#and I will continue to take those roles very seriously in the mean time

[blossoms-phan]

i have so much shit to do and unpack and launder and my skin is awful and I don’t feel comfortable in my body too many things are coming up this is my first year of not being a student after like 15+ years of it and I’m so out of my depth I need to apply to jobs AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[dolche-tejada]

You know, I think this ending would have been slightly less of a fucking disappointment if the heroes hadn't been so unfairly favored by Horikoshi compared to the villains. I mean, seriously

Deku destroys every bone in his body multiple times throughout the story and is warned that if he continues, he'll permanently lose the use of his limbs ? Everything's fine, his body's just got used to being reduced to a bloody pulp somehow so there's no consequences for him. In fact even when he literally loses his arms to Shigaraki, he gets them back two minutes later thanks to Eri because guess what ? Her horn still works even when cut off from her body. How convenient.

Gran Torino gets his ribcage obliterated by Shigaraki ? Don't worry guys, he'll survive that despite his old age and injuries, and this to have no particular role in the plot afterwards.

Bakugo dies heroically trying to buy time before Deku arrives ? Lmao, did you really believe it ?? No of course not, Edgeshot just uses his last-minute Deus Ex Machina to save his life at the cost of his own and- Oops nope he's fine too, my bad !

Hawks murders a criminal fleeing for his life in cold-blood ? The best Hori has to offer is him completely free and in charge of the HSPC.

And no, losing his quirk isn't a real consequence for him because not only it literally played a major part in saving the world with Vestige!Hawks raising an insurrection among AFO's quirks, but also because his quirk has always been the element through which people exploited him.

Endeavor abused his family for years and completely destroyed his eldest son ? No jail time and no media backlash for that, the only blame he received was due to the heroes' failure to stop the League during the Raid Arc.

And don't even get me started on this bs about facing hell or whatever for what he's done : He's literally free and wealthy ; he have Rei, Fuyumi, Shoto, his sidekicks and Hawks on his side ; and all the difficulties he's apparently going to suffer are off-screened.

Deku had to sacrifice OFA and his future hero career to save the world ? Guess what, Bakugo invested all his time and money to make him an Iron-Man suit and now he can still be a hero with everyone else.

There are plenty more examples of this but I think you get the idea. Now let's take a look at the villains' ending :

Toya is now a piece of charcoal kept artificially alive for the few years he has left, unable to move a finger, and whose few minutes a day during which he can stay awake will be spent talking to his father who abused him as a child.

Toga, a literal teenager, killed herself to save Ochako and because she knew it's still better than rotting at Tartarus her whole life.

And not only did she die but she did by bleding to death. Let me repeat for those who have trouble grasping what I've just said : In a manga where the heroes can survive having their heart blown to bits, being impaled Kakyoin-style or smashed against buildings like a fly on a windshield, one of the main antagonists died of a fucking hemorrhage…

As for Shigaraki, after learning that his very birth and all the tragedies of his life have been orchestrated by AFO, after all this development and narrative promises about him being saved in the end... Deku just kills him.

Because despite all his speeches about saving him, it seems like the best he could do was beating him both physically and mentally until he crumbles to dust…

Compress on his side is apparently locked up for life and kept alive by machines too.

A begging Kurogiri tried in a desperate attempt to save Shigaraki, only to be unceremoniously blown up by Bakugo and dying off-screen without anyone giving a shit, including Aizawa and Mic.

And Spinner will now spend the rest of his life struggling with the extra quirks inside him that affect his body and mind, while having to cope with the thought that his boyfriend best friend and companions have either died alone or are locked away for life in horrifying circumstances.

Clearly not the same as with the heroes...

Now don't get me wrong, even if they suffered just as much from the consequences of their actions or the plot as the League, this ending would still be a disaster in terms of writing but AT LEAST it wouldn't reek that much of hypocrisy.

[yanderes-galore]

I don't if you are this far in One Piece but. Platonic Yandere! Zoro from One Piece with weak darling that cannot fight at all?

I feel for this one how far I'm in doesn't matter. So here you go :)

Yandere! Platonic! Zoro with Weak! Darling

Pairing: Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Overprotective behavior, Violence, Blood, Murder, Stalking, Forced companionship.

Zoro is a very stern, serious, and distant swordsman.

He isn't very emotive and tries not to let emotions control his judgment.

Despite this, he is still quite temperamental, reckless, and ruthless in battle.

He may try to hide it, but Zoro is protective of his crewmates.

Honestly, when thinking about it, Zoro would be terrifying due to what he's willing to go through for his fellow crew.

Now, the Straw Hat Pirates usually have strong members who can hold their own in physical strength.

However, while you weren't brought on the crew for physical strength... you have a strong mind.

You don't participate in fights, yet were brought on to help the ones who can.

You have medical knowledge and often offer input on plans.

So while you can't fight...

You're still quite the asset.

Unfortunately, being unable to fend for yourself often means relying on crewmates.

In this case, Zoro often ends up taking the role of your protector.

I like to think of Zoro as a subtle yandere.

He's often quiet and hard to read, not showing his true emotions often... unless it's anger.

Your interactions with Zoro are positive, the swordsman finds your company nice.

Considering what you do for the group... he protects you like any other member.

If not more.

A platonic Zoro would normally be quite protective.

Yet due to you being weaker than the others? He finds himself... more attached.

He worries about enemies... yet he also worries for Luffy's tendency to pull others into problems and Sanji's tendency to cling.

Unlike other crew members, he gives you your distance.

But distance doesn't mean he's not obsessed.

He is, He just values your personal space.

You're always in his sight, though...

Even if you don't know it.

He's definitely someone in the background most of the time

He's subtle... yet so dangerous.

He takes your safety very seriously.

How could he not? Most pirates would crush you.

Admittedly he's also quite attached to the smile you give him when he talks to you.

That and even your scolding when you patch him up is endearing.

Zoro is so used to being around the strong that he's unsettled by your weakness at times.

He's worried one day other pirates or the marines will hurt you to hurt him.

But... that won't happen.

No, Zoro vows to prevent that.

He's cut many down before.

Any threat that comes to hurt you will also fall by his hands.

Zoro's used to blood being on his skin when fighting.

It just feel more... relieving if he knows he did it for you?

Cutting a foe down... being covered in their blood... he does it for you.

The faster they die, the longer you stay safe.

You scold him about the blood, but you don't know the real reason behind it.

He doesn't show much emotion on his face... leaving you clueless to what he's thinking.

He tries to remind himself to be wary of his emotions.

His thoughts on you are affecting him.

Yet he continues on, still sent into a rage at the thought of you being hurt.

While he usually stays quiet on the boat and out of the way, he ends up stepping in occasionally.

He shuts down Sanji's flirting with a glare and rough shove.

He hovers around you when Luffy or Usopp try to drag you into shenanigans....

Zoro just assigns himself as your bodyguard and friend, no one has much of a say in that.

It's a role he took himself due to your mutual care.

Others can not convince him otherwise.

The most unnerving thing about him is the distant stares he gives.

He will silently watch you, yet his gaze quickly becomes seething if he feels you're threatened in some way.

Which, to him, that could mean anything.

It's intimidating for those speaking with you.

You could be in deep conversation, only for said conversation partner to look away...

Only to be met with a glaring swordsman in the distance.

One wrong move and he could gut them.

Despite Zoro being one of the more dangerous yanderes... he's controlled if not pushed.

Would he be affectionate with you? In private, yes.

You are a dear friend to him....

He feels comfortable when you're close to him.

He gives quick casual hugs, yet loves feeling you be there against him.

It reassures him you're safe, he's protecting you, he's doing his job well.

Zoro would take on the strongest foes if it meant he could be a barrier to prevent you from harm.

Some other downsides could be him being too stern or condescending.

Sometimes he gets so caught up in protecting you he makes you feel like a child because you can't fight.

Zoro would open old scars if it meant the blood he spilled would keep you out of harm's way.

Of course... there will always be hardship and danger as a pirate.

Which means... Zoro won't be leaving your side anytime soon... if ever.

He's not clingy like most of the crew, but he lurks.

Zoro would sacrifice anything to protect you.

After all, who will fight for you if you can't?

[pinknightsinmymind]

CANON and the morning sex part? maybe some slow messy ✂️ ? nah i'm on my knees throbbing shaking and all

【 mornings - abby anderson | NSFW 】

abby anderson x fem!reader

MDNI NSFW CONTENT BELOW THE CUT

wc: 2.8k

content: established relationship, top!abby, bottom!reader, some soft dom!abby, morning sex, you and abby are very much in love, fingering(r!receiving), scissoring, lots of praise, slight body worship, use of pet names(princess, baby, love, etc.), kinda possessive abs, abby teases you a lot, slight exhibitionism (can you call it that? she wants you to be loud enough for other ppl to hear), nipple play for like one second, not choking per say but abby just has her hand on your neck at one point, cuddling/spooning, i think that's about it? this is pretty tame and kinda cute despite being smut lol

a/n: now wait a minute bc..... you got me thinking.... i got so carried away with this😭😭😭 enjoy!!! also for this fic let's all collecitvely imagine abby's morning voice bc i bet it's so sexy😵‍💫

Abby has always been a morning person by nature. Maybe it’s because of all the times she’d get up early with her father, or because of her training as a soldier for the WLF—either ways, she’s an early riser through and through. That’s why it’s no surprise when she wakes up before you, both for convenience and for her own selfish reasons. Those reasons being, namely, that she loves having the extra time to admire you before you wake up. To Abby, there’s nothing like the beauty and the sanctity of waking up next to you every morning. There’s something sacred about it, a preciousness that belongs only to you and her. You’re here in her arms, safe, loved and cared for by her, and she’d have it no other way.

Your head is resting comfortably on your pillow, having rolled over onto your back at some point in the night. The sheets crinkle underneath Abby’s body as she turns to lay on her side because she’s set on taking in the sight of you. She can’t help it; her mornings don’t feel complete until she has. She pushed your shared blanket off her body, but she accidentally uncovered your torso in the process. She adjusted it a little for you, knowing just how much you like to stay under the covers while you sleep. As you continue to snooze, she takes this time to memorize your face, to see the moles decorating your body, the way your eyebrows are so relaxed while you sleep. You look so at peace, and it reminds her why she works so hard in the first place: to keep you safe. You mean everything to her, the whole world, even, and she’d do anything to protect you. That’s why she takes her job so seriously, why she does all the tasks Isaac assigns her, why she clears so many Infected out on patrol, why she keeps an eye out for Scars like she does. It’s all so you can live in a somewhat safer world.

After admiring you for what feels like forever—because she wishes this could last forever, just you and her safe in bed, your own little world—her hand starts to rub your stomach, caressing your sides, her hand coming up to graze your cheek. Right now she can’t help but remember you’re not wearing anything underneath her t-shirt, and the thought excites her. She remembered watching you slip it on over your naked body after making love last night, and how a part of her was sad she could no longer see every curve, every mark, every inch of your skin. Just thinking about how pretty every portion of your body looks underneath that shirt has her head spinning already. She grabbed onto your waist, pulling you into her, but you ended up rolling over onto your side. Abby doesn’t mind, though, and assumes her role of big spoon so she can rub your sides and your stomach even more.

You may be laying on her left arm, but that doesn’t stop Abby’s ability to caress your body. Her free hand roams over your body gently, so contrary to the scary image many people have of her in their heads. So much destruction has been done by her hands, but when she touches you, it’s like she’s never torn anything apart in her life. It’s like for once she has the capacity to care for something, like she’s not who she used to be, like that version of herself never existed. She’s never cared for anyone as much as she has for you, maybe the last person being her father. When she holds you, when her hands touch your body, she feels like she has the hands of a farmer or a painter, because those are people who know how to nurture, how to grow, how to care. That’s something she’s always desperately wanted to do, but she didn’t know how, not until she met you. All it took was one look into your eyes for her to learn, because suddenly she knew just what it meant to want to protect someone and look after them.

