#but could you imagine if someone did this while completely /srs??

[nil-the-glitch]

you know what? *un-friends our ship*

[deathnguts]

I think because Barty and regulus are friends a lot of people I’ve seen overlook that like, to an outsider, their relationship is textbook Romeo and Juliet.

Bartemius Crouch Sr is a muggle sympathizer, super anti dark magic, and he probably worked so hard to become minister to try and sift through the corruption and change how the magical board regulates such taboo magic and the pure blood ideals that often comes with it. I can’t imagine he would be passive in the face of the Black’s control of the ministry, or particularly like them much. Mrs Crouch (no canon name) was a good mother who cared for her son but was probably too meek to outright stand up to her husband, but she tried to make up for it by making life when he wasn’t home as good as she could. I don’t imagine she would have much of a high opinion on Walburga if she ever found out what sort of mother she was.

Orion Black is the exact corrupt, dark magic wielding, pure blood supremecist that the Crouch’s hate so much, and I imagine that he doesn’t take too kindly to Crouch coming in and outweighing him in political power just to change the magical world the Black’s used to practically own in favor of the ‘woke’ agenda. Walburga Black was not a good mother even if she did care for her children and she was not meek. While she respected her husband for being the man of the house, she knew she outweighed him in power over their children and she was not timid around him. She punished she children as she saw fit and instilled impossible expectations and ideals on them that they never had a break form even when she wasn’t home. I imagine she would find any ‘lesser’ woman weak.

So when they’re at school, away from the prying eyes and controlling hands of their parents, and they choose to spend that time together? They take on their completely opposite expectations wearing the mask they need to and go back to the same four walls to take it off and only be truly themselves with each other?? If their parents ever found out they’d be fucking livid???

Barty is the Crouch’s only child, a perfect son. Him being a death eater was a surprise, they never imagined he was someone else behind closed doors. Or who was with him when he was.

Regulus was the second, but still perfect choice. Whether you imagine him being cis and simply thrust into being the new heir and knowing he can’t afford even a small mistake lest he be compared to who he’s replacing; or you imagine he’s trans and was simply the perfect daughter that they planned to marry off to who they wanted to choose to become the new heir Black, he still couldn’t afford to be seen as any lesser or bring any more embarrassment to the family and ruin their reputation more.

The two perfect children that no one expected would act out, doing so together.

[amphetamine-keen]

Okay, so my last headcannon post got 2.5k notes, which was fun.

Now I have a completely different fandom in mind.

Behold, my headcannon for Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, specifically the movie, specifically Casey Jones, and specifically Casey Jr (sort of).

It's about him and his mom.

Casey Sr. is ... Intense.

So how on Earth did she find someone who could match that!? W Ha—

I have a theory.

I think that the turtles finally convinced her to get a god damned hobby, and she decided to give hockey a try. After this I have two options.

Option 1! She just likes watching, which is where she meets Casey Jr's dad or mom (let's face it, she has such intense wlw vibes, so if she finds a man, he has the most intense bi wife energy)

And this person is the most Normal person imaginable. Like, their name is something like Mary Johnson or James Smith. If white bread were a person, it's this one. To steal a term from the Sandman fandom "Honda Civic of a Man"

Biggest heart eyes imaginable, from this plain-ass lad/lass. And Casey Sr. is just like "YOU LIKE HOCKEY TOO!?" and is just as intense as ever about it.

We're talking Connecticut Clark and Malfina dynamics here.

Option 2! Whoever the other person is, they are still Honda Civic incarnate, but instead, Casey Sr. meets them while playing hockey.

Casey Sr. is as intense as usual, and absolutely slams this person, and is just about the most impressive person they've ever seen.

Heart eyes, mother fucker!

Basically all of this boils down to Casey meeting the most plain person imaginable and they just love her intensity so much. And she's just as intense about being in a relationship

They are made to be.

[mysteryshoptls]

SR Jade Leech Apprentice Chef Personal Story: Part 2

"Master Chef"

(Part 1) Part 2

[Cafeteria – Judging Venue]

Master Chef – Jade Version ～Let’s Make Tofu Hamburger Steak 2～

Rook: Bonjour. I smell a wonderful aroma in the air.

Jade: I see my judge is Rook-san. Please treat me well. I will bring the dish shortly.

Rook: Merci, Monsieur Mastermind. I will judge you with whole-hearted sincerity.

Chef Ghost: (Oh, as expected of a server from Mostro Lounge! Even the way he holds the plate is perfect.)

Chef Ghost: (And that smile filled with confidence… There’s no mistake that the food will have been made just as spectacularly!)

Jade: Thank you for your patience.

Jade: This is the “Special Tofu Hamburger Steak ～ With an Additional Seasonal Flavor”

Rook: Tofu, I see… très bien! I’m simply elated to be able to eat rare ingredients from all over the world all from this cafeteria.

Rook: Hmm～ You can tell how appetizing it will be just from that juteux sizzling sound.

Jade: Fufufu. Please, enjoy it while it is hot.

Rook: Then, I shall dig in.

[bite, chew…]

Jade: …

Rook: Marvellous!! This is interesting…

Rook: At first glance it’s just an ordinary tofu ha… hannwaahehehe…!

Chef Ghost: R-Rook-kun!? You’re suddenly making such a weird noise, what’s wrong!?

Rook: Hai honne, iith numm…!!

Chef Ghost: Eh? What? Did you just say… “My tongue is numb”?

Rook: Fui! (Oui!)

Chef Ghost: How could that possibly have… Ah! You’re not saying it’s because of the Tofu Hamburg you just ate!?

Chef Ghost: Now that I mention it if I look more closely, there seems to be something on the plate that wasn’t on the recipe…

Jade: Fufufu. If you would like, Chef, please have a bite and let me know your impressions as well.

Chef Ghost: They say in “food,” seeing is believing… Got it, I’ll try some too!

[bite, chew…]

Chef Ghost: !?!?

Rook: How is it? To me it was a very new experience. I could almost become addicted to this.

Chef Ghost: Wh-wh-wh-whah ith thith～～～!!

Jade: …Chef please, have some water as well.

[guzzle]

Chef Ghost: …Fuu. I get it. I understand…

Chef Ghost: The cause of this numbness is… the various colorful mushrooms in the sauce covering the hamburg, yes?

Jade: Yes, it is as you’ve discerned.

Jade: I used copious amounts of fresh mushrooms that I harvested from the mountains.

Jade: It was quite a painstaking effort to prevent the sauce’s strong flavor from drowning out the mushrooms’ flavors.

Rook: Très bien! Your rich imagination and insatiable inquisitiveness produced such a marvelous cuisine.

Jade: Thank you very much. To receive such praise, it was worth going through the trouble.

Jade: Whenever I come across a rare mushroom or wild plant while climbing the mountains, I make sure to bring it home with me.

Jade: However I’m sure those precious ingredients would be devastated if I only cooked and ate them by myself.

Jade: Recently, Floyd and Azul are wary and won’t consume my dishes for about two weeks after I return from the mountains.

Jade: That is why, I believed if it was the Master Chef course…

Jade: I could have many people enjoy my dishes.

Chef Ghost: So that was your true purpose!!!

Chef Ghost: Jade-kun, you’re a good cook, and a solid student, so I thought I could relax but…

Chef Ghost: You’re the absolute complete opposite, someone to be cautious around! I feel like I was deceived!

Rook: Hahaha. On top of having a special experience, I’m thrilled to have been useful for you, Jade-kun.

Jade: You as well, I was pleased that Rook-san would be the one eating my food.

Lilia: Yes yes. I can’t lose here either! My creative faculties have kicked into high gear.

Chef Ghost: Waaah! Lilia-kun, don’t scare me～!

Chef Ghost: Good grief. Don’t just arrange the recipe as you wish!!

Jade: Yes. I am deeply sorry.

Chef Ghost: That’s not a face that has truly reflected on what he has done.

Rook: Everything’s fine, Chef. As you can see, I am extremely satisfied and if anything, I feel I’ve even gained some strength!

Lilia: Umu. It’s as Rook says!

Lilia: Jade. Don’t listen to Chef’s nonsense, spread your wings and go as far as your imagination will take you!

Jade: Fufufu. Thank you very much, both of you. I shall continue to challenge myself.

