#I really hope he shows up again sometime even if it’s as a background character

[drfrogphd]

Got my Gummigoo 🥺

[cynarisgayass]

helloo! I have a req for the to scream or be silent. (I'm really sorry if u are already full of requests)

could you do Xiao and Scara/Wanderer (up to u!)?

I think it would be quite interesting to see what they'd do in this scenario

Thank you sm!

𓍊𓋼~To scream or be silent PT 3~𓋼𓍊

Type: Headcannons

Description: HELLOOO!! Dw, you're currently my only request so I'm happy to have you! Hope you don't mind I added Venti and I hope you like dis~ So for anyone who doesn't know, this is a series where genshin characters react to a reader who will go completely mute or talk 3,000 miles a minute. Mostly a comfort type of fic!

Part 1, Part 2

Rating: Comforting fluff

Reader: GN, Slight autism/adhd vibes

Includes: Wanderer/ Xiao/ and Venti

Wanderer:

To scream:

He can get a little overwhelmed when you're in a hyper state, maybe even a little annoyed, but he's trying his best to be better about it. It's not that you are actually what's bugging him, he's just not used to so much talking, he doesn't know how to react when you want to tell him every detail about a book you just read or a show you just finished. To him this is whole new territory that he's not really comforting with yet.

However, when he does find a way to sit and listen to you patiently and you give him that smile of finally being heard...he finds it very very cute. He'd never say it aloud though...

To be silent:

He's the king of the silent game, the second you no longer want to talk, he no longer wants to either. He may look grumpy while he sits across from you or lays in bed staring aimlessly at the ceiling, but this is the time you both use to unwind. He loves those moments with you because it calms him, calms both of you and it's easy. If you're hyper fixating, he's not far away, destressing about social interactions and classes at the academia. If you need a break from speaking cause you just can't anymore, he's feeling the same...and ever so often he lets you closer to him to cuddle, but it's so sappy to him that it only ever rarely happens. When it does though, it's very enjoyable.

Xiao:

To scream:

He's always happy to hear your voice, to hear that excited fast tone you get when you're talking about something you're currently obsessed with. For so long he'd gone without much conversation that now he craves it from you, to the point that he'd sit on the roof with you all night while you went on and on about everything. Till you eventually fall asleep on him that is, then he'd carry you to bed and hope you'd find him the next day to do it all over again.

To be silent:

He understands everyone needs a break from socialising sometimes, but he struggles with how big of a break you want. It's difficult for him when you're hyperfixated and he wants to know wether or not you want him nearby, he can't exactly ask because he doesn't want to disturb you. When you go mute just so you don't have to talk, he finds himself feeling awkward cause he's not sure if you want to be alone or not.

More often then not he's very gentle with his voice and movements, tiptoeing around you because he knows better then anyone that alone time is alone time. If you do initiate a cuddle when you're in a silent phase, he will gladly accept and pet your head to comfort you.

As a god he's met all different types of people and has came up with many a ways to make them feel cared for. You are no exception. The second you start telling him about about a song you've just heard that you're in love with, he will learn it just for you. Say you are obsessing over a new item you've just bought, he wants to know all about it. He gets just as happy as you, if not happier because he loves how bright your smile is.

Venti:

To scream:

To be silent:

Just as before, when someone's silent around him, he understands completely. He will get out his quietest instruments and provide gentle background music, improving on his lyrics or coming up with new tunes to play later, all while you're hyperfixated on something or another. He will sing you songs when you don't want to talk so you won't ever feel awkward about lack of noise. And when you truly want pure silence, he sits by you and holds your hand, letting the quiet settle in.

Felt a little extra sappy with this one hehe. Also 20 followers now!! Woohoo!!

[quitealotofsodapop]

Just thinking of Peaches canon hyperfixation of plans and medicine and just... going into a rant whne he visits DBK's place the first time over some rare plant Redaon had cultivated and DBK jsut... standing in the background with a soft smile on his face as he sees his xiandi happy to talk about medicine and plants again and reminiscing on the times he'd talk his ear off when they were kids about the medical properties of various ingredients in the teas they'd make

Oh gosh this idea was cute I had to write out some dialogue for it;

referencing this post I made about catnip/cat plants with lmk characters;

DBK: "I wonder why Brother Azure acted so oddly when i sat next to him at dinner. He didn't drink that much." Wukong, sniffing: "Oh easy! You use Mao Bo He to keep away the flies right?" DBK: "Yes? It's one of few herbs that works for me." Wukong: "Mao Bo He causes mild intoxication and feelings of elation in cats! Lions are just big cats after all." DBK, surprised/amused: "So Brother Azure was drunk off my insect repellent?" Wukong, getting excited: "Yes! In a way! There's some other plants that cause a similar effect but it's different for every individual- oh... sorry." DBK: "For what?" Wukong, nervous: "I've been told I... get too excited when discussing herbs and treatments like that," DBK, smiling: "I have no issue in hearing you describe them. You clearly hold much joy for the subject." Wukong: "You don't think I'm annoying?" DBK: "Not at all. If I had, I would have said so. My ancestor was a herbalist himself after all. Now, tell me xiandi, what can I use to keep the flies away that won't make our proud Brother Azure turn into a kitten at the mere scent of me?" Wukong: (*tail wags happily as he charges up the infodump*)

Later in the Peach Soup au as Peaches is receiving training from DBK.

Peaches: "Oh! Thats a Zhi Zi!" DBK: "Hmm?" Peaches, pointing to a flower in the courtyard: "Gardeniae jasminoides. Sometimes its called a gardenia or a cape jasmine. It shows up in some of my books." DBK, knowing smile: "Really? Red Son collected some plants during his time learning under Guanyin. I had always assumed it to be a regular jasmine plant." Peaches: "That's ok! They look really alike and smell nearly the same! One way to tell them apart is to check the leaves. Smooth leaves mean Jasmine, Toothed leaves mean Gardenia!" DBK: (*fond chuckle!*) Peaches: "Oh sorry! Was I rambling? I apologise if I got a little carried away." DBK: "Not at all! Where did you come across such knowledge by the way?" Peaches, little bashful: "My uncle Sandy introduced me to different tea blends when I was younger, and from there I wanted to know more about plants and herbs and how they help people. I was actually hoping to become a doctor or a pharmacist before all of this... monkey business happened." DBK: "It's never too late to return to your passion. You always wanted to heal people, xiandi. Even back then." Peaches: (*shy smile as he realises what DBK means*)

It leads to a rare moment where Peaches discovers something positive he shares with "old him". Who knew Sun Wukong was a nerd back then too?

DBK is elated to see this side of his little brother live on - Wukong had put aside many dreams due to the War, and herbalism was sadly one of them. Wukong did continue to pursue medicinal knowledge after the fact, but his duty as a king and near-god had kept him anchored.

Peaches has lived 18 years with no such anchor. DBK is excited and cautious to see what path he chooses.

I love these guys so much

[skellymom]

hiii can you do a story about after a long mission, Hunter and Fem reader are about to make out but Omega interrupts and just keeps asking about what they were doing

I’ve been dreaming of this thing for a long time

HI! Thanks for the ASK!!!

Sorry this one took awhile. Been working a LOT lately.

But, here it is! Hope you like!!!

(Pinterest pic credit: Maulia)

"LITTLE INTERRUPTIONS"

HUNTER X FEM READER ASK FIC

Background: This is set after Tantiss when the remaining characters settle on Pabu. My headcannon is they take off for missions to help Rex and the Clone Rebellion. Omega stays with Auntie Phee who keeps her busy with treasure hunting and (mostly) out of danger. She gets to still be a child with fun adventures.

Word count: 1K

Warnings: Swearing, mention of male erection, implied inevitable sexual activity

“Movies over. Time for bed, Omega!” Hunter promptly popped up off the sofa, nudging her to get up. 

“Aww...I’m not tired. Can we watch a couple holoshorts? THEN I’ll go to bed.” 

“Nope, off you go.” Finally dislodging her off the edge. “Brush your teeth first.” 

“Jeez...why are you in a hurry???”  

I couldn’t help but giggle at her persistence and sass. Little smarty pants. She suspected something was up. Usually, Hunter would let her linger a bit longer after the show was over. 

Hunter and I have been seeing each other in-between missions. Him with Clone Force 99 and me with my little band of Rebel Cell “Missfits” (an unruly group of women from planets all over the galaxy). Usually, our squads worked separately and had never heard of each other until meeting on a mission planned by Rex. 

He and I hit it off right away. 

From then on, we conveniently kept running into their squad. Even when we didn’t necessarily need help. And at times when we DEFINITELY needed it. They saved our asses on quite a few missions.  

The Missfits never forgot CF99’s generosity. We saved their cute butts too. After all, we support our allies. 

Eventually I just came out and confronted Hunter. And in front of both squads. Sometimes a woman’s gotta put a man in the hot seat to see what he says. 

“Hmm...we meet AGAIN! Are YOU keeping tabs on us?” Stated it loudly while staring him down...giving my devil may care expression. 

Hunter tried to hide his amazement at my bold statement. Keeping a neutral expression. He really did. But I could see the small barely perceptible grin at the corners of his sweet mouth. 

Kriff, I like to watch him lose his composure! Letting go of the control he tries so hard to keep in check... 

Wrecker couldn’t contain himself, slapping his brother’s shoulder HARD. “He’s keeping tabs on YOU! MAHAAA!!!” 

Hunter turned three shades of red while OUR entire squad erupted in wolf whistles and cat calls. The ladies COULDN’T let THAT go without making a big deal out of it. 

Of course, Wrecker’s statement was partially true. It was no secret he, Echo and Crosshair had a thing for the ladies in our squad. 

Then things got sticky with The Empire and we had to lay low for a while. Being seen together in the same place at the same time proved too risky. Our squads parted for quite a few months. We missed our men. They missed their women. 

But I digress. Back to Movie Night... 

Little Miss Omega really had our number. She glanced from Hunter to me.  

Surely, she suspected SOMETHING, just unsure of WHAT. 

“Goodnight kiddo. We’ll plan to do something fun and stay up later another night. With or without your brother.” I reached out with my foot and playfully kicked Hunter’s leg. 

He’s giving me that hungry look he gets when I’m sassy and physical with him... 

Omega smirked “Goodnight Y/N.” 

Then off she went to brush her teefies. 

Hunter settled back on the sofa, slid up close, arm up on the back of the couch around me. He expertly turned off the lamp on the table behind us. Smooth. 

We stared deeply into each other’s eyes in the semidarkness of the holoprojector. 

“Missed you. All I thought about for months.” His smoky voice so low. So deep. So...sexy. 

“Mmm...did ya now...” 

Maker, he’s so beautiful and sweet it makes my heart ache. Gonna tear him up tonight...quietly of course...we don’t want to wake up... 

“OMEGA! Go back to bed.” Hunter, doing his best to NOT sound annoyed. Didn’t even move from his position on the sofa. Still gazing in my eyes. 

The tiny, barely perceptible shadow in the hallway turns and scurries back to bed. 

“Damn Hunter. You’ve got kid radar.” 

“Not the only thing I’ve got.” He sensually runs his hands up my arms, shoulders, neck, caresses the sides of my face... 

...we close the gap between each other. Gently touching noses, foreheads. My arms slide up his stomach, chest...finally gripping his strong shoulders...and just as our lips meet... 

“HOLY KRIFF!” I just ‘bout lept off the sofa!!! 

Omega stood 5 ft in front of us...watching... 

“Hunter...did YOU teach her to be THAT quiet???” 

“What did I TELL YOU?!” He’s trying to be patient. Trying REALLY hard. 

