#and everyone just has fun making characters interact w him i fully support this

[thegradus2]

Og albecale is entirely fabricated by fandom but its also such a good ship somehow

[shirogane-oushirou]

OMG RENNIVERSAY???? HAPPY ANNIVERSARY AGAIN YAYYYY GUSH PASS IF U WANT HEHE 🎫🎫🎫

😭💕💕💕 THANK YOU NIIICK!!!!!!! for both the oushiversary and the renniversary (and honestly all of the time), your tags on rbs make me so giddy and emotional and i'm always so thankful ;w; wah.

i have a hard time expressing just how much ren has done for me this past year so... it's rambling time ksjdnfjk...

[pet death mention] my baby boy cyrus had lost his battle with cancer just a week prior to The Dream. i won't ramble about him here, but he was my biggest support when home life got fuck-y; losing him was like losing a part of myself. [/pet death mention end]

unfortunately i didn't have much to focus on afterward... i was trying to keep busy, but the art parties i'd been attending went on a long hiatus shortly after this, and while i TRIED vrc for a bit i found The Social Anxiety meant it wasn't the best choice for me ;;

and then i had this long, cinematic dream, about befriending and getting flirty with a dorky, fruity scientist from the c.dc (lol. lmao. i would NEVER!!!!! that's the very first thing i changed about him KJASNDKJN) who was fun and goofy and was so so loving to his niece who followed him around everywhere ;w;

and then he did a little villain heel-turn after being infected by a sentient parasite (also lol. lmao. my brain trying to bully me and make me feel bad... but it does it in the form of a cute bisexual man? 🥴). and of COURSE when his niece and i acted afraid of him he did the whole "i'll destroy everyone powerful in this city. and i won't let anyone or anything harm you." thing and i just OOUGHHHH. there's more to it than that, and i don't want to ramble TOO much, but he was so clearly twisted-justice-but-loves-people-so-hard core. that's the good shit ughhh.

and so! according to the document timestamp, i woke up at 5:45am, opened my ipad, went into procreate, and went to town scribbling down a vague idea of his face and mannerisms before passing out again. i KNEW i didn't want to forget this guy; i immediately felt he was special. most of my ocs come from dreams in some form, but he was already almost fully formed. The Ideal. To Me...

and when i woke up for real, i spent the day nailing down his design. and i was Officially Doomed from then on u_u

he's changed SO MUCH in the past year (just the fact that i had to revive his supernatural villain form as a separate AU a few months ago is proof of that KJANSDKJN)... as have i. he gave me someone to focus on as i healed, a reason to continue drawing in spite of the aforementioned art party hiatus, pushed me to join the selfship community For Real, lead to me meeting so many people and making so many friends outside of my teeny tiny a-couple of-friends-from-college circle, helped me appreciate the oc creation process and AUs so much more, pushed me to do monthly art challenges that i haven't done since before i fell ill...

and just... made me love myself more. made me appreciate the things i didn't like about myself. helped me realize the potential of selfshipping in general, to be a tool to see oneself as deserving of love, even if it takes making a fictional character play messenger between the self-doubt and self-acceptance bits of your brain.

i likely would have just stayed in my own little corner -- my quiet little oushirou blog that i didn't have linked anywhere, chatting in stream chats but not talking to any chatters outside of that -- if not for ren. i've met so many people who have similar struggles! different struggles! similar and completely different interests! gone completely outside of my comfort zone and found such a good circle of people who uplift each other!! HELL, my art blog has multiple times the followers as i have here, but they only ever interacted with my umi.neko art LMAO -- here it feels like we all want to support each others' art and writing and other creations and rambles and and and.

and it's because ren gave me a reason to make that step. start tagging things, start following people and reaching out, chatting with people who reached out to me... he's genuinely changed my life for the better. ;w; i don't think i'll ever be able to express just how thankful i am that he came to me at the exact moment i needed him most. i love him so so much rghhhrgh. gripping him in my fist and kissing him all over his face forever and ever. 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

[jjunis-moved]

HI AUTHOR i just wanted to say i found ur ghosting series on the txt tag last night and im not usually into smau's but it's now 5:24 in the morning and i'm on chapter 37 and i have just been on a goddamned WHIRLWIND of emotions 🥹 u make the social media aspect so fun and humorous and realistic (like i can fully picture these people living and interacting irl and i would totally wanna befriend them) BUT u also write the prose parts in such a visceral manner, especially when it comes to y/n's mental health issues and how defensive and untrustworthy she's become after being conditioned to be like that by her past w beomgyu

on that note i get such whiplash ab how i feel ab beomgyu bc like elsa in frozen i wish y/n would just let him GO like i'm so distrustful of him to the extent that i question everything he does as a move to make her (and subsequently me) love him HA but also sometimes he's kind of neat (lowkey i'm rooting for her & yeonjun just to spite him or even taehyun even tho it's def platonic) ANYWAYS THE POINT IS THAT u got me to feel all these things ab this fictional dude and that is LITERATURE!!!!

more things i enjoyed ab ghosting typed as quickly as humanly possibly:

- the lia jealousy plot line bc i was so stubbornly on y/n's side (her tendency to compare resonated as u can tell lol) even tho lia was being so freaking nice

- soobin being an introvert . yup

- taehyun literally being a fucking angel i would fully fall for him

- everyone being so nice and kind to each other like does this shit happen irl (the platonic nickname of baby is smthn i admittedly do not get but yk what it WORKS)

- them fucking up and treating each other like shit but then maturely solving it thru communication bc . COMMUNICATION IS EVERYTHING KIDS

- the character's not being perfect and being complex and three-dimensional but never being cheesy, like still grounded in real life

- the fan accs lol u rlly captured how stantwt be

i wish i could summarize my thoughts ab this series in a more poignant manner but i'm a lil sleep deprived rn and i just wanted to send this in to cheer u on and give my support as a reader and let u know that ur writing and ur effort has value and is appreciated and it's truly amazing how this plot popped into ur head and u keep fleshing it out as the series continues with the backstories and seeing shit from diff people's pov's and god i'm kind of dreading the fact that she's inevitably gonna end up w beomgyu but tbh i just know ur writing is gonna somehow get me me to root for him by the end and that's supposed to be a compliment LOL

i'm so excited to read more after i pass out so IM SO SORRY for the rambling and long as message so gn thank u and i hope ur doing well

HI OMG i read this earlier but i didn't have the time to answer but it made me feel so happy!!!! sometimes i feel really insecure about how long this fic is getting but getting this kinda feedback always puts my heart at ease 🤧 i started ghosting as a way to express my own feelings, so a lot of the things y/n feels are things i've felt at some point tbh, i think that's what helps me portray it in a way people see as realistic???

