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cowboy-like-mee · 4 years ago

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darling (pt 2)

pt 1

summary: harry is upset when he wakes up to any empty bed, but then he runs into you again at a cafe

warnings: smut(choking, daddy kink, unprotected sex, m and f receiving oral)

word count: 4k

a/n: this is a part 2 to my last one shot. i wrote the first part of this like a week ago and lost motivation but i started writing tonight and whipped out 3k words in like an hour and a half. ANYWAY definitely don’t recommend listening to high for this by the weeknd when reading this

masterlist

Harry blinked his eyes open. He felt a dull throbbing in the back of his skull. The sunlight was pouring in through the blinds in his room. He puts his hand out next to him to feel for Y/N.

When he feels nothing, he sits up and looks around. The bed is still slightly warm like you had only gotten up a little bit before. Your clothes that were scattered around his room are gone. The only signs left of you are the love bites littering his neck and hips and the lingering smell of your perfume on his sheets.

He plops back down onto his bed and sighs. He feels disappointed. It's not like he was expecting anything from you, but he was planning on having sloppy morning sex, cooking you breakfast, and then having sex in the kitchen.

He rolls out of bed and pulls on a pair of sweats. He uses the bathroom and does his morning routine. He doesn't necessarily want to go to work today, and he doesn't have to. He has employees who open and close for him, but he feels like he needs a distraction from you.

He doesn't know why he's so hung up on you. He's had hookups in the past who left before he woke up, but for some reason, this was bothering him more than it should.

He walks into the kitchen and fixes himself coffee and toast for breakfast, not having an appetite this morning. He scrolls on his phone as he eats. He has the urge to look you up on Instagram, but he resists.

Once he's done he walks back into this room to change. He pulls on loose blue jeans and a t-shirt with some white Vans. He grabs everything he needs and heads out the door.

The shop doesn't open for a couple more hours, so he's hoping he has some alone time. He decides to walk to the store today, as it's not far from his flat. He puts in his AirPods and plays his music.

After a brief walk, he finally approaches his shop. He unlocks the door and walks in. He locks the door back behind him. He pulls out his phone to text the person who was supposed to come in this morning.

He walks behind the counter to hook his phone up to the speakers. He turns on his favorite playlist and begins prepping the store for opening.

Harry loves his little shop. He's always loved music and how it connects people in the most beautiful ways. He loves helping people that come into his shop discover new artists or helping them buy gifts for friends and family.

He spends the next hour singing around his shop and cleaning up the mess of whoever closed.

He turns the open sign on and settles behind the counter to prepare himself for the day. He's usually pretty busy on the weekends, from teenagers messing around with their friends to older people having a day out.

For the next few hours, Harry spends his day helping various people pick out records. He stays until he has a couple of his employees to take over for him. He decided he's had enough of today. He just wants to go home, watch movies for hours, then pass out on his couch.

He gets his things together and leaves. He decides to stop at a new cafe on the way home to grab a late lunch. He walks in and walks up to the counter to put in his order.

What he doesn't notice is Y/N sitting in the back with her same friends from last night. You're telling them about your escapades last night with the same man that happens to be standing just a few yards away.

"He really knew what he was doing. I feel like sex will never be the same."

"Girl, why did you leave this morning, then? He sounds like a good guy. He probably wouldn't have cared if you woke up with him. You could've had a little morning romp."

"I just didn't know if it would be awkward. I don't know him. I just felt more comfortable leaving, no matter how sad it made me."

You have your back to Harry, so you don't see him either.

Your friend looks up and notices the tall, green-eyed man. She notices the man from last night, specifically the man that you left with.

"Y/N, don't look now, but that's definitely your man up there at the counter."

Your eyes widen and your heart stops. You were hoping you would never run into him again.

"Oh my God. You're kidding." You try lowering yourself in your seat so he doesn't notice you.

"No, girl. And it looks like he's eating here, so we're gonna have to walk past him anyway." You send a death glare to your friend. "You should go apologize for leaving this morning. Maybe try seducing him again."

"You're awful." You roll your eyes and consider what she's saying. You could apologize, but unless he hints at another time you won't say anything.

You nod. "Okay, I'm gonna go up to him. But y'all have to walk out before me and wait outside." You point at them, making sure they understand you're serious.

They hold their hands up in defense and stand up from the table.

"Good luck, Y/N."

"Get that dick!" They say a little too loudly.

You hide your head in your palms and giggle at your friends' vulgar words. You stand up and take a deep breath. You turn around to finally face him. He looks different than yesterday. He's wearing casual clothes and he looks tired. He's staring down at his phone, mindlessly scrolling.

He feels like he's being watched so he looks up. He looks straight into your eyes and you feel yourself shut down. He clears his throat and raises his brows at you.

You finally get the courage to walk up to him. "Hey, Harry."

"Y/N." He nods.

"Listen, I'm sorry for running out this morning. I didn't know if you were on those guys that would kick me out first thing or if things would be awkward."

"Oh..."

"Yeah, I feel bad. I should've left you a note or my number. It wasn't you...it was for my comfort. Sorry again..." You ramble on.

"You don't have to apologize. I understand. I feel better knowing it wasn't because I was a bad shag."

You laugh. "You can't seriously think that, Harry."

He chuckles, "Hey, you never know, you could be really good at faking it."

You roll your eyes. "Please. You were pretty confident in yourself last night. I think you know what you're doing."

"Oh, stop. You're inflating my ego."

You giggle at his words. "Anyway...sorry again. I guess I'll, uh, see you around." You wave and turn around to leave.

"Y/N, wait." He calls you back.

You almost sigh in relief. "Yeah?"

"Uh, I don't know if you're interested, but would you maybe...wanna do that again sometime?" He asks.

You feel your cheeks heat up and you look down at your feet. "Oh, uh...sure. I'll give you my number."

He smiles and hands you his phone. You send a text to yourself and put your name in his contacts.

"There you go."

He looks back up at you after slipping his phone into his pocket.

"Thanks. I guess I'll text you sometime." He says shyly.

"Use it whenever." You smirk. "Bye, Harry." You wiggle your fingers at him and walk away, trying to sway your hips as you leave.

He groans under his breath and lets his head fall back. That didn't go as badly as he thought it would. His day has instantly gotten better just from seeing you again. He's not looking for a relationship, but having a constant like you in his life would be great. Plus, he gets a new friend out of it too.

Harry stared at your contact for 30 minutes before finally getting the balls to text you. He didn't go into work today, so he's been cleaning his place all day.

He's been watching movies for the past couple of hours, trying to avoid his phone. He knew why he was. He was trying to put off texting you as long as possible. He almost wishes he had given you his number so he didn't have to deal with the pressure of texting first.

He clicked on your contact and tried to compose a text that didn't sound too needy. It was a Friday night, and he knew you most likely had plans already. He didn't want to face the possibility of being rejected.

Harry: Hey Y/N, it's Harry. Just wanted to see if you have plans tn?

He hit send and threw his phone next to him on the couch. He was trying to distract himself by watching the movie playing on the screen in front of him.

About 15 minutes passed before his phone buzzed.

You were downing your second glass of wine when you got Harry's text. Your friends were going out tonight, but you told them you needed a night off. You had a long, hard week and just wanted a little downtime.

You had been waiting for Harry to text you all week. You were beginning to think he had forgotten about you. Your wishes came true when you got the notification from an unknown number.

You couldn't stop the smile from spreading across your face at reading his text. You weren't planning on having anyone over or going anywhere until you had to go back to work on Monday, but you would gladly change your plans to accommodate Harry and his dick.

Y/N: Hey Harry. I've was beginning to think you forgot about me

You sent the text to him and smirked at your subtle form of flirting.

Harry: Like I could ever forget you

Y/N: How sweet. Anyway, I have no plans tonight...or the rest of the weekend

Harry: I was wondering if you maybe wanted to come over? It's okay if not. I don't wanna take up your free time

Y/N: It's no problem!! I didn't want to sit around on my ass for the next few days anyway. What did you have in mind?

I know something else you can sit on, Harry thought to himself. He was thinking of sending you that, but he didn't want to seem like he a dick.

Harry: Well, I was thinking I could order some takeout and you could come over

You smiled at his text. You really didn't feel like getting ready, but you still wanted to see him.

Y/N: That sounds great! Although I would prefer you to come to my place this time.

Harry immediately got up and began getting ready while texting you back. He told you he would pick up some food and be over in no more than an hour. You sent him your location and ran to your bathroom to freshen up.

You weren't exactly looking the cutest, but you didn't want to seem like you had put too much effort into making yourself up.

You changed into a nicer, less stained t-shirt and a pair of leggings. You took your hair down and tried to make it look decent. You splashed your face with water and sprayed yourself with some perfume.

The hour waiting for him went by too slow for your liking. Your heart leaped out of your chest when you heard a knock at your door. You practically ran to your door. You took a deep breath and slowly opened the door.

There he was, standing beautifully at your front door with a bottle of wine in one hand and a bag of food in the other. Your eyes met his, and you almost fell over.

He looked so fucking good. He was wearing a pair of loose blue jeans with rips in the knees, a t-shirt, and stained white vans with colored laces. You stepped to the side to let him in.

You could smell his cologne fill your senses.

"Hey." You breathed and wrapped your arms around his neck.

He hugged you back. "Hey, darling."

Your heart fluttered at the pet name. You grabbed the bottle out of his hand and led him into your kitchen.

"You didn't have to bring anything, Harry."

Oh, but he did. He would've felt bad for coming over, fucking you, and leaving without bringing something. You're both waiting for the inevitable moment. The tension in the air is thick.

"It's not a big deal. Hope you like Thai."

You smiled. "I love it."

"Good."

You both sat down to eat, making small talk, and getting to know each other. He was such an interesting man. You found yourself fascinated with him and his way of telling stories. The slow way he talks and the way his lips form certain words.

You wanted nothing more than to kiss him at that moment. So you told him.

"I really wanna kiss you right now, Harry."

He was in the middle of a sentence when you cut him off. He felt the breath leave his lungs.

"Do you?" He smirked, trying to play it cool, which was hard to do with the way you were looking at him. His cock had been fattening his pants since he walked into your apartment.

"Fuck, yes." You stood up and walked into the living room, hoping he would get the hint and follow you.

He almost tripped trying to catch up to you. You were almost in your room when he caught up to you. He roughly grabbed you by the arm and turned you around. Before you could say anything, his lips were on yours.

You moaned at the feeling of his lips on yours after so long. He kissed you roughly and sloppily. He was biting, sucking, licking, anything to provoke a reaction out of you. He was so hard it hurt. He backed you up till your back hit the wall.

He slipped his tongue into your mouth and moaned at the taste. "Fuck, Y/N. You're so fucking hot."

He brought his hand down to palm at your pussy. You gasped into his mouth, giving him even more access to lick into your mouth. He was rubbing your clit through your leggings, and you felt like you could come already.

"Fuck me, please, Harry." You whined.

He groaned and started licking down your neck. He nipped at different spots on your neck to see what had you squirming the most.

"You want me to fuck you against this wall, baby?" He pushed his hard cock right against your core.

"Shit." You gasped. "Please, daddy? I want you to take me right here."

He moaned and grabbed your leggings to yank them down your legs. You kicked them the rest of the way off and reached for his shirt. He helped you yank it off as you reached for his belt. The sound of his belt being undone made your abdomen clench. You dropped to your knees and pulled his briefs down. You immediately took his cock in your hand and began pumping.

Looking at you down on your knees in front of him made him want to come almost instantly, but he held back. You licked the precum leaking from his tip and suckled. You licked his shaft from the base to the head and took him into your mouth. You bobbed your head up and down, pumping what you couldn't fit in your mouth.

He moaned above you and pulled your hair into a makeshift ponytail to help you out. He held back from thrusting his hips forward to meet your mouth. You pulled off of him to take a breath. You were panting for air, and Harry swears he's never seen anyone look so beautiful in his life.

Your cheeks were flushed, and your eyes watering. You had precum mixed with saliva dripping down your chin. You looked so filthy on your knees for him.

You took him back into your mouth and forced yourself down until your nose met his the hairs above the base of his cock. He held you there for a minute and pushed his hips forward till he hit the back of your throat. He pulled you off of him before he busted down your throat.

He pulled you up till you were standing, and he smeared his lips against yours. He tasted himself on your tongue and groaned at the taste.

"Dirty girl." He whispered, wiping the tears from under your eyes. You smiled weakly and kissed him again.

He brought his hand down to your panties to rub you through the cloth. You had soaked through them, and his jaw almost dropped at how wet you were.

"You got so wait from sucking daddy's cock, baby girl?" He was rubbing slow circles into your cloth-covered clit. You needed more.

"Yes, daddy." You nodded at him, and he smirks at the pitiful look on your face. He knew he was teasing you, and he loved it.

"Want daddy to fuck you, sweetheart?"

"Mhm. Please, I need you so bad." You whimpered.

He kneeled in front of you. He kissed your soaking cunt through your panties. His nose was digging right into your clit. You moaned at the feeling and wrapped your hands into his hair to try to get him to do more.

He ripped your panties down your legs and licked a fat stripe up your center. He sucked your clit into his mouth and pushed two fingers into you at the same time. You screamed out, satisfied at finally being touched how you needed.

When he knew you were right on the edge, he pulled back. You whined loudly. He stood up and picked you up. You wrapped your legs around his waist as he pushed you up against the wall. His cock was pressing right against your core.

He got you into a comfortable position. Your legs were wrapped around his waist. He had your back against the wall with one of his hands right next to your head and the other wrapped around one of your thighs.

He tugged at his cock for a minute. He lined himself with your entrance. Your head was laid back against the wall. He grabbed your jaw and forced you to look at him.

"Look at me when I fuck you."

You nodded your head. He pushed into you to the hilt. Your walls clenched around him, and you both moaned at the feeling. He pulled back slowly and then snapped his hips forward roughly. You gasped at the feeling. The angle was intense. He was hitting spots deep inside of you, making you feel like he was in your tummy.

He had his hand wrapped tightly around your jaw still. You sucked his thumb into your mouth. He groaned at the sigh of your cheek hollowed around his thumb. He was fucking into you at a hard pace, but not necessarily fast. Just enough to leave you satisfied but still wanting more.

"Faster." You moaned out. You were so close already. All it would take is a few more snaps of his hips to send you crashing over.

He quickened his pace, driving into you hard and deep. His hips were meeting yours roughly, probably going to bruise. He moved his hand to your throat and gave it a good squeeze. You clenched around him.

"Such a filthy little slut. Like it when daddy choke's you? Not gonna be able to walk tomorrow because I'm fucking you so good."

"Fuck, daddy. I'm so close." You moaned out. You were clenching around him uncontrollably. You felt your release bubbling in your tummy, waiting to let go.

"You aren't gonna come till I tell you."

He was snapping his hips forward vigorously. He squeezed your throat again. The sound of wet skin slapping and both of your moans filled the room. Harry could feel his release at the bottom of his spine.

"Wanna come, baby?"

"Yes. Please, daddy. I need to come so bad." You couldn't hold back your loud moans. No one had ever fucked you this good in all your years. You knew you wouldn't be able to walk tomorrow, but you didn't even care. You were completely consumed in Harry.

"Come for daddy. Soak me."

As soon as the words left his mouth, you came. Your vision washed white and you came hard. You let out a silent scream as he fucked you through your release. Your walls were spasming around him.

As you rode out your release you slumped against the wall. Your body felt numb. He kept pounding into your sensitive cunt, chasing his release.

"Fuck, Y/N. I'm gonna come."

"Come in my mouth, daddy."

As soon as you said those words, he was pulling out and set you on your feet. You dropped to your knees and opened your mouth wide for him.

You tugged at his cock quickly with your tongue out, waiting for him to release. With a few more strokes, he was coming on your tongue and moaning out your name.

You swallowed every drop and slowed your strokes on his cock. You suckled his tip. He winced at the sensitivity. You kissed his tip and rested your cheek on his thigh.

"Shit." You said.

He laughed and combed your messy hair out of your face. You looked up at him and sleepily smiled.

"You're so beautiful, Y/N."

Your cheeks heated up, and you kissed his thigh in reply.

"You did such a good job, baby."

"I don't think my legs work."

He helped you stand up and kissed you gently on the lips. You smiled and gave him a small peck. "Thank you."

"I should be thanking you, love," He chuckled.

"Let's get you cleaned up."

He carried you into your room and set you on the bed. He walked into your ensuite bathroom and came back out with a washcloth. He wiped you down between your legs. You whimpered at how sensitive and sore you were.

He gave you his t-shirt to put on and a pair of clean panties. He pulled his briefs back on and laid on the bed.

"Let's sleep. I'm fucking exhausted." He said. You giggled and lifted the covers so he could get under with you.

You both got under the covers and cuddled up close to each other. He wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you back against him.

"Harry?" You whispered.

He hummed.

"Will you be here in the morning?" You asked quietly.

"Of course, darling. Although, I should get you back for leaving me." He teased you.

You groaned, "I still feel bad about that. I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Y/N. Just don't let it happen again."

You giggled and turned around so you could face him. He was the prettiest man you've ever seen.

"Thank you." He said.

Your eyes widen, "Oh, my God. Did I say that out loud?"

He laughed, "Yes, but it's okay. You're the prettiest woman I've ever seen."

You rolled your eyes, "Whatever."

"I'm serious, darling. You're stunning. You make me so nervous."

Your cheeks heat up at his confession. Without thinking, you lean forward and kiss the corner of his mouth.

His brows raise.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't- I shouldn't have done that. I wasn't thinking-"

He cuts you off by kissing you softly on the lips. Your lips move together gently. He pulls back after a few minutes of softly making out.

"It's okay." He whispers against your lips.

You were scared. You weren't supposed to like him this much. He was supposed to be a one night stand.

Harry was scared also. He's never been in a relationship. He's been on many dates, but none of them piqued his interest. He's never felt this way about anyone, and he's only known you for a week or so.

You smile and rest your head against his chest. He kisses the top of your head and wraps his arms around your body.

"Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight, love."

You both were so fucked. ��

#harry styles #harry styles blurb #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fic rec #harry styles one shot #harry styles smut

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imaginariumpod · 4 years ago

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Studio Ghibli; and the aesthetic of comfort and the mundane.

When it comes to animation movies, Studio Ghibli movies are still some of the long standing staples of the genre, and for a good reason. A lot has been said about these films, their thematics, their characters, their stories and the studio that made them, as well as one of their elusive and yet most well known creators : Hayao Miyazaki. I will try to focus on the ways Studio Ghibli views comfort as well the coziness in these little slower moments that fill the universe of Ghibli films. These movies are generally universally loved by the public, despite the fact that they are aimed toward a younger audience. These movies are definitely created with the goal of showing it to a public of children and families, and yet they still are very complex and layered pieces of art and animation that all audiences can appreciate. These movies also do not look down on their audiences, they do not shy away from touching upon more difficult themes such as war, loss, and fear, in a manner that’s adequate for the public it is targeting. With this article, I want to write an extension on the article I have already written on the subject of slowness in cinema and that has been asked by one of my subscribers on patreon. If you haven’t read that article yet, you can read it HERE on my blog.