“I’m thirsty...” Her expression is uncertain. She’s a good kid and certainly not trying to be disobedient. 

“You know where the sink is.” He’s the kind of guy who would get the water for her.  

But he CAN’T right now. I can feel his hardness against my thigh. Hunter shoots me an uneasy expression.  

He anticipates she’ll ask to be tucked into bed next...and he CANNOT support that action right now. 

I quietly giggle. 

He slowly shakes his head at me. 

Omega bounces into the kitchen and we can hear the sink running. 

The tap turns off. 

Sounds of a tiny person drinking. 

The rest of the water gets dumped into the sink.  

Clink of the glass being set on the counter. 

She’s quickly back in front of us. 

He inhales with the anticipation of her request. 

I’m watching all of this with bated breath...ready to bust out laughing. It’s NEVER a dull moment in The Batch household. 

“Will you tuck me...?” 

“OMEGA!” She jumps out of her skin. 

Echo emerges from the darkened hallway. A serious expression on his face, and a contrast to the #1 MOM t-shirt he’s wearing with his sweatpants. 

“Leave them alone and come to bed.” His expression softens. NOBODY can stay mad at Omega. 

“But...” She’s stalling. 

“Now, young lady.” Echo raises an eyebrow and holds his hand out to her. 

Omega glances back to Hunter. 

“Go on with Echo. We’ll talk more tomorrow. I know you have questions.” 

She nods and takes Echo’s hand. Before they disappear down the hall, Echo glances over his shoulder and winks at us. 

Hunter and I wait... 

The door to Echo’s room closes. Clearly, he’s running interference for us tonight. Providing privacy. Otherwise, Omega will keep sneaking out. 

Waiting a minute more...Hunter cocks his head like a dog...listening... 

While reaching over and pressing a button on the holo-remote. Slow, sensuous Jizz music starts to play. 

Then that handsome man turns back to me with an intensity in his eyes that makes my whole-body ache.  

“Now...where were we?” 

(Credit: Cool moving star dividers by @4ngelic-wh1spers )

PLEASE like, comment, and/or REBLOG!

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[fordtato]

Hi. I finished your new video essay yesterday, after two sittings. Had to split it, because it came out in the late evening in my timezone, and my roommate was already sleeping - I was super afraid of waking her up with my loud, uncontrollable bursts of laughter (your sense of humor never fails me). I was so, so excited about this video for many months (I almost dropped my phone when I saw your runtime post), and, as always, you managed to completely amaze me in every possible way. 

As always, of course, the backgrounds and decorations, the whole setup - were stunning. I LOVED the stained glass - is this a pattern now? I want this to be a pattern, you have a gift - and the wax wings, and the nonchalant way you glued them together throughout the video. Your shirt-vest combo was also what made it so good as a whole and also made me want to rob your wardrobe. Beware. 

Ford's faults (and "faults") you mentioned and your arguments against them were something I've been deeply convinced of myself for years now and expected to hear them from you as well. It was deeply, deeply satisfying to hear them ALL, even the smallest, most ridiculous ones, out loud, for the first time ever. It was truly a freeing experience, and I can't thank you enough. You took all of those allegations - from the lack of a better word - that people have been coming up with since 2015 and pointed their lack of logic, thought, and attention to detail, or sometimes just plain stupidity and ignorance, out. And did so with style. 

I could ramble here for a really long time about my thoughts on the character of Stanford Pines and how, for years, I observed people interpreting him in a way that's been completely different from mine. About how it baffled me, angered me, made me sad. But it's no use for me to do so because you've said everything I've ever wanted to. You saw all the same things and pointed them out in a way no one else in this fandom could. And it healed something in me. It made something click back in place. Thank you for that, from the bottom of my heart.

The thing that I DO need to point out specifically is the ending. Something that I think always angered me the most in Ford's canon story. How after everything that happened, after everything he's bern through, he doesn't see himself as a victim of Bill, a victim of abuse and manipulation that ruined his life. He sees an Icarus metaphor. And it is the way the narrative wants us to see him - it wants us to see Ford as a man that fell because of his "pure ego", overachieving behaviour, because of his refusal to listen to the voices of reason, because of him isolating himself. His happy ending in the series is bound to being remorseful, apologising to everyone he's ever hurt and changing, and then getting the forgiveness and happiness coming from it. He's made a lot of mistakes, of course. Some of them he made completely on his own, because of his flaws, personality, and ways of perceiving the world. But others (and I would say the biggest ones, the ones getting pointed out the most) are a mix of both his personality, and, majorly, abuse and trust being broken over and over again. And in the end, it doesn't get acknowledged, not really. He doesn't say, "I am a victim of abuse." He says,"I was wrong. I was cruel. Please, forgive me." And shows ends it on that note, making it the final conclusion. And it's a thing that always has been the root to Ford's tragedy in the series to me. And I've never seen anyone mention it, talk about it, even amongst Ford's defenders. And you pointed it out perfectly with the Icarus metaphor in the end.

I don't know how many too-long-for-my-own-good-and-probably-yours-too asks I will have to write again, but I know that as long as you continue to make your "little" masterpieces, I'm going to watch them on the same day, and then think about them for weeks after. And in many of those cases I feel the need to inform you of my constantly growing amazement. I hope you don't mind. I hope you know your work is admired by many, many people, and I just happen to be one of them. I hope you get some well-deserved rest. And for the last time here - thank you so, so much.

I've had this sitting in my inbox for a while and I've struggled to find the words to respond, but I'm very glad the video resonated with you so much. And I'm honored that you enjoyed it like this.

[bibliophilesince2003]

Ninjago... Dead or Not Dead?

I'm here to discuss whether "new" Ninjago is better than "old" Ninjago, or vice versa. I see so many opinions float around, and some comments people make are extremely harsh or confusing. For my own claims, don't worry, I'll back them up with evidence and genuine consideration.

I would like to start by saying that I started watching Ninjago when it first came out in 2011. I was around 8 years old at the time. My younger siblings soon became invested in the show, and we watched it together. There are seven seasons total that I would consider "old" Ninjago that aired from 2011-2017. About a year later, what I would call "new" Ninjago aired with seasons 8-15. Dragons Rising is the current Ninjago show.

I have almost finished Dragons Rising. So, yes, I am aware of all the little details and therefore ready to provide my own thoughts. I am an old Ninjago fan at heart and grew up with the show, but if I'm to have an opinion about what's new I might as well know what I'm talking about.

New Ninjago fans say that old Ninjago fans are "blinded by nostalgia" and old Ninjago fans say that new Ninjago fans don't understand the point of the show.

Ok, first of all, is "old" Ninjago perfect? No, of course not. The fight scenes are extremely slow at times. The animation? Less detailed. As a kid, I didn't really care. As an adult, sure, it's painful to watch. However, animation is such a small part of any show, and there is more to life than things that are aesthetically pleasing, especially when it comes to criticism. On a deeper, plot-centered level, "old" Ninjago surpasses "new" Ninjago. You cannot watch "old" Ninjago and tell me that the plots aren't creative and exciting, with a good balance of humor, brotherhood, and pain. "New" Ninjago, for the most part, was pretty decent and added depth to the characters. I liked Lloyd's new voice actor. Some aspects of "new" Ninjago irked me, like Kai's lack of emotion when Nya quite literally became one with the ocean, Kai losing his powers yet again and wallowing in self-pity, or Cole becoming more and more of an insignificant character with few lines, save season 13.

The biggest thing, though, was lack of creativity and a shift in character development that is unneeded or backwards. Characters can develop, sure, but they shouldn't be an entirely new personality without cause. The ninja were extremely weak or extremely overpowered. In reality, they should remember most of what they've learned and continue to grow.

Dragons Rising is - pardon my aggression - a piece of crap. Now, I think it had promise in the beginning, and I was excited with the introduction of new characters.

Arin and Sora have distinct personalities and interesting backgrounds. It went downhill pretty quickly. I dislike Wyldfyre with a passion. A Kai and Skylor alliance would have been better. Not only does Wyldfyre act like she's consumed ten energy drinks, but she's wrecked Kai's personality. Their banter is humorous and realistic, but shouldn't Kai know how to handle an impulsive person? Lloyd was practically their little brother in "old" Ninjago. Kai was impulsive and confident in his own actions, perhaps even a little "mean" to Lloyd when Lloyd needed a serious wake up call, but he never purposefully put Lloyd in danger. He was willing to take the hit in a lot of situations. Now, we see him running away screaming his head off while Wyldfyre is throwing hands. Kai... you've faced worse than a giant rock monster, buddy. The humor in Dragons Rising makes me want to tear my hair out sometimes. I get it's a kid show, but they could do better. "Old" Ninjago had some pretty grim details, but there was always a ray of hope or humor that just made sense in the moment. Mainly, the ninja being true brothers and absolutely roasting each other. In comparison, the humor in Dragons Rising is forced and cliche.

"Why would you touch the scary painting, Jay?"

"I didn't know it would do that, Cole!"

Compared to...

"I guarantee the sewers won't have any security."

*cut to them being chased*

"I was wrong!"

I'm not saying that "old" Ninjago doesn't come with its own share of cliche humor, I'm just saying that it's significantly less compared to Dragons Rising. It's also sprinkled, not dumped.

So, Arin and Sora get the spotlight, and the ninja seem to weaken more and more every day.

If you're a new Ninjago fan, I can see why Dragons Rising wouldn't bother you, though I would question your sanity if you found the cliche humor even remotely funny every single time. But the ninja aren't themselves. "Old" Ninjago gave us characters with exaggerated personalities for a reason, and "new" Ninjago provided some interesting plots with improved animation. "New" Ninjago is where it should have ended, and Dragons Rising can rot for all I care. The more I see Dragons Rising ignore or discount previous lore, the less I want to give it a chance.

[bamboo-is-a-lie]

Inspired by the post you tagged me in, what’s critical role about? I’ve been seeing an increasing amount of posts on my dash and am curious

OK SO-

(the bit below me is talking about the beginnings of the show and some drama that happened wayyyyyy back so if you wanna skip it feel free just go until you see a large title. Be aware that this has some spoilers, but you won't know the context for them at all unless you read about what happens in the campaign so if you want one, please ask if you want a spoiler-free summary. I am using some of this to talk about the background and who the cast of the show are but skip down to "No Spoiler Campaign Vibes and personal feelings" if you don't want to read about that)

Critical role is a dnd group that's been around since the mid 2010s and has continued to this day. It's technically a company now since they have all this merch and promotional stuff to help fund their stuff and pay their employees BUT it did start out as a fun little game between a group of 9 Nerdy Voice Actors (many of whom where well known and exceptionally good at their jobs before joining critical role) with one being the Dungeon Master (of course) and the other 8 being the players (of course), though one did get kicked out because he was being a bit of and ass and stealing the thunder of other characters (the dm had to step in a few times to say no) and supposedly fudging his rolls and then allegations of him abusing his girlfriend was the final straw for them to kick him off the show about 20-30 episodes into the first campaign BUT there's a "long-term guest" on in the current campaign right now named Robbie Daymond (aka the most beautiful man in the world in me and the eyes of my friend's) and a LOT of people are hoping that he officially joins by the fourth(?) campaign (there's some rumors about the fourth camgain that I'll get to in a bit)

Sorry about the rant and talking about Orion but if you look up Critical Role he sometimes pops up and it's better to just say what happened with that situation. Also I love Robbie Daymond he's little so fucking funny I have to talk about him and to also clear the air about there being 8 then 7 then 8 players again.

