#I may even write them some day (in ensemble) but

[kings-highway]

How do you feel about SakuAtsu? Personally is my current obsession.

mmm....mmmmmmmmmm.........

I knew this would come down the line. I knew it. Now here'a the deal, you gotta read my whole post before revolting against me.

I... I don't like them.

Now now, before you get up in arms, let me explain-

I actually dont dislike the *ship.* I actually think it's one of Atsumu's better ships.

But I have a HUGE problem with fanon-Atsumu. I cannot stand him in 80% of what I read. I think he is an incredibly interesting and complex character but I've never seen a SakuAtsu post that felt in-character. So I've never really been able to... care... (not that Im about to be very in character, i have little experience with either...)

BUTTTTT as is the trend with these asks, I am here to appreciate all ships, so lets see what I can find for them... 🤔

I can see them sort of standing a meter apart, at the tokyo youth camp, and Atsumu makes some sort of snarky quip and Sakusa cant helo but chuff a sort of laugh and Atsumu absolutely lights up because oh my god does he think Im funny???? and then he tells 1048 terrible jokes but Sakusa doesnt laugh for a single one and Atsumu makes it his goal to make him laugh again but Sakusa doesnt actually think he's funny, his mean one-liner was. So in the evening when they're eating, and Atsumu manages another cleverly scathing comment, this time directed at Komori, and Sakusa LAUGHS - actually in this scene Komori is the most shocked (and horrified)

They exchange numbers but they dont use them for like two months, until Sakusa asks if he's made it to nationals out of the blue and Atsumu says yes. Asks if they want to meet up- Atsumu asks if Komori is forcing him to reach out and try to make friends. Sakusa will neither confirm or deny.

I feel like Atsumu doesnt have a ton of jealousy over Osamu, but Sakusa definitely has some kind of like line about not even knowing they were twins, or not really caring. Atsumu almost tried to convince him Osamu is more interesting that him - he's more social, he's friendlier, he's funnier, he can cook, he can do everything - and Sakusa is all amused like "yeah but YOU'RE my friend so??? what about it??? also half those things are a nightmare, I dont want the friendly, energetic twin that wants me to socialize. I like that we just go off alone."

It takes like 8 months for Atsumu to introduce him to anyone. For those 8 months, Komori is the only person who even really gets to see them as a couple.

Sakusa has an anxiety attack and Atsumu expects it to be cute and panicked and instead he comes in and Sakusa has destroyed his room, because he saw a spider go under his bed, but couldnt find it and couldnt kill it and it somewhere in the room, and Atsumu crouches down and holds his hands and helps him through breathing and tells him they'll find it. And Atsumu has never given a shit about anyone like this, but he crawls around on his hands and knees by the flipped over bed and helps look to kill the thing until they find it (or Sakusa calms down and agrees it left the room).

It was not cute and Atsumu does not think he was the hero he wanted to be for him with all the answers, but Sakusa kisses him on the cheek anyway and Atsumu realizes how far gone he is.

Overall Ratings:

For me, Personal Interest: 0/10

Concept/Potential: 8/10

[seiya-starsniper]

"I love your smile" with dreamling from the gentle prompts

Hello I am 8 million years later answering this anon, sorry for the delay, I hope you enjoy it!!! 🥰🥰🥰🥰

Also available on AO3

----------------------

It’s the kind of perfect spring day that the poets used to write about. Cool in the morning and warm, but not hot by mid-afternoon. There are sparse clouds in the sky, and the air is fragrant with the smell of flowers, of new life, of new beginnings. The fact that this perfect spring day also falls on a Saturday means that Hob Gadling is out with his camera, photographing every leaf, every small creature, happy couple, and passing vehicle that catches his attention.

And of course, his boyfriend.

It may be a beautiful and warm spring day, but Dream Endless is dressed like it's still the middle of winter; black jeans and black Doc Martens paired with a black tee and black pea coat to complete the ensemble. Hob had managed to talk him out of wearing the black scarf, at least. He knew Dream ran cold even in the summer, but the scarf would have definitely been too warm for today. In contrast, Hob is out in just a plain white t-shirt, cargo shorts and sneakers, and he’s certain that the two of them must strike their own kind of picture walking side by side through the park. Perhaps he’ll ask someone to snap a photo of them on his phone later.  

Right now though, Hob’s having too much fun taking photos of Dream. Dream feeding the ducks with the small bag of seeds he’d brought along for just this purpose, Dream stopping to admire the various sculptures scattered throughout the park, Dream stopping to re-lace his boots. 

“You take far too many photos of me,” Dream tells Hob eventually, rolling his eyes as he stands back up.

“What can I say?” Hob laughs, snapping another photo of Dream’s unamused face. “I love your smile.”

“Hob,” Dream says, leveling a flat stare at him. Hob continues to click away. “I am not smiling in any of the photos you’ve taken.” 

He’s right, but only by a technicality. Dream hasn’t smiled once while looking at Hob’s camera. But the ones where he isn’t paying attention to Hob’s lens, well. That was a different story. But Dream didn’t need to know that right now. Later in the day, maybe. 

“I know this may be hard to believe since it ruins that whole tortured poet look you’ve got going on,” Hob quips back at his boyfriend, amusement clear in his tone. “But you do smile.” He says it like he’s sharing a secret, and Dream looks at him in disbelief, before he sighs in exasperation. It's a fond exasperation though, Hob’s learned to tell over the years.   

“Come. We are missing the goslings. We must catch them before they swim away,” Dream says, grabbing Hob by the hand and forcing him to put the camera down to rest around his neck. They walk over to where the geese and their recently hatched chicks are idling, and Dream approaches them slowly, kneeling and eventually sitting on a patch of dry grass closest to the pond’s edge. The geese eye him warily at first, but then Dream pulls out some seeds from his pocket, scattering them away from his person and sitting still as a statue while they slowly approach him.

Hob stays back away from where Dream is sitting; geese seem to hate him for some reason, but Dream has yet to meet a bird that doesn’t instantly take to him. It’s one of the things that Hob had noticed about the other man. 

They’d met a little over two years ago in this very park, and Hob had been enraptured by Dream feeding the pigeons. He’d only meant to snap one or two photos of the strange goth man, but then one of the pigeons had flown up onto Dream’s shoulder and cooed happily as the man fed it straight from his hand. Dream’s smile had been small, but absolutely radiant in that moment. Hob fell in love at first sight. 

Dream, decidedly, had not. He thought Hob to be a nuisance, had thrown a fit about having his photo taken without his knowledge or permission when Hob approached him. Hob had promised to not post any of the photos anywhere, and even offered to delete all of them if Dream saw them and really hated them that much. It would’ve killed Hob to delete such stunning photos, but he would’ve done it. 

Luckily for him, Dream had softened when Hob had shown him the photos, then demanded Hob print them for him for free.  Hob agreed, and then, because he had absolutely no self control around beautiful people, had asked Dream if he’d let Hob buy him dinner as an additional apology. Dream turned him down, and then also refused to give Hob his name when asked. Hob was hopelessly charmed.

After bringing the other man the agreed upon photos a week later, Hob promised not to photograph him if they ever ran into each other again. Dream looked at Hob like he didn’t believe the other man, but Hob kept his word, and for a time they maintained a pleasant, but distant acquaintance whenever they happened upon one another on days when the weather was nice.

It was Dream, surprisingly, who decided to approach Hob with a rather lucrative offer a few months later.

“I’m interested,” Dream had told him.

“In me?” Hob asked, surprised and flattered all at once. 

“In your photography experience,” Dream clarified, though his cheeks had pinked at Hob’s words. “My sibling is getting married in a few months and they have yet to find a photographer they like.”

“Well, I can give you my website so you can show them my portfolio—” 

“They’ve already seen it,” Dream interrupted him, blushing all the way from the tip of his nose down to his neck. “I—they wanted me to ask you if you’d shoot for their wedding. Personally.”

The rest, they say, is history. Hob hasn’t stopped photographing Dream ever since—with permission, of course.

In the present, Hob watches Dream’s patience and gentle tenacity pay off. The goslings eventually crowd around him and chirp happily, while the parental (Mother? Father? Hob can’t tell) goose angrily hisses at every other passing person who gets too close. They seemed to have claimed Dream as one of their own. 

Hob’s camera clicks away until he hears a low warning beep signifying that his memory card is full. 

In hindsight, he probably shouldn’t have taken that 25 minute video of Dream feeding the crows the other day. But well, they’d all crowded around him and he’d looked so happy. The crows looked happy too, probably because Dream may as well look like them. It was cinematic art, and Hob would not be convinced otherwise. 

When Dream eventually runs out of seeds, he bows his head and holds out his empty hands, a universal sign for the end of their interaction. The geese seem to realize quickly he will no longer feed them, and so they wander off into the nearby lake, the babies eagerly and awkwardly following their parent on tiny legs still unused to traveling by land. Hob waits until they’re all safely in the water before he takes a seat next to Dream. 

“Have you finally tired of photographing my face?” Dream asks before resting his head on Hob’s shoulder. 

“Never,” Hob answers with a small laugh. “I ran out of memory.”

Dream lets out a dramatic sigh. “Finally.”

“Oh hush, you,” Hob replies, jostling Dream with his shoulder. The other man groans at having been disturbed, and Hob takes the opportunity to wrap an arm around Dream’s shoulder, before planting a kiss to his hair. 

“Show me?” Dream asks, reaching for Hob’s camera. “I want to see just what it is you find so fascinating about watching me feed waterfowl.”

Hob chuckles.

“Everything, love,” he answers honestly as he pulls up the photos for them to review on his camera’s tiny screen. “Absolutely everything.”

[littleroaes]

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, tbz [ TEASER ]

FULL FIC

Y/n's stale love life gets a catalyst at the start of the autumn semester when two weeks earlier; her younger brother got egged on by his friend to post the box of secret love letters she has collected during 12 years. how does she handle the end of summer and five leaked love letters?

PAIRING ( 3rd pov, she/ her ) fem!reader x lee hyunjae, lee juyeon, ji changmin, kim sunwoo, eric sohn

GENRE, WARNINGS fluff, university!au, humor, to all the boys i loved before!au, 2000s and 2010s au, summer!au, sprinkle of angst, sporty people, nerdy people, parties, friends2lovers, childhood friends, bickering, slice of life, coming of age ( more info in full fic ! )

RELEASE DATE end of may / beginning of june

ESTIMATED WORD COUNT 10 - 17 k

TEASER WORD COUNT : about 500

this will be my fic for the @deoboyznet love letter collective event! ( idk if i should use the dbn tag since it’s just a teaser ) i've wanted to write a "to all the boys..." fic for so long and i'm finally doing it! if someone wants to be tagged for the full fic lmk!

like and reblog are highly encouraged!

THERE'S A THING YOU DO–OR SHE DOES AT LEAST–WHEN SOMETHING'S BEEN OCCUPYING YOUR MIND.

Dad told her once after an argument with a best friend to take a paper and a pen; then, let it out. Fold the paper, lay it in a box, and shelter under your bed. 

It’s inherently the same concept as a diary she suppose. Though, somewhat more effective. 

Nonetheless, from that first letter a series of what one can only describe as an uncontrolled teenage angst ensemble of love letters emerged over the course of twelve years.

...

There are five of them. 

The first one is Lee Jaehyun, a three year older popular student who she had a trivial crush on in middle school (together with everyone else). In all honesty she didn’t know much about him; just that he was cute looking. There’s a sort of emotional torment in recalling her one sided adoration while leaned out the school window to see him play football. Even his name haunts her still in uni as her roommate had a crush on the shining hockey player the entire two semesters.

In short, everyone liked Lee Jaehyun. 

Next is Eric Sohn, her childhood friend, the boy next door, her first love? He has many titles she realize. He lived in an impressive house north from hers, one that hosts many parties every time his parents take the trip to their summer resort. At some point, it felt like he knew every kid in town. Luckily for her; Y/n has never been the jealous type. Despite being each other’s ride or die since ten, Y/n has never confessed the secret ways she looked at him back in the sandbox.  

