#bizarre choice. we have so many characters to keep track of you should not be confusing my ability to follow them
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Just got back from watching a production of Les Mis and yeah man to love another person really is to see the face of God đđđ
#my favourite musical. last time i saw it was in..... 2015? around there#i have... some criticisms for this production but it made me cry a lot and left me dehydrated so it's still a win!#les mis#ramblings of a bystander#ok but seriously who decided to cast what looked like two south east asian sisters as child cosette and child eponine#and then adult eponine was also south east asian but cosette was NOT and was a full white woman#bizarre choice. we have so many characters to keep track of you should not be confusing my ability to follow them#a bit TOO many extras and too much activity on stage during sort of ensemble scenes#that made it a bit difficult to locate who was actually speaking/singing a couple times#javert was just a touch too stiff in his body language. actually a few missed body language opportunities#that would have helped clarify what was happening I'm just lucky to really know it all already#REALLY didn't like fantine's characterisation and delivery on a few lines but otherwise she was fine#also i can't believe enjolras first appeared on stage NOT wearing red and then had a costume change for the les amis cafe meetup#just put him in red straight away? why did grantaire also have a costume change to completely different color scheme at one point.#...it WAS a good production I'm just nitpicking. because it's my fave so i have OPINIONS#jean valjean was fantastic!#anyway. I'm gonna make myself some dinner now. and then see what I've missed
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what's your opinion on how toh handled the detention track kids (viney, jerbo, barcus) in general
WHY WASN'T VINEY A MAIN SUPPORTING CHARACTER!? JUST WHY!?
I'll get into that point soon for the why but first: Jerbo and Barcus are just nothing to me. Not that I don't like them but they are the supporting cast to a one off character who managed to show up a second time. They're not going to get a lot of time to leave an impression, let alone to have some deep amount of personality. I think Barcus has some good jokes though and Jerbo is a good stooge to go alongside Viney's confidence.
But the trio is really defined by Viney. She is their leader, does the majority of the talking and is the one to make the major choices for them. Is that a bad thing? It could be... If Viney wasn't just so great. She has a shockingly firm personality despite such little time. She has loyalty and treasures it in turn but with a jaded edge that keeps up a barrier between her and others. You have to prove you're worth the effort but once you do, you're in for life. She'd be great as a leader of a band of thieves like that. She backs that up with a great ability to be two faced and use that for dryer, meaner comedy that is genuinely about character interplay and can easily mess with more innocent characters. Meanwhile, she'd probably have a hard time taking it back allowing for interesting back and forths.
In other words, she is a character the main cast was DESPERATELY in need of just personality wise. Everyone is either too nice to make jokes with others or too mean and not in an interplay way. It's just "I'm going to be an asshole right now," not "I'm going to mess with you a little." Some of the best lines I remember of the show come from that sort of teasing, like "Are you going soft on me, Blight?" There is way too little of it though.
But of course there's also just the fact that she provides a counterbalance narratively that also really should have been present in the show. See, the main cast only has two modes: Entirely wild and wanting nothing to do with the regime (Luz and Eda) or propping up that Belos is 100% right because if we even try to use other types of magic than the one we do, we practically can't do magic (Amity, Willow and Gus.) Now, the contrast is good on those two fronts but Viney just highlights a critical weakness of the show.
No one is actually even handed. It's either pure establishment or pure anarchy. Viney meanwhile WANTS to be a part of Belos society but wants the freedom to do more. To at least be allowed to try and expand her horizons. That allows for SO MANY interesting plots that could revolve around differences of opinion, pulling her back and forth, expanding on the world and how its systems work instead of just a black and white question.
But even above that: We'd have someone who ACTUALLY MIXES MAGICS. Now yes, beast keeping and healing are... Awkward to mix, to put it mildly, to the point where Viney doesn't even try. Hell, when she's put on the Flyer Derby team, she's praised for being a great healer... Which is the track people tried to force her to do as her only track. Puddles is purely there for flavor. It kind of discredits her whole choice to have multi-tracked because even other people only want her for one track. BUT if the show had actually tried, they could have genuinely shown how the two make for stronger magic. You know, actually support Eda and Luz's thesis as their only argument in the show is just that knowing a lot of magic is cool. For what purpose? To be cool! What other reason do you need? (That's sarcasm btw.)
She's just bizarrely a character who is almost impossible to ignore as just a good addition to potentially not even the main supporting cast but just MAIN CAST. Hell, if TOH admitted it was a romance, I could easily have seen Luz, Amity and Viney forming a love triangle where Viney is pulling Luz more towards rebellion while Amity, who's parents profit so much off of Belos' world and only uses one type of magic, is more about the establishment and the good it brings them. Just some sort of push and pull that is COMPLETELY absent from the show.
Then again, it would have had to, you know, actually commit to its worldbuilding or ever question if Luz's mindset is actually correct beyond the second episode. It would inherently be more complex and actually have to focus on its story. That's not surprising either because of what Viney inherently is.
She is a wild witch and the show cannot keep wild witches around without actually admitting the Isles is either a complete sham where Belos has no power (not that it doesn't feel that way already) or isn't some idealic, basic bitch fantasy world for Luz to never want to leave. Since neither is an option, Viney shows up for an episode that shoots taking the coven system seriously in the foot, and will be finished off in Reaching Out, while abstractly dissing modern education systems and then exits stage right so she doesn't cause more of a fuss. Yes, technically she comes back later but just as a body for the Grudgby team people might recognize, not to explore her character or issues.
Same could be said for Jerbo and Barcus. A good element that TOH barely uses and wastes all their potential because it's not actually interested in telling its own story.
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I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!
I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.
A Twitter you can follow too
And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesnât pay much.
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Okay, @e-dinâ asked for some tips for writing long fics! I am ecstatic to share my process. Please note that this is just my process, and not necessarily stuff that works for everyone.Â
This post includes spoilers for events of Issho up through chapter 18, so be warned.
#1: Let the story be as long as it *needs to be* and no longer.Â
Unnecessary scenes should be cut, no matter how much we want them or like them or think they would be cool. If they are not contributing to the plot or character development, allow yourself to wave them goodbye.Â
If the entire scene is a set up for one small bit of information, see if you can move the information to another scene
#2: Let your characters tell the story
This is a twist to the old âshow, donât tellâ rule of writing. Readers can handle some narration, but in general itâs way more fun to let your characters do the talking.
example: donât say âit was hotâ, let your character shield their eyes from the blaze of a sunbeam and moan that they hate summer
Letting your characters tell the story takes that a step further and edges towards The Unreliable Narrator (Teru is a bizarre narrator. He sees everything through childrenâs eyes. Things go over his head. There are things in Issho that are going on that he has no idea about, and because he is our POV character, the reader has to find out when he finds out. (or never- GASP)
#3: Depending on the type of story, your ârising actionâ event chart/map/graph might look different, and that is OKAY. Not every story starts slow and builds to a climax at the end. Find an event outline that matches the tone of the story.
Example: Issho has MANY peaks of different kinds spread out through the fic, as it is incredibly long and action is needed to break up the domestic scenes. On the other hand, domestic lulls for character development and discussion are CRUCIAL to move the plot along.
Break, on the other hand, starts low and builds to a peak in chapter two, and then tapers off. Itâs a pyramid with the highest emotional moment right smack dab in the middle of the fic. That works for a recovery story.
#4 (But really it should be #1) GET A NOTEBOOK/JOURNAL/FOLDER for all your notes. I write all my notes by hand before anything gets to the computer.
OKEY DOKE. Now that those big ones are on the table, lets talk real tips:
A) Sometimes it feels impossible to keep track of your characters and their varying and ever changing emotional states. But itâs critically important to keep them in line so that characters donât feel ooc and their choices donât make sense.
In that case I suggest mapping out each characterâs emotional journey through a selected time period. Especially if they are NOT the main character and we arenât following them.
EX: THE HANAZAWA PARENTS- these jerks are real people with a full spectrum of emotions, a past Teru does NOT know about, and they keep making choices that he doesnât understand one bit (but i do bc i made their entire personalities up)
Here we have their Motivation Sheets (Mom on the left and Dad on the right)
What I did was write out their emotional reactions to each attack Claw launched on their child, and their behaviors that Teru sees.
Mom goes through FOUR emotional stages that cover FIVE attacks.
Aloof
Affectionate
Brittle/Losing Steam
Bye
Dad was a little more complex, seeing as he is rarely home and is not reacting to the individual attacks. When he IS home, we see the stress the whole situation is causing him. Through FIVE stages of the situation, we see his reaction or influence(what he told Teru).
They suck major ass, but they feel like real humans bc i gave them a lot of agency and they are not reduced to âbad guysâ. Theyâre bad parents, but not evil.
B) Help I donât know WHAT information to give and WHEN and HOW? (bc lets be real that is tough to figure out!)
Unless you have a situation where an all knowing or very knowledgeable character can explain stuff, youâre on your own as a writer to figure out how to present plot information. There are a few ways to do this, and the easiest way is to have your POV character SEEK OUT THE INFO:
can they get it at a library?
online?
call their parents/friend/teacher/local wizard?
can they go to a local authority?
can they snoop around for it?
In Issho, Teru overhears many a phone call, for good and for bad. Itâs my preferred way for him to hear things he shouldnât, bc sometimes kids canât sleep and parents have loose lips when they think their kiddos arenât in hearing range.
If you REALLY cannot get information to your character (and also your reader) sit back and reconsider if the information is pivotal to the plot and if your character really needs it. What would happen if they didnât know? Maybe something really fun!
If you are struggling to keep it all straight, I recommend (youâre going to hear this 300 times so get used to it) A CHART :D
This is a page I have that tells me HOW and WHEN to get information to the reader regarding Shigeo, Teru, and Ritsu in the aftermath of Mobâs explosion in chapter 5.
Iâve circled the chapter that i have decided to present the information in, and starred HOW to get the information across.Â
Teru and Shigeo are on good terms, so they can talk it out
Ritsu is faking that everything is fine, so we have to garner info from his behaviors
C) OH gosh my fic covers a huge amount of time! How do I keep it all in order to remember it???Â
Iâm so glad you asked, my answer is... an event map. (iâm so sorry e-din its getting late and iâm getting weird.)
THIS IS ISSHOâS ACTUAL FACTUAL ORIGINAL EVENT MAP (spoilers redacted for my lovelies <3)
I suggest a bigger piece of paper for this bc i fucking ran out of room a long time ago.
Upper right hand corner: the OVERALL message of the fic to keep in mind
Upper left hand corner: key points to hit off on
The three sections are Beginning (chapters 1-2) Middle (chapters 3- jdskgsj 18 haha), and End Arc (chapters 19-probably 22, maybe 23 shhhh)Â
as you can see, things change along the way and Iâve utterly destroyed this map and any sense it should have made. thatâs okay.
Now, i have MANY event maps that I use to complete arcs in my fics. Issho has like 7 different arc maps. They help me keep the correct info contained in its proper section, EX:
Teruâs Parental Stability Arc: Unreliable/Strained (1-6), Shaky/Rebuilding (7-14), Solid/Trusting (15-22)
Another way to keep things straight: another chart. omg i am so sorry but itâs seriously like all I do
That is every CLAW event, what the in story DATE is, the ELAPSED TIME between events, which CHAPTER it will occur in, and WHO attacked.Â
All on one page for easy reference.
Though as you can see chapters 16-18 ended up taking more time and chapter 18 actually ended October 8th. I change things constantly. Thatâs why itâs all pencil.
D) Just a tip: Keep a typed outline (bullets/notes/key points/dialogue) of the ENTIRE story in one word doc or whatever you use. Then use a different word doc for EACH CHAPTER. This sounds silly and/or Duh, but seriously. When you are ready to write a chapter, just open the Whole Fic Outline and copy/paste the key info you need into the chapter doc. Now you have all your notes right where you need them, and you can erase them as you hit each point, BUT THEY ARE STILL THERE IN THE OTHER OUTLINE.
E) Get an external hard drive/usb/sd card I DONâT CARE WHAT JUST SAVE IT SOMEWHERE ELSE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THATâS HOLY/SACRED/WHAT HAVE YOU.
There is nothing worse than losing months of hard work bc your computer had a hissy fit like mine did last Friday and I thought I had lost all of chapter 18 literally on the same day I planned to post it. Iâve not sobbed like that in a while. I got it back but I call that a miracle.
F) and 2nd most importantly:
talk your fic out with someone. anyone. someone who will listen and let you brainstorm and bounce ideas off of. sometimes you think something is really cool and then you say it out loud and realize its actually not. Or you have a problem you just cant solve and it turns out you just needed a fresh set of eyes.
I talk Issho out with at least three people at least once a week to make sure my future events make sense. I get a LOT of feedback.Â
Reach out to other writers if you have no one irl that will do this. (psst i will do this)
I hope this was helpful! Itâs way past my bedtime ddjksgjk
In case anyone cares, Issho is officially 375 word doc pages. I care. What the hell i started this fic in April.
#thank you e-din for facilitating my screaming#Issho has used up over 50 pages in my notebook#of just notes#actual chapter outlines go right in the computer#issho#writer's tips#feel free to ask more questions#i have more tips i think#but my brain is v sleepy now
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Tag Fact #3 -Â Iâve come to realize Iâve always been a fan artist more than I thought. so here is a timeline of influences that shaped my childhood to now. from nostalgic times, to sad changes, to great loss, to strange rises to fame and phases, to stepping stones and finally a laughing place. all the things that make up your favorite fan artist Tag.
1. Rayman (bumped into this in the year of 1999) was actually the first fandom (with crossovers) I bumped into when I was 9. although the internet wasnât available at the time it was still fun to dwell in home amusements. I remember the storylines and the OCâs I made but theyâre kind of embarrassing and itâs probably a good thing there was no internet. Iâve done fanart and comic crossovers of Rayman with Calvin and Hobbs and Nights Into Dreams, spinoffs of Sonic the Hedgehog OCâs, Yoshi with Pikachu, and the Pokemon/Digimon craze with OCâs and other Nintendo comic shorts. but the drawings and comics are long gone and disappeared in the garage in a backpack due to suspecting my sisterâs dad accidentally throwing them away. years later towards the year 2018 (now 28), we decided to move to North Carolina and it was my chance to find them again. unfortunately the backpack was gone just like I suspected (my main stuff), but for some reason I found my Pokemon/Digimon fanart, a good batch of Super Mario drawings (vaguely remember doing these), my sisterâs drawings and some other neighborhood kidsâ drawings in a dirty box. I was partially happy I found something at least but it was the backpack I wanted the most. sometimes I regret not looking for the backpack (âcause I was too busy being a kid) but itâs alright, noone needs to see that shit anyway, ha ha. anyways, I recall being a fan of Rayman from 1999Â âtil 2002.
2. Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (bumped into this in the year of 2003) my second fandom I bumped into when I was 12 going on 13. at the time, my sister and I both liked the Sonic The Hedgehog Franchise based on the Battle remake and ended up making our own secret fanart club that consisted of only us two members. she liked Sonic (and that was her boyfriend, ha ha) and I liked Knuckles (and he was my boyfriend, ha ha) and we were crazy in love about Shadowâs backstory. we listened to the gameâs soundtracks as we drew fanart and comics after school and man, those were good times. however, as we grew older towards the year of 2005, we ended up having separate rooms and I believe it played a part in disconnecting on the same interest. then one day, I asked her why she wasnât into Sonic anymore and she replied, âBecause I grew up.â I was sad after that and slowly observed that she was influenced by the emo culture and the new friends sheâs made. I was the only member of our little club for a little longer...but eventually I moved on too. I still have some surviving fanart we did together but it doesnât mean shit anymore since she turned out to be an abusive mother from the last Iâve heard of her.Â
3. Gorillaz (bumped into this in the year of 2006). as the Sonic years were at its end, I first heard the song âFeel Good Incâ on Music Choice and seeing the first image of them as displayed on this post (except the fan-made background doesnât count since I canât find the original artwork). this was my third fandom and later had proper access to the internet to the website I still currently use called DeviantArt. at first I liked 2D but eventually fell for Murdoc and developed a spiritual connection towards the character as obviously seen in my old fanart and rare photos of my devotion shrines on Valentineâs Day and his birthday every year. for the longest time since being a permanent fan from 2006-2017 (11 1/2 years) I had no knowledge that it was a political propaganda band and other realizations I donât want to talk about. I only followed them because it was a cartoon and not the bullshit behind the musical project. the world Iâve built and support for them for all those 11 1/2 years shattered the fuck out of me and I just wanted to be left alone to find myself again, somehow. activity stopped on all my profiles, the flow of fanart stopped since I now cringe from the fan service and felt I was used for my talent. I didnât want to be reminded of it all so I took down all my Gorillaz fanart and archived them for old followersâ nostalgia but also in the hopes theyâll be forgotten in my timeline. I ceased to exist in the fandom for huge personal reasons but itâs best to not say why. I know for sure that the fandom wonders what happened but itâs none of their business. THE END.
