#Vanisher will still make a cameo though

[miraculous-power-of-3]

Rand9m spoiler about Sabrina’s future Akuma form:

[mordenheim]

Let's try this

(Another BIG cameo here, by the wonderful https://www.furaffinity.net/user/mistybun )

Spring sighed as he leaned against the wall.  The big animatronic rabbit hadn’t been so drained after a performance for years and he was a little concerned.  It had gradually been getting worse the past few days, but he had always been able to make it back to his room for a quick charge to get him through.

Tonight, though, was different.  He leaned with his back against the wall, his legs angled to prop himself up.  He felt like he was about to crumple to the floor under his own weight.  It was all he could do to keep himself upright, much less make his way back to his room.

It wasn’t too long before the new night-shift technician found him and rushed over.  The young brown bat immediately placed a hand on the big bun’s forearm.

“Hey!  Hey, are you okay?”

Slowly lifting his head, he turned towards the bat, blinking.  “Huh?  Who’re you?”

“Screamer.  Here, let’s get you down to Parts and Service.”

Nodding mutely, the rabbit pushed himself up off of the wall and almost immediately started to collapse.  Rushing forward, Screamer caught him as best he could, giving out a grunt.  The animatronic towered over the five foot six inch bat, having a full two feet on him.  Not to mention he was heavier than he looked.  Still, he pushed himself up under one of his arms and steadied him.  “Think you can walk if I help you along?”

Not wanting to waste any more energy than necessary, he just nodded.  Leaning heavily on the tech, they shuffled their way down the hall and into the service elevator.  The door slid closed behind them and Screamer punched the  button for sub-basement 2.

Once the elevator doors slid open, the two of them hobbled their way across to the door to parts and services.  Carefully helping Spring up onto a work table, the bat doubled over with his hands on his knees for a moment, trying to catch his breath.

Spring turned his head in his direction, a look of concern on his face.  “Are you okay?”

“Huh?  Heh..  Yeah..  just.. Out of breath.  Gimme a second.”

“Gotcha.  Sorry about this.  Just..  I don’t think my battery’s holding a proper charge lately.”

Screamer nodded and stretched, extending his wings as he bent almost completely backwards before straightening up and folding them so tight and neatly behind his back they almost seemed to vanish behind him.  “I can replace that for you if you want.  Upgrade it, even!”

“Upgrade, huh?  Well, whatever you think’s best, I guess.”

“Wonderful!  I shouldn’t even need to power you down to do it!”  He grabbed a set of wires with alligator clips on the ends.  He steps over next to the big bunny on the table and nods respectfully, “May I?”

Spring blinked.  This was the first time a tech had actually asked or shown any kind of respect or concern.  He was surprised, but pleasantly so.  Nodding, he gave a little smile.  “Go ahead..  Uh..  please.”

Nodding, he carefully opened the big bun’s chest compartment and clipped the ends to the power terminals where his existing battery was kept.  Turning away for a moment, he came back carrying a box labeled “MDM Labs”.  The box itself looked a little old and dusty, like it had been stored away for a while.  Brushing off the dust he opened the box and carefully removed something that looked like a cross between a battery and a model of a space station.  

“Let’s try this.”

Spring was about to ask what it was when Screamer attached the clamps at the opposite end of the wire and Spring was jolted with a surge of energy.  He actually let out a gasp as the bat looked him over carefully.  “You okay?”

He nodded, grinning.  “Yeah, just never went from an almost dead battery to fully charged in one shot like that!”

Nodding, he carefully swapped the two batteries, keeping the big rabbit online the entire time and carefully closed the chest panel, tossing the old battery in the recycling bin.  “There we go.  How do you feel?”

Sitting up, Spring hopped off of the table to his big metal paws.  “Like a million bucks!  What kind of battery was that?”

“Well, according to the paperwork, it was actually a radioisotope generator, or an atomic battery.  If the information is accurate, it never needs charging and there shouldn’t be any drop-off in energy output for a good long while.”

Spring nodded.  He could feel the energy filling him up, tingling over every circuit and actuator.  Shivering a little, he stretched luxuriantly, his fingers a few inches from the ceiling when he felt a little surge of power and gave out a groan, then froze as he felt his hand lie flat against the tiles overhead.

“Uh.. Screamer?  I think…”

The bat turned to see the slightly bigger bun, then blinked as he surged larger, his head slamming upwards, breaking through the drop ceiling and exposing pipes and electrical conduits.  Spring crouched down in front of him, shivering as he felt his size surge again, bumping into the blushing bat.

“Oh boy…  How long did you say this can go before the power levels drop off?”

The bat gulped, rubbing the big rabbit’s shoulder and feeling it swell even larger in his hand.  “A few…  hundred years…”

[lylyisbored]

Ok, finally watched Deadpool and Wolverine. Thoughts:

spoilers ahead

Things I liked:

-Cavillrine. Wade should've name dropped "those shitfucks down the street" as warner bros execs specifically but I know it wasn't viable. Henry you're my true superman (and Geralt) forever.

-Hugh Jackman, obviously. He always puts his everything into this character and it's beautiful.

-Backstreet boys' Bye bye bye in the beginning (cheeky nod to Wade swinging both ways? Or all the ways actually)

-Soundtrack in general. I have the impression that they tried to use songs that were popular at the time the fox films they referenced were released and that was sweet. Pure nostalgia.

-Is it just me or the fights between Logan and Wade felt a lot bit homoerotic at times? Especially the car fight. Not just the coreography but like.. the camera slowly panning away while showing the car shaking up and down as the daylight fades? Like, damn. okay. I see what you did there..

That and the other little moments where they weren't fighting but were in close proximity/contact with each other bc reasons. Good job u guys. 10/10 👍🏼

-X23. I'd really like to see her back as the main timeline x23 but i don't trust Disney to not fuck this up.

-All the cameos really. Channing Tatum was avenged too by finally being able to play gambit which is good tho I wish he had the black and red eyes from the cartoons that would've been cool. But yeah he was really funny. (My fancast for main timeline Gambit is still Josh Hartnett tho, that being said Channing was still a good Remy)

-Cassandra was a nice surprise, I didn't know that character or the actress and she made a surprisingly fun creepy villain.

Things I didn't like or threw me off bc im too much of a nerd to not notice:

-Vanessa being fridged without actually being fridged. She was in this movie even less than in the movie where she got killed?Someone really "didn't want to share the spotlight" this time lol

-No but seriously, the reason they broke up wasn't clear/didn't make much sense to me, although I have to praise the acting. I think they just wanted an excuse to make Wade spiral again but they don't know what to do with a no-powers character in a superhero movie unless they're a male comic relief?

-The staples on the head gag. It was funny at first but. regenerative powers. His body should have pushed them out at most a couple seconds after, like it does with bullets. They could still have made a joke out of it.

-And I actually only realized this after watching the film but shouldn't Wolverine also not be able to get drunk bc of his powers? In Deadpool's game Wade can't get drunk bc of exactly bc of that and in Catfa Steve can't get drunk while mourning Bucky for the same reason. And I'm pretty sure his regenerative powers are pretty mild compared to Logan and Wade's.

-They missed a chance to throw in a zip it Mr Darcy. or Tom. Both would've worked. Personally I'm partial to Mr Darcy cause I'm a 2005 p&p stan and I haven't watched Succession yet but yk either would've been good.

-A lil peck between Yukio and Negasonic would've been nice 🥺

-Things I wished would've happened even though most of it can't bc Disney, but a girl can still daydream dammit: 

-Gwenpool

-T-rex-pool

-Mention of Logan being poly with Jean and Scott (it's my hc regardless)

-Pyro having had a enemies to enemies who fuck thing with Iceman at an earlier point in time (also my hc regardless)

-Mention of how ooc and creepy and completely nonsensical cap's "ending" was.

-Mention of Stucky

-The tva actually being evil

-Domino. I miss her. Actually all the X-Force members that were missing except for the vanisher for obvious reasons. Fuck that guy. My hc is that Wade saved all of them anyway. Except for, again, the vanisher.

-The timelines get fixed to keep existing when their franchises die. They keep on going we just don't see them anymore. I think implying that they die when hollywood doesn't make movies about them/they are not canon anymore is dismissive of fanworks. The multiverse should be infinite and all the stories imagined about a character whether it's "canon" or not exist somewhere no matter how terrible or ridiculous or wonderful it is. We just so happen to get to see only a handful of them in live action.

-Karl Urban as an alternate Wolverine (he's my fancast for the main timeline logan).

-The fact that if Ben Affleck got a subtle jab, Brad Pitt should've gotten 2. Non subtle ones. At all. Idk about you but I think physical abuse is a liiil worse than cheating. Just saying.

-Vanessa having powers. Hear me out: I know that her powers in the comics are basically the same as Mystique's (she's even blue too) BUT they could've made her be like that chick from Heroes that could do anything she saw other people do just by watching them. I would've been different enough from Mystique AND it would've still made sense with her superhero name being Copycat.

-Vanessa and Wade being polyamorous too

Conclusion: I think I might prefer deadpool 2 a juust a tad bit but I still really liked this one :) . It's definitely much better than anything mcu has being releasing lately

Ps: Johnny sweetie ilysm but you're a fucking idiot

Ps²: Wade sweetie ilysm but you absolutely were responsible for it, you didn't have to quote him on that.

Ps³: RIP nicepool I'm sure you were good papa to dogpool no matter how jealous prime deadpool was. Also I loved The Proposal.