Third is Sunwoo–just Sunwoo; she never got his last name–from summer camp who she even (jokingly) got married to. Her first summer at thirteen, away from her parents, with kids her age. When recalling it all back, that summer feels as if taken right out of a movie, and she fell head first, three meters deep with the boy. Sunwoo always stood in the center (bad and good…mostly bad tbh). They got paired up for the kayak; it pissed rained and their coordination couldn’t take them ten meters. But she remembers every word he said as butterfly inducing nonetheless. After that, at night they snuck out of their cabin’s to watch the stars. And when that summer too ended, she swore her heart shattered into million pieces.

The fourth is Lee Juyeon, a boy she had never seen before until his cat got pregnant by her own. Scuba Steve (long story) had been gone for some days until another family came up to their door with him. For half a year, it felt like she saw Lee Juyeon everyday. He was just as enchanted by kittens as her (if not more) and they would visit each other just to cuddle with them. Her teenage heart used to rush with the mere presence of him and they together named all the kittens–until they were sold off. Then they eventually stopped seeing each other. Though he still lurks around as a poet’s ghost around campus (source: Eric). 

The last one, Ji Changmin, the son of her mother’s friend. He teached her calculus for a while in high school. To be fully transparent, she didn’t learn much from him that year because all she did was leaning on the kitchen table while adoring him until the rims of his glasses slipped. He always scolded her endearingly when she didn’t listen (which was the majority of the time). Ji Changmin always wore cute polos with neat pants–now when thinking about it, her mother might have approved if they got together. But it’s too late. He went to uni; and simply left her with a newfound thing for glasses (still wearing cute polos in uni). 

And that's all five. She sometimes wonders if it was a mere symptom of youth that resulted in those letters. Since uni–outside a campus crush or two-–that compelling yearning for someone has never come back to her. 

to be continued

© littleroaes, written and all

[smol-and-scared]

Incidental Tinies

A g/t concept we all use (mostly in daydreams) but rarely discuss!

G/t is kinda unique in that it can tell any story it wants and still fit the trope. Even if that story is mainly happening to someone else!

You can have a huge epic story with an ensemble cast of 30+ characters...But the entire story is told from the perspective of a tiny that they happened to pick up along the way!

This tiny may not actually... do anything in the plot/story. Their entire contribution to the epic world-saving quest could just be moral support. Maybe they act as a "therapy tiny" helping the others through their panic attacks and PTSD or simply acting as a stim. Regardless, the main cast of characters adore their tiny friend. Even if they get totally left out of serious plot-heavy moments.

This means that you can have all of the soft, fluffy interactions without trying to revolve the entire story around size stuff. And by telling it from the perspective of a tiny, you ensure that all interactions are still g/t (even if the conversation and drama is about humans)

You may be thinking "That seems really specific, I don't think we all use this trope. You're exaggerating"

...Okay but have you ever added a borrower OC to an existing story like Fire Emblem or Genshin Impact? Hell, it doesn't even need to be an OC. Just take any beloved side character or NPC that doesn't do much in the source material, shrink 'em down and have them ride along for original plot! You've probably created an "incidental tiny" without really thinking about it!

But the dynamic should absolutely be discussed and explored!! I think there are three main reasons it works so well:

A tiny can be a proxy for home: If the heroes go into a dangerous situation, they likely won't willingly bring the tiny. But now they have a helpless little friend waiting back at the camp/base for everyone! And if their day isn't dangerous, just stressful? A character might come back, kick off their shoes, and start petting the tiny to themselves calm down.

It leads to size-angst as a B-Plot: Sure, the main story may be about a band of misfits trying to solve some problem. But if the tiny doesn't play an active role? They might start to feel useless. Because when things get serious? all they can do is watch... Or maybe the tiny gets hurt! And one of the main characters becomes very overprotective! To the point where they try to control or cage the tiny for their safety. Or what if the heroes realize that the tiny is actually in more danger with them, than they would be out in the wild? There are so many ideas to explore and the Tiny's lack of agency only enhances them, not detracts. Of course, this angst would happen alongside the main story (and likely at the worst possible time)

It's just easier to write: I love g/t fics, and there are many incredible fics where the entire story comes from the size dynamic. But I think we can all agree: it's much easier to write an engaging story if you have another, more flexible, plot that you can shift over to when the story needs conflict and intrigue. In the case of "incidental tinies"? You have the main plot, then the slice-of-life and/or size-angst.

Sorry for the long post, but I feel like this is one of those g/t tropes everyone knows about, but no one every talks about.

[c0la-queen]

Breakfast For Dinner| Welcome Home

This is a little oneshot for @aerkame 's Alive AU! It belongs to them and their writing for it is amazing, please check it out! (And if aerkame is reading this, I hope you enjoy it!) Meanwhile, Welcome Home belongs to @partycoffin ! Give them love!!!

You grimaced as you picked up a strawberry and felt your finger sink into the mushy skin. Quickly, you tossed the berry into the trash and wiped your hand clean. 

"So that was definitely a bad one." 

A soft chuckle from the other side of the kitchen reminded you that you weren't alone. The other day, you had introduced the Neighbors to the concept of breakfast for dinner (or brinner as you liked to call it) and they were mesmerized with the idea, insisting you make it for them as soon as possible. Admittedly, you may have gone a little overboard, but who could blame you for being excited? You hadn't gone all out for brinner since you were younger, living with your family. 

Unsurprisingly, Wally had insisted he help you with preparations. You gave him a few tasks and instructions on how to do them. What shocked you, though, is that Poppy and Howdy hadn't asked to help. They were sat in barstools, watching the process closely. Everyone else was in the living room; from the sounds of it, Julie and Frank were playing a game on the TV while Barnaby, Sally, and Eddie provided commentary. 

You looked over at Wally. He was dressed in khakis and the rainbow sweater you had gotten him, his signature ascot tied around his neck. You couldn't help but wonder how, even when cooking, he looked so perfectly put together. The only thing out of place were his sweater sleeves, rolled up out of his way. Wally didn't look up from his task while he spoke. 

"As wonderful as I am to marvel at, my dear, please focus on what you're doing. Wouldn't want you to cut your finger~" 

You huffed at the teasing. 

"I was just thinking about how ridiculous that apron looks on you." 

Added to his ensemble was a pink frilly apron that Wally said you simply must buy him. "Kiss the cook" was written across the front. He had tried multiple times to get you to 'follow the tradition', as he put it. The most he was rewarded in response was a flick to the forehead. 

Wally sent you a dramatically aghast look. 

"I take personal offense to that!" 

"You were meant to~" 

The two of you faded into comfortable silence. You loved how domestic it was. The sound of Frank and Barnaby's arguing and Poppy and Howdy's pleasant conversations were the perfect background noise. It made you feel like you had a family again. Made you feel loved again. 

Someone was suddenly pressed close to your side. Wally now stood snugly beside you, cutting the apples that would be mixed in with the fruit salad. 

You heard music begin to play from the speaker you had placed in the kitchen. It was a love song, most likely from the 70s. 

You looked up at Wally. He returned your glance. This was music from his personal playlist, and he knew that you knew that. You decided to ignore him. 

It started with swaying. Since he was so close to you, you could feel as he swayed with the beat. Then he began to sing along. 

Wally always confused you. Everything about him was the perfect television host. Even his singing was smooth and suave. 

Poppy and Howdy snickered behind you. That's when you realized Wally wasn't just singing. He was singing to you. 

Your cheeks started to heat up as you were serenaded. There he went again, acting like the two of you were some lovey dovey married couple. You frowned as he gently took the utensils from your hands, tugging them to himself instead. 

"Hey Wally- The food-" 

There was no response from him. He led you over to the center of the kitchen and began to gently dance with you, continuing his singing. 

You felt dizzy with how flustered you were. His hands on your waist were soft and warm, his eyes focused on only you. You couldn't tear your eyes away from him. 

As the song ended, he drew you close, drawing out the final note. You both stayed silent for a minute or two, staring at each other. 

Poppy cleared her throat. 

"Wally Darling, your pancakes are burning." 

Wally nearly dropped you, rushing back to the stove as the smoke alarm began to beep. 

[dyinginlasvegas]

One Day We'll Get Nostalgic For Disaster

This is the first chapter of an ensemble Fallout New Vegas fic by Prix, starring Arcade Gannon, Benny Gecko, Craig Boone, and a female Courier Six. Masterpost here. AO3 link here.

Saturday, January 22, 2281. 2:08 A.M.

It is the coldest night in January. Of course it is. That makes it all the more cliché.

Arcade stares at the ceiling with one wrist resting beneath his head. It’s warm in bed, helped by the presence of the man next to him. He doesn’t look over at him. Judging by the steady, deep rhythm of his breathing, he’s probably fast asleep anyway. The darkness is another good excuse.

Arcade thinks of what he will say if he disturbs him as he gets up to leave.

Is it kinder to lie? To give some excuse so transparent it would border on insulting?

Or would it be kinder to tell the truth?

‘I’m sorry, Emmanuel, but this isn’t going to work. Your lyrics are the most poetic words I’ve heard in Freeside, but we hardly know a thing about each other. And I can’t tell you. I won’t tell you. So it’s better if we leave it at this.’

Arcade feels a metaphorical weight settle over his chest. At the same time, he feels the tip of Emmanuel’s nose brush against the bare skin of his shoulder. The warmth in his breath just makes him shiver instead of adding to the sense of being sheltered from the night. Suddenly, he wants to be back at the Old Mormon Fort as quickly as possible, back to a tent and layers of clothing and blankets. Braving the elements is easier than braving the disappointment of yet another awkward goodbye.

He moves carefully, keeping steady as he sits up and swings his legs down over the edge of the bed.

‘Our flirtation and… courtship… has been delightful, but here we are, and I can’t say it. I know I’ll see you around, and I won’t know what to say.’

He’s careful not to stub his toes against Emmanuel’s guitar case – priceless as far as he is concerned – as he searches for the rest of his clothes.

‘I hope you keep writing your music. It’s almost a lost art.’

One thing he doesn’t like is that there is a second bed in the room. He knows that, west of Hoover Dam at least, most people are too concerned with staying alive to have anything to say about another person’s choice of intimate company. He isn’t sure what ‘the King’ would have to say about it, though.

‘One day you may sing on a stage for an audience worthy of your craft. But I’m no suitable patron for that. I have to get back to my work. The wasteland needs music, but it also needs medicine, and between the two of us, you’ve got quite the head start.’

Arcade pulls on his white coat and squints at the mirror that hangs on the wall just behind the door. It has a long, jagged crack that runs along near its frame. There are a lot of mirrors in the “school,” and for the moment he’s grateful. He can barely see through the blue-gray, hazy dark, even after putting his glasses back on.

He reaches out and carefully operates the door handle so as to make as little noise as possible. He looks back over his shoulder, more concerned about being heard within than without. While he opens the door a bit further, some light comes in from the hall which startles him for an instant. It shines right onto the bed and Emmanuel’s face.

Emmanuel doesn’t wake, though.

His coiffed hair has held up pretty well under the circumstances. The thought makes Arcade’s lips quirk into something that is almost a sad smile.

“Good night, Emmanuel,” he says softly before stepping out into the hall and quietly closing the door behind him.

He takes less care when he reaches the stairs. He walks toward the door as though he has just concluded a house call and nothing at all is unusual about his presence. It’s almost the truth.

Outside, he grits his teeth to prevent the cold night air from making them chatter. He trudges back down toward the Fort. About a block out, he turns back to watch The King’s School of Impersonation’s purple and blue neon sign glow and flash. It seems appropriately ‘cool.’

“Impersonation,” he says to himself, as if chiding. He turns his back and hunkers down a bit as he walks on against the wind that manages to breach Freeside’s walls.

Im-‘person’-ation has nothing to do with being a real person. He wonders if they know that – the rest of the Kings. He thinks that Emmanuel is mistaken about the definition of the word, but he hasn’t had the heart to tell him about the difference in ‘impersonation’ and ‘self-actualization.’ As much diversion as the past several weeks of closer acquaintance have provided, the waters have never run quite that deep. And because he’s walking away now, Arcade is secure in the fact that they never will.

