#Monk Movie Spoilers

[therandydisherproject]

Thoughts on the Monk Movie

Spoilers ahead, so be warned if you haven't seen it!!!

First off, I loved it so so so much. It was so fun to see all of those characters that I loved so much from my childhood back again. I really do hope that they make more because I would watch literally anything else that they decided to make.

I was really not expecting it to be as sad as it was, but it worked well. I was so worried for Adrian throughout the whole movie, but I think that it worked well. I think that a lot of people just assume they would 'see the signs' before someone they were close to decided to commit suicide and this really showed that that isn't the case.

This may sound weird but I'm glad that they didn't make him solving the case the thing that got rid of his suicidal thoughts. It's just a movie, but I really hope that he did end up talking to Molly, Natalie, and especially Dr. Bell about where he was mentally and I also hope we get to see him solve some cases from 'the freezer'.

The only things that kind of took me out of it were Molly being played by someone else and Sharona not being present, (although I should've expected that since we had never seen any pictures of her on set.) Also, the actress who played Molly did an amazing job and I really loved her character. It broke my heart that she lost her fiance :(

The second I saw the Billionaire I was like 'He did it. And if we get to the end and he's not in handcuffs I'm fighting everyone here.'

[whenthegoldrays]

Well I didn’t expect Mr. Monk’s Last Case to floor me like that with its ending.

[mothercetrion]

Johnny & Kenshi's "Relationship" in MK1

Well before MK1 was released, Ed Boon had this to say about Kenshi (and Johnny) and their roles in the story:

I was incredibly interested in this "relationship" from that moment and really hoped that it would pay off like he said. I think it has done so tenfold, and I wanted to compile their moments throughout the story together and go through their relationship arc, moment by moment, chapter by chapter, for everyone to enjoy.

This post contains spoilers for both Kenshi and Johnny's roles in MK1, as well as major plot points of the story itself. You have been warned!

To start, if you want to watch a compilation of their moments, you can watch this YouTube video by MKIceAndFire, which includes everything discussed in this post up to Chapter 7. 

Chapter 2: Their First Meeting 

The climax of Chapter 2 is the back-to-back events of Johnny’s wife, Cristina, leaving him, and Kenshi entering soon after. Kenshi is here on a mission: retrieve Sento from Johnny, no matter the cost. They fight, and Johnny wins. It’s here that they introduce themselves properly (or Kenshi introducing himself to Johnny), and Johnny learns more about his motives and why he needs Sento so badly. He does so to save his family, the Taira clan, from the Yakuza, which they joined for protection after the Siege of Aomori, according to Johnny. 

Soon after, Liu Kang, Bi-Han, and Kuai Liang arrive, where Johnny thinks that the trio is a part of Kenshi’s retrieval mission. After Johnny and Bi-Han fight, Liu Kang tells both Johnny and Kenshi about their new role as Earthrealm’s champions. Johnny openly questions Kenshi’s inclusion, still hardly believing his story about being part of the Taira clan. The chapter ends here. 

We know from here that Kenshi and Johnny openly do not trust one another and likely hate one another. For Kenshi, Johnny is the one thing in the way of his goal of saving the Taira clan from the Yakuza. When arguing with his wife, Johnny reveals that he paid 3 million dollars for Sento; considering that their impending divorce is over money, it makes sense that he is not willing to just give it to some stranger. 

Chapter 3: Bickering 

Johnny and Kenshi do not have many scenes in Chapter 3, with most of its focus being on Raiden, but the few scenes they have show us a lot about the state of their relationship. The four Earthrealm champions—Johnny, Kenshi, Kung Lao, and Raiden—discuss their circumstances and their training with the monks. Johnny expresses his desire to see Outworld to do research for the movie franchise that he hopes to make; according to him, they’ve been “cooped up” training for months. Kenshi sarcastically calls him selfless, and Johnny states that he’s only there to get Sento back, indirectly stating that they’re both only training for selfish reasons. Johnny also harshly calls him “Tattoo” as a nickname, not even using his last name as Kenshi does for him. 

When Johnny is defeated by Raiden in the mini-tournament set up by Liu Kang, the two glare at one another while Johnny exits the fight and Kenshi enters. The scene is adorned with dramatic music (relating to the tournament at hand) and a slow-motion shot of their expressions. The choices here are likely to emphasize the disdain they have for one another and the insane amount of tension they have between them. 

That night, before Raiden and Kung Lao fight, Johnny attempts to bet on Lao’s potential victory. Kenshi is open to a bet, but only if Johnny puts Sento up for grabs. Johnny laughs and says, “Not on your life,” revealing that he has not budged on his desire to keep Sento after all this time. 

They have a brief scene when the group leaves for Outworld where Johnny starts filming Kenshi. Kenshi turns with an annoying expression and knocks his phone out of his hand, much to Johnny’s shock. This scene is the last they have in this chapter that has any real significance, minus standing by one another. 

The few scenes they have in this chapter show that their relationship has not improved since they met a few months prior, even after spending every day together; if anything, it has gotten worse and more openly hostile. They judge one another’s reasons for being champions for Earthrealm and still do not respect one another. 

Chapter 4: More Fighting & Kenshi’s Blinding 

We play as Kenshi for the duration of this chapter. The two of them, alongside Kung Lao, are tasked with finding Shang Tsung for Liu Kang to question. Kenshi openly questions Johnny's inclusion on the mission and openly states that he would prefer Raiden to go along with them instead of “this one,” making it known that he does not value Johnny as a fighter or a teammate. Johnny protests and insists that he’s up to the job of finding Shang Tsung. Before they depart, they glare at one another once more. 

When out in the Outworld desert, Kenshi and Johnny begin to bicker once more. Johnny brings up the 3 million dollars needed to buy Sento and tells Kenshi that he would likely have Sento back in his possession if he were still with the Yakuza. Kenshi turns around quickly to yell at Johnny about the corruption that the Yakuza spreads and his desire to get his clan out, all while shining his flashlight on Johnny’s face.

After meeting Baraka and ending up in Shang Tsung’s laboratory, the three of them ambush Rain, Tanya, and Shang Tsung in an effort to save Mileena from what they believe is a Tarkat infection. Johnny makes the “get away from her, you bitch” reference that it feels like everyone has seen, much to Kenshi and Lao’s visible confusion. 

Kenshi defeats both Tanya and Rain in battle, and he briefly speaks to Mileena before her illness makes itself known. It is here that Kenshi does something he’s not done all of the story: he calls Johnny by his first name instead of just “Cage.” He asks for a hand in fighting Mileena, and Johnny hurries over to help. Johnny asks about a plan, and Kenshi states that the only real plan is to not hurt her. Johnny is visibly shocked and says that he’s more worried about “us” getting hurt than Mileena. 

They fight Mileena, and Kenshi and Johnny win. Kenshi asks Johnny and Lao (again calling Johnny by his first name) to hold Mileena down so Shang Tsung can administer the serum needed to subdue her Tarkat symptoms. They do so briefly, and she eventually knocks Lao away and goes to bite Johnny’s face. Instead, Kenshi comes from behind, grabs Mileena by the straps of her outfit on her shoulders, and pulls her away, saving the life of someone that until just minutes before, he has been shown to hate. 

Then Mileena shoves Kenshi away just long enough to grab a pair of sai from a nearby table and gouge Kenshi’s eyes out. His blood sprays, and Johnny is hit in the face with the splatter. In the horror of the aftermath, he yells Kenshi’s first name for the first time, nothing short of terrified and worried. The chapter ends soon after this. 

This chapter is the official shift in their relationship. This chapter is when both characters finally refer to one another by their first names, though it is all we see of any sort of genuine appreciation of one another. Kenshi calls Johnny by his name in the midst of immediate danger; he needs Johnny’s help, and he’s visibly frightened in the scene itself. Johnny calls Kenshi by his name in the aftermath of the danger, when he just saw someone that he’s known for months lose his eyes in the most vicious way possible (and gets hit with his blood in the process). The shift is not seen until later chapters, but Kenshi going blind while saving Johnny’s life is the catalyst for the change. 

Chapters 5 & 6: New Bonds

In Shang Tsung’s laboratory, the first thing Johnny does when he wakes up is check on Kenshi. He says his first name again, asks him about his pain, and states that he will not forget that Kenshi saved his life for the price of his eyes. 

