#and so she moved her pov character away from battle lmao

[encrucijada]

i couldn't remember shit from that book you're telling me she did the medicine cat on patroclus??

leafpool was treated good compared to what happened to patroclus in the song of achilles

[theravennest]

Let’s Talk About Shang Chi...

I just got back from seeing Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. I had a great time with it. Just a lovely experience.

The fights were dope. The music was rocking. The actors’ performances really sold me on everything. I loved all the Xianxia elements. Y’all know fantasy worlds are my JAM!

But it was the characters that really drew me in. Every one of them were pitch perfect for me. The final act got a little jumbled, imo, but the characters and their dynamics were so good that it was enough for me to completely forgive and overlook the somewhat messy final battle. 

The story had a lot of heart. It was so personal and so anchored in real emotions. I highkey fell in love with all the main characters. I love their journeys and their complex  and grounded relationships with each other. I really liked the movie’s examination of grief, loss, and pain and the lengths people will go to in the wake of being overwhelmed by those feelings.

Let’s dig into it! This is gonna be a whole discombobulated mess, I just know it. lmao

***Spoilers below the cut!***

I really felt for Shang Chi, Xialing, and Wenwu struggling to figure out how to be a family again after they were all broken in different ways by the loss of Mama Ying Li. And each one of them trying in their own way to heal from it, some to extremely destructive degrees. 

How Wenwu treated his kids after being consumed by grief and violence was so utterly messed up but in two completely different ways. 

He treated Xialing like she was anathema, like she was literally nothing. Even when they were older and she had grown into an adult, he barely spoke to her in the entirety of the movie, could hardly even look at her. Partially because she looked like her mom and he retreated utterly from the pain of that, and partially because he constantly underestimated her in favor of her brother. This, of course, seeded the resentful tension between Xialing and Shang Chi from the start.

I’m a real sucker for sibling dynamics, as you all know. They’re my favorite types of family-oriented stories. (Side note, I really love the way the MCU has dedicated several stories to sibling relationships. It’s like my favorite thing in the MCU as a whole.)

I completely ate up the harsh and tricky relationship between Xialing and Shang Chi. Shang Chi completely let her down when they were kids, for her POV. (Not really his fault, he was a scared and traumatized 15 year old. Totally understandable.) But there is something to be said about the fact that she was also a child. A child dealing with her mom’s death too AND her dad’s aloofness. Then she was utterly abandoned by her brother. It’s no wonder she never quite forgives him, even though they mostly team up in the movie. They still have a lot to work out between them.

I really loved that she took on leadership of the Ten Rings at the end. The moment Shang Chi said she was “dismantling” their dad’s empire, I knew what was up. Though, the softy in me does hope that eventually they can find true reconciliation between them. I’m excited to see what we’ll see from her in future movies as a potential enemy of Shang Chi. It’ll be really interesting to see how Shang Chi tackles having to go up against his little sister.

And Shang Chi!!! OMG! Let’s talk Shang Chi and Wenwu now. When Wenwu drop kicked him into the ground and started the blame game for Mama Ying Li’s death like bro!!! I was so heated. He was 7 years old. A whole baby! She died because your thousand years of violence and conquering shit finally came home to roost. 

But that one line when Wenwu said Shang Chi’s 7 year old self “just stood there and watched” while his mom was killed actually revealed so much about Wenwu’s character. (The cutting way Tony Leung, a literal legend, delivered that was masterful, btw.) 

I actually think that it was the first time Wenwu has ever verbalized that he blamed Shang Chi for Ying Li’s death. Like maybe he’s always felt that way and all this time he was partially punishing Shang Chi for what he thinks of as a failure to protect or help the woman who meant so much to them.

Like, yes, he was training Shang Chi to take his place with him in the Ten Rings as an assassin but maybe he also wanted Shang Chi to kill his mom’s murderer as penance for letting her die in the first place.

Of course, it’s clear to see that Wenwu was absolutely shifting his own feelings of conflicting guilt onto his kids. Guilt that his past as a warlord is what got her killed. But also guilt that he put down the Ten Rings in the first place when if he had stayed a warlord, this never would have happened. But also the bone deep knowledge that if he hadn’t put down the Rings, Ying Li might never have stayed with him and loved him in the first place.

When Shang Chi threw it back at him that Ying Li probably wouldn’t love the person Wenwu had returned to, Wenwu looked so shook up. Phew! Perfect emoting from Tony Leung in that moment.

Honestly, Wenwu was having a very tragic and confusing time of it in this movie. Which is probably how that creature from beyond was able to find a crack in his psychic defenses and lure him to the gate. I had a lot of empathy for him even though I disagree so much with what he did to his kids, emotionally.

I really respect the fact that the movie never lost that sense of compassion for all of their feelings including Wenwu. I also respect that the movie really gave them space to grieve not just the loss of Ying Li but also the resulting dissolution of their happy family.

It’s just too bad that Wenwu’s grief made him push his kids away instead of pulling them closer. He completely emotionally abandoned them. A thousand years of power and supremacy yet he was broken because he never in that time fully learned how to process his emotions in a healthier way and his kids paid the price. They could’ve leaned on each other and on the love they found with Ying Li to help them get through but alas that’s the tragedy of the movie. 

I really wanted somehow for Shang Chi to make it through to his dad before he went too far to come back again. I genuinely did not want to see Wenwu die at the end. I wanted him to live and see Shang Chi’s changing dynamic with his father continue. I wanted to see him finally acknowledge his daughter as his true heir and see her accomplishments (dark though they will likely become considering the “softer” version of her is the one that ran an illegal fight club in Macao lmao).

Though I am happy Shang Chi got through to him enough at the end for Wenwu to save Shang Chi’s life, willingly pass the rings onto his son, and somewhat accept his own death after a thousand years of life. That was such a poignant moment between them. And I wonder if in that instant, Wenwu had the thought that in dying he’d at least see Ying Li again.

(Side note: I really hope his soul and the souls of everyone that got eaten were freed when Shang Chi killed the monster. I really want them to be able to move on to the next phase of existence. I really hope they weren’t destroyed after being eaten. I want Wenwu to reunite with Ying Li even in the afterlife, gotdamnit! Sue me, I’m a romantic.)

Let’s talk Simu Liu’s performance here for one second. He was incredible throughout. I completely bought into this strange but so real feeling that while he has a lot of anger towards his father, so much hurt, he also felt a lot of heartache and love for who Shang Chi wanted him to be. And the strange desire to want to help a man who emotionally scarred him so badly.

Simu really brought both sides of Shang Chi’s journey to life. Like, he was tying to find his own path, reconcile with the mistakes he’s made in the past (his sister, killing his mom’s murderer), and facing up against his father’s ideals and expectations. But there was also a side of Shang Chi’s journey that was about finally understand both his sister and his father’s point of views, and of learning/embracing his mother’s history. 

That moment by the lake when he revealed to Katy that he had actually killed the man who killed his mother. Whew boy! The emotions were so poignant. Simu Liu played it like *chef’s kiss* beautiful.

Speaking of character choices, I really rate this decision to have him actually go through with the assassination. It puts Shang Chi in an interesting position emotionally and somewhat morally. Instead of having his breaking point be him unable to kill as his father wishes, it’s instead the feeling of guilt and shame that he actually did kill the man.

I wonder if he felt a sense of satisfaction before the disgust and shame settled in. Because Shang Chi literally watched his mom die, he probably initially wanted to help his father hunt down the man because of that bit of dark need for vengeance. Until he got it, and felt ashamed to fully face his mother’s memory afterwards.

I’m interested to see how future Shang Chi movies and Simu will dig into and unpack that little bit of darkness these events instilled in the character.

Let’s talk Ying Li for a second here. This woman was incredible. An incredible martial artist, for sure, a mystical guardian and warrior...but she was also just an incredible person in general. Mama Ying Li was so self-assured, so steadfast in her convictions. She struck me as someone who knows exactly what she wants and is never afraid to reach for it.

Fala Chen portrayed her with such grace, warmth, and strength of character. It was extremely easy to see why Wenwu fell in love with her. She met Wenwu, a literal thousand year old warlord, and through shear strength of character led him to put down his weapons and his empire to make a home with her.

This man threw away his entire shadow army of assassins, threw away his whole plan to literally demolish her village in the pursuit of power...in order to play Dance Dance Revolution with her and their kids. (The highlight of their romance and the family flashbacks, for me, tbh.) 

And I know it’s not necessarily...positive BUT there is something...hmmmm, crunchy in the fact that Ying Li so completely altered Wenwu’s life by simply loving him that when she died he was willing to raze the whole world to get her back, damn the consequences.

Trying to properly explore toxic and negative turns in previously loving family dynamics is such a difficult task to take on. I really liked the complexity of the Xu family. All the actors really sold the family side of things. It was an almost tangible thing how much you could see how the love they felt had turned bitter and painful over the years.

The final battle was epic and mind blowing (There was a fucking DRAGON flying around for gods’ sake!) but I do wish it had stayed a little more grounded for longer in the beginning of it when the Ten Rings were fighting the Ta Lo warriors. I wanted to see more of that fight before they had the turn to becoming temporary allies against the soul suckers. It became a little too much of a CGI mash, for me, in some parts of it.

Still, the emotional beats held and the core of the story of this grieving family trying to hold on to the tatters of their world stayed consistent even through the final battle. I can forgive a lot because of the strong sense of character and connection there.

Plus, it’s a comic book movie. Spectacle is the name of the game and at least this one had cool fantasy beasts and dope fight choreo. 

Anyway, I’ve rambled enough. Let’s wrap it up here. Suffice it to say, I had a wonderful time with this movie. I’m ready for the next one!

[quaranmine]

crash course anon! i don’t remember pearl’s series as well as some others—she didn’t upload quite as frequently (which is not a criticism or anything) so it did stick in my brain a little less unfortunately.

most of her character motivations were centered around a) wanting to fight! she really enjoys fighting! and b) she is genuinely very compassionate, though that doesn’t prevent her from being extremely mischievous

from what i remember of the events however—pixl gem and sausage were her main allies in the beginning. i also just remembered she and gem were the ones to get a lot of the server that didn’t go to get elytra originally wings!

she broke her alliance with pixl and joined the wither rose alliance not long before the cod head was set in the end and sausage went evil

at some point she planted a seed that kept growing throughout her series, towards the end growing into a huge beanstalk that she ended up put a lot of buildings on (her empire is SO pretty, even if you never watch her series, i recommend skimming through it just to look at her kingdom)

xornoth sent a bunch of monsters at her (including vexes, ravagers, etc) and was using blindness and floating on her and still didn’t manage to kill her until they made it so she couldn’t move lmao

she had the time of her life. she described the xornoth confrontation as “so much fun!”

she was the only one of the wither rose alliance to not break things off with sausage after he went evil and they had a close friendship throughout the series!

they set up an arena together where the rulers went to fight each other and pearl wanted to fight xornoth at the end (she… did not get that chance as xornoth had sausage kill everyone there except gem (who escaped) multiple times)

she was part of the group that defeated xornoth and put him in a crystal.

(realized i’m not sure how much you know about the xornoth battle but just in case scott gem and katherine went to a library to find out how to deal with xornoth, they found and scott translated a magic ritual to do so, they got the message that shrub was kidnapped by joey and xornoth, gathered the materials for the ritual and grabbed pearl for fighting strength. pearl katherine and shrub fought joey and killed him, taking his crown and uncorrupting him, scott fought xornoth, and gem did the ritual that trapped xornoth away.)

towards the end she named her kingdom gilded helianthia!

the golden egg lizzie gave her hatched into a large golden goose that she could ride

when the rapture happened her kingdom started burning and it was revealed that corruption was still under it. she and sausage hid with her people in her beanstalk and she died with her kingdom, as she was connected to it

anon i owe you my life

thank you so much!!! yeha i am realizing i did not know Anything about pearl's empries series lol. i knew her kingdom's name, the beanstalk, mostly what it looked like due to other poeple visiting it, and that's about it.

That all sounds pretty on-brand for Pearl though with loving to fight and describing Xornoth as being fun. She's just unhinged like that lol

also ur right i dont know much about xornoth at all, i admittedly mostly skipped it--demonic possession plots arent my fave so i pretty intentionally did choose my povs to not be so involved with it. so i did not in fact know some of this! xornoth is pretty irrelevant to what i'm writing but it's always good to know more about it because it's part of the worldbuilding for empries. i have like. read several fanfics though but i know that isnt the best source of canon info LOL

[godkilller]

ROLEPLAYING A FIGHT

DETAILS AND EXAMPLES.

As I touched on in my previous tips ‘n tricks post, fight threads should never happen in a void. There should be concrete connections to your character’s main storyline, their goals, their motivations, and other contributors to why and how they’ve found themselves in this current situation. That ALSO being said, the fight should literally not happen in a void: WHERE IS THIS CONFLICT TAKING PLACE? Describe, as an ‘establishing shot’, where your character is. Are they outside, is there a lot of room for them to run around and get into a scuffle? Are there trees, cars, buildings nearby? Will there be a high potential for objects (and people passing by) to get harmed / damaged in this battle? Does your character care about causing destruction during a fight, are they the type to say “let’s go somewhere else”?

Describing the space your characters are in is an excellent way of UNDERSTANDING WHERE YOUR CHARACTER STANDS, literally, because POSITIONING IS REALLY IMPORTANT! You don’t have to go absolutely crazy detailed when dishing out specs on where your characters are, but a general sense of “an opening within a clustered bamboo forest” or. “a half-constructed abandoned building” can really determine how the fight goes within that space, and most importantly how your character moves through that space.

HOW DOES YOUR CHARACTER MOVE? Are they fluid, are they clumsy? Do they hunch, do they stand tall? Describing essential details pertaining to your character’s appearance, their demeanor, can help solidify them in that space. Do they sway when they talk? Do they jitter when they’re nervous or anxious? A conflict is brewing, are they looking for an escape? Do their eyes keep darting to other distractions, or to look for an opening?

THE FIRST MOVE. Who makes it and why? Example taken from a threeway thread involving Matsumoto Rangiku, Nnoitra Gigla, and Ichimaru Gin. Featuring @oboete-iru​ & @despairforme​ respectfully. Gin’s POV:

“ ❝ I saaaid... that’s e-nou-gh. Besides, why would ya go ‘n break her wieldin’ arm if she ain’t a thre---- ❞ in a flashing beam, a bared blade, his left foot swept back to brace as black-lined white billowed to reveal Shinso’s lunging bite directly past Rangiku’s hip------to drive a deep unrelenting strike into his upper ribcage; close to the armpit of the limb that held her still in favor of convincing the uncoiling reflex of his fingers. Gin aimed with precision, and with deliberate proximity to the very target he wished to not be thrown into the line of fire----quite impossible for the Espada to potentially thrust her into the fray considering Gin’s angled approach... lulled by his interrupted speech. The traitor sought to be swift; the blow would surely send the Espada backward in its connection------and hopefully result in her release. ”

Throwing the first punch is a decisive moment for many reasons, but it also should still speak to your character: DON’T EVER FORCE A FIGHT THREAD FOR THE SAKE OF ONE, if your character would rather talk their way out of a situation, exhaust that route first before going feral at your thread partner.