[neonscandal]

Random ask, do you love Satosugu because somehow their dynamic remind you of BakuDeku?

Okay so this has been sitting in my inbox for a few days because, at first when I read it, I was like "I don't really see the resemblance".

But here's the thing, I've been thinking about some of the interesting points I think MHA and JJK have in common lately.. was I sure these two ships really didn't remind me of one another, too?

SHORT ANSWER

I do not love SatoSugu for the same reasons I love BakuDeku.

LONG ANSWER

I REALLY HAD TO THINK ABOUT THIS because the recipes are very similar if you really think about it. Deeply entrenched histories with one another, the relation they have to one another being an impetus to be stronger/better, worldview that seems to be heavily hinged on one another (debatably)... but the fact remains: you can have all the same ingredients and prepare a totally different dish.

What I appreciate about BakuDeku is that they are at odds but not in the ways that one would assume at face value. Like, people oversimplify Midoriya as being this incredibly sensitive, goodie-two shoes and Bakugo to be an antagonistic bully. But Midoriya breaks hella rules where Bakugo's aggression hides the fact that he is, in fact, an emotional rule follower! What a nerd. In a lot of ways, they embody facets of one another even when it isn't readily apparent. Both strong and both protective of one another which manifests in different ways. But ultimately, in spite of their differences, they are both earnestly aligned in their desire to embody what they respect and value about All Might and being the number one hero. There's a stronger sense of justice at play in universe that makes the story a bit more cut and dry. No amount of time has really shaken their understanding of one another. They are still locked in and the best insight into one another outside of themselves (if that makes sense).

SatoSugu exists in a morally gray area which enables them to have more character nuance than simply being aligned with "good" or "bad". While they are also at odds in different ways, I'm more inclined to appreciate the circumstances that brought them together. It's a bit skewed from Gojo's perspective but, ultimately, they are unified in how isolating their strength and responsibilities are. There's no ensemble staff to lessen the sting of that and, subsequently, there's this elevated miracle of finding understanding in one another's company. This is more inferred from Gojo's perspective, but you also never get the satisfaction of Geto's point of view. I think what I like most about their story is how incomplete it is. There's no reconciliation, no clearing the air of all the things they never voiced to one another.. and isn't that just how it goes? Especially unrequited. It's sad and unsatisfying because their relation to one another is ultimately their undoing. What made them well suited to one another is also what drives the wedge between them and Geto was doomed from the beginning. The story has seemingly run its course with both of them and there's still so many loose ends.

Even in writing all of this, there are a lot of undeniable similarities between them. Truthfully, we don't know how either stories will end so there may be more compelling likenesses revealed with time. The line I'm drawing in the sand is not so much what makes them similar but what I find the most compelling about them so maybe that doesn't interpret your question correctly but that nuance obscured all of the similarities for days for me haha so I appreciate you asking because it definitely made me think!

[nabwastaken]

so I watched Heathers live

so for those unaware, the musical Heathers is currently on tour throughout the UK and I got to see it since it's in my town rn! (Shoutout to my brother for buying the tickets). I saw it live so here's a few notes and my review on it

For context I have seen and listened to the Original Off Broadway version, but have not seen the West End proshot and only listened to the added songs for it.

Also I have horrible memory so I may get stuff or misremember stuff wrong. Feel free to ask me a few questions abt my experience in the replies/rbs

Let's jump in!

Notes and Observations:

Ram and Kurt were really good. Like, they had awesome comedic timing and were always a treat to see onstage

Heather Chandler STOLE THE SHOW!!! Her actress was so talented and she rocked the vocals of Candy Store so much. She had such a presence every time she was onstage

But my favorite of all of them was JD. God, he was so fucking good. The Freeze Your Brain climax? Mwah, chef's kiss that was amazing. I was legit at the edge of my seat throughout Meant To Be Yours. When he yelled “VERONICA!” There was legit a growl as he yelled it out.

Kurt's Dad in Dead Gay Son had a fantastic voice

One of the nerd ensemble members was really funny. Like in Shine a Light he just shoved himself in front of Fleming to dance and that was so funny

The accents were WAYYY better than on the West End cast album. Which makes sense, apparently JD's actor was Canadian

There were a few lyric changes. Can't name them off the top of my head but they caught me slightly off guard when I heard them (particularly in Dead Gay Son with a whole verse)

The added songs weren't that bad! I still prefer Blue to You're Welcome but seeing it live changed my opinion on it and Kurt and Ram were both shoving each other and fighting throughout the number and it was really funny (though it was unintended). Thematically I still refuse to get behind the song tho (but that's a post for another day) Never Shut Up Again was so good!! Heather Duke absolutely ATE IT UP AND LEFT NO CRUMBS. I Say No was.. fine tho.

And the lighting was spectacular. There was specially colored lights for each of the Heathers that would shine on them after their big numbers and during Never Shut Up Again there's a REALLY cool thing where they rip off Duke's clothes to reveal Heather Chandler's red ones and then the lights turned to red and started flashing everywhere in the theatre. And during Dead Gay Son all the lights were rainbow colored. AND WHEN THE SCHOOL BLEW UP ALL THE LIGHTS JUST FLICKERED AND STUFF IT WAS SO COOL

Shine a Light was great. Fleming was absolutely hilarious and they all had these bedazzled jackets. When she asked for volunteers literslly all the students behind her raised their hands but she kept going anyway. There was a bit where after the "Steve, I'm ending our affair!" Part a spotlight shone on a random man in the audience and Fleming just flirts with that poor man. Like it's a lot it and it was hilarious. Later on in the stage door she says that it's improv every night and at the start of the show she picks an audience member and then writes it down on the board.

Speaking of the stage door: Everyone was so nice! We got selfies with them (that I will not be showing for privacy reasons) and some of them even signed my program!

Overall thoughts:

That was really good! Solid 8/10 from me. It holds up on par and sometimes even better than the original off bway cast! If you live in any of the cities they're touring to next, I would highly recommend buying tickets and checking it out if you can.

[fantasticalleigh]

thoughts on bridgerton season 3 part 2

MASSIVE spoilers ahead, i'm really annoyed so this is going to come out very salty!

TLDR: this season was largely a disappointment. part 1 is better than part 2.

-i've said it before and i'll say it again: this is an ensemble show that ultimately suffers for how large its cast is, how short each season is, how cheap netflix is, and how poor the writing is. the actors are great and do well with what they're given. the stories in and of themselves are largely compelling. but they need space and time to be told properly. eight episodes between 10+ characters is not enough.

-unhinged/in love colin from the books was sorely missed. the book is problematic yadda yadda but i prefer it at this point. instead for pretty much three out of four episodes in part two, he was just angry or sad and that was it. he felt so flat.

-i find it hilarious that debling just fucked off after rejecting penelope. he didn't even stick around to try and court cressida, who was clearly more than willing to take penelope's place?? he literally could have solved all her problems and that could have saved an incredible amount of screen time that should have gone to Colin/Penelope.

-i love the way they bridged portia and penelope's relationship. also to a lesser degree, her sisters. prudence not being so cunty anymore was nice but felt a little off, i think she needed more screentime with pen to show that she finally realizes what a bad sister she was and that she's genuinely sorry. one quick little comment "i was being honest" (or whatever it was) to me, didn't feel like enough. but i'm still glad they came around.

-violet/marcus and by extension, agatha. i'm glad violet and agatha finally had a heart to heart/ conversation that was about them and not the young people. when they affirmed that they were there for each other no matter what and used each other's given names? precious. i teared up. i love their friendship. (also don't come at me for what may have happened during Queen Charlotte bc i never finished it lol)

-the queen is probably my least favorite character. she used to have funny/kind moments but now it feels like she is just rude and dismissive and mean towards everyone. i can't even like her in a GirlBoss way because all we see from season to season is how other people manipulate her. Agatha manipulates her. Grimsby manipulates her. Lady Whistledown manipulates her. she was kind for francesca for a couple of days and then went sour when she realized francesca chose someone else. i get that she's jaded from season 2 but idk i don't enjoy her scenes at all anymore. she crashes the wedding breakfast to accuse the bridgertons, belittles the Mondriches ball at the start, complains/belittles all the debutants trying to impress her, doesn't care about the events being hosted in her honor. i loved her in seasons 1-2 but now she's just boring and one note.

-eloise finally admitted she was reckless/in the wrong about the Theo situation. that was nice. and she finally admitted befriending cressida was a poor choice. do i sense character growth at last?? but i'm still a little unhappy about how rudely she ditched Cressida once she and Penelope made up. Hey, this new friend of yours is distraught because of her shit home life and is about to be married off to some old, austere codger and you literally don't care? i genuinely felt so bad for cressida. she is a creature pushed into a corner lashing out for any way to escape and nobody (understandably, bc she makes bad choices) wants to help her. but eloise keeps saying that cress surprised her with how she was the only one to show her kindness when she was a social outcast and now the same is happening to Cressida and yet instead of repaying the favor, Eloise abandons her.

Eloise even goes so far to say that Cressida used her. Did she not also use Cressida? She admitted she befriended her to be petty towards Penelope. And she clearly stuck with Cressida out of boredom/reluctance to mingle with the other ladies their age because she found them beneath her. Eloise is still a hypocrite. I thought she'd taken a step forward but she's in the same place.

did cressida deserve help? not particularly considering the blackmail/fake identity, history of bullying. but does she also deserve to be married off like that and cut off like that by her asshole dad? also no.

with all that talk about running away i genuinely was rooting for C to run away, but i'm disappointed it didn't happen. i guess it makes sense within her character--she's always been a caged creature--i don't think running away ever came to mind, even if she didn't want to be shipped off to Wales with her aunt. she's strong but doesn't (yet) have the resolve/ferocity of someone like marina who was willing to run away with colin to elope in gretna green.

frankly i found cressida's story the most compelling in season 3 so far.

-benedict. if i have to watch ONE more sex scene for Ben i'm going to scream. wowwee, he had another threesome! and no more queerbaiting--he finally had sex with a man! <--that part is at least noteworthy for his character--but genuinely--i don't really care when his only storyline this season is that all he does is have sex. there are far more compelling stories needing attention right now and yet we get another freaking sex barrage with benedict. Colin and Penelope were robbed here and i don't think it's unreasonable to be annoyed that a B-tier ensemble character got more sexy time than them. and for what purpose? all we get out of ben's enlightenment is that it's ok to be gay and that he's not ready for serious commitment. which is fine and dandy except that that was already drilled into our heads since season 1. i feel like my time was wasted here because i already watched him do the same damn things over and over for THREE SEASONS by now.

AND FOR THAT MATTER:

if they really wanted to show any sense of growth for benedict they could have had him be brutally honest to Tilley and say something like:

"I'm having fun with our arrangement. I am open to seriously committing to someone someday...but I don't think you are that person."

what a world of a difference that would make, wouldn't it? it would show he's coming closer to being ready to meet Sophie but that he's still not quite ready to give up his old ways. i truly believe his season is next and frankly it wouldn't feel so insulting to watch his repetitive storyline if they had written better dialogue in that ONE scene.

(Jess + Shonda, I'm available any time if you want to talk.)

-T.S's You Belong with Me playing during a fucking wedding scene was a choice. All the options in the world and you pick a song about high school jealousy??? Babydoll I could pick five better options off my general playlist. across all three seasons, there's been so many bad cover choices imo.

-Coldplay's Yellow being Polin's song was an actual choice I will salute. Beautiful moment.

-the whole whistledown speech at the end where pen reveals herself was extremely flat to me and left me so bloody disappointed. someone brought this up on reddit and i agree so hard it hurts--why wasn't colin up there by her side? book colin would have VAULTED up over everyone just to be there with her and protect her. instead we get mopey Colin watching her from below. i need to rewatch it again but it felt like there was hardly any reaction from the ton to her speech. it felt like they shrugged their shoulders when she was finished and resumed the ball. my mouth was agape at that--you're telling me not one of the attendees would have rushed up and said "omg it was you??" "how did you do it?" "i can't believe it!" or something to that effect. the bridgertons already had that reaction so it would've been effective for literally anyone in the ton to show some amazement.

