#because the quality of writing is just not the same
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covenofagatha · 2 days ago
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taking requests, angel? if so...
I saw some Kathryn gifs and an idea came to me: Agatha, after a long and exhausted working week, asks female reader to have a date, but the date is on their house because Agatha is too tired to go out. Reader is happy, tho, because her love language is quality time and physical contact. Something like a dinner, maybe, idk... so they end up having a very lovely time together, cuddling on the sofa until they fall asleep. Smut or not in the end, it's up to you... but I'd love to read something cute from you:( I don't know if that's okay...
if you're not taking requests, I totally understand that! I don't want to bother you.
- 🌙
Fun fact, this is my first time writing something that's not meant to build up to sexy times! Also the fluffiest thing I've ever written so hopefully it's good!
Home is where the heart is
A change of plans in your date night with Agatha leads to a confession.
Word count: 1200
Warnings: fluff, softness
Still on for dinner and a movie tonight? 
It’s the text you sent your girlfriend, Agatha, an hour ago and she still hasn’t responded. This usually isn’t like her, but you know how busy work can get. And you know how tough the last week had been on her, but you were really looking forward to spending this Friday night with her. 
The two of you had been dating for three months now and it always seemed like the older woman wanted to do something, whether it be going to a nice restaurant or mini-golfing or painting pottery. Like tonight, Agatha is supposed to take you to the newest spot in town that just opened up and then you were going to see Corpse Bride as it was playing again in theaters. 
You would never complain about any of this, but you’re a little worried that Agatha thinks that you need all of this to hang out with her. 
A text from Agatha buzzes finally. Doll, I’m so sorry. You frown and pick your phone up, afraid she’s going to cancel. I’m so exhausted from work, how would you feel just coming over tonight for something chill? I can order pizza. 
You breathe a sigh of relief and type back. I would love that! See you later. You almost finish the text with a ‘Love you’ but neither of you had said it yet and you were sure as hell not going to say it over the phone for the first time. 
You also weren’t sure how Agatha felt. She was older and you weren’t exactly sure what she saw in you. She was beautiful and confident and wealthy and could have anyone she wanted, and yet she chose you. 
A part of you deep down is perturbed that this is just a fling for her. It would crush you if that’s what it was. 
But you bury that insecurity somewhere dark inside you and you get ready for date night. 
Since you’re not doing anything special, you opt for a comfy purple sweater and black leggings. You do put on lacy underwear just in case Agatha’s in the mood, but you are totally content if not. 
You just want to spend time with your girlfriend. 
You get to her house right at six, which was when you were supposed to meet anyway, and you only have to wait a second after ringing the doorbell for Agatha to appear. 
“Hey, baby,” she says, stepping to the side so you can enter. She’s wearing sweatpants and a tank top, hair loose, but she’s never looked more beautiful. You press a cheek to her kiss and she hums happily and follows you into the kitchen. “Sorry to cancel our plans at the last minute, I’m just so tired.” 
“No worries at all,” you reassure her, opening the pizza box that’s already on the counter. It’s your favorite kind and you put two pieces on a plate and grab a beer. She does the same and leads you over to the couch where you sit on opposite sides facing each other. “Everything okay?” You ask once you’re both settled. 
She sighs dramatically and her head flops back against the couch. You laugh and nudge her with your foot. 
Agatha looks back at you, mirth sparkling in her eyes. “It was just a rough week, hon. Lots of people bothering me, asking stupid questions they should know the answers to, following up on emails that they haven’t responded to. And I had to work late those couple nights.”
You frown. “I’m sorry. You work so hard and no one seems to give you the credit you deserve.” You take a bite of your pizza and chew it thoughtfully, wondering what else you can say. You know she’s been really busy and you’ve hardly seen her at all this week. 
But she leans forward and pats your thigh. “But this has certainly helped.” 
You raise an eyebrow. “The pizza and beer?” You ask innocently, fishing for more. She rolls her eyes fondly, knowing how much validation you like. 
“And the company, hon. You’re pretty great, you know?” 
You smile and squirm with contentment. “You are too, Aggie. I’m always happy to just sit on your couch and talk. I just want to spend time with you, no matter what we’re doing.” 
She smiles gratefully. “Me too, baby. Now, how has your week been?” You launch into an animated retelling of something that happened at work and she hangs onto every word. It takes you a bit longer to tell the story in-between bites of your pizza, but her attention never wavers. 
It makes you feel so warm inside how Agatha always pays attention to what you’re saying. She makes you feel so seen and you couldn’t be more lucky to have her. 
Once you’re done talking and with the pizza, she puts on an episode of Modern Family, your comfort show. You lay between her legs, your back to her front, while she gently strokes your hair. You trace lazy circles on her thighs through her sweatpants and it’s absolutely perfect. 
She tilts your head to the side and angles hers so she’s able to kiss you softly. It’s just a press of her lips against yours at first, but it slowly becomes more and your mouth parts for her tongue. 
It’s not a needy kiss though, not a kiss meant to lead to something more, it’s a kiss full of adoration and longing and intimacy. 
“You’re so perfect, baby,” Agatha murmurs against your lips.
“Not as perfect as you,” you say back and you can feel her smile against your skin. 
She lets you go back to the show and wraps her arms around you. You can feel her deep breathing and you feel so safe and warm that you start to doze off. 
Right before sleep takes you though, you feel her nuzzle your temple and whisper into your ear: “I love you, baby.” 
Your heart leaps and you suddenly feel more awake than ever. You whirl around so fast that you almost fall off the couch. Agatha’s eyes are wide and you think you see fear in them. 
“Did you just–” You start. 
At the same time, Agatha says, “I’m so sorry–”
You both cut off at the same time. You smile wider than you ever have before and you move so you’re straddling her lap. You put your arms around her neck and rest your forehead against hers. 
“Agatha Harkness,” you say. Her eyebrows raise. “I love you, too.” 
She closes the distance between you and kisses you again, this time with more passion. You whine and try to pull her as close as you can, needing to feel her body against yours as much as you can. 
“Say it again,” she says and you smirk. 
“I-” You kiss her. “Love.” Another kiss. “You.” She grins and gives you a long kiss and it eventually sizzles out and the two of you are just holding each other, your chin on top of her shoulder. 
“I’m so glad I cancelled our other date,” Agatha muses and you chuckle, squeezing her tighter. “Stay here with me forever, love?” 
You promise that you will. 
And when you both wake up in the morning in that same position, she tells you that she loves you again.
You hope she never stops saying it, because you know that you never will.
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tsukii0002 · 3 days ago
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I wake up in the morning and the first thing I see is this 🙃
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Damn, I... I don't know what to think, I'm furious, I'm sad and above all I'm confused. On the one hand (my more sympathetic side) I understand Solmare, they have lost the direction of their game and that has affected the quality of the story and to continue making more content for just doing it is better to stop...
Now then… What is going to happen with all the untied ends? Since nightbringer began, more unknowns have been opened than have been resolved. What is going to happen with Simeon? With the new power of Mc? Is that all we're going to get from Mephisto, Raphael and Thirteen? Considering that this season Thirteen is appearing between 0 and nothing…. We are not going to know about Michael, or the issue of the nobles house and Diavolo's father???? There are so many unresolved questions… Solomon's past, Thirteen's sister, Mephisto's little brother????
But what bothers me the most is…who the hell is nightbringer????!!!!! Why did we travel to the past? What is his goal with what purpose? ???? Are you telling me that in the rest of the season they're going to answer that question? Or are they going to leave it unanswered? If so, what was the point of making a new game, to gain time to develop the plot? Well, it hasn't been of much use…
Little more than a year after the release of a new game, they announce the end? I feel that the last seasons have been the preparation of the ground for the real story, and they have given us hardly anything, or maybe it's my fault for waiting too much… but they haven't really solved anything, we are exactly in the same place as when Om ended. I know that complain is useless, I know...
