#I literally refused to watch the movie partly because of that line
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idontknowreallywhy · 1 year ago
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I need to go and sit down and reconsider 20 years of rage now…
You ever think about how bby girl going to space in The Long Reach:
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makes this legit?
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kisses-from-crows · 1 year ago
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Random Campbell Bain Headcanons
(chapter 7 is currently a 5k word inconsistent mess but i can give you this so, ehhh? not sure if these make any sense but in my brain they make perfect sense)
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-this mf LOVES halloween
-he will spend will weeks thinking up a bunch of overly complicated costumes
-he spends WAY too much money on halloween decorations (i want you to picture Campbell Bain with adult money….)
-he has gotten tangled in those cotton spiderweb things a million times
-he always gets really enthusiastic about carving pumpkins but doesn’t have the patience to do the super complicated designs. always manages to cut off bits he didn’t mean to cut off.
-has a tradition of smashing the pumpkins to bits in the first week of november. (he likes this part more than the carving)
-will literally beg to get his nails painted and then will IMMEDIATELY smudge them, everytime, without fail
-settles for coloring in his nails with sharpie
-scarily good at mario kart, like frighteningly good
-likes to watch the muppets when he has depressive episodes
-had an intense cowboy phase as a child, until he went to a petting zoo and discovered he’s deathly afraid of horses
-the type of person to go radio silent for weeks or spam you with 50 memes and 12 songs in a matter of an hour. (there is no in-between)
-will respond to an important text two days later with a link to song and nothing else
-has a MASSIVE sweet tooth
-and has absolutely ZERO self control with candy, will down an entire bag of marshmallows (he prefers the mini ones) in a single sitting.
-noticed that Eddie had started to sneakily take his candy so he started keeping secret stashes hidden in various places
-eddie will find a stash and throw it away, only to turn around and see Campbell munching on a king-sized snickers, just gloating
-is ace spec but constantly makes dirty jokes, partly for shock value partly because he finds it hilarious
-very touchy, doesn’t get the whole “personal space” thing
-insists that he loves scary movies and then will go to bed with all the lights on after
-finds a pair of shoes he likes and then wears them every single day until they fall apart, then refuses to throw them out
-his closet is full of converse held together by duct tape and a dream
-is the biggest baby about being sick. this mf will get a tummy ache and just start rolling on the ground whining about “this is the end, get my affairs in order, tell Eddie i love him”
-toes the line between being the dream/nightmare blunt rotation. he has the most entertaining monologues but he’s using the joint as a talking stick and accidentally ash’d in the water cups twice now
-not allowed to smoke anymore because it messed with his bipolar and he didn’t sleep for 4 days straight
-can’t cook for shit, regularly burns soup. is banned from using the oven after The Incident™️
-won’t explain to anyone what The Incident™️ is
-if you ask Eddie about it, he’ll just say “he knows what he did”
-rumor has it that it involved makeshift shrink-i-dinks
-visits Fergus’s grave at least once a month. sets up a blanket and just talks. tells him everything that happened since he came last. what the rest of the crew is up to
-always leaves some sort of bit or bauble for Fergus
-got very upset when they would go missing, until he realized the local crows were collecting them
-now he brings some food and an extra toy for the crows, they’re good friends now
-one of the crows always flies down and hangs out next to him, so Campbell is convinced it’s Fergus
okay that’s all i’ve got for now! (sorry had to make it just little sad at the end)
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Yo love your ideas! I was thinking of a Hamilton AU a few weeks ago! I saw Celeste as Maria because she's conning for money and a gaslighting queen, and Junko as the king watching as the country struggles for fun.
For heathers I see Chihiro for Martha cause they were bullied but meek and kind. Green heather as Celeste (Celeste is pissed about not getting the main Heather at first but does amazing), Sayaka as yellow heather cause she's a cheerleader and she can cry on command. And Mukuro as Veronica, pulling off the "I'm not pretty and I'm unpopular" until Junko gives her a makeover. Maybe one night Mukuro can't make it and Toko is her understudy and has to perform. I can see her singing "fight for me" really well (She never thought she'd actually have to perform and FREAKS out, but ends up killing it.) Hiro as the other football player with Leon (Taka REFUSES), and Asahina being the unhinged cheerful teacher. I see Taka being the dad singing "I love my dead gay sons" trying to turn his loss into something righteous to help others be more accepting. The other dad is just Hiro again with a stick on mustache and glasses. (Or maybe Hifume)
That's just my interpretation, I love seeing other people's ideas and having discussions with them! If you want, how would you cast them in "Be More Chill"?
YOOOO Big Brain Energy ^^^^^
Celeste and Junko being swapped is super clever, Celeste is a really good actor since she literally acts as CELESTIA LUDENBURG everyday and Junko being a condescending King and loving it as the wars break out is such a great fit for her!!
The Heathers swap outs are genius exemplary!!! Honestly, my interpretations were more about who I would've liked to personally see rather than who would fit the characters.
Celeste and Sayaka as Green and Yellow Heather respectively are amazing! I didn't take into account Sayaka's crying abilities, but it would make sense that she can activate those crocodile tears whenever she wants (or needs)!
Mukuro and Toko not even needing to act much because they are already socially awkward as it is is brilliant! Toko swooping in as the understudy is adorable, I love seeing situations that make Toko come out of her shell a little! (That's partly why I adore Despair Girls so much) Once she gets her stuttering a little bit under control, she would kill in Fight for Me. (Maybe if she imagines it's Byakuya she's singing to, it'll help her calm down more) The same goes for Mukuro, I'm sad that she has to be in her sister's shadow so much so it's nice when the fanbase lets her do things. (even though she's still kinda with her sister in the musical since Junko follows her around a lot)
I originally thought of Hiro and Leon being the Dumb Fuckboys (Kurt and Ram) together, it would make the most sense. I love the fact that you see the vision too!
Hina being the Chaotic teacher isn't something I originally thought of, but it would definitely fit! Nice catch! I can definitely see her putting her all into Ms. Fleming song about reading the suicide note and trying to make the kids express themselves (I forgot the song name) and really killing it!
Taka and Hiro being the Gay Dads is so funny. I DID NOT consider that for a second, but it has so much potential. If Hiro walked out in glasses and a mustache (and maybe that cliche brown hat) I would die. I think the whole cast would. That is so funny. I can imagine him quickly changing out of his underwear in the back, just for this one song. I love thinking about Taka singing the stupid 'I Love my Dead Gay Son' because it's such a silly song and he's so serious about everything so he would definitely be extremely serious about saying the song lines and-
Bravo! You've entertained me, your ideas are gold.
I'm so sorry, but I don't actually know much about Be More Chill. I've read the book twice, but didn't actually retain anything from it. I've never seen the musical/movie either and I don't really have an interest in it. Sorry again, I wish I did. All I remember is that there's some kind of drug/chip in someone's brain and there's a house party that leads to a fire.
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eyrieofsynapses · 3 years ago
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…maybe an unpopular opinion, but I think I like Eliot's hand-to-hand fight scenes more than the ones in big-box movies.
see, I was rewatching a bit of Captain America: The Winter Soldier (yes I've seen some of the MCU, no I have not seen Infinity War or anything past it because I refuse to watch it without other people to cry with and my friends haven’t been available) before I rewatched Rundown. and guys, I adore TWS. easily in my top favorite films of all time. the fight scenes are fantastic! holy heck, the emotional weight! if you asked me which movies I love hand-to-hand in the most, that'd be at the top of the list, easy. Steve and Bucky in that final scene? ohhhhhh my gods.
but then I bounced over to The Rundown Job and just… y’know the bit where Eliot takes out the guys after Hardison signals him at the elevator? it feels so much more fun. I can't pin down exactly why, but it feels closer, more personal, more impactful. probably some of it comes from how Eliot is having--maybe not exactly fun, but how he likes doing his job. there's something about it.
and it's not just TWS that I can compare this back to, either. off the top of my head, I love it more than The Batman's hand-to-hand combat (which is admittedly rough because it's early-years Bruce, but still) and probably most anything else I've seen out of the MCU. animation isn't live-action, obviously, but I've seen some really solid combat in DC's animated work too. like, I haven't seen a ton of hand-to-hand work (it seems the film industry is understandably more fond of sword fights and such), but personally I find that when it comes to sheer fun, Leverage is really hard to beat.
now I'm not gonna compare it to sword-fighting or things like that. that's another ballgame. but hand-to-hand specifically… I'm not a violent person, but I dunno, y'all, there's just something about how Eliot fights that makes him fun to watch in a way I'm not sure I see elsewhere. probably it's partly that I'm just ridiculously fond of him. it is absolutely in large part because Christian Kane a) does his own stunts and works with the choreography, b) actively integrates Eliot's character into his work, and c) is just an all-around fantastic madman of a person.
but! they get so very clever with it! all the different things he'll grab to improvise with! I mean, where else do you get somebody who uses umbrellas, pipe organ pipes, whisks, screen doors, golf clubs, appetizers, literally anything to take opponents out on a regular basis? hauling people up over his shoulders and his back to toss them into dumpsters? comments like "if I'm not honest with you, you can't improve"? counting every single dude in a massive ship and then counting down as he takes each one out? barreling out of nowhere to tackle a dude? who else gives us lines like "that's what makes it fair" to the dude who laughs at him for not carrying a gun?
and it's hardly like we don't know Eliot's going to win--Eliot always wins--but there's still tension to it. he's not so good as to be perfect. he struggles, he comes back with bruises and cuts and the occasional broken rib, it's not like there's nothing at stake here. we've seen him have to let somebody go or otherwise mess up. too many opponents or too much muscle make him wary. he's competent as all hell, but he has to be sly and tricky and clever about how he fights as much as he has to deliver enough force. Eliot doesn't just fight well, he fights smart. he uses his surroundings and knows when to play possum and how to target an opponent's weak spots.
like. goddamn. I can watch him versus Roper in The Carnival Job a hundred times, and it still shakes me to the core to see him go down for that brief moment. in that second, you can believe he's in real danger. and he does come out of it hurt and limping and covered in blood. but we still have no doubt that he's an absolute badass!
oh yeah, and also: he has fun. there's always that little smile he's got when he's about to take down a bunch of unwitting thugs. laughing at Quinn when he's got bruised ribs and bloody teeth. looking at the pipe from the pipe organ in Van Gogh in surprise when it rings when he hits a guy before giving it an appreciative grin. sizing up Mikel and running through each situation (and, you know, that little make-out in the basement). staring at the dude in Lonely Hearts and going "fisticuffs? seriously?" with that tone of amused disbelief before flipping the guy into the harbor.
it's his job and he's not fond of hurting people, exactly, but he takes pride in it and he enjoys proving himself over and over. he enjoys the challenge. and it's kind of impossible not to love watching him beat it every. single. time
anyway yeah, if you ever ask me "who's the most fun to watch fight hand-to-hand?" it's probably always gonna be Eliot, tbh.
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idk-maybe-i-did-it · 3 years ago
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Hacksaw Ridge
Starring Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Vince Vaughn
Film Type: War/Drama
My Rating: Five Stars
Film Rating: R
Main Character/s: Desmond Doss, Dorothy Schutte
My Overall Thoughts: Overall, this film showed just how brutal war can be, and it showed how terrifying it can be. It also showed how one man, Desmond Doss saved countless lives that many thought would be better left for the dead and how he did it all without using a rifle or other firearm. The film was brilliant and truly emotional and the way that Andrew played Desmond was truly extraordinary.
Warnings: Abuse, blood and gore, guns, brief nudity, explosions, fire
‘Do not look to him to save you on the battlefield’ and then he proceeds to save more than 40 lives off of that barren ridge, when he literally was the only force that was going to save their asses on that battlefield after the first battle was fought.
Over the course of what, two, three days he single handedly saved over 40 men from that hell-hole and even helped a few of the wounded enemy as well. But of course, they shouldn’t look to him to save them on the battlefield because he refused to weild, or even touch a gun. They never knew why he refused, why he couldn’t, he told them it was against his religious beliefs, which is still partly true, when the majority of the reason was because of his trauma and the abuse his father bestowed upon him from such a young age.
They mistreated him gravely because of his inability to pick up a rifle, it was war of course, and firearms are a big part of war, as is fighting and other serious things. But Desmond Doss was a hero, he saved so many lives and they realized the mistakes that they’d made.
Andrew Garfield portrayed Desmond Doss in such a way that he served his  sacrifices justice through his acting, because if you weren’t aware, this movie based off a true story.
‘With the world so set on tearing itself apart, it doesn’t seem such a bad thing to me to want to put a little bit of it back together’ that line is one of the things that keeps me watching this film over and over; those words hold so much power and so, so much emotion.
This film is fenomenal and I very seriously recommend that you watch it.
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showrunnerihardlyknowher · 3 years ago
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You know how we have pet costumes? Give Jacob one, make him a cute space cowboy😈😈😈
WE'RE BACK BABY
Please enjoy this little ficlet (that was actually my 3rd attempt to write a fluffy ficlet for this universe because all the other ones kept becoming future chapters lmao)
--
“This is humiliating. I look like sheriff Woody or something.”
“Aw, I was thinking more like John Wayne Gacy, you know?”
“The...the clown serial killer…?”
Angie pursed her lips. “Wait, who was the cowboy guy in all the old movies? Like, before Clint Eastwood and whatever.”
“That’s John Wayne. Not John Wayne Gacy,” Jacob tugged at the sleeves of his costume and readjusted his cowhide vest. “And I don’t feel anywhere near as cool as him right now.”
She rolled her eyes and crinkled her nose. “That’s because you’re not cool. You’re a grown man playing dress up with a kindergartener.”
“So are you.”
Angie straightened her Native American headpiece and threw one of her braided pigtails behind her. “Yeah, but I know it’s stupid, so therefore I’m doing it ironically which makes me cool.”
Jacob sighed heavily but didn’t argue further, instead tugging his cowboy hat down further to shield his face that burned with embarrassment. Being forced into having playdates with his captor’s coworker was nothing new. He had spent plenty of time being Mibao’s sole playmate aboard the ship, doing the best he could to keep the six year girl entertained and not too psychologically damaged. Being the youngest in a sibling group of only boys, he was a bit rusty when it came to knowing anything about kids. Thankfully, Mibao was more than happy to take him by the hand and show up all the “fun” things she used to either do back home or what she would now do with her “kitty”.
Today’s game of choice was dress up. Every day felt like dress up when it came to the girl’s ever expanding wardrobe; she was always dressed in an obnoxiously puffy and sparkling princess dress fashioned with ribbons and bows galore and always with a matching crown. Fine, no big deal, he could slap a tiara on his head and call it a day, he’d worn worse at the few fraternity parties he attended during college. Nope, not good enough. Mibao had a very specific game she wanted to play which involved him wearing a cowboy costume of all things. A very realistic and detailed cowboy costume, assless chaps and spurs and all. Again, he could...handle it for the most part. The only thing that really bothered him about it was all the coos and giggles he received from both his and Mibao’s captors when he finally came out in his new outfit.