KDSADHKJASA THE BEOMGYU HATE CLUB PLEASE he's a good boi now :( he just fucked up a lot in the past and tbh that's something that still haunts both of them so it's something they're gonna have to work on.

the lia jealousy thing omg that feels like a million years ago but!!! i can kinda relate to yn to some extent there (again, bc some of that was inspired by personal experiences or things i've seen friends of mine go through), she was really mentally unstable and going through a lot of shit, and she just painted this image of lia in her head to convince herself that lia was replacing her or something like that. i actually loved seeing them grow closer as friends and if i'm being honest i would've liked to write even more about their dynamic but i held back bc this story is already way too long without that lol.

soobin my man i adore him!! and taehyun sjagkdgasd in the beginning there were sO MANY PPL rooting for him as a love interest. i've said this before but: if i really wanted i could easily make that happen bc they have such a strong connection, but i like the idea of having such a close friend, a soulmate, without any romantic nuances behind it yk?

god i wish everyone was this nice irl! that's why i like soobin, he's the only one who's kinda resistant when it comes to that??? he's like "yo why are u treating her like she's jesus or smth" lol he's taking his sweet time to soften up :/ but the nicknames!!! tbh i'm just used to calling people by pet names?? i call my friends love, baby, angel, etc so i just wrote it naturally i guess. i gotta admit that i started doing that years ago just bc i wanted to call my crush by pet names without looking suspicious tho lmaoooo

i really like the chapters where yngyu talked things out, they're some of my favorites simply bc i think it's interesting to see how they've grown, especially when you have the flashbacks to add some contrast to it. i'm not gonna spoil anything for you but!!! i really love chapter 47 bc of that. there's no "talking things out" there but i'm proud of the contrast i portrayed with that one!

and god the fan accounts 😭 i hate writing tweets for this smau bc tbh i don't even use twitter so i just kinda try to extract whatever i can from what i see around the internet ksahdksahjd

KSDADSAKGDSAHJGD i really turned ppl against beomgyu in a beomgyu smau huh 😭 it's gonna be ok hopefully he'll grow on you!! but thank you so much again for the kind words and for taking some of your time to write all of this, it really made me smile (and laugh) a lot, and i truly appreciate it. i hope you keep enjoying the story as it progresses <3

[norgestan]

crisana, norandro, jorgeva and amira x dani

ha, anon just wanted all the canon couples. fair enough!

CRISANA:

see, skam s3 is my favorite season of all time, but it has never been because of the love story. isak's story hits in a lot of sensitive places for me, and isak was also the first main character i encountered that was my age. i have a really special connection to him for that reason. on the other hand... i enjoy evak for what it is, but i never saw a future for their relationship after the season ended. in a lot of ways, isak's season ended just as their relationship started, a trope that i've never liked because how am i supposed to think that they will last? how am i supposed to know how they will work as a couple? it's just, ugh.

i had similar thoughts about crisana when i watched s2, except that the love confession scene and cris as a character made it even harder to get into the couple. moreover, the way people brush other characters' roles and presence on other seasons because they're so caught up on cris and joana is like... blegh. like it makes me forget that they're actually a well-written couple at times. because imo, og they never did anything really interesting with evak once they got together. but eskam........ oh, dear eskam.

there's something so beautiful about thinking of all the girls, the teenagers that will grow up watching a relationship like theirs on popular media. their entire subplot (??? can i even call it that) in s4 is proof of how GREAT of a relationship they turned out to be. like, i just wanna SCREAM thinking about it because, how is it possible that eskam saw evak and said "we're gonna make this SO good and we'll take our time and then tie it up in an incredibly satisfying and emotional way" and then did exactly that!!!!!! the way they respect each other, communicate, genuinely try to get to each other without dumb miscommunication. the way they understand each other and lift each other up! the way joana knew how to recognize cris' intelligence when everyone was telling her she's dumb, the way cris knows how to make joana feel worth it and show her affection in such a selfless, loving way. their last scene on joana's pov in s4 was the first time i cried during that season, just because it was all wrapped up so beautifully. because eskam understood that although the appeal of their relationship comes from the soulmate status of every evak couple, they had to also put in serious work to make it all work and they also managed to get that across with grounded drama, and also a hopeful message for people struggling with mental disorders. like AAAAAAAAAAAAA god what a great couple they are. maybe i'm too much of an eskam bootlicker but they're genuinely the best evak there is. i'll die on this hill. i'm so happy young wlw get to watch them as a guideline of what they should expect of a relationship.

NORANDRO: already done :)

JORGEVA:

i mean... it's eskam's fault, without a doubt. i love what eskam did with them in s1: the change of pacing, the way they created jorge, the little story changes to make it more nuanced, i think come together in a pretty satisfying way to show a teenage romance with no real support to last for more than a while. i don’t think eskam fully got the gist of what jonas was supposed to be, but it’s for the better if we think of the message in season 1. for that reason, jorge is like the one jonas who i really wouldn’t mind coming back to his eva. so why don’t i like them?

the answer is simply that i don’t enjoy their trope and i don’t think eskam made a real case of eva and jorge getting back together. they work well as friends, sure, and it’s clear as day that jorge still has feelings for eva, sure. but like, what tells me that they’re just ready to go all in again? eva goes through a really great arc and i would definitely agree she’s in a good place to be in a relationship again, but we know NOTHING about jorge’s journey. he’s just, silently pining on eva and that’s it. i do think it’s sweet and the hints of their lost romance throughout the show are wholesome, but there’s just nothing more to it. jorge and eva work AMAZINGLY as friends! i don’t see why they should push a romantic endgame for them. in my head, eva kissing jorge at that party was just a mesh of the excitement of a new era, the nostalgia of ending highschool, the high of being on this place with someone she really cares about, stuff like that, but it just ends there, and it’s great that way. nothing about eva’s character really led to her aching to be in a relationship again, and for me it feels right to end things with her being single and surrounded by great friends.

MAYBE if eskam had devoted some time showing us their progress and romantic potential instead of trying to convince us that kasim was a real, compelling character. maybe. lol.

DAMIRA:

(god, i don’t know how long this will be LOL)

i have. so many thought about this fucking pairing. let’s see what we can do LOL. the thing about damira is that i don’t think it’s a pairing that eskam had in mind when they laid out the first two seasons. the little hints of a friendship/childhood crush that happened during cris’ season really got the fandom and they quickly became the most popular non-canon ship in the show, so that’s where i think eskam said “okay, let’s run with this”. but it’s just...... meh. like i can tell that relationships like crisana were carefully crafted (well implemented in nora’s season, greatly wrapped up in amira’s season) but i cannot say the same for dani and amira. it’s almost like virihugo, where they just started giving each other Eyes on the middle of season 3, out of NOWHERE. it just feels forced to me and so i never really felt anything for the couple in question... like, for starters, i think nora and miquel were WAY more shippable than those two, strictly talking about their setup.

if you ever saw any of my posts during s4 then you should know how i actually feel about how they developed their romance (check my anti damira tag for more?) and i don’t wanna go through all those specific points again... but damira is not only an infuriating romance, but also a bad pairing in a narrative setting. like, damira clearly exists to answer amira’s questions about how would the future of a romance with a white guy would be, right? does she get an answer? no she fucking doesn’t, their final clip is like “after all these weeks, we still have no idea so we’re gonna cut things short, go back to our initial dynamic, and wait to see if amira any of us change our minds <3″. so like, even in that sense damira is a HUGE waste of time, and just like everything that happens to amira during her season it has no lasting impacts on her character or her settings.

and personally, i love couples where they’re both equal, and communicate at last, and both make great efforts to change so the relationship can flourish. this is why i offer so much praise to norandro and crisana, where in the first couple both character go through tremendous character growth and work through their problems individually before getting together, and in the second couple they show them clashing and fighting just to display their resolutions and show how willing they are to actually talk to each other and keep their relationship stable. dani and amira, on the other hand.... blegh. eskam wants me to think dani is a knight in shining armor for liking amira but that’s all he ever does. he doesn’t defend her in front of his friends, he doesn’t make efforts to get to know her and her world, he doesn’t communicate his real feelings to her, and the one time he did he humiliated her in public. like, idk, like, even MIQUEL explicitly defended nora when his roommates berated her for not drinking alcohol LOL.

at the end of the day the problem with damira is that it completely misses the point of yousana and its target audience. making yousef a white guy is not necessarily a bad choice if you implement it well (which eskam didn’t do btw), but you have to take into account that sana’s season exists to make a primarily white christian-raised audience relate and stand up for the muslim characters in the show. when the lazier partner of the main couple who makes zero efforts to work on the relationship happens to be white, it just means people will be sympathetic of him, and nor amira - and that’s exactly what happened in the show. people either thought amira was being too harsh by laying conditions for dani before they even began dating and making sure he respected her boundaries, or just wanted all the drama to go away soon so amira could kiss dani by the end of the season. so like, yeah. terrible stuff.

i would’ve liked damira’s impact on the season and amira’s journey a lot more if it had been about a one sided childhood crush from amira’s part. i thought their friendship was charming up to s3, and i simply hate that dani is literally in no way an older brother figure for the girl squad, since it’s a dynamic that’s lacking in the show and it would be a nice way to make dani be some sort of non-creepy eskild for the girl squad (but noooo, his only interactions w the gs are hooking up with eva and dating amira. smh). it would’ve been fun to have amira intimately dealing with those feelings just to learn a lesson by the end of it, at the time that she also falls for her muslim love interest - which is actually the isak/jonas/even dynamic when you think about it, also something that eskam didn’t really do with cris’ season. but also, all of this would mean that eskam had to do the good writing thing for s4, which they kinda forgot to do throughout the entirety of the season so, yeah.

