wallet on such clandestine offerings, but we assure you, we are no worse than the underhanded brand marketing on children’s television series! Call 1800-TWINFLAMES -1234567 to book a reading today!!

***

Anyone who would believe such clandestine and shady offerings isn’t just a fool but a complete buffoon, Kusuo scoffs impassively at the flyer before him. This is definitely worse than the underhanded brand marketing on children’s TV shows.

“They’re a total noob at it, fer sure!” Aiura says, leaning in too close and posing next to Kusuo as she takes a wefie with her phone. “Like sure, the concept of twin flames and soulmates ain’t new, but to claim everyone has half a soul yearning to get jiggy with its other missing half for life-long bliss is like, a gross oversimplification.” I don’t really care to be honest, Kusuo deadpans. He stares sullenly at how Aiura’s arm is still wrapped around his; she offers him a cheeky grin and a peace sign, snapping yet another wefie before she finally slides away to the opposite seat. “Soulmates just have more natural affinity for each other,” Aiura says, batting her eyelashes at him coyly. “But just like with everything, it doesn’t mean you don’t need to put in any effort to make it work! Hey, speaking of which—the author has a super special birthday tradition where she writes and/or posts up a new story, so this fanfic can totally be about Affinity Meters, right?!” Don’t know what you’re going on about and still don’t actually care, Kusuo retorts, shoving a spoonful of coffee jelly into his mouth as he resolutely tries to enjoy his Sunday afternoon. But Aiura persists, easily breaking the fourth wall to elaborate further: “Just like how Kusuo can use the Affection Meter to quantify a person’s love for another, today we’ll combine Kusuo’s telepathy and my own divination abilities to measure soulmate compatibility via Affinity Levels! So, without further ado, let’s go, let’s goooo!” Aiura, no, Kusuo groans in quiet despair. “Miko-chan, YES!” Aiura whoops, fist-pumping the prologue away as the scene fades out. _______

i.

Satou Hiroshi

Conventional. Moderate. Regular. Behold the quintessential stock background character, the pinnacle of normality—Satou Hiroshi. Standing at a height of 169.9 centimeters and weighing at precisely 61.0 kilograms—the exact national average of a healthy sixteen-year-old Japanese male—he is the gold standard, the epitome of normal. It’s a shame then that few recognize Satou-kun’s remarkable ordinariness, Kusuo muses, watching said background character ambling down the sidewalk with an approving smile. Nevertheless, perhaps that may be to my benefit. Surely our Affinity Levels must be pretty high; after all, we’re both normal and regular high-school teens who do not stand out much— “I don’t think using your powers to make yourself inconspicuous counts though,” Aiura says as she glances over Kusuo’s shoulder, puzzled at his fixation on someone so… well, boring. Kusuo isn’t even listening. We both have regular aspirations and hobbies, seeking only to live peaceful days! “Funnily, I now remember peeking at Normal-kun’s fortune for Hii-chan. And get this, his biggest dream is being on stage as a rock star! Like seriously, how typical can he get?” —So, taking into consideration all of the above, Kusuo presses on, undeterred by Aiura’s commentary, surely we would hit it off as friends with optimal affinity levels! “Uhm, Kusuo?” Aiura nudges him with her elbow, pointing at the meter hovering beside them. “Not to be a wet blanket and all, but the Affinity Meter started running again as you were waxing lyrical earlier, so now it’s showing that Normal-kun and your Affinity Levels are like, really just two stars at best.” She leans forward, squinting at the screen. “Simply because he thinks you’re okay but still a bit of a weirdo. Dayum, the nerve of this twerp!” Kusuo stares wordlessly at her for a beat, slack-jawed. A-Ahyuu…?

Affinity Level: ☆☆ _______

 ii.