NOW INTO THE MEAT

So basically, as I stated before, Critical Role started out as a dnd role playing group between 9 friends (though some of the people didn't meet and become friends until they met the show), these people are:

Mattew Mercer - Dungeon Master; married to Marisha Ray; constantly suffering at the hands of Sam Rigel and Laura Bailey; he's in fucking everything you just don't know it

Marisha Ray - Player; has played Keyleth (campaign 1, Beauregard/Beau Lionett (campaign 2), and Laudna (campaign 3); married to Matthew Mercer; Buff As Shit and super cool (I love her so much y'all); went from playing the sweetest person ever, to a asshole going through a redemption arc, to the manic-pixie dream girl from your nightmares who's serving the STRONGEST southern goth lesbian vibes (even though she's from essentially Victorian Britian); delt with a lot of shit in the first campaign from the fandom/chat (they were streaming on twitch at the time)

Sam Riegel - Player; has played Scanlan Shorthalt (campaign 1), Taryon Darrington (campaign 1), Nott the Brave (campaign 2), Fresh Cut Grass/ F.C.G (campaign 3), Braius Doomseed (campaign 3); has a very close friendship with Liam O'Brien; does funny ads at the beginning of every episode (I don't know when this started) and is constantly doing bits; him and Laura Bailey are constantly teaming up to cause chaos to everyone (they sit by each other in campagin 2 and they are menaces); WILL CAUSE EMOTIONAL DAMAGE DO NOT BELIEVE HE WON'T MAKE YOU CRY JUST BECASUE HE'S MR FUNNY MAN

Travis Willingham - Player; Grog Strongjaw (campaign 1), Fjord Stone (campaign 2), Bertrand Bell (campaign 3), Chetney Pock O'Pea (campaign 3); married to Laura Bailey; really good range of characters because he goes from playing the most stupid man alive (but endearing), to a somewhat smart and charismatic dude (with no self-esteem), to drunk old fuck 1, to grumpy old fuck 2

Liam O'Brien - Player; Vax'ildan (campaign 1), Caleb Widogast (campaign 2), Orym of the Air Ashari (campaign 3); very close friendship with Sam Riegel; bro has a happy and great life but cannot resist the draw of the Gay Emo Character and it's funny as hell; definition of "constantly scowling but having a great time"; super close and sibling-like friendship with Laura Bailey

Laura Bailey - Player; Vex'ahlia (campaign 1), Jester Lavorre (campaign 2), Imogen Temult (campaign 3); married to Travis Willingham; Loves and I mean LOVES sex jokes, specifically penis jokes; will take any moment to bully Matthew Mercer with sex jokes out of character and also bicker with Liam O'Brien (in a sibling way)

Talesin Jaffe - Player; Percival de Rolo (campaign 1), Mollymauk Tealeaf (campaign 2), Caduceus Clay (campaign 2), Ashton Greymoore (campaign 3); possibly a cryptid and a couple hundred years old who decided to make friends with a bunch of nerds. I personally do not believe he is of this world; has the most consistently best characters in my opinion; makes goth and punk little fucks for characters and fully commits to them even if they have shit personalities you don't agree which I heavily respect; super chill and quiet for the most part; "I Can'T BeWeVe diS I GoTTA be A STwaBeRRy" (watch this, trust me: https://youtube.com/shorts/I9_H2xmF9QE?si=spN3OagpCeQdA8Qg)

Ashley Johnson: Player; Pike Trickfoot (campaign 1), Yasha Nydoorin (campaign 2), Fearne Calloway (campaign 3); The queen, the best person ever, tbh she's my favorite cast member, she's also supper fun; she was on and off the show the first two campaigns due to filming stuff but she's in campaign 3 full-time (YIPPIEEEE) which is great because I think she comes up with some really cool and funny characters but they didn't get to shine that much in the first two campaigns due to her absence; can be forgetful/absentminded but it create some really funny moments plus she creates characters where it would make sense for them to maybe have delayed reactions (the cast are super patient with her and with each other in general which I'm rly glad about as someone who constantly tunes everything out and constantly needs someone to repeat stuff, it's one of the things that made it a comfort show for me :) )

No Spoiler Campaign Vibes and Personal feelings

Basically Critical Role is a dnd show surrounding a different adventuring party for every campaign. Each campaign is set (or at least starts) on a different continent in the homebrew world of Exandria with various time skips in between the campaigns (campaign 1 has a 30-year time skip to campaign 2 and campaign 2 has a 7-year time skip to campaign 3). These adventuring parties find reasons to get together and, ya'know, go out adventuring. They go on quests and solve and explore personal problems together before usually having a Big Bad Guy to fight at the end of the campaign. Right now I'd say that campaign 2 is the most popular one out of the three campaigns and you usually see the most art of it but there's plenty of stuff for campaign 1 and 3.

Each campaign has a different cast of characters and vibe to it so it's hard to explain adequately without telling you the entire story so I hope what's below helps a bit:

Campaign 1: This is the one I haven't watched yet sorry :(. I've seen bits and pieces and I will get to it but I will say that the stream started a little way into the campaign so they do some background info when you first start so just understand that. As far as I'm aware this was the cast's first official game with each other, so things are a bit clunky at times as they learn (some have already played dnd before but still). The campaign follows the typical dnd campaign of large adventures and destiny and is overall pretty fun. Has the most "friends playing together" feel to it I'd say

Personal thoughts: I mean give respect to what started it all ig??? I don't have many thoughts since I haven't watched it but it looks fun but I've gotten hooked on tma and am currently going through tmp and am looking at malevolent next (i need to see what the spooky gay ghost shit is about), so I probably won't get to it for a bit.

Campaign 2: I HAVE seen this one, it's where I got into CR. The show was already popular but, because of covid happening and the cozy more personal feel of this campaign, it really took off here. Less of the friends playing dnd at each other's houses vibe and more "this is now a show with marketing" but tbh I don't mind since it's still fun and if you can make money and support yourselves while improving the quality of your show using that money then that's good. Silly Goofy Happenings throughout The Aggressive Roman Dwendalian Empire. Lower stakes in general and not as much grand adventuring happens in this one (they do quests but they don't become household names like the characters in campaign 1). Very colorful group compared to campaign 1, I'm pretty sure that if there's a pride parade in a city they put these fuckers up front to be their pride flag. Deals heavily with being in on a continent where two large countries are constantly on the verge of war and where people often have to pick sides (proceeds to straddle the political line and refuse to pick a side to fully be on because fuck both governments they got some shit goin on).

Personal thoughts: I like it and it can be fun at times. It has stakes but they don't ramp up until near the end and everything up to that is a lot of character building and helping where they can in small ways. It's definitely interesting to see how the group as a whole REFUSES to pick a side (politically) and how they deal with not really belonging anywhere to anyone (for most of them anyway). A lot of the characters deal with being misfits with no one and its very sweet to see them grow to be a found family. I will say, as great as this campaign is, it can be a little slow at times and there'd be months where I didn't follow the show because everything that was happening was just so boring to me.

Campaign 3: I'm currently following this one as it isn't done yet (dw i'm caught up). Starts off like the other two campaigns where they have small arcs of quests they do but it quickly elevates into a larger, more narrative driven quest with small arcs for the players to follow (compared to the other campaigns where the smaller arcs help the players get items and development and there's more focus on the characters rather than the story). This crew is even MORE bright and colorful and I love that for them. So many people in this group have such a high deception/charisma stat it's honestly funny as hell with how well they can lie (compared to campaign 2 where they had a Single Guy who could persuade people while the rest of the group hid behind him lmao). It's really cool as someone who watched all of campaign 2 see how stuff hinted at in that campaign ties into the 3rd campaign and it's story.

Personal thoughts: It's definitely different from the first two campaigns in feel and style. The dungeon master definitely took the reins a bit more for this campaign. A little less downtime compared to the first two campaigns which can make it feel like the high-stakes last too long at times but no campaign is perfect, and I mainly feel like this is a problem for the middle of the campaign and by the time you get to around ep 98 that mostly goes away in my opinion. Because the dm takes the reign a bit more with how the story is going (the first two campaigns are mostly driven by the players with hints drop as to where they should go next in the story until it leads to a "final boss" where the players spend the last couple arcs dealing with) it feels more "staged" to some and like the characters don't get as much development and I can see why some would feel that way but it's all a matter of perspective and what you do and don't like ig.

Misc Thoughts (aka me rambling):

the thing you need to know about Critical Role is that it is the definition of "Let Them Cook". The first couple of arcs are fun and then the middle is basically just steady character development and build-up to the last 50-40 episodes. Those middle episodes aren't necessarily bad or boring, but they are a lot to slosh through since they're build-up to the REALLY good stuff. Basically, if it gets too much to go through then just look up highlight/summary videos (the wiki is also really really good to read alongside the summaries). It helps to go through a campaign that's finished because you can plow through the episodes without worry of catching up with what's happening in the story and any parts you miss by skimming you'll probably see art or discussions of.

The fandom is also a bit crazy to me. Like you have lots of chill and nice people in the fandom but because it's such a large one it has a lot of people online who criticize players and their choices and the campaigns even though they can, ya'know, just not watch it if they don't like it so much (that's not to say criticism is bad or that being critical of what's happening in the story is wrong, I'm talking more about people who literally will not stop talking about how much they hate certain characters or cast members and what they're doing for no reason). This is just to say that if you ever decide to get into CR to be careful and maybe expect to see some crazy shit

There is some speculation that CR will move away from DnD and into a TRPG system called Daggerheart due to some bad behavior from Wizards of the Coast (I remember learning about it a while ago but I cannot remember for the life of me what exactly happened other than it was some bullshit to make more money) who own DnD. I highly doubt this since CR built their image around DnD but with how conclusive and possibly open-ended the finale of campaign 3 may be it's easy to see why people would think that. Personally, I think if they are gonna change something I wouldn't be surprised if their one-shots run exclusively on the daggerheart system while keeping their main campaigns as DnD because I have no idea how they'll run a regular campaign on Daggerheart (their last two campagins ran for 140/141 episodes of various lengths and this one is already 117 episodes running on a more consistent 4 hour time for the episodes) for so long.

ONE LAST THING: I don't know how much you know about TRPGs or various dnd shows but please know that CR is INCREADIBLY WELL FUNDED and also full of a cast of professional actors and voice actors who have been doing their jobs for years so how they roleplay is at another level then a lot of other shows. I say this because while I love the show it's not fair to really compare it to a lot of other shows who maybe don't have the same budget or experienced actors/players (at this point they've been playing dnd for 10 years together). There are a lot of amazing dnd shows out there and CR is at the top of popularity and idk how to put it but they're "acting" more then "playing" if that makes sense. I don't mean to make it sound like I'm talking down about other games but it seems like some people get very high expectations and impose them on smaller and newer shows.

ANYWAY I'm sorry to ramble your ear off about this and give you a bunch of technically unnecessary information for your question but I hope this helps some and tells you more about the players (since they show up in gifs and fanart sometimes). Dm me or send me an ask if you want to know some more specifics (i don't know how much you want me to spoil about the plot).

[noxiatoxia]

HEY so I know its been a minute since I've sent an ask, but I saw some of your posts about danganronpa, specifically regarding another episode, udg, and I was agasp because I was literally in the middle of playing it for the first time lmao. So after finishing the game last night I really wanted to ask, if you want to ofc, your in depth thoughts on the game and why you like it so much, or even thoughts on the gameplay and mechanics since its so different than the danganronpa staple. I quite liked it personally because of Komaru and Toko's relationship, them becoming two of my fav characters in the franchise so far, and because I became very endeared to the kids by the end of the story. I have some qualms with how Kotoko was handled in chapter 3 at... that part... but she's also my favorite of the kids at the same time lol.