-ngl, i also feel quite cheated that Penelope was never celebrated in the way she deserved. yes, she got her wedding and the man she always wanted--but creating/maintaining the Whistledown enterprise is a huge accomplishment. individually there was praise from those closest to her but really there was such a huge element of shame and punishment surrounding it that really bothered me. yeah, she said some mean things but she did it because she was severely neglected/ostracized from her own community. there was no acknowledgment of that at all (that i can recall. once again i should do a rewatch but whatever) and that pains/angers me. not one person beside her mother took a moment to think or say, 'i treated you badly and caused you pain. i'm sorry.' instead they just focused on making penelope apologize again and again when she had only reacted from years of pain, which nobody even deigned to acknowledge.

wasn't there a moment in the book when she gets some applause after her revelation? am i misremembering? but in the show it was like nobody gave a fuck because ooh butterflies! which was...so stupid lol. bless you though, phillippa. penelope single-handedly contributed to the entertainment of the ton for years and exposed awful people even if she made fun of others. characters frequently and often complained if her issue was one day late and debated her true identity and so when she finally reveals herself there's no applause? no true reaction? were they all asleep? what the fuck? that scene was shocking at how badly executed it was. it was rushed and it showed.

-also, WHY choose to have Colin learn Penelope is Lady Whistledown in episode six? I hate this because it crams all the drama in the last two episodes and makes everything feel rushed and frantic. he should have found out in episode three or four and i'll die on that hill. for that matter, his refusal to understand that Whistledown was Penelope's life's work and greatest achievement/power was so annoying. In the book he came around to it pretty fast and yet here it dragged on for way too long. everyone wanted her to give Whistledown up until it benefited them.

-editing to add a huge gripe i have with post-production:

for the love of god, go easy on the filters. the artificial blues and yellows are killing me. in twilight, it was camp. it was great. it does not translate well here. also, have y'all noticed how HEAVILY they blur the backgrounds??? there was one scene with colin and penelope in the garden and every time the camera focuses on one of their faces from over the other's shoulder (they were both seated) the background is blurred heavily. it looks bad!!! stop doing that!!! the backgrounds lend to the vibe! it genuinely makes the show look like crap when i notice that happening. it makes them look like they're using the green screen filter on tik tok. STOP. IT.

(seriously, imagine Joe Wright's Pride and Prejudice, the scene where Elizabeth is on the rocky plains and or she and her aunt and uncle are sitting at the base of that enormous tree--all that gorgeous scenery, remember that? now slap the Bridgerton filter over it so it's all one massive ugly blur. does that mental image fill you with rage? GOOD.)

-i didn't cover this in the prev. post but in part 1, the whole runaway balloon scene was Not Good. Why a balloon? the danger that poses is not that great--why not a runaway horse? there was too much sense of danger to the actual threat posed by a freaking basket. also the way penelope acted in that scene felt very very out of character for her and i hate rewatching it, even if colin looks very dashing while holding the rope. ugh.

-polin's main sex scene was beautiful. i feel kind of disappointed that everything else we got was less than a minute long and not in a weird way. it just feels a fair amount of the promo we got from Nic and Luke was hinting at the sex scenes and yet we got very little in actuality. i keep seeing people talk about there being a minutes long montage of them and yet it got cut. but in season one we got a LOT (imo too many sex scenes between daphne and simon). there were too many side stories happening this season and i'm sure that contributed to that, but there is also a whisper in the back of my mind that tells me that maybe showrunners felt the need to overly pad this season with storylines because they either didn't feel like nicola and luke could carry it alone or because they didn't care.

-i'm really glad genevieve got more scenes here, especially with penelope. their friendship is really nice and it's sad/sweet that penelope chose to spend her last night before her wedding with her, because apparently her mother/sisters didn't plan anything for her.

-frencesca/john. i have no stake in this game since i haven't read their book yet, as i've mentioned before. they're cute together but i'm not invested. they should have gotten married way earlier imo because all the "we need to tip toe around the queen bc she hates us :( but we want to marry now" went on too long and got boring. the michaela thing doesn't bother me but i understand why fans are upset about it.

-polin felt like a side character in part 2. i feel like their scenes went by way too quickly and their screentime was so sparse to the point of legitimately becoming annoying. colin spent most of it mad and penelope spent most of it crying/trying to explain herself. they had hardly any truly happy moments together.

-kanthony was adorable.

-"i love you."

"...are you sure?"

dear reader, my heart split in two. they did a really really good job with showing penelope's self-doubt and low confidence thanks to years of neglect and ridicule and doubt from her mother. when colin stood up for her to her mother and she looked so shocked, my heart broke again for her. poor pen, i just wanted to hold her. when violet and hyacinth hugged penelope after colin announced their engagement i wanted to cry bc poor pen is so starving for positive affirmations/love that just those hugs where enough to overwhelm her.

-also lady danbury saying that she had suspected Pen was whistledown was amazing. i love that she acknowledged her and her love for the bridgertons....but i'm still really upset that they nixed her and penelope's friendship/mentorship that was in the books. she was busy with her own storyline what with violet and marcus and sure it still worked but that was a relationship i was so excited to see in the show...and they didn't even try adapting it except for like, three lines at the very end. >:( hello 911? we've been ROBBED.

(i keep editing this to add more but this is another gripe i have that will not let me rest:

ALSO ALSO ALSO:

i've noticed over seasons 1-2 that the main romantic couple has one dance set to the bridgerton theme song.

in season one, daphne and simon dance to the theme song in episode 2 or 3 (the one where daphne says "and we must try to look like we enjoy each other's company" and simon replies stiffly but then they giggle and laugh all through it which was so cute

in season two, kate and anthony dance to it in the second to last episode where they're dancing with the rest of the bridgertons and lady danbury at the ball they threw that nobody came to. the subtitles say it's a country rendition (whatever that means) of the theme song but they are involved in the dance so it counts.

when i noticed this i thought it was such a cute touch and was anxiously waiting for Penelope and Colin to get their moment.

...instead benedict dances to the bridgerton theme song with Lady Tilley? who he clearly isn't going to end up with? wtf?? and it doesn't even work in the context of the scene because it's a wholesome tune and yet she's dancing like she wants to eat him alive? sigh.

i'm just an old man yelling at clouds now but i wish the writing in this show was better so badly because it meets expectations but it's so frustrating because it can be so much better. let the show breathe! thin out the cast. really pick and choose who gets airtime, because it's precious and you anger your viewers when you waste it.

i will rewatch the season in full at some other point, but i'm too annoyed now. there is much more i want to talk about but this is long enough for now. i will say that at this point i'm not even sure i want to continue watching beyond this season.

(the playlist thing really got me thinking so to prove my point:)

FIVE SONGS THAT ARE A BETTER CHOICE FOR POLIN'S WEDDING DANCE THAN A FUCKING T.S SONG:

-a world alone-lorde (the lyrics are perfect even if they wouldn't be used in an orchestral version)

-little of your love-haim ( perfect choice for the scene imo bc it's very happy and upbeat for a cute wedding dance bit)

-all this and heaven too-florence and the machine

or fuck, if you wanted to make it into a really emotional rather than joyous moment go with dog days are over and it would be a banger with the proper editing bc that song is universal and punches up the emotions any times it's used.

-burning-maggie rogers

-save a kiss--jessie ware

ORRRRR to make it a lil steamy:

-adore you--jessie ware (this would also be perfect ngl)

and i'm not even biased to any of these, i literally just scrolled down my general playlist on spotify and picked them based on the vibes.

[soarchissticallydone]

Daughter of the Empire: 1/?

(So when I said I was going to post this "later today," let's take this in the galactic time sense where on some planet somewhere, a day lasts four or five Earth days. Got it? Great.)

This is in second-person POV. because I don't write that very often and it's fun, in my opinion. It's kind of long, but I got very excited and I hope I can keep this energy up. To be honest, I have no idea where and when in canon this takes place. Any glaring errors in continuity or canon are my own.

Thanks to @holocene-sims and @vibratingskull for their advice and encouragement in posting this story! I could not have done it without you.

Recommended music: Taita Inty, by Yma Sumac.

Previous || Next

Sit back, relax, watch the house lights dim and the curtains rise...

The Galaxies Opera House was putting on a production of “Legends of the Yavinian Yungas,” and you had been dying to see it. Every single attempt thus far in the run had failed. You had gotten sick after the rush to get a new exhibit up and running (too sick to even contemplate the idea of getting up and dressed, really). Then your aural prostheses had broken and had to be replaced, and so you had skipped the next few showings until they were repaired. (Why go if you couldn’t hear the show clearly? You may have known it by heart by now, but it was an experience to be enjoyed in full!)  And then, tonight, when you had made plans and had your third-nicest outfit steamed and ready to go, your friends had been unable to attend due to sudden conflicts. 

You had almost despaired of being able to see it before it closed, to be replaced by a traditional Lothal dance ensemble (which was perfectly fine and entertaining, but not your favorite opera since you were old enough to sit with your mother in the family box on Yavin Thirteen). 

Fortunately, you were able to wheedle your siblings into accompanying you to the opera tonight; you could have gone alone, but you were somewhat self-conscious about going to performances alone, and, you justified to yourself, you hadn’t seen either of them for weeks due to conflicting schedules. It was so rare that the three of you were on the same planet at the same time; you had put on the full ‘youngest sibling charm offensive,’ as Laanth sarcastically put it, and this time, it had worked. Of course, Pyallala had insisted that she take you shopping beforehand, on your credit, and Laanth had insisted that you buy them both dinner afterward, but it was a small price to pay. (Even if your bank account had already sent you an alert about suspicious purchases.)

“The Imperial Box?” you hiss to Laanth as the turbolift opens onto the mezzanine, with Praetorian guards and stormtroopers flanking the entrance. “Aren’t we meant to be keeping a low profile?”

(Your father had, in one of his paranoid moods, temporarily barred you all from the Imperial Box after Pyallala’s brother-in-law had been kidnapped for ransom by Rebel-aligned pirates a few months ago. Even with the feeble fig leaf of an excuse that you were his nephews and nieces, which the public may or may not have believed, blood relatives of the Galactic Emperor were obviously a security risk.)

“The Senatorial section doesn’t have as good of a view,” Pyallala pouts. “And I’m not wasting the credits you spent on this headdress to hide it from the rest of the audience.” She pats the headdress with one well-manicured hand, to emphasize it, and it wobbles slightly on top of her head. (Even though you saw her stick it with half a dozen hatpins and her aesthetics droid practically smothered you all with hairspray before you got in the speeder to keep it in place.) 

“I can’t believe that cost a thousand credits,” you grouse. “It’s the ugliest kriffing thing I’ve ever seen!” It’s certainly one of the ugliest purchases you’ve made in your life, even counting the phase where you wore traditional Yavinian ponchos, with their rather bright color combinations by Coruscanti taste, almost exclusively. And there are plenty of outré, avant-garde, culturally-significant-but-still-strange-looking, or just plain bizarre hats, headdresses, confections of tulle and transparisteel, and wearable sculpts in the crowd to compare Pyallala’s new acquisition to. 

The shape itself is reminiscent of a napkin in a glass at a gala; the colors mimic dazzle camouflage from some brainchild of the Imperial Navy’s latest strategic design; and worst of all, it is at least a third of a meter tall and a third of a meter wide, ready to launch off into the world with the slightest provocation. You wonder what would happen if you pushed her off the mezzanine–would it turn into a parachute? (Not that you’d do such a thing, of course, but stars, the temptation is there. You try to ignore the voice in your head that sounds like your father’s.)

“It’s a brand new Bila Tondo creation. Who cares if it’s ugly? I want everyone to know I’m here to enjoy myself. We’re going in the Imperial Box.”

“You’re exactly right, sis,” Laanth said; as always, you had been outmanned, outflanked, and outgunned by your siblings. The perils of being the youngest. “Come on, Ynirrés. Live a little.” 