4. Waluigi (although I knew heâs been around since 2000 during childhood, I took deep interest once I revisited the character again in the year of December 2013). as silly as this sounds, when I revisited him again, the character was so bizarre that I ended up staying up 3 nights and 3 days in a row just looking all over the internet on everything about him and the questionable âhush-hushâ absence of a backstory. despite there being no backstory he slowly gained a cult following and in many ways itâs a good thing. however, since the early 2010â˛s tension has been building up between Nintendo and its fans about him starring in a main game but everyone hasnât fully gotten it in their heads that itâs not gonna happen. as long as Nintendo is in control of that, the fandom will not win, Iâm sorry to say. on the other hand, if itâs going to be this way, then thatâs what fanart and comic projects are for. as for me, I am doing my very best to get my comic project âWaluigi Landâ going. again, I apologize if itâs taking very long to get Chapter 2 going if youâve been keeping track but aha moments need to develop before I start permanent drawing (since concepts, character design and storyline needed improvement badly). as of right now I am still a Waluigi fan and I will not quit on him.
5. Turbo from Wreck-It-Ralph (although it debuted in 2012, I watched the movie two years later into the year 2014). for some bizarro reason, I had an unhealthy obsession with this character to the point where I dressed up as him for Halloween 2014. only 2 fanarts of him and the Turbo Twins exist on my profiles, mainly because my mind was more focused on just âthinking about himâ or âbeing himâ rather than drawing physical drawings. luckily, this supposed alleged fandom didnât last long a little after Halloween so I chalk it up as a very short phase. to this day I donât know what has gotten over me about him. the only thing I can think of now is that I think itâs because the character had yellow eyes and teeth but I donât know. now that I think of it, that little fucker was ugly as hell and I STILL donât know what had gotten over me. one day, my brother mentioned what that was about, and I said to him, âI donât wanna talk about it.â
6. Undertale (although it debuted in 2015, I later took interest in it in 2016). It was all about Sans and Papyrus. I couldnât get enough of the skeleton bros. eventually Toriel and Mettaton EX became my favorites but it took a long time to draw more of all 4 of them because I had other important things to do in my life plus I was still waiting for the next Gorillaz album to revive my imaginative juices (or so I thought). I really want to have this as one of my frequent fandoms but I just donât have time for it anymore. itâs still in the back of my head to want to draw them but at this point I still have other better interests to be in. and besides, Iâm lazy just like Sans.
7. Cuphead (June 28th, 2017 was the official day I called quits on the British-based band Gorillaz due to the bullshit behind it. since that date I was lost, had no inspiration to look forward to and no cartoon guy to make me smile...but lo and behold of the same year, I took an interest in playing the game Cuphead and man...that shit was a frightening exaggerated metaphor for being on that one drug (forgot the name though) and having sex at the same time but man that was the best fun Iâve had in years. I mean, itâs like, enemies are just so happy to murder you and that scared the shit outta me. and the facial exaggeration?....I think I should stop, ha ha. anyways, the Moldenhauers saved my ass from spiraling down, they have no clue. anyways, eventually I became a permanent fan of their work so to ease the hurt and erase my past from the G-fandom I had to re-wire my brain into a different cartoon category thatâs a rather more American, so anything Toon related like Roger Rabbit, Felix the Cat or another favorite thatâs a western-based cartoon makes me feel better, especially my new man .......King Dice <3 <3<3<3. however, there was something about this new fandom category I still didnât quite understand until the date March 14th, 2020. I finally understood what it was but I feel I shouldnât bring it up. anyways, Cuphead and anything western or rubber hose is my last stop in inspiration for the remaining years of my life. many say never say never but I believe Iâve found my laughing place and thatâs all that matters.
#tag facts#influences from cartoons#likes and dislikes#thoughts i have about characters#toons#rayman#sonic the hedgehog#gorillaz#waluigi#turbo#wreck it ralph#undertale#cuphead
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next round of in-progress naruto thoughts under the cut! we started season 12 finally and weâre only like ten episodes into it but i have already experienced the most stressful moment of my life so. lots to scream about.
[spoiler policy disclaimer first, as always: I am watching naruto for the first time and have only gotten a partway into season 12. Â i am trying to avoid spoilers, so please donât interact with this (tags included, because the notifications now show them to me automatically) with any spoilery commentary, including even general things like âoh i love this show but it gets less good after X pointâ or âX season is better than Y seasonâ or any general assessments of quality/likability/etc re: future seasons. Â Thank you! <3 ]
- the amount of information dumped on us in the first half of this season is SO MUCH!!!! i donât remember any of it! i canât keep it straight! we met kushina and did the entire nine-tails attack backstory and all that stuff about the land of eddies and the previous nine-tails jinchuriki (which, UH....yikes), and then a bunch of very confusing information about the sage of the six paths (we still donât even know what that title MEANS) and some kind of special/complementary creation powers inherent to the senju and uchiha clans that apparently were used to create the tailed beasts from the ten-tails, and then all these references to other things like....madara fighting the first hokage to acquire his powers? madara giving nagato the rinnegan (...how?) nagato being an uzumaki?? and then we get dumped into the actual formation of the allied shinobi forces and how theyâre organized and that in itself it a lot for me to keep straight........so many characters...i still donât know half their names....i feel like i need to rewatch the entire first half of this season just to try to absorb all of this information again
- i canât believe this show actually gave one of the mothers a personality. shocking. Â
- re: above - i liked kushina a lot. but can i just say, while weâre on the subject, how FUCKED UP her entire story is??????? the hidden leaf administration......imported a child........to make her the nine-tails jinchuriki......a fate in which she had no say.....thatâs.........abhorrently fucked up. i thought weâd reached the limit of âhow evil is this administration actuallyâ but i guess not
- relatedly, i still feel like.......weird about minatoâs choices? not really sure where i stand on that one yet. like...they kind of make us assume up until these episodes that minato HAD to use the reaper death seal and sacrifice his own life in order to stop the nine-tails, but now we know thatâs not even the case. kushina was going to take the nine-tails down with her. minato didnât actually have to die, and kushina didnât want him to. she didnât want to make naruto the jinchuriki, and she didnât want him to grow up without any parents. and itâs not like her original plan would have been a permanent solution for everyone; minato says the nine-tails will just reemerge someday if they donât seal it inside someone now, but still. i dunno. Â
itâs not like an EVIL choice. i get what heâs saying. i just donât know how i feel about it. minato on the whole has just been a character that i havenât quite figured out how to connect with - i donât dislike him, and i WANT to like him more than i already do, but even back at the end of the kakashi chronicles his vibe just felt a little weird to me. a little...detached. i dunno if iâm just like...wanting him to be something other than what he is, because the show builds him up so much as the ideal? but then he doesnât quite match what i envision. Â
heâs not BAD in any way. i just keep wanting him to be...warmer, or something, and maybe thatâs just not who he is.
- i was bizarrely fond of young!Killer Bee. the way he was just such an optimistic kid who never let anything get him down...heâs kinda like naruto in that way.
- and i had a Very strong reaction to that moment where motoi apologizes for trying to kill Bee that one time and Beeâs smiling response is âyou know, i donât remember that happening.â that was, uh.....you can definitely feel what theyâre getting at with that. Â
honestly, the second half of this show is doing a lot with radical forgiveness/compassion and that is one of my BIGGEST thematic weaknesses, so iâm prepared to continue getting punched with it.
- KISAME LMAOOOO. man, iâm gonna miss him.  i guess if youâve gotta go out, feeding yourself to your own sharks is one way to do it. Â
- i loved that flashback to kisame meeting itachi lol. they have a brief tense moment and then kisame literally is just âlets be friends and have some funâ and heâs not SERIOUS obviously; itâs meant in a âletâs just not make waves here so we can get our work done,â but then itâs hilarious because the two of them literally never argue again. theyâre the only two akatsuki members who actually get along XD
- KONAN OMG. ;________; Â
- how fucking badass do you have to be to pull off that move though. six hundred billion paper bombs??? six hundred BILLION?????????
- i was EMOTIONALLY COMPROMISED by the sudden jiraiya flashbacks and his little froggy tile system for keeping track of the children, oh my god. that was...no.
- loved naruto telling the nine-tails âiâm sorry...i wonât do wrong by you...just hang in there for a while longerâ.......i loved that. (see again: radical compassion)
- how DARE they use the reanimation jutsu on asuma. how DARE THEY. Â
- i....really canât imagine that sasuke is gonna be cool with them using itachiâs dead body like that. like i know he canât see that theyâre doing it right now, but those bandages have gotta come off at some point, right?Â
- definitely Did Not Like kabuto saying that he also reanimated âother shinobi of significanceâ...that really just leaves the door wiiiiide open and that is a stressful feeling
okay now the main event -
WHEN KABUTO SAID HE WANTED YAMATO FOR HIS EXPERIMENTS I STARTED FULL-ON SCREAMING THREATS AT THE TV (@PADMERRIE WAS THERE SHE CAN CONFIRM)
AND THEN THE VERY NEXT EPISODE KABUTO SWALLOWEDÂ HIM AND SLITHERED AWAY AND NOW YAMATO IS CAPTURED AND BEING EXPERIMENTED ON AND/OR USED LIKE A FUCKING...DNA BANK OR CHAKRA RESERVE FOR MADARAâS PLANT ARMY OR SOEMTHING AND ITâS HORRIBLE AND I WANTED TO CRY THE WHOLE TIME
you guys i cannot emphasize enough how upset i am about yamato being trapped in kabutoâs clutches i was clutching a blankie the whole time we were watching and i cannot stop thinking about it even into today; i am just sobbing on the inside
one of this showâs recurring themes is the whole âtreating people as if theyâre nothing more than weapons/tools to be exploited is bad actually; maybe we should stop doing thatâ (eg the cultural view of shinobi, the jinchuriki, the hyuga clanâs curse marks, all of orochimaruâs âprojectsâ [kimimaro, taka, etc]), and yamato is another victim of that - weâve barely gotten any details about his history yet but we do know that he was originally one of orochimaruâs experiments and i just cannot STAND the thought of him being back in the hands of those fucking people. i cannot stand the thought of him being tortured and stripped down and experimented on. the idea of him being trapped in this dehumanizing position again is KILLING ME INSIDE. i need kakashi to break in there and rescue him YESTERDAY.
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In Loving Memory
Part 1/?
Shouta Aizawa x OC
Rating: Teen (this is subject to change chapter to chapter)
Warnings: not beta read, bad spur of the moment choices, one character's existential crisis seen from an outsider's point of view, and purposely bad fashion sense.
Taglist: I'm dropping this in a discord channel too, so hi my dudes! And if you want to be tagged in future chapters, feel free to send in an ask, or PM me!
Author's Note: I really just want to make sure I get this chapter out. Because I want to have a small platonic one-shot with my OC Shizune Kiokuro and Mirio Togata for his birthday tomorrow that's set after the Overhaul arc. For angsty bitter sweet reasons. I should have that out tomorrow.
He felt a little bad for it. To be fair she had walked in wearing something that just threw him into a fight or flight response. She looked absolutely unhinged and deranged. Shouta could relate, but it made him activate his quirk immediately. He thought he had better control than this, and he managed to catch himself before anything major happened and before anyone could notice. But the woman had frozen in place and looked around like she was trying to find the source of whatever had caused the strange feeling.
Her eyes caught Shouta's and she looked him up and down with tired eyes. She shrugged him off and sat down in a seat at the table. He figured she was the new hero course third year hire after the last Investigations teacher retired.
This new year would be quite a lot. Several new teachers were joining the UA staff this year, including but not limited to All Might, and whoever this jarring woman was. It was enough to have Hizashi here to fill the role of obnoxious staff, but now there would be All Might?
Then there was this woman with a neon green mohawk and she's wearing an orange, green, and purple bowling shirt tied into a crop top, hot pink jean shorts and⌠are those fucking Crocs? Shouta himself couldn't be bothered to care anymore, but it was unusual that he was the only one seeming to notice something this bizarre.
"As many of you have heard, we are welcoming Toshinori Yagi to our staff this year, but All Might is not our only new addition. We also have Kiokuro Shizune joining the third year staff." Nezu happily introduced.
Everyone turned to see Shizune and she smiled brightly. Now it finally seemed that everyone was noticing her. A few teachers looked at her with disgust. Some were staring in surprise. Others just weirded out. Shizune, for her part, just chuckled at the wide array of reactions until everyone had gotten their eyeful and looked away.
None of the previous reactions stayed on their faces. And nobody bothered to look back at her. That much was odd. At least Nemuri would look back a few times and whisper about it to whoever was sitting next to her.
For the rest of the meeting, nobody looked back at her, as though she had completely faded into the background of an arcade floor someone had vomited every slushie imaginable onto. There wasn't much meeting to focus on beyond the full class files that every teacher was given at the beginning of the year. Shouta wouldn't be bothered to read it. He didn't want to have any preconceived notions about any of his students before he met them. They would have to make their first impressions count.
Shouta kept finding his gaze back at Shizune. She just sat there like a clown, tilting her chair back with a bored expression on her face. She didn't seem to think anyone was paying her any attention.
The exact second Nezu dismissed the meeting, she was gone. He wasn't going to bother talking to her, but the speed in which she was already out the door was almost impressive. But the less time he had to spend getting to know her the better.
He had a lot of work to do before his students showed up in class next week. He got back to his computer and started up. He hated the paperwork, but he had known what he was in for when he started.
"Say, Aizawa." Fucking Nemuri. "How do you think All Might's gonna fit in here?"
"He can worry about that himself."
"Oh come on, you don't even wanna know why he's suddenly decided to teach classes?" She asked. "I mean, the number one hero suddenly settling down to teach some brats? Gotta be the most bizarre thing we've seen."
"He wasn't the most bizarre thing about that meeting." He sighed. "Go home, Kayama."
"Oh? What was the most bizarre thing about that meeting?" She asked.
"Either you're blind or just stupid. Go home." He said again.
Suddenly Nemuri was all the more confused. "What did I miss?"
"The clown in the corner." Shouta deadpanned. "You'll get along well."
"The hell are you talking about? Are you ok?" Nemuri reached for his forehead, but he leaned out of the way.
"I'm fine. You can leave."
"Alright, fine." She shrugged off. "I'm going."
Finally, quiet. He liked being the only one in the office no matter how late it was. Being the last one here was worth it.
At least he wished he was the last one here. Meandering steps that thudded ever so softly on the floor. He didn't even bother to look up, knowing the colors on their shirt would give him a headache.
"Evening, Kiokuro." He acknowledged. It would be worse if she didn't know he was here.
She stopped dead in her tracks. Not saying a word. A beat of silence went by before she said anything. "How the fuck did you do that?" Her voice quivered.
"Do what?" He still didn't bother to look up at her.
"How did you know it was me? You're not looking at me." She asked.
"Your crocs make a dumb swishing sound on the floor. Your steps are quick and soft because you don't weigh a whole lot. And you walk around like you're not heading anywhere in particular, so you make strange noises, but over a large surface area. Not in a straight line." He explained like she should already know this. "I remember how you walked into the meeting."
Shizune stomped over to the side of his desk and forced his chair toward her. Fine. Guess he's not getting any work done. He finally conceded to looking up at her.
She still wore the outrageous outfit from earlier. However, her expression was one of complete fear as her eyes frantically searched his face. "Are you fucking with me?"
"What?"
"People don't remember me, Aizawa." She said, "How the fuck did you know it was me without looking up and keeping me in your line of sight?"
"What are you talking about?"
She took a step back, seeming to think something over. "My quirk." She began. "When I'm in your line of sight, you know me, you see me. But the second I'm not in your line of sight, you forget me. It is impossible for people to remember me without looking at me. If I'm not being looked at, I don't exist to anyone but myself."
"You're a stealth hero." He noted.
"Yeah. I'm the perfect stealth hero." She snapped. "So how the hell do you remember me?"