And he knew for a fact they took many, many pictures of him.
It didn’t end there, Mibao still had more requests. Angie needed to join in as well and she was required to be an “indian princess” to partake. Naturally, she was more than happy to agree if it meant getting a break from the absolute nightmare of a captor she had been saddled with. So, now Jacob had to deal with the fact that she would have to watch him play pretend in this ridiculous getup. He could never catch a break with her, it seemed, she always had to catch him when he was in the middle of doing something cringe worthy. She didn’t even look half as uncomfortable as him and she was literally wearing half as much clothing.
Or maybe that was exactly why she was so comfortable as she sauntered up to him, making a finger pistol to tip his hat away from his face. “Cheer up, partner,” she teased. “I think it makes you look cute.”
“I think it makes me look like Owen Wilson from the museum movie,” Jacob replied, hoping the shadow of the brim hid his reddening cheeks.
“Oh my God, you are a tiny little twink cowboy, huh?”
“I’d rather be the gladiator guy.”
“You wish you could pull off being the gladiator guy.”
A rebuttal was on the tip of his tongue when Mibao made her appearance from behind the monitor where she had been changing. This time instead of her usual princess attire, she was dressed...pretty much the same, only this time she had a tiny pair or iridescent fairy wings attached to the back. What a fairy had to do with cowboys and indians, he hadn’t the faintest idea. She stopped when she saw the two of them and stuck out her tongue in childish disgust.
“Eww, stop kissing!” She scolded. “You can kiss the princess later, Jake, it’s time to play!”
Jacob had never been more grateful in his life that the creatures idly watching them couldn’t understand English because he just might have died if they heard. He could feel the heat radiating from his nape to his cheeks, putting his hands up in defense like it could keep Angie away from him.
“Wh-no! We weren’t, we weren’t kissing, Reagan, w-we-!”
Angie only cackled, her amusement stemming more from Jacob’s panicked response than the actual accusation of giving him a kiss. “Yeah, cowboy, you can kiss me later.” She winked and nudged him with her elbow as she walked past to where Mibao was waiting.
He groaned, tugging the hat down as far as it would go even if that meant obscuring his vision somewhat. That was totally fine, he didn’t want to look at anyone right now and he did not want to be perceived either. The child was leading them back over to her designated play area scattered with art supplies and stuffed toys for where they’ll play their game of make believe. Angie was already sitting on her knees by the time he shuffled over and beckoned him with a sly smile to come take a seat on the ground next to her. Jacob obliged, but refused to give her the satisfaction of seeing his beet red face.
As soon as they were settled, Mibao immediately launched into the exposition of the scene they would be putting on, including their roles and superpowers (that only she had because she was a magical fairy queen). Jacob was only half listening; the kid usually forgot half of her own rules in the middle of playing anyways because she wanted to change the story and it wasn’t that hard to follow her game of make believe. Instead, he kept side-eying Angie, who was side-eying him back, and every time they made eye contact she would smile and bump his shoulder with hers.
This was going to be a long playdate.
--
The lab door slid open as Talan walked in, peeling off his bloodied gloves to dispose of them in Ylva’s waste bin. “I need my human back.”
“Aw, why? They’re all having a ball together!” Ylva frowned, gesturing to the miniature trio on her desk. Well, the smallest one and Talan’s pet seemed like they were having a good time, namely at the expense of the other human in a hat. They all seemed to stop at the interruption, his human fixing him with a sneer that he was tempted to match.
“What the fuck is it wearing?” He asked, ignoring all the little protests he got when he grabbed it and plucked the stupid looking feather thing of its head. “I thought you said it’s not nice to torment the humans.”
Edix scoffed at him, though his annoyance was more from Talan being in his general vicinity than anything. “It’s not torment. They were having fun.”
Talan did not look convinced in the slightest, his eyes sweeping over the pup who was pouting at him for taking away its playmate and the other who froze any time he breathed in its direction. Like owner, like pet, he assumed as it seemed to unconsciously inch closer to where Edix’s hand was resting for a better sense of security. Pathetic. At least his pet had a bit more self respect and wasn’t afraid to try and stab him in the hand with his own tools. Of course, it got a sharp flick to the stomach to knock it off, but he could appreciate the gumption.
Talan rolled his eyes. “Yeah, looks like a real party. So sad to have missed it.”
“Like you’ve ever been to a party to know what it looks like.”
“Says the one that only hangs out with plants.”
“Okay,” Ylva interjected, rising from her chair and scooping up her adorable little human. “You’re right, we should probably wrap this up, Mibao’s going to need a nap soon and she likes to fight her naps when she’s excited.”
That was all the excuse Talan needed to dip out without a formal goodbye, though it didn’t escape the corner of his eye how Edix’s human took a half step forward when he left, almost like it wanted to say something. Even if it did, he wouldn’t have cared. As quickly as he had intruded, Talan disappeared back down the main hall of the fauna department to return to his lab.
Edix stood up as well and tucked the data pad he had been keeping busy with under his arm to keep his hands free. He couldn’t help but smile at seeing how much closer his little pet was standing to him, even if it wasn’t by much, even though it was caused by Talan of all bastards. A win was a win in his book. The hand the human had been partly hiding behind curled easily around it to lift it up, immediately cradling it to his chest as usual. It squirmed for a moment but settled quick enough, a clear sign it was also ready to go back to the lab it was accustomed to. For a social species, the little one always seemed so drained after any playdate Ylva arranged for their pets. Fine by him, it usually meant his human was much more quiet and well behaved once it was back in the solitude of Edix’s company, making for an easier work day.
He used his finger to tilt back the wide brimmed hat it had been using to hide its sweet little face a majority of the playdate, earning him a surprised squeak. With the way its baby cheeks were turning an adorable shade of pink, Edix had a fairly good guess as to why it was trying to avoid everyone’s line of sight. Damn, he should have had Ylva take more pictures, this was way too cute for him. It reached up to quickly pull its shield back down and Edix let it with a laugh, cooing as he tugged at its little vest instead which only made it wriggle in distress. Overdramatic little thing.
“Can I keep this costume?” He asked as he followed behind Ylva who was preparing to put her own pup down for a nap. In reality, it meant she was going to have to play with it for at least another half an hour because, much like him, she was a sucker when it came to her human wanting to play. The difference being that Mibao wanted to do anything from coloring to singing to continuing its game of make believe while Edix’s pet always wanted to play chase.
Ylva smiled and shrugged. “Sure, I mean, it’s not like it’s going to fit the baby. It was printed for its measurements specifically, anyways.” Mibao was proving to be difficult in its refusal to relinquish the shiny wings Ylva had designed at its request, something that Ylva quickly made a game out of by setting her pup on the desk and letting it squeal and run while her hands chased after it. That would tire the kid out in no time. She looked back at his human and giggled. “I don’t think it likes it very much, though.”
Oh yeah, that was obvious from the get go, but it didn’t change the fact that it was way too precious for its own good in this type of outfit. Edix actually quite liked the contrast of the dark brown against its pale skin, even more given the fact that it matched the color of its doe eyes perfectly. It was much more appealing than that splotchy green jacket it was inexplicably attached to. He had a feeling it was going to try and strip out of this outfit as soon as it was back in Edix’s lab, provided he gave it its normal suit and jacket to change into. But...maybe he didn’t have to offer it its spare set of clothes right away. Maybe it would just have to hang around in its little boots and hat for a couple hours longer while he finished up his latest report that was just so important to get done. And maybe he would get constantly distracted by how cute it looked while it was definitely pouting at him for not taking off its costume that it took a little longer than usual to finish his work, which meant it spent even longer pouting under its hat.
Decisions, decisions.
Edix waved his hand dismissively. “It’ll learn to love it.”
“Oh, Eddie, don’t be mean to it,” Ylva laughed, not that seemed bothered by the idea of his pet keeping the outfit on for an extended period of time beyond the playdate. “But send pictures if you do.”
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alirhi · 3 years ago
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okay. let's do this shit.
Guess what, bitches? Mama bear's back and angry all over again. Remember when I said I might dive into a ragepost about how Bucky's treated after completing the one about Loki? This is it. This is the post. Welcome to fucking Thunderdome.
I will actually try to keep it civil. No promises, but I'll try. and I will not be accepting "constructive criticism" about my rage. Just so we're clear.
Got it? Good. Let's dive in.
In case you don't want to read the whole thing (I know I get wordy) here's what this whole post will boil down to: BUCKY NEVER HAD A FUCKING CHOICE. NEVER. NOT ONCE IN HIS ENTIRE ADULT LIFE.
Now, quick reminder: I don't read comics. I know nothing about Bucky's comic canon, except what Sebastian liked to bring up as often as possible during TWS/CW promotions: at some point, Bucky boned Nat. XD Since Bucky only exists as a Marvel property, I won't be bitching about other source material being disrespected like I did with Loki. This is all MCU, my dudes. And honestly? That's enough, because though we don't see nearly enough of Bucky for my liking, we do manage to get a rich, deep backstory to him in the material we're given, partly thanks to better writing in the early days of the MCU, and partly thanks to Sebastian Stan's phenomenal acting. Unlike the writers of the Loki series, Seb knows how to show, not tell. And gods, what stories those eyes show...
Let's start with the army. In an old post illustrating what an absolute BAMF Bucky Barnes truly is, I mistakenly said he enlisted, and a kind soul educated me on the incredible attention to detail Marvel used to pay - in this case, Bucky's ID number. 32557038. As this kind, eagle-eyed soul pointed out to me, the first two digits of that number - 32 - signify that Bucky was drafted, specifically from the NY, NJ, DE area (that last part is rather obvious, as Bucky and Steve are from Brooklyn lol). Bucky didn't choose to go to war. He was drafted. He was forced to fight, or go to prison.
Bucky was born in 1917, which means - again, as someone pointed out to me a while back - he came of age during the Great Depression. As a child, he would likely have seen his parents living comfortably and able to shower each other and him and his sister with gifts and fun memories, and then POOF. Stock market crashes when he's only 12-years-old, and life becomes brutal and painful. He manages to have some fun with his best friend Steve, and spends his teens/early 20s chasing girls and keeping his stupid, stubborn, tiny friend from getting beaten to death.
Steve constantly has something to prove. He's absolutely got what my mom always called "little man's disease", and Bucky's just doing his best not to roll his eyes too much at this asthmatic chihuahua constantly trying to beat up Tibetan mastiffs. While Steve keeps lying on his enlistment forms (an actual crime) trying again and again to get into the army and prove what a badass he is (definitely not), Bucky's had enough trauma and upheaval in his life and he just wants his stupid friend to calm tf down and live. Enjoy the fact that he doesn't have to go to war and get his limbs blown off.
And then he gets fucking drafted. This sweet, resigned realist who knows exactly how dangerous the war really is, is forced to put on a uniform and go fight strangers alongside other strangers thousands of miles from everything he knows. And on his last night of freedom, when he just wants to hang out with his friend, see some cool gadgets, and dance with a pretty girl, his stupid angry chihuahua friend feels the need to lie and try to enlist again.
Okay. Gotta get back on track. Ragepost about mistreatment of Bucky, not how much Steve annoys me. Sorry. Anyway...
Bucky's drafted, accepts his shitty lot with a brave smile, and is shipped off to Europe, where he is captured by HYDRA and presumed by the Allies to be KIA. Instead, he's strapped down, tortured, and given the HYDRA version of the super serum against his will. Steve rescues him, and Bucky knows he can't leave his idiot friend to his own devices to get his head blown off, so he dives right back into the fray. And then he falls off a cliff, loses most of his left arm, and is declared dead...again. This one's pretty damn valid, though lol. Without the serum no one knew he'd been shot up with, there is no way he would have survived that fall.
Here is where Bucky's story gets truly heartbreaking: His autonomy, his ability to consent is stripped from him through electroshock torture/brainwashing. The trigger words are conditioned into him during this process, and boom. Ten words in Russian, and Bucky Barnes is gone. Even the confused, hurting shadow of him is gone, leaving only a perfectly obedient killing machine, with Bucky's pretty face. He's strong as all hell, though, so they can't keep him fully under their control for long, not without more torture, when the disorientation of being fucking frozen wears off on longer missions.
I cannot stress this point enough, guys: Bucky. Had. No. Choice. Not like the draft, where his choices (go and get shot at, refuse and go to jail, or dodge and run to Canada) just suck. No, he literally didn't have a choice. He had his ability to choose stripped from him. If that's too complex a concept to really sink in, try this: His brain was fucking raped. Repeatedly. For decades. Nothing the Winter Soldier ever did was Bucky's fault. Nothing. Ever. Not remotely, no matter how you fucking slice it. Bucky is not an assassin. I almost said "not a killer", but he was a soldier, and a sharpshooter. He definitely killed when he was himself, but that was in a war, not a series of assassinations.
So far, imo, so good. This is just a rundown of Bucky's pre-show backstory. I don't love what he had to suffer, but I do love how it was treated in the movies. People were afraid of him, but when they knew the whole situation, Steve, Nat, and Sam rallied behind him. Natasha had plenty of reason to want the Winter Soldier dead; he'd tried to kill her multiple times and almost succeeded. Sam had no reason to help Bucky at all; he didn't know him, didn't trust him, and again, TWS had tried to kill him. But he stood by Steve, and when Bucky showed the clear difference between himself and TWS, Sam stood by him, too, and fought alongside him.
And it's very realistic, imo, that Tony didn't give a single fuck that Bucky had no choice. He watched this man murder both of his parents on tape. If TWS had killed my dad and I saw proof of it, I'd try to kill Bucky, too. Grief wins out over logic. Most emotions usually do. And that's a very important point we're going to come back to in a few minutes.
Bucky was really only in like ten minutes at most of IW and Endgame, and for multiple reasons I hate those movies, so I'm just gonna skip them, kay? Kay. On to the main event!
Here's where I get pissed off. Even if I didn't have an unhealthy attachment to this character, or the depth of appreciation for his tragic backstory that I do, the lack of continuity between the movies and the show alone would still piss me off. It always does. Don't even get me started on Joss "Continuity? What continuity?" Whedon and his (iconic, but flawed) shows. Ahem. Back on track...
Let me just get one little thing out of the way real quick: I fucking LOVE The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I love it. This show amazed me when I first watched it, and I still love it after many more viewings lol. I have only ever watched it all the way through without skipping over as much John Walker shit as possible the one time lol but I love how Sam and Bucky interact, and I fucking adore how Sam's arc was treated. I just wish they'd show the same care and attention to Bucky.