“I’m telling him it was your idea if he finds out,” you sniff, clutching the amplification cables for your aural prostheses you’d picked up at the box office a little tighter, as if they might provide a shield. (You hope he doesn’t find out. Your father’s moods, always fickle, have been worse over the past few years, usually, but not always, in conjunction with some new setback against the rebellions, or some perceived threat to his control. And while you are usually not the target of his rages, you’ve seen enough of them to know that you don’t even want to be in the same star cluster when his temper rises.)

“Nobody’s going to find out if you shut your mouth and relax,” Laanth says as you all step out. 

“Miss Zerbelo, Mr. Thetinnós, Mrs. Se’aa’ng.” The protocol droid permanently stationed just outside the turbolift nods to each of you in turn. “Passes, please.”

An hour and a half (and one and a half complimentary swirlydips) later, you’ve almost forgotten your earlier anxiety. You hate to admit it–Pyallala was right. The view is spectacular here. It’s as if you’re right on top of the stage. The mezzo soprano–one of your favorites, the Twi’Lek Nomi Vay, fresh off her tour of the Outer Rim–has just finished her recitative on the creation of the orichalc treasure; you settle more comfortably in your seat, eagerly watching and hearing the story unfold. It’s a rare treat to see the Yungas Cycle performed fully. The condensed version is more popular, especially out of Yavinian space. (And with the rebel outbreaks on Yavin Four, you were worried, too, that the performance would be abruptly cancelled due to pressure from the Emperor, with his pride as sensitive as it is.) 

“Oh, this got more interesting,” Laanth says, interrupting your concentration on the familiar music and story.  You turn to look at him, irritatedly unhooking the amplification cables from your aural prostheses, and he leans forward conspiratorially. 

“That alien admiral’s in the Navy box,” he says, his voice, and the music, slightly distorted as your prostheses adjust to ambient sound. He re-emphasizes this with a few hurried signs, rolling his eyes a little as you catch up to what was said. In a fit of childish anger, you stick your tongue out at him.

Aside from diplomats, you almost never saw a non-human at the Opera. And the diplomats, of course, had their own boxes scattered throughout; they’d never be allowed to sit with the Navy higher-ups. Even in the Empire, it wasn’t seemly, though the Jedi had apparently gone as both guest and bodyguard to some patrons before and during the Clone Wars. (You were too young to really attend the opera on Coruscant before Ascension Day all those years ago, with the exception of children’s matinees and other special events, and when you had gone, you were more focused on the costumes and the stagecraft than on the jockeying for power that went into getting a superiorly located box.) The prospect of seeing the one non-human allowed to ascend this far in the Naval hierarchy intrigues you.

Fortunately, there’s a dance solo that allows you a little cover for spying on the other audience members (as if the Imperial Opera isn’t already a rarefied version of a Shaum Hii cattle market for those who would rather chase and be chased than watch the performances). The alien–tall, blue-skinned, in a starched and polished dress uniform–is intently watching the dancers and singers as they find their marks for the ‘Dance of the Trogons.’ You tell yourself you’ll spend a few more credits and buy the recording of the performance to make up for missing the dance in full. What’s another fraud alert on top of the rest?

“What is he, a Pantoran?” you ask, snatching your sister’s lorgnette from her hands to get a better glimpse of the strange warrior. With a quick spin of the dials, you’re able to get a closer view of his face, so strangely and strongly contoured. There’s something about the gleam of his red eyes that fascinates you. They really do gleam–not brightly enough to be a distraction to the others in the box, or the performers, but enough to send a strange shiver down your spine. You’re reminded of a nymy-cat in the night, though their eyes are green. 

“No! I heard he’s…well, whatever he is, he’s not a Pantoran,” Pyallala says, looking at her program. “Good, the first intermission is after this solo; I really need another drink. Apparently they found him in a shipping crate in Wild Space! And now he’s a Grand Admiral. Can you believe that?”

Laanth rolls his eyes. “And who told you that? Someone in your sabacc circle? The same one who told you that it wasn’t spice if you smoked it? They didn’t find him in a shipping crate, they found him crashed on an asteroid!”

“That was one time,” Pyallala hisses, forgetting her argument with your brother in favor of one that had been rehashed since General Skywalker was still alive, if not earlier. “Do you have to be so loud?”

“Do you think anyone cares?” he says, and the two of them start the familiar accusations again. You, of course, tune them out as best you can. One of the benefits of being deaf, and having aural prostheses, is the ability to simply…turn off whatever displeases you, but not even the most sophisticated tech lets you mute a conversation that is happening in front of your face without blocking the rest of the world out. 

Your free hand runs over the amplification cables longingly–how badly you want to go back to the music. Your target seems enraptured, as much as you can tell, by the spectacle, and your heart leaps a little–perhaps he enjoys the Yungas Cycle too, and perhaps you might…make a friend. One that wasn’t one of your coworkers. Wasn’t Pyallala always not-so-jokingly scolding you about your lack of prospects? What better prospect could there be than…

“A Grand Admiral,” you say, forgetting for a moment that you shouldn’t be thinking out loud, and that it’s the height of rudeness to keep your lorgnette on someone for longer than necessary. “An alien Grand Admiral! He must be very talented.”

“Uh-oh, sounds like Niri has a little crush,” Pyallala jokes, seizing her chance to deflect the sibling mockery onto you. “Or do his epaulets have you dazzled? Do we need to keep you on a leash, before you go over the balcony again?” You wince at the memories of that particular garden party, before you had learned that swirlypops aren’t always a teetotal drink, and, conveniently,  just prior to learning that alcohol affects your particular sense of balance for the worse. How embarrassing that was. 

“I know Commodore Voskos,” Laanth says, completely ignoring your sister, despite the low-hanging fruit of “Mock Baby Sister Together,” much to your relief. “We’re supposed to play ringers together tomorrow. At intermission, I’m going to see if we can be introduced to this Wild Space freak. I’m sure he knows whether he was found in a shipping crate.”

“No, we don’t need to–” you say.

“Yes, we do!” Laanth says. “I’m right, Pyallala’s wrong, and you’ve also been openly staring at him for the past five minutes. It’d be ruder to pretend we haven’t seen him, with you playing holo safari.”

“I hate you both,” you say, sinking further into your seat as you hand the lorgnette back to Pyallala. “I should have come here by myself.”

[flamedraco]

Day 2 of Making a Minecraft Diaries AU

So I don't have a day 1 post because I just came up with this concept on my second day of working on a Diaries AU. The fact I'm even going to make this AU in the first place is probably a testament to how old I am since Diaries is a nine year old series at this point, but if you haven't watched Minecraft Diaries you should. It's by Aphmau, there's a playlist on YouTube for seasons 1-3. Go watch it. I'm serious. Go watch it.

Anyways: Day 1 I decided to make a Diaries AU because I got to talking about the series to Em and got struck with inspiration to make a Diaries AU with DSMP characters. Namely with Wilbur as the protagonist with other members of the DSMP ensemble and a couple of OCs as the cast. Because look. Diaries has 200+ episodes and a lot more characters than you think. DSMP does not have enough characters for the amount of people in Diaries. There are like 40 characters on the DSMP. Just one look on the Diaries character Wiki will make you realize the kind of situation I'm in. Just in the Season 1 character list for Phoenix Drop ALONE there are 26 characters. And not everyone that was whitelisted on the DSMP is a viable character I can use for the story! So I opened a doc and got the series open on my phone and I started the process of rewatching and outlining a few chapters. I got four chapters outlined yesterday before realizing shit. I need to figure out how tf the rest of the story is going to change and what I need to cut because I am NOT writing a 100 chapters worth of fic. So I started the process of cutting out things I didn't like or felt were overall unimportant plot beats before I went to bed.

Today: I'm continuing the process of trying to summarize the story and boil down Diaries to its most core elements while still outlining chapters, cutting out a lot of the extra fluff to leave myself room to build my own story because obviously if I'm making an AU I don't want everything to be one to one. Also Wilbur isn't Aphmau and thus will behave differently as a protagonist. Same with a lot of the other characters. I'm not going to leave any major or minor character in Diaries untouched because this is an AU, not a crossover. If the character was named and important? I'm changing them. If you see a name you don't recognize, probably an OC or some character you forgot was part of the lore that I was able to sneak in.

Right now I'm trying to make a simplified plot overview of Season 1. Season 1 is already giving me a headache. Do you know how many kids these people have? How many random characters we see once or twice being actively important to the plot SOMEHOW!?

I'm still doing it because I think a Diaries AU would be fun and any of my readers who read it and don't know shit about Diaries are going to be so surprised by some of the things that happen. Diaries may be an old series but damn was it emotional and compelling.

Anyways obviously some character relationships are going to have to be changed and not everything in this AU and the OG Diaries is going to be the same. For anyone who's curious I'm already cutting out most if not all of the werewolf shit.

Wish me luck, I'm currently working on the outline for chapter 6 before jumping back to sorting out more of the timeline. I've got my phone propped up against my notebook and my computer in my lap :D

[gotylocks]

Willow Month 2023- Day 3: TV Show (Full Series/Specific Episode) or Movie

If you read my entry for Day one, you'll know I went into the show without seeing the movie. In fact, I actually made a point to wait to watch it until the finale, because it was a rare opportunity where I could watch one of these years later follow ups without nostalgia for the original (unlike, say, Star Wars), so I wanted to see if it worked on its own.

The fact I'm writing this should tell you, I truly believe it does. Now, I don't want this to come off like I don't like the movie, because that is not the case. I love the movie! I'm wearing a Sorsha and Mads shirt as I write this! But I would still love the show just as much without the movie.

Some hard numbers may make my point. I have watched the movie once, and while I often think about watching it again, I haven't yet. By contrast, I have watched the full series 13 times through at this point, and at least 8 of those times were marathon sessions where I went from episodes 1-8 in a single sitting.

Why is that? Well, I think the movie is missing some key ingredients that keep it from hitting that obsession level. Namely, Kit, Jade, (grown up) Elora... ok it's the entire crew. Their interplay, the way their relationships build over the course of the season, and the way that by the end of the finale every single one of them has been improved by the others being present in their lives.

The party of six, all with their beautiful, layered arcs and emotional storylines, they're the ones that make the show something special. I've said in the past that typically in shows with ensemble casts, there's usually at least one character that I find annoying, or one actor that I don't like for one reason or another. That's another thing that makes the show so incredible. I love every single person involved. From the main six, rippling out to the supporting cast and cameos like Hannah Waddingham and Christian Slater. Not only does everyone understand the assignment, they bring their own unique flavor and quirks so nobody feels like they're phoning it in. You can tell everyone is having fun and that translates to the audience.

And while fun is first up on the menu for the show, there's also so many moments of heart-rending drama. As someone who lost their dad at 26, I connect to Kit's feelings of grief and abandonment over the disappearance of her father. I connect with Jade feeling lost and purposeless. I connect with Elora desperately wanting to help despite struggling to believe in herself. I connect with Graydon carrying a lot of guilt over things he had no control over and wanting to prove himself as more than what his father believes he is. I connect with Boorman regretting his selfish choices and wanting to make up for his past mistakes. I even relate to Willow, thrust into a position where he has to be a believer despite feeling like a fraud.

Whether it's due to the run time or the time in which it was made, the movie just can't compete with the variety of character arcs, the layers that get peeled back the more the crew spend time together, the realization how each person has something to learn from the others and how they've grown to rely on each other.

By the time they reach the Immemorial City to fight the Crone, they have grown into one of the best found families I've ever seen. They have each other's backs, they trust each other implicitly, and they're willing to put everything on the line to save the world, sure, but more importantly, save each other and facilitate their rises to greatness.

The dialogue, while not to everyone's taste, I felt was a great choice. It immediately plants a flag on its own territory and says confidently "We are not Game of Thrones. We are not Lord of the Rings. We are our own thing." I love that shit! It is never a show that feels like it's chasing a trend, because it is so uniquely itself. That extends to the music, be it the fantastic score by James Newton Howard and Xander Rodzinski or the fascinating modern song choices deployed in each episode, which while I have opinions about songs I would prefer in different places, I cannot deny that they set the show apart from everything else that has come before. And "Crimson+Clover" by Pom Pom Squad will live in my brain forever thanks to its absolutely pitch perfect use in episode 5.