[nettlestonenell]

Armie Hammer wants a sequel to The Man From U.N.C.L.E.—shouldn’t you?

This post is a long time in coming, Gentle Readers and @jammeke​, but now, though it might be here, before your very eyes, to think it will be well-laid out would be a mistake. It’s set to be just about as messy as Ilya’s misplaced loyalties and murky motivations.

How dare!

I probably first watched this film well over a year ago (courtesy @jammeke​ posting things about it). I used Sling OnDemand (I think on TNT). In the ensuing viewings I also watched it in that way, but as I was sitting down for a fourth(?) viewing, it kept coming to me that I was tired of watching it with commercials I couldn’t skip, and I had a sneaking suspicion that it had been edited for time and I was missing out on scenes. [pointless aside: I was also watching the film in chunks, and never as a whole]

Where is she now? What’s the time stamp? How far along did she get? Are you shagging the hotel hostess yet?

So, I, uh, set out to buy it on DVD—without any luck! In the sense that copies I could find cost more (w/ shipping) than buying it to stream. So, I bought it to stream on Amazon. Do I regret my choice, Gentle Readers? No, no I don’t. I do regret burden of knowledge in learning that TNT was already playing the entirety of the film. That was a hard pill to swallow.

Nope, I’ve looked. That’s absolutely everything. Nothing additional lurking around here...

So here it is, as it is, @jammeke, “My Notes on The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”

Look, I don’t know what this film is. I probably can’t fully articulate its appeal. Or maybe I can--certainly after transcribing four page I’ve tried. Number One thing to know about me and fiction/films is that a top draw for me is seeing something out of the ordinary, such as beautiful locations, a historical era, delicious costumes. There are times, frankly, this can trump weak story and undefined character for me. (The best films, of course, combine all three) Certainly, The Man... delivers in the delight of the eyes. Additionally, I must confess that growing up as a person older than @reblogginhood​ but younger than Miss Fisher, so much of what was on TV was essentially reruns of this film’s iconic Look(tm). So, when I see women dressed like Gaby I am just another three-to-seven-year-old overcome with the drop dead glamour of it all.

Darling, tell me how you really feel...

Some questions I have:

·         IS Armie Hammer a hulk of a man? Everyone in this film seems to think so, yet he always tracks to me as trim (rather than hulking)

·         Why translate via captions some Russian speaking, but not all?

·         IS Napoleon’s backstory directly cribbed from USA’s White Collar?

·         DOES Gaby have a German accent?

·         Does Ilya get preternaturally attached to all the people he’s ordered to look after? Also, what is his bonding rate with kittens?

Sorry, wrong iteration. 

 ·         If Lady Villain knows the lens is wrong—if her technical understanding is that in-depth--does she really need Gaby’s dad to make the bomb?

·         How old was Gaby during the war?

·         What happens when Ilya gets a NEW puppy assigned to him? (please let this be addressed in film #2)

Hooray for:

·         That bathroom fight! *all the Burn Notice feels!

·         Gaby is her own lady, and chooses sides as necessary—not always unilateral in her support for either male character. Case in point: she sides with Ilya over the clothes, and Napoleon over the incident of the wallet.

·         That delicious (speaking as Rusty, here) Ocean’s 11-stylized action. It’s pretty, so I’m not bored with it. Sometimes a sandwiched montage gets shown, so I’m REALLY not bored. I’ve got 18 tiny moving boxes of things to look at!

·         Pinkie rings. There, you’ve told me everything I need to know about that character.

·         Solo in a beret. English has not yet found a word for the feeling it evoked in this viewer. Somewhere between ‘precious’ and ‘oh, no’.

See, there? Now you’ve felt it too.

·         Goggles! All the accessories! Dune Buggies! (I mean, that’s what I’m calling Napoleon’s chase-scene ride)

Things I adore:

·         It seems (after some research) that more than a few folks view Gaby as a third wheel, and though she’s not exactly a Princess Leia commandeering her own rescue and exuding competence and a deserved take-charge-attitude at every corner, she IS a foci for both male characters (though romantically it would seem only for one), just as Ilya is a foci for both her and Napoleon [no one seems to worry about Napoleon, though they should--film #2, anyone?]

·         Mechanic Gaby not needing a beauty makeover, or being dragged into one. She gets some nice clothes, but it’s never suggested that she’s not attractive or acceptable before putting them on, and I respect, nay, embrace it.

Oh, my heart. She’s still not as tall as them!

·         Ilya, drab pigeon Ilya, knowing fashion

·         Oh man, don’t even get me started on the power of the statement, “it doesn’t have to match”

·         You knew it was coming on this sublist: the wrestle-fight. I mean, c’mon. Poor little Gaby, locked behind the Iron Curtain, living a life of always being watched. She’s in the swankest hotel (I mean, Napoleon chose it, so we can be sure it’s swank with an E). She’s trying to celebrate her freedom, her liberation. She’s playing verboten music, she’s drinking to excess. Girl wants—and deserves—a party. And Ilya is…not built for that (that he knows of). For some fun, just imagine if she had been given Napoleon to room with instead.

                            o   I will say that this scene, and some of their other interactions have what I would call early (non-sibling) Luke and Leia energy. Ilya seems to have moments of being struck by Gaby in a way Luke is struck by Leia in the early part of the trilogy. When Leia takes charge, and Luke accepts it. When Leia does something incredible, and Luke is left open-mouthed. *no, I don’t see OT Star Wars in everything. Shut up.

·         “He fixed the glitch.”

·         Again, shout-out to the non-action action.

·         “I left my jacket in there.”

·         The whole race to rescue Gaby I am in love with beyond words. [I have noted it as “Crazy Jeep Drive with Warhead!”] Probably b/c it comes across as totally egalitarian. Both men want her rescued. They’re no longer in competition. It’s just as important to Napoleon as it is to Ilya to catch up to her. Also, it is bonkers, like some sort of X-games version of a commercial for the vehicles they’re driving. And screaming Willie Scott does not make an appearance.

         Someone says “winkle” out.

·         Look! Another note about the screen divisions and how I love it, shout-outs to the original Steve McQueen The Thomas Crown Affair (a contemporary of when this movie is meant to be set), and TV’s 24.

Things that get a great, big NOPE:

·         Jerrod Harris: you’ve been in so much streamable content in the last decade I can’t hate you, but frankly, you’re terrible here—unless you’re supposed to be giving a mannered, not-campy-enough-to-be-enjoyable performance here. Your American English puts me in the mind of Alex Hawaii 5-0′Loughlin where it feels you’re concentrating so hard on your accent that you fail to convince anyone that you’re a harried, over-worked and exasperated spy handler. Your performance is at odds with every bit of dialogue you’re given to say.

·         That awful, mishandled title that doesn’t even connect to the film until the final moments (a sequel set-up, for sure)

·         Look, you don’t introduce Hugh Grant casually mid-way through your film in a throwaway appearance. I mean, he’s HUGH GRANT we all know something’s up now.