With that aside, let’s dissect this moment.

We get some dialogue to start the moment off, because Gin is a character who will casually chat, but he’s also cunning -- he interrupts himself to create a more abrupt attack. The motion is described as swift, so NOT MUCH IS SAID ABOUT EXACT MOVEMENTS, but we get what we need: his blade is drawn (”a bared blade”) it’s moving fast (“a flashing beam”) Gin has added strength to this strike by falling into a wider stance (“left foot swept back to brace”) and we also get where he’s aiming “directly past Rangiku’s hip to drive a deep and unrelenting strike into [Nnoitra’s] upper ribcage, close to the armpit” We also get motivation: Gin wants Nnoitra to let go of Rangiku, striking to “convince the uncoiling reflex of [Nnoitra’s] fingers” -- so we get this all relatively quick. In fact, it’s all almost condensed into one big sentence.

I don’t really worry about proper sentence structures and lengths because in fights, things should not be adhering to neat sentence pacing, they should be paced the way the fight is unfolding. Gin moves fast, and a lot of things happen at once, so that’s my style choice when writing a lot in one sentence. You can do things differently, this is just my preference!

Notice that none of the language implies that Gin’s target is being struck. The words and phrases used are open for Nnoitra to respond to, to react to, rather than to submit to. I describe things as “quite impossible” for Nnoitra to, say, throw Rangiku in front of Shinso in time -- because I want to stress the speed of Gin’s attack, and guide Nnoitra’s writer away from doing something I feel wouldn’t be realistic without the outright act of godmodding. I say this, however, by still giving Nnoitra the OPTION to do exactly what I have just stressed as DIFFICULT TO DO. Maybe he can still try to throw Rangiku into the way! It’ll be a tight window, but hey, surprise me! Writing this moment also shows that my character is actively deciphering yours, deciding what they could do and preparing for that: Gin knows Nnoitra’s dirty, and thus he’s taken a measure to avoid Rangiku paying the price by striking quickly and at an angle that would make it hard for Nnoitra to bring her harm.

At the end of this Moment(™) I top off the attack by mentioning that IF IT HITS, it’ll do X. Not only that, but IF MY ATTACK HITS, IT’LL DO X TO YOUR CHARACTER, AND HOPEFULLY CAUSE X. This sets up a potential chain of events for your writing partner to consider. If they decide that Nnoitra is going to take this hit, they can also consider: will Nnoitra be sent back through a wall, or will he drive his weapon into the ground to slow his skidding enough to avoid that? Will this be enough to make him let go of Rangiku? I have now given Nnoitra’s mun a few things to think about, or “goals” to either reach or adjust the outcome in their following reply. Nnoitra now has to a.) react to an incoming strike b.) be moved by it, either via being struck or by dodging, and c.) deal with holding onto or letting go of Rangiku, with the option of d.) a counterattack at Gin, or at Rangiku, in response to Gin likely pissing him off.

Describing motion that impacts a character other than yours: KEEP YOUR LANGUAGE OPEN, you can legit drop a “if this hits” to keep yourself from unintentionally godmodding contact onto your opponent. If you’re ever unsure, write like your character is thinking: they’re not thinking that their sword has already landed, they’re thinking about what’ll happen IF it does, or WHEN, but in an open-ended sense. The character themselves should never just manifest a blow landing in their heads as they’re swinging it, if that makes sense.

Open-ended language go-to’s for me: “aimed with the desire to cause (insert what’ll happen if your blow were to land, like ‘causing an immense force to blast all debris, and even dare to throw [opponent] backwards’)” or “their weapon sought to (insert what their attack trying to do, like cut off an arm, slash across a chest, or chop at the other’s weapon) with a wide strike” or “they parried, then moved to attempt a disarming scrape of their blade against the other’s, the swinging momentum a convincing pull to urge the swift release of the blade” etc. etc. I’m staying very vague, but the concept’s there!

THESAURUS TIME! Does your character move fast? Swift, fast, quick… those can get a little boring if your character is ALWAYS moving in that nature. So try to sometimes spice things up by playing with words that can replace your common descriptors.

https://www.thesaurus.com/ is your fellow student who’s working on a group project with you -- you shouldn’t lean so heavily on it because they’re not your friend, but it’s there to help you get the job done and together you can spruce up a neat end result.

MAKE SURE THEY STILL MEAN THE SAME THING, and don’t go too crazy as to lose your reader or distinctly destroy your pacing, your style, and your voice. Sometimes simplified is better, like describing the WOOSH of a fast moment as opposed to saying “this moved fast” -- “a WOOSH of the blade” rather than “he swung his blade quickly” can sometimes make a moment more exciting and easier to read without things droning on.

Hey, speaking of droning on, (this post lmao!!! Amirite lads???) does your character’s weapon have multiple ways of being referred to? Since a fight stars your character and their trusty weapon, having a few different ways to title it in your reply can be a lifesaver from sounding too repetitive. Shinso is Gin’s Zanpakuto, a Shinigami’s katana, and it’s in a wakizashi form. This can be called a short-sword, a wakizashi, a soul-slayer, a blade, a sword, a Zanpakuto, a ‘fang’ (swords or blades in general can be called fangs, especially if your character has animal symbolism tied to them), a beam (when it’s being shot) … and a few other things, too, to avoid me having to constantly write “Shinso” or “wakizashi” when moving it during a fight thread. I try not to alternate TOO much, because then it becomes obvious, kind of like when people start deliberately avoiding ‘said’ and it’s a dialogue-heavy scene… don’t go out of your way, this is just to help you avoid having 34 mentions of ‘sword’ in your 5 paragraph reply.

So you threw the first punch, but what happens next? Well, you can actually end your reply once your blow’s been polished up and finished. But a little bit of juicy introspection can’t hurt, too! Your character’s just started a fight, what are they thinking? What’s the damage? Did your character just do something destructive or brash? Tell us how, and what’s to be made of the attack your character just threw. Here’s Gin’s following moment after striking at Nnoitra:

“ … it’d feel nice ( akin to a surging punch ) to slam his blade into the pitiful pawn’s side. One hundred sword lengths called for, due to their confinement, a collision course that involved Nnoitra taking a shortcut through a neighboring wall. No matter the Espada’s tough exterior, solid defenses, Shinso would not stop shy. ”

There’s some more info pertaining to Gin’s attack in here, drizzled with a brief introspection that Gin will feel immensely satisfied if he gets to land a decent hit on Nnoitra (coupled with a “pitiful pawn” quip that notifies readers that Gin really DOES NOT LIKE this character, nor does he think very highly of his status, which may or may not be a chance for the character of Nnoitra to surprise or impress Gin via a hearty fight)

The details of exactly how far Gin’s blow would carry Nnoitra are important due to the nature of Gin’s special ability / sword. Shinso will “not stop shy” implying that Nnoitra’s going to either have to dodge or get slammed, because the blade that’s hitting him won’t stop its travel until it’s 100 katana-length’s long. Now, back up to the first section of this post: describing your character’s surroundings. Gin and Nnoitra are in a hallway, and Gin struck in a way that means the hallway is not going to suffice in terms of room. SO DESCRIBING POTENTIAL DAMAGES IS IMPORTANT: it paints the scene better. If Nnoitra is going to take this hit, this also means that a wall is likely going to crumble and collapse due to how tough and tanky Nnoitra is. Cue a classic anime moment of dust billowing up, rocks tumbling, and rubble shifting.

In all of this, don’t forget to respect your opponent -- Gin’s strike may land, but right from the get go there’s never an assumption that Shinso will be able to pierce Nnoitra’s tough skin. Knowing about your enemy’s special traits and abilities can help you make these moments more respectable: I know that Gin’s Shikai will not be enough to cut past Nnoitra’s hierro, his ‘steel skin’ defense. The most that’s described is the action of Shinso batting Nnoitra aside and into a wall, despite it being a sharp blade, it’s not described as an impaling moment.

That being said, don’t pull your punches if your character is a powerhouse! Respect others, don’t godmod, but also look out for defending your character’s own strengths! This can involve you studying up on how strong your character is in their universe, and finding some relations and comparisons to draw from in order to properly ‘rate’ them against your opponent. This can also lead you to a very IMPORTANT step, though not always required if both writers feel comfortable enough to proceed unplanned: TALK TO THE WRITER.

Discuss what you think your character is capable of vs. their character in a respectful way, open to hearing “actually, I don’t think that would happen” or “maybe we can go this route instead, since my character can x y and z?” Learning how to protect your character’s power while also being mindful and open to your writing partner’s character can lead to a really fun exchange and a memorable fight. You can literally drop a tentative “hey, I’m replying to our thread and Gin wants to punch Nnoitra in the face” and be responded to with a “go for it, it’ll probably break Gin’s hand” or “oh snap! that’s his one weakness!!!” LOL. I mean, unrealistic, but seriously talk to your writing partner about things if this is something you’re both passionate and excited about!

PLEASE, PLEASE REMEMBER THAT FIGHTS SHOULDN’T HAPPEN IN VOIDS, if you feel like your characters should be interrupted, or end in a draw, or lose interest / dissolve back into talking rather than fighting, then do this! Will your character chose to run away if the fight starts going south for them? Will your character try to offer a merciful end, will they be open to sparing the wounded enemy character if they feel they’ve successfully won? Does your character end up saving the other character by getting them medical help? This can go so many different ways than just blankly fighting and someone winning whilst the other dies.

CONSEQUENCES! What will the consequences of this fight be? For Gin, he has struck out at a supposed ally in defense of a Shinigami intruder that by all means should be considered the enemy. He can get into some trouble for this, or at the very least gain some speculation on where his loyalties lie if word gets out about what he’s done. Other consequences include, too, the very real threat that if Gin fails, Rangiku’s going to be killed. Find how this fight between characters can ADD MORE WEIGHT. Gin really wants this battle to end quickly and quietly. It’s going to drive him to act in a no-nonsense manner, too, because he doesn’t have time to play around. THIS IS VASTLY DIFFERENT, DUE TO THE CURRENT CONSEQUENCES, IN COMPARISON TO HIM PLAYING AROUND WITH ANOTHER MUN’S CHARACTER IN A LESS STRESSFUL SETTING.

Long term consequences, and calling back to a past fight thread in a later thread can make things extra spicy. For example, now Rangiku knows that Gin’ll fight one of his own to defend her; he can no longer pretend to be some emotionless husk standing on the opposing side in the war, he can be confronted about this moment -- by Nnoitra, too, or by other characters who are told about what happened. Gossip’s a bitch, right lads?

Now let your character recover: have them take that nap, or indulge yourself in some juicy hurt/comfort threads with an ally of yours, or some angst about a lost fight hitting your character’s confidence and mentality hard; do they train, do they rest, do they seek out someplace safe to heal, do they hunt down their rival / opponent for a second try? Are they now afraid of certain things, do they have trauma? Near-death experience, or a major injury that now hinders them?

This is a great resource to writing injuries (tw for blood and other graphic depictions of violence, injuries, detailed there) If you’re not squeamish, you can really dive into the medical side of things and study up what kind of damages your character may be faced with. It’s alright to not be totally realistic, though, considering much of what’s being written is based entirely on fake super-powered scenarios.

Sometimes, when struggling on how to describe movement, I’ll go onto Youtube and look up “Battle choreography” or “top ten realistic swordfights” or other relatable content to assist me creatively. Watching things in slow motion or multiple times to nail the positioning can help immensely. By watching similar-themed fights, I can see how those people are moving and try my best to describe that motion in written form. I try to avoid TV/Movie scenes that have been obviously hounded on for their anti-realism, especially sword fights, the common victim to Hollywood’s ridiculousness. But hey, if your character is an absolute mad lad and can pull a John Wick moment, then pull up that badass clip and go for it!

THERE’S SO MUCH TO EXPLORE, SO HAVE FUN WITH IT!

[youngbugandtonystank]

Please write an irondad post about how peter feels about tony!! I feel like the directors make peter’s view of tony more subtle than Tony’s view of peter and it’d be awesome if you could decode it! ;0

Hi!

God, Tom’s words really got me♥

I’m going to use the movies and novelizations for this, especially the Homecoming novelization since I think no one talks about it and I want to point out certain things.

Ok, check this out:

Tony’s POV:

Peter's voice was as exuberant and light as ever, something Tony both secretly admired and feared.  This battle would be no place for someone as green and unbroken as Peter Parker.

Tony smiled as Peter stood tall in the center.

"Yeah, that makes sense"  Peter said, and Tony's heart broke. Even hanging off the side of a spaceship hurtling into space, seconds from dying, Peter Parker was still just open and trusting as he'd always been.

--

Peter’s POV:

"What if she’s expecting someone like Tony Stark? I mean, imagine how disappointed she’d be when she sees me."

dorks.

I just wanted to be like you.

And I wanted you to be better.

You know that feeling you get when you admire someone and at the same time, you feel like you can actually understand them? Yeah, this is them. They work like a mirror. This is how Peter feels, just like Tony sees himself in the kid, Peter identifies himself in Tony. Peter and Tony both react the same way when it comes to their relationship. They both think the other is ‘better’ and at the same time, they can understand each other pretty well.

Tony’s POV:

At the same time, Tony knew there was nothing he could do to keep Peter away. Just like Tony, Peter had a code. 

Peter’s POV:

Of course, Mr. Stark hadn't believed him. He'd seen right through him.

Peter has stated before that Tony made him feel okay and normal, something he never thought he’d feel again. He knows that if he gets Tony’s approval then he gets to feel that normalcy again. He feels understood.

It was probably the only place in the city where I fit in. You had your overachievers, genius-level-yet-stressed-out-obsessive-compulsives, inventors of the Next Big Thing, all with at least one overblowing backpack, all wiling in to forge new ground and show the world that nerds really would inherit the earth. I was surrounded by students showing off their newest advances in AI technology, “rebels” furiously hacking their way to exposing corruption online, friends discussing string theory, and the probabilities of Stephen Hawking’s multiverse.

This is how Peter thinks of himself, he thinks his school is probably the only place he fits in. I think I mentioned this before in my homecoming analysis but Peter’s need to be an Avenger is because 1. he truly wants to make a difference, 2.he’s bored, he’s a genius kid and school is not doing enough for him anymore and 3. he feels like Tony is the only one that can understand him.