For my part I will continue writing about the game, drawing and expanding my universe, because now the story is in the hands of the fans, it has been for a long time already. I just, I don't know, I'm sad Obey is such an important part of me, it's the game I started sharing content for…. That this news feels like that part is being taken away from me. I hope you guys are well, sorry for this rant. And if you guys have anything to share, I'd be grateful to read it.
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ladylilithprime · 2 days ago
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.....I have a lot of books that I've read, but I would hesitate to recommend them even where the authors have not to my knowledge done anything to warrant expulsion from the Good Writer Club on grounds that have nothing to do with writing. Especially on tumblr. Especially when at least two writers I devoured the works of have controversies in their personal lives that have caused many people to shun their works out of a sense of betrayal or just an overdeveloped desire for a social justice crusade. (Not getting into that up here, I've got a whole rant about the need for nuance and critical thinking and that's not the point at present.)
That said.
I did read the Harry Potter books until the fifth one when Rowling apparently fired her editor and started turning her books into more useful bludgeoning weapons. The movies were easier for me to sit through, though the adaptions changed things.
I tried to read Twilight and only got about a page and a half into the first book before I had to put it down from boredom. Again, the movie was easier for me to sit through (lack of first person narrative helped here) and I still haven't seen the others in the series.
I have never even picked up a book by Sarah J Maas, so I can't say anything about the quality of the writing from the perspective of me as a reader.
I haven't heard of any of the others, though I'm at least aware of Robert Jordan, much the way I'm aware of James Patterson.
The books I did read and devour?
The Brainship series and the Pern Chronicles by Anne McCaffrey (requiescat in pacem).
The Xanth series by Piers Anthony.
The Elvenbane and Elvenblood by Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey.
Pretty much anything by Mercedes Lackey.
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C Wrede.
The Young Wizards series by Diane Duane.
The first three quartets in the Tortall universe by Tamora Pierce, though my appetite slowed after "Squire". (Not specifically a detractor to the later books, just where my own personal interest began to falter.)
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (yes I'm now aware of the issues surrounding her personally, but I wasn't when I read the book).
Pretty much everything by Terry Pratchett...
...which led me to his Good Omens co-author and various books he wrote. (Again with the timing of awareness, not getting into it here, see comments above.)
The Animorphs series by KA Applegate. (Tried to get into the Everworld series, didn't enjoy it as much.)
Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey (slow-going because I do have to be in a specific headspace to read that much BDSM porn, even when it's well-written and plot-relevant).
My partner loves the books by Lois McMaster Bujold and has read excerpts to me many times, which are quite entertaining.
I read Redwall by Brian Jacques and a couple others in the series, but found them more entertaining when I thought they were just talking animals.
So.
I'm currently sitting in a room surrounded by books because my family are all avid readers on a wide variety of genres. A lot of the books I'm staring at are not ones I would choose to read, and I've never been pressured to read them. My mum (just turned 80) has read many of them, usually right along with me. My dad (now 78) has read many of the same books as well as the rest she hasn't, and he's disagreed with many of them and written journals filled with notes and arguments on many of them. He was once given a book by an acquaintance who told him she thought he should read it because she knew he was a logical thinker (he did read it and told me later that the book was not at all logical; not having read it, I can't say either way).
Point is... go find a library and look through the stacks. Read the blurbs on the inside covers, maybe read a page or two. If you like it, keep reading. Look up the author on your phone if you have to in order to see what else they wrote.
And if you don't like the book, then just don't keep reading. Put it down, move on to another one. Don't go looking for controversy or dirt to justify not liking the book or the author. Don't do it to justify liking them, either. You do not need to justify your personal preferences. You can be aware of the politics the author has, even heartily disagree with their perspective and biases, and still enjoy reading a book. It's perfectly okay not to internalize what you read every time.
Otherwise, I wouldn't still reread The Chronicles of Narnia.
J. K. Rowling gave us facist Wizards.
Stephanie Meyer gave us Mormon Vampires.
And Sarah J. Maas gave us zionist Faeries.
The Holy Trinity of Mediocre White Women ruining fantasy for everyone!
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mixterglacia · 1 day ago
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CONTENT WARING: Vivziepop/Stolitz Critical below the cut.
TL;DR- This episode was inconsistent to put it politely. I will not continue such niceties below the cut. You've been warned.
I'm going to start with the good. The jokes with Satan and his...therapist?? are delightful, and considering how awful this episode was, I will take it.
The bit where the rest of the imps are tormenting Stolas felt so good, but I'm aware we're meant to sympathize with poor wittle owl boi can do no wrong uwu. So that missed by a mile.
While it wasn't consistent, this episode had some stunning animation. Kudos to the team, especially those working on the shot where Stolas is lifting his cape in the song. That and the slow turns were beautiful.
Alright let's rip into this.
If the second half of this episode existed in a vacuum, it might have hit its mark. But it doesn't. This is TOTAL tonal whiplash. Completely unearned and obnoxious. Once again, we have the biggest helluverse problem:
I don't want to put in the effort to earn my drama. I am relying on the fandom to fill in the blanks so they cry.
The song is horrendously demeaning and bad. He's belittling him because he's in a place where Blitz can't fight back. You can't convince me that I should go from the tone at the start of the song to the end.
GOD i hate these two. there is nothing appealing left. They are a hollow, pathetic shell of what we were promised. this is "messy" in the way a dumpster is. This isn't some artsy spill of candy. This is trash with glitter poured all over it.
Suddenly we're getting Blitz's "truwe" feelings all dumped on us in the span of a single musical number. This is TERRIBLE. You have been so stingy with any level of development on his end that this feels like a car getting t-boned at an intersection. I guess "self indulgent" is code for "I didn't want to put in effort, i just wanted my OTP." Which is fine in a fandom sense, but this is a SHOW. You have to actually make us believe they feel like that. You have FAILED, and you're still trying to give yourself the prize? Man, you are deluded.
This was total dogshit. This was a rushed attempt to get Stolas in Blitz's house/bed. This was nothing short of MORE woobification of this dumbass owl. HE DID THIS TO HIMSELF. IF ANYTHING, THIS IS A SLAP ON THE WRIST.
He's a privileged piece of shit that is so babied by the writers that even his PUNISHMENT is nothing. So he's banished, but only for a hundred years, which is nothing to an immortal. If you're trying to bring him down to be on par with the imps, you've failed.
He's still going to get his job back in the future. He's still going to have money in the future. He's still going to have power in the future. If anything, you should have had the punishment make him be an imp for those years.
But no. You're so obsessed with him that you've centered the whole plot around HIM. Not I.M.P, not Blitz.
HIM.
This show has become so derailed at this point. Each episode is (somewhat) fine on their own, but you can't sit there and tell me they have any level of consistency. I keep thinking they're going to hit their stride, and they keep failing to do so. This is pathetic.
I'm very close to giving up on this series. Even analyzing it has become a chore. You aren't fun to watch, or make fun of. You're just mediocre.
I so desperately want these shows to have better writing. I want them to have quality and be successful at the same time. But currently we only have the latter and I fear that will wane in time if Vivienne doesn't get her head out of her ass and put in the effort I know her to be capable of. You can't keep coasting off of your pilot fans forever. I implore you to have someone work on the tone and consistency of the helluverse in the future.
Somehow Helluva makes Hotel look like high art, and that's a shame. When it was only the pilots, I truly adored Helluva. It had wonderful characters and great humor.
But here we are.
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destinygoldenstar · 23 hours ago
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youtube
TRAILERRRRRR!!!!!
Okay, so Netflix DIDN'T lie. Confirmed.
I'm NOT as scared about the release date as others. I'm still worried. But I can also see it because from what I've heard, Episodes 2-4 were being made around the same time. So, by that logic, the quality should be similar.