Anyways yeah no pressure at all, I just was really curious because I liked the game a lot and found it so funny that you posted stuff about it as I was playing it. Also because I really enjoy your ouran opinions. But again I get if not, the game has some senstive subjects for sure. Thanks!

THIS IS LIKE THE BEST ASK EVER FOR ME TO RECEIVE. I AM SO PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS GAME AND HAVE BEEN FOR NEARLY A DECADE AT THIS POINT.

Okay....where to even START....

(I will be referring to UDG as DR:AE or just AE in this. SPOILERS FOR ALL OF DR:AE.)

Firstly, the environment. Unlike the main series, DR:AE does not take place in a secluded area away from the real world. It does the opposite; you are in such a vast area, you are not caged, yet you are still trapped. Even if Komaru didn't have that wristband on her, where would she go? The game is great at highlighting what the world outside of what we are told in the mainline games is actually like, how caged things are even outside, all while expanding upon existing characters' backgrounds by introducing family members, or little pieces of dialogue that serve to flesh out the world.

The gameplay itself, personally, I find VERY fun. I'm not a shooter game person, but DR:AE was a game I could play many times over. I love the different types of ammo, the puzzles, the possibilities with how to destroy the monokumas. Just a fun game all around. It's by far the most replayable Danganronpa game, as the main series games are all about the story. Once you know the story, there's really no reason to replay them. In fact, they are quite slow and boring without the intrigue of the mystery.

But the highlight, obviously, is the characters. As is Danganronpa's specialty.

While I still maintain Hajime is the most interesting protagonist of the series, Komaru serves as a great subversion of the expectations set up by Makoto's actions in the first game. Makoto is someone who preserved no matter what, changed those around him with his hope. He was your quintessential paragon protagonist. While Komaru displays this a little in some scenes (namely rallying the adults under Haiji's protection) this is only the result of speaking from her own wants and experiences. That is to say, unlike Makoto who always tried to help others even if it cost his own life, Komaru is much more realistic. She cares, first and foremost, about her safety. Her helping others to stand up for themselves comes from her own desire to keep fighting so she can live, and so she imparts that onto the people around her. Fight so you can live. She says it herself: she is not like Makoto. She is selfish, she is not endlessly optimistic. She's more like Hajime in this way, but unlike Hajime who find his own brand of philosophy, Komaru really doesn't. Rather, while Hajime's character serves to show you don't have to choose a predetermined path (hope or despair) and rather your path can simply be believing in yourself, Komaru's character shows that sometimes, and maybe even most of the time, believing in yourself or a specific ideal is not feasible. Komaru believes in the people around her - namely Toko. She believes in her friend, and believes with her friend that things can keep going. This in my opinion is an excellent twist on Makoto, who was, by all means, that friend that people believed in, not the one doing the believing.

And, as an aside, Toko and Komaru have the best development of any pair of characters in the series. Yes, even moreso than Hajime and Komaeda (who I maintain never really had "development" between each other than just a very, very good dynamic from the get-go that was influenced at points by outside plot forces on Komaeda's end. Think Light and L from Death Note in this manner).

Now, let me talk about the real meat of the game, and my favorite characters to date in the whole series: The Warriors of Hope.

I won't lie that I'm biased. I'm very biased for these guys. But I think a lot of people don't give these guys the credit they deserve considering this is a Japanese game. In Japan, child abuse is a bit of a taboo topic (that thankfully has been resolving over time). Due to the nature of Japan's politeness system and "family above all else" attitude, many child abuse cases not only go unreported, but are flat out ignored. The epidemic of babies dying in coin-operated lockers being an especially egregious example of rampant child abuse that occurred. Despite being prevalent since 1971, it took till 1993 to be socially addressed.

This is just one example, but I think it serves my point: child abuse is/was an issue in Japan when it comes to socially speaking of it. ( In fact, in the game itself, Nagisa and Kotoko both directly say they tried to reach out and get help, but were ignored by adults). This is why art regarding child abuse is so important. And that's why a huge series like Danganronpa centering a game about child abuse is such a huge deal. It sparks discussion and promotes visibility of the topic. Not to say media before hadn't talked about it - in fact, there is a lot of Japanese media about child abuse for this very reason - but that does not undermine the importance of Danganronpa deciding to portray it so openly. It is even more important, to me, that they do not stop at physical or sexual abuse. Rather, abuse focused on verbal harm and emotional neglect are portrayed as being just as damaging, which is one of the most overlooked and underplayed forms of abuse in general.

Their portray of abuse also is rather accurate. I will make a confession: I was definitely a bit too young to play danganronpa when I did. Definitely not 18 yet. But I was a teen, and very aware of different types of abuse, sexual abuse included. But despite all the PSAs, books I had read on my own or even ones assigned to me for classes, I had never seen a sexual assault victim be portrayed as hypersexual before. In fact, I didn't even know such a thing was possible. Yes, it is very, very likely I just got Komaeda levels of unlucky to not encounter that in any of my reading or research material at the time, but I think it's common, nonetheless, that people to this day still have the misconception that sexual abuse victims are all afraid of sex or anything sexual. While that is true for some, many people are now becoming more aware that sexual abuse survivors can often display hypersexual tendencies. In this way, I DID learn a lot about the effects of sexual abuse based on how Kotoko acted, and was able to do my own research from there to learn more. Furthermore, the game is good at portraying things like specific triggers in the form of words, smells, items, or specific phrases. Again, I feel it's mostly stereotyped that most triggers are objects that "make sense" like cigarettes or alcohol (much like with what Masaru was afflicted with). But the game made sure to include ones that were "non conventional" like specific words ("gentle" in Kotoko's case) and portrayed both triggers, no matter how common or uncommon, as equally severe. The game also shows negative effects child abuse can have on those around the children. After all, the WoH would not be doing the things they were doing if it weren't for how they were treated in the first place.

(Aside: This is particularly WHY I get so mad when people hate on DR:AE for being "icky". If you are personally uncomfortable with topics of child abuse, that is wholly reasonable and you do not have to play or even like a game that centers on that. You are in your full right and perfectly valid to say "I think this is gross and uncomfortable, therefore I do not like it" or "I don't like this game because I felt personally overlooked/triggered by it" or "I don't like this game because I felt it was not fun or well written". But to say it is objectively "problematic" or "disgusting" to have a game like this exist? That is just spitting in the face of people trying to advocate for visibility of child abuse. You are doing nothing but making people like myself who felt vindicated, seen, or educated by this game like bad guys. Sincerely, please do not call a game that does not shy away from the uncomfortable realities of child abuse "problematic" based on that alone.)

(Aside aside: there are "problematic" elements in the game and things to criticize as is true of all media. The Kotoko minigame I would say is the biggest "why is this in here" moment and is definitely just a fan service scene. I don't like it either. This does not mean the game itself and as a whole is valueless or bad.)

That leads into my next point: I love how morally gray the "good" and "bad" guys are. The WoH aren't doing what they're doing (save Monaca) because they want to hurt people for the lolz (though they have fun with it, as kids would). They think what they're doing is genuinely good. It's a good way to rival Junko, who knew she was evil and batshit crazy, but didn't care. These kids think they are helping children and keeping them safe. And they're kids - young kids can't really think in very complex manners. If you were treated horribly by most adults in your life, and your peers were as well and shared the same sentiments as you, you would be 100% convinced your convictions were righteous then. Hell, I've met adults that think this way (pretty much all extremists who think anyone part of x group, race, gender, religion, etc is evil). A kid thinking this way is very realistic. They are also all different levels of "morally gray". Nagisa, for example, ends up helping Komaru because he feels that a paradise for children is more important than the sole idea of killing all adults. Meanwhile, Monaca, perhaps because of the abuse she suffered all her life, has become a person that we can assume will just enact similar abusive tactics on everyone around her till the day she dies. While it's a misconception that people who suffer abuse often turn into abusers themselves (they simply just have a higher chance to commit crimes, anything from petty crimes to violent ones) there are undoubtedly cases where this does happen. A real life example is Douglas Spinx (HUGE TW; CSA & BESTIALITY). My point is: the portrayal of abuse victims in many different lights from people who can inflict harm unintentionally but with help and intervention can make recoveries to those who, in the rarest and saddest of cases, will turn to a full life of inflicting harm on others intentionally, is important - for someone like me, at least. Without the proper care or attention, horrible things like these can happen. I find this a very important thing to be open about.

Then we have Haiji. Haiji is supposed to be a "good guy". He's cowardly, yes, but he does fight to help the adults being killed. He attempts to bolster moral. But...despite having good intentions and even doing some good things, he's kind of horrible. After all, he's the one who contributed to Monaca's abuse and made her the way she is now. He's just like the kids except reversed; he thinks all children are evil because they're the ones killing everyone. And in his position, I do think most people would feel that way. I mean, if literally every kid in your area was wearing a helmet that turned them fuckin murderous and were killing all your friends and family would you, after enduring months of this, still bother to be like "not all kids though!". Likely not. Even though it is wrong, it is still a realistic way these things would pan out, much like how it did for the WoH. I mean, for a real life example, one need not look further than one of those extremist radical feminist blogs here on Tumblr that believes every single person born male is a brute. Most of those people believe that way because they have personally been hurt by one or several males in their lives, and y'know, fear and pain leads to hate and all of that.

Speaking of, I like the brainwashing in this game far more than in DR3 the anime (spoilers for that later on but tbqh DR3 is not worth anyone's time). I never liked brainwashing as a trope - I feel it is lazy. However, in DR:AE and DR1 they're utilized pretty well. In DR1 it's literally glossed over as "does it really matter? The outcome is more important than the means" which considering DR1, moreso than any other game in the series, is a satire and is supposed to focus on absurdity, I think having the brainwashing LITERALLY be hand-waved as "eh, it just happened" makes a lot of sense thematically with the goofy writing. But as you know, as DR went on, it became more and more serious with itself (for...better and worse...) in DR:AE, I like how the brainwashing affects only the nameless children. DR3's anime was lazy by having all the main characters get brainwashed by a funny little video, both in future&despair arc. In AE, it's a helmet. I think this makes much more sense as theoretically the helmet could be attached to the actual brains of these people. Plus, as said in the game, they blow up when the controller is destroyed, giving credence to that theory. The brainwashing in AE is not a vehicle to explain why main characters act the way they do. Rather, it's just a device used to create background conflict/build up the main villains, leaving the main characters to be affected by persuasion and manipulation (the objectively better version of "brainwashing").

Circling back to the WoH, outside of their thorough portrayals of abuse and standings as "villains who think they are doing the right thing", they're just fun. Like, legit, I just think they're fun. Outside of their trauma, they aren't very complex, but that's the point. The game is a commentary about abuse and how it affects you, the people around you, and the world. The WoH are not the characters meant to be developed and complex entities who undergo deep changes - that is left to our protagonists. As most series with static characters do, they assign each member a core personality. Every Warrior of Hope has a number of traits influenced by this personality (the "sporty" one, the "smart" one, etc) that make them vastly different from each other, making them not only distinct but just fun to watch their personalities clash. After all, if they were not bonded by their trauma, they probably wouldn't be friends at all. it's honestly like a Teen Titans situation in that way, and I've always loved stuff like that. Of course, their personalities are also heavily influenced by their trauma, again a realistic depiction of how trauma can and will change who you are as a person and present itself in many facets of your actions.

I THINK that's all my MAIN points. Suffice to say, DR:AE is my favorite game in the series. I think it's the most fun, has the best character developments and dynamics, I think its story is the most emotional and deep-cutting, and it really spoke to me during a time that I needed something like this to reach me. I won't say it's the best DR game in terms of overall narrative (that honor goes to SDR2) but it comes close. And I know not everyone will feel the same way about this game that I do. Thanks for this ask; yet another reminder I need to do my bi-yearly replay of this game.