Akechi Touma

“It pains me to have to do this,” Aiura lets out a dramatic sigh. “But since Childhood Friends is a pretty popular trope in animanga, and therefore in fanfiction, I guess there’s no avoiding it.” Kusuo scowls, not liking where this is heading at all. It can totally be avoided. We can just avoid talking about it altogether. “Is that you, Kusuo-kun?” Akechi says as he suddenly appears at Kusuo’s side, curiosity in his eyes. “Oh, I see Aiura-san is here as well. I couldn’t help but notice how you two were standing and talking together so I thought I should come say hello, even though I was rather hesitant at first. I didn’t want to abruptly barge into your conversation, you see, as that would have been awfully rude, and I certainly don’t wish for you to think of me as rude, Kusuo-kun.” Yet here you are barging in anyway, blathering on incessantly like a runaway freight train, Kusuo remarks drily. “Well, I couldn’t help but overhear the mention of Affinity Levels,” Akeichi beams as he continues, unfazed by the jibe. “And I can’t say my curiosity isn’t the least bit piqued, even if I have little to no real interest or belief in the notion of soulmates. In fact, the existence of an actual soul remains debatable in scientific circles—” Exasperated, Aiura tries to interject. “Since you ain’t all that interested, mind if you just zip those lips for like five minutes? My hair’s gone all frizzy from the heat of your endless jabbering!” “However, these debates on the existence of the soul had also been instrumental to the understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the human body—” “Oh my God, please just stop yapping for ONE sec—!!” Aiura shrieks, tugging at her curls in frustration. She accidentally kicks the Affinity Meter to start running, and the lights blink and flash in a rapid blur before the meter gradually slows down to display four bright stars upon its screen. There’s a beat; the trio leans forward, staring at the meter in awkward silence. Kusuo’s brows are furrowed at the unexpected results; he shrugs it off as a fluke. Clearly there’s some technical issue with Affinity Meter (never mind that the meter works, in part, based on Aiura’s divination abilities, which have, to date, always been accurate). There’s just no way Akechi could ever beat Satou-kun on that scale, he’s too much of an abnormal— But Aiura is already moving forward, reaching out to grasp Akechi’s hand in a firm handshake. “Aiura-san? Is there something…?” She acknowledges Akechi’s curious gaze with a curt nod. “All right, I can’t deny it any longer. Not with that impressive detective aura of yours and with results like that on both Kusuo and my own Affinity Meter.” Oi, oi. Don’t start spouting weird nonsense now, Miss Abnormal! “All right, Akeinu! I hereby deem you a worthy rival in the fight to stand as Kusuo’s trusted sidekick!” “Oho! You’ve even given me a cutesy nickname as acknowledgment! I must say I’m quite flattered, Aiura-san.” How about I side-kick both of you out of my life right now? Kusuo sighs, mildly perturbed by this unexpected turn of events.

Affinity Level: ☆☆☆☆ _______

iii.

Toritsuka Reita

…… …… …… What, did you seriously think Toritsuka was getting a proper scene? He’s already way too pathetic. NEXT— “W-wait, did you just cut my scene?!” Toritsuka shrieks from the void like a headless chicken. “Don’t just write me off, Saiki-saaan!!” —Saiki exits stage left, pursuing normalcy. “And don’t just narrate yourself out!!”

Affinity Level: N.A. _______

iv. Aiura Mikoto

“At first glance, you might think we make for an odd couple,” Aiura says with a coquettish smile. “And how it seems absolutely cray that we could get along. Or like, that we don’t mesh just ‘cause our personalities clash way too much or somethin’.” She chuckles at the notion, running perfectly manicured nails through her luscious locks. “I mean, it’s obvs only those inexperienced with the inner workings of the heart would think that. Because opposites attract, y’know? It’s the push-pull dynamism between us that spices things up! Like two tango dancers stirring up a flame on the dance floor—it keeps things refreshing and exciting, but still comforting and familiar in the end, like sharing a nice, warm bath at the end of the day, or cuddling up together at the sofa, feeding each other spoons of dessert…” Aiura pauses, blushing when she catches sight of the Affinity Meter fluttering gently by her shoulder, at the line of stars glowing from the screen, a beacon of reassurance of their status as soulmates. She turns towards Kusuo, suddenly self-conscious as she tucks a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Say, Kusuo… How about we head to that nice dessert buffet together and—” Only to realize she had been practically talking to thin air all this time. “H-Huh?! Aww, gimme a break! Where did you run off to this time, Kusuooo?!”

Affinity Level: ☆☆☆☆☆ _______ v.

Coffee Jelly

Good grief—finally some peace and quiet. Kusuo sighs as he leans back into the leather seat of his booth, in a nondescript cafe far away from his usual annoyances. He dips a spoon into his dessert bowl, lifting a dark sliver of coffee jelly to his mouth, and smiles in absolute contentment. There’s a soft whirr, and then a ping from somewhere below. He flicks a furtive gaze at the Affinity Meter hovering at the empty space beside him, curious despite himself. The endless line of glowing stars are probably a bit much, but he smiles anyway at the screen. Huh. I guess it works after all.

Affinity Level: ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

—End— _______ Notes:

It’s tradition for myself to spend my birthday writing and/or sharing a new fic (happy birthday to me!! lol). I also had this sitting in my draft for way too long and decided to kick myself to finish it. Apologies for any typoes/errors.

Comments and critique are always welcomed for my fics—I'd like to hear what you think, if you've enjoyed this! Thanks for reading :)

[brothermarc7theatre]

“Head Over Heels” show #816

A couple of years ago, Head Over Heels received its pre-Broadway run in San Francisco and I was tempted to see it. However, in those pre-COVID days, free time was near-non-existent, so I chose to simply wait to see it, knowing it was headed to Broadway. In the 2018-2019 season it opened and, unfortunately, closed before my annual NYC trip, but I feared not. I remember telling whomever would listen, “I’m good; I know Selma’s gonna do it.” I was right, and I am happy that Selma Arts Center’s production, helmed by Michael Christopher Flores, was my first time seeing The Go-Go’s done theatrically. A production that is perfectly-suited for an outdoor venue, Selma’s Head Over Heels is the right dose of post(ish)-pandemic musical medicine we’ve been craving.