[sco07ut]

what just happened!!!!!!!! s19 rambles (negative) ↓

going to be messy cos im just planning on writing whatever outrageous moments stand out as i go along

first of all????? DOC FUCKING DIED?????????? i literally had to rewatch a few times to realise that’s what they were saying 😟 when the fuck did he die bc doc eas Inside the staff of charon and wash was fuckijg idk?? on the surface of chorus right?? how did doc die saving him what (genuinely someone smarter than me if you’ve figured it out please tell me) bc like the point of the charon fight is that they were stuck in the mementos room right? idk

anyway he was done so dirty i literally do not think there was a reason to reveal doc was dead in the last five minutes

on that note, where was donut?? did he die too ? how long after chorus is s19 set like was that undisclosed location iris or what. did he do his whole ‘tour of the universe’ thing early? like i would’ve been fine with even just a passing comment but they were so vague with it

WHY DID SARGE DIE AND THEN PROMPTLY BECOME IRRELEVANT????? aside from simmons grif & caboose not a Soul mentioned the fact that a whole man was dead. i was so convinced that there would be some big funeral with everyone attending at the end

i did sort of like the plot though, simmons getting a leadership role was kinda fun

tbh i did like simmons this season it was so great seeing him finally get recognition but good grief i cannot talk about simmons without bringing up the ending/lack of grimmons

it makes sense that they wouldn’t get together if grif went home and simmons stayed in the army BUT WHY DID SIMMONS STAY IN THE ARMY?? RICHARD YOU DO NOT HAVE A FUCKING TEAM ANYMORE (on that note. where did lopez go. i’m only just realising that he literally vanished) i’m so insane why did they do that. they could’ve gone home together. and kissed about it idk

i mean i didn’t actually expect grimmons to happen but i thought they’d stay together?? it’s always been them. like that’s the whole point of their characters. every other person who’s been on their team before has died and left them (grif sleeping through being glassed, hammer dying during basic, the red team at rat’s nest and now sarge and donut i guess?????) why did they not stay together

also on the grif family note, the kai cameo was nice (though i will say i do Not understand the point of the whole retro con thing, i feel like it went on for ages, did nothing to set up the plot. the meta could’ve been introduced some other way surely)

also while i’m thinking about it, why did it take tucker/the meta months to get from chorus to a point where he was actively searching for epsilon ?

anyway sorry kai cameo fun but she should’ve had a bigger role idc

it kind of feels like they suddenly realised almost all their female characters were overlooked and they tried to shove them in to be like ‘ohhh look we care about our female characters’ and then screwed them over by making them either insignificant or nothing more than a cameo

with the exception of tex maybe. i fully did not expect her to come back prior to watching but when caboose was like oh help me remember i started to get a feeling it wouldn’t be church. i’m also so glad they addressed the whole ‘created from failure/destined to fail’ thing, tex fuckijg deserved that win. sad that she died though (i wasn’t expecting that either and was like fully geared up to start making post restoration fanart of carolina and tex hanging out and learning how to be friends/family again)

idk i just feel like we missed out on so much stuff due to time constraints, there were so many scenes that should’ve been put in imo like carolina and tex having some sort of moment together, grif and kai having a moment, carolina & wash seeing 479er again

ok wait different chain of thought. everyone was like really eager to kill tucker. there was no moral dilemma of everyone being like ohh beneath the meta hes our friend we can’t hurt him but we still need to take him down what’re we gonna doo. although on second thought it was red team so . yeah the mindless attacking does make sense a bit

new thought again overall it just felt weird like everyone had their assigned pairings and couldn’t acknowledge anyone outside of them?? like during the fights there wasn’t much of a reunion when tex/carolina joined and then wash (and apparently not fucking doc) like idk. i was under the assumption thatvthere would be a sweet little scene where they got the gang back together

whatever man that’s everything off the top of my head. i had no expectations going in and still somehow left disappointed. i Will be making an au version that fits all the things i wanted to see

[saltygilmores]

THOUGHTS WHILE WATCHING GILMORE GIRLS-SEASON 3, EPISODE 1: LAZY HAZY CRAZY DAYS (PART 2)

Anyone seen Jess lately? Eh, we already know what (who) he's been into this summer. But yeah that was definitely Jess. Winter, spring, summer, fall. even with a broken foot, Taylor Doose does not cease, yield, desist, nor take a break from his quest to line his pockets with the money of the citizens of Stars Hollow, under the guise of some sort of charity event. Fun! Let me guess, the Bridge again?

Sounds like a good excuse for Jess Mariano to wear short sleeves and engage in some tonsil hockey underneath a tree.

Mmm, Window Doritos. Luke and Lorelai still haven't made up. She's been avoiding him and the diner the entire freaking summer? There's no way. Without Luke providing her daily supply of supermarket Folger's, she would wither away and die.

Scenes that take place outside of The Hollow are usually the most fun but I predict this is going to be lame. They got some early 2000's politicans to make cameos in this one, people I'm sure the 16 year olds watching this show when it aired (or ever) cared about.

Who's this putz? *squints at nametag* Nice to meet you...James. He looks like a nice normal generically handsome dude, maybe for once Rory could stand to go on a date with a handsome dullard who won't kick up any leaves, kinda like that time Richard and Emily tried to hook Lorelai up with this guy's father.

Paris Geller for President, Rory Gilmore as her first lady.

You don't have a prayer with either of them Jamesy. Ohhhhh. James is JAMIE. Of course. I remember this generically cute, mass-manufactured piece of untoasted WonderBread now. The one who...takes Paris' virginity. Welp I guess I have to take back the whole "You don't have a prayer" thing then.

Paris agrees to dinner plans with UTWB (Untoasted White Bread), not realizing she agreed to a date, and Rory has to tell her what happened, and when Rory is more knowledgable about dating and relationships than you are, you know you have work to do. So what we have here is a fine blend: one part Paris being unable to relate to people, one part confusion about her sexuality, a subject that this show will refuse to ever touch on, and one part realizing she agreed to a date with a boy who is a bottle of human Nyquil, throw this all in a blender and you've got a recipe for a Paris Geller nuclear anxiety attack.

Kirk our neurodivergent king.

You do not, don't lie to him like that. Lorelai did invent a vanishing cream though. She slathers it on every time she leaves work in the middle of the day. Lorelai: Don't cows eat hay? Kirk: Yes, but "Grass There" is a bad name. LOL, that got a good laugh out of me. We love you Kirk. Keep being you. Lorelai and Emily have a pointless debate on the phone about what date Rory was supposed to be arriving home, Lorelai says she's coming home on Saturday whereas Emily insists she was misled to believe she would be home in time for FND tomorrow. Jesus Christ, Emily. Can't you let that poor girl decompress and have some time to herself after being away from home all summer? Can you let her skip one FND? Rotten. Emily wants to know where Crusty is and Lorelai says Satan is "Away on business". "Away on Business"=In the firey shrieking depths of hell (Boston?) Emily wants her beloved Crusty to join FND tomorrow. I swear to god if I have to fast forward past yet another Crusty FND I'm gonna scream.

No no no no. NO. Where is Alex? Bring me Alex! #SaltyIsAnAlexStan #PossiblyTheOnlyAlexStan

JarPad has a real talent for making every thing Dean says sound so ominous and serial-killer like. Rory: That gives me three hours to look presentable. Should I go blond?

He should want her to go blond because it'll be easier to conceal her identity when he kidnaps her and takes her on the run. Not only does Emily want to wrench Rory off her flight in mid air to force her into FND but she's agreed to meet Dean immediately after his plane touches down only 3 hours after her own?! Not only that, it's September 3rd, which means a new school year is starting next week, she's trying to talk Paris down from a nuclear anxiety attack and get her ready for her first date, I'd say that I don't know how Rory is acting so calm under all this pressure but we know she's bottling it up inside like a powder keg ready to explode and it's just a matter of time. Is this his home or a hotel room? It looks like a serial kiler's motel room on the side of abandoned highway. That chair is made of human skin. That's totally a serial killer's old tv, one where he holes up watching America's Most Wanted and grainy news reports about his own escape from justice. "My plane is arrving at 6" he says, unaware that the police tapped his phone lines. That shirt looks like something he took off of one of his victim's or bought from a dying K-Mart in some small town, where there's a cashier named Phyllis who's been working there for 30 years, he paid cash, tried to avoid looking directly into the store's security cameras, Phyllis just smacks her gum as she rings up his serial killer polo shirt, gallon of bleach, tarps and rubber gloves. To be fair, Jess threatens to murder Dean and dump his body in a ditch not long after he's already murdered Shane and fed her to the swans in this season. All the more reason Dean and Jess should call a truce, realize they have more in common than they think, and leave Rory alone.

Whew. There's so much to unpack in just these two sentences. Just like all the dead bodies Dean Forester has to unpack from his trunk.

That's what his victims say before he leads them to their demise. Rory has to hang up on Dean Wayne Gacy because Paris is melting down as her date with Nyquil approaches. Dean has to hang up because the SWAT team is about to bust down his door.

Rory's reaction to Dean saying "I Love You". She doesn't say it back. Stay tuned for part 3.

[waffluous]

ini/jo1 wips that will never come to fruition

"yikes": band + mafia au. sho. but also dxteen ini jo1 and me:i are all there

“Listen. My main concern is why the actual fuck are you getting involved with Jaminico?”

Jaminico is a lavish bar spot for the upper echelons of society, but as everyone and their dog knows, it's the world's worst front for the major mafia businesses futzing around in Japan. And, as everyone and their dog also knows, the mafia is not good news for- anyone, really. Unless your interests happen to include “trying to get a gunshot to the back of your head and have it passed off as a suicide”, in which you should absolutely do whatever the hell you want before the inevitable happens.

It seems as if Suzuku is amongst these ranks, and you noisily exhale into your phone mic to emphasise your feelings about this information.

"ku": mafia au. masaya. also taji is there

It's only when you're under your thick doona that you realise that you've totally forgotten about your sketchbook, which is most definitely still at the park.

Oh well. Surely no one's taken it.

"h": not an au. either sho or masaya

no cool excerpt all just bland worldbuilding

"lol": soulmate au. masaya. also ini

Unfortunately, you were so dumbfounded by your uncomfortably bright string, now looking like a high budget ribbon ensemble, that you couldn't really appreciate this. This evidently applied to basically everyone in the room, with the outliers just goggling you in undisguised shock. Your apparent soulmate, or black hair guy as you had dubbed him in your mind, was also part of this demographic - completely lost for words whilst staring at you.