Johnny himself is the one to give Kenshi his blindfold, torn from his own armor and placed over Kenshi’s eyes with his own hands. He is the one to give him the medicine and relieve him of some of the discomfort from his blinding in his own way. Johnny is the one who adds to Kenshi’s iconic character design; it’s forever associated with him and his kindness. 

When they’re finally able to escape the laboratory, Kenshi asks Johnny and Lao to leave him behind. Johnny refuses and wants to save Kenshi’s life. Kenshi tells Johnny that he is “useless” and that their lives do not need to be risked to save him. (He once again calls Johnny by his last name here, instead of calling him “Johnny” like he did hours before.) Johnny insists that the Taira needs him, and they’re going to get him back home and get him help. 

They walk through the Living Forest together near the back of the group; Johnny is the one who guides Kenshi around. Johnny continues to look back at Kenshi as they’re walking around to make sure he does not trip or stumble. He makes a remark about a movie he did that Kenshi reveals that he has seen before. Johnny comments on how difficult the scene was to shoot, but he is proud of the outcome. Kenshi says that he can “picture it exactly” and smiles for the first time since his blinding, a strong contrast to his earlier depressed state. 

They continue until they meet Ashrah and debate whether or not to hunt Quan Chi. When Kenshi steps forward to go, Johnny firmly tells him no, citing that they need to get him home. He’s visibly annoyed and perhaps even frustrated when Kenshi insists that they need to find Quan Chi to find Shang Tsung. In the end, Johnny is the only one opposed to continuing their mission. 

The penultimate moment of their development is the scene at the end of the chapter in which Sento is returned to Kenshi. Kenshi tries to fight Quan Chi, and Johnny is quick to tell him no, stating that Kenshi will trip up the others. He then asks Kenshi for his sword, and Kenshi hesitantly agrees. Johnny does what was previously established as impossible and gives Sento back to Kenshi. Kenshi is stunned, and then he tries to reject Sento. The one thing he has wanted for all this time, the singular reason that he hates Johnny in the first place, he tries to reject it. Johnny insists that it’s Kenshi’s now because he saved Johnny’s life. “It’s yours,” he says, and he means it. 

Chapter 6 largely focuses on the fight between the group and Quan Chi, but it’s the chapter in which Kenshi’s sight is “restored” with the help of his ancestors. After a fight with Ermac, Sento is imbued with the souls of Kenshi’s ancestors, who promise to help him. He is then able to sense his surroundings in a new form of sight, allowing him to fight as he did before. He also discovers his telekinesis soon after. 

Johnny and Kenshi have a brief exchange about Sento after this. Johnny jokes that he severely underpaid for Sento when he bought it and asks if Kenshi knew what it could do, which he did not. Johnny tells Kenshi not to forget who gave him the sword; Kenshi promises that he will not. They go back to calling one another by their last names, but instead of earlier in the story, when they were distant from one another and not friends, the use of last names here almost feels…kinder. Maybe even affectionate? Like calling a friend by their last name instead of someone that you dislike. 

These chapters are what solidify their bond. It starts with Johnny’s worry and concern over Kenshi’s well-being and safety, something that continues through the rest of the chapter. He checks on him in the dungeon, he is the one to give Kenshi medicine when he knows he’s in pain, and he motivates Kenshi to continue living when they leave the dungeon (and makes it known that he will help him however he can once they get him home). He makes it known that he’s willing to give up on Liu Kang’s mission, something that could potentially save Earthrealm, for Kenshi to be safe after losing his eyes. It’s one of the first things that Johnny clearly takes seriously. Until this point, he makes jokes about almost everything, but when it comes to Kenshi going home, he’s all serious and makes his opinion on the matter known. 

Their conflict regarding Sento is also resolved here. Just hours before this chapter, Johnny brings up the 3 million dollars he paid for it and his unwillingness to part with Sento unless Kenshi gives him the money. However, after Kenshi saves his life, Johnny gives it to him to potentially repay a debt. Kenshi essentially traded his eyes for Johnny’s life, and Johnny recognizes the importance of such a sacrifice. To him, giving him Sento is likely only the beginning of what he does to repay him for what he did. 

Their value in Sento differs greatly. Kenshi wants Sento because of the value it has to his family and their well-being. While Johnny seems to appreciate Sento’s history, the sword is still something with monetary value and something that helps Johnny “project” a celebrity image to fans. He is his possessions; he is what he spends money on. But Kenshi’s blinding makes him realize, in the worst way possible, that some things are more important than money. 

These chapters (4, 5, and 6) also show Johnny and Kenshi saving one another’s lives. Kenshi physically saves Johnny from Mileena in the laboratory by pulling her off of him before she can bite his face off. Johnny emotionally saves Kenshi when he’s at a low point following his blinding; he is the one to motivate Kenshi when he calls himself useless and asks the others to leave him behind, even if it means certain death. Johnny also helps save the Taira clan by willingly giving up Sento, something that he knows means a great deal to Kenshi and the rest of his family. 

Chapter 15: A New Arc in Their Lives 

The pair make a lengthy absence until the later chapters of the game, and they are not seen together again until the final scene of the final chapter when they are eating at Madam Bo’s restaurant. They’re sitting together on the same side of the table while Johnny talks about the location of his movie. He turns to Kenshi with a smirk when he laughs, and Kenshi assumes that Johnny will be the star of his franchise, as he always seems to be. 

Johnny then asks Kenshi to be in a movie, stating that no actor can do things quite like Kenshi. Kenshi openly admits that he would love to, but his work with the Taira keeps him busy. (However, we see in Johnny’s ending that he still involves himself in the movie-making process.) 

Liu Kang moves to leave for Outworld, and Johnny stops him to thank him for bringing them on as Earthrealm’s champions. He quickly glances at Kenshi before stating that joining him has truly changed the arcs of their lives, just like Liu Kang said it would. 

This final scene with them is just the beginning of those new arcs. Compared to their first meeting, Johnny and Kenshi have found a new respect for one another and a bond forged in a shared adventure and what looks like conflicting goals. By this chapter, they have undergone an entire arc of their own, and their lives are changed by one another as a result. 

Their new arc is only beginning.

[meraki-yao]

So I found this on Weibo and I couldn't stop laughing. This is incredibly niche but I feel the need to share and explain this to my friends on this side.

So the bottom half is the photos that we initially thought were the royal suitor photos before the movie came out, then realized it was in the texting montage, then confirmed by Matthew that this actually isn't Alex and Henry, it was Taylor and Nick chilling between takes.

NOW, the photo on top is a still from 1987 TV show adaptation of one of the four Chinese Classics: "The Dream of the Red Chamber". That is the main couple reading another classical Chinese novel (yes this is very meta) "Romance of the Western Chamber" together, and I think this book that they're reading is the first romance novel/love story to have the couple be in starkly different social standings yet be together in the end.

This isn't a case of parallel in the same sense as my posts putting firstprince and Rapunzel x Eugene or Simba x Nala or Jack x Rose together and finding similarities. In fact, the couple from Red Chamber is nothing like firstprince or Taylor and Nick, not even remotely close, and their relationship ended in tragedy: spoilers, the girl died of a broken heart and the boy lost the will to live and became a monk.

But the point here is that this pair? This is our culture's Romeo and Juliet, our Pyramus and Thisbe. This scene in particular, this imagery of them reading in the garden together, has the same significance as the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet. Like, if you ask a Chinese person for an imagery from classical literature that depicts love, this is the image most people will say.

AND SOMEHOW THIS PHOTO OF TAYLOR AND NICK THAT WE ALL THOUGHT WAS ALEX AND HENRY LOOKS EXACTLY THE SAME AS IT

This is the most random connection and it's definitely a stretch but as someone who cried over the ship in the top half at the age of 11 I am so fucking amused by this comparison

[divinityandfanfics]

“ My Love for You Never Died ”

DIVINE NEBULA

a/n: satosugu brainrot

blurb; “satoru and suguru were partners in highschool, as suguru began to turn evil, satoru fell inlove with another person; utahime. but, suguru still loves satoru.”