Chef Ghost: How can everyone smile like that standing before such a terrifying dish? What in the world are these kids…?

Chef Ghost: He-Head chef～～～! I give up～～!!

(Part 1) Part 2

[tsuzuruteeth]

Vil Rant: Why His Overblot was Valid

So I’ve seen a lot of not so hot takes on Vil’s overblot. Some people believe that his reason for overblot wasn’t good enough in comparison to the others. Most of the others overblotted due to some trauma from their childhood that never really got resolved to sum it up very vaguely. Vil on the other hand, it seemingly wasn’t like that. Vil’s overblot was due to envy. Pure envy. 

Or was it?

It wasn’t. So as the resident Vil stan, I am going to take my time to explain why Vil’s overblot made sense and it isn’t as petty as some people think it is. 

Vil himself is a very mischaracterized character, so it’s no surprise that people are not seeing the full picture. 

Vil’s whole character is based on hard work. Most people would assume it’s beauty but it isn’t, at least not fully. For Vil, beauty isn’t his end goal but a tool to achieve his end goal, this is made clear in his overblot flashback. Now some people might not be convinced, but this isn’t a character analysis, so I’m not going to delve too deep into his values and why they’re his values for now. 

So the reason he overblotted, for the people who take Vil at face value anyway instead of learning his motives, is because he was jealous Neige was more beautiful than him. He overblotted out of envy because he couldn’t stand being second best. 

Now this isn’t wrong, but it isn’t the full picture. Too see the full thing playout I’m gonna run through a little Vil timeline with you. And “because I am so kind” and I know not everyone out there is a fan of Vil, so probably wouldn’t take the time to read his personal stories, I will stick to things mentioned in chapter 5. 

So starting from Vil’s childhood. We see this part in his overblot flashback but even as a child Vil would always get villain roles and because of this he is ostracized by the other children, apart from Jack (Just as a reference this is also mentioned in his robes sr personal story).  This didn’t really bother Vil much from what we saw, but it showed us that Vil was a bit more mature for his age, as being in the industry he probably had to be. 

Next thing we see is how Neige always gets the main parts while Vil is always the villain. So this is where Vil’s envy of Neige starts. However, at this stage in his life it’s not about his beauty, it’s because he gets the roles Vil wants. Vil then goes on to talk about how all he wants is to be the heroine for once, yet he knows this will never happen. He is mature enough to realise that life doesn't work that way, no matter how hard you work something can never be achieved, hence his frustration begins.

So throughout Chapter 5 we can see Neige be mentioned and Vil’s vows to defeat him. He constantly asks Mira about the beauty rankings only to see Neige be number one. Which doesn’t seem such a big deal at first, until you think about how much hard work Vil puts in. Although, if you think about it, it’s still a bit petty at this stage, which is why it doesn’t cause overblot just yet. However, it does make his previous childhood frustration towards Neige grow. 

Another thing that I feel I should mention quickly, is that Vil personally doesn’t really have anything against Neige himself per say, if it was someone else in Neige’s place he would be salty towards them. He really just hates the situation and circumstances, not Neige as a person. 

Anyway back to the timeline. This is where it starts to go wrong. The VDC rehearsal. Vil put effort into the performance. We saw how strict he was, how dedicated he was to make sure everything was perfect. He put his all into it. He even made the song and dance himself, and played a key role in the actual performance. He made that performance to perfection. He even was number one on the search results for the word “beauty”! Only for everyone to fuss over Neige. Neige did a remix of a nursery rhyme and it is mentioned that the choreo wasn’t in sync.When Vil checked Mira again, Neige was back to number one. This is what tipped Vil over the edge. 

I have seen some people claim that his actions were uncalled for and petty, because music isn’t just about being perfect, it’s for having fun and making everyone else enjoy your performance too! You don’t need to be perfect to perform well and make the audience love you! Vil should hold himself to lesser standards and realise it’s not a competition, everyone is beautiful and talented in their own way!

I see your point. I really do. But, I think you need to change your perspective a little to see what really is going on. 

Put yourself in Vil’s shoes for example. Imagine you worked really hard on something, like an art project. You slaved weeks over it, making sure it was the best quality it can be. Finally you put it into a competition. Only to be beat out with a drawing that is half complete and was finished the night before. Could you manage to tell yourself to just let it go? There’s value in all art right? So shouldn’t you just be happy for the winner? It might be the right thing to do, but can you honestly say that you wouldn’t be absolutely seething inside? After all you went through? All that effort? I know for a fact I would be fuming with rage. Maybe I’m just a bad, selfish person but it's true. Although I think most people would at least be a little upset at this outcome. And Vil was.

Now you may agree with my point above, but how does that justify Vil trying to KILL Neige? That’s the beauty of it. It doesn’t. Just like Riddle, all of Vil’s views came crashing down before him the moment people started to fawn over Neige. 

He always thought that hard work would get you to where you need to be, but he worked as hard as he could yet he still failed. Instead someone who hasn’t worked hard, someone who didn’t take the VDC seriously, someone who was only there for fun, beat him out. It didn’t help that he was given hope by being number one, only to have that hope snatched from him right after Neige performed. What is he supposed to do now? If he can’t beat Neige with talent, if he can’t beat Neige with hard work, how will he beat Neige? Easy. All he has to do is get rid of Neige. 

So yes, trying to kill Neige was extreme, but to Vil, that was the only way he thought he could beat him. 

You might be wondering why is it a competition in the first place? Simply because that’s the type of person Vil is. He doesn’t want to be second best, he’s a perfectionist so the only number that matters is being number one. 

But this doesn’t cause his overblot. This isn’t the snapping point for Vil. The snapping point was him realising what he had done, what he was about to do. He was about to do something ugly. He even mentions that it doesn’t matter if everyone forgives him, he can’t forgive himself. Then, he overblots. 

So, Vil’s overblot was a combination of frustration, high expectations and just all together feeling like he isn’t good enough. It’s probably the most relatable overblot so far, as I’m sure we’ve all been in a position where we’ve snapped because something seems hopeless no matter how hard we try. It’s easy to tell someone to stop holding themselves to such high standards, but as the saying goes, it’s easier said than done.

In terms of his after overblot, I don’t see Vil lessinging his normal standards, he will still try his best and make sure everyone around him does the same. He just maybe won’t compare himself to others as much. 

In conclusion, Vil’s overblot wasn’t uncalled for or petty, it actually made perfect sense. Thanks for listening or should I say reading my Ted Talk.

[antoine-roquentin]

I collect Soviet newspapers. Years ago, I used to travel to Moscow’s Izmailovsky flea market every few weeks, hooking up with a dealer who crisscrossed the country digging up front pages from the Cold War era. I have Izvestia’s celebration of Gagarin’s flight, a Pravda account of a 1938 show trial, even an ancient copy of Ogonyek with Trotsky on the cover that someone must have taken a risk to keep.

These relics, with dramatic block fonts and red highlights, are cool pieces of history. Not so cool: the writing! Soviet newspapers were wrought with such anvil shamelessness that it’s difficult to imagine anyone ever read them without laughing. A good Soviet could write almost any Pravda headline in advance. What else but “A Mighty Demonstration of the Union of the Party and the People” fit the day after Supreme Soviet elections? What news could come from the Spanish civil war but “Success of the Republican Fleet?” Who could earn an obit headline but a “Faithful Son of the Party”?

Reality in Soviet news was 100% binary, with all people either heroes or villains, and the villains all in league with one another (an SR was no better than a fascist or a “Right-Trotskyite Bandit,” a kind of proto-horseshoe theory). Other ideas were not represented, except to be attacked and deconstructed. Also, since anything good was all good, politicians were not described as people at all but paragons of limitless virtue — 95% of most issues of Pravda or Izvestia were just names of party leaders surrounded by lists of applause-words, like “glittering,” “full-hearted,” “wise,” “mighty,” “courageous,” “in complete moral-political union with the people,” etc.