Because what they did to Bucky in this show is a fucking travesty. There was a tiny ray of hope in the pilot, when he called out Dr. Bitchface for being a terrible shrink. I thought that would be the start of him realizing he needed to find someone else and ignore the damaging shit that woman was telling him. But...nope. No such luck.
The show really had a strong start, I'll give it that. We see Bucky having nightmares of his time as TWS and struggling to hide how his traumatic memories are affecting him as he tries to live in the world again. He befriends the father of one of HYDRA's victims, which can't be good for Bucky (and we're shown it's definitely not when he sees the shrine in Yori's home to his late son) but it's sweet, how he's trying to connect and reach out to someone who's hurting and lonely.
They drop the ball a little with the whole... Bucky can hack a fucking car, but can't figure out Tinder thing. Had they just run with the fandom interpretation of the tiger photos line, that it shows that Bucky is bi and left it at that, I'd have been okay with it (and no, that is not because I ship Sam/Bucky. it's because Bucky is and always has been a certified nerd who loves technology and has consistently shown very little issue learning to use new gadgets). The outdated flip phone he handed his terrible court-mandated shrink was a burner; I liked that theory when I read it, especially since it's the only time we see him even holding a phone that old lol. This all could have fit the "Bucky is a sassy bisexual nerd" narrative and it'd be okay. Instead, the director was like "NOOOOOO that line was just to show how old he is and how he can't figure out all this newfangled technology!" Woman, you had him remotely driving someone else's vehicle with a tablet. That is NOT a man who can't figure out a damn smart phone!
But that's just a minor annoyance. What fills me with absolute rage is how everyone - not just the shitty therapist who lashes out at and purposely triggers her traumatized patients, but EVERYONE - Sam, Zemo, people who should fucking know better ALL treat him like he's a psychopath and a ticking time bomb. Like he chose to take the serum and he chose to kill for HYDRA, and he's just seen the error of his ways. *barf*
Bucky in the movies is established to be a victim, through and through. His guilt over what he was forced to do is natural, and that he sees himself as a monster makes sense... but that doesn't mean it's correct. The one and only thing I ever liked about Steve Rogers is at least he got it. He pointed out that none of it was Bucky's fault, he tried to show him that he was worth saving. That's the other reason I refuse to talk about Endgame. This post will get a WHOLE LOT LONGER and a lot fucking angrier if I open that door.
Zemo supposedly knows everything about HYDRA and super soldiers... So why does he treat Bucky like he's a corrupt serial killer? (this, for the record, is why I don't like Zemo) Why does he never point out that Bucky was given the serum against his will, or that his actions, when he had control of them, proved that he was never corrupted? Bucky never wanted to become superhuman. Bucky didn't even want to fucking fight!
Sam, despite constantly resisting the label, is shown very clearly to be Bucky's friend. By episode 3, he cares. He worries about how Bucky is getting lumped in with the other super soldiers in Zemo's speech... But he never really defends him. He says "what about Bucky?" but he doesn't point out that Bucky's a good man, he's fought so hard to help people, he does everything he can to avoid killing... And that fucking speech in episode 5. I was with him on "you gotta stop looking to other people to tell you who you are." I was like "YEAH! Tell him, Sam! Bucky, you're WORTH SAVING, boo! Your value does not hinge on someone else's opinion of you!" And then... Sam dropped the ball.
He not only continued the disturbing pattern of victim-blaming in this show, and in Marvel/Disney properties in general, but he gave really dangerously bad advice! No one in their right mind, mental health professional or no, would EVER tell a traumatized former assassin (whether he was responsible for his actions or not) to go confront his victims' families out of the blue with no warning and no one to mediate and keep things from going to shit. Yori already knew his son had been murdered because he was in the "wrong place, wrong time." How is it being "of service" to tell him you're the one who killed him?! Remember how I said Tony's reaction to learning the full truth about his parents' deaths was valid and would be an important point later? Hi! Welcome to later. THAT is the natural reaction to facing the man who murdered your loved one(s). And even if Yori didn't get angry and lash out, HOW IS IT "HELPING" HIM OR BRINGING HIM "CLOSURE" TO KNOW THAT HIS FRIEND KILLED HIS FUCKING SON?!?!?! This man befriended him, bonded with him, watched him grieve... And now he's learning this is the man who caused all his pain and heartache to begin with? That is so toxic and psycho I just... I can't even... UGH.
And then there's the equally toxic and damaging "deeply traumatized person just needed a stern talking to and a hug to be ALL BETTER AGAIN" ending. I loved seeing Bucky happy and socializing, but it was too soon, and it was unearned. And it sends a fucking awful message to people actually struggling with PTSD, and to their loved ones who don't know how to help them. Heaping more blame on them and then hugging it out is NOT helpful!
This show could have been damn near perfect with just two changes. That's all. Just two. 1) Someone, anyone, bringing up the reasons why Bucky was never a villain in his presence. Someone being in his corner and reminding him, like Steve did, that it wasn't his fault and he's not going to "snap". 2) More time devoted to Bucky's healing. Actual fucking healing, not the shit they tried to pass off as a magic fix-all. He can have his happy barbecue moment, just don't frame it as "everything's great now!" Healing isn't linear, and there will be both good days and bad. Some of the most fragile people in the world have the brightest smiles.
If we get a season 2, which this amazing show absolutely deserves, and they address this stuff, all will be forgiven in my book. Expanding on his story and his journey toward healing will help to reframe that "happily ever after" garbage as something more realistic. But as it stands now... Fuck Marvel.
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unmaskedagain · 5 years ago
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A wolf’s job
           Okay so I got this request from @ dark-chocolate-fudge-sweetracer . They more or less wanted me to write a OC/Kagami dating Au. They didn’t give me too much a prompt so I had a lot room to move. Normally, I would NEVER do an OC protagonist for a fanfic.  But the requester was really sweet about it so I thought WHY NOT. Lol. However, it did turned out that the one thing I dislike doing more than writing a sequel is writing an main protagonist OC. In fact I really struggled with it. So this will be the first and last time I do. 
Fair warning Adrien salt ahead
 He arrived on a Tuesday. It was an even bet at who was more surprised to see him. The class when they got to school and saw yet another new student in their class. Kagami, the last transfer student and his childhood friend, who he never told he was coming. Or perhaps even Reizo himself. He never expected to see his crush in his new class. He never expected her to be friends with the very people he had been sent to judge.
           His face turned bright red, “Hey!” Reizo smiled brightly. “What a surprise.”
           Kagami gave him an unimpressed stare that sent shivers through him. For a fifteen-year-old girl, she was really scary. “Quite so. Like you coming to Paris without informing me.”
           Ouch. Yeah, she was going to kill him. It wouldn’t be a nice death either. Before he could try to come up with a good excuse, one that was him admitting only being there to check the worthiness of the current Miraculous users, Kagami marched right passed him.
           Kagami and Reizo had been introduced through their parents who were work colleagues. Neither could remember when they actually met as they had been toddlers at the time but they had pretty much been a constant in each other’s life. And somewhere along the line, feelings developed. However, before anything could happened, Kagami moved to Paris.
           She was the main reason he had taken the mission from the council. The chance to see her in person instead of video chat. He missed her.
           She sat sit in the back with a bluenette he knew to be the hero Ladybug. The two were quickly joined by a pretty blond who sneered at the rest of the class.
As class began, the black hair, black eyed boy quickly realize something was… off. Wrong. The entire class seemed to be in a cold war; frequently glares were sent to the three girls in back. Said girls returned them with icy looks of their own.
Reizo would try his best not to get involved but he would make it clear where he stood; with Kagami. She was his oldest friend, his confidante, and (if he played his cards right) perhaps his future wife.
Throughout the day, the other students in class tried to pull him away from Kagami; swearing she and the other two girls (Marinette and Chloe were bullies.) Then it was Reizo’s turn to give out unimpressed looks.
After school, the young Yamato heir found himself fighting for his life. He had gone over to Kagami’s to apologize; though it was hard trying to explain that it never even crossed his mind to tell her he was coming to Paris. She knew he was a bit of airhead sometimes. Forgetful. Even more so when he had a task to do.
Though again, it wasn’t like he could tell her that the council of Guardians sent him to judge Ladybug and Chat Noir, both in and out of their masks, to determine if they were worthy to wield the two most powerful miraculous in existence. And to take them back, if he found that they were not.
The council had heard… rumors, and found they could no longer trust Master Fu’s word alone that he had chosen correctly.
Kagami seemed to accept his apology. He thought she forgave him, only to for Kagami to drag him to her training room, throw him a sword, and proceed to beat the crap out of him.
Normally, Reizo stood a much better chance. He had been training with a sword almost as long as Kagami had. It was a family tradition; one he came to adore as he grew older. One that resulted in him collected replica swords from movies; a lot of swords. Like a lot.
However, Kagami seemed to have rage fueling her every step. He never stood a chance. Mostly because she had always been a better swordsman than him. Partly because he was a little in awe at how battle just seemed to enhance her beauty.
After the fight, Reizo finally got ask the question that had been burning in the back of his mind all day, “What the hell is wrong with your class?”
           Kagami sighed, “They’re morons,” She said. “They have fallen under the thrall of a liar named Lila. She has made out to be villains because we refuse to be fooled like the rest. The other students, as a result, have exiled us.”
“Why don’t you tell everyone she’s lying?”
           She shook her head, “We have tried. They care not for the truth; only for the glitz, glamor, and promises Lila’s makes,” The Asian girl explained. “Marinette tried for the longest out of us all. However, eventually, even she conceded defeat. I’ve known her for almost three years, and it was the first time Marinette ever gave up on something. Or anyone.”
           Kagami went on to tell everything that she had witnessed since coming to Bustier’s class. The lies, the insults, the lack of having a proper teacher. She even revealed that she used have a crush on a kid in her Adrien.
           However, she was quick to add that the crush had faded quite some time ago.
           The class ending their friendships with Marinette happened around the same time that Marinette and Kagami’s crush on Adrien Agreste died. The blond had been upset that both girls kept saying Lila was lying and advised them on taking the high road. Kagami could see the situation for exactly what it was… Adrien didn’t want to risk ending up the same as Marinette; near friendless, ostracized, and all but public enemy number 1 to the rest of the class. He was a coward.
           The former rival in love, turned best friends, lost interest in the handsome blond boy quickly after that. As far as they were concerned Lila could have him.
           Nevertheless, Kagami still considered Marinette giving up as a dark day for Paris. Though she and Chloe both knew it was for the best. Marinette had been a bit naïve to the realities of the world. The cold realization that the betrayal from her friends had awoken something in the Bluenette. A fire that refused to be extinguished.
           No longer was Dupain-Cheng’s anyone doormat. Kagami had watched her best friend run herself ragged trying to help everyone with every little thing; always putting herself and her needs last. Marinette resigned as class president at the beginning of the year; saying she wanted to focus on the website she had launched for her designs. Free commissions were over. Marinette advised that they review her website for prices. She was sure to remind the new class president, Alya, that it was now the reporter’s duty to remember birthdays, organize trips, and fundraise. The free ride was over.
           The class had shrugged it off; not caring or realizing exactly what Marinette was saying. Until Rose needed a new dress and Marinette referred the blonde girl to her website. When she received glares, Marinette was quick to remind everyone she was now technically running her own business. She couldn’t give away anything for free.
           As days and weeks went on, he steered clear of the drama of the class which was hard to do as he chose to align himself with Kagami, Marinette, and Chloe. Still, Reizo was happy with his choice. He got to spend time with the girl of dreams. And he was pretty sure he ended up on something that might’ve been a triple date. Marinette with a handsome blond from another class named Felix Culpa. Chloe with a green haired boy named Luka.  Kagami and Reizo. They went to the movies, got ice cream, and the pairing seemed to drift away from each other as the “group outing” went on.
           However, it wasn’t until the day after the maybe date, when Reizo arrived to class, smiled at Kagami, who was in the process of being teased by Marinette and Chloe over something, and she blushed… That he thought maybe, just maybe, she liked him back.
Reizo paid close attention the actions of Adrien and Marinette. He used his own Miraculous a pair of cuff links that held a chubby grey Wolf Kwami named Pawz to watch the actions of Ladybug and Chat Noir from the shadow every time they fought. He recorded every fight and submitted it to the council. The videos left the elders with a lot of concerns. Mostly about Master Fu’s competency as guardian.
           Ladybug was great. She was strong. She was capable. She was smart. However, most importantly she took her role as protector of Paris seriously.
           Chat Noir, on the other hand, did not. He was rash and prone to jumping into situation (sometimes while Ladybug was trying to come up with a plan.) He clearly needed a class on sexual harassment in the work place. Most of the time he acted like a spoiled brat when Ladybug didn’t return his advances.
            Reizo’s job was to only observe, provide evidence to the council, and cast judgement.
           However, there was only so far he could be pushed.
           He had been watching Ladybug fight a particularly nasty and powerful akuma. He had waited for Chat Noir to appear; and waited, and waited. When he finally showed, both Reizo and Ladybug breathed a sigh of relief.
           …Until Chat Noir literally laid down on a roof instead of joining the fight. Ladybug begged for help. Chat Noir mentioned something about her missing their date, and that he wouldn’t help until she apologized.
“I never agreed to the date,” Ladybug said. “I don’t like you like that, Chat. I told you.”
           Chat glared, “You refusing to admit your feelings has gone too far,” He said. “Until you do, you can save Paris by yourself!” Then he was gone.
           That was the last straw.
           Reizo charged at the Akuma with all his might; knocking it off balance and allowing Ladybug a chance to swing away from danger. The two hero fought side by side with ease. When they finally defeated the monster, Ladybug looked at the wolf-themed hero curiously.
“Who are you?” She asked the new masked hero.
“Shadow,” He answered. “The council of Guardian sent me to review the chosen wielders of the miraculous to determine their worthiness.”
           Ladybug nodded. Fu had warned her that the council had taken an interest in the Parisian heroes. Eventually, he said, they would send someone to test them.
“The Council has made their decision,” He said. “You have proven yourself worthy, and will be given guardian training this summer.”
           A happy looked appeared on the heroine’s face.
Shadow gave her a hard look, “Tell Master Fu that Chat Noir will be stripped of his miraculous. Please advise the guardian to ready himself to explain exactly why he thought Adrien Agreste was a good choice.”
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kanene-yaaay-o-retorno · 4 years ago
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HTCAF - Curiosities
Kanene’s Notes: Hey hey hey! What a hellooo! So, I spent some months thinking and wondering about the fanfic How To Catch A Friend and I must say I wasn’t able to fit everything on the oneshot, and since I don’t really plan on writting another one of it, I wanted to share some little details and stories that were partly mentioned on the oneshot. Feel free to send questions or any other headcanon you have! I would be honoured!
[~.~]
Logan
~ Logan is around 11/12/13 years old. He loves astronomy and languages. His vocabulary is heavily advanced, partly because of Emile and part because he likes to read dictionaries and memorize his favorite words.