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ STARRING: GOJO SATORU , GETO SUGURU , IORI UTAHIME

WARNINGS:

mentions of murder, depression, character death, losing a limb(right arm), movie and anime spoilers(if you haven’t reached season 2) , suguru and satoru arguing infront of a kfc

SHIPS MENTIONED:

˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗ SATORU GOJO X SUGURU GETO (not really)

˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗ SATORU GOJO X UTAHIME IORI

REMINDERS;

☆ jjk 0 timeline

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LOADING COMPLETED - PLEASE CLICK START !

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»»————-　♡　————-««

“suguru! let’s go on a date today!” satoru beamed to his bestfrie- boyfriend. “alright, alright, coming, satoru.” the other man said.

“maybe kfc today?” satoru asked the other raven-haired fella. suguru nodded, and they both walked over to a nearby kfc.

they both ordered the same meal, a little additions to satoru’s, but obviously, satoru paid for all of it.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

a few months later, suguru was deemed a criminal. the albino-haired male was just as surprised as everyone.

suguru? commiting a crime? that’s new. very new. that’s basically impossible! suguru was always the nice guy between him and satoru, so.. why?

and the crime he commited is murder. terrorism.

he found two girls in a small village who can use cursed techniques, whom he adopted, and wiped out 112 residents in said village. satoru couldn’t believe it.

“suguru! why are you doing this!?” satoru confronted him, infront of that same kfc they ate in three months ago. suguru turned back to face satoru.

“i have a question for you.” the dark-haired male blurted out. “are you satoru gojo because you are the strongest, or are you the strongest because you are satoru gojo?” he asked.

satoru was shocked, angry even. suguru turned back around, leaving an angry satoru.

“you know, you have the power to change the world, right? so you would know that if i were you, i’d use it to make the world a better place for jujutsu sorcerers.”

satoru tried to hit him with a hollow purple, or maybe just a blue. but, he couldn’t. he just couldn’t hit his.. suguru.

satoru left aswell, just wishing suguru will be back to his senses tomorrow or so.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

now, satoru was a teacher in tokyo jujutsu high. he met another teacher in kyoto jujutsu high, named utahime iori whom he always teased when they were in highschool.

utahime and he always bickered, well, mostly utahime. he would do the teasing, while utahime would make a fuss about it.

satoru found her interesting, often calling her ‘weak’ or of sorts, since she was barely a grade 1 sorcerer.

while satoru was called for the front entrance of tokyo jujutsu high, he rushed outside, seeing suguru in a monk’s clothes.

“long time no see, satoru.” oh that’s suguru alright, satoru never forgot the way his voice softened whenever suguru was saying his name.

he loved the feeling back then, but now, knowing that suguru had turned into a murderer, he didn’t feel that satisfaction anymore.

“what are you doing here, suguru?” he quickly asked.

“meh, just wanted to see the new special grade in here.” suguru poked at yuuta, who was frozen in his hold. “you know, a special grade meeting a fellow special grade?” he smiled at satoru.

nanako, the sand-colored haired girl he adopted spoke up. “master geto! can we go to that one store me and mimiko talked to you about?” she pouted.

“ah, yes, nanako. just wait for me.” suguru said before turning to the light-haired male.

“tonight, in shinjuku and kyoto, i will unleash cursed spirits all across the land. i call it.. the night parade of a hundred demons.” suguru shot a smug grin at satoru before leaving.

satoru knew that they needed to go there in order to protect the non-sorcerers.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

it was a set-up, while satoru was in the location of the night parade, he found out that suguru was in tokyo jujutsu high.

aiming for yuuta okkotsu.

so he started to hurry up, worrying for his students.

while yuuta went to fight with suguru.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

right after suguru’s fight with yuuta, his right arm got cut off in the process, and he lost.

now, suguru was sitting with his knees to his chest, back pressed against a house’s cold wall.

as he was sitting in silence, satoru appeared.

suguru was surprised to see him. “why are you here, hm?” suguru asked the male with snowy hair.

“just here to kill you.” satoru answered.

─ “well, you can do that now.”

─ “any last words before you go, suguru?”

“i know you have fallen in love with that girl; utahime you loved to tease in highschool,” suguru stated.

satoru’s eyes widen.

“what about her?” satoru asks.

“just wanted to tell you that.. for me, it’s still you, satoru.” suguru said, smiling.

satoru frowned, before killing suguru.

maybe, suguru, if you didn’t turn out like this, it would still be you.

[gay-poet-gabriel]

do you have any favourite moments from psych? if you remember any that is

HGNHGHGNH!!! ALL OF IT!!!!

and tbh its been like half a year since i last watched any of it (including the movies) so ill try my best to remember stuff

anyway like the god's comma thing, i always reference that. always.

"Does it look like we were born on the fourth of july"?

"Or yesterday"?

"Or to run"?

Followed closely by: "This is my partner Sh'dynasty. That's spelled S H comma-to-the-top Dynasty"

"Comma-to-the-top?"

"That's a god's comma"

UGH AND THE BLUEBERRY!!! i call every compact blue car i see the blueberry i just love referencing this show uhhg...

ughu and when shaun and gus run out of the room after the haunting after bianca's toast. like all the other people there are scared but they literally hired shaun and gus and THEYRE the ones screaming and running away dhgadk

did you hear about pluto? messed up, right? (i say that all the fucking time i love you gus)

AND OMGDH...THE SPELLING BEE EPISODE..A.BAGNDJ

also oguh pls...where gus is blackula...IDEK IT WAS JUST SO FUNNY

and the part in like...s6 or something i have no idea where they're like grooving out to kenny g with like a serial killer nad ogfudha..

and omg...wait i cant even remember if this was an episode or in a movie but when gus thinks he killed his boss OGMHUSA.....so silly

OUGH AND THE FOOD TRUCK EPISODE!!! THE FOOD IS SO NASTY I LOVE IT!

spoilers (kinda major)

and ofc..the part at the very end where chief vick mentions that their new head detective is organizing everything alphabetically... cuz they're in san Francisco and that's where..

MONK!!!!!!!!!!!

[saffronstoats]

please read!

pinning this until i get info on if people would read it because I actually want to make it so bad... my profile will be back later

gang i have a rw au idea [ shocker ]

inv infection thang. inv starts appearing everywhere and eventually starts basically weirdmageddon. all the guys have to team up to beat it [ umm during the great migration because i want gourm and crew to have to like. have a cool scene idk i have a really cool thing planned in my head

all the scugs will be in it. yes, truly all of them: even both nightcat and inv. yes even survivor and monk's unnamed sibling. yes even monk and survivor's parents. yes literally every scug featured in gourmand's outro scene. and more

what do yall think and what should i call it

it may be invenot based but it's not a crappost

past the keep reading is more details. i lot more. i rambled whoops

inv is less "haha dating sim" and more "im gonna ruin your life :) in the funkiest way possible! *does a skateboard trick and opens a pocket dimension*" "*puts on shades and suddenly reality is distorted* heheha!"

inv closes off the void sea ( probably pre story events or hunter would have already ascended ) so hunter surv and monk all are just like having to team up. surv monk happy family scene and hunter saving them from an inv clone or domething. yk the cool one in zombie apocalypse movies

monk and survivor are basically kids. again this is migration. so hunter is like their stepdad [ genderneutral ]

hunter cycles ending ( trying to avoid spoilers ) is probably inevitable. they might be able to meet pebbles to get it extended but I still don't think hunter will make the entire thing because there's no way this thing is >25 cycles long. sorry hunter ( you will be missed dearly /gen )

thought it would be sick if arti appeared too so i had to. extend her lifespan. also shes huge like. 2x normal scug size

spearmaster is genetically modified to be a messenger for who knows how long suns intended it to be so thankfully i dont think it's as much as a stretch that they're alive

saint is an eldritch being so they could probably mess some stuff up too

dont really. see how in the world rivulet could fit timeline wise ill be honest. they are literally the only one left out. ill have inv bring them in through a pocket dimension or something because otherwise there would be no ruffles and that would be sad

forgot to mention this but having so many attack oriented slugs just being the main cast without being together doesnt make much sense. so spear and arti are a team but they dont really get along or talk to each other much and also theres no firecracker sorry guys

ill probably be generally avoiding ships in this comic besides maybe some like enot shenanigans?? but i don't think ill really do much of that either because this isnt romance this is a bunch of rodents fighting a choatic rodent glitch god

the iterators exist too. tell me whether you want them off the strings or not. ill give you examples of what happens on either side starring suns

off strings: spearmaster and suns are the duo of all time and artificier is there too. she dragged pebbles along but he doesnt want to be any part of this

on strings: suns videocalls spearmaster a lot and cheers whenever they make a slight achievement

nightcat/watcher is probably gonna be part of the colony. theyre the scout

moon and sig will also definely be there, potentially innocence and wind too if yall want them. also maybe more itties idk. we'll see

rip sliver. because its your average timeline mostly sliver is dead ( rip )

all of the iterators if off the strings are actually terrible at combat and they cannot parkour so that would allow some funny moments. funny pebbles cannot jump to save his life or encouraging wholesome suns which do yall prefer

i find it funny how half the scugs are the cool one and then theres survivor monk riv and watcher. and then theres the iterators who are even more pathetic [ silly ]

sofanthiel's nickname will constantly change highlighting their chaotic nature. one panel they're enot then they're inv then they're paincat then they're sofanthiel then they're gorbo then they're blueberrycat- you get it

actually ill use a random number generator every time their name pops up. this is minimal priority but suggest enot nicknames.