Some of the headlines in the U.S. press lately sound suspiciously like this kind of work:

— Biden stimulus showers money on Americans, sharply cutting poverty

— Champion of the middle class comes to the aid of the poor

— Biden's historic victory for America

The most Soviet of the recent efforts didn’t have a classically Soviet headline. “Comedians are struggling to parody Biden. Let’s hope this doesn’t last,” read the Washington Post opinion piece by Richard Zoglin, arguing that Biden is the first president in generations who might be “impervious to impressionists.” Zoglin contended Biden is “impregnable” to parody, his voice being too “devoid of obvious quirks,” his manner too “muted and self-effacing” to offer comedians much to work with. He was talking about this person:

Forget that the “impregnable to parody” pol spent the last campaign year jamming fingers in the sternums of voters, challenging them to pushup contests, calling them “lying dog-faced pony soldiers,” and forgetting what state he was in. Biden, on the day Zoglin ran his piece, couldn’t remember the name of his Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and referred to the Department of Defense as “that outfit over there”:

It doesn’t take much looking to find comedians like James Adomian and Anthony Atamaniuk ab-libbing riffs on Biden with ease. He checks almost every box as a comic subject, saying inappropriate things, engaging in wacky Inspector Clouseau-style physical stunts (like biting his wife’s finger), and switching back and forth between outbursts of splenetic certainty and total cluelessness. The parody doesn’t even have to be mean — you could make it endearing cluelessness. But to say nothing’s there to work with is bananas.  

The first 50 days of Biden’s administration have been a surprise on multiple fronts. The breadth of his stimulus suggests a real change from the Obama years, while hints that this administration wants to pick a unionization fight with Amazon go against every tendency of Clintonian politics. But it’s hard to know what much of it means, because coverage of Biden increasingly resembles official press releases, often featuring embarrassing, Soviet-style contortions.

When Biden decided not to punish Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of Washington Post writer Jamal Khashoggi on the grounds that the “cost” of “breaching the relationship with one of America’s key Arab allies” was too high, the New York Times headline read: “Biden Won’t Penalize Saudi Crown Prince Over Khashoggi’s Killing, Fearing Relations Breach.” When Donald Trump made the same calculation, saying he couldn’t cut ties because “the world is a very dangerous place” and “our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the paper joined most of the rest of the press corps in howling in outrage.

“In Extraordinary Statement, Trump Stands With Saudis Despite Khashoggi Killing.” was the Times headline, in a piece that said Trump’s decision was “a stark distillation of the Trump worldview: remorselessly transactional, heedless of the facts, determined to put America’s interests first, and founded on a theory of moral equivalence.” The paper noted, “Even Mr. Trump’s staunchest allies on Capitol Hill expressed revulsion.”

This week, in its “Crusader for the Poor” piece, the Times described Biden’s identical bin Salman decision as mere evidence that he remains “in the cautious middle” in his foreign policy. The paper previously had David Sanger dig up a quote from former Middle East negotiator Dennis Ross, who “applauded Mr. Biden for ‘trying to thread the needle here… This is the classic example of where you have to balance your values and your interests.’” It’s two opposite takes on exactly the same thing.

The old con of the Manufacturing Consent era of media was a phony show of bipartisanship. Legitimate opinion was depicted as a spectrum stretching all the way from “moderate” Democrats (often depicted as more correct on social issues) to “moderate” Republicans (whose views on the economy or war were often depicted as more realistic). That propaganda trick involved constantly narrowing the debate to a little slice of the Venn diagram between two established parties. Did we need to invade Iraq right away to stay safe, as Republicans contended, or should we wait until inspectors finished their work and then invade, as Democrats insisted?

[fancyfade]

ok so misc damian characterization thoughts

it actually is related to 2 things, mostly characterizing new earth damian with the later stuff added in batman and robin 2011 and robin: son of batman... this means i KNOW that it does not match authorial intent i’m not trying to say “this is what the authors intended” it’s just working with the version of the character that i like best (the one written by gleason) and other instances of the character

first, I feel like Damian’s a kid right? He’s all srs now, presumably had to GET more serious on the year of blood where he was obviously super worn down and doing it mostly out of obligation...

but when he was younger, he presumably would have tried to have fun. yeah i know stephanie is like “he doesn’t know how to have fun 😭” in her batgirl solo but a) I already said yes he’s super srs business NOW when he’s like 9 years old but being told “your final training is complete you’re ready for anything” b) in an undercover situation, with backup he doesn’t trust yet, there’s no way he’s going to be relaxed enough to try actually playing and also he doesn’t know these kids.

anyway so even tho i imagine he probably didn’t get bought a ton of toys (and if talia did buy him toys, he probably would be too embarrassed to play with them once he becomes more conscious of the expectations he has) but like.... kids can have fun with anything. it doesn’t have to be a toy or a video game. so wondering how damian might have had fun in the league. I think it mostly would have been with Talia (he doesn’t know how to play with kids his age but he presumably knows how to play with his mom :P). i also headcanon his voice mimickry talent as something that he started just genuinely for fun (perhaps to annoy someone he doesn’t like 😂)

similar train of thought wrt characterization taht I know was not intended by the author but i feel like *I* like better:

in B&R 2009 there’s a moment where Damian seems genuinely surprised dick saved him. i know this was probably intended as morrison being like “damian isn’t used to anyone caring about him because talia is evil” but even EXCLUDING later stuff, we don’t really need damian’s surprise to be because no one’s ever cared about him before or whatever.

I guess cuz it was a weird crossover plotline, Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul isn’t normally taken into consideration in B&R (even tho i’m pretty sure morrison also wrote on it?) but it makes perfect sense for Damian to not expect Dick to care about him if you remember he just got betrayed by his grandfather he was working for his whole life and hunted down by the organization he was raised in! That would shatter anyone’s trust let alone a 10 year old kid’s. Yes, Talia was in his corner* but that doesn’t mean that being betrayed by his grandfather and the rest of what represented his childhood isn’t going to hurt. of course he’s not going to expect dick, some guy he just met who doesn’t even seem to like him, to care about him a ton

anyway so i know none of this is probably what the authors intended while they were writing, since the batgirl thing was informed more by what happened after it was actually written, it’s just more of how i characterize him and mesh some of the early stuff with the later stuff

*actually :P okay this is again nothing that was intended by the authors, just me trying to attribute meaning to 300 different writers and a bunch of different canons, but I feel like Damian being kind of bratty to Talia almost makes sense with this in mind like he doesn’t have to always 100 percent regulate his emotions or put on perfect behavior because she’s actually consistent and there for him so he’s not at risk of losing her love... OR could even be like (unconsciously, i don’t think it’d be something he knows he’s doing) “better make sure my mom actually loves me and not just the idea of me/obedient me... time to act like a brat”

[bookwyrminspiration]

please elaborate more on the "her telepathy could be a truly horrifying ability if she was willing to use it that way"

hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of Quil started to answer this ask and then saved it to faer drafts and forgot it existed !! Thank you for your patience, tho

so, back to your question, okay okay I would love to!

in the post you're referring to I was talking briefly about which ability of hers (inflicting or telepathy) was stronger, but I can't really accurately compare the two because they're both terrifying in their own way. they've also been given unequal attention, so who knows what each ability could really do! i'm of the firm belief that an ability/power/other word for it in any novel is just a matter of mastery that makes it dangerous, and while some may have more of a predisposed capacity for danger/hurt, it depends on how you train to use it

so! telepathy! I'm going to be talking about it not specifically related to Sophie, but occasionally pulling her into the conversation when necessary. think about it for a second: telepaths have direct access into people's minds, the ability to literally erase and give new memories (sophie hasn't done this yet but I do have something to say about an idea I have for the future book(s) and how i'd want it to come into play for her), steal information from almost anyone and everyone, so long as they can figure out how to get in. Yes, people can block them, but once they're in they're in. And some blocking devices have been shown to just flat out not work for Sophie. A common aspect of some characters, especially the rebellions/loner ones, is this idea of "I can trust no one but myself," which is something they can completely take away.

a telepath could completely rewrite someone's entire life (and they did that for Sophie's human family). Plant fake memories and ideas and fears, giving them experiences they never had. Just imagine how terrifying that could be. Telepaths literally have the ability to alter how a person perceives reality. If they planted the right memories, they could make an enemy think that they wanted to give in, to share information, that they wanted to join their side or anything else.

