#bc this event is the driving force of her character BUT its also already in the past by the time the story starts

[erythristicbones]

is Mars time babey

[loveandlegacy]

nothing ever stays dead: part i

jinx, viktor, death, and rebirth

tumblr is forcing me to break this up into multiple parts because there's a limit to the number of images you can have in a single post 💀. find part ii here. also if you find a zillion typos in these.....no you didn't

anyway.... onward to:

i don't think this is an especially novel take to say that viktor functions as a kind of death-symbol in the story of arcane, but what i do think is neat, and what i haven't seen often discussed is the way that arcane positions jinx and viktor together as parallel symbols of death and rebirth.

i made a kind of joke post about it, and about how i think these parallels seem like they're going to get reinforced in season 2, but i started this essay even before the s2 trailers dropped and i wanted to spend some time trying to be a little more rigorous about where i think these parallels emerge.

to start, it’s interesting to me that jinx and viktor are both native to the undercity but operate separately in piltover and zaun for all of season 1. subsequently, their respective symbolisms run side by side throughout the story only really directly intersect/intertwine (kinda) in ep 5, everybody wants to be my enemy.

in the episode, we get a the montage sequence of pressure points where various characters have to deal with ruptures or fractures in their self-concepts or their planned trajectories. a moment with jinx sets this montage off, setting the stage for the death/rebirth themes.

jinx goes through a figurative rebirth in a pseudo-baptism - which is followed by a fade-to-black and then really abrupt return to reality with the shimmer bubbles. we already know shimmer is a transformative substance and that it will play a part in the much more violent and direct near-death-to-rebirth pipeline for jinx later in the story. it’s an interesting pattern of foreshadowing for jinx all on its own.

but! rather than having her arc proceed alone on that trajectory, the moment braids with viktor’s a few scenes later, in the same montage. where jinx has a ritual moment of death-rebirth, viktor’s character ‘rupture' is his very literal post-brush-with-death awakening.

they are both somewhat consumed by darkness in these moments. jinx literally disappears into it, but viktor also is only half-visible bc of how the light falls on him in this shot in the hospital room. both characters dissolve into a veil of something unknowable to us, the living audience.

in this way, these shots unify them in their nearness to death. our last glimpse of jinx as she disappears under the water is an overhead closeup shot, and then a few scenes later, our first sight of viktor in the hospital bed is also an overhead wide shot, with that camera eventually pulling into a tight closeup of just his face.

viktor’s for-real brush with death changes the trajectory of his life while jinx undergoes her symbolic death and rebirth, and we see them as supine figures sinking down into these roles that are shrouded by darkness.

to drive their matching paths home, as many other people have already pointed out, the cut immediately following viktor's scene and the thing that breaks us out of the montage altogether is a shot of the death and magician cards with jinx's little criss-cross symbol in the hands of the magician.

episode 5 is significant in how closely it positions jinx and viktor to each other. they never interact over the course of the season and we don’t even really have evidence that either one of them knows who the other is. at most, they have access to fragments of each other — jinx has a hexgem, viktor helps dismantle one of jinx’s bombs.

but their matched symbolism actually pops up everywhere.

following enemy - but not following the actual temporal progression of events in-world, which is interesting - more parallels between their stories emerge. viktor's journey with life and death is always a few steps ahead of jinx's, but their paths are tied together through a two specific devices: physical location and bodily transformation.

physical location

maybe the first thing condemning them to this trajectory is the fact that they are the only two characters aside from silco himself who have direct interactions with singed. out of the entire cast, singed is arguably the most visually and narratively underworld-coded character in the entire series. we never see him 'above' ground, and the only time we ever glimpse him in natural sunlight is in his cove, where the shot composition presents the location as a place physically sunken into the earth and also vignetted in heavy shadow, creating a visual border of darkness that breaks the area off from the rest of the world.

just as jinx and viktor were disappearing into shadow in episode 5, singed's crater-world emerges from shadow in our first glimpse of it in episode 6.

his character design also leans pretty heavily on death-imagery. before jinx accidentally burns silco's first shimmer production pipeline to the ground and also fries singed Severely, the silhouette for singed’s face emphasizes the structure of his skull more than any other character's. yeah he's maybe somewhat emaciated, but on a design level he also just has a Death Face (a skull) with very little to soften it.

with singed set up as the steward of some under-other-world, his home functions as the physical location where the boundary between life and death is thinnest.

in the chronological sequence of events — but presented non-chronologically in the story — child-viktor’s first encounter with singed requires him to take a journey that follows the logic of a katabasis through the visual language of the camera.

in episode 6, viktor loses his little boat. to recover it, he has to chase it by first entering a tunnel that leads deeper underground (low camera angle; he's traveling downwards towards us, the audience, but also into the earth). for a moment, the implication is that neither we nor viktor can see his boat. as the scene unfolds, we the viewers then have to pass through darkness (!) before the boat becomes visible again in a place that's distinctly different from the site where viktor fell: a slow-moving stream adorned with preternatural plant life.

and all this for the wayward little boat to lead viktor directly to singed and his underground other-world, teeming as it is with the raw materials used to manufacture shimmer.

in mythology, a katabasis is the journey a hero takes into the underworld. the word is greek in origin but the process is not unique to greek myth and, depending on the story, the hero undertakes the journey for any number of reasons. regardless of the origin of any given katabasis myth, the notable point is that the process of going to the world of the dead usually changes the hero in some way that isn't possible by any means other than putting themselves in proximity to death.

in viktor's case, the most comparable myths are odysseus, who travels to the border of the underworld to receive knowledge and prophetic warnings from the dead, and odin, who kills himself as a ritual sacrifice and, in his 9 days of death, receives prophetic visions and various supernatural abilities that he manifests once he returns to the living world.

viktor isn't an epic hero in the same way as odin or odysseus, but his journey through darkness — which episode 5 established as a kind of occluding veil between the living and the dead — follows the logic of a katabasis. following his boat takes him to a specific location: singed's underworld. there, he unhappily gains knowledge about shimmer and its nearly necromantic properties that, at that point in the story, only singed seems to be aware of.

on a literal level, viktor stands close to death through rio, whose life singed is trying to save. but he's close to death on a symbolic level in singed's domain, whose visual presentation situates it as both underground and also somewhat detached from the rest of the undercity.

singed's home is even circumscribed by water! a parallel to greek myth in which water plays a crucial role in underworld's geography; the souls of the dead and the epic heroes who travel deeper into the underworld must cross the river styx — ferried there by charon just as viktor's little clockwork boat ferried him to singed's doorstep.

so viktor's childhood descent exposes him to knowledge that he can't fully grasp.

at least not until much later in life when he makes his second katabasis in which he claims to understand the knowledge singed provided to his younger self and also gains new insight into both shimmer and the nature of the hexcore that, according to the broader story, no one but singed can provide.

in between these two descents, jinx is born (figuratively, as jinx; maybe literally also as powder) and undergoes her baptism at silco's hands.

baptism isn't the same thing as katabasis, but some denominations in christianity position it as a necessary step in the process of rebirth for believers, allowing them to shed the polluted self of their past (sinful) life and be born anew, incorporated into the spirit of christ. like greek katabasis in particular, baptism allows the believer to be reborn and therefore changed without necessarily requiring a physical death first. in symbolic parallel to the greek underworld, baptism requires a 'passage' through water for the rebirth and transformation to take place.

the baptism in arcane obviously has nothing to do with christianity or religious impulses, but it does shroud jinx in a specific kind of death-aura in the same way that viktor's twinned descents do for him. silco even sets this symbolism up for us when he tells jinx directly that she has to 'let powder die' after he describes how he was born anew after vander attempted to kill him.

as mentioned earlier, even though the unfolding narrative initially shows us viktor's first katabasis after we’ve seen jinx's baptism, he undertakes his journey long before jinx is baptized in the in-world chronology. his actual almost-death chronologically happens after his first katabasis. following this logic, the story makes a point: a symbolic proximity to death precedes and preordains a literal one.

viktor makes his first descent as a child. then, as an adult, his illness leaves him coughing up blood in his lab and shatters his life with a terminal prognosis. after his figurative brush with death, he receives an actual death sentence. jinx's story follows a similar pattern. her baptism provides her with the symbolic death-and-rebirth cycle, but three episodes later, in oil and water (ep 8), we find that her confrontation with ekko has left her close to actual physical death — and brings her into singed’s domain aka the specific physical location where life and death bleed most into each other.

in this specific place, jinx who is otherwise a very physically dynamic character, is sapped of all strength. she’s semi-lucid on a vivisection an examination table. the camera positions her like a person entombed. when we see her face, she's presented in a close up and on her back horizontally in the frame, like we, the audience, are laying next to her. parallel to her, we’re in a position of equal (minimal) power.

but when we see what jinx sees, it is always from below. the avatars of vi and powder stand above her, positioned at first outside of this underworld delirium and in an electric-red world. the implicit land of the living is not only above jinx and out of her reach, but also too garish, loud, and terrifying for someone whose vitality is slipping away.

caitlyn/singed also loom over jinx, with the camera sitting low, looking up at them.

obviously this is in part because jinx is tied to a table, but the framing tells us more than that. the living stand somewhere above the dying. the living possess a kind of energy that the dying lack; they can move while the dead can only watch.

jinx is helpless, stuck in the location that the story has synonymized with the underworld, becoming both a corpse and something like a ghost, while the living are able to glide through and interact with the world effortlessly.

but this near-death isn't permanent. as silco says: she won't die, doctor. she can’t. and it's true. jinx’s baptism was her katabasis — a symbolic promise of what eventually unfolds in singed’s gloomy underworld. when she almost dies for real, his treatment rebirths her, painfully and dramatically, and transforms her. (<- onward to part ii)

[articskele]

YIPPEEE MEADOWCLAN INFODUMP :D

Basically I took the Tomodachi Life philosophy of shoving all of your OCs and favorite characters into Situations together and applied it to warrior cats to see what would happen and it’s so fun and I already have so much lore akjfldf!!!!

OK SO. Meadowclan! This grassy hilly area with lots of flowers, a river, and a forest off to the side! Cats often decorate their fur with flowers, both bc it’s pretty and to hide their scent so they can hunt more effectively.

Kits batting at butterflies and bees (and quickly learning not to attack the latter lol). Cats mostly hunting rabbits and birds and fish, with the occasional frog or deer or fox.

And then there's the Moontree, this big old cherry blossom tree at the edge of the territory, whose petals seem to glow in the light of the full moon. Maybe there's some water pooled at the roots, and when significant events happen, cats will look up to see cherry blossom petals blowing in the wind ouo

---

Mothstar arc, aka We Didn't Start The Fire:

It's a rough concept but basically there's a prophecy from Starclan about fire overtaking the valley, something about snow and flowers. It's around the time the clan was first founded so Stonestep (Stone) was going to be appointed leader, but he dies under mysterious circumstances.

Mothblaze (August) becomes Mothstar and is appointed leader, though I'm thinking he doesn't get any extra lives? Something something the clan is just starting out, Starclan is quiet, this is new territory so nobody's there to give the lives, I dunno.

He's charismatic and pretty good at keeping the place running since times are tough, but more suspicious things happen and the rules start to get bent and changed. Cats get exiled and poisoned.

Snowblossom (Artic) discovers the truth and tries to expose him for the murder of Stonestep, he tries to start a controlled fire as an exertion of power but it quickly gets out of control (a gas canister near twolegplace?) The fire is stopped and Mothstar gets kicked out, left to wander the forests beyond the territory.

Which actually lines up fairly well with canon August's story; founding a town, creating a well-managed but ultimately corrupt system, messing with forces outside of his control in an attempt to show power, and getting exiled once his lies are exposed.

(Except in the case of canon, August supposedly drives off this calamitous dragon and uses that to emphasize how dangerous the mountains are and that it's safer with him, until Artic figures out that this dragon is herbivorous and only acting this way because of people being aggressive to it and taking its territory.)

Shimmerwing (Estelle) becomes Shimmerstar as the new leader, and is given a second life by her ghost cat husband Stonestep. Also she was the one who discovered the Moontree!

Cherry blossom petals are seen flying in the breeze above camp, and Snowblossom keeps one in her fur ouo

At one point Mothstar tries to come back to take revenge, but Shimmerstar just stares him down like "this is my house now bitch" alksfjdf

I was joking around with a friend about her giving him coal BUT COAL IS USED FOR FIRE SO IT’S LIKE MAKING FUN OF ALL THE DAMAGE HE DID AAAAUGH

---

Birchfall arc, aka that time the Onceler invented cat capitalism. Catpitalism, if you will:

So cat Onceler starts out as a kittypet named Ollie but ends up in Meadowclan. He's loud and clumsy and easily grossed out, pretty rubbish at hunting and fighting, and he keeps sneaking into the medicine den to eat the mallow-

But what he does have is knowledge of twoleg stuff, and he invents a system using herbs as currency. It quickly catches on and spirals out of control, because now cats are picking so many herbs that they can't grow back.

And with all these herbs being stashed away or constantly in circulation, Nettlefur (Medic TF2 the medicine cat) can't get his paws on the plants he needs to Do His Job.

So it ends with Birchfall getting exiled and he just. Goes back home to being a kittypet like nothing happened akfjakdf

---

Misc character stuff:

- Mothstar is this longhaired splotchy mix of red-orange and brown, with markings on his sides that resemble a moth's eyespots!

- Snowblossom is a small floomfy white cat with blue-gray stripes and little spots on her face like freckles ouo!

- Daffodil is either a birman or ragdoll? She's Snowblossom's mom, currently in the elder's den getting some much needed rest ouo

- Shimmerstar is this sleek black cat with shiny fur that turns blue in the light, like a crow! And the classic white four-pointed star on her forehead

- Nettlefur is a silvery german longhair with the messiest fur alive. He brought a cat back to life once and Starclan HATES him for it

- Stonestep and Thornsong (Cedric) are tuxedo cats but Stonestep has gotten more and more white fur with age, like this! Also Stonestep has a missing arm like in canon + a bobbed tail, and Thornsong has a rose in his fur ouo

- Unlike canon Stone who died before Cedric was born, Stonestep is still alive by that point so he was able to mentor Thornsong and be there for him when his parents dipped out ouo

- Doveheart (Dove) is this cream point ragdoll (white heart mark on chest? White lily in fur?), Maple (Mel) is this BIG floomfy orange and white tabby loner, and they and Thornsong all meet up at the clan borders to hang out. They’re friends your honor

- Cloudpaw (Cloud) is an all white cat, and Dustpaw (Petra) is a sandy brown cat with long ears and a bobbed tail that make her look like a rabbit ouo

- Cloudpaw is super fast while Dustpaw can jump super high, so they work well together! And since they never got separated like in canon, they never had such a strained relationship and they love going on adventures together!