The films that have been created by Studio Ghibli, are, and with reason, a cornerstone of the animated movie industry. Despite the fact that these movies are definitely intended and made for a younger audience, I think we can all agree that these particular movies can be appreciated by everyone, at any age, and that anyone can find meaning and solace within these movies. Studio Ghibli movies are truly an excellent example of filmmaking that manages to capture a slower pace in media, slowing down the action to just offer a moment to breathe. Between all of the grand adventures and events that are happening in those movies, there are always moments of slowness to be found. Of calm. Of quietness. The characters of the Ghibli universe are permitted to simply exist sometimes.

The concept of slowing down in media is one that I deeply appreciate for the way it brings depth and serenity in stories. This is a very personal point of view of course, I find the modern pace of capitalist life deeply alienating at times, and sometimes I think we just need a moment to slow down and enjoy simply being. Doing nothing is a very anti-capitalist thing, in my opinion, and I greatly appreciate seeing this concept in books and movies. While being productive is always a nice feeling, and god knows I always enjoy being busy and having things to do, it is always in these moments where I feel submerged by everything I have to do that I yearn for some peace and quiet. While it is not always possible to have this, it is always possible for me to simply … start a movie, and try to escape a bit the weight of the world.

I personally think having these moments to be able to just breathe and be truly enriches a movie. Those moments of simple mundanity and ordinariness ground the story in reality even when the story is about a wizard living in a moving castle. Studio Ghibli movies are the epitome of films that can focus on fantasy and the imaginary and telling incredibly original stories, while also including this measure of the mundane, the routine and the ordinary in between the louder and more action-packed parts of the film. This way of constructing these films, makes it so that the universe feels more lived-in, real and comforting, the characters feel more grounded and rooted in reality.

Studio Ghibli: a brief history

Even though Hayao Miyazaki started working as an animator in the 1960s, working in TOEI animation and learning the tricks of the trade, it is only later in 1985 that he established Studio Ghibli as we now know it, with the partnership of Isao Takahata and Toshio Suzuki. It is with that previous working experience that he got to truly construct an identity as the type of animator he wanted to become, and the type of movies he wanted to produce. Before Ghibli, Miyazaki got involved with different animation projects such as Heidi (1974) , and Anne of Green Gables (1979) and a project that would never see the day : Pippi Longstocking. This project is quite interesting in how it simply … never got made, its a bit like a lost part of history, a what-if. Despite the fact that Hayao Miyazaki had drawn a lot of concept arts as well as storyboards for this project, they never got the green light from the swedish author Astrid Lindgren.

Nonetheless, it is obvious how all of these projects forecast how Miyazaki and his business partner Isao Takahata will more often than not try to center young girls as the main protagonists of their movies. A trend that will continue on for the most of their careers to this day. They will continue to focus on young girls and women as the main characters of the stories they are telling in such a complex and intricate way, all of their female characters are different from each other, with their own complicated inner lives, dreams and goals. It seems like such a basic requirement to request from our media, and yet even now, it is still not something that… will be guaranteed in the stories we consume. It is not to say that ghibli’s portrayals of women is perfect, but I do appreciate their very complex heroines and their adventures.

I will not try to pretend that I can totally understand the type of person that Miyazaki is, he’s a complicated figure at the helm of Studio Ghibli, the man behind the curtain. He is definitely a hardworking and self-critical person, but also deeply critical of others as well, wanting to set up very high standards of work that can be extremely difficult to achieve in a very high pressure environment. Thus is the complex personality of Miyazaki. I do not want to pretend he is a perfect man, and I do think some of his choices are things i don't quite agree with. There are some very valid and legitimate criticisms to be made about him, some by the closest people he works with as well as his own sons, especially Goro Miyazaki, who say that his father was always very distant, working long hours even by the era’s standards, and whose heart was obviously more into his work than his home life. Hayao Miyazaki valued work and putting in the time and effort into his art and job, pushing for very unhealthy job practices and work culture.

He is far from perfect, and seek perfection in his work, both from himself and the people he works with. There’s a lot to be said on that aspect, and yet I still very much think that he is that he is still a very fascinating person to reckon with, someone who brought very important and beautiful stories and revolutionized the world of animation in a really significant way. The universes he created are some I keep coming back to times and times again. I also highly recommend the documentary A Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (2013) if you have not seen it, as to have a glimpse of the way this animation studio functions on a daily basis. I find it always so very inspiring personally, each time I watch this documentary, I feel hugely motivated to create and to make something, no matter how small. Sometimes, it is simple about the sheer act of creating something, of spending some time away on the roof, looking at the skies while a cat is sleeping next to you.

His involvement with the Union during his early animator years left him with a leftist tendency that will continue on during his career and seep through the themes of his movies.From the very firmly anti-war stances to the pro-environmentalist and anti-capitalist and anti-consumerist themes, Ghibli movies are a proof that you can tackle these subject matters in a very conscientious way even in children’s media. It can be seen in the movie Grave of the Fireflies (1988), a heart-wrenching movie about two children trying to survive the last months of World War II. Even though Isao Takahata, who directed this movie, says the movie was not made out to be an anti-war movie, this stance is still very much woven in the very fabric of the movie, from its beginning to its ending.

This specific theme is very important here in terms of the experience of the mundane and the ordinary in Ghibli movies. Even within the most devastating of events, smaller moments of slowness can be found, and appreciated. Quiet moments of peace that feel even more poignant in the midst of struggle. Despite everything, I think we have all come to the conclusion that even when world-shattering events are happening, life truly must go on. And it does find a way to go on, and it feels mind-boggling that we all have to do our groceries, cook dinner, wash our laundry while terrible events keep happening, and yet, these mundane moments still occur. It is still possible to find a moment of respite and peace in the midst of uncertain times and terrible events.

But also, as Marco says it in Porco Rosso, « I’d much rather be a pig than a fascist » and I think this really does say it all.

The aesthetic of comfort

Despite being usually an animated movie set in a very obviously fantastical universe, Studio Ghibli movies tend to be very realistic in the way they portray the characters, their complexity, and also what are the real underlying conflicts. For example, in Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) «The primary conflict isn’t about magic—it’s internal and invisible and wholly human: Kiki’s brief period of lost motivation and artist’s block. She gets it back when she wants to help Tombo, whom she loves. Simple as that. She doesn’t have to wage an epic battle to prove her worth» The stakes might seem lower in this movie compared to other stories, very mundane and ordinary, there is no war, there is no significant conflict, but I think this is what makes it so special in the end.

One of the particularities of Ghibli movies is how they deal with the notion of childhood, a notion that few animation movies have approached with such delicateness and seriousness. One of the things I really appreciate from Ghibli movies is that it does not shy away from treating children as complex beings. It does acknowledge the fact that children are also able of complexities and of understanding more than we think they do, and yet creating media that is easy for them to comprehend and appreciate, which I think is no small feat.

There is definitely also a definite focus on working class characters instead of the more “prestigious” ones in Ghibli movies, there is a desire to center normal people, whatever that means, in their stories. Most of the characters have to work for a living, earn their lives, and the value of hard work is definitely something that is highlighted in the Ghibli universe. In Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), the baker’s wife tells the young witch that work is work no matter how small and insignificant you might think it is, and all work should be paid, and it is a truth that should be remembered.

In that movie, here is no world shattering events, no wars or massive destruction, only a young witch trying to make something out of herself, losing her will and creativity and gaining it again. That particular theme is one that resonates a lot with people on a very basic level, especially in this current day and age where so many of us are trying to monetize our creative work. So often, trying to capitalize off a hobby and enduring the bone deep dreary weight of capitalism is what will make artists lose their original inspiration and will to create, when a hobby turns into labor, and this is, at its core, the journey that Kiki went through.

As Robert Ebert told Miyazaki, during an interview with him « I told Miyazaki I love the "gratuitous motion" in his films; instead of every movement being dictated by the story, sometimes people will just sit for a moment, or they will sigh, or look in a running stream, or do something extra, not to advance the story but only to give the sense of time and place and who they are.»

And he was right, Ghibli movies have these moments where the action is not something that is strictly essential to the plot of the movie, and yet it is essential to the essence of what Ghibli movies do. Miyazaki then explained what this concept for him meant for him :

«"We have a word for that in Japanese," he said. "It's called ma. Emptiness. It's there intentionally."»

Those slow moments between the actions are thus very deliberate, they mean to slow down the story and to slow down the pace. Unlike the generally accepted school of thought in modern Hollywood cinema, where every single scene and dialogue needs to move the story forward, Miyazaki lets his story and movies breathe and exist. This way of building a story does give it an added sense of calm and soothingness, but also it gives it a sense of realism. Instead of following a strict narrative outline, this fluidity makes the story feel more real and relatable.

These quiet moments and details that might seem innocuous and useless at first glance, and maybe look like they would slow and hinder the pace of the movie in itself, are ultimately what gives it this feeling of genuineness, of sincerity. It lets the characters as well as the plot have the space to breathe, evolve and grow.

« Although these scenes may seem slow or unimportant, they give space to develop the characters and to heighten dreams or feelings the characters are having such as feelings of isolation, wonder, or anxiety. It is in these moments of stillness that the audience can contemplate with the characters and feel what the characters are feeling. These moments remind the audience the importance of stillness in such a fast paced world and highlights the beauty of a slower paced life»

Studio Ghibli movies insert those slo

wer moments in between their more faster paced and action packed scenes, but also in the midst of world-changing events such as wars, as shown in Howl’s Moving Castle (2004). This demonstrates how people still live on during those crises, even with the danger looming over their heads. This kind of media gives me hope that we can live through this, that moments of happiness and peace are still to be found even within the madness of our very fast capitalistic and hyper consumerist life.

From visibly established routines to a focus on the mundane, the daily. the ordinary, Ghibli movies will definitely bring these seemingly unimportant acts and integrate them as essential to the general experience of the movie. You see the characters inhabiting the Ghibli universe working, studying, sleeping, eating, in a way, you see them being alive. In a manner of speaking, of course, these are fictional characters in fictional universes, but it is obvious that the universe and the lives these characters lead extend beyond what we’re seeing on the screen. They have whole lives and experiences that we might not be privy to, as the audience, but it is apparent that these characters are fully formed. They are going on and about with their lives, and it is this emphasis on the ordinary that makes them appear so realistic.

Falling and getting up again. Jumping and stumbling. So often, Ghibli’s characters are not perfectly graceful beacons of dexterity and elegance, quite the opposite even, their demeanor and posture will inform the character and their place in that world, and yet it is not always perfect and flawless. Sometimes, the characters will run and stumble and trip and fall and this mundanity of being.

This representation of the realness of what it is to be a person, that sometimes we trip and stumble, that we fall and get up again and yet, we continue to walk or run. It’s also a way of defining the different characters, of imbuing them with their own personality and mannerisms and be able to distinguish them even with such small details as the way they walk and carry themselves. This is definitely not exclusive to Studio Ghibli, animation as a whole uses movement and mannerisms as an essential tenet of character, but it is still very rare to see this sort of flailing included voluntarily in the films. Since the medium that these movies are created in is two-dimensional animation, it means that every single frame had to be carefully planned and executed, before being drawn and painted frame by frame. These movements could have been easily not included in the final cut of the movie, they could have been considered superfluous to the film, and yet they were. These imperfect moments are what ultimately makes it better.

Ghibli movies do that, not only in terms of physicality and concrete elements, but also when it comes to feelings and emotions. Emotions that we all feel and experience, from the feeling of restlessness to loss and fear, to love and courage. Ghibli movies really do showcase all of these feelings that we all feel, even though in a manner that is easy to understand for all audiences.

“Only Yesterday does not hit the dramatic highs of Miyazaki’s work, but that’s partly the point. It’s less concerned with presenting a grand thesis about the nature of being human than it is navigating the heartbreaks, triumphs and regrets that make us. But it’s still comforting for a film about the relentless march of time, the title even invoking both the speed with which childhood can pass us by and how close those memories stay with us.

It’s immensely relatable in how it evokes these little tragedies: the feeling of being a fraud; of missing out’ of wondering if you’ve left your childhood self behind; idealism; dreams and all. It asks us not to mourn what might or might not have happened, but to keep those memories close, and use them to move forward. That Only Yesterday makes this feel as wondrous as a castle in the sky or a land of spirits is nothing short of miraculous, and why it ranks among Ghibli’s best.”

The act of eating is one that is heavily emphasized in Ghibli movies, one only needs to read all of the articles dedicated to the mouth-watering food that fills its universe to understand that this simple act, of eating and of preparing food, is one that is very important. Countless of people have made videos on how to recreate some of the most iconic dishes and meals of the Ghibli universe, from Howl’s Moving Castle’s tempting breakfast to Spirited Away’s feasts, both the one that Chihiro’s parents eat at the beginning of the movie and the ones served to the bathhouse’s guests, and the simple snacks that are eaten throughout the movie, from the onigiri Haku gives Chihiro or the food she shares with Lin. Ghibli movies are very well known for how pretty and appealing its food looks, and simply taking the time to showcase the act of preparing and eating food, thus slowing down the pace and creating a break during the plot of the movie. There’s a certain type of media that does put a lot of importance on the act of slowing down, taking the time to cook, such movies such as Little Forest : Summer & Autumn and Little forest : winter and spring, for example. A lot of media that’s just about not doing much and preparing some food, which somehow has a very soothing effect. The act of eating and cooking is part of the greater character narrative and storyline when it comes to Ghibli movies, but also the act of sharing a meal and of eating together.

Food, the preparing of food as well as the sharing of a meal, is a love language in itself, in my very humble opinion, taking the time to prepare all of the ingredients and then a dish for someone else or for one self is an act of care. And it is definitely one of the ways it is used in Ghibli movies, from My Neighbor Totoro (1988) in which the eldest daughter is often seen having to prepare lunch and food for her younger sister and her father, since her mother is sick and hospitalized. I will not be talking here about eldest daughter syndrome here, but it is very much a Real Thing™️. It is simply in this representation of the act of cooking, and the care she puts in it, that we can understand not only the love she has for her younger sister and father, but also the very real responsibilities that she has to shoulder as such a young age.

In every single Studio Ghibli movie, this pattern appears, someone will make food, and it will be obvious how much time, effort and love it takes to prepare this dish, or someone will simply take a break from whatever they were doing and take a bite of a small but tasty snack. Somehow, the usage of food in the Ghibli universe is central to the way the characters will experience and move through the world.

It is in these small moments of respite and calm that the characters, and by extension, us, are allowed to breathe. Moments that are quiet, where two people will share a meal and just be. I always terribly appreciate whenever a movie, or any piece of media really, simply takes the time to let the story expand and move at its own pace. Studio Ghibli movies are always ones I love to go back to whenever the world feels overwhelming and slightly unbearable. I hope that we can all have more moments of peace and quiet, that things can slow down enough for us to catch our breath.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Hayao Miyazaki interview | Interviews

The Magic and Artistry of Studio Ghibli's Films

The Low-Stakes Pleasure of KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE

Wings and Freedom, Spirit and Self: How the Filmography of Hayao Miyazaki Subverts Nation Branding and Soft Power Shadow

Miyazaki’s Magical Food: An Ode to Anime’s Best Cooking Scenes

Food in Spirited Away: Consuming with Intent

Grave of the Fireflies: The haunting relevance of Studio Ghibli's darkest film

NAPIER, Susan. Miyazakiworld : a life in art. Yale University Press, 2018.

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tsukki-rising · 4 years ago

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~wrapped up in you~

pairing: tsukishima x reader fluff

word count: 2,160

summary: one day tsukki follows you on spotify and starts to listen to the same music you do and might get a little obsessed with listening along with you