also: the tracking thing, being able to find people and just know where they are. i'm thinking more in terms of like, psychological warfare or something where a person just keeps showing up, never doing anything threatening but establishing that no where that person goes will be safe. that someone could always find them. they've proven it's impossible to hide from them

one more thing: talking mind to mind, just the power play that has when you can literally enter someone's mind, say nothing, and yet have access to so many of their ideas and most private thoughts. Boundaries are something very highly respected, something everyone has, and telepathy is all about violating those boundaries. It's like it's almost become normal in the books, but someone's mind is often considered untouchable, the one thing that will always belong to them and it can provide a sense of security. Telepaths can be incredibly terrifying, which is why they have that whole code of ethics and how and when and why they're allowed to use their ability

Sophie generally respects other people's mental boundaries, with the occasional exception for her own personal gain, which she has since learned Not To Do. She's more iffy with the Neverseen, seeing their actions as irredemable enough that they don't deserve to have their complete privacy respected anymore. So. if she was willing to use her ability to take away and rewrite memories, she could just...neutralize everyone. Take away Fintan's drive to rewrite the world and replace them with memories of something else, completely changing what he does as a person. She can literally change who people fundamentally are (as we are a sum of our experiences/memories). And Sophie's enhancing was shown to make it so those memories were permanently gone. That is scary.

this is just a few of my thoughts on the ability, but I could definitely think of some more if you were interested!! Abilities in general are just so fascinating and have so many applications. For me, the big one is the ability to rewrite someone's life and change how they understand reality

for anyone who needs it: I am talking about hypothetical uses of an ability in a fantasy book, none of this is real. No one is messing with your mind, no one has given you fake memories or taken any away. No one can hear your thoughts or put their own into your mind. This is all fantasy /srs

[shockdowndefiance]

1, 7 and 11 for Allison Shepard and her preferred love interest?

Answering from this post here. Not specified which sections so I'm going to do one question from the top 3.

This is for Allison Shepard and Kaidan Alenko

PRE-RELATIONSHIP

How did they first meet?

In a Systems Alliance base in Jacksonville, FL, where Kaidan and Joker were joking/veering on mocking who their new XO would be, when Kaidan notices a Staff Lieutenant* in fatigues and with a sea bag over her shoulder. He doesn't think much of it - this is an Alliance base (one of the busiest on Earth, up there with Vancouver, Shanghai etc.) and being his polite self he asks her if he can help her with anything.

Allison doesn't say anything for a moment, eyeing him up, then Joker, then the ship, then back to Kaidan. As soon as she starts to speak all the pieces fall into place and he instantly recognises her the moment she says "Staff Lieutenant Allison Shepard. I believe I'm your XO."

* Yeah I got fed up with the ranks as they are in game/canon, so I made my own system. Shepard is a Staff Lieutenant, Kaidan is a Lieutenant, Ashley is a Gunnery Sergeant as of ME1

GENERAL

7. Who takes the lead in social situations?

Allison. No question about it. It's not that she's necessarily the more forward or outgoing of the two, but being a War Hero (and before that, daughter of a First Contact War veteran) she's more than used to plastering on a smile, making casual small-talk, and lending an ear to someone for one task or another, but always making sure to never promise anything completely.

As of ME1 Allison's been in the limelight for near-on seven years, received invites to multiple high class events (and when a tour of hers accidentally or accidentally overlaps, oh I'm so sorry I would have loved to come but duty calls) and is basically the Alliance's biotic, N7, and later Spectre poster child.

Kaidan is definitely the more withdrawn of the two, though he opens up enough around close friends and maybe a little alcohol in the mix. When he and Allison are out about their relationship, I imagine that he is quite affectionate in parties, always wanting to be by her and touching in some way (hand on elbow, holding hands, knees touching).

LOVE

11. What are some songs that apply to their relationship, in-universe or otherwise?

Hoo boy. I have a playlist of 88 songs, totaling almost 6hrs. This does cover the entirety of Allison Shepard's story up to (and a bit beyond the Reaper War) so not all of them are romantically linked. Of the ones that are, these are my favourite/tell the story in the best way:

Mass Effect 1:

Florence + The Machine - Cosmic Love - more for the melody and the title than the lyrics themselves. Allison is a Spacer, so there's a bit of romanticism around stars, the galaxy etc. around their relationship.

Sixx A.M. - Starts (Explicit Lyrics) - "Do you wanna go to heaven tonight...Do you wanna be my lover tonight...Do you want to see the stars before they fall". The romance scene between Shepard and Kaidan on the way to Ilos. Again a cosmic-linked song but the moment I heard this it became the Shenko song for me. Remember this one

Black Stone Cherry - Remember Me & Johnny Cash - Hurt - "Today was a hard day, I still can't believe that all of this is true...When I am gone, will you stay strong, don't cry, this is not a dream. When heaven calls, and stars they fall, believe, will you remember me?" & "What have I become, my sweetest friend? Everyone I know, goes away in the end"

AKA the ooof ow my heart songs. Needless to say this is after the destruction of the Normandy SR-1, both from Kaidan's viewpoint. The relationship between the two of them wasn't expressed, so while Allison's family can grieve and mourn in public, Kaidan cannot - and even to a point where he can't be that upset over his CO, can he?

Mass Effect 2:

Shinedown - If Only You Knew - "If you only knew, I'm hanging by a thread, the web I spin for you. If you only knew, I'd sacrifice my beating heart before I'd lose you." This is Allison post-Horizon, when things are heavy. She's pulled her head above water somewhat, but Horizon pulls her back down.

Shinedown - Through The Ghost - "Speak of the devil, look who just walked into the room, the guilted and faded notion of someone I once knew. All the perfect moments are gone, all the precious pieces are wrong." This was originally an ME3 song (Vancouver) but story-wise this now places at the end of ME2, when Allison is heading off to Aratoht. Hackett sends along Kaidan and this echoes her feelings when she sees him.

Mass Effect 3:

Sixx A.M. - Stars (Cinematic) - I told you to remember this one. In any official soundtrack this would be a reprise, the same song but in a more mournful way. Allison and Kaidan are now officially together, and while the spark of what was back on the ME1 is still there, the galaxy being at risk puts a damper on their ability to take time and enjoy being with each other.

Florence + The Machine - Bedroom Hymns - pure romance scenes song. Nothing else to add. Smutty lyrics.

Conchita Wurst - Heroes - "So let the walls come down and the colours light up the sky. We could be heroes, we could be heroes, tonight. Where the hearts break loose and love is like a battlecry, we could be heroes, we could be heroes, tonight".

This one takes a bit of explanation. On the approach to Earth for the final assault, in the small hours of the morning, a thought pops into Kaidan's head. He turns to Allison and simply says "Let's get married." Allison half-laughs but goes "Sure. When?" and 30mins later they're in the shuttle bay, wedding officiated by Joker.

This song (or at least the chorus) is what I imagine whenever I think of that scene. Allison and Kaidan do quick vows, exchange simple fabricated rings, and prepare for the assault. Their wedding day, not that they know it at the time, is also the day the Reaper War ends.

And Beyond...

Black Stone Cherry - Sometimes - "Couldn't we pretend that I'm fine, and this ain't my life. It's not the way it ends for me. Couldn't we pretend, you're not gone, you're still here, it's not true. It's not the way it ends for you.". I spent so long swapping this and Remember Me (in the ME1 section) around and I think I am happy with their placement.

The Reaper War is over. Casualties are many. Allison Shepard is in the hospital, in a medically induced coma, with multiple injuries. The Normandy and her human crew are reported as MIA with no one knowing their status.

This song is, in my mind, a duet sung between Allison and Kaidan, Allison on Earth and Kaidan who-knows-where in the galaxy. They both believe the other dead, and this is them both wishing that this is not the case, that maybe the other can find a way back to them.

In short, another ooof ow my heart song

Skylar Grey - I'm Coming Home Pt. II - I'm sure this is on a lot of people's lists. The Normandy systems are functioning, they're going to make it to Earth, and Kaidan finally gets in contact with the Alliance in London. He discusses what happens with the brass, and turns his head and hides a sigh when yet another higher up is introduced to him.

"Alenko. Good to see you again."

"Allison?!" His eyes snap back front and centre. She's alive, standing in front of him in the QEC. It's a hologram, but it's her. She's alive, on Earth. They made it. Both of them.

And the blood will dry Underneath my nails And the wind will rise up To fill my sails So you can down and you can hate But i know no matter what it takes I'm coming home, I'm coming home Tell the world that I'm coming home

❤️

[geekinator]

I did this as a three part series, because I just can’t get enough Beifong in my life and thinking about them brings me immense joy.