current ones are: enot, inv, sofanthiel, paincat, thanksandrew, thanks andrew ( with a space ), gorbo, blueberrycat, ???, invenot ( one word )

if i make it i'll turn on scheduled posting for it and make sure to actually like. link throughout on like next previous first. if I have anything to say or elaborate ill post it in the comments

it would also be in a genuine artstyle instead of my little 10 minute lineless thangs. id line it and give backgrounds and stuff except maybe on April fools day

anyways yeah, what do yall think?

again what do i name it because i want to call it something cooler than enotpocalypse

[itsawritblr]

I am SO fucking sick of "shock" endings.

SPOILERS for the British version of "Professor T," Season 3.

.

.

So. I've been only moderately interested in the crime drama Professor T. I only watched it because Ben Miller plays the titular character, and I loved him in Death in Paradise. So far I haven't really enjoyed the series, because it's yet another attempt to amp up the quirkiness factor of the main character in a detective series in a not very likeable way. He's Monk, really, but with plastic gloves.

Anyway I tuned in to the Season finale just because I was cynically curious how they would end the season. I was already pissed about what they'd done with his ex-lover, DCI Christina Brand, who allowed the already fucked up professor to go to jail rather than reveal the truth which would have cost her her job. After he'd been there for a while and was on trial for attempted murder she finally confessed and quit. Asshole.

I was stupid enough to allow the finale to raise my hopes. Jasper learns the truth about his father's death, reconciles with his mother enough to peel off his ever-present gloves, and to cry and feel happy. Meanwhile, DS Dan Winters proposes to DS Lisa Donckers and she accepts. Huzzah! Happy endings all round!

But this is British TV. They don't do happy endings. (Looks like this story arc was part of the original Belgian series. If so, fuck you Belgium.)

In a nutshell, this happens to DS Lisa Donckers.

So she's run over and dies slowly, and Jasper arrives just in time to witness his protege's dying gasps, and is so traumatized he puts his gloves back on, signalling that he is again separating himself from the world. And of course she hears her fiance's voice calling for her on the phone as she dies from being crushed by a car. And of course DS Winters arrives too late and there's the woman he'd asked to be his wife dead in the road.

Are we having fun yet?

The writers wanted the audience all happy for Jasper and looking forward to his full recovery from a terrible childhood, but oopsy do, they were just jerking us around. Fuck you and your Happy Ending, we can't have Healed Jasper because the series can only exist with an emotionally crippled, psychologically screwed up main character. We'll add new characters next season, but don't get too attached, because we may kill them off as well just to keep you on your toes.

Maybe some people like to play "Who Dies This Season?" I don't. I don't like books, movies, or TV series that mistake emotional manipulation for good storytelling.

I miss Richard Poole . . . Oh. Wait. They killed him off, too. They didn't have to kill him. They could have just had him return to London, to his roast beef, perfect tea, and the snug in his local. But nooooo. It's funner if the character the audience luvs diiiieeeess.

[it-begins-with-rain]

Movie Recommendation: After Sundown

** On Netflix in some territories, you can also find it fully subbed on Youtube.

In 1961, two events converged.

A powerful sage warns of a disaster that will claim the life of Phloeng, the son of an aristocratic family who own the stunning Sitthikornkan Castle. The only way to save Phloeng's life is to bind his destiny to that of another.

Far away, an orphan named Rawee, who has been raised by his Buddhist monk uncle, is sent away from the remote temple he calls home. His uncle is sending him to live in the city with a close friend- Phloeng's grandfather.

Rawee is the perfect candidate to bind Phloeng's destiny to, saving the man from a terrible fate. He agrees readily enough, more as a way to repay Phloeng's family's warm acceptance of him. The man himself Rawee finds tedious.

But Rawee's presence in Sitthikornkan Castle stirs the ghost of Phloeng's grandmother, who died decades ago.

Rawee is descended from the man who she blames for her death, and she will stop at nothing to destroy Rawee and claim his soul. As Rawee and Phloeng's animosity blooms into love, the spirit becomes more violent and aggressive, willing to do anything to kill the intruder.

Can Phloeng and Rawee find a way to save themselves and one another?

Or will the sins of the past be replayed in the present, once again ripping apart budding lovers?

Spoiler below the cut

The entire ending summarized in one GIF:

[defiantbird]

Idk if this has been talked about much already- I just saw Monkey Man yesterday and wanted to point out a bit of symbolism that I thought was really neat. I haven't seen it mentioned, but I also haven't really been looking at discussions around the movie for long. Spoilers ahead.

The bit where his mother tells him that the lines on his hands are like the roots of the trees of their home. She traces the lines and says that they show his future, and she asks what his future will be. We don't hear an answer.

Those lines are marred and basically erased when he tries to save her from being burned alive. It symbolizes his future being taken from him in that moment. In the beginning of the movie, we get no lead up to his decision to kill the cop and guru-- this is his plan, it has always been his plan, it is the only future he has. Whatever he might have been, whatever he might have had, the roots that tethered him to his home and his sense of self are literally burned away in witnessing his mother's murder.

Along the same lines, the monk who nurses him back to health tells him that to her, his hands show not scars, but the courage of a child trying to save someone he loves. His future was changed, but who he is was not erased. His hands still show his roots in a way- the pain he comes from, the courage inside him, the woman who taught him love.

Idk I just thought that was well done.

[mx-nii]

Oh my god.

KING OF SCARS & RULE OF WOLVES SPOILERS BELOW- READ AT UR OWN FUCKING RISK:

SO- I was scrolling through Zoyalai fanart, as one does when they can’t sleep in the middle of the night, and I saw some of David and Genya and got sad bc- well we all saw season 2 and read ROW.

ANYWAYS: I was starting to get lost in thought about my beautiful durast and his equally beautiful tailor and then IT DAWNED ON ME-

IN THE SHOW, WE GET NO SUN CULT, NADA. NO HINTS TO IT (unless you count whatever that thing was in Novyi Zem w the townspeople and the hand thing, but I think that was like the Grishaverse version of the cross, yk?)

BECAUSE THERE IS NO SUN CULT (the name of those fuckers escapes me, sue me), THERE’S NO WHAT’S HIS FACE- THE GUY WHO’S BODY THE DARKLING ENTERS AND ALL THAT SHIT- THE MONK. If there is no sun cult, there’s none of him, and so the darkling needs someone else’s body for Lizabeta to do her whole thing thang.

So what my theory is: when tragedy struck at the dumbwaiter, there was no body. If you’ve scene any movie or show, or read any book then you know: they ain’t dead unless you see a body. AND EVEN IF YA DO SEE A BODY, WATCH YOUR BACK (cough cough, last page of KOS, cough cough).

ANYWAYS- what if, because we didn’t see David’s body, HE GOT DRAGGED TO THAT PLACE WHERE JURIS AND LIZABETA AND WHATS HIS FACE (bear dude) ARE? WHAT IF LIZABETA IS HOLDING HIM THERE FOR SAFE KEEPING? MAYBE THE SHADOW MONSTERS BROUGHT HIM THERE, OR THEY’RE HOLDING HIM SOMEWHERE ON LIKE REGULAR PPL LAND-

all I know is I have a feeling that the darkling is gonna come back in David’s body. I HOPE they’ll get him out of David’s body, but truth be told, the plot of ROW escapes me so idk if the monk lived after everything. Hopefully David will though, so we can get David’s proper farewell.. if ya know what I mean.