 ~ He has vocal stimming (not only humming, but whistling as well), tactile stimming (he especially likes the texture of his notebook’s cover) and vestibular stimming too (swinging his arms and rocking).
 ~ Logan is autistic and heavily inspired by the character Collin Fischer (from the book: Collin Fischer) but not only him.
 ~ Logan will repeat Movies or TV show’s lines when the situation he is in seems like the one he watched, Virgil didn’t realize it yet and gets confused of why he feels those random deja-vu. Patton doesn’t watch humans Tv shows so he mostly doesn’t notice.
 ~ He loves routines and loves to remind his close friends and Emile of their own routines.
 ~ Logan wasn’t aware he had magic.
 [~.~]
 Emile
~ Emile is Logan’s mom! Her pronouns are they/she.
 ~ She is a haunting ghost, which basically means her after-life was supposed to be spent haunting the room where she died. This changed when she adopted Logan and started her daily fight of trying to disconnect her soul from her initial purpose.
 ~ When Logan comes and announces that his mother is not only in the yard but will be also waiting for him to come back home is actually a very huge achievement because not only Emile managed to release herself from the room she was suppose to stay forever but also to get almost completely out from the entire house and stay firm on her decision because of her own feelings and thoughts and not her initial instincts.
 ~ They can be seen by everyone and can touch/move/hold material things without any problem. She can also be felt and heard like a normal living human, the only really difference is that she is already dead.
 ~ Remy is an eldritch being summoned by accident (she wanted something more simple like a little demon or guardian) by Emile because she knew since she was trapped in the house she couldn’t properly take care of Logan when he was outside (or even take him to school). Emile wasn’t really comfortable with the idea of having a kind of “servant” obeying her due the pact she would have to do. However, she was much more uncomfortable with Logan getting hurt.
 ~ After some years Remy and Emile fell in love.
 ~ Remy was the one who created Logan’s coat of arms. It’s a kind of amulet that not only protects the boy with a piece of his magic and Emile’s maternal love, but also kind of intertwine his feelings with Emile’s. It’s not very powerful so she can only feel when Logan has a very strong emotion (like distress or fear) and send him calming waves and/or talk to him (like they did during the Aqua Flowers and Waterfall Tears episode), together with also warning Remy so he can immediately check on the boy.
 ~ They love cartoons and will shamelessly spend hours and hours of her day listening to their songs while making any small or big task.~
 ~ Helpless romantic.
 [~.~]
 Remy
 ~ Remy tends to disappear for some periods of time wandering around partly because he doesn’t get the meaning of time and part because he likes to compare how Earth changes as the years go by.
 ~ He is Remus and Roman’s friend, which is a very strange thing to Roman because Remy was supposed to not be able to get out from Earth but the eldritch being just... ignores that.
 ~ Remy will sometimes check on Logan by randomly appearing from nowhere next to him but most of the time the boy doesn’t notice and everyone else around them is *scared*.
 ~ Says he is very tough but every time Emile smiles, he blushes and internally cries from adoration.
 ~ Can and will pick Logan to a piggyback ride after a hard day at school and show him beautiful views he discovers during his mindless wandering.
 ~ His encounter with Virgil was something like “I understand you’re the bitch who casted innumerous protection spells here to keep those two safe and that is the only reason why I don’t fist fight you right now.”; They have no idea of why they don’t like each other, it’s just a mutual thing :v.
Their relationship will probably grow up to be something extremely sarcastic but with some drops of fondness veeery deep down.
 ~ Refuses to call anyone by their names, only nicknames are allowed on his land.
 ~ Can and will magic-battle Roman at any chance he can. They think it’s fun.
 [~.~]
 Roman
~ Sometimes he feels quite bad for wasting Logan, Virgil and Patton’s wish but like, sorry, he would NOT have another thousands of years in space just waiting to be claimed again.
 ~ Even though Virgil’s comparison (Roman = geniuses) has its credit there are some differences between them. Genius’ power is quite tricky on its own nature, since they work with the equivalent exchange. For example, if you wish for a mountain of gold, that same amount of gold will have to disappear from somewhere. Maybe from a country? Some lost gold on the bottom of the sea? A cavern from a very angry dragon? Ask for it and find out! :D
Roman, on the other hand, has the literal power of creation.
 ~ Can and will make fun of Remy for falling in love and very much be almost murdered every time he dares to do that. What a cute friendship! :3
 ~ He and Remus are auto-proclaimed brothers. It started as a joke, but then they got attached.
 ~ Roman has a very special feeling about Earth because it was the first planet where its population saw him crossing the atmosphere. This is a huge deal to a shooting star and, yes, Roman was claimed by other planets and has some friends and acquaintances on Space, but going to Earth? Seeing all its habitants and nature? Interacting with them? It has been his dream since he was a kid.
 [~.~]
 Virgil
~ He is in his thirties.
 ~ He is the son of a cat hybrid! That is why he has some feline habits. (Yes, one of them is acting like a mama cat adopting random kittens on the street and taking care of them/j)
 ~ Has a soft spot for the kids and you can pry that confession from his dead, cold hands.
 ~ Likes to cook and often brings everyone snacks.
 ~ Need a knife? Maybe band aid? Wig? Virgil probably has it. He carries all sorts of things.
 ~ He will eventually stop being wary around Roman and they will have a friendship built on fake dramatic arguments (they will start to laugh in the middle of it and never finish them), protecting Logan and Patton, sarcasm, nicknames and just being dumb.
 [~.~]
Patton
~ Very litol, very energetic, lots of vestibular stimming and vocal stimming (mostly his clicks) too.
 ~ One day Logan said he thinks that ‘Your existence is a rather enjoyable event’ and Patton still tears up about it every single time he remembers it.
 ~ One day Virgil tells him he also has The Mean Thoughts and I headcanon him having two reactions:
Cute: Patton will bonk their foreheads together so he can 'poke the mean thoughts away'
or
Crack: Patton will grab a stick thrice his side and squeak his battle scream with 'I WILL PHYSICALLY FIGHT THEM!!'
Don’t ask me to choose, I can’t.
 ~ Patton didn’t realize Logan has magic because he thought all the power involving him was from the Coat of arms.
 ~ Can and will ask to be tossed in the air and to nap on his friend’s hair.
[~.~] 
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paintedrecs · 5 years ago
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Helloo i saw a tweet you made saying you recently watched a bunch of gay animes and i was wondering if you could perhaps make a list and post them on twitter? I'm always looking for anime to watch and i know your tastes align with mine. If it isn't too much of a bother perhaps? I hope you have loveky days!!!❤❤❤❤
Hey friend! I put off answering this, sorry, because my answers tend to be unnecessarily long and I was v tired when I got the original message. But if you’re still interested, here’s a lil rundown of some of what I’ve been watching/reading. In reference to this tweet, where I was watching a show that definitely isn’t gay but is kinda gay if you just squint the tiniest bit, which I’ve gotten used to doing.
If you follow me on twitter, most of these proooobably won’t be new? But I talk about/RT things on a scattered basis, so maybe there are some you haven’t checked out yet. 
So, the canonical gay! I’m only going to list the ones I liked and/or remember most - my Quest For Gay Anime started two years ago, and I watched pretty much everything I could get my hands on, but at that point, there were only a few I loved enough to rewatch/buy/recommend. The list has gotten a little longer since then, unfortunately for my attention span and wallet.
(I’ll be honest, a lot of the really popular/older BL have too many consent issues for my tastes - I understand the context and all that, and no hate on anyone who loves stories that didn’t particularly appeal to me. But I’m including this note cause (a) if I don’t put a really well-known BL anime on this list that’s probably why (b) I’m gonna drop in a few that toe that line but I’ll try to include warnings where relevant.)
ANIME FAVES
DOUKYUSEI (Classmates)
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This is kinda where it all started. I saw a tweet going around with a trailer for a very soft, lovely movie about two boys falling in love, and I thought whaaaaat an actual gay story? Where they kiss? And I don’t have to just imagine it??
Still one of my top faves. It’s beautifully animated - like filming watercolors? It always makes me feel languid and happy. The story and characters are realistic, in a very kind, hopeful way, as these two navigate starting a relationship that neither of them expected. It’s available on Amazon video - I own a digital copy there, hah, as well as the physical blu-ray, because I watch it often enough to want both.
I also recommend the manga, although I’ve only recently discovered that apparently the story did not end after the first three volumes, so I can only recommend that far. (I’ve heard it, unfortunately, gets angstier, and it’s still incomplete? The first three volumes feel complete to me, so I’m happy to leave it there if so.) 
The movie pretty much covers the first manga volume - it’s a very accurate page-to-screen translation - and there’s some really wonderful relationship building and exploration of family dynamics in the next two volumes.
HITORIJIME MY HERO (My Very Own Hero)
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Another huge favorite that I have literally watched like 30 times at this point. Two gay couples, double the fun, although this pairing is by far my favorite.
I’ll direct you to my very long post on this topic for more information, but the short version is:
Warning: there is an age gap and student/teacher relationship, but it’s treated very thoughtfully and is directly addressed as part of the story. They have to navigate through how to make their relationship work (issues with friends, coworkers, society). And they didn’t meet as student/teacher - it’s a lot more complicated, with some fantastic family dynamics. There’s a lot of angst to Setagawa’s backstory that makes you really appreciate the happiness and love he finds with Kousuke & his whole family. (Many more details in my watch-this-anime post.)
The series is 12 episodes long, with a WONDERFUL (happy) ending that makes me cry LITERALLY EVERY SINGLE TIME. Gosh I love this show a lot. It packs some serious feels - I cry, I laugh, I cry again, but for happy reasons.
It’s from a manga, but I do not recommend the manga. The manga falls into a lot of the tropes that I personally don’t like; I think the anime does a much better job of tackling the complexity of their story and treating these two with the thoughtful nuance they deserve.
Can be found on Amazon; I bought the blu-ray, and it’s one of the exceedingly rare cases where I love both the sub and the dub. There are slight differences in translation that really makes it worth watching both.
GIVEN
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Wow, this one. Available on Crunchyroll, 11 episodes with a movie coming soon.
It’s newer to my list, and it’s really, really good. I’ve only read the first two volumes of the manga so far (with two more on preorder), because tbh I have trouble reading scanlations online and find it a lot more enjoyable to just wait for the official translations in paperback form.
So far the anime lines up pretty closely with the manga, so I do recommend both, although at this point I enjoy the anime more - partly because of some of the choices they make in rearranging/expanding scenes, and partly because it’s a story about a band, so it makes a huge difference to be able to actually hear the music.
And Mafuyu’s song is worth it. Wow. I listened to it on repeat for like two weeks after the episode first aired.
Uenoyama (the dark-haired stern-looking heart-of-gold character, I have a type), is my favorite. He is a MASSIVE disaster gay, and a lot of his scenes are absolutely hilarious. The dynamics between the characters aren’t what you’d expect - it’s amazing to watch the seemingly quiet Mafuyu come out of his shell and display his true personality - and there’s some really gritty, emotional material, too.
What’s fascinating about this one is that there are parallel stories going on about past loves and heartbreak, and how truly loving (and losing) someone doesn’t mean you can’t find happiness again.
(Warning and a spoiler: there is a suicide that happens before this story starts - Mafuyu’s ex-boyfriend - and while nothing about it is graphic, that event is central to Mafuyu’s story, so there are some weighty episodes. It ultimately leads to him meeting Uenoyama and joining the band. And finding himself again.) 
The movie’s gonna focus more on the secondary couple, but I’m still excited to see more of them! And...more angst, I imagine, but hopefully a lot more happiness as well.
SARAZANMAI
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Okay, fair warning: this show is weird.
I think if you’re familiar with Japanese folklore, particularly kappas, you might have a much better intro than I did, but considering the creator laughed about how much they got away with by hiding the weirder parts of the story during the initial pitch, I...am not sure about that.
It’s weird but I liked it a lot. I’m not even going to attempt to explain it in the space available here, but the wiki page has a decent summary if you’re curious before diving in.
The very, very condensed version is that the main characters are three middle school boys who get turned into kappas by the kappa prince, who sends them on missions to retrieve “dishes of hope” every episode. In the process, they learn more about themselves and each other, since each time they complete one of these missions, it results in one of their big secrets being spilled to the others.
I like the main trio (and there’s a gay subplot there, too, where one of the boys is in love with his best friend but doesn’t know how to tell him), but I started watching the show because of the “villains,” Reo and Mabu. They have a deeply angsty backstory that you don’t get to until the last couple episodes. Up until then, they have a transformation sequence every episode that ... yes, gets repetitive, Miraculous Ladybug-style, but I still sat and watched, entranced, every time.
One of the things I like about this anime is that while it is very, very gay, it’s not about being gay. It’s a fantasy story where several characters just happen to be gay. As much as I love romance (which the rest of these recs definitely have been), I like being able to see gay people (or kappas...) in different genres, just existing.
And if you can’t get into the show (11 episodes, available on Crunchyroll), there’s a spinoff manga about Reo and Mabu being disaster dads to a baby girl they find on a dish in the middle of the street. I think it’s a human AU (kinda?), but it’s super sweet and funny and I liked it a lot.
THE BETRAYAL KNOWS MY NAME
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Okay, so this was an early favorite, and I rewatched it recently and laughed a lot about how massively dramatic it is, but I don’t care, I’m still into it.
We’re skirting the edge of “canon gay” here, because you never get an on-screen kiss, and it’s technically a shoujo manga. But...it was at the top of a lot of BL lists when I was first hunting for good stuff to watch, and the relationship between Yuki and Luka is deeply romantic (and achingly piningly good) and central to the story.
The title’s linked to one of Luka’s frequent lines: “I will never betray you,” which he earnestly tells Yuki at every opportunity he gets. Luka is an extremely powerful demon, and Yuki is part of an immortal (via reincarnation) clan that hunts demons. But in Yuki’s past life, they fell in love.
Yuki was, at that point and in previous lives, a woman, but something changed this time around: he was reborn as a man, and without any of his memories.
Luka, who waited for Yuki to be reincarnated so they could be together again, still remembers and still loves him. But he keeps his devotion on Yuki’s terms, refusing to force the memory of a relationship that Yuki might have wanted to forget.
There’s one particularly great scene where the leader of Yuki’s clan asks Luka if anything has changed - if they can still rely on Luka to stay by Yuki’s side and be his protector. “They have the same soul,” Luka says. Gender doesn’t matter. He loves Yuki. He’ll always love Yuki. 
And Yuki, though he doesn’t remember loving Luka, begins to slowly, inevitably, fall in love again.
The anime is 24 episodes - while it doesn’t fully close out the story, it does have some closure, or at least a solid sense of an upcoming happy ending. (I own the DVD; I don’t think the show is currently available to watch online.)