(Footnote so I don't get "so you hate waffles"'d: my bringing real-life examples into this is not to say those instances are exactly like what happens in the video game nor to say they are on the same level of importance. Obviously real life is far more important and complex than anything that could happen in a game. I only bring them up to support my points about certain aspects being realistic by using, well, real life examples.)

[lost-walmartbag]

Kyle x reader p. 1

Warning: Swearing, violence, all characters are over 18!

Background: It's your freshman year of college and you have been dating your boyfriend Jake since middle school. One day as you walk around campus you see Jake with another girl and snap. Thankfully Kyle was there to pull you away.

Previous part

Next part

Part 1

"I hope you fucking die." You growl at your boyfriend who you caught making out with a random girl.

You punch him square in the face making him stumble back as his nose gushes blood. The girl looks at you with fear in her eyes. You glare at her and then back down at your boyfriend.

"Dont hurt her." He says holding his nose.

"Not going to im gonna hurt you." You say kicking him in the balls.

"Woah hey hey." A man says as he pulls you away from him.

"Let go of me!" You yell trying to get out of his grip.

"You crazy bitch." Your boyfriend yells out in pain.

"I'll show you fucking crazy." You yell back trying to get out of the mystery person's grasp.

"You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend you dick." The girl says pouring her smoothie on him as he's still on the floor. The girl walks away calming you down a bit.

"Dont ever fucking talk to me again not even to get your shit I'm burning it!" You say as the person holding you drags you away. You look up seeing a tall boy with pale skin an big red curly hair.

He sees you looking at him and blushes a bit. "Please don't kill me I just didn't want security to come. Not the he didn't deserve what you did to him."

He let's you go once you got far enough away. You dust yourself off and look down at your bloody hand. You sit down on the bench you were in front of and sigh.

"I'm sorry." You say whipping off the blood on your sweater. "Thanks for keeping me from killing him I guess."

"Dont mention it. But God you went pretty crazy." He said with a chuckle.

"God wouldn't you? Dated since middle school only reason I came to this college and he cheats on me. Doesn't even have the decency to do it in private." You say rubbing your bruised knuckles.

He looks down at your hand and frowns a bit. "Do you want me to help you patch up your hand?"

"You're not a murderer are you?" You ask looking at him causing him to laugh softly.

"I promise I'm not."

"I guess I got nothing better to do." You say getting up and following him to his dorm. Once you walk in you see the room wa well decorated and pretty tidy for a man's room. You see two twin size beds and a desk with a computer. It was not a big room but it had enough space.

Kyle pulls out a first aid kit and pats a space on his bed. You sit down and he holds your hand wrapping some bandages around your hand. 

"Sorry for all the trouble." You mutter.

"Hey don't worry about it you can pay me back sometime if you want." He says with a smile.

Suddenly the door opens and a man with black hair walks in. He looks at the two of you.

"Who's this?" He asks.

"Hey I'm Y/N." You say.

"Stan." He says

"Oh thats right I didn't even ask your name." The redhead said. "I'm Kyle, and I think your hand is all good."

"Thank you." You say and hop off his bed and move your now bandaged hand. "I should get going but thanks for today bye Kyle bye Stan."

You walk out leaving Kyle and Stan there. Kyle let out a sigh and threw his head back. Stan watched Kyle closely just staring at him.

"What?" Kyla asked feeling Stan's eyes on him.

"Y/N? Really?" Stan asked. "I've heard about her she's pretty crazy."

"Tell me about it," Kyle said with a smile.

A/N: Thank you sm for reading im sorry of it not that great I'm very sleep deprived but I hope you enjoyed it at least a little. Lemme know if you want more. I'm pretty new to Tumblr so please be nice to me I will cry. Anyway love you all thank you so much for reading 🩷

[penny-the-pissed-poltergeist]

Jaunedice arc rewatch time time, Let's get this over with

.One of the worst parts about early Jaune is that he's too incompetent to any cool choreography in his fights

.They real did just give the characters video game health bars

.Oh no! Jaune lost to the guy who can casually bully people multiple school years above him, how surprising

.Ren, how the fuck would you know Nora's dream better than her... that makes no sense

.Really hope Ruby had something before or alongside cookies for lunch, that ain't good for you girl

.Velvet really needs to grow a fucking spine but that doesn't make everyone going "Oh he's so bad, it must be so hard for her" while doing nothing any less bad

... Why is Menagerie called that

.I think it would have been neat to make Oobleck a Faunus because his intro is him talking about Faunus lore and it would make him going asking Faunus in his class to publicly talk about their probably traumatic and sensitive experiences with discrimination a lot less invasive (It'd also be nice to a Faunus in power who isn't a traitor)

.The Faunus won the war but nobody ever fuckin acts like they did

.God I love Oobleck

.if Jaune told canon Pyrrha to kill someone, do you think she'd do it. She's 100% down to break Cardins legs

.Why is a Jaune quip the one suicide related thing in this series that actually lands for me?

.Did Cardin know they would be there or does he just like letting the wind in?

.You think a combat school would have good enough background checks to stop some guy from sneaking in but Jaune must have the best counterfeiting skills on remnant. even then you'd think his parents would at least be suspicious sense he had no proper combat training

."I can't do this on my own, what good am I?" You are already training as a part of school dude, stop being a stubborn loser

now on to Forever Fall....

.Ruby dropping the advice that destroys herself later (It's not always bad advice but god it became so toxic to herself)

.Cardin asking for some fucking bees, but not those bees

.Forever fall looking a bit cooler in the Black trailer but I still really like it here

."Professor Peach" Is expanded on in the books apparently but I'm point that out because there's a weapon's teacher called Herold Mulberry who's also only from the books so Ruby herself can't interact with him goddamn it.

.I will give Jaune one thing, He can SOMETIMES be funny, sometimes.

.Cardin's teammates haven't had a single line yet because they an 8th of a personalty each

.How is Nora slurping the sap that fast?

.Cardin calling Jaune "Jonny boy" gives me Maximilian Pegasus vibes

.How did Jaune's aura do that, we don't see Aura or the Aura amp do anything like that again

.Just send two more people away instead of letting them help you fight a giant ass bear because Yang and Blake totally can't deal with some grimm on their own

.Jaune has weirdly low endurance for the amount of aura he supposedly has

.People already say Jaune is "the real main character" but the problem of everyone but team RWBY feeling like the protag is something that crops up with both him and lots of other characters throughout the series.

.Remember kids if you want someone to stop bullying you, just save them from the fucking B E A R

.If someone is just watching the show without outside material, this is the first time anyone says the word semblance, no how short the episodes are doesn't negate how stupid this. Imagine if the first time hear the word mutation in an X-Man show was 8 episodes in, this is just brain meltingly dumb

.Pyrrha, all keeping that from Jaune is going to do is make him over estimate himself

.Oh yeah Jaune will never be a jerk again after this, he definitely learned his lesson. /S

[ondeemand]

Kung Fu Panda 4 Review

This movie came out months ago and isn't really talked about anymore, but I had this review in my notes and wanted to share :)

(It’s also just my general thoughts, not separated by positives and negatives because I didn’t follow guidelines when I wrote this)

Visually beautiful, Dreamworks never fails to deliver.

The animation of The Chameleon shapeshifting was sooooo cool and sooooo fluid and a little gross but I loved it. It was really interesting to see how each body part and shape melded into another.

There were no Furious Five except for a small scene at the end, but they didn’t have any voice lines. Sad, but also somewhat understandable. This was a very Po-and-Zhen-centric movie, and adding the Five could have muddled things. That doesn’t mean I didn’t want Tai Lung and Tigress to meet again, but that’s just a me thing.

The beginning had me pretty nervous. Some of the lines and deliveries felt stilted, there was a lot of “tell don’t show,” and it was all pretty fast and rushed so they could get to the actual plot. (Some of the “tell don’t show” makes sense in context from later revelations about Zhen and The Chameleon, but still).

I wish Zhen’s design more closely matched her concept art and wanted poster. It’s a small thing, but pushing her features to be sharper rather than pulling back towards softness/roundness like they did would have made her much more visually interesting.

It felt a little awkward at times since Po has already learned all of these lessons, so transferring to a new protagonist was sometimes hard to watch. Some of the deep connection/bonding moments they had also felt forced, like she just started telling him her tragic backstory apropos of nothing. In the first three, characters revealed things about themselves as they became relevant, because they were giving Po advice about something he was facing, or Po was actively looking for the answer. It felt a lot more naturally paced back then vs now.

It had good comedy moments, pulled quite a few chuckles out of me, but was also able to rein it in and be serious when it counted. It was definitely weird with the modern slang/humor (“Ok, I see you spiritual leader!”). Then again, I’m sure the humor of the other three movies were modern when they came out. Or it’s just Awkwafina, who’s to say.

The movie kept cutting to the Gay Road Trip RomCom B-Plot with Po’s dads, which was sometimes kinda cringe, other times very fun. I love that they kept both his dads around and they still get along really well. I’d say they co-parent, but their son is an adult, but they still live and run the restaurant together (I thought the panda village was destroyed in the last movie and that was why, but no, Li Shan is choosing to stay there). Their new familiarity and unabashed love for their son (they constantly call Po “our” son) is both heartwarming and kinda gay. It took me a bit to realize, but they were giving similar energy to Timon and Pumbaa.

The choreography was stunning. Every fight, chase, and scuffle felt unique. The fact that they kept it so fresh after three movies says a lot. It felt similar to old school KFP fights in terms of stunts, but the more dynamic camera movements and lighting/graphics also added a modern spin on it.

The use of stylized graphic elements throughout? Phenomenal, I love that studios have been getting more stylized with their animation since Spiderverse came out. Even more than just colored backgrounds, it transferred to scenes as well. Po’s inner voices floating around him, his dumpling hallucination, the bright colored lighting, and even that fight scene where they’re all in silhouette in fog and the sound gets muffled. Very cool, it reminds me of the montage scene from KFP2.

TAI LUNG!!!!! Ian McShane!!! It was great to see him and the previous movie villains make an appearance. I was hoping they’d get to team up in a fight, but they get their kung fu skills taken away or whatever, so no such luck. Also, the fact that Po seemingly killed, like, at least one other Villain since the first three movies is funny. Just killed some guy named Scott.

Live Tai Lung Reaction for real. So funny to cut to his commentary and see him kind of come around and rooting for Po. The enemy of my enemy and all that.

Po is still a fanboy despite being the greatest warrior in China, and I’m SO glad they kept that part of his character because it’s part of what makes him so charming. His character overall still felt very consistent in terms of attitude and mannerisms.

The fact that he earns the respect of all the villains he’s defeated? Amazing. I love when heroes and villains can come to an understanding like that, or even work together in a way (Dragon Ball changed me fundamentally as a person).

○ And the fact that it was Tai Lung getting a conclusion to his character arc added a lot of bonus points because I love him. It also makes sense to me because he finally got to see in-person what the real Dragon Warrior is supposed to be, and that he wouldn’t have been able to be that person. ○ It even makes sense for Kai to respect him, he was Master Ugway’s friend long ago, and Po beat him fair and square. ○ Lord Shen though?? Absolutely no way he respects Po after he did a genocide on his people and chose to die instead of grow and change lmao.

Sady, there was no reunion or reconciliation between Tai Lung and Shifu which was a huge missed opportunity. Also, no confrontation between Li Shan and Lord Shen, that could have been a really cool fight scene, but I don’t think they could have spun a lesson about forgiveness from that. The man did a genocide, and we’re not quite at Steven Universe levels of love and acceptance in this franchise.