Shouta stood up, glaring down at her. "My quirk is to erase quirks."
"Oh.. you're Eraserhead." She noted. "That must have been what I felt in the meeting room. Why did you feel the need to erase my quirk the second you saw me?"
"Your shirt gave me a headache. My first thought was that it was a threat." He deadpanned.
"Oh⌠well that's kind of the point⌠but that means that it never got the chance to lock onto you. Which means the next time you looked at me, there was nothing to remember, because you hadn't forgotten. Wait then that meansâŚ" Shizune paused.
"Yeah, good luck with that." Shouta shrugged off, leaving her staring off into space. "Go home, Kiokuro." He called back as he closed the door behind him.
-X-
It was another week and a half before he had seen her again. Only two days after classes had started. He didn't want to be here, especially not while there were still students in the classroom.
Shouta had come to collect the uniform reports that All Might had left behind. All he had to do was take them down to the support department, then he could go home. But Iida, Midoriya, and Ururaka were staying late on a Friday afternoon, cleaning the classroom. They were almost done by the looks of it.
"Hi, Mr. Aizawa!" Ururaka greeted. He gave her a wave, going straight to the podium where All Might said he left the reports.
His stomach jumped when a knife flew past his face. His scarf was activated immediately, and wrapped around the assailant's wrist. But it was in vain. They had taken his scarf in their grip and jumped into the air, spinning and pulling him toward them. In one move, they kicked him back into the wall.
He grunted in pain, but his eye caught the obnoxious colors of his attacker.
"Mr. Aizawa!" Midoriya was up and ready to fight, but Shouta held up a hand to stop any of the students from attacking her.
They all waited for him to do something, so he just stood against the wall as she held a knife to his neck, staring her in the eyes. "You kids can head out. Ms. Kiokuro and I have something to discuss."
"But Mr. Aizawa, sirâŚ" Iida began to protest, but must have come to a different conclusion. "Of course. Let's go." The other two followed him out of the classroom. They wouldn't remember this, and Shizune would be safe.
"Alright⌠you got me alone, now what do you want, Kiokuro?" He grumbled.
She bit out a laugh. "Now, you see- hmm honestly I-" it took her a brief moment to gather herself, and he probably would be more comfortable without the knife at his neck. He lifted his hand to move it away, but she kept it in place. "Ah, yes." She nodded. "You are driving me insane."
"That's unfortunate. Can you get the knife out of my face?" He asked.
"No." She pushed him again back into the wall. "Listen here, fucker-"
"My name is Shouta."
"You are officially 'fucker' until we figure this out." She commanded.
"Great. I could think a lot better if you took the knife out of my face."
"Shut up." She ordered, but let out a breath in annoyance. Shizune resigned to putting the knife back on her belt. "Alright, look⌠I really want nothing more than to go on about my life and forget you exist, just like everyone does for me."
"Then do it."
"Now, that's the problem! I feel safe knowing that there is nobody that has any memory of me. But you-! You." She laughed, pulling the knife out of the wall and holding it back at his neck. "Every time I think I'm safe, I'm reminded that you remember me."
"Why the fuck-"
"I don't trust you, Shouta." She hissed. "I don't trust you with the memory of me."
"Why don't you?"
"Gee, I don't know. Maybe because I don't know you? Or because there's no reason I should trust you?" Shizune argued. "Really it's because you're not special."
"Well clearly I am." He said. "Because whether you like it or not, I do remember you. And there's no way to fix that."
"Now, Shouta, that's the wrong answer. Because I can fix it by beating it out of your head, and I can then rest easy knowing that there's nobody in the world that will ever find out." She said.
"But you're not going to do that." He figured. "You could have killed me when you first attacked me. Even in front of the students, it wouldn't have mattered. But you're a pro-hero."
Shizune let out a sigh and took the second knife away from his face. "So what can I even do about you, Shouta?" She began pacing the floor, rubbing the buzzed sides of her head. "I can't just leave you with my memory because I tried that for a week and it's driven me insane. I can't sleep knowing someone could be thinking about me, even if you physically couldn't care less if you tried. It's not a matter of if you are or aren't, it's a problem that you can at all."
"Alright, calm down, Shizune." He noted that in this little squabble they had somehow come to a first name basis and that novelty wasn't wasted on him. Very few people got this far, let alone in such a short amount of time.
"It's not easy to calm down about this. It's been almost fifteen years since I've had to trust someone with the memory of me." She was going to start rambling if he let her keep going.
"It's ok. Don't worry about that yet. Now, tell me why again you don't trust me." He said.
"Because I never trust anyone. You're not different, you're not special. But as of a week ago, you are the only person on the planet that knows who I am." She explained.
"Alright, so we've established that you don't trust me any more than everyone else. Which is understandable. I met you a week ago." He followed along. "But since I do remember you, and we don't have a way to fix that beyond extreme violence, we need to figure something else out. You said there was no reason you should trust me. In the event of someone having memory of you, what would make you trust them with that information?'
Shizune thought for a second. "I need to know that person won't tell others about me. I need to be a complete secret."
"That's great, because I don't want to talk to anyone about you." He deadpanned.
"But how can I be sure that you won't be convinced by one of your friends to talk about me? How do I know that Yamada or Kayama can't ask the right question to get you to talk about me?"
"First, I'm an underground hero, just like you. If you don't want anyone to know about you, then nobody will know about you." He promised. "And second, I don't even want to tell them about myself, let alone make an effort to tell them about you."
"Fair enoughâŚ" She shrugged. "But I still don't know you. For all I know you could be lying about this."
"And for that, we'll have to trust each other." Shouta figured. "How about I give you a piece of information about me that I don't want people knowing?"
"You would do that?"
"I don't want to, but it's fair. I'd be essentially letting you hold me hostage." He explained. "If someone ends up knowing about you in any way that you haven't given them, then you have this information to do what you want with."
Shizune looked him up and down. "What makes you think I need something true to do that?"
"You don't, but this is supposed to be a gesture of trust."
"Oh yeahâŚ." She remembered. "You do realize it'll have to be something genuinely secret. Something you would literally rather die than have other people know about."
"Which is the issue. I don't think there's anything I would have a problem with other people knowing."
Immediately Shizune lit up with a wicked smile across her face. His students should be glad he doesn't smile like that. "I bet I can find something."
"I will bet you can't." He deadpanned. "Not that I think your investigation skills are lacking, there's just nothing for you to find."
"More mysterious men than you have said that to me and been so. very. wrong." She chuckled, taking a step closer to him. He didn't like the sound of that, but if it meant she could find something that would make her less of a lunatic, then he would let her investigate.
"If you're that confident in yourself, then you have my permission to poke around in my life until you find something." Shouta allowed. "But I don't think you needed my permission in the first place."
"Eh, I don't stalk people unless I need to for work." She shrugged. "I'll see you around."
Shizune was gone, but once again, there was no change in Shouta's memory of her. If she could find something that he cared so heavily about, he wondered what it would be. What would an outside investigator determine to be the most important part of his life?
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Rainy Hangout (KomaHinaNanami Week Day 3)
((Thank you so much for your support, likes and reblogs. I appreciate all of you! Thank you to KomaHinaNanami Week for hosting the event!)
Prompt: Soft/Domestic
Rated: G
Summary: Hajime enjoys spending time with his two favorite people, even if itâs just to be their personal pillow.
The rain sounded like the ocean as the rain cascaded down the window. Thunder rumbled faintly and echoed in their home. Chiakiâs Switch drowned out the noise as well as her soft murmurs of encouragement to her character that was playing on the screen. She was leaning against Hajimeâs legs, effectively cutting off circulation, but Hajime didnât care. Next to him, Nagito was curled against his side, his soft breathing telling them both that he was in a deep slumber. They were curled up together in the living room with piles of blankets and pillows up against them. The soft blue-light cast the room in an ethereal glow that kept them apart from the world outside. The storm barely making Hajime bat an eye, even as the lights flickered dangerously. It would be Nagitoâs luck if Chiaki couldnât save her game in time as the power went out.Â
Hajime pulled Nagito close to him and carefully tucked the blanket around them a little tighter. He looked down to see Chiakiâs determined gaze still hyperfocused on the screen before her. Her fingers danced across the control pad without hesitance. He thought about getting up and tidying the place up a little. Hajime came home from work more exhausted than he had been the past few days. All three of them agreed to pizza, which the box was now strewn across the floor, along with the many cans of Dr. Hopper, energy drinks, and empty bottles of orange juice. The paper plates they used were still on the table, ready to be tossed.Â
He was too comfortable with Chiaki up against his legs, and Nagito curled around his side. He could ask them to move. Hajime wasnât shy when he wanted to get up and get moving. However, exhaustion seeped into his bones, and he found that the comforting weight between his two lovers was enough to lull his mind into peaceful thoughtlessness.Â
âHow long have you been playing?â Hajime had to be the voice of reason somewhere. They couldnât sleep on the couch like this. It would hurt all of them later, and Chiaki would be burnt out tomorrow when she had to get up to stream.Â
âHm a few hours,â Chiaki commented. âMaybe a bit longer than that. I wasnât keeping track. I took a couple of breaks because Nagito wanted to go for a walk and didnât want to go alone.â
âWe should quit soon, and clean up so we can go to sleep.â Hajime hoped that it would be enough of a hint.Â
âIn a little bit, I want to finish this level and get to a save point before I do anything else.â Chiakiâs voice softened as she continued to play, not once taking her gaze off of the screen. âIs Nagito heavy?â
âA little. I donât want to wake him up. He seems to need the rest.â Hajime replied quietly as he once more adjusted the blankets around him and Nagito, trying to keep the frail boy warm. Out of both of them, Nagito was the one that could grow cold in an instant. There was a reason why he wore his jacket even during the hottest summer days. The thunder rumbled again, and Hajime yawned. âIâm going to get up and put him to sleep.â
âAre you coming back down here, or are you staying?â Chiaki asked.
Hajime weighed his choices and knew that if he went to sleep, Chiaki would stay up for the rest of the night. He looked around at the mess again and sighed. âIâll come back, I promise.â
âOkay.â Chiaki scooted to the side, freeing Hajimeâs legs and allowing him to get up. He didnât realize that his legs went numb as he stood up, carefully grabbing Nagito and pulling him into his arms. Nagito curled into his chest, nuzzling his collarbone before settling in Hajimeâs arms again. Hajime swallowed thickly as he felt a blush go up to his cheeks and to his ears. He adjusted Nagitoâs body in response before heading towards their room.
If their bedrooms said anything, it was how bizarre they were. There was a bed that was a bit of a tight fit, but they managed to squeeze in together. Posters were hanging on the wall of favorite bands and video games that all of them enjoyed. There were a couple of bookshelves filled with cheat codes and leisure novels. There were was a desk that was basically a handheld charging station. The bedside tables were the only ones that had an alarm clock and a place for their phones.
 Nagito liked to sleep near the door, so Hajime placed him down. He helped the boy get undressed and got him into more comfortable clothing before pulling the covers back over his shoulders. He brushed Nagitoâs hair away from his face and pressed a soft kiss against his forehead before going back to the living room.
The living room was completely dark. Hajime could see Chiakiâs silhouette moving around in the abyss of darkness as she seemed to be doing something. Hajime felt along the wall, and his fingers touched the Switch. Flicking it up, he saw that Chiaki was attempting to try to clean the mess around the couch and table. She winced, dropping her pile as she rubbed her eyes.
âSorry. I didnât know what you were doing.â Hajime winced as the bright light hit his own eyes hard. He walked out into the living room and started to help Chiaki. Quietly they picked up the trash and tossed it into the bin and sorted the recycling for tomorrow. Hajime damped cloth and wiped down the small table that they had as Chiaki folded the blankets and straightened the couch pillows.Â
Once everything looked good, Hajime grinned and turned, about to tell Chiaki his gratitude when he saw her head nod forward, already asleep. Drool dripped from the corner of her mouth as she nodded off. Hajime quickly caught her into his arms, worried that she would suddenly launch herself forward. Sighing softly, he adjusted his hold and headed back towards the bedroom, turning off the living room light in the process.Â
He laid Chiaki down, grateful that she was in her pajamas already, and got into his own. The moment he climbed into bed, he snuggled against Chiaki. He felt Nagito respond by doing the same since she slept between them.
âGoodnight, you two.â Hajime murmured quietly into the darkness.Â
#komahinanami week#komahinanami#hopetohopetogame#nagito komaeda#chiaki nanami#Hajime Hinata#fluff#domestic fluff#kisses#video games#rainy day#day 3
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Bo Burnham: Inside Songs Ranked from Worst to Best
https://ift.tt/2JMbiJl
The musical of the summer was supposed to be a life-affirming celebration of one of New Yorkâs most vibrant neighborhoods, full of color, romance, and big group dance numbers. Instead for many viewers, the musical of the moment was filmed and performed by one man, alone in isolation from the comfort (or discomfort, really) of his own home, with songs centered on techno paranoia, mental health, and the fear of aging. Maybe after a year stuck in their homes, audiences could relate to the existential dread and general anxiety on display in Bo Burnham: Inside more than a conventional movie musical.
Billed as a stand-up special, Burnhamâs latest musical comedy endeavor finds the former wunderkind holed up and feeling more uncomfortable than ever. Writing, editing, directing, and performing from a claustrophobic studio, Burnhamâs stand-up special skews more toward being a straight-up musical, and not because the special is light on jokes and missing an audience. Rather this has all the hallmarks of a musical narrative and plays closer to experimental cinema than sketch comedy.
Burnham expresses his charactersâ inner-thoughts, fears, and desires via song throughout a contained narrative, in this case the narrative being one man trying to occupy himself during a pandemic. It has ballads, charm songs, comedy numbers, âI Amâ and âI Wantâ songs, and a big reprise. By capturing his personal pandemic experience and putting the whole affair to song, Burnham has created one of the most compelling (and catchy!) accounts of life during 2020.
To celebrate the musical that we all needed after a year in our homes, weâve decided to rank every song from Bo Burnham: Inside. You can stream along via the Inside (The Songs) album on the streaming platform of your choice.
20. I Donât Wanna Know
Merely an interlude, âI Donât Wanna Knowâ doesnât quite work outside of watching the special itself. However, it is a clever way to address the fact that modern audiences do not have the attention span to sit through a film at home without checking their phone or complaining about a runtime.
19. Bezos II
While certainly meant to poke fun at the real-life Lex Luthor, itâs not that fun to listen to Bezosâ name repeated. Stil, Burnham does elicit a few laughs with his over-the-top mock congratulations. âYou did it!â
18. Any Day Now
A Sesame Street-like mantra that plays over the credits, âAny Day Nowâ suggests this could all end either hopefully soon or on a depressingly vague far-off date that will never come. Weâd like to think itâs the former, but itâs safe to assume what Bo thinks.
17. All Time Low
While this number gets docked points for its short runtime, it absolutely packs a punch with its four-line, single verse. After Bo admits that his mental health is rapidly deteriorating, he describes what itâs like to have a panic attack set to a chipper â80s dance backbeat. Unfortunately, we donât get to ride the wave long enough, and judging lyrics, thatâs probably a good thing for Bo.
16. Content
This strong opening number musically sets the vibe for Inside, letting us know that weâre in for some synth-heavy throwback beats that would be best listened to underneath a disco ball. Also incorporating silly backing vocals, a hallmark of many of Insideâs best tracks, Burnham declares heâs back with some sweet, sweet content. âDaddy made you your favorite,â he sings, and he ainât wrong.Â
15. Bezos I
Unlike the reprise in âBezos II,â âBezos Iâ gets by off its increasingly deranged energy, with Burnham roasting fellow tech billionaires and working himself up into a manic frenzy by songâs end. Musically, it sounds like the soundtrack to an intense boss battle on a Sega Genesis game before ending with a sick little synth solo and Burnham hilarious squawking. Itâs arguably the only acceptable thing that Bezos has ever been associated with.
14. Unpaid Intern
While âUnpaid Internâ is one of Insideâs shortest tracks, it absolutely makes the most of its time. The jazzy tune scorches the exploitative nature of unpaid internships before Burnham breaks out into a laugh-out-loud worthy scat routine. It unfortunately ends too soon.
13. Shit
Insideâs funkiest jam sounds like Burnham wrote the lyrics for a new Janelle Moane album cut. Bo showâs off his vocal dexterity and plumbs the depths of his depression in a surprisingly danceable fashion. Throwing in a little faux crowd interaction helps bring home the fact that we have all felt like this at one point or another during the pandemic.