"But why was there such a gap with 2 & 3 then?" MURDER DRONES WAS RELEASING ITS FINALE IN BETWEEN. THAT'S WHY. Some of the animators for Digital Circus work on Murder Drones too. So OF COURSE, to avoid overworking them, there'd be a gap for Digital Circus content.
And now that Murder Drones has ended, there's not that issue anymore.
That's the logic I'm going with, anyway. I would wait to raise the red flags till AFTER this episode comes out and we hear Episode 5 comes out in, like, a month or something.
I HOPE TO GOD THAT LINE AGES HORRIBLY.
Also, um... an episode about working minimum wage labor.
These episodes are built for me, I swear.
We also have the characters in different outfits, which is neat. Clearly just for this episode. Still.
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I NOTICED THIS POSTER.
"Customer is always right! Serve with a smile!"
THE AMOUNT OF TIMES I HAVE BEEN TOLD THIS IS INSANE AND DRIVES ME ABSOLUTELY NUTS.
I WOULD GET SCOFFED AT AND SCREAMED AT BY PEOPLE, AND I'M THE ONE THAT GETS IN TROUBLE.
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We also have Ragatha and Gangle interacting.
I wonder why they're playing with a baseball specifically.
Because in the last episode the leisure activity played into the adventure.
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JAX'S NAMETAG SAYS "I DON'T CARE"
LMAO
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Gangle looks like she's been possessed by Monokuma.
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This is DEFINATELY a new mask.
Here's my prediction:
Gangle has a background actress-related. (Comedy & Tragedy Mask Duality) And she is bullied CONSTANTLY in the previous episodes.
So when she's given the role of manager, she creates a new mask for herself, A NEW CHARACTER. One that gives her confidence and a character so ruthless that she can't be pushed around.
It's her spotlight. It's her time to shine.
So is the comedy&tragedy duality bipolar disorder?
We'll see. I got Kinger's mental issue wrong.
It could also be that Gangle is autistic. I KNOW AS AN AUTISTIC PERSON MYSELF. It's pretty easy for autistic people to latch onto a character they can bring to life in order to interact with people. But when provoked as themselves, confidence can easily break.
So no, I don't think she's being psychotic. I think she's putting on an act for her self esteem.
And I think whatever damage she causes in the episode will not have malicious intent from her.
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I say this because we ALSO see her looking at herself in the mirror.
THIS IS ZOOBLE'S ROOM BTW. THAT'S INTERESTING.
Did Zooble loan Gangle this?
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Assuming they did because we have THIS hand reach out to Gangle.
So what I'm thinking the start of the episode is: Gangle and Ragatha are playing baseball, by accident, the ball breaks Gangle's masks.
She's crying, she's writing, and then Zooble eavesdrops and offers to help.
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And we know this is Zooble's hand because they're participating in the adventure with that hand.
YAY!
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This guy is so stiffly animated. Or maybe it's just me.
Maybe there's a story reason for it. Idk.
They advertised this guy awhile back, said "He's everyone's favorite character".
I'm calling Glitch's bluff. I'm gonna say this guy is going to be VERY INTENTIONALLY written to be UNLIKEABLE, ANNOYING, AND MISERABLE.
And it's gonna be COMEDY GOLD to have Caine and the Circus go around exclaiming how he's the best.
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CAINE GETTING THIS SUGGESTION BOX IS SO INTERESTING.
I THINK this is from Zooble.
After their therapy session, and Zooble saw first hand what could happen if Caine cuts adventures altogether, I can see Zooble making adventure suggestions that would be comfortable for them to participate in. To please Caine and to protect the circus from collapsing.
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We're also getting Caine lore. BECAUSE WHERE IS THIS ROOM SUPPOSED TO BE? THIS LOOKS FAR TOO NORMAL.
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AND WHAT IS POMNI DOING HERE CRAWLING ON THE FLOOR?
First off, I'm okay with her taking a backseat. She's the main character so obviously she'd get the lionshare of screen time. BUT there are other characters in this show and the show knows that. So as a Pomni Stan, I'm completely okay with this.
BUT is she snooping on Caine???
Two possibilities: One, this is just the burger place. Which is likely.
OR this is where Caine is, and she dips from the adventure to eavesdrop and figures out some lore stuff.
Not seeing her doing much else this episode anyway.
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CAUSE LOOK AT THIS. SHE'S TRYING TO THROW AWAY SOMETHING AND GETS CAUGHT BY GANGLE? SHE HIDING S&#T DOG.
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THE GLOINK QUEEN IS BACK.
Probably as just a cameo. BUT THE GLOINK QUEEN IS BACK.
Hmmmm... if the Gloink Queen is coming back, I wonder if someone else could show up...
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noproofread · 2 days ago
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Closer (NSFW)
HAPPY THANKSGIVING to those who celebrate lol
this took me forever APOLOGIES, writing is hard and my mental health is in rough waters. BUT ENOUGH ABOUT ME
Song inspired by this saucy song lol
Eustass "Captain" Kidd x fem!reader
public (kinda), fingering, dom!kidd, unprotected sex, penetration, dirty talk, strawhat reader. Reader provokes Kidd and he falls into the trap, yet he still has the upper hand.
masterlist here
word count: 1,577
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He was always crude, obnoxious, aggressive. All qualities that you hated in men. And yet you couldn’t help yourself when it came to him. You were thankful to your captain for forming an alliance with the Kidd pirates. He didn’t know about your crush on their captain, and he didn’t need to know. Not that he would care. Emperor Straw Hat Luffy didn’t care as long as his crew was happy. And boy were you happy that you got to be close to Eustass “Captain” Kidd. You just wanted him to get closer to you. You hated making the first move and you were determined to get him to move first.
Luffy had found out that the Kidd Pirates were on the same island and he wanted to go “hang out” with his “friend.” And you were tasked to accompany him alongside Zoro to make sure he didn’t get in any trouble. You put on the most flattering red dress. You loved the way the fabric hugged and clinged to your body. It made you look good enough to eat. And that’s exactly what you wanted. Zoro glanced at you as the two of you followed your loud and excited captain.
“Aren’t you a little overdressed for this?” He asked, turning his gaze back to the straw hat captain. “Well if all goes well, hopefully I’ll end up underdressed.” You joked. You were good friends with Zoro, him and Robin were the only ones in the crew that knew about your thing for Captain Kidd. He chuckled under his breath at your comment. “Just don’t do anything too stupid. We promised Nami we wouldn’t get into trouble.”
"We promised Nami we wouldn’t let Luffy get into trouble. I never promised anything.” You stuck out your tongue, teasing.
“OI! JAGGY!” Luffy yelled out as he approached Kidd’s ship, prompting the fiery-red haired pirate to walk out. “What d-ya want?!” He yelled back. Luffy stretched out his arms and launched himself onto the ship. In the midst of the chaos, Kidd glanced in your direction. His eyes almost immediately shooting away. He was taken aback by how good you looked and he didn’t want it to show. You watched him as he and Luffy argued. You climbed aboard the ship, making sure you were behind Zoro. You were close but you weren’t “Look at my ass in this dress” close.
Once on the ship, you sauntered over to greet Eustass Kidd. He refused to look at you, not wanting you to see how visibly flustered he was at the sight of you in that dress. “Hello Captain Kidd. Been a while” You smiled. “Yeah.” Kidd was short with you. Zoro scoffed, walking away muttering about finding alcohol. You turned to Luffy, who was about to scurry away after the smell of food coming from the kitchen. “We were uh- about to have dinner. Do ya want to-” Kidd was cut off by Luffy sprinting away, all he needed was the notion of a green light.