[littleragondin]

After Sundown (2023)

Synopsis:

Saengrawee has spent his life in the temple with Luang Lung Chanthakorn. When he turns 21, Parit – an old friend of the monk – comes to take him away, to live in Phra Nahkon with Parit’s family. As he settles in the mansion, Rawee starts getting plagued with nightmares, and visions of a ghost. Parit’s grandson, Praphloeng, comes back to Thailand at his parents’ demand. They worry about a prophecy who warns that if Phloeng does not bind his life to a soulmate by the time he turns 25, his life will be in grave danger. Said soulmate can’t be from Phra Nahkon, nor be a woman (according to mdl). Luckily, Rawee fits the bill, and despite their mutual dislike, the two men accept the ceremony. But while they learn to live with each other, and Phloeng’s presence is able to soothe Rawee’s nightmares, the ghost’s apparent grudge against Rawee only seems to deepen …

this shot is just too pretty

Non-spoilery review:

It was not a very good movie, all in all. I think it worked with a lot of ideas that, while not necessarily groundbreaking, were good enough to make a nice romance and an interesting horror story. The reluctant soulmates/fake marriage tropes are beloved for a reason, and can make for a compelling journey. The newcomer in the house mysteriously targeted by a ghost that seems to know him is also pretty classic, and when used well can be ground for a good, creepy mystery. The problem here is that imo, the execution was sub-par.

To begin with, the horror is not well integrated to the story. While I liked all the ghost scenes – tense and efficient, and in 720p at night the ghost freaked me the fuck out let me tell you – they were not well integrated into the story. Outside of those specific scenes, there is no sense of something terrifying happening to the main protagonist of the story, he doesn’t seem worried not curious about any of it, focused as he is on his romance.

And that’s where for me, it went from ‘not great’ to ‘not good’. Because with how much time is spent on the romantic parts of the story, I still can’t believe how little development happens. They are reluctant to even be in the same room a moment, and straight up acting like a married couple the next with absolutely nothing to justify this. Zee and NuNew share a lot of soft, romantic scenes, but they felt disconnected from each other, and because there is no showing of their feelings gradually changing those scenes, for me, lacked any emotional impact. That said, the two of them work well together, and the chemistry was chemistring alright when they were on screen. Still, with characters that don’t have a big personality and a scenario that has trouble holding itself together, there is only so much chemistry can do.

So yeah, for me After Sundown failed both as a horror and as a romance movie. I had no emotional investment in anything happening (which also made the reveal/conclusion at the end fall flat), the pacing was not good and actor performances alone (which were mostly good across the board) could not save this one.

Tl;dr: I gave this one 5/10. I would only recommend it if you really really really miss Zee and NuNew and just want to see them act cute with each other while not being bothered by the absence of actual story and the presence of a few good jump scares. Also if you just want to see Nammon wet and shirtless, just skip to 1:12:00 =3

Below the read more, I will go a little more into the reveal at the end, as well as a few pet peeves I got through the movie. It will be full of spoilers.

The reveal about the ghost:

I hated how we got nothing about the ghost during the whole movie except that she thought Rawee was someone else (the monk/his uncle) and wanted to kill him for it, and then 20 minutes before the end you get that huge, 10-minutes long info dumping flashback explaining who she is, what her relation to both the family and Rawee’s uncle is, how she died and why she is so vengeful. My first thought was ‘that’s a movie I would have liked to see’, followed by tons of ideas on how it could have been, you know, actually made part of the movie and not just stacked at the end like an after thought. 1 hour 20 minutes in, and you have no notion that there was a tragedy in that house, that Parit has A Mysterious Past regarding his sppuse, or that the ghost is actually linked to the family in any kind of way. It’s fine if you don’t want the protagonist to find out until the very end, but there should be stuffs to clue us, the audience, in, otherwise the reveal comes and you’re like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ okay I guess. Show us a picture of her in the house, maybe hidden away so we know Something Is Afoot, have some of those final flashbacks interwoven into Rawee’s nightmares (maybe make it so they’re misleading, showing her under a different light). Make the scene where Parit comes to the temple and meet the monk, after all those years, far, far more charged so I can feel that they’re not just old acquaintances but share something so much deeper. That they share both love and guilt. Just mention the fact that Phloeng's father never really knew his mother, that she died when he was small and I don't know, maybe they Don't Talk About Her Anymore. Give me something basically.

Also, at least Parit and Luang Lung Chanthakorn were aware of what was happening/who she was, and no one ever thought of, oh, I don’t know, do something about it? Warn the guys?? Why on earth did the monk say yes to sending Rawee back there knowing what the fuck happened in there and the responsibility he had in it? Come on.

Smaller things and Pet Peeves:

Ok this one is just for, like, random grievances I had with the movie.

First of all, Rawee’s lack of curiosity. You don’t have to make him an amateur detective, but that guy who grew up in a temple (so I assume at least a little spiritual) starts having nightmares and visions and doesn’t question it for a second? Doesn’t think oh, maybe there is something going on, maybe if I find out what the spirit wants and why, I could get rid of it? Nothing? I know my own curiosity is probably skewing my opinion but I wanted to shake him and beg him to ask even one goddamn question! Please!!

The “secondary couple”. Okay, so, this one ties up more to the romance aspect of things. We set up Pudson to be a sort of rival to Rawee, the spurned, jealous boy who hates the one who took Phloeng away, but there is never… I mean I’m pretty sure we never see him and Phloeng in a scene together, even, and all of this amount to nothing. Never actually hurts Rawee, never confronts him or tries to actually get Phloeng, this never leads to any tensions between Rawee and Phloeng… Then Kraiphop, the chauffeur, who is being so nice to Rawee and who makes Phloeng jealous once. Less of an actual rival to Phloeng, he’s presented more like a kind man who might help Phloeng realizes that he actually like Rawee. But the jealousy scene happens after we have seen them basically act chummy and nice to each other so it doesn’t work either. And then!! 35 minutes before the end, we get thrown a bone that oh maybe Kraiphop actually kinda likes Pudson, who may fall too, but that’s so brief, and then completely left hanging, I don’t see the point of having those characters. And I say that when it gives us Nammon shirtless and wet, so you can imagine…

Finally, and those are both the smallest and the most annoying of all (alright I might push it a little). That single voiceover we have maybe a third in?? There is that breakfast moment where Rawee’s voice says something along the line of ‘uh, since I sleep by Phloeng’s side the nightmares are gone and then there is never EVER another voiceover during the whole movie? Could you not have found another way to show not tell this? This irked me so bad lol

And then, MDL tells me it’s supposed to happen in 1961, and while the (very cool) car Phloeng rides seems to agree, the rest of the aesthetic screams Khun Chai to me (not just because it’s the same house I swear) which is 1942-something so like … two decades earlier. It’s not a lot but it added some confusion post viewing I guess.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Any plans or spoilers on how Reborn!SWK meets his LEM?

Can Qi Energy be involved somehow? Like they were reborn as a Shadow spirit LEM met in the Shadow realm and just drag him to meet them or something? Sorry QE was my favorite in the movie, still sad what happened to them. 😅😅🥲

Hehehehe, I drafted this out immediately after watching the film :3

Reborn!SWK is a menace to society/his sworn pilgrims and I love him.

Reborn!Xuanzang/Tripitaka trying so hard to be the cool one. In hindsight he had no idea wtf the manfruit was, and he didn't even get a moment to be like; "Oh sweet Buddha this is a Texas Chainsaw Massacre-temple. Imma faint." so he could reject it. Man gets the "captured princess" treatment for the film.

Ao Lie/Bai Longma absolutely stealing the role as the most beautiful horse.

I adore Reborn!Sha Wujing in all his nerdy Abe Sapien-esque glory.

Reborn!Pigsy to Xuanzang; "No matter what your tear is for, I will wipe it." sounding a bit fruiter than expected with knowledge of lmk freenoodles :👀:

I've only had Qi Energy/"Fruitie" and hour and a half and something happened to him :(

Pure Wind and Bright Moon are the meanest femboys I've encountered thus far in my Journey to the West media tour. I will summon my Reborn!LEM for express purposes of karma.