·         This is not exactly a great big NOPE, b/c I love a flat cap, Tommy Shelby—but I feel like a less tall man with a far rounder face in a flat cap would track more as Russian to me that AH does. To me, he just looks like he’s about to go golfing.

Over par? Unacceptable!

·         Is Victoria a British-accented Italian? A British woman who married—what? Gaby’s uncle isn’t Italian!? An Italian who went to school in Britain? My head hurts. Also, is her hair meant to be unconvincingly bleached?

Other commentary:

·         Napoleon’s adult ne’er-do-well backstory is so far from being emotionally equivalent to Ilya’s childhood trauma [and his enslavement to the USSR] it seems bestial when he calls it out on multiple occasions. Badly done, Solo.

·         Gaby is the film’s key (sorry, Buffy fans). Everyone is connected to her. Yes, she could have been given a bit more on the character front, but I don’t see her as as much of a flaw in the film as some others/reviewers seem to.

·         Look, essentially (and not very nuanced-ly), Ilya is a stalker. I think the film goes a certain distance in establishing that his early behavior toward Gaby is not normal, but concurrently it does not truly call him out on it. He’s essentially viewed as an odd-duck, sure, but not a true threat to her (should she not reciprocate or tolerate his intensity toward her). I think I might be able to cite his behavior when Gaby comes on to him (that he doesn’t jump at a chance with her) that maybe he’s given a little more nuance than a straight-on stalker, and it helps that he and Napoleon never get into a pissing match over Gaby’s person, only over her new clothes. But overall the film has to walk a fine line (and the jury is still out on how successful it is, I’d say) between playing Ilya’s laser-like attention to Gaby for its humor, and calling it out for the unsettling, threatening behavior it is.

·         Honestly, it wasn’t until I engaged the Closed Captioning that I understood Napoleon was calling Ilya the ‘Red Peril’. So, that was nearly three viewings in.

·         I give the screen credits A+, on both ends. Not to mention the end credits are actually INTERESTING with lots to see and learn! (Certainly we learn more about HG in them than we do at any time during the film)

Things I would have liked:

·         More of fish-out-of-the-Iron-Curtain Gaby moments

·         A better dichotomy shown of East vs. West Berlin/Germany. There’s nothing easy either visually or otherwise to distinguish the two.

·         HC being given a more specific American accent (from an actual locality). This, for an American viewer, works better than the flat, unlocated American accent many a British actor will bust out. *Mind you, HC does a generally good job, but he fails utterly on both “Immediate” which he pronounces at least twice as “immeedeejt” [rather than imm-E-deeot] and “Nazi” as “NAHT-zee” [rather than “NOT-zee”]. And let’s not get started on that late in the film use of ‘earnt’, a word that—well, it’s just not in the American English twentieth century lexicon.

·         C’mon. You gotta tease the Hugh Grant more.

·         Solo is a blank before the war. I’ve read thoughts on the film calling out Gaby as the blank character, but they’re wrong. Solo is the blank. He’s the ‘made’ man, his identity seemingly assembled during the war and after. For example, he doesn’t go into the war a thief, nor (it would seem) a particularly educated or urbane individual. Now THAT’s a juicy backstory I’d love to learn about, perhaps in film #2--or #3? What creates a Napoleon Solo? What would he be doing if he weren’t on the government’s leash/incarcerated? Is anyone left caring about him back wherever he calls home? I mean, who doesn’t love a gender-flipped 60s-era Holly Golightly backstory? [And yes, I would love there to be an ex-wife or even a current wife mixed up in his origins as well—Guy Ritchie, call me!]

Notes I have that I’m not sure if they still make sense to me:

·         Only mom calls me Napoleon (do he say it ‘mum’?) Is he a secret Canadian?

·         Solo’s torture, 1st view recall Napoleon’s childhood? *I think this means that after watching the first time I somehow erroneously believed that during the torture Napoleon’s childhood was a topic gone over. This was wrong. HOWEVER, this would have made far more story-sense than the backstory we’re given on an easily disposeable villain.

·         “Even the average Russian agent. You’re special.” ?

·         Uncle is Baddie (*so glad I made this note to myself)

·         Ilya’s dad IS an embarrassment. I’m not sure what genius commentary I had in my mind, here. Perhaps that Ilya himself is embarrassed of him? Not just Ilya’s handler’s? [Also, aside: Napoleon totally slut-shames Ilya’s mom, which is the doublest of double standards from ‘I got myself the biggest and most ornate suite b/c I-wanted-plenty-of-space-for-my-random-seductions’ and I really wish Ilya had thrown that back in his face] *yes, of course I know that Ilya and Napoleon would not likely equate a wife/mother’s sexual exploits with that of Solo’s, but let’s be honest, this film tweaks the nose of (I won’t say reverses, it doesn’t go that far) plenty of tropes and gender expectations, and this certainly seems like a missed opportunity to call Solo on the carpet (which I hope film #2 does far more)

Things I wrote down so long ago I don’t recall what they mean:

·         CC-save

In conclusion:

What does film #2 look like? What title does it get? Will the Peter/Neil White Collar dynamic continue to grow? *note that I have no confidence a second film will ever come to pass...

In the end, all I know is, “It didn't help when American Tom Cruise, who was slated to play U.S. spy Napoleon Solo, dropped out, prompting the casting of Cavill (who had previously read for the Russian role).“ I would not have watched that film.

[meangirlsx]

I saw Beetlejuice for the second time recently, and like I shared some things about Mean Girls with you all after I saw it, here are some thoughts and notes and fun facts about Beetlejuice:

Toward the beginning of the show, Beej has a joke where he says he feels invisible and powerless, like a gay republican

It takes people a second, but the audience bursts out into laughter

And then he nods, like he’s saying, “Yep, I said it” and everyone breaks out laughing again

And he does the nod again and gets another break of laughter

And once more, and you can already tell the audience is like in the palm of his hand

He also makes a joke that seems self-deprecating and then deflects it onto an audience member in the front by saying, “This guy knows what I’m talking about!”

He does that a few times throughout the show

And at the end of the show, he makes a joke at the guy one final time and then switches out of his Beetlejuice voice and back into Alex just long enough to say, “Thanks for being here!” to the guy

Dana was on for Lydia and y’all she is so incredible

I feel like with Sophia’s Lydia, you get that the character was always strange and unusual and got more so and darker after her mom died, but at least to me, I get the impression that it wasn’t a far leap for her as a character

Dana’s Lydia has a sweeter, softer, higher voice just by virtue of it being Dana

But she also plays her a little softer and more innocent and more like you really get the feeling that she was a good deal different when her mom was alive

Both are totally valid and fantastic interpretations, so it was fun to see this other version

It also felt a little less shocking then when Lydia thinks Adam’s ultimate dad joke is really funny and says she likes the Maitlands

It really gut punches you that she just wants a healthy, happy, stable family

In Ready Set, Not Yet when Barbara goes, “Look at these jugs!” Beej whips around with wide eyes, realizes she’s talking about actual pottery and not her boobs, makes a disappointed face, and no one processes it until he walks off and then they’re just dying laughing

Then at the end of the song, when Barbara says they’re maybe 80% ready and Adam says 78% instead, she nods like she’s totally in agreement

In Fright of Their Lives, when Adam tells Barbara her first “best primal scream” is brilliant, Beej turns him around to face away from her

Adam looks like he’s trying to be good and make Beej happy by not interacting with Barbara in that moment but as soon as she tries again, it’s like he can’t contain himself from loving and supporting his wife with everything in him

David’s Adam is just really freaking adorable, guys

He really embraces the whole “I’m a huge dork and madly in love with my wife and that pretty much sums me up” personality

Also someone posted on here a while back that they think the severed head that pops out of the trunk looks like Nic Cage and I was pretty close to the stage and I still back this

During Beej’s soliloquy, on the album he doesn’t go all operatic until, “I know that beggars can’t be choosers” but at this performance he did it right away from “I want freedom” and it was so overdramatic it was amazing

Once the Maitlands fight with him and he storms out of the attic, they start getting so angry together, and Adam gets all worked up like he’s going to yell something insulting but instead just yells that Beetlejuice needs therapy and he hopes that he gets it

Like they’re so nice and pure they can’t even be mad without hoping for good to come to the person they’re mad at

In “No Reason” when Delia says, “life coaching, nailing it,” she bops her little hair bun

I’m also fairly certain she tries to dab at some point during the song

And at another point in the song, she does that Fornite dance where you pump your arm and leg on the same side while like hopping?