There’s also a manga, which is beautifully illustrated, wow, the sheer level of detail in this blows me away. Which, unfortunately, was way too much work to maintain at that level and ultimately destroyed the author’s health, so the last few volumes get shorter and shorter and the story trickles to an unsatisfying conclusion.
I still love it a lot, though, and it’s another example of establishing a great relationship within the context of a much larger story - a sweeping, complicated fantasy epic.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Those are my primary favorites, unless I’m forgetting anything (and for the purposes of this post, I’m leaving out things like Tiger & Bunny and Promare, which are very gay and embraced as such by the creators but also not something I’m comfortable including in a Definitely Canonically Gay, You Won’t Ever Be Disappointed By Future Reveals list). If I have the energy, I might make another post like this for those kinds of stories.
But there are a few others that I enjoyed, if not enough to buy copies of or collect merch for. These include:
No. 6
Dystopian, so definitely very dark and kind of visually disturbing in places (for instance, people rotting from mystery infections). There’s a central m/m romance and one kiss, but the ending is kind of an open one without a super happy conclusion. It doesn’t have high rewatch value for me - I’ve only ever watched it once and don’t really feel inclined to go back - but it's got good storytelling and is worth viewing. 
Kizuna Koi No Kara Sawagi (Much Ado About Nothing OVA)
That last bit of the title is important to get you to the correct OVA, since there are different variations of this story. It’s been a long time since I tried the main anime, but I did not like it - I had major issues with its story, particularly with the sexual assault plotline. I did, however, love the OVA and have recommended it to people as something that can be watched independently.
There's still a little dodgy content in it (as with a lot of things in the BL genre), but it's mostly a lovely established relationship story with a lot of bittersweet feels, with flashbacks to how the couple got together. 
It’s necessarily a "happy" story either, though, because they're in a loving, committed relationship in a society where they can't be open about that, and it takes a toll. They're doing their best to work through the difficulties together.
Ai no Kusabi 
SERIOUS WARNINGS FOR THIS ONE.
It's about a society with "Blondies" as the elite ruling class and dark-haired "Mongrels" from the slums. There's slavery, plus some serious sexual consent issues...which I found extra prevalent in the newer version (prettier animation but much more cringey on the content).
The 90s version has rougher animation but a more interesting story. The relationship is still not necessarily healthy, but it reads as a lot more of a forbidden love BDSM relationship.
Even so, the ending is SUPER unhappy. I cannot emphasize that enough. I was watching all these things on my own without any warnings, so this one hit me really hard, and I couldn't stop thinking about it for days after. I’m not sure if I'd watch it again, but I've had interesting conversations with others who did.
I guess what I liked about it is that it’s a very different kind of story - and like I said earlier, it’s nice to have variety in genres. As long as every story isn’t dark and tragic, it’s worthwhile to sometimes experience ones that are told well. And weirdly (since this is not something I would watch with my family) it reminded me to some extent of the movies I grew up with - the 80s and early 90s had a lot of dark sci-fi, and my family really loved watching them, so there’s something...nostalgic about how disturbing it is? Thanks parents. At least this one’s gay.
Gakuen Heaven
To pull us back from the darker content, here’s one that I guess was adapted from a dating computer game. As far as I can remember, it was pretty free of cw; fun but not as emotionally engaging as some of the others. It’s pretty much just a fluffy story about a boys’ school on an island with a mystery plot and a romance.
MANGA RECS
I sprinkled some manga recs alongside the relevant anime, but here are a few others that I’ve only experienced in book form. (I’ve got one on my nightstand right now that I need to read, but if it’s good I’ll just update this post I guess, I’ve put this reply off for long enough.)
OUR DINING TABLE
Unlike a lot of the other manga I’ve read, this is a single volume, which means it has a nice, solid conclusion that wraps everything up wonderfully and doesn’t leave you any room to worry that the author will insert unnecessary drama down the line. (That’s an issue, ok? It happens a lot.)
A very soft, sweet romance that’s actually a lot more about building family - which is something that hugely appeals to me. Highly recommend. Loved it, bought it, will definitely reread it. I’d love to see it eventually made into a movie, like Doukyusei.
MY BROTHER’S HUSBAND
This is a hefty book - I ordered it after seeing a joke-tweet about the live action adaptation (which I haven’t been able to find to watch online). I was surprised by the size of the book but even more (pleasantly!) surprised by its contents. I’m not familiar with the author’s other works, although I’ve heard this is the uh....softest and sweetest of his writing. It’s honestly way more uplifting and healing than I was expecting.
Again, it’s largely about family: a quiet, very private Japanese dad dealing with a visit from his deceased (estranged) twin’s extroverted and cheery Canadian husband. This could go down some very dark paths, but it really doesn’t...there are some smatterings of homophobia mixed in, since that’s sort of the point, but there’s a lot of wonderful self-discovery and building new family bonds.
OUR DREAMS AT DUSK
Oh man. This series. Irene Koh (Legend of Korra comics illustrator) recommended it on twitter, and I picked up the first volume from my library and then could not stop. All four volumes are now out in official translations, and they’re so, so good.
These are definitely on the more realistic side - less of an idealized, prejudice-free view of the world, with more of an accurate picture of what it’s like to be not-straight in Japan.
And I phrase it that way because there’s a lot of variety in the characters in these books. The main character is gay - just coming to terms with the fact that he is, because life would be so much easier if he didn’t have a crush on the hot guy at school.
Content warning: it gets so bad at school, in fact, that he starts out the book planning to commit suicide. It’s dark. But it gets much better, and by the final volume he’s grown so much in his confidence and sense of self-worth - because he becomes a part of a community of other people who teach him that it’s okay to be himself.
And all the other storylines are wonderful. Some of the other characters you get to know include a trans guy, an ace woman, two girls who (spoilers!) get married in the fourth volume, and a much older gay guy who’s been with his partner for several decades.
It’s not a fluffy story - there’s some really tough material throughout, and people aren’t always nice, even the ones you really, really want to be - but they also learn and work hard at communicating with each other. I think these are pretty extraordinary books. Beautiful and heartbreaking but also deeply affirming.
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thesoundofnat · 5 years ago
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I should tell you
Finn/Poe, Rey
Summary: Finn tries to tell Rey that he and Poe are together, but they keep getting interrupted (sometimes by Finn’s own incapability of outright saying it).
A/N: Bitches hear one line in the new Star Wars movie and takes it out of context and bases a whole fic around it. It’s me, I’m bitches. No spoilers for The Rise of Skywalker. This takes place before it. Finn was so much fun to write, I hope you like this!
Words: 2 086
“Rey, I need to tell you something.”
Finn didn’t have time to say a single thing, though, as a blaster was suddenly pointed straight at them and nearly hitting Finn in the shoulder. He ducked, screaming as he did, and Rey pointed her own weapon at the Stormtroopers. Truly not the best time, but Finn had suddenly had a moment of revelation and wanted to bare his whole soul. He didn’t have time for it now.
“Can it wait?” Rey asked, shooting and shooting and oh god would they ever do anything else again but shoot various weapons and run for their lives?
“Sure,” he said, voice higher, hands shaking ever so slightly as he raised his own blaster. Yeah, it could wait. Maybe a lifetime, since Finn found his courage sinking as much as his heart as the Stormtroopers kept coming and coming.
Rey was suddenly running, and would you look at that, Finn was running behind her, both of them shouting as they kept shooting. Sand in his fucking shoe. So much sand on this godforsaken planet. Did anyone even need this much sand?
“Finn!” Rey screamed, and oh, he was kneeling, his leg suddenly in so much pain, and Rey had lost her blaster on the way and was using the force to boomerang the incoming ships into the mountains. Finn didn’t catch the rest, because Poe was there, lifting him up, almost carrying him away, and Finn tried to say his name, tried to say Rey’s name, but it really fucking hurt being shot in the leg and all he could managed was a strangled cry that he would deny later. Not that anyone would hold it against him, but still.
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Poe was saying, rambling, almost going into panic mode, and usually Finn would try to calm him down but he was feeling quite panicked himself if he had to be honest.
They entered the ship, Rey behind them, screaming at Chewie to go go go, and they were up, or so Finn assumed because he sort of lost track of things after that.
Later, much later, he woke up feeling groggy but whole. A throbbing thigh but nothing worse. Whatever they had done, it had worked.
“Thank Rey,” Poe said, his fingers around Finn’s, but when Finn looked around Rey wasn’t there.
“What did she do?” he asked, his voice hoarse, throat screaming for water.
Poe shrugged. “She used the force.”
*
“I need to tell you something.”
This planet was greener and richer in every way, but Finn was a bit sick of slapping bugs from his arms. They were laying low, all of them fixing up ships and making plans and biding their time, but Finn could tell Rey was one second away from hopping into a ship herself and leaving. He found himself watching her, watching Poe, knowing they were probably watching him and each other. War made people reckless once they realized they’d lost enough, and Rey was like wildfire.
But she was also Finn’s friend, and sometimes he just wanted to have a regular conversation.
“The thing you tried to tell me before?” she asked, turning to smile at him, always smiling at him.
“Yes.” He sat down beside her on the fallen branch, his leg almost better than before. “Before we got so rudely interrupted.”
She laughed. “I can’t promise it won’t happen again.”
“Hopefully I won’t get shot this time. Thank you again, by the way.”
“Don’t mention it, really.” She bumped their shoulders together, and Finn could tell she was exhausted.
“When was the last time you slept?”
Visibly caught off guard, Rey fumbled. “Uh-”
“If it’s longer than 20 hours I’m sending you to bed right now.”
“Didn’t you have something to tell me?”
“It can wait.” Maybe he was still biding time.
She leaned forward, elbows resting on her thighs. “Is it bad?”
“No.” Quite the opposite.
“Then tell me so that I can go to bed happy.”
“It’s… well, it’s quite silly. I should’ve just told you ages ago, but now it feels weird since I’ve waited so long.”
Rey didn’t say anything, merely looked at him, face blank, neither pushing or assuming. Finn felt like throwing up anyway.
“Uh, well,” he started, looking away, as far away as he could without turning his back on her. “It’s… You know how I- Or maybe you don’t. Why should you?”
“Know what?” A gentle push now, to steer him in the right direction.
“Right. So. You know Poe?”
“I do know Poe, yes.” Her smile when he turned back to her made him start laughing almost hysterically, and he found he couldn’t stop.
“What?” She was whining now, begging, demanding, laughing, her hand grabbing Finn’s arm and pulling and shaking and slapping, but Finn couldn’t calm down enough to say another word.
“Geez, what did you give him?”
He recognized Poe’s voice, which didn’t make things better whatsoever.
“Nothing!” Rey said, audibly not minding him laughing but too curious to leave him be. “He was trying to tell me something and then started laughing.”
Finn had to stand, turning to face him and doubling over in the process. It wasn’t even fucking funny.
“I think it’s a nervous reaction,” Rey continued and Poe was nodding, grinning, but had Finn been calmer he would’ve seen something akin to understanding behind his eyes.
But Finn had to literally wander away from them before he could calm himself. So much for a normal conversation.
“I didn’t know you were a giggler when you were nervous,” Poe said that evening, and Finn laughed in response, though he had to admit he was all laughed out for a bit. “I mean, you giggle a lot around me, but I thought it was because I was so handsome.”
Finn rolled his eyes, but he let Poe lean his chin on his shoulder. “I didn’t know either, but to be fair I tried to talk about you.”
“You finally gonna tell her?”
“It’s been too long as it is.”
“She’ll just be happy for you, you know. For us.”
“I know but-” Finn cut himself off with a sigh. “I’ve built it up so much now, and each time I try to tell her something goes wrong.”
“You want me to tell her?”
“No. It should come from me.”
Poe hummed, his fingertips skimming the nape of Finn’s neck, making him shiver. “You should just say it. No prelude.”
“I want it to be a conversation.”
“I see.”
“Is that silly?”
“No.” Poe pressed his lips to his neck. “I think it’s endearing.”
*
“I need to-” Finn stopped in his tracks, remembering Poe’s advice about just saying it, but Rey was already looking at him. An eyebrow raised, so visibly amused.
“Tell me something?”
Finn deflated. “Yes.”
She laughed. “Sit.”
He did, the chair of the Falcon comfy and big and the perfect spot for a conversation. He shouldn’t have been nervous.
But he was. Oh, he was.
“The thing is,” he started. “I’m-”
“Incapable of making conversation?” she said when he didn’t continue, her smile soft. “Go on.”
“I don’t know why it’s so hard.”
“Give me a hint? Maybe I can guess.”
And then something exploded and the whole fight and flight thing resumed. Finn was so tired.
*
Finn didn’t understand how Rey hadn’t figured it out. He often found himself acting like a total fool around Poe, but he couldn’t stop.
“Don’t go,” he was begging now, holding Poe’s wrist and refusing to let him to get out of bed and leave him cold and alone.
“I have to,” he said, but he didn’t twist his hand out of Finn’s wrist or tickle him into letting go like he could - and oftentimes would - do. Instead he remained sitting, one foot dangling off the bed while the other was tucked beneath him. Half turned away from him, but Finn had his own face partly buried in a pillow so it didn’t matter. He was holding onto Poe’s hand for dear life.
Sort of.
He whined, knowing he’d done similar things in public when Poe had done something he hadn’t liked, mostly leave him, and Rey had to know, she had to know what this meant, but he couldn’t just assume.
Poe was laughing, turning to fully face him now, his free hand on Finn’s back, and Finn hummed contentedly, smiling despite himself when Poe leaned down to kiss him, and Rey had to fucking know if one ounce of attention from Poe made him melt despite their surroundings.
“Do I-” Not love. Too early to talk about love. “Do I enjoy you visibly?”
Poe’s turn to cackle like a maniac now. “What was that?”
“I mean,” Finn tried to explain, feeling himself flush. “Is my… affection for you visible?”
“It is to me.”
“How?”
“In the little ways.”
“Enough for others to see?”
“If they’re looking, though I think it’s clear we don’t hate each other or anything.”
Finn huffed out a laugh. “You’re too pretty to hate.”
“I knew you were just with me for my looks.”
“And because you fly me places.”
“At least I contain multitudes.”
“Oh, many.”
“Talk to her,” Poe said, changing the subject so suddenly that Finn forgot to complain when he slipped his hand out of his grip and stood. “You’re stressing yourself out for nothing.”
Well, he needed a hobby.
He sighed. “I’ll go find her.”
Poe was, unfortunately, getting dressed. “Try practicing your speech on others maybe.”
“You think that will work?”
“Yes.”
So Finn was suddenly on a mission to tell everyone else before he told Rey, because that was the logical solution to this tongue twisting trouble, right?
He’d truly die before telling her, he was calling it.
*
BB-8 lowkey knew, but Finn wanted to tell it anyway. Just to practice. Just to make sure. 