a/n: jngbrnfj this is my first work, pls be nice and i hope you enjoy

- ok ok so you're kind of friends with yams and tsukkishima and you walk home together a lot - there isn't much conversation for the most part with tsukki listening to his music and yams being a drained lil introvert at the end of long school days and volleyball practice, but you don't mind the quiet walk and actually listen to your own music too - now tsukki, who has been expertly hiding his feelings for you, being the beanpole that he is can see right over your shoulder and look at what you're listening to and after seeing the name and cover of one of your spotify playlists, he finds your account using that - this simp oh my god he follows you and you can't tell it's him because he doesn't use his real name and you're just like "whatever" - now his favorite thing to do at any given time is to check out what you're listening to and listen along with you - now sometimes you do try to initiate a conversation with tsukki even though he is pretty scary, yes even though you're friends with the boy you still get nervous and flustered around the guy cause he's just that pretty scary looking - one day you ask him what he's listening to,,, - he can't say that he listens to what you listen to because it's pretty far from his personal taste (though the lines are blurring between yours and his tastes at this point) - but he still wants to say something that he knows you'd like so he opts to say that he's listening to the soundtrack of one of your favorite movies and acts surprised when you tell him you love the movie and proceed to have a whole conversation about it with him - he is absolutely melting inside with you being so excited to talk about it and rambling about your favorite scenes and songs on the track - but on the outside, he's still big bad tsukki so he just nods along and acts mildly disinterested - sometimes he'll just be studying and hit a roadblock or get bored so he goes to spotify and checks what you're listening to so he can listen to it too and it's like you're listening together - oh my god like that one soulmate au - anyways,,, December rolls around and all of a sudden everyone is talking about their spotify wrapped - tsukki is slightly embarrassed - your music is ruling over his top songs and top artists - the whole time he's tapping through it he feels kinda pathetic for liking you this much and still having not done a single thing about it but also makes him so soft when he's reminded of each cute song and just imagining listening to them with you - he treasures his wrapped and relistens to all the same songs you do as you get your wrapped playlist too - but then... - but then he walks into practice the next day and everyone is talking about their wrapped playlists, showing off their top songs they start to compare and compete to see who has the best wrapped - tanaka, suga, noya, hinata, kageyama, and yams are the ones that get the most excited over the little competition and they are determined to get to the bottom of whose wrapped is the best - you're there at the practice with yachi to help plan new designs for some posters, the team included you both in the competition but since your taste was so different they ruled your wrapped out for the sake of time - tsukki is so nervous - he doesn't want to walk right over to you because he's still keeping his feelings hidden but if he goes to the team they might try to pull him into their shenanigans and he can't have them knowing that he listens to the exact same music you do - he's just kind of standing there uncertain until noya sees him and yells "hey!! tsukkishima, you're always listening to music when we try to talk you into extra practice you better have good a taste, get over here and show us your wrapped" - normally tsukki would have a quick response, tell them that their game is a stupid waste of time but he's been caught off guard - the poor boy actually stutters for a second, eyes darting around the gym like he'll find an excuse - after a moment he finds his composure and sighs, looking to noya and just saying "no" - Suga pauses his argument with hinata to look to tsukki "come on, team bonding" though clearly he has the same motivation as everyone else in the completion, to win and assert superiority over the others - tsukki begins to decline once more before tanaka interrupts "no, no suga let him keep it to himself, his taste is probably too elevated for our inferior brains anyway" he says sarcastically - but as tsukki rolls his eyes and sighs, relieved that he's off the hook, tanaka turns to the rest of the group and gives a wink -"but since you're not busy tsukki could you get the balls for us?" tanaka adds - typically tsukki would put up the biggest fuss before he would do any work that he doesn't have to but today he's happy for the escape to the storage closet - as tsukki starts walking, tanaka turns to the competing group and gets close to yamaguchi so he can whisper "yamaguchi, whats his spotify wrapped look like?" - yams, the shy boy he is panics at the intensity of tanaka's question putting all the focus on him "wh-what?" - tanaka is determined to find his answer so he presses "come one, you're his best friend you have to know" - "oh, oh yeah," yamaguchi realises he could check tsukki's spotify account since he follows him - when yams pulls up the playlist he has to take a second to double and triple check that he's got the right playlist because he swaers this is the same one you showed to everyone just minutes ago - tanaka gets impatient and moves behind yamaguchi to get a good view at what he seems to be so confused about but finds himself just as confused - soon the whole group looks to check out the results but they just don't know how to react and kinda just sit there sharing looks of confusion - except for hinata - hinata is just like 'oh my god that's such a cool coincidence!' and as he sees tsukki returning from the storage room he brings it up without a second thought - "tsukkishima you and Ivy have the exact same taste in music that's so cool!"... - tsukki's heart stops - you definitely heard that - everyone in the gym definitely heard that - its times like these when tsukki's aloof mask comes in handy and with everyone looking at him, he deadpans "good music is good music", shrugs, and moves on - now you, you are confused, you weren't really listening to the boys before hinata's little outburst so you didn't understand what they were talking about and continued you conversation with yachi, making a mental note to ask tsukki about it when you walked home together because he seemed pretty bothered and always loved to complain about his loud teammates - and so, practice moves on as /mostly usual/ - aside from the perplexed looks at tsukkishima of course but he just cuts them off with a glare of his own - at the end of practice as you wait for your two friends outside the gym you listen to your playlist and think back to the times you remember listening to each one on repeat and thinking about a certain #11 - yams exits the gym first (tsukki taking a minute to find some composure to walk next to you the whole way home) - you decide to ask yams about the incident at the beginning of practice since he was right in the middle of it - "yamaguchi, did your little group ever decide who had the best wrapped?" you ask to prompt him to talk about it - he suddenly gets nervous, but you don't think much of it, tadashi's always nervous - he just tells you that they couldn't come to a conclusion and you don't press him any further, seeing his discomfort. so the two of you just wait for tsukkishima - before the tall boy can join you though, Yamaguchi joins the group of boys just leaving the gym to hang out at the coach's store. its weird, yams never ditches you - when the middle blocker does come out he talks even less than usual. normally he'd at least say hi and entertain some kind of small conversation before pulling his headphones over his ears but today he's already got them on and gives you a nod in greeting - with this you're kind of sad, you just love talking to your boys on the walk home after a long day, you decide just to tune in to your own music for the way home since clearly, no one wants to talk to you - and tsukki notices, of course tsukki notices - he sees what playlist you tune into and slyly pulls it up on his own phone so he can listen along - he definitely listens to a lot more sappy love songs than he used to, he definitely wouldn't listen along if he wasn't picturing you every time - he's never been so close to you though while listening along and it makes him feel like such a lovesick puppy - as one love song fades into another he can't stand the distance between you. walking right next to each other but still an arms-length too far apart - he begins to softly hum along with the new song playing, looking up at the sunset clouds with his hands in his pockets - you start to hear a tone in the song you've never noticed before in all the times you've listened to it - you take your earbud out of your ear and look at tsukki and find him humming, looking at the clouds like he's lost in the song like he's dreaming - he looks so calm, so gentle - you begin to hum along - he notices but he's too nervous to look back at you, still clinging to his composure. he knows that if he looked into your eyes now, there's no way he could hold back all the love he has for you from coming out of his mouth in an awkward confession - so he keeps humming along, looking at the clouds - you keep humming too, looking at him - but you reach your hand out to take his out of his pocket - he still doesn't look but he lets you lock your fingers around his and stroke his thumb with yours - as the last lines of the song come, you sing them out loud, wanting to convey how you feel - wanting to let him know that every time you listened to this song, he was the one you thought of - he finally looks at you once the song is over and on instinct you assume he'll be annoyed and ready an apology and excuse in your mind - but when you see his face, his eyes are wet with growing tears - you stop your walking and put your hand that isn't holding his on his face, your brows contort with your face into a worried expression. you squeeze his hand as you realise you'd do anything to see that calm expression again that he was wearing just a minute ago - "tsukki- tsukki whats wrong" - upon seeing you focussed on him, being so close, the feel of your hands. he can't hold it in anymore - he gently chokes out something between a laugh and a sob with a slowly growing smile - he puts his free hand over yours that is holding his face and finally confesses "i just love you. i just love you so much" - the next moment he wishes he could have captured your face on camera as it morphs from concern to match his, smiling and teary eyed - though it would be a disservice to you to compare your smile to his - it takes you a moment to find the words but you tell him "i love you too" - the words don't feel like enough, you love him, you've loved him for so long and its crashing over your heart like a wave now. every time he insulted your intelligence but still helped you study as soon as you asked, everytime he remembered all the little details like your favorite things to get from the sakanoshita store - and now looking at him there was such tension, both of you had so much to say but no words - so you kissed him under the golden sky and hoped that it would make up for the words lost in the haze of love over your mind - and he kissed back, hoping to make up for all the words he should've said sooner

#tsukkishima x reader #tsukishima kei #tsukki x you #tsuki fluff #haikyuu!! x reader #haikyuu!!#haikyuu headcanons

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sugar-petals · 5 years ago

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Can u introduce yuzuru to us the caro way?👀

so you want to know about the one and only. ♡😌

yuzuru hanyū (25) of sendai, japan: the most beautiful ice prince with a heart of gold.

….an artist clearly not of this world, he’s been sent to us from another realm. 19 world records, two olympics won, dubbed the greatest figure skater of all time. and the most precious bean on top of that.

but let’s start from the beginning, shall we ♥︎

so, want to spot yuzu on the ice? use this checklist. slender silhouette, an even slimmer waist, feather-like outfits (he sketches those himself; the fandom lovingly calls him swanyu), soft blushy face. he has great androgyny.

outside of performances, you see him either with a deer’s gaze or the brightest, biggest eye smile. also, he’s usually found sitting with his wife:

which is the ice 😄 these two are together forever. you can discern yuzu from a mile away by how he treats his working ground.

there is a purity to him. you’d not guess that this is one of the most ardent athletes if you didn’t see what’s around his neck after competitions. the guy’s cuteness is as compelling as his skating technique.

look for it: yuzu’s face is super suave and rosy up close, even after his most energetic performances. some men are handsome, others pretty, he is both.

even acoustically, he’s hard to miss. applause is all around, and he’s highly expressive. if you see a crying young man getting the high score, that’s yuzuru hanyu. you’ve not seen more beautiful happy tears.

and score reactions, anyway:

so, aye loves, the rumors are true. a cutie-pie off the ice, animated, a real unabashed meme — yuzu is easy-going, talkative. cheery, cheeky, one of a kind. his facial expressions are a league of their own.

if you thought this is the sort of guy who watches cat videos, you are correct 😄

yuz-uwu hanyu, everybody:

his undoubtedly feline behaviour is often unexpected, it stands out with its adorableness, too. a sweetheart par excellence.

and, how else could it be: vice versa, the big beast on the rink. he’s cutesy, dorky, very well-spoken in daily life, but when it comes to skating, his seriousness escalates. you blink once and suddenly hanyu is a bedazzling, strutting lion :’D his performances stun with confident elegance.

he becomes full of ardor, drama, and focus. you’d never suspect so much fire burns in him. a showman and ambition icon, hands down.

his skating is dynamic, perfected, and emotional. if you want to see art and the extra mile, tune in when hanyu competes.

the downside is; more light, more shadow. it leaves him crawling on the ice afterwards. yuzu performs so hard, it’s worrying.

he delivers it all. you won’t believe it:

this guy is an asthmatic.

the symptoms aren’t as bad as they used to be, but there are still regular attacks. he said that he’ll never take it as an excuse and often recalls how he started skating because of it. he’s a badass, extremely inspiring. yuzuru defies all limits, including gravity. his jumps have legendary status.

off the rink, you guessed it: he turns into a wholly different person.

it all dissolves completely when he’s dorking around again.

don’t let it deceive you, he’s the no other option than first place type. he could not be any more decorated with titles, he achieved the grand slam in all competitions as of 2020. and still, king of sportsmanship hanyu is respectful and smiley towards all colleagues and never lets anyone feel left out. especially when it comes to his juniors (e.g. yuma kagiyama, 16, below) which says a lot about him.

he bows in every direction before an audience, too. lower than a 90° angle, even. this is more polite than any existing formality in japan.

talk about audience: i introduced fellow japanese skater shoma uno last week, who’s more uncomfortable with social contact and aggression. yuzu, extrovert he is: the exact opposite. he withers away with no people and competition. he’s befriended rivals, had crises over not having someone who could challenge him. when a competitor retires, he’s the one crying in their arms (e.g. with team mate and bff javier fernandez from spain below).

beside his competitive spirit and princely wow factor, hanyu is popular for his winnie pooh tissue box that he caresses, squeezes, and carries everywhere. he loves good luck charms & rituals, pooh is the most important one.

fans throw pooh plushies on the ice after his performances because of it. since it’s gotten so intense, yuzu recently started cleaning them up himself on top of the flower girls for the upcoming skater who could get delayed otherwise. (more about what happens with the piles of plushies later.)

so, the burning question is.

what made yuzuru hanyu emerge so outstanding an entertainer? how does someone causing so much uproar become like that? it’s not just what kind of appearance he was given, although he really looks his part to a T. you don’t have to be an insider to see it right away.

like literally to a fault. and you can tell the way his blades sound on the ice is different. it’s soft even if he does the most hardcore quadruple jumps. i think it’s because his drive to do this is a higher one, hanyu has an altered relationship with the ice. where his devotion comes from has a more severe reason so, massive trigger warning.

this is no exaggeration: yuzuru is considered a hero to the japanese. a survivor of the earthquake 2011, he narrowly escaped the collapsing rink in his hometown on that very day. he’s often talked about how the ice shattered underneath his feet and it was the moment that defined his life forever. he could have been dead by the age of 16. his motivation has been set ever since. this man is compelled by something bigger, that’s why you hear it and you feel it. he wants to skate not just for himself but others and seize every day.

youtube

much of his copious charity work — that’s where all the pooh plushies go — went to mend the consequences of the tsunami ever since, he’s looked upon as a great hope in japan. the minister gave him the people’s honor award in 2018.

now you know why yuzuru has such a fanbase and treats the ice as sacred, you see it in every gesture. his manners are without a single flaw, he helps staff repair the ice after performances.

you might think it’s odd, but he honors the ground. he’s invested in the integrity of it. that’s why he’s the best skater. it’s gratitude and the will to live fully.

he hates to fall on the ice, he hates to damage it. alongside his feathery weight, that’s why the sound he makes while gliding along is so tender.

i think that’s also why hanyu’s signature element is the ina bauer. it doesn’t rely on brutal force, instead this element slides across the rink like a swan. yeah, oh my god.

it’s his most well-known dramatic move. the way he surrenders into it.

hanyu’s back arch and perfect split allow him to do elements no other male skaters can. his biellmann spin, for instance. i know, it’s ridiculous.

and those are just two elements of dozens and dozens. hanyu is a kinetic wizard. i highly rec this record-breaking delivery of his olympic program. in front of his home crowd! he’s just… mind-boggling. i live for his smiles here.

youtube

exceptional skater, exceptional mentor: it’s time we look at another puzzle piece that made yuzu the way he is. the masterful brian orser is hanyu’s beloved coach. missing gold by just one mistake at the olympics 1988, brian is now committed to give others what he couldn’t have— successfully so.

orser took the ice prince to gold twice, this hasn’t happened in 66 years. brian is the nicest and most supportive pooh carrier and yuzu’s utmost rock. hanyu’s talent rests safely in these hands.

he gets strict about punctuality lmao! but other than that, his guidance is gentle. canadian he is, brian’s courteousness mixes well with yuzu’s politeness. their bond is strong. as. hell.

brian picked up yuzu from rock bottom several times. most fateful being hanyu’s accident with a fellow skater during competition warm-ups nov 2014. they collided at a high speed, it was unspeakably nasty. yuzu got knocked out for half a minute and had grave breathing problems but still decided to skate on with what later turned out as an almost-concussion. brian was the most worried ice dad in the world that day.

yuzu cried and crouched and bled like mad and my heart has been broken ever since. i hope he never suffers like that again. promise me you don’t search up the video, it’s a harrowing watch like a stab to the chest. sadly enough, hanyu’s body has still been a notorious wreck, esp. ankle issues regularly give him a hard time 😔

it hurts like a bitch with every jump landing but he takes meds and still manages to win, god knows how. sometimes even with crutches on the podium. at his worst, he’s still the best, it’s a tragedy.

he’s been recovering, or always is, but he pushes himself through injuries. his ambition and perfectionism are boundless. the cause is more important to him than his well-being. this is not an easy guy to stan once you see how he sacrifices and self-destructs. so, it’s good someone protects him.

mostly from himself because nobody has profoundly surpassed hanyu. he has let himself no choice than to contest himself. not even health, only age can stop yuzu. i think that brian understands this ‘curse of a genius’ effect. his mere presence can make hanyu say these rare words:

his two other coaches contribute to that. tracy wilson (left) has proven to understand his playful side the best while ghislain briand (right) helps yuzuru deal with his fears. so you got 3 people taking care of the golden boy. brian once said: “he is very sheltered” and you can see it’s true.

yuzu eased into learning english and communicates well with his coaches. like with everything, he studies hard and often forces himself to speak during interviews to practice. his skills are astounding. his speaking voice is also very soothing, very amicably low and high alike. yuzu is highly intelligent. he always says something eloquent and interesting.

now, privately, hanyu is very much like you’d expect someone so devoted to skating would be like. he doesn’t go out, has no social media, can’t eat nor sleep very well. no cameras allowed during practice. it figures he is attached to winnie pooh, think about it. in the cartoon, pooh is someone who sleeps, eats, and engages with friends plenty.

these are the things hanyu can’t do, doesn’t have time/energy/incentive for. he is barred from balance in life but can at least admire this little carefree plushie for it. especially because pooh represents eating lots while yuzuru doesn’t have a good relationship with food (he says it doesn’t go well with jumps etc.), hanyu lives vicariously through him.

what’s more, you have to see how he throws himself onto others and never wants to let go, yuzuru is extremely cuddly.

to the degree that mere social customs can’t meet how much he really needs. so, what else can he resort to, he loves mascots and plushies. it’s how the tale goes in japan generally, tough work ethic, high responsibility, high pressure, so people turn to cute fluffy things.

he always fondles pooh’s head, even pretends he’s come to life so he has someone to snuggle with. i think that his isolated lifestyle doesn’t help. so, he gets his affection at least there, you can see how happy it makes him. and again: he does this all for charity.

that’s why fellow skaters are so important to hanyu. it really brings out his social spirit and comforts him best, it’s so wholesome. i’ve not seen someone react so relieved to being embraced, like he’s not been touched for months. skating this, skating that. at the end of the day, hanyu wants love.

as he once said, what motivates him is to express himself in the first place. hanyu is a romantic. it’s written all over him. it reflects in his music choices, his elegant motion, how he designs his outfits:

… and how thoughtfully he talks about marriage. he has big plans for starting a family and coaching after he retires. i won’t be the only one squeezing lucky charm pooh in my imagination so it turns out well for him. please make this heart of gold heal and see all his wishes come true ♡🐻

#thank you for attending this talk ❄️⛸#i need a moment this was emotional #figure skating #yuzuru hanyu #brian orser #anon #cub mail 🐅#long post #team japan

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thecottageinthedark · 4 years ago

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Sorting Glass-Maker’s Dragon

I’ve been working on this for a looooong time, and finally it’s complete enough to post. I’m using the Sorting Hat Chats system, basics of which are explained here by its inventors and here by @wisteria-lodge.

A lot of GMD is flexpoints and inferred stuff, but this is, at least, the way I read the main eight.

Chuubo: Snake Primary, Badger Secondary. His Snake ambition isn't immediately obvious because it's backwards to us; he's an Imperator and a god of dream and probably the Spirit of the Age, but those were just things that happened upon him. He doesn't want fame or fortune; he wants a peaceful human life, or at least a human-style one, and his drive to achieve this has literally reshaped the world itself while still being, at its core, all about him.

His Badger Secondary is hard to see because of the one big gimmick in the way; the Wish-Granting Engine, that supposedly allows instant results with no work, and the way he uses it whenever possible. But the thing is, the WGE is both dependent on his Secondary and in some senses what he uses when he can't draw on that Secondary itself.

Badger Secondaries have to mean what they do; they put in hard work when and where they are motivated to do so. For Chuubo, that's not schoolwork, which is where he as a high schooler is socially expected to, and so he gets a rep for being lazy. Where he does put the effort in, is with his friendships, and in 'learning the ways of Fortitude'. With those, he doesn't cut corners. He doesn't pull out schemes. He patiently and consistently puts in the work. His Secondary is on full display in the way he persists in trying to be friends with Leo, even in the face of Leo's hostility. Chuubo doesn't try to win Leo over with subtlety or with grand gestures; he just doggedly carries on offering support, company, and good-natured teasing.

So where does the Engine come in? Think of the Wishing Map. It's the friendships and connections he's worked at creating and maintaining that help Chuubo's wishes to succeed. Wishes based on whim are almost certain to go wrong.

The wish for a best friend is maybe the most telling part of all. Or rather, what happened after it. Because despite having acquired Seizhi through unnatural means, it never once occurs to Chuubo to continue their association by those-to lean on miraculous or mundane coercion and create a relationship that all goes one way. Having acquired someone to love him, he just proceeds to love them back, with a generosity of spirit that is entirely genuine.

Like a lot of Snake Primaries, Chuubo has a Primary model that he uses to fill in the gaps where his ambitions and his loyalties aren't relevant. His is a kindly and expansive Badger Primary. He lives in this model most of the time-until there's a threat to his inner circle or to his hard-won quiet life. Then he'll set the model aside and act from his real Primary to keep hold of what's his. (Being a snake sometimes helps.)