It’s after the caresses that she starts kissing your neck and your face, peppering them all over your skin. This is when you start to wake up, familiar with the routine Abby has set after many mornings together, one you never dislike fulfilling. When you start to stir, that’s when Abby finally speaks.

“Morning, princess,” she whispers. You hum in response, still half-asleep and barely batting away your grogginess. “Missed you.”

“Missed you, too, Abs.” Your voice is still rough with sleep like Abby’s, and you find yourself rubbing the hand she has nestled over your stomach. So touchy, you think.

“Look so pretty this morning,” she whispers into your neck. You feel her breath fanning against your skin, and you shiver a little.

“And I didn’t look pretty yesterday morning?” you tease her.

“No, you definitely did,” she says. “You just get prettier each morning.” Her hand moved from your stomach to your sides, rubbing them before sliding down to your hips. She rubs lazy circles there with her thumb as her lips resume kissing your neck. Her kisses are so soft and gentle, and you sigh a little bit as you melt into her touch. Her kisses continue until you feel her move her arm underneath you to slide her hand underneath your t-shirt, skirting over the warmth of your skin until they meet your breasts. Your body feels like it’s on fire with her hands on your skin, and that heat goes straight to your center. A small whine leaves your lips when you feel her start to play with one of your nipples.

“Abs,” you whisper.

“What’s the matter?” she asks, delivering a particularly harsh pinch to your nipple. You let out a loud whimper at the feeling. “Do you need me like I need you?” she asks. Her voice is lower and more gravelly than usual after waking up, and the sound of it has you feeling weak. You nod your head quickly as her hand comes down to grope your ass. “Words, princess.”

“Yes,” you hiss. “Need you bad.” Abby lifts up your leg and places her hand over your cunt. Her fingers just move through your folds, not really touching you how you need, but moving them gingerly to tease you and feel how wet you are. It’s like she’s just trying to feel that you’re there.

“All this for me?” she asks. You say nothing, caught up in how desperate you feel for her touch. You feel hot and bothered and you just hurt. You want her to touch you more and end the anticipation already, but Abby has other ideas. She stops moving her hands through your wetness and instead lets it rest there, cupping you. She removes her other hand from your breasts and rests it on the base of your neck. She doesn’t squeeze, and instead just holds it there firmly. “I thought we went over this, love. Answer me when I talk to you.”

“It’s all for you, Abs,” you whimper. She moves again, satisfied with your answer. “Want you inside.”

“Really, baby? So early in the morning?”

“I just need you,” you answer.

“So desperate for me,” she mutters. You were going to respond, to tell her how mean she was, but you found your words being swallowed when you finally felt one of her fingers insert themselves. You moaned as you felt her fill you up, moving slowly and languidly. She knew how to make the moment last forever, how to make you beg for more. You moaned again as you felt her finger curl inside you, hitting the spot just where you needed her. She chuckled lowly in your ear after hearing your sounds. She loved making you feel good, knowing you were hers to pleasure like this.

“You’re all mine,” she said assertively. “All mine to touch like this. You understand?” She knew you did. You were as devoted to her as she was with you, but she loved to hear it from your lips.

“Yes,” you answer. “I’m all yours. Feels so good.”

“I know it does,” she replied, inserting another finger. A small yelp left your lips at the sudden intrusion, your brain immediately going hazy and filled with pleasure. You found yourself shamelessly moaning with each move of her fingers, one of your hands reaching up to hold onto the one she had on your neck. She moved it from its spot on your skin and laced her fingers through yours as she continued hammering into you with her fingers.

“Keep making those pretty sounds, princess,” she commanded. “I want everyone in the base to hear you. I want them to know it’s me making you feel this good.”

“Oh, fuck, Abs,” you groaned. You wanted to tell her how good she was making you feel, but all that was coming out of your lips were incoherent mumbles. Abby couldn’t help the smirk that grew on her face hearing you fail to speak.

“Yeah? Making you feel that good?” she teased. You poor thing. Just fucked so dumb you can’t even speak, and done all by her. It was an ego boost, but it also made her feel good. Hearing your moans and being able to tell you were feeling good made her wetter by the second. Her own cunt was aching, and it was all for you.

“Abby,” you whined. You could feel your stomach tightening as she continued to hit that spot deep within you that made you go crazy. She knew what she was doing—she always did. She knew your body so well, knew just what it took to make you come apart when she was fucking you. “I’m close.”

“Look at you. Cumming on my fingers already?” You only whimpered in response. “Yeah, keep going, love. Cum all over my fucking fingers.” She quickened her pace, the sound of her fingers pumping into your wetness echoing through the room. You couldn’t help as the loud moan left your lips once you climaxed, the feeling overtaking you and every single one of your senses. It was like disappearing for a moment, swallowed by the white hot pleasure all over your body. Abby removed her fingers from you, grabbing onto your body and turning you to face her. Her lips were on yours faster than you expected, but you gladly returned her kiss. Her hands grabbed onto your shirt and pulled you even closer into her body. She was so desperate and hungry for you, and you were just what she needed to cure the ache between her legs.

“Need to feel you,” she whimpered against your lips. “Want to feel you against me.”

“Fuck,” you whined. “I want to make you feel good, Abs.”

Abby removed her lips from yours and sat up in bed, and you followed her actions. She pulled her boxers and her tank top off, then leaned over and pulled your shirt over your head. That only ignited the aching she felt further as she leaned in close to your body and began kissing you, her hands roaming over your skin, touching you anywhere she could. She loved to admire your naked body like the work of art it was, and she could never get enough of it. As she scooted closer to you, she spread your legs apart as she settled her own between them. When she was finally close enough, she could feel your warm skin on hers, your wetness coating her own. She let out a small groan at the contact as she grabbed onto your leg to her right and started grinding against you.

“Oh, fuck,” she moaned. She could feel your clit rubbing against hers, and it was driving her crazy. You were still sensitive after your previous orgasm, and it just made your pleasure intensify. She was grinding against you slowly, taking her time with you, staring so deep into your eyes as she did so. The intensity of her gaze turned you on even more, which you didn’t even think was possible.

“Abs,” you whimpered. Her eyes didn’t leave your face as she watched your expressions twist with every emotion you felt. Lust, love, pleasure—she loved to see it all on your face.

“Love having you like this, baby,” she grunted. “All desperate for me. You like it when I make love to you like this, huh?” Her hips kept that same slow, steady rhythm against yours, and you could feel yourself getting lost in the feeling of her against you, the sounds of your wetness echoing in the room.

“Yeah,” you answered her. You knew she’d punish you if you didn’t, and you couldn’t stand to be punished at a time like this. Not when you were feeling so good. You made eye contact with her again, her gaze boring into you and every part of you as she continued her movements. Her eyes were half-lidded as she stared at you, something wild and full of lust taking over her gaze. Feeling her watch you made it all feel even better. You felt like your body was overwhelmed with pleasure, the only thought in your head being Abby. Her name kept being repeated in your head, just Abby, Abby, Abby, and you found yourself muttering it outloud, too. Abby kept grinding her cunt against yours, and with each movement of her hips you were both losing yourselves deeper into one another. You met every thrust of her hips with your own, and it caused moans to slip out of each of your lips. The feeling was just so heavenly in a way you couldn’t put into words.

“Feel so good against me, baby, fuck,” she moaned. She was always the dominant one, always the one in charge, but whenever she got overstimulated like this, she started to lose her cool. Abby was doing her best to maintain the image she usually did, to stay in control, but she was faltering. You could both tell from the whimpers uncontrollably leaving her lips. “So–so good,” she groaned. “I–fuck,” she cursed. If there was a higher power, you had to have been sent to her by it. There was no worldly explanation for why she was blessed with someone as good as you, how she came to love and be loved by a real life angel.

“I want you to cum on me, Abs,” you whimpered. “Use me to cum. Just fuck me,” you begged. Abby let out a grunt at your words and immediately picked up the pace of her hips against yours. That sent you both over the edge as you both got much louder from the sudden sensations. You did your best to reach her pace, but Abby’s hips were moving much faster than yours, so much so she was starting to get messy. She was doing exactly as you asked, not sparing a moment to pause as she chased her orgasm. She was so close, and she knew that she would unravel soon as she was already coming undone. The whimpers leaving her lips were so pathetic, but she just felt so good she couldn’t help it.

“You’re so good to me,” she moaned. “Letting me fuck you like this. Shit.” She could feel her climax approaching, the heat in her stomach overtaking both her mind and body. “You’re—Fuck. Gonna cum.” She grinded her hips against yours a few more times and that’s when she felt her orgasm overtake her. She let out a choked moan at the sudden pleasure, but she kept grinding against you regardless. She wanted you to cum again, to cum with you. You found your eyes filling up with tears at the pleasure you felt, still so sensitive from earlier. The sensitivity made it hurt a little, but it just felt so good.

“Fuck, fuck, Abby,” you moaned, feeling it all finally wash over you. Abby kept grinding against you until your orgasm finally ran its course, then stopped. Both of you were catching your breath with heaving chests, staring at each other in post-orgasm awe. You could feel your body was sticky with sweat—and probably other fluids—but you wouldn’t have it any other way. You collapsed onto the pillows behind you, Abby following suit as she pulled your bare body close to hers. Abby felt so tired and like she could pass out within seconds, but her tendencies as a clean freak were stronger than her sleepiness.

“You wanna take a shower?” she asked. You shook your head, snuggling further into Abby’s chest.

“No. Just wanna lay here with you for a while.”

“But you will shower with me later, right?” she asked again.

You hummed in response. “Yeah. But right now I just wanna cuddle with you.”

“Fair enough, love,” she said. She wrapped her arms around you tightly, the one place she liked to keep you the best.

[rr311]

can you make a fic about choso fucking you in a scream mask for halloween it would mean so much i literally love your stories 😭🙏🏽

❝ 𝐈 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐀 𝐇��𝐀𝐑 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐒𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌 ! ❞ － 𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐎 𝐊. 𝐑𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓

⇨⚠︎︎ 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 !¡⚠︎︎⇦ mask kink, knife play, rough sex, degradation?, top!choso, bottom!reader, black!reader

𝐀𝐍. SOOOO SOOOO SORRY THIS IS LATE, I’ve been working a lot and writing a lot so I just needed a tiny break but i am back now! I was meant for this to get done ON halloween but I didn’t have enough energy to do so but pretend this is on Halloween, BUT IM SO GLAD YOU LOVE MY STORIES 😙 enjoy my spooky ghost 👻.

𝐮𝐩𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬!! - once I hit 1,000 followers I will do a face reveal In one of stories 🙈, I will not be writing smut for awhile and gonna start writing more fluffy stories and maybe angst. LASTLY, the racer series will continue back up again but not till either December or January. THATS ALL!

WARNING IMPORTANT MESSAGE AT THE END OF STORY!!!.

— 𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐎

When you told Choso about the idea he thought you went crazy. He knew your love for horror movies especially the Scream series, so does this surprise him? Kind of! But realistically no. It was obvious that you had a mask kink by the way you would giggle and kick your feet every-time Ghostface came onto screen ಠ_ಠ. So when you came to him about the Idea he was shocked at first but decided to desire your dirty little fantasies of him fucking you with the scream mask.

It’s been a good awhile since you came to Choso about the Idea, wondering when the day he would do It and well…he decided to do it halloween night. Honestly you’re a forgettable person so you forgot you even came to Choso about the Idea! Till he came out of nowhere behind you covering your mouth with a very sharp knife to your neck. Your eyes widened thinking It was someone robbing you till you felt those familiar muscles flex behind you, calming down a bit, you huffed but soon gasped feeling him pull your head back more against chest with the knife pressed up against your neck, not enough to hurt you of course but enough to make you intimidated. Your hands clenched around his bigger arms feeling his bulge press against your ass just aching to get released, you moaned softly into his hand feeling him buck against you, Choso had a small blush on his cheeks but luckily the mask covered it all giving him an advantage to do anything to you without your teasing.