- Their warrior names are Cloudflight and Dustbite! Which is an Another One Bites The Dust joke but also fits the rabbit theme bc dust bunnies!

- Twinkie (Wink) is a red-pink kittypet with a shimmery light blue bow and polydactyl paws!

- Birchfall is a tall, lanky gray cat with white on his belly and socks and face, darker gray stripes on his tail and legs and back, and little freckles hehe ouo. As a kittypet he likes wearing tiny hats

- I haven’t fully decided on a name for Ink but I’m calling him Leafwhistle for now! He’s a calico that was originally a loner, joined for free food, but nothing really changed and he just comes and goes whenever he pleases and nobody has been able to stop him

- Harespring (Springtrap). Yknow that one post about the green cat? He looks like that, but with a lotta scars (including burn scars from the fire), longer ears and a bobbed tail like Dustpaw.

- Harespring is the guy that Mothstar framed and subsequently exiled for Stonestep's murder, but they brought him back after everything gets resolved lol. Currently in the elder's den telling the apprentices scary stories

- Hollypaw (Holly) is one of if not the most reckless cats in the clan- She got exiled during Mothstar's rule for snooping around too much, and she has a habit of eating berries without checking if they're safe

- Her warrior name is Hollydash! Also what if she's the one Nettlefur brought back from the dead bc she ate deadly berries alfkds

- Cloverleaf (Forgetica) is the mediator aka the much-needed therapist

- Spiderfang (Sylvain) is a gray-blue oriental shorthair, very angular shapes. He thinks Nettlefur is the coolest dude ever which is such a bad influence alkfsjd

- Sporeshade (Kieran) is this short and stocky brown maine coon, with a scar over his nose like in canon. He has a rogue partner named Concerto (The Escapist), but nobody knows what a concerto is or how to pronounce it so they just call him Connie for short akjfsdf

- I'm thinking Cloudpaw is being mentored by Thornsong, Dustpaw is being mentored by Doveheart, and Hollypaw is being mentored by Leafwhistle? Also maybe Spiderfang is a second medicine cat

Heeehehehe ouo

[seita]

— bnha abc's: hitoshi shinsou [angst edition].

well, finally the angst! i have no idea what character i’ll do next but we shall see...

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·    

ɴsғᴡ ᴇᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ | ғʟᴜғғ ᴇᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ

⤑ 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧! | 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬  

A- Accident, Would they blame themselves if you died in an accident?

∴ unless he was the reason you were involved then no. ∴ he wouldn’t search for correlation to himself in the event of an accident. ∴ he’s not looking to throw a pity party for himself. ∴ you were the one who was dead, after all.

B- Break up, How would they deal with one?

∴ it depends on the relationship. ∴ if it was long term, a few years together then he’s pretty broken up about it ∴ and will probably take a while to get himself back on the market ∴ but a relationship that’s only been a handful of months ∴ he figures it’s best to just move on from it.

C-Crying, Are they much of a crier?

∴ no not at all, really. ∴ sure, he feels sad but tears never fall from his eyes. ∴ however, if there is something traumatic that happens. ∴ he may shed a few tears into his pillow as he goes to sleep.

D-Death, How do they deal with any death?

∴ pretty well, actually ∴ he finds a way to cope so he can move on as quickly as possible ∴ that’s not to say he doesn’t mourn or just erase their memory ∴ he just moves to work past being broken up about it ∴ he doesn’t want to go through his days with the heavy weight of a death on his mind ∴ the type of guy to visit graves and leave flowers for his loved ones once a month.

E-Emotion, What’s the emotion they tend to push away the most?

∴ anger. ∴ he doesn’t like to be angry and he doesn’t like to show anyone his anger ∴ that’s not always possible so he’ll remove himself from situations that make him angry ∴ he’ll go somewhere private where he can let his anger out without prying eyes. ∴ he feels like shit after losing his temper so he’ll apologize or you’ll have to console him and let him know it’s okay to be angry ∴ he’s human and bottling it up isn’t healthy ∴ he agrees but...tbh nothing changes.

F-Frustrated, How much would it take to push them off the edge?

∴ it truly depends. ∴ day-to-day, he doesn’t really get ticked off or upset easily ∴ he’s pretty patient tbh ∴ but in an event where he worked hard for something ∴ or he really, really had a drive to do something (like get into the hero course) ∴ and he fails to do it ∴ he is pretty easily set off. ∴ but he pushes past and works 10x harder than before until he accomplishes his goal. ∴ he’s a driven man.

G-Great Pain, What is the most painful thing they have witnessed?

∴ when he became a pro, the first time he failed to defeat a villain ∴ and many civilians perished as a result ∴ it’s something that absolutely haunts him. ∴ he had nightmares for weeks afterwards ∴ he fully went to a therapist ∴ like he was fucked up over it ∴ to this day, if he’s reminded of it he will literally get so anxious and depressed, even though he’s seen lots of casualties since then ∴ it was just that first failure that fucks him up.

H-Humiliation, How could they be humiliated?

∴ being cheated on. ∴ the idea that he wasn’t good enough, to the point his lover had to find someone else. ∴ that really damages his sense of self worth and self esteem which is already a bit low to begin with. ∴ he’d feel like there was something wrong with him and now everyone knew he was defective.

I-Injured, How do they handle themselves when injured?

∴ very calm and collected. ∴ he figures there’s no real reason to lose his head over it. ∴ panicking will only make the situation worse. ∴ if it’s a bad injury, he’ll seek help as fast as he can. ∴ if its a superficial wound he’ll probably handle it himself.

J-Jittery, Which part of their past makes them flinch or even worked up?

∴ his childhood. ∴ he was the target for teasing and bullying due to his quirk. ∴ so if anything reminds him of those times, he gets really down ∴ he doesn’t like spiral into depression or anything ∴ but he’ll feel anxious and self conscious until the moment passes

K-Kill, Would they kill for revenge?

∴ no, never. ∴ he’s worked so hard to become a pro hero that he wouldn’t want to jeopardize it by some sort of misconduct as that. ∴ also, he has been accused of having potential to become a villain ∴ and he doesn’t want to give anyone ammunition for that.

L- Loss, What was their greatest loss?

∴ he hasn’t actually experienced much loss in terms of losing anyone to death. ∴ when he was a child, he had a friend before his quirk manifested ∴ and accidentally used it on them, unsure of how to control it ∴ and it scared the other boy so bad he stopped being friends with him ∴ that hurt shinsou pretty badly. ∴ he also probably lost a pet dog, which was traumatic because of how  much he depended on the furry animal for comfort

M- Mistakes, How much do they want to fix the mistakes of their past?

∴ shinsou isn’t the type of person who will do things that have the potential for regret ∴ he thinks his decisions over thoroughly and runs through all options before choosing the most logical one ∴ of course, he fucks up sometimes but ∴ he stands by his decisions, confident that he did the best possible thing he could have. ∴ being a pro hero doesn’t allow for him to regret things -- if he stops to mourn every civilian loss, for example, he would only be run into the ground. ∴ that doesn’t help anyone.

N-Need, How would they react if you needed emergency surgery?

∴ calm and collected ∴ especially if you’re scared ∴ then he’s going to make sure he’s a pillar for you to lean on ∴ that’s not to say on the inside he isn’t losing his mind ∴ bc he def is ∴ he just finds it counterproductive to stress you out while you’re already scared of the surgery ∴ it would get neither of you anywhere good ∴ once you’re in surgery, he’d be anxious as he waited. ∴ he’s check the time and refuse to leave the hospital until the doctor announces you’re safe.

O-Outrage, What makes them angry?

∴ betrayal. ∴ shinsou, when he trusts, he trusts hard. ∴ he puts his faith into them and expects them to stand by his side ∴ so if, for example, you used an insecurity of his against him in an argument. ∴ or cheated on him. ∴ or spilled a secret he told you in confidence ∴ he will be pissed. depending on how bad it was, he’s liable to break up with you. ∴ naturally, once his trust is broken, however, it’s near impossible to fix ∴ so good luck getting your relationship back to how it used to be lol

P-Pressure, What stresses them out to the breaking point?

∴ training ∴ he works hard to better himself to become the best hero possible ∴ but it stresses him out that he’s not improving fast enough, he’s not doing enough, he’s falling behind others ∴ he’s really hard on himself and his drive only makes the thought of failure terrifying to him. ∴ he doesn’t want to fuck up and lose his chance at his dream.

Q- Qualify, What part of themselves do they see as dangerous?

∴ his quirk, naturally. ∴ it’s a pretty dangerous quirk but ∴ truthfully, everyone’s quirk is dangerous in some way. ∴ it’s just that he’s always been trated as if his quirk was the worst possible outcome he could have been born with. ∴ so he feels like his quirk is the Most Dangerous.

R-Rock, What weighs them down?

∴ the idea that his quirk, very well could be a villains quirk. ∴ he worries that he might abuse it by accident and fuck everything up ∴ his quirk is different from combat quirks or rescue quirks ∴ he can control people. he can lock them into their own minds and force their bodies to do anything he wants without having to lift a finger. and there’s nothing they can do it about it. ∴ that scares him. ∴ it’s such a powerful quirk ∴ and it’d be so easy to abuse it ∴ he worries about his own morality at times, due to all the times he’s been called a villain ∴ it makes him doubt himself even though he knows himself better than that.

S-Sorrow, Would they feel empty after your death?

∴ very much so. ∴ shinsou is the type who gives himself completely to relationships ∴ whether it’s platonic or romantic, he puts 100% in. ∴ so to lose someone he had cared for so completely ∴ leaves him with a devastating emptiness ∴ he’s not going to know how to fill the gap your presence left behind for a long time.

T-Time, What if they had a limited time to live?

∴ he wouldn’t panic ∴ he’d spend the time doing everything he needed to do ∴ like see his mother, hang out with his friends, eat his favorite food, spend a night with you ∴ he’d be determined to make sure he wouldn’t regret wasting the time he had left ∴ so he does everything he feels is necessary for having the happiest time that he has left.

U-Urge, How badly do they get the urge to see you after separating?

∴ on a day to day basis, not much ∴ he’s very good at occupying his mind and thinking logically about whether it makes sense to see you or not. ∴ most of the time it’s not. ∴ he’s not the type to go crawling back to his ex unless it’s something he needs to fix with you. ∴ but at night, when he cant sleep ∴ his mind will automatically wander to you ∴ thinking about how it felt when just a few days, weeks, months ago you were curled up beside him in bed.

V-Vent, How do they get rid of feelings they find unnecessary?

∴ he’s actually really damn good at communication ∴ he is so good at just talking things through ∴ it helps him sort his thoughts and it keeps him calm, rather than getting worked up and upset ∴ he prefers to have healthy ways to release his negative emotions

W-Wild card, A random angst headcannon.

∴ when the bullying over his quirk got worse the older he got ∴ as people started to look at him like he was going to harm them ∴ he got frustrated, angry even ∴ he went off on his mom -- blaming her for giving him such a shitty, terrible quirk ∴ he said some extremely hurtful things in his anger ∴ and the picture of his mom’s hurt face over his words drives him insane ∴ to this day, he still feels like he’s trying to make it up to her. ∴ truthfully, it’s been forgiven and forgotten for a long time but ∴ he doesn’t believe he deserves that just yet.

X- X-ray, What makes them transparent? How obvious can they get around something they hate?

∴ you really will not know when this guy hates you ∴ he seems to have mostly just, cold indifference to majority of people ∴ so him hating you; being ignored or treated coldly ∴ will literally not even make you feel hated ∴ it just seems like his default ∴ he’s pretty open about his opinions though ∴ so if you talk about something and ask what he thinks of it ∴ if he hates it, like a movie, he’ll just come right out and say it tbh ∴ so he’s like 50/50 transparent.

Y-Yearning, Do old memories make them yearn for your touch?

∴ yes. ∴ shinsou is the type of guy to look through his phone at old texts and pictures ∴ when he lies in bed at night, he thinks of his fondest memories ∴ he won’t actively seek you out if it’s not logical -- like if you’re an ex. ∴ but if you’re available for him, he’ll seek you out with a deep craving for you. ∴ he wants to make more memories while he can.

Z-Zest, Add your own letters!

[Parents Headcanon] ∴ when he was a baby, his father left him and his mom ∴ that left his mom to take care of a baby all on her own ∴ she was a young mom too, had him pretty early in life; about 18 or so. ∴ so she struggled really badly ∴ he regrets all the trouble he gave her when he was naive to the struggles of parenthood ∴ once he got older and realized how much his mom did for him ∴ he began to work hard around the house so she could relax when she got home from work, cooked dinner, and never asked for anything he didn’t absolutely need ∴ he absolutely adores his mom ∴ and the idea of ever being without her terrifies him.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·    

© all content belongs to seita 2020. do not modify or repost.

[luminousbeansarewe]

what are your takes/version of how the sequel trilogy went down? because i also have my own version in my head, not.... that, but im really interested in the ideas other people have had for it

hoo boy there’s a lot of ground to cover here lmao i will try to keep them as short as i can... i also enjoy multiple versions of events and outcomes for the sequels as long as they’re in-character so i’m not trying to say no other version of the sequels is good or cool bc only a sith deals in absolutes amirite? (i won’t apologize for that dumb joke.) first the jumping-off points:

first of all, i fully support Force-sensitive Finn. even if he didn’t become a full-blown Jedi, if the entire concept of the Jedi was reforged and we don’t see him become the kind of Jedi we saw in the prequels (more on that later), i see him as someone who was attuned to the Force in a way that is similar to how i conceive of Barriss; empathetic to the suffering and joy of others. this would drive him to defect from the Empire and fear it, too. i also saw him becoming a reluctant leader for the rebellion, and there’s a GREAT fic which i’ll link here that riffs on the idea that he creates a spark within the stormtrooper ranks and more and more of them begin to defect... which i love

Rey being a nobody is cool to me. the ONE character moment where she became super relatable for me was when she realized how frightened she was of her own Force abilities. but i don’t think she has to be the legacy of Palps to have that. she doesn’t need supercharged powers to be spooked by them in a post-Jedi Order world where the most recent memory anybody has of the Force is Vader. (also Rey being a Kenobi seems more out of character for Obi-Wan than anything else lol he was pretty committed to the ways of the Order even after they were destroyed, plus he already had one kid to furtively watch over... just imo). this also ties into my expansion on the Force.