Maybe to stall.
“Hey, buddy,” he said, feeling a twinge of nerves when the droid turned to look at him. “I need to tell you something.”
No prelude, he heard Poe say. Next time, honey, sorry, honey.
“I’m with Poe,” he blurted. “I mean, not right now. He’s not here. I mean.”
He could’ve sworn BB-8 tilted its head to the side.
“I like him. As a man. Wait, what?”
He heard Poe laughing hysterically behind him, having come up to them without Finn hearing. “I’m not sure BB-8 gets what you mean.”
Finn turned to pout at him. “This is hard.”
“It’s not. Just say we’re together.”
“Together.”
“Yes.”
“We’re together.��
“See?” Poe poked his ribs. “It wasn’t so bad, was it?”
Finn shoved him lightly. “I can’t help it.”
Poe wrapped his arms around him, unusually affectionate while in public. Finn didn’t mind. Truly would never mind. Maybe they could stay like this until everyone knew, with Poe’s lips pressed to Finn’s jaw, eyelashes almost tangled.
BB-8 made a sound, and Poe laughed into Finn’s skin. “Yes, buddy. I do like him.”
Another beep.
“Of course you knew. I don’t think I’ve been good at keeping it a secret.”
“I didn’t know,” Finn mumbled. “Not at first.”
“I don’t think I fully knew at first either, to be fair.”
“Looks cozy.”
So used to being subtle, Finn nearly jumped out of Poe’s embrace as they turned to look at Rey, but Poe kept him in place.
“It is,” he said, one hand rubbing Finn’s back, soothing him. “Wanna join?”
“I’m good.” Her voice was normal, but her face softer than Finn had ever seen it. “I don’t like being a third wheel.”
Poe laughed. “That’s fair.”
And just like that, she knew. So simple. So easy and so free of judgement. Finn didn’t know why he’d been terrified.
“Is this what you’ve been trying to tell me?” she asked when Poe finally released him.
Finn deflated. “Yes. It’s been a living nightmare.”
“Why?”
“We kept getting interrupted! And I’m not the best with words, apparently.”
She reached out to squeeze his hand. “It’s okay. I like you anyway.”
“Good, because you’re not getting rid of me.”
“Or me,” Poe said from Rey’s other side, the two of them trapping her in their arms.
She was laughing. “I said I didn’t want to be a third wheel!”
“I’m clearly the third wheel here,” Poe said, and Finn reached across Rey to swat at him. “I don’t mind, though.”
BB-8 beeped, wanting in. Even if Finn had wanted to say no he didn’t have the heart to.
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redeemed-wren · 5 years ago
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The world sucks, I'm tired and have a headache, it's time to watch A New Hope again.
The opening of a star wars movie never fails to make me smile
A) the stormtroopers slipping all over the place amused me, b) the stormtroopers checking the downed troopers gives me clone feels
I love how much history and world is just implied. "The princess won't get away this time." "We'll be sent to the spice mines of kessel for sure" "
Vader's voice bring me back to being 8 and watching star wars on our little box TV.
"I have traced the rebel spy to here" Ah, must have been very difficult, running directly from Scarif. The opening is very amusing after Rouge 1
Man I love Jawas
Gonk!
Ooh man the CGI dewbacks are kiiiinda jarring not gonna lie.
Sunshine child Luke! It my boy!
Luke: What's this? R2, instantly, knowing full well what he means: What's what?
I firmly believe that Luke and Leia, being twins, have some Force connection even before meeting.
"I guess you're too small to run away on me if I take this off" HA someone doesn't know R2. He instantly denies having the message as well what a troll.
"He won't. I don't think Obi-Wan exists anymore, he died about the same time as your father." hhh my heart
Obi-Wan living his best life being absolutely feral in the desert what a legend
I love how the two wise old Jedi we see in the OT are introduced by one of them making weird screaming noises to scare off tuskan raiders and the other being a feral gremlin in the middle of a swamp. Legendary.
Dang i always forget his first words are literally "Hello there"
Alec Guinness is such a good actor dang.
"I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid" R2: boi you what you know me I know you know me come on now I will fight you.
I can't get over how much emotion Alec Guinness has that fits with the story so well. Like, I know I'm probably projecting a lot onto him because I know the story, but the amount of emotion he conveys without knowing Obi-Wan's story is amazing
Luke be like "I can't go to Alderaan. I have homework"
Yularan!
Tarkin.
I love Tarkin but as a villian and as a horrible person to hate.
"Your sad devotion to that ancient religion..." said religion was destroyed not even 20 years ago.
Okay for real though I legit didn't realise there were skeletons of Owen and Bereu smoking outside the house for years. I don't know if we were told to look away at that point or if I just blocked it out of my mind but when I realised they full on showed their charred skeletons I was shooketh.
Everytime I see a stormtrooper with one of those orange shoulder things I think of Cody it'd be wild if the trooper Ben "These aren't the droids you're looking for"ed was Cody.
Cantina music is a BOP it's fantastic
Dang Luke just reaching across the bar and grabbing the bar keeper's shirt is just rude
I love all these iconic creatures whose designs haven't changed much really over the years. It's so cool how much you see them elsewhere and they're still basically the same!
R.I.P. Greedo.
Oh no CGI Jabba.
Oh but Boba's here also this makes it okay.
"Jabba, you're a wonderful human being" I love Han.
I did not realise Han was the first to say "this is where the fun begins" I love how many inside jokes the films have with each other.
Tarkin needs to stop touching people's face without permission. He did it to Ahsoka, he did it to Leia.
R.I.P. Bail Organa and Alderaan.
"In my experience, there's no such thing as luck" idk why that hurt me but it did because everything has gone wrong in Obi-Wan's life he's literally never been lucky in his life.
Mouse droid mouse droid I love mouse droids!
Han just casually leaning against Chewie is iconic
The way Luke leans in before saying "She's rich" is cracking me up.
Mouse droid! Chewie don't scare it
Yularan full on walks past while Luke, Han and Chewie are waiting for the elevator that's wild.
Which probably means he was in the Death Star when it explodes so rip him.
Han bluffing at the radio is fantastic "We're fine, we're all fine here, now, thank you... How are you?" and his face after he says it.
*blasts the radio* "boring conversation anyway." legit one of my favourite parts of the movie
"into the garbage shoot, flyboy" I love Leia
Everytime I see Leia's outfit I get mad at George 'There's no underware in space' Lucas the beginning of Jedi is going to send me into a RAGE. it's a shame cos the movies are so good otherwise, Carrie Fisher's treatment and they way they treated her costumes and her weight just makes me so angry and I'm gonna stop before I go on a big rant. But my flatmate refuses to watch star wars partly because of Lucas' treatment of Carrie Fisher and part of me doesn't blame her, even tho she's missing out on a fantastic story.
Anyway rant over let's keep going.
'donk' the fact that they added a sound effect to the dude hitting his head cracks me up. Also implies that he's a clone cos they made Jango donk his head when entering Slave 1 in AOTC and Rex donk his head in that one clones wars episode as a reference and that makes me Sad.
3PO thinking they're dying when they're celebrating not being crushed is iconic
I love how Obi-Wan has just been wandering around this whole time
Wilhelm scream!
Aaaand now I am getting Obi-Wan and Anakin feels again.
Honestly kinda looks like Obi-Wan is disassociating somewhat he has a very blank stare and I'm projecting emotions again but still this is the first time since Mustifar he's seen the person who was his brother he must have had many Emotions. Not to mention this all happened in like... a day, he's had his past thrown in his face in so many ways
Luke being more sad about Ben's death than the people who raised him. I mean like same, but I guess he's still somewhat in shock from all that's happened
I love R2's chuckle
"Whatddya think, do you think a princess and a guy like me-" Luke, instantly: no. What a savage.
Lookout guy on Yavin IV is me and my brother's favourite background character. I distinctly remember a conversation about throwing food up to him and him having an umbrella in case it rains.
"This will be a day long remembered" Funny that, it's the day the time is calculated from in the star wars universe
Ey! I wasn't sure if the Biggs reunion scene was in this version I feel like it's not in all of them? Either way I wasn't expecting it and it made me happy and also buildup for more sadness down the line
Lookout guy again! I love him
X-wings are legit one of my favourite ships
I really do enjoy the dogfight and all the chatter over the coms
Wedge my BOY I love him
You can see Vader's eyes a couple points in that dogfight
R.I.P. Biggs
And boom. I forgot how good that battle was.
Where's Wedge's promotion/medal tho?
Man. I forgot how good this movie is and that's saying something cos I've loved this movie for as long as I can remember. I haven't properly watched it for years and it's been long over due!
Now I'm very keen to watch Empire and Jedi again because it's been even longer since I watched those!
Imma go watch the deleted scenes cos I don't believe I've seen em and then go to bed.
Huh Red leader met Anakin, wonder if that's still canon and if so, when.
Man the cantina rough cut really does show how much editing and post production brings to it.
The Tosche station scene is awesome, seeing Luke's friends is cool. They're also kinda mean. It also gives more character to Biggs which is cool! I should have watched it ages ago.
"Listen to how quiet I am you can barely hear me" Luke you nerd
See the downside to that deleted scene is that now I'm even more sad about Biggs' death.
And that's all folks! Headache is gone and I'm feeling less depressed, so I think it worked! Hopefully Empire tomorrow night, if I'm on top of assignments.
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that-shamrock-vibe · 5 years ago
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Movie Review: Birds of Prey (Spoilers)
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Spoiler Warning: I am posting this review a week after the movie airs worldwide, so if you have not yet seen the movie do not read on until you have.
Characters:
Harley Quinn:
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This is most definitely Margot Robbie’s signature role. Just like Johnny Depp has Jack Sparrow and Gal Gadot has Wonder Woman, Margot Robbie is Harley Quinn and I am not just saying that because she’s the only cinematic version we have.
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I really enjoyed the “Galentine’s” movie angle as this movie was released around the traditionally loved-up holiday and Galentine’s is an anti-approach to it. But showing how Harley bounced back after being dumped by the Joker with the traditional break-up tropes of a bad haircut, partying, drinking and generally hitting self destruct was a lot of fun, particularly from Harley’s perspective.
Also the link with her roller derby hobby at the start of the movie showing how she’s moved on to the end of the movie when she uses her roller derby skills in a positive way was really great, and one of the few things I really like about her comics redesign.
As I said in my non-spoiler review, I thought Margot Robbie’s comedy as Harley Quinn had greatly improved from Suicide Squad to here, whether or not that’s better writers or Robbie’s own performance I don’t know. But Margot Robbie, to be fair to her, is funny when given the right material. Just look at how she delivered Brad Pitt’s acceptance speech at the BAFTAs.
But she had a lot of great one-liners and even character moments where it was just physical acting or face acting that just make me laugh every time I watch the movie, and I so far have seen it three times.
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My favourite funny lines from her are “Run piggy run!” when she’s gunning down the GCPD officers with glitter rounds, “Does she have to keep running?!” when trying to chase Cassandra through the evidence room while also battling with the mercenaries looking to claim Sionis’ bounty, and when she is explaining why the main women of the movie need to team-up in the most realistic way possible ending with “...so unless we all want to die extremely painful deaths and let Roman go finger fondling around the kid’s intestinal track...”.
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In terms of her silent comedy, I loved when she ran for the truck she used to blow up Ace Chemicals, Margot Robbie is a good drunk actor. The way she ran with her arms out but then momentarily stopped seeing the actual driver before continuing anyway, I’m cracking up now just thinking about it.
Also whenever she came across someone who was after her or she had an idea, the way she would sign or look confused or have her trademark devilish grin was fantastic.
In regards to her character development, I am beyond thrilled that they let Harley be Harleen in this movie.
During Suicide Squad she had one or two moments where she did analyse the team and especially in the extended cut she went through the group.
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Here though right from the start with Roman in his club she lays out his psyche in front of him and in turn I believe throughout the movie analyses all the main players with the exception of Zsasz.
It did weigh in to the comedy but the fact she had an analysis for everyone so unique to them; Sionis with his insecurities, Canary being a harlequin of sorts, Montoya being stuck in the past, Huntress and her childhood trauma. It was all superb and exactly what I want from Harley.
Even psychoanalysing herself when explaining herself to Cassandra, how she was a psychologist working at Arkham before falling in love with her patient and helping him escape, then being arrested herself and becoming a member of the Suicide Squad, but escaping before being dumped. Serious and professional Harley is just as important to me as the wacky Harlequin of Chaos.
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Also the fact she is still a dangerous character both with her actions and unhinged mind. She is a very calculating individual and that’s again a lot to do with her psychological background.
When she manages to save her skin (literally) with Black Mask by telling him she can get his diamond back from Cassandra Cain, the fact she’s clearly hesitant from just turning her over and simply wants the diamond, you can see the frustration in her when Cassandra originally refuses to hand it over before admitting she ate it.
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Speaking of what I want to see from my Harley, her action sequences were so good. Harley is an acrobatic character and while we saw shades of that in Suicide Squad, here not only was she doing kicks and flips, but the way she used that baseball bat and her roller skates was everything for me.
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Yes Harley with a mallet and a form of firearm will always be Harley, but this is old-school Harley and it works so well.
While I do think Margot Robbie’s storytelling style could be considered all over the place, in the context of Harley Quinn it is such a good narrative because Harley’s mind is all over the place.
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I love me a cute animal sidekick and, while neither animals in this movie are cute (or real), I thought Bruce the Hyena was a great addition despite not really doing anything. If you’ve seen him in the trailers you’ve seen him in the movie.
I am hoping that some day soon they could afford to render two hyenas so we can finally get Bud and Lou on the big screen because Harley with her hyenas is such a great partnership.
Harley with a beaver on the other hand...I am just glad it wasn’t played up and used in cheap inuendos. It is slightly annoying that when her apartment was blown up, she had to save the beaver and even at the end of the movie, once it was revealed that Bruce was safe, the beaver was also there. I just don’t get the fascination with it.
Black Canary:
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Jurnee Smolett-Bell, as I said in my non-spoiler review, is the breakout star of this movie for me. I know Black Canary quite well thanks to Injustice 2, the Arrowverse and even some animated properties, but seeing her in a more realistic setting rather than the suited up version was very refreshing.
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Even the smaller moments for Dinah worked really well thanks to Smolett-Bell’s acting. For example, when that one guy roufees Harley and tries abducting her, the look on Dinah’s face as she’s deciding whether or not to get involved or not was really great.
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Giving Black Canary some good action sequences was also the right thing to do because that’s partly what Canary is known for. Not only did she have some great kicks but it was just her attitude and her bravado about how she engaged in her fight choreography.
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Also allowing her to sing, I haven’t talked about the music in this movie because while I do love some of the songs used here it wasn’t a lot to rave about, “Man’s World” may be slightly too on the nose for this movie but Smolett-Bell delivered it very well.