Loosely based on 16th century’s The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia by Sir Philip Sydney, the music of the Go-Go’s meets literature in the style of your basic jukebox musical. All the foundations are there: multiple love stories, mistaken identities/misunderstandings, a nerdy guy ya’ love to root for, and lots of dancing. Where Head Over Heels rises above most is that audiences aren’t wading through scenes just to get to the next song. Rather, the songs complement the depth of the character’s emotion(s), and, at times, forward the plot. Head Over Heels’ weakness is that its book, originally conceived by Jeff Whitty and then James Magruder, does nearly nothing to serve the production as a whole. And unless you’re a diehard fan of The Go-Go’s, you probably know about four-and-a-half of their hits, and you will find yourself muttering, “Oh! I didn’t know The Go-Go’s sang that!” However, in the exceptional hands of Flores’ direction and choreography, and Mindy Ramos’ stellar vocal direction, this production rises above the material in a way that will have you getting the beat from the show’s opening moments.

Flores astutely makes the show’s jokes and love plots clear, allowing the few gems in the book to come through to audiences. Where Flores’ direction shines is how he calibrates a heightened delivery of the scenes while taking the songs seriously, whether they be seriously-fun, seriously-romantic, seriously-comedic, etc. Troy Sloan delivers an affable Musidorus/Cleophila, whose fluid allure becomes the fixation of three different characters in the play. Sloan’s early solo, “Mad About You,” is a triumph and he never relinquishes the cheering we give him as an audience. Opposite Sloan is a pitch-perfect Annelise Escobedo Lyman as Philoclea, the true apple of Musidorus’ eye. Lyman shines in her leading of the trio, “Good Girl,” delivering innocence and genuine love for her beloved while giving dynamite vibrato. Her ongoing snippets of duet and solos are welcomed turns among a, honestly, fantastic vocal company. Playing Pamela, sister to Philoclea, is Julia Prieto, who gives not only a vocally dominating performance, but one which delivers on the comedy, romance, and drama the role requires. “Beautiful” is a wonderful solo turn for Prieto, and “How Much More,” is a gem. Prieto and Jessica Meredith, playing Pamela’s maid/eventual lover, deliver a show-stopping duet in “Automatic Rainy Day,” and nail the delivery of their romantic arc, the most solidly written in the show.

(Company of Head Over Heels; Photo credit: Kyle Lowe)

William Bishop, as King Basilius, and Ellie West, as Queen Gynecia, give wonderful, appropriately juxtaposing performances of royal buffoonery (the King) and royal intelligence and duty (the Queen). With solid vocal and acting work throughout, their highlight is in their act two duet, “This Old Feeling,” complete with a memorable comedic performance by Sloan, balancing the two’s source of affection. Both West and Bishop lead a wonderful “Heaven is a Place on Earth,” a nice upbeat moment amongst the act two drama. Nwachukwu is a dominating force, both vocally and physically, as the oracle-delivering Pythio. Partnered with I Adeficha’s Snake-puppetry/Pit singing, Nwachukwu gives the musical a grounded focus, a standout performance which truly benefits from their flawless execution of the old theatre note, “less is more.” With engaging crouching, a few sliding stair units, and featured choreography, Nwachukwu’s turns at “A Vision of Nowness,” a few reprises, and “Our Lips are Sealed” are gold. Juan Luis Guzman delivers a scene-stealing turn as Dametas, father to Mopsa. It’s never an easy job to be the comedic relief in a musical comedy, but with Guzman’s physical antics and eloquent delivery of several plot-serving asides, he comes through with aplomb.

(Front center-right: Nwachukwu (Pythio), Up on stairs: I Adeficha (Snake/Pit Singer); The Arcadian ensemble of Head Over Heels; Photo credit: Kyle Lowe)

Now, the Arcadian ensemble. For those who don’t know, “jukebox musical” almost never equates to “easy singing,” and this ensemble delivers on all fronts. The ensemble is truly a unit in voice and in movement. With Flores having a very specific storytelling style while still creating formations and aesthetics which don’t bore, the movement and dance breaks in the score are filled without overdoing. The ensemble is giving it all, in the heat, outside, on a not-cushy stage, and you would have no idea because their execution appears effortless and fun. Flores choreographs the entire company with intelligent vision, always serving the script. I found his (without spoiling it) context of a lift that Sloan receives in act one’s “Mad About You” to have a wonderfully tender meaning when reprised after act two’s “Here You Are.”