Poe being not a carbon copy of Han. i think Leia looked after him, found him somehow after she sent Ben to the Jedi Academy and was a motherly figure in his life. i like the idea that he was a little shit, and she’s the one who taught him to turn his reactive defiance of authority into bravery when fighting for the rebels. i think he looked up to her, wanted to be a leader like her. i saw him in the position of generals like Akbar by the end, as he learns to balance risk-taking with steady leadership. I wanted to see that growth, how those leaders are formed, see Leia get to impart her wisdom to someone. (also i fully support Finn/Poe and Finn/Rey/Poe, i’m not a committed shipper so i’m down with no romance at all between them but those ships are choice af and Stormpilot is all Oscar Isaac wanted anyway, so...) plus can u imagine the dichotomy of Ben the fallen son with Poe, the “adopted” son who became what Ben couldn’t? the guilt of Leia for not knowing how to teach her son about the Force, doing better half-raising a nobody who had the same shitty attitude as Han when they met but no Force ability? THIS IS JUICY CHARACTER CONTENT

Rose was given cheesy lines to introduce an important topic: that fighting is all well and good but throwing away your principles defeats the purpose of the fight in the first place (an important theme in the Clone Wars era, too.) she was there to be the voice of the truly little people in the gffa, who we don’t hear much about in the other trilogies. Finn’s sensitivity puts him at risk of the sorrow-to-hate arc i described for Barriss; Rose is there to be the empathy that sustains hope rather than becomes a crushing weight. i love the idea that she might rally volunteers from blue-collar places (like... Lothal, for example?) and spearhead the notion that the New Republic should be very different from the old one, calling out the fact that working conditions didn’t change with the shift from republic to empire and the First Order simply took it to an extreme that left her and her sister with nothing else to lose.

Ben Solo, hoo boy. so here’s the thing, we don’t KNOW Ben Solo. we were expected to want him to be redeemed because he was the son of Han and Leia, and that’s it. that’s lazy as fuck. him killing Han in the first movie (if it happened it should have been in movie #2, that’s how fucking second acts work) was an excuse to shock people, subvert the ‘i can’t kill my own father��� thing, and make sure we knew he was “evil” even though we’re supposed to also want a redemption arc? you have to read the Rise of Kylo Ren comics to learn that he was a) hounded by the voice of Snoke in his head from childhood, manipulated by it, which is horrific bc it’s like grooming... or b) that he felt HUGE pressure as a legacy Force-user to save the galaxy, lead the New Jedi Order, etc. these are much more empathy-generating and we should have learned them in TFA. echoes of Anakin much? which is why i think him being redeemed in a way other than self-sacrifice (which made sense for Vader given his long history of being a terrible person, knowing it was too late for him in the end, and really just wanting to save his son rather than “become good again”) is more interesting than him just falling (which is too much the same as the prequels.)

it should have been Finn’s call, a moment of Truth that held the balance of Finn as either falling prey to darkness or learning forgiveness, whether or not Kylo got redeemed. Finn and Rey working together to get to that point while Rose and Poe took on the military aspect of the Big Finale would have been great. Finn with a lightsaber to Kylo’s throat, feeling the temptation to murder him instead of making him face what he’s become in a meaningful way? Rey trying to urge him away from darkness as she’s been tempted before, but this is the first time Finn’s really been tested, and he was the one who so often reminded her of her own humanity? Rey calling up Rose’s point of creating a new paradigm instead of recreating the old one, of Poe’s growth or Leia’s willingness to take Ben back showing it’s possible? shiiiiiiit

the rest is going under a cut!

SO... given those things as a basis...

there being no scene where Force-ghost Anakin bops Kylo on the head (but you know, more subtly and with gorgeous metaphor ofc) was a travesty. we needed some version of that, also imo that reaffirms that Anakin was the chosen one... as him redirecting his grandson away from that path would be restoring hella balance

Snoke should have had his own fucked up backstory, if he was even there at all. a dark sider fucking with Ben Solo is reasonable to me, but Snoke could have been someone who looked up to Palps as much as Kylo supposedly looked up to Vader. that would have been interesting... maybe there are multiple “nobodies” who are being touched by the Force, just like there always were in the prequels era, but some are going dark with no Jedi to try to convince them otherwise? or, maybe Snoke’s life was ruined by the Empire and he chose to become the beast that harmed him, whereas Kylo becomes the version where you think you want to do that but then realize that it’s just as bad and you still have empathy and regret what you’ve done?

Thrawn being the main military antagonist, since they couldn’t be arsed to make Hux into anything but a sniveling baby fascist (despite his really upsetting backstory of an abusive father, also found in the comics... noticing a trend here?). Thrawn was already established and beloved in the legends. why would you not use him. whY?? he’s like a foil for Tarkin. contention between him and the Force-users in charge (Snoke and Kylo) would have been VERY interesting, esp with the character of Thrawn in the new canon seeing the Empire as a ‘necessary evil’ and now maybe having the potential to make it into something else? how’s JOINING WITH THE NEW REPUBLIC for a subversion of the classic tropes, Rian?????? you fucker????

if Thrawn’s history is “too storied” for a bunch of cowards to "fit” into a new movie trilogy, invent another antivillain to take Thrawn’s place whose history is a little more concurrent with the sequel era... you cowards

Luke fucking off after his failure isn’t out of character IMO. he was THE STRONGEST JEDI EVER and his star pupil still fell? maybe he broke under the same pressure Ben did. maybe that’s what allows him to reach back out towards Kylo and reconnect, admitting his failure. i want to hear more about him cutting himself off from the Force bc i LOVE KOTOR 2 and Kreia, but maybe that’s too much for one trilogy to delve into meaningfully, i dunno

Han fucking off after Ben wrecked the temple isn’t OOC either. i think Han was always a little frightened of the Force, the way many non-sensitives are. I think he was critical as a father, because he was critical of himself and Han is the king of projection. i wanted more of the dysfunctional relationship between him and Ben.

if Kylo kills Han, the scene needs to show more of the fact that Kylo actually regretted it, which Snoke only alludes to in TLJ, foreshadowing his future. i rewrote Han’s death scene for a friend and got a lot of good feedback about it so maybe i’ll post it here sometime. i can get behind a version where he doesn’t die, too, i just haven’t fleshed it out in my own head.

i like the idea that the Jedi Order needed to be remade, and that Luke saw the failure of the old order when he saw Ben turn like so many of the Jedi in the Order did. i like that Rey and Finn might spearhead this, and maybe Kylo’s role is to know the dark side intimately enough now that he can actually teach how it works, how to deal with it... how inevitable its temptation is. because...

in this canon, i don’t think the Force has light or darkness. i think it’s Force-users who do. it is their internal landscapes which cause them to “fall” or be redeemed or not, after all. Finn can attest to the same, so can Rey and Luke... so like, all the Jedi need DBT therapy or something i guess. lmao hold the dialectic, you nerds

the Force has shown time and time again that it cannot be “balanced” so maybe it is ourselves who need to become balanced instead

the Force is chaos, a never-ending series of colliding butterfly effects that to us will always and inevitably be seen as turmoil, cause and effect on a cosmic scale. if you drink too greedily of its power, or try to exert total control over it, by its nature it will consume you because it is beyond your mortal ken. whatever you hunger for, the force will give you more and more of it until you are overwhelmed, drowning in it

this is why peace was a central teaching of the Jedi... peace, the antithesis of chaos, which can only ever be created from within, the eye of the storm which must be sought time and time again

anyway thanks for coming to my ted talk? i’m always down to hear other people’s ideas for these characters tbh. and always down to get more into these topics if you want to know more... esp as it relates to the failure of the Jedi Order, or KOTOR 2 and Revan and Kreia, or OF COURSE my OCs because Sol has a very interesting relationship with the Force.

thank you for this ask lordimperius!! ^_^

[shoujoaccent]

can you share your thoughts on kuro and iwanaga pls 🥺

ok first, i love them, so jot that down lmao i’m just going to be rambling w/ the information i have today!! which is ep7 of the anime & vol.10 of the manga!!

the first thing i want to touch on is this recent idea that kuro is with iwanaga by force, or her persistence, or not having romantic feelings for her... and even though i can see why people have that conclusion, i feel like a big factor to that ideal has been from 1) their romance has been subtext because of the genre and the fact that their relationship is established, and 2) the fact that kuro’s character, especially in the anime, is flat and often misconstrued... when he both has valid reasons for his characterization and has proven that he genuinely cares for her, her well-being, and their relationship. 

again!! i must repeat!! they are together in an established romantic relationship. this is not a budding romance, so we’re not going to get a lot of moments of them realizing their feelings/etc. he may have moments where he’s not prioritizing her, but he always makes up for it, and shows that he goes out of his way to make her happy. yes, he teases her relentlessly, and yes, he says he’s going to break up with her..... but literally all of his actions indicates his care.

also, the second thing i want to touch upon is that kuro and kotoko’s relationship is complicated because individually, they are complicated themselves. kuro’s lack of attachment can be explained away with the abuse of his grandmother, his strange relationship with rikka, and the fact that he’s immortal (like, why is he going to get legally married when he’ll never have a death certificate?). kotoko flirts, sure, but she’s distant herself. she’s shown that she has no hesitation of bending ethics to uphold the natural order, and that her job will always become before everything, even her health. before kuro, she’s described to being to herself and rare to any emotional outburst. nonetheless, she’s still a rich, protected daughter that was found dismembered... like she has her own rich backstory that doesn’t go away just bc she talks about being horny 24/7 lol

ok more things under the cut bc of spoilers and i cant be vague anymore:

THIRD THING!! another thing that gets brought about kuro’s feelings and it’s the fact that he has feelings for his cousin and saki still. therefore, his relationship with kotoko is strictly platonic... but that’s... that’s just not the case. i need to break this down into parts bc WHEW I HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTS

FIRST, if kuro has feelings for rikka, then there should have been no problem for them to be together. in the recent volume (10), she literally states that he was supposed to be hers... but what eventually ended up happening is the fact that kuro did get closer with kotoko. 

and see, the thing with that is..... if kuro has had nothing but feelings for rikka, then his relationship with saki wouldn’t have happened in the first place either. not to sound pro-inc*st, but they are immortal beings and the last of their family line. there’s literally nothing stopping them besides kuro not wanting to pursue a romantic relationship with rikka... and he didn’t. he got engaged to saki instead.

kuro has also stated that rikka was only in the hospital because she wanted to be mortal again, aka she wanted to die... but why? there’s events that we’re missing and won’t get to see into later down the line. regardless, it’s safe to say that kuro loves rikka to his full capacity as family and as someone who shared his same horrid past, but he doesn’t love her more than that. (he also said she was a monster beforehand anyway so.... idk, maybe that has something to do with that LOL.)

but that also brings us to the next thing: why saki?

it’s been clear that he dates saki because she looked like rikka. they were together to the point of engagement and talks of marriage, but nothing came into fruition bc he’s an immortal that scares off spectres.

but thats the thing too, their relationship would’ve never worked bc 1) he was always hiding the fact on who he was, and 2) again, he is immortal. maybe she was his attempt to be normal, but kuro’s very aware of his situation at all times. i don’t doubt he loved saki, but a lot of his residual feelings from the lady steel arc indicate guilt rather than lingering feelings.

and of course, he feels freaking guilty!!! he lied to her about his condition, and then scared her to the point where she couldn’t even eat certain meats. that’s a heavy burden to be at fault for. (luckily, they do resolve this and apologize to each other!! but that’s the thing too: be the end of lady steel, they aren’t letting go of their feelings. they’ve been aware that their relationship was over for a long time and that they both moved on. there were just some leftover wounds.)

AND AHHH!!!! i think its also to point out the fact that rikka approved saki (aka her clone), but she never approved kotoko. rikka said that she thought she could wait for kuro to get tired of kotoko, but he never did. that’s why kotoko became a bigger threat than she already was. not only was she an indicator that kuro wasn’t looking for rikka in people, but because his feelings for kotoko are genuine. it drives rikka to the point of insanity bc she literally is trying to create something to kill a god.

so to summarize: kuro loves rikka, but only as family. kuro dates saki bc she reminded him of rikka (aka probably the only he did know in his fucked up childhood), but it doesn’t work out bc he’s immortal anyway. kuro dates and ends up having actual feelings for kotoko, which brings us to the present and why rikka feels threatened to the point of violence.

GOT IT!!!

also, since we’re nearing the end, there’s something also interesting about kuro and kotoko’s relationship that i’ve thought about since their christmas chapter. kuro is a broke college student. kotoko is an heiress. they’re constantly going on trips and dates, but for the most part, kuro is going out of his way to treat kotoko. he’s thankful for her parents for taking in rikka, but there’s not a plot about him being indebted to her/etc... and i’ve been thinking about this since the christmas chapter bc he chose to work at his part-time job than spend it with her. at first, it’s easy to be upset about it...... but again, kuro’s a broke college student. of course, he needs to work a lot. he not only has school, bills, and groceries, but he’s trying to accommodate kotoko to a lifestyle where she’s happiest in (like a goOD BOYFRIEND) and it makes me wanna cry ok

in conclusion, i just think it’s dumb to act like these two aren’t together or that they don’t have feelings for each other. it’s there. in fact, it’s probably the only constant/consistent thing in a story with a lot of moving parts. they both lead incredibly complicated lives, but they’re there for each other.

i won’t lie, kuro talks a lot of shit lmao, but i don’t get how that’s different from kotoko being overly sexual/vulgar when she doesn’t mean it either. kuro literally told her that he needs her and her response was telling him to not think he’s hot shit lololol. i get also bc kotoko’s overtly sexual (and lbr, attracts a lot of lolicons), so if she’s not being praised/not being treated like a princess by kuro, then that makes him a worse boyfriend... but he doesn’t treat her poorly. hell, that pinocchio proved that she really takes for granted that he dies a lot of her sometimes to the point with other spectres (aka the things that want to see kuro die LOL) think she (aka their god that they praise 24/7) is harsh.

but that’s what being in a relationship too is. you’re not going to appreciate someone at all hours of the day, but the point is, you have to be constantly taking care of each other, even when you don’t want to. kuro and kotoko are constantly taking care of each other, and thinking of each other’s well-being first and foremost. they might bicker, but that’s a fact that’s always acknowledged by everyone around them, despite initial opinions.

and tbh, i feel like kuro also feels a lot of guilt for rikka. maybe not for returning her feelings, but because his happiness with another person (kotoko) was the catalyst of her running away and causing havoc. i think that adds another layer to his distance with kotoko, but it doesn’t mean he has feelings for her romantically. what i really appreciate about the story is the fact that as simple as things are presented, there’s always a complex reason/backstory for it. there’s never a single moving part for anything. there’s plenty of motives and reasons.