Here’s the first two:

And last but not least:

The Beifong family is the best thing that ever happened to Avatar and quite possibly my life. The thing I love most about them, though, is how human they are. They are the epitome of what happens when life is messy and emotions are raw and people do stupid things and life doesn’t go as expected. Each and every one of them is batshit crazy, and I love them for it. Here’s my take on the illustrious Beifongs. Last is Su.

Suyin: An Analysis

Oh, Su. What can I say? Su is just as complicated as the rest of the Beifongs. Su is no saint but neither is she a devil. Su is human, and that’s about all there is to it.

Su obviously took her mother’s absence in a very different direction. I would imagine that both Toph and Lin were very excited to welcome Su. However, very shortly Lin is old enough and probably mature enough to watch her, which leaves Toph free to be Chief, which means Su is shortchanged in her time with her mom. I don’t think Toph sat them down one day and was like ok girls I’m going to be spending more time at work so Lin you’re in charge. I think she just slowly wasn’t really needed at home (at least not in a way that computed in her mind) and she just kind of drifted away.

Well if I’m Su and my big sister starts bossing me around I’m like ok no that’s not happening, and she obviously started to resist it. However, saying “I was more of a rebel” is like saying “that ghost pepper is a little spicy”. Like Su, honey, there’s a rebel and there’s criminal enterprise. It’s not the same thing, and even later in life she obviously hasn’t made that connection.

Whether because of her absence, or because she perhaps saw herself in Su, Toph turned a blind eye (pardon the pun). It’s also obvious that Toph isn’t even aware of half the stuff that goes on. And because she’s clueless, Toph probably doesn’t believe Lin when she tells her. Whatever the case, Su is that kid who could do anything or say anything and get away with it, while Big Sister probably sneezes wrong and everyone glares at them, because they’re older and supposed to be more mature. Lin at this point is beyond frustrated with Su.

So here we go, Su steps out of the car and I’m sure Lin is feeling a lot of things. Probably like she failed her little sister, angry because WTF Su, and maybe even a little vindicated. Now Toph will HAVE to pay attention. Su is the dumbest bitch this side of Whale Tail Island, however, and actually thinks that Lin is going to let her walk away. Well of course she’s not, duh. But Su is so full of anger and frustration, that she lashes out.

When I say Su is full of anger and frustration, I mean that as much as Lin kept a lid on it, Su did, too. Su had less time with Toph at home than Lin did, which wasn’t fair. Su had to put up with Lin mothering her, when she wasn’t actually her mother and only a few years older than her. Su had very little direction in her life, from anyone. Su was obviously very impressionable. Those two idiots she was with probably could have convinced her to commit Grand Theft Auto, and it wouldn’t have taken much. If things hadn’t gone down the way they did, Su probably would have ended up dead or as a true villain.

Hm, excuse me while I jot down a story idea.

Anyways, my point is, Su had just as many feelings as Lin, her bottle just looked very different. So in a moment of pure anger she lashes out when Lin tries to arrest her. I believe she regretted it, and here’s why: she’s in Toph’s office with Lin. Had Su been completely devoid of any feeling, she would have run away and never looked back, or at least tried to rationalize it. Toph is obviously fully aware of what went down; she asks both of them what they were thinking, so even though Su’s not saying sorry she’s not sitting there trying to deny it. She knows she got caught. She may not be sorry, but she’s still sitting there in the office. Frankly I give her points for that. Not many, but a few.

If I’m Su, I know I did wrong but I don’t care. So I love to hear Toph ask Lin what she was thinking, too. I’m like ha! Yeah, you tear up that report, Mom! But wait, I have to leave the city? Holy shit, did not see that coming! So now the mom who I didn’t have much time with in the first place and has been largely absent is sending me away to my grandparents (and who knows how well she knew them) where only the Spirits know what’s going to happen then. Well this sucks. Not an excuse for her shitty behavior but it still sucked for her.

So then she goes traipsing around the world to prove to herself she is outside the realm of rules. She finally settles down with Bataar Sr and builds Zaofu. Her ideals still seem to be based on the idea of life without limits, which fits her history. She seems more like someone who creates opportunities than someone who makes a lot of rules. Aiwei calls her the matriarch so she’s not exactly in a position of true political power, at least not in name.

I truly believe Bataar loves Su and that he is a good husband and father. I also believe that for the most part, Su is a good mom. Here’s why: her kids are quite well-adjusted. Except for Bataar Jr who seems to have inherited her impressionable nature. But Wing and Wei are cool and obviously very accomplished, Opal is rather prissy but she does have some good qualities, and Huan is very passionate about his banana art. They’re kind of a fun family. Su tells Korra that she always wished Lin were a part of her life, and I believe her. I really think Su misses her big sister. She and Lin are alike in that what they want most is their family to be intact.

After the fall of the Earth Queen, Su says she doesn’t want to impose her ideals on the nation. Again, she doesn’t like rules, so she's not going to go around telling everyone else what to do. I don’t agree with that decision but it is consistent with her character. Her decision to try and assassinate Kuvira I believe comes from a desire to protect those around her, anger at Kuvira for betraying her and taking her son away from her, and guilt because it was her inaction that precipitated the whole thing in the first place. It’s a stupid ass decision, and is an emotional one. Su seems to be ruled by her emotions, from the first time we see her until the end of the series, which is interesting because she does keep her cool most of the time. Emotional people are like that, though. I’m ok until you make me mad or feel something and now I have to do something about it. Oftentimes they resent the person who made them feel it, and blame them. Su definitely falls into that category. Because she is so governed by her emotions, she tends to rush headlong into things without seeing the long game, or the risks. When she gets caught, she knows she messed up. But now Korra has to come and save her, Su knowing full well she’s not ready. But Korra tries anyways because even though Su is incredibly stupid and selfish, she is a friend and they still care about her. Anyone who watches Dragons Race to the Edge, it reminds me of Snotlout, when Astrid says he’s a muttonhead, but he’s their muttonhead. For better or worse, Su has become one of them.

Quite frankly, I like Su. I think her biggest faults are that she tends to follow her emotions which gets her into trouble and she doesn’t really like to acknowledge when she’s wrong, even though she definitely knows she is. Neither of those things are traits that I would consider unforgivable. I don’t think she and I would be bosom buddies but she is an interesting person. I would be endlessly frustrated with her and probably tell her I told you so a lot. But Su is there when it counts. She defeats P’li and helps defeat Kuvira. She helps save Korra and teaches her metal bending, and she is quite cheerful. As far as Lin forgiving her I feel like that was more for Lin than Su, just like forgiveness is for everyone. For anyone who says Lin deserves better, keep in mind this is her little sister who she loves very much. There’s history there and families are messy and complicated and I for one trust Lin. Lin also doesn’t just jump in, she tells Su she just won’t show up and attack her. They only become more involved because that’s how things played out. Lin is very sincere when she tells Su that she loves her, and it almost seems like the first time Lin has said those words out loud, based on Su’s expression.

Su may not have known or believed it before that. Right or wrong, good or bad, Su is family, and families are stupid and crazy. Like I said before, Su is no saint, but she’s no devil either. She makes shitty decisions and yes people have to keep coming to her rescue, but I think her heart is in the right place. I really do.

[ddarker-dreams]

Don't worry about not responding! Tbh I always assume people my age or younger are in school and dealing with mid-terms so no sweat! Also when you said sr reader acts as mediator I immediately thought she would be the perfect person for the job. Since her ribbons can be used to string someone up and they can just hang from the ceiling until they cool down a bit. Just the amount of times bruno has walked into Libeccio to find somebody hanging from the rafters is so funny to me!

there’s always this unspoken threat that if you’re causing too much commotion, scarlet ribbons is going to come out and take matters into her own hands. which doesn’t seem that intimidating since she’s a cheerful stand. but that couldn’t be further from the truth. it’s all fun in games until mista teases reader too much and his dinner ends up being flung out the door. it’s a miracle bucciarati’s team hasn’t been kicked out of libeccio yet honestly. 

anon 2 asked: how does sr reader feel about the stray cats and dogs in naples? How often does she have to remind herself that pets wouldn't be a good addition to her lifestyle and fugo would not allow it.

sr reader is someone who would sympathize greatly with stray animals! i think she’d be wary of approaching them, but at least use her stand to wrap up any wounds they might have from a safe distance. unfortunately, her budget is extremely tight, so she wouldn’t be able to do much more than that. reader have better luck convincing fugo to allow a cat in their apartment rather than a dog, i hc him as a secret cat lover. work can pull them away for days at a time so it’d be a better fit as cats are more independent. if reader had a better financial situation she’d definitely want a pet! and you already know it’s going to have a bow on its head. that’s a given. :’) 

anon 3 asked: Has sr reader done anything that caused the bucci gang to think 'god i wish that were me' or just sent them blushing/screaming internally over reader's obliviousness?