It makes sense for Tai Lung to be the speaker for these villains (and not just because they didn’t get Gary Oldman or JK Simmons) because he and Po are connected via Shifu and the Dragon Warrior prophecy.

The villain in this movie actually did have a lot in common with Po, at least in terms of their origins. They were both ostracized and pushed away from kung fu because of their size and outward appearance. However, Po’s unwavering optimism and trust is what made him the hero, while The Chameleon turned bitter and let her insecurities control her. It was a unique dynamic, I just wish they pushed it or had Po acknowledge it more. It did feel weird that the main reason she was turned away was her size when Mantis is on the team (and was the first one to come around on Po in the first movie because it’d be hypocritical of him to judge others for their size). I guess The Chameleon was just looking in the wrong dojos for a master.

The overall plot felt pretty similar to the third movie with the villain capturing and taking the power of other kung fu masters.

○ Also, The Chameleon wanted to take all of their powers and use them against Po, but he already beat all of them before. My friend even said they were waiting for Po, or even some of the captured villains, to point out that he already won against all of this power before. ○ I myself noted that when The Chameleon took Tai Lung’s nerve technique and was about to use it on Po, Tai Lung looked confused. I think narratively it was meant to be like “Woah, how did she steal my technique?” but to me, it felt more like “I already tried that on Po and nothing happened, why does she think this will work?”

I need to talk about the music. As usual, the score absolutely fucks, but the traditional Chinese cover of Crazy Train??? Amazingly disguised, it took me a second to hear it. And the Jack Black cover of Baby One More Time was so fucking good, added instantly to my playlist.

TLDR

Overall, the movie had a rough start, but I came around pretty quickly. It’s certainly a cash grab and not as good as the originals, but it was still enjoyable and felt nearly on par with movie three. Definitely still lowest on the list, though.

7.62/10

[indieyuugure]

Hi again!!! 😄 Been wanting to ask you this for a while so I decided to go for it!!

If you had to pick your top five fave/ least fave TMNT characters, who would you pick?? And what do you think about Mutant Mayhem? Are you excited for it??

Thank you!! Have a great day!!

Hm, for my top five favorites, I’m gonna exclude the turtles cause I feel like it’s just a given that they’re at the top of my favorites list. The favorites list is organized as 1 being almost as good as the turtles, and 5 being they’re only there cause I love the others more.

Bebop and Rocksteady, any iteration, I’ll watch an entire episode of just these guys being a lovable duo of stupidity.

Casey Jones, any iteration, something about him, I just love him. He would be #1 but sometimes he’s just too cringe.

Lou Jitsu, what’s there not to love?

Rise and 2003 Splinter, they are how to write a Splinter.

The Trash Wizard, I know he’s a background character that shows up in like maybe 3 episodes of Rise, but he gives me such Cabbage Merchant vibes and I love him. Also this picture:

Alright and now my least favorites, this is going from 1 is most hated to 5 is barely tolerable.

2012 Usagi, I literally hate this guy. He’s so annoying and I can not understand why people like him so much.

Savnti Romero and Renet. These episodes are so dumb and a waste of time. 2012 Renet is at least more has a more tolerable personality and she and Mikey are such a cute duo, but that’s really the only exception to that rule. I hate time travel plots .

2003 Karai, you had your chance girl then you stabbed my boy in the shoulder and gave him PTSD, you should’ve died in the final battle, you don’t deserve the compassion of the turtles.

2012’s one episode appearance villains, like Really? That was the best you could do? Their just so…ugh, why am I even watching this episode?

Irma, every iteration. Dude, just shut up, no one cares.

Lol, there we go those are my favorite and least favorite TMNT characters :]

Mutant Mayhem. Idk, definitely very excited about it, but I try not to get my hopes up too high. Very very few movies actually live up to my expectations, so I always try to hope it’s gonna be awesome but expect it’s gonna be trash, that way I am happily surprised when it’s actually pretty good.

So far my favorite TMNT movie is Batman Vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, there’s so much that is absolutely incredible about that movie and it’s only rivaled with the Rise movie. I’d like to see if Mutant Mayhem can compete.

[gaytommykinard]

I would have loved it if Bucks whole sponsor storyline had more emotional impact than just "buck is ready for kids but is hamster wheeling his relationships" - the connect between feeling like a spare parts kid, KNOWING that he wasn't actually wanted, and knowing that Connor and Kameron(?) wanted him (sort of), could have been explored with more nuance and it would have been so 🤩🤩🤩.

Tbh even just how Buck feels about his body - from hurting himself for attention and using sex to avoid intimacy and THEN learning that he's a donor sibling for a dead brother - and then learning he's queer - all of it is so specific to how buck feels about his body as a whole and it would have made such an awesome storyline

that's what i've been saying! i personally love the sperm donor storyline because it happens after he learns he was made for spare parts and he CHOOSES to donate some spare parts to his friend so they can start their own family - it's about the CHOICE - even though we see him struggling with it. s6 was such an interesting season for buck's development because we see him struggling with not being chosen for interim captain, asking bobby "you don't think i'm at ease?" and asking hen "what do you think it is, the secret to happiness?" and then reminiscing about his adventures, choosing to be a sperm donor for connor and kameron, the coma dream full of lessons and affirmations, and trying to deal with the aftermath of his temporary death. hands down fave buck season. they messed it up by trying to get him with natalia (because the show was not being renewed and we can't have people end up single? the horror!) and bringing back kameron to crash at his flat as if she doesn't have anyone else to go to...? fucking bizarre choices. 6b suffered from the impending doom lmao.

anyway! sometimes canon only gives us half a story and we have to dig a little deeper and use the source material to do our meta analyses and try to understand what it says about our favourite character. and i'm really hoping to see buck being confident and settled in s8, even if he's dealing with the fuckery at his workplace, i want to see that he's in a good place in his relationship with tommy, that they're good together, they're still communicating and being open and there's no bullshit like jealousy and exes and cheating and all that cheap drama crap lmao. i want to see buck who makes choices for himself as his own person and what that means for his relationship with tommy.

and while i'm here, because i've talked about wanting madney to have another baby, and i see people say "but it was so bad the first time with the postpartum syndrome etc etc" and once again i want to see maddie CHOOSE to get pregnant again - it's about the CHOICE - i want to see her say yes i want to do this, i've been through it before, and i learned a lot, i healed a lot, and i can do this with the support of my husband and a therapist and a local group for expecting or new mothers.. because the first time around: it was a surprise pregnancy, and she had thyroid problems that no doctor had apparently thought to check? or her having her nursing background? (that SL has some issues for me personally because i know it was done due to actress unavailability lol, i would have done a better job with it no offence) and because this is a fictional show, we can write characters who go through a second pregnancy as a healing experience - something that is hard to do IRL cause life is unpredictable, you know? i wouldn't advocate this for a real life woman is what i'm trying to say but maddie is ficitonal and i can make her have positive experiences. anyway!

excited to see my beloved buckleys in s8 <3

[ofinkandpaper]

A Changed World

Yandere!Villian!MHA x Reader

Hello! Finally, after nearly an entire year, I have finally finished chapter two with the gracious help and beta reading of @cupidcreates ❤️ So many things have been going on in my personal life and I really appreciate y'all's patience with this. Also, to clarify why I tag certain characters though they don't appear in a this chapter: they are referenced and are an important character to the story as a whole, so it makes it easier for me to keep track of what tags I should put on each chapter when they're all the same.

Note: The characters are aged up. As the story progresses, I will tag each chapter with respective trigger and content warnings, which may include mentions of murder, assault, cannibalism, stalking, torture, arson, terrorism, and other felonies, Yandere themes, Sexual assault, Mental illness, abuse. I do not own MHA nor do these personalities represent the writers, characters or VAs of the show. This is strictly fiction and for entertainment purposes only.

**Trigger Warnings: Implied Stalking/Being Watched

Word Count: 3,566

Taglist: @lolawassad @letskidaddle @youngbeansprout @bakuhoes-dumbass @cupidcreates

"Okay, so here's what I'm thinking." You glanced up from your computer for a moment, pausing in writing the few reports Tamaki had asked you for to give Kendo the small amount of attention you knew would be needed for her to continue talking.

Her casual drone, when comfortable, made for nice background noise and gave you a sense of peace.

"You could always move in with me! Sure, you may have to deal with Monoma every once in a while, but he's mellowed out a bit since we graduated so he isn't as much of a nuisance as he used to be." The thought made you scoff, but gave you a tiny bit of hope for the blonde man. Even with as much hate as he spewed at your fellow classmates, you had a small soft spot for him. As far as you could recall, you were one of the few that he had actually confided in when it came to his quirk insecurity - whether a copying quirk was a good fit for hero work or not, and not having much support about it in his childhood. Sometimes it made you wonder, a little dejectedly, if he had been making a jab at your own quirk. Sure it wasn't anything fancy like Hawks' was, but you liked it well enough.

"You of all people know I don't actually mind being around him, Itsuka." You huffed a laugh and went back to typing, "Besides, I can tell you right now I'm not a good roommate. Partially due to my quirk and partially due to how much I enjoy being alone sometimes."

"Oh please, if I could handle you in the UA dorms, I can handle you in a regular living situation." You could almost feel the force of her eye roll as you hear her flop back onto your bed. You glance at the clock to check the time before continuing to type, making a silent promise to finish this one report and send what you have done while promising Tamaki you would finish the rest tomorrow.

You wanted at least a few hours with your friend while she was here, you know?

"Honestly, I think you only managed that because of Monoma and Tetsutetsu." You smirk and glance her way again. Again, she scoffed and waved a hand dismissively as she turned her attention to her phone. Once more, back to the paperwork grind, you pushed through the last few sentences before sending them off to their respective destinations.

"Oh. There was one other thing I wanted to ask about." You swivel to face Kendo, frowning as she sat up and gave you the most serious look you've seen on her the entire day.

"What's up?"

"Are you really okay living here? With all the gang activity?"

The sudden weight of her questions caused a slight tension to rise over your body and your expression to fall a touch. You turned away from her as you thought of an answer, staring blankly at your keyboard. You could hear her shifting - uncomfortably, you assumed - as she tried to wait patiently for your response.

It was hard to think of an answer that didn't sound like there was some lie to it. Sure, you were used to the gangs, and appreciated that they didn't make your life as much of hell as they probably could… but that didn't mean you were entirely comfortable with them getting away with strong arming innocent civilians just because they knew the local heroes weren't supported enough to be able to stand up confidently and fully against them.

In all honesty, you had half a mind sometimes to leave Tamaki's agency and join the local one to add some backbone to the force.

"It's alright… it's not exactly what I would really want, but it's what I can afford at the moment.” You pause and give a shrug, “And the gangs haven’t been too bad recently. Just wish the hero agency in this area had a bit more support so they could actually do something about it all.”

Kendo was quiet as she took in your words, and with your attention away from her, her expression neutralized. It would have been easy for you to see the thoughts that swirled behind her eyes; thinking of how she could help and who she could talk to about either easing the situation in your neighborhood or getting you to move elsewhere. Having known you since your schooling days, she knew you were a stubborn one - she could almost put you on par with Midorya and Bakugo, if she were being completely honest.

Maybe a talk with Nejire was in order.

She forced a smile on her lips as she stood and went over, humming as she placed a hand on your shoulder. You looked up at her, finding a soft smile coming easy to you in response to her own.

“Well, while you figure out what you want to really do - don’t lie to me, I can tell you’re thinking about it - remember you have a plethora of people who have your back if you ever wanna move out.”

You sigh and nod, softly mentioning Tamaki’s offer to help you move closer to his agency. There was a sudden, but subtle, stiffness in her hand, though before you could really question it, she relaxed and moved away towards the bedroom door.