Yikes. This was… really fucking awkward.

"jumps are": school delinquent au. masaya. twice j line makes a cameo

A bright eyed guy stepped in, hair bleached a uniform blonde, colourful bag haphazardly slung on his back, the 3 top buttons of his school shirt undone, mildly shredded pants collecting around his worn Nike Jordans, and an impressively neutral complexion on his face.

It was honestly quite commendable that he was that unfazed under all the whispers and stares of your classmates. Maybe he was a new kid?

Whatever. You went back to staring down the sparrows bouncing and prancing on the swaying trees outside until the discordant screech of a budget school chair being pulled out alerted you to the arrival of someone next to you. Which was surprising, considering no one sat there, ever, thanks to the unfortunate reputation of your absent seatmate.

This person was not deterred, for a multicoloured bag was unceremoniously plonked on the desk. Grey school pants particularly beat up around the knee area entered your vision. You looked up.

It was blondie.

"im going to be so fr rn": ceo au. masaya yudai. maki gets to enjoy the tomfoolery.

“I hope you're not overworking yourself or anything,” Masaya said in that kind honest tone of his. How he managed to do that in a line of work where he most likely was a professional liar was beyond comprehension. “Would you like to go get a drink with me?”

“Oh, don't worry, I'm-” You cut yourself off when your brain registered that last question. “Fine. Yes. Fine.” Kyosuke did not mention that his friends (?) were extending pleasantries beyond business…?

“What’s this?” Speak of the devil – Yudai slid in, pristine leather briefcase in hand, and smiled at Masaya. “And you're not inviting me?"

“Thanks for offering, but I don't really want anything right now,” you hastily told them. “Hopefully you guys have fun though!”

"god is real and he is in this doc": genderbent au. maki masaya yudai. taji and fengfan are there too

A group of some of the prettiest girls you had ever seen in your life walked by, and with each step they took, you could feel your heart seeping out into the floorboards beneath you. Dripping through, vanishing into the depths of the foundations, any other sentences in the same vein – that was you right then.

Oh my God.

Oh. My. God.

It was almost as if some otherworldly being was laughing in your face when one of the girls smoothly turned her head and met eyes with you, before you very awkwardly looked away.

…Was it too early to have another freak out? No. No, it absolutely wasn't.

[dapurinthos]

some later acolyte thoughts:

+ darth plagueis aka hego damask ii my favourite fucked-up occult scientist, literally bred to be a sith, you utter bitch, welcome to the screen. i am becoming increasingly glad that all we got was the cameo because i'm holding the darth plagueis novel with a circle of salt around me so disney can't get at it.

- though that cameo makes this whole story kinda useless. it's a shaggy sith story. even moreso than i thought it would be. i'm taking mae's memory wipe as a half-win for my 'mae's going to die' prediction because who she was from 8-years-old onward did die.

+ cortosis is on television baby! not just the fuck-off big ascendant sword from the aphra comics, but part of top-level canon (don't try to tell me that's something left behind in legends no there are still obvious tiers of canon).

- can we stop with the whole 'omg the jedi are flawed that must mean that they're actually evil!!!111one' movement? 'what if one of you snaps?' says senator wearing-a-crimson-dawn-looking-pendant well sir it looks like you don't know the history of your own fucking government, which instituted sweeping changes at the last sith war (the result of one of them snapping. heeyyyy phanius/darth ruin) so that the jedi did not have access to armies, large-scale weaponry, etc. and that's at least the second time a schism like that's happened.

it's the senate. it's always the senate's fucking fault because this is star wars and it's always the government's fault. the senate is all 'oooh we should meddle with the jedi' the jedi go 'can u not?' the senate really, really wants to, so they dip a toe in the meddling pool and splash it around a bit, which send the jedi into a tailspin because they're unfortunately under the thumb of the senate and you get vernestra covering things up sorry i've may have been dooku-ing a bit too much.

+/- cortosis's new feature of literally blocking the force is new. the way it works in legends is that it messes up the feedback of the lightsaber and shuts it down that way (a lightsaber blade is more of a loop than an actual blade). sidious wouldn't have had it in his walls if it blocked the force, but here qimir just pops on the helmet and vanishes from vernestra's perception. aw, did someone not learn the quey'tak meditation correctly?

+/- the whole 'you are the same person' thing with mae & osha. is this actually true, given that it was sol saying it (authorial intent reads to me that we're not supposed to trust him because he lied about brendok), but the implications. the fuckery this could bring. a dyad is one person in the force (are the twins one? if they practised?), but what does that mean? you share powers, you can communicate across distances, extra powers, but two people being one is something incredibly fucked up—do they pick up each other's traits? are their minds slowly merging until they, literally, are one person in two bodies? 'always one, but born as two.' i mean really. (is part of the sith notion of it more in this flavour, in that the dominant one of the pairing would eventually take over like essence bleeding instead of transfer?)

+ lololol we're 2/3 for crystal bleeding being done like it's no big thing as opposed to vader's whole vision sequence when he's doing it.

- look. we get it. we know order 66 happens. we know what happens to the jedi. we don't need to be reminded of it constantly. you don't need to have characters in-text be ominously foreboding about it like they know it's going to happen.

- what was the point of having vernestra rwoh in here? like, three lines mentioning specific high republic things? they should've left it as it originally was planned, which wasn't to be part of the high republic storyline. because now it's hard not to read her ‘he justified every selfish step he took with his love for your sister’ moment as a HEY VERNESTRA TELL US HOW YOU REALLY FEEL ABOUT ELZAR MANN moment. she's not on the high council, there's mention of a 'small council' but nothing more is given on that. is she supposed to be aligned with the shadows? no? yes?

+/- so qimir's basically a mix of kibh jeen and darth venamis, then, in the 'was a [jedi] before he turned to evil' (really. REALLY. the important thing about star wars is that it rhymes, not that it literally repeats) and 'poison-flavoured sith apprentice', respectively. darth dentabis or darth pharmakis it is, then.

[voidsentprinces]

Need to give more love to minor characters. Like Maxima was given a name, a unique model to stand next to Asahi and shows up like...four times in the story and at least two of those times he's basically a background character. So I was glad when he and Lucia actually were given things to do in Endwalker for Garlemald because Lucia also felt like just a background character in Heavensward.

Though....that being said it still felt fucking odd that Gaius, Cid and Nero weren't involved too. Especially Gaius since like...if you're only playing the MSQ. Gaius is a HUGE fucking deal he WAS the baddie of ARR up until Lahabrea was the last man standing. Then he was re-introduced in Stormblood to great fanfare, runs around all Shadowbringers and then when its time to go save Garlemald. He arrives to be like, "Nah, I'm good." So his entire return is like, "I am here too..." and if you just don't take note to even back track to do the Werlyt story line. He's basically glorified fanservice. Like Pyramid Head after Silent Hill 2. He's here to make a cameo, sell copies, collect his pay check and then vanish.

[eric-cartman-my-beloved]

Matt and Trey really said Cartman has a sibling and then never referenced it ever again. Almost 13 years ago Scott said he would be back and we didn’t even see him in Post Covid (Hell we saw Kevin McCormick). I wonder if they’re building up to something but the most likely situation is they just forgot about Scott, which sucks because they have the best sibling dynamic. I have so many questions like where is Scott living now? Did he go back to the mental hospital? Who the hell did he live with right after the chili incident? Is he even alive or did he kill himself? Why did they never reference (even briefly) Cartman arranging to have his dad killed after 201? (Cartman still wishes he had a dad in the teenagers ep and the streaming wars) Does Cartman just want to forget about Scott and what he said? This bothers me so much because if you never watched 201 (a banned episode btw) you would have NO idea they were even related. Like yeah Cartman’s hair is a mix of red and brown (While his mom has dark brown hair) but that wouldn’t lead someone to the conclusion he would be related to the Tenormans and Scott would be his sibling.

So many questions So little answers.

Aah dear Anon, you've touched my heart with this, you've no idea😭 You've put all of my thoughts about Scott's disappereance into words!

Matt and Trey literally made them brothers for the shock value and then made Scott vanish! (Ouch, please don't say "201" was 13 years ago, that hurts😭)

EXACTLY. Forget about Kevin for a second, we even saw the leader of the 6th graders. The *freaking* leader of the 6th graders. (Well, they weren't 6th graders anymore but you get my point.) We saw all of those minor characters, but apparently Eric's brother was not important enough...!

I'm adding this to the reasons to hate the Post Covid Specials. (As if I didn't have enough already... )

Though, techically, Scott did make a "comeback" with "Tenorman's Revenge", but yeah, that obviously wasn't in the show, so it doesn't make up for his disappereance.

I wish trough the depths of my heart that Matt and Trey have something planned for Scott and they haven't completely abandoned him, but unfortunately I'll have to agree. It looks like they've forgotten him... Eric and Scott clearly have the best sibling dynamic, in the whole show, at the very least.

Oh my God me too! Just what is going on in that boy's life right now??

I'm guessing he's living in some kind of orphanage/foster care? We haven't been told anything about other close relatives so far, so... But I do need an official answer at some point!

Ah, no, at least we don't have to worry about whether he's alive or not! I don't know if you've noticed, but he makes a *tiny* little cameo near the end of the vaccination special. So, at least he's alive - that's something.

That's so true and it's so weird! It's like the big reveal in "201" never happened!

After the teenager episode in season 25 I was honestly hoping for them to at least reference Jack in this season (at least a mention!) but alas... I agree that probably Eric is trying to forget about his origins but still, they could have found a way to reference Jack or Scott.

This is something that makes me crazy too! Because "201" happened to be banned, barely anyone remembers about Scott's existence, let alone the fact that he and Eric are related 😭 I still see people get shocked when they learn that they're brothers, and Scott is included so rarely in sibling fanart...

And of course, Eric's hair color can't exactly tell you who his father is.

I honestly think that they should somehow officially at re-release the scenes with Scott somehow, so at least more people will know he exists.