HMM well sr reader is a very touchy person in general. so i imagine any time reader gets very close to someone else and greets them with a hug they��re like 👁👄👁. but on the flip side, they’d be greeted in the same manner, so it evens out! i have a few specific instances of this that you’ll see in future scarlet ribbons scenarios. 

anon 4 asked: Maybe just for giorno's route, but like how miserable is the pregnancy for sr reader? She had to do it like twice but how does she cope with being uncomfortable all the time and how does giorno, trish, and the rest of the bucci gang take to their new roles?

i think what would bother reader the most is her lack of mobility! she tries hard to keep up with her exercise routine from when she was studying. obviously, when you’re pregnant, you can’t be doing brisé’s all over the place. giorno would feel sympathetic to reader and probably lowkey guilty. bucci gang would have to stop her from returning to the dance studio, even during the early stages of pregnancy, since she’s just so used to it by now. it doesn’t help that giorno had a dance studio made specially for her in his estate before she got pregnant .

anon 5 asked: I don't think you mentioned which pokemon sr reader would name after fugo. Which one do you think would suit him? I'm thinking a cool or aloof type pokemon like umbreon or zoroark.

those pokemon would be very fitting for fugo!! sr reader would probably name her litten after fugo in her sun and moon playthrough. just because fugo reminds her of a cat, someone who secretly doesn’t mind attention but acts flippant. she’d be surprised to find out fugo named his skitty after her. to think they both associated one another with cats, but for completely different reasons. fugo would secretly be grateful that reader didn’t name a poison type after him. that’s a relief. 

anon 6 asked: I could imagine after Narancia drops the “smoothest compliment” on SR reader, she asks him who taught him that, and when he reveals Fugo did, Fugo’s just in the background like🧍🏼

it’d be a miracle if reader can even get that question out in between her super confused laughing. it’s even worse that narancia was so excited to say that to her, practically bouncing off the walls to get it out. reader would just assume it’s a giant joke when she finds out fugo taught him that. while she thinks it’s funny, poor narancia is going to be mortified, and breaking out his knife. bruno is going to have his hands full with what would’ve been a peaceful lunch...

anon 7 asked: In one of your posts you said that Fugo has heard SR reader singing the most. I actually imagine that to be Bruno, since she was with him originally! I bet he misses the voice of her singing in his home, so whenever he atches snippets of her singing again, he heart just clenches.

sr reader has a lovely voice, a part of her curriculum when she was studying included singing, though she’s most familiar with ballads. i imagine reader as having a soprano voice, maybe with a slight vibrato, but very clear with a sweet tone. she can hit those High notes. it’s going to be painful for bruno like you said, he loved those times he caught reader singing! she’d mostly do it in the shower lmao. poor bruno... well, at least in his route, he’d get to hear reader sing again! 

[a-trying-writer]

[sr hk fic]

The screech of metal on metal filled the air, while sparks flew as the fabricators smoothed out the edges of Koschei’s chassis. It was getting rather hot in the basement, forcing Racter to take off his coat and roll up his sleeves up to his elbow to let his body breathe, but it was not enough. Once his finished his work for the night, he let his robotic companion rest in the basement, before he went upstairs to knock on Capricious’ door.

Her question was answered by how his black shirt clung onto his skin, so she allowed him inside to shower in her bathroom. Though she teased him about wanting to join him, she left him to wash away the sweat and grease, and went to her brother’s room to kill the time. “Hoi, Duncan,” she greeted him as soon as she stepped inside.

The ork raised a brow at her before noticing that he could hear the shower running from her room. “Hey, Cap. Who’s using your bathroom this time?” he asked.

“Racter -- and before you ask, no, I didn’t do anything with him.”

He scowled at her words, before huffing out a sigh. “Please, shut up about that. There is no way I’ll get used to you and him being all... chummy.”

Capricious giggled. “‘Chummy’ isn’t exactly how I’d put it, but... I sort of understand how you feel. I guess I have... strange tastes, to put it one way.” She sat down on the floor with her PDA in hand. “But...”

“They aren’t strange to you,” Duncan continued as he sat on the bed, and lifted up one of the weights from the ground. “If I remember correctly, you always were interested in people like him. But, they never seem to work out, do they?”

Capricious scowled since his words brought up some memories of times she wished she forget, or never happened. “No, not really. Can you blame me?”

The ork snorted with a shake of his head. “It’s not about blame, Carmen, it’s about common sense. I mean, let’s say that Raymond did allow us to date for a time -- and forget about David, this isn’t about him or me -- would you had went out with that one guy that tried to flirt with you?”

“You mean the jock?” the decker replied as she tapped away on her PDA. “The one who always wore those ripped jeans and dirt stained shirt?”

“Yes, him.”

Capricious hummed as she tried to imagine a scenario with the boy at the time, but it wasn’t enough to keep her interest for long. Instead she replaced the boy with someone completely different, that looked more sauve with a hint of danger behind their eyes.

The vacant look on her face was enough for Duncan to know that her mind went into a totally different direction. He let out another sigh as he lowered the weights onto the ground and crossed his arms over his chest. “Okay, it’s obvious you can’t. All I just want to say is, be careful what you wish for, sis. Knowing you, at this point in our lives, it would only blow up in your face. If something were to happen to you because of that man, I would not hesitate to get involved. Got that?”

Capricious sunk back into the wall with her PDA as she stared at her brother with a hint of uncertainty. “If that’s how you want to approach this... fine. Just don’t be up in our case all the time, okay?”

“No promises,” he said.

[earthdeep]

ok. thoughts on dgs now I've completed both 1 and 2. spoilers abound under the cut. but tl;dr I liked it a lot.

man, the thing really did feel like a great adventure huh? the game did an excellent job at conveying that sense of grandeur, along with the humour and melodrama one expects from the series. I can really only talk about it as the one conjoined unit though. while aa1-3 were a trilogy, I would argue they largely stood as entries on their own in a way I don't think the dgs duology can. I mentioned when I finished up dgs1 that I would've been disappointed if I'd had to wait for part 2 like the original japanese audience did, and my opinion on that has only strengthened. between the morse code message, and van zieks'... development, these are two parts of a whole.

but it is a very good whole imo, with its throughline of ryunosuke gaining confidence and finding what to believe in (the truth will set u free babey!). it matches well with the recurrent theme of ur idols being... not quite as u imagined. as is aa tradition, u have the complex web of family and legacy and forging ur own path, all balanced in a way that I really like. man, it's just... so well crafted.

obvs there are a few weird hiccups here and there, logic sometimes not clicking together (at least for me), and for that I do appreciate having the story mode option. I only used it... I think twice? once in the pawnshop case where I forgot I'd only shown one receipt to gregson and not both, and once in the teleportation case where I missed examining the book on sithe's desk (in my defence it has a really small hitbox compared to the desk that surrounds it!). but it saved me some frustration, so that's always nice.

the setting was definitely very enjoyable. I personally have a soft spot for seeing portrayals of my country by those outside the anglosphere, and this absolutely hit the spot for me. the scenery was an excellent balance of the familiar old london fare and ace attorney's brand of surrealism that just. yes. excellent. weirdly high number of blonds tho. but some of the behind the scenes content did explain it was to more clearly differentiate the britons from the japanese, and ok I can understand that.

but moving onto the characters themselves, bc BOY was this a fun cast! the animation team went OFF with these guys and I love them for it. except daley vigil; those awkward poses just kinda made him look more unfinished than he already did, dunno what happened with him.

there's just... so much little stuff I would be just reiterating from my liveblogging, but now I'm done there's other stuff I can sum up.