“Why haven’t you taken him up on it yet? Oh, and did you want any tea?” She pauses at the door, waiting for your answer. You hum and nod, standing to follow her to the kitchen. This small moment made you glad she still felt comfortable enough with you to know she could make use of your home-space as if it were her own.

“I don’t know… if I’m being honest, I just really don’t want to feel like I’m taking advantage of his kindness. Like, getting me an entire house? That’s a lot - way too much! I could never just casually go ‘oh sure, thanks boss!’ to something like that.” You hoisted yourself up onto the counter, swinging your legs a little as you watch Kendo shuffling around getting the kettle and mugs set up. She raised a brow and glanced your way for a moment as she turned the oven on to start boiling the water.

“A house? I thought his offer was for an apartment.” You make an elongated noise, accompanied by the shrug of your shoulders and one of your hands swaying side to side in a ‘maybe’ gesture.

“House, apartment… he’s offered a few different options, including moving in with him,” Again you shrug, “But, again, it's nothing that I can easily accept from him. Not only do I not wanna  seem like a burden that needs to be protected, but I also don’t want to step on his toes and feel like I’m taking advantage of his kindness.”

She seemed to fall quiet in her thoughts as she watched the kettle, waiting for the whistle to signal that the water was ready. You let yourself relax a little further and rest your head against the edge of the cabinets while surveying the rest of the kitchen casually. Would it really be so bad if you decided to take one of them up on their offer to move in? Well, Tamaki did offer first - but Kendo was, as you felt, a closer friend. Glancing up at the ceiling, you contemplated if there had been anyone else that you could recall offering you a place to stay that wasn’t infested with more gang activity than a single hero could handle; you pull a blank as the kettle begins to whistle. Kendo picks it up and softly asks you to hold the tea bag strings in place as she pours. You were glad to do it; it gave your mind something else to focus on, and your hands something to do.

“I don’t think he would ever consider it as being taken advantage of. He is the one that offered in the first place.” She smiled and set the kettle on a cool stove burner before picking up and handing you one of the mugs. You gave her a soft thanks, accompanied by a roll of your eyes.

“That is true, but he is still my boss. If it isn’t the thought of taking advantage of his kindness, then I could only imagine what the more immature members of the agency would think if they caught wind.” That got a responsive giggle as the red haired girl shook her head almost wildly; you were pretty sure that if she hadn’t had that cup of tea in her hands, pressed against her chest, she would be waving her hands all over the place.

“I don’t even want to think about that! I’ve seen some of the members of your agency - I’m honestly surprised Suneater hasn’t said anything to them about their behaviour yet.” For some reason, her calling Tamaki by his hero name gave you pause to ponder slightly - had you been the only one to call him by his name this entire time? And why did it feel weird to hear him being referred to as anything beyond his name? You shake the thoughts before you could dive too far down that specific rabbit hole.

“I’m not sure, but I do recall him talking to a few at one point. Must’ve been really bad considering how they ended up acting like absolutely perfect angels after their private conversation with him.” You sipped your tea and let your mind wander again for a moment. What had those few done that caused Tamaki to actually reprimand them like he had, and not any of the other kinds of offenders? Kendo shrugged and took a sip of her own tea. However, before she could speak, her phone began to ring from the bedroom. Excusing herself, she set down her mug and darted off to answer it - you hoped you hadn’t kept her for too long. She hadn’t even mentioned if she was on call for hero work today or not before coming over to hang out.

You continued to nurse your tea, carefully leaping down from the counter so as not to knock her mug over in the process or spill any of yours.  You meander  into the living room and ponder if you wanted to either watch TV or grab a book to read. Or, as the thought came, you could go grab your own phone and either mindlessly scroll through social media or read fanfiction of your favorite shows and movies. You had a bit of a guilty pleasure when it came to reader inserts - though you weren’t sure why you called it guilty when it was a perfectly acceptable form of written media for your consumption!

You turned towards the bedroom as Kendo came back out, a pout on her lips as she went to her mug to take a few more quick sips before dumping the rest. Your brows furrowed in silent question when she finally turned towards you.

“Got called in to help with a few rougher captures.” She sighed and shook her head, “Guess the newbies weren’t as well trained in the area as we thought they were.”

“That’s understandable, was anyone hurt?”

“No casualties yet, but if you want I can keep you up to date on the progress?” You nod and she smiled, returning it before striding over to grab her bag. Instead of her usual hug and verbal goodbyes, she gave you a quiet wave as she slipped out the door. You sigh and glance around the room again before sitting down and flicking the TV on to see if there was anything good on at the moment, or if you were going to have to switch over to one of your streaming services.

✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩

The moment the door shut behind her, Kendo sighed and pulled her phone out to redial Nejire-Chan.

Hello~?

“Just left their apartment, everything seems to be fine.” She spoke softly as she moved away from the door, keeping her head down as an unexpectedly deep frown found a home on her lips. She heard Nejire hum from the other end for a moment or two before she spoke again.

I’m glad to hear it! Gotta make sure Suneater’s little star stays safe… though, you seem to be troubled by something? The question almost caused Kendo to laugh, even over the phone no one could keep even a single thought from the woman’s notice.

“Did you know he had offered them to move in with him?” There was a pause on the other end before a playful groan.

Seriously? Talk about a bold move - never would’ve expected something like that from him! There was a giggle But, at the same time, too forward of a question when he doesn’t even know if they like him back or not.

“Well, from the sounds of it, they were really giving it some thought after I offered to let them move in with me.” There was another giggle and the clicking of the lavender headed hero’s tongue.

Now, don’t go around making promises you can’t keep. You have orders to keep an eye on them, not make moves! This got a full laugh instead of the usual giggles as Kendo’s cheeks burned from a flustered embarrassment. She hadn’t thought about it like that when she first offered, but there was a flutter in her chest at the thought of the domestic kind of life she could have with one of her best friends. Did she have a crush on them? She wasn’t sure, and didn’t even know where to begin trying to figure that out. Instead, she cleared her throat and decided to pull the topic in a different direction.

“Have you heard word from Monoma yet about..?”

Not yet, but I’m sure it won’t take long for LeMillion and Deku to show back up on the radar. I’m still curious as to what they were needed for over in America. Kendo could practically hear the pout through the phone call, which brought the smile back to her lips and pulled her mind from her previous thoughts.

She looked around her before walking up to the bus stop and sitting down, wrapping her arms around her bag to keep it close to her chest while she swung her legs. She got an odd fulfilled sensation whenever her feet would scrape against the concrete beneath her.

“I’m sure they’ll tell us all about it when they come home - if it wasn’t too confidential at least.” Nejire-Chan hummed in agreement. As she heard the other hero take a breath to begin speaking again, there was a soft voice on the other end catching her attention. Nejire pardoned herself for a moment and lowered the phone just enough to muffle the conversation, though Kendo could still hear it relatively well. Just as she’d been told before, it was about those villains she had to help get put into the system.

At least she hadn’t needed to tell them a lie when she had to leave, now that she thought about it.

Hey, I need to talk to you later. Let me know when you make it in! As she was hanging up, Nejire’s voice could be heard instructing the sidekick on what they should do in regards to whatever the question was they had asked.

Pulling the phone fully from her ear, she glanced around the bus stop and down both ways of the street for any sign of the bus before looking back down at her phone to scroll through her camera roll on a whim, also because she figured it was better than pulling a book up and getting sucked into the story while she was supposed to be at least somewhat focused on watching for when the bus came.

It felt like so long since any of them were in UA, and she was glad she was able to get so many memories saved into her phone during their time… it also felt a little weird that, now that she was thinking about it, that she managed to still have the same phone that she had all through school. Just that responsible with it, she supposed.

Scrolling through, there were plenty of pictures of Class B - a decent chunk  of which were just evidence  of times when Tetsutetsu and Monoma would steal her phone for impromptu photo sessions with the rest of the class. The memories made her eyes roll with a fond smile on her lips; she hadn’t heard much from Tetsu in a while, but that was to be expected when he was constantly on the job with Kirishima. Meanwhile, it was nearly impossible for her to get away from…

She blinked in surprise, opening one photo she had no recollection of finding before now. It was a selfie of Monoma and Tetsu on either side of… them. All three of them were smiling wide, as though laughing about something, and Monoma actually, genuinely, looked happier than she had ever really seen him before. Her smile came back, fonder than before, and her cheeks flushed a soft pink. For all the trouble he caused them, she really couldn’t imagine not having him as a friend. Any of them, really. She cleared her throat and put her phone down to keep herself from going emotionally overboard from the nostalgia, and just in time for the bus to arrive as well.

✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩

The rush of the air outside the airplane cabin was calming, though his leg continued to jitter as he watched the clouds pass by. He was eager to get home and sleep in his own bed, patrol his own streets… see his friends. Needless to say, he was homesick, but he was on the track back home so it wasn’t too bad anymore. It had been months since they were last in Japan, and as much as he loved being over in America to learn and do some network connecting, he was more than ready to be back. Not to mention he was ready to have authentic Japanese  food again from his favorite restaurants . Maybe he could drop by his mom’s place and get something homemade…

“You’re looking a lot better there, Deku!” The green haired man blinked and looked up at his traveling companion, his smile brighter than the sun - as per usual. Deku returned the smile, though a softer version, and nodded.

“I’m excited to be back home. I wonder how everyone’s doing.” He turned back to the window as Mirio sat across from him and looked out his own window. One of the perks of being a top five pro hero: getting to take a private plane instead of flying commercial - not that there was anything wrong with it! He just… wasn’t comfortable with tight spaces with very little options for maneuverability.

“I’m sure they’re doing just fine, though I’m also sure you knew that.” Mirio chuckled and turned his attention to Deku, “Especially with how you’ve been constantly exchanging emails with almost everyone during our time abroad.” Deku laughed and rubbed the back of his head. It was hard not to constantly be checking for new messages during their away time. Was that clingy of him? He didn’t really think so, and he was pretty sure someone would’ve told him to chill out with the instant replies. Even Bakugo hadn’t told him off about how quick he was to respond, which was a little bit of a surprise.

“Fair. How has Suneater and Nejire-Chan been, by the way? I know you’ve been keeping up with them.” Deku turned from the window and looked at Mirio, who he was surprised to see had a conspiratorial  smile and was raising his eyebrows up and down.

“Nejire told me Tamaki has a crush on one of his sidekicks!” The blonde was moving to pull out his phone to flip through his messages while Deku tried to pick up his jaw from the floor.

“That’s great! Who is it?” Mirio held his phone out to him. On the screen was a picture of Tamaki and a hero dressed in a black and white suit with white owl wings.

“She hasn’t given me their name yet, wanting me to introduce myself to them in person first so I don’t spook them or let on that they were talked about behind their back. Not that talking about a friend’s crush is all that unusual.” Mirio chuckled and shrugged as Deku handed back the phone. He smiled and nodded.

“It would probably be odd if you called them out by name without them having met you before.”

The two continued to talk, from the mystery hero to how the agencies were doing and the crime rates that they’ve been hearing about. Not to mention going over profits from their side hustle and how things were going on that front… though, it was a little hard to focus on the rest of it when the hero Tamiki was pictured with kept slipping into his thoughts.

He would probably have to go with Mirio to greet them when they landed…

[tatasoom]

PREVIEW IS RAISING PAINFUL FAMILY ISSUES

Maybe the most hard to write analysis, because I totally understand topics like divorced parents, hardworking mother, problematic older brother and all those psychological little things someone probably didn't even notice. Day's family is like trigger bingo for me and that's... interesting.