I don’t understand exactly why but some people think Peter is dumb. He can be clumsy sometimes but this kid is a genius and he understands the struggles of having a brain like his.

“Do geniuses know how normal things like backpacks even work?“

“Yes, we are familiar,“ Peter replied with a weak smile. If only she knew...

--

“Right as always,” Ms. Warren said, her praise causing Flash to stare daggers at me. Whatever.

--

“Yeah, my parents feel guilty working all the time, you guys would really get along, Peter” Her joke hit a little close to home, and I looked down a little.

--

He looked from the ship to the other kids on the bus to see if anyone else saw it. Nothing. Just him. As usual.

Peter not only wants the understanding that comes from Tony, but he also wants someone he can relate to. And I’m not talking about money or fame, I’m talking something deeper.

When they were on the plane, Peter criticized Tony’s choice of food as if telling him that what he was eating wasn’t enough to be considered ‘food’ and then proceeded to only have some juice and sleep the rest of the trip because he recklessly pulled an all-nighter. lmao irondad stans you guys are always accurate with your fics. 

Also, are you really going to tell me that this is not what a relationship between a father and a son look like?

"I really don't want to sound like my old man here. Look, kid, Just forget the flying man. Stay closer to the ground in Queens, build up your game helping the little people. You know, like the old lady who bought you that churro." That churro. Happy had told him everything. "Look, Tony—uh, Mr. Stark," I started. --

My suit agreed. "It does seem unwise. Trespassers are prosecuted. Or shot' "It's worse than that—if they find me in here, Mr. Stark is gonna kill me!" I started to panic. I had to get out of here! --

"Okay, sorry, Mr. Stark" I sighed. "I know you said to keep a low profile, but I gotta get out" I started banging on the door.

--

Tony Stark's words echoed in my head: Keep doing what you're doing, saving the little people.... Except these weren't just the little people"—they were my friends. As long as they were safe, everything would be okay. I didn't need to wait for that call to be an Avenger. I was already Spider-Man.

I just love how they unconsciously treated each other like family.

Peter, just like any other teenager, looks for validation from people he admires. In the Homecoming Novelization Peter congratulates himself every time he does something good and loves it when it comes from Tony for the same reasons I listed before.

Finally, we pulled up a safe distance from the apartment, so we didn’t attract too much attention. We sat in some seriously awkward silence for a moment before Mr. Stark finally said something.“Ya did good, kid,”

“I did good? I did good!“

“It’s yours,” Stark replied. “You earned it.” My heart was going a mile a minute. “Awesome!”

Look at them mirroring each other when it comes to them and how they feel.

Peter’s POV

“Yeah, and pretty soon it’s going to lead to a real job with him,” I said, trying to convince both him and myself.

Something really cute about them is that they both are exactly as you guys picture them in fanfics. They don’t say each other’s first name but think of each other that way.

Peter’s POV

“I thought I was gonna freeze up after Tony yelled out ‘Underoos.”

That churro. Happy had told him everything. "Look, Tony—uh, Mr. Stark," I started.

Tony’s POV

Tony had only continued onto the ship because he felt certain that he'd gotten Peter safely out of harm's way.

"Kid! Where'd you come from?" Iron Man asked, his voice sounding a little too relieved and grateful for his taste. 

They refuse to call each other by their names even if in IW they already had a more solid relationship than in HOCO, for them it’s ‘Kid’ and ‘Mr. Stark’. They even have other nicknames, as you already know but one of the cutest nicknames is ‘boss man’. Tom Holland calls RDJ that in real life and they used that nickname in the novelization.

When RDJ said this: 

The amount of betrayal Stark has had to deal with and what it's like to try and open up to someone new. The actor points out that Peter is young and that treachery comes with age. That his character is more willing to trust Peter because of his age. And how the relationship was established in the previous film when Tony shuts Peter down after he's been hurt. Not a move Tony would've done with most of the other Avengers, expecting them to push through just as he would.

He’s absolutely right, as you can see, they both banter but at the same time Tony opens up to Peter without hesitation.

trust

"So where are you?" I asked, looking around suspiciously. I half expected to see a drone In the sky spying on me. 

"India." came the response. "I thought I'd hit up a Hindu temple. Center myself. That sort of thing."

banter

 "Thank God this place has WI-Fi or you would have drowned."

 "I had a strategy." I did not have a strategy.

 'What, to die and fight him in the afterlife?"

Another example of them mirroring each other is in IW. It's been said in the novels that Tony making Peter an Avenger when did was something he considered a big choice and major sacrifice. He truly didn’t want him on the team, not because he thought Peter wasn’t capable, but because he wasn’t ready for Peter to be that. Meanwhile, Peter, who knows Tony is pretty much capable on his own, said he stuck himself to the side of the ship in IW because he thought about Tony. 

The same level of protectiveness, same thoughts.

Like a mirror.

.

Also how cute are Peter’s thoughts about Liz?

Liz walked by with the rest of the Homecoming committee, and the entire world seemed to melt away around her.

“It’s working for her.” I stared at her outfit and agreed that it was definitely working for her. OUR SPIDEY BOI IS FLIRTY AF

She was thinking of me. The warm fuzzies started.

Liz defending Peter from Flash?:

“I can’t believe we’re catering to him. We don’t need this dork.” Good. There was my opening to break it to them that—“As team captain, I disagree,” Liz cut in.

"No way!" he objected. "You can't just quit on us and then turn around and stroll up here and—"  "Flash. Liz cut him off, her voice leaving no doubt as to who the captain was.

Liz smiled at me as I took my seat. Don't blush. Don't blush. I blushed and gave a small smile back as I settled in next to Ned for the trip to Washington, DC.

And Peter’s eternal beef with Betty either sharing Ned or with Spider-Man. I love for this friendship lmao

[emerald-amidst-gold]

Ngl whenever I see OC asks I'm tempted to just ask all of them lmao

Buuut, let's see... from the OC creation asks, maybe 12, 15, 19? And for the other one, 1, 8, 52, 69? For any OC you'd like ~

I’m not shitting you when I say, DO IT. 

It’s my favorite time of the day~! Do you think I’ll ever shut up? Not likely, so let’s gooo! >:D 

***

12. What have you found to be most difficult about creating art for your OC (any form of art: writing, drawing, edits, etc.)? 

You know, I always think about this to be fair because it’s something that can be a bit of a block for me when writing any of my OCs since they’re all really different personality wise. Fane, in particular, is a bit of a challenge. Especially when it’s not his POV. He’s hard to explain at times, and it’s why I take so long to create one shots or chapters because I want to make sure I’ve been as clear as possible with him or how other’s perceive him. I have to think in my head, ‘How would such and such really feel about Fane’s personality? How would they respond to his outbursts or his views on the world?’ It takes a lot of reviewing banter from Inquisition and seeing how characters interact with one another for me to confidently piece together dialogue in regards to Fane, and at times, my mind wanders into non canon territory to where I then have to yank it back. Fane lets my mind explore, but the wanderlust gets to be a bit..much. I think so, at any rate. Lol. 

On a more personal level, Fane is also me, in a way. He’s a persona that allows me to express what I tend to go through mentally at times. While it’s a sort of comfort for me to get things off my chest through him, I also have to take a step back and breathe, especially if my mind that day isn’t in the best of places. I mean, I want to write during those times, but it can be incredibly difficult to formulate words with enough sensitivity so it doesn’t hit too hard for anyone else and come off wrong.

15. What is something about your OC can make you laugh? 

I’m gonna use Estoria for this because one thing I’ve created with her always makes me smile and giggle like a madman. That thing is, is the fact that she’s a flirter, but if it’s directed at her then she’s a bumbling fool. She’s all miss big bad mercenary elf until someone says, “You’re eyes are truly a delight.’ and then she just laughs nervously and nearly crumbles into a ball at their feet. 

And you bet your ass that Solas’s smooth talk kills her to where she actively has Cullen syndrome and runs away--tripping and stumbling over her own feet because she can’t. Then, when she does manage to get away she just sits on the floor and goes with all the enthusiasm of a teenager, “He..he thinks I’m graceful? He thinks I’m graceful!” Then she just rolls around on the floor, kicking her legs like a happy little flower. :3

19. What is your favorite fact about your OC?

That Fane has a sweet tooth. Hands down. Man becomes a literal puppy around cake, cookies, anything sweet. I have it in my fluffy little head that he swipes those things from Skyhold’s kitchen without anyone seeing because he’s embarrassed. He’ll try to be all sneaky and slick, but someone always stumbles upon him stuffing his face and then..well, you know. Fane becomes Aterian and Solas has to be called to tame a dragon before the walls come down. *smiles pleasantly*

1.  What is/are your OC’s nickname(s) and how did it come about?

We’ll go down the line for this one!

Fane is ‘Tempest’ due to his ‘calm before the storm’ demeanor when in battle. Varric gave it to him when he saw how fast Fane could move despite his size, and how hard he could hit once closing in. He’s literally a lightning bolt as he’s never in the same place twice and he does it all without batting an eye like how a real storm can destroy everything in its path, but when the clouds part, it’s calm, controlled without a shred of guilt towards the wreckage.

Estoria is ‘Snapdragon’. He adoptive father gave it to her as a sign of affection and to let her know that she is strong, even if the world believes she’s just a delicate little flower to be set on a window and forgotten. It also came about whenever he saw just how fierce a fighter she could be and how passionate she would get towards specific topics--’snapping’ like a dragon does with their treasure hoard or young. 

Mhairi is ‘Snow bird’ or ‘Fawn’. Courtesy of Varric and Dorian! Snow bird is Dorian’s nickname for her and it’s mainly due to her proclivity towards ice magic. Fawn is Varric’s choice due to how wide eyed and curious Mhairi is, like a newborn fawn discovering the world for the first time.

8. How does your OC talk/what does your OC’s voice sound like?

This is Fane’s. Fane’s, Fane’s. Only because I have so many thoughts about his voice that I have to try to explain it! All right, so his voice is deep, obviously. However, it’s gruff, it’s tired, and it rumbles like the softest of thunder. You can take the man out of the dragon, but you can’t take the dragon out of the man. He always has a slight growl to his voice, even if he’s not irritated. He does have an accent, more or less along the lines of what the game gives us, but it’s deeper, has more timbre and husk to it. It drops dangerously low when he’s furious--almost warbling with the natural growl. It jumps a slight octave when he’s flustered--sometimes cracking on specific syllables. When he speaks Elvhen though..well, let’s just say Solas has an existential crisis to where he blanks for a good twenty seconds because how the words just roll near perfectly from a deep, deep, near criminally seductive grave. It’s a good time. *waggles eyebrows*

52. What are some of your OC’s motivations?

Oh god. Well, it is time to try and explain why Fane does the shit that he does! Namely, why the hell he supports the destruction of the Veil, even if he knows it could kill people he loves.

One: Fane is heavily devoted to Solas. Centuries of bonding and losing each other does that, after all. He strives in every fashion to lessen the burden on Solas’s shoulders because he’s seen it happen before. He’s seen and felt Solas practically scream for an end. So, he refuses to abandon him again to that torture, even if he has to bloody his hands from those he had come to consider friends. It’s a difficult road for both of them, but Fane tries to keep a tiny shred of hope in his heart that everything will be okay in the end--that they’ll be okay. He just wants to protect Solas with everything he has, even if it brands him a monster. So, in a way, Solas’s continued presence motivates Fane to keep pushing, even if it’s indirectly.

Two: Fane is passionate towards his kin. He wants to free them from the world they are forced to endure. Another reason for why he supports Solas beyond their close bond. He knows that dragons are needed for the world to survive. So, the thought of his kin being able to show what they are truly made to do is what guides him to endure a lot of the heart break and a lot of the words that are eventually hurled at him. It doesn’t make fighting them any easier though.

Three: Fane is heavily mired with family or those he considers family. He took Mhairi’s place in his father’s experiments because he wanted to protect her, not himself. He throws himself in front of blades, magic that’ll make him ill, and kin bearing claws just to keep those close to him alive because he can’t stand the thought of their eyes going dead and grey. He doesn’t want to kill; he wants to preserve, even if eventually, he’ll have to turn his back because of necessity.

69. What is your OC’s favorite kind of weather?

Fane likes snowy, cold, frigid weather. He was a snowy dragon. Who lived on mountain. Had ice in his lungs. Boy melts in the desert, trust me. Besides that, he just likes the way the world looks when its blanketed with snow and ice. It’s still and quiet. Those aren’t things he’s used to, so he greedily indulges in them when they’re present.

Estoria is the opposite. She loves the heat, but primarily she loves rain. She’ll stand out and just look up at the sky with a huge smile on her face--completely unconcerned that she could get sick. All because it reminds her that the world is still moving along, even if the people in it believe it’s not. It’s still growing, flourishing, thriving, and that gives her comfort and joy.

***

Wowee! That was a lot, but damn was it fun! Thank you for the ask, as always! I can ramble, ramble, ramble like my life depends on it! XD 

[lcsbicas]

[ kaya scodelario, twenty-seven, cis female, she/her ] ━ hey, I just saw [ willow mendes ] walking down the streets of crownsville. they’ve lived in town for [ six months ], and you can catch them around town working as a [ tattoo artist ]. I hear they’re known to be [ courageous & kind hearted ] and [ secretive & self deprecating ]. if asked, they would say their aesthetic would be [ coffee stains, sea salty hair, intricate dotwork tattoos, restless hands, smudged eyeliner, lipstick on a plastic fork, paint ridden fingertips, whispered secrets, and beaming smiles ].

in the wise words of our lord & saviour, kuzco... boom baby ! guess who’s back ! 6+ months later than planned ! me ! so, hi ! i’m m ! you may remember me from such roles as, believe it or not, this ol’ worm if you’ve been around a hot minute ( but with a different name ! there’s already a hazel so i switched it to her alt whoops ! ) and from helping v out on the main a few weeks ago ( mena massoud ? mena massoud ! ) if you’re new-er ! i was here Before from the Beginning for like... ages, and then a lot of personal shit cropped up and i had to Yeet but guess who’s back,,, back again,,, me !

so lowkey coming back was like,, an impulsive thing,, lmao. like, i’d planned to sort some shit out and then come back in a couple of weeks and then that did Not work out, but then i was tempted on and off for months, and then babysitting the main for v again made me so much more tempted and then v was the best influence and here i am ! i went back and forth with characters and faces and things, and was tempted by loads of the wc’s ( y’all are creative as shit ! there’s so much good stuff on there omg ! ) and idk me and v were talking about it and,, i couldn’t help it, so i brought ma girl back. revamped a little, and taking her back to her Roots and when i originally played her like ,,, two years ago or something #Wild like that, so have some bullet points about this absolute goblin !

trigger warnings: alcoholism, death.