[camimcndcs]

the road back to us

TAGGING: KJ @itskjapa, Cami.

LOCATION: Vancouver, BC.

TIMEFRAME: November 20th, 2020.

NOTES: After four weeks of hell, KJ and Cami relieve some tension on the road to finding their way back to each other.

KJ: The ding of the elevator shook KJ out of his thoughts as the doors opened themselves to let him out, suddenly reminded that he had been making his way up for the past minute. Days on set were more intense and exhausting now that the plot had been established and the characters were thrown in the course of events -- though lately, he had been making sure to come home as late as possible in the hopes that his fiancée wouldn't be awake. Barely a week ago, he had promised himself to do whatever was necessary to change their situation, but the more she acted so uncharacteristically, the less he felt inclined to speak up. Emotions that had been bottled up for weeks now and felt on the brim of exploding at any given moment. He was angry at their lack of communication and intimacy, but also fearful that the wrong word would send them spiraling out of control and to a point where they wouldn't be able to come back from. The line had been drawn in the sand and the redhead was on the edge; praying to have the strength to hold on and not give into his impulsive nature. Something that was becoming harder as the days went on. Quietly opening the door, he swiftly moved inside and closed it behind his form -- dangling they keys on their usual hook before turning around to make his way to the bathroom. A routine he had mastered quite well lately. Except this time, the sight of Camila awake and on their couch rooted him to the spot; driving his heart to beat faster and forcing shivers running down his spine. Unfortunately, not the good kind. "Hey..." he trailed off, tongue darting out and licking the dry lips that had been apart as soon as his eyes had stumbled upon her. There was no answer and the voice in the back of his mind screamed to bolt -- certain this moment would somehow lead to a confrontation. "I'm gonna take a quick shower." He didn't leave her any chance to reply before quickly heading to the other room. Buying himself some time.

Cami: It was out of the ordinary for Camila to be up this late, but it had been a long day at home with Talia and once she'd gotten the baby to sleep she had decided to take some time for herself. Ever since their daughter had been born, life had seemed to completely shift, at first, it had seemed to shift for the better, but as the weeks went on things had taken a turn. The raven-haired girl knew that she hadn't been her true self in weeks, but she couldn't really put a name to what she was feeling. There was exhaustion, mixed in with loneliness, and some sense of needing to prove to herself that she could do this task that was supposed to come somewhat naturally to her as a woman. She hadn't really been properly taking care of herself, but life seemed to be moving a mile a minute and she was mostly focused on taking care of her daughter. At the sound of keys turning in the door into their apartment, a wave of anxiety flooded her body as she debated turning off the television and running to their room to ignore the awkwardness that would surely follow. Instead of running though, she stayed put, turning the volume up a little louder on the TV as she sat in an oversized t-shirt and underwear with a blanket covering her bare legs. Camila could feel his eyes on her as he headed towards the bathroom and she tried to muster a tired smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. As he muttered his hello, she turned her attention back to the TV, running her hands through her hair as he mentioned his next move. She nodded her head in response, but it was after he had already disappeared into the bathroom. Soon the sound of water running in their shower could be heard and she decided at that point to turn off the show she was watching and instead scroll aimlessly through her phone, wondering if anything on social media would explain why he was coming home so late, knowing some of their other friends had returned home much earlier.

KJ: The bathroom was an appreciated safe haven, but one where he couldn't overstay his welcome. There was little to no chance Camila would give up on whatever agenda she had tonight and KJ knew he had to face the music sooner or later -- even if a part of him was tempted to wait it out and attempt to escape the argument that was awaiting them. The clothes he usually put on after a shower were nowhere to be found and with a defeated sigh, he simply gave into the reality of the situation. Not only would she chew him out, but he'd be butt naked during the entire time. Tightening the towel around his waist, he shook the water from his hair with a quick motion of his hand and stepped back into the living room; brown eyes settling on every piece of furniture around. Aside from the couch where his fiancée was still sitting on. Luck definitely wasn't on his side tonight and he had given up on the idea that she could find herself flustered at the sight of him these days -- though perhaps she could find it in herself to have pity on him instead. "Still up?" he inquired after an insufferable silence, finally looking her way as he tried to gauge the expression crossing her features. The redhead had been reading her wrong for weeks now, so he couldn't even be sure if she was mad or simply tired. What he knew for certain was that she would find a way to blame it on him one way or another. "The newbies messed up a few takes-- so I had to stick around on set longer than planned. And then I decided to run home... still have to stay in shape, you know." The words flew past his lips with so much uncertainty and with a need to justify himself. Even if he knew deep down he shouldn't have to, not when she acted as if he was invisible when he was around. Could she really be upset about not having him in bed with her? Curiosity was creeping up on him despite the nervousness he was taken with. Their recent conversations still engraved in his mind.

Cami: The question he inquired after an insufferable amount of silence made her scoff, "No shit. Does it look like I'm asleep?" she questioned with a roll of her eyes. She listened as he explained why he was so late, eyebrows furrowing as he mentioned the newbies. After Lili had come over to check on her earlier in the week she'd gotten quite a earful about the newbies and how easy-going they were, especially one girl in particular who she knew had been filming with KJ. Did she have a right to be jealous? Probably not, but that didn't mean she wasn't. When he mentioned still having to stay in shape her eyes flickered over to his toned chest that was out in all of its glory. Still wet from the shower, almost glistening as if it was taunting her. "The newbies, huh? Which one messed up? Was it Alyssa?" she replied through gritted teeth. "I heard she's soooo great," she added, the amount of sass in her tone quite relevant. She knew that her response to his question about still being up had slightly pissed him off, so she was waiting to see what reaction she would get from this. Camila stood up then, revealing her bare legs, setting her phone down on their coffee table and crossing her arms in front of her chest to stand her ground for whatever would come next. Her eyes kept looking down at the ground and then back to his toned muscles. Something was stirring inside of her, but tonight would probably just end in some nasty fight that had been a long time coming and they'd fall asleep in separate rooms. She had passed the six week mark on Wednesday and her doctor had given her the okay for sex, but she didn't see that happening anytime soon unless she was giving it to herself and where was the fun in that?

KJ: Ignoring most of the things she said had become a second nature at this point, which is why KJ didn't even bother to give the sarcasm that dripped from her words any attention. Instead going forth with their conversation in hopes that it would end soon -- his expectations hadn't been high, so he wasn't truly surprised with the way she was currently acting. What caught him off guard though was the way her eyes took in his chest, something she had not done in weeks now, even when he had tried his hardest to evoke lustful thoughts on her part. He also didn't miss the way she rapidly mentioned Alyssa, one of the newbies in question, with whom he had been getting along quite well on set. He knew better than to get his hopes up regarding the matter, no matter how many signs were blinking in his direction. "What?" he asked in confusion, eyebrows furrowing while he kept his gaze set on her frame -- following her every move and unable to not stare when her bare legs came into view. The redhead smacked himself mentally when his first thought was to ponder on whether or not she was wearing underwear, but the look in her eyes when he met them again was enough to push him back onto the right track. The one that led back to their argument. "She's indeed great." he replied with a smug expression that crossed his face before he could even react, the emotions locked inside his being bubbling up uncontrollably. As if they were about to let loose in an ugly way. "What's it to you? Not like you've done any efforts to get to know them-- her." Her posture and the look in her eye were encouraging him to fight back and push in a way he had kept himself from doing so. It felt as if he had no control over his actions nor his words; the latter tumbling from his mouth without much thought. Was it jealousy? KJ couldn't be sure, but for the first time in a long while, he didn't feel as helpless or sad. She had opened a door that he intended on keeping as such.

Cami: The confusion on his face just made her angrier. What was so confusing? How was she supposed to feel when her best friend informed her that some random girl was becoming besties with her fiancé? Camila trusted him, of course she did, but did she trust some girl she didn't really know? Not really. It wasn't very feminist of her to think that way, but she couldn't help it. Of course she was jealous, but the jealously was all her own fault. "Fuck you," she spat out, rolling her eyes as he smugly informed her of how great Alyssa was. His next comment about her not making an effort to get to know any of the newbies really pissed her off because he knew that she didn't have time for that right now. "Oh, I'm so fucking sorry that I'm only on set two and a half times a week and I have to work almost nonstop and provide nutrients for our daughter, if you want to see if your pecs can provide her with milk, be my guest," she scoffed, glaring at him as she waited to get more of a rise out of him. She was pissed now. He knew that she was constantly tired and unfortunately didn't really have the time to make new friends right now. She had felt horrible about it in the beginning, but there just wasn't much she could do right now. That stirring feeling was back in her stomach as they stared each other down with pissed off expressions on their faces. Sex with KJ was amazing, but she had a feeling that angry, tension filled sex would be something completely different. As bad as she wanted it though, she wasn't going to make the first move. It had been so long, she wanted him to be the one to pounce, to show her just how badly he wanted her. A flame had been lit between them, they had never fought like this and she was eager to see what he would do next.

KJ: There it was, the one thing he had been looking for all along during the past few weeks. The spark that had been missing, the passion left in the dark -- this was more than he had ever hoped for. It obviously wasn't the circumstances he had imagined, but he would take this kind of argument over any of the others they had gotten into. Camila for once didn't look like someone who was going through the motions, looking for fights without any purpose. For once, she was animated by more than futile reasons; a rage that was fueled by the jealousy she was currently feeling. KJ had his doubts previously, but as she kept addressing him, it all became crystal clear. Since she was allowing her feelings to come forth in such way, he felt like the least he could do was reciprocate and see where that would lead them. The worries and fears he had been plagued with had dissipated as soon as she had mentioned Alyssa. She cared. She still cared and wasn't looking for a way out -- on the contrary. "What? You think you're the only one who's busy?" he scoffed, the hint of a mocking smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. The redhead wanted to push until she would break and finally give him the green light he had been waiting for like a fool. He only wished he had been confident enough to do so before this evening. They had lost time being so stupid and would never get any of those days back. "I'm killing myself out there at work-- our schedule is fucking hell." He slowly moved forward, separating little by little the distance between them. Brown eyes intently fixed onto her own with a clenched jaw. "So excuse me, if I actually take the time to make friends with people. To have some fun elsewhere-- with someone else." It was too much. A part of him was screaming to stop, but he was unable to. Instead halting his motions when he was right in front of her. "Maybe if you weren't busting my balls all day long, you wouldn't feel threatened right now."

Cami: They were getting somewhere now. After whatever unfolded tonight, they couldn't go back to tiptoeing around each other and staying quiet. Something had been reignited in them. They had both finally snapped and although they were angry, it also felt kind of good. Camila knew that there would be so much more to work through after whatever happened tonight, but she finally felt ready to admit to her problems and look for ways to solve them. She could feel more anger bubbling up inside of her as he scoffed, but the mocking smirk on his face kept that stirring feeling alive in the pit of her stomach. "Killing yourself? Oh please. I don't remember the last time I slept for more than 3 or 4 hours at a time and our daughter is sucking the life out of my tits. I'm killing myself too, mister," she spat out, her chest heaving as he stepped closer and closer to her. The eye contact they were making right now felt extra intense as she noticed his jaw was completely clenched. At his next comment her hands clenched into fists and if she hadn't been so angry she was certain she could've cried, but instead she bit her lip and unclenched her hands. Her eyebrows furrowed again and now she was really glaring at him. "Fuck you," she spat out again and before she knew it she was raising her right hand and slapping him straight across the face. She almost couldn't believe it, but he had pushed her too far, which seemed to have been his plan. Now she was left to wait for his next move. Camila wasn't sure she had ever slapped anyone except maybe a few stupid drunken boys at college parties, but it had felt good and she hoped it was the push he needed to finally make a move on her which was something she had been craving for awhile, even if she'd been in a mostly rotten mood the last four weeks.

KJ: KJ almost uttered how sorry he was for the comment he had made, pushing her didn't mean he had to be mean after all, but before he could even move a limb, the slap she bestowed upon him was like an electric shock. Painful, it left him rooted to the spot for what felt like an endless amount of time -- lips parted in surprise over the action and his chest heaving up and down. It was deserved, though the gesture itself ended up more arousing than it should have been. At least he didn't think she had done as such to get him going. Yet here it was nonetheless, a familiar feeling bubbling at the pit of his stomach and sending a jolt straight to his groin. Despite everything that had went down between them, he was very aware that the six weeks mark had been passed. Something they had both looked forward to weeks ago. It wouldn't resolve the numerous issues they had, far from it, but his entire being was burning at the simple thought of being joined with hers. Of being able to express himself in a physical way, the one thing they had been banned from partaking in and would allow their frustrations to find an outlet. Slowly, he turned his head and met her gaze again -- witnessing the surprise crossing her features along with the undeniable desire that she was reciprocating. They were back on the same wavelength tonight and the redhead felt content with so little; especially when they hadn't been able to in so long. Words weren't needed anymore, not that they led them anywhere positive anyway and without a warning, he reached out for the back of her neck and drew her forward abruptly. His mouth crashing onto hers in a bruising kiss while his hands moved just as roughly along her body and to the back of her legs -- wrapping them around his waist for the brief journey toward the couch before throwing her on the furniture and blanketing her body with his own. The towel long forgotten on the floor. He couldn't recall the last time he had felt this alive.