“You like this?.” He whispered deep into your ear feeling you nod against his chest, but that wasn’t an answer. He groaned a bit pressing the knife against your throat a little harder with a tsk, “That’s not an answer baby..” Your eyes went wide feeling the tiny blades scratch against your neck whimpering from the hold he had on you, “Yes.” Your small little yes was muffled from his hand but he heard it, smirking underneath his mask. He kept a firm hold against you still having a tight hold on you. He hummed trailing the knife across your neck, “What should I do with you, huh?” He questioned tilting his head a little looking at you through the mask, “Should I make you beg for it? Scream for it?.” Your legs were getting weaker and weaker by the minute he kept whispering into your ear, you didn’t think he would take the role this seriously but you’re loving it..you couldn’t say a word except grumble into his hand, Choso smirked underneath the mask, “Hmmm..I have a better Idea.”

“I wanna hear you scream.”

And that’s what exactly what he did. The minute he dropped the knife, and dragging you to your guys shared room was the moment you realized you’re gonna lose walking privileges, when he threw you onto the bed he looked down at you like he was stalking..hunting. It scared you bit especially knowing his height. His height and muscles put everything together making him more intimidating than he already was, you moved up the bed as he moved closer stopping you Into your tracks as he gripped your ankles dragging you down the bed making you squeal. To make this more interesting, you fought against him kicking your legs to get out of his hold but the weight on your ankles increased practically pinning you to the bed. Choso took this as an advantage to crawl onto the bed getting on top of you, you looked so fucking cute underneath him.

By the way he was tilting his head you knew he had that cocky grin on his face. You moved your thighs together to get pleasure on your lower area, It’s been aching ever since you felt his bulge on your butt. You were soaking through your panties and you know Choso knew that too, he looked down to see you rubbing your legs together continuing to make eye contact with him with a bitten lip. Fuck. He clicked his tongue with a low hum trailing his hand to your pj pants putting his hand inside without a care in the world using his middle finger to feel how wet you are, you twitched feeling the single finger rub against your clit, moaning from the pleasure. Choso chuckled keeping his eyes on you as he continued to rub your clit nice and slow, you were already so wet. Choso staring at you with the scream mask on turned you on even more, your little mask kink was putting you to work.

Your back arched off the bed a little feeling him slide his middle inside you starting to thrust slowly. Your eyes fluttered at the feeling, bucking your hips up against his finger, you whined. “I want more..please give me more.” Choso tilted his head at your widening with a small smirk, he loved the feeling of making you whine for more, “More? You sure you want more?” He asked and without hesitation you nodded your head not thinking about the consequences. Once he saw the nod of approval he removed his finger from your pussy, instantly ripping off your pants to expose your lower area, without a doubt he went to unbuckle his belt letting his pants drop to the floor along with his boxers taking his cock into his hand stroking it slowly, lining it up with your hole, he cursed underneath his breath feeling how warm you were as he slid into you.

“Fuck..” He mumbled thrusting at a slow pace to let you get used to it, Choso was a big guy which meant..his cock was also big making you hiss slightly feeling him slide himself all the way In. After a few seconds he started to thrust at a steady pace soon picking the pace up, gripping your hips Into his hands feeling how tight you were getting. Moans and skin slapping were the only things being heard throughout the room, by the way Choso kept looking down at you with the mask was gonna make you cum instantly. Your nails digged deep into the covers feeling his thrusts get more harsher and deeper making tears prick in the corner of your eyes, Choso tooo notice if this smirking behind the mask as he continued to slam his hips against yours, “You like this? You like getting turned on by a mask?.” He panted with a weary chuckle seeing how much of a mess you were becoming underneath him, you could barely keep your eyes open as you stared at up at him. The look you were giving him made himself go hard, growling as he thrusts harder and deeper, your eyes snapped open as more tears pricked in the corner of your eyes feeling him pick up the pace, “W-Wait!- Choso-.” You couldn’t finish your sentence before a loud moan interrupted feeling your knot start to form, the pleasure was turning into pain but It was good pain.

Choso didn’t care about your whines or begs for him to stop, he continued to thrust deeper and harder also feeling his knot, “M’finna cum..fuck. Is this what you wanted? Huh?.” He said breathlessly throwing his head back letting a moan fall, “Finna fucking breed you baby..oh f-fuck.” He groaned deeply feeling his orgasm hit filling you deep with his cum soon after hitting your own orgasm, you moaned loudly letting your eyes flutter close twitching from still feeling him cum inside you. After a few seconds and slow thrusts he pulled out, taking off the mask to look at you with a soft look, “Did I go too rough?” He asked , with a small chuckle you shook your head tiredly reaching up to wrap your arms around his neck pulling him closer to your face, “It was just how I imagined.” You replied, Choso sighed in relief leaning more into your touch, “I’m glad you liked it.”

“Little freak.”

PLEASE READ!!

So I have recently discovered a very hateful message on my dashboard with one of my stories and I wanna say this is NOT okay. If anyone has a problem with me writing ONLY black readers please keep it to yourself, I’m not gonna show the screenshot because It’s really sickening and disgusting but please, I don’t want my tumblr space to be full of hate or rude comments. I want my community to feel more included In fanfics since there’s not that many which is WHY i’m only writing black readers, again my space is for anyone but PLEASE don’t say hurtful things.

[futbol16]

We Don���t Need Music • Jana Fernandez

Request: I have been re-reading your fics and I was wondering if you could write for Jana. She's adorable and there's not enough fics for her but I don't have an idea for it. 

Word count: 2,9k

“You’re telling me you’ve never even thought about it?” Alexia looks at you with an incredulous expression as she reaches out towards your hands resting on the table. The midfielder’s eyes are wide as she stares, her mouth hanging open in a disbelieving manner as she raises her eyebrows. Your own eyebrows knit together in confusion.

“No. I mean yes, I haven’t thought about it, but why would I? She’s my best friend Ale, you don’t go around thinking about those things about Mapi, do you?” you fire back once you notice the knowing look on her. She pulls a disgusted face at your last question.

“Ew, no. She’s my best friend.”

“Exactly!” you reply with a huff, making it obvious that it was foolish of her to ask such things. The brunette sitting opposite you lets out a heavy sigh, wondering just how to get through to you. 

“I mean- listen, it’s just that the two of you already act like a couple - and don’t think I don’t see the way you look at her” she quickly continues as you open your mouth to cut in, leaving no room for discussion. You stay silent for a second too long and Alexia leans back with a satisfied glint in her eyes.

 The brunette had taken her role as team mom/big sister incredibly seriously regarding you but as you stared at your captain all you could see was a little girl excitedly meddling into your dating life. A chuckle leaves your lips at the thought of a young Alexia nagging her friends about their crushes. 

“We do not act like a couple, that’s stupid” you wave her off as you bring yourself back to reality. You don’t miss the eye roll from the older girl but before you can comment on it, a pair of arms make their way around your shoulders from behind. 

You recognize the touch immediately and you momentarily forget about Alexia’s presence as you turn around in your seat to face the person.

“Hola Y/N/N!” Jana flashes you a toothy grin as she greets you. Your eyes soften at the sight of her smile and your face heats up as you realize her arms are still around you, keeping you close.

“Hola Jana” you greet her just as brightly, your hands coming up to rest on her upper arms. You try not to act too bothered by the fact that her face is only mere inches away from yours. Most importantly, you try not to glance down at her inviting lips as she playfully brushes her nose against yours. 

“I wanted to ask if you would like to get sushi with me and the girls tonight?” she asks, referring to Bruna and Cata as the girls. 

Despite being best friends with the defender, the two of you were in different friend groups within the team. Of course that didn’t mean you disliked Bruna and Cata, they were your friends too, but you usually spend your time around Patri and Pina. 

“Yeah, sure” you agree without much hesitation and Jana’s smile widens even more - if that was possible. She eventually pulls away with a squeeze to your shoulders and waves her hand at Alexia as she walks away. Only then do you realize again that your captain is sitting with you…and she had watched the whole interaction. 

You turn back to her slowly, your lips pressed together knowing everything that just happened makes your last statement towards her sound very false.

“Never thought about it? Biggest lie you’ve ever told me” she chuckles dryly with a satisfied smirk resting on her lips. 

“Okay, maybe I had thought about it back when I was figuring out this whole sexuality thing. But that happens, right? You know, questioning if you find your friends attractive?” you tell yourself more than Alexia. 

“And apparently, I’ve also been thinking about it…in more recent times..” you admit quietly and the brunette’s face softens at your admission. She takes hold of your hands and gives them a comforting squeeze.

“That is okay Y/N, you’re allowed to feel things for Jana.” she whispers as she leans closer, well aware that you didn’t want your teammates to know about it even though it was blatantly obvious to everyone but the two of you. “And if I may have an input, I’m pretty sure she likes you back.” 

You lift your gaze as the words leave her mouth, an unconvinced wrinkle between your eyebrows. 

“Come, we’ll be late for training and we can’t have the captain get there last” you clear your throat as you divert the topic of discussion and you stand, tugging on her hand to get going.

Alexia doesn’t comment on your act, deciding to give you time to digest everything and she follows behind you. Though when you keep silent she wraps an arm around your waist to bring you into her side.

Like many nights before, your thoughts all revolve around one short brunette as you lay in bed. There’s a swirl of thoughts and emotions mixing in your head. Everything from the moment you met the little girl when she joined La Masia at 7 to the hug you shared today and the conversations you’ve had during dinner - the two of you almost forgetting that Bruna and Cata were sitting opposite you. 

You were introduced to Jana when the two of you were just barely starting school. On her first day at La Masia she had told you how she chose football over dancing and that her parents sent her to the best club in the world.

 The two of you instantly became the best of friends that day and you were beyond saddened to have to say goodbye to your new friend at the end of the day - just like she was. Even when Jana’s mother kept reassuring her daughter that the two of you would see each other again the next day, the young girl was reluctant to let go of your hand. After a long goodbye to each other, you climbed into the car where your father was waiting for you. Your gaze stayed on the red car a few meters away from yours and when a familiar looking red car turned the corner into your street just twenty minutes later, you were eager to see if it was Jana sitting in the back. 

Your childhood consisted of football at the Barca academy, hanging out with your best friend all day and then sitting in the back seat with her on the way home. You spent your teenage years jogging to the end of the street in the middle of the night and sneaking into Jana’s room through her window every time it got too much at home - your parents on the brink of a divorce - but your worries melted away as soon as the two of you snuggled up under the sheets.

It didn’t take long for Jana’s mother to catch onto this, truthfully she knew after your second time climbing through the window. She had spotted you while taking out the trash. After that, each morning Jana dragged you downstairs to the dining room and you sat next to her older brother as her mother plated your breakfast. 

They were your second family and Jana was your first home.

Your feelings however, they only turned into something less platonic and more romantic over the course of the last year. Well that’s what you supposed, but in all honesty you had been questioning yourself since discovering that you were gay at 17. 

“I don’t know how she doesn’t see it” Patri muttered from her place on the bench as she watched you and Jana, her team resting while the other two groups had scrimmage. Claudia smiles at the comment but her eyes remain on the way you move with the ball and how Jana tries to take it back.

“Which one?” Cata speaks up from Patri’s other side and the midfielder shrugs at the question.

“Either? Both?” they laugh at her words with a fond smile.

“Tell me about Jana. We know about Y/N, and we can see Jana too but the two of you know her better.” Pina reasons as she finally turns to Cata and the shorter girl next to the goalkeeper.

“She’s in love with her, she just hasn’t realized yet” Bruna informs the rest casually. 

“Really?” 

“Yeah. God you should’ve seen them last night!” Bruna laughs as she recalls how the two of you were acting while out for sushi. Cata smacks her knee in glee as she joins in on the laughter and Patri and Pina stare at them with curiosity.

“What happened?”

“Ahh, just the usual. But they kept giggling and whispering to each other. Like at one point I thought if we left they wouldn’t even notice. Oh and the constant hand holding under the table!” the goalkeeper explains, the four of them now far too deep into the topic to actually pay attention to your scrimmage.

“And they had that awfully adorable but sickening love stare! Every time they looked at each other! You know the one” Patri nods in confirmation at Bruna.