Kidd continued to avoid eye contact with you, wouldn’t even look in your direction. “You’re quiet… And nice. What the fuck is your deal?” You asked him. “No I’m not. What are you talking about?” He was defensive, yet still wouldn’t look at you. “You totally are. Have you gone soft on me Captain Kidd? That’s no fun.” You wanted to provoke him. You wanted him angry. “I’m not soft, shut it.”
It was working.
“Really?” You stepped closer to him. “Because it looks like you’re being a welcoming host.” You laughed. “Shut your whore mouth” Kidd said under his breath, loud enough for you to hear. “What was that?” You placed a hand on his shoulder, he tensed beneath your touch for a moment. “I couldn’t hear your soft voice.” You chuckled. He grabbed onto your wrist, turning his body to face you. “Shut the fuck up.” His stature was intimidating on its own, he towered over you. And yet you weren’t scared of him. You were excited. His hand had a firm grip on your wrist, keeping you in place. You wanted to keep poking the bear to see how far he would go. “And what if I don’t shut up? What are you gonna do about it?” You raised an eyebrow, challenging him.
He smiled at you. He pulled you closer to him, you could feel the heat radiating off his body. “Do what I say and we can have a nice peaceful dinner between both our crews. Shut it.” His voice had dropped down, almost a growl. You stood up on your toes to get slightly closer to his face.
“Make me.”
His smile turned into a devilish grin. He pulled you to the back of the ship. Once you were far enough away from the rowdy crew in the midst of dinner, he put one hand up your dress. You gasped at the sudden contact of his fingers against your bare skin. “Gotta be quiet unless you wan’ em to find us like this.” He smiled. “And no panties? You had a plan didn’t ya?” He chuckled, grazing his fingers softly over your clit. A small moan escaped your lips and he placed a hand over your mouth.
“Shhh. If you want it that bad you have to listen to me and shut the fuck up.”
You looked up at him and nodded. Your confident persona dropping as soon as you felt his warm hands on your skin. His body pressed up against yours while he teased you. He coated his fingers in your slick before pushing two up inside you. You bit your lip as you moaned into his hand softly. He was moving them in an agonizingly slow pace, torturing you as you were desperate for more. “You look so good like this. Fuck, ya wore this red dress to get me worked up huh?” Kidd’s voice was low and gravely, his eyes had dilated with lust. You felt foggy, intoxicated with the feeling of his fingers inside you. It took everything in you to look directly into his eyes, remove his hand from your mouth, and speak. “It worked though. You’re so easy.”
He chuckled. Slipping his fingers out and licking them clean before he picked you up with his metal arm, allowing you to wrap your legs around his waist. You yelped as he did so. “I’m easy? You’re the one dripping wet in anticipation bitch.” He whispered in your ear as he used his free hand to undo his pants. His dick was bigger than you had anticipated, you felt it as Kidd pushed the tip in a little. You gasped, bracing yourself.
“I’m gonna fuck you so hard you’re not going to be able to walk.” He spoke in a soft growl. He kissed your neck roughly, leaving traces of his lip paint behind. He moaned against your skin as he pushed more of himself inside you slowly. “You’re so fucking tight” His breath tickled you. You felt him stretch you. It was deliciously painful, you found yourself gripping his hair tightly, earning a hiss of pleasure from him. Kidd pushed himself in more and more, allowing for little moments of adjustments. He was waiting for you to get used to him before fucking you as violently as he had promised.
Once he was entirely inside, he gave no warning before pulling his dick out and ramming it back inside. A loud moan escaped from your lips, forcing you to bite his shoulder to muffle the sound. You felt his dick twitch inside you as you bit down. Kidd’s pace was aggressive and fast. You could barely see as you bounced with every thrust. Your vision had gone blurry. The air filled with the sound of crashing waves, your muffled moans, Kidd’s grunts, and his skin slapping against yours. He nipped at your skin, running his tongue over the sensitive skin. You felt electricity course all over your body as the knot in your stomach got tighter and tighter, the two of you desperately chasing that high.
Your walls were getting tighter around him. Kidd was putting all his attention on making sure you came before him. He wrapped a hand in your hair, pulling you off his shoulder. He looked into your eyes hungrily for a brief moment before kissing you. His kiss was passionate and wet. His tongue entered your mouth with no permission, it felt soft against yours. You closed your eyes, feeling every part of your body catch fire as you reached your orgasm. You tightened around him as you threw your head back and rode out your climax. Quickly he pulled himself out and painted your dress with his cum.
He sets you down on the floor, your knees betraying you as they are too weak to keep you up. He sits next to you and sees what he did to your dress. “Oh shit, sorry.” He chuckles, ripping off the fabric on the bottom of his shirt and using that to clean your dress up as best as he could. You giggle at the somewhat sweet gesture. “Just give me some of your clothes and we’ll call it even” “What if straw hat says somethin?” He asked genuinely before realizing who he was talking about. “Nah, he’s too stupid to notice.” He laughed and helped you up, guiding you to his room to pick out clean clothes.
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myokk · 2 days ago
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HOLA! ❤️ First of all, dropping some kudos because I love you and your art so much (basically my blog can be your side blog too at this point!) ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Second, from the character ask, I'd like to know about 3,4 and 20 for both Eloise and Leo 😁
Hope you have a wonderful day/night!
HOLA MI ITALIANA FAVORITA💓​ I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE FOR ALL OF THE YAPPING I'M ABOUT TO DO🤭​ will this get you to finally visit me🥺​
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I'm going to answer these for Eloise SINCE I already did 3 for Leo & I have someone asking me about 4 for Leo as well🥺💓
3) What was the first thing you decided on, the character's name, appearance, personality or their role in the story?
This is a tricky answer…just bc my evil gremlin mc in the game has NOTHING to do with Eloise in my writing. I guess I would say her name? I was just thinking of what would be the most British sounding name I could think of when I started playing in December🙂‍↕️
But then my imagination took hold of me…I started thinking about Eloise’s backstory…and when I thought of how all of her family dynamics/how she grew up would influence her personality I started to be really dissatisfied with the game and the lack of choice we have while playing. SO I gave up on the game completely after the restricted section quest and started to use my free time to write my fic in January🥹🫶 but her backstory, personality, and role in my story are definitely the most interesting things about her to me!!
Bonus: my first ever drawings of her in January!!! Bad quality bc it’s an insta story screenshot😆💓 (I redid one for my fic🤭)
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4) And reverse, which one of the four things did you struggle with the most?
Hmmmmm😭😭 I think her personality is what I struggled with the most and continue to struggle with as I write!!!! I always want her to feel like a *real* person with flaws, but ALSO convey to the reader why they should love her as much as I do. I think I’m successful bc I get comments/messages a lot from people telling me how much she resonates with them (and she’s some people’s favorite???😳💘) but I STILL CANT HELP BUT FEEL INSECURE ABOUT IT !!! It’s so hard sometimes keeping in mind how she is and how she thinks, and I never want her to be wishy-washy or doing things out of character for her. It’s a fun challenge but a challenge😭💓 (also her appearance changes like crazy in my art but whatever I’m learning😆)
20) bonus: share any additional thoughts, art, favorite scenes, anything you’ve been waiting for a chance to ramble about.
DES YOU REALLY WANTED ME TO YAP WHEN YOU SENT THIS MESSAGE😆😆😆😆😆
I really, REALLY want to yap about the foreshadowing and scenes I’m working towards in my fic BUT IVE ONLY TALKED TO LIKE ONE OR TWO PEOPLR ABOUT MY PLANS ( @choccy-milky & @kay9leo 🤭🤭) AND I DONT WANT TO SPOIL ANYTHING EVEN THOUGH I DONT HAVE MANY READERS😆😆😆😆😆😆😆 maybe in the future…
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This is me redrawing the chess scene from my fic bc I’m really dissatisfied with how Seb looks in the original (he’s probably my LEAST FAVORITE TO DRAW BC IT’S IMPOSSIBLE !!!!!!!)