*Sigh* You can certainly say that again...

[lynmars79]

No Spoilers Review - The Olympian Affair

Just finished Book 2 of The Cinder Spires, The Olympian Affair. It picks up during/right after the recent novella Warriorborn, though that's not necessary to understand the novel's plot. Does show how and why Benedict gets a Cat name, though.

Picking up 2 years after The Aeronaut's Windlass, Spire Aurora seems to have come up with a terrifying new weapon as Spire Albion prepares for war. Spire Olympia hosts a diplomatic summit, also including some of the other Spires, such as Atlantea--which seems poised to ally with Aurora. Albion's representatives must navigate treacherous schemes politically, socially, martially, and magically in a race against time to secure the information and alliances needed to win the day, let alone the oncoming war.

More of Grimm's POV, more of Espira's, more of Bridget's. Duchess Abigail Hinton joins the POV cast; she's lover of Commodore Alex Bayard, Grimm's best friend since their Fleet Academy days--and one of the few people who was present and knows the truth about how and why Grimm was drummed out, which gets explained in this novel. Abigail and Alex are both duelists which forms a cornerstone of the plot and some of the stresses inherent between them and other characters.

Gwen is now XO of Predator, learning from Grimm. We learn how and why he initially received the ship from Bayard. Benedict and Bridget are courting, Ferus and Folly still aid Predator. Espira, his warriorborn sergeant Ciriaco, and (Grimm's estranged wife) Captain Calliope Ransom, find themselves wrestling with the dangers of Madame Cavendish and her warriorborn attendant Sark, versus their own consciences. I like Espira a lot; he's a man of loyalty, faith, honor, and principle, and it's all tested here. He was an antagonist in the first book, and while still part of the Auroran military, his role is different in this novel.

We don't get Gwen's POV (except for at the end), nor do we get into Folly's head this time. A number of new characters--many of them women--appear, including a much less treacherous love interest for Grimm (Piker Admiral and warriorborn Captain Ravenna), another dangerous etherialist who has rank in another Spire, the sister of Olympia's leader--and Abigail and her assistants. I liked Abigail right off; she's extremely socially and politically aware and rather badass in many ways. She makes difficult choices for the right reasons, even when it might cost her everything she cares about.

The Olympian captain from the first novel makes a cameo appearance to talk up Gwen in front of her father (one of the diplomats) but then vanishes again. You'd think we would see more of him given his home Spire is the central location of most of the action.

We also get a trip to the surface and some of the inherent dangers present in this mutated world. It's mostly follow up to the novella and tying up loose ends, creates some random complications for a character, and in the end...is really there to give certain characters something to do and an excuse to be at the climactic scenes while not actually contributing much narratively beyond a ground view of horror and a relationship shift that could have come in other ways.

And more hints that this is a far future alternate Earth, where some sort of disaster hit--and there may have been outside influence to that. Some story elements of Dresden bleeding through? We'll see I guess. There's a map of the various Spires and some colonies that looks awfully suspiciously North America-like, if heavily altered.

We're left on a cliffhanger and several other unresolved situations that make me think the next story is picking up right off the end of this story; characters in a precarious situation might get rescued in another novella, or at the start of the next full novel. And I really need to know what happens with one of the romantic pairings, as they're going through some roughness due to certain choices. Some characters are going to deal with some permanent physical changes, and one familiar character does die (can't say it was entirely unexpected, though I still cried).

But there's some happiness too, and bonds of friendship and various kinds of love. A lot of hope. Some wins, even amid losses and setbacks.

And the Cats, of course. Still infuriatingly delightful, as they should be.

EDIT: Oh, there's a bit more racial diversity at least mentioned as a thing in the novels; Atlanteans are also noted to be typically dark-skinned, and a few other characters in their descriptions. It's vague but there, or at least left to imagination. More than I can say for anyone who isn't straight, as the characters reactions and assumptions are all pretty stereotypically straight, as is usual for Butcher, I've so far found.

[yesterdanereviews]

Men in Black II (2002)

Film review #534

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld

SYNOPSIS: Agent J is having trouble keeping an agency partner, as he feels like none of them are cut out for the job. When Serleena, an evil alien, comes to Earth looking for an artefact of immense power called the Light of Zartha, she will stop at nothing to acquire it. Unfortunately, the only person who knows where the light is hidden is Agent K, whose memories Agent J wiped five years ago when he neuralised him. Agent J goes to retrieve Agent K, somehow restore his memories, and hopefully save the world from an alien threat once again...

THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Men in Black II is a 2002 sci-fi film and the sequel to the 1997 film Men in Black. The film starts of with Agent J, who five years on from the events of the first film, has gone from a rookie to one of the top agents in the agency. He chases down Jeff, a monster worm who travels through the New York subway. J’s new partner T, seems to be not up to the job, and so J neuralises him and wipes his memory to lead a normal life. Agency leader Z laments J’s constant neuralising of his partners, including L, who became an agent at the end of the first film. Meanwhile, an alien named Serleena lands on Earth looking for the “Light of Zartha,” an energy source of immense power that was supposedly taken off Earth years ago, and she has been destroying planets across the universe looking for it. The only person that knows where it is is Agent K, who was neuralised himself, and so agent J must retrieve him and recover his memories before Serleena destroys everything. 

The film’s structure and plot is very similar to the first time...a bit too similar. The film basically just role reverses the two main characters from the first film; with Agent J now being the veteran agent, and now Agent K without his memories is technically the rookie. You can see how this might be an interesting way to mix things up for the sequel and have the characters take on new roles, but it really is just a straight swap between them. Also, Will Smith doesn’t really work as the “straight” guy. Another problem with this is that when Agent K does get his memory back, the roles reverse again, and Agent J suddenly becomes the wisecracking rookie again, undoing all of his character development. This feels very much like a backwards step, although in some senses it is for the best, as the two can get into the roles that work properly for them. Going through all the trouble of getting K’s memories just to have them revert to the status quo is a pretty weak payoff though. The second element of the story concerning the “Light of Zartha” is again just a retread of the first film, in that the agents must find a small artifact that is actually a massive power source. There’s really nothing new that the film offers here.

Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are still appealing and entertaining in their roles, and still have great chemistry. The whole role reversal element doesn’t really do anything for their characters though. Frank the Pug takes the role of “rookie” before K returns, but it just doesn’t have the same dynamic, and relies very much on the repeated joke of Frank being a dog and that’s it. The supporting cast of Z and the worms make a return and are fine in their roles, and there’s a strange cameo by Michael Jackson who wants to be “Agent M,” which I’m not really sure what to think of. A lot of the pop culture gags, such as this and Frank’s barking to “Who Let the Dogs Out” definitely ages the film more than anything else. Serleena as a villain is quite boring and underwhelming, both from being very similar to the first film’s villain, and Lara Flynn Boyle’s dry and uninterested delivery just doesn’t work. Johnny Knoxville’s character, serving as Serleena’s henchman, is pretty underwhelming and annoying too: he also just...vanishes near the end of the film, making him seem extremely pointless. The tone of the film is a bit all over the place: the added pop-culture references, as mentioned, definitely age the film, and while some elements of the film feel a bit more geared towards younger audiences, there’s also a few darker elements that are definitely intended for older viewers, so it’s hard to pin down the overall feel of the film. The pop culture references were apparently added in by Barry Fanaro, who revised the first draft of the script, and this is something the original writer,  Robert Gordon, avoided doing, which I think he was right about. Fanro did apparently reintroduce Agent K earlier in the film with his revisions, so that’s definitely a plus for him. The director, Barry Sonnenfeld, also took issue with the love story element between Agent J and Laura, because Will Smith doesn’t work as the serious guy (at that time anyway). This very much seems like a film in which no real vision got it’s way, and the conflicts at all these levels compromises in a very safe repeat of the first film.

Overall, Men in Black II definitely has some entertaining elements, and is held together by the main cast and their chemistry. A confusing mix of tone and visions from multiple people involved really hamper the film’s ability to drive the franchise forward, and supported by a weak cast of minor characters and cheap gags, you’ll be left feeling that you haven’t gained anything from watching this film. It’s perhaps worth a watch once, but the first film does everything better.

There’s perhaps one thing about the sequel (controversially) that I will say surpasses the first film though: I prefer the theme “Nod ya Head” to the “Men in Black” song from the first one. I’m sure that will make me some enemies.

[ibtk]

Book Review: Stephen McCranie's Space Boy, Volume 6 (2020)

The one where we finally discover Oliver’s flavor!

— 3.5 stars —

A long-running weekly comic on WEBTOON, Stephen McCranie’s SPACE BOY is teased as “A sci-fi drama of a high school aged girl who belongs in a different time, a boy possessed by emptiness as deep as space, an alien artifact, mysterious murder, and a love that crosses light years.”

The MC is Amy, a sixteen-year-old girl who’s pretty normal except for the fact that she’s an unwitting time traveler. Born on a mining colony, her family was forced to return to earth when her father lost his job. Since it’s a thirty-year journey, Amy and the ‘rents were cryogenically frozen for the trip: hence the “girl out of time.”

The family settles in Kokomo City, where Amy enrolls in South Pines Academy. Though she misses her BFF Jemmah (now old enough to be Amy’s mom; could this be the “love that crosses light years”?), she soon finds her own new social circles: football star David, his girlfriend Cassie, and their friends Zeph, Meisha, Maki, Logan, and Howard; and the school’s agriculture club, which includes fellow crossover Meisha, and Tamara and Shafer.

And then there is Oliver, the mysterious, silver-haired boy who does not seem to have a flavor. (Amy has synesthesia and “tastes” peoples’ personalities.) Though her friends think he’s trouble with a capital T, Amy gravitates to Oliver, and vice versa. But for reasons not yet revealed, Oliver’s very existence is classified – and their continued friendship endangers Amy’s life. Enter: the alien artifact and mysterious murder.