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And let’s not forget the other way her voice was used, we have our Canary Cry and I am thrilled...mostly. Having it used once at the end of the movie and that’s it does seem like a bit of a waste, but it does make sense with in the context of this movie.
Black Canary is the only metahuman in this movie and on the team and so if she used her power all the time there would be no need for Huntress or even Harley.
However, the fact she fainted after using it once I found interesting. I am not taking the same approach as some by saying it was stupid because I feel the way Dinah’s story is told in this movie that she may not use it a lot and so she may not be vocally trained or durable enough to sustain.
On that note, the nod to Dinah’s mother, aka the original Black Canary, originally being a vigilante with the same Canary Cry as Dinah I also felt played into Dinah’s character. She knows what her mother was like and the fact she died, so of course she didn’t want that life and so didn’t use her power which is why it’s so overwhelming for her.
I do wish her outfits had been more Black Canary-esk. I would have loved more fishnets and definitely a leather jacket rather than that weird disco suit jacket she had on for a lot of the movie.
However, the gold trousers and matching boots were fabulous.
Black Mask:
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Ewan McGregor can do no wrong for me really, there is just such a charm and charisma about the actor that I can’t help but like him in everything he is in.
That being said, I will say I know nothing about Black Mask from the comics other than he is a psychologically damaged crime lord. I do not believe he is this campy but I am sorry it works for the movie.
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I did like how the movie played up Black Mask’s insecurities which Harley diagnosed at the start of the movie. When that one woman was laughing and he thought it was at him so decided to humiliate her, then later on when Zsasz revealed that Dinah betrayed him and he just flipped.
I’m not entirely sure if Black Mask is this misogynistic in the comics but it seems to be that every woman in this movie was at his mercy. At the start of the movie he clearly had a begrudging relationship with Harley because of her association with The Joker, however, after it was revealed that she had been dumped it seemed like he wanted her but then it’s revealed he just wants to kill her.
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Bottom line, Roman Sionis was definitely a dangerous individual and Ewan McGregor played that brilliantly, but there was also a campy and somewhat sadistically comedic edge to him which gave way to a rather brilliant DC villain.
However, the very fact that his tenure in the DCEU is short-lived given that he was literally blown up at the end of the movie, it is sad that we will never see him going forward.
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Also on the subject of his actual mask, I know it’s supposed to be welded to his face or something, I’m kind of glad it wasn’t but do wish we had seen it more throughout the movie. Also I feel it would have popped more with the white suit rather than the black, just saying.
Huntress:
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While Mary Elizabeth Winstead was a great choice for Huntress here, I do feel that the movie missed a trick and a way to bring other strong female characters into the movie.
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Alright so the movie honours Helena’s origins of being the daughter of a crime boss whose entire family is murdered and so she trains to become an assassin and comes to Gotham seeking vengeance.
However, how great would it have been if, rather than Sicily, if she was trained by either the League of Assassins or even Lady Shiva herself.
I know that this is more of a Cassandra Cain origin, which they still didn’t do, but it would have been a great way to tie-in these characters and also show a bond between Helena and Cassandra being raised by the same woman maybe.
Then also, if Black Canary and Huntress do get their own spin-off, Lady Shiva could come in as an antagonist and it would see Huntress going up against her old mentor.
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I do think that Winstead did a good job with what she had, I am hoping that Huntress is meant to be socially awkward because that’s definitely the vibes I got from her.
I appreciated her tracksuit attire because Gotham is meant to be in New Jersey and it’s a very gangster Jersey attire.
I hated her last outfit though right at the end, loved the mask but that actual outfit was hideous.
I do see a future for Huntress going forward which is great, I’m not as disappointed with the character as I thought I would be.
Victor Zsasz:
This was an interesting conundrum of a character for me because, like the other two left on this list, if you don’t read the comics or watch the TV shows with these characters in, you’re not going to know who Victor Zsasz from this movie.
I will say, having seen the actor’s transformation from how he normally looks to his Zsasz look, it is a very impressive change and does fit in with the Suicide Squad level changes made to the characters.
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Unfortunately though this is where the impressiveness stops. Yes, Zsasz is an assassin and I did like how they confirmed that he works for various employers, despite the fact it seems that the crime boss who had the Bertinellis killed was in fact working for or with Sionis so was Zsasz just on loan?
But the misogyny of the character was so cringe-worthy and at times unnecessary that it actually makes me side with the fans who put misogyny as this movie’s biggest problem, despite knowing logically that is not strictly true but I do accept it is one of the big problems.
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For instance, it is implied that Zsasz only cuts himself to tally the number of women he’s “set free” as opposed to everyone he kills...that is not how Victor Zsasz is supposed to operate. He gives himself a point for every person he kills, that’s what makes him such a terrifying and grotesque adversary.
Okay so I know Anthony Carrigan on Gotham also didn’t go deep into that side of the character, but they didn’t have that Zsasz single out women either.
Also, when he paralysed Harley with that dart and then was effectively playing with her while she was unresponsive...I get she was still aware but even so where I thought that scene was going to go was both unnecessary and only added to why fans were laughing when Harley started repeatedly stabbing Zsasz with that same dart despite him already being dead.
I did like the subtle LGBT representation they tried to showcase with him and Sionis, because even if Sionis wasn’t reciprocating, this was a case of one guy crushing hard on another and feeling he knew what was best and wanting to protect him. That I liked and they played that rather well in my opinion.
But overall, I just didn’t feel that threatened by a supervillain who is essentially the living embodiment of torture porn. I know he cut off people’s faces and had visible scars, but there wasn’t a lot of anything else to make me believe this was the same Victor Zsasz that can easily inspire nightmares just by looking at him.
Cassandra Cain:
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I’m just going to put this out there, I don’t know that much about Cassandra Cain. From what I have been told, she was someone who became Batgirl, I know in Young Justice she is in it as Orphan despite I don’t think ever speaking or having her real name revealed, and I know her mother is Lady Shiva.
Which brings me back to a potential storyline going forward for a Black Canary/Huntress TV series to feature Lady Shiva which could also include the return of Cassandra Cain...because I don’t think we need to see her again in the movies.
It is very harsh to judge a child actress, but much like Zsasz honestly if you are unfamiliar with Cassandra Cain as I am you would not really have much takeaway from the character based on this movie.
I also recall there being reports that Margot Robbie stole Cassandra Cain from the upcoming Suicide Squad as a plot point...but now I want to know what the original plan was for Cassandra Cain in The Suicide Squad and if James Gunn would have handled her better.
There just wasn’t a lot of depth to her character. She had a broken arm, potentially from her foster parents, but other than that she was just so angry all the time. She tried being sassy particularly with Harley but it fell flat.
Then in the climactic battle, she is the girl everyone is after to either kill or protect, but in that fun-house scene, as cool as the action was, Cassandra was essentially a hot potato going from character to character and it reminded me a lot of The Jungle Book when Baloo and Bagheera were trying to keep Mowgli away from King Louis and the monkeys.
I don’t really see the point of Harley having an apprentice either, I like the idea that she’s a free agent with no ties. Now that the Birds of Prey are formed she can float between helping them out and doing her own thing or going on another Suicide mission but the point is she rides solo...how are we going to explain where Cassandra is in The Suicide Squad?
Renee Montoya:
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I continuously keep calling Rosie Perez’s character Maggie Sawyer because, in my opinion, this is who she is most like, not Renee Montoya.
Renee is young, determined and the woman who can stand alongside Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock. She comes from the same origin as Harley Quinn which is Batman: The Animated Series. Yet so far the only incarnation to get her right outside of that has been Batman: Bad Blood where she had a minor appearance as Batwoman’s love interest...which is actually supposed to be Maggie Sawyer.
I said how Cassandra was played as angry, Renee was simply one of these rather aggressive soccer mom characters, especially in that final battle.
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She had her funny moments and I do understand where the movie was coming from in trying to show how she was hard done by because of her male colleagues always stealing her glory, but this is a character who again led GCPD missions when Gordon and Bullock were detained in the past, yet I am not getting that essence from this character.
Also Renee, like Maggie Sawyer, is an LGBT character, but while her ex-girlfriend was shown here, if it wasn’t for Harley narrating that fact you would not know they had that history.
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I don’t understand why she also became a founding member of the Birds of Prey, I get that in the comics she has been a liaison between them and the GCPD, but to actually quit her job and fight alongside Black Canary and Huntress? There is a third member needed in that line-up but Renee Montoya is not it.
DCEU Connections:
I will keep calling this universe the DC Extended Universe because until DC itself makes up its mind I am going to stick to what I know.
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So in the wider scope of the DCEU, this movie definitely is a follow-up to Suicide Squad, not only because of Margot Robbie’s Harley and the flashbacks we saw of her diving into the acid vat from Ace Chemicals, but also the cheeky Easter-Egg of Captain Boomerang’s wanted poster at the GCPD.
I don’t understand why Captain Boomerang is wanted by the GCPD particularly when he is supposed to be a Flash rogue but I just loved seeing Jai Courtney getting some love.
Also, when the women are suiting up to fight Black Mask and his army, we see Black Canary equip herself with Harley’s Good Night bat from Suicide Squad but also Renee pick up Harley’s “Daddy’s Little Monster” shirt from said movie which Harley takes back as “sentimental value”. I love little connections like that.
In terms of where this movie could branch out to, again I do see a Black Canary/Huntress series in the future maybe including Cassandra Cain and Renee Montoya as guest characters, but movie-wise aside from Harley returning, I don’t see any of this lot coming back.
Also, despite Arrow severely screwing this over, the Black Canary/Green Arrow relationship I could see happen in a TV series but the way they have developed this version of the character I do not see Dinah needing an Emerald Archer in her life.
Overall I rate the movie a solid 7/10, I know I rated Suicide Squad the same and have said this was a better movie, but with everything that DC is pushing recently like Wonder Woman and Aquaman I expected something at that level rather than Shazam! level. Maybe if we got a Gotham City Sirens movie the mark would be higher.
So that’s my review of Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, what did you guys think? Post your comments and check out more DC Movie Reviews as well as other reviews and posts.
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my-artblog-is-ssjumi · 4 years ago
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Thor/Loki, Catra/Adora, Devil/Constantine, the Killing Eve gay enemy to ?? thing
Thor/Loki
I personally don’t go there but I watched both Thor movies and the first Avengers movie was pretty cool, and jumping off of that as what I know about this ship:
A+++
Thor’s loyal love and desperation to make his brother see he can literally just Stop Ruining Everything For Everyone and how that would maybe stop ppl from being rly fed up with him
and Loki’s refusal to accept that bc it doesn’t align with his feelsies of being Other and also he wants power but not in the Good Guy way and oh, if his brother would REALLY see him for what he is he would stop following him around to tell him he still loves him, or worse, it would change him and Thor is too good for that, also power, power sound good, mmmhmmmmmm, if only i’m powerful enough i won’t have to think about any of that anymore for sure :) :) :) :) :) :)
also rly into the potential of the angsty outcome of Loki having faked his own death and impersonating Odin now. Imagine how interesting it would be to explore the emotional fallout of Thor not only finding out his dad is potentially/probably dead but that Loki has been alive after all and had no problem lying to him under the disguise of their father! there is so much to unpack, not just in the grief department but also in how all nice things “Odin” said to Thor were lies and surely none of them had a bit of sincerity in them in a “Loki actually sometimes enjoys being able to spend time with his brother again without having him see him for all the ways in which he fucked up” way
so much potential
only a fool who didn’t like those characters would not make use of it when getting the chance to make a 3rd Thor movie
can’t imagine how anyone would miss out on that potential or why anyone who doesn’t even like the source material would be given a say in these things in the first place though....
so yeah. shame there never was a 3rd Thor movie
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Catradora
Ok so disclaimer: I only watched the first season of SheRa.
It’s a cool show and as a kid or maybe young teen I might’ve REALLY gotten into it - as a kid mostly bc I would’ve made up my own probably at least partly Self-Insert princess and as a teen because of Catra’s and Adora’s relationship.
(side note: ok now i’m lowkey ecstatic about the possibility that I would’ve probably also made up a 2nd OC to pair my Self-Insert with and that it would’ve likely been a girl bc that’s just the vibe of the show and wow, what a power move for an 11yo (that i would’ve been completely oblivious to, bc i was always the “everyone is a little bi and everyone knows that, ppl just say otherwise for reasons i don’t care about” bi kid))
I always loved resentment as an emotional theme in the fictional relationships I like to explore, and this pairing has it plenty!
“If you cared about me enough you’d stay!” “If you cared about me enough you’d leave, too, and join me!”
Love it. 11/10. Great basis to write a shit ton of angsty songfic to (and then be surprised you’re not the only one in the fandom who chose LP’s Numb for that).
No one ever show me what ppl do with this pairing or say about it, I don’t trust fandom these days with things I like.
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Devil/Constantine
.................. ( ̄∀, ̄)
Only one of the main reasons I (re)watch this movie.
I mean, it’s a fun movie in general, I always enjoy it from start to finish, but When That Black Tar Stuff Drips On The Floor, I always get excited goosebumps and feel like that’s what I was actually waiting for the whole time.
Peak. Fucking. Aesthetic. Love that energy. *chef’s kiss*
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Villanelle/Eve
Ok, so I watched the first season of the show and read the books. What I’ve seen of the show is better imo btw, in the books the author dude was just a little too into his own excitement over having come up with The Coolest Edgy OC In The History Of Ever which, i mean, bless his soul, especially given what he used this OC for but. I didn’t rly vibe with it, u know.
The aesthetic of it is great.
Sandra Oh/Eve is hot and such a fucking mess and Villanelle is an OC teen!me wishes she had come up with first lol
Love the potential of that obsession and like. Overall potential of everything.
Something was missing tho. Idk if the second season delivered it, I think I read something about it not quite living up to s1 in between the lines of posts about it, but could just be ppl not getting things I don’t want anyway. I’m just too lazy to hunt down s2 tbh.
But yeah.
Very neat aesthetic.
If it was two dudes and the queer was more baity and less Probably/I Think/I HOPE?/i legit can’t remember canon it would probably have a massive fandom. Or would’ve had in 2013. Idk.
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strwbrymoonchild · 4 years ago
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How Residue Illuminates The Complexities of Survivor’s Guilt and Gentrification
Written and directed by Merawi Gerima, Residue tells the story of Jay, a screenwriter who returns from California to create a movie about his old neighborhood on Q street in Eckington, Washington, D.C. The film has a semi-autobiographical feel that offers an impressionist yet raw look at gentrification in Northeast D.C.  35mm shots of kids playing, and the unforgettable sounds of cicadas, windchimes, go-go music, and police sirens guide us through Jay’s childhood memories and provide a sense of nostalgia. Fireworks—which could easily be mistaken for gunshots in his neighborhood—stands out as a significant recurring motif. Flashbacks to the Fourth of July foreground themes of liberation or lack thereof, and the hypocrisy of celebrating Independence Day when Black people are still struggling for freedom. To highlight this, Gerima jarringly intersperses documentary-style footage of protests and police brutality in the neighborhood throughout the film. 