“They need to get together like yesterday!” Claudia jokes, earning a few laughs from the rest who agree.

The four of them aren’t able to continue with their goodhearted gossiping because their group is called up for the next scrimmage. Nonetheless, they give each other knowing looks when they see Jana and you sit down next to each other immediately. 

Later that week the team meets up for a bonding night at Mapi’s place but instead of your usual seat next to Jana, you sit between Salma and Alexia. The defender doesn’t know why but her eyes can’t seem to leave you, not for one second. The frown on her face is clear as day as she watches you and Salma conversing on the couch and when the younger girl reaches out towards your neck line, Jana thinks she’s ready to jump on her. 

“You’re wearing a J?” Salma runs the pad of her thumb over the pendant on your necklace, her voice soft so that no one else would hear. You watch her actions with a small smile and you momentarily glance towards your best friend who’s wearing a necklace similar to yours but with your initial.

“Sí, for Jana” you smile up at Salma as she releases your necklace from between her fingers. She gives you a similar smile, yet hers is slowly turning into a teasing smirk.

“Do you not realize how gay that is?”

“But I am gay?” you furrow your eyebrows, not getting her hint and she throws her head back.

“That’s not my point” she rolls her eyes, resting her cheek on the couch pillow as she stares at you. 

Jana’s foul expression only deepens as she keeps looking at the two of you, misinterpreting Salma’s staring and behavior as something else. Your best friend frustrated, bites at her lower lips and crosses her arms over her chest as she sulks. 

It is only when Mapi and Ingrid announce that the popcorn is ready for the last event of the evening does Jana look away from the two of you still deep in conversation.

Throughout the movie she manages to keep her eyes off you and Salma, hoping that her jealousy isn’t visible, but her attention isn’t focused on the movie. Instead, her thoughts are all over the place yet they solely revolve around you. 

She’s fast asleep by the time the film ends, much like a few other girls sprawled across the living room. This is a common occurrence after bonding nights and like every other time, the girls who are awake bid their farewells to the rest as they head home for the night while others are welcome to stay the night if they have fallen into a deep slumber. 

You’re not too surprised when you wake up in the dark living room, knowing that you were going to have a hard time staying awake. You are surprised to find yourself lying in Alexia’s lap though, her arm resting over your shoulders as she sleeps with her head leant back on the couch pillow.

 A fond smile overtakes your sleepy features as you carefully sit up, not wanting to wake the midfielder. As your eyes adjust to the dark, you can make out a sleeping Aitana and Laia on the soft carpet by your feet, the two wrapped up in a big blanket.

Just as you think about going back to sleep the dry sensation in your throat intensifies. You tiptoe out of the living room and into the kitchen and you open the fridge door in search of a cold bottle of water. You knew Mapi preferred them that way and you’re proven right when you reach out for one of the eight bottles on the side shelf.

You don’t hear the soft padding of feet behind you as you rid the bottle of its cap and take a drink. Gulping down the cold water you’re unaware of the girl now standing behind you until her arms wrap themselves around your midsection. A surprised sound escapes your throat but thankfully you don’t jump out of your skin or choke on the water as you recognize her hands.

“Jana” you whisper into the dark night, only receiving a faint hum as a reply.

When you take another swig of the water, your eyes almost pop out of their sockets when the brunette’s hands make their way under your shirt where it had risen. Her thumbs rub soft figures into the skin of your abs and you swore you heard her let out another hum as she nuzzled her face into the crook of your neck. 

“Jana” you whisper once again, now turning in her hold and you place the almost empty plastic bottle on the counter behind you. 

“Sí?” she whispers into your neck, now her palms flat on your back. It’s clear from her slow movements that she’s only just woken up but her voice is rather honey-like, a big contrast to the rough morning voice you’re used to from her.

“está todo bien?” your arms envelope her as you keep her close and you allow yourself to enjoy the warmth of Jana’s embrace.

“Sí” her answer is short but it is accompanied by a small kiss to your neck. You will yourself not to shudder in bliss. A moment later she lets go of you and grabs your hand in her own. “Dance with me?”

“Jana I can barely see you and there’s no music” you point out the obvious, well aware that you can’t put on any music in the middle of the night while your friends are sleeping in the living room next to you.

“We don’t need music” Jana whispers into the silent air of the night and she reaches behind you. 

With a quiet but swift move she opens the fridge door which lights up the kitchen just enough for the two of you to see each other. Your face heats up when you notice the look in Jana’s eyes and she smiles at you softly before leading you into a slow dance.

Your arms stay around her waist while hers remain locked behind your neck. Your whole body is on fire, and unbeknownst to you so is Jana’s. You will yourself to not look away in nervousness because the way she’s looking at you is driving you crazy in the best way possible.

When your grip on her waist tightens Jana blushes slightly and as you gaze at her face that is softly illuminated by the glow of the fridge light, you swear she’s the most beautiful girl you’ve ever laid your eyes upon.

“Y/N” she whispers, trying to gain your attention. Her lips split into a lovesick smile that you notice for the first time. Eyes widening in realization, a small grin makes its way onto your face and you gently tug the girl even closer to you.

“Yes?” you ask, patiently waiting for her to continue with what she was going to say. 

“Can you…” her voice fades as her eyes glance around your face in nervousness and her cheeks turn a darker shade of red.

 Her fingers play with the baby hairs at the nape of your neck but as her tongue darts out to wet her lips and her eyes stay glued to your mouth for just a few seconds too long - you think you know what she’s asking for. And you fail at fighting back your own love filled smile hearing your 17 year old self screaming at you to kiss the girl.

“Can I?” you whisper onto her lips as your hand cradles her face and she barely contains herself from falling into you as she nods, gaze focused on you and you only. 

When your lips claim hers Jana lightly tugs on your hair as she presses herself further into you and you don’t hold back either as you eagerly deepen the kiss. It’s like the two of you have been yearning for this since forever and your hearts finally calm as the two of you melt into one. Your foreheads remain touching as you pull away to catch your breath and your eyes glisten at the adoration shining in Jana’s eyes. 

A watery laugh escapes Jana’s lips as she cups your face and there’s one confession she makes before she pulls you back into her for another kiss. 

“Te amo mucho, amor” 

[tokyo-tower-symbolism]

What does Karen mean when she says "I am Reborn"?

Revue Starlight takes place in a time loop. 

For over 60 years, eight students from Seisho’s acting class continue to audition to be the lead in the Starlight Gatherer, each hoping to use the brilliance awarded to the top star to fulfill their wish to perform on the Stage of Fate. And in each of those loops, very little changes. The same leads are chosen, the same wish is made, and Aijou Karen is at the bottom of the rankings every time. 

Nothing changes until one loop where Kagura Hikari transfers to their school from London and replaces Karen as one of the eight participants in the audition, and suddenly everything is changing.

Hikari’s return lights a spark in Karen. The childhood promise they made to perform on stage together is the closest it’s ever been to happening, and Karen refuses to waste this chance.

In the first episode, we don’t get a very flattering picture of Karen. Her roommate struggles to wake her up to get to morning practice, Karen is stiff as a board while stretching, she’s not taken seriously by her classmates at all, and she can’t even picture herself ever beating Maya or Claudine for the lead roles in the play. Don’t get me wrong, her classmates all like her and honestly she’s really funny to watch, but everyone is here because they want to be the star, not to fool around.

It comes to a head when the giraffe who runs the underground auditions points it out. She’s not desperate like the other girls so she has no chance of winning. He says that there is no place for someone like Karen to have a chance at that dream stage. 

But Karen doesn’t care. She ignores the giraffe entirely and jumps on stage to join Hikari. And as she falls, she undergoes a transformation, going from her school uniform to the revue outfit.

There’s a lot to be said about the transformation sequence, like how quick and mechanical and impersonal everything is. Machines sew the costumes and get everything ready and makeup is briefly applied. It’s all the work that would usually be given to the school’s Class B, which works on all the backstage stuff, like the props and the sets and the costumes. They’re out of focus a lot of the time and we only really focus on two characters from Class B, but they still exist! They’re friends with the main class A actors and in the movie it’s because of a speech the director of the play gives that the main characters decide to stand up on stage again. But they don’t matter to the audition. It only cares about the top star.

There’s also how the uniforms are mass manufactured and the very important star buttons, which signify victory or defeat so basically life or death, are unceremoniously tossed in a box, showing how disposable the rest of the stage girls are in creating the top star. Honestly the whole thing is kind of sinister in hindsight once you understand the true nature of the auditions.

But the part that’s all Karen is when she jumps and in the background it says: I am reborn.

Because Karen completely reinvents herself. She goes from getting sweeped in a low dip by Junna in their daily life to doing the same to her in the revue. In the following episodes, she starts waking up early, taking practice seriously, she changes her classmates' worldviews after defeating them, and she even beats Claudine and Maya to earn a lead role in the Starlight Gatherer. Nana specifically says that all the changes in this loop stemmed from Karen, despite Hikari’s appearance being the first major difference.

And in the climactic final revue of the show, Karen is only able to reach Hikari by stating that she will constantly be reborn if it means she can stand on stage with her. That Karen doesn’t mind getting her brilliance stolen or being trapped in the stage of fate or whatever terrible fate might befall her if she sticks with Hikari since each time she will get back on stage, born anew.

But what exactly does it mean to be reborn as a stage girl?

Well first, in order to be reborn you need to die, so let’s start there. And in the show, we see two dead stage girls.

The first is Hikari after she lost the audition in London and had her brilliance stolen. As a result, she loses all interest in the stage and can hardly remember why she bothered trying so hard to become the lead in her school’s play. But what snaps her out of this is remembering her promise to stand on stage with Karen, and how disgusted she is in herself that she almost forgot it. In a desperate attempt to reclaim what she lost, she goes to participate in the Tokyo audition since the winner will steal the brilliance of all the participants to make the stage of fate and become the untouchable top star. Unfortunately the one flaw in her plan is that Karen is also in the audition, so even if Hikari did win, she would also be stealing Karen’s brilliance, making it so their promise could never be kept regardless.

Hikari continues to be dead as a stage girl despite being a participant in the Tokyo Auditions. Although her technical skills are perfect, Maya in the first episode mentions that her heart’s not in it, which we later find out is because Hikari had lost her brilliance. This can be seen in her revue outfit in London compared to now. Over there, she had a sword and a red cape just like everyone else. But now her blade is shortened to a dagger’s length and her cloak is blue, the color of her promise which is her true desire here instead of the red of the top star that everyone else desires.

But Hikari is eventually reborn. By the time of her revue with Nana, Hikari has changed. She’s no longer pushing everyone away and has actually started to make friends with everyone and told Karen how dear their promise is to her as well. Even though Hikari only came here as a step on her path to become a top star and one day fulfill her promise with Karen, she’s instead inspired by Karen that the two of them could shine as top stars together here. Her entire worldview is completely changed, and in this Revue against someone who is in the audition not for a love of acting, but to instead use it as a stepping stone for her own ambitions, just like Hikari, her brilliance is reborn. Hikari’s weapon transforms, not back into the sword from before, but into a new dagger with a string that Hikari can use to maneuver herself and a star shaped hilt, similar to her hairpin, a symbol of her promise with Karen.

She’s not the same as she was before she died as a stage girl, but she’s reborn as someone new with a brand new outlook on life.

And the next dead stage girl we see in the show is Karen herself.

After Hikari wins the audition, she refuses to use the brilliance of the other participants to create the stage of fate, and instead offers to create it herself. This doesn’t really work and Hikari is trapped there for months in a Sisyphean effort where she attempts to build the Starlight Tower but it is destroyed over and over again because it’s impossible to put on a play alone.

But outside the Stage of Fate, no one knows what happened to her. Life goes on, but Karen is constantly searching for Hikari but has no luck. In the meantime Karen has lost the motivation she had back when Hikari transferred in. Even though she can say her lines perfectly during practice, there is something missing that everyone can tell. Her heart’s just not in it anymore. Karen even wonders why she’s been trying so hard all this time. It’s the spitting image of Hikari in London after she lost her brilliance. Even though no one stole it from her this time, without Hikari out there, Karen has no motivation to stand on stage.