( also quickly before i go into shit, i’m gonna be a little spotty for a few days but by like,, wednesday i should be Here, Queer, and ready to Partie. however, wills’ bio and stats and shit needs updating name wise and idk if after getting this up i’ll have time, so if you could just bare with me, that’d be greatly appreciated ) 

oh god okay this is gonna be a mess

but first off: girlie has stats !! tasty !! 

she was born in crownsville to two young but loving parents, who hadn’t exactly planned for her but were willing to devote their lives to her once she arrived. for the first few years of her life, everything was perfect, and her parents got by no matter what challenges life threw at them, as at least they always had eachother and their little girl. 

everything was hunky dory ( or, it was from willow’s child-pov ) until willow was eight, when her dad died unexpectedly. after that, her mother was never the same, and she struggled to raise wills alone. willow did her best to make their lives as decent as possible, but it wasn’t easy, and her mother certainly didn’t help that.

she stayed in crownsville until the age of eighteen. she eventually went off to new york after she had a pretty, uh, Eventful year ( it’s kind of A Lot and i don’t really wanna go into it too Deep here but i have a full bio for her if you want it ! all the trigger warnings are clearly labelled ) but first, after battling an increasingly severe drinking problem for a few years, at eighteen she went to atlanta to get sober and sort her life out a little. once she did, she took an apprenticeship opportunity in new york and headed out there to start Afresh ( maybe moving to an entirely different state while freshly sober wasn’t a good idea but listen...........that’s the way she rolls, baby ) 

she loved ny, and did all the Struggling Artist shite while trying to #FindHerself, and got herself a tiny matchbox of an apartment to Thrive in. she started over, grateful for the opportunity to have a second chance at life now her perspective had been shifted, and get the fuck on with her life. 

so before she moved back in january, she hadn’t lived in crownsvillle since she was eighteen, and although she claims she came back ‘because of work’ that actually translates, in willow, to ‘because i missed it’ 

she got what she needed from new york after living there for five years, and another change was necessary. however, she didn’t want to keep running, and hopping from place to place and state to state every time something bad happened, as her parents were ‘free spirits’ and floated around to wherever the wind blew them until willow came into their lives, and she really doesn’t want to become either of them, so when her boss at her tattoo parlour in new york mentioned something about wanting to open another shop ( ‘maybe boston, or atlanta...’ ) willow, after just getting out of a Less Than Loving relationship, suggested a lil’ place just outside of atlanta that y’all may have heard of, and offered to keep an eye on the place. so she packed up her shit and moved back home, completely unrecognisable from the mess that left all those years ago, and she now lives in the apartment above the shop ! she hates it !! but she lives there nonetheless !! with her two beloved goldfish, ernie and bert !! 

after her last relationship ( f i n a l l y ) came to an end, and a few years of confusion and inaccurate labels, she ( F I N A L L Y !! ) accepted that she’s a flaming lesbian and started identifying as such. after coming back to crownsville she might’ve been a little hesitant to reveal that information to anybody who knew her before, just because she felt like it might be a bit of a Shock considering the shit she used to get up to when she was last in town ( as a teen, she was dealing with enough already and wouldn’t even let herself think it; in her eyes, the last thing she needed was an identity crisis piled on top of everything else ) but now it’s been a little while it’s more well Known. new people in her life, though, are faaaar more likely to be in the know, it ain’t no secret. plus she can be a bit of a hoe so like.............. the fellow wlw in town also probably know lmao  

her life has made her a little bit Messy as a person, but she’ll be a complete dumpster fire while giving you a smile and doing her dang best. she adores her job ( and is, if i may say, pretty dang good at it. she trained up & became a fully qualified tattoo artist, specialising in dotwork, while in new york ) and she’s also pretty dang good at the people side of her job, too & and she’s trying her best to be a good person. like,,, she’s done some shit she’s not proud of that make her think she’s a bad person, so she’s like Actively Trying to be a better person despite the fact that she’s lowkey got a heart of gold. her morals are just a lil askew, y’know ? she’s Trying

honestly i never know what to say in intros lmao, especially with wills since i’ve written so many for her, but if you want more info feel free to read other intros i’ve whipped up for her before: boop, boop, & boop. 

so i can settle back into playin willy and being back, i’m gonna say willow’s been away for a couple of weeks and only recently Come Back within the last couple of days or something like that ??

also some shit about me to finish: honestly, i love small/medium gifs. i know, i’m awful. but for the Aesthetic and so things match i usually use gif icons ?? but tbh if you use bigger gifs, i’ll whack mine out happily. but i also love rp icons and have a bunch of ‘em that i love to use so you’ll see those Bad Boiz too. i also use small text but feel free to make it bigger when you reply if that’s the way the good lord made ya, i don’t mind in the slightest. i’m not the plottiest of people tbh ( or like,, pre-plotting ? ) so tbh u don’t have to message me to plot just bc u feel obliged to, but if you have ideas feel free to hmu ! i will, ofc, do the same ! and if a thread gets going and ideas spark, i’m all for that !!

[elcorhamletlive]

MCU Rewatch: Iron Man 2

(fair warning: this one got longer and more negative than I thought it would be)

I’m not sure if this is in the original dialogue, but the reproduction of the final scene of IM has Christine pointing out Tony hates bodyguards. That’s a nice info.

Fandom’s hot takes about Tony are always terrible, but looking at a guy who stands in front of a bunch of barely dressed women dancing in his honor and goes “I haven’t met anyone who’s man enough to go toe to toe with me on my best day” and saying “this character is female-coded”/”this character deconstructs toxic masculinity” is one serious “Delusion: Convince Yourself” moment.

That being said, I would be interested in reading a fic that ACTUALLY has Tony confront how much he projects toxic masculinity onto the world as a way to assure respect and how that shapes his relationships. If I go by canon, I can easily see Tony being more proprense to having a sexuality crisis/internalized homophobia than Steve, since the idea of being a “man” is so important to him. I’m not sure such a fic exists, though.

I’M SORRY I KNOW I’M HARPING ON THIS POINT but it just drives me MAD because the Iron Man franchise is by a mile the worst in the MCU when it comes to its treatment of its female characters so I want to bang my head against the wall when people act like, in terms of a gendered reading, Tony is meant to represent anything other than a very clear male fantasy. I mean, come on - the movie just cut through a few scenes from his pov and it actually had a close up on a random woman’s cleavage while Tony says “Oh, I remember you”. Like... COME ON.

This movie is like a walking argument against all my least favorite fanon!Tony tropes: where did people get that the media hates Tony?? It’s very clear that people like Christine are outliers, and the general public ADORES both him and Iron Man.

“I’ve successfullly privatized world peace” might be my least favorite Tony line ever, even more than the “I saw American citizens being killed” cringe-worthy moment in the first IM.

Okay, “if there’s one thing I’ve proven it’s that you can count on me to pleasure myself” is also a strong contender.

Tony going “oh yeah you should totally run the company WHAT AN AMAZING IDEA THAT HAS LITERALLY ONLY CROSSED MY MIND ONE SECOND AGO” and U immadiately showing up with a bottle of champagne and two glasses is absolutely adorable. Tony is totally an undercover romantic, even if his approach to it is terrible lol.

Tony searching for Natasha’s “qualifications” and enlarging a picture of her in lingerie is just... Wow. So many parts of this movie have aged very poorly.

Christine not moving her recorder when Hammer is like “maybe we should put this away” is amazing. lol One thing this rewatch is definitely giving me is a bigger appreciation for Christine in general.

Tony’s hair in this movie is just amazing. One of my favorites hairstyles of his for sure.

The case suit up is very cool, and the first battle with Vanko is pretty awesome, but I feel like the movie kind of sabotages itself because it spends so many scenes just building up Vanko and then when he actually attacks Tony stops him pretty easily, all things considered. I get that there’s a point to it, but it feels anticlimatic.

Oh Tony speaks french! I didn’t know that.

“I’ll send you a bar of soap.” So Tony making rape jokes it not just a Whedon thing. Welp.

Tony taking three hours to make an omelette is such a mood. lol

I kind of love the scene with Tony and Pepper on the plane. So much of this movie is Tony attempting to reach out to Pepper without ACTUALLY reaching out by telling her what’s going on, and it creates an interesting dynamic. He wants her, wants to be with her, but can’t bring himself to actually ask it, and therefore she can’t understand what he’s asking in order to accept it. This says a lot about how Tony handles love and feelings, I think.

I feel like this movie would have vastly improved if Vanko and Hammer had just been in cahoots from the beggining. So much time is wasted in setting up this alliance and it’s not like we learn anything about either character that we couldn’t have gathered otherwise. It’s like watching a version of IM with an extra half-hour of Obie allying himself to the Ten Rings.

Natasha breaking into a fighting stance the second shit gets real is a fantastic “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” moment.

Ngl I really dislike the fact that Rhodey’s first suit up is all about baby sitting Tony, and not about himself. We barely get to see any of his feelings about taking the role as War Machine. And I feel like the way he takes the suit sends such a confusing message, because Fury and Natasha confirm to us Tony let him take it, and yet in the party scene... he doesn’t? Like, he fights back pretty heavily and it doesn’t seem at all like something he’s planned. I don’t blame people for thinking Rhodey stole the suit, because the entire party scene before Fury shows up frames it as such.

It’s WILD that this movie frames Howard deporting a person back to the Soviet Union as Howard being noble because Anton Vanko was “in it for the money”. Just... Wild.

In fact, the whole framing of the Howard issue is so weird. Tony and Howard’s relationship only comes up when Fury shows up, and that’s halfway through the movie, and then it’s supposed to be the Big Solution even though... It wasn’t really a theme until this point? 

Tony’s FACE when he sees the shield... and then he uses it to make everything “perfectly level”................ MY HEART

Sam Rockwell is a delight lmao. I love his dance.

The way people clap when Tony arrives is a stark contrast with the lukewarm reception Hammer got. Again: the public loves Tony.

I live for Natasha taking down every security guard in the time Happy takes to subdue one guy. Her moves are great (also, her curls are great - this is a great movie for hairstyles).

This Pepperony kiss is like. SO unwarranted?? Pepper has just learned Tony has been dying and keeping it from her?? And we don’t get any sort of emotional reaction about this or resolution about Tony’s inability to express his feelings??? They just... kiss and it’s all right, I guess?

“Get a roof” does make chuckle, though.

Aaand it’s over. That... that was a rough one, if I’m gonna be honest. This was one of my least favorite MCU movies the first time I watched it, and I hoped the rewatch could make me enjoy it more, but... this really wasn’t the case. I feel like this movie could have raised a lot of themes with its elements, but it just... doesn’t? Like, a lot of stuff happens, but very little actually advances the characters or their relationships. So much time is spent on setting up Vanko as this super badass villain, and then not only he’s easily defeated, but the whole “he’s carrying his father’s legacy just as Tony is” thing never goes anywhere. Tony is DYING, and then halfway through he isn’t, and although while he’s dying he pushes away both of the people closest to him, neither of them get to really have a reaction to this? Rhodey never actually finds out??? It just doesn’t work for me. Like, there are fun moments, and I get these characters and cast are enjoyable to watch doing basically anything, but the movie in itself is just... Meh.

[lightsandlostbells]

Druck episode 9-10 reaction

If they don’t renew this show I’m going to boycott Germany. 

a huge thank you to everyone who translated Druck and made the clips accessible to the international viewers! I know it was a lot of work and the geoblock was a pain. I really appreciate the continued effort.

Episode 9

Clip 1 - Hanna comes for Matteo

Jonas is really closed-off in their conversation; he’s not that warm to Hanna, which is kind of interesting since I’d say the other Jonases were a little less frosty in this scene. Especially because German Jonas and Hanna have such strong chemistry. But I get why he’d still be upset, I think less time has passed since he and Hanna had the talk about him not understanding her? He hasn’t had much time to work through it so he still seems really wounded.

Clip 2 - Hanna and Jule

Hanna appropriately has a “stronger together” shirt for a scene in which girls commiserate over how boys are such dicks.

Jule and Hanna’s conversation didn’t really have the meat to it from their previous interaction to set up how friendly Jule is here, I would’ve preferred a little more hesitation and maybe an apology from Jule. A little initial awkwardness just to acknowledge that they didn’t leave off on a cozy note.

I do love the initiative Hanna is taking and that she’s the one to extend the invitation/olive branch to Jule. It’s a nice mark of maturity. We’ve seen some scenes of her gradually gaining confidence and being proactive so we can chart how her character is slowly but surely moving forward.

Clip 3 - Fight on the stairs

I dig this artsy paint-splattered stairwell. I felt like it also made the scene a little more tense and awkward (in a tonally appropriate way) - instead of them running into each other in a warmly lit stairwell or hallways with lots of light shining through the windows, they’re in a closed space (very awkward) with cool coloring and no sunlight. There really is no way to avoid this conversation once they run into each other, and there’s still ice between them, unlike with Eva and Jonas where you could tell they did enjoy seeing each other despite the awkwardness.

Nice details are added to Matteo’s family story, that the dad wanted him to come along but Matteo chose to stay behind and take care of his mom. Oh baby :(

Jonas got rougher with Samuel than I expected, like he seems dead inside talking to Hanna but he came alive to slam Samuel up against that bar.

To be fair, Samuel was kinda asking for trouble with that comment, which was unprompted and meant to provoke. You guys are also in a tight enclosed space, you can’t really avoid each other. 

And Jonas doesn’t tear away from her grip, he firmly removes her hands. He is not happy with her at all.

Lmao, these random students staring at Hanna. She was just a bystander to that male aggression, yo.

Clip 4 - Drink your way out of obligations

Is it just me or did Sam’s hair get even bluer? Or is she just that radiant?

Nice that Mia acknowledged that Kiki behaved poorly even while expressing that they should include her. Because yeah, I feel bad for all the Vildes/Kikis knowing what they’re going through, but they also were nasty to their friends.

L O L Sam’s brilliant plan to get out of supervising the party - get drunk, get fired, go to the party. That’s kind of amazing. And they’re all like sure, we’ll roll with it.

Good that Amira mentions that Leonie and Sara called Kiki a slut previously and there’s a bit of a challenge between her and Kiki. Not a great look that Kiki wanted to disregard that incident at least in front of Amira, her defender.

You know, Kiki is one of the bigger jerks of the Vildes, but … I still kinda like her, I’m sorry! It’s not that she’s a great person, it’s that the way she’s acted and written feels very realistic. She feels like a clear social climber/popularity seeker but is messy enough to alienate people. Compared to the way that say, Kelsey is portrayed in Skam Austin, she’s also a jerk, but the depiction often veers into something cartoonish and broad - like a definite TV character. Kiki feels like a ton of people I’ve known in real life.