Seizhi Schwan: Snake Primary, Burnt Snake Secondary. Like Chuubo, their huge ambition is for something that most people just get handed on a platter; to be real, to matter, and to be loved. Their Primary and his instinctively understand each other about this-and also understand each other perfectly about the importance of treasuring and being treasured. (They're all but making big eyes at each other and swooning, in fact.)

Seizhi's Primary is somewhat wobbly in one regard; they're the sort of Snake who has kicked themself out of their own inner circle. After all, they reason, they're not real-not yet, at least-so why should they value themself? There's nothing there to value. This is linked to the burning of their Secondary; their supreme and miraculously-enhanced ability to fit into any social context is something that gives them pain, because it's just more unreality. Over and over they reach out, hoping that this time they've found a destiny; over and over, they stop sustaining an Intention, and the whole thing fades away. Even mundane uses of the Snake Secondary toolkit feel tainted-deceit and lies-and that's a problem, because this is the best and most practiced skillset they've got. They're trying to cover up this lack with a Badger Secondary model, because that's what they feel like they should have, what a Real Person would have-the slow grinding authenticity of method. (Possibly this decision is linked to Chuubo being a Badger Secondary.) But they don't like it. It feels like crap. It doesn't even work that well. And when they're in trouble, they drop the attempt to Do Things The Real Way and start shifting and adapting and reacting like the Snake they are.

As of the start of GMD they're still hoping for the magic to happen, to wake up transformed into a Real Person who bears little to no resemblance to the 'fake self' they despise-for the Badger model to smother the Snake to death. The situation's in flux. Under pressure, they might begin to find ways to accept themself for what they are, and realise they are loved already; but it's just as likely that they will crack and fall into despair. If that happens, they'll probably Burn their Primary too, cutting themself off from Chuubo and from anyone else in their inner circle. This they'll frame not as a way to protect themself, but to protect the inner circle. A fake person has nothing real to give. How can they inflict such a horrible creature on the people they love? Might as well feed them fairy food and watch them starve, as do something like that.

That unpleasant possibility aside...unlike Chuubo they haven't yet created a Primary Model when the game starts. They might do so during the course of it, though-they will, after all, need to make a lot of decisions, and they won't always be able to relate those back to 'will it help me become real' or 'will it help Chuubo'. I don't think they're likely to copy Chuubo's Badger for this; it fits him fine, as an inherently peaceful Serpent, but Seizhi is an Actual who has had to fight just to exist, and isn't prepared to lay down arms just because things are now somewhat better. What'd work better for them would be a valorous and fierce Lion Model based on that of their brother Laodemus, or a wider Snake Model with an inner circle encompassing 'everyone I know' or 'the whole of Town'.

Leonardo de Montreal: Lion Primary, Lion Secondary. This poor man.

Oh, he'd love you to believe he's a Double Bird, or a Snake/Bird mix of some kind. He'd probably pick one of those Houses out if he had the choice! But that's...actually for pretty superficial reasons. He likes science so he figures he's a shoo-in for the 'smart person house', he's snappy and standoffish so equally he thinks he's in the 'mean asshole house'. But in the SHC system neither of those really fit.

Let's look at his Primary first. He's not a Snake, right away-because he doesn't have an inner circle and he's okay with that. There's no 'my people, who are most important' and 'everyone else'-even when he's not leaning on his Friendless wound, when he's prepared to concede that he cares about Chuubo or Jasper. If he were a Snake, those two would be the most likely inner circle candidates-but they're not in there. Not because he doesn't care, but because he doesn't do the Snake style caring where his people are the centre of his world and the place he gets his morality.

Where his morality does come from is the Song of Hell, his 'love for the wicked'. It's intuitive, not constructed, and centred in himself, not reliant on others. (When he loses his heart, he doesn't draw up a systematic list of ethical principles to live by instead; he creates the Mechanism of Original Sin, which emulates the feeling of having an internal conscience as well as the function.) And the fact that he's a fallen angel means that at some point in his past he gave up Heaven on ideological grounds. The Song of Hell is just right, and therefore he follows it. Any justifications he makes for that decision come after the fact. And so he follows his Song, and becomes heroic-it's not just Jasper he saves, he's got a whole Thing about helping people. That's Lion Primary.

And though he's smart, he doesn't act Bird under pressure; he charges. He responded to Jade's death by first ripping out his own heart to save her daughter, then marching down to the BA to throw down with its Headmaster. He probably has a Bird Secondary model to help with Science, though-and he uses this model to back up his real secondary. Charge in throwing nightmare devices at the problem.

Natalia Koutolika: Bird primary, burnt secondary that's probably Bird or Lion.

Natalia's frozen heart sounds like a Petrified Snake thing, but it's not any specific person that makes her realise thawing is a possibility-it's Fortitude. And that's not because Fortitude is nice, the way a Badger might un-Burn on being accepted into a welcoming community, but because it's magical. The rules of the universe work differently here...so maybe that means things can be possible for her now that weren't possible back on Earth.

I thought at first her primary was burnt, but...freezing her heart made her lose faith in human goodness, and in her capacity for being happy, not in her ability to discern truth. She trusts her cynical System; actually, I think her looking like a Petrified Snake is down to that thing Birds do where their systems often come out looking like the other Primaries. Natalia has decided that the Petrified Snake morality is the true one...but when she arrives in Town, she reconsiders, and begins to edit.

Her Secondary is where she's burnt. Because part of the cynicism of her Primary System is the idea that there's no point trying. Use whatever methods are available, who cares? They won't work, because you can't do anything that matters-the world doesn't work like that. Most of the time she'll use Bird or Lion methods because those come easily to her, given she's a genius and a martial artist, so it's probably one of those. But then again...she doesn't seem to get any joy from them. I think her Arcs will (hopefully) involve healing the burning-and that could look like learning to trust in her charging or her knowledge base, or like finding that what she really feels Right about is putting in the work like a Badger or thinking on her feet like a Snake. (Burnt Badger secondary would be especially poignant, as it'd be her learning to rely on community as a source of strength.)

Jasper Irinka: Bird primary, Bird secondary.

She starts out with her system based on her mom's Heaven-style Lion primary; it doesn't work, and leaves 'a hole in the world' for her. So she starts looking for ways to make it work by picking up ideas from all sorts of people-her dad, her friends, the Moon Prince and assorted other NPCs-and either adjusting it by adding these in or making a new system entirely. And her matching secondary helps her to do this very effectively. Her Primordial ability to shape herself as she likes by growing limbs that she can then use and discard as she pleases is really Bird Secondary-and the fact that those limbs manifest from other people's Hopes? 'I know a guy' Bird.

Sure, she inspires people. But it’s not a Lion inspiration-being so completely and ferociously her own glorious self that others are attracted to her radiance. Jade probably worked like that, from what we know of her, but Jasper inspires because she deliberately does things to inspire Hope in people, using a toolkit of stuff she’s picked up.

(And of course Leo is fascinated with her-not just because she's 'Jade Irinka's daughter', the shine on that would wear off fast-it's that she's a Double Bird like what he wants to be! And she in turn is loving Leo's double Lion because that's what she thinks she's supposed to be like!)

Rinley Yatskaya: Badger Primary, Lion Secondary. Of course the Storyteller Arc kid gets the 'protagonist sorting'.

Rinley's stated purpose in their playbook is to be the social glue of the party, and their powerset makes them really good at it. They first save then make friends with Prince Eduard despite their family's feud with the Rats, and when they see Iolithae in the Titov shrine, they go to rescue her, because Eduard and Iolithae are people and that matters more than Eduard being a Rat or Iolithae being a dangerous sacred horror. In other words, they're a beautiful Universal Badger. As far as Rinley's concerned, you don't just see someone who's injured or imprisoned and then not help them, even if they're meant to be an enemy on ideological grounds or even grounds of prudence. And to help people, they jump right in and Do Something. That's textbook Badger/Lion.

Principal Entropy II: Exploded Badger primary, Badger secondary.

This guy is just community-building and caretaking all over the place. He shows up, he does the work-as the Angel of Fortitude he's literally fixing potholes and curing peoples' ailments! And he's doing that by going to the people and creatures of his Gardens, calling in favours.

And he's doing it because people are important. The denizens of the Evil Island, the people of Fortitude. 'All things can earn their recompense through love'.

The problem is, though-he's doing the dehumanisation thing that Badgers are so infamous for. He's not going 'some people are Enemies Who Must Die, and therefore are not really People', though, which is the usual form of the trope in fiction. That's the mode of a Badger at war, and E2 isn't fighting a war. He's going 'some people need to be Sacrificed for the Greater Good of the Community'. And that's not an easy thing for a Badger to believe. If he was an Idealist, or Snake who is comfy prioritising an inner circle, he could just hold that belief without problems. But being a Badger, he can't. If he sacrifices people, he has to either feel horribly guilty about it...or stop thinking of them as people.

One big group he tends to dehumanise are School students. School exists to create tools to fix the world. It's okay if he makes students into cursed Hall Monitors, it's okay if he turns SEED students into prototype world-trees and weirding walls. That's what they're for.

He also dehumanises himself. He's Other Than Human, Set Apart. He refuses to acknowledge his needs, and overworks himself-he's even, at game start, nullified two Divine Health Levels to make his Code Novae binding on the Evil Island, meaning that if you can get past his Immortality power he's actually the squishiest PC of the lot. So he's an Exploded Badger, sacrificing both himself and others to his community.

Miramie Mesmer: Bird Primary, Badger Secondary. She shares this sorting with her former self, Melanie Malakh.

Melanie's Bird Primary used the Bleak Methodology as her truth system. Coupled with her persistent, hard-working Secondary, this combination made her a star student at the Bleak Academy-a 'prodigy of hatred and despair'. However, when she left the Academy, things fell apart for her.

At the Bleak Academy she'd been sheltered from experiences or ideas that could provide any real challenge to the Bleak worldview. Because of that, her system wasn't as robust as she thought-and she didn't know how to shore it up or how to cope if it shattered. Which-along with the glass dragon-it did; her time in Town, the things she had seen and done, had led her to doubt the truth of ultimate futility. The last straw was the dragon itself. Melanie, through the work of her hands and mind, had created something that was not futile; a master-weapon that could destroy Town, just as she had intended. The very fact that she was able to do that gave the lie to the Bleak Methodology. Unable to deny this truth but just as unable to live with it, Melanie Fell so hard that-as Strategists sometimes do-she lost her identity and became a new person.

Unable and unwilling to use Melanie's system, Miramie has begun to construct her own, drawing on various sources-the communal and peaceful mores of Fortitude, Hideo Hayashi's belief that even unlikeable misfits do not deserve to be left alone without support systems, the other Archive kids' idea that outcasts should stick together, and Chuubo's Snake prioritising of personal ambitions and loves. Since she's not had much time to do this, it's nowhere near finished-but it looks likely to be robust. It also seems to me that she's likely to be able to edit it as she needs rather than Falling-or, if worst comes to worst, to Fall but get back up as herself, rather than shattering again or reverting into Melanie Malakh.

Her Badger Secondary is a contrast to Chuubo's, as where his is socially based and linked to personal relationships (Courtier Badger), hers is more focused on the more usual definition of 'work', and on community in the sense of history and tradition (Bookkeeper Badger). It's her Secondary she brings to bear on the tasks of setting up a cafe from scratch and helping maintain the Archives. It's also what she uses to keep herself going under the weight of the world's wrongness, to keep making art even though it's doing so that activates her Curse. She just keeps slogging away.

I can also see the Badger Secondary in Melanie's construction of the glass dragon. She sat herself down with Hideo Hayashi and learnt glasswork from scratch, putting in the time and effort to both master this new skill and to bring Hideo himself fully under her control. Simple, honest work, even though used for deeply destructive ends.

IN CONCLUSION:

Chuubo: Snake primary, Badger secondary, Badger primary model Seizhi: Snake primary, Burnt Snake secondary, unhealthy Badger Secondary model Leonardo: Lion primary, Lion secondary. Bird secondary model Natalia: Bird primary (with a system that starts out looking a lot like Petrified Snake), very burnt Secondary that is likely Bird or Lion Jasper: Bird primary, Bird secondary Rinley: Badger primary, Lion secondary Entropy II: Exploded Badger primary, Badger secondary Miramie: Bird primary, Badger secondary

#sorting hat chats #glass-maker's dragon #cmwge #gluubilis #gmd #harry potter #gmd pcs

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juliannegriepp · 4 years ago

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Hello! I just want to say, i love your style so much, specifically The Empath and similarly styled pieces!! I'm also studying art and I'm trying to deconstuct my inspirations to fully understand their foundations. That being said, who are some of your inspirations? Your style reminds me of Moebius, who is such a huge fave of mine. Did he influence you? What other artists did you look at go study from and were there any specific excersizes that you did- like master copies? Thank you!!!

YESS ok i love talking about my favorite art so like get ready for a long post. I LOVE Moebius, I’m literally sitting next to my Art of Edena book right now lol. But yeah as for my stylistic influences, it’s really hard to say bc I love so many artists and I think my style has mostly developed more intuitively as opposed to like consciously thinking I Want to Draw like This. So some of the artists in this list might have huge influences on what I draw and some might not look similar to my art at all (& a lot of them are art gods that my stuff can’t begin to compare to), but I’m gonna try to focus on illustrators/animators/comic artists (historical & contemporary) that have a similar lineart-y style lol.

Moebius

Geof Darrow & Josan Gonzalez - both contemporary artists inspired by Moebius

Tomer Hanuka

Kim Jung Gi

Hayao Miyazaki

Hergé (make sure to google his name with the accent because otherwise google images will show you p*rn)

Katsuhiro Otomo

Alphonse Mucha

James Jean

Sachin Teng

Osamu Tezuka

Dave Gibbons (Watchmen)

Tillie Walden

Leslie Hung

Patrick Edell

Junji Ito

Smithe

Choodraws

J. A. W. Cooper

Heartslob

And about a million others that I know I’m going to remember as soon as I post this......

I also think non-illustration inspiration is just as important so if you want to see more of my favorite illustration as well as design/photography/architecture/fashion/etc inspiration check out my pinterest or my insp blog @thepopespenis ! The tumblr blog mostly has random stuff I see on here but I lovelovelove pinterest for collecting inspiration, I go look at my boards whenever I’m feeling uninspired.

As for mastercopies I’ve done several for school but I honestly don’t do a lot of direct mastercopies for my own study... At least not full copies of illustrations. Sometimes if I really like the way someone stylizes their figures or certain objects I’ll do sketch studies of their work, especially if I’m starting a piece where I want to use similar design/shape language. (this is a good exercise for understanding how your favorite artists stylize figures). But if you’re wanting to develop your personal style I think it’s best to just consume as much art as you can, recognize exactly what pulls you towards a certain piece or artist, and let that sort of intuitively guide you towards the kind of art you want to do (& don’t get too hung up on any one artist bc you don’t want to turn into a copycat!).

If you wanna hear more about studying your influences one of my old art teachers introduced me to the concept of “art parents” and it’s kinda influenced the way I think about art & inspiration ever since- he talks about it in this episode of his podcast if you want to take a listen.

So YEAH obviously I’m just starting out as an illustrator and looking at some of these artists makes me feel like I’ll never live long enough to develop the kind of skill I want but it’s also kinda comforting and motivating in a way. & if you or anyone else ever wants to talk about art my askbox is always open bc talking about art is my favorite way to procrastinate making art. Thanks!!!

#look at me dispensing art advice as if I know anything about anything lol #i hope this was helpful anyway #art #illustration

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misterbitches · 4 years ago

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i had the misfortune of finally watching/getting through what happened in whatever episode where he gets raped so im gonna talk about it and tag it cos that's what a bitch fuckin feels like, got it? i do what i want aint no limit bad ass bitch aint never been timid. woopsie realized i got the nicknames confused oh well lmao

it's just logistically and plot wise like there's literal plot holes in this and i'm taking the production and set-up into account along with the actual content and development. im an ARTIST OKAY im jk i mean i am and i am pretentious and terrible but look. i didnt get that degree and im not in a house worth of debt for nothing ok. it's called writing on tumblr about my grievances of shows that dont matter and do not respect me as a fat black american woman either so it is my fault yet here i am.

anyway it was worse than i imagined and their talk after (with chengren) was even worse. that's what i mean about making the lines their own (the actors) bc teng teng sounded like a straight up motherfucking moron and im like

bECAUSE IT'S HIM EVEN THO IM LIKE WHAT THE FUCK DID U JUST SAY U STUPID BITCH? but then it's like awwww and they also care about his wellbeing obviously??? but no? but it's like ok still teng teng said it even if it's stupid because he is a character and charles puts that forth. the people that fail the most to do that are xing si's family but that's not the actors fault because it's the literal material. you're like wait what but you just said...?

so i know they have no script editors i guess i think i find this season ACTUALLY fascinating because of just how egregious it is. i also went back and watched history: obsessed which i thought i liked because of their chemistry even though god the production....but i tried rewatching it and i was like wow this is worse than i remembered and the production issues were even worse because some of the music was SO LOUD AND BAD HOLY FUCK and their whole rship isssssss a sight to behold lmao

so man i guess it really is the power of anson/charles. which is good cos we love to see it...sort of but also a lot.

i honestly....because i've been able to pay attn more to the aftermath of the rape going back and putting it into more context and focusing (just barely lmao) is hm even worse. the inconsistencies are insane. it's not even just about the act but the writers have zero idea where they are going because they have no interest in exploring it. but the way in which it happens is like fascinating. yong jie literally thinks he owns xing si and it doesn't matter if he was kissing him or not or asked for a kiss on the lips (which dude what the fuck? i'll get to that) because he was plied with "extremely strong drinks" and his mom knew about it....which girl congrats you're an accomplice to the rape of your son by your other son?

but first of all...the kissing thing. in what fucking world would he (xing si) want that unless he thought he (yong jie) was someone else. i can't say their attraction is evident because we are being lead by this team to think so; they create this false sense of sensuality already so to me that signifies that they never intended for them to have a bond as brothers. it just feels cheap and fucking lazy (which it is.) even if he did, which doesn't make sense considering the context THEY CONSTRUCTED, it wouldn't matter because he was so fucking drunk which.... at that point nothing is fun, you feel sick, who wants sex like that? does he not have whiskey dick? did they have a condom? was it not painful for him considering? even if this was something to easily get over like was the dick good? it couldn't have been. and then, on top of that, there's the fact that you can change your mind or whatever but also that people do get aroused in these situations bc it is human nature (that's if they can literally get aroused which if the drinks were allegedly sooooo strong that nigga would be out so....again like even practically here it doesnt add up. have these people ever been drunk? if not, write what you know girl. cos sometimes it's like i think some of u r trying to be cool when u dont have 2 b lmao)

so yong jie coming on to him previously may be seen as like push-and-pull but here's the thing. right after it happens (the rape and it's rape so call it that you'll be okay) xing si gets up and goes home and is terrified and upset. he acts like what we have seen or even felt after a violation. he's scared, clutching his bag, it's like...you know...decently coming off as truly distressing (the actor isn't bad at all and i like that he's dark. i just massively hate this for him but hey at least he can show some chops.) like honestly man that fucking sucks and hurts to see. if we've been there we feel it. or part of it is realizing belatedly what happened. a lot of times that drop in your stomach is the worst.