right off the bat, favourite character gina. she has stolen my heart along with everything else on my person. I'm proud of her for learning to open up and trust others, and imo she's one of the characters with the most dramatic arc. also, top notch character designs. excellently green. yes I am biased.

honorable mentions go to susato for being 100% the coolest person in this shebang, and kazuma for his total flippancy towards the whole assassin thing. for the ten years between asogi sr's death and the student exchange deal, the mikotoba residence must have been a sight to behold. and by that I mean a warzone.

but... argh I've put it off. I don't particularly like talking about van zieks, but I can't just ignore him since you know. discourse. ugh. he's the one character in this game whose dialogue I resorted to flipping through without really paying attention. there is only so many times I can watch him deride the japanese before it's just boring. like it's not like I'm even that annoyed by the insulting thing. I love prosecutors like blackquill and nahyuta who at least bother to be funny, but van zieks is just xenophobic and that's it. if I wanted that experience I could just pick up a copy of the spectator and not worry about missing key plot details if I skim.

and no he doesn't have a good reason to hate the japanese. hating a country bc someone from there killed a loved one of urs is already flimsy enough, but when u state ur ire is being drawn by how it was covered up BY UR OWN COUNTRY'S JUDICIARY? DUDE. but yes, he got to eat shit during the last case and I felt only schadenfreude at him having to face the fact that even the aforementioned 'a japanese guy murdered my brother' didn't hold up in court. get dunked on u idiot.

boy am I glad kazuma also got the limelight for that case so I could focus on him instead. bc there was actually some depth to that situation, with the fun eternal moral conundrum of "revenge: yay or nay?". I'm already seeing debate in the fandom of his actions and personally, I think he was pretty much exactly in the grey zone. this man is chaotic neutral through and through, and taking a governmental assassination contract and then just Not Doing It is incredibly funny actually. I'm very sorry he was unable to live out his dream of having a fun homoerotic detective adventure in london with his friend while doing the hitman equivalent of tax avoidance. enjoy whatever the FUCK one calls handing over the physical embodiment of your soul to your friend for safekeeping while you go your separate ways half a world apart. that's Romantic with a capital R, that.

but anyway, yes. good game. time to trawl through the extras menu now!

[smol-jinyoungie96]

The Devil Judge - Episode 6

Hi again! I just finished watching Episode 6 and man I was not prepared for any of it.

At all.

From the first time since they introduced Elijah to the storyline, she is portrayed as a teenager who despises her uncle for allegedly killing her father, but the a few episodes later they shows her softer side,She might hate Yohan but at the end of the day he is the only living family she has.

So the possibilities are that she masks her worries for Yohan behind the anger because sometimes, years worth of anger and pain might overpower any other emotions we have.

It is genuinely endearing to see that despite her openly showing her hatred towards him, she also pays close attention to him. For an example she knows that he doesn’t have a love life, or that he never stays out overnight. These are little things that she observes but never shows.

When Ga On and Elijah are talking, something that occurred to me is that she is just a child.

She’s 16.

The storyline makes us think about all the suffering for Ga On and Yohan but even Elijah carries a lot of it. All she has left is Yohan, but she has to live every single day wondering if he truly killed her father or not. She doesn’t have anyone she can talk to and that’s a lot on her plate to carry it all into her adulthood.

Elijah says “Yohan ruins everything that is close to him”

My guess is that he doesn’t do it in an intentional, destructive way but because everything that he has seen since childhood is violence, deceit, abuse, selfishness and destruction. May be pushing people away is his way of keeping them safe because I highly doubt that he received the help and the closure he needed when he was a child.

The child actors are so so so good! Their acting and the way they let out emotions through their eyes was amazing!

In the beginning, when Kang Yohan makes Sun Ah jump, for a split second it makes the viewers think that he has been a manipulator since an early age, but then as the story progresses,

he catches her stealing multiple times and interestingly, he hears her telling the caretaker that she is worried about him because he is leaving the basement a lot and that she is worried about him when she, was the one who suggested that he go out when his father was not around,

Imagine being in an abusive household, getting another child who is roughly your age trying to see it you could connect with only for her to start playing games.

He didn’t trust her then and he doesn’t trust her now, she never gave him a reason to.

I don’t think her interest in him is on a romantic light at all, it is more of an obsessive love.

Yohan saying “threats are useless, because I have nothing I wish to protect” is really just a bad move from his side.

So he doesn’t have Elijah? He doesn’t have an annoying little pest living in his house who resembles his brother?

Him saying that will only motivate her to dig deep to find what matter to him.

When he asks her what she wants and she says that she doesn’t care who he goes after as long as he stays away from the SR Foundation, it made me think that she is not stupid.

She is cunning and she just knows that telling Yohan to stay away from the foundation will only make him do the exact opposite. So there is a chance that it could be a trap?

Why did she take the cross chain from Yohan? Two possibilities, either it’s because she still likes it, or because she knows that it IS precious to Yohan, if she has it, she also has a reason to make him come back to her.

Coming to Elijah’s growing attachment to Kim Ga On,

he cares for her like a father would to his daughter, he cooks for her, he makes an effort to spend time with her, he covered her while she is sleeping etc.

No matter how much she tried to push him away, he is still there, he is becoming a constant in her life.

I’m not saying that Yohan doesn’t care for her.

Nobody cares for her more than he does probably but Yohan doesn’t openly show it.

When you’re a child, sometimes the thing you need the most is a solid presence of an adult and what she doesn’t get through Yohan, she gets through Ga On and well.. he also looks exactly like her father.

So it makes sense that she is showing a sort of a possessive attachment towards Ga On as if she is afraid that she will lose the one constant in her life.

It was wrong for Ga On to take Elijah out to meet Soo Hyun without asking Yohan first and it was also wrong of Yohan to chuck him to the wall like a ragdoll and to accuse him of taking Elijah to see a cop.

It’s obvious why Yohan is worried about his niece after everything that went down with Jung Sun Ah, but i feel like he shouldn’t have hinted towards going after Soo Hyun just to make a point.

Because for Ga On, Soo Hyun is all he has. He is already too neck deep into the Lion’s den and having the spotlight on Soo Hyun is a trigger for him.

The scene with Minister Cha and the other two women.

That was definitely Elite vs. Elite.

They are all at the same social status but when the times call for it, Minister Cha has the ability to make them drop to their knees.

The interaction between Jung Sun Ah and Minister Cha initially began with insults being thrown, belittling Sun Ah but now it has developed to a place where they help each other.

Minister Cha helps Sun Ah with the Foundation work and in return, Sun Ah helps her with taking revenge on Yohan.

Terrifyingly interesting.

Jung Sun Ah knows that Kim Ga On means something to Yohan, her first target is Ga On himself.

When it comes to Ga On, Min Jung Ho is a father figure, she already had a plan in mind when she made that biker lady trick Ga On.

When he asks Min Jung Ho, even he says that he suspects Kang Yohan and Yohan already threatened Soo Hyun so in his mind, the gears will start to work because he knows from experience that Kang Yohan really doesn’t mind going berserk when he wants someone out of his way.

Then the attention comes to Oh Jin Joo. Sun Ah is smart for this. The way she slowly poisons Jin Joo’s mind with that whole conversation about only men’s pictures being on the wall, for a moment is feels like she is encouraging Jin Joo to be ambitious but later! When the two associate judges are together, you just know that Sun Ah already got inside Jin Joo’s head when she goes “does he look down on me or something?”

Oh Jin Joo idolizes Yohan. So for her to slowly turn against him..

So technically her plan is to turn the baby associates against Yohan.

Bad lady

Coming back to Ga On struggling, he keeps seeing things that makes him rethink his intuitions when it comes to Yohan.

First it was the children playing with the ruler and now it’s a group of weird cult going around flogging people because “According to Kang Yohan, he will accept people’s wishes and flog terrible human beings”

So once again, the public adapting barbaric punishments from what they see in court, does make Ga On rethink about his choices.