Tbh a lot of her little quirks are her trying to be cool and relatable and just not fully understanding the current culture or the fact that Lydia is very much not into it

In Say My Name, he shouts, “Fake cartwheel!” and then twirls behind Lydia like he’s pretending to do a cartwheel but wouldn’t land it if he actually tried

Then when he yells “assassinate,” he pulls the top part of his wig back to reveal a brain, and he doesn’t cover it back up until a good moment after Lydia says, “No!”

At the start of Day-O, when Delia calls Charles an “amazing, amazing man,” she straight up starts crying

So now we’re into Act II

Presley comes out for Girl Scout and the entire audience just cheers because who doesn’t love Presley

The first time she turns her back to the audience, you see that her backpack is just O V E R F L O W I N G with Thin Mints

When the music changes for a few seconds after “they had my back if anything went wrong with me,” she’s like freaking out and breathing heavy and trying to calm herself down

And then she jumps RIGHT back into her happy place when she hits “jamboree, soda pop” and everyone in the audience like lost it over that

In the transition between outside and inside the house, Sky says it’s so dark and pulls out her flashlight because she’s always prepared

She holds it beneath her face and says “boo” and then “just kidding, hope I didn’t scare you”

And then something scares her and she starts breathing and counting and Lydia just goes, “You’re fun”

It takes Sky exactly 0 seconds to reply, “I like you, too”

I can’t remember if Dana does this as Sky, too – she probably does

But when Alex sings “clean, white shorts turning brown” Presley spins on the landing of the stairs like she’d been trying to get to a bathroom and just couldn’t make it and wow it’s funny but your heart goes out to her in that moment even though you know it’s not real

Also for anyone who’s been curious or concerned, Sky is totally fine by the time she leaves – she doesn’t die or get hurt or anything

Lydia pays her for some Thin Mints and she leaves, like honestly the girl’s got some steel bravery

Presley and Dana are just so cute onstage together, like you can tell they’re loving it

Later, in “What I Know Now,” Presley is back as the Dead Rider and in a moment where everyone is watching Leslie as everyone has sort of crowded around Lydia, Presley reached out and held onto Dana’s arm for a minute

Then she turned it into her character moving Lydia because the ensemble members move her around in that part of the song

They’re so supportive and proud of each other

Right after Charles proposes to Delia, Lydia comes running in trying to tell him that the house is haunted

So Delia hides under the covers instead of in the bathroom or closet or whatever and takes her vape with her

And Lydia tells her dad to grab everything so they can get out and she pulls the sheet off the bed and sees Delia and after a long pause, Delia says, “Hey” and sooooo much smoke comes out of her mouth and her voice is all deep

Back in “Barbara 2.0,” when Kerry first sings “Say hello to Barbara 2.0,” she leans one leg on a box and flexes her arms down in front of her stomach and it’s adorable

Then when Adam sings, “the old one’s fertilizer,” Barbara just totally giggles

They’re so in love

Kerry and David have a slightly different vibe than Kerry and Rob but they’re already such great scene partners and so sweet together

Toward the end, when they’re all trying to trick Beej and Adam yells for everything to stop because he has something to say to him, the entire audience gets so excited and then so quiet, waiting for him to own Beej

And when he starts by saying that Beej has been harassing him the entire show and pauses at, “And I gotta tell you”, you can tell everyone thinks we’re about to get a comment on sexual harassment

And Adam finishes by saying, “It. Has worked.” and EVERYONE goes insane

And then he’s full-on making out with Beej and Beej is just in AWE and the audience can barely breathe

Barabara tries to do it, too, but she leans in and she just can’t bring herself to do it

During “Creepy Old Guy,” Alex gives Beej the most innocent, hopeful look that makes you almost happy for him and almost forget that all of this is Very, Very Wrong

It looks like Adam is Beej’s best man and Barbara is Lydia’s maid of honor and like Delia is probably like a bridesmaid

They get to the “I do” and you can feel that everyone kind of can’t believe it actually happened and it’s like this creepy, shocked feeling that settles over everyone but then immediately all the tech goes crazy because Beej is becoming alive

As a very briefly alive Beetlejuice, he goes on this total anxiety/emotional spiral from “the world is so beautiful” to “what if I’m never happy again” to “we don’t teach men to process our anger and that’s a sad truth that indicts all of us” to “so maybe, maybe I’ll just try murder”

Tbh the entire show is an impressive showcase for Alex but that moment is a rollercoaster and a mini masterclass in portraying different emotions and making social commentary and maintaining the humor all at the same time

He puts on this ENTIRE persona for the entire show, which is obviously very common for most characters/actors but like this is a whole other level, I think

The way he moves, of course the way he talks and sings, the way his eyes look, literally everything is different and it’s so, so clear that he put SO much work into creating this character

Okay that’s my Alex Brightman stan rant now back to your previously scheduled programming

At the start of his goodbyes, Beej mentions a possible future “vision quest” to find his dad and just goes, “Sequel?” and then does his puppet hand like he did for the Handbook for the Recently Deceased and in “Say My Name” and makes a “squa squa squa” noise like those horns people play from their phones to back up their own joke (I’m so sorry I don’t know a better way to explain it or if there’s a real term for it because y’all it slays the audience)

At the curtain call, everyone in the audience is of course screaming for Dana and the entire cast is just so proud of her and they’re doing everything they can to show it

Alex, especially, just fucking bows to her and claps like he’s in awe of her

And the last note I took down is a tech thing so if you don’t want to know how they do the lifts of Barbara and Lydia, just stop reading here

I didn’t catch it when they lifted Barbara up the wall for the exorcism

But I caught it when they lifted Lydia up the stairs and I’m guessing it’s the same mechanism for both

There’s like this black seat attached to the wall beneath the railing

I only noticed it because I was up close and on the side and looking for it but like you really don’t notice it

So she can like casually straddle this thing and rest herself on it and it will lift her up safely

I’m sure there’s more to it than that to make it totally safe, and also she can bring her legs and feet pretty close together while she’s up in the air so there has to be some explanation for that, too, since that would be difficult if she were sitting and she’s also clearly standing and not sitting

But it’s awesome

And Adam has been hanging out near there with a mop and mop bucket, cleaning up little things onstage, which is totally on-brand for him and you don’t question it for a second

But then when Lydia comes down and steps away from the stairs, Adam just dances right over to the seat, stands in front of it, and knocks it into the bucket with the mop

Again, I was looking for it

They do a really great job covering that kind of stuff

Guys this show and the entire team that puts it on is just so, so incredible

If anyone has any questions about the show that I didn’t address here, feel free to ask

And if I don’t know the answer at first, I’m seeing the show at least one more time and can pay attention to something more specifically to get you an answer

[aliciaspinncts]

SIX MONTHS OF NOX: DAY THREE → four favourite dynamics !

not to be a birdie copy-cat but i’m cheating. i’m gonna give my four fave to WRITE and four faves to READ. haha