but somehow for some reason, to which i cannot understand, the three of them begin to talk as if xing si pressured him? which maybe i missed something and that is possible—dont feel like going back to look—but that also made no sense. like what kind of false memory is this? why would he think he wasn't willing? and if he thought yong jie wasn't and that he pressured him how does he remember like...anything about the sex?!?!??!? besides waking up and being with him. like i guess he felt yong jie's MASSIVE DONG imprint but ??!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!??!? MAKE IT MAKE SENSE!!!!!

god then the logic of the top/bottom thing is like i said i wasnt going to get into it but it's actually really funny. this whole thing was hilarious. honestly because I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS. he could have totally raped him in that way but how did you get to this CONCLUSION FROM THAT??????? BY YOUR LOGIC THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS? IF HE IS THE BOTTOM AND PENETRATION IS THE ONLY FORM OF TRUE CONSUMMATION AND RAPE BECAUSE APPARENTLY, BASED ON ANATOMY, IF YOU HAVE A DICK IN UR BUTT UR A GIRL THEN HOW. DOES. THIS. MAKE. SENSE. AND THEN

AND THEN

this whole stupid conversation happens so we get to the conclusion that xing si violated him ok cool but that means that something is wrong. that is the CONCLUSION WE CAME TO A SECOND AGO?

also the other rapist is a villain and muren isn't in love with him so, once again, you're breaking the rules of your own world about acceptability which is why most of this is absolutely mind bogggglinG that iit's fuckign comical. like i actually when i can stomach it start laughing or my jaw is slack because it's so insulting as a viewer because there is like 0 logical followthrough.

because whatshisface barges in, kisses him in front of his friends without permission, then says whether you were willing or not which is hm. at that point how u gonna change that around but let's not bother with logic here. i am simply here to point out how this makes no sense according to the rules they set up even outside of the basic rule of life which is hm dont rape people maybe.

so now we know xing si was raped, they believe he was raped, he himself believes he was raped, and whatshisface literally says he doesn't care even if he was willing (he wasn't) so he admits to rape. i don't believe in the police and i hate them (BL industry needs the cops but dont get me down that road) but no one...thought to go?

because according to history 4 logic nothing matters so im sure if he went to the police you could handwave the homophobia since there's no actual context for anything besides their whimsy. but they dont want to do that because they aren't interested in an arc of growth; redemption isn't possible unless he is removed from the family but again no work on thinking this through or thinking about the victim's feelings. because gay sex? who fucking knows. supposedly progressive taiwanese writers of gay shit (like how supposedly progressive the world is. as in it is not and this behavior is the norm and bl perpetuates that) can't think of transformative justice?

and then they gave bad advice so we wont acknowledge that because teng teng doing anything wrong/stupid is frequent but hurts me and also that storyline is not real so i pretend they are not there outside of this post

so all of this is just straihgt up clownery now because it's fucking absurd like logically, practically, human-wise. the kissing thing is inconsequential but it was such a lazy cheap way out lmao cos they really wanted it to seem consensual but that's not how it works. on top of that their attraction makes no sense because whatshisface is just there. he is just there. he's nothing and no one so the sentiments are even more empty and on top of that he doesnt listen to a single request fucking obviously because the basis of their relationship is fucking rape so fucking listening and respecting his partner is not on his list of fucking priorities. he's literally so fucking annoying even without being a rapist it's like someone please beat his ass.

and then after all of that you want us to feel bad? with your horrible writing, poorly misplaced music, stupid costumes (those fucking SHOES THEY ARE HIDEOUS, AND MOST OF THIER CLOTHES DO NOT FIT IT'S LIKE WHY), questionable fucking editing. we're supposed to wnat them together? this sounds literally fucking crazy but bear with me lmao even with the rape they could at least have SOMETHING i mean like i cant believe im fucking saaying this. but like in addicted heroin which is fuckin tragic and awful at least there's a MODICUM of interest but honestly that show s a fucknig drag. idk they lookd good together? here we have 0. nothing. and it doesnt motivate. watching obsessed again i can see why i liked it in the beginning bc they have good chemistry but the acting and production adn like everything about it plus the rape-y vibes it's just too much. you need to pick one thing so if you're going to be a shit writer at least supplement it with something. this thing is nothing.

and even more nonsensical and what boggles my mind frankly out of all this is the mother's involvement and the father's final response. there are NO consequences? theyre all happy?

ok so lets go through this:

1. 2 boys grow up 2gether, one of the boys is fucking psycho, the mother knows but does nothing??????????????

2. one of the sons moves out so his father doesn't get a hint that's he's fucking gay. ok fine. he has 2 best friends, a job, an apt. he is fine.

3. aforementioned brother is obsessed with him for SOME REASON besides being crazy?

3.5 no one has done anything during him growing up to help him not be crazy?

4. mom says to husband who is their father also just in case we forget "im afraid he will lose his humanity"

4.5 again, do nothing. 0. just like oh man hes crazy. guess that's just our son ;)

4. who cares. plies him with alcohol purposefully to rape him. not even dubious (even though dubious is fucked and not okay or is just not. fucking real. these shows are contextless when they want to be or even movies or whatever so it's like largely not up to the task to understand complexity in human rships and then oversimplifies it constantly because that's what we do IRL. but people have fucking feelings you know and we realize when things don't feel good or right to us either very quickly after or having to process it. and once you're eyes are opened you may feel as something was fucking ripped away from you. for the modc couple this would be a very logical conclusion for the high schooler the thirty year old dated but again logic or feelings are up to their whimsy. no one cares bc everything can be counted as dubious so honestly it's a fucking stupid fucking topic like again why are we litigating what is and isnt consent when you could just like idk. read cues? consent? wait? not be a freak? like we all know what is proper human shit so even if we are watching this uncritically which u cant bc it's glaring and stupid it's just even more dumb) so it was honestly a rape plot like he literally planned it soooooooooo??!?!

5. aftermath of rape the victim is like literally fucking bereft and confused. and a rape victim. like that's what they are insinuating and what also he is to be clear.

6. boy tells him "idc if i raped u i luv u lmao"

7. mom ENCOURAGED THE BOY to get him drunk because her other son was too nice? she encouraged her adult son to rape her adult step-son (but her real son because she repeatedly says you are my son and the dad does too THEY GREW UP TOGETHER WHEN THE KID WAS IN AN IMPRESSIONABLE STATE) so THIS ALSO MAKES EVEN LESS MOTHERFUCKING SENSE

8. everyone finds out about his rape and he isnt mortified he's just concerned about himself being gay to his dad?????? except it's not really about his gayness bc now it's about his sudden love for his rapist brother? which? hm ok. understandable the dad is like wow i do not think i like this

9. dad knows all of it is fucked up, everyone does, knows the mother fucked up, knows he fucked up. doesnt like it because he is normal. so we know this is terrible? ok great so—

10. father says "i can't accept this...but i'm willing to give you my blessing" ok see here's the thing. when you write you have to think about the things you are putting on the page and what you have written previously. this quite literally made no sense how the fuck are you going to not accept them but give them your blessing? does this crew know what the fuck words are? i'm assuming they went to some sort of school to obtain jobs here bc there cannot be natural talent or experience. maybe most of them are rich. fuck i do not know but this also makes no sense. just the literal logic of it it's like fucking insane the whiplash.

10.5 apparently this father is also shitty. everyone here sucks and they are basically begging me to think xing si is a fucking idiot so i dont even want to look at him if he is an object he doesnt matter so now i want to kick him. thanks a lot you made the victim get absolutely fucking nothing

they KEEP PUSHING the brother thing it is so insane and it's liek GUYS WE GET IT WE UNDERSTAND THEYRE "RELATED" BUT NOT RELATED SO IT'S OK HE WAS "RAPED" BUT NOT RAPED but you're GOING BACK ON YOUR OWN RULES!!!!!!!!!! WE GET THAT THEY ARE BROTHERS!!! WE'RE OVER IT NOW BUT WHAT IS THIS WHEN WE ALREADY ESTABLISHED SOMETHING? I AM CONFUSION? they flip flop between my son, my brother my actual brother, and cannot fucking distinguish between love for your father and love for your romantic partner? so to me what i see is that the father wants to fuck the son. that's the conclusion i am garnering now considering nothing matters and his love for his "brother" is the same as his love for his dad lmao. they couldnt even do that in a way that made sense. like damn anybody can get anything. these ppl who are doing this have to be fucking rich and/or have connections.

also this guy sounds literally like a textbook abuser like he says constantly "im the best choice" is a rapist is awful holds capital (oh hees "saving" smh ur trapping her!!!!! RETIRE!!!!) also wears terrible shoes so i am like ur alllllllllLLLLL FUCKING CRAZY ur all literally crazy and then they are trying to set rules and boundaries in their fucking house like WHY ARE THEY LIVING TOGETHER EVEN? even tho oh my god they know he raped him and for some reason they are both allowing to live in the house but they dont want them to have sex??!?!?!??!??!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?! i get that this is their house but this is like at this point these ppl are writing anything and now whatshisface is acting like a 2 yr old again and we are supposed to find this cute? like it makes 0 sense why do u fucking care u literally encouraged ur son to rape him so they cant have consensual sex under your nose now and have to wait four years? this is coming from the son who couldnt wait until someone was sober enough to realize hes fucking psychotic and should be killed also the fact that they act like being 20 means u have no fucking brain like this kid is in med school supposedly how do we know like hes a liar and an idiot so. also wait do they mean undergrad? how are you in med school at 20? is he a genius? girl i dont care lmao i guess i missed that but it's not like it matters so whatever

even if we ignore the stupidity of the literal acts, the grossness of the content, the absolute inability to write coherently or even remotely in a way where we would even want to see them together which is like....u set it up at the beginning so he punches "the love his life's best friend" also holy fuck im sorry remember when he punches muren because xing si got too drunk. so i'm guessing whatshisface is that good of a bartender that he makes super strong drinks and gets xing si drunk but his alcohol is magical therefore it doesn't make him sick. his alcohol is the type that gets you drunk but somehow doesnt get to your liver even though that's how we get drunk but dont ask guys he's only in med school and a bartender so i think he knows best (seriously have the main writers had a day of fun in their lives? have they ever been drunk? are they toddlers? drunk babies could probably do better tho.) i get that he was also jealous but if this kid is SOOOOOO genius (he understands social cues lmao he has the cpacity to project onto his victim so im like miss me with the not understanding shit. go to a fucking therapist like seriously did no one care abt this kid? his mother thinks he's like almost a goddamn murderer. how is she not dead? how are they all not dead? how do any of them know how to drive with this type of brain?) then he would understand that they are very clearly friends since he watched them part in a very platonic way and since he apparently knows what love is cos he thinks....he can....make someone fall in love with him bc he loves them? again, i wouldnt know hes 20 and taiwanese and im 29 and black from AMERICA so im WESTERN* so you know. different life experiences i guess XD

even if we do mental gymnastics to get it to a place where they "had sex" and he didnt rape him there's 0 ZERO ZERO ZERO ZERO ties to the literal story they wrote and the rules they set up. i'm going ot assume they dont know wtf theyre doing and i know for a fact we all care more about their dumb show than they do but it's actually startling how piss poor this is it's like idek what to compare it to. the continuity is awful awful awful they needed a script supervisor majorly and they are making bank and are going to make fucking bank fof this shit. and itll just continue like that until IRL material changes and that's facilitated by these very same groups they choose to profit off of and exploit by propelling it into the mainstream and litigating homosexuality through capitalism. and i'm being specific with homosexuality. i dont want a GL market like at all and i know why we wouldnt have it either and that has everything to do with the nature of BL, capitalism, coercion, and the fanbase being young girls and women. i don't think in this day and age we can safely say all the fans are straight; i'm sure a majority but many women or people on the gender spectrum and sexuality spectrum also consume it. frankly, it's possible the women who write it could be or something too. i dont rly believe any1 is str8 lmao but im just saying it's not out of the realm of possibility. but it isnt about that at all. that's why we wont see "good" female characters (like well written) often that's why we won't see trans women or kathoeys or fat people or black asians in it. a lot of it is is a choice we participate in whatever. but holy fuck dude u could at least respect the audience's fucking intelligence. i'm talking about everything i think that is encapsulated in the project but it's even more jarring and worse because it's so insanely inconsistent and poorly done. like how we jump from one conclusion to another is wild to me. even their first "night together" and he wakes up im like girl....u no ur ass felt it. this nigga broke into his house and was like "im gonna have u" like it's getting weird

just make xing si suffer offscreen not us the stupidity is staggering, mind blowing, hilarious.

how wong kar wai, a straight man from HK (or at least married to a woman), or barry jenkins, a striahgt black man, write/do stories well about people they wouldnt knw about their experiences directly is....well thinking like using their brains and like knowing all types of people? the man who co-wrote moonlight is a hOMOSEXUAL, leslie cheung was fucking gay or queer (and he committed suicide and that's important also RIP homie) both are hailed as queer cinema like WKW wanted to do something else and invested time into it, changed the way he played around with structure, moved away from his crime oriented stuff. he THOUGHT about it and this film is about their reality. it's a harsh film, idk how i feel about it (but my fav movies of his are the crime ones or the messy ones where it's clear he didnt write a script lmao fallen angels is one of my fav movies its' abt assassins kinda) but i know it means something. and he didnt like what HK had previously wasnt enough. it is not the only cinema that should be shown since it's such a stark reality and depressing but it is a real depiction so we can have all sorts of stuff. no this isnt WKW level or moonlight level but i know for a fact these people think they are doing something because artists always do i say this as one and someone who is equally as useless. you're making a statement.

i also hate the westerner component of peoples analyses. first of all dont do cultural relativism. we can critique and respect. but second of all how are we going to keep saying "dont put western ideals on this" when that is what is happening anyway because that's part and parcel for soft power and capitalism. how about taiwan's history with the KMT? what about the regimes young people fought about? aided by US imperialism which permeates through society and affects material conditions, views, democracy, identity and that goes into culture and media. hm? what about that? is that reality too fucking western for people? that we are doing the same thing again now? is that okay to talk about or is that only on your time?

then there's the argument that this is just entertainment. yea no shit but the thing is if we r gonna talk about marginalized groups and watch bc of marginalized groups and then be expected to identify then i dont see why i cant put this in context. even if it wasnt fucking serious we'd still judge it. but it's so pompous and again like i wouldnt say EYE think it's art but it is "art" in the literal sense and no self respecting artist would ever go "man this means nothing." of course im not sure if they do respect themselves so hey but u cant just go oh man it's entertainment when it literally rests on the fact that HOMOS are MARGINALIZED. it literally rests on the fact that WOMEN ARE OBJECTS. you either want progress or you dont. i dont understand being so demanding but not beign specific in the demands and not trying to use your brain. if you dont want to use your brain don't. but if you are looking , engaging, and keep making these arguments or telling ppl it doesnt matter whilst complaining about how much others care is hypocritical at best, willfully obtuse at worst. both bad. :)

(also all this + another thing; it is insulting to have this like wedding happen based off of this stupid relationship when people fought so hard and had to push it. now they can use the material conditions to their advantage but it's so ridiculous. also because there is difficulty still in getting married in taiwan i'm honestly like....the boldness of the writers...)

#history 4 #history 4: close to you #*dont call me western ever #a thot

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juminly · 4 years ago

Text

In The Arms of An Angel

Matchup story written for the lovely @marie-quentin <3

A/N: I couldn’t help but think of this piece when I was picturing you with Vincent. The sound is lighthearted, peaceful yet melodious and colourful. The tempo is not stagnant and the change in the course of this symphonic piece portrays, in a way or another, how the strings that bind you to him got stronger and your love was able to finally shine. Feel free to listen to it while reading if you’d like: Symphonic Suite DEVIL Second Movement i-AM by Hiroyuki Sawano.

Context: No one would really expect you to be all smiles and giggles considering the situation you were in (finding yourself back in the past, in a mansion filled with vampires and they all happened to be renown historical figures!). It was definitely kinda scary but you didn’t let that affect you. You seemed a bit cold and distant from the start but you were just analyzing everything around you. And of course, the mansion shenanigans started. Arthur was already teasing you about how the beauty of a woman is in her smile and how he thinks you’ve proven whoever said that wrong (lots of flirt-flexing happening from the mystery writer). Leonardo was smoking his cigarillo and telling him to leave “La Bella” alone and Theodore was already mumbling about how everyone is so taken by a Knabbeltje.

Your expression was neutral and your gaze was analytical. Obviously, there was so much to take in, lots of different (new) people around you and personalities. There was a lot going through your head and taking mental notes of everything around you would take a while. But Vincent, he was not fazed by your overall demeanour. The moment Vincent saw you for the first time in the dining room, angel came up to you, held your hand up between both of his and smiled brightly, letting the light of the Gods shine down upon you. His attitude was enough to grant him a genuine smile of your own (you couldn’t help it). His smile was so serene and genuine: How could someone so pure exist?

[Vincent explicitly invited you to visit him anytime and any day to spend time with him and he would show you his art whenever you’d like.]

As a way to get you to familiarize yourself a bit more with the residents (with the aid of some social lubricants and strong spirits), Le Comte organized a small welcoming party for you and it was such a blast. Mozart was a bit tipsy and actually smiling, playing happy tunes on the piano while Leonardo joined him on the violin and you were able to grasp and get a better feel of the residents that lived with you in the mansion. It was all part of Le Comte’s plan and it was clear to you when he politely asked you for a dance and whispered in your ear. “I wanted you to see for yourself, even if these men are vampires, they are all remarkable in their own unique way. Wouldn’t you agree?” (translation: they aren’t so bad, right?)

[That night, Le Comte picked up on how light you are on your feet and offered to be your dance instructor.]

It was only natural for you to create/find your own natural habitat in that mansion. It was the perfect environment to bask in the things that you loved. A library with more books that you could read in an entire lifetime, beautiful gardens and fields of greenery where you could spend hours just reading or writing. You found yourself in a time with 3 famous figures of literature (Arthur, Dazai, Shakespeare) and you could pick their brains about anything that went through your mind (same goes for all the other geniuses in the mansion such as Leonardo, Isaac). [The mansion was a fountain of knowledge and you had it all for yourself, to drink whenever you wanted[

When it came to your dance lessons with Le Comte, he timed them almost perfectly. He would invite you to the gardens for some tea/brunch/breakfast and right when you would finish, you could hear Mozart’s music resounding and echoing through the air.