Sam is drawing an alien in her notebook to illustrate how her pal Kiki has gone to space. She also appears to have doodled a flower and a unicorn.

Clip 5 - Karaoke emotions

Okay, now THIS karaoke scene is exactly what I wanted from karaoke in S4 of OG Skam. Lovable scamps wailing their hearts out to beloved pop tunes.

Sam doing Wannabe by the Spice Girls!!! I'm not imagining that she dressed and styled her hair like Scary Spice, right?

YES AMIRA “DA QUEEN” IS NEXT! Dedicating it to her favorite Germans! Everyone cheering Amira :D :D :D Amira doing Rolling in the Deep!!!! We are blessed.

Are they all wearing pussy hats? Also love Hanna and Mia’s blatantly feminist shirts. Truly a ladies’ night.

It’s hilarious that Carlo and the other dude (do we know him?) are wearing matching pussy hats. Honestly from what I remember of him way back in the Dark Ages of March/April, he didn’t seem like a terrible dude. A bit obnoxious, but not rude or bad on Elias levels.

The Hanna and Matteo confrontation? My soul will never be ready.

Oh man, Matteo openly acknowledges his mom is going insane. There’s no feigned attempt to keep an optimistic attitude about his parental situation like with Isak. And he’s not putting in any effort to seem cheered up, except for having a drink.

Hanna doesn’t even toy with her food before eating it, she just lays it out for Matteo and confronts him directly about telling Jule.

And he looks so sad and depressed when she asks the reason. Worth noting that he doesn’t directly confirm her hypothesis that he has a crush on her, he just looks downcast and awkward.

He looks honestly near tears when he asks her how she couldn’t get it. Because as we know, he’s not really talking about him liking Hanna, he wants to know how she couldn’t understand his BLATANTLY OBVIOUS crush on Jonas. 

A drunk Kiki appears! Does she have a tattoo on her arm??

And she gives Matteo a hug … have they met before? Lmao.

Kiki staggering in just in time to steal Amira’s spotlight, scream a thematically appropriate song about how she and Alexander could have had it all, and then collapse is the most Kiki-ish thing I can think of. Yeah, that’s exactly how it would go.

Also I thought “we could have had it alllll” could apply to Amira and Kiki’s relationship , heh. Especially because it ends up getting downgraded a lot from Sana and Vilde’s relationship? It was so important that Sana was the one carrying Vilde and sticking her fingers down her throat and letting her puke down her front, and that their relationship in particular was affirmed. 

They just dragged Kiki to the nearest toilet and had her puke on some dude’s shoes (that’s Matteo’s friend, right?) which I will admit, more practical than carrying her like a romance novel heroine as a divine hymn plays.

Wow, so it’s just Mia tending to Kiki and we don’t get the girls all lying in bed together. On the one hand that’s a little disappointing; it’s one of the most iconic scenes of S1 and probably the whole show, and it’s a moment that really solidified the girl squad as a ride or die group of friends. But I also like them to try new things and not just redo big successful moments from the original show. I did like seeing Mia go through all these little steps of tending to Kiki, getting her dressed, sending a text to her mom. 

Pretty big difference that it’s Mia and not Amira taking care of her, though; as mentioned above, the Amira-Kiki relationship is downplayed. Not super keen on that because Kiki was quite nasty to Amira and visibly hurt her feelings on several occasions, such as the bus stop incident and the disastrous group meeting. Sana was better at adopting a harder attitude and not letting the hurt show. But then again, Kiki is the one who really needs to grovel, not Amira.

Also ...HUGE break in POV since Hanna isn’t there but lol I’ve accepted it’s a losing battle even if I’m still not super fond of it. You win, less-than-tight third person POV. I surrender.

Mia has a text from Alexander, because what is truly desirable in a man you have rejected is him texting you about changing your mind close to midnight while you take care of your friend who he fucked and then ghosted passed out beside you in bed.

JONAS PLAYING THE GUITAR AND SINGING FOR MATTEO WOW WOW

while wearing a pussy hat lmao, BEST REMAKE JONAS

I’m sure Matteo loved Jonas playing and singing a song dedicated to him, only for Jonas to slow down and get more serious once Hanna entered. Not to mention shifting that eye contact from him to Hanna.

Lovely scene of Hanna and Jonas, I’m a broken record but they have SUCH good chemistry. They just seem so into each other, and overall I would say they felt so much that they liked each other.

NOOOOOO don’t break up! Please!

Episode 10

Clip 1 - Honas and Janna

Honas and Janna fucking ADORABLE.Them snuggling… you’re hurting me, Druck.

He took her nose! Goddamn!!!

I love all this backstory and delving into the beginning of their relationship. This honest conversation that takes its time and really lets them talk ... what Skam does at its best, man.

Jonas looks so heartbroken in this flash forward where he’s holding onto Hanna.

And that painfully raw moment where he asks if she regrets choosing him and the answer is an unspoken yes, owwww

All this emotional soul-baring, such as Hanna talking about how once she got with Jonas, she was only happy when she was with him, and dependent on him for happiness. And that she became paranoid Jonas would cheat on her and thought she deserved to get hurt. And that she changed her personality so he would like her and wouldn’t have a reason to leave her. Really happy how plainly Hanna stated the truths, even the raw and uncomfortable ones.

I know they just laid out all the reasons Hanna should be on her own and they should break up, but I don't want them tooooooooo

The way they hold each other and cry and draw it out for so long because they don’t want it to end!

“I still got your nose.” “You can keep it.” FUCK YOU, DRUCK!!!!!

You realize that we need this show to run for many more seasons and eventually Jonas will casually mention to Hanna that he’s still got her nose and she says, “I hope you’re taking care of it.”

And then one day he gives her a fake nose like on one of those Groucho Marx masks and she puts it on and IDK, this is all a buildup to them kissing again.

Hanna as an independent woman, wearing her Femme Future shirt. Nice.

They’re honestly up there with original Eva and Jonas for me. Round of applause for the director and actors for making this couple as likable and believable as they are.

Clip 2 - Mia and Kiki in the mooooorning

Oh jeez, this is a TOTAL break from the POV, I wonder what the logic behind it was?

I guess they're setting up S2. Or who knows, maybe there were scheduling conflicts with the actors and they couldn’t have everyone together.

Seriously, what’s Kiki’s tattoo? I’m sure it’s just because the actress happens to have one.

Kiki saying she wants to die, oh no. She looks miserable.

Although how dare you show Mia’s flat but not her roommates.

Clip 3 - Doctor visit

So only Mia went with Kiki? They’ve really downplayed her relationship with Amira, and the other girls as well. I mean in a way, it’s nice it’s just the two of them, and I presume Mia will keep this incident a secret. I hope this will affect their S2 dynamic a little.

I got so hyped for this scene, though. I adore this doctor.

Did she tell her she was pregnant at first just to mess with her??? Omg. 

I doubt that’s the most professional approach but who cares, my love

Mia saying that the pregnancy was “Unplanned of course, she’s 17” and the doc mentioning the 5-year-olds in Peru or Chile who gave birth … I mean, 5-year-olds who get pregnant are the victims of rape, so hardly planned.

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” but I want to see more of you! Can the whole cast just get like incredibly sick and have a reason to stop by?

Not only did she have an apple, she gave Mia a banana too, lmao! She just keeps fruit in her office for wayward teenagers not getting the proper nutrition.

We need this show to get to S3 so I can see this doc talking to Matteo.

Clip 4 - Mia giving Kiki the talk

I guess Hanna told Mia about hearing Kiki puke at school.

This is pretty direct referencing to Kiki’s ED when I think it’s been more or less implied before, in other versions. I mean it’s pretty obvious, it’s just not spelled out quite this much.

There’s also a more direct reference to Mia also having an eating disorder … “I know exactly how you feel.” That’s very pointed. Noora having an eating disorder was understated and mostly subtext in a lot of ways.

Again, a shame that Kiki and Amira’s relationship was downplayed, but hopefully the focus on Mia and Kiki in these scenes will add more to S2.

Clip 5 - Hero party

This was just a heartwarming clip so don’t expect commentary other than 😍😍😍.

Hanna and Mia and Amira just hanging out!!!!

Amira eating during Ramadan, though... the remakes are really bad at remembering this. (I’m not Muslim so if I’ve made a mistake in understanding when she can/can’t eat, let me know. And I do know that she can eat during her period, it’s more like in the absence of other acknowledgment of Ramadan, I tend to think it was an oversight.)

Amira giving Hanna a hug and telling her she’s strong … GOSH. Although she calls Hanna out on the similarities between what she did with Leonie and what Matteo did to Hanna, which I mean ... fair.

Amira encouraging Hanna to talk to Matteo .... I know this is for Hanna’s benefit, not Matteo’s, but man, I can’t wait for Amira and Matteo friendship. They’re both vulnerable kids with lots of buried feelings.

Oh my God, them putting on their security uniforms and being ADORABLE, ahhhhh! We get another slow motion power walk on the way to the party, Druck gets the essence of Skam.

Of course the power walk was just to lead up to them standing/sitting outside awkwardly.

Are they for real going to get drunk to avoid their responsibilities? Maybe not the best life choice, but in this situation, sure, why not.

Amira getting “high on Allah” was precious. GIVE ME S4 ALREADY.

Mia is drinking, which is quite a character divergence from Noora. 

Was that a peace offering of beer from Leonie? Love it. 

OH GOD JONAS AND MATTEO AND THAT OTHER DUDE ROLLING UP IN A CART

Sam is so magnificent. Her hair is a beautiful blue tower!! 

And she and her brother are too cute! She brought him and his Bass Bus to liven up the night!

SHE TOLD HIM TO DRIVE INSIDE. THE BEEEEST

Matteo and Hanna <3333 She said she realized she’d done as wrong to her friends, and she asks if they can stay friends. It seems like a really genuine moment, guys. I wouldn’t blame her for keeping him on her shit list for a time but it feels like they might not drift quite as much as Eva and Isak did, since there’s maybe a bit more comfort between them here.

Mia says she’s worried that Kiki is drinking too much again and that’s why she’s not there, suggesting that she hasn’t told Alexander to apologize to her and that’s not the reason she wants to call her.

OH GOD THIS AMAZING ADAPTATION OF THE “FUCK, YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL” MOMENT

Mia tells Alex he’s creepy for that whole “no means I want you more” thing. She tells him it was blackmail to pressure her for just one date and then he’ll leave her alone. He tries the “fuck, you’re beautful line on her” and she turns around to make out with Hanna. Then she calls him a massive asshole and tells him she’s not her type, wink wink. She and Hanna walk away laughing.

This is the best remake, guys.

ALSO LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT HANNA AND MIA SMOOCH, A REMAKE FINALLY GAVE ME NOOREVA

On a more serious note, there’s absolutely reason to be concerned this is just queerbaiting. I doubt Hanna and Mia are going to be a couple, Mia and Alex are almost certainly going to have a romance arc, and the whole “two girls kissing in a bar so a boy can witness” is definitely enough to give off “barsexuality” vibes and make it seem like just a gimmick.

However, the production team has confirmed that Mia is bi, so hopefully that will be acknowledged in the show itself (other than “I don’t like labels” which is not actually an admission of bisexuality, and tbh which suggests that she won’t call herself bi on the show). But even if she doesn’t want to label herself, there are ways to address her interest in women and incorporate it into the story. And I hope to God they don’t make Alexander all “girls kissing is hot” or trying to pursue Mia even though she’s indicated she’s a lesbian (even if she’s really bi, her comment to him suggests she’s a lesbian), because that character does NOT need another reason to make me dislike him.

For real, Alexander better leave her alone after this, because Mia has told him she is not only not him, but not into dudes, and whether that’s true or not, he needs to accept it as truth. If they get together Mia has to make the first step in pursuing him.

Damn, this this makes me want to go back and rewatch S1 through shipper-tinted goggles. So was Mia really trying to hit on Hanna at the bar? I don’t know if that’s what they meant but I’m declaring it canon in my mind.

Plot twist: Toilet Sam pats Alexander on the shoulder here as foreshadowing for their upcoming love affair, Mia will be free to get together with a nice girl in S2.

Another plot twist: That awkward yet smoldering Jonas/Toilet Sam eye contact.

You know, if Alexander apologized to Kiki without any incentive - if Mia’s like “I’m gay” and then Alexander apologizes to Kiki anyway - then that makes me approve of him more, since he doesn’t think Mia is an option now. Unless he’s thinking, “Well, time to convert the lesbian!” But otherwise - a MAJOR step in improving Winterberg.

Kiki got a little sarcastic with Alexander, too. ”Wow, you know my name?: GOOD FOR HER. 

Group hug! I still feel that the girl squad is a little disjointed, mainly on the Kiki angle, but that’s to be expected.

Mia giving Kiki a slice of pizza … very nice to work that in, nice. And Alexander apologized so that may have something to do with it, that her image-related insecurities stemming from his comment have been soothed.

Also, props to Mia for waiting until the other girls left to bring up Matteo’s gay porn to Hanna.

L M A O it only took Hanna 10 episodes to realize Matteo’s deeply gay looks and feelings for Jonas. That’s impressive because of all the m/m Isak/Jonas pairs, Matteo was by farrrrr the most transparent about his 😍😍😍😍😍 

Speaking of, excellent smitten look Matteo gives Jonas there. Some of the remakes have been toning down the 😍😍😍😍😍 but no, Matteo is bringing it.

Awww, the cast dancing during the credits <3 <3 <3 Was this from their audition tapes or something?

General Comments:

This is my favorite remake. My ass will be so bitter if Druck out of all of them doesn’t get renewed. It’s the one that most captures the spirit of the original, has an age-appropriate and charming cast for the most part, great chemistry between the characters, and did a decent job of adapting the storyline while giving the story its own personality.

Moreover, Druck really captures the vulnerability of the characters, which is essential to Skam’s storytelling. A Matteo or Amira season really excites me because those actors have already displayed capacity for fragility in this season, and I think they could do decent jobs in their own seasons. 

Plus, Jonas would be SO amazing in a Matteo season! If I already loved him in S1, when he’s at his worst, imagine how awesome he’ll be supporting Matteo during his coming out process! 

Give me that Amira and Matteo friendship. Or Amira falling in love, jeeeeeeez. Matteo falling for a boy who can match him in longing stares.

I’ve had some reservations about Mia’s acting but she has honestly grown a lot on me as a character, I like how she’s written, and so frankly? Even S2 kinda has me excited. My personal feelings about the central relationship aside, Druck deserves a chance to have its S2 as much as any of the others.

IDK, it’s kinda frustrating that the geoblock and random production issues seem to have cut off a lot of the potential fanbase, so I hope the show gets another chance, and that they fix whatever lingering issues. 