12. Sexting
This slow-jam details the complications of sexting, throwing out hilariously too-true punchlines like âthe flash makes my dick look frightened.â âSextingâ feels like one of a few songs that could most easily appear on previous Burnham specials. Proving that Insideâs musical textures do not come exclusively from â80s synth pop, the outro of the song expertly mirrors modern pop trends by throwing in some trap-influenced âyahsâ at the end of Boâs lines.
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11. How the World Works
Influenced by comedian Hans Teeuwen and childrenâs entertainment in general, âHow the World Worksâ finds Burnham going back to the well by playing the ignorant, smarmy white guy who is oblivious of the real issues plaguing nonwhite Americans. Whatâs even better though is Socko calling Burnham out on forcing others to educate him for his own self-actualization instead of doing the work on his own for the betterment of others.
Socko pointedly asks âWhy do you rich fââ white people insist on seeing every socio-political conflict through the myopic lens of your own self-actualization?â Not to keep things too heavy, the song ends with an absurdist bit where Burnham returns Socko to the nether place that he goes when heâs not attached to Burnhamâs hand. Scathing and bizarre, itâs a great piece of social commentary.Â
10. FaceTime With My Mom
While most of the music of Inside feels directly transported from the 1980s, âFaceTime With My Momâ seems only inspired by the past decadeâs musical trends, updating the sounds in much of the same way that the Weeknd and Dua Lipa have. This is Bo Burnham as a hitmaker, and his attempt is convincing. âFaceTime With My Momâ earns easy laughs by getting to the seemingly specific, yet universal things that all our moms do over video chat.Â
9. Goodbye
Every good musical needs a good closing track, and Burnham nails it with âGoodbye,â pulling off a reprise that weaves in many of the specialâs signature musical moments and touches on the specialâs core themes. A forlorn piano ballad before it soars through Insideâs best motifs, âGoodbyeâ caps a triumphant musical achievement, coming back to âLook Whoâs Inside Againâ just to punch you in the gut one last time.Â
8. Problematic
Addressing his past work and some aspects that have not aged well, while also skewering celebrity apologies, âProblematicâ is self-aware critique by way of an â80s workout bop. From the specific Aladdin confession to the overall apology for being âvaguely shitty,â Bo has never made accountability sound so good.
7. That Funny Feeling
This is Bo Burnhamâs version of Father John Mistyâs âHoly Shit,â a laundry list of all the stupid things that are signaling the fall of culture and civilization as we know it. If Misty hadnât gotten there first, we may have had this one ranked higher. Still, Burnham manages to come up with a sticky chorus that youâll be humming the next time something makes you feel like youâre living in the uncanny valley.
6. White Womanâs Instagram
Perhaps the specialâs most playful moment, âWhite Womanâs Instagramâ uses the musical cues of an inspiring empowerment anthem to poke fun at the predictably, perfectly curated feed of a âgirl bossâ Instagram. The song is greatly enhanced by the accompanying visuals, which find Bo recreating the meticulously staged and glamorous portraits that women pass off as their everyday lives.
However, Bo always likes to sneak in some sentimentality, and imagines a genuinely heartfelt post to his white woman characterâs deceased mother. Donât worry, the emotional moment doesnât overstay its welcome, and weâre soon back to laughing at horribly derivative political street art.
5. All Eyes on Me
The droning synth and pitch-down vocals make âAll Eyes On Meâ oddly hypnotic and beautiful. The song seems to be addressing Boâs depression along with his need for validation and attention, a juxtaposition that many performers deal with. It becomes clear that Burnham isnât addressing an invisible audience, but himself, trying to will himself up and out of his dreary mental state.
4. Look Whoâs Inside Again
A classic âI Amâ musical song, âLook Whoâs Inside Againâ just may be Insideâs most emotionally resonant track that seems to hit closest to who Bo Burnham was and who he is today. This is the song that I will most likely regret the most for ranking so low.
âWell, well, look whoâs inside again. Went out to look for a reason to hide again,â perfectly describes the cycle of depression and will, for me, be the specialâs most lasting moment. The downbeat ending âcome out with your hands up, weâve got you surroundedâ is heartbreaking enough to send a shudder down your spine.
3. Comedy
The specialâs real first number is absolutely packed with hooks, from the âCall me and Iâll tell you a jokeâ bridge to the âShould I be joking at a time like this?â change-up. This is Bo really flexing how far heâs come as a musician, expertly utilizing autotune and a key change (us âstupid motherf***ersâ canât resist them).
âComedyâ also finds Bo comfortably in the lane that weâre most used to seeing him in, playing the egomaniacal white messiah with a wink. âComedyâ is the tone-setter and itâs so good that it lets you know that youâre in good hands for the next hour plus.
2. 30
Either Iâm ranking this song too highly due to its personally relatable nature or the fact that I havenât been able to get âAll my stupid friends are having stupid childrenâ out of my head, but I really donât care. â30â is Insideâs biggest earworm and addresses the existential terror that comes with no longer getting pats on the back for being a young wunderkind.
â30â also examines generational differences, showing how 30 year-old people are more infantile than ever. However, at the end of the day it all comes back to those shimmering keys and that irresistible refrain. Apologies to my friends with children.
1. Welcome to the Internet
No matter how deep and emotionally rich some of Insideâs other tracks may be, âWelcome to the Internetâ is the one that will live on the longest. If this were a traditional musical, this would the antagonistsâ showstopper; a vaudevillian romp through the alluring chaos that is the internet. Speeding up and slowing down the pace to mirror the manic, addictive nature of surfing the net, Burnham pitches the negative aspects of online culture as they are: a feature, not a bug. Promising âa little bit of everything all of the time,â âWelcome to the Internetâ is almost as enticing as the dark tool itself.
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Joining the Game Late: S8E4Â âThe Last of the Starksâ
Synopsis
Everyone pays tribute to the last episodeâs named dead. Gendry gets legitimized but strikes out with Arya, Tyrion still sucks at being consoling, Bran is still cryptic, and Tormund gets cuddly with Jon much to Danyâs displeasure. The writers trip on the finish line with Sansaâs rape subplot. Brienne loses her virginity to a drunken one night stands that means less than it looks like. Jon canât get laid because his aunt his jealous of him. Tyrion wants to starve out Kingâs Landing, while Varys just wants to murder Daenerys because of Jonâs cock. The Stark sisters learn about Jon; Arya sets off for one last revenge killing spree while Sansa shares her sedition plans with Tyrion. Bronn threatens the Lannister brothers for a raise. Jon wants to go north with Tormund but gives his boyfriend custody of Ghost instead, and also Gillyâs pregnant with a non-incest baby. The Iron Fleet attack and take down Danyâs other extra dragon and kidnap her BFF - and no one else, apparently. The people of Kingâs Landing are good little human shields and trust Cersei now. There are tense negotiations, featuring a beheading and a kill command that will become extremely relevant soon.
Commentary
Alas, the infamous Starbucks cup must have been edited out of home releases. (Un)fortunately the various ways in which this episode starts to derail canât be removed so easily.
Thatâs not to say that I canât see what the writers were aiming for with some of their more controversial choices. Jaime sleeps with Brienne on a drunken impulse, so his decision to leave her to run back to Cersei is less completely inexplicable than I thought it was going to be (plus, Iâve been kind of tracking this since Season 3 as you know). Sansaâs terrible comment apparently confirming that Ramsay was right that heâd always be a part of her is slightly - and I do mean slightly - tempered by a line from Daenerys indicating how Sansa has been hardened by her trauma. This line is delivered to Jon and not followed up on so its overall value is questionable, but at least the showrunners have remembered that in their continuity Dany is also a victim of marital rape and thus has something in common with her rival, both women whoâve found the strength to become leaders in response to the horrific circumstances visited upon them by men they trusted. Arya circling back around to a Lannister-esque familial loyalty makes sense for her specifically, as sheâs always been a lone wolf (pun somewhat intended) with little need for many allies or social niceties - and related to that, I do like how she turns down Gendryâs marriage proposal, returning to her recurring âItâs not meâ line. Hell, I even get why Tormund has a stupid little thing for Brienne that goes nowhere, because otherwise heâd just be looking gayer and gayer these past two seasons to the point that youâd expect him and Jon to be doing a lot more than hugging when itâs time for them to bid each other farewell. I call the subtext like I see it and the ending vindicates me on this, ha.
Even so, itâs easy to see where the show is just stumbling to reach a somewhat coherent endpoint. How is it that Missandei is the only person captured in the Iron Fleetâs attack? What was the point of killing her only as an unnecessary demonstration that Cersei is shortsighted and violent when she feels threatened, except to set up Danyâs big breakdown in the next episode? Are the people of Kingâs Landing so xenophobic that theyâd take up Cerseiâs invitation to hole up in the Red Keep as protection from Daenerysâs armies? Why does Tyrion attempt yet again to act as though Cerseiâs pregnancy will motivate her to avoid bloodshed, as if the show hadnât previously delved into how her maternal feelings derive primarily into how she views her children as an extension of herself? What the hell is Varys -
Ok, Varys deserves a paragraph on his own. Iâm not sure Iâve ever talked much about him in any detail; heâs not an easy character to get a handle on, nor he is a personal favorite. Tyrion pokes at that very opacity here by asking Varys what he means when he says he acts in the interests of âthe realm,â particularly as doing so has led to him betraying several of the rulers heâd previously advised and has him now plotting to assassinate Daenerys and raise up Jon in her place. Varys has a point that Jon is bizarrely the more charismatic of the two, and also that itâs an unfortunate reality of the patriarchy they live in that Jonâs claim to the throne would be more accepted by the lords of Westeros than Danyâs would. At the same time though his philosophy about choosing a ruler who doesnât want to rule is asinine - didnât they already go through this with Robert Baratheon, who was a fantastic warrior and a fantastically disinterested king? - and furthermore itâs not like he even really knows Jon apart from what Tyrion and others have told him about the man. I donât even buy that this supposed incredible leadership quality is something that we the audience should be able to see in Jon, because based on everything heâs done across GoTâs entire run I donât get that impression at all. Whenever heâs been put in charge of anything his knack for heroically dumb behavior has gotten him all manner of insubordination up to and including an assassination. That doesnât inspire me with confidence, and Iâm glad the show avoids putting him on any throne in the end, but why is Varys so ready to betray his queen and get burned alive?
Ah, well. It really is rushing to that ending that explains a lot of this. Iâve got the urge to do the same, just to be done with it.
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ALL (supervillain laugh) take your time tho :D
Oh no WHY alright I submit *sighs, shakes my head, and briefly regrets all my life choices*
here we go! (#9 and #19 are pending specific opera submissions)
I wrote an overly long post here in response to this question a while back
Don Carlo!!!
Just started Halka. Not very far in, but Iâm liking it so far.
In full, Cavalleria rusticana (yesterday)
Die tote Stadt (specifically the one recording conducted by Erich Leinsdorf)
Sopranos, with baritones in a very close second.
I will keep advocating for a Belle Ăpoque Simon Boccanegra until it actually happens. Also Paris Commune Le prophète.
*see the 2017 Paris OpĂŠra cast, except very reluctantly swap in Furlanetto for Abdrazakov*
pending submission of a specific opera
really tough...the ROH 1985 one was my first, so it may be my favorite for sentimental reasons, although I also LOVE the current ROH/Met coproduction (with the exception of some details), the Salzburg 2013, and that Liège production from not too long ago
well, based on several factors (including roles Iâve played in musicals, choir assignments, and stuff from voice lessons in the past), Iâll say Poppea (Agrippina), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), and Urbain (Les Huguenots)
Yes, my answer is Don Carlo
Depending on the day, either âDio, che nellâalma infondereâ, âNuit dâivresse et dâextase infinieâ, or â�� ciel! oĂš courez-vous?â
my HOMEGIRL Princess Ăboli
any really good rendition of âDepuis le jourâ. that aria SLAPS.
Iâm cheating and doing a play instead BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE IT anyway we need Ibsen-based operas and I nominate Hedda Gabler with Sonya Yoncheva and Lisette Oropesa as Hedda and Thea there I said it if you want further casting ask me again later
I donât know if thereâs any one character I have the same personality as??? although I was recently told by someone else on here that my personality is a cross between Figaro and Marguerite de Valois so... make of that what you will (and tell me what you think!)
we all know my answer to this (itâs Carlo/Rodrigo)
also pending a specific opera submission
depends on...a lot of factors, but I adore both Jonas Kaufmann and JosĂŠ Carreras (he is the best of the Three Tenors; no, I am not accepting criticism at this time)
going with Carmen for the sake of argument here, definitely Carmen
...I am not a fan of Pucciniâs Manon Lescaut
probably Die tote Stadt, which is seriously bizarre but incredibly amazing (possibly because of its inherent bizarreness?)
not sure if this is in reference to characters or singers; Iâll assume this is about characters and say (of course) Carlo/Rodrigo, with Marie/Tonio and Fenton/Nannetta very close behind.
Renato needs love and hugs and just deserves so much better (he just needs to learn to not be a Jealous Baritone Husband). Other than that drama, he has a proven track record of being a good friend.
waaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy too many. for the sake of being concise, five I love: Callas, Popp, Benackova, Oropesa, Rebeka.
Verdi â¤ď¸ no one else has written so many great operas I love so much over such a long period of time
waaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy too many (again). first one that popped into my head just now was Sophie from Werther, so weâre gonna go with her.
Act III finale, La bohème.
how has there not been a good opera version of Twelfth Night? that is operatic comedy gold WAITING to happen
a) I hate these singer questions because I have way too many, and b) among many, many others, Milnes, Gobbi, Zancanaro, Keenlyside, and TĂŠzier.Â
I see a sweet trouser role, I adopt him. also Annina from La traviata deserves WAY more credit than she gets. love her to death.
since I try to be optimistic or at least neutral when going into a new opera, none
cannot gender swap names in my head at the moment, so Carlo becomes a standard mid-late Verdi soprano role, Elisabetta becomes a baritone (YOU THOUGHT SHEâD BE A TENOR BUT NOOOOO), Rodrigo is the Good Mezzo who gets the Basically Non-Existent Mezzo Death Scene, Ăboli is a tenor, Filippo goes full dramatic mezzo, and the Grand Inquisitor becomes a nearly-impossible-to-sing contralto role with a few extremely powerful high notes thrown in because why not. Tebaldo remains a coloratura soprano.
slightly cheating, but Berliozâs Les Troyens (not directly based on myth, but kinda?)
âWe really gotta hurry-â âBut first, letâs sing about our feelings!â or âdeath scene with lots of blood and sadnessâ or âdeath by singingâ or party gone wrong (Iâm a sucker for good opera tropes)
For baritones: Onegin, donât go to the name day ball. Just donât. For tenors: either Otello re: trusting Iago over Desdemona or...pretty much Hoffmannâs entire life.
Again, I hate these questions, but here are five anyway: Cossotto, Troyanos, DiDonato, GaranÄa, and Rachvelishvili.
FILIPPO (I would DIE to be able to play Filippo. also can I just say that bass and bass-baritone roles in (at least originally) French operas are...*chefâs kiss*.)
Ăboliâs outfit in Act IV, Scene 1 of the 2017 Paris Don Carlos.
I really, really want to like Aida as much as everyone else seems to, but I still think that while the plot is good and the music is good, it somehow just doesnât work and is also massively overrated.
so I donât talk about Lucia di Lammermoor much but itâs awesome and the mad scene is one of my favorite things ever and ALSO THE OPERA SHOULD HAVE ENDED WITH THE MAD SCENE WHAT THE HELL CAMMARANO so yeah thereâs that
well, Iâve been in love with Carmen since I was 7, so...
so many! Figaro seems like heâd be a pretty awesome BFF
Three words: CosĂŹ. fan. tutte
La gioconda, which has okay music overall (although âStella dal marinarâ is good and the Dance of the Hours is an absolute BOP) but I like the plot a lot better (imagine how it would have been if Verdi or even Boito wrote the music!). also âCielo e marâ is the third-most overrated tenor aria of all time and you can fight me on that.
way too many (again), but I gotta say it: especially in Verdi, Furlanetto simply cannot be beat.
so many ridiculous roles...you know whatâs ridiculous? HĂŠlène in Les veprĂŞs siciliennes. At least she gets a scene off, but other than that itâs *high notes* *low notes* *coloratura* *declamation over a huge orchestra and chorus* *sassing the French* *cadenza* *repeat for three hours*
I have been meaning to watch Boris Godunov in its entirety for a while and I WILL THIS WEEK (thanks, Met Opera!). Also literally any Wagner. I was going to see the Met HD of HĂśllander but you know what happened.