During your first lesson, your eyes danced around you while you waltzed with Le Comte. You happened to notice that Vincent had set up his canvas and painting tools near the greenhouse. After you were done with your lesson, Sebastian happened to come across you while you were on your way to the older Van Gogh, handing you a tray with Rouge and a sandwich.

Upon reaching him, Vincent was so engrossed in his painting, your presence didn’t even register and you took it as an opportunity to watch a Van Gogh masterpiece come to life. However, you would have to interrupt him since, according to Sebastian, he hadn’t eaten since the afternoon, the day before. You could barely grab his attention but finally managed to do so. [And then, it became a thing!]

When you went for your regular visits to check on Vincent and check if he’s actually having his meals or not (Sebastian is a busy man and Theodore isn’t always there to dote on his brother), Vincent would take a break from painting and chat with you. He would stuff his mouth like a cute squirrel and listen to whatever you would say. He wanted to hear about even the smallest and silliest things and his interest in you was one of pure curiosity. He had no ulterior motives whatsoever (and that fact alone was more than enough to help him gain your trust).

Vincent never asked you for anything, never asked you to trust him or tried to make you like him. He was simply genuinely happy to have a new “friend” around and someone who was different.

Both of you ended up spending quality time with one another. Each of you doing their own thing, no matter the place or time, and enjoying each other’s company. You would watch him paint and marvel at the intensity of his gaze on the canvas. His focus was enviable and his presence was oddly soothing, as if he radiated peaceful energy. You would sometimes just sit and write while he painted, being his personal alarm clock (asking him to take breaks, eat, drink or even stretch).

Vincent would usually gently scold Theodore for calling you Hondje and Knabbeltje and ask him to apologize and call you by your name. It would usually go along the lines of: “Broer, be nice. Her name is Marie and she is no one’s Knabbeltje or Hondje. She’s a beautiful lady… Oh, that gives me an idea. Marie, is it okay if you could model for me? I… I feel a tingle in the tip of my fingers and I have a painting I would love to do. Of you.”

And that’s how the angelic man asked you to be his model. From the moment he laid his eyes on you, the artist in his mind was gnawing at him and crying out to paint you. He promised that his next painting would be one of you.

Your birthday happened to be around the time you arrived at the mansion and of course, there would be a celebration and gifts. Vincent bought you a thin choker/collar of braided gold and almost every single person in the mansion lost their minds (and he had no idea why). “I think you have a beautiful neck and something like this will highlight the length of…” And Vincent was not even able to continue his sentence. Arthur burst out laughing (and Theodore hit the back of his head and was grumbling while Dazai, Leonardo and Napoleon chuckled softly and Jean/Mozart/Isaac sat there, all oblivious about what was happening.)

Sebastian simply smiled softly and Comte swooped in to give you his gift to you, to get everyone to compose themselves (he got you a basket with a beautiful cashmere throw and a tea set with 2 cups with the most detailed and intricate design you’ve ever seen). While everyone went back to their chatting, Le Comte whispered in your ear as he left the room: “I got it for you so you could have something special only you two could use during your picnics.”

Your local expert in crime picked up on your interest in the science of criminology. Let’s admit it. This man is the sweetest deep down but he loves to flaunt and he has the absolute right to do so. He’s very intelligent and witty and coupled with your curiosity and your INTJ ways… you often found yourself engrossed in long and deep discussion with the flirt. It was so much fun and it was really interesting so why not? (Also, when Arthur has his game face on, he eases off from all the flirting so it actually makes your conversation very enjoyable [and not intolerable])

In the beginning, he thought nothing of your sit-downs/discussions/debates with Arthur and the amount of time you spent with him. He was actually happy to know that you were able to share such profound interest in a topic with someone. However, after a while, you’d notice a slight frown on his angelic face and that was definitely not an expression the painter ever wore. When you asked him what was the matter, he answered you frankly. “I don’t like the fact that Arthur spends so much time near you. I… I don’t want you to stop or anything but I wish I could be more like him so you would talk to me the way you do with him. I know how much you enjoy it. My chest sometimes hurts a little when you talk about him but it’s not that bad. I just… don’t understand it.” (The problem in this situation is that you could either take it as an expression of Vincent’s insecurity or jealousy… and it was definitely jealousy)

This beautiful pure vampire boy is an open book and he doesn’t even know it or realize it. He will literally tell you everything on his mind and make it seem like it’s completely normal from him to do so. His obliviousness is what brings you two closer together eventually and you know for a fact that he would never shy away from telling you the truth.

One time, you were absentmindedly ruminating out loud on your thoughts on your thoughts on whether you should go back to your original time or not. You had a lot to consider and you had to weigh in the pros and cons of making such a decision. Being such close friends with Vincent, you didn’t mind speaking your mind but you didn’t expect to find the man looking at you with tears taunting his soft rosy cheeks. Damn all those who would dare say that this man was emotionless.

He didn’t even realize that he was crying until you were in front of him and wiping the tears of his rosy cheeks. His body was frozen as his mind wandered to the darkest place he could imagine. A world without you. When you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him to your body, he finally snapped out of his nightmarish daydream and he murmured softly. “I’m sorry for what I’m about to say. I might be selfish but I like having you by my side… *sniffles* You’ve become my dearest friend. And if you don’t stay, I’ll come with you.”

Two weeks after you had arrived at the mansion, the time finally came for Vincent to start working on his painting of you (and you had already become close friends by then). It was a bit exhilarating and daunting being scrutinized by his gaze so intensely but on another hand, Vincent looked like he was enraptured and blessed by the inspiration of all the muses that ever existed. The gentle smile never left his face as the painting he envisioned slowly became clearer, right before his eyes.

Vincent had been unusually bold and acted on impulse. He began sketching multiple poses of you in his notebook before actually starting on his painting. Your eyes would widen and your breath would quicken as he’d inch closer to you, examining you only a few inches away from you. He would ask you politely in a sweet, inquiring and almost hesitant voice: “Can I please touch you?” and the question alone was shocking enough. Before you could even ask why, he answered the question that went through your mind. “Whenever I have trouble drawing something, I imagine myself touching it, to understand the texture and the picture becomes even clearer in my head”.

Deep down, Vincent was a perfectionist and his actions were driven by his desire to create a masterpiece of you… and his desire for you. It didn’t all happen at once though. It was a gradual crescendo of his desire and how he expressed/displayed it to you. He would hold your hands, lace your fingers together and run his thumb over your knuckles and each one of your fingers. He would hum and smile as he ran his fingers through your chocolate hair, twirling a lock of your hair between his long and slender fingers.

You would think that Vincent was a shy man but he proved to you that he was absolutely not.

Vincent: *places his chair in front of you and inches closer to you* “Marie… I just… the details of your face are the only parts left… will you allow me to… please?”

He didn’t have to continue his sentence. You knew exactly what he was asking for and a simple nod was enough to give him the courage to cradle your face in his hands. He caressed you so lovingly, letting his fingers trace the contour of your beautiful visage and etch each trait of yours in his mind. His fingers brushed over your eyebrows and lashes lightly, traced your nose and rubbed your cheeks. His eyes finally settled on your lips, letting his thumb trace the contour of your lips.

Vincent: “Marie… I want to… ”

Marie: “Just kiss me, Vincent.”

Vincent grinned and kissed you so softly, taking you to heaven when you realized that heaven was with him, in the arms of this angel. The moment you tried to break your kiss, Vincent just pulled you in for another, kissing you even more deeply, both of your dreamy sighs echoing loudly as you finally rejoiced in the love you both shared for one another.

When you became lovers, this man absolutely loved kissing you whenever he got the chance, wherever the time or place and he adores it whenever you do the same with him. (He used to get all blushy in the beginning but later on, he didn’t mind it at all)

He doesn’t even realize that he’s actually kinda clingy. When you’re around one another, he always wants to be next to you (you touching him, him touching you or just being in close proximity to one another).

He is the ultimate cuddle bug (he can’t even sleep without having you in his arms, holding your hand and simply by laying his head on your lap.)

He understands that you like certain things to be organized in a certain way and he absolutely doesn’t mind it. He’ll either get out of your way, let you arrange things the way you like but most likely, help you and try to make sure things are the way you want them to be.

He is the most supportive boyfriend (aka. best husband material) and stands by you in every single decision you make. He respects your choices and will back you up all the way (and he knows you would do the exact same for him, just like Theodore and even more). [You want to become a singer? Do it. You want to become a dancer? Do it. You want to become an artist? Why not!?]

This. Man. Gets. Extremely. Jealous. The residents of the mansion actually are kinda scared of what he is capable of doing (Vincent actually broke you out of a hug with Theo, his own brother). [Theodore was actually trying to be nice to you for once and thanking you for being there for his brother (cause being an artist in the old days in Paris was extremely hard). He was so grateful to you and you couldn’t help but hug him for being open and accepting of you. (Theo is a tsundere so you had to give him some credit)]

Nobody would dare try to make a pass at you or say anything remotely flirtatious to you (especially if you were dancing or singing). [They will meet the unknown and feared wrath of the angelic Van Gogh]

Sing to him. Night or day. Hearing your voice gives him the inspiration he needs during the day when he’s painting and soothes him to sleep at night.

PS: Le Comte let you have a dedicated area in the mansion so you could practice ballet. It was off-limits to all residents of the mansion. When you invited Vincent to come watch you practice (he actually expressed his wonder and his desire to see you and you couldn’t resist his cute eyes), the vampire almost literally melted when he saw how graceful you were and even got teary as well. Your beauty is absolutely ethereal to him (and now he wants to paint you in a ballerina pose).

PS: Vincent was so close to shouting (he never ever even raises his voice) at Theodore for calling you one of those two names but his younger brother caught himself in time.

Places he kisses to show you affection: your nose, your lips and the corner of your eyes.

NSFW Ahead ~

During your first time together, this man was not flustered AT ALL. He knows what he wants and he wants you. His human and vampire instincts were on overdrive, he was functioning on his desires and instincts alone. Before getting started, he apologized to you, warning you that he wouldn’t be able to hold back and you were more than grateful that he didn’t. He ensured that you were thoroughly made love to and marked. He undressed you slowly and he made sure to taste every single inch of you that he exposed. Your body was his canvas that he wanted to explore and discover and his lips were his brush, painting you with the essence of his desire and yearning for you.

From the first time, you knew that Vincent was more into servicing/pleasuring you then receiving any pleasure. The selfless angel made sure that you came multiple times (by stimulating your breasts with his lips, teeth and tongue, cunnilingus, fingering you and caressing you everywhere) before letting himself sink into you.

When he gets needy, he will either take you or have you take care of him. He absolutely hates to jerk himself off on his own or when he’s by himself. He feels like sex is something sacred that you both should always share and without any intimacy, without you there, your presence, your voice, your touch, he is not interested. (I believe there is a possibility that Vincent might be demisexual)

His moans and his grunts are soft and so erotic, you wholeheartedly believe that it’s ASMR material that the world would simp over. But this man is all yours and you could do absolutely anything you want with/to him and he wouldn’t mind. He wants to see the world from your eyes so he asks you to do things to him just like he does to you. He always treats you as his equal in all things and sex is definitely included.

Seeing him pleasure himself is absolutely salacious and mesmerizing things you’ve ever seen. Your angel doing the most sinful of things, he moans your name endlessly like a prayer to the heavens, begging for the release that he only wants to share with you. With his knees spread apart, his buttoned-up shirt open (cause he was so hot under his collar, he couldn’t take it), you would watch him stroke himself before you with his lips glistening, swollen from being bitten (while he edges himself because you told him to), he would tell you all the things he would do to you.

He had an absolute fascination with your neck and there was nothing more beautiful to him than seeing you lying on the bed, wearing absolutely nothing but the choker he gave you for your birthday and the marks he bestowed on you through your love making. In the heat of the moment, he would occasionally wrap his hands around your neck, in admiration and presses on it during sex, without realizing that he was kinda obstructing your airway. (he never really thinks about it when he does it, his body kinda moves on its own when it happens)

After sex, Vincent always asks if you’re okay, cleans you up and praises you, showers you with words of love and asks you if there is something you wanted him to do differently. He always makes sure to check with you whether you enjoyed yourself or not. There would be no point to making love if you did not enjoy it.

Whenever the two of you made love (and after a certain point, fucked)[Vincent is more of the lover type but when his emotions are intense, he’ll fuck you hard until you can’t walk], your bodies would be roadmaps of where each of you had been. You often spend time caressing each other's bodies over the mark you’ve both left on each other, the most satisfied of smiles on your faces.

Kinks: body worship (the artist in him - he is very fond of your neck and breasts) and loves it when you blindfold him.

Favourite place to bite you and suck on your blood: your neck. There is no doubt about it. He bites into your neck, lets you ride the wave of pleasure as it hits, pulls back only slightly to let the blood trickle down your neck so he could lick it back up while leaving a trail of love bites in his wake.

Favourite position: cowgirl (he sees you more clearly and likes to watch you unravel)

In the beginning of your relationship, he thought that it might be a gesture akin to “tainting” you if he let his release spurt on you. But the more he understood about sex from you and from his own desires, he actually starts feeling the urge to come on your stomach and inside you.

He becomes absolutely weak when you sing or when you dance (and not just in an emotional way). He kinda hates himself for getting a hard-on whenever he listens to you or watches you dance and you often take it as an opportunity to tease him about it. Sometimes, you have absolutely no idea what would come over him but your man could not wait until you would make it back to your room. If you were in the gardens, if you were in the hallway (and did as much as tease him), he will take you there and then. If you did as much as protest, he would tell you that he’s tall enough to cover you if anyone caught you. He was not afraid of doing risky things with you because he was not ashamed of the love and desire he had for you.

It all started with a painting lesson. Just some quality time with your boyfriend and there were traces of painting on his cheeks, hands and arms. You slowly began to undress each other and he began teaching you how to paint with your body as his canvas, and his body as yours. He would tickle you with his brush and you would both giggle. You consider this as an intimate activity between lovers, where they enjoy each other’s presence in the nude but it would be too much to ask if Vincent had to reign his desires in. You would often wake up the next morning, covered by sheets splattered with paint. (Poor Sebastian)

He would suggest if you could use chocolate instead of paint after a few times and he was so incredibly blushy about it. He has absolutely no idea whether you would agree to it or not, but he learned that the best way to make your relationship work is to make sure to always communicate with one another, candidly and honestly. He had absolutely nothing to hide from you.

Vincent likes it when you sleep naked so he could gently remove the covers and draw you/paint your nude body basked in the moonlight/sunlight. [PS: Theodore didn’t look at you for days cause he accidentally came across the collection of nude sketches Vincent drew of you.]

Runner-up Suitors: I honestly ship you so hard with Vincent. But if I must, have to, absolutely must choose a runner-up, it would probably be Napoleon.

#ikemen vampire #ikevamp #matchup #ikevamp matchup #ikemen vampire vincent #ikevamp vincent #vincent van gogh #ikemen series #ikemen #fluff #smut #i really hope you like it <3 #i ship you together so much #ikevam

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sifeng · 4 years ago

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Love and Redemption: Some Thoughts and a Comparison with Ashes of Love

So, I’ve been watching Love and Redemption (琉璃) and while there are some visible faults, I also quite like some plot points and characters. So here are some of my thoughts and also, if your an Ashes of Love fan I totally recommend you check this drama out! The themes are similar, the character setups are similar, the worlds are similar too.

I’ve just finished the 35th episode, and I’ve gotten to a point where a flower creature of sorts has been forced to become Ling Long 2.0. I actually really like this idea because it shows that a lot of people become evil because of the people they are around, not because they are naturally evil, their personality is naturally cruel or anything else of the sort. Ling Long grew up around “orthodox” people that, while also imperfect, weren’t sadistic like Wu Tong. Because of that she became a person that liked to fight for peace and removal of evil from the world. However, when her exact same personality was placed in a different atmosphere without previous memories she became just as sadistic and cruel as the people around her. I think that actually fits super well with the overall theme of this drama, which is that good and bad aren’t black and white. Even a person who is “good” in the subjective sense of that term can just as easily be “evil” if placed in a different growth environment. Honestly I find it so interesting that Ling Long went from A Zhu to A Zi (Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils reference) in like one episode.

A Comparison

When I first started liking cdramas, one of my first favorites was Ashes of Love (香蜜沉沉烬如霜), but I actually like this drama more. First of all, I think the pacing is better. The beginning of AoL was a little draggy now that I think about it, and Jin Mi only began to really show her feelings for Xu Feng around episode 30 (and it wasn’t even Jin Mi liking Xu Feng it was Saintess liking the King). In comparison, in Love and Redemption, we see from the very start that Xuanji likes Sifeng in a different manner then she likes, for example, Minyan, thus not only making it easier to ship them, but also being able to get to the tragic elements of the story faster. The CGI in Love and Redemption is simply amazing, beats 99% of cdramas honestly. I wish the cinematography was a little better because with this level of CGI, it truly deserves better camerawork.

Also, I dislike when people call Xuanji stupid, because while in the beginning she is a little dumb, she really isn’t as bad as some other characters out there. She’s like what 20? And she’s never left home or her training place in her life. Why would anyone expect her not to make trouble? Or get in trouble? That’s like teaching how to memorize all the math formulas in the world, but not teaching you how to use them and then blaming you for not being able to apply them. I haven’t gotten to the really tragic part where Xuanji and Sifeng get separated, but so far I like her more than Jin Mi honestly. Xuanji might not be the smartest person, but I love how trustworthy she is of her friends and how high she holds her friendships. Unlike so many of the adults in this series, she actually uses logic to try to understand problems not just problematic and contradictory pieces evidence. Like when Minyan is accused of being betraying their sect, she doesn’t just go “oh there’s ‘evidence’? Then he must be guilty”, she actually thinks about his character and personality and how illogical it would be if he actually betrayed them.

I also like Sifeng more than Xu Feng. When he was being accused of being a demon, he managed to bring up inarguable pieces of evidence that clearly proved he was not a demon, or at least not a problematic one instead of just going like “you should believe me because I’m so great!” (not that Xu Feng did that, but he did use ethos instead of logos, though, both apparently don’t work if you’re a male lead in a tragic xianxia). The tragedy of his character is done so well honestly. He died for Xuanji in 9 lifetimes. NINE. Please give him a happy ending. (Okay but I really dislike his second hairstyle with the two strings of hair hanging out and also Teng She’s hairstyle. Why can’t they just tuck that piece of hair in? It makes me feel so annoyed for some reason.)

No one likes Hao Chen, and I’m glad. He hates people manipulating Xuanji, but he manipulates her all the time. I do agree that if Xuanji is happy without her six senses, she shouldn’t be forced to search for them, but she isn’t happy and she wants to search for them. So why should anyone who actually likes her try to prevent that? But I actually think his character is written relatively well. As the ruler (or second in command?) of the heavenly realm, he has to put matters in front of romance, though that doesn’t mean he has to manipulate her. I understand why he does what he does and I don’t think his character is as illogical as Wu Tong, but yeah, I definitely don’t agree with what he does. In comparison, Run Yu is truly quite likable. He does try to keep Jin Mi to himself instead of letting her be happy, but overall his story is written really well and evokes our sympathy.