And ummmm….hmmm Eloise is DEFINITELY not a self-insert character to me, but I DID give her aspects of myself. Things like…we have the same birthday (January 31) and eye color (dark green), and I tend to overthink a lot and can be in my own head maybe too much, but I’m ALSO a lot more assertive and gremlin than she is😆😆😆😆 I love the fact that she’s so soft and sweet💓💓💓 & I just want to wrap her up in a big hug and never let go of her🥺🤲
(Imelda is my self-insert tbh…and this moment in my fic was ME😤:
At the sight of Imelda's worried face her throat contracted - Eloise found she couldn't speak - and she burst into tears again. They were rolling, hot and salty, down her cheeks and she hid her crumpled face back into the crooks of her arms. Imelda immediately wrapped her arms around Eloise, and she melted into her friend's embrace. Hands gently stroking her hair as she cried and cried and cried, murmurs whispered in soft Spanish to the top of her head.
She was overwhelmed, desolate, lonely.
I feel really bad for Eloise at this point in her story, but I also find it really interesting to keep poking her to see when she finally snaps and decides that she NEEDS to stand up for herself and what she wants. She hasn’t quite realized that she’s the only one who’s ultimately in charge of her life & I’m really really enjoying watching her become the person she’s meant to be🥹🫶🥹🫶
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misspelledwordswizard · 1 day ago
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Can I request a Time content?
The Chaín except Time asking Reader his type or things she likes of a man. She mention some qualities but she specify "Older Man".
Time all blushing because he is in love with reader and Reader likes him too.
Time Content, yeay! I loved writing this asdfkqaj I hope you like it! <3
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I like older men
— Oh, come on, you have to have a type! – Warriors exclaimed, referring to me. He’s been pestering me for a few minutes to tell me what type of man I’m attracted to. 
— I don’t think I have an exact type. – I kept giving the same answer. My taste can be quite flexible, I’d say. 
We were all around the campfire, talking, sharing stories, after the meal. The conversation was going smoothly until they got to the subject of relationships, which Sky dominated, by the way. The Captain has some experience in short-term relationships, so to speak, some of the others seem to have traumas, while the rest simply have never had anything with anyone until now, totally fair.
But, apparently, my romantic life became the central point of the entire conversation after I said I was single, and had never been seriously involved with anyone before. From what I understand, this information is somewhat shocking to them. 
— But not even some things you find attractive in men? – Wild suggested, he wasn’t helping me either. 
Unconsciously, my thoughts took me to the leader of the group, who was the only one who wasn’t bothering me with the subject. I can’t tell if it was because he was not interested in the subject or simply out of respect for my dignity. 
He didn’t even seem to be paying attention, to tell the truth. Leaning so calmly against a tree, with both eyes closed, I couldn’t even tell if he was awake. Avoiding looking at him and ending up generating comments among the heroes, I sighed and accepted my fate. Okay, I just need to wind them up. 
— Hm, let me think. – I said, raising expectations in the boys around me. – I guess we can say I like tall men. – Out of the corner of my eye, I had the impression of seeing Four wilt in his place, did he feel offended? – And strong ones too, something more natural... – I could feel my cheeks blushing. I wouldn’t mind talking about it at a sleepover with my friends, but with the men I’ve been living with for the past few months? What a nightmare. 
They remained silent, indicating that they expected more. Damn, damn gossips. 
— Well, I find light eyes attractive, I would say. And tattoos... Oh, and men who wear black, especially those tight, high-necked shirts. – Okay, I think I’m going too far. My cheeks looked like bell peppers. Oh, right, there’s one last very important one. – And, mainly, older men. 
I concluded, unable to bear all this pressure of stares while I talk about something so personal. I closed my eyes, expecting their provocative comments or something like that, but I was surprised to notice the silence that followed. Was that really that shocking? 
I opened my eyes to see their reactions, and, to my surprise, they weren’t looking at me. All eight boys looked with shock, surprise or curiosity in Time’s direction. Confused, I turned to look at him too, and, after some time processing the information, I understood the reason for their exaggerated reactions, feeling my face even hotter than before.  Time kept his eyes closed. His face, so relaxed before, was now tense, his lips pressed together in a line and his good eye closed a little tighter. What was surprising, in fact, was how rosy his cheeks were. 
In all my life, or rather, since I met him, I never thought I would see the hero of time blush. Because of me. Damn, am I not going crazy?  Well, I am definitely to blame for this, without realizing it, I ended up almost describing him in this silly joke. 
Oh man, I want to bury my face in a hole, I couldn’t have made it more obvious! Great, now I will have to deal with the provocations of this bunch of idiots. I looked away, no longer having the courage to look at him, and just accepted my cruel fate. 
— Look... – Warriors began, and I was already mentally preparing myself for the humiliation that was to come. – ... it seems that we have finally discovered the Old Man’s type as well. 
I turned my head abruptly to look at him, in time to see his eye widen and his mouth open in surprise and indignation, but nothing came out of his mouth. With his face even redder, he sighed and stood up, leaving the group in search of a moment of peace. 
These brats are still going to kill Time with these provocations, and in addition, they are going to kill me too. 
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afterthelambs · 11 hours ago
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Same anon as before! Can you please elaborate on why 306 is where you think MHA started failing? I'm so curious because I've never seen anyone say that before.
No problem! To keep is as short as possible, there are two main reasons why 306 (when Deku leaves UA, start of vigilante arc) marks the decline of MHA's quality for me: loss of structure and loss of intimacy
Loss of structure
My Hero Academia's early quality can be found in the name: academia. The school setting provided Horikoshi with a structure for the story that helped keep it in focus. Every major arc since the beginning has been centered on a school activity, whether it's a sports festival or an exam or a summer camp. It ensures that everyone will have something to do, a tangible goal for the arc. But 306 ends that. The first war was still a school activity, it was an extension of their hero internships. But after that, the school setting ceases to exist. UA is still relevant, but only as a refugee shelter.
There is no longer a strong framework for Hori to work with, so characters start feeling like theyre meandering. The goals became vague 'defeat the villains' and 'save the country' when they used to be personal, like saving a friend or improving on a skill to pass a test.
Basically loss of structure damaged the plot.
2. Loss of intimacy
If I asked you what is the most iconic or impactful fight in MHA to you, what would be the first thing in your mind? Most people would say things like the Deku v Shoto sports festival, or All Might vs AFO, or Deku vs Kacchan (both of them), or even Iida-Shoto-Deku vs Stain. What do these all have in common? These fights are limited to a handful of people. They're intimate.
Horikoshi has always been more comfortable writing small battles. During the first ever big fight between class A and the nomus, what does he do? He separates all of them in groups of 2 or 3. During the summer camp, is it class A vs the entire LOV? No, he has them fight villains in pairs. It's Bakugou and Shoto vs Moonfish, or Kendo and Tetsutetsu vs Gas Mask kid (i forgot his name), or Uraraka and Tsuyu vs Toga. These smaller fights allow the characters to be intimate with each other and fully interact/ develop unique interpersonal dynamics.
chapter 306 shifted the focus into large battles with too many people and factors involved, and because of that characters don't feel like they're actually connecting on a personal level.
The best example i can think of is comparing Deku vs Shoto fight with the Shoto vs Dabi fight. These fights are identical in concept. Deku is trying to reach out to Shoto, who is consumed by anger at Endeavor and is destroying himself because of it. Shoto is trying to reach out to Dabi, who is consumed by anger at Endeavor and is destroying himself because of it. This is the most clear-cut parallelism you can get. And yet the execution of the fights are so different. Deku and Shoto are only focused on each other, they're having a personal conversation, we see them change over the course of the fight because of the other's actions. A genuine bond was formed.