Within an intentionally stripped-down tech, it is Damen Pardo’s costume designs which take center focus, and rightly so. The entire company is dressed with enthusiasm in color palettes to complement the company numbers and individual journeys the principal characters take. Head Over Heels is a show that I never have to see again because I’ve seen a peak production. Many bravos and bravas to Flores, Ramos, team, and cast for putting on a highly entertaining show, one which is progressive in bringing to light the importance of understanding pronouns, gender fluidity, and societal norms. These topics are given discussion, and explored through question, in a responsible manner, both in the show and in Selma Arts Center’s program excerpt. It’s not often, or ever really, that one will receive entertainment and education at a jukebox musical. Selma Arts Center has nailed it, so head out and go see this show!

[quillium]

A fic where the Wens never get power-hungry and everyone lives in peace:

Jin Guangshan dies of an STD or something before this all begins btw. There’s no evil plotting here, just him being real dumb. His wife took over the sect while he was being dead. So this entire fic is set in a world where Jin Guangshan is dead.

Mianmian befriends Jiang Yanli at one of the conferences. Mianmian teaches Jiang Yanli some cultivation stuff while Jiang Yanli teaches Mianmian how to cook it’s very cute

Jin Zixuan becomes closer friends with Mianmian due to the fact that they’re in peacetime

Jin Zixuan falls in love with Mianmian but Mianmian knows that Jiang Yanli has a crush on the peacock so she’s like “oh, you want to go out in the city together to grab dinner? Of course, let me bring my friend! :)))” and of course Jin Zixuan can’t say “no it’s a date” because he’s a shy dork underneath his proud exterior

Jin Zixuan sees that Jiang Yanli’s actually real nice when they’re out together and he doesn’t fall in love (yet) but he is by now humble enough to realize he should apologize so they make up and become friends

Meanwhile Gusu trio watches (aka spies from afar) Lan Zhan walk around the city pining and Wei Wuxian is like “he’s PINING” and Nie Huaisang’s like “no he has no heart Wei-xiong” and Jiang Cheng’s like “can we do literally anything else and who on earth would someone like him be pining after anyways you’re being dumb”

Wei Wuxian’s like “I’m going to PROVE he’s in love with someone” it’s peak comedy and they set up a betting pool

Cue Wei Wuxian trying to get closer to Lan Zhan to find out who he’s in love with

Meng Yao isn’t like evil or anything yet so Nie Huaisang’s like “let’s go make a scheme to get you into the Jin family if that’s what you really want” and Meng Yao’s like “okay” and Jiang Cheng is like “I am not involved in this at ALL”

Jiang Cheng is like okay cool so I can’t talk to the Lans because my older brother’s flirting with one of their heirs, I can’t talk to the Jins because arrogance and drama and can’t get into the way of my sister seducing the dumb peacock, and I can’t talk to the Nies because Huaisang is plotting and Mingjue’s low-key scary so I guess I’ll have to talk to the Wens

We get like two chapters of Jiang Cheng kinda just wandering the city being lost in between all the other drama (it’s HILARIOUS) and then he bumps into Wen Ning who’s like “!!! a FRIEND!!!” and they end up wandering the city together. It’s real cute because Jiang Cheng and Wen Ning are pretty respectful and formal people so there’s a LOT of bowing and the two calling each other “Young Master”

Wen Qing eventually gets out of, I dunno a meeting or something, and finds Wen Ning and he’s like “come walk with me and Jiang-gongzi” and she doesn’t know how to say no so she’s like “yeah okay”

I’m going to say that since the Wens aren’t evil here, Wen Qing isn’t being threatened or anything to stay but she is getting the financial support that her family needs and the Wens are pretty good to her in this universe so she’s staying for financial reasons but actually wants to be a wandering doctor, see the world and help those who can’t help themselves

Wen Qing and Jiang Cheng have a long conversation about loyalty to family above all else, what it means to be responsible to a big group of people, etc. and they’re very similar people so it’s nice

Sometime while this is happening, Lan Zhan and Wei Wuxian get tangled in Nie Huaisang’s plot to get Meng Yao into the Jin family and then they see Wen Ning and drag him off so this is just a one-on-one convo between Wen Qing and Jiang Cheng

Jiang Cheng leaves with a lot to think about, because Wen Qing admits that she values her family and the sect is just a means to an end. For Jiang Cheng, as sect heir, his family and sect are tied together so closely yet also Wei Wuxian can leave the sect at any moment (and Jiang Cheng would let him if that’s what he really wants but he won’t be happy about it) so he’s thinking

While he’s thinking, Wei Wuxian takes his fingers out of his pies and goes and teases Jiang Cheng about Wen Qing. Jiang Cheng is totally unphased and straight up says “yeah of course she would make a good wife, are you stupid?” Wei Wuxian is shook that Jiang Cheng is not responding to his teasing by getting flustered and they have a conversation about love and Wen Qing and how Jiang Cheng feels about her and it ends with Wei Wuxian feeling weirded out that Jiang Cheng seems so logical and detached about a future wife, doesn’t he want love?