Volume 6 collects episodes 76 through 92 of the WEBTOON comic, originally published between 8/24/16 and 12/15/16 (yes, the trade paperbacks are very far behind! Do yourself a favor and create a WEBTOON account so you can stay up to date.)

One thing I don’t love about the trade paperbacks is that the plot seems to progress at a snail’s pace, and Volume 6 is no exception; 256 pages and we’re still not done with Spirit Week! Still, this is an enjoyable and bittersweet collection.

Volume 6 sees Oliver continue to distance himself from Amy, while fissures deepen among some of Amy’s friends. Amy gets to experience her first snowfall – and snow day! – for which mom thankfully yet temporarily lifts her grounding (that’s a whole ‘nother story). Amy finally discovers Oliver’s flavor (orange with hints of cinnamon, brimming with passion and vibrancy and life – the complete opposite of Nothing) – revealed, oddly enough, as he’s beating the piss out of a bully. Before she can even begin to process, Oliver and his foster dad Dr. Kim vanish, just as mysteriously as they arrived.

The agriculture club’s baby chicks make a quick cameo, as part of Tamara’s efforts to lift the spirits of a mopey Amy. My feelings about the ag club are something of a roller coaster: initially I was overjoyed that Amy made the connection between the soft, floofy, sentient creatures she was loving on and the chicken salad sammie on her plate, and vowed to go vegetarian. This quickly crumbled when she got an accidental mouthful of bacon on Oliver’s sandwich and decreed that it was fine, so long as the agriculture club doesn’t start raising baby piggies. Speciesist much?

And the very existence of animal agriculture so far in the future feels like a disappointing lack of imagination of the artist’s part. When I first started reading SPACE BOY, I thought it had to be at least 30 years in the future, to allow for Amy’s travel. Probably more like 100+ given all the new tech. But when Amy starts researching the Arno and its mission to reach the alien artifact, we learn that the year is actually 3355: The Arno launched in 3051, and was supposed to reach the artifact in 300 years – which, for Amy, was 4 years ago. 3051 + 300 + 4 = 3355.

So you’re telling me that it’s more than a thousand years in the future and we don’t have synthetic or lab-grown meat yet? That we’re still breeding and raising sentient creatures to be slaughtered for food? That our morals have evolved so little? Gross, dude. If this is the future, I hope humanity burns itself out well before 3355.

But yeah, baby chicks are hecka cute.

[erenaeoth]

I finally finished so here I am!

Well, overall it's as I expected - the characters and storylines I was invested in no longer exist except as cameos and gimmicks, so I'm not about to get back into MK any time soon. Absolutely staggering choice to make an MK game without Hanzo Hasashi. His fire (yes) and passion are the backbone of MK to me, and the tragedy of his character are so important to the feel of the games. People who enter the series on this installation don't know Scorpion. For the first time ever, you can pick up an MK game and not have that classic tale of the tortured soul torn apart by loss and becoming a vengeful demonic creature struggling with grief and suffering. Hanzo isn't my favourite character, but I think he's possibly the most important one to MK.

I agree with you that it was so nice to have a gentle story for Mileena. She has such a tragic life in the other timelines, and it was beautiful to see her have a loving, supportive family in this one. That said... I do miss that she's a wronged experiment, with this facial disfigurement, and that Tanya loves her anyway. I think there was something really powerful going on there, and her story now just makes me shrug. He 'affliction' is her own fault, as opposed to a conscious decision that was outside of her control. It's a nice story for her, but I will always love og Mileena more.

Of course as you probably guessed, I'm less than pleased with Bi-Han's role. Though I no longer get my hopes up, since this seems to be a recurring treatment of his character.

Despite all my frustrations, I was so excited to see Kuai, Tomas, and Bi-Han talking on screen altogether. But the dialogue is all so… stale and filled with audience-appropriate lore drops. There's no sense of relationship or trust between them. Kuai and Tomas question everything Bi-Han says, and Bi-Han seems to care very little about them or their input. I was so disappointed. It's a small thing, but even when Bi-Han says 'we fight for glory!' it sounds like such a cliche line and so not him. I get that he's in a position of power now, so maybe his rhetoric would change, but both Bi-Han and Noob Saibot care about prowess, power, and freedom to be themselves. 'Glory' isn't in his vocabulary. He's a pragmatist.

And then what? Bi-Han just vanished out the story. You're telling me Shang Tsung and Quan Chi saw the value in fighting for their continued existence but Bi-Han didn't? It's yet another story where Bi-Han conveniently walks out of the narrative. It's not as offensive as MK11 in terms of his presence and motivations, but it still felt stale to me. I know you feel likewise, but I could never imagine Bi-Han particularly being after Lin Kuei leadership, so I already had to suspend some belief when he was made the Grandmaster in this game. Like you mentioned in this post, I don't need Bi-Han to ever have a happy ending, but I would like to see his devotion to Kuai portrayed. This is someone who grew up alongside him, and Kuai was heartbroken when he was killed. Why have we never seen the Bi-Han that Kuai saw?

Yes, I also loved the Sektor mention! I'm such a sucker for him and Bi-Han getting along. I think they have a lot in common. That said, I can't imagine Bi-Han ever going along with the Cyber Initiative. His self-discipline and pride, and his value of mastery over one's self has always separated him from Sektor's 'by any means necessary'. And honestly, I think Sektor's attachement to the Cyber Initiative cannot be divorced from his need to rise to his father's expectations. He had to contend with Bi-Han's prowess and prove himself, and to me the Cyber Initiative is part of his tragic story of abuse and neglect at the hands of the Lin Kuei Grandmaster.

I'm going to say some positive things too, but as I feared, this story reads like a badly thought through fanfic AU, where 'events just mysteriously repeat themselves' for the sake of MK fans feeling seen, when in reality they're very detached from the original motivations that caused them to happen in the first place.

I also loved Johnny and Kenshi's friendship. And it was so nice to see Kenshi get more of a lead role in a game (he was also extremely hot in this game, I'm very biased). And I agree Johnny Cage came off as really nice in this game. I do love that.

Ah Shang Tsung. This game did him so many favours. If I came back to write for MK ever, it would be for him. I adored all his expressions, he was so well acted, and so in character. No timelines can keep him and Quan Chi apart, they are destined to be together. His pragmatism in working against himself is also very Shang Tsung. They really out did themselves with him in this, and he felt like the main character of mk1 to me.

I'm curious for your Syzoth opinions, because every scene with him in, bar him eating a bug, really annoyed me. He was so whiny and info-dumping his tragic past on us that it really made me frustrated. I think he's been done much better in the past with a gently tragic story that he only lets snippets out about. I know he's one of your faves, so do let me know what you thought of him in this!

I agree the game looked gorgeous, and I think they did a much better job of integrating the 1 vs 1 fights into the main story (apart from the end, which was very boring to watch, but I'll let that slide since I liked the Armaggedon references and everyone wants dull Marvel-style fight scenes these days). I thought the action looked super smooth and beautiful, and I did love that they hit the beats of most major MK games. I admit I was expecting Kuai to kill Bi-Han in this game, which would have truly shattered my heart (and my interest in MK), but I suspect we maybe in for that in the next installation to the series.

But yeah, over all I'm just shrugging and whatever. There was some neat stuff in this game, especially for Shang Tsung and Mileena lovers, but if you're a Lin Kuei fan, you're at best confused, and at worst once again deeply frustrated.

Some MK1 thoughts

Since Mortal Kombat 1 cutscenes are now available on YouTube (and me watching it up to 4 a.m.), here some thoughts under cut:

This is the most pro-Mileena game and I’m glad for the girl to finally have supportive family and friends. Generally I’m very touched how much the Edenian female cast was bonded with each other, that Li Mei and Sindel turned out to be the best friends, Tanya and Mileena were in happy relationship (as much as it could be due to Umgadi laws), Mileena and Kitana for once did not need to fight for throne. Good stuff.

However, the game that advertises itself with “Fight through a brand new story featuring your favorite Mortal Kombat characters like you’ve never seen them before” can’t apparently give us a storyline in which Bi-Han & Kuai Liang are from start to (bitter) end brothers in every sense of the word. I guess, it is my own fault for hoping too much but the frustrating disappointment stings double so, because Mileena and Kitana got their happy family. And look, I don’t mind Bi-Han being so done with everyone and everything and wanting to combat / challenge authority of others while not caring much for Liu Kang’s godly status and all, but is that really so much to ask for having at least one game he is on brother’s side to the bitter end? I’m not even asking for a story to keep Bi-Han relevant to the final chapter, just him being (sort of) a good brother. 

I know I was foolish, but the plot twist of Lin Kuei only playing the thugs to test Kung Lao and Raiden from first chapter raised my hopes - supported a bit by the fact that Bi-Han was jerk to Smoke only to few scenes later asking both Kuai Liang and Tomas are they unharmed after he defeated Nitara. Because the Sub-Zero chapter (Band of Brothers!) was the best for another plot twist. We could have Bi-Han playing the role of a traitor so he and Kuai Liang could learn more about enemy’s true goal / weapon and if game creators didn’t want keep Bi-Han in the story (or couldn’t give him anything relevant to do in later chapters) they could kill him and I’m glad they didn’t or capture him or whatever. Like I said, I don’t need heroic Bi-Han per se, just him and Kuai Liang having the brotherhood we hear about since the original series. It is about damn time!

On another note, Sektor being loyal to Bi-Han and being shown in the Sub-Zero ending was such a nice addition. Though I’m still mad, that brothers are divided into Kuai Liang & Tomas vs Bi-Han & Sektor/Lin Kuei. The Lin Kuei storyline did not impress me at all.