Tosca for tragedies, Barbiere di Siviglia for comedies, Don Giovanni for everyone.Â
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Supergirl - âThe Quest for Peaceâ Review
Red Daughter: You betrayed me. You betrayed Kaznia! Lex Luthor: What can I say? Iâm proud to be an American.
Lex Luthor is back to steal the powers of aliens. And the show.
The season finale had a lot to do. It did most of it, with most characters ending up where we wanted them to be.
Last week I complained about a few things that were missing. How we never saw the invasion by Kaznia, nor Lex Luthorâs ârescueâ of America. Well, they put that in, all set to Jon Cryer singing along with Frank Sinatraâs âI did it my way.â In fact, it went on a little too long, especially as acting within one of those space helmets, where all the directors can do is to show the head, is pretty limited. Singing, at least, was a different choice.
Last week I also hoped Red Daughter wasnât dead. And she wasnât! (Not yet. She dies during this episode, after apologizing to Kara, and her death seems to be real, as she turned into a mist.) Of course, the only reason Lex Luthor could even pretend to kill her (and announce to the world that he had killed Supergirl) was because he thought Red Daughter had killed the real Supergirl. Unlike my relief at Red Daughter being still among the breathing (but my relief was short-lived, as was Red Daughter), Lex Luthor was not at all pleased to discover that the original Supergirl is still alive. Actually, I was surprised that Lexâs discovery took as long in the episode as it did, given that Kara Danvers had written the story connecting Lex Luthor (and Lex knows that Kara=Supergirl). Everyone else was reading the expose, but not Lex Luthor? Doesnât he have alerts for important stories with his name in it? Given how he is always so many steps ahead, how could he miss that? Later in the episode he castigates Red Daughter for being stupid/naĂŻve/both when she didnât do any research on him to realize that he hates all Kryptonians, yet he is as guilty himself.
We learn that Lex Luthor has been behind President Boxleitner Bakerâs rise all along, explaining why President Baker has been such a jerk. Lex Luthor âinvitesâ his mother and his half-sister to the Oval Office, and they had some interesting exchanges. Like Lex pointing out that he has finally cleared the family name by getting puppet Baker to pardon him (after the dead-once-more Otis left a note confessing to all the crimes that we know were committed by Lex). And Lex also pointing out that his family means a lot to him. This psychologically makes sense, as even if he hates his mother and his half-sister, they are his audience. The people to whom he wants to prove things. He couldnât do that if they were dead, could they? Lena is hostile towards her half-brother, but Lillian is more accommodating, insisting that they share some polonium tea.
Lex Luthor is behind the rounding up of the aliens, where he has been siphoning off their extra powers for actual power. Like in turning-on-the-lights power, or using that power for weapons (it seems bizarre to me that you could use the same technology on all aliens, but it's a one-size-fits-all power siphoning device). Oddly enough they leave a few aliens out of the power-siphoning pods, for work, relying on the superpower dampeners surrounding Shelley Island to keep the aliens from creating trouble. The fact that theyâre not trapped in pods gives some of our heroes (J'onn and Dreamer and some random aliens) the time and space in which to create a diversion. Which they do, first by fighting with each other, then with the guards, and then getting out so they can turn off the superpower dampeners and get an astral projection message to Brainy. So our unlocked-up heroes â James, Brainy, Supergirl and Alex â go to Shelley Island to rescue their friends and the rest of the aliens.
Before our heroes can enter the complex to rescue the aliens, they find themselves in a fight with Ben Lockwood and the Children of Liberty. Even though Ben Lockwood has learned that Lex Luthor, whom he despises, has been behind his own meteoric unbelievable rise to success, Lockwood still hates aliens and now that heâs souped-up with superpowers, is eager to take on Supergirl. It makes sense that Lockwood would not have a complete change of heart, and is satisfying, too, because we get to watch him go to prison when heâs defeated.
Brainy gets into the complex (our other heroes have other tasks) and the first priority is to turn off the machine that is about to annihilate Argo (which is where Superman and the rest of Supergirlâs family are). I loved the scene where Brainy realigns, and goes from telling them that the odds are poor, to being terrified for his friends (and the woman he loves) to encouraging them and telling them that they can indeed, do this. That is, use their psychic energy to overload the weapon that is being sent to destroy Argo.
Supergirl does some necessary fighting, and she gets to watch her clone die, but not before her clone apologizes for being wrong about, you know, everything. I don't really like it when a character is so (as Lex put it) stupid and/or naive. Supergirl thinks Lex is dead when he refuses to let her save him but drops to the ground. This is another logical problem with the episode: thereâs no reason that Supergirl couldnât have zipped down and gotten a better grip on him and stopped him from hitting the ground. He may have said he'd rather die, but you should never trust Lex Luthor.
Lena figures out that Lex didnât die when he plummeted from the sky (how did he escape? teleportation?), so she comes to his lair to remedy the matter. She shoots Lex, at which point Lex (who doesnât seem to be showing much pain or coughing up blood despite being shot) tells his half-sister that Kara is Supergirl. We have been waiting for Lena to learn the truth for several seasons now, and of course she learns it in the most uncomfortable way possible.
The writers put in many bits that can make us viewers content while we wait for Season 5. Kara declares that she can do anything with her sister at her side â this didnât quite have the resonance that I wanted but I still appreciated it. Colonel Haley announces that Supergirl is welcome; Ben Lockwood in prison while his son George Lockwood is on TV, asking everyone, humans and aliens, to just get along. Alex and Kelly share their first kiss (saying that theyâve been through so much together, but I think this is the first time to see them share the screen in this episode), while Brainy and Nia walk by, hand-in-hand, which is especially sweet.
And we have some lovely teases for the next season. Lex Luthor may have not died (you donât waste a good villain). Lena knows Kara=Supergirl, but Kara hasnât told her yet. Thereâs some excitement for Jâonn. And, the most delightful of all â Eve Tessmacher is being tracked by some group of beings, which explains why this brilliant blonde was such a fool for Lex. She was being compelled to for some other reason.
Title musings: âThe Quest for Peaceâ is also the title of Superman IV, from the series with Christopher Reeve. As this is the end of the fourth season I guess it was why the writers chose that title. It seems strange to pay homage to Superman IV, as it was such a lousy movie. I suppose you can always say that Supergirl wants peace, she didnât seem to really be on a quest for peace in this episode, but mostly in the mode of stopping the bad guys. I understand why the writers chose it, but the titleâs not inspired or inspiring.
Bits and pieces
Very satisfying to see the traitorous President Boxleitner being thrown out by the application of the 25th amendment. We all know why it was satisfying.
So both Lillian (polonium in the tea) and Lena (gun) have tried to kill Lex. Maybe he wonât be so accommodating next time?
Quotes
President Baker: Not that I donât trust the plan, but shouldnât I be in a bunker somewhere?
Lex Luthor: From zero to President with a snap of my fingers. Are you seriously asking me if Iâm sure about something?
Kara/Supergirl: I will not let fear win. And with my sister by my side, anything is possible.
Brainy: That is a rather strong emotional reaction for such an insignificant detail.
Lena: Your murderous son has duped the world into thinking heâs Earthâs hero. This is hardly Thanksgiving dinner.
Overall Rating
There was a lot in this episode to like, which is why this review goes on and on. But the episode also has spots where the logic was faulty, or where they are telling instead of showing. Three out of four cups of polonium-spiked tea.
Victoria Grossack loves math, Greek mythology, Jane Austen and great storytelling in many forms.
#Supergirl#Kara Danvers#Kara Zor-El#Lena Luthor#Alex Danvers#Lex Luthor#DC Comics#Supergirl Reviews#Doux Reviews#TV Reviews
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So Iâve been working on a fic for a couple of months, and I thought Iâd put it here because this site killed off external links. Formatting might be a little funky
Set during the events of Tekken 7, combining parts from Anna and Steveâs character stories. Picking up from Steveâs T7 ending and mixing in the updated story of Annaâs wedding being crashed by Nina. The idea is a what-if with the possibility that the two of them are still at the cathedral. I havenât been able to fully write chapter 1, but itâs still a work in progress. Hereâs part of what Iâve got that Iâm willing to share here. Italic text in parentheses are internal dialogue.
__________
 [âCome out! You canât hide from us forever! Weâll find you!â]
âThis was a mistake. I canât keep this up.âÂ
âWhoever this kid is, he canât take them all on by himself.â With a firm grip on the railing, she readied herself and leapt over, landing next to a pillar that was near the cover the man had found. âHey, are you alright? Youâre not looking too good.â
âWhat in the hell. Who are you?â
â(Play it cool. Make a good first impression.) Canât you tell? Iâm your guardian angel. (You just lied through your teeth.)â
âDonât take this the wrong way, but you canât be serious⌠I canât really see that. You may be wearing the same colors, but I donât think I can fully trust someone I literally just met when other people are trying to kill me. Especially someone dressed in something like that. It looks nice though.âÂ
â(He didnât buy it.) Okay, okay. You got me. But I was about to ask you the same thing.â Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that a small stream of blood was trickling down. âAre you, uh how do I put this. Are you sure you can keep fighting with that bullet in your left arm?â
âShit! I didnât even notice that.â He ran over to the pool and began to wash the blood off.
âUse the basin to wash it off. I think I have a small cloth you can use⌠to⌠clean it⌠or not. (Okay?) On second thought, maybe what youâre doing isnât such a good idea.â
âTheyâll get an unpleasant surprise for next time. Whatâll happen? Satan is accidentally summoned?â He rinsed off what was left, leaving a trace amount in the water. âThere, I think I stopped the bleeding. Whereâs that thing you offered?â
âHere.â She took one of her pocket blades out and cut off an unconscious soldierâs uniform sleeve, noticing that there was a medical icon printed on it. âYou managed to even take down their combat medic? Youâre insane.â She tossed the cut cloth down and reached inside one of the uniformâs pouches to find an antibacterial gel packet, gloves, and a roll of gauze. âHold out your arm. This isnât the best idea, but it should help. Fair warning, this is probably going to sting. The best thing you can do is clean and dress your wound.â
â(Not letting my guard down just yetâŚ) Thanks.â
âDo you have another shirt or a jacket?â
âYeah, itâs on the staircase. Why?â
âUse your tank as a wrap.â
âDo you really think thatâs a good idea?â
âItâs a trick Iâve used before. Just trust me.â
â(Do I really have a choice here since youâre really the only one I can somewhat trust?) Okay?â He walked to the stairs to retrieve his shirt and started to roll up the left sleeve. âNever really had to do this before, but itâs better than having you cut this off too.â
âHey, I only do that to enemies and people I donât like.â
âI could use some privacy. Please turn around.â
âAlright.â She faced the other way as he changed clothes. âLucky you, there arenât any more of those guys right now. How long have you been here anyway?â
âI lost track. An hour? Three? Timeâs lost to me⌠Done. Could you tie this?â
â(I think Iâve seen this kid around before.) Loose or snug?â
âSomewhere in-between so it doesnât fall off or constrict.â
âLike this?â
âPerfect.â
[âHey! Heâs over there! And looks like he has backup! Take her out too!â]
âOh, come on!â
âThereâs no time for introductions, weâll pick this up after the fightâs over.â
âGot it, that is if you donât leave first!â
___________
 âNice work out there, kid. Now, what were you saying about âif I donât leave firstâ?â
âThe last woman in a dress I met here tried to kill me and ran off. By the looks of it, she crashed some wedding earlier.â
âNina⌠That sister of mine is a bitch, Iâll give you that. She posed as me and assassinated who wouldâve been my husband. Donât know how or why everyone present didnât know that it wasnât me that walked down that aisle.â
âThat explains the mess of bodies, blood, and broken glass back in the main hall. Wait, did you say sheâs your âsisterâ?â
âOlder by two years. Now that I think about itâŚâ She studied the face before her, noting the striking similarities. âNo, you canât be. Thereâs no way you are-⌠(This is bizarre. Is he... her son?!)â
â(Oh my god?) Are we-?â
âRelatives?â
âUnbelievable. Iâve had a nephew this whole time?! I didnât think anything of it, but were you part of-â
âIf youâre going to end that question the way I think you are, the answer is yes. Unfortunately for me, I was. We canât stay here. Theyâre going to send more after us.â
âFollow me. I know how to lose them. Start running!â
__________
[Chapter 2]
âThereâs so many options. No wonder why this place is popular. That cherry tart looks good, but so does that strawberry one⌠ag Dia, I canât decide.â Anna redirected her attention from the food display to see Steve more focused on the drinks than treats. âYou look tired. Do you want something?â
âAnything would do. Iâm not picky, so Iâm fine with whatever you decide to get.â [New message received four minutes ago. âHey, youâre still in Italy, right? My flight just landed.â] âIâm going to find a seat.â
âTwo cappuccinos, espressos, cherry cream sodas, and cherry and strawberry tarts please.â
âSure thing. Thoseâll be right out.â
âNow, where did he go off to?â She took a quick look around, finding him seated on an armchair near the back, and made her way over. âWe should be fine now that we blend in.â She checked her phone, with a text from Bruce waiting for her. [âAnna, where are you? I went to the cathedral and you werenât there. Is everything alright? Please answer me.â] âOh, good. Heâs still in the country. âBruce, donât worry yourself. Iâm still here, but in civilian clothes. Come to the cafĂŠ by our hotel.ââ
Steveâs attention was fixed to his phone, reading and clearing the notifications. ââYeah. Wait, what are you doing here?ââ [âSightseeing. What else? You told me you were staying for a week or so.â] ââOh, right. Uh, Iâm at a cafĂŠ right between the airport and my hotel. Come meet me here.ââ [âGot it. Give me a few minutes. I need to stop by the rentals.â] He looked up to see Anna seated across from him. âI appreciate the gesture, but you didnât have to buy me a new outfit.â
âI gotta ask why the staff were pretty nice to you; itâs just like they met a celebrity. You donât have to pay me back because itâs the least I could do after that stunt you pulled. You needed one since what you were wearing reeked of sweat and gunfire. Itâs not often that I see someone take on the Force by themselves, let alone I help them. Howâs your arm feeling?â
âTo a level, Iâm, uh, âfamousâ. Itâs not as bad now but using my tank top as a temporary bandage wasnât the worst solution. Iâm pretty sure Iâve had worse injuries than this. Just that the main difference is Iâm not in a cafĂŠ with a newly met family member and in a hospital. Though there was this one person I fought that gave me troubleâŚâ
âItâs black. A little bit of blood is the least of your worries. A wash or two should do it. Would that work for your other shirt? Maybe, or maybe not. Although if it were on the chain print, itâd make a good rust effect.â
âIâll try to keep that in mind, but please donât try to ruin my clothes for the sake of âartâ.â
âYour orders miss.â
âGrazie mille.â As the waitress left, Anna opened a sugar packet to mix in. As she was stirring, she cracked a smile. âJust in case you end up losing it, I know a guy that can build you a robotic one.â The comment was enough to make Steve wince. âWhat? I canât have a good laugh? Iâm kidding about that.â She sipped some of her coffee. âItâll take some time, but wounds heal.â Another sip, and she placed the cup back on the saucer. âWould you like to try semi-formal introductions? Or would you like to tell me what you were doing there? An Italian cathedral isnât where Iâd think to run into someone like you.â
âIntroductions? I think I can do that, but do you think this is a good idea with all these people near us? Not to be that person, but there might be a spy. I donât think weâve got them off our tails just yet.â
âYouâve got a pointâŚâ She glanced around and noticed all the other patrons minding their own business. âThis shouldnât get anyoneâs attention but think of it as an exercise. Iâll start.â She cleared her throat and held her hand out. The two shook hands as she began. âMy name is Anna Williams. Iâm 41, an experienced assassin trained in the styles of Koppojutsu and Aikido, and Iâm the secretary / bodyguard of Kazuya Mishima.â
âThat was a lot to take in⌠My nameâs Steve Fox. Iâm 21, the current world middleweight boxing champion, and a former human experiment created by the Mishima Zaibatsu intended to be a super soldier for the Force. How many times have you heard that line?â
A couple seated nearby overheard and looked to see who it was. âIs that who I think it is? That couldnât be⌠You should look because that voice sounds familiar.â
âOh my god, it is! He hasnât been seen anywhere for a while, but whatâre the chances we see him here? Whoâs that lady with him? A bodyguard? Sheâs pretty fashionable.â
âCanât tell... We could ask him for a photo or to sign something for us.â
Anna caught the conversation and made eye contact. âI think youâve got fans here.â
âI can hear.â Steve turned around to speak to them. âDo you two have a notebook that I can autograph? Iâm really not one for photos.â One reached into their backpack to take out a pen and journal and handed it to him. âAnd here you are.â
âThanks! Weâre sorry to bother, but itâs nice to see youâre still around!â The couple gathered their belongings and left.