Cami: Watching with bated breath as the redhead slowly turned his head to meet her gaze, the surprised look on her face was evident and she hoped he wasn't going to say anything because she wasn't sure she could take it. All she wanted was his lips on hers, no more words thrown around. She felt like they had finally reached the point where words weren't needed anymore. Thankfully, he seemed to have read her mind which meant they were back on the same wavelength which made her feel good. Without a warning he reached for the back of her neck to draw her closer to him as their mouths crashed into each other. The feeling of his lips on hers brought that feeling of warmth to her stomach that she hadn't felt in weeks. His hands moved just as roughly as his lips did, picking her up and wrapping her legs around his waist. The towel that had been wrapped around his lower half fell as he threw her down onto the couch where she landed against the cushions, sprawled out before he fell on top of her in his bare naked glory. Camila wrapped her legs back around his waist as he settled on top of her, bucking her hips as she kissed him harder than she'd ever kissed him before. In this moment she felt like she was coming up for air for the first time in a long time. Her nipples were beginning to harden underneath her shirt and she was desperate to be skin to skin with her fiancé again. Pulling away from his lips to catch her breath for a second she let out a whine. "Take these clothes off of me," she grumbled, smirking at KJ as she ran her hands through his hair, looking at him with so much lust and love in her eyes. "Please..." she whispered with a smile, bucking her hips up against him again.

KJ: It felt rather pathetic to be this turned on by a slap. The warmth radiating from her body enveloping him whole and spurring him on. Though he could count on one hand the number of times they had been intimate ever since Talia's birth -- when they had to hold themselves back since they couldn't go too far -- and his being was currently in overdrive. Submerged with the emotions that had finally shook loose and the excitement of the situation. Having Camila trapped underneath him was a rush of power that he had been deprived of for weeks. She had been the one in control and he had allowed her to walk all over him without ever fighting back. The roles were now reversed and he wasn't inclined to give her an ounce of control over their current position. His lips were restless against her own, practically mauling her with a force he had never used on his fiancée before; not even during the numerous wild times they had shared. There was no denying just how aroused she was by his actions, her body reacting to his ministrations just as it always did. The redhead dragged one of his hands along her thigh and pulled on the elastic band of the panties he was met with, only to halt his motions when she spoke -- breaking the trance he had been under. His brown eyes took in the smile crossing her lips and the sight alone was like the fuel that made the bright fire roar. How dare she? After weeks of gaslighting him, here she was acting as if she had the right to even ask for something. To look at him in such a way when she had barely been able to. It only made his anger increase along with his need to keep being in charge. Without even bothering to utter a word, KJ swiftly grabbed her hands and pulled them harshly over her head, not allowing her the pleasure to touch him more than she already had. The fingers still hooked in her panties tugged firmly on the material until it snapped in half and he disregarded the underwear as soon before settling himself between her legs. His gaze still firmly locked onto hers while he pushed forward past her tight walls -- a deep groan rumbling from his chest at the feeling of her core taking him in again for the first time in over six weeks. Though he didn't let himself enjoy the pleasurable sensations, instead maneuvering his hips back and forth as roughly as he had been ever since their lips had touched.

Cami: His response to her request was to pin her arms above her head and she looked at him with her chest heaving as he tugged firmly on the material of her panties before they snapped in half. “Fuck,” she cried out, annoyed that he wasn’t listening to her, but also so turned on by his anger and how he was taking charge. As he settled himself between her legs she let out a cry. They had both been missing out on this feeling for weeks and it was quickly approaching them. She had missed the way that he filled her up and how he always made her feel when they were in this position. KJ’s eyes were looking so deeply into hers as he finally pushed himself forward past her tight walls. The feeling hurt a little bit, but that was to be expected. She’d read that due to the breast feeding she might experience some pain with sex and a drier vagina. Thankfully the circumstances of the evening were helping her arousal, but she still cried out as he thrusted into her. Camila’s wrists were turning above her head, trapped in his own hand as she bucked her hips towards him. The redhead was thrusting into her with such intensity and at such a rough speed she felt like she could hardly breathe, but she was enjoying it fully. The raven-haired girl tried to fight back against his hand that was holding her arms above her head. “Fuck you, let me touch you,” she groaned, squirming underneath the hold he had on her. Camila could now not only feel, but also see her nipples hardening against the fabric of her shirt. She was desperate for some sort of relief, but she knew he wasn’t going to give it to her unless he wanted to. His name began to fall from her lips as she closed her eyes, completely submerging herself in the feeling of him thrusting himself in and out of her.

KJ: The more she tried to wiggle in his grip, the tighter his hold on her became -- letting her know through his actions that she wasn't going to get her way. Camila had taken control of their dynamic for far too long and it was time for him to be on top. Quite literally in that moment. Seeing her struggle and get worked up brought the kind of satisfaction he couldn't truly describe. It was nothing like he had ever felt before, a sensation he was reveling in and urged him to keep pounding into her. The sound of their skin slapping endlessly and filling the space they were in. Thankful that the walls in their apartment were thick enough that their daughter wouldn't be woken up despite the cries evoked with each thrust of his hips. Just as previously, KJ didn't bother entertaining the foul words that tumbled from her mouth with such ferocity, instead willing his body to hold onto the dominance he was exhibiting. The chances of their passionate tryst to last more than a handful of minutes were low considering the circumstances and he planned on making sure his forceful demonstration would linger on her mind. His intense gaze never faltered from her features, intending on looking right into her eyes whenever she found it in herself to open them -- having to witness just how hurt and angry he was. Mixed with the obvious lust she had awaken. His breath, heavy and shallow, was irregular and the sensation in the pit of his stomach was on the verge of taking over. Blunt nails dug in the soft flesh of her hip as he held her still, increasing the pace of his motions in order to reach the awaited release. Only then did he allow himself to embrace the tightness of her core and the feeling it provided; a sense of belonging he had sorely missed. Like finally coming home after a terribly long journey. The cries that picked up in intensity and filled his ears were swallowed by his mouth, tongue clashing against her own just as the orgasm washed over him like a tidal wave.

Cami: The dominance exuding from her fiancé's being right now was the greatest turn on for Camila. Of course she was frustrated that he wasn't listening to her or giving her exactly what she had asked for, but watching him take charge was so sexy. The sound of their skin slapping together filled her ears and it was enough to make her let out another moan. Thankfully she could be vocal without waking up their daughter. Camila knew that this tryst wasn't going to last too long, it had been a very long time since they'd been like this and she knew that soon enough they'd both be pushed over the edge. The hurt and anger mixed with a look of lust that she was met with whenever she opened her eyes to look into his own made her feel a mix of emotions. For now she was focused on the anger and lust, the hurt part would come after when they had time to talk. The raven haired girl listened as his irregular breathing took over as the sound she could hear, heavy and shallow just like her own breath in this moment. As his blunt nails dug into the soft flesh of her hips, she let out another cry as he increased the pace of his motions to reach their long-awaited release. Normally she would talk dirty to him and praise him for everything he was doing, but time was moving too fast and this was not the time or place. The next time they came together like this, he would get all of her praise. More cries fell from her lips and he swallowed them with his mouth, bestowing more bruising kisses against her lips and he dove deeper inside of her. Their tongues clashed together as they each satisfied their hunger for each other. She could feel his impending orgasm washing over him as she cried out into his mouth and felt her release also building up. That fire that had been lit inside of her was warm and ready to bring her to the edge. "I'm so close," she mumbled against his lips, bucking her hips to get herself right where she needed to be, her orgasm taking over immediately.

KJ: Just as fast as it had started, their union came to a culminating point rapidly as they both gave into the pleasure that had crashed onto them. His hips moving frantically, chasing the high that was so near before sharply bucking forward as he came inside of her — tight walls contracting around his length and nearly squeezing the life out of him. His entire frame collapsing on top of Camila when his muscles failed him; there was no strength left in that moment and the only thing he could do was give his body the time it was seeking. Face buried in the crook of her neck while KJ tried his hardest to catch his breath. The pleasure that overtook him fogged up his mind and the only thoughts that were conjured up for a handful of seconds were about the wonderful feeling of being this close to his fiancée again. But the reality of their situation was quick to rear its ugly head — leaving him with questions he wasn’t certain he wanted the answers to now that the rush of adrenaline and confidence was slowly dissipating. Just because she had been jealous and they had succumbed to their urges, it didn’t mean everything was suddenly fixed. Nor that they both wanted to move forward towards better days. Slowly, the redhead withdrew from her warmth and scooted over to her right side as humanly as possible; the couch wasn’t spacious but was able to have them both laying on top of it nonetheless. The room was quiet aside from their heavy breathing and his eyes were fixed on an invisible spot on the ceiling — all he knew was that he couldn’t go back to the way things had been lately. If Camila was to follow his lead on the matter, she would have to take the right steps in order to do. Just as he needed to as well. “We should have argued like that more often, aye.” he murmured, mustering a small smile that he couldn’t quite keep on his features. Not when there was so much uncertainty regarding their relationship.

Cami: As KJ’s entire frame collapsed on top of her after he had chased his orgasm, Camila let out a grunt and a short laugh as he buried his face into her neck. Her chest was still heaving as she came down from her own high, enjoying the feeling as he tried to catch his breath. When he slowly removed himself from her warmth and scooted himself over to her right side, their arms still some what pressed up against each other. The room grew quiet aside from their heavy breathing and she watched as his eyes stayed fixed on a spot in the ceiling. It hurt that he wasn’t able to look at her, but she understood why. She had been so horrible, ignoring him for weeks and not really giving him the time of day. She had made it so the only common ground in their relationship was their daughter. At his murmuring, she looked over at him, wanting him to look at her again. Watching as the smile on his face disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared she felt her heart break a little bit. “Mhm,” she answered quietly with a smile. Suddenly her emotions took over and she was crying. “I’m so sorry Kaje, I’m so so sorry, I’ve been horrible to you...” she spoke, tears flowing from her eyes as she crawled on top of him and rested her head on his bare chest. “I love you, I’ve been so stupid, I’m sorry,” she added, breathing in his sweaty scent and trying to calm herself down. Camila wasn’t sure what had finally cracked inside of her, but there was obviously more that needed to be said and she would say it, but she just had to get some of her thoughts out there so he knew how she was feeling. The raven-haired girl was truly so sorry and she needed him to see that and know that she was willing to get things back on track with them. She was ready to be a family again and to fix the mess she had made.

KJ: He could feel her gaze on him as he kept his own fixed on the white ceiling above them, begging without words for him to turn his head and give into her -- the way he had refused to mere moments ago when they were having sex. Gone was the dominance he had put forth, but now they both had to be confronted to something more complex than the physical act they had gotten to partake in. Feelings. As the wonderful sensations the orgasm had procured slowly but surely dissipated, all he was left with was sadness; an emotion he was quite familiar with lately. They simply couldn't stay put this way and act as if nothing had happened, which is why KJ decided to make the first move, if only for his sake. His lips parted, words on the verge of flowing when he was caught off guard by the sobs reaching his ears -- the body next to him shaking and immediately drawing his attention. A weight was lifted from his heavy heart at the words she uttered and although he wanted to be cautious and not get his hopes up as he had done in the past, he couldn't help but tightly wrap his arms around Camila when she moved on top of him. One hand coming up to the side of her face and tucking the loose strands of hair behind her ear. "Shhhh." No matter how strong he wanted to be, she had always been his weakness. His own emotions took the best of him, tears filling up his eyes and soon rolling down his cheeks when she breathed out three words he hadn't heard in what seemed like an eternity. They washed over him like the pleasure he had felt earlier; which now appeared insignificant compared to the satisfaction of knowing his other half was still in love with him. Something he had unfortunately doubted at times. "We're gonna be okay, Cami. It's alright-- we're gonna make it work. I love you." he murmured before his lips were pressed on the crown of her head, an affectionate moment he had dreamt about for weeks. Teams were always coming together to achieve their common goal. Just as they would.

[roominthecastle]

I’m not the original anon but what do you mean by twisted interpretation? 👀 (Genuinely curious as to anything you have to say—esp if its about lizzington😍)

Thank you, anon. any q asked in good faith is welcome in my inbox. The twistiness (for me, I don’t wish to speak on anybody else’s behalf here) predominantly flows from the facts that

Red stole her father’s identity and pretends to be him to this day

it’s still unclear what kind of intimate relationship he had with her mother

he feels a lot of guilt over events in the past that led to Liz losing both her parents, and, on top of that guilt, there’s also a steely sense of duty driving him to try and compensate for this loss (compensation that he often equates w/ money)

All of these (understandably) feed readings on the character that label him more of a parental presence in Liz’s life, and in a desperate attempt to keep him around, Liz also tried to designate him as such at the end of S6 to invoke a sense of obligation.

But this is only one side of the coin, a side that puts emphasis on the past and how that past should determine what role Red is allowed to play in her life in the present and the future. This parental reading, while not without merit, is not particularly complicated or gripping (this is probably why you see so little fanwork generated about it compared to stuff accumulated by the Lizzington side). It’s just.. is. It’s also incomplete but it gets much more interesting and way more complicated once we mix in the flipside of those three points above, which are also present in canon:

Red stole her father’s identity but not because he wanted to step into the father’s role in her life (that role was Sam’s). They never even met face to face until she was already an adult, so it’s more than reasonable to assume that the feelings Red’s developed for the adult woman he’s had meaningful, close interactions with are different from those he felt when she was an abstract idea of “that child I saved 30 years ago”. Feelings be like that naturally – they don’t care about obstacles or inconveniences. They develop anyway, which makes for a great story.

Whatever relationship Red had with her mother (and there is some interference here as the two are said to be quite similar to each other), Liz is not a placeholder. This is made esp clear in “Cape May” where Red talks about both Liz & Agnes and Katarina & Liz. The difference in how he talks about them is significant: “There was a woman I loved. She was my life, my heart, and she died. She left behind a little girl, one last precious piece of herself.” vs “There was a woman and her child. Both were doomed, both would die. I chose [to save] the child.” If I put this in front of an average person and asked them to pick which describes the woman the speaker is likely in love with, I bet they would go for the first one. I would, too. And that’s Liz.

Despite the guilt and sense of duty, Red has consistently resisted the father label. He let it fly in S5 bc circumstances forced his hand and it was the only way to buy time to find the missing skeleton - proof that he was not Reddington, proof he desperately wanted to keep hidden. Then, when Liz became desperate to keep him in her life and tried to pin “father” on him (desperation seems to drive both these characters to settle for F/D, it seems), we once again got to see that trademark twitch under Red’s eye, a telltale sign of discomfort and disapproval. One likely reason for him to reject this role now that Liz is the one offering, fully aware that he is an impostor, is that he’s developed feelings which are incompatible with this role, so it would be yet another lie he would be living with her, which is the opposite of what he wants despite being secretive.