1. Let's start with the most controversial part.

Day and Mhok will come back home, I guess MUCH later than they planned and also with bad news about Day's eyes condition. Many people keep writing about Day's mother being too harsh, that she's always busy making money and can't understand how much Mhok loves Day.

You can see that in this scene every character has tears in their eyes. They all have their own truth as well.

Day loves Mhok and wants to be more independent and he's right.

Mhok loves Day and want to take care of him and he's right.

Day's mother loves Day and want him to not be hurt and she's right.

That's why this scene is so heartbreaking.

We already know about Mhok and Day's love, but look at Day's mother perspective! She was officially married, gave birth to two boys and still that wasn't enough for that man not to leave her for another woman letting her and her sons craving for food. Now you want this woman to accept that her completely blind younger son has a romantic relationship with a man she barely knows. Not even mentioning Mhok's background and financial status. For her the word "love" will never ever be enough to agree with this whole situation.

So Mhok wants to quite (and that is also right), Day can't bare the thought of loosing him even for a day now that he knows how it feels to love and be loved. P'MHOK PROMISED HE WON'T LET GO OFF OF DAY'S HAND will think Day of course. However things has already changed and Mhok will be standing outside the door:

Mhok was allowed to join this family sometimes on definite terms. Day's mother already told him that there're only three of them and those who breakes this rule is not welcomed anymore.

And for those who thinks Day and Mhok is gonna break up. Nah, not these guys. They'll be together next episode.

2. Begin again

I really appreciate the idea of giving Mhok a chance to change his life completely. When talking about Last Twilight being a series that gives hope we need to mention that no person is qualified for only one job. No matter how old are you, no matter what you studied in the uni, you can find something new you really like to do and make it your job.

Btw, could you think of that Mhok who aggressively fixed a chair becoming a chef?! The best plot twist ever haha

Also need to mention the bag in Day's hand. I have a strong feeling that Day can leave home after arguing with his mother (not blame both of them actually).

3. Love love love

It's not Last Twilight if we don't have some funny and bright scenes after some angst like rainbow after the rain.

They're in love, your honor!

It's pretty interesting that Day is painting something after meeting his father (who's an artist). Did you know that visually impaired people can be painters too?

This scene also gave us a lot of BTS shots, so we can assume that Night and Phojai will be somehow there with Day and Mhok, yay!

I like her Kiss t-shirt, she's a badass!

4. Another scene?

Now I want to tell you something about the scene we didn't see in a preview, but already have some hints for it.

One of the most beautiful picture in the whole series. Do you remember the bag? It's here, right beside Day!

I can't show everything with screenshots (and too lazy to make gifs so really appreciate everyone who makes it), but Mhok looks kinda sad listening to Day in this scene. Maybe Day needs to go back home? Oh maybe they just discussing some serious things? Who knows!

And that's all for this episode 10.

I don't like the idea of having ep 11 curse after having already like four or even more heart wrenching episodes... However we still didn't see that crying Mhok from the trailer. And moreover there's another hint for something terrifying, we just don't know yet if it's future or past. I don't think I'm ready for this sh*t if it's gonna happen later. Once I've noticed it I can't stop thinking of this moment and also can't make myself to discuss it. Let's just trust in P'Aof. And prepare some money for going to Thailand.

Thank you for reading!

For more brainrot check this.

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

on a very random note (and hope you don't mind me talking about it ^^;), I do think Studio Bones is doing a great job at adapting Season 4 and I'm really enjoying it!

Though sometimes, I wish that they didn't omit some manga panels because it makes me a little sad that the weight of certain moments is taken away:

Exhibit A: Dazai laughing at Chuuya's impression

Exhibit B: Chuuya talking about Dazai leaving the mafia

Exhibit C: Dazai getting arrested

Exhibit D: Ango visiting Odasaku's grave

and the last one because this moment destroyed me when I read the manga and cause he's my personal favorite:

Exhibit E: Rampo facing Mushitarou on his own

genuinely, I'm really enjoying the adaptation right now and it's not that I don't appreciate the effort put into this <33

And it's true, these are minor manga panels so it wouldn't be too much to change or discard it and yet in taking away such minor panels, it also takes away the grand depth and complexity of what the characters are thinking and feeling in those moments.

It takes away the weight of the scene.

And that's the thing, bsd is a series that has so many complex characters with intricate dynamics, thoughts and moralities that it's a little bittersweet to know that the anime falls short sometimes when capturing certain moments and deprives us of the struggles, humanity and genuineness that these characters have and are going through.

again, nothing against Studio Bones but I often think of the things that could have been :<<

@langdahling

Hey you two! First off, I want to apologize for the huge delay. I was trying to think of what to say in response and I think I always make responding to asks way more work than they ought to be...

But anyways. Here are my general thoughts on the BSD anime, which I'm probably only going to elaborate on here once, and then drop it.

I enjoy the anime, really I do. But it's strange to think how drastic the difference is in the way the characters are interpreted between those who have only seen the anime and those who have also read the manga (and perhaps also the light novels).

First off, let's go over what the anime does well, since I want to ensure we're appreciating what is still a lot of effort from everyone in that studio. Animation, and all the things that need to happen to get a show off the ground, is not easy. Here are some things that stand out to me:

Those backgrounds: you know what I'm talking about. The stained glass, the sunsets, the city shots, the imagery. Beautiful, stunning work honestly.

Use of imagery and clever animation choices: there are some things that are going to change by necessity when adapting from page to screen. The clever animation teams will use this to their advantage - I don't think Bones always does this effectively, but when they do... oh man, is it ever good. I, for one, really liked the kind of projector effect over Dazai's farewell to Chuuya in s5.

Use of colour and light: go back through any scene and pay attention to who has what colours and the way the lighting is positioned. Again, these are those smart animation choices I was talking about.

The music: Score's really good. I wish the music was used a little more consistently (there's some weird choices made... why Wake Up Call for the Tachihara fight???) but the music itself is catchy and sets a good tone.

The voice acting: It's so good. See, even when I wasn't convinced about how the scenes were going to be framed, I never doubted the voice actors would carry it. (I'm talking about the Japanese actors here specifically, but the English dub is pretty good too... sorry I can't speak on any other dubs though...) I really love Kyouka's seiyuu (Morohoshi Sumire) and the way her voice takes on more inflection through the series as Kyouka comes into her own especially.

The abilities and the use of writing: Love the way the abilities are animated. And the use of text to emphasize character intros and key scenes was always good, but I legitimately freaked out when they used it for the Page's narration over Nikolai's speech in Season 4 - good! artistic! choices!

And we're lucky enough to have an adaptation that follows the major plot beats pretty much to the letter! ...so. Why does it tend to disappoint fans of the manga so often?

Well I know a lot of people have their opinions on it. owlyflufff I agree with you - the exclusion of certain panels make for very odd characterization choices - as in, it totally changes the context of the scene and what the character might be thinking. See Exhibits A through C for the best examples. For Exhibits D and E, I personally feel that we got enough in the scene to draw the same conclusions about motive and intent, but that Ango panel... oof it hurts so much. I'm ok with the Dark Era flashbacks personally though: same character motive, just with different artistic interpretation.

langdahling, you're also right though. Pivotal emotional moments aside, I feel a lot of shows (not just BSD) don't know how to let their characters breathe. Pacing is a huge issue in a lot of things I find. You have to let us know who these characters are. Let the characters breathe, and give us, the audience, time to breathe with the characters. It's important. It's really important. It's something the manga does well - it's endearing. Every character gets a little endearing, silly moment. This is necessary for a series that is fundamentally about humanizing its cast.

As for my own opinion on what the adaptation lacks... well, I have a bit of an interesting view because both my mom and I actually watch this show. I, as you all know, am a deranged little weirdo about it who has literally gone through everything BSD I could find and inserted it directly into my brain cells. My mom, on the other hand, has only seen the anime, but is privy to other information about the series um. Because I talk about it non-stop (sorry mom). I happened to be visiting her when season 4 started airing and we watched the first little bit together - the Untold Origins adaptation. To be clear - this adaptation was good. I think it was probably the best after Dark Era. But. My mom turns and looks at me at the scene where Ranpo breaks down shortly before Fukuzawa lies about him having an ability (because I've told her the rough summary of it before) and says "I don't think Ranpo's desperation came across". She said it felt like a breakdown, sure, but it's not the same as the pent-up frustration and fear that was made so incredibly clear in the novel. She said if I hadn't explained that Fukuzawa realized it was kind of his last chance to reach Ranpo, that he had to do something to save this kid, that she would've been left completely bewildered as to why Fukuzawa would tell him such a massive lie. (Never mind the exclusion of his parents, which was why nothing but a lie would work but I digress...) This happened later in the series too. Kunikida was given a prolonged fish-eye closeup through Jouno's entire speech about his ideals instead of the balloon symbolism used in the manga (literally one of the most baffling changes to me - I don't really feel any which way about the fish eyes in general, but imo doing any kind of prolonged like 20 second close up of one character's face during what is a pivotal moment for them is uh... a weird, if not outright poor, animation choice). Poor Akutagawa's death scene being... like that. He dies with grace! He DIES WITH GRACE! That's important!!! He made a choice and was satisfied!!! For all of the Bones and Asagiri Dazai favouritism, he's probably one of the worst examples of watered down emotion - it's no wonder so many people mischaracterize him. Why is he smiling when Jouno arrests him? Why does he look unbothered when he realizes Chuuya's been vampirized? Where is the scene after Q attacks where he conflictedly realizes he'll have to resort to underhanded tactics to win??? Thank god for Miyano Mamoru and his voice acting because otherwise. Geez. And then Sigma. Oh my god. You need that scene where he helps the casino guest. That's his first scene. They condensed his backstory. Sigma's entire character was watered down. And I knew it was going to be before I even watched Sky Casino arc, because this is the core problem I have with the anime in general -

There is a lack of desperation. And it comes, primarily, from the watering down of intense, pivotal moments, and then, the removal of some of the more lighthearted or kind scenes in favour of getting quickly to the action.

I feel that contrast is what's necessary to give these emotional beats weight. And often... it just doesn't hit. It's odd to me, as imo one of the core themes of BSD is desperation. Every character has this desperation at their core - a desperation to succeed, a desperation to live, not having a reason to live and being desperate to find it. It's all desperation - and this really, really does not come across well in the anime. Not consistently. I think the most egregious example is the Sky Casino arc. Both Sigma and Teruko are just as desperate as each other. Teruko stopping the plane was not a guarantee but a play on her part that could very well have resulted in her death. There's heavy implication the bones in her arms shattered in the manga. Her and Tachihara had to take a quick breather after it. That's not in the anime. Sigma's backstory being condensed does a great disservice to explaining why he is so desperate to save the casino - I felt we were primarily told rather than shown. And so the Sky Casino arc, with desperation at its core... was underwhelming. As I figured it would be before it even came out, as the anime already had a history of cutting details out, rushing through the build up, and making odd artistic choices that dampen the emotion of said pivotal scenes. It sucks, really.

And while it's fun to get two seasons in one year, I find myself very, very worried on behalf of the animators and the workers in that studio. I would've been happy to have two in one year... if I thought they were at all prepared for it. But I don't think they were. Season 5 feels very rushed and I know I'm not the only one who's said this. Makes me worried for the pressure everyone's under to churn this out so quickly.

In the end, I rationalize most adaptations of anything as having two (or multiple!) cakes. The BSD anime is enjoyable! And fun! I love seeing my little guys walk and talk and use their cool powers. It's a completely different experience to the manga. Unfortunately, for anyone who's read the manga, it's... a bit of an underwhelming experience, but still. It's a fun watch - even if it's not really what I was hoping for.