Gerima’s unique take on survivor’s guilt shows us that you don’t have to be white to have a savior complex. In the opening scene we hear Jay’s inner monologue: “Did you really think a script would save us?” Art and storytelling are key parts of Black survival and liberation because they allow us to archive and spotlight our experiences, to amplify causes we care about, and to construct better worlds where freedom is possible. Nevertheless, this film offers honest and reflective commentary on the limits of storytelling. Yes, making art is part of the work. But so much of the work remains off the page. Poet and activist Nikki Giovanni said it best when she wrote For Saundra in 1968 after Nixon was elected: “it occurred to me/maybe i shouldn't write/at all/but clean my gun/and check my kerosene supply/perhaps these are not poetic/times/at all”
Jay’s savior complex is further exposed when he runs into an old neighbor named Delonte while in search of his childhood best friend Demetrius. Jay explains to Delonte that he wants to make this movie to give a “voice to the voiceless.” Offended, Delonte quickly pushes back asking, “nigga who’s voiceless?” Later Delonte retorts, “you only care about yourself and your motherfucking movie.” This perspective on what it looks like to have an old friend swoop back into your gentrified neighborhood to try to save the day after years away is imbued with not only raw honesty and resentment but also a sense of accountability and understandable distrust of Jay’s potential ulterior motives.
“Those experiencing survivor’s guilt are paying the very real price of upward mobility, which often means moving into isolating predominantly white spaces, adapting to the social norms of those spaces on a steep learning curve, losing connection with one's sense of self and culture, and struggling to maintain support networks of friends and family”
Does Jay only care about telling his community’s story to launch his filmmaking career? Is he exploiting the lived trauma of his friends or does he genuinely care about raising awareness of police brutality and gentrification? Perhaps both. At the same time, those experiencing survivor’s guilt are paying the very real price of upward mobility, which often means moving into isolating predominantly white spaces, adapting to the social norms of those spaces on a steep learning curve, losing connection with one's sense of self and culture, and struggling to maintain support networks of friends and family. This can be extremely taxing on one's mental health and self-esteem. Jay may be going through his struggles that remain unseen in the film, nevertheless, we can’t help but sympathize with Delonte for distrusting Jay’s intentions. 
This theme of distrust towards law enforcement persists, during a subtle moment in the middle of a conversation between Delonte and Jay, sirens blare and the two stop talking to look around anxiously for cops in the area. The unsettlingly long silence between them is almost as loud as the sirens and it speaks to the constant fear Black people have of being surveilled and targeted at any moment. The scene escalates further when a Black police officer interrupts the conversation between Jay and Delonte to sniff around for intel on gunshots that have just gone off in the neighborhood. Delonte lies and says it wasn’t him and Jay refuses to dignify the officer with a response. Interestingly, the cop knew that Jay wouldn’t trust him and decided to leave him alone instead of pressing further, driving home the point that not all skin folk are kinfolk. Instead of producing tired Black copaganda like other socially conscious films such as Queen and Slim, Residue subtly yet intentionally reinforces the notion that all cops are bastards—even Black ones— and that any individual part of this system is not trustworthy because the system affords them the power to enact brutal violence on civilians and shrouds them in the privilege of turning a blind eye to such violence even if they don’t participate—which ultimately amounts to complicity in the corrupt policing system. 
In addition to commenting on larger systemic issues, Gerima surgically zooms in on the microaggressions that litter everyday interactions in his rapidly gentrifying neighborhood. In one scene, a white girl walks her dog and it poops on Jay’s mother’s lawn. The dog-walker doesn’t see it as a big deal because she plans to pick it up, but Jay’s mother, Lavonne, insists that the droppings will “leave residue” a nod to the film’s title and an allusion to the literal filth that dog-walking D.C. gentrifiers leave in their wake. Jay is poised to put the white girl’s boyfriend in his place after he calls Lavonne a bitch, but his mother promptly reminds him that the system is just waiting for Jay to slip up and produce an excuse to lock him up. She coaxes him away saying, “Look you can’t fall for that shit! He’s a decoy, Jay, those are the decoys!” This poignant line illustrates the surreal video game/simulation-like nature of living through systemic racism as a Black person. Within this system, Black people are not seen as humans, but are instead sweepingly reduced to existential threats against whiteness and portrayed as supervillains or superpredators  with “no conscience [and] no empathy.”
“It’s maddening to acknowledge that at almost every turn, many Black folks are just one small misstep away from poverty, or incarceration, or death. Watching all of these isolated incidents back to back leaves the viewer gasping for some sort of respite from racism.”
Throughout the film, Gerima continues to show that there are so many landmines Black people living in gentrified cities must tip-toe around: the cheap cash offers of predatory white real-estate investors; the righteous indignation towards white boys making a killing selling weed instead of serving prison sentences (like Jay’s friends)— you can’t even defend your own girlfriend against Black catcallers spewing misogynoir lest onlookers not only call the police but begin to cry, “Black on Black crime.” It’s maddening to acknowledge that at almost every turn, many Black folks are just one small misstep away from poverty, or incarceration, or death. Watching all of these isolated incidents back to back leaves the viewer gasping for some sort of respite from racism. Throughout all of these encounters, Gerima makes the conscious choice not to show the faces of white people committing microaggressions. In interviews, Gerima has shared that this was partly a logistical choice because he couldn’t find white actors for the film. But more than that, this visual effect makes white people seem less like people and more like the artificial decoys Lavonne described. Even the white person who tries to be neighborly to Jay does not get face time with the camera. If these people remain faceless, the viewer can’t normalize or humanize them as his neighbors or his friends. Instead, we’re visually forced to see them as faceless outsiders who are inserting themselves into the neighborhood. They behave as though they are passive, laidback fixtures in the landscape who are entitled to space when in reality they’re invasive gentrifiers choosing to displace Black people from their neighborhoods. 
Perhaps the most spellbinding part of the film is the way Gerima weaves elements of magical realism into the story as both a sinister hex and a palliative balm. Jarring footage of blood running in the streets due to stop and frisk laws in D.C. transitions into the camera angle flipping upside down to reveal a shot of gentrifiers at brunch, oblivious to the bloodshed on the streets they’re occupying. This juxtaposition drives home that there are two Americas; and that this stark, depressing state of duality will only become more violent as the repercussions of redlining and housing discrimination in Washington D.C persist. The indifference and indulgence of these privileged brunch-goers enable Gerima to make the statement that these people have blood on their hands, and at their feet. 
Later on, after years of ignoring his friend Dion’s letters, Jay works up the courage to visit him in prison. Rather than taking place within the prison walls, the majority of the conversation occurs in a sunny lush green forest that the two freedom-dream together. In this scene, magical realism is used as an enchanting portal into an imagined version of Black liberation. Dion and Jay trade sweet anecdotes and childhood memories. At the end of the visit, Jay apologizes profusely for failing to respond to Dion’s letters. Dion brushes off Jay’s contrition and says, “fuck them letters,” proving that it's never too late to reach out and that while we live under this oppressive racist system, the thing that keeps us human and sane is our connection to each other. This breathtaking scene asserts that Black people are not just residue to be wiped away through a social cleansing strategy of systematic displacement, purported public order maintenance, and violent erasure— but vibrant, resilient souls who will never stop caring for one another and will never stop telling our own stories to each other and the rest of the world. 
Otito Greg-Obi is a poet and aspiring screenwriter based in Washington D.C. Her poetry appears in "small poems for the masses," a quarterly zine by Post Ghost Press. She is a former member of The Excelano Project, a poetry collective in Philadelphia. When she’s not writing you can find her slow-mo milly rocking in the pouring rain to MorMor, baking sourdough bread, over/underwatering succulents, or knitting something cozy. Her favorite color is mint green, and she’s obsessed with pop culture and with television (particularly dramedies and dystopian sci-fi). You can find her on Twitter at @otweetoh
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skarletterambles · 5 years ago
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Gods of Egypt reaction blog
As a fan of both Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and ancient Egypt, I had to watch this movie.  It’s a hideous mess of whitewashing, incorrect mythology and WTFery, but I got it from the library so no money went toward it.
Random thoughts typed while watching are below.
[Warning:  Spoilers ahead, plus a mention of rape and victim blaming.]
So I guess we’re not going with the original story in which Set chopped Osiris to bits and scattered them so Isis had to track down her husband’s reproductive organs to conceive Horus.  I bet nobody ejaculates into each other’s food as a power move, either.  Tsk.  (Seriously, though, that’s for the best.  I have complaints about the accuracy of the mythology in this film, but some Hollywood adaptation isn’t necessarily a bad thing...)
Oh, the irony of Nikolaj playing a lionslayer instead of, well...the Lion of Lannister...is hilarious.
Yikes, they really, really whitewashed this shit, didn’t they?  Holy cow.  (That wasn’t intended to be a Hathor pun, but if fits...)
At least they made Thoth black, even if he does talk like Data from Star Trek.  Isis was like, “Did you ever imagine your pupil would become king?”  Uh, he’s the king’s only son, you don’t have to be the God of Wisdom to predict that.  Duuuuuuh.
OMG Gerard Butler is keeping his Scottish accent for this role.  He’s dialed it back somewhat, but it’s definitely still there.  WTF LMAO
“I will be the one true king of all Sparta...errrr, I mean, Egypt!”
And he’s like, “You have to be rich to enter the afterlife from now on.”  Since when does Set have any say in that?
I was hoping their animal forms would look cool, not metallic bodysuits ripped from Transformers.  What a letdown.  
At least this eye-gouging was significantly less gross than the ones on Game of Thrones.
*insert jokes about Set overcompensating for something with the huge obelisk to Ra*
Bek was like, “Derrrr, gee, I’ve got this blinding artifact holding my enemies at bay.  I could flee immediately, or I could be a TOTAL IDIOT and take a few seconds to kiss my girlfriend first instead.”
“Death is not the end,” says the generic doe-eyed love interest.  No, no, no, it’s “Death is only the beginning,” and it was a MUCH better movie’s tag line! This pile of crap cannot steal it!
Okay, Anubis looks kind of cool.  So do the giant scarab beetle mounts.
OMG this is dumb.  It just is.  Let’s fly to a freaking space station without any kind insulation or oxygen.  Horus, I can understand, since, y’know, magic, gods, etc.  But the mortal dweeb?  No.  He should have frozen and suffocated.
Geoffrey Rush is Ra?  What?  Whyyyyy???  He’s done such amazing stuff in his career.  How much did they have to pay him to do this?
Oh look, the Earth is flat after all!  *shocked emoji*
I’m not sure what reaction they were going for with Gerard Butler flying around on a sled pulled by giant beetles, but I bet snorting laughter wasn’t it.
So the other gods and goddesses are either 100% human-looking, or in their metallic animal forms, but Nepthys has pretty wings in human form.  Okay.  Sure.  All the rules are made up.
Scaling up the gods to be bigger than mortals was a neat idea, but I don’t know if it was worth the amount of CG that it must have required.
Did we need random bullet-time moments while Horus fights the metal bull men?  No.  No we did not.
These gods aren’t that powerful, if being pushed off a waterfall almost kills them.  I know, I know, they’re playing it up that Horus is not as powerful without his other eye, but come on.
Am I supposed to know who these two women are with Set?  One black, one albino?
Since when does Hathor have anything to do with the dead and the Afterworld?  And come on, you cowards, let her turn into a giant silver cow to fight!  She had one slightly bovine-looking tiara early on, but otherwise there was no sign of her true nature.  Harumph.
Oh, the black and white women ride giant fire-breathing cobras.  Of COURSE!  Makes total sense.  (WTF??????)
Hathor:  You should tell the mortal the truth about his dead lover. Horus:  No, I refuse. [Bek, who is walking like ten feet behind them:  Tell me what? Horus:  Oh shit.  I forgot you were back there.]
The Sphinx doesn’t really look like a Sphinx, but okay.  Did it just say “Oh, bother” like freaking Winnie the Pooh?  LOL!
Set just stole Thoth’s brain.  Rude!
The wings of Nepthys, the mind of Thoth, the heart of Osiris, the eye of Horus...by your powers combined, I AM CAPTAIN PLANET! 
And the most predictable patricide in cinematic history in 3...2...1...stabby stabby!  *golfclap*
Forecast for this afternoon, 80% chance of Apophis destroying creation...
Instead of a golden hand, here Nikolaj has golden EVERYTHING.
Horus is like, “That darn mortal had to go and be mortal.  Tsk.  I knew there was a reason I didn’t hang out with their kind.”
But literal deus ex machina to the rescue, Grandpa Ra (that rhymes!) fixes everything.
And they all lived happily ever after.  I guess.
What the actual fuck did I just watch?
I mean, it kept my interest.  Nikolaj was by far the highlight, as he was giving his all at playing Horus, despite the absurdity of it all.  So it wasn’t entirely horrible, but it wasn’t what I’d call good, either.
The CGI was really hit or miss.  The fire effects, Apophis, the collapsing sand pyramid, and the scenery was cool.  The bull-headed soldiers, the gods’ mech outfits, and some of the magic effects were...not as good.
Perhaps paradoxically, the plot was both predictable and hard to follow at times.  I mean, the major story beats were predictable, but the details of what MacGuffin they needed to take where for what reason got convoluted.
The female characters were cardboard and passive, existing mostly as eye candy and prizes to be captured by the men.  Hathor had a few decent story beats, but the narrative also glossed over the fact that she was kept as Set’s sex slave for years, and had Horus be annoyed that she didn’t escape to return to him, so...yeah.  She regained some agency toward the end but even then it was the self-sacrificing kind.  Meh.
I think the movie would have been better if it was just a sci-fi/fantasy world, without the ties to Egyptian mythology.  It’s not like they were going for accuracy with their depictions of the myths, or put in Easter eggs for lore buffs to catch.
Honestly, the more the movie went on, the less I noticed the painful amount of whitewashing, because it was so loosely based on actual Egyptian mythology that I sometimes forgot that’s what it was supposed to be.  It was just a generic sci-fi/fantasy adventure story with a bunch of white people (and a couple black people) in it.  The vibe was more Graeco-Roman than Egyptian at times (for which I partly blame Gerard Butler’s costumes).  I was expecting more attempts at authenticity.
That doesn’t mean that the whitewashing wasn’t egregious, because it really was, and there’s just no excuse for it.  That was the most serious flaw in the film, but definitely not the only one.
I’m glad I saw the movie since now I have an informed opinion about it, and Nikolaj is fun to watch, but it’s like a 3/10 overall.
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