They definitely could do better with social media output and overall keeping the interest in the show flowing between clips.

Anyway, for the most part, I actually enjoyed Druck S1 quite a bit, and I truly hope I get to see more of these characters. 

I don’t speak German, so if I missed some context, feel free to correct me.

If you got this far, thank you for reading! 

[goforwardgreenwriter-blog]

The Worm Reads: Empire of Storms, Ch 13 - 14

Every time I turn the page to a new chapter, I tense up, not knowing whose POV I’ll be stuck in. Fingers crossed.....

It had been a long while since Dorian had seen so many stars.

Oh thank God, it’s my precious ice son, Dorian. He deserves to be stretched out on his back across some cool grass, gazing up at the twinkling night sky, happy and safe.

“You were impaled by a poisoned barb,” Rowan said, his voice no louder than the waves lapping against their boat as the swift wind pushed them from behind. “Your magic was drained keeping you alive and walking. You need to eat, or else it won’t replenish.” A pause. “Didn’t Aelin warn you about that?” Dorian swallowed. “No. She didn’t really have the time to teach me about magic.”

Yeah, to teach Dorian magic requires patience, kindness, and intelligence, and Aelin is pretty well lacking in all three of those categories.

Dorian could feel Rowan’s stare pin him like a physical blow. “The choice is yours how much you allow it into your life, how to use it—but go any longer without mastering it, Majesty, and it will destroy you.”

Damn, I don’t like Rowan but at least he’s helping Dorian out here... The bar is set pretty low here.

Dorian angsts about Sorscha. For those who didn’t know, she was a character introduced in Heir of Fire (she was in earlier books but not named) for Dorian to fall in love with, only for her to be beheaded by Dorian’s father near the end, so totally not a waste of everyone’s time. Sorscha deserved better.

[Dorian’s] magic had felt the bond between Aelin and Rowan—the bond that went deeper than blood, than their magic, and he’d assumed it was just that they were mates, and hadn’t announced it to anyone. But if Rowan already had a mate, and had lost her…

Nononononono SJM please please please don’t use Dorian’s POVs for gushing over Aelin and Rowan please please please I’m begging you.

Rowan and Dorian talk, and Rowan... is actually helpful? He’s listening to Dorian’s problems and fears, offering solutions. What happened to the Rowan we all know and hate?

“You know,” [Dorian] said, “sometimes I wish Chaol were here—to help me. And then sometimes I’m glad he’s not, so he wouldn’t be at risk again. I’m glad he’s in Antica with Nesryn.”

Not gonna apologize for saying it; I ship Dorian and Chaol. I want Dorian and his people to leave this shitty war behind and move to another place and Dorian and Chaol to reunite.

Dorian asks Rowan to teach him magic, and I’m so happy SJM is letting these two be friends. The  Rowan gushes about Aelin forever and I want to claw my eyes out.

Dorian nodded his thanks. “The first time you met Aelin, did you know …?” A snort. “No. Gods, no. We wanted to kill each other.”

Yeah you two spent most of  HoF beating the shit out of each other, insulting one another, and Rowan goddamn BIT Aelin. This is supposed to be romantic how......?

The two leave for Skull’s Bay, and Chapter 14 starts.

Clothed in battle-black from head to toe, Aedion Ashryver kept to the shadows of the street across from the temple and watched his cousin scale the building beside him.

Oh yay, Aedion’s POV. Let’s see how SJM butchers him even further.

They are leaving to go wreck shit up or something. The town is empty and dark and cold, because symbolism. They also paid a captain for a ship.

Aelin’s face had gone a bit bloodless, and [Aedion] braced a steadying hand between her shoulder blades.

Wait, between her shoulder blades? That’s kinda odd, ain’t it? Wouldn’t it make more sense for him to put his hand on her shoulder, or is this a gesture from another country I have no idea about?

The captain they paid says that Maeve is putting together an army.

Aedion glanced at where Lysandra waited behind him, on the lookout for Aelin’s signal. She was in her traveling clothes — a bit worn and dirty. She’d been reading an ancient-looking book all afternoon. Forgotten Creatures of the Deep or whatever it had been called. A smile tugged at his lips as he wondered whether she’d borrowed or stolen the title.

Haha... because theft is hilarious.... Seriously, if these guys were morally grey of bad guys that’d be alright, but SJM beats us over the head about how they’re in the moral right 100% of the time, so why is Aedion so nonchalant about Lysandra swiping an ancient and probably valuable book?

Lysandra cleared her throat a bit and said too softly for anyone to hear, either the queen or the soldiers across the street, “[Aelin]s accepted Darrow’s decree too calmly.”

TOO CALMLY???? You call threatening Darrow, almost stabbing him, threatening to burn all of her allies, CALM???? WHAT THE FUCK DOES SJM THINK CALMLY MEANS???????

Aedion and Lysandra gush about Aelin some more and makes sure the readers know that even though they are up against a dangerous war, Aelin can handle it because she is the best queen ever!!1 Whatever. Then they flirt.

So [Aedion] snapped his teeth at [Lysandra] and said, “Good thing I know how to make women purr.”

Aedion is a furry, confirmed?

[Aedion] didn’t even want to think about what else Darrow had implied—that a union between Wendlyn and Terrasen had been attempted over ten years ago, with marriage between him and Aelin the asking price, only to be rejected by their kin across the sea. He loved his cousin, but the thought of touching her like that made his stomach turn. He had a feeling she returned the sentiment.

EWWWWW PLEASE STOP. At least the characters are confirming that this is gross shit IG. I’ve read worse.

They just leap off a building and go corner a bunch of the soldiers. What a flawless plan. Better hope none of the soldiers have crossbows or your ass is grass, Aelin.

The soldiers blinked. One of the townsfolk behind them began weeping as a crown of fire appeared atop Aelin’s hair. As the cloth smothering Goldryn burned away and the ruby glowed bloodred.

Bloodred isn’t a word; you’re thinking of simply, blood red. Also lmao Aelin is so dramatic. I guess it’s working because the guards have crossbows but they’re not shooting any of them for some reason...?

Aelin burns a man from the inside, turning him into ash. That is kinda cool, not gonna lie. Just wish a better character had these awesome abilities, you know?

They took back the temple in twenty minutes.

Um... okay? How did you all come out of this fight unscathed? I believe that they could win, considering Aelin has magic and Lysandra is a big leopard and the soldiers are humans without magic, but you’re telling me they had no archers with good aim? That none of them even thought of shooting Aelin while she was there threatening them? Aiight.

And as for the shifter who had ripped into those soldiers with such feral savagery … Aelin left her again in falcon form, perched on a rotting beam in the cavernous archives, staring at the enormous rendering of a sea dragon carved into the floor, at last revealed by that razing fire.

Is Lysandra gonna turn into a sea dragon? That would be cool, but how the hell is she gonna turn into a huge ass dragon? How does her shifting magic work? SJM said earlier that it takes energy from her to change into even simple animals, so wouldn’t she drop dead after shifting into a dragon?

Aelin enters the temple and goes to see the sacred Rock. Chapter ends.

[ryouverua]

Miu and Co’s Stimulating Virtual Adventures (Part 1)

is this going to be a normal field trip?

WITH KOKICHI OUMA? NO WAY ~ !

insert shuichi groaning

Oh cool we got a whole animated sequence!

I FUCKING KNEW IT

AAAAAAH!

AAAAAAH!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

THEY’RE SO FUCKING CUTE WHAT THE HELL

THIS ISN’T WHAT I EXPECTED AT ALL!!!!

Yeah, seriously! I guess I was expecting sprites similar to Hajime’s from last game, or at least an island setting - this really does look like a murder mystery manor! good god we aren’t on rokkenjima are we

I’M SENDING A STRONGLY-WORDED LETTER TO THOSE IN CHARGE

Aaaaw, it’s played off for laughs but it really is sad for K1-b0 to be constantly disparaging himself like that.

But there is good and bad about the new sprites, which someone who has been incredibly aware and sensitive of the changes in his own body probably clued into immediately...

See now that the audience knows, he can slip and say stuff like this out loud, huh? It... almost makes me wish the scene at the end of the last chapter had taken place at the end of this one. That might just be a pacing thing though...

PUSH HIM DAMN IT

PUSH HIM ON IT SHUICHI I BEG YOU

... DAMN IT HE’S NOT PUSHING HIM.

HA

I just realized, we’re going to see a lot more of people’s emotions thanks to the way the sprites work. I wonder if they directly translate to mood? Does that mean Maki and, hell, Kokichi will be more transparent here?

Omfg the literal first thing Kokichi does to K1-b0 is punch him!!! The robophobia never ends...

Wait, question though - how is it connected to K1-b0? I mean blah blah blah, brainwave technological voodoo etc is connecting all the other kids to the helmets, but what about for K1-b0? How does that work? I... guess it’s better not to think about it too hard? 8′D

Man, Iruma’s a lot cuter here too. Also, seems like a good time to mention I’m totally in love with their little headshots at the bottom left with the little animated dialogue bubbles. The others might not like the sprites, but I like it, Miu! Maybe it’s just different when you’re in a 3rd person POV vs 1st person POV?

I love it when Tsumugi goes off like the total fucking nerd she is.

DAMN WE’RE NOT EVEN ON A TROPICAL ISLAND AND PEOPLE ARE STILL GETTING BURNED

LEAVE K1-B0 ALONE KOKICHI JEEZ

So basically they’re leaving the door open for someone to be killed in here. I figured that would be the case...

Kaito is pretty quick on understanding too which I appreciate, considering how they’ve been playing up his ‘brash dumb’ character type up lately.

You are way too happy about that.

Though it also means that if someone dies in here, we’re not going to see any marks left on the body in the real world or here? That’s not good either!

Yeah, that’s... honestly what I’d like to know. Seriously, wouldn’t Miu have found it when recoding everything if it was in here already? And if she did, why wouldn’t she tell them?

I’m telling you, Tsumugi being a snobby nerd will never get old to me. You know she’s got a N64, Super Nintendo, and maybe even older consoles like Atari and Dreamcast tucked away somewhere!

It’s funny - Kokichi doesn’t reference games nearly as much as Tsumugi, but he’s clearly a gamer too. Makes sense I suppose - I always think of a chessboard when I look at his scarf.

I’m sure this info will come in handy, but not sure how yet. 

THAT WILL DEFINITELY BE IMPORTANT FOR GONTA-RELATED REASONS

NO DAMN IT STOP DEATHFLAGGING HIM BY NEUTRALIZING HIS ADVANTAGES DAMN IT

This... really sounds like they’re setting up the rules for a murder mystery game...

Maki made an interesting note about the game - when you take physical advantage away and talent in general, it’ll completely change how a killing game would potentially go down. But I mean... wouldn’t that just be battle royal-type slaughter? Not that any kind of killing game can be considered ‘elegant’, but I can’t help but wonder why a brutal option like this is available at all..

Also can I just say the remixed music and the cute little noises when they waddle around... I love this. I love this, guys. Also watching Shuichi run is hilarious tbh.

A wild rarepair Kaito x Tsumugi appears???

I’m telling you, we’re going to be seeing more of everyone’s genuine emotions on their face here! Man, I’m really liking this set up already.

Kokichi is desperate to ship Kaito with anyone other than Shuichi so he can have Mr Detective all to himself

I think it means he falls for Kokichi’s verbal bait way too easily. 8′D But hey, Tsumugi doesn’t seem to be against Kaito’s interest! Not... obviously, anyway. just gonna casually that pairing to the question mark pile...

Yeah, that’s a pretty classic Kokichi move and... that’s... also a really bad idea. Maybe this is a good chance for Shuichi to get to know him in the context of the game as opposed to FTEs?

Okay, is it just me or is he trying to piss Kaito off especially right now??

NO GONTA YOU’RE TOO GOOD FOR THIS WORLD AND THE ABSOLUTE WRONG CHOICE TO WATCH KOKICHI

fml if Kokichi gets Gonta killed which is where I feel like this is going I will be so upset - but I feel like Kokichi won’t do it himself??? Maybe someone attacks Kokichi and Gonta puts himself in harm’s way instead and dies instead? Like, Kokichi is basically turning Gonta into a goon of his, and we all know what happens in movies and games to the henchmen of ‘Supreme Leaders’...

Honestly guys, how soon do we forget? Are we really going to let them go off together like this? The Bug Meet-and-Greet was literally just a week ago! I know a lot has happened since then, but still!

I do like that both Maki (not included) and Kaito caught on that Kokichi pulled that trick on purpose to have Gonta with him - I just wish they followed up!

On the other hand, we could just as easily get Tsumugi murdering Miu lmao. I’m telling you, if Miu shows up dead...

I didn’t need this in here but I kept it because he’s adorable like this

SHIT THAT’S RIGHT THAT’S HOW MY DOG REACTS WHENEVER HE JUMPS IN THE SNOW I-I mean don’t call Kaito a dog, Maki! That’s not very nice even if it is accurate

Man, I’m starting to wonder if Tsumugi is going to kill Miu here for real 8′D

Always a ray of sunshine, our Sweetcheeks. I’m leaning towards them having some sort of incident happen by the end of this, if not an outright murder. They’re talking too much about how the brain and senses experiencing ‘death’ and causing the body to follow suit for them not to do anything with it. I mean, I guess the exception would be if it’s talking about an overall VR experience like the last game!

So the storage room is pretty much empty and the binoculars can only see as far as the line on the map which Miu is going to explain too. Man, the more things get set up, the more convinced I am that someone isn’t going to make it to the end of the chapter...

Next K1-b0 has an interesting bit of dialogue about how there’s nothing beyond the walls of this world, and how it makes him think about the academy walls. Which... again, I think is leaning towards an apocalyptic world/space scenario? It certainly seems that way to me. It’s interesting to have him point it out though, for some reason. 8′D

I’m 99% sure that’s her default setting, but okay.

weird tangents like this is why I love shuichi

It’s like, a legitimate thing to fixate on and worry about and I totally relate to it but at the same time I’m sure he recognizes how ridiculous it sounds in his head

Isn’t that you? 8′D

oMFG WH A T

WHY ARE YOU DOING HIM WRONG LIKE THIS MIU

MAKI NO I THOUGHT YOUR ROASTING DAYS WERE FINALLY BEHIND YOU

HIMIKO I THOUGHT WE WERE BONDING EARLIER

WE WERE BONDING DAMN IT

I’m shocked that the sprite is able to capture the absolute betrayal on it face but somehow, it does

whispers this is getting its own special post

“Look at my glorious self, doing you the favour of allowing you to prostrate yourself in front of all your classmates!”

Miu you’re making a lot of enemies this chapter, including the sub (lol) protagonist. We've already had one first POV murder - do we really want another one?