But with no clues left to find where Hikari has gone, Karen instead has to understand Hikari. She reads Hikari’s Starlight Gatherer book in the original English like Hikari did. It’s hard and she needs a dictionary to translate it, but she puts in the effort to understand Hikari and why she left.

And on her way to confront Hikari once more with this new understanding, she is guided by her classmates. In the background the song “Knowledge of a Stage Girl” is played as each of them tells Karen what being on stage means to them.

Karen is reborn and ready to face Hikari after being dead as a stage girl, and it’s only because her worldview changed after understanding everyone else. Karen at the end of episode 10 couldn’t have convinced Hikari, she was absolutely blindsided then and had no idea what Hikari was doing. But now Karen was ready after having understood a variety of perspectives.

Because that’s what being reborn is, to change yourself. You will never be anyone other than yourself. But every time you understand someone, learn from someone, or get inspired by someone, you are reborn. You suddenly see a path someone else took that you hadn’t thought of before. You’re suddenly given a whole new way of life to live. You can be reborn as someone brand new. And even if you choose to stay exactly the same, you’ve still grown since you now know they exist.

When the stage is reborn in the final revue of the show, it’s only because Karen offered a new ending: that after falling, Flora ascended up the tower once more to meet the trapped Claire. Karen couldn’t change the past, she can’t make it so Flora and Claire never ascended the tower in the first place, she can’t make it so the two of them never took part in these auditions, but she can change what's gonna happen next.

This is also seen in the movie. Throughout the movie, Karen is wandering along a train track and reminiscing on how she became a stage girl. We see Hikari and Karen’s first meeting and the first play they saw with each other. We see how Karen had been the lead in her middle school plays and took dancing and singing lessons ever since elementary school. We see how she had to give up video games and hanging out with her friends so she could get into one of the best acting schools in the world. We see how scared she was that Hikari might have forgotten their promise. 

And once Karen arrived at the end of the tracks, she decides to give up on the stage, having realized that she had fulfilled her dream to shine as the lead with Hikari and now there is nothing left for her future on the stage. So Karen dies as a stage girl, for real this time. It’s still a metaphor but it’s real, her body goes limp in front of Hikari and there is tomato juice everywhere.

It’s real bad. Hikari starts crying and cradling Karen in her arms, which is a big departure from how stoic she usually is. But Hikari is finally truthful about why she left, having been symbolically reborn herself, and she tells Karen her true feelings, that she wants Karen to come back to the stage where she is waiting.

Karen falls again, and just like the first time she transformed, it even has the sign behind her that says I am reborn.

Her body rides down the tracks on a train, reliving the memories and burning up everything she already gave up before. But this time when she returns to the end, she is alive and reborn. The circumstances are all the same as before, she still fulfilled her dream and has nothing left. As she later says, she’s the emptiest she’s ever been. But she’s here now, all because Hikari said she was waiting for her, and that’s enough of a reason to stand on stage.

This is just like the first episode, where the only difference from all the other loops was that Hikari was there, and that’s all Karen needed to change and be reborn.

Because Karen can’t redo her whole life. Even within the time loop everything happened more or less the same each time. Karen already gave everything she had into acting and fulfilling her promise. Like the song playing in the background says, “I would be reborn as myself.” 

It’s not like she ever acted differently to try and become the top star, she doesn’t imitate Maya or Claudine or any other top star. She is unabashedly herself, always kind and energetic. The only difference is that she’s just more focused and motivated and understanding with each rebirth because the only thing she can change is what she is going to do right now, and that’s what it means to be reborn. 

Karen is transformed over the course of the revue, her sword snaps and her future is changed. She gains a better understanding of herself and why she stands on stage. And instead of desiring to stand beside Hikari on stage again, or longing for the stage that had already passed, she finds a new ambition, and chooses to stand against her as rivals who won’t lose to each other. And as established in a previous revue (that Karen wasn’t there for), the revue of rivals never ends, no matter how far apart their stages are. So instead of giving up on the stage like she said prior, we see the reborn Karen auditioning for a brand new role during the credits.

Revue Starlight is all about these little transformations. As the stage girls take part in each of the revues, they learn a little bit more about each other, which helps them learn more about themselves. They grow and change because they clash with each other, and become stronger for it. The giraffe changes from the proctor to becoming a bunch of fruits and vegetables, symbolically the fuel they need to ascend to the next stage instead of using each other’s brilliance. The revues themselves change from being part of an audition to being entirely for the girl’s satisfaction, with previous win conditions such as cutting the brooch or claiming position zero becoming worthless as they move on to bigger things.

And all of this was a choice. The first choice was that Hikari didn’t want to give up on her dream with Karen, so she got back on stage. The next choice was that Karen wanted to stand on stage with Hikari, even if she wasn’t part of the auditions. In the movie, everyone else gets the chance to see themselves as a dead stage girl. At first they are in shock, but then they hear a speech from the director about how they are all scared together. And after that, each of them chooses to get back on stage despite the risk, because they aren’t facing it alone.

In the final revue of the show, Karen said that every time she gets on stage, she is reborn. And we saw that! Before every revue, Karen had her “I am Reborn” transformation sequence. And it’s not just her, in the recap movie, the other stage girls didn’t get the full transformation sequence, but they did get an “I am Reborn” card before their revues. Because everytime a stage girl chooses to stand on stage, someone else is there. Someone else is going to be facing them in the revue. Someone else will be acting across from them, or will be supporting them off the stage. And even when they are apart, they are going to be thinking of each other.

Even from the very beginning, the reason that any of them chose to stand on stage was because of someone else. Maybe they were inspired like Karen, Hikari, or Junna. Maybe it was expected of them like Maya, Kaoruko, or Mahiru. Or maybe it was because someone else was already there, like with Futaba, Claudine, or Nana. And sometimes it’s a mix because people are complex and have so many different reasons for doing anything they do. 

But still, they chose to do it, to change and to take a risk and put it all out there and accept whatever comes with it.

And that is what it means to be reborn.

[bird-inacage]

Only Friends: Episode 5 Preview (A walk in Sand's 'Rough & Dusty' World)

I'm really looking forward to where Episode 5 is taking us with Ray and Sand's storyline. This almost feels like the proper start to these two as a 'couple'. Having seen more to Ray last week, we're now getting a better insight into Sand's life, which looks peppered with sweet and spicy moments throughout.

We start with breakfast at Sand's. Can we safely assume this is a morning after scene, which means they slept together again? (How adorable does Ray look whilst he peeks into the kitchen? He's an actual child, I weep).

At the end of Episode 4, Ray seems to have arrived at the conclusion that he's now open to the idea of welcoming Sand into his life, and being more sincere about their (cough) 'friendship'. And with that, he intends to make more of a conscious effort, to show he has taken on board what Sand said.

So Ray suggests they spend the day together, "Can I stay with you? I wanna get to know you better." (A nice parallel to Ray's usual 'stay with me') It's an immediate indication that someone is starting to take you seriously, because they are initiating opportunities to see your world, to understand your perspective - to better appreciate all the things that make you who you are.

So far, Sand has mainly operated in Ray's world when they've crossed paths. Ray knows very little of Sand's life, other than his job as a bar singer. The fact that Ray is taking an active interest is a huge step. This isn't 'I'm paying or begging you to spend time with me' (aka Ray wanting Sand to keep him company), it's 'I want to spend time with you' (I'm keeping you company). That's a very notable distinction.

This request also means that Sand will be leading the day's activities, with Ray following along. That's another role reversal of how their dynamic has played out so far. Ray is the one who dictates what he'd like to do, and he persuades Sand to agree. Giving Sand full control is another example of Ray welcoming his opinion and preferences. It's a sign of moving towards more equality and balance in their relationship.

(How powerful is Sand in the leather jacket? The whole riding a motorbike together screams boyfriend energy).

Try to stay sane folks, because we should also be getting THIS notorious scene. It looks like they're in a changing room but who knows, maybe Sand has a weird privacy corner in his flat? The shirt Ray wears for the rest of the episode is hanging on the wall. We get Sand changing Ray (because his role as Ray's caretaker reigns supreme), and whilst doing so, he goes in for a cheeky fondle.

Sand continues to open Ray's eyes through music at a gig, which is a nice continuation of the lovely scene they shared at the record store. They also return to the go-go bar, where Ray publicly serenades our resident singer?

And we'll bear witness to Sand falling more and more visibly in love by the second. It's just as Mew called it - Ray should be a ray of sunshine and that's exactly the way Sand looks at him. That gaze is full of warmth and awe. Sand is completely aware of Ray's faults and bad habits, because he saw those first and upfront. And yet he sees Ray beaming underneath, despite all those things.

(As a side note to Ray - the superficial attention of many doesn't come close when compared against the all-encompassing attention of just one. Do you see how that man looks at you??)

After a long day out of playing actual boyfriends, they have a quiet, steamy make out session on Sand's balcony. Having had Ray accompany him all day, there's no doubt Sand is even more head over heels now.

If they did indeed sleep together the previous night and were gunning for 2 in a row, I really don't think you can shirk that off as 'friendship' anymore. I don't care how deep or convincing you think your denial is.

Aaaand OH. It was only a matter of time before this inevitably happened. Either Sand would walk in on Boston/Nick wildin', or they would catch him and Ray doing the dirty. My worry is how Boston is going to react, because not only has Top given him the cold shoulder, Ray is swiftly veering off his plan and how he ideally wanted to manipulate the situation. In a desperate bid to clutch at straws, I really hope Boston doesn't try to stir shit up with Sand instead (in regards to that Ray and Mew kiss).

Boston, you better steer well clear of our unproblematic couple. Let them be happy without the fuckery that is your mind games.

(Ray's expression cracked me up. He looks completely out of it 'Huh? What's happening? Who dis?' Boy was so consumed in kissing Sand, he forgot who he was).

[justvora]

Cassandra Cain should be BATMAN.

Art credits: Karahuset

Honestly, I am not going to expand much on this, even though I could do an essay.

Cassandra Cain should be Batman and take his place and role. Not a "she should be in an alternate future?" No. She should be him in the current continuity, and there's nothing that annoys me more than seeing how in hundreds of elseworlds they've made Damian Batman, but Cass has been left stuck in his legacy.

Why? Simply sexism.

Helena Wayne already said it at the time: the bat is a symbol, an indistinct mantle depending on gender or whatever. Batman is a symbolic figure, not a person, but a legionary entity that exists thanks to its myths, thanks to urban legends.

"She could be Batgirl, or Batwoman", no, darling, no. Those are completely unrelated legacies no matter how much they stick to the Batman nexus. They serve a completely different book in which their own story is told, ceasing to be the pages of someone else's book. And Cass is the only one capable of taking the Bat's book to capture her story there and continue that legacy, not being an extension of it, but a central part of it.

Kate Kane (taking into account the post-crisis continuity) was a self-destructive woman who was expelled from the army for having relations with her roommate and who saw in Batman the inspiration to become a vigilante herself, so she took her military knowledge to create her own "symbol", wearing a completely different mantle that, even so, was based on and inspired by the Bat's icon.

Likewise, the Batgirl title was born in a completely different form and, in the future, she would become an assistant to the Bat-family. Barbara Gordon started in a casual, spontaneous and independent way, wanting to "annoy" her father at a party, but everything would take a turn when she would end up acting more like a heroine in a given moment to stop Killer Moth.

Those are mantles that were born detached from that of Batman himself but that, in the end, have intertwined and crossed. The point is that they do not have the same meaning, nor do they represent the same thing within the fight against crime. In the end it's digging into unnecessary technicalities, but the point is that if Cassandra should inherit a mantle it would be the core one, that of the Bat itself to become "The Bat".

Cassandra Cain is the one who has taken the symbol more seriously than anyone else. The one who most adheres to the no-kill rule. The most apt and who has the best attitude for it.