The fight scenes are fantastic, because they're never there for the sake of having action. Instead, major character beats are woven throughout, making each fight hugely meaningful to everyone involved. Whether it's Willow going from his weakened, nigh magicless state at the start of the show, to being the great sorcerer he was always meant to be thanks to working with Elora, or its Kit and Jade connecting and expressing emotions that words may not be enough for through their shared love language of sword fighting, or Graydon finding the magic within at the moment he needed to and killing one of the Gales pursuing them. Action has a purpose in this story and I love that after so many hollow and emotionless cgi fight scenes we've been inundated with over recent years.

This is why I can't simply choose one favorite episode from the series, because they are so intertwined that I cannot separate them. However, unlike many straight to streaming shows, Willow doesn't just feel like an 8 hour movie chopped into parts (despite my tendency to watch it like one long movie lol). Every episode has a unique identity that I can immediately point to when prompted. Every episode is important to moving both the narrative and character development forward, and there isn't a single one you could cut without everything feeling askew.

So. When I saw this prompt I was like "Maybe I'll make this one short", but we all know now that was going to be impossible. The intense emotional connection I have to this show from front to back just brings this out of me. To the only Fellowship I need in my life. I wouldn't be here without you.

To quote Erin from the making of doc, "These people are my family."

[quirkwizard]

Vigilante Pursuit: Looking at the Villain Hunt Arc

So for anyone who has followed my blog for any period of time, you know that I dislike the Stars and Stripes arc. However, that isn't the only arc that I take issue with. When I was first reading this arc, I had my issues with it, but I did my best to try and move past them. Unfortunately, my opinion of it has only soured as time has gone on and I have had more time to reread and process everything that happened in it. That being the Villain Hunt Arc.

Yes, I know its official title is the Dark Hero Arc, but that name is dumb, so I'm sticking with the Villain Hunt Arc. To be pretty clear, I don't hate this arc, and I still think that there are some good qualities to it. The fight with Lady Nagant is a dramatic challenge to Izuku's perception of heroes, the confrontation between All Might and Stain was a strong beat for their characters, and the Uraraka's speech is one of the highlights of the later arcs of the series. It is not without its problems, and I do feel a lot of frustration with those problems. So, after reaching nine thousand posts, I thought I would reflect on them and try to figure out how to fix this arc.

Unlike the Star and Stripes Arc though, the problems aren't exactly fundamental to the arc itself, more that there are issues in execution. Even then, it's more of one consistent problem throughout the arc and a few other bits with how things play out. So a lot of this will be more of the rewrite than me simply complaining about it. For the sake of this, I'm going to try to stick to as much of the canon structure and this arc as possible with the rewrites. I may have a lot of issues with Izuku's power progression, which is probably the worst in this arc, but such a thing would require changing whole other arcs or making new ones. And when I am writing this, the most recent Chapter 387. So if anything happens to counter my points, know that it hasn't happened yet.

Just Watch Us

Whenever I think back on this arc, I always think about the lack of character moments that weren't for the usual ensemble. The ones that stand out most to me are Hawks and Endeavor. I can understand why the characters would want to brush past that given their personalities and their circumstances, but it feels unsatisfying to not see them react to what happened to them or have the world change as a result. Endeavor says that he will keep pushing forward and tells people to watch him. Even though he has nothing to show for except his words after one of the worst debacles in hero history. And what he did has no real effect or reaction on anyone outside of the family. There isn't any pushback or reflection on Hawks either. Hawks murdered someone on live television, and the most we get is during the press conference. There's no time to think about Twice or the regret he has for killing. He's an optimist, after all.

And don't think that they are the only ones. So many of the students are barely given any time to process or talk about what happened to them. Mina and Kirsihima saw the brutalized corpse of their teacher. And we barely get anything on that. They just got out of a war, and all of them seem a bit bummed out. This is the worst day for most, if not all, of the characters involved. Why can't we see that tragedy and turmoil in them? This isn't only a thing with the war, either. Uraraka and Iida find out their best friend has lied to them for the better part of a year and has left them behind, with the two having no idea where Izuku is or what's happening to him. There isn't any time to reflect on how they're dealing with any of this. We simply have to assume that all this happened off screen in the month-long time jump, if it happened at all.

Near Miss

So when I said that I didn't dislike the Lady Nagant fight, there were a few asterixis next to it. I know it's a minor point, but it has constantly bothered me: why is Kai here? Now I understand why Kai is around. It's to set up everything with Lady Nagant and Izuku trying to save and help the villains, pairing him up with the most hateable villain that isn't part of the League of Villains. However, that doesn't explain why Kai is here from an in universe perspective. Lady Nagant seemingly brings him out of Tatarus on a whim. She says she wants to use him, but what use is a gibbering ex-convict with no arms? And when they get out, she wants him around to identify Izuku. Why on Earth would she need that? Are you telling me All For One didn't even give her any information on Izuku? Nothing like a photo or a basic description of her target?

My biggest issue with it is the introduction of "Fa Jin". Aside from the pacing issues of introducing so many of his new Quirks in such a short time span, "Fa Jin" is easily the worst of all the "One For All" Quirks. As an actual Quirk, it's fine. Nothing special, but has a unique gimmick. My problems lie in making it a Quirk for Izuku because it doesn't really add anything to his power set. It isn't an interesting expansion on Izuku's arsenal, basically doing exactly what "One For All" was doing before. It's obviously only there as a crutch to get Izuku to One Hundred Percent as fast as possible in the shortest amount of time. What's more is that it ruins the fun cat-and-mouse dynamic the fight had before. It's not something we've seen in the series before and would have given us a chance to see Izuku as the intelligent planner he's supposed to be. Instead, Izuku didn't win through some clever strategy, he won by making his number bigger.

Then there is how the fight ends. Lady Nagant blows up as a part of a cruel tactic by All For One. I understand what the story is going for, having all of Izuku's efforts destroyed to mentally break him, but there are some questions raised. Like how exactly did All For One use a Quirk that wasn't his? Why make it a Quirk he snuck onto her then? Why not simply be the effect of a Quirk he already had? How did Lady Nagant handle three Quirks when even two Quirks are considered extreme and potentially life-threatening? How was Lady Nagant not aware of this? Then following up with Izuku going to the mansion, which only results in All For One reinforcing what we already know and another egregious explosion fake out, just feels like such a limp and pointless way to end this entire segment. It's another symptom of All For One worming his way into every single plot as the big villain. You can't have a moment between a hero and villain without All For One twirling his IV tubes in the background.

How it All Stops

I know I have played up in the past how much I liked this moment. I did feel catharsis when Bakugou finally owned up to how awful he was to Izuku and apologized. But looking back at it with a critical eye, I'm finding a major problem with it: it's all about Bakugou. Don't get me wrong, this is supposed to be a big moment for Bakugou and how he's grown. But the other half of the equation is simply missing. There isn't accountability of what he did to Izuku. It's all justification about why he treated Izuku so poorly, only to then turn it over to how he has been acting in the past. There isn't any kind of acknowledgement or punishment for what he's done to Izuku. It comes across that Bakugou effectively Houdinied his way out of the actual consequences of his actions.

What's more is that there's nothing about how Izuku is processing this. Izuku, the guy who was hurt most by Bakugou's constant bullying and actions, doesn't say or think anything about this. Which is such a massive problem throughout the whole of the arc. There is so little time to give Izuku any moments to himself or thoughts on how he's feeling about everything. This should be a huge surge of emotions and the culmination of everything that's been building up with Izuku. But everything is more focused on the other characters, either through Izuku's own thoughts or writing focusing on them more. All that happens is that he collapses and apologizes to everyone else for insulting them. And this ends Rogue Izuku portion of the story. Did you enjoy the handful of chapters you got? I hope you did, because that is the end of that part of his character. One we barely got to actually see.

After all of that, there's barely anything following up on it. All the building emotions he had about himself and the arc over the years? Gone. A serious talk between Izuku and All Might about everything that has happened? Nothing. Any sort of real connection or follow-up with Uraraka and Iida? Not really. The most we get is simply in service of Toga and Uraraka's plot dozens of chapters later. There isn't anything personal about this arc that carries forward. As far as developing the characters, it may as well not have even happened. Bakugou still acts like a tool to Izuku, making it seem like he didn't really learn anything from all of this. We don't even get any proper follow-up with All Might. He apologizes to Izuku and then they move onto more plot beats. Which is so off the mark that it's downright insulting to both characters' stories. Take a bath and a nap, Izuku. It's clearly what you needed.

I know I keep harping on this part of it, but you need there to be a proper middle ground and payoff in order for the conclusion to feel satisfying. It feels like I'm watching a DVD with scratches on it, constantly skipping between major scenes, and the characters acting like they came to a conclusion without us seeing it. It's what attributed to a lot of rushed feeling for the last few arcs. While I always believed that these rapid plot points began back during the MLA War Arc, they have become so prevalent here. All the characters are being moved to their conclusion faster than the manga can handle in the number of chapters they are given. So a lot of them either feel forgotten in the sweep or have their characters and stories shorthanded to reach the end. Now, how would I fix all this?

Heroes of the Past

To start things off, Gran Torino will die in the hospital, potentially while talking to Izuku. I'm not one for suddenly killing off characters, but he really shouldn't have survived such a massive attack from Tomura and I think this would be a good point for him to bite it. More could be added from his death than from his life, especially if he's just going to sit in the hospital for the rest of the series. It would actually have Tomura kill someone that we know and care about, adding some more stakes and threat to this arc, but it would also start Izuku's spiral during this entire situation. From there, I would change the vestiges role as well for this arc. I would have them put more pressure on Izuku. He is there last shot at stopping All For One and they would try to push him more and more. Having the manifestations act as the voices of overwhelming responsibility would be a really interesting way to represent Izuku's thought process and the doubts he has. It's literally Izuku's power and the ghosts of the previous user wearing down on him.

With Hawks and Endeavor, I would certainly have them both interact on their own as characters away from the plot. Maybe Hawks could see some parallels between himself and Shoto as two young kids who were weapons for the sake of others because of their strong Quirks. Maybe Endeavor could talk about how much he had similar thoughts to Hawks, yet was always able to hold back in the end. You could give some more depth to their histories, like Hawk's life in the Hero Commission or who Endeavor was outside of hero work. And if nothing else, we need Endeavor's reaction to "One For All". The cornerstone of Endeavor's entire character was wanting to surpass All Might. After everything that happened over the past year for him, from becoming the Number One to finding out about Dabi, there should be something to him finding out just how truly futile that goal was this entire time. How much of his life was destroyed for less than nothing.

After that, there should be some external pushback and problems for them. Endeavor could be confronted by civilians and heroes, saying that they don't want to look at him and constantly throwing what Dabi did in his face. You could even have former heroes attack him, believing that someone like him does not deserve to be a hero and is simply a villain corrupting their role. Hawks could come across a scene where he finds a group of minor, but recognizable villains, like the Reservoir Dogs, all strung up on the streets. This could either be done by civilians or rogue heroes, finding Hawk's actions justifiable in killing villains, only exasperated by the extreme circumstances. How could those two possibly confront those circumstances? It'd give us some actual weight and consequence to their actions while fitting with the idea of how the actions of major heroes can trickle down into the rest of society.

vs Lady Nagant

This time around, Lady Nagant will bring Kai out of a sense of empathy for him given his condition, though she will hide it from All For One with the same excuse of thinking he'd be useful, which is technically true. Once she gets her mission, she will bring him along out of a need for information about Izuku. Not he knows what Izuku looks like, but because he knows about Izuku and how he fights. It could help explain why Lady Nagant is doing so well, aside from her simply being that good and give Kai more of a purpose. Instead of using "Fa Jin", just have Izuku uses the benefits of his other Quirks. Let him use his other powers and show off the benefits that "Black Whip", "Float", "Danger Sense", and "Smokescreen" provide for him. This provides a unique chance to have Izuku fight smarter and not harder.