While Wei Wuxian’s walking away from Jiang Cheng and thinking this over, he bumps into who else but Lan Zhan! Ah, Wei Wuxian thinks, here’s someone who’s ALWAYS super logical and detached! I’ll interrogate him to understand more! but surprise surprise Lan Zhan is a ROMANTIC who wants eternal love with a single person who will always be his

Wei Wuxian: What if the person you’re crushing on doesn’t like you at all and never wants to be with you? Isn’t it kind of ridiculous to keep pining like that? Lan Zhan, talking to his crush that very moment: If they want me to stay away, I’ll stay away. I’ll just die alone then

I think they end up having a conversation where Wei Wuxian talks about change, how it can be positive and good, and how even if it’s romantic to always love one person, there’s nothing wrong with loving new people. Lan Zhan says something about how it isn’t making him unhappy, that he’s okay with loving without having it reciprocated--but admits that he’d like to be able to honest about it without suppressing his feelings

It ends with a confession. Wei Wuxian doesn’t respond immediately and Lan Zhan leaves

Jiang Cheng has a conversation with Jiang Yanli about love. When she’s describing how she feels about Jin Zixuan, he says that he can’t understand/feel any of that. She says that everyone’s different, but he’s starting to suspect that he, especially, is very different

Wei Wuxian talks to Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli about Lan Zhan’s confession. Jiang Cheng doesn’t understand anything and Jiang Yanli tells him that if Lan Zhan is the person she thinks he is, nothing has to change if Wei Wuxian doesn’t want it to--they can still stay friends, Lan Zhan won’t hold the refusal against him

Wei Wuxian goes to talk to Lan Zhan and says something like “I can’t choose you over all else so we can’t get together, but I want to still have you in my life as a friend” and Lan Zhan says something like “you never have to choose me, because I’ll always choose you”

Wei Wuxian’s like oh shit I literally JUST turned you down and now you’re making me fall in love with you??? What the hell???

We spend about five chapters alternating between Nie Huaisang cleverly putting together all the pieces for his brilliant plan to get Meng Yao into the Jin sect and Wei Wuxian’s ridiculously stupid attempts to seduce the man who is already in love with him

Nie Mingjue, who is totally bros with Meng Yao at this point because this is a magical au where it’s all good and nothing bad ever happens, is in negotiations with Madame Jin while Nie Huaisang is weaving this convoluted plot to get Meng Yao in and like. Madame Jin is a reasonable woman so she’s like ‘yeah if he’s a hard worker and this great then we’ll just let him in the sect’ and Nie Huaisang’s like ‘but... my plan...’

For comedic purposes: the plan is NEVER revealed, but we hear more and more ridiculous things referencing it as the fic continues and everyone’s like how on EARTH does all this work together??? and we just. Never find out.

Wei Wuxian, walking into Nie Huaisang’s room with a rare blue dragon with feathers: Hey I finally got the mythical creature from the cave-- Nie Huaisang, miserably: The plan’s a bust. Madame Jin let him in.

Lan Xichen: Um... whatcha got there...? Lan Zhan, carrying five jars of wine with red bean paste mixed in: Well it was for Nie Huaisang’s plot but now I’m going to try and seduce Wei Wuxian with them Lan Xichen, holding up a cheap one yen seal that he bought at a very specific location from a lady with a red scarf: Oh yeah same but I can’t seduce anyone with something this cheap

Just. The comedy gold. Continuously ridiculous things.

Jiang Yanli: I was supposed to seduce the shopkeeper of the bookstore for Nie Huaisang’s plot but then it stopped and now I just have a guy who’s crushing on me... Jin Zixuan, starting to realize that he’s falling in love with Jiang Yanli: Oh--uh--haha--that’s um awful--

Anyways obviously Wifi gets together with Lan Zhan, Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli get together, we get a few chapters of Meng Yao missing parts of the Unclean Realm while he’s with the Jins, Jiang Cheng realizes he’s aroace, etc, etc, we get a really happy ending.

Anyways that’s all I’ve got in me but if you want to add please do!

[my-arlington-academia]

Chapter 9 thoughts! 🎃👻 (Not a review in any way, I'm just gonna scream about the chapter)

First of all, you CANNOT believe how many screenshots I took. It's like 1 line out of 4 was comedic gold. I counted and I have exactly a HUNDRED screenshots.