With this I do not detract from characters like Dick, Jason or Tim, as they are building their own legacy and history away from what has been the history of the Bat.

In the past it was said that she lacked other skills to take up the mantle, yet Batman himself claimed that she was best suited to take up his mantle when needed. She could very well team up with her siblings to do the job, or co-exist with another Batman to complement their skills and increase the fear of criminals given the possibility that "Batman is everywhere".

But I actually consider Cassandra to have very good detective skills. Perhaps not as refined, but her past and the fact that she has been a murderer (even if she canonically only took someone's life) gives her the knowledge of how to prevent murders, both by her hand and by the hand of others; that is, she knows what to do not to kill and still reduce those who have done evil; and, likewise, she knows how a murderer will act, which helps her when it comes to solving criminal cases.

The fact that she has stained her hands only once makes her carry a great weight on her. Among so many things, she became Batgirl to redeem herself and give meaning to an empty life, absent of identity (something that did her a lot of psychological damage, which is why Babs wanted her to develop on a social level so that Cass wouldn't be so isolated); and that's why, more than anyone else, she doesn't want a single person to die. She doesn't want to shed blood in vain, and from the beginning she always put herself before bullets by sacrificing herself (although this was something she did in a "death wish" kind of way, something I personally don't buy into because of how stale it comes across, being a trope of the time, but it still demonstrates her calling and sacrifice for heroism).

She takes the rule of killing more seriously than absolutely anyone else.

"Nobody dies tonight."

"Okay, but... She does not have the deductive reasoning. She is not a skilled tactician. She has no skill at mind games on either side of them."

#1 Bruce Wayne: Fugitive storyline. When everyone figured Bruce was a murderer, Cass was one of the few who didn't write Bruce off. She looked at the victim's body and saw the first clue to Bruce's innocence.

#2 Skilled tactician. She studied tapes of the Brotherhood of Evil in action after her prior loss to them. She studied them so much the next time they fought she owned the three members that attacked her.

No mind games you say? Tell it to Deathstroke who she played mind games with owning him twice.

All this not to mention her body language skills, something that not only makes her a superior fighter to anyone, being the first person who could beat Lady Shiva in a completely fair one-on-one, but also a human lie detector as she is able to recognize the truths and secrets that people hide deep inside. This makes her a completely empathetic girl by understanding people's emotions better than anyone else, making her a more tactful girl.

Anyway those are characteristics to fulfill the bare minimum of being Batman, and she goes above and beyond. It's not just that they meet the necessary skills, or that she has the necessary attitude, determination and self-sacrifice, but that she is the best fit. Cassandra is an equal for Bruce, a reflection of his very person in a good way, though there is one thing Cass can still do unlike Bruce at the expense of all the years he carries on his back: Cassandra can change and be a full person. It is her ability to grow, mature and understand life under a full perception, because thanks to an upbringing next to a real family she can understand the world around her to be a self-made person.

She is not driven by revenge, but by justice. She is not hate, but love and hope.

Cassandra is a woman who believes in giving people a second chance, because she believes in redemption, in change.

Likewise, and to conclude, in the current continuity it is confirmed that Cass is not only Bruce Wayne's daughter (this is indirectly implied in her dialogue with Dinah), but that she is "everyone's favorite Batman".

“ Everyone experiences tragedy. Tim. Bruce. You and me. It's not about the city. It's about how you choose to see the world. Everything else is just an excuse. ”

[kaynanarie]

JourneyTober! Day 25 - Temple

            The tension in the room could be cut with a knife. Jen and Monkey knelt on one side of the table. A cross from them, two young servants scrutinized them with barely disguised distain. Between the pairs was a spread of assorted foods and drinks, all untouched.

            “The last time we had a stinky monkey as a guest,” one spoke curtly, flashing his eyes towards Monkey. “He ruined our Master’s cherished Gensing Fruit tree.”

            “We only allow you to stay because Master Zhenyuan deems it prudent,” the other continued in an equally sour tone. “But know that your presence is undesired in this temple.”

            “Wow, tell us how you really feel,” Jen snarked while Monkey bristled silently beside her. The boys turned their critical gazes towards her, all but sneering.

            “You shouldn’t be here at all, foreigner.”

            “To think Master would allow an outsider into his home.”

            A quiet growl rumbled between Monkey’s clenched teeth. Jen was starting to worry he would lunge across the table and smack some manners into the mouthy children. While they might deserve it, she doubted their master would appreciate the violence.

            “Qingfeng. Mingyue. That’s enough,” a voice cut through the room, bringing an end to the youths’ beratement. The immortal master appeared in the doorway. His long, white hair and beard with matching snowy robes gave him the appearance of a wise ghost. At his appearance, both servants fell into synchronized bows.

            “Master Zhenyuan! We prepared tea–”

            “–And served them food, as you requested.”

            He hummed, strolling past them to take a seat the table. “Very good. Now go prepare rooms for our guests. They will need rest before they continue their journey.”

            The servants bowed a final time and left the room, grumbling and shooting dirty looks to Monkey and Jen the whole way. Once they were gone, Master Zhenyuan let out a weary sigh, giving the two a sympathetic smile. “Apologies for my disciples. They take their roles very seriously and still hold grudges from our last group of guests.”

            “Yeah, I can’t imagine why they messed up your tree,” Jen muttered, crossing her arms. “We were told to come here and I’m sure it wasn’t just for the oh-so-welcoming hospitality.”

            “Yes, I have been expecting you,” Master Zhenyuan started, calmly pouring tea for each of them before picking up his own cup. “Many of us immortals are aware of the journey for the relics to restore the Monkey King. And while I myself have chosen not to get involved, my old friend Subodhi has lent his support to your quest.”

            Monkey perked up at the name, head tilting in surprise.

            “Who’s Subodhi?” Jen asked, glancing between the two for an answer.

            Master Zhenyuan sipped his tea thoughtfully before speaking. “Master Subodhi was Sun Wukong’s first master, the one who taught him many great skills and spells, most of which he later used to get into trouble. When his mischief became too great, Subodhi sent him away and swore him to secrecy of his tutelage. With Monkey King’s oath fulfilled and his renewal in the balance, Subodhi has sent aid on behalf of his former disciple.”

            “That’s great!” Jen gasped with relief. “So, what did he send to help?”

            Even Monkey nodded eagerly, leaning forward in anticipation. What they didn’t expect was Zhenyuan to gracefully raise a hand and gesture back at them.

            Jen looked around curiously but saw nothing. “Uh, is it something we already have?”

            “It’s you, dear child,” Zhenyuan answered, staring Jen down. “How do you think you arrived here, a land so far from your own?”

            “Well, I mean…” Jen fidgeted under his gaze, hands clutching her cold tea. “I thought it was because I lit an incense in that little house?”

            “The shrine, yes,” the immortal nodded. “Subodhi scattered those shrines throughout your world, searching for a companion swayed by neither the Celestial Court nor the Buddhists’ influence. Someone with no previous connection to the Monkey King or his legacy. A perfectly impartial witness to fate.”

            Monkey’s focus now turned to Jen as the information set in. He seemed just as baffled, mouth pulled in a frown and dark eyes searching her for answers.

            “I…don’t know what you expect me to do,” she admitted quietly.

            “The Companion to the Destined One is expected to travel with him and act as guide.” Master Zhenyuan’s words sounded practiced; an explanation quoted countless times before. “Without one, the other is doomed to fail. Only by working together, can all the relics be found and the journey truly succeed.”

            Jen balked, panic starting to set in. “I–I don’t know how to be a guide! I don’t know anything about this place! I just found out what’s going on and why I’m here, how am I supposed to guide anyone?”

            “All in good time,” Zhenyuan spoke softly, offering comfort that fell on deaf ears. “Not all guides lead to physical places. You two will find your way as long as you continue to work together. You’ve made it his far already but there’s still much ahead to overcome.”

            “But…” Jen swallowed thickly, blinking away the tears building in her eyes. “How am I supposed to get home?”

            Master Zhenyuan sighed. “That I do not know. Perhaps by seeing this journey to its end, the way home will be revealed to you as well. But for now, I’m sure you could use some rest.”

            He looked to the doorway where the two servants had reappeared, both faces pinched in mirrored scowls. “Qingfeng and Mingyue will show you to your rooms. Please, make yourselves comfortable and let them know if you need anything. We can speak more over dinner.”

            Jen could only nod, following after the servants, mind still abuzz.

   ��        “This will be your room, woman,” one of the boys said, pointing to the door on their left.

            The other continued down the corridor, not even looking to see if he was being followed. “The monkey will stay be staying down the hall. We ask that you remain in your chambers until summoned for dinner.”

            As her friend turned to leave, Jen’s anxiety flared and her hands reached out to grab his arm. “Monkey, wait! I…” But when he looked at her, the words faded away and she just felt silly and childish. “I’m sorry. I know you were expecting something else. I want to help, I really do, I…just don’t know how.”

            Monkey’s expression was carefully still, but his eyes held a mix of sympathy and disappointment. After a moment, he sighed, giving her shoulder a gentle pat before turning away. As Jen watched him go, she couldn’t help feeling like she had already failed him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------(Getting into the home stretch and Halloween right around the corner. Thank you so much to all my readers, every like and reblog brings me such joy.)

[bestworstcase]

@tumblingxelian from here

As the person who started the "Give that girl a cult" tag, I kind of disagree. RWBY Beyond already made it clear Ruby has a lot of people focused on her in a Great Uniter sense. Add in how many issues she's been having and judging by the movie continues to have with playing the role needed of her. & that there's a nationalistic/fascist movement being aided by the villains & I feel like Ruby being admired not playing into it makes zero sense. The memes of Jax just screaming in frustration cos Ruby is much, much, much closer to the icon he only pretends to be are just memes and not realistic expectations for the volumes story. I should also clarify, cult was just picked cos "Fan club" doesn't have the same connotations.

mm to clarify where i’m coming from, my main point of disagreement with the "ruby gets a [celebrity] cult" angle is with Where and How it will have narrative impact (i think ruby’s celebrity will be more of a personal stumbling block for her tied into the summer rose mystery and an issue that exacerbates the nascent civil war, not smth she can take advantage of in the political conflict vs the crown) and how prominent it’ll be in terms of the amount of specific focus put on people adoring her.

but the main bone i have to pick is with specifically the "ruby is literally going to be deified / silver-eyed ascended savior / tea as communion wine" type stuff (like this other anon) where "cult" is being used explicitly to mean religious veneration. THIS variant makes me want to bite people 

but anyway, to your actual points: i get that the jax meme-ing is largely exaggerated joking around, but at the same time the main thrust of all the real speculation in this vein is that ruby’s celebrity functions to set up a personal conflict between herself and the asturias twins and strengthens her coalition’s hand against the crown because she’s admired, an inspiration to the people, etc. 

in the same way that "salem’s gonna show up a year late with starbucks to explain her ninety step plan for beating the gods" is an unserious joke that follows from things i do seriously believe, that salem’s ultimate goal is to get rid of the brothers and the heroic side will hear her side of the story as probably the last major narrative turning point… no one is joking about jax going "NOOOO!!" while he bleeds supporters to ruby’s accidental cult of personality because they don’t think her celebrity is going to play a meaningful part in defeating the crown, yeah?

i’m also using the memetic joke phrasing in the prev post mainly because i didn’t want to just repeat stuff i’d already said in the one right before, but—well, okay:

1 - the crown isn’t a vanity project. jax is arrogant, but he does also fundamentally believe that he’s doing what is best for his nation; it’s an ideological project. and the ideology is more or less, "vacuo was broken and exploited by foreign invaders long ago. outsiders and those who aren’t willing to fight to the death for vacuo make this nation weak; to become strong again, loyal vacuans must band together to get rid of these people and fight for ourselves and our way of life." when jax imagines the "old ways," he envisions himself as the kind of king who holds himself equal to all his people ("he wasn’t going to hold himself above them")—he’s tying himself in a mental knot here to hold this belief while also putting half his forces under mind control, obviously, but the cognitive dissonance here is buried very deep. 