And when the fight is over, don't make Lady Nagant the bomb. Make Overhaul the bomb. All For One could have attempted to take "Overhaul", but failed to do so since Kai's Quirk Factor is gone, which well say works that way for this rewrite, only to then sneak the bomb on him. Then you could have Lady Nagant make a move to save Izuku at the cost of herself. That still has the same kind of tragedy to it. The person he'd tried to save is dead or dying, depending on what Hori wants to do with him, and reigniting those heroic values in someone puts her in critical condition. Plus, I think if Hori wants to do any kind of redemption for Overhaul, people are going to want to see him suffer a little bit more for all the stuff he did to everyone in the Overhaul Arc. And skip All For One taunting Izuku, that simply wasn't needed.

After this fight, we are going to cut away from that part of the story. In order to get some breathing room for the rest of the characters, we need to push Izuku away from the spotlight for a little while. What's more is that gives the audience some tension and concern over what's happening with Izuku. Ideally, we start with Izuku and cut away once the Lady Nagant fight is over. It helps put us into Izuku's headspace some, focusing so much on everything that all the other characters feel so distant, only to cut back to them and feel the worry with them since we know how bad of a place Izuku is in. And could you imagine the reveal when we see Izuku and his monstrous vigilante look? Then, when that happens, we flashback to what Izuku has been doing before all of this happened. Plus, with UA, we could get a look at some of the other civilian reactions to what's been happening.

Back at UA

As for what this would be filled with, the first thing to come to mind would be Kirishima, Mina, and Momo. Look, I don't like how they handled Midnight's death. I think it was an incredibly cheap death, throwing a named character to the wolves to give the deaths on the hero's side some artificial weight without giving her any depth or connections outside of a side manga. But if you are going to kill her, at least do something with the characters it's supposed to affect. Have Mina bring up how much Midnight's classes meant to her, or have Momo think about some advice Midnight taught her. Sure, it's a retroactive fill-in for what should have been actual moments in the story, but it's better than nothing. Maybe let Aizawa come in and talk about her as well. Show us that the death of his friend and colleague of over a decade actually affected him and break down his walls some. Show us he is emotionally invested in someone other than Oboro, the Friendly Dust Cloud. You could even have it tie back into Aizawa's own experiences with Momo and how much they believe in her as a leader.

Then there are Iida and Uraraka. I swear, these two have been pushed so far to the back of the manga for what should be major supporting characters that it's insane. You could have Iida running around UA, trying to help everyone he can, wherever he can. It's all that Iida knows to do when he's stressed. It's all that's keeping him from trying to go against the school and looking for his friend. He needs to be here as the person who bears the name Ingenium, one of the oldest families in heroics, and the successor to his brother. Uraraka is helping as well, but clearly isn't as present. She keeps going back to everything with Toga and what she said. You could then have them both talk to each other, realizing how difficult it is to cope with all this, especially when their best friend is gone. It could play off the traits we know about them and set up stuff for later.

Finally, there is Bakugou. There is a lot that could be covered with him, though I do think that it would help a lot if he had a character to bounce off of. And while there could be a lot of characters to do that, I think that All Might would be the best option. Give the two another scene together, paralleling the one after the first fight between Izuku and Bakugou. With them together, they talk about what was going on with Bakugou and why he did what he did. It could do a lot to help build the bridge between everything that happened during the war and his apology to Deku. This could be where the card scene comes into play during Bakugou's death as well, or at least the set-up for it, like Bakugou holding the card in his hand before cutting away or him stifling his words. Once it's all done, All Might could be the one to spill the beans that they actually lost contact with Deku, prompting the class to want to go after him.

Viglinate Izuku

So with the Final War Arc, there are a lot of issues with society broguht up. Some of which are not as fleshed out as they could have been. Want to know what would help with that? Seeing it in action. We get a few montages of this, but I believe that it needs more time to convey how bad things have gotten. While Izuku is running around as a vigilante, he could be dealing with crisis situations that relate to all of the problems brought up throughout the season. Heck, the whole thing with the giant fox/shark lady is some of the most development we got for the Mutant Plotline in the story. Why not shore up some of the other issues with more evidence of that coming forward? The country degrades as all the nasty sides of society come up as the chapters go on. Izuku's goal of trying to understand only brings him more stress and heartache. Have him deal with something like Wash and Yo Shindo did. Carry over some of the issues that Endeavor and Hawks are dealing with. Have him let someone slide when they are committing survival crimes for their family.

Then we cut back to Izuku after the Lady Nagant fight and meet up with All Might after beating another assassin. He sees the damage done to Toshinori's windshield, realizing that he was attacked and nearly killed by more of All For One's goons. Before he can explain, Deku brings up Sir Nighteye and Gran Torino and how much he's learned from them, but that he's learned the most from All Might. He says that he doesn't need him as his mentor any more, implying that he's doing this so All Might doesn't die as well. After that, it's going to be more of Izuku trying to solve people's problems, and it's only going to get worse from here. It's going to be more difficult situations with less obvious answers, stressing Izuku out more and more, made even worse by the lack of self-care he has been doing.

The final point of this will be at the Hero Commission Building. You know that recording where Lady Nagant talked about everything she did? Well, that got out to the public somehow, maybe by All For One to sow more chaos and distrust. Now people want blood for everything that happened with Lady Nagant. Izuku wants to stop the rioters because there are still innocent people in that building, but the rioters aren't villains. They're civilians who have been hurt by the Commissions attempts to keep the peace. Then we come to the big dilemma: Izuku is stuck between protecting the epicenter of all the corruption in hero work and the people who have been hurt by them. A major moral conflict to punctuate everything Izuku has been dealing with.

It all comes to a head when the Commission demands he help, and the crowd accuses Izuku of not being a real hero. Just another goon of the Hero Commission. Izuku breaks and unleashes "Black Whip" to make a massive webby wall between the rioters and the building, telling the rioters to go home. This is when we get the reveal of the monstrous hero costume in all its glory. And the rioters are terrified, looking on in utter fear and running away. Before the Hero Commission has a chance to thank him, we see the cold eyes of the broken Izuku we see later before he leaves as well. Not only could this show the other dangers of Izuku not taking care of himself and taking on the burden, but his appearance only inspires fear in the people he wants to help, but it also works to punctuate everything that has happened thus far with the various problems.

Izuku vs Class 1-A

Before this fight starts, we are given a bit in the world of "One For All". This is where I would flesh out the vestiges some more and how they view things, something that would have been hinted at through their brief appearances in the rest of the arc. Like we have the Second User saying that what Izuku is doing is fine, but why not have something like the Fourth User saying they should hide while Nana tries to act as the voice of reason? When it comes to the Despot fight, I would add a few more high profile villains to the scene. In the manga, this doesn't feel like a situation that Izuku needed help with, which is the whole point of this scenario. It feels like there should have been more ways for him to deal with this given the tools he had, but he gave up because that's what Hori needed to happen. So between the massive number of civilians and the other villains making it all at risk to do anything, I think that would cement more how screwed Izuku is without other people around him.

And when the students show up, I would give some more time to them to show off their abilities some more. Something that can show both Izuku and the audience that they have grown some over the skip. Maybe show off some new techniques without making a big deal out of it or changing their costumes around to give them a new edge. And with more villains, it gives us more chances to see that. Once the fight is over, the students will then try to ask Izuku to come back. The fight will play out mostly the same, but I would add the bit about how "Danger Sense" doesn't detect certain entities as threats since the students are doing this to help him. I think it explains how they are doing so well in spite of Izuku having a power like that and makes the bit with Toga later seem like less of a contrivance.

After the fight, I would pass off the speech Bakugou gave about returning home to Iida. I think it just works better for him. As for the apology, while you could easily rewrite it, I think it would be better to keep it as is and then build off of it. Just because he's a better person now doesn't mean that he can say sorry and have everything be okay. I think we need some catharsis on Izuku's side and some atonement on Bakugou's part. Regardless, when Bakugou finally apologizes, Izuku isn't going to take it, at least not at first. You could say that's out of character for him, but between Bakugou's self-focused apology and how much Izuku has gone through in the past few chapters, I think you could justify it. This would give Izuku some time to talk about his own problems and how much suffering Bakugou put him through. Heck, a lot of Izuku's self-sacrificing mindset is because of Bakugou and that's what's killing him now.

Izuku is going to lay into Bakugou, verbally and potentially physically, as he tries to let out all of his emotions, as shown by "Black Whip" striking out and wrapping up around Izuku. He tells Bakugou to take everyone and go, saying that they aren't strong enough to keep up and are only going to get in the way. It's basically here to play up everything that Izuku had in his mind as a result of his role and insecurities. But because of the development he's gone through, that doesn't matter to Bakugou. He only wants to help Izuku and reach out to him. Before he acted on instinct, now he's reaching out with the express purpose of trying to save Izuku breaking through the "Black Whips" in order to make it to Izuku and remove his cowl. It's meant to reverse their relationship at the start of the series, both in their positions in dynamic as Bakugou is saving Izuku from something threatening to envelop his whole body.

Returning to UA

Once Izuku gets back, it will mostly be the same, only now the ensemble will be made up of the people who Izuku has helped so far in the arc. I would want a moment between him and Inko as well. Just something sweet and nice, like her using her Quirk to pull the cowl off him to see his face. After this, we'll get some breather chapters and spend more time on Izuku mentally recovering and slowly becoming more and more accepting of himself. How many? As many as we can get, frankly. Seriously, this is such an important time for Izuku and the rest of the cast that they're going to need all the time they can get. Now, while the other characters will play a role, it will fall more to Izuku to evaluate and heal. Like staying on his own some more before slowly coming back into the fold after a period of time.

As for any character interactions, there should certainly be a moment between Izuku and Uraraka. Uraraka stuck her neck out and poured her heart out in order to get him into UA. There should be at least be a thank you from him to her. Then some time with Shoto and Iida as well, with possibly each of them reflecting on their own arcs, like Shoto telling him to take his time with this or Iida saying that he always wanted to go out looking for Izuku since that's what he would do. Maybe would could squeeze in something with Aizawa as well. Who, maybe after scolding from, Aizawa tries to connect his own feelings with Izuku's predicament. How Aizawa kept trying to push himself so hard after Oboro's death and how that affected his life. And while he always wants Izuku to push himself, he never wants Izuku to end up like him.

There will be attempts by Bakugou to make things better, and there will be a notable change in how he acts around Izuku, acting more like equals rather than Bakugou barely tolerating him. However, Izuku is still working through it and makes it clear he isn't ready to truly accept him as a friend. Not only would this be more realistic, but it would also add some more tragedy to Bakugou's "death", making it seem like he died without ever making proper amends to Izuku. And if we go with the idea that the "One For All" visages are less helpful and more confrontational, then maybe we could have a scene with him confronting the vestiges as well. You could have Izuku tearing off the black covering around his body and fully speaking his mind, making it clear that he is certain of how he wants to be a hero and how things have changed since they were around.

Then there is Mirio. Not only would this give us some time to catch up with Mirio, someone who we have barely gotten to see outside of a fight scene since he got his power back, but it would also finish up the comparisons between the two. Now that "One For All" is out in the open, we could settle Izuku's doubts on whether or not he was the right heir. Maybe Mirio could say something about how it was a blessing Izuku got it instead of him because now there are two great heroes, or that him taking it on would have been pointless since it would have only killed him before he had the real chance to be a hero. Maybe even throw something with Eri in here as well. Just something that confirms that, no, Izuku's being chosen was never a mistake and helps on his journey to self-worth.

Finally, I really want there to be a moment with Toshinori and Izuku. The two people who would be most affected by this situation and understand each other the most. This would be a follow-up to the confrontation Toshinori had with Stain. Toshinori simply being there and helping the students is more than enough. He needs to assure Izuku that he is proud of who he is and that he never once doubted his decision. It would be a genuine moment between the two. Not as the Eighth and Ninth Users of "One For All", not as the once or future Pillars of Society, but as Izuku Midoriya and Toshinori Yagi. A fine young man with a good heart, and an old man who did well in rebuilding his life. It would be a good punctuation to both Izuku's journey to rediscovering his own personal worth and Toshinori figuring out how to live a life outside of All Might.