Ariel? The backgrounds? The costumes? THEY BLEW ME AWAY! Anytime a new character appeared on screen with their outfit I was screeching 😂 Especially Karolina. She was killing it. It made me consider making another side account. Love the Alice madness returns trio: Ellie as Alice, Tyler as the mad hatter and Tegan as Cheshire cat. You really did God's work 😔✊🙏🙏

Now to the chapter in general and the writing: at the moment I only played on my Claire account! I'll do Alistair later👌

Love how we start the chapter with Tadashi ALREADY being annoyed. Dick-shaped balloons? Tadashi saying "spooky vibes"? The "WhEn WiLL yOu LeArN tHaT yOuR aCtIoNs HaVe CoNsEqUeNcEs?!?" meme but Tadashi style? Perfect.

The interactions with Claire were absolutely adorable. I thought I would panic when the first dialogue option showed up but it's Claire, so it wasn't hard to figure out! She's so sweet and I love her. The part where Scholar is praising her cooking and she's like "that's the perks of being French!" After that, how she gave Scholar a box full of cookies because she's worried about her skipping meals? CUTE. And the study group where Raquel and Axel are calling out Claire on her obvious crush? Bruh. That's some backstabbing, poor bby Claire 😖😖

Then, the next arc tease! I think it's the "FAXION" thing! So it's either Karol's arc or Neha's? Or both at the same time maybe? I'm interested: how is it gonna play out? A fashion competition where all the main 10 will somehow get involved sounds unlikely, so I guess it's like Tadashi's arc where everyone helps? Or something like that? But I have no idea what kind of problem can arise in a fashion competition 🤔

After that, we have the first illustration! Scholar is a cutie!!! Looking at herself all proud 😎 wish I had that level of self-confidence, when I pass in front of a mirror I don't even want to look at myself 😂

Then the party... Tadashi looking like he was DEAD while all the others look fabulous in their Halloween costumes... Poor Dashi. But love how he was terrified of the Arlingtonator, it's so precious that even though he's always so composed and serious he still believes in stuff like that 😆 Raquel was about to call him a p u s s y. Bruh.

I love the whole team messing with Tadashi but poor guy. He was really trying to protect his friends first before himself, he's so sweet I love him 😭

Later on, when Scholar was looking at Claire and she's like "oh yeah I was just checking you out UH- I mean the outfit! I was checking out the outfit!" I felt that cringe Scholar must've gone through 😂

Now. The next scene. The next scene took the crown for me. I LAUGHED. You guys cannot imagine how rare it is for me to audibly laugh when I'm reading something. I really stopped for a few seconds and kept staring at the screen while laughing. Andy "I CaN't WrItE cOmeDy" bruh no. The AMOUNT of happiness this gave me 😂 please, next time instead of 250 pages write 300 thank you 😌 (I'm only kidding! Serena will lose her mind)

I think I might or might not have this whole scene screenshoted. All the dialogue kills me.

"Al, consider our friendship cancelled."

"PIKI PIKI."

"Tomorrow? You're all dead to me."

This scene will stay in my mind and in my heart. Andy thank you for the amazing food 👏👏 I believe this will stay "iconic" in the fandom 😂

Then we had the party wrap up, of course I chose to play boardgames with Karol, Neha and Claire since this is Claire's account. And I gotta say, I LOVE IT. Karolina looks so happy for once, I couldn't believe it. I also love how Claire is clearly a bit chubby, I want to hug her 💖💗 (or how the internet says: "Thicc" I guess) I got the achievement "in front of MY boardgame?" or something along those lines because Karolina was complaining that Scholar and Claire are flirting 😎

Then we got the spooky stories and a terrified Tadashi begging for his life... god this better not awaken anything in me 😂

And finally the last scene with Claire... God it was so ufozkfhzuhdkdpzjrudozrydo 💗💖💕💝💘💖💗💕💝💘

Words cannot express the diabetes I got from that fricking scene...

Anyways!!! As you can see this really wasn't a review at all, just me gushing about sweet elite like always. Is anyone surprised? The only bad thing about this chapter was that it was so sweet that I wanted even more wholesomeness after it was already over 😭 and I know that next arc is going to be even harsher than Tadashi's from what the SE team told us... goodbye happy times, I'll wait for the christmas/new year chapter for more heartwarming stuff. Hopefully it's chapter 12 or 13 🤞🤞 (Well, okay, I admit I'm also looking forward to the angst. I can go through any pain if there's happiness at the end 😔✊)

[greencoded]

        ———       ❛       HEY ,  MY  LITTLE  RAGER  TEENAGER ,                                                           I’VE  MISSED  YOU  AROUND .       ❜

(  triggers  :  illness ,  death  ,  abuse.  ) (  beast  boy  ( 2014 ),  edited  ©  )