And all this is still just scratching the surface. Red/Liz is one of the most psychologically, emotionally complex dynamics you can witness on TV today. It’s fascinating and it grates me beyond belief whenever someone tries to reduce it to anything less than that.

[armageddon-generation]

The Big Moffat Rewrite: Series 7

Following on from my Series 5 and my Series 6 rewrites

XMAS SPECIAL The Snowmen

The Bells of Saint John

The Rings of Akhaten

Cold War

A Town Called Mercy

The Slow Invasion

Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS

Asylum of the Cybermen

Nightmare in Silver

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

Hide

Supremacy of the Daleks

Extermination of the Daleks

The Name of the Doctor

The Snowmen

·         11 is still a recluse in Victorian London, but because in my Series 6 he left the Ponds instead of losing them, it’s because he’s convinced he’ll screw up if he travels again. After wiping himself from history he’s lying low, not helping because he’s convinced he’ll make things worse

·         (also he’s totally wallowing in self-pity because of his self-imposed exile from the Ponds)

·         Clara re-convinces him he can make positive change, drags him out of his self-absorption, shows him something new

 CLARA’s CHARACTER

·         Clara gets all of series 7. Moffat originally wanted The Time of the Doctor to be a whole series, so we can fit some of that stuff about the Silence and Trenzalore in here.

·         GIVE CLARA A FUCKING ARC – the Doctor takes an ordinary girl who he thinks is special, and accidentally makes her special

·         Most people seem to prefer Victorian! Clara to her in S7B anyway, so she becomes that flirty, authoritative character by the finale

·         The pieces were already there – her being scared in Cold War compared to her taking charge in Nightmare in Silver, but make it explicit – the Doctor realises he is changing Clara and turning her into the person he met in Victorian London and the Cyberman Asylum

·         This sets up her arcs and relationship with 12 – he brings out the liar in her, forces her to become cold and calculating. This is now already happening with 11

The Rings of Akhaten

·         Introduce Trisha Lem, the head of the Church of the Silence, here. The best part of this episode is The Speech, but we could easily say that the Silence is presiding over the Long Song ceremony to appease the Old God, taking the place of those creatures hunting the little girl. 

·         (I imagine the Church pre-Trenzalore as a kind of Shadow Proclamation for religion - presiding over and safeguarding the religious traditions of species across the universe)

·         This way Trisha and the Silence’s role as confessionals doesn’t come out of nowhere in The Time of the Doctor

·         11 and Trisha’s relationship being so flirty confuses me - as the head of the Church, 11 must associate her with all the pain the Silence caused River and the Ponds. Instead, he acts really flirty but Clara notices he’s faking it – a reflection of their own relationship?

·         Trisha doesn’t understand why 11 is being elusive.

A Town Called Mercy

·         Use this story’s framework – a Western where 11 is forced to protect war criminal – and insert River

·         Partly bc River and Clara interacting seems super interesting

·         River is angry at 11 for ‘replacing’ the Ponds. I also think she’d be competitive with Clara? As she’s scattered all over the Doctor’s timestream, Clara is the only person who really could compete with her

·         As an archaeologist expert on the Doctor River knows about Clara, but can’t tell 11 exactly what she is

·         Also 11 agreeing with River’s more violent methodology is really interesting and shows how they can feed into each other’s dark sides – think River’s line from The Angels Take Manhattan – “One psychopath per TARDIS, don’t you think?”

The Slow Invasion

·         A version of The Power of Three told from the perspective of the Alice character who replaced Craig in S5/6. 11 pops in and out of her life with different versions of Clara

·         It’s revealed that 11 has tried to travel with different versions of Clara before, tracking her down all across the universe, but she always, always dies. Our Clara doesn’t know.

·         Alice is deeply critical of what 11 is doing. She acts almost as his therapist; he comes over for tea and talks to her about what’s going on.

·         Instead of the cubes being alien exterminators, this is a plot buy the Great Intelligence (series 7′s big bad) inspired by the Skith from DWM comic The First and Superman villain Brainiac – i.e. the Intelligence is collecting all information it can about a thing, and then destroys it to stop that knowledge becoming commonplace and therefore losing its value. Specifically, the Intelligence is also investigating Clara (because she keeps appearing across its timeline). The Intelligence’s fascination is a dark parallel to 11’s

·         Alice asks 11 what happened to the Ponds, and he reveals they still think he’s dead. Alice tells 11 to go see them (the ending scenes of The Doctor, the Widow and The Wardrobe). She also tells him to start treating Clara like a real person, not a human question mark

·         11 takes Clara to meet them. River is also there, having dinner. The episode closes with them reconnecting

Pond Life

·         After The Slow Invasion launch this minisode series about life post-11, with River barging in instead of the Doctor

Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS

·         Tie the TARDIS disliking Clara into the series arc – it’s because the TARDIS knows Clara is an anomaly scattered through the Doctor’s timestream. Have a scene in Journey To the Centre of the TARDIS where 11 argues with the TARDIS about it – “Do you know what she is? You do, don’t you? I miss the time when you could talk and just tell me.”

·         The TARDIS went to the end of the universe to throw Jack Harkness off, and 11 abandoned Future!Amy in The Girl Who Waited because the TARDIS hates paradoxes – this is the same kind of thing, just make it clear by the finale (Clara even jumps into the time stream INSIDE the TARDIS)

·         Clara remembers the events of the episode so she can be be active in the investigation of who she is, (also fixing how the episode undoes the three brothers’ arcs, but still insists they grew as people at the end)

          This represents 11 opening up to her and trusting her more

Asylum of the Daleks (retitled Asylum of the Cybermen)

         Roll Nightmare in Silver and Asylum into a 2-parter, because the best part of Nightmare is Mister Clever. Both episodes even have the same ‘someone’s about to destroy the planet’ ticking time bomb.

         The army fighting the Cybermen kidnap 11 to get him to destroy the Asylum with a bunch of expendable grunts they can afford to lose to a suicide mission.·         Clara meeting/interacting with another version of herself is really interesting, so we keep converted Oswin saving them·

         Changing it to Asylum of the Cybermen makes more sense thematically

        All those people, including Oswin, being converted – the Asylum’s security system is its conversion machinery – attackers become part of the security system. Instead of a nano-cloud, use the tiny upgraded Cybermats·

         It would also be scarier (a haunted hospital a la World Enough and Time- botched cybermen > insane Daleks) and would add an interesting layer to Cyberman lore instead of making the Daleks look weak. It can also use old models to explain the Cybermen’s multiple backstories, touched on in The Doctor Falls (”everywhere there’s people, there’s cybermen,” 12 says)·

         The ‘subtracting love’ thing makes more sense with cybermen too – instead of Amy and Rory, focus on Clara holding onto her connection with 11 – emphasising their genuine, emotion-based bond over ‘flirty quirky plot device’·

         This renewed focus on the Cybermen is good because the last full-on Cyberman story was in Series 2 (in The Next Doctor they’re just kind of in the background), and Moffat is much better at writing the body-horror of the Cybermen than he is writing the Daleks.

Nightmare in Silver

·         11 deliberately lets himself be ‘infected’ by the asylum’s nanocloud and begins conversion in attempt to save the converted Oswin’s mind.

·         Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the origin of Handles, the Cyberman head from The Time of The Doctor: the remains of Oswin’s cyber-converted mind downloaded into a head.

·         11 uses Mr Clever to get information about her - i.e. that she just appeared one day as a fully-formed person without any family. This sets up the other Claras being time remnants. 

·         It also lets Mr Clever play more psychological games with 11 and Clara – Mr Clever reveals 11 is scared of Clara, putting more strain on Clara having to hold on to her emotional attatchments

·         The Cybermen are actively trying to get out. This way we dig into their primary drive – survival at all costs,

·         What happens when a Cyberman’s emotional inhibitor is broken, but they don’t die? Driven insane and desperate, and fiercely intelligent.

·         I like the idea of the Cybermen like the Xenomorph in Alien; blending in with thoier broken down, mechanical environment, plugging into it and using to separate and play games with the soldiers.

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

·         Replace The Crimson Horror with a version of Dinosaurs on a Spaceship with the Paternoster Gang replacing Brian, the Ponds, Nefertiti and that hunter bloke

·         I just really need to see Vastra interacting with her culture OK? Seeing her be taken back to her childhood, opening up to Jenny about it. Her anger, realising what the villain Solomon has done to her people. Use this conflict to call back to and explain how she met the Doctor, how he stopped her slaughtering humans before.

·         Clara and 11 go to the Paternoster Gang for help investigating her other selves

·         Clara researches and finds her past selves, not only in Victorian London but also throughout the 60s and 70s, when she’s helping the past Doctors – finding this research is how the kids find out she’s a time traveller

·         This is how THE DOCTOR REALISES HE’S SEEN HER MANY TIMES BEFORE, setting up The Name of the Doctor’s out-of-nowhere, un-guessable resolution.

·         Dark!11 again. Matt saoid they would’ve explored a ‘meaneer’ version if he’d stayed on for series 8. Clara is the perfect way to bring that out as they lie and manipulate each other for their own ends.

DALEK CIVIL WAR STORY

·         Progenitor Daleks vs the regular Time War model. Display how the Progenitor Daleks are different - each of them having a different weapon/role etc. The crux of the story is that the Progenitor Daleks are better at fighting the Doctor and come close to killing him, but the other Daleks value their ‘purity’ and survival more

·         Maximum Dark!11

The Name of the Doctor

·         When 11 rescues Clara she is changed – she retains bits and pieces of her time remnants’ experiences, it’s at once traumatising and exhilarating

The Time of the Doctor

·         Whereas The End of Time felt stretched-out (135 minutes) this felt really rushed. Make it 2 parts.

·         We see the set-up of Trenzalore and the Church of Silence in the first.

·         The second part is the long siege of Trenzalore – we need to see 11 age fighting these monsters, taking his turn being left behind, the tragedy of him slowly losing his memory, focusing on his character

·         We can also flesh out the citizens of Trenzalore and Christmas so their safety is important to us

·         Let’s see Madame Kovarian and her splinter cell break off from the main Church of Silence and leave to try and kill the Doctor – make her a supporting character

·         Then have Trisha Lem explicitly talk to the Doctor about how Kovarian blowing up the TARDIS caused the cracks in the universe in the first place, allowing the Time Lords to get their message out. Instead of a montage, have this be the moment that unites the Doctor and the Silence – they are both fighting to make up for their mistakes and the problems they caused

·         We see the many races surrounding Trenzalore form the alliance from The Pandorica Opens

[respecthbcus]

2019 Homecoming Wrap Up: Memorable Moments

Hey everyone! It’s Jaylen, RHBCUs student ambassador, repppin’ the Winston Salem State University Rams! The Fall of 2019 was definitely one for the books! I would probably say the fall is hands down my favorite semester and that’s simply because of what? You guessed it, HOMECOMING! Now granted, I’ve been attending homecoming since I could walk, but this year, my Senior year, was truly the best homecoming season I’ve experienced thus far. But we already know there truly is no homecoming like the experience one would get from a HBCU.

Though homecoming season 2019 has ended, we couldn’t officially wrap up the fall semester without sharing some of our HBCU friends most memorable moments. So let’s just hop right into it!

North Carolina Central University

Submitted by @johnnyjonesii

Chances are if you attended North Carolina Central University’s Homecoming Saturday night, then like me, you experienced locker room championship vibes. It was definitely one for the books. Johnny Jones continued the annual Champagne Wars celebration. The Champagne Wars is exactly as it sounds. In honor of 109 years since the institution’s existence, bottles of champagne were popped throughout the night. It truly is North Carolina Central’s alumnus exclusive way of celebrating the university’s existence. Shoutout to Johnny Jones and the Mighty TΨ bruhz its always a good time when I’m at NCCU!

Morgan State University

Submitted by Morgan State University alum @cagreinvented

“The weather was perfect. Partly cloudy. Low chance of rain. Mid 70s. Morgan State University’s (MSU) homecoming was positioned to be an epic experience. In terms of style choices, Alumni & current students had the option of whether to go full on “hot girl summer” and not freeze to death, OR break out newly purchased Fall gear without sweating profusely. I opted for a little bit of both.

Fashion is a huge part of the HBCU experience, ESPECIALLY on homecoming day. Every year, I pick a theme for my look, because I’m extra and love to show out. My looks tend to push the envelope and tether on being fashion forward and/or reminiscent of a Halloween costume. This year, I channeled my girl, Gabrielle Union’s character from the cheerleading movie, “Bring It On!” Though I’ve always been rhythmically and flexibly challenged during , my days at Morgan, I always wanted to be a cheerleader..

Admittedly, it took me a while to figure out what I was going to wear this year. In addition, I was sewing my outfit until it was time for me to drive 2 hours to homecoming, from Philly to Baltimore. However, I was proud with the colorful, bright and eye-catching outcome. When I got on campus, friends and strangers alike loved my outfit! AND GUESS WHAT? They totally got the theme! It was a hit! Strangers asked if was I a cheerleader alum. Friends that knew I wasn’t said things like “Oh, so you think you’re a cheerleader now?” I didn’t let their hate stop my shine! LOL. Either way, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. MSU 2K19 was a day to remember, and I cant wait to go back next year! I have a whole year to figure out what I’ll design next…at the last minute of course! HA!”

That’s dope Carmen! We can’t wait to see what you design next year!

Howard University

Submitted by Howard University alum @tamranicole

“My most memorable moment from this past years Homecoming was my Line celebrating our 15yr Deltaversary. Fastidious 48 crossed those burning sands into Alpha Chapter 15yrs ago on Howard University’s campus. We are the definition of black girl magic!”

“I had the pleasure of designing our jackets this year! Unfortunately we lost our #43 a couple of years back, we honored her memory by placing her Jazzy J pen on our chest. We are dynamic women and I’m proud to be a member of this line, chapter and illustrious organization.”

Congratulations Fastidious 48 on fifteen years! The jackets are devastating!

Can we cue “The O’Jays - Family Reunion” (lol) because that’s what HBCU homecomings feel like, coming back together with friends that feel like family, reminiscing about the good ol’ days, like freshman year.