At least, in the final fight between good and evil timelines, there is plenty version of Bi-Han and the fact that game allows the player to choose the character on their own (including Sub-Zero) warmed my heart so much ❤

I’m surprised in a good way by Johnny Cage, he was witty and great, but I’m truly touched how helpful and nice he was to some characters (and is it me, or did this Johnny felt so much like Johnny from MK movie 1995?). Him and Kenshi was pretty funny interaction but also him inviting Syzoth and Ashrah to come with them to Earthrealm AND THEN STAYING WITH THEM WHEN THE REST OF TEAM ALREADY WENT TO REST TO PROPERLY INTRODUCE THOSE TWO TO LIU KANG that is, this is the best of Johnny and I love they keep showing him like that ❤

And of course, Shang Tsung ❤ Though I do not understand why Shao Kahn was allowed to be Outworld general while Shang Tsung was given such a pitiful life? Sure, he is dangerous and all, but I would argue who was the worst person in previous lifes. Anyway, every time Shang Tsung works for the good guys, it is frankly my favorite thing. 

In general, the game looks gorgeous, the characters are cool, though I would love for some to have more screen time and some, like Bi-Han, to actually have a proper, meaningless relationship and part in the story. But I guess, Bi-Han is just fated to doom since the first game…. nothing new.

[wackus-bonkus-maximus]

I'm curious how you perceive Luka in the show. I love what you've been doing with Luka in "one does not love breathing", with accentuating personality traits that we've seen evidence of in the show - Luka lying to Marinette about not knowing Ladybug and Chat Noir's identities, and not speaking up in Ephemeral about knowing Chat's identity, even though it was pertinent to Ladybug's plan (I wasn't too happy about that plan, but it's not relevant here), seem like the inspiration for Luka's whole "stay quiet about what I know because if I rock the boat it could cause harm" stance in your fic. The show didn't really make it clear why Luka made those decisions, but through your Luka's actions, I can better see what might have been going through Luka's head in the show.

My own feelings towards Luka have always been... frustrating. He's a nice, kind guy, no doubt, with most of what we saw of him in seasons 2 and 3 were just him being selflessly enamored with Marinette, but without any of the negative feelings that I'd normally expect from anyone who's pining over an unrequited love. I can sort of see why he was popular for that - he's about as unproblematic of a dream boyfriend as you could get - but I just couldn't look at his depictions and reactions in the show and make him into a full person, with his own thoughts, feelings, problems, and complex internal emotional world, especially since he mostly seemed to exist for Marinette. The big standout during that period that helped to develop him further was that 30 second cameo where he interacted with his sister, since it showed his feelings and interactions with someone else he cared about.

I did get a lot more from him in season 4, with him being frustrated and hurt about Marinette vanishing on him all the time, even if he still took it insanely well. I loved seeing that he can have negative feelings for his own sake, not just for Marinette's, and that he has some emotional baggage of his own, with his mom refusing to mention who his dad was. I still have struggled with understanding him at times - like trying to figure out what he was thinking that prompted him to directly lie to Marinette when she asked him whether he knew hers and Chat's identities - but they do show some more complex character traits, even if I'm not completely sure of what they are. Though I like your idea of what character trait prompted him to do that.

Anyway, I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on what makes Luka tick in the show. I don't see many of analyses of him that I agree with - either they're overly negative and ascribe some form of malice or abuse to his actions (which is nonsense, Luka doesn't have a mean bone in his body), or they're overly positive, and put a spin on his actions as being more wholly virtuous than I think is warranted (like the whole "he sacrificed his honesty in Wishmaker because it would freak Marinette out if he answered her question truthfully, he's so selfless, only thinking of what's best for her" thing).

*cracks knuckles* buckle up breathers and breatheren, it's luka analysis time.

to start off, the show doesn't do the greatest job with consistency. sometimes its own characters will be ooc, especially marinette and adrien. in dearest family, she despairs over stealing galette when she's never had an issue with it before, and adrien dates marinette without telling her is identity in cat blanc (something i really don't think is consistent with his character but w/ever). if you see an inconsistency in my analysis of luka, it might be because of the show's flawed depiction of his character.

that being said, i knew the minute luka learned ladybug and chat noir's identities and decided to do NOTHING that he was an enneagram type 9, just like me. way to put me back on my enneagram shit again. I even have him typed as a 9 in my miraculous enneagram post if you're interested in that.

i liked luka fine in the show until wishmaker, when they finally gave him potential. he then became one of my favorite characters because he became interesting. you look at him on the outside and you see a guy who's easy to get along with, understands everyone's points of view, and will lend a listening ear when you need him. these are what make him such a nice person and probably why everyone in the show likes him. i mean, marinette broke up with him after lying to him for quite some time and still didn't tell him anything, and he comforted her with a hug because he could tell she was going through it. after wishmaker, it is very clear he is afraid of rocking any boat he's in because he's actually really afraid of causing conflict. for luka, conflict = separation (exemplified by his parents' relationship), and if he is separated from people he cares about, he will be alone.

luka is someone who is always trying to make connections with people by understanding them. he likes to listen to everyone's "inner melodies," which i think is just lukaspeak for comprehending people in depth and seeing their perspective. i truly think he gets stuck in other people's perspectives rather than his own, as evidenced by how he refused to speak up about ladybug's plan in ephemeral and how he gently guided marinette to adrien by telling her "knowing the whole other side of someone helped me love them more." it's my opinion that luka thinks he's less important than the people he cares about, and so in a sense "goes to sleep" to his own wants, needs, feelings and opinions. this is why he doesn't tell marinette and adrien the truth in the show, and what i expanded on in odnlb; luka really just did not know what to do, and before he knew it six years had gone by, and he didn't know silence could be so dangerous.

a lot of people said they "forgot" about luka in odnlb until chapter 7, when he was facetiming adrien. i actually really really loved that because it was just so LUKA of him to be forgotten. he doesn't think he's important compared to marinette or adrien, and so he talks to them about their issues and ignores his own need for growth/action. luka's sin is sloth, which might sound like the least harmful of all the 7 deadlies but which i think i've shown can be extremely sabotaging to others and to himself. it's also a character trait i've not seen portrayed too often, but whenever i do the characters are really interesting. those of you who don't have this issue will easily think, "all he has to do is SPEAK." well, that's literally the hardest thing for him to do! because if he does, he's going to rock the boat and lose connection, and that's the thing he's afraid of most.

this was a great ask, @flightfoot! i love all your questions but this has been my favorite so far!

[pfreadsandwrites]

40 for Yamato pretty please 🥰

100 follower celebration

Okay, so let’s get a few things out of the way - I’m sorry you’ve had to wait so long. I don’t even know if you’re still here and it’s literally been a year to the day since I last posted an actual fic and this request has been sitting here slightly longer than even that. I don't wanna get into a bunch of excuses, life’s been kicking my ass for various reasons, etc etc. Secondly, a Yamato request. Thank you for having faith in my writing enough to request a different character, but please forgive me and give me feedback if you feel I’m missing the mark here but I really appreciated the opportunity to explore him more. It was a bit of a challenge, but in a good way! I should say that this is *extremely rusty* because it's been a long time since I wrote properly.

warning: 4.4k, very rusty (it's been a year!), the fluffiest fluff, proposal (attempts), STUPID humour, cameos from team 7, a very smitten yamyams, a lack of abillity to portray yamyams but I TRIED, mention of a suggestive joke i guess, oh and some really shitty plant names (but i know people that have used these as plant names so take it up with them) , there may be mistakes

taglist:  (also, note to those on my taglist - feel free to tell me to remove you if you're no longer interested in being on here, or if you aren't interested in reading non-Kakashi works - you obviously never have to read anything I post, but I'm aware that anyone who wanted to be on here was probably wanted to because of Kakashi, and also it's been literally a year since i last tagged anybody. Totally understand if you're over this, no hard feelings ) @madaras-housewife @datblobbyfish @praisingkuroosbedhead @allthingskakashi @enchantedpendant @aineirisha @cinam00n @feelingsandemotionsnotexplored @tachibrii @drunkenfists @daffodin @apricitobio

40. “Will you marry me?” (Yamato x reader) AO3 Link here.

回

In hindsight, it’s an easy decision.

A quick one, too.

It doesn’t take much, and though Yamato is never one to indulge himself the luxury of sentimentality - he might even have prided himself on that trait, once upon a time - that all melts away with you.

It isn’t like you do much, but then, it isn’t like you have to, either.

There you are, again.

Giving the poor shopkeeper a run for his money, intent on haggling your way to what you’ve decided is your fair and deserved price, no doubt - he’s sure you’re right, of course - and then, as if it never graces your face in the first place, your defiant expression disappears.

You turn away, and before it even registers in his mind, something else occupies your attention, and you vanish from his frame of vision. It disappoints him, briefly, and yet again, he begins to contemplate the ridiculousness of this situation as the wooden box in his pocket prods his thigh. The ridiculousness of him, of you, of how you manage to entrance him without trying every single time. (And every single time, he is left unable to come up with an answer.)

He’s still pondering - though he looks more perplexed than it makes sense to be - when you chirp up behind him.

“There you are! I’ve been looking for you all over today.” There’s a lilt to your voice, and you shove his shoulder in mock-punishment harmlessly, but he stumbles anyway. It’s also ridiculous that of the few people in the world who can catch him off guard effortlessly, you’re one of them.

Yamato looks at you, smiling your carefree, strong smile, the way you giggle and lean against his side to steady him. He’s thankful you don't seem to notice the small wooden box in his pocket - not least because you’re the type to make a silly joke referencing his mokuton (to his detriment, you know from experience how beetroot it makes him) - but because you’d see right through him.

He can see it now, you persistently demanding an explanation from him in your infuriating way, just like how you’d demanded a discount from the merchant just now, until he does end up proposing to you in the middle of this tired Monday marketplace desperate for some excitement. No. He doesn’t want that. It’s not even the audience, though he doesn’t like that either, but it’s too small. Too trivial, too unremarkable. And you’re anything but.

“You don’t need to look so worried, Yamato. It’s not for any particular reason,” you smile again, and Yamato’s heart just might burst out of his chest, “I just missed you, that’s all.”

It always astounds him how easily words like that flow out of you, words that affirm your own feelings and his own significance to you, as if you just breathed them.