       —    quick  stats  :

full  name  :  garfield  mark  logan nicknames  :  gar ( preferred ) age  :  twenty - two  (  22  ) gender  &  pronouns  :  cisgendered  man  /  he  &  him  birthday  :  november  sixteenth  (  11 / 16 / 1997  ) zodiac :  scorpio  romantic  /  sexual  orientation  :  biromantic  &  bisexual   fandom  :  dc comics  /  teen  titans  (  2003 - 2006  ) occupation  :  dog - walker  

(  SCROLL  TO  THE  BOTTOM  FOR  PLOTTING  IDEAS  !  )

        —     memory  (  not  his  last  canon  memory  ) :

    ❛       — -    sweet  sounds  of  childish  innocence  spilled  from  your  lips,  arms  out  stretched  as  your  ran  around  your  parents,  finger - tips  brushing  the  soft  greenery  that  surrounded  the  trio.  though,  it  hadn’t  lasted  long  as  you  heard  your  father  call  your  name,  grabbing  your  arm,  scolding  you  for  being  such  a  distraction.  with  an  apology,  you  plopped  down  on  the  ground,  your  beige  shorts  now  being  rolled  between  your  fingers.  nibbling  at  the  inside  of  your  cheek,  you  parted  your  chapped  lips,  almost  as  if  to  say  something.  the  simple  fear  of  getting  scolded  once  again  held  the  question  in  your  throat,  deflating  once  again.  maybe  it  was  better  to  just  keep  your  mouth  shut,  wait  until  you  all  went  home.

   ❛       — -     the  hours  passed  and  passed  as  the  sweat  ran  down  your  forehead,  silently  suffering  in  the  cot  provided  to  you  by  your  parents.  god,  your  parents.   don’t  wake  them,  you  thought,  don’t  bother  them.  light  flicked  on  as  a  blood - curdling  sob  ripped  from  your  throat,  the  pain  gathering  your  chest. . .  in  your  arms.  for  a  moment,  you  felt  like  you’d  been  cared  for  as  your  father  held  you  and  asked  about  what  you  were  feeling  ;  it  was  just  more  research  wasn’t  it  ?  you  were  officially  part  of  your  dad’s  testing . . .  a  part  of  his  project.

  ❛       — -     with  a  sharp  pain  to  your  abdomen ,  the  chilling  sweats  stopped ,  but  the  pain  had  just  begun  as  your  felt  your  bones  begin  to  ache .  your  blood  temperature  rising  beneath  sun - kissed  skin .  blinking  awake ,  you  watched  as  your  fingers  looked  a  sickly  green  color ,  watching  the  color  run  up  your  arm  as  if  your  arm  was  made  out  of  paper  and  a  child  had  run  through  it  with  a  marker .  it  took  the  child  only  a  second  to  sit  up,  dull  nails  itching  and  scratching  at  the  skin  on  his  arms  as  if  the  green  hue  he  could  simply  rip  off  with  enough  effort .  no ,  no ,  no  ! 

(  there  should  be  a  gif  here  but  i  hated  all  of  the  ones  i  made.  imagine  a  scared,  sad  green  boy  !  )

 ❛       — -     sharp  canine  teeth  brushed  against  your  soft  bottom  lip  ,  not  understanding  any  second  of  what  had  been  happening  to  you  .  you  didn’t  want  this  ,  you  wanted  to  go  back  and  run  around  in  the  grass .  you’d  rather  be  scolded  by  your  parents  instead  of  this .  whatever  this  was .  you  wanted  to  be  normal. . .  not  whatever  you  are  now .  this  monster. . .   this  BEAST.

      —    alternate  san  francisco  bay  area ,  titans  tower  :

     — -     garfield  logan  works  for  the  titans  group ,  a  group  of  heroes  that  help  protect  california , operating  out  of  san  francisco .  and  as  the  resident  comic  relief  in  the  group ,  seriousness  is  not  something  he  ever  liked .  while  he  grew  up  with  two  parents  who  focused  on  their  science ,  it  never  really  rubbed  of  on  garfield .  at  least ,  not  the  way  they  wanted  it  to .  obviously  fate  had  a very  different  plan  for  the  logan  family.

      — -     around  the  age  of  eight ,  garfield  had  contracted  a  very  serious  illness ,  sakutia ,  which  is  likely  to  cause  death  in  two  hours  to  everyone  and  everything  but  the  african  green  monkey .  while  it  would’ve  killed  him,  his  father  decided  to  inject  him  with  and  antivenom  to  make  sure  he  lived.  though,  as  a  result,  the  illness  rewrote  his  genetic  code,  therefor  giving  him  green  skin,  green  eyes  and  green  hair.  along  with  pointed,  elf - like  ears  and  a  pair  of  sharp  canine  teeth.  along  with  the  physical  changes,  he  was  able  to  morph  into  any  animal  in  the  animal  kingdom.  though,  he  favors  changing  into  household  pets  (  dogs,  cats,  lizards,  snakes  and  the  occasional  guinea  pig / hamster ) .