One thing that is for certain, everyone can pretty much remember their freshman roommate, whether pleasant or not so pleasant memories. If you initially got off on the right foot, your roommate was the first friend you made on campus. I specifically remember my roommate. We turned out having the same name and later on became line brothers!

Albany State University

Submitted by Albany State University alum @mscaab

“My memorable moments are always with my best friend. This is our freshman dorm in this pic where we met.”

Winston-Salem State University

Well my own homecoming was definitely a success! I had the chance to do a mini homecoming tour this year before, during, and after homecoming season but of course for me there were none that matched the energy of my own. Winston-Salem State University presented me with the opportunity to go out with a bang my senior year and that’s exactly what I did! It was also my first homecoming since I crossed over into Omega Psi Phi Fraternity incorporated. I must say growing up watching my family fellowship during homecoming as the bruhz and being able to actually fellowship as the bruhz was one of those moments I imagined as a child. My most memorable moment from homecoming though was being able to participate in my first step show. I had participated in a yard show before, even traveled to other colleges and universities to participate on their campus BUT it was nothing like performing at my very first stepshow on Winston-Salem State University’s campus. That can be for several reasons. The main reason being that it was my first stepshow since recovering from the head-on car collision I survived back in December 2018. Please be on the lookout for my future stepshow performances cause I’m coming for trophies. Shoutout to Godfrey Thomas for the dope pictures!

Savannah State University

Ok, now back to our list.

Savannah State University alum @msanitrat and @qtenaapplebum said “Our favorite moment from this years homecoming was the Friday night party at Liquid Cafe... Oh yeah and the fact that we beat the breaks off of Albany State lol”

We love a good friendly competition and oh yes, can’t forget the homecoming parties!

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B4V-AH-g32Q/?igshid=1vxmk5nbbtcxa

Spelman College

Submitted by Spelman alum @blountspeaks

“So my favorite part of HC this year was just being. This year I didn’t leave my tent or walk around like I normally do and I still had the best time. Bc at HC you don’t have to go looking for the fun it literally will find you!!!”

We hear Spelhouse Homecoming is definitely a great experience to be had!

Livingstone College

Submitted by Livingstone College alum @iamalexisdarnell

Alexis Darnell, a 2004 graduate celebrated 140 years since Salisbury, North Carolina’s own, Livingstone College had become what it is now. Livingstone is definitely a HBCU that I am very familiar with not only because I was born and raised in Salisbury but due to my mother and father both attending and meeting at the college during the later 1990s. Here’s what Mrs. Darnell shared with us.

“Fun fact: I love my alma mater so much that I’ve never missed a homecoming.

My most memorable moments of this year’s homecoming were giving away two scholarships. The scholarships were awarded to well deserving students during the homecoming fashion.” The scholarships were both awarded in the amounts of $500.

LC may be small compared to many HBCUs, but that doesn’t matter because the amount of love and school pride we have can move mountains!”

Thank you for all that you have done Alexis Darnell (@iamalexisdarnell)! Continue reppin’ for the c/o 2004 and we look forward to what’s in store!

Another memorable moment during Livingstone’s 2019 homecoming comes from a group of four young alumni. These individuals hosted their 3rd annual Yard-B-Que to serve as a force of giving back. The inaugural Yard-B-Que, back in 2016, started off as an impromptu event that brought out about 150 students. This is a fairly decent number considering Livingstone being a smaller institution. During the 2nd year the group had the privilege to make the event officially apart of homecoming increasing the attendance to 350+. With the help of their fellow alum, these four young graduates were able to provide free food, live music, and host giveaways during this year’s event. The group also was able to bless two students with donations allowing them to purchase groceries!

Special shoutout to @lcyoungalum, submitted by @delta_made1913 ‘09, @maybackthepresident ‘10, @th3mister_ ‘10 and @imjustboz ‘11

We look forward to what the future holds for the Livingstone College exclusive Yard-B-Que!

And there you have it! It’s a wrap! Homecoming Season 2019 has officially concluded. Until next Homecoming Season 2020...

[dawnofspeed]

so i went and saw ‘justice league’ with my li’l bro and bestie tonight.

spoilers ahead.

i want to preface my entire thing with saying that lately i’ve felt conflicted about joss wheedon’s work (and even unrelated with the deadpool 2 movie) because of joss’ whole ‘i’m a feminist but the reason i’ve been horrible to women is the patriarchy’ (and with deadpool 2 the whole... forcing a stunt person to do a stunt they weren’t ready for and got them killed).  But also as a filmmaker i know that there are tons of people who work on these films that have nothing to do with those things, so i’ve decided to keep them at the back of my mind and just focus on these slightly problematic films on their own merit. (no i won’t talk about dp2 in this. it’s just been on my mind bc i saw the new trailer and spoke to my bestie, another film graduate, about the issues with stuff tonight and yeah. soz.) ALSO PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING ARE OPINIONS. if you like something i don’t, that’s great. all the power to you. i am literally just writing thoughts and opinions and i only just finished a film degree so... y’know. not an expert.

moving on.

i loved a lot of this movie. as a whole it was a great ensemble piece. the cast was solid, the acting was solid, the script was solid. the plot worked well. i think it accomplished setting up the justice league, introducing us to characters and their backstories while driving the story forward. i also liked that it really seemed to know its source material and kept to the actual point- superhero movies shouldn’t be completely dark. they can be fun, they can be funny, they can be hopeful. whatever problems i have with joss wheedon as a person and the things he’s said and done, i think he can write and direct well. and he knows what he’s doing. the few women in the film he also balanced well. i didn’t feel like he was ‘buffy’ing any of them (something he sorta did with kitty pryde in his astonishing x-men, as much as i loved it. although that could also be because buffy was sorta based off kitty, joss’ fave x-men character). 

i enjoyed all most of the characters. the whole justice league was great (alfred included, c’mon, he’s totally a team member at this point). i do think that diana was different in this film than her wonder woman one, there was just a different tone but you can also kinda just explain that away as this is post-steve trevor, it’s been a while since the events of ww, and that’s just what it is now. towards the end of the movie it felt more tonally in sync with her in ww, so that may be it. also bats pushing diana to lead the team? i loved that.  i’ve never known much about victor but i found his story intriguing in this, he was fun, and my reservations about him being in the flash film are totally squashed now. i maintain that batfleck is my favourite of all batmen. this movie sealed it for me and i definitely enjoy his performance more than any that came before him. i mean. i enjoyed michael keaton but he was just never totally batman for me. clark was SO much better in this movie. he was light, and funny, and 100% the superman i actually love. i didn’t want him brought back to life and then afterwards?? i was like?? nah, you’re right, clark IS a good guy. how have i never seen this before? i just hated dceu superman before this film. arthur curry is cool. i have never been a massive aquaman fan. i didn’t hate atlantis. but i just... didn’t really care? then. they made him cool, and fun, and so much potential. i’m intrigued about his backstory. i wanna know more. i wanna unpack his personality. just. wow.  but the standout? barry all the way. i was a bit anxious about how they were going to do it. i love ezra, but we’ve seen so many iterations of barry at this point that i was just really worried about what aspects they’d keep and how they’d navigate his background and his powers. but they did an amazing job. they kept his sense of humour while also maintaining his kindness, his intelligence, his zest for life and i love how even when he’s terrified he goes out of his way to do the right thing. added to his ‘i assume he’s an attractive jewish guy’ when he’s talking about his security footage. i just. love him. i do think some of his qualities are wally west?? like??? but my brother kept insisting that in the early comics barry was very playful and jokey, not just puns and dad jokes, so i’m inclined to believe him.  also alfred was a+++ i love him. alfred forever. so that clears up most of the mains. plot? well i’m gonna be honest. i know... very little about darkseid and any of that stuff in the comics. i did think it was a great way to bring in both atlantians and amazons. and that cheeky green lantern reference at the beginning. and my brother swears he saw hercules but i only know marvel’s hercules so?? i??? dunno???? i also think it had high stakes, a ticking time frame, gave them the ability to bring superman back AND create a justice league. all while never trying to cram more than one actual plotline into a film. (like. a LOT of other dc movies.) i was happy with it. i never felt like it ran too long or i got bored or any of that so i’m. yeah. great.  also loved that no one was forced into a freakin’ love interest or hampered from saving the world or anything by romance. did think that clark waited way too long to meet up with them for the end battle. like. did he spend all that time making a new goddamn suit? what? got a hair cut? like. why did it take you so long? you’re SUPERMAN. lois told you ages ago to get moving and help out. did you spend all that time like chatting with your mum? also, sidenote: thank you trailers for not spoiling this film. i didn’t expect the superman rebirth. i went in just knowing the jl was gonna kick butt somewhere and we were gonna get introduced to them all. the marketing on this film was spot on, and i loved that surprise and being pulled through the whole movie trying to guess what the hell was gonna happen. double thumbs up. ok. i will go over the things i didn’t like. which were very few. but first i kinda wanna talk about a few other cast/character things. i’m gonna be honest. not a massive fan of amy adams as lois lane. besides the fact that to me she doesn’t look like lois lane, and doesn’t embody (TO ME) anything that lois does... she also (TO ME) doesn’t have any chemistry with henry cavill. i don’t feel a thing. sometimes i might be like awwwww, cute. but that’s more of the situation rather than any emotions i get off of them. but that’s kinda nitpicky here as she was already cast as that character and no one was going to change that for the justice league. i will admit i felt more for her in this film than any of the others, and i enjoyed her more than in the others. but she was still... not lois.  now... amber heard as mera. i will admit that amber looks like mera. and i enjoyed her limited performance and i’m sure she’ll do a great job in the aquaman film and i hold nothing against her. but. if arthur curry doesn’t need to look like comic arthur curry than. why does mera? we only had three women in the whole movie, really. two had limited parts. mera could have been a woc. she could have been not supermodel gorgeous as amber is. (i love amber i do but... who looks that goddamn gorgeous?) already the entire film felt like impossible standards of women. the amazons are varied in body shapes yes, but those costumes. then mera is AMBER. and gal is. gal. i just. there are so many races on earth. asian and hispanic women (and people) exist. not that the movie... shows that... at all.  in fact, between the dceu and the mcu there’s one hispanic character on the movie screen. and he isn’t even a superhero (yeah, the friend of antman’s. and no i’m not counting netflix. that’s not a movie screen. yes rosario dawson is awesome.) heck the cw only added a hispanic woman in the last year. before that cisco was pretty much on his lonesome. wait. that might not be right. i’m sure arrow had a guest star that moved to lot... meh. i don’t keep up anymore.  all i’m saying is... if mera had been cast woc then that would have continued right on through to aquaman too.  but i have nothing against both amber and amy. they’re doing their jobs and i wish them all the best and i will try and enjoy it as much as possible.  my few criticisms:

- ... not a big fan of the costume design. i was so confused about wonder woman’s until i remembered it was probably the one from bvs which i hated. i have no idea what was happening with superman’s. batman’s was fine. flash was fine. cyborg’s was fine. loved aquaman’s (and mera’s). the amazonians? what? why???? you could tell it was a male designer. every vital organ was pretty much on show and it was all sexy, just like how wonder woman’s skirt was shortened and the front was like almost a loincloth. just. no. 

- production design was ok? like there were very few standouts to me. batcave was pretty good, the flash cave, and anything with aquaman’s fishing village. pretty sure that was filmed in new zealand tho and those guys are on point with their pd. studying their stuff over there, man. pd orgasm tbh. ever since lord of the rings those guys are just amazing.

- camera work was great at times and then just weird in others. i think that had a lot to do with cgi demands, which i’ll get to in a minute. 

- the lighting? i mean yes, each scene requires different lighting depending on the place, time of day, people and props... but. there’s this one scene in the field with clark and lois and i was like. confused because it felt like they got first year film students to light it. it was off. and if they were trying to reproduce a field at sunset in a studio with green screen that might make sense but to me it didn’t feel like a gs scene. 

- which brings me to my next point. cgi and green screen. there felt like a lot of it in the movie. pretty sure the fight after clark is revived is green screen. the entire last battle has so much cgi that i felt like it was avengers on steroids. also kinda felt like i was watching a video game with like real people pasted in. and while i get WHY it was like that i also felt like. there could have been ways to do it differently. when i watch stranger things i know there’s cgi. but i never get that feeling, that i’m watching a video game. which is important. because i want to stay sunk into the film. not be thrown out and feel like a different medium has taken over. my challenge for jl2? keep me in the film. find a way to make the sfx stay real. possibly a nitpick but like i said, this is my opinion. so that’s it. that’s my long ass dissection and feels and thoughts. i am so looking forward to every solo movie and also being introduced to iris west and atlantis more. im me or d/cord if you wanna chat about anything or if we’re not pals you can send me a q via askbox.

[svtskneecaps]

Hphm was supposed to be my way of like living out my Harry Potter years but it’s so boring and the storyline is really bland. Honestly there’s a similar HPHM game that jam city only released in China which looks so much better. I think you can actually interact with other people and there’s more free reign. It also takes place from when McGonagall becomes headmistress so it might be a different with professors and what not. I hate having the same convo with the same person (talbott) 3x a day!