âI stand corrected and take back my last statement.â She watched as the couple exited and rejoined what she believed to be their tour group. âThat was weird. How often does that happen?â
âWhen I first got my title? Too many times that I couldnât even step outside of my flat without being hounded. But now? Rarely.â He picked up a fork and took a piece of the strawberry tart. âWow, that is really good. I try not to eat sweets or anything junky that often, but Iâll just work it off like nothing next time my partner and I train.â
âOnce in a while isnât that bad, but good for you about staying on top of what you consume. Besides, youâve had a rough day and youâre technically on vacation. Anyway, so thatâs what the mark is for. Incredible, your storyâs something right out of a comic book. Hereâs another question: how did you get out? It mustâve been someone inside.â
âDid you ever meet a Dr. Kliesen? She was the closest person I had to a guardian angel. The other âdoctorsâ kept calling me some code, but she gave me my name. I wonder if sheâs still alive.â
âI canât recall; however, I do know a Dr. Bosconovitch. Old man created the Jack series and that pink haired robot that whatâs his name with the anime hairdo travels with. Aria? Anastasia? Alisa? Something starting with âAâ. Cute as a button, but youâd think chainsaws on her arms are overkill.â Hearing the words âchainsawsâ and âarmsâ in the same sentence caused another nearby patron to perk their ears up.
âWhatâs this about a girl with arm saws?â
âTheyâre probably talking about some cartoon character.â
âSon of a bitch.â Anna muttered under her breath. âYou wouldnât think theyâd have brushed it off as that though.â
âI did try to tell you be careful of what you say.â
âAt least I donât have to try and teach you how to think like me; you do need to be aware of your surroundings, of which I clearly wasnât but I caught it immediately.â
âPretty sure I do already; there was a time where I was trying to stay under the radar. Back to your other question: I was there looking for an answer. I got much more than I expected, but-â
âYou can tell me. Iâm here to listen.â
âBut-âŚâ
âItâs okay with me if youâd rather not say anything. I wonât get mad if you stay silent, but Iâve learned from experience that itâs better not to bottle it up.â
âI fought the Force to let her get away.â
ââŚâ
âThe silence is deafening. You are mad, arenât you?â
âNot at all.â
âIâve been told Iâm too nice at times, even to the point of letting something like that happen. Even if weâve got a relation that I went in knowing sheâd reject.â
â(Quick, say something reassuring to help him feel better.) You canât really tell exactly what sheâs thinking. The only relation you two have is a non-consenting one, if you can even call it that. You didnât ask to be âbornâ, but she didnât ask to be put into cryo-sleep either for close to twenty years.â
âExplains why we look roughly the same age. Were you put into sleep as well?â
â(Oh good, it worked?) I volunteered. She was forced. I was woken up first. Decided to fuck her memories up too for the fun of it.â
âYou two really hate each other, huh?â
âShe is responsible for our fatherâs death. All these years later and weâre still fighting on whose fault it really was. We learned how to fight from them; your grandfather taught us Koppo, and your grandmother was the best person to learn Aikido from, being a world champion and all. Mom and I had a close relationshipâŚâ
ââŚIs she still alive?â
âNeither of us know. I think I have something thatâll interest you, while weâre still here.â Reaching into her tote, she took out her work laptop and set it on the table. âThe Zaibatsu has files on everyone whoâve participated in the tournaments.â She powered it on and entered her login info. âYou, me, our friends, and even the dead.â
âT-the dead?â
âOh yeah. For example, those men in jaguar masks. The names remain the same, but theyâre not the ones from years past.â There was a Zaibatsu logo icon with the label [participants]. âSkimmed theirs and the armored one is the younger brother of the original; the other was an orphan the first took care of.â Anna typed the surnames âFoxâ and âKliesenâ into the search bar; the latter returned one result for a âLeoâ.
âOh. I never wouldâve guessed.â
âHere.â She rotated the screen towards him. âThis oneâs yours and I think I found the one for your guardian angelâs child. Says someone recently got to it.â
He tuned out the surrounding noise to focus. âMostly everythingâs correct. Nothingâs actually changed since the last time I checked this.â He scrolled for a few seconds until something caught his eye. âOh, thatâs new. They know that I destroyed that one lab.â [Last accessed 15:34:55, one month ago.} â(What the-âŚ)âÂ
Anna raised one brow and tilted her head to the right. âThat was you?â
âIt was a while ago, but yeah.â He swapped over to the file labeled âL. Kliesenâ and skipped to the âfamilyâ section. [Family: Mr. Kliesen (father, status unknown), Dr. Emma Kliesen (mother, deceased.)] Reading that one word listed next to presumably the last photo taken of her made his heart sink further down. Trying to prevent his voice from cracking, he muttered to himself. ââDeceased.â ThatâsâŚâ
[âDonât worry. Youâre going to be okay. Please remember that. Iâm sorry, but I have to go.â]
âAre you alright?â She asked in a concerned tone.
âI didnât think Iâd be able to take any additional damage today, but here I am. Sheâs gone. The one person who treated me like a human is gone.â His face was blank, but she could sense the mixed repressed emotions.
âMy apologies, but am I interrupting something?â
âBruce? What are you doing here?â
âHuh, I didnât think to meet you with Anna of all people, in Italy of all places. Small world isnât it?â
âTo put it bluntly, sheâs my aunt.â
âSo, youâre Ni-â
âYes.â Anna lightly elbowed his side. âPlease, donât finish that sentence.â
A young man wearing a dark blue shirt, brown jacket with the sleeves rolled up with shoes of the same color, khaki pants, and aviator sunglasses entered the cafĂŠ. âYo! There you are.â
âOh? A friend of yours?â
âClose friend.â Hwoarang repositioned his sunglasses to the top of his head. Turning over to Anna, something clicked about her. âYou look familiar. Have we met before?â
âDonât believe we have, but Iâve seen you around.â She recalled that his hair was more of a red-orange and that he wore goggles. âWasnât your hair a different color? Youâre one of Kazamaâs âfriendsâ, arenât you?â
âIt was, but someone can only consistently dye their hair for so long. Also, yeah, if you wanna say that.â
âGoing natural, huh? If Iâm being honest, that streak youâve got suits you.â
âYouâre too kind.â
âYouâll have to excuse him.â Steve remarked as he drank his espresso. âHeâs a real try-hard when it comes to first impressions.â
âIâm working on it.â
âIâm sure you are.â
Anna couldnât keep herself from giggling. âYou two sound like an old married couple.â
âAt this point, we might as well be.â
âLook at that, thereâs already a ring. Whenâs your special date?â Bruce couldnât keep a straight face. âIâm sure weâd be available by then. Isnât that right, Anna?â
âOh absolutely.â
âGod no. Donât give him any ideas.â
__________
[Chapter 3]
âWeâre on the next floor. If you two need anything, just come to room 1211.â
âThanks. Are you two doing anything tomorrow? We were thinking of going on a tour or just wander the city.â
âWeâll let you know.â
âAlright then. Have a good night.â Lightly shutting the door, he fought off tiredness to walk enough distance to safely drop face first onto the mattress. The softness muffled his voice. âItâs only 8pm and I am exhausted.â
The room was quiet, with the only sound coming from a running shower. Five minutes passed, and the water stopped.
âThat was much needed. I feel completely refreshed.â Hwoarang stepped into the room with a towel wrapped around his waist. He noticed Steve fast asleep with his head between two pillows. âHuh. Today mustâve been rough for you, eh?â He picked up the clothes laid out and went back into the bathroom. Examining himself in the mirror, the area around his right eye was still visibly damaged despite treatment. âFuck. Thatâs not going away any time soon.â He put on some loungewear, exited again, and sat on one of the roomâs chairs with his legs resting on the left arm. âThatâs new, a few more notifications than I usually get. Package delivery update, something from Xiaoyu, and⌠oh.â The last notification was a message from the hospital Baek was admitted to. âPlease be okayâŚâ
Fifteen more minutes had passed, and Steve woke up. He rubbed his eyes and sat upright. âHow long have I been out?â
âAbout ten minutes? Twenty, maybe? Just so weâre on the same page here, that woman from earlier is your aunt?â
âYeah, how we met is by a strange coincidenceâŚâ He stood up and stretched for a few seconds. âShe told me today was supposed to be her wedding, how it went downhill because of who I tracked down to the same cathedral posed as her and turned it into a war zone.â He walked towards the closet and took out one of the coat hangers. âWhatâs weirder is that we booked rooms at the same hotel.â
âIt might be more than just that. There mustâve been a reason as to how and why you two met today after all this time. When I first entered, she was one of the people I saw also participating but we never fought; she was always set to go against some lady in a purple suit. Then you showed up and she was absent?â
âHuh, I never noticed that last bit you just said. Then again, canât really say I was fully paying attention because there were a lot of people trying to kill me at the time. My focus was just staying alive.â He took off the new jacket Anna had bought for him and hung it up. âYouâre starting to sound like some street-side fortune teller. I mean, you may be right, but I canât just jump to a âthis is all laid out in the starsâ conclusion.â
âJust throwing something else in there to try and make it interesting. And before you ask, no I donât have a deck of tarot cards in my luggage. Howâd you get this room anyway? Did your adoptive parents put in a good word for you?â
âNah. Iâve been to my fair share of luxury hotels, mostly from travelling to fights. The front desk recognized who I was and gave me a discount.â A cold compress was taken out of a mini first aid kit the hotel provided upon request. âYouâre not looking too well. This should help.â
âFor someone whoâs a degree of famous, you still amaze me at how you donât let it get to your head.â
âItâs just a title, something I can keep a hold of for a while. Hold still!â
âOw! Steve, what the hell!â
âStop making sudden movements while Iâm trying to treat your eye injury.â
âOkay, okay. How does it look?â
âNot as bad now. It may take more time than youâd expect, but just be patient.â
âOr it could just become part of me, like how your scarâs your most âdefiningâ feature.â
âThatâs⌠oddly sweet of you?â
âI almost forgot. I got you something.â He reached into the duffle bag placed on the table and took out a small teddy bear dressed in a pilot uniform that was holding a heart. âSaw it at the airport and thought you might like it.â
âYou didnât have to but thank you.â
âHappy late Valentineâs Day.â
Meanwhile in their own room, Anna kicked off her flats and sat down on her bed. She broke open a small wooden box, pulled out a bottle, and poured herself a glass of what wouldâve been her wedding gift wine. Gently swirling the alcohol, she glanced over at Bruce, who was busy checking his laptop for everything from unread emails to how the G Corp military were doing in his absence. âCanât let this go to waste. Would you like any?â
âNot much of a wine person, but Iâll just have the amount you poured.â Another glass was taken out, and the two made a small toast. Bruce sipped from his, whereas Anna downed hers.
Taking a second to settle, she cleared her throat. âBruce, how do you know him?â
âWho? Your nephew?â
âWho else would I be talking about? Yes, him.â
âI forget you can drink more than humanly possible and still function. To answer your question, the fifth tournament. He was your usual cocky kid that thinks they could take anyone down. Had to beat some sense into him, now weâre acquaintances.â
âDamn, I do have a lot to catch up with. Any word from Kazuya yet? Howâs he faring without us and against his own fucked up family?â
âHe actually did it.â
âNo. Youâre kidding.â
âIâm not when I say that he finally got rid of his old man. I wasnât there, but I heard from the soldiers who were around the perimeter.â
âAnd now Kazuya Mishima has solidified his image as the hero in this ongoing war.â
âThereâs still that bastard son of his. As far as Iâm aware, heâs lost his bodyguards.â
âBoth of them? I knew Ninaâs gone because she has no loyalty for an employer, even if they are a big name. What about the other? Did he leave because of the lie he was promised? I feel a little bad for that girlâŚâ
âNo idea.â Bruce opened the files with the names âE. Gordoâ and âC. Monteiroâ attached. âSays here her grandfather was his master, he was dying, and thereâs a note with âZaibatsu scientists unable to provide critical medical care; patient is now deceasedâ. The man was a Capoeira legend.â
âWhy did you decide to accompany me anyway? I understand that he was one of your soldiers and that Kaz was busy.â
âAside from him asking me to have your back, I donât think those girls wouldâve been up for the job.â
âWho were they again? Thereâs that nature lover and now the cat pop star.â
âJulia Chang and some kid that goes by the name Lucky Chloe. As dreadful as she is, the catâs made a fool of Gordo.â
âVid or it didnât happen.â
âPour yourself another glass then.â Bruce searched through the helipadâs surveillance footage and found the âmatchâ between Chloe and Eddy. âWatch this.â
[âStep it up a gear, old man! Youâre gonna be my backup dancer, so donât mess this up!â
âO-old manâŚ?â
âYou got a problem? You lost and youâre still gonna gimme attitude? Again! âItâs me, Lucky Chloe!â Hey, you think Iâm doinâ this âcause I wanna? This job isnât as easy as it looks! Youâre workinâ with a professional now! Get with the program, hair-for-brains! Again! âItâs me, Lucky Chloe!â No, no, no! Your hand goes like this, and your hips like this! Oh, and when we do this for real, youâre wearinâ a girly costume.â]
âHaha! Well, she is good for something now.â
âThen thereâs that Chang girl. I know sheâs valuable to us, but thatâs steadily decreasing.â
âHis half-brother and the fembot ârescuedâ her.â
âFunny how sheâs adopted but looks almost identical to Michelle.â
âYou really do get bored and read up on everyone, huh? How do you think Michelleâs holding up?â
âDonât know but most likely still hates the Mishimas. Says here sheâs been on and off the radar since the attacks all those years ago but has taken up a side gig with Julia. Theyâre a mother/daughter wrestling team.â
âFigured and thatâs good for both. Someoneâs got to take down those big guys, and what better team to do so than those two. The big bald one tried to hit on me a while back.â She looked at the photos and compared how little Michelleâs aged. âWow, timeâs been really nice to her. Whatâs her secret?â
âProbably sold her soul to Ogre to retain her youth. The pendant she was attacked for was able to control him. Like a witch, but in a good way.â
âOh, youâve got jokes now.â
âIâve had them, you just havenât been around me long enough to hear any.âÂÂ
____________________
[Notes per chapter:
C1: IÂ canât write a fight scene to save my life OTL. If you look at the stage layout, thereâs a small pool of water on the ground floor / right under the starting balcony.
C2: âag Diaâ is Irish for âby Godâ. Since the exact location of Duomo di Sirio isnât specified, a friend and I came up with the idea that itâs set in or at least near Rome and/or Vatican City. The outfit for Hwoarang I described is his new âcasualâ outfit from T7. Upon close detail inspection, there is actually a ring he wears on his right hand. I improvised Dr. Kâs words and Leoâs file.
C3: I picked Chloeâs version of the fight and actually copied the dialogue from it. The âwedding wine in a wooden boxâ comes from an idea I saw my cousin and her husband do at their wedding: place a bottle inside with letters of what they loved about each other, with the condition âonly open in case of a fightâ so they can be reminded of why theyâre together in the first place while enjoying some wine. Hopefully this note clears it up. The validity of this is questionable, but I put Annaâs birthdate (December 11) as her hotel room number.]
#my half assed writing skills#wip#fanfic#tekken#tekken 7#starring:#anna williams#steve fox#and featuring later on:#bruce irvin#hwoarang
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kasautii zindagii kay 25.09.18 lb
donât expect these regularly. pehli ep dekh rahi hoon toh kar rahi hoon. first impressions and all. will be watching this show veryyyyy sporadically.
also, i went and watched the first ep of the original before this to revive memories and do an accurate comparison.
lmaoooooo iâd forgotten and kinda missed ektaâs predilection to start every show with SUCHHHHHHH gratuitous shots of bhagwan.
show kolkata mein based hai toh mumbai ka siddhivinayak mandir kyun dikha rahe ho?
but also some durga maa shots and the bengali ululation to reassure us ki haan haan, kolkata mein hi hai.
lol just look at the sizeeeeeeee of that âmiddle classâ house.
watching an ekta show after agessssss and discovering all the little balaji quirks are still intact is a trip and a half.
waah re, exaaact same aarti as the original theyâre using. nice.
oh i realllllly appreciate the little captions telling us the name of each character. coz this show has tooo fucking many. and i could never keep track of them in the original.
idhar already attempt to establish anurag as hero. ki dekho dad takkkkk is late to aarti, but bhai apna has already started.