2 - the MAINSTREAM, NORMATIVE city vacuan cultural view—expressed by many different vacuan characters, including sun—is "we lost our identity and our way of life because people were too soft and content; we let the other kingdoms come here and take what they wanted, and then they left us with nothing but sand, heat, and bitter memories. but hardship and fending for ourselves for so long has made us strong, so we don’t need anyone telling us what to do!" <- i am condensing but much of this is lifted verbatim from the speech sun makes to rally eleventh hour support against the crown. in that speech, he rhetorically equates the twins to the "other kingdoms" who, like the crown, "promised prosperity and paradise."

3 - now. i don’t believe rwby is going to play straight this idea that vacuans were to blame for the conquest of vacuo, because a) the nomadic vacuans in after the fall hold very different cultural attitudes, b) in the 9.11 animatic oscar explicitly refers to all this as a "history of colonization," and c) rwby doesn’t blame faunus for being persecuted or the people of mantle for being repressed, why would vacuo be different?—these are cultural views that i expect to be challenged in v10.

4 - notice how similar these normative/mainstream views are to the crown’s ideology! the crown is more extreme, more violent, but it’s really not that far off from stuff the good-guy vacuans say. before the 9.11 animatic, this was the whole basis for my thinking that the crown would be the arc antagonists in v10—at the end of the book, the defenders turn the tide by flipping the nationalist rhetoric around; ideological victory to the crown. dump tens of thousands of refugees from another kingdom into this situation, and what happens? popular support for the crown explodes. 

5 - BTE is a villain origin story. it’s just the prelude that sets the stage for this explosion of popular support; the main event is in v10, and i think this time the crown is going to be much stronger. in the book, it’s a fringe movement extremists and a roughly equal number of unwilling "recruits" under jax’s thrall, but almost every city vacuan character we meet expresses hostility toward "outsiders" and "traitors" and a lot—not all, but a lot—of what the crown believes is normalized to some extent; a really significant number of vacuans were just one refugee crisis away from breaking for the crown. vacuo has had two refugee crises in swift succession and there’s atlesian and mistrali warships allied with the faction that welcomed the refugees flying over vacuo now.

6 - it doesn’t matter that those foreign ships are there to defend vacuo too; vacuan nationalism is grounded in centuries of colonial occupation and the optics are really, really bad for the coalition. here is what jax is going to be screaming from the rooftops: "half or more of vacuo’s population is outsiders now, people from atlas and vale who never lifted a finger to help us but expect us to sacrifice everything to save them—give up our food and water when we scarcely have enough to sustain ourselves, give up our homes, spill our blood and defend them with their lives. they’re weak, pathetic cowards who came running to hide behind us instead of fighting for their kingdom, and they expect us to believe they’ll fight for us when the time comes? no, they’re just here to do what the other kingdoms have always done to us—they’re the real threat. are we really going to sit by and let these foreign invaders take our country from us again?"—and a lot of vacuans are gonna buy that bullshit.

7 - not least because a lot of it is… kind of true. vacuo has a very long, very real history of suffering at the hands of these other kingdoms whose people it is now being asked to make very real sacrifices for. both CFVY novels emphasize that food and water are already scarce before the kingdom doubles in size and vacuo is weathering onslaught after onslaught of grimm because of the refugees. it’s a really tough situation, and for someone like jax it is a massive political windfall because it’s so easy to twist that reality into a justification for hatred and violence.

SO,

here’s what really stands out to me about the 9.11 animatic and ruby’s celebrity in B4:

nora’s section: establishes that the vacuans are really angry, like "throwing junk at small orphaned children in a screaming rage" angry

oscar’s: the shade coalition is holding on by its fingernails against grimm drawn to the city in droves.

ren’s: the asturias twins get broken out of prison, and he reflects that salem has the advantage because it’s easier to exploit fear and anger than to overcome them. 

winter’s: popular support for the crown is booming ("atlas go home" and "long live the crown" grafitti)… and then the second refugee crisis arrives, provoking what is quite likely another days-long unrelenting assault of the city by grimm. also, when the shade coalition isn’t running itself into the ground fighting grimm, they’re distributing food and water to refugees. (=the crown’s talking point here is "see? they only care about helping THEM, not US")

qrow’s: he feels optimistic because he sees the refugees coming together, trying to support each other through this crisis and atone for past wrongs. the old divide between atlas and mantle is healing. every single character in this section is a refugee, and the "remember her message!" mural seems to be something the happy huntresses organized. 

"it was a relief for us," says nora of reaching vacuo, "but for the vacuans…"

and boba: yang takes ruby to specifically a boba shop that relocated from patch to vacuo after vale was evacuated; so this is likely a neighborhood where a lot of valean refugees settled and that means the vacuans who live here are going to mostly be the type of people who were willing to open their community and absorb that second wave of refugees, i.e. the shade coalition’s support base, people like the nomadic vacuans in ATF who would never be swayed by jax’s rhetoric at all because they weren’t already xenophobic… which BTE implies pretty strongly is a minority position within vacuo proper.

B4 is a character-driven piece focused on ruby’s personal struggle, and the beyond spots are all pretty light, pretty hopeful, and pretty opaque about the situation in vacuo for reasons of being optional side content.

the 9.11 animatic, on the other hand, was meant to be an episode of the show proper, so it does not hold back on the foreshadowing / setup at all: from nora to ren to winter there’s a pattern of escalation with vacuan support for the crown gaining ground, getting louder and bolder, and then qrow’s optimistic conclusion is focused very tightly on the refugees, with an acknowledgment that things are "bad, probably never been worse" beyond the small good he chooses to focus on… which conspicuously does not include any vacuans participating in these small acts of kindness or atonement: it’s klein and willow and the happy huntresses looking out for other refugees.

here’s what i think is going to happen with ruby’s celebrity in v10: the refugees from atlas and mantle will adore her—she’s the girl who rallied the whole world to come help them, and got them out alive when salem attacked and their general lost his mind. the refugees from vale will love her—she’s theirs, after all, born and raised in vale, and look at what she’s started. the minority of vacuans who threw open their doors to welcome the refugees will think the world of her—if atlas hadn’t fallen so quickly, these are the people who would have done whatever they could to send help, and her example is an inspiration. 

and the rest of vacuo is going to fucking hate her. she’s the girl who asked the whole world to come running to help atlas and then the very next day dumped atlas and its problems into vacuo’s lap. is it fair to pin the blame for everything on ruby? fuck no, but she’s the face of this crisis for better and worse.

she’s not a threat to jax; he literally could not ASK for a more perfect scapegoat. she’s the girl from beacon who abandoned her school instead of fighting to save it. (<- explicitly how the crown and basically the entire shade student body views the beacon survivors.) she’s the girl who begged the world to come help atlas and then not even a full day later ran away AGAIN, dumping atlas on vacuo. she’s the reason the sky is crawling with atlesian and mistrali warships. she’s the reason grimm attacked the city every few days for months on end. the satellite she used to send her message is a fuckoff huge battleship looming over vacuo now. she keeps asking vacuans to set aside their differences and work together with the tens of thousands of refugees burdening the kingdom, and all of those refugees think she’s the best thing since sliced bread…

i think ruby will be a polarizing figure—possibly divisive enough that her return might be the final straw that rips the kingdom in half. ’cause like. the people with the most reason to admire her are also the ones the villainous nationalist group despises and wants to get rid of, and the 9.11 animatic flags hard that the crown’s support among vacuans has skyrocketed since the refugee crisis began. they’re not a fringe group anymore.

so on the one hand, the pressure put on ruby is going to be orders of magnitude more intense than ever before because she’s a celebrity beloved by the coalition’s supporters, most of whom are refugees, and between that and finding out vale is just gone now right after getting back, to judge by her characterization in rwby x jl2, ruby is NOT going to be coping well in the wake of her resolution to be all summer was and more. 

and on the other hand, to the crown’s supporters, who could very well now be the majority of vacuans living in the city proper, she’s the perfect scapegoat and they’re going to utterly despise her, inflaming the existing divide and maybe splitting what fence-sitters still remain at this point one way or another. ruby is both the girl who united the world and the girl who tore vacuo apart—rwby does love its contradictions!—which is a) not going to help her mental health situation at all, and b) a problem she and the rest of the shade coalition can only solve by winning the ideological argument. 

to put vacuo back together again they need to beat the idea that "outsiders" make vacuo weak and therefore to be strong vacuo has to drive out everyone deemed un-vacuan. more to the point, they’ll need to overcome the feeling that vacuo is suffering because the rest of the world came together for the refugees. which… is difficult and unfair, because the crown are the ones refusing to play ball and making everything harder than it needs to be, and because if the crown goes into open revolt then the coalition is going to have to fight back and that will make it even harder to make a convincing case that the coalition really does want to be fighting for vacuo, for all vacuans, not against them. it SEEMS impossible. but saving everyone in atlas and mantle seemed impossible, too. 

also, waves vaguely, i expect the vacuo arc will mirror atlas in various ways and this is one of them: the ascendant political movement are bad guys this time, reactionary nationalists, and the heroes are going to defeat them the hard way, no cheating, which will incite the healing of vacuo.

[kyriefae]

Being a Whovian is sincerely so much fun.

This show is so many different things to so many people but what I think truly makes it special is not just the change it forces on us as an audience but the way it pushes us subconsciously to give up on purism.

"Your Doctor" was <insert amiable character traits> but the current one doesn't represent that same persona? Pity. Almost like we can be different people all throughout our lives...

You ever hear someone say like..."it's fine it's just not for me"?

I wonder how many people who say that about the newest Doccy Who seasons genuinely think in their heart of hearts "actually this is garbage and you should agree with me that it is garbage" because those two are not the same thing at all! 🤭 Ugh, I can't help my incredulity sometimes. Maybe the internet adds to the expectation of toxicity. ...or I just spent a lot of time growing up around cynical assholes that hated fun. *shrug*

More to the point! 😅

Pick an era of this show; pick a doctor and you'll be transported to a world more or less unique to them. That's pretty cool if you ask me. They still have that silly multidimensional blue box; they still have two hearts (even if it didn't become canon until their 3rd incarnation)...and yes they still pick up stray humans (...usually young, petite British women from whatever decade said Doctor conveniently and sequentially visits).

But maybe to really hit home on what I mean about this show tackling purism in its audience's mind...it's always been a silly sci-fi show meant to elicit joy and wonder out of children. Additionally so, to help adults retain that same joy and wonder in their own lives by reflecting on the excitement that comes from infinite possibilities only possible when traveling with a genderfluid space alien that wears extraordinary clothes and hands out candy like it's already gone out of style. Oh and you become the universe's only hope the moment you step into another time or location lol.

Sometimes when we love something, we take it very seriously no matter how absurd it truly is at its core. We may not even notice we're doing it but any criticism of Doctor Who really ought to be taken with a grain of salt (and spread out at the very edge of creation...just for good measure). No need to get all salty over a television show. 🧂

So yeah. Being a Whovian, for me, is having the freedom to dive head first into an ocean of lore whenever I desire and really explore storytelling from several perspectives. Albeit many of the early years were written and directed and produced from the perspectives of white, straight men in the U.K. and stories with misogynist stances that heavily limited the functional roles of women in the context of said stories and were also affirmed by narratives and protagonists that failed to question any of it. *clearing throat* Oof, there was a frog back there!

All the same, our heroes of yesterday battled styrofoam monsters breaking through plywood walls built on cardboard sets represented by painted miniatures dangling on strings over a starlit portrait meant to look like space. Even when they couldn't help but be a bit cringe, they were still a silly lil sci-fi show playing at games of the imagination. Like children at play.

Now, we have this beautiful and talented man standing at center stage:

He is all the play; all the heart(s); all the joy we have known in this character but decorated in his own unique way.

My love for this show has evolved and I intend to allow it to continue doing just that. Hopefully we can continue to see the Whoniverse do just the same...instead of getting too caught up in the past. 🫣

Anywho, that's all for now.