If Yuandi had ID'd Xuanzang as not remembering his past as GC, then it could have been a hilarious moment of Yunadi not understanding why Xuanzang sees good in him.

How this SWK meets his LEM is very much tied to the rift caused by Yuandi and Qi Energy/Fruitie I did say that Reborn!SWK's *MK* had "already lived it's first life".

Spoilers under Read More

QE/"Fruitie"' = Reborn!MK/Qi Xiaotian >:3

He takes on a new form after his and Yuandi's deaths in the film. After all Energy cannout be destroyed, only transferred. A form resembling the species of creature he most adored in his short life; a monkey demon. However, the effort expended by sealing/merging with Yuandi leaves the newly formed soul neither living nor dead. A little shadowy shade in the shape of an infant.

Luckily as the newly formed creature cries out for a parent that it's never had; a kind figure guiding lost souls with their lantern hears them.

Reborn!Six Earred Macaque: "Oh dear... what horrible being would abandon such a defenseless creature?" Reincarnated QE: *delighted baby monkey chirping!* Reborn!LEM: *picks up QE and holds them tight* "Don't worry little one. I'll take care of you." Reincarnated QE: *tries nomming on LEM's glowing ears*

The shadow wielder dubs the baby; "Xiaoqi/Xiao Qi/效气" for their boundless energy even as a hungry newborn. And so Reborn!LEM continues on their own journey with a little stowaway in tow.

Both the pilgrims and the shadow wielder cross paths in the Slow-Cart Kingdom. Where a monk is captured, a pair of monkeys bond over unwanted suitors and an unexpected addition to their party, and a primordial energy spirit tries their best to tell the pilgrims that they're all better now!

[thekimspoblog]

For the record, I did finally see "American Fiction" a few nights ago. I am recommending you watch this movie, so I don't want to spoil it too much, but I wanted to share my thoughts.

When a slice-of-life movie is done well, I can really enjoy it, but if that aspect fails, a movie can become very cloying and tedious. In this case however, it was done well. "American Fiction" is a very cozy, very digestible movie that just follows this one family through the highs and lows of their summer. There are multiple subplots which have little to do with eachother, let alone the main story, but that's okay; it feels more realistic that way and the subplots are quite charming in their own right. The dialogue expresses familiar sentiments from other movies, but in a way that still feels fresh. In a sense, the trailer almost feels like a prank on the audience; white moviegoers were promised a mean-spirited satire on race relations, and instead what we got was 90 minutes of black people existing comfortably with minimal conflict. But if you're disappointed, that's on you. Setting aside the politics altogether, it's just refreshing to - every once in a while - watch a quieter movie about normal people being kind to eachother. Nobody has to die in order for a drama to be good... well... almost nobody.

The A-Story is basically just a rip-off of Spike Lee's "Bamboozled". Like I said, the story we saw in the trailer really only made up less than a third of the plot. And if you're upset about the bait-and-switch, "American Fiction" succeeded at what it was trying to do, but... also if you really wanted a movie about a writer pushing the envelope of prejudice for personal gain, you can still just go and watch "Bamboozled". For that matter, "Bamboozled" was already vaguely the same plot as Mel Brooks' "The Producers". I guess my main question is what it says about the psyche of white people, when you compare "American Fiction" to a movie made 24 years prior which had basically the same premise. Does it represent improvement, that a film can make the same social commentary without resorting to the same extremes to get the point across? Or have we grown more sensitive; is "American Fiction" a more toned-down version of the story simply because you could never make "Bamboozled" in the PC world of today? I hope it's the former. You probably couldn't remake "Bamboozled" today, but more importantly, "American Fiction" couldn't have been made in the 90's; the imagery of Monk's book was so commonplace back then, I don't think it would have occurred to white audiences that anything was even amiss. On the other hand, I think the white people in "American Fiction" are somehow more cartoonish; I remember a few moments while watching "Bamboozled" where I went, "Oh shit! Ok, I have said/done/thought stuff like that IRL", and I never had that moment watching "American Fiction". I call the movie "digestible" and "cozy" because I was able to get through the whole thing and not once did it feel like the movie was attacking me. But again, even if your movie sets out to make white people uncomfortable, that's still centering the story too much around our emotions; "American Fiction" had the more important goal of simply telling a story where black people are allowed to be happy.

The cringe comedy is extremely funny. This is the main reason I'm recommending the movie as lighthearted fun. Half the jokes boil down to "Jeffery Wright is annoyed" (and IMO that itself is enough to sustain a film), but there were also some lines of dialogue which completely caught me off guard. The movie is still more CUTE than it is FUNNY, but for a "cute" movie I was laughing almost all the way through. The other film I'd compare "American Fiction" to is "Dan in Real Life", and I definitely prefer this one, both in terms of likeable characters and quality of dialogue.

Spoilers ahead! I liked how the story had three endings, and like "Clue", the audience is left to pick which one they want. I still won't be spoiling what happens but I did want to talk about this part: It's fine that Ending A was never explained in detail; Monk has made his feelings about the situation pretty clear at this point; anyone with two braincells to rub together can use their imaginations and guess what he would have said at that podium. Ending B is pretty obviously the correct answer. Not only does a "rom-com" ending fit with the tone of the rest of the movie, but I think it gives the best resolution to what the story was actually about. I said none of the racist characters made me embarrassed about my own behavior, but that doesn't mean I didn't see Monk's personality flaws as a reflection of myself. "Tortured artist realizes at the 11th hour that his judgmental attitude has been isolating him from the people he cares about" is a theme I very much relate to, and it's the kind of story I've been wanting to write for years. Ending C was a little bit predictable, but still worked as the climactic punchline. It was the moment the story went from feeling like an unintentional ripoff of "Bamboozled" to a more direct parody of it. Ending D causes the rest of the story to become confusing, but it at least retroactively excuses some of the more contrived/cliched moments which happened at the beginning of the film.

So yeah. In conclusion, good movie, little forgettable but pretty damn funny. Go see it. Jeffery Wright is a DILF and I could watch another 90 minutes of him meandering around the beach, staring soulfully out at the ocean.

[balladedutempsjadis]

I drove 30 minutes each way today to go and see Ponniyin Selvan 2 at the theater closest to me that was still showing it. So this is the sequel to a movie that I didn’t even know about until last Saturday but I’m now OBSESSED (so if you’re a fan and I just friended you that’s why!)

The long drive was soooo worth it though I’m a little ticked off that the manager of the theater was so late to open things up that we missed the first ten minutes of the film (but I know I’ll watch both films again when Amazon gets PS2 in late June so no violence was done ;))

Short version: well worth seeing in the theater and I’m really glad I got the chance. I loved the movie, and couldn’t believe how fast it moved for an-almost 3 hour film. The characters and plot were as engrossing as in the first film and I’m glad I was mostly unspoiled except by history (spoilers below) because there were moments of intense suspense. I’m sad that it’s not a trilogy because I really wanted to spend even MORE TIME in this world with these people.

Longer version (with SPOILERS):

1. I knew Aditha Karikalan would die at some point because he never became a Chola king. And it was probably for the best that he didn’t rule the Cholas lands because I think he would not have made a good king, being so ruled by his passions. At least a few courses in anger management would have helped probably. But … Vikram was really stunning in the role of a man who loathes himself for what he’s become and is dying of guilt and shame long before he actually dies. Just ... I need to watch both movies again and see how his character develops from the flashbacks to the bitter husk of a man he is.