But Shoto and Dabi were not just focused on each other. Iida was there (bc hori has to give him something to do), Dabi keeps trying to leave to kill people, Shoto isn't allowed to converse with him because the rest of the battle keeps interrupting, and the rest of the Todofam get involved. Despite being set up as a fight between brothers where Shoto could apply the lessons he learned from Deku a long time ago to save his older brother, it ends up losing focus. I don't feel like Shoto or Dabi feel differently about each other by the end of the fight at all. Dabi is given a moment where he realizes his family cares about him, but what about Shoto? We don't get to see how it changes him. The intimacy was lost, so their relationship falls flat and their development is underexplored.
If loss of structure damages the plot, then loss of intimacy damages the characters and relationships.
Thats longer than I thought it would be, so sorry about that. But yeah I feel like these shifts in the way the story was written answer why MHA has so many issues down the line. There is also the issue of the awful decisions made (killing the villains, abandoning All Might and Bakugou and the hopeful tone, etc.) which can't be fixed by pacing or smaller fights. But I do think those decisions reflect how the focus was more on 'ending the war' rather than giving characters satisfying relationships and conclusions. Ever since 306 came out, I could tell Horikoshi's priorities and writing style had shifted so I kinda figured the ending was not gonna go well. But yeah I never predicted just how bad it was gonna be😭 I wish he just stuck with the Heroes Rising ending, it would've been perfect (intimate battles limited to class 1A only and well-structured within a school work activity! thats perfection right there).
im really sorry the MHA fandom is having a bad time with the ending though. Let's just all cope through fanworks together, who even needs canon. MHA fans are some of the brightest and most brilliant ive ever seen. The fanart is god-tier and the fanfics are so fun and even life-changingly good. Like Horikoshi could never match edema-ruh's TWYUTD, that fanfic is actual literature. Thanks for the character designs sir, but we'll take it from here.
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jesncin · 21 hours ago
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These are such great additions!
I think another thing to consider is that bigger stage productions are insanely expensive investments. And because of that, a lot of humbler productions who make their way to larger venues often have their edge and bite sanitized off for mainstream. Coupled with how Broadway is in-accessible to a majority of people in the world through price and lack of pro-shoot recordings for international viewers- theater has its own hierarchy problems.
The Wait in the Wings documentary goes over this, but part of Ride the Cyclone's struggle was that it covered a taboo subject, and that it was born out of a punk, counterculture environment. While the show was gaining prominence and publicity, people recognized Ride the Cyclone's value. But by the time it was getting close to entering mainstream, all people could talk about was how incompatible it was with Broadway. Which to me, is like criticizing an indie comic because it would never fit in traditional publishing. That's a terrible metric for quality and resonance.
It wasn't until Gen Z got a hold of Ride the Cyclone through slime tutorial recordings, did Ride the Cyclone find the audience it truly resonated with; one that was constantly exposed to death through growing up with a pandemic and exposure to news via social media. The humor and out-of-the box music just clicked with younger people.
American Superhero comics has suffered from a history of self censorship, and the changing attitudes of who they're for. They're constantly struggling between broadening their audience or relying on the same old white guy readership to get by. For DC, The New 52 was all about edge, so Rebirth is meant to be a return to form. But for the most part, we've entered a performative era.
Cape comics want to be more inclusive, but not to the point it would deter its conservative readership and lose money from that audience, so they'll never commit to consistently go that far. There's outliers (SSTK, Alan Scott Green Lantern, etc.) but for the most part they play it frustratingly safe and market it as groundbreaking.
Vertigo comics began as an imprint of DC comics so the creators could explore more mature topics with adult content that would've been restricted under DC comics. That's how we got so much social commentary and politics out of works like og Hellblazer. It only makes sense that when John Constantine is assimilated into the bigger, restrictive world of DC comics that his radical roots end up sanitized to fit a superhero mold- walking pride ad and quippy MCU style remarks galore.
Yet even modern stories that feel like a return to form such as Spurrier's run and Dead In America have that layer of respectability on top of everything. Sure Spurrier's Hellblazer will talk about racism, but he'll portray Rural Country Bumkin White People as the racists because that's the most comfortable people to portray as racists. And American cops. Only them though. The British cops are noble people of color. They'll include Noah, a Black disabled character who communicates through BSL, but not include nuances specific to Deaf/HOH culture and how that intersects with Blackness. They can't even draw people facing him when he's signing.
Whenever I read stories with John Constantine in them and they feel lackluster I always outwardly ask myself "are we really going to be outdone by a bunch of white guys writing Hellblazer in the 80s??" because come on. There's so much more diverse talent and perspectives in the industry since then but they can't shine because it still has to sell to a mainstream audience in the end.
I'm pretty sure your experience with Spirit World and Xanthe Zhou is reflective of most people's experience with the character. At first people are impressed by the novelty of the representation, but then they move on and forget about it. Xanthe's tag hasn't been active since their debut year with Spirit World. I finally got into Spirit World because I'm friends with a Xanthe superfan haha.
It's easy for the comics community to dunk on whatever new thing Tom King is writing, or talk up a fantastic comic! But stuff like Spirit World burns bright for a second and withers away because it really was lots of theatrics and little substance. At the end of the day, loving or hating something means you care about it. Something that is mid though? Even if you enjoyed it, it doesn't stay with you.
And it's a shame because I think characters like Xanthe should have critical discussion! At least for representation alone, I don't want a Chinese non binary character to (ironically) be forgotten and sidelined. Yet I also don't want this character to stagnate the way they're written right now (and just have fandom say "read it! It's important! Because representation!"). The beauty of these characters is the potential for another writer to come along and do something great with them. But with the state of comics being nothing burger now? Those chances are slim.
It's why I think Ride the Cyclone has a big piece of what Xanthe's missing. It may not have the backing of mainstream musicals, but something about it resonated in the younger generation especially. It was willing to have an uncomfortable conversation about death and dying at a young age, when a generation was exposed to death on the regular. Meanwhile Spirit World is a weird comic about death that wants to talk about death as little as possible. Outside of saying "you take nothing with you when you die, so you better remember people!" it's squeamish about the subject. So all we get is just "you should read Spirit World because representation, some popular characters cameo in it and uh, yeah that's it." That's a story for no one.
Spirit World, Ride the Cyclone and Death. A weird comparative analysis
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Gonna combine my musical nerd and cape comics fixation together for a rambling meta thought. I've been reflecting on how taboo the topic of death is in media after getting into Ride The Cyclone (highly recommend watching the slime tutorial and Waiting in the Wings' documentary on it) but also contrasting that musical with how Spirit World handled similar topics.
Both stories cover characters whose lives were cut short from a tragic circumstance, but while Cyclone directly talks frankly about how each character uniquely grieves over their lost life (and eventually accepts death)- Spirit World uses death as largely an aesthetic to a generic fantasy superhero adventure.
[spoilers for Ride the Cyclone and Spirit World]
Spirit World is about non-binary, half dead half living Envoy Xanthe Zhou, as they go into the Spirit World with John Constantine to rescue Cassandra Cain Batgirl. They eventually go toe to toe with the spirit of a bitter dead poet.
Ride the Cyclone is about 6 choir teenagers who die in a roller coaster accident in their small town. In the afterlife, they are given the chance to vote which one of them they believe should be resurrected.
For Spirit World, do we even know how Xanthe feels about being "half dead"? What does that even mean? They died as (what looks like) a 3 year old, and have clearly aged 15 more years since then. So they can age? Do they need to eat or drink (they're seen with a drink in a Pride comic)? Xanthe keeps mentioning they're half dead and half living, but the comic doesn't seem to want to discuss what that means. How would Xanthe feel that they were essentially given a job as an Envoy the minute they died as a very young child? Was this even a choice?