TO WRITE:

it’s not a list without DUDLEY & ARTHUR / @arthurw - you truly pulled your galaxy brain out of your pocket when you suggested this and i am so DAMN GRATEFUL!!! not dudley finding a little found family in the weasleys the same way that harry did... like he fully deserves to be knocked around a bit by the weasleys they knew the shit he let harry go through but like... the redhead compassion is very very sexy. i just love thinking about arthur & dudley going for a pint, dudley bringing a muggle board game or a tamagotchi or just letting arthur go ham on candy crash on his phone, and dudley is just so... grateful to have that casual figure that also still feel so protective? at this point dudley would probably stab a dude for arthur if he asked... and do a full bodyguard NOOOOOOO leap in front of a bullet or something

gotta give a shoutout to The Lads ALICIA/ANGELINA/OLIVER / @angiejohnscn @qviddiitch - alicia is so chaotically fun to write and i LOVE the depth that plotting w angelina added to her ( for me at least! ) and oliver has such a big soft spot in my heart, because they both have that same himbo energy and it gives me LIFE. i’d love to do something cool with the both of you at once if that’s...... a thing that’s possible on tumblr. i don’t know how these things work!! but maeve you really made me mentally kick katie bell out of the iconic quidditch trio for ollie’s sake <3

i am already SO intruiged by PENELOPE & DAMIEN / @chacswins - and i can’t wait to develop the two of them further with you!! when i started writing penny’s intro i was just like this bitch is a friendless loser post-hogwarts and, hey, that can still be the case ! but damien was the first character i was like – oh yeah she loved making friends at hogwarts i should probably do some more of that  ! and dude like the implications of them both being werewolves... when they go to werewolf anonymous meetings together and end up just complaining abt niko ♡ 

THIS IS A NEW ONE AND... we haven’t actually put it in public writing yet but when i tell you i am so fucking excited for GEORGE & DUDLEY / @wheezely​ - SOMEONE needed to give dudley a good smack around the chops and who better than one of the twins who totally scarred him permanently with antics <3 but for real i am VERY VERY excited and i love your george so the excitement in me is just PEAK. when they end up like just... fist-bumping in support group like “yes little dickhead process that trauma!”

--

TO READ:

OOF. the options become so much wider with this one

trying to make these NOT AS LONG AS ABOVE because no one wants to read my rambles but </3

MAFALDA & DRACO / @blondsnake & @heavycrovvn - the chaotic energy. the potions shop. bullying the 3rd employee. together they are absolute dickheads and i love them so much for it... i think it would be hilarious personally if that connect were never to be filled because it’s just like they’re imagining the third person to project their evil little feelings on

ARTHUR & GEORGE / @arthurw & @wheezely - GOD THESE MEN!!!!!!!!! THIS FATHER AND SON-NESS!!!!!!!! i don’t know how to put into words the feelings they make me feel but i DO but it doesn’t make sense: i feel like i want to put them both in fluffy oversized weasley jumpers and sit them down in front of the fire on a cold day and hand them hot cocoa and ruffle their hair and let them just talk and cry. love them so much

NIKO & PRETTY MUCH ANYONE / @monstrovs - is this a cop-out? a little bit ! the truth is i find it very hard to narrow down which interactions with niko i enjoy the most because... they are always either fucking hilarious or lowkey gutting. at a push i’m gonna go NIKO & VIKTOR (i think i’ve run out of @’s allowed in one post but) because it’s so funny AND gutting... niko doesn’t fucking like anyone and then he acts like he does around viktor and it must be SO CONFUSING FOR VIKTOR whos just like yeah this dude is okay i guess...

ASTORIA & HERMIONE / aastorias & graenger - i don’t know where you two are planning on going with them but from what i’ve seen so far i am READY FOR IT. their energy is so soft and caring and no offence if neither of you have thought about them being girlfriends you’re COWARDS... that’s a joke but also not <3 they’re just two characters that i don’t think people naturally connect in such a soft way and i love that you HAVE!!!

everyone. gimme more of the GOOD STUFF. when i hang up my writing hat and just lurk on my dash to keep up with the noxies because i LOVE everything man. you guys are awesome

[jq37]

The Report Card -- Fantasy High Sophomore Year Ep 1

Sophomores and Spring Break 

Note: Hey guys! I decided to try something a little bit different and slightly more structured than my usual recaps for FH: Sophomore Year. I’m hoping this will be a little easier for me and a more useful tool for keeping up to date since there will be a lot more eps to keep track of and they’ll be easier to miss. Lemme know what you think and if you want raw, unfiltered opinions on anything specific, feel free to send me an ask. I’m always down to go off about literally whatever. 

We’re back, baby! It is Sophomore Year at Aguefort and the gang is on Spring Break. A lot is going down so lemme break it down. The Bad Kids, having defeated Kalvaxus last year, are all entitled to a share of his hoard and all the red tape is finally cleared so they all get 20k gold each (which is an insane amount of money converted to USD if you use the WOTC conversion rate of a gold coin being around $145 (circa 2006 when they answered the question)--which would be close to $330 with inflation). Jawbone and Sandra-Lynn are moving in after less than a year into a profoundly haunted house and it’s kind of a Full House situation because Adaine, Fig, Kristen, and Tracker all officially live there (plus it seems that Zayn has also anchored himself to Adaine’s tower--btw, Adaine took the tower that the haunted house obviously has) and you know all the other Bad Kids are gonna be there on the regular. 

More importantly, Aguefort gives the gang their big project for the year--finding the crown of the Nightmare King which was stolen at the end of last season--which is worth 60% of their grade (Adaine does a full Hermione at this information). Each of the gang has info about the NK but the trail has mostly gone cold. Luckily, Fabian just got a hot tip about where Falinel is keeping Aelwyn and she seems like a pretty good lead to start with since she was super tied up in the bad side of all the messiness of last year. Adaine is displeased to say the least. 

Going off to find the crown is super exciting story-wise for two reasons. First of all, it means the gang gets to hire, well, hirelings to help them and temporarily join the party! They ping basically every cool NPC they can think of (except for Tracker for some reason which is BONKERS because (1) she probably would have done it for free and cutting her in would still be keeping the money in the family, (2) she’s dope as hell, (3) she’s a cleric and the party can always use more healers, (4) she’s a werewolf so presumably she has skills that would help in the woods, and (5) they’re t r a c k i n g down a crown and the girl’s name is literally T R A C K E R, but I will not backseat D&D) and eventually end up with Ragh (who has been without an adventuring party all year, poor guy), Sandra-Lynn (swayed by a nat 20 rolled by Fig), Cathilda (!?) ,and, for some reason, Gilear (which Fabian is happy about, mainly for the opportunity to maybe bump him off on the way). Second of all, if you recall, Elmville is a pretty modern town but the rest of the continent is less fantasy high, more high fantasy. Horses and lanterns and all that pseudo-medieval goodness. They are gonna stick out like a sore thumb. I am very here for it. 

Everyone goes home to rest up but, after some ominous dreams, only four of them wake up. Riz and Fig are left asleep and then Brennan mic drops and ends the episode which is a power move and I am extremely upset about it but also, respect. Right for the jugular immediately. I heard Murph and Emily are on tour in the UK next week which probably has something to do with this but, in the moment, I did not know that and I really felt the hammer drop in my heart. It was wild. Cannot wait to see where we go from here. Plus, who doesn’t love watching characters freak out because their friends are in danger?

Random Thoughts

I have no idea what the title of this episode is or if it’ll even have one and not a number but I gave it a placeholder one for now. I also don’t have access to the stream yet so I didn’t get to include some info I wanted to (like a record of nat 20s, and nat 1s so I can track their stats for the school year) and I probably missed some stuff because my brain can only hold so much info guys. I’m not Brennan. 

I mentioned this yesterday during the stream, but there will never be anything better than the pure D&D joy of everyone, in character, talking over each other to clown on each other. They get the friend-group banter that’s a hair breadth’s away from bullying so true to life and it’s so fun to watch. On the flip side, the opening scene with everyone introducing themselves and affirmatively claiming each other as their best friends was also peak D&D. Found family= best trope. 