I still can’t figure out one thing, which is why he agreed to basically give up the kingdom for Madhurantakan without taking account the interests of his brother Arunmozhi Varman, whom he very demonstrably cared for deeply. (He was destroyed by the thought that his younger brother had drowned, and the only time we've seen present Aditya happy what when Nambi told him that Arunmozhi was alive.) Was it just because he already knew he was either going to convince Nandini to run away with him or more likely let her kill him and other people would be sorting out that mess anyway? Another reason that he wouldn’t have made a good king - running off with another dude's wife - but which made him such a fascinating and complex character and I keep thinking about how both Nandini and Aditha were destroyed by his family's actions. *sob* (Although, Arunmozhi also gave up a crown twice - the one the monks offered him in Sri Lanka and the one his father gave him at the end - so maybe giving up kingdoms just runs in the family. I'm #TeamQueenKundavai TBQH :P)

2. That brings me to Nandini. I felt like she really did love Aditha Karikalan but she also did love power and being a Queen (because of the theater malfunction I only got to see the very end of the flashbacks of young Aditha and young Nandini at the beginning of the movie so I may have a clearer understanding that this is not what she's about once I see that.) Aditha says "lies!" when she says she wants power, and riches, and a throne, but I think it's not *entirely* lies? She was powerless when the Cholas deported her, and powerless to stop Aditha from killing the man she thought of as a father (who actually WAS her father), so I can certainly understand why part of her longed for the power to protect herself from heartbreak and destitution and why that part of her was willing to use her beauty to manipulate men (like Parthibendran, more on him later.) Her vengeance and hatred hollowed out her character just as much as guilt and anger did to Aditha, but she doesn't murder Vanthiyadevan (OMG HOW DO YOU SPELL THAT?) when she has the chance even though she knows he's going to do everything to spoil her plans. So there's still something in her that isn't completely spoiled, and I ended up just feeling incredibly awful for her (and even more awful for her mother!)

She is so damn beautiful! (One slight thing that I WISH they had done was give the young woman who played young Nandini (wonderfully) some hazel contact lenses so I'd wouldn't mentally have to color her eyes :P)

3. Next we come to Vandiyadevan, who was just ... perfect? I loved him. He was like an ancient Tamil D'Artagnan (and that would make Aditha Karikalan Athos and Nandini Milady, I guess? And Nambi is Porthos and Kundavai is Aramis, the clever one.) Anyway, he was great, smart, quick-thinking, a great warrior, but also not at all dumb. I really liked him and enjoyed all of his scenes. And I found out from history that the historical character did get to marry Kundavai so YAY! He was just a nice bright spirit without a ton of angst.

4. And now we come to the titular character, Ponniyin Selvan (Ponni's son) himself, Arunmozhi Varman, who eventually becomes Rajaraja Chola. I had never even heard of Jayam Ravi (sorry, this is I think the first Tamil movie I've watched since I was a kid) but he was ABSOLUTELY PERFECT as the young "King of Kings." I think this might have been the most difficult role in the film to pull off, simply because Rajaraja Cholas is so famous and so beloved STILL, a thousand years after his death. It's very rare that I would love the unequivocally good guys in a historical epic or fantasy movie/series but there is something about this character played by this actor that is just extremely charismatic. To start with, he's tall and handsome so that helps. But there's another quality that no one else in this film has, which that he radiates inner calm.

It's not that he doesn't have strong emotions that he shows on his face, because yes absolutely he does, and it's not that he doesn't have much do action-wise because he does, especially in P-S2.

But in the midst of this frenetic action and these tortured characters, Arulmozhi Varman has this quality of stillness at his core. No wonder the Buddhist monks like him so much that that they will put themselves between him and assassins' daggers. (Also did I mention the tall and handsome part?)

Plus, he has that classic "worthy to be a king" thing going because he does not want the throne and that's what makes him worthy. First of all, he refuses the throne of Lanka when he's offered it by the Buddhist monks there, and then, after he's won the battle and broken the rebellion and secured the safety of his family's kingdom, he gives up THAT crown too. WE - the audience - know that Uttama Chola will ultimately die (I think peacefully?) and Arulmozhi will become Rajaraja Chola but HE doesn't know that, and none of the other people, his friends and family, know that either. Like, I'm kind of in awe of the actual historical figure too. The character could have died so many times in these two films, and the historical person, who was a warrior king, could also have died long before he took the throne, so he was FOR REAL making a huge sacrifice. And I think he did it so there would be no divisions that the Cholas' enemies could take advantage of, as there had been for Nandini and the Pandyas to exploit when Maduranthakan decided that yes, he did want to be king and that it wasn’t fair that his brother’s oldest son would be king instead of him. No one living at the end of the film knows that Aditha essentially killed himself, but everyone knows that the plotters were using Maduranthakan as a puppet. (The crown was kind of funny looking so I'm actually glad my boo didn't put it on at the end :P) (Also more on Maduranthakan later.)

Also, how cool is it that in the battle at the end, Arunmozhi comes riding out of the smoke while the Chola anthem plays, just as his brother did in the first scene of the first movie. I love that parallel (and the differences are important too, because Aditha was engaging in a conquest of a neighboring kingdom and Arunmozhi is defending the Chola kingdom.)

Anyway, Ponniyan Selvan lived to become the great Rajaraja Chola, whose reign saw one of the highest points of Indian art (the extraordinary Chola bronzes) and the construction of the great South Indian temple of Brihadeswara in Thanjavur.

The carvings are amazing (look closely at this elephant which is doing something that happens in PS2 :D)

OK, moving on ... though I don't want to ...

5. Kundavai, the third royal sibling, who I also love to BITS. She didn't have as much to do in this film, I thought, and maybe it's because there was more focus on Nandini in this one, but she remained smart and sensible and I love the face-off with her uncle when he brings the Shiva-yogis to make his mother (Kundavai's grandmother) apologize for not putting him on the throne. Kundavai forces him and his rather intimidating crowd of followers to back off with a lot of hard stares (Paddington would be so proud.) And then she has the lovely little scene with Vandiyadevan (I'm still so sorry I don't know how to make this work) and and another gorgeous scene with her brothers at the Buddhist monastery (which, I love the scene but I hate that it’s the ONLY one). I love her, and I think she should have become the queen and my only consolation is that IRL she got to basically shape two great kings of the Chola dynasty, Rajaraja AND his son Rajendra. (And Rajaraja named his daughter after her so he obviously appreciated her a LOT.) Anyway, I love her and would love a series about her (IF ANYONE IS LISTENING.)

Awww! I just want to draw little hearts and flowers around this GIF. I wish we got more of them being adorable and hot together.

6. Everyone else (sorry this is getting super long), including some questions I have.

a. Vanathi: I know I saw some scenes of her and Arulmozhi in one of the song videos hat got cut in the actual film and I just would have liked to know more of her relationship with Kundavai and with Kundavai's brother. They were lovely together, but it just felt like there was a lot of missing stuff. I liked what I saw of her especially the adorable dance in PS1. And she was also related to ... someone? Because she called him "mama" (uncle?) and he seemed to be the commander of Aditha's forces, but then there was another dude at Kadambur who was a relative of the Cholas and the treasurer guy who was married to Nandini but they were not the same person and I thought one of them was Vanathi's uncle. NEEDS MORE BACKSTORY.

b. Poonguzhali (AGAIN I AM SURE I SPELLED THIS WRONG): I REALLY need more backstory on this. When did she meet Ponniyan Selvan? Why did he call her Samudra Kumari? Why did she risk her life for him (I mean, besides being in love with him which checks out because everyone else is :P) and what was the deal with her and the flower man at the temple? I just feel like a lot of stuff was missing that would have helped me understand better what was happening. (Also she was an amazing sailor to have gotten through that storm.)

c. Parthibendran Pallava and his lightning-fast enmity to Vandiyadevan and then his baseless accusation that Arunmozhi Varman had sent Vandiyadevan to murder Aditha Karikalan. I mean, did he even meet either of them? Why did he think Arunmozhi wanted his brother dead? Was it all just from meeting Nandini THAT ONE TIME because bro, you need a slap if that's the case?

d. Madhurantakan - I was screaming at him (in my head) to realize that there would be no coup without bloodshed, GOD OF COURSE SOME OR ALL OF HIS BROTHER'S KIDS AND HIS BROTHER WOULD DIE. And the other kings wanted a puppet on the throne, not a warrior like Aditha or someone as popular as Arunmozhi (also a brave warrior). But finally Madhurantakan learned his lesson before he fully betrayed his kingdom and family and people. However, the bit about how he was administrating the kingdom for 25 years dropped in at the end was a bit sudden and I would have liked to know Arunmozhi’s thought process, even if it was just “hey I just want to go have adventures with Vandiyadevan because it’s super fun.” I would have also liked some evidence of said administration because they kept playing up his devotion to Shiva and not much else (though he clearly had the Shaivite warrior-mendicant vote SOWN UP! But I'm also confused because some - but not all - of those dudes appeared to be Secret Pandya Assassins, like the lady who attacked the Buddhist monastery and forced Arunmozhi to come out and show himself to the people and by people I mean assassins.) So I don't know ... Anyway, glad Madhurantakan came to his senses and did not side with the other kings against his family. While his reward for only being partially a traitor seemed disproportionate, on the other hand, I thought Arulmozhi was also smart to say that his sword and Vandiyadevan's would be backing up Uncle M so no one got any ideas and probably Kundavai would also be advising Uncle M about good administration. :D (It was kind of funny that Arulmozhi had to get the crowd to cheer for his uncle because they were all like *do not want**we want YOU, young victorious prince* but it’s a sign of his charisma that he got them to accept his uncle as king.)