And just like that, he feels as if he’s taken his first breath of the day, the one he didn’t even realise he’d been holding.

(Every single time, he’s reminded that he doesn’t need to find an answer, as ridiculous and unbelievable as his situation is. The answer is you.)

*1回*

“So, what’s your name?”

You had only asked that once, not even looking at him when you did.

Even though he knew exactly what you were asking, and you knew that in turn.

But you just concentrated on the small, but persistent, effective fire you’d built. The one where Yamato had only provided the kindling after he’d insisted; strange, he thought, you knew all about his ability. And yet it didn't even cross your mind, to use him to build some kind of lodging, let alone create firewood. To use him like his comrades were supposed to, to use him for the purpose he’d been created. Instead, you had just set about your task silently, independently.

“I could have built us a shelter, you know,” Yamato said, for the second time. The first time, you’d just shook your head and continued scrambling for branches, forgetting to mind your already mission-scraped hands and splintering yourself more on the way.

You finally looked up from your handiwork, meeting his gaze with the ghost of a smirk. Though your eyes were just as worn, as tired, as his, it belied an energy. Something playful, but simultaneously shrewd. “I know how exhausted you are, Yamato. It’s a warm, clear night. I’ll - we’ll - be fine.”

He didn’t know which was kinder. Your concern, unfamiliar though not unwelcome, or the fact that you didn’t repeat your question. And as gratitude for either, or both, he found himself answering it. The only way he knew how, anyway. “I’ve had a lot of names. Names are complicated for the ANBU, and that goes double for me.”

You just hummed, ruminating on his soft, matter-of-fact words as they settled into the liberated air around the two of you.

“That’s sad,” you said after a moment, bereft of judgement or pity. Matter-of-fact, just like him. “Your name and identity tied to your missions like that.”

“Not all the names I’ve had are like that. Some stick. Some feel right.”

“Oh yeah?” You brought one of your knees to your chest, hugging it in a casual, comfortable gesture as you listened to him with a contrasting intensity. Bringing a simplicity, a gentle breeze to this surprisingly intimate conversation that Yamato hadn’t felt in a long time. “How’s Yamato?”

“Yamato is pretty good. I like it. But it’s not the only one, nor my actual name.”

You smiled, just smiled, and Yamato felt the fatigue that weighed so heavily on his shoulders, dissipate, just a little. “Well, it would be nice if I learnt that other one someday. Maybe.”

He smiled back in turn, because, how could he not? “Maybe.”

The time where you’d hug his neck, calling him Tenzou behind closed doors, doors that you’d finally let him build for you, would still be a little while off. But nowhere near as long as Yamato would have thought, even in his wildest dreams.

Even though you only asked his name once.

**2回**

A plant.

It was the first gift he gave you. And the second, embarrassingly.

(But that wasn’t his fault, he’s sure; it’s still a point of contention between you even now.)

Of course it was going to be a plant, Yamato knew that, and he assumed you would too - but why shouldn’t he stick to his area of expertise, predictable as it was?

Somehow, Yamato didn’t think you would mind.

Even if you teased him first, for which he was certain you would, it would be worth it. In fact, that was exactly what he was counting on - he had come to learn, rather quickly, that what he looked forward to most, the closely guarded secret, was your laugh. Whether it was at his own expense was irrelevant; you both knew you didn’t mean it.

He settled on a succulent, after some careful deliberation, much like all his tasks. Not that this was an ordinary task, of course, because it was for you, but that only made him all the more determined to get this right. And finally, he was satisfied; succulents were notoriously hard to kill, perfect for novices (if your pitifully empty apartment was anything to go by), and an aloe plant in particular would be useful - every time he saw you, mission or not, you’d acquired some silly new bruise or cut with an even more silly story behind it. The last time, it had been something about falling into a rabbit burrow and dealing with the aftermath from its very angry inhabitants. And though you’d jabbed him in the shoulder when he pointed out the absurdity of a jounin being so clumsy, the fact that you let him apply some ointment to your scrapes told him you weren’t angry. Something about that uncharacteristically shy smile. Something about that ‘thank you’, something about that barely audible murmur.

And, as if he needed more, he could practically see that infuriating smirk, hear the lilt in your voice as you’d ask him ‘just what are you trying to say?!’ in your eternally playful tone, prodding him, just like you, all of you, prodded at his self-control each time he saw you. That thought - that you might end up depleting it one day, one day soon - it made his chest flare, not just with anxiety, but something striking, unfamiliar, intangible but definitely there. Maybe he wouldn’t mind that day coming faster.

Yes, Yamato thought, decisively. He’d chosen well.

Not even the confusion that graced your features when you opened your front door, something that ordinarily would have halted his enthusiasm and hastened his doubt, stopped him.

“Yamato,” you smiled.

It might have been optimistic, especially for a man like him, but Yamato was sure he could chart the moment your expression evolved from surprise to something akin to content, comfort, peace. It was even more optimistic, probably too optimistic, but he liked to think that he had something to do with it. It would only be fair, after all. God knows you had done that two-fold for him, and it came much more naturally, he was sure.

He realised he’d been watching your face a little too long when he saw your eyes dart to the plant in his hands, and a wry, bemused smile began to form on your lips. He had to pull himself away then, and back to the task at hand, because he was more than a little scared of what you would say - and what he would do, in turn - if you noticed just how distracted he was by your lips.

“I brought you something. A plant. An aloe vera plant.” He held it out to you, more awkwardly than he would like, but that smile changed once more anyway. Small, soft, touched. Just like that time he’d tended to your cuts.

“You know, I might not be a nature expert like you are, but that much I could tell,” you retorted, in a way that didn’t match your expression. “What’s the occasion?”

“None. I thought you might like it. It’s a gift.”

“A gift? I’m honoured.” The way you took it from his hands into your own - carefully, delicately, holding it close to your chest - told him you really were. It surprised him; he’d prepared himself for more teasing, more jokes. What he hadn’t prepared himself for was for you to look so… soft. So happy. It might have been what he wanted, the best possible outcome in fact, but he didn’t think you would honour him with it. He didn’t think he would be that lucky, and if he ever would be, it wouldn’t be so soon.

“I also thought you might find it useful. You can use the matured leaves as ointments for cuts.”

“In case I upset any more rabbits, right?”

“Or any other woodland creatures,” Yamato chuckled, with an ease he rarely felt. One he never felt, if he was completely honest, before you. And when you giggled in response, it only magnified that ease, and the ground beneath him felt light. He felt light. How miraculous you were.

“I really do appreciate the gift, Yamato. But unlike you, I don’t have much of a green thumb.”

“Don’t worry, they’re a relatively low-maintenance plant and good for beginners.”

“Hey… Just what are you trying to say?” you asked, laughing, just like he knew you would. Just like he had been counting on. But somehow it was better, greater. “Because if you’re saying I don’t know what I’m doing, you’d be right.”

When you leaned forward, encroaching on the ever-shrinking distance between you, somehow bold and vulnerable simultaneously, it sparked something in him. Something that had been there, for a long time, longer than he cared to admit.

“Well, I’d be happy to give you all the help you need,” he said emphatically, with an unexpected courage. Unexpected even to you, if your wide eyes were any indication. “Whenever you’d like.”

“I’d like that.” Your response was quick. So quick, that it seemed like something had been there for you too, and Yamato wanted to kick himself. Could he really have wasted so much time?

Yamato never made empty promises, as he would make sure you knew, when he showed up again at your apartment the next day.

“Herbie looks lonely,” you’d sighed wistfully, after enthusiastically showing off your beloved gift on the windowsill. Yamato did think that perhaps you were too proud, prematurely confident - it had only been a day, after all - but you were so damn adorable that he kept his mouth shut.

“Herbie?”

“That’s his name.”

“His?”

“Yes,” you said simply.

“He doesn’t have herbs, though. Leafy makes more sense.”

“Names don’t behold to reason, Tenzou,” you smiled, and when you moved to shove his chest, you stopped just as your palm pressed against his muscles. Yamato noticed. You must have been flustered - and it looked adorable on you - because you moved to change the subject. “But Herbie is lonely, though. I think he needs another friend.”

He would make a note of that, but it was a little too late. The atmosphere was different now. That name brought with it intimacy, just as your hand did just now.

So it became easier than Yamato ever thought it would be to close that distance. And when you didn’t stop him, replacing that hand and pressing your own chest flush against his broad one, it only ignited his courage once more. He brought himself closer, lips edging closer, closer, brushing against yours ever so tentatively.

And you didn’t stand for that. You tugged the fabric covering his chin, kissing him with more force than he had dared to. He smiled against your lips, strong hands pulling you even closer, returning your zeal with his own twofold.

He had been counting on that, too.

And when he showed up at your apartment again, with another aloe (what would you call this one? Leafy? Please?), when you responded with raucous laughter - he’d been counting on that too.

“You said Herbie was lonely!”

“That’s right, I did. But he’s not the only one,” you snorted, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards you. He didn’t deny you, because, how the hell could he?

You would tell him, only a little while later, that you hoped he would do that, listen to you so earnestly, even if it was silly - because you’d been counting on that too.

And only a little while later, Yamato decided that maybe, just maybe, he might like to spend a lifetime like this. With you. Counting on each other. For laughter, for light. For love. That something he found so hard to name.

Even if that meant gifting the same plant twice in a row.

***3回***

The third time Yamato did this, it wouldn’t be a mere attempt.

No. Of that he was certain. Even if he had to use his mokuton to keep everything in its place and everybody away. Because he would absolutely not have three proposal attempts thwarted. Not by Kakashi, not by Naruto, and not by -

A bird squawked somewhere, again, Yamato was certain, but when he looked around, there was nothing to be seen. He’’d been hearing the damn thing all day. Some kind of crow, maybe even a magpie, he guessed, yelling, ringing in his ear. Mocking him. So clear that it even sounded like a word.

Caw. Caw. Caw. (Idiot). Caw. Caw. Caw.

Again!