[annabelle--cane]

actually, no. I'm going to add to your askbox shame even more by asking a series of questions that you may like to answer, but will take some thought:

what kind of students were the tma avatars while they were in school? what cliques were they in? who made it to uni?

jude I think was stupidly popular. she wasn't a queen bee or anything but she was very charming to talk to, if a bit intense. alas, she went on to get a business degree.

jared had some friends as a younger kid but he got kind of annoying as they grew up and they stopped hanging out as much, though jared never really considered any of the bonds officially severed. canonically did not go to university.

of course jane was a witchy astrology girl, maybe involved in an art club. I think she maybe had a tendency to cry from sheer nerves in every presentation she ever gave, but she'd power through. not sure if she went on to higher ed? she definitely took a few years off in between, at least.

manuela knew she wanted to go into stem since she was about thirteen, she kept her head well in her books and didn't cause much of a stir. not to say she was friendless, she had some regular study pals, but they all kind of knew they were going to go in very different directions during/after uni so they never got all that close.

julia school experience was absolutely miserable. a lot of people tried very hard to be her friend, but even the most genuine ones were doing it mostly out of pity and the least genuine ones were. well. Bad. I forget if we canonically know anything about her higher education but my instinct would be that even if she didn't she still went as far away as she could get after graduating.

mike. hmmm. bit of a loner, I think. he was very aware that he was visually Different than other people + he was kinda uh haunted and it made him paranoid about making friends. I think he enjoyed his classes, though, for what it was worth. canonically went to university.

I think oliver probably had a very normal school life. a bit nerdy, a bit anxious, but not excessively so. he'd have a lot of trouble sleeping nights before exams, though.

annabelle was in clubs every day of the week. creative writing, school plays, arts and crafts, dance, music ensembles, a handful of sports, she tried them all. even as her older siblings graduated and moved out, that was simply too many people in her house and she wanted to stay out for as long as she could most days. she wanted close friends, but she didn't really know how to do it right; she didn't feel comfortable sharing much about her home life so she usually felt like she was playing a role that was mostly her, but not quite. canonically went to university, was probably involved in the psych department.

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Silica Gel

Silica Gel emerged from the central Alabama underground, blending Renaissance-era texts, modern instrumentation, and unbridled creativity.  The intertwining vocal melodies from Laura Thomas and Lauren Jones reimagine folk music as a time-dissolving means of expression.  This temporal slippage is enhanced by strings, percussion, and cracked electronics.  In his review of Swan Pond, Bryon Hayes said that the album “deftly captures Silica Gel’s odd but endearing incantations. Its heady brew is rife with ghostly emanations, delightful song craft, cracked electronics and medieval melodies.”

The band’s members have recently scattered across the United States, so their activity is winding down, but Dusted managed to get member Jasper Lee (who also runs Alabama’s Sweet Wreath label) to list a few songs that he felt were important to the entire band.    

He elaborates: “This list of songs relates to Silica Gel's world in one way or another. Some are artists we've played favorite shows with, like White Gourd, Junior Mint Prince, Johnny Coley, and Post Moves. There's also music we've been particularly influenced by and love connecting with others on. Songs for a Silica Gel Mixtape!”  

Eyes of the Amaryllis — Every Year

When Silica Gel was on tour in Philadelphia, Jim Strong gave me this LP of a group he was in. When I got back home to Alabama and listened, it was totally mesmerizing. I can't even really describe it...but it's very emotional and some of the most ineffable music I've ever heard. There were days in the winter when I just listened to it over and over, not turning the record player off....just moving the needle back to the beginning again and again. I like that you can't hear the words. They're there....but subliminal and suggestive rather than being a focal point.

Post Moves — Always for Pleasure

Sam's performances on the pedal steel are transcendent. I'm in awe of the range of sounds and atmospheres he creates.... plus the gamelan-like bells and scrap metal percussion he plays along with the strings. His compositions have a great openness to them, I like hearing how they continually shift and morph. This piece makes me think of a European road movie; opening up in a grey eerie fog in 1978. We've played a few shows together and really bonded through common creative interests. There's a string of Post Moves releases from the past few years that have all developed his sound in really compelling ways. One of the most interesting pedal steel players around!

Pearls Before Swine — Drop Out!

I got Covid while visiting the Green Plum Ensemble in Philly and stayed in a friend's apartment alone for three days. I listened to this record repeatedly. I think it was the best soundtrack for woozily stumbling around, nodding off and convalescing. The music is comforting and exciting at the same time. The voice is serene but can also bite, like in "Uncle John." I learned to play that song and it's really empowering. I think Silica Gel likes to wander in similar psych-folk territories as this music.

Johnny Coley — They're Dreaming Me

It's amazing that this even happened. It was totally off the cuff.... but it's like Johnny's theme song. Not many people know about Johnny now, but I think they will...more and more. I'm biased because I know him and I played on this, but I'm viewing it here from the perspective of a listener. I just like hearing it, and I also wanted to include it because there's a lot of crossover between this Johnny album and Silica Gel. We were working on both records at the same time in the same place, at Sweet Wreath, and we didn't have MUCH time at all. "My Little Fox Ears" on our album Swan Pond is based on one of Johnny's poems. I think this may be the first time anyone has turned his writing into a separate piece of music. But hearing Johnny's voice is the best way to encounter his poetry....and what better track than the mystery of "They're Dreaming Me."

Roxy Gordon — An Open Letter to Illegal Aliens

Another poet with a potent vernacular voice that must be reckoned with. Choctaw, Assiniboine, and Texan poet, journalist, artist, activist, and musician Roxy Gordon is one of a kind. His message speaks to me. "Ask the water. Ask the air what grief your green dollars have wrought. Ask the cut, bleeding, poisoned earth." I think people need to hear the wisdom of people like Roxy. Someone telling it like it is, straight and true. You can hear the love in his voice, and the anger at what colonialism is still doing to us and the land today. His words are personal yet panoramic in scope.

Junior Mint Prince — Strange Ballad

One of the best performances I've ever seen. When they play, a folksy song like this one would just float everybody along on a blissed-out cotton candy cloud then turn into a noise jam of computer glitches and weird vocal melisma, and like heavy breathing and hiccupping, and two clowns would come tip-toeing out grimacing and tossing a crystal ball around, and it would progress into a free jazz saxophone duel where they all left the building wailing.

Slapp Happy — Blue Flower

Jangly as hell, every instrument in this song is jangly. Like a synesthesia of the lyric in it, "the sun was sparkling on the shaft of your knife." Sun sparkles just being zapped into your brain through sound waves. Amazing lyrics, and Dagmar's voice is like a high brittle whine that'll fuck you up, she knows what's going on.... she’s the cool one, not whoever she's singing about.

White Gourd — Magician le Diable

Every show, she BECOMES one of the major arcana of the Tarot. I saw her become Justice at a small club in Portland, Maine. She scraped huge swords together, and gave everyone bells to ring. The whole place vibrated with the shimmer of the bells. She sang and played sax and drums in cycles, going through stages of a musical ritual that was totally effective in manifesting the feeling that Justice would be Wrought.

Broadcast and the Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age

Yes! It seems that there is still very fertile sonic territory in the valley between POP and COLLAGE. Or maybe it's more Voice, Melody and Memory? Singing set adrift in an amusement park of field recordings, sound effects, and loops. When I first learned what Hauntology was, it was an uncanny affirmation of what I'd always felt but couldn't quite articulate. Something about recording being like the cultural production of ghosts. This is a good record to listen to and think about while reading Mark Fisher!

Steeleye Span — Dark Eyed Sailor

I like to drive to this song. That beat! So steady, and warm...it seems like it could go on forever. Silica Gel is really influenced by all the UK folk-rock and folk revival stuff from the 1960s and 1970s. We like it all. But Steeleye Span is a favorite. How did I not know about this growing up? I got into it a lot later, but it hit powerfully, and I was hooked. Laura and Lauren in Silica Gel seem born to sing harmonies like these...it's in the blood. So, we try to bring the Steeleye influence in however we can. If you don't know this music, do yourself a favor and go down a rabbit hole with it, maybe spend a whole fall or winter with it. You won't regret it!

[happyk44]

Having written yet another Percicobeth drabble (or ficlet? Probably? Like the difference is in word count, right? And I'm idk how long that one was but feels long-ish), I'm thinking about comments I've gotten (and ignored) on my other Percicobeth stuff, people complaining that Nico is gay so he can't be in a relationship with Annabeth and ofc my first instinct is to go "I was here long before Nico was gay, and shipped this ship, I'm not gonna abandon it just because the owner of the boats made up something new. I've been in this boat for over a decade. You think I give a shit if the owner suddenly says my boat isn't made for the deep waters I've been taking her into this whole time?"

And that of course is totally valid. I don't think people need to give up ships or headcanons or whatever else they've had for a long time just because something changed or became official in canon. But I also don't think it matters what people ship, irrespective of canon anyway. Like, yeah, in the heydays of fandom, shipping canon gay characters with female characters was really frowned upon because there were so little canon gay characters, it was annoying to see them scrubbed out for a m/f ship, but it's not really like that anymore. But also, tbh, as annoying as it was, I never really gave too much of a shit because fandom is fandom. People like what they like. And most of the time they retconned them to be bi, not straight so who gives a shit 🤷‍♂️ just block that person if you want and move along

But that also reminds me that I did get a comment complaining that by making Nico "bi", other people will feel like it's okay to make him straight, which a) that's not how that works and b) I'm not making him bisexual, I'm saying Annabeth is his exception.

In all my years of being in the PJO fandom, the only two girls I've ever shipped Nico with was Thalia (whooo, go early days PJO!) and Annabeth. And Thalia/Nico was never a big ship to me tbh. I think I may have actively shipped it for like a few months, and even then I didn't really seek it out. If I did read it, it was usually because they were a secondary relationship in a fic with a really fascinating plot. Like the only two fics I can remember reading with them as a pairing was a time travel kidfic, and this fic where the gods faded due to lack of belief so the kids had to take their spot as gods. And both fics had an ensemble cast and a plot I wish I remembered more.

So basically - it's really just Annabeth.

And truly and honestly, and this is just for me, I don't care how you guys approach it, but I never write Percicobeth with intention of Nico being bisexual. Even in the way back, when canon gay Nico was just a dream, I always just saw Percicobeth as "Nico is really gay, but Annabeth is hot so it doesn't matter for her". And I think a lot of people saw the ship that way too.

And for all that people talk about sexuality being fluid, it's really baffling to me that some people can't wrap their minds around a fictional relationship where a gay male character hooks up with a girl he really likes, but otherwise isn't attracted to other girls.

It happens in couples where a person transitions but their partner stays with them because they love them too much. Would they look at that gender on other people with the same vibrant romantic/sexual attraction? No. But on their partner it looks good, and that's all that matters. And all the jokes about gay men kissing twinks that turn out to be lesbians thinking they were kissing another lesbian.

Also I swear when I was, like, thirteen or so, people used to use the label homoflexible/heteroflexible, which basically meant "I'm gay/straight, but if you're hot enough, I might be interested". I wonder what happened to it 🤔 but yeah, anyway - sexuality is fluid, people kiss and date and fuck who they want, and sometimes who they want is not always what their label says, and it's really up to them if they want to change it.

So in summation. Yeah, I know Nico is gay. But I've shipped Percicobeth for over a decade, and I'm gonna keep shipping it because it makes me happy. And when I write the ship, Nico is still gay, but either Annabeth is hot enough that he doesn't care, or they end up having a really deep connection and friendship outside of their relationship to Percy, that they end up hooking up anyway.

Also sometimes I write Percicobeth as "she fucks Percy and he fucks Percy, but they don't fuck each other, they just scheme together different ways to fuck with Percy", because sometimes that's what polyamory is! Sometimes it's "I'm dating X, and X is dating me and Y, but I'm just good friends with Y, and Y is just good friends with me" and that's okay too. It doesn't always have to be everyone is in love and dating each other.

The world contains multitudes.

And at the end of the day, I write what I want.