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We've already covered the numerous plot holes in Xanthe Zhou's poorly thought out backstory so I won't go over that again. But honestly apart from the thematically loose "the dead shouldn't be forgotten" moral, a lot of how death is presented in Spirit World feels so superficial. When Xanthe is formally introduced as this cool character with a giant sword hanging around a gravesite, fighting all these hopping vampire creatures... this scene would play out the same if you swapped the setting with a forest and zombies as bad guys.
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The Spirit World is less an afterlife for the spirits to move onto and more an MMORPG setting for our superheroes to travel across and fight generic evil beings and encounter eviler, bigger, boss battles at the end. Then there's the poet clout villain whose problems are just easily solved by Xanthe promising to remember her. I've already covered what a lost opportunity thematically this character was in my last Xanthe essay, but this time I want to contrast her with Ride the Cyclone's Jane Doe. I also want to compare Xanthe with Noel Gruber afterwards.
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Ride the Cyclone's musical numbers follow each character performing a song reflecting their wishes, and musings on life (this sounds depressing but the musical handles all this with comedy and wit), hoping to prove themselves as worthy of a second chance at life. Of the characters, Jane Doe is the mysterious odd one out. The accident decapitated her, leaving her to enter the after life with no memories and the people of the living unable to identify her.
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You might see where I'm going with this. So in Spirit World, Wan Yujing was this famous poet mourned by an entire empire. She only goes monster mode when a handwave-y "time erodes all" happens in the Spirit World and she is eventually forgotten- so she becomes desperate to demand to be reincarnated by the Jade Court. Because her clout ran out. Again, I already made the critique in my previous essay that this villain would better link to our protagonist if she was a queer poet whose poetry was being purposefully straight washed as an act of queer historical erasure. But I want to bring up how truly unsympathetic this villain is. She gets Shakespeare levels of clout but still demands more because she isn't getting reincarnated fast enough. Xanthe promises that as an immortal "half dead half living" person that they will remember Wan Yujing, so she too can be immortal in some way.
I think about all the Jane Doe-s in the Spirit World who don't get to be famous poets that have Empires remembering who they were. People who died anonymously without a past. In Cyclone, the main character chooses Jane Doe as the person who should be brought back to life. Our cast of teens come to terms with the fact that while it's tragic that their lives ended shortly, they conclude "to say that if one dies young, they die needlessly... that is to discount the years we had. We had a life, she didn't. That's my vote." Since Jane Doe has no memory of who she is, it's only fair that she is given that second chance.
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I get that Spirit World is choosing these "larger than life" characters as villains, but it's at the expense of their own supposed themes. Of all the people to die and face off our hero as the villain, a character who's essentially an influencer but somehow has an entire empire forget about her anyway feels thematically hollow.
Modern Superhero comics are suffering from a specific problem right now; they're not really about anything. Characters don't feel like people with interior lives informed by the context of who they are. Class, race and bigotry are only touched upon as lightly as possible. Queer characters are now Pride ads with no personhood or flaws. They punch gentrified crime and fight for no one in particular. Even recent adapted media such as My Adventures with Superman and Caped Crusader follow this. Superman fights white-washed xenophobia, while Batman fights gentrified, white-washed classicism. It's why comics like Superman Smashes the Klan, Catwoman Lonely City and Alan Scott Green Lantern stand out so much. It's been a while since these characters talked about anything that matters. Don't get me wrong, slop that's about nothing exists in every industry. But when these characters and worlds historically used to have more bite- it's especially obvious.
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If I could be playfully conspiracy theory-like for a second; I believe Xanthe Zhou was pitched so that DC Comics can buff out their Pride Anthology or AAPI anthology with a new younger character. The company will give this character one limited series, but that's it. Xanthe will appear in the larger DC universe whenever big magic plots happen, but that's it. Maybe they'll get a YA graphic novel. I would love to be proven wrong, but the problems with Xanthe are baked in the dough.
Because they don't feel like a person, Xanthe feels more like an industry planted Pride ad. They're designed to be the most palatable and marketable image of Asian androgyny. They literally have no flaws to grow out of, and their backstory makes no sense. They weren't built to be a sustainable solo character.
So I want to contrast Xanthe Zhou against Noel Gruber from Ride the Cyclone. Because they're both queer characters whose lives were cut short at a young age.
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In a dramatic lament, Noel Gruber expresses how if he had a chance to live, he'd want to live the horrible cinematic messy life of a French sex worker woman in post-war France. He struggled as the only gay boy in a small town and never got to kiss a boy before he died. It's a look into a queer life that could've been lived, one with all the messy texture and self destruction Noel couldn't have but desires. We get to see how death and queerness intersect into rich, unflattering, gender-messy themes. "I want to be that fucked up girl." Noel sings.
But what's Xanthe's deal? They died as a 3 year old, got brought back, avoided their family at all costs for 15 years, and then had a transphobic confrontation with their family when they're invited to dinner way later. If Xanthe grew up in a transphobic household, how did they ever figure out they were non-binary when they were 3? Could they even verbalize it? Or did they instead figure out their queerness after they died? But how is that possible when they already held a level of familiar resentment towards their family's transphobia as if they've had several fights about it? It's hard to picture a 3 year old having multiple heated debates about gender with their parents for this level of resentment to make any sense.
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Details aside, how does Xanthe's queerness intersect with themes of death and grief? Well, it just doesn't. This scene ends with Xanthe's sister telling them that she bothered remembering them even though their parents moved on from their death (which makes no sense since the parents wanted to have dinner with a random 18 year old they correctly assumed was their long dead "daughter" but whatever). Honestly, the only reason queerness exists in this family drama is so that Xanthe has a tense relationship with their family. The story would be exactly the same if Xanthe was a troublemaker that brought shame to their family. Who they are isn't specific to whatever grief exists in the comic.
When people give the critique that modern Superhero comics aren't about anything anymore, we usually think of these comics as "lacking political bite and commentary". We don't often think of something like Death to be political. And even though it is in many ways, it's also a social taboo to talk about. Death is an uncomfortable thing to confront, even in the safety of fiction. It's what made Ride the Cyclone such a difficult stage musical to market.
So how does a modern mainstream comic like Spirit World fit into that? It just sits there in this non-committal way. Yes, this is a story about a trans teenager who died, but only in a cool Superhero Origin Way, not in any way that would make readers uncomfortable. Bury Your Gays is a stereotype after all, so we can't talk about how queer people feel about death. We don't get to know how Xanthe feels about death as a non-binary Asian American. Especially if it's messy. It's the reason why Wan Yujing's character can never commentate on themes of historical queer erasure. God forbid superhero comics be about something.
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I think about how, in the original Hellblazer run from the 80s, John Constantine had an elderly gay friend who was diagnosed with AIDS but was killed by a homophobic hate group. The comic openly talks about the sheer amount of gay people dying of the epidemic, a looming threat that informs John's queer life. It's such a culture shock, to contrast these early comics with how John Constantine is written in Spirit World. A character stripped of his own queer history and is at the mercy of incessant slutty bi jokes. Where is the desire to talk about how death informs a queer person's life? The mourning of a lost generation to the AIDS crisis? Something John lived through?
How about how any of this intersects with being an Asian American queer person? Queer people of color are often erased or purposefully excluded from queer history and communities. As a Queer Asian American, what does it mean to have identities that are often perceived to be in conflict with each other? Would your queer Asian ancestors even be remembered? Cultural differences with how you'd mourn your communities? But answering any of these questions means an uncomfortable conversation for Spirit World. For Xanthe. It threatens to be about something.
Which makes it all the more silly that, of the two stories, a musical about teenagers dying from a rollercoaster malfunction is more willing to have that uncomfortable conversation. You should ride the Cyclone.
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orangerainforest · 1 year ago
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uniiiquehecrt · 4 months ago
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Voice actors are NOT the same as actors.