That’s going to go missing at some point. If the murder happens, maybe the murderer will grab it and hide it or something?

"Oh, I’ve been lurking here for a while! But I needed some time to come up with my best masochist!Shuichi jokes and lines. You’re not going to hear the end of this for a long time, Masoichi Subhara!”

... or that. could be that too.

Hm, so I guess it’s on the other side of the map. It would be one thing of Kokichi is by himself but Gonta is with him and I trust him way farther than I’d be able to throw him and Kokichi for that matter

KAITO NO YOU’RE MAKING THINGS WORSE

OMFG SHUICHI IS JUST A COMPLETE WRECK AFTER WHAT JUST HAPPENED

And you know Kokichi is totally trying to figure out what he missed, and why all the other classmates are giving the two of them weird looks/snickering...

Oh, and now we’re finally getting to the line shown in the map.

Kokichi are you just trying to cash in some Saiouma chips because you realize how much Saimota happened when you were away with Gonta? 8′D 

H-Hey don’t look at me, look at Miu! She started it!

Okay at this point I will be shocked if there isn’t a murder here or some sort of incident causing a murder in the real world.

Also Kokichi you’re way too happy about this...

What are you playing at here man???

And you! Shouldn’t you know where it is since you reprogrammed the whole thing?!?!

Miu and Kokichi are conspiring about something??? Again???

Please don’t fall for it...

..... Yikes. 8′D I-I’ll give it to him because I have a feeling his failing health and the events of last chapter regarding the occult probably have him feeling emasculated.

Yeah, seriously. So Kaito is on the roof, Kokichi is in the salon and... free for all for everything else. Uh, okay....?

IF GONTA FUCKING TURNS UP DEAD KOKICHI I SWEAR I WILL DUEL YOU IN A SHADOW GAME MYSELF duel links has upped my skill somewhat I should be able to hold my own...

Thank goodness for Tsumugi’s odd affinity for Gonta oTL

a) Maybe this is the chance for us to get to know Tsumugi a little better in-game since we’re going to explore the rest of the mansion together

b) Kaito really has no bloody idea how he and Shuichi’s relationship comes off to the rest of their classmates (or maybe he does and he’s a-okay with it)

c) MAKI...... 

oh no

THAT’S.... NOT..... QUITE IT.....

nothing like the sting of figuring out you’re third-wheeling 

This is in no way the game trying to establish groups and/or alibis. Got it.

Left side: Kokichi, Gonta, Kaito, Shuichi, Tsumugi

Right side: Miu, Himiko, Maki, K1-b0. Alright, good to know.

I really don’t need this to be here but the fact that Kaito is so woefully oblivious and also apparently just... completely into Maki as a friend only is  hilarious to me. I mean, maybe the game will push more romantic feelings on his side in the last chapter but he’s just coming off as so gung-ho about their friendship without taking it to the next level - it’s just.... so refreshing...

It’s nice to see Kaede always being in his thoughts outside of general ‘I must do this for Kaede! Inspiration via manpain!’ stuff.

FUCK YES I THINK I’M RIGHT ABOUT THE ESCAPISM SECONDARY THEME we’re finally bringing it up in nearly identical words again! sorry tsumugi things aren’t looking good for you mastermind-wise

With that said, of all people, she dismisses it herself. 8′D Maybe if the game had better graphics engine - would that be good enough for you princess???

DANGANRONPA YOU ARE DANCING ON A KNIFE’S EDGE RIGHT NOW

Man I keep dancing back and forth between the idea of her being a victim this chapter and a killer and I just... can’t... decide on one. Ugh. The only thing that keeps me from thinking she’ll be a victim is having Gonta right there, raising just as many death flags as her. I-I guess we’ll find out shortly anyway...

Meanwhile while I ramble, K1-b0 has Priorities

[blackened-star]

OOC: I had a dream about the Heroes the other night

I tend to remember most of my dreams in high detail, so I like to write down the really cool ones. Well a few nights ago I had a dream about the Heroes, and I thought it’d be fun to share here :)

WARNING: This is wayyy longer than I thought it would be. Like, it’s super long. Hope you don’t mind. lol

This dream took place in a virtual-reality version of Maplestory, kind of like Sword Art Online where everything is as real as it can get. The events happened in first-person, mostly from Luminous’s POV. However, I was still aware of my own personal thoughts, which were separate from Luminous’s thoughts and dialogue. The scenarios also required me to recall my hotkeys, so that also indicates that there was a player-character relationship in this POV. So even though the dream developed in first person, I’ll write it in third person, with my own thoughts in parentheses.

The setting is a little different from canon MS. Instead of the worlds being connected by portals, they all seem to converge at one central point. This detail is important because it meant that Eunwol could cross worlds without his curse erasing his existence. Neat.

At the convergence point, there was a stadium erected. It looked like the worlds were coming together for some kind of Olympic games. Since the games were very organized and very civil, it was clear that they were a well-established tradition, and the convergence point had been standing for quite a long time. Today, the game was chariot races. Racers from Pantheon, Perion, Orbis, Ludibrum, Aquarium, Edelstein, and the Pointy Fox Ear Village were setting up at the starting line. Pantheon’s racer was favored to win, but Edelstein’s chariot never went down quietly.

Luminous sat with the other Heroes in the crowd, expecting nothing but an exciting race. But the race only lasted two laps before a band of huge, humanoid shadows climbed over the stands and leapt onto the track. Luminous stiffened, immediately recognizing the energy they gave off. Their power came from the Black Mage.

One glance at his friends was all it took to convey this realization, and at once the Heroes were ready for battle. They jumped down from the stands and onto the track, followed by numerous members from the Maple Alliance, who were also spectating the race.

(In battle, I found that if I could shout the hotkey of a spell in my mind, then Luminous would perform that spell. Now, I haven’t actually played MS since last summer, so I had a lot of trouble trying to remember my hotkeys. I stuck to dark magic for the first portion of the battle because I could think of those keys easily, thanks to all the time I spent dicking around as Eclipse lmao. But eventually Aran called out urgently, stating that light magic would be much more effective, and Eunwol supported her, saying that some of our allies needed to be healed. With some effort and some trial-and-error, I managed to cast some light spells. The battle ended pretty quickly after I figured out Reflection and Ray of Redemption.

Honestly this was a pretty sick way to fight battles. It was as simple as pressing a hotkey, but the 3D space made more combos and movement possible. It was a lot of fun.)

The Maple Alliance was able to overpower the shadowy figures, and once the tide turned against them, the figures turned and fled from the stadium. But the Heroes weren’t ready to claim victory just yet. Luminous was able to track their dark energy, so he led the Heroes after them, until they ended up at the foot of a world which none of them had seen before.

“Is this… a new world?” Mercedes asked, staring ahead in disbelief.

“Luminous, are you sure this is where they went? How could the Black Mage have power in another world?” asked Eunwol with a shiver.

“Those creatures retreated here. I’m sure of it,” said Luminous solemnly. “So if the Black Mage has his clutches on another world… That can’t be a good thing. We have to see what’s going on here.”

No one could disagree with his statement, so together they went on into the new world.

It wasn’t long before they came to a coastal city. Extravagant, multistory houses lined the waterfront. The houses were huge, and not just because of the number of rooms they had. These houses were built for giants. The windows, the door frames, the balconies—everything towered high over the Heroes’ heads.

They were close to the shadowy figures. Luminous picked up his pace, and the rest stayed close behind as they climbed swiftly down the coast. Finally, the humanoid shadows came into view on a rooftop below. They were prying at the broken shingles of the rooftop, trying to carve an entrance into the building. The Heroes engaged them without hesitation. The shadows were already weakened by the battle at the convergence point, so they disintegrated with very little resistance.

Luminous looked at the hole they were digging. It was too small for the shadowy figures to fit through, but a mapler like himself could fit through easily. He wondered what those creatures could have been trying to reach in this house. He wasn’t the only one wondering, for Evan gave voice to the question on his mind.

“What were they doing? Trying to steal something, maybe?” asked Evan, looking from the hole to Phantom.

“Tsk tsk. Their technique is laughable. What amateurs,” snorted Phantom.

Luminous rolled his eyes. “If there’s something here that the Black Mage wants, then we should find it and take it first,” he said, stepping closer to the hole.

“Wait,” said Mercedes. “Some of us should stay here and keep watch, just in case more of those shadow creatures appear to finish their mission.”

“Luminous, I’ll come with you into the building,” offered Eunwol.

“Shouldn’t that job be left to me?” cut in Phantom. “After all, it’s my specialty.”

“I refuse to be weighed down by you,” snapped Luminous.

Phantom opened his mouth, but Mercedes spoke over him. “Eunwol, go with Luminous to investigate. The rest of us will keep watch. It’s a large area to cover, so we’ll need more of us up here.”

They all agreed, except for Phantom, who simply whined about how Stuffy Pants was unqualified for the job. Meanwhile, Luminous and Eunwol stepped down into the house.

They found themselves in a massive attic cluttered with large junk. There were no windows, so the only light came from the small hole in the roof, and from Luminous’s shining rod. Carefully they made their way across the attic and to the access door on the floor, which was hanging open. The room below also lacked lighting, as Luminous saw when he peered down from the access door. The windows were all boarded up, only allowing thin slivers of light to cut through the darkness. It streamed through the room, dimly illuminating the features of a very, very massive man, at least three times his size. And as Luminous looked on, the man tilted his head up, and looked back.

“Turn back, turn back!” gasped Luminous, hastily backing away from the access door. He wanted to avoid fighting the giant if they could. He doubted their attacks would even have an effect on someone so huge.

“What?” asked Eunwol, who hadn’t peeked over the edge. Instead of answering, Luminous took his arm and pulled him away from the door to a cluttered corner, out of view. A moment later, the man’s giant head appeared in the access door. His gaze swept across the attic, as if he were checking for vermin. Luminous and Eunwol held their breaths.

Slowly the man climbed into the attic. His footsteps shook the floor beneath their feet as he circled the room, checking every piece of junk. He would discover them if they stayed in one spot, Luminous thought, feeling sick with dread. He dared not speak a word, but met Eunwol’s eye, and knew that Eunwol had come to the same realization. Silently they crept along the wall to find a safer hiding spot.

Suddenly, inexplicably, the floor below Eunwol’s feet gave way. He fell through. Quickly Luminous stuck his shining rod out for Eunwol to grab hold, and Eunwol managed to grab it as he fell. But Luminous’s grip wasn’t tight enough, for the rod slipped from his hands, taking Eunwol with it.

(Wow… Just. Wow, I thought. That.. I don’t even have words to describe how bad that failure was… Just… Wow…

Was I supposed to do something here? Press a button, pick a hotkey maybe? How was that so lame?)

Luminous found himself alone, unarmed, and exposed. The sound of the wood snapping had alerted the giant to their location. He was heading over to investigate. The hole from which they entered disappeared behind the giant’s head, leaving only one way to go.

Luminous jumped into the crack after Eunwol.

The scene faded to black, then reopened outside with Phantom, Mercedes, Aran, Evan, and Mir. They seemed to have given up on keeping watch and were simply standing at the edge of a wide balcony on the side of the house, looking down at the channel water below. A few strange, larger-than-life sea creatures swam in the seawater. They were shaped like sharks, with pointed teeth, broad jaws, and vertical tail fins, but they had the markings of an orca, and they stayed unusually still, especially since sharks had to be moving to stay alive. They must have been some kind of shark-orca whale hybrid. (Sharcas?)

Their sightseeing was interrupted when a monstrous creature burst through the roof, landing on the balcony behind them. It resembled a balrog, but it was much larger, just like everything else in the foreign world. Its teeth were larger, its claws were sharper, and its muscles were bigger than any balrog in Maple World. The Heroes didn’t need Luminous to tell them it was puppeteered by dark magic. Darkness dripped from its fangs and leaked from its glowing eyes.

The four Heroes separated, leaving only Aran in its path. She wasted no time swinging her polearm and striking the beast across its muzzle. Then, with a command from Evan, Mir unleashed a torrent of flames on the monster’s flank, tearing its attention away from Aran. A moment later, Phantom’s cards cut through its leathery wings, and Mercedes’s arrow lodged deep in its ankle. They continued to rotate their attacks, distracting the balrog from each other, until Mercedes was able to deliver a finishing blow, sending an arrow through the monster’s spinal cord at the base of its skull. She landed on its shoulders as it collapsed.

Mercedes raised her head to the enlarged hole in the roof, and the other Heroes followed her gaze. “It came from in there,” she muttered grimly.

“Do you think… that Luminous and Eunwol are okay in there…?” asked Evan, shuddering nervously.

“We’d better go check,” said Aran, swinging her polearm over her shoulder. “Maybe splitting up wasn’t the best idea. Obviously we don’t know what’s going on here.”

“Then let’s go find out,” said Phantom. “That stuffy light mage will hate me even more if he gets rescued by me,” he added with a playful grin. Then they jumped down into the attic.

The crack that Eunwol and Luminous fell through did not lead into the room below, but rather into the walls of the house. Luminous landed on a diagonal wooden board, but he did not find Eunwol anywhere nearby. He began to descend the board, calling out for his companion.

Eventually he reached the bottom of the wall. There was still no sign of Eunwol. Where could he have gone?

Luminous found a crumbled portion of the wall which led back into the house. He passed through and found himself on a counter in the giant’s oversized kitchen. The windows here were boarded up as well, blanketing the house in darkness. Slowly Luminous crept across the counter and hid behind a roll of paper towels, and then looked into the doorway across the room, where the thundering of footsteps was growing louder and louder. Soon the giant himself passed across the doorway, but then hesitated, and finally turned and entered the kitchen. The giant now blocked the path back to the crumbling in the wall, but Luminous noticed a row of shelves on the wall by the edge of the counter. He jumped down to the lowest shelf and ducked behind the elaborate sets of china on display, trying to put as much distance between himself and the giant as possible. He needed to find Eunwol before that giant found him.

Too late.

The giant’s fist slammed down on the edge of the shelf, knocking it off the wall. The whole panel tipped sideways, spilling all of the china and Luminous onto the floor. He tumbled down the rest of the way to the tiled floor, but somehow landed without getting crushed by the falling china. However, before he could stand, the giant’s foot came crashing down over his legs. Luminous heard his own bones snapping under the giant’s weight. The pain that shot up his legs nearly drowned out the sound of his agonized cry.

The giant knelt down, keeping Luminous firmly trapped under his foot. “Hmm? What’s this?” his voice reverberated around the kitchen as he leaned down to inspect what he had captured.

The giant’s breath blew over Luminous like a hot gust of wind. His gigantic face filled the light mage’s vision. He was much too close.