“ I want HPHM to work on the storyline, continuity errors and make it more free play friendly. I also hate how repitive dialogue options are and quests never really impact you in the main story, like can’t I brag about my animagus form or the fact that I babysat Draco! It’s honestly like everyone but me was obliviated after the quest ended! Honestly I get Fly Solo is like our inside joke but must mc really say it so often! Plus my animals like never show up. I want to show them off!!! “

“ Honestly I think you probably could write better individual storylines! There’s like literally no continuity in the story. Things just don’t make sense sometimes! Like how am I on andres team for quidditch when I’m supposed to become seeker later! Why do I have to keep switching quidditch positions! Why can’t I have my friends (not just penny) cheer me up for matches like Ron and Harry. I also really want roommates in my dorm like show me their beds too! We should have a roommate hangout option! “

sorry lmao it got kind of long bc i’m a big dumb fool

honestly it’s so frustrating that jam city didn’t think most of their plot points through. like it’s really obvious that they’re writing things as they go. i don’t really mind discovery writing all that much; it’s how i write most of my stuff and it’s how the current story i’m posting is going right now (which is why i’m usually late to update; i have no idea where i’m going aside from a slight vibe)

but i’m writing some bullshit fluffy romancey crack fic for like, 35 people on tumblr, so it works for me. these are people making a HARRY POTTER GAME, so they don’t get that kind of slack

it’s weird that they force you to switch quidditch positions instead of, i don’t know, letting you PICK which position you wanted and giving you questlines related to it (and then maybe, letting you pick another position later if you got bored of it). i honestly was so unenthused with quidditch that i’m not even at the tryouts yet. i only started now because i want to get like, exp or something, for that month long thing like i’m not invested in the questline at all. the additional characters in the quidditch quest just bloat the game even farther and they don’t even develop the characters they already have

and OH MY GOD, EVERY TIME MC BRINGS UP “””FLY SOLO””” MY CHEST SHRIVELS. like it’s not funny, at least not the way they play it, and it drives me crazy. a good author might be able to play that as a flirty inside joke, but apparently the (likely underpaid) writers for this game just don’t bother (i want to give them the benefit of the doubt; i don’t want to call them terrible writers and say they can’t write good dialogue because listen, i’m a fan fiction author i’m not exactly shakespeare and i don’t even know any of their names, i don’t get to throw that stone. idk if they can’t or don’t but either way, it’s just not good writing)

the grinding is just killer. the grinding is KILLER. the grinding is the worst damn part of the whole thing and i hate it so much.

like damn bro maybe once i’ve played the game up to its current point i’ll release a set of general bulleted outlines for how they could play each of the four main storylines for the houses, like plot points and events and such, if i can think of things. like i said, i’m only in year four and if things keep taking this much damn time it might take me a couple months at least to get all the way up to the latest release

i don’t really have the time or the energy or the staying power to write each of them out in full, but bulleted outlines would be manageable so uh

we’ll see? i guess?

anyway it’s probably best to think of the side quests as totally separate from the main canon except OH WAIT, DOESN’T TALBOTT SHOW UP IN THE MAIN CANON?? I’M PRETTY SURE I HEARD SOMETHING ABOUT THAT, MAKE UP YOUR MIND, JAM CITY, WHICH FUCKIN PARTS ARE YOU GOING TO HOLD ONTO

anyway shameless self promotion, this pissed me off even all the way back in december when i first started playing, so i started making a rewrite of my own to hopefully keep continuity and make things believable (which is why i was screen recording everything; i wanted to know everything that happened and all the lines of dialogue because there was one segment after the duel where flitwick said something in response to my choice that i loved and i was never able to find what he said, so i started recording the plot moments to look back on later).

but then i stopped, because the tulip continuity error happened and i was left in the same position as jam city, because i hadn’t name dropped her either so i either had to come up with a reason for her to have never appeared prior, or i had to rewrite the beginning chapters

so i was like, oh, i’ll wait on finishing that one until i actually know everything that’s coming so i don’t run into this problem again

anyway, that’s up on ao3 and you can find it here if you’d like to read it. idk how well it holds up for general audiences, since it was mostly just a cathartic fic for while i was waiting the hours and hours for my energy to recharge. the beginning’s a bit sloppy tbh bc it was just a series of semi-connected scenes before i really found my groove, but they’re still sort of fun. in the span of a single scene i think i developed the characters and their interactions more than jam city has in the four years of gameplay i’ve made it through so far, so hey. jam city, hire me.

maybe i’ll even release the rest of the chapters i wrote (because i have more). who knows

sorry i wrote a whole essay anon uhhh i have a lot of words and feelings i guess. that’s my bad. this is honestly my passion though so seeing wasted potential gets my gears turning and i just gotta word vomit sometimes

thank you so much for talking with me about it uwu i love you

[stories-aha-blog]

Some of my top fave stories

The Courtesan of Lucknow

Novel by Mirza Hadi Ruswa, 1905.

Life Story of a Woman who gets abducted a child as an act of revenge, and sold to a brothel, where she moves on to become a famous courtesan, due to her outstanding intellect, personality and taste.

Time of the Gypsies

Film by Emir Kusturica, 1988.

Le Dernier Chant des Malaterre

Graphic Novel by Francois Bourgeon.

The Pillow Boy of the Lady Onogoro

Novel by Alice Fell.

Quote from Goodreads:

“This “exquisite, exuberant, X-rated” novel (Mirabella), set in feudal Japan, tells the story of a concubine who hires a stable boy to whisper erotic stories from behind a screen while she entertains her master, a samurai general.”

Even if the basic premise of this book doesn’t really work, I still love it so much that I had to include it here.

Definitely in the soulfood department.

Dangerous Liaisons

Les Liaisons dangereuses is a French epistolary novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, first published in four volumes by Durand Neveu from March 23, 1782.

It is the story of the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont, two rivals (and ex-lovers) who use seduction as a weapon to socially control and exploit others, all the while enjoying their cruel games and boasting about their manipulative talents. It has been claimed to depict the decadence of the French aristocracy shortly before the French Revolution, thereby exposing the perversions of the so-called Ancien Régime. However, it has also been described as an amoral story.

As an epistolary novel, the book is composed entirely of letters written by the various characters to each other. In particular, the letters between Valmont and the Marquise drive the plot, with those of their victims and other characters serving as contrasting figures to give the story its depth.

The Wire

TV series, 2002 - 2008, on black street gangs in Baltimore, cross cut with some police procedural of the cops pursuing them.

May be about to reach its shelf life for being too famous to need introduction.

Les Valseuses

Quoted from Wikipedia, since I am too lazy to write up my own description:

Going Places is a 1974 French erotic comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Bertrand Blier, and based on his own novel. Its original title is Les Valseuses, which translates into English as "the waltzers"[citation needed], a vulgar French slang term for "the testicles".[2] It stars Miou-Miou, Gérard Depardieu and Patrick Dewaere.

It is widely considered one of the most controversial movies in French cinema history due to its vulgarity, depiction of sexual acts, nudity, and moral ambiguity; however, Blier's later acclaim for the rest of his filmography made it a cult film for modern critics.

Jean-Claude and Pierrot are young men who travel around France, committing petty crimes and running from the law. After they get in trouble with a hairdresser in Valence for stealing his car, they grab his pistol and kidnap his assistant Marie-Ange, an apathetic girl. When they are bored with unorgasmic Marie-Ange, they decide to find a passionate woman and meet Jeanne Pirolle, a woman in her forties who is just released from prison and had spent ten years in a cell. After a threesome, Jeanne commits suicide and the men return to Marie-Ange. They find Jeanne's son Jacques who had been incarcerated as well. Then, the four consider founding a crime family but at their first crime, an attempted robbery, Jacques commits a revenge killing and the others flee. While on the run, they meet a family having a picnic near Col d'Izoard and the delinquent teenage daughter Jacqueline wants to join them. They take Jacqueline and on learning that she is still a virgin, they decide to deflower her. After dropping Jacqueline, the three ride away aimlessly.

Breaking Bad

Too famous to need introduction for the next 10 years or so.

Der Seewolf

One of the classic 4 part adventure series, that would traditionally be broadcast in Germany around Christmas time. First broadcast in 1971, and then literally for decades after that.

Based on a number of different Jack London novels and short stories, that originally had no connection with each other.

Story of a young man from a well off family, who gets shiprecked, and then taken on board by a whaler ship, ruled by a ruthless, self made captain, who refuses to get him to land, and kind of treats him at his whim, sometimes tormenting him, sometimes using him to have conversations with.

Spirited Away

Too famous to need introduction for the next 10 years or so.

Lolita

Too famous to need introduction for the next 100 years or so, but, just in case:

1955 novel by Vladimir Nabokov

Quoted from Wikipedia:

The novel is notable for its controversial subject: the protagonist and unreliable narrator, a middle-aged literature professor under the pseudonym Humbert Humbert is obsessed with a 12-year-old girl, Dolores Haze, with whom he becomes sexually involved after he becomes her stepfather.

Bad Company

Quoted from Wikipedia, since I am too lazy to write up my own description:

″1972 American Western film directed by Robert Benton, who also co-wrote the film with David Newman. It stars Barry Brown and Jeff Bridges as two of a group of young men who flee the draft during the American Civil War to seek their fortune and freedom on the unforgiving American frontier.[1]

This acid western attempts in many ways to demythologize the American West in its portrayal of young men forced by circumstance and drawn by romanticized accounts to forge new lives for themselves on the wrong side of the law. Their initial eagerness to be outlaws soon abates, however, when the boys are confronted with the realities of preying on others in a nation ravaged by war and exploitation.”

Pinocchio

German language children’s tv series, animated in Japan, first broadcast in 1976, and then contiuously broadcast for many years after, due to its huge popularity.

Based on the original Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, while introducing considerable changes.

For some reason or other, I only ever watched this when I was already in my 20s. Still loved it.

Riget

TV series by Lars von Trier.

Kind of his version of David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks”, if you will.

Set in a hospital, and combining elements of atmospheric eerie / spooky story, comedy, and soap opera.

The Kingdom (Danish title: Riget) is an eight-episode Danish television mini-series, created by Lars von Trier in 1994, and co-directed by Lars von Trier and Morten Arnfred.

The series is set in the neurosurgical ward of Copenhagen's Rigshospitalet, the city and country's main hospital, nicknamed "Riget". "Riget" means "the realm" or "the kingdom", and leads one to think of "dødsriget", the realm of the dead. The show follows a number of characters, both staff and patients, as they encounter bizarre phenomena, both human and supernatural. The show is notable for its wry humor, its muted sepia colour scheme, and the appearance of a chorus of dishwashers with Down Syndrome who discuss in intimate detail the strange occurrences in the hospital.

Cowboy Bebop

Probably too famous to need introduction for the next 10 years or so; but just in case:

1998 Japanese anime television series featuring a production team led by director Shinichirō Watanabe, screenwriter Keiko Nobumoto, character designer Toshihiro Kawamoto, mechanical designer Kimitoshi Yamane, and composer Yoko Kanno. The twenty-six episodes ("sessions") of the series are set in the year 2071, and follow the lives of a bounty hunter crew traveling on their spaceship called Bebop.

Histoire de ma vie

Giacomo Casnova’s Memoirs

Too famous to need introduction for the next 100 years or so.

One of my go to books, when I am seeking distraction. Just arbitrarily opening any of the volumes on any page will almost certainly lead to someting entertaining. Well, most of the time.

Tendres Cousins

Film by David Hamilton

Atmospheric film about those long summer days. The one example that I can think of, where I find the portrait of family life --- well actually more mother and her sister, with the father only visiting once --- enjoyable to watch.

Sort of a “The perfect bourgois childhood” soulfood kind film. (With a fair bit of erotic slapstic thrown in, but oh well.)

Kids

Quoted from Wikipedia:

Kids is a 1995 American independent coming-of-age film written by Harmony Korine and directed by Larry Clark.[4] It stars Chloë Sevigny, Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, Rosario Dawson, and Jon Abrahams, all in their film debuts. Kids is centered on a day in the life of a group of teenagers in New York City and their hedonistic behavior towards sex and substance abuse (alcohol and other street drugs) during the height of the AIDS epidemic in the mid-1990s. The film generated a massive controversy upon its release in 1995, and caused much public debate over its artistic merit, even receiving an NC-17 rating from the MPAA

  Some of the comic stories by Hagra, here on tumblr;

“dirty little stories”, betwen gopniki, part time petty criminals and rent boys.

especially this one, this one, this one, this one, this one and this one.

___________________

RUNNERS UP

(= just faves, rather than Topfaves)

Shameless (UK), the first 5 seasons

Vikings (2013 tv series)

Rome

2005 tv series

The series primarily chronicles the lives and deeds of the rich, powerful, and historically significant, but also focuses on the lives, fortunes, families, and acquaintances of two common men: Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, fictionalized versions of a pair of Roman soldiers mentioned in Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico.[1] The fictional Vorenus and Pullo manage to witness and often influence many of the historical events presented in the series, although some license is taken.

The first season depicts Julius Caesar's civil war of 49 BC against the traditionalist conservative faction in the Roman Senate (the Optimates), his rise to dictatorship over Rome, and his fall, spanning the time from the end of his Gallic Wars (52 BC or 701 ab urbe condita) until his assassination on 15 March 44 BC (the infamous Ides of March). Against the backdrop of these cataclysmic events, we also see the early years of the young Octavian, who is destined to become Augustus, the first Emperor of Rome. The second season chronicles the power struggle between Octavian and Mark Antony following Caesar's assassination, spanning the period from Caesar's death in 44 BC to the suicide of Antony and Cleopatra in 30 B.C. after their defeat at the Battle of Actium.

Les Innommables

5 volume graphic novel series by Conrad and Yann

Les Innommables ("The Unnameables") is a Franco-Belgian comic series written by Yann le Pennetier and drawn by Didier Conrad. It began publication in serialized form in 1980 in Spirou magazine and was eventually published in album form by Dargaud.[1]

The series recounts the adventures of three U.S. Army deserters – Mac, Tony and Tim – in 1949, as they trek across Asia and search for Alix, who is Mac's lover and a Chinese communist spy. Les Innommables is characterized by its black humor as well as frequent displays of nudity and violence – which eventually ended the series' run in Spirou.

Les passagers du vent

7 book graphic novel series by Francois Bourgeon

Some of the short stories by Charles Bukowsky

Johnny Mad Dog

2008 French/Liberian war film directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire and based on the novel Johnny Chien Méchant (2002) by the Congolese author Emmanuel Dongala.

The teenage rebel Johnny Mad Dog leads the small group of younger boys commanded by the older General Never Die, who feeds them cocaine.[1] The film follows the group's march towards the capital Monrovia, and follows them in a gritty realistic manner as they move through a series of towns and villages, where they terrify and often execute the population. The soldiers are depicted as almost feral, committing acts of pillage and rape, with scant regard for even their own lives. They wear a variety of outlandish outfits – including butterfly wings and a wedding dress – and have nicknames such as No Good Advice, Captain Dust to Dust, and Chicken Hair.

_____

There are almost certainly quite a few more, that I can’t think of right now. I might update the list, if I should remember a super important one.

(Although there is a limit for how long such a list can be, and still be of use.)

I left out most of the light stuff that I love to watch, and tried to only include stuff that kind of works as inspiration for what I would write about myself.

I enjoy rewatching scenes from The Wire, Rome, The Soparnos and Game of Thrones on youtube, typically many many times over. In the very unlikely case I should ever take part of creating a tv series, it would definitely have to be one that produces scenes that people get addicted to rewatching.