e. The Pandya assassins were a bit reminiscent of Wile E. Coyote tbqh. All their plans kept not working out in spectacular ways. Is there some reason why no one tipped an arrow with poison or put poison in a cup of wine for Aditha who liked his wine or put poison on their swords so even if they nicked Arunmozhi they'd end up killing them? Do you sense a theme here? Was there some reason why the revenge had to involve actual beheading or it didn't count? Honestly, without Nandini they would have failed even more spectacularly. Also, after Nandini killed herself, what happened to the little Pandya boy king - Nandini's half-brother who swore vengeance? (FYI, I read somewhere - wish I could remember where - that Rajaraja Chola hunted down the assassins of his brother even as far as Indonesia.)

f. I was a little confused by all the uncles and grandparents and so on, like the white-haired general was the grandfather of the three Chola siblings, I assume their mother's father?

g. I would have liked some of the storylines more fleshed out (especially Mandakini's because that was very sudden and if she came and gave birth to Nandini in the Chola lands, how did Sundara Chola not know about this and I guess she spent time hanging out so she could save Arunmozhi when he fell in the water at home and abroad? Why did she care for him so much? Because he was like his father? That seems pretty generous. Anyway ...) If there is a director's cut that is five hours long for each film, PLEASE BRING IT ON. I would love to see it.

In conclusion - I LOVED both movies. This feels like a very special and great achievement, and I hope its success leads to more really good directors delving into South Indian history, like that of the Vijaynagara Empire (which is the subject of Salman Rushdie's latest novel which I haven't read yet.)

ETA: THE MUSIC. I loved it. I've been listening to some of it on a constant loop.

I'm now off to read the books and explore the filmography of Vikram, Trisha, Karthi and Jayam Ravi (if there are any films that are really awesome or really awful please let me know in the comments.) I have been meaning to get into South Indian cinema more and this was a great starting point.

[shiro249]

ᴏɴɢᴏɪɴɢ ꜱᴛᴏʀɪᴇꜱ (UPDATED)

Just wanna post this just keep on track on how many I had made. :'>

Dusk Till Dawn (Dabi x OC)

Dread. Pain. That’s the only thing Ren felt when he arrived at the location where Dabi is, wide-eyed as he saw the surroundings confined with blue flames before turning to him. Him, whose body turned for the worse as his body was encompassed with his flames. —————————————————— We Meet Again (SatoSugu) **Continuation of my other fic: We'll Meet again

Inside the train station, near the train rails, a white-haired man was stuck on a flesh like cube with his back facing a monk who had stitches on his forehead. The monk smiled as he greeted the male, despite the dead bodies mixed with curses and the people (especially transfigured people) who had come before. “Yo, Satoru~!”

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Querencia (Toji x Mamaguro)

It is the first day of May in the afternoon, the season of spring began to start as the Sakura tree began to bloom and petals fell in front of the Alopsia cafe. The cafe is surprisingly quiet, with only four customers who are only regulars, doing their own thing quietly until the bell on the top of the entrance door rang as the door opened, which disturbed the silence and showed a man in his 40s who has jet black hair with a pair of narrow green eyes and a small vertical scar at the corner of his lips, wearing a black long-sleeve sweater with a pair of black pants and shoes.

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Rainy Days (ItaFushi)

It is a rainy day in Tokyo, and the sounds of droplets of water are hitting the roof and the pavement. Inside a traditional room resides two young sorcerers in casual clothing as they just recently finished their assigned mission earlier, which tired them out, and now they are watching a random movie as their pastime, but the pink-haired boy's attention is somewhere else, preoccupied at the sound of the rain hitting the glass door. He looked at the large sliding glass door beside the sea-urchin-haired boy, displaying the heavy rain. Then he looked at the black-haired male beside him and said. “Would you like to join me dancing in the rain?”

—————————————————— A Perilous Intention (Draken x Emma)**Made a reference to one of the chapters in Before the Memory Fades by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. It's the day the season of winter came, Tokyo was filled with pearly white snow. During this season, a rustic coffee shop in Tokyo attracts a few people and tourists for its coffee and desserts and also rumors, where a person can travel to the past. The large window of the Alopsia cafè was covered with a little frost of winter, people covered with scarves and coats when entering or exiting the cafè. The cafè was lively, with the usual numbers of customers doubled, mostly old couples and teenagers looking for warmth. However, along with those groups, there was a man in his late twenties, whose features where hidden with a bucket hat, scrolling mindlessly in his phone with occasionally looking at the entrance door when hearing the bell rang when new customers came in but looks back to his phone again when he didn't find the one he looked for and today was the fourth day in a row he had visited the cafè. Each day he would arrive as the cafè opened, sometimes at noon. It would be a guess that something was suspicious about him but the workers and regulars paid no mind to it, assuming he was waiting for someone or just staying in the cafe for warmth. Soon, when late afternoon came, he stood up in his seat, sighing as he walked towards the register, deciding to pay for his coffee. And as he was about to pay, Shou, a part-time worker, exclaimed suddenly in astonishment. "Oh? Mr. Mitsuya!?" 

—————————————————— Needed Comfort (Vash x GN! Reader) **Spoilers from the episode 25: Live Through

They slammed the door, face full of worry and fear, as they heard the loud cries from a room where Vash resided. Their heart immediately shattered at the sight that was displayed in front of them as they entered: Vash crying and screaming while holding his head as loud sobs mixed with hiccups wracking through his body. They immediately rushed towards him and hugged him tightly, leaning his head into their chest and softly rubbing his back, letting him continue to cry until he calmed down. Their heart ached more as he heard the latter blame himself for what he had done. Distraught of breaking his rule of not killing people.

—————————————————— Repair A Cyborg! (Cyborg! Vantacrow Bringer and Mechanic! Huang Xin) The Mechanic groan loudly at the sudden knock on the door, knowing who it belonged to before he sluggishly opened it. His face contorted with exasperation. And that person who showed up is a tricolor-haired cyborg whose body's already falling apart, with a destroyed part in his face while his arms and legs where missing that it only leaves his shoulders and torso. "I literally fixed you just a week ago..." "Also, how did you even knock!?" **(There will be another version of this which will be featuring the Vantacrews as the Mechanic and this fic is inspired by an art of @/KorMumi in Twitter) ________________________________ What A Disaster...

(19 Days x male OC)

Setting: Chapter 430 (Punishment) After the boys shenanigans (starting out a fire and all), Xin decided to help Brother Qiu clean his place again as a compensation for the troubles they had caused and because the others wouldn't help as well. Only to have another disaster happen... —————————————————— Dream (Shiro Takahashi) TW: Violence, Gore, and mentions of Disorders and Depression Shiro was asleep, already comfortable in his sleeping position, until a sudden dream occurred. And let me tell you, it was the best dream that he ever had. __________________________________ Afterlife (Toji x Mamaguro)

Toji's life has finally ended by the hands the strongest, only to meet again with his wife in the afterlife. ___________________________ Yuji turned into a Togepi?! (Yuji Itadori x GN! Reader) The title says it all... ___________________________ Hehehe.....Uh Oh...(Luca Kaneshiro ft. Lucubs) Lucubs think its fun to steal and eat their boss' box of cheddar cheese pringles. Only to wish they haven't done that in the first place.. "Get back here!!" "We're so sorry!!" "We're not!" __________________________

SURPRISEEE, HERE ARE THE ONGOING FICS THAT I HAVE MADE, AND THE 19 DAYS IS THE MOST RECENT ONE, SO IT DOESN'T HAVE A SHORT REVIEW, ONLY A SUMMARY, AND I'M UNSURE HOW IT WILL TURN OUT, BUT STAY TUNED. BYE AGAIN! ^^

I'll introduce my oc's soon. -v-