The giant leaned back in surprise as the light mage teleported out from under the giant’s foot. Luminous let out a pained groan as the pressure over his legs disappeared. But before he could teleport again, the giant’s hands closed around him and lifted him into the air as the giant stood up.

“Weird,” rumbled the giant, holding Luminous at eye-level. The light mage squirmed in his grip and managed to free his arms from the giant’s fingers. But then the giant closed his eyes and took a long sniff, his nosehairs trembling right next to Luminous’s face.

“Smells good,” said the giant. His face stretched into a wide, toothy grin. “Smells delicious.”

He pressed Luminous tight against his nose and sniffed again, licking his lips. Luminous felt like he was suffocating. The giant was smothering him against his slimy, rancid skin. His tongue slid over Luminous’s collarbone as he licked his lips, leaving behind hot, sticky saliva.

(This was absolutely terrifying. Everything else that happened didn’t really scare me, because part of me knew that it was all VR. But this was too real. I felt the stifling heat, the stench, the lack of air, all of it, and I was scared for my life. My brain kept coming back to this image, hours after I’d already woken up from this dream.)

Luminous did all he could to fight back. He yelled and pushed and punched at the giant, but he had no effect. (I also tried the teleport command, but it didn’t work. There was nowhere to teleport to.) He could do nothing to get the giant off of him. He was helpless, or so he thought.

The commotion he made had drawn Eunwol to his location. The pirate hero appeared in the doorway, brandishing his knuckle and Luminous’s shining rod. Eunwol swung his clawed knuckle at the giant’s calf, leaving a scratch which was smaller than he expected. It looked like the giant’s skin was much tougher than human skin. Still, it was enough to get the giant’s attention. He jumped at the unexpected pain and looked down at the hero by his feet.

“Put my friend down!” shouted Eunwol.

“Why? I found it, so it’s mine now!” declared the giant, holding Luminous protectively against his chest. It was unpleasant, but much more bearable than being halfway up the giant’s nasty nose.

“Finders keepers, losers weepers,” the giant recited. “I’m hungry and I’m going to eat it. If you want to wait, then I’ll eat you next.”

“Nobody is eating anyone,” stated Aran. She, too, appeared in the doorway, accompanied by Mercedes, Evan, and Mir. “Now put him down, or you’ll regret making us ask twice.”

“Fine!” growled the giant. He dropped Luminous onto the top shelf by the counter, and then slammed a glass cup over him. “I put it down.”

“Down here!” demanded Aran, tapping her polearm on the tile floor. “Give him back to us!”

“It’s not yours! It’s mine!”

Luminous took a deep breath and tried to stand, but he could hardly move his legs without waves of pain flooding his senses. He stared wistfully at the shining rod in Eunwol’s hands. If he had that, he could easily heal himself…

He looked around while his friends argued with the giant, trying to find a path down to the floor. With the bottom shelf gone, it would be impossible to safely teleport to the ground. The distance was too far. Maybe there was another route he could take, especially if they kept the giant distracted.

As he scanned for an alternate route, he noticed a flash of movement on the nearby countertop. A white cape disappeared behind the paper towels, and a blonde head peeked out at him. Phantom’s glance shifted from Luminous to the giant, and once he was sure the enemy was distracted, Phantom climbed onto the paper towel roll and leapt onto the shelf.

He made his way to the glass and tried to lift it up, but it was too heavy. He then took a step back and instead gestured for Luminous to come out on his own. Luminous teleported out of the glass and reached out to take Phantom’s open hand. But the flash of light was all too obvious in the dark room, and the giant discovered them. He picked up his cup and set it down over Luminous once again, forcing the light mage and the thief to withdraw their hands, lest their fingers get crushed underneath the glass.

“That’s mine!” shouted the giant indignantly, snatching Phantom up in his fingers. “You can’t have it because I’m going to eat it! So there!” The giant stuck his tongue out and blew spit in the thief’s face, spraying him with huge globs of saliva.

Luminous laughed.

(Dang, I thought. He just tried to save you and you laughed at him. That’s so savage.)

Then the giant dropped Phantom, but he was agile enough to land on his feet. His features twisted in disgust, and he wiped the sticky saliva off as best he could.

“Why do you want to eat him anyway? He’s all bitter inside. He’ll taste terrible,” Phantom huffed.

“Hmm?” questioned the giant, glancing at the light mage in the glass. Luminous quickly nodded in agreement.

“What should I eat instead? You?” asked the giant, leaning down to inspect the thief. Phantom took a hasty step backward. He’d had enough of the giant’s saliva.

“Um,” Evan spoke up. “What about a trade? If we give you something good to eat, will you give us our friend back?”

“A trade?” echoed the giant. “Sounds tasty… But you said it has to be something good! So if it’s not good, then no trade!”

“That’s fair… right?” said Evan, glancing at the rest of the heroes. Mercedes and Aran looked irritated by his suggestion. They would have preferred to fight.

But this option could be beneficial, thought Luminous. If they could make peace with this giant, they might be able to find out why the Black Mage’s forces were trying to enter his house. And if he had something the Black Mage wanted, perhaps he would leave it in their care.

Luminous knocked on his glass to get his friends’ attention, and then gave them a nod to go with it. Still, this deal made him uneasy. Out of all the Heroes, Luminous was the one who knew most about cooking, thanks to his time with Lania. Eunwol and Evan also knew how to cook, but Luminous wondered if even the three of them could conjure a meal pleasant enough for a giant. But Luminous wasn’t sure that he could help from up here, and Phantom, Mercedes, and Aran probably wouldn’t be very useful. Evan and Eunwol would have to create it on their own.

“That’s fair,” agreed Eunwol. “We’ll make you a dish you’ll never forget.”

“Make it quick!” said the giant. “I’m hungry now!”

“How are we supposed to feed someone that big?” hissed Mercedes, looking incredulously at her companions.

“We could… maybe… cook the balrog we left outside?” suggested Phantom, earning a round of disbelieving stares.

I’m doomed, thought Luminous.

And that’s where I woke up. I wish I had more time to let this dream play out haha. I also wish I was this creative when I was conscious, too :’)

Sorry if the personal notes are a little distracting? I thought about cutting them out, but I like to keep my dream recordings as honest as possible, so I try not to change any details.

Anyway thanks for reading all of that!

[yoonia]

Fragments

Character / Genre: Yoongi x reader / Yoongi’s POV | fluff, angst | 2,041 words

⤞ Drabble game request: Yoongi + “We should probably talk.” + from Undo series (read the original story here) | for anon

⤞ Author’s note: thanks for @ssconce for helping me proofread this when I didn’t have a chance to edit, since I only finished this about 15 minutes before going into class lmao | Sorry if this is lame^~^ this drabble has another part which I will post separately because the next part will be written from a different pov :’)

One year.

It was one year ago when she opened the door to let me back into her life. It was one year ago when I opened my mask and revealed to her my deepest secret, when I showed her my vulnerability and my broken soul.

For one year I watched her struggle. I watched her collect every fragment of her broken heart starting from the first night she took me back home with her. I watched her open her arms and giving me a chance to help her collect the remaining fragments of her shattered soul, and a chance to help mend them together piece by piece. I’ve watched her fallen in and out of love, and I had to live in fear of having to see her give up everything, yet she kept showing me how she would always come back stronger, unwavering despite her many fears, showing me how she was willing to fight all of the haunting pain and face everything together with me.

For one year I had to struggle, facing my own personal battle every time regrets started creeping in and finding their way back into my heart. And among those moments she would always be there, guiding me and teaching me how to forgive myself while she fought her way to be able to forgive me completely.

Every time I felt myself wavering, having the ghosts of my guilt and my past pushing me into running away, I would think about how I had to go through life without her by my side, and remember how far I was driven into the dark without her as my anchor.

For one year we have been sleeping on our bed side by side, holding each other tight to be able to feel each other’s presence and warmth, to show each other that everything is real, that we are real, that we do belong with each other. For one year there was never a night where I fall asleep worrying that one day she might regret everything, that one day I would see her pack up and leave because the pain which I had inflicted on her was too unbearable to face and fight against, or because I was dragging her too far deep into the darkness of my despair. But every day I would always wake up to find her lying next to me, holding me tight and leading me to believe that she will stay, and we can actually move forward together.

During that one year I constantly reminded myself of how much pain I have given her only to promise myself to never do it again - not to her - because the thought of her living in such pain only breaks me apart even more, and I will fight against all odds to be able to hand her a life where she would no longer feel unwanted.

Sometimes I would look at her and remember how she would look into my eyes, and I could see her questioning me with her stare - “Why?”

Why did I leave her?

Why did I leave her in shreds when she had given me everything?

And I have spent every night unfolding each layer of my mask to answer them without ever waiting for her to speak out those questions to me. I spent all of those nights revealing to her my dark past. How I felt so low and undeserving of her love and care. How I was afraid of having her find out the truth about my insecurities and my darkest demons, about how fragile I actually was because of her and for her, that rather than having to watch her walk away from my life, I had chosen to push her away and turn my back from her as I shattered her heart into pieces. I kept telling her how much I regretted on losing her, how I felt my life turned into hell since the moment I lost her.

I kept unfolding every dark secret and every pain in my soul, every wound, until I am left bare in front of her so she can see deep into my soul, so she can lay out all of her own wounds for me to heal, until the look in her eyes starts showing me new questions.

What’s next?

Sometimes I would look at her and wonder what good deed have I done to deserve such kind of love.

Why me?

Why did she choose me?

She has been pacing in the apartment for hours. She has been showing me her good mood ever since we got back home, but there were times when she thought I wasn’t paying attention, when I could see the look in her eyes flickering, showing hints of doubts which she would erase with a shake of her head or an exaggerated smile.

She keeps forgetting how much I can read her so well.

“Baby?” I called out to her. “Aren’t you tired? What are you doing- why do you keep going back and forth like that?”

“Uh- no, I’m okay,” she shrugged at me, before she purses her lips and turns to walk towards the kitchen. “You know, I should probably prepare for dinner.”

I let out a sigh. “We should probably talk.”

She turns around to look at me, and my heart skips a beat the moment my eyes met hers. I can’t understand how she can still look at me with fondness, after so long and after everything we’ve been through. She gives me a smile as she answers me with, “Yes? What is it?”

I keep my hands on my side as I walk closer to her, until she welcomes me with both her arms raised, and I can’t help but do the same so we can join each other in a hug in the middle of the room. She looks up to me and waits for what I’m about to say, and I do have a lot of things that I have been planning to say to her. But I’m too overwhelmed at the thought of having to say something which she might be uncomfortable with, that I immediately lost my ability to speak them out. I open my mouth and I just stop myself since I can’t find the words I was planning to say.

So all I can do is to lean down to give her a chaste kiss right on her unsuspecting lips, earning her to giggle and give me a little push on my chest. “How are you feeling?” I asked her finally, a smile is formed on my lips to mirror hers.

“I’m okay- great, actually,” she said, swaying a little as we enjoy being wrapped up on each other’s arms.

“So did you have a good time earlier today?”

She lifts her eyebrows and sighs. “Hmmm? Oh- I have been having a splendid time, and not just today, the whole week even,” she giggles at the end. “I feel like I have been spoiled because I get to spend time with you all week.”

I return her smile before giving her another quick peck at her lips, asking her after I pull back. “Then what is bothering you?”

I watch her gnawing on her lips as she ponders about the question, before looking straight into my eyes once again. I should probably be worried, but the look in her eyes only lets me know otherwise, so I just wait until she can express whatever is in her mind.

“Does it really show?” She looks at me with a crease appearing on her forehead, sighing at the fact that I can see through her too many times already, and I give her a nod to answer. “I’m sorry, I just- have a lot of things in my mind, it’s nothing, really-”

“Just tell me what it is.”

Deep inside I can already guess what she might be thinking. I have been spending all week with her, taking her to places which hold so many memories of us together. I took her to the places we used to go to on our dates, the old places and the recent ones. I took her to the parks which we always our small picnics when we were younger. To the coffee shops, movies, amusement parks, and even the small alleyways - every corner that held pieces of our stories. Old and new.

“Why? I mean- I love going to these places with you because I have a lot of fun this week, and I love to reminisce our days, but- why? Why do you take me to these places?”

I give out a sigh, licking my lips as I prepare myself to continue speaking. “Everywhere we went- There is always something left behind at that place, always something written in it which holds our memories. I’m sure you can feel it, can’t you?”

She nods her head. “Yes- I just-”

“How does it make you feel, going back to those places with me?”

She looks up to me, sighing and pursing her lips while she tries to read me. But I only stand there in silence, waiting for her to let me know how she feels. “I have to admit-” she starts answering, nibbling her lips as she says, “I have mixed feelings. All of those places- I can remember back when we always go there. The parks, the little cafes, and even that restaurant when you took me on our first date. They made me feel and remember everything, how we started dating, how I fell in love with you- but-”

I hold her tight in a hug, my lips ghosting over her temple, and I wait for her to control her breath before she continues, “But every time the memories of how we used to appear in my mind, the thought of how I- how we- how I lost you keep coming back. I always feel better after because you make it up by taking me to a new place, but- I know I shouldn’t keep thinking about what has passed, but I just- I don’t know, I get sad when I think that- when I remember that there were the times when I didn’t have you in my life and I had to avoid going to those places because of that. Because they made me feel hurt.”

I lift her chin with my fingers. I kiss her gently before I speak, “I know. I know how it feels, because I did that too. I avoid those places because even if I still went there, my mind would only be filled with the thought of you.”

I release the hug and hold both of her hands in mine. “That’s actually why I took you to walk down on that memory lane. I want you to see everything, all of the good memories and the bad, with me.” I smile at her, and she returns them immediately. A sigh slips through her lips and the light in her eyes appear once more, encouraging me to continue. “Because we might not be going to be able to do that again.”

“Why?” Her smile falters, while I keep mine.

I reach into my pocket and retrieve something from it to place into her hand. My skin feels warm the minute the cold metal leaves my palm and moves into hers. She only looks at the object with wonders.

“Keys? What- what are these for?”

“Our new place.”

Her eyes light up, filled with questions and doubts until I speak again, “We’ve built this place, filled this apartment with memories, the beautiful ones and the painful ones. And we’ve filled this city with the same memories. Let’s move away and start new, let’s make new memories.”

She opens her lips, with only gasps leaving slipping through them as she is now lost for words. I let out a chuckle the minute I see her eyes brimming with tears - the kind of tears that I always love to see.

And I let her embrace that feeling, giving her a chance to let everything sink in.

Before I retrieve another object from my other pocket. One that will change our fate forever.

SCENARIOS MASTERLIST

Disclaimer: All works are written by myself. Any copyright infringement, reposting on any other social media or website, and any act of plagiarism will be dealt with legal action