MAN THESE FAMILIES ARE TOO BIG. HOW MANY DAMN KIDS YOU PPL BE HAVING??????????????
oh ho ho shekhar has a cuteeeeeeeee smile.
mohini ji toh abhi bhi 2002 paro waale hangover mein hain.
i really love this actress (shubhavi chouksey) tho. she plays balance of bitchhhhh and weepy bits quite well.
also lol i still remember her âmihirrrrrrrjiiiiiiiiâ from kyunki.
really relate with her being 1000% done with her husband. excuse me sir, aap bhi late hi aayein hain. you get no moral superiority points.
this chick is still asleep????????
thereâs no fucking way you ppl (prerna, and whoever this jogging chick is) can get ready in time before aarti ends.Â
oh no. jogger girl does notttttttttttttt look good. waaaaaaaaayyyy too OTT. like not in a fun way like mohini or komolika. in a fire your stylist way.
oh itâs nivedita.
wtfffffffffffff is anupam wearing my god. itâs like one of those silver rescue blankets but in florescent orange. jesus.
anupam still a dgaf cartoon here also. cool.Â
tapurâs just rolling innnnnnnnn. also lol at her passive aggressive snark smile.
MY GOD THIS AARTI IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO LONGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. ITâS CLOCKED IN AT OVER 6 MINUTES ALREADY. MATLAB BHAGWAAN KO AUR BHI KAAM HAI MY DUDES, POORE DIN TUMHARI IS AARTI MEIN HI BAITHE RAHEIN KYA??????
also what kinda fucking upper body strength does anurag have to keep going like this????? need no arm workout for the rest of the week.
um prerna, wearing paayal jhumka and all that is not the priority rn. JUST GET YOUR ASS DOWN THERE SO THIS NEVER-ENDING AARTI CAN FINISHHHHHH.
poooore suit se zyaada kapda iske dupatte mein lagta hai.
yeah these two are just toooooooo bland looking for my taste.
blah blah blah waqt issues.
ok so these guys donât even have to do any work in writing the show. literallly just taking alllllllllll the dialogues from the original, huh.
anurag is a real stick in the mud, taking the ladoo back from his dad. asshole.
yeah i can already tell shubhavi is gonna act circles around the rest of this cast. multiple times.
this show is just maaaaaaade for the negative characters to shine, over the boring goody-goodies.
ok iâd forgotten how irritating erica���s voice is. she sounds like sheâs perpetually phlegmy.
CHEATER PRERNAAAAAAAAAAA. original mein phool apne aap gira tha. chal jhooti. koi khaas dosti nahi hai teri bappa ke saath.
weird how they didnât bother covering up ericaâs cross tattoo. prerna sharma would never have a tattoo.
props to daddy sharma for being progressive papa and not seeing beti as bhoj.
blah blah blah humaari beti kitniiiiii pyaaari hai nonsense.
pft moloy and his dumbassery.
lmao âclasses. business management.â who talks like this? who says the name of their degree/major when their mom asks where theyâre going?
............ which parent in this day and age would resist their kid going to fucking college????? lol get real. a business family like this would push their kid to get an mba for fucking sure.
ok his voice is just as, if not even more, annoying than ericaâs.
i wonât be surprised if mohini spits in moloyâs chai every now and then. heâs kinda asking for it.
bhaaaaaaaaaari cgi on college building. achcha hai, anyway script likhne mein paise ki bachat hui hai, toh ispe hi kharch kardo.
prernaâs friend is a horndog.
lol âJERSEY mein dikhta haiâ as if itâs something great. kabhi aarti ke time jao uske ghar pe. tab shirtless hota hai.
ok this is creeeeeepy as fuck how all the girls are peeping into the boysâ locker room. just think how itâd look if it was reversed.
pehchaan waala hai toh why is she looking at him like itâs the first time??? yaa pehli baar âjersey meinâ dekha hai?
jeeeeee bhar ke taadne ke baad, bol rahi hai âmujhse nahi hogaâ lol, ok.
prernaâs friend has acquired another suitably horndog companion.
oh greatttttttttttttttt, casual homophobic statement. first of many, no doubt.
why is this chick getting SOOOOOOOO hyper about prerna/anurag talking? calm thy tits, madam.
OH GOD THEYâRE EVEN RECREATING THIS NONSENSE SCENE FROM THE ORIGINAL, WHERE THIS RANDOM DUDE PREDICTS THE CONVERSATION. ITâS SOOOOOOOOO DATED AND LAME AS A STORY-TELLING DEVICE. CRINGE!MAXXXX
wow, bothhhhh their annoying voices together is truly mind-numbingly grating.
ALSO MY GOD THIS IS THE MOST BORING CONVERSATION EVER.
prerna has the same oh god kahan phas gaye face that i have rn watching this.
ouff random expository dialogue on aane waala toofaaan.
this random bystander needs to shut up with his commentary and predictions. mostly coz heâs so wrong.
annoying horndogâs name is saloni. and sheâs being annoying some more, this time towards prerna.
my god who the fuck is like âomg donât tell me you DIDNâT fuck himâ to a total random stranger, in the very first convo they have with them??????? saloni needs to learn how to interact with ppl in polite society.
prerna like sorry, i donât like rational men. lol good luck with that. it should reallllllly serve you well in life.
AND NOW SALONIâS LIKE CAN YOU FIND OUT IF ANURAGâS STRAIGHT?????? OMFG THIS CHICK IS REALLY ASKING FOR A JHAPPAD.Â
AND PRERNAâS LIKE OK IâLL TRY. JFC.
seems like papa sharma has seen band baaja baarat too many times, ki anushka ki âvyaapaar aur pyaarâ waali baat kuch zyaada hi dil pe le li.
15 lakh ka loan for what exactly?
ouff khudddaari dialogue. itniiiiiiii khuddaari hai toh loan bhi mat liya karo?
yeah mohini is srslyyyyyy just taking all her styling inspiration straight from 2002 devdas.
moloy is getting on my last damn nerve.Â
the dubbing of this show is really bad. at some points the mouths are just moving completeeeeeeely outta sync with the sound.
i really like prernaâs mom.Â
yes yes we got it, sabse bada pandaal yahi hai. you have convinced us.
i donât get ppl who live in india and have zero patience for random things like roadblocks. like.... this is just how life IS here????? stop being a dick. itni jaldi hai, toh fucking get out and walk the 3 extra steps.
ouff prerna and her manic pixie-ness. iâm so tired of this HAR WAQT PHUDAKTI MACHALTI type heroines, who are unable to keep the ~~~excitement of lifeeeeeeeee~~~~ inside themselves and are constantly squirming.
lol the way mohiniâs face instantly changed on having to interact with middle class person.
lmaooooooooo iâve read a lot about erica and her weird way of saying âauntyjiâ and i finally get it.
.... why is she interrupting mohiniâs conversation with her friends with her random tippani on anurag? unka beta hai, jo chaahe kahe; kissi ne tumse raaiii maangi?
damn, that was cold how she just abruptly walked away tho.
chandrika looks like SHEâs the one who came here in the back of a tempo, instead of prerna, who has not oneeeee hair outta place.
lol prernaâs mom is like hmph my daughter is soooo much better.
some more time waste on establishing just how big pandaal is.
pregnancy ki complications ki wajaah se mummy is STILL babying onuuuu, like 25 years later. waah bhai. jai ho aisi moms ki. inka bas chale toh umbilical cord kaate hi na.
nivideta waali actressâs hair and makeup is really doing nothing for her. esp. the hair. itâs making her forehead look bizarre. like i get sheâs supp to be OTT, poonam was too in the original, but it suited her. this here is just not working.
some more casualllllll misogyny from moloy.
foreshadowing regarding prerna being anuragâs own personal toofaan.
mohini cannot stand a middle class girl even being within a 10 ft radius of precious baby boiiii. kahin uske exhalation par middle class waale co2 molecules na pad jaaye mere onuuuuuu pe!
they really need to put a flashing images warning on this show.
lmao tapurâs sheeeeeeer discomfort at being made to do aarti. #relatable
mohiniâs not happpppppy ki prerna kahin se ghus aayi hai to do aarti. aadat daal lo AuNTyJiiiiiiiii. ab toh yeh har jagah ghusne waali hai.
ppl pray for peace of mind and this dumbass here is asking for a toofaan in her life. well i hope youâre ready, miss thang. coz this is going to be the last peaceful day of your godforsaken life. good luck.
thank god mohini didnât see raja beta touching the hand of a mere commoner.
ANJALI IS STILL CAUGHT UP ON THIS BS.
AND OMG PRERNA ARE YOU SRSLY GONNA DO THIS???????
prerna, are you trying to find out if heâs straight, or signal to him ki youâre gay???? coz your opening line on how many cute girls there are here sounds like the latter.
.... i canât believe she just asked him that. srsly. how the fuckkkkkkk is it any of your business?
god her verbal diarrhea. girl please stop.
yeah i really wonât be able to watch this show because her voice is just.... intolerable.
âhaan mujhe ladke pasand hai. i like boys.â
pls. i wish. this would be an infinitely interesting show then. those would be some real kasautiiis. trying to navigate indian society in every way as a non-hetero.
âgooooood choice. baaaad luck.â
lol at least he has a sense of humour.
pffffffffffffffft.
i donât like these nonsense gay jokes but this kinda felt like a befitting reply to her dumbass intrusive question.
mohini really rude af. but i also kinda admire her attitude of not dealing with ppl she doesnât want to. i wish i had it.
LE YEH PHIR AA GAYI ISKE PAAS.
at least sheâs apologizing.
WHAT IS WITH THESE TWO AND ONLY TALKING ABOUT THE WEATHER. JFC. SO BORING.
some pretty heavyyyyyyyyyyy handed exposition re: mahishasura.
who dis character tho??????
ouff too much dramatics with the sharaab ki bottal phodna and pandit ki commentary and the chunari over those two. itâs alll TOO MUCH.
lo shahrukh bhi aa gaya gyaan dene.
MY GOD WHY IS HE AGING LIKE THIS JFC ITâS LIKE WITNESSING MY CHILDHOOD DECOMPOSE IN FRONT OF MY VERY EYES.
overall impression
production values and all are amazing, as expected. the two actresses playing the moms are the best. the fathers are that special desi dad brand of benevolently annoying. the leads have zeroooooooooooo personality and appeal for me though. theyâre just too bland and boring (like, that ~*SPARK*~ shweta tiwari had???? sorely missing.) too early to tell about chemistry right now, but they both really need to work on their dialogue delivery, because my god, itâs truly the worst (esp. ericaâs.) the only draw of this show for me personally is mohini and komolikaâs bitchery, and that isnât a good enough reason for me to watch it regularly and put up with the rest of these characters. like iâve said before, maybe someone who hasnât watched the original would enjoy this, but iâm mostly meh. iâll keep up with updates and like, check in and watch an ep or two occasionally but overall, naaah.
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The Best Films of 2018, Part II
Part I is here. Letâs keep it moving. ENDEARING CURIOSITIES WITH BIG FLAWS
103. Zama (Lucretia Martel)- In this movie there's a motif of Zama, an officer of the 18th century Spanish Empire, starting a scene by talking to someone or staring at someone off camera. After a minute or two, the camera cuts to some servant and disorients us. There's a person there, always there, to serve him, and it doesn't really matter who it is. It's a brilliant way to get at the colonialism that the character depends on but is still trapped by. So I get a little bit of what the film is trying to do, but it's boring. I'm an ignorant person who doesn't know how to watch Lucretia Martel's films or have any context for South American history, but I know what boring is. 102. I Feel Pretty (Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein)- I like that Schumer tried something different instead of falling back on her persona, but there isn't enough new or interesting here for me to recommend--besides National Treasure Michelle Williams, of course. The film nearly displays "Do you see that she's turning her back on her real friends now?" on the screen. 101. A Simple Favor (Paul Feig)- At times cheeky and sexy and juicy, but it still wears out its welcome by twists ninety-one and ninety-two. 100. Double Lover (Francois Ozon)- Diverting until it gets silly, then so silly that it gets diverting again. There are about five too many twists, and I'm still unclear on how seriously the film takes any of those twists. More importantly, I don't think there's much of a takeaway from any of it. Ozon seems to have found a real muse in Marine Vacth though. 99. Borg Vs. McEnroe (Janus Metz Pedersen)- As a Shia Pet, I felt obligated to see his portrayal of Johnny Mac. I didn't learn anything that I didn't already know from this mediocre biopic though. Watch the documentary McEnroe/Borg: Fire & Ice instead. 98. Ralph Breaks the Internet (Rich Moore and Phil Johnston)- There's some clever visualization of the the Internet, such as the way that a link shuttles an avatar off in a transparent car or the way that shady newsboy types whisper about pop-up ads. And I liked a lot of the Disney tie-in stuff that critics are wincing at. As far as textbook screenwriting goes, it's great at that idea of making you think that the protagonists will accomplish their goal very easily, only to have them be re-directed to square one. The voice acting is top-notch. Why do these movies get so plotty though? I felt as if the internal logic started getting inconsistent about halfway through--at the same time that the first one got bogged down with candy stuff instead of 8-bit video game stuff. And if there are so many lovable characters from the first entry, why do we get such tiny servings of them here? The movie's too long already, but what I wouldn't give for an occasional cut back to Fix-It Felix raising some kids.
97. We the Animals (Jeremiah Zagar)- The Tree of Life is one of my favorite movies, and on its face, We the Animals is a really similar impressionistic memory. So why do I like it half as much? Are lighting and music that important? Is Jessica Chastain? Is latent racism? All I know is that this felt like a story I had seen before pitched at the same intensity for a running time I was happy to see expire. 96. Kodachrome (Mark Raso)- The three leads are all pretty good. (Ed Harris does this bashful, pulling-on-his-eyelid thing that killed me.) But with mathematical precision, the film matched each element I liked with another thing that infuriated me. Specifically, the whole plot hinges on one scene, and that scene is preposterous and alien to human behavior. 95. Deadpool 2 (David Leitch)- The pacing of these movies is bizarre to me; they're half-over before they really get started. No one else is bothered by the fact that Cable has no motivation or backstory for the first hour? Some of the connections to X-Men felt more forced this time around, but I thought this entry was much funnier than the first, even mixing in some more subtle visual gags. (The exotic locales montage ending in Biloxi really got me.) I have to give credit to the X-Force parachute sequence, which is audacious and unexpected. And clear out for Zazie Beetz, who is a huge star in the making. 94. At Eternityâs Gate (Julian Schnabel)- Something about Van Gogh was essentially unknowable, which is a great reason to make a movie about him and a terrible reason to make a movie about him. I'm not sure that Julian Schnabel got to the bottom of the man any better than anyone else has, though maybe that's an unfair expectation. To his credit, Schnabel yada-yadas the ear business and Van Gogh's death in favor of his more poetic understanding of the artistic life. The movie doesn't coalesce for me, but there's a banger of a scene between Dafoe and Mads Mikkelsen about the responsibility an artist has toward God. That short nested inside makes the whole thing worth seeing. The conversation I had afterwards with one of the two other people in the theater, an art historian, was a solid three stars. 93. Bohemian Rhapsody (Bryan Singer)- Some biographical movies do a good job of compressing time, and their supporting characters don't feel sacrificed or glossed over. For many other mediocre ones though, including this one, I submit the Three Scene Rule. Three scenes is kind of the minimum for a character to register an arc and for an actor to present any kind of dynamic performance, so in a lot of these true story movies, that's all that a supporting character gets. If you're looking for it, it's glaring. (Watch Hidden Figures again with the husband and boyfriend characters in mind. I'll wait.) This movie has a few characters that matter: Freddie Mercury, obvs; the other Queen members; Paul Prenter, the unfairly composited villain; and Mary Austin, the platonic love of Mercury's life. The movie spends way too much time on her, as if to tease the audience with the idea that Freddie might be straight. As for everyone else? Three scenes. Ray Foster, the record executive played by Mike Myers (!): A. "Look, guys, I like formulas. This opera stuff you're talking about? That sounds crazy." B. "The opera stuff is crazy. I ain't making that the single. You can walk out of here for all I care." C. [hangs head in shame after being proven wrong] Jim Hutton, Freddie's partner for the seven years this movie doesn't care about: A. "Look, pal, I may be a waiter, but you can't just grab me like that. On second thought, let's talk. You should learn how to love yourself." B. "Oh, hey. Glad you tracked me down, slugger. You love yourself now? Sure, let's go meet your parents." C. "Guess I'm your boyfriend now. Looking forward to the show." Freddie's Parents: A. "You go out every night! What are you doing out there? Why can't you be a good boy? What's up with your new name?" B. "Why can't you be a good boy? What's up with your new name?" C. "You're a good boy, I guess, even if you're gay. Guess that's your name for real." I like the idea of reproducing the Live Aid performance in full, and the movie comes alive during its musical sequences. But I wish that the same attention given to, like, the number of Pepsi cups on the piano was also given to the nuts and bolts of the storytelling.