Fig and Adaine burn spell-slots at basically the same time to try and beat each other to the best room in the (Scooby-Doo ass) house--which is exactly the kind of thing that would happen in this world. It’s such an intuitive setting. I love it so much. (BTW, Fig ends up staying in the false space under the revolving grand piano because, of course).

Fabian and Gorgug went to recruit Ragh, who assumed they were propositioning him for a three-way. In his defense, they did do it in a super proposition-y way and they were in the middle of the LGBTQ student union.

Also, Gorgug gives Ragh an inspiring speech about thinking you’re your own dad which makes him burst into tears. 

Speaking of, Jawbone offhandedly says he’s poly but, like, based on some of the stuff he’s said, I feel like that’s not really a reveal. He also gets along well with Gorthalax and would be down w/ a three-way if Sandra-Lynn wanted to which, again, totally checks out. 

Arthur Aguefort uses Chronomancy to rewind time and catch a snide comment Adaine made under her breath, which is exactly the kind of frivolous use of God-like power I’d expect from him.  

I really love Adaine’s energy coming into this season. She’s in therapy. She’s in a good home environment. She’s comfortable enough with her friend group to do stuff like prank Fig (love that they’re gonna be living together now). And she’s good friends with Zayn now which I want to see more of based on their one interaction in this ep which was very cute. I am already on record as saying I would be down with her getting a ghost boyfriend--I mean, for the aesthetic alone--but I’d be happy with just more friendship. 

Fabian is also hilarious this season because you can tell he’s gone a bit soft from having friends and leaning into that (the friendship necklace with Riz) but also he’s fully aware that it’s happening so he’s, like, ping-ponging back and forth like, “These are my friends,” and, “What am I saying? I used to be cool,” and it’s very funny. Very happy the Aelwyn storyline is happening right out of the gate, both because I think Aelwyn is a very interesting character with a lot of potential for nuance but also because Fabian reacting to her and Adaine reacting to Fabian reacting to her is always gold. 

Prompted by an offhand conversation from Fig about rock and roll, Brennan--earning another feather for his Cap of God Tier DMing--goes on an impromptu five minute long improved diatribe about a bard who played such a good concert that it instantly impregnated everyone in attendance (dudes too) who gave birth to kids with sick rocker hair and denim jackets and ascended to Rock Heaven on their 18th Birthday. You truly have to watch it to believe it. At a certain point I thought he was gonna drop it but that was the moment he doubled down and kept going. Amazing. 

Watching Murph, in real time, make up a girl/boy/whateverfriend in Fantasy Canada was a gift. 

I don’t have access to the stream yet but best quote of the night that I can remember is Kristen choosing her room: This is triggering and I’ll take it. (Her line about her lesbian starter kit and the one about wanting a horse were also bangers). 

The group talks about what they’re going to do for transportation outside of Elmsville since they don’t really use cars out there and they somehow get from “disguise Fig’s tour bus” to “commission Aguefort to create a brand new animal that can hold six people plus hirelings, one of which is Fabian who is also riding his motorbike”.

I love that Sandra-Lynn’s Mom Powers work on Tracker. 

Basrar doesn’t accept the invitation to come with on the quest, but he does give Kristen a bag of infinite ice cream sandwiches, which is basically just as good, IMO. 

Oh Gilear. The man is sleeping in the Seacaster garage, being bullied by skater kids, and now he’s stuck on this quest with his ex and Fabian who actively wants him dead.  

Speaking of, I’m psyched to see more of Sandra-Lynn. She was kind of a sleeper badass at the end of last season. 

Ragh is keeping secrets which I hope the cast doesn’t forget because it could be nothing serious (like the high school drama happening with Skrank and the 7 maidens--maybe he’s just crushing on Gorgug who did full kiss him during Promocalypse) or it could be Serious Business that will blow up if the don’t stay on top of it. We’ll see. 

Oh, almost forgot. Adaine wants an emotional support frog. Every time I think I can’t love her more.   

Detention

Fig for Not Respecting Personal Boundaries

Fig goes full Emily right out the gate and, after finding out that Skrank (nerdy bird dude who apparently can get it) was not only dating Ostentasia (rich, popular dwarf) but also dumped her in pursuit of Danielle Barkstock (one of Ostentasia’s party members, the scandal), disguises herself as him with Danielle to figure out what’s going on. And, wouldn't you know it, when she gives herself away, Danielle immediately is shocked and appalled, as you would be, obviously. We also learn that she’s still catfishing Dr. Asha which is, how you say, for sure a crime. Fig, please, I’m begging you. Cease. 

Honor Roll

Fig, Riz, and Adaine for Researching the Nightmare King

Fig made both lists, look at that. Wasn’t my plan for this to be a three-way tie (also didn’t expect to use the word “three-way” this many times in this writeup) but I think their contributions were pretty much equally valuable. Rainsolo on the Discord wrote up this summary of the lore dump Brennan gave them.

[beneathtreemomo]

Hmm-Atsuya, Nosaka and Haizaki! OwO

The others are under the cut! (Disclaimer: I still haven’t watched much of Ares or Orion so my knowledge of Nosaka and Haizaki is…. very limited)Fubuki Atsuya     How I feel about him: Ooooohhhhhh look at the big bad wolf and his fangy fangs he’s so cute and even though he can kill a fully grown bear I love him and will protect this gay (or bi, depending on universe)disaster until my last breath. He is so protective it’s adorable and the fact he falls a bit flat in his incarnations is so disappointing, but then again all of Orion feels pretty flat so it doesn’t really surprise me. STILL it would be nice to see more than loud impulsive crazy boy.     Romantic ships w/ him: *cough*yoru*cough**cough* seriously with canon characters though? probably Someoka if it’s OG and Nae if it’s Ares/Orion. He and Someoka/Nae bounce of each other in a similar way to Gouenji and Shirou, and it makes for cute relationships that either have Atsuya being kept in check but supported, or leave him so floundered and confused and in love that it’s adorable!!     Non-romantic ships w/ him: Atsuya & Shirou, Atsuya & Hakuren, Atsuya & Nae, Atsuya & Someoka, Atsuya & Life, Atsuya & Hiroto, Atsuya & Mitsuru, Atsuya & Hyouga, Atsuya & Gouenji     Unpopular Opinion of character: You know I’m sure there’s something more in depth to his character yet still slightly silly but I honestly can’t think of anything right now xD Right now all my brain can think of is that he can actually be super serious when needed and he’s just being wild/crazy because… well, idk he’s hotheaded and maybe that’s what used to be expected of him by their peers as a way to differentiate from Shirou.      One thing from canon: I would have loved to see more of him in OG! More specifically, the Atsuya that wasn’t trying to take over. See him slip out in small rings of gold around Shirou’s eyes when he did something particularly “atsuya”, see them try to figure out the whole… together thing. I get why they simplified it to spirits and “oh hey they’re together now no more struggle yay!” but. still. would’ve been nice. And idk much about Ares/Orion but I would have loved to see him being casual with Hakuren. Do they get along outside of matches? Or do the others try to stay away from Atsuya as often as possible because he’s just infuriating to them? These are things I would have loved to see!