       — -     the  torment  of  his  father  and  mother’s  abuse  (  mostly  verbal ,  scolding  him  for  giving  himself  a  virus  he  never  intended  to  have ,  calling  him  an  embarrassment ,  etc. )  led  him  to  becoming  a  reclusive  person  until  joining  the  doom  patrol ,  though  ,  shortly  after  he’d  heard  about  his  parents  boating  accident  which  contributed  to  their  death .  soon  enough ,  he  left  the  doom  patrol  and  joined  the  teen  titans ,  changing  his  reclusive  personality  to  being  the  comedic  value  that  the  titans  needed .  using  jokes  and  comedy  to  cope  with  the  death  of  his  parents  and  the  abuse  dealt  to  him  at  a  young  age.  now  a  valued  member  of  the  titans ,  garfield  logan ,  (  aka  BEAST  BOY  )  now  felt  like  he  had  a  place  to  call  home .  you  can  read  more  about  him  HERE  &  HERE ,  since  i’m  mixing  both  canons  into  one .

     —    alucard,  pennsylvania ,  present  day  :

     — -     if  you  haven’t  heard  of  garfield  logan ,  then  you’ve  definitely  HEARD  garfield  logan .  with  a  voice  that  could  burst  eardrums  if  you  got  too  close .  as  the  only  child  and  son  of  a  biology  professor  and  an  animal  biologist  ,  he  was  was  always  seen  a  somewhat  of  a  disappointment  through  the  eyes  of  his  parents.  both  of  them  taking  turns  and  asking  if  he’d  decided  to  go  to  college  yet  ,  if  he  knew  what  he  wanted  to  do  with  his  life .  and  the  answer  was  always  no .  much  to  the  dismay  of  his  parents .  and  while  it  break  his  heart  to  have  parents  that  didn’t  support  you  choice  to  skip  school  altogether  ,  it  was  simple  to  hide  behind  the  veil  of  slacker  friends  who  enjoyed  your  jokes .  it  was  easier  to  fake  a  smile  than  it  was  to  give  everyone  a  real  frown .

      — -     garfield  lives  comfortably  on  his  own ,  barely  making  rent  for  his  very  run  down ,  one  bedroom ,  open  living ,  studio  apartment .  working  as  a  dog  walker  doesn’t  as  much  money  as  he  hoped .  but  he  knows  walking  the  dogs  of  the  more  wealthy  people  in  PA  would  get  him  the  money  and  tips  he  needed .  not  to  mention ,  he’s  a  sucker  for  animals . 

     — -     to  make  a  long  story  short ,  garfield  it  quite  literally  that  dumb  ,  skater  kid  you  see  telling  dumb  jokes  with  his  hat  on  backwards .  he’s  got  a  heart  of  gold  and  can  be  a  little  dumb  sometimes .  but  it’s  always  with  good  intent .  a  total  sweetheart ,  but  will  rip  you  to  shreds  if  you  mess  with  someone  he  loves.  is  a  giant  mess  and  totally  not  ashamed  of  it  at  all .  will  do  everything  in  his  power  to  make  you  smile  !  just  a  goofy  boy  with  the  best  intentions  and  is  here  to  provide  you  with  some  sunshine.

    —   plot  ideas  !  :

001.  you  know  what  gar  needs  ?  more  friends.  specifically,  a  PLATONIC  SOULMATE.  by  that,  i  mean,  someone  who  has  so  many  things  in  common,  they’re  practically  the  same  person.  would  be  sick  if  they  were  one  of  his  skater  friends,  but  definitely  not  necessary.  don’t  get  annoyed  with  him  and  love  and  support  the  decisions  he  makes... even  if  they’re  dumb. 

002.  gar  absolutely  loves  being  able  to  annoy  people  to  no  end.  he  adores  being  able  to  make  people  smile  and  loves  making  people  angry  a  little  more.  so,  someone  who  could  get  annoyed  with  his  very  happy,  silly  and  goofy  demeanor  would  be  amazing  !  he  will  constantly  tell  you  childish  jokes  about  poop  and  tell  you  to  spell  ICUP...  but,  i  promise  he  loves  you.  and  maybe  you  keep  him  around  because  you  secretly  love  it  and  he  makes  you  smile  !

003.  please,  i  need  someone  to  simply  despise  gar.  get  mad  at  him,  make  him  cry,  ask  him  how’s  he’s  so  happy  being  a  failure  and  not  doing  something  good  like  his  parents.  if  your  muse  is  kind  of an  asshole,  this  is  perfect.  i  just  know  not  everyone  is  going  to  like  him  and  i  thrive  on  enemy  plots  !