92. The Predator (Shane Black)- Â I get why other people don't like this. The final fourth feels obligatory, and it seems cut to the verge of incoherence. But if you don't get a little tingle out of a game cast saying Shane Black things like, "Predators don't just sit around making hats out of rib cages," then we are very different moviegoers.
91. Sorry to Bother You (Boots Riley)- I admire Boots Riley's ambition, the way he's taking many of the ideas that drove his music and channeling them into film. But there are too many ideas and, strangely, too much plot to cohere. I liked some of the jokes, especially the Robocop-py TV clips laced throughout. I think my main problem, however, is Lakeith Stanfield as Cassius. He's a fascinating actor, but his energy is completely wrong for an everyman lead like this. I don't think he was the right choice to carry it. 90. Thoroughbreds (Cory Finley)- The repartee at the beginning is sharp, and there are some engaging elements of style. God knows I've never complained about rich, sad, nubile brunettes with strange eyes. But there are pieces missing in that forest-for-the-trees way that happens sometimes with debuts. Like, how do these privileged girls not have access to a gun when our national nightmare is based on all young people having access to guns? Or what is the exact motivation behind the crime at the center? Lots of great characters have been spurred by a violent curiosity, but a zinger here and there doesn't make these girls Raskolnikov. 89. White Boy Rick (Yann DeMange)- Even if this isn't it, I think Yann Demange has a great film in him. There's some urgency to White Boy Rick's politics, and it looks interesting. If nothing else, it succeeds in making the surroundings seem as gloomy as the characters all acknowledge them to be. But this isn't a great film in either of its halves. It's motivated by plot until a crucial event that I don't want to reveal, then it veers much more into character. I would normally sign off on that, but this movie grinds to a halt in the change and never recovers. McConaughey pulls his weight, but Richie Merritt is pretty bad in the lead. 88. The Strangers: Prey at Night (Johannes Roberts)- Despite some striking images and a welcome lack of explanation for the menace, Prey at Night doesn't reach the heights of its predecessor, mostly because the characters are too paint-by-numbers. 87. Ant-Man and the Wasp (Peyton Reed)- Probably the first Marvel movie that would benefit from more action. Some of the material is genuinely funny thanks to Michael Pena and Randall Park, but I got a little drowsy during the middle hour of talk about phase-shifting and the quantum realm. Get back to making things big or making things little, Dr. Molecule! 86. Creed II (Steven Caple Jr.)- The pieces are there, but it's a problem when Jim Lampley, who has one hundred times as many lines as the fifth lead, explains to the audience what they literally saw an hour earlier. If nothing else, this movie proves, through his absence, how good of a director Ryan Coogler is. I would be lying if I said I didn't get the chills at some key moments. Stalloneâs performance and Jordan's muscles are good. But there was a dark, honest way for this movie to end, and it went directly against that ending into something more Hollywood. 85. Let the Sunshine In (Claire Denis)- Like Taxi Driver if Travis Bickle just wanted the guy to get him a glass of water afterwards. The film does have that kind of myopic focus--the sexy, ever-candid Binoche is in every scene--but it's far more elliptical, progressing only through character, never through plot. Let the Sunshine In is unique in a way that is different from Denis's other unique works: No one talks like an actual person, and she acts as if you should know all of the characters instead of properly introducing them. It's not supposed to be funny ha-ha, so excuse me if that's what I wanted.
84. Revenge (Coralie Fargeat)- Â like the style of this film, the color palette, the synth score, how far it's willing to go with the gore. But if it's called Revenge, and it's clear who the hero is (hint: not the rapist), then the whole thing feels like a fait accompli. We know exactly who's going to be the last woman standing, and we even know the order of the people she's going to kill.
PRETTY GOOD MOVIES 83. The Rider (Chloe Zhao)- This movie is trying to be a poem, but the parts I like the most are prose. It's a promising piece of filmmaking with heartbreaking moments, but I found it most effective when the storytelling spelled things out. It's an all-hands-on-deck independent film, so the amateurism of the piece shines through in the performances from non-professional actors. The relationship between Brady and his autistic sister is interesting because she speaks with that sarcastic cadence that can be learned from only children's programming. It's unlike what we usually see because, you know, she's a non-professional actor and real autistic person. So what do I know? 82. Unfriended: Dark Web (Stephen Susco)- Pretty tight from a storytelling standpoint and definitely grisly enough to get under the skin. But these laptop flicks move with such alacrity that it's hard to believe them whenever they ask you to buy something like love, since they paint it with the broadest strokes imaginable. Not that I would want a two-hour version of this anyway. 81. Juliet, Naked (Jesse Peretz)- Charming enough, arriving at a more realistic place than I expected, Juliet, Naked does nothing to make me revoke my charter membership in the Rose Byrne fan club. What an odd shape this film has though. The inciting incident happens at the hour mark, and it races obligatorily to an ending at an hour, thirty-seven. 80. Oceanâs Eight (Gary Ross)- It sets its marks and hits them adequately, with most of the charm that made the other Ocean movies fun. But there's something lifeless about Ocean's 8, both in the direction and the score. Take, for example, Richard Armitage's bland, sort of lost performance as an old flame/mark. It's such a nothing part that I began to think that it was a thesis: The men are just chess pieces, and they shouldn't take attention away from the women this time. But then James Corden emerges in the last half-hour and shines. So maybe Armitage was just bad and directed poorly? This movie exists for the Movie Star interplay though, and it delivers on that level. Cate Blanchett was good for so long that she's popular, and Sandra Bullock was popular for so long that she's good. Rihanna has to dress like a janitor at one point as a disguise, and she proves how absurd it would be for her to ever blend in. Anne Hathaway is the funniest of the bunch, balancing on a highwire of how big she's supposed to seem. Helena Bonham Carter gets the "and" hammer for all my credit fetishists. 79. Mary Poppins Returns (Rob Marshall)- I saw this on Christmas night with my family. The original Mary Poppins was the first movie my mom ever saw in theaters, and it's probably my wife's favorite. To the extent that insulting it is kind of insulting an important part of who she is. So I couldn't be the guy coming out of the theater like, "The Bankses definitely deserved to lose their house." Between you and me though, it's just fine. Entire sequences could be cut without damaging anything--do we ever come back to the bowl that Meryl Steep is supposed to be mending?--and most of the conflict feels manufactured. These legasequels always end up feeling like boxes being checked. We all know that the guys with the cannon had to come back, right? But some of the numbers are so joyful or stirring that even this grinch snuck a few smiles at his daughter as she pointed to the screen and said, "That's so silly." It's a good movie to see on Christmas night with your whole family. 78. RBG (Betsy West, Julie Cohen)- This movie is designed to make the viewer who would seek it out go, "What an American hero." It does that, I suppose, and there isn't a whole lot wrong with it. Yes, she is a very impressive person. But the film has too much untapped potential and too few teeth to recommend beyond that rubric of achieving its goals. For example, what about half of the population that would sneer at the notion that Ruth Bader Ginsburg is an American hero? Besides the inclusion of some radio clips over the credits, the filmmakers aren't concerned. "Look, she was friends with a conservative!"
77. Searching (Aneesh Shaganty)- Since I've seen thousands of movies that don't take place inside of a computer, there's still some novelty to the handful that do. On one hand, there are four or five twists too many, and the film isn't consistent with its own rules. On the other hand, it gets intriguingly dark for PG-13, and it never stops moving. 76. Uncle Drew (Charles Stone III)- The attitude toward women is retrograde, and to call the plot cookie-cutter would be an understatement. But this works, mostly because of the sunny, natural performances. Kyrie Irving, whose handles are even more of a marvel on a forty-foot screen, has to act through pounds of makeup, but he pulls it off. With only commercials to his name, he has to carry scenes of, like, standing at someone's grave and apologizing, and he has the presence and confidence to do it. I also should mention that Nick Kroll has a nothing-to-lose, galaxy brain performance for which probably zero of the lines were written ahead of time. "Shout-out to Oberto, shout-out to Aleve, the number one pain reliever in the game right now." I have to extend some of the credit here to Charles Stone III, who has made a calling card out of coaxing performances from newcomers. 75. Christopher Robin (Marc Forster)- Cute. 74. Unsane (Steven Soderbergh)- What seems to be a B-movie hitting its marks gets elevated by one fantastic scene that makes it seem timely and vital. I can't help but think Steven Soderbergh is punching below his weigh class though. I'm glad that an experiment like shooting a movie with an iPhone gets him up in the morning, and I know he doesn't want to make another Traffic or Out of Sight. But maybe, here's an idea, audiences might? 73. 22 July (Paul Greengrass)- The first thirty minutes are harrowing, in part because of their disciplined cross-cutting and Anders Danielsen Lie's chilling stoicism. The mistake that Greengrass makes is thinking that, later on, the three strands of story are equal in importance. He cuts away from the court case at its apex to see a kid trying to walk again or a prime minister demanding that his administration get tougher. Some moments are powerful, and Greengrass's composition and editing have mercifully softened, but this becomes a grind at a certain point. 72. Solo: A Star Wars Story (Ron Howard)- I hate to state the obvious, but this feels like multiple movies stitched together because that's exactly what it is. On one hand, we have the foggy opening, featuring an airtight inciting incident and setting up Emilia Clarke as that rarest of things in a Star Wars movie: a character with unclear motivations. But as the film goes on, it reveals why Han doesn't work as a protagonist. (Ehrenreich is bad, but the storytelling sinks the movie more than his performance does.) Everyone else in the movie drips with charisma and comments on the action while Han is left to connect the dots. In other words, the other characters get to be Han Solo, and Han Solo doesn't. By the time we get to the marauders, past the two hour mark of a movie that shouldn't have been more than two hours, the narrative crumbles under its own weight. These movies are way too competent to fail--I can list five or six moments that transcend the flaws--but each of these origin stories has a way of erasing the myth of Star Wars with a pen. 71. Bird Box (Susanne Bier)- This is a genre film that you've seen before in one way or another, so your expectations (and filmgoing experience even?) will dictate what you think of it. There's a metaphorical reading available, but that doesn't make the picture more artful automatically. Trevante Rhodes is a Movie Star. Here's what I can tell you: We need to appreciate John Gavin Malkovich while we can. Delivering the apotheosis of the selfish dickhead survivor character, he a) asks why the group can't stay in the grocery store forever, b) points shotguns at people when they try to let in strangers, c) drinks as he's telling people matter-of-factly that this is the end of the world, and d) (sort of) explains why he is the way he is. And-he-does-it-all-with-the-deliberate-cadence-that-you-are-doing-in-your-HEAD-right-NOW. I'm not saying the guy should win Best Supporting Actor or anything, but I admire his career more than any that would get a Best Supporting Actor.
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LETâS GO LETâS GO SPRING IS HERE SO ITâS TIME TO WARM UP WITH LEWDS
E M O T I O N A LÂ L E W D SÂ T H A TÂ I S
Having been away on a trip, I was listening to a great deal of albums that have left me feeling extremely inspired--especially now to the point of hosting yet another fic event after having just recently returned lololol but anyhow!!! I was especially fond of Mura Masaâs self-titled debut, and while Iâve been wanting to do write something for his song âLove$ick Fuckâ, I discovered a newfound love with his âMessy Loveâ track and decided to COMBINE THE TWO TOGETHER FOR THIS EVENT!
As the Focus implies, this event is themed on overly/extremely devoted, clingy love--taken to however extreme you wish to request~ :3c However! Rather than do this request event by the norm, I wish to change things up simply for the fun of it by bringing in some of the guidelines from my smaller mini-fill events!
Thus, when you request, please note these usual guidelines, including the ones specifically for Focus events like this one!:
Be 18+ to request lewds
Focus characters (the ones depicted in the image above) means that requests for them will either be prioritized or general requests for them may be permitted! For this event in particular however, only the former will apply~
Multiple requests are fine but only if you request for a different series per request~
As in, instead of submitting 3 requests for JJBA, you split it up between JJBA, OPM and Drifters~
Please adhere to the rules of the event~
While also including the following!:
Your husband of choice
Polyamorous/love triangles are okay~
One of the noted lyrics from either Love$ick or Messy Love
the ~extremity~ of love will be determined by what you pick, with lyrics denoted with * being the lowest and *** being the highest!
Love$ick
I need you***
I'm a lovesick fuck***
I want you*
Come on fuck me, babe**Â Â
Messy Love
Take me*Â Â
Break me***
Use me for your messy love**
Steal me***
Don't you think that we should be together?*
Now will (you) be my girl**/***
depends on context of prompt~
AÂ prompt relating to the theme of the event~!
Detailed prompts are preferred over general!
Examples:
(I want you)Â A sleeping Summoner resting upon Laslowâs lap leaves him deep in thought over his feelings for the one he yearns for most.
(Use me for your messy love) Doppio knows that that the readerâs heart belongs to Diavolo. It doesnât mean he is able to resist the temptation to keep the reader company and satisfied while the boss is âawayâ
(I need you) Ichimatsu has been crushing on the reader for the longest, but is too afraid to express his feelings, even though he feels more than irritated when his brothers have no issue with talking to the reader. Keeping how he feels to himself leads him to amassing all the little gifts that the reader gives, eventually âborrowingâ a few personal items even. And then he gets caught in the act. However, these emotions come to a head when the reader comes by to announce news of being admitted to a year-long study abroad program.
AND SINCE WEâRE BACK AT IT AGAIN FOR THE REQUESTS HERE ARE ALL THE SERIES OF WHOSE MENZ YOU CAN SELECT:
Anime:
JoJoâs Bizarre Adventure (Parts 1-7)
Free!
I NEED TO HAUL ASS ON TAKE YOUR MARK GKLDGJSL
Haikyuu! (anime only)
One-Punch Man (anime only)
Iâve yet to watch Extra Game~
Gintama (anime only)
Still havenât budged from after finishing Yoshiwara in Flames arc ^^;Â
Osomatsu-san
Drifters (anime only)
BRING ON THE MESSY CONMAN DAD FOR S2
Boku No Hero Academia (anime only)
FULLY CAUGHT UP NOW AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Devilman Crybaby
Touken Ranbu (anime)
HAVENâT WATCHED S2 OF HANAMARU OR KATSUGEKI THO
Video Games:
Ace Attorney
LISTEN APOLLO IS UP THERE 4 A REASON AFTER I FINISHED SPIRIT OF JUSTICE
Overwatch
Fire Emblem
Awakening
Fates
Echoes
Heroes
Persona 3/4/5
You may submit in requests starting now up until 12 AM PST on April 3rd (4/3)! Though depending on how many prompts received, I may either close my inbox early or extend the deadline~ Either way, please send in your requests as soon as possible!
I would like to take my time with these requests this go around, so instead of having a near immediate, set date for when these prompts will be posted after fulfillment, I will announce when Iâm ready to get to updating once more~ If you have any questions, as always, please let me know and Iâm happy to clarify~!
That said, I am SO EXCITED FOR THIS EVENT HKLGKLJGLKSJGLJK THIS HAS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING LIKE FOR NEARLY 2 YEARS AT THIS POINT ; u ; I hope you all enjoy and fun with this event as you request! I look forward to what youâve got for me to fulfill! Thanks so much again everyone!!!
#lovesick mess#reservation info#hotel lobby updates#reader insert#long post#management will return in a queue minutes
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