It takes a specific kind of skill-set and training to be able to warp and meld the voice. It takes a certain kind of talent and dedication to hone that talent into the ability to meld the voice and invoke emotion with one's voice alone. Actors are used to using their voice secondarily to their body language and their facial expressions. It's all mirrored back on camera. They do have nuance. But it's a different kind of nuance and a different kind of training to produce that nuance.
Voice actors might get their likeness transposed on their character's design, and maybe their mannerisms might seep into the character's animation. But when it's all said and done: their presence is in their voice. They are bringing a character to life, showing that emotion in their voice, trying to keep a specific accent, drawl, pitch, tone in that voice and keep it consistent for their recording sessions.
The voice actor is like a classically trained musician who can play first chair in a competitive, world-renown orchestra. The actor (who fills the voice actor's role) is like a moot who played violin in beginner and intermediate high school orchestra and thinks they can get into Juilliard with that 2-4 years of experience.
This doesn't mean that the HS orchestra moot can't play. They can even be really good at it. Maybe they won competitions and sat first chair. But they are not in the same league as the person who's been training their whole lives and lives and breathes to hone their craft using the instrument and all of the training they've ever acquired to perfect it. They are not meant for the same roles. They are not in the same caliber. You do not hire the HS equivalent when you want to play complex music in a competitive orchestra.
Actors are not the same as voice actors.
And furthermore, actors - especially big name actors - taking the roles of animated characters for big budget films or TV pilots makes no sense anyways when - at least in the case of TV pilots - there's not a point to hiring a big budget actors anyways. That money could be used elsewhere (like paying your animators), and the talent that is brought onto the screen for X character could then be hired on to voice said character no recasting required.
I wouldn't say voice acting as a profession is in danger exactly, but it's certainly being disrespected and overlooked for celebrity clout, and this has ALWAYS been an issue. Shoot, even Robin Williams knew that much - which is why he tried so hard not to be used as a marketing chess piece for Aladdin and got royally pissed off when it happened anyways. People shouldn't go to any movie (but especially not animated films) because "oh famous actor is in it". People should go because it's a good movie and the voice acting is good.
People who honest to god think that voice actors are replaceable because "oh well anyone can voice act" or "I like xyz celebrity so naturally it'll be good" ... Honestly I just wish you'd reassess your priorities because you're missing the point and are part of the problem.
Voice Actors ≠ Actors.
#(i am incredibly passionate about this)#(and seeing celebrity voice actors in what should be a voice actor's role completely burns my buns it doesn't matter WHO it is)#(hemsworth as optimus? someone tell me one good reason why they couldn't get a good v/a to replace mr. cullen properly for the future)#(ben shwartz as sonic? dude literally isn't even a good voice actor OR actor anyways-)#(- A N D jason griffith AND my boy roger craig smith are still RIGHT HERE)#(jason griffith IN PARTICULAR would have pulled back SO many sonic fans that went to watch the film anyways. if not /more/.)#(and on top of that he has the same tonality and energy they tried to force this moshmo to try and emulate anyways so GET THE REAL THING)#(chris pratt as mario? i can at least defend /him/ and say that barring his failure to do a NY accent consistently he wasn't terrible)#(but mario's new voice actor could've been used instead and people would've clearly appreciated that WAY more)#(vanessa hudgens as sunny starscout in mlp g5's pilot movie? literally why. they replace her and hitch's va in the show.)#(don't even get me started on the concept of hiring celebrity singers to do musical theatre roles or not letting musical theatre singers-)#(-dub the celebrity voice actors you just HAD to hire for your film bc you're so worried about not getting enough clout to get ppl in seats#(that you're putting it all in this (1) big name hire bc turns out that you have no faith in your writing ability much less-)#(-animation as a medium.)#(and no before anyone says anything : no this is not me saying that ALL celebrity voice castings are bad.)#(there are some that aren't that bad and others that are actually pretty good.)#(i especially appreciate it when actors are damn well aware they aren't voice actors and try to LEARN from voice coaches-)#(-and/or their va predecessors if applicable.)#(that does not change the fact that the celebrity shouldn't have been hired just because the film wanted to have bragging clout-)#(-oh look at this FAMOUS PERSON we were able to hire — yeah ok. sure wendy. i want to know if this film is quality or not.)#(and 9/10 times the SECOND there is money spent on a non voice actor to voice the main character especially)#(that usually means somewhere along the way animation IS going to get shafted. if not w the animators themselves then in the way of-)#(-the actual animation itself and ESPECIALLY the screenwriting because it's especially been so dogshit lately even before the strike.)#(a celebrity being hired to fill a voice actor's role is such an immediate red flag to me and it is VERY rare that i get to be proven wrong
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shiveringsoldier · 13 days ago
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if you hate movie Frodo keep that shit to yourself. it’s just embarrassing
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sysig · 9 months ago
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Anime good :) (Patreon)
#Doodles#MP100#Shigeo Kagayama#Reigen Arataka#Ritsu Kageyama#Forgive the anglicized name order lol#MP100 was another one of my breakfast anime! Admittedly I did not Just watch it during breakfast tho lol#It was too good ahhhh I kept finding my thoughts returning to it throughout the day!#I probably ended up watching an additional episode or so per day over however long it took haha - drastically cut down the number of days!#The lead ups to the finales especially got me - there was no way I could for the whole next day to see them through!#Plus getting to see those beautiful EPs gosh <3 What could be better than some absolutely stunning animation ♥#I was quite impressed the whole way through :D The cast was great and the animation was beautiful and fluid and impressive#And the technical ability that went into the painted animation! Gosh!!#But most of all - of course - it's just a good solid story <3 Of course it's beautifully expressed but it's just - good down to its bones#I love a story like that :) Mob is such a wonderful character and he's surrounded by good people ♥ It made my heart happy to see#He's loved and he loves <3 That's my very favourite!#Unsurprisingly to me I was most enamoured by the brother relationship who could've seen that coming lol me? Siblings? Pfsh ♪#Ritsu's a sweet boy as well <3 I cried at him crying from Mob not even considering forgiving him because there was never anything to forgive#Not me shorter older sibling feeling exactly the same way hhghghh I'm fine ;;#Reigen is such a fun deadbeat supportive adoptive dad haha ♪ He's hard to pin down! Loved his redemption arc(s) :)#Flawed individuals my beloved <3#Such an enjoyable cast and set of circumstances! I might actually have to give OPM a proper go sometime soon if this is the writing quality
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ilovedthestars · 3 months ago
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I wasn't kidding when I said I spent an hour just trying to sketch out the pose for this drawing! Sometimes you just gotta go through like 8 sketch layers to figure out what you're doing.
I also ended up looking at two references--this one from The Pose Archive, which I traced the legs from after struggling for a while to get proportions that looked right, and a photo of myself that I asked my roommate to take so I could figure out what to do with the arms. The process got significantly faster when I remembered I could use references and started working with them.
I think it's good to show some of the behind-the-scenes of your artwork every now and then, both because process is cool and because it removes some of the sheen of "whoa, i could never make that." I know I get discouraged at times by artists who "make it look easy," when really I can't see all the time and hard work that went into making something. I don't want to create that feeling for anyone else!
So, here's a glimpse into how much I struggled to get the pose right, and below is the timelapse where you can see how much I fiddled with the colors until I had something I was happy with. It was probably at least two hours of "i am spending way too much time on this" and "why does this still not look right" before I got to a point where I started thinking, "wow, this looks good." But I got there eventually, and I'm really happy I stuck it out!
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mercymaker · 10 months ago
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i know it's the tumblr note economics and funny and relatable stuff always trumps everything else
but seeing the most random meme i slapped in a minute grab more notes than a gif set i worked on for most of the day is doing something to my soul
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