Oh and when it comes to friendships I also prefer the ones in Love and Redemption. First of all, it’s not just Xuanji and Sifeng who are cute together, I like that Sifeng is friends with Ling Long and Minyan as well, and they also become friends with Yanran (or Xiao Yinhua) and Ruoyu as well (though they could’ve avoided some tragedy if they hadn’t befriended him). I don’t know why, but I’m really excited to see what tragedy our OTP goes through later on, because I’ve seen the gifsets on Tumblr and boy am I excited for some tragedy!

But one thing that is better about AoL is definitely the acting. I think Cheng Yi and Yuan Bingyan did pretty good here, especially Cheng Yi, but Yang Zi, Deng Lun and Luo Yunxi (especially Yang Zi and Luo Yunxi) are more experienced and thus obviously better, especially when it comes to really emotional scenes.

FInal Thoughts

One problem I have with Love and Redemption, at least so far, is that the evil demons have no motivations to be as evil as they are. I’m pretty sure I’ll get a reason, but so far I have to say that they aren’t really well done characters in that sense. Especially Wu Tong. Like this guy has no backstory whatsoever, but is extremely cruel and sadistic from the first second we meet him. Maybe he’s like really just insane or something, but his whole “sympathy story” for why he joined the demons makes zero sense. He wanted to murder someone because him cheating gets revealed and then gets mad that the father of the person he tried to kill wants to get revenge. His story also contains two (as of so far) unexplained plot holes: 1. why every single sect decided to chase after him and 2. why he managed to escape death despite a bunch of skilled martial artists running after him for like a really long time.

Lastly, I like the fact that the orthodox people aren’t exactly “evil” but their goodness is what makes them annoying. They don’t mean harm when they tried to test if Sifeng was a demon or if Minyan is a betrayer, they truly are thinking for the overall good, but their constant paranoia and need to do “what is right” and not “what makes sense” is truly what makes them unbearable. They sometimes throw away all logic for love, or sacrifice their own daughter in order to “do what’s right” instead of actually thinking of a method to not only save the daughter and keep the world at peace. It’s because of their goodness that they are able to be manipulated into idiocracy by Li Ze Palace.

Oh and one last thought. I don’t know if it’s on purpose, but the lack of people in the heavenly realm is really interesting. Like, maybe the producers didn’t have enough money, or shots of the heavenly realm with more than like ten people (not in war) don’t exist in the book either, but it creates the image that the realm is super empty. The human realm, despite all its faults and cruelties, feels so much more alive and full of life in comparison to the boring and cold looking heavenly realm.

#cdrama #cdrama recommendations #love and redemption #琉璃 #ashes of love #香蜜沉沉烬如霜

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river-bottom-nightmare · 4 years ago

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If you’d like to, I’d love a fic rec. I like all the fandoms in your bio so I’d be interested in whatever you want to talk about. Thanks!!

Someone actually sent me the ask I’ve been waiting for oh my god. Anon. You are an incredible person and I love you. Okay so. If we were doing spn recs, this list would be over 300 fics long. If we did Marvel, I’d have to explain my stance on the current comics, and say why I like some parts of the MCU and why I dislike others. For Shadowhunters, and I say this sheepishly, I just posted a fic on my ao3. If you’re interested, please check it out! And I have been on a DC binge lately...so let’s do DC!

Now keep in mind I have so so many fics, so these are just my top favourites. They’re also pretty general and all over the place, so if you want a rec list for a specific ship or gen relationship or fandom, just let me know! I’d be more than happy to write one.

1. Yesterday’s Voices by @lemonadegarden

While trying to take down a drug cartel that deals with memory altering drugs, things go awry, and Batman wakes up with no recollection of the last five years. As a result, his family must now race against time to find the antidote, while also having to deal with a Bruce who still thinks Jason is Robin. A Bruce who doesn't recognise most of them. A Bruce far less jaded and cynical than the one they're used to. A Bruce who still cares.

Gen. 49,000 words. This fic was incredibly sweet with just the right touch of angst. Featuring a lot of Bruce being a dad, Jason and the rest of the batfam making amends. The author has impeccable dialogue and conveys the emotions of the characters beautifully. The pacing is a bit off, though, and the beginning seems rushed while the heavy emotional parts seem long and drawn out. Overall, a pretty satisfying read with a happy ending.

2. The Mystery of the Superboy Shirts by Aviatricks

The thing is, Tim is a detective, first and foremost. And like most detectives, sometimes he just can’t let things go. (Or, how Tim acquires several hundred Superboy t-shirts)

Tim/Kon. 4,000 words. I’m sure this fic has been recced a thousand times in a thousand different lists, but there is no way I can leave it out. Good old fashioned fluff and humor. It’s light and happy and leaves you with a laugh at the end. If you’re in the mood for a oneshot full of smiles and core four fluff (and really, who isnt?) then this fic is a go-to!

3. Every Fiber of My Being by @lanestreets (I am so sorry if this is the wrong url. The one on ao3 didn’t work so I had to do some digging.)

As much as Dick and his siblings have argued, Bruce has never budged on his "Keeping Secrets Policy". There's not a person alive outside of the family that knows the secret identity of any of the Bats. Not even Dick's boyfriend. Dick understands the need for some secrets, knows that keeping their identities safe keeps them and their loved ones safe, but when he takes up the cowl, team dynamics aren't the only things that begin to change.

Birdflash. 21,000 words. This has got to be my most favourite birdflash fic of all time. Partly because it’s based off Dick and Wally from the comics (their personalities are particularly Titans-esque, but I’m not 100% sure) rather than from Young Justice. It’s mainly Dick-centered, showcasing his relationships with Wally but also with the rest of his family. If you’re not sure of what exactly happened with Bruce being lost in time and Dick becoming Batman, I would brush up on that first, because this fic won’t make much sense without it. It takes you on a whirlwind of feels, and the frantic, gradually quickening pace of the prose matches the plot of the fic, and I just - ah! I would definitely give this fic a read!

4. Declensions by @dustorange

“My father,” Dick says, “worked the rope. It cut him. His hands were never clean.”

Gen. 13,500 words. Dick-centric. This fic is absolutely gorgeous and it needs more love. The reason I think it’s so incredible is because it takes a deep dive into Dick’s Romani heritage which is something that I adore DC did but hate the way the executed it. But still, representation is representation, and when you have fics like these to show what Dick being Romani would actually reflect, it’s hard to complain. Beautifully written, and the overt racism and difficulty fitting in really hits home, even for someone who’s experienced it firsthand. A little bit of the prose is jumbled and hard to follow, but that may be an artistic choice reflecting Dick’s state of mind during the fic. Read this if you want to realize some things you’ve never thought of before.

5. Those Who Wait by @last01standing

The best way to socialize an angry assassin boy: Set up a playdate with someone functionally invulnerable. [Jon and Damian through the years. Reverse!Robins universe. Stands alone.]

Damijon. 11,000 words. I’m not usually a fan of reverse robins, but I liked this one because it focused on the way Damian and Jon’s relationship grew through the years. It also doesn’t just switch Damian and Dick’s names while keeping their personalities the same, or have Damian become a harsh, uncaring person who can barely be classified as an older brother, both of which I’ve seen in these types of fics and I hate. Damian’s character development is extremely well done and actually realistic, so kudos for that. Jon is written as an actual character with feelings and motivation, rather than a “smol little bean” whose entire personality is “uwu.” While it can be funny in incorrect quotes and humor, it doesn’t do well for depth, and I like how this fic explored Jon’s human side. All in all, an interesting read, almost to the point of a character study. Also the shipping stuff with the eventual happy ending is cute too.

6. In The Game by WithTheKeyIsKing

Everyone knows that if you want Don Bruce Wayne to hear you out, there are a few people you have to talk to first. (And frankly, his sons can be just as terrifying.)

Gen. 4,000 words. Part 1 of a series. Once again, I love this for the way the characters are explored. Each member of the family’s individual personalities are examined, then taken and twisted just slightly to the left, leaving you breathless reading a fic that actually seems 100% plausible. The second person in the first fic is a bit off-putting at first, until you reach the end and realize what the author was setting up for. While not a fic I like to read as an alternate way of imagining canon, this is a cool idea worth a visit.

7. Safe and Sound by @kingburu

Post-Endgame, Nightwing finds Kid Flash at Mount Justice.

Birdflash. 12,000 words. I have literally created a moodboard for this fic, that’s how much I loved it. Now, I’ll be the first person to say I’m not a fan of Young Justice. While it set up a good premise, the characters are introduced and gone too fast for us to actually care, and the show is just different enough from canon comics to seriously bother me. But, if there’s one thing I truly loved, it was Dick and Wally’s easy friendship in Season 1. It was like the ultimate best friends to lovers. However, apparently DC can’t ever let me or Wally be happy because Endgame happens and I die a little inside. This fic is a self indulgent little oneshot of Wally accidentally time travelling to the future, after he died, and coming to terms with the fact that he loves his best friend and he left him all alone. Heartbreakingly sad, this takes you on a journey through Wally’s emotional mindset. It does not have a happy ending, and leaves you feeling bittersweet in all the right ways.

All right, those are seven of the best DC fics there are, at least in my book. Once again, these are just general. If you want a specific pairing or fandom, just let me know. Ask and ye shall receive. Also, if you want to scream one of the fics from the list you read, or any other fic or headcanon, just message me. I’m literally always down to talk.

Hope you like the list, anon. Happy reading!

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aylinaliens · 4 years ago

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One invisible gold thread (tied me to you) — Chapter 1

Fandom: 2Gether

Pairings: Earn/Pear, Pear/Air, Sarawat/Tine, Ohm/Fong

Summary: Soulmate did not always equate to romance, most spend their lives together as platonically. That is exactly what Earn thought would happen with Pear—but as they spent more time together in person, Earn struggles to calm the raging storm of emotions in her heart. Soon enough, Earn finds herself drawn in like a moth to a flame, Pear’s soft bubblegum pink cardigan and bright eyes serving as balm to her soul. At first, Earn just denies what she feels inside, claiming that the only reason her throat closed up when she was in the proximity of the soft-spoken medical student was because of indigestion. As Earn spends more time with her soulmate, she begins to struggle with understanding the intricacies of her own sexuality, but realization never actually dawns on her until she finds out someone was actively pursuing Pear. That was when Earn starts to come to turns with her feelings...but it was too late now. Right?

Word Count: 1779

Notes: in honor of 2gether the movie being announced i have decided to finally post this because let’s be honest...gmmtv is going to clown on us earnpear shippers again. i typically hate love triangles but dear uranus has made me realize that wlw!love triangles are God Tier so thus this fic was born. hope you like tropes because !! this fic will have it all. soulmates? roommates? fake dating? mutual pining? friends to lovers? unrequited love? bed sharing? friends with benefits? it’s what these sapphics deserve

Read the first chapter on Ao3 or down below!

Curiously, Earn lifted her arm and brought it closer to her face so she could examine it. Sarawat obviously understood what was happening, also recently finding his soulmate, so he just leaned back in his seat, sipping on his drink, and quietly observing the own messages on his forearm.

After nearly seven minutes of waiting Pear was done and it was...definitely not doodle of a cat. No, it was something else.

“Oh god. Did she draw a penis?”

Sarawat choked on his drink in surprise. “What?” He gaped. “What did you just say?”

“I said my soulmate just drew an anatomically correct penis on my arm.”

A familiar fluttering sensation cursed through Earn’s body, signaling another message has appeared. She was mid conversation with Sarawat in the process of telling him what time their gig for tomorrow was but never got to.

Full of excitement and butterflies Earn quickly yanked her sleeve up—it’s been thirty six hours since her soulmate last sent a message. It was normal for Pear to disappear for days on end so Earn was used to the delayed reply.

As she glanced down at her forearm she expected to see a reply to the conversation she asked a few days ago but instead it was a drawing.

Once again no big deal—Pear was artistic. She had always sent doodles to Earn.

However, this drawing was not simply just of animals or flowers. She couldn’t exactly tell what it was right now because Pear was still drawing it.

After nearly seven minutes of waiting Pear was done and it was...definitely not doodle of a cat. No, it was something else.

“Oh god. Did she draw a penis?”

Sarawat choked on his drink in surprise. “What?” He gasped. “What did you just say?”

“I said my soulmate just drew an anatomically correct penis on my arm.”

Sarawat looked shocked and positively scandalized but he was not the only one. Earn was just as confused. She held her arm up for him to see and after a few seconds of studying it he came to the same conclusion.

“She drew an anatomically correct penis on your arm. With labels. Why did she send you an anatomically correct penis on your arm?”

Earn lifted her shoulder up in a shrug, leaning down to rummage through her bag to find a pen. Once she did she yanked the cap off and scribbled a quick message.

um...is there like context or a reason that you drew that?

She waited awhile for a reply, staring intently down at her arm for any new piece of ink. It did not matter how long she waited it never came. At least a reply to that question never came. As she studied her arm for what seem like forever the conversation with Sarawat died away.

He knew she was far too preoccupied with with waiting for a message to appear. He was probably the only one in the band who could truly understand what Earn was feeling since he was the only one who had recently discovered his soulmate mark.

Tine was terrible, if not more so, at replying in a timely matter. Sometimes Tine would wait hours just to answer back with a single letter, either forgetting to reply or simply not noticing it.

So Earn waited. Minute after minute. Nothing. Just as she was about to give up that familiar fluttering sensation came back, making her heart soar.

But it was not a reply to Earn’s question. No. It wasn’t even a word.

It was just a smaller anatomically correct penis that was colored in instead of labeling.

Earn pursed her lips in bewilderment but decided that she obviously would not get a reply any time soon.

“I don’t know.” She admitted, shrugging once more. “I really don’t know.”

The first Earn noticed her soulmate mark she was seventeen. She had gym during school today so in between classes she hoped in the shower for a quick rinse off. She didn’t notice any ink nor did she feel abnormal as she scrubbed the dirt and sweat away.

It was afterwards, when she was towel drying her body and trying to slip back on her uniform that she saw pink ink near her wrist.

Confusion coursed through her as she brought her arm toward the light for a better look. She didn’t remember writing anything on her arms.

At first Earn didn’t quite understood what it said due to how faint it was but the longer she stared the more she could understand it.

Mitochondria is the powerhouse cell.

She was shocked, that was sure, but she didn’t have time to think too critically about it because the bell signifying her next class was about to begin snapped her out of it.

Earn forgot about that day in the shower for a few weeks. She knew that soulmates and soul marks were real but it never registered to Earn that was what it was. She didn’t have a soulmate. No way did she have a soulmate. Earn just...forgot that she wrote that. Yeah. That is exactly what happened.

It wasn’t until she was laying in bed one day, laptop perched on her lap as she hummed along to her favorite band, that the memory of that day came flooding back.

A stinging sensation started at the base of her spine and slowly traveled up until her fingertips were tingling and her her throat was constricting. Soon enough the sensation had made its way all over he body, from her fingertips to her toes Earn felt it.

It didn’t hurt, quite the opposite, but it was enough to pause what she was doing.

Then the stinging feeling evaporated into thin air. It was like it never happened. Instead it was replaced by something akin to butterflies but vastly more intense.

A half done math equation appeared near her elbow. A math equation Earn never even learned.

A few beats of silence passed before more ink appeared. It was of a cartoon bunny holding up a sign that that had a phrase on it: Susu Pear!

Earn could no longer pretend like she forgot about writing on her arm. No. This was a soulmate mark.

She practically threw off her laptop off and hastily scrambled out of bed to her desk to grab a pen. Once she found one she tore off the cap and scribbled out a word, feeling as if her heart would leap out of her chest.

hello?

Earn waited for a reply what seemed like years but in reality it was only half a minute.

...hello?

Oh god. Oh my god. She had a soulmate.

None of her friends of family got their soulmate marks yet so she was utterly confused on what to do next. She could search the web for answers but she was scared that her soulmate would disappear.

cute bunny drawing. is your name pear?

The reply was almost instantaneously, showing up before Earn even finished her own message.

thank you! yes, my name is pear. what’s your name?

Before Earn could reply again Pear wrote something else back, just below her previous message.

you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to! i know that some people ignore their soulmate marks.

Butterflies erupted in Earn’s stomach once again but this time it was not because of the ink. Soulmate. Pear just confirmed it. There was no backing out of it now.

my name is earn and...i don’t want to ignore this. unless...you want to?

no! i don’t want to ignore this. i want to um, get to know you. can we do that?

of course. what do you want to know?

everything.

That’s exactly what Earn did, she told Pear everything. Not that night but over the next few years they essentially bared their souls to each other in every sense of the word. Sometimes they would write whole entire essays to each other, forced to erase the earlier conversations or come up with new creative places to write. Sometimes they would send doodles back in forth.

After a few months of talking when the two settled into a comfortable routine, somehow becoming each others biggest supporters. Before every exam, Pear would send Earn the same little cartoon bunny cartoon drawing. Every time the message on the poster was different.

susu earn!

you can do it.

good luck!

earn! you got this!

i'm always rooting for you!

you got this, babe!

Sometimes the messages were so cheesy that Earn felt color flood her cheeks and often never replied because she didn’t know what to say. She would feign innocence when this happened, claiming she was just so nervous about her exam that she forgot to reply.

It was ridiculous—she was so tongue tied and bashful over the same messages you would find on motivational stickers. If anyone else drew these things Earn would think it was dumb but because it was from Pear she thought it utterly adorable.

Earn in return took up to expanding Pear’s musical knowledge and interests. She would use her arms to write down random bits of lyrics she thought of instead of on paper. Pear always took care to never erase those lyrics until Earn gave her the green light.

However, most of the time they just talked. About anything. About nothing. After a few years went by of this Earn grew fond of the soulmate she knew virtually everything yet nothing about.

Unlike most people who got soulmate marks she dated. It was nothing serious, it never was, but she got to experience many different firsts.

Pear, on the other hand, apparently never dated—before or after the soulmate mark appeared—swearing she was far too busy with trying to get into college and than medical school to date. Besides, she wrote one day, I have you. That’s enough.

Messages like that always left Earn melting into a puddle of goo. The thing with soulmates is that they didn’t exactly have to be romantic. Hundreds of thousands of soulmates got their mark but decided to just stay platonic. That’s exactly what Earn thought would happen to them.

It’s not as if she never thought about them in a romantic sense, Earn did more than she cared to admit, but she would always quickly shake out of when she realized that it would never between them too like that.

It has been almost four years and neither of them has asked to meet yet. Surely if they wanted to meet each other they could of. At the start they found out that they only lived three hours apart. After they began college, Earn and Pear found out that they were even closer to each other.