He craned his neck with a reaction speed better suited to battle, but, unsurprisingly, nothing. Again.

Get a grip, he decided with an exhale. He was a shinobi for heaven’s sake; surely he couldn’t let himself get so stumped by some birds, real or imaginary. Never mind that - he had better return to the task at hand. It was probably his own nerves getting the better of him, and who could blame him? It was nerve-wracking - the act, not the decision - and it had failed twice already. But not thrice. Steeling himself, he turned on his heel. He would find you, and he would ask you that question, and you would be surprised.

Attempt #1 had seemed promising enough, at first. A midnight walk. Simple, but the end point would be what had become one of your favourite spots: on the outskirts of the village, in that maze of forest and woods, was a little enclave. It wasn’t the only one, but you had claimed it as your own. Something about this one was special, surrounded by all those trees, the way the moonlight trickled through the leaves and illuminated that clear ground. Safe, grounded, yet somehow magical too. You looked natural there. Yamato still remembered the way your face had looked when you marvelled at the stars the first time he brought you here, luminous, ethereal. A face that left him speechless. He thought he might want to see that face again, lit up for an entirely different reason.

But when he met you at your apartment door, and you popped out, looking, well, he never had the words - the one that was speechless was him. That was typical, but that didn’t make him any better at adjusting to it. Fortunately, you spoke to fill the silence, locking the door behind you and grabbing his arm swiftly.

“I’m excited. We haven’t been to our secret base in so long!”

Yamato smiled. Our secret base. How many more things could be ‘ours’, he wondered. Maybe it was greedy of him, to want so much of you, to want so much with you, but he couldn’t help it.

“The missions have been hectic lately,” you continued. Though he was the one technically ahead of you, it still somehow felt like you were the one pulling him along.

“You’re telling me. I half-expect Kakashi or Genma or someone to show up from around the corner and summon one of us.”

“Ugh, don’t put bad vibes out there. I think they do it on purpose.”

“Right. Sorry.”

The wooden box thudded against his leg the whole walk there, appropriately matching the sensation inside his chest. Fortunately, you hadn’t seemed to notice either, chattering happily about this and that. The walk went on, long but not long enough, but then, they never were. Affirming and reaffirming Yamato’s decision with each step you took. This was going well.

That is, until you almost reached your destination.

Just a few metres from your secret base - which perhaps wasn’t so secret anymore, if it ever was - a smooth, low voice stopped you in your tracks. A familiar voice.

“Hey, guys. You wouldn’t believe how long I’ve been looking for you. I-” Kakashi stopped, his one visible eye darting from Yamato to you. The mask was hiding it, but it was damn obvious the asshole was smirking. “By any chance - could I be interrupting something?”

Before Yamato could retort, and figure out how to answer his senpai’s question without floundering, you already did, gritting your teeth. “Yes.”

“That’s too bad. I’m sure you had something special planned. It is a beautiful night, after all-“

“What do you want, Hatake?” You folded your arms. It wasn’t that you disliked the silver-haired bastard, despite referring to him as such. You just had this uncanny ability to wade through his bullshit. Something at which Yamato both was astounded and envious.

“Ah, right. The Hokage has summoned you, Tenzou. We need you to fix something. The foundation of one of the buildings in town is a little shaky.”

“You’re not supposed to call me that! And right now? But-“ Yamato began, before you laid your hand on his wrist gently, glancing back at him with a warm smile he was familiar with, but wasn’t expecting.

“I warned you about putting out bad vibes.”

That you did.

Yamato sighed, and turned back towards Konoha. Again, he found himself grateful for your laugh, accompanying him back, and even while he rebuilt the foundations. Of course, they weren’t urgent.

And of course, Kakashi vanished as quickly as he appeared.

Attempt #2, just in case, would take place in the village. It was cherry blossom season, so, appropriately romantic, and space under the trees was already filled with the picnic blankets and lovingly packed bentos of so many couples that it would camouflage the two of you quite nicely. Even if Yamato would prefer to do this in isolation, right now, this was the same thing. No one would notice you in the crowd. Definitely not.

“You know, when you said you wanted to go flower-viewing, I didn’t think you’d go all out like this. I would have helped, you know. And I didn’t think you’d go when it was this… lively.” You tucked your ankles underneath you and to the side, getting comfortable on the blanket. Yamato watched the way you sighed in respite, wrists behind you as you leant back, just as mesmerised by you as you were by the cherry blossom petals. “Not that I mind. It’s beautiful.”

Beautiful - yes, yes you were. Yamato cleared his throat. “It is.”

He suspected you noticed his gaze, but you were gracious enough not to draw attention to it, for once. You just looked at the hanami bento with perfectly apt salted sakura onigiri, sushi, kamaboko and countless other intricate little delicacies. “I still can’t believe you put all this together.”

“It wasn’t so much work,” Yamato lied. Pointless, because he suspected you knew he was, too. He crossed his legs in an attempt to get comfortable, and when he did, the ring box damn near fell out of his pocket. He stammered, shoving it back in as inconspicuously as possible. “B-besides, before we get to the food, there’s something else.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yes. You see, for a while now-“

“Oh dear. Better make it quick,” you interrupted, sighing, collapsing from your wrists onto your side.

“Better- what?” Had he done something wrong already? That would be impressive, even by his standards. He hadn’t even started yet.

You didn’t respond, only pointing to something behind him in resignation with your eyes closed.

“Wow, all this food is gonna go to waste, Captain Yamato!”

“Don’t worry, we can help you with that!”

He shouldn’t have been surprised - why should he get anything he wanted? Why should anything go well? It was him, after all. He didn’t even turn around to look at Naruto and Sakura. And he didn’t have to, because they went ahead and joined you both on the blanket anyway. Lack of space was no obstacle, as nothing was. Sakura at least made a show of guilt, apologising when you sat up to make room for her, where as Naruto just planted himself next to Yamato himself, chuckling as he dug straight into the bento.

“So, what were the two of you doing?” Sakura asked knowingly, surreptitiously nibbling on one of the sakura onigiri. Yamato didn’t even feel like arguing; he had to admit it was picture perfect.

“Exactly what it looks like! Trying to have a hanami party without us,” Naruto said indignantly between mouthfuls.

“We almost got away with it too,” you murmured, giving in and taking an onigiri for yourself, but not before nudging Yamato’s foot with your own.

Next time.

Next time it would be, Yamato resigned, and resigned himself to the fact that his proposal had become a team picnic, funded by his truly. Because, why should their actual leader do it, right?

Next time, the third time would not be Attempt #3 of #?.

Next time, he would ask you ‘will you marry me?’ In no uncertain terms, and you would give him an answer, in no uncertain terms.

回

In hindsight, it’s an easy decision.

When he sees you standing there.

When you smile at him with that unwavering smile.

When you run to him, as if you’re even happier to see him than he is to see you (that’s impossible), when you giggle and his world is just a little brighter, lighter. Easier.

When he thinks about how you asked his name only once, and when you finally used it, he feels more like himself than anyone else.

When he thinks about how you graciously accepted his gift, and how it led to the kiss of which the memory still gives him goosebumps.

When he thinks about how you let him go back to his duties that night with a smile, and you didn’t leave his side the whole night.

When he thinks about how you let the kids ruin your picnic, and though you were probably disappointed, you shared the food and laughed with them for hours anyway.

When he reaches into his pocket, and you laugh.

“I wondered if you had something in there. I thought you were just very happy to see me.”

Yamato stops, shaking his head and smiling in disbelief. The blush doesn’t settle on his cheeks this time, because, well, of course. Maybe you weren’t completely unpredictable.

And he wasn’t completely predictable, as you would come to know in a few seconds.

It’s not like him to do something so impetuous, so unthought out, so unprepared - but then, then he hadn’t planned for you either. Not to mention, his thought out attempts were just that, attempts. Which is something he suspects the entirety of Team Kakashi now knows.

He holds the box in his hand. It had been hard to craft, which he’s sure you won’t believe, because, why would you? But it had.

When he sees you still staring at him, in your inquisitive, adorable way, in something that looks a little like bewilderment - it’s rare, but he very much likes it on you - he flicks the box open. He doesn’t have to think about it anymore.

“Will you marry me?” Yamato asks quietly but emphatically, matter-of-factly.

When you throw your arms around his neck, forgetting to mind where you are, he figures that’s a yes. Even if he wishes that you’d studied the ring at least a little - he’d worked hard on it - and even let him slip it onto your finger.

But it doesn’t really matter, he admits, and holds you closer.

There’ll be time for all that.

Because Yamato knows now, that simple, but all-consuming fact.

It’s an easy decision for you too.

[mariproducer]

Lila's antagonism doesn't feel believable at times because she vanishes off the face of the show for a season then suddenly comes back. The show WANTS you to think she's a threat or a baddie or whatever, but you can't have that if you purposefully write her out for a season or two. Hell, if you compile all of her appearances, she's only present in a handful of episodes and some of these appearances are NON SPEAKING CAMEOS (ty s4 for doing nothing with her).

I don't think she needs to be in every episode to be "evulz" like Chloe isn't in every episode, but she (used to be imo) is present enough times to still feel like an antagonist. I just wish her appearances were more consistent and coherent, like it actually felt like I was following a plot line with Lila, rather than her being blatantly used as a plot device to start shit.

(Leaked content under the cut)

And the explanation that she has multiple identities and goes to different schools comes out of nowhere for good reason: bc it feels like the writers are pulling shit out of their ass to cover their tracks. They'll be like "see we did explain why Lila was constantly gone from the show!" acting as though this show was planned out from the start when it wasn't.

Like you're the writers why didn't you choose to have Lila be present and doing things throughout the entirety of s4 rather than shoehorning her into the finale. Or even as early as s2 to follow up with her appearance in Volpina, which was the technical s1 finale. Idc if you try to explain away her disappearances, as the writers, you could've chosen to utilize her more, have her appear more, make the ongoing plotline with her feel continuous rather than having it just loom over the viewer's heads with no proper ending in sight.