Kisses 😘

[lightwise]

Okay, okay. I have thoughts (and feelings) on this latest episode of The Acolyte. (And no, this is not another post on Manny Jacinto’s arms…even though 👀😮‍💨🥵).

This is the first episode since the first one that I can unequivocally (except for one aspect) say that I really liked. Where has this level of dialogue and character insight been the entire show!?

Manny continues to take the starring role in the show as The Stranger. I’m seriously in awe of how compelling his performance is, how effortless he’s making it feel between all the switches of his personality—hungover, drifting bum, to terrifying dark side user with chilling morals, to a calm, quiet, perfectly in control man who knows who he is and what he wants, what he’s capable of, and what the emotions of those around him are.

He and Sol have switched places this episode just as much as Osha and Mae have. Sol is unsettled, anxious, lost in tortuous thoughts of the past. So much so that he doesn’t recognize that Mae has boarded the ship with him instead of Osha for (an agonizingly) long time. He starts to feel more like a villain when he finally figures out that Mae has tricked him, binds her, and then hovers over her menacingly after she wakes up. He’s becoming unhinged and going rogue, even making sure that they leave the planet and that Vernestra cannot track him because he wants to go retrieve Osha alone. Why? What is he hiding??

I’ll go ahead and do my quick gripe with the episode here. I like Amandla’s performance as Osha. I really can’t get into her performance for Mae. Osha feels transparent in her mental state and desires and motivations throughout the show. Mae is very difficult to get a read on, and I don’t mean that that is a bad thing when it comes to storytelling. I mean that it’s not working here. She’s gone back and forth like ten times in the last two episodes alone, wanting to compete her mission, then wanting to abandon it and turn herself into the Jedi so she can be with Osha, then fighting Jecki, then running from Qimir, then seemingly picking up the mission again so she can kill Sol, then not, then reprogramming her sister’s droid in a very callous manner, then somehow knowing enough about ships that she can work with the power systems (which is her sister’s area of expertise, not hers)….it just doesn’t work for me.

I also think that Sol took too long to recognize her. I’ll give him the getting onto the ship and trying to get a message out bc his emotions are a wreck. But he should have noticed after that. I also think Basil is completely unnecessary as a character. Sorry.

Anyway, back to Osha and Qimir. It’s a classic dark side seduction unfolding (I cracked up at the “if you’re not going to join me”), but Manny is oh so convincing about it. We know as the audience that everything he tells Osha is a half truth. It’s interesting to see how both the Jedi and the Sith in this show are kind of dealing with a half truth in how they are using the Force and teaching others. But it’s still very convincing, because he’s really not fueling it with overly grand promises or even his own ulterior motives, though he does have them. He’s simply telling Osha what his version of the truth is. What his experiences have been. And how he thinks they overlap with hers.

The dialogue is wonderful. A great example of how monologuing to give us info we don’t already have can actually work sometimes (looking at you, Ahsoka show). The line “why do you love people who can only go so far” was a standout for me. Again, not the accurate truth, but definitely a “from a certain point of view”. Sol also reiterates that Osha’s main characteristic has been love. So what is going to make her turn away from that? Anger? Feeling abandoned? Feeling guilty? Pinning an objectively hot Sith to a wall with his own lightsaber? SORRY. Sorry. 🤣🤣🤣. Really loved the “when you lose everything, that’s when you’re finally free” too, as well as “it’s just you and the Force. And what you bring with you.”

The fact that Qimir was a Jedi and might be much older than we expect is very interesting. I know very little about the Sith timeline from Legends, other than seeing names float about (Revan, Tenebrous, Plageous, etc). I’m interested to see which named Sith they might slot Qimir in with, or if they’re going to keep him completely separate from the main Sith line. He definitely does want to be a part of it though, given his “power of two” comment. A discarded apprentice who seeks his own apprentice to gain power, not unlike one fandom favorite Maul, perhaps?

I also liked Vernestra in this episode. I got a little better read on her character in a short time and loved seeing her speed in the Force using her light whip. It’s fascinating seeing her padawan be just as uptight and questioning as Jecki and Yord were…almost like this whole generation of padawans will grow up to be the masters who train the masters we see in TPM. What I would still like to understand better is why there seems to be such a split between the generations here. What outside or internal factors are influencing this? All they’ve shown is still is wanting to keep the senate and the council on good terms, but we don’t know why.

(Side note: Her Universe or someone definitely needs to make the open shoulder sweatshirt Osha was wearing.)

If the whole show had been like this I would appreciate it a lot. As is I think I’ll enjoy where they’re taking us but not necessarily how we got there. Hopefully the last two episodes will keep up the momentum.

[outrunningthedark]

I would understand the outrage against tommy had the the last time we saw him, he left in a way still framed as a bully and bigot and on bad terms with hen and chim. But that’s not what happened. When he left, it was clear they were all friends and fairly close too. Then we continue to get a couple random mentions of him between season 3-7 from chim. Then he comes back in season 7 and why does he come? because CHIM calls him up. and did y’all see Hen’s reaction to seeing Tommy? She most definitely was pleased to see him. If he wants Buck’s love interest they would not be so obsessed with his behaviour from 15-20 years ago

All of this. Ofc. I'm ngl, sometimes when I see a Buddie stan bringing up how he mistreated Hen and Chim I have to wonder whether they actually sat through non-Buddie episodes pre-season 4 or if they just skip to the parts where things got "good". Because Tommy's "redemption" was very much established before he ever came back this season. Does that mean people have to like it? Nope. But characters getting redemption arcs with little to no build up, and even if they don't "deserve it", is what this show does. If that's such a problem...why are those people even watching? Why are they still here? And if the answer is for Buddie...fandom isn't dictating canon. People need to separate what they ship from what they see on screen when they're not the ones writing the scripts. Also, gonna say something that might come as a shock, but as much fun as BuckTommy fans are having with the invisible string theory (that they are not taking as seriously as others think, lol), Tim could not have predicted that he would actually get approval for Bi Buck nor that Lou would be willing to take on the role as the LI. Would Tommy have been an asshole if Tim thought "We might be able to bring him back for Buck in 5 years?" Obviously not. But Tim wanted to introduce a LI with a connection to the 118, with a connection to Buck's co-workers and friends so that it wasn't just some guy showing up with no last name and no backstory. (And this is what REALLY has the fandom so angry, right? He's not getting the same treatment as Marisol.) It just so happens that THAT guy was Tommy.

[scraftyisthebest]

So in the upcoming chapter of Horizons, "Terastal Debut", it seems Liko and co. will be attending Naranja Academy. But it seems Onyx, Agate, and Sango (or as the dub now calls them: Sidian, Chalce, and Coral respectively) will be attending the school as well. Chalce/Agate will be signing up to act as a teacher, while Onyx/Sidian and Sango/Coral are acting as students, since they're wearing student uniforms. Most likely, they want to get Tera Orbs themselves so that Amethio isn't the only one using Terastal. But it's quite interesting how Coral and Sidian are both acting as students while Chalce is acting as a teacher in the academy.

Onyx and Sango (or as I should say, Sidian and Coral) are pretty clearly a duo with each other and they pretty much always stick together. They seem to be the comic relief of the Explorers group and form a comedic duo with the contrast between them amplifying their dynamic for maximum comedic effect. Coral is a petty, short-tempered brat who easily loses her shit at even the pettiest of things, while Sidian is much more level-headed and serious to an almost extreme degree which complements her in a funny way.

These two really feel like the Jessie and James of the Explorers and Liko's story. Two troublemakers who everyone else in the organization sees as a nuisance and pain, play the comedic relief at times, and seem to be frequently in confrontation with the heroes and directly confront them in battle, although they're also a lot more competent than those two ever were. They tend to show up in contexts outside of the Explorers' missions and stir up comedic antics like Coral going after Wiglett sweets and getting mad about not getting any, and in this case there's clearly setup for them to have antics around Liko, Roy, and Dot as fellow classmates and students at Naranja Academy, and likely tension between them on equal levels as students. Maybe during their time here they'll end up battling each other in a formal school setting, like a tournament or something. Liko and Roy vs. Sidian and Coral in a Tag Battle once again. A recurring trend that they may keep up over the course of the show. They definitely feel like a more competent version of Jessie and James who despite being antagonists also have a comedic relief angle and will likely have the most personal relationship with Liko, Roy, and Dot over the course of the show. Well, aside from Amethio. Especially since as students and classmates of our heroes, they're interacting on a formally equal level here in this next chapter. They may start to have a close relationship with them that borders on the two frequently meeting and being weird frenemies who like-hate each other on a personal level.

Chalce (aka Agate) acting as a teacher on the other hand raises some interesting questions about her role in the Explorers group and in the story as a whole. This would imply that she's the most senior admin of the organization and has authority over the other admins. This was kind of hinted at as she was the leader of the operation to capture Rayquaza and in charge, giving Sidian and Coral orders to follow. She doesn't seem to have any particularly standout traits as an antagonist, and is very straightforward and calm, but has natural authority in the group, and acting as a teacher in Naranja Academy likely reinforces that. That said she seems to be little more than someone who is experienced at what she does and takes her job seriously, which is different from Spinel who clearly has his own motives outside of the group and admits to using them as a means to an end for his own self-gain.

Getting to see the rest of the Explorers admins in proper action as of late has shed more light on their characters, and I look forward to seeing how each segment of the Explorers continue to play a role in the story. We have a duo of troublemakers in Sidian and Coral (Onyx and Sango) who are sort of comic relief, a senior admin in Chalce (Agate) who takes her job seriously and has the most authority of the lot, a particularly selfish and evil one in Spinel who is trying to use the group for his own selfish motives, and Amethio is pretty unique in that he seems to have a personal growth arc and is the protagonist of his own story, while he hangs out with his two subordinates who keep him grounded. There's a lot of differences between these three and it will be interesting how their roles in the story and their relationships with each other and the Rising Volt Tacklers continues to change over the course of this show.

[msviolacea]

Because I am avoiding work for a bit, have a random list of things I loved about the new Star Rail story patch.

Dr. Primitive lore! Which is very exciting for anyone who actually reads the in game lore books - or watching YT videos by people who read the lore books, whatever.

Well HELLO Mr. Reca, sir, I am always here for a pretty and absolutely batshit bonkers man. Meme. Whatever the fuck you are. Come back as playable soon.

(No really, as someone elsewhere pointed out, between Black Swan and Mr. Reca, the Memokeepers are definitely Made For Bisexuals.)

... also, Mr. Reca looks exactly like one of the suitors from Ikemen Vampire, but I haven't played that game so I can't remember which one it is.

They did a masterful job with Rappa's story. I started out amused but thinking "this ninja thing is going to get very old very quickly," and within like an hour I was suddenly the Brooklyn 99 "I've only had Rappa for an hour and a half" meme.

I also love that the Galaxy Rangers in general were also that meme. They walked into Dr. Primitive-related carnage, found a feral abused teenager who thought she was a character in a manga and went "well, we all collectively have a daughter now, I guess."

And! Speaking of Galaxy Rangers! Boothill, the man you are. Every scene he was in was the best scene of the patch. Impersonating Pom Pom! Dancing at Robin's rave! Being generally incorruptible by monkey bullshit!

Robin, also an MVP. I'd love to see her get more of a starring role in a quest at some point, but I love seeing her continuing to give her attention to Dreamflux Reef even after taking on her Oak Family duties, and also being game enough to go "so, this crazy Memokeeper just left me a DJ station? Sure, time to throw a dance party!"

On a slightly different note, clicking on Welt and Himeko for a side conversation before you leave the train to go to Dream College is a very interesting bit if you know Welt's HI3 backstory. So he's told Himeko that he was once a university professor. Did he tell her that SHE was one of his students? I mean, not this version of her, but still. I am so curious as to what he's revealed to her about who he was and how he ended up there, and how HI3 Himeko figures into his past and his decisions. GIVE US MORE WELT STORY IN THIS GAME HOYO.

In short, fuck the monkeys. Like, don't FUCK the monkeys, for the love of god, but seriously, fuck those fucking monkeys.