Yet they always managed to skirt around that topic. It would happen one day or it never will Earn wrote one day either way let's just stay like this while we wait for that day to come.

#2gether the series #earnpear #earnpear fic #2gether fic #gmmtv can pry earnpear from my cold dead hands!#love that the fandom collectively manifested earnpear into canon. what do you mean they weren't gfs?? they were #my fics*

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shekissesturians · 5 years ago

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Animes Watched Since Quarentine Started ~

So I just sat down and realized... I have developed a problem X’D BUT it could be worse! So I figured I would share for those looking for something new to watch! Also, what have y’all been watching!?

Full list below the line + reviews! * No spoilers, I promise! I wouldn’t do you dirty like that! * ;-*

1. Kakegurui

This show took me by surprise, I had no idea gambling could be so thrilling! Plus let us take a moment to appreciate the facial expressions animated in this show! Beautiful, just beautiful. Beware though, this anime gets dark, and sick, and you will definitely forget to breath at times. It is a thorough joy.

2. Steins;Gate

3. Steins;Gate 0

Honestly, Steins;Gate + Stains; Gate 0 is one of the best animes I have EVER seen. Legit. Also, It is one of the best stories of time travel I have ever encountered. The way it is explained in the anime is brilliant! Compelling, thrilling, emotional, so much amazingness. I watched in chronological order instead of season order which I really enjoyed. Also one of the most moving anime endings I have seen. All the characters you will fall in love with, and their character development is one heck of a ride. A must watch, 100%.

4. Fullmetal Alchemist

This was a nostalgia back flash for me! It was been years and I felt like reliving it all over again. Which I am glad I did, cus boy was there a lot of heavy themes and topics I did not pick up on when I was younger! One of the biggest themes was this existential undertone throughout the whole show that explored the ideas of humanity, authority, morality and race.

5. Fullmetal Alchemist Conqueror of Shamballa

A must follow up to the original FMA series. It just ties the whole story up in a pretty bow. I remember when I first saw this movie, it was my first encounter this the idea of multiple dimensions and it just blew my mind. The whole this felt so exciting and surreal, and I loved the addition of our timeline playing a part. Watching FMA + Movie over again leaves me a bit torn on which is better, Brotherhood or first adaptation. I think both should be watched for a full understanding of the lore. The first anime series definitely has some holes and details missing, but it’s also so nostalgic and they really give you a better development of characters and feels than Brotherhood does, as they rush through that to get back to the main plot.... so grab some popcorn and watch both and just enjoy the ride :)

6. Angels of Death

This anime has such a unique premise!! And morally it is just all sorts of twisted, which I love! The music is fantastic in it and all the characters you encounter are very unique and fun... it’s dark though, don’t get me wrong.. and twisted. BUT a fun ride if you are down for that kind of adventure!

7. Another

WHOOOO BUDDY! If you want to go on a journey THIS IS ONE! It’s a mind bending premise and each episode ends in so much suspense. I literally could’ve watched the whole thing in one day. This anime is like a jar of Pringles, once you start you just can’t stop!

8. Death Parade

This anime gets the prize for the most misleading opening ever! X’D But it is such a BOP Please watch if you can. The anime overall is a joy, its very thought provoking and touches on the darker topics of death and mortality. Who is really good? Who is evil? Where do they seamlessly blend into each other? Besides the premise being so unique and tantalizing, the artwork is breathtaking! The background and environments the characters exist in are gorgeous. As an artist and a writer, I appreciate this anime on so many levels.

9. Sekkou Boys

Oh god, this anime is a joy. Just pure, clean joy T.T The episode are VERY short so you could finish the whole thing in an evening. But if you are an artist, a Renaissance history lover, or a J-pop fan, you will especially appreciate this joy of a creation. Watch it for your soul, you will feel better afterwards.

10. Kokoro Connect

This is a very intriguing coming of age story to say the least. There is an element of fantasy/science fiction that comes into the picture that stirs all sorts of trouble for our dear group of friends. It makes you really reflect your own intra- and interpersonal relationships and how we perceive and interact with one another. Overall a fun trip to go on.

11. Occultic; Nine

HOLD ONTO YOUR HORSES CUS THIS ANIME IS FAST! Omgsh, if you watch in Japanese like I did, get ready to have tired eyes cus the pace and speech of this anime is like nothing I have encountered before, but it is soooo much fun! It is mystery combined with the supernatural. It’s one of those animes where there is a lot of characters involved and some how everyone is connected in some way, like Baccano! if you have seen it. I would say to watch this AFTER you watch Steins;Gate if you have any interests because it is written by the same writers and there is little things that reference back to Steins;Gate which are really fun to pick up on.

12. School-Live!

I didn’t know what to expect when I started this series. It is not the kind of art style I am normally drawn towards but I am soo glad I watched. The characters are all really fun and cute! Especially the puppy!! <3 You deal with psychological stress as well as a nice mix of slice of life all in the midst of a zombie apocalypse! It’s a combination I never knew I wanted in my life, but now I am glad I have it. Don’t let the cute animation style fool you... it gets DARK. I was full out trying not to sob at one point, but I think that just shows how many levels are involved in this story. Have fun with this ride my friends <3

13. My Hero Academia

GUYS ARE YOU FREAKING READY!? This was the story I never knew I needed in my life, but now I don’t know how I lived without it. Dear god, I binged this one so hard I think I forgot to breath for a week. All of the characters are so dynamic and the overall tone of the series is so uplifting and positive. If you are in a depressive slump just turn this one on. I promise you, you will be smiling and feeling better in no time! It is so motivational as well. Humor, action, suspense, thrilling, emotional- I don’t think there is anything they don’t touch on. Uhg gosh, I could prob write a dissertation on all the themes and undertones expressed in this work. I promise you, this is a journey you will not regret taking <3

14. My Hero Academia: Two Heroes

I’ll be honest, I think sometimes series’ movies miss the mark, or just feel lackluster, like a power hour of filler. This one my friends.... DID NOT. I was really glad I watched it too, because I felt as though it added so much to the main story line. Plus you get to see college years All Might... so bonus! X3 But seriously, it is a very fun movie and it gives you more background to the world you wouldn’t otherwise get.

15. Shiki

First off... THE ART. This anime’s art is so unique and fits so well into the overall narrative. But honestly, I feel like this anime is a work of art, it feels like an old folk tale/dark fairy tale you would elders talking about in a pub late at night. The narrative never went where I expected it to, and by the end I was so morally conflicted I didn’t know what to do with myself. It’s a dark fantasy that really explores all the little nitty gritty grey areas that are often passed over in stories. There were definitely a few scenes that made me so uncomfortable I was squirming. Human nature is truly a sight to behold, and this anime shows it to you.

16. Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress

The Feudal Japan- Post apocalyptic- Steam punk journey you never knew existed! Gosh this anime is amazing. First off the art is breathtaking and many scenes reminded me of Miyazaki. Second, the music is SO GOOD. It’s a concept on the undead that I find to be very unique and truly thrilling. Most of the anime takes place on a train which is such an intriguing element. You also go into human fear of the unknown and how our nature can truly be our biggest hindrance. The characters are great and you get to the point of really rooting for them. Get ready for this feast for your senses!

17. Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress Movie: Battle of Unato

After watching the series I felt like my heart was still missing something. Honestly the whole thing felt like it went by too fast. I still wanted more! This movie helped fill the void in my heart. You get to see relationship begin to form between characters as well as more insight into kabane and all their abilities. Standing alone, this movie is a really fun adventure and gives more insight into the state Japan is in overall.

So THERE YOU HAVE IT! I hope you might have found some new things to watch. I would love to see others lists of things they have watched, feel free to leave in the comments! Or if you have watched any of these, I would love to hear your thoughts! Let’s chat <3

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thisisntjet · 4 years ago

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Letter to the Future

It's Monday, 14th March 2011, 2327h. Let's begin..

This was originally a personal letter to myself, but I thought it'd be better to put it up on my blog. Who knows what will happen then? Will I be in Singapore? Married? Dead? Will I even have access to this blog? Will anything even exist? Will I be famous? So many things running through my mind about possibilities. But that's not why I'm writing this. I'm writing this as a reminder of who I am (or to the future, who I was ten years ago).

At the very least, I am happy. In the general sense, I am contented with what I have and where I am. It doesn't mean that I don't desire for a better life but I don't hate where I am right now. Maybe sometimes the yearning to move ahead tempts me to just drop everything and go, but I know the time will come. Right now I just have to wait.

I can say I'm rather confused too. I don't know what's in store for me and frankly I don't have any plans. I don't want to make plans. That's the whole point of it. I know what I want to be, but not what I want to do. My possible paths are along the lines of drumming and writing—though cinema operator and librarian seems pretty appealing too. I wonder if those jobs will still be around in ten years, or will digitalization of everything wipe off books and movies? Who knows.

Moving on, what I want to be is simple—free. Free from want, desires, sadness; I want to achieve the good life. I want to be more contented, more loving, more accepting, more humble, more motivated, happier. This is the person I want to be. Money and power do not allure me. I believe that a certain level of affluence is necessary for basic survival and happiness, to provide for what I need and nothing more. Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesars. Love is ineffable, Wisdom is ineffable, Happiness is ineffable—but to strive for. Actions speak louder than words; practice what I preach; be the change I want to see in the world. I want to be less hypocritical and less critical. To be more confident and outspoken but less arrogant and aggressive.

I aim to be less self-serving and more people-serving. Corporate jobs kill the soul—in fact, any form of work kills the soul. Do what you love; you can choose what you do but you can't choose what you like to do. The true artist starves for art for only the hunger for expression needs to be sated. Life is short, live the way you'd want to be remembered. Getting paid to do something is work, and it destroys creativity. God is good; God is love. God is music. Religion is blasphemy. We should be Christ-like, not Christians. Principles over rules; Christ came to break the rules. Children should be accepted and loved; understood and appreciated. They are 4-year old Buddhas. Wilfulness and frustration is born of misunderstanding and lack of empathy, therefore learn to empathize with children as well as adults.

Being open-minded is not to be naive. It is to be active-minded; to be conscious of what you take in and what you reject instead of being a jar that the world constantly fills. Be happy, be mindful, live life! There is no such thing as wasted time or lack of time. We let moments pass away without appreciating them. Every time we queue, travel, wait, or sleep; appreciate it! Be in the moment. Life is too short to float through life. Too often we complain that there are not enough hours in a day; Truth is, most of the little moments pass by us unnoticed—uncelebrated.

Prayer is powerful. Justin Bieber is talented. Do not dismiss things you do not understand. It is careless and unbecoming behavior. Look for the merits in everything—life, people, situations. All dark clouds have their silver linings. Form your own opinions, make your own decisions. Do not be shy, do not submit to general consensus or peer pressure. Your life is yours, do not surrender your autonomy. The government should be for the people, and by the people. Mubarak and Gaddafi of the Egyptian and Libyan protests show examples of poor government.

V for Vendetta is a good movie. Fight Club is a good movie. Kick-ass was pretty awesome. John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Eminem, Michael Jackson and Dave Matthews Band are at the top of my list—amongst several hundred other artists and musicians. Leonardo da Vinci was a genius. Diogenes, Socrates and Epictetus are my greatest influences. Buddha and Jesus are also my greatest influences. The Night Angel Trilogy, The Happiness Project, The Age of Absurdity are some of the good books I've read.

Facebook and Twitter are the biggest social networking sites now. The world is destroying itself. I hope 2021 is a better year for humanity.

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galaxyofstories · 4 years ago

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Just ‘cause we can, does that mean we should? - An Altered Carbon (S1&S2) Review

Stories of immortality, the fountain of youth, and shapeshifting are throughout our stories. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde explores the idea of staying young and the corruption of the soul. From Bram Stoker's Dracula to every other vampire story told we see those ideas played out repeatedly. These ideas even come up in folklore from around the world. So needless to say, humanity has always wondered about immortality, youth, and shapeshifting.

Before we start, I have some questions for you. You don't need to answer them, instead, think about them. I mean really consider what it would mean.

What if we could live forever? If death is a part of life, and death is removed, is that really life? But what if there was still a possibility of death, but could technically (under the right circumstances) live forever, would birth and eventual death even matter? What if we could change our faces? Our bodies? If we can change our bodies, should we still worry about illness and disease? If we can change what we look like and we can live forever, does money and power still dictate us? What would humanity be like? How would we change with time as a species? As individuals? Would it be worth it? Does anything matter if our physical does not matter? Just because we can, does that mean we should?

This is Altered Carbon's universe. Humanity has moved beyond Earth (in fact, I think Earth is mentioned only once... and it's pretty far into the series) and we have found a way to become basically immortal. Cool, right?

There are spoilers approaching. Get Ready.

You're immortal, as long as you don't get your stack busted. The stack holds everything that makes up a person (experiences, memories, feelings, thoughts... everything). Stacks can be moved from sleeve (body) to sleeve with very little consequence. Well... That is if you're a Met, a rich person. And the poor... Well... If your stack is intact, you're still a live, but not physically there. Sometimes the poor can afford to rent a sleeve, but the series hints that even renting is a luxury. So what now? We don't die unless our stacks are destroyed, and we can look like anybody we want to look like. What do we do as a species?

Do we socially evolve? Yes and no. Yes: No longer is skin color a factor in a person's worth. Which, honestly, is really fucking awesome. You can go from being born Japanese/Russian to being a Caucasian guy to being a black guy. Since anybody can look like anybody, racism isn't a problem. Yay! Since racism isn't a problem, we see diverse families and relationships. So, point for AC! However, I did wonder what that means in reality. I'm sure there were people complaining about changing the main character's race from Asian descent to Caucasian. I understand why it is a problem when this does occur in other stories, but the changing of race is part of the series. It again, shows that in AC's universe you can look like anybody! I wouldn't have been upset if they stayed with an Asian actor for the whole series, but the dramatic change just drives home that race isn't important in AC.

No: Humans have not socially evolved as far as the economic classes are concerned. There is still a "1%" which holds all power and all the money and they still only care about themselves. The poor are nothing to them. There is no problem, unless it threatens them or their way of life. I'm glad this was in the series because it makes AC's idea of a future more realistic as a possibility for us. Granted, it's more than likely not going to happen, especially with the fact that we haven’t even been to Mars... Mars is 106 million miles away, but C'MON! In the 60s they thought we would have colonies all across the galaxy! Or at least on the Moon. In all honesty, I'm disappointed that we aren't even living on the moon in this day 'n' age. That's beside the point. The point is, the idea some people have that they are better than other people persist even in a universe where none of that should matter. Maybe the creator was hinting at the idea that greed and lust of/for power is a part of the human condition.

Has the human condition changed? No, besides the fact that in the previous paragraph I basically said it does not, there's another example. In AC, as humanity spread out in the galaxy seeking new home planets, we did what humanity historically does... We assumed we were more important beings. Killed indigenous life. And stole their secrets and their lands. Humanity might not be a lot of things, but we are damn predictable. Woo!

Oh. And by the way, just in case you were wondering, sex still sells. In fact, I'm pretty sure it’s one of the main industries on many planets in AC. And it's actually a large part of the first season's story line. Without it, there would have been no motivations for certain characters to do the things they did and the whole season would be like three episodes. With that being said, in season 2 there is less sex. So, at multiple times while watching season 2 I had to wonder, just for a hot minute, if the show's writers and creator added all the sex and nudity just to get their show sold on Netflix. Upon reflection, I decided that yes, some of the sex and nudity (seriously halfway through the first season you see multiple breasts, butts, vaginas, and 1 penis) but I also really think it was an important aspect to the story.

Are you guys ready for my opinion about the show?

If you haven't guessed it, I really enjoyed it!

I didn't think I would like it at first. Sex and nude bodies within minutes of the first episode of shows usually don't grab my attention. Like, I came here for a story! Not soft porn! (Which is why I never got into True Blood despite the fact I love vampiric stories!) However, I love stories that are intricate webs. Almost like spiderwebs. If you touch one thread, the whole web vibrates. And that is what Altered Carbon is. It is a complicated web of mystery, interesting characters, and emotions.

For some, it could be hard to get into because it is so complicated and honestly a bit weird, but if something isn't complicated and weird is it really worth the time?

I also really liked this show because the cast is very diverse!

So all those hypothetical questions I asked at the beginning are questions that I feel like Altered Carbon is trying to answer through the story of Takeshi Kovacs. He's been away from the world for more than two centuries. Hired by a Met to solve the Met's death, which is the main mystery and even though it seems like an obvious whodunit, it is more complicated than it seems. And so is Takeshi.

He's not just a fantastic martial artist and weapon's expert. He is a brother, a friend, and a lover. (And let’s be honest, crazy attractive no matter the sleeve!)

Thinking back, none of the characters are one dimensional. Each one has their own motivations, past, and does the one thing that is important in storytelling, each one grows (whether good or bad). I’ll do a bit about some of the characters, but not all.

Takeshi Kovacs When we first meet him, he’s a dick that hallucinates. I mean, he’s always a dick, but we don’t know why he’s such a dick or why he hallucinates (my money had been on the drugs…). He just wants to find a place to lay his head, maybe get his rocks off, and drink. That’s all he is in most of the first episode. By the end of the first episode you’re left wondering who the hell this guy is! And why the hell is he such a good fighter even though he hadn’t been in the physical plain for more than two centuries! As the series progresses you learn bits and pieces here and there. By the end of season 1, you know who he is. He is Takeshi Kovacs, The Last Envoy.

Kristin Ortega My first thought was either she needed to hop on that dick or go fly a kite. Honestly, I don’t like that that was my first impression of her. She grew on me a lot. In fact, her storyline brought the religious aspect into the story. If we can live forever, would God be okay with that? It was really interesting to me to think about that. Anywho, back to Kristin… There are times that I think her character gets away with more than she should, but again, it fits in well with the whole plotline of the show.

Quellcrist Falconer THIS BITCH RIGHT HERE. HBIC! UGH!!!! She is so cool!!!! I love this character so much! A little less in season 2 because she doesn’t come off as strong as she does in season 1, but it is explained why she’s not as boss bitch. Aaaannd, it’s understandable. But seriously! She is really really awesome! Leader of a rebel cause, extraordinary fighter, master of her world… SO GREAT. And honestly she has some of the best philosophical one liners.

Poe Probably the most human out of all of them. I really enjoy the character. He’s sweet, kind, and smart.

Reileen Kawahara I’m going to let you decide. I haven’t decided for myself yet. Jaeger A fucking asshat. I’m just going to leave it at that. So, this is where I will stop (partially because I've been working on this for days and I just want it posted!) The main takeaway is that IF YOU LIKE STORIES THAT ARE DEEP, COMPLICATED, AND WEIRD WATCH THIS SHOW!! YOU WILL BE SO GLAD YOU DID! And please let me know what you thought of it! I would really love to talk about this show more! If I think of anything else to add I shall post again! Thank you!

#altered carbon #ac #gos review #netflix original #shows

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