Nosaka Yuuma     How I feel about him: An absolute dork. An emperor? More like an adorably awkward prince still trying to have fun after being trained to be something older than he is. I barely know him but I know I love what he brings to the table and he seems like an awesome yet slightly infuriating character.     Romantic ships: I ship him with Ichihoshi. Hands down, that’s the only romantic pairing I have for him. Whether it’s Hikaru and/or Mitsuru in canon format is still up for debate, but it’s mostly Hikaru right now because that’s what we’ve seen. To me, Nosaka and Ichihoshi have the potential to be Ares/Orion’s GouFubu. They just… have that chemistry there, even if it’s hard to see due to Orion’s stale writing.      Non-romantic ships: Nosaka & Nishikage, Nosaka & Anna. See, I can see Nishikage having a crush on Nosaka, but I just… idk I can’t see them together romantically? Nosaka has never seemed to see Nishikage like that and Nishikage’s crush seems to have taken turns into the “too far” lane and I just don’t think it’d be good/ healthy for them to be together romantically. But best friends? Heck yeah! They’d rule in that department. Nosaka and Anna are in a  similar boat, but more on the fact that them being pushed towards romance just felt kinda forced and like neither character really wanted it. So I love them way more as friends!     Unpopular Opinion: From what I’ve seen, everyone pictures Nosaka as this cold, kinda hard but slightly dorky, emperor persona. But to me? He’s not ready to be an emperor. Instead he’s been forced into the role and has to act like it, and that can lead to many wrong decisions in his attempts to be what people expect of him. He just feels… sad, to me. I just see him as more of a prince or something, instead of an emperor. IDK if this is necessarily an unpopular opinion or not, but those are my thoughts.     One thing in canon: If they’ve already done this my bad but I’d love to see Nosaka with his walls down. Maybe late at night, unable to sleep? Just… Nosaka off the field. Without having to be an emperor. That’d be lovely.Haizaki Ryouhei     How I feel: uhhhhhhh misunderstood “bad boy” with a soft heart but was hurt in the past so now he has walls higher than the football stadiums they play in. I looked at some of his wiki page and in the few episodes I saw him in I thought he was quiet the interesting character but it feels a lot like the other “bad boy” characters they show in the series. Full feelings are still TBD but right now I think he’s neat and I like him.     Romantic ships: N/A, I haven’t actually watched enough of the show (or paid enough attention to him) to determine how I feel about him and any specific characters.     Non-romantic ships: Haizaki & Inakuni Raimon, Haizaki & Inazuma Japan, Haizaki & Hiroto (Hiroto dropping him still makes me die of laughter, the essence of their relationship in one interaction right there)     Unpopular opinion: idk why but the limited posts i’ve seen with him have always given me this vibe of Haizaki being a bit of a villain. So I guess in that regard my unpopular opinion is that he’s not bad, he’s just… sad. and scared of his friends getting hurt in a similar way to Akane. So he acts out, tries to do things himself to avoid getting close, and… idk. I feel like once his walls got knocked down he should have been eased off the bad boy vibe. Sure, he’s a bit of a shark boy, but even sharks aren’t meaning to be bad– they were just given a bad representation.     One thing in canon: I have no clue xD again, haven’t seen enough to give a better/ more accurate answer. I guess give him a little more presence? I think I genuinely forgot he appeared in some of the episodes I watched, and, well, isn’t he supposed to be a main character?

[someobscurereference]

Let's deviate from our OT3s and Xander/Laslow for a bit, what are your thoughts on Niles/Selena? Because Niles is noted as the one who stares at the moon the most and Selena/Luna means Moon sooo..... also, who else do you ship the trio with? Why?

I haven’t thought about Niles/Selena too much! At least not in fic writing terms. I actually do like their Supports though! Neither Niles or Selena ever hold back in what they want to say. It’s an interesting combination! I even like their S Support, despite how sudden it is (though most S Supports are arguably just as sudden. I like that Selena acknowledges it with “You were calling me selfish and impatient, like, five minutes ago!” and then relenting because Niles is like “but I’m also selfish and impatient” and Selena does like the confidence. That interaction has made me laugh before.) So it’s not something that really crosses my mind, but I could get behind it, yeah!

Actually, I could probably get behind most things, lol. I have ships I gravitate towards naturally, but like I’ve said before, I can be convinced by just about anything, tbh. Nothing is a joke to me. It’ll start out as a joke for sure! But then it’ll inevitably turn into “Haha, wouldn’t that be funny? Haha, could you imagine? Could… Could you imagine? ….Could you?” And then I ship it. It’s happened to me many a time over the years.

I think the one “het” (depends on how you hc their sexuality bc I don’t default to straight for anybody) ship I actually get behind on my own is Severa/Owain. I really liked their Supports in Awakening and the implication that even if their S Support never happens, Severa did have a crush on Owain for a while and did carve his name into her blade a long time before its revealed. Plus when Severa explains why she likes Owain, she says, “Because you’ve always been nice to me, even when I wasn’t. Because you’re a person I’ve always been able to trust, no matter what.” I really liked that. It makes me think about their past and personalities and how even if they’re not tight friends who hang out together on the regular, Severa has always seen Owain as someone reliable and who has treated her kindly, no matter how rude she is to him or others. I’m sure there were times Severa said things she didn’t mean or should have phrased better or shouldn’t have said at all but couldn’t bring herself to apologize bc she didn’t know how. (These things just “pop out,” she says.) But with Owain, maybe that was never as much of a problem. Actually, I could probably write a lot more here, but I’ll try to keep this one short. There are just a lot of lines in their Support I really liked, and they felt natural to me. 

But branching off from that! Like I’ve mentioned before, I also like Saizlow. Also Inigo/Gerome in their Awakening days. (These two kind of tie into together as me thinking Laslow has a type and that type is “redheads in masks who can push him around.” Also the fact Inigo canonically would have stayed in the Bad Timeline if Gerome hadn’t come back with the whole group still haunts me.) Also Laslow/Keaton for some reason? Because I like the idea of Laslow kind of obliviously stumbling into a relationship with his kind of beefy werewolf boyfriend, I guess? IDK, lol. I like that event though Keaton has caused Laslow trouble with the less desirable parts of his treasure collection and Laslow is always telling him to keep the bugs away, Laslow basically always lets Keaton hang with him anyway. Even Keaton acknowledges in their A Support that not everyone does that. They also genuinely have fun together in their A Support even though Laslow acknowledges that he doesn’t fully understand Keaton. But he likes that Keaton is having a good time anyway, so that makes him happy too. I liked that too!

I liked Severa/Noire in Awakening too! Their Support was just Severa supporting Noire and both of them feeling good about it, no matter how much Severa “grumbled” about it. They’d clearly been good friends for a while! They’d be good girlfriends too! I almost wrote a fic in my Awakening days but never finished, rip. I also saw Severa/Lucina art and while I don’t think I ever read anything with them, that was really good too. 

This is still mostly Awakening talk, but I like Owain/Brady too! I really like crybaby characters, actually. The crybaby healer who calls out the “hero” whenever he breaks character! I like that! Also like that their moms are good friends too. I always mean to write more Owain/Brady but I often end up having no plot for them. I just want it.

This one is also out of left field and it was the gay fates hack that made me ship it, but…. I also like Owain/Laurent. I have almost no basis for this other than I just do, even as a passing Awakening relationship that doesn’t continue into Fates. I have this scene that plays out in my head now and again of the Fates crew being trapped in a dungeon somewhere (a place they can’t escape from or w/e) and playing truth or dare and Odin picks dare and Laslow says “I dare you to tell me whether or not you really slept with Laurent that one time” bc this is a question he’s been saving for literal years. And Odin won’t answer directly (Laslow: “That means yes”) and everyone else is like “Laurent? Whomst??” except for Selena who’s like “oh my gods did you really” while Odin sweats. It could even be Modern Trio AU. Or Canon AU. Whatever. I don’t know why but I constantly think about Owain/Laurent, but I do!! But I don’t have any fics I wanna write besides that short scene (that might definitely work better as modern AU? Now we’re getting off track with how I have two different Owain defaults and this is getting too long.) But anyway they’re like my bane. I can’t stop thinking about them.

For the Trio, I guess it’s mostly Awakening ships, haha. But like I said, I’ll ship just about anything if given enough time! I hope that helps!