Soo Hyun’s Attack

Obviously Yohan is keeping tabs on both Soo Hyun and Ga On, but then again, the drama really has their way of making the viewers think hard, For an instance,

The phone conversation Yohan has, the guy says “there is a chance she might know about the transfer”

Indicating that, to viewers again it makes us think that Kang Yohan really may have had something to do with the bribing or that they might actually go after Soo Hyun, but we all know that Yohan would never and it was pretty obvious who it was with the gloved hand,

So in conclusion,

biker lady attacks Soo Hyun, takes the passbook, gives it to Sun Ah who then plots with Minister Cha but unfortunately,

The threat Yohan made against Soo Hyun is too fresh in Ga On’s mind so obviously he suspect him first,

They highlighted that god damn German scissor too many times in Episode 6 and of course it is the same scissor Yohan stabs literal inches away from Bambi’s face.

Which was really an intricate scene, Jinyoung and Jisung as actors played it so beautifully. The unhinged anger and the disappointment in Yohan and the way Ga On realized that the man behind him is actually genuinely dangerous.

You can see the exact moment when that fear and realization sinks in Ga On.

That Yohan could hurt him badly if he wanted to.

Ga On functions on emotions when he’s not being a judge, so if he had actually taken a breather before provoking his boss with violent tendencies, he might have realized that Kang Yohan is just too smart to do something like that so out in the open.

There’s no doubt that Yohan really lets Ga On get away with a lot of shit he does.

But for some reason, the way he warned Ga On to never again attack him, felt like his first and last warning to me.

I absolutely LOVED the way Minister Cha thought that Yohan would crumble in front of her but my man just tells her to do whatever she wants… she should know that he wouldn’t be Kang Yohan if he didn’t wasn’t hundreds of steps ahead of them.

Something that I admired in the last scene is despite how annoyed or how mad Oh Jin Joo and Kim Ga On are at Yohan, when things get heated professionally, the two baby associates were so worried about him and they were completely ready to stand by his side even when they didn’t know any actual detail. Proud of my babies 🥺

But then, Kang Yohan accepting the allegations and Dr. Safety’s random appearance right at that moment seemed a little sus.

Almost too well timed.

Kang Yohan confidently asking the public to judge him because he knows that the public is on his side especially now that the reason for the money transfer is out in the open.

Kang Yohan’s decision of counterattacking the the Dream House Project right when the public take his side was a very smart move.

It was Minister Cha who tried to drag him through the mud but in turn he targets every single one of them socialites.

The last part felt like he was actually declaring war. The drama isn’t about poor vs. rich. It’s all about the internal works of the powerful class and I can’t wait to see how intense everything is going to be.

Lastly, the preview for Episode 7.

Why on earth did Yohan decide to bring out Ga On’s parents’ death and their case to the media?

Why take him to the jail?

Why rip open wounds from 13 years ago?

I know it’s stupid to jump in to theories and conclusions before we watch the episode because he always has a reason for everything he does,

But it made me think for a second was it because he wants to push Ga On to the limit until he breaks to the point where he has to solely rely on Yohan?

Because i get that Min Jung Ho is the parental figure in Ga On’s life but if Ga On were to ask him intense questions about his parents case, Min Jung Ho wouldn’t be completely honest with him, probably for Ga On’s safety but also there might be somethings that needs to stay hidden,

But Kang Yohan isn’t like that. He would be blunt and brutally honest if Ga On started asking him questions about his parents.

If Ga On were to rely on Yohan, that would also mean that Yohan would have control over him, either to use him as a pawn or to control Bambi enough to keep him safe and out of being targeted.

Lastly, am I the only one who is suspicious of Min Jung Ho?

If you made it this far again, thank you for reading my stress rant.

Now i’ll go back to silently stressing about next week because i have nothing better to do.

[anika-ann]

Hands Too Cold, but Heart of Gold - Pt.1

The Recruitment

Pairing: Steve Rogers x reader, Matt Murdock x reader (no SR x MM x r)

Word count: 2120

Summary: Avenger!reader AU, love triangle. Every hero has an origin story. Yours not soall that great. One more reason not to mention it during the first face to face meeting with DD. ...right.

Warnings: mention of death, mentions of violence, swearing, fluff, mild angst…?

Story Mastelist

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“No, no way. I’m not doing it,” you exclaimed resolutely, spinning on your heels.

Heavy, yet somewhat gentle hand fell on your shoulder, turning you back. You bit your lip and looked up at your boss and the closest friend in one person.

His eyebrow was raised in challenge. “Are disobeying your orders?”

You could hear his light teasing just like the serious note in his tone. And of course, Captain America’s authoritative voice was unmistakable. You just gaped.

“It’s a waste of time, St— Captain,” you bit back wryly and he made a disapproving face.

“Don’t pull that out, you know I-“

“Yes, Captain?”

His expression turned annoyed at the interruption and your snarky tone.

You knew you were being cranky, but trying to convince Daredevil, freaking Daredevil, the patron not-exactly-saint of Hell’s Kitchen, was not on your I’d-love-to-do-this list. More like the opposite. That guy was very obviously a lone wolf who loved playing on his own playground and you were not judgemental of that – he was dedicated to his home and that was fine. His way of saying no to joining the Avengers might be a bit rude, but given how many people – well, people – had been trying to convince him to step up to the plate and think on a larger scale than ten blocks, you couldn’t really blame him.

Steve’s hands caressed your shoulders and you bit your lip harder. His baby blue eyes were staring at the bottom of your soul, making you shiver. He had beautiful eyes, serious most of the time, getting incredibly charming when a spark of mischief appeared in them; and make no mistake, Captain America had a lot of mischief in himself despite the righteousness radiating from him to miles.

You blinked, trying to escape his gaze; it was annoying how it always sent your heart racing.

“Just give it a try. No one will be angry with you if you fail. I won’t either. But I believe in you,” he pronounced softly, making you swallow embarrassingly loudly when his thumbs caressed your shoulders.

Jeez, you were such a sucker for his ‘I believe in you’.

Of course, you had a good reason. His speech had been the one that inspired you to join the team. To stop pitying yourself and woman up – yes, that was exactly the term he had used, because his love for strong women was infinite –, to use your accidently gained powers to do some good. He had been the one to find you almost five months ago in the completely frozen lab – your work, not that you had intended it –, shaking, but not from cold. You had been scared to death – you had killed people. You had killed the people who had been trying to help you-- and he had come to you, slowly, putting his shield away despite your warnings and offered you a literal helping hand, promising he hadn’t been there to harm you and he had believed you wouldn’t have hurt him. That he had believed in you.

You fought tears at the memory – you always had. You had hurt him in the end – just a little frostbite really, nothing his super-soldier’s body couldn’t handle – and yet, you had felt almost as sorry as for taking the other people’s lives. But Steve Rogers hadn’t been mad at you. He had stuck around, helped you to get a hold of your powers and the two of you had become colleagues slash friends. Very close friends, actually. Also, you had a bit of a crush on him, but who hadn’t.

“Goddammit, Steve,” you whined silently and his face lit up as he realized he had won. Not from his boss position, no; he had won the way he always had, as a friend of yours.

“I knew I could count on you, Frosty,” he whispered, enclosing you in a short gentle hug.

You rolled your eyes. “You know, Rogers, for someone who napped for about seventy years in ice, you really are pushing your luck.”

Secretly, you loved the nickname he gave you. People called you Frostbite, but Steve never had, aware what kind of a painful reminder of what you had done to him and everyone else the first time using your uncontrollable powers it was. No, he called you Frosty or Snowflake, because he was a sweetheart. Tony, on the other hand, was a dick, calling you Elsa. The others called you either your first name, or your last name. And then there was Thor, calling you the Lady of Ice. You loved your team. It was a delight to work with them. A very exhausting delight.

“Nah, you like me too much.”

You scoffed. He was perfectly on point of course. “I still don’t understand why it’s not you coming, Captain Righteousness. I’m sure you would have handled him better, oh Star Spangled Man with a Plan.”

He let go of you, ruffling your hair to show how much he was still cranky about Clint showing you the videos, both old and rather recent ones. To be fair, you deserved that; but you couldn’t help but tease him about it; some of them were cute, while the others were just hilarious.

“Careful, you still have a problem for saying a bad word.” You rolled your eyes. You had said ‘goddammit.’ Wuss. “And I do have a plan.”

You expectantly raised your eyebrows, curious. He winked.

“I have you.”

────── ·❆· ──────

‘This is ridiculous. I’m tracking a man in a Devil suit in, myself in an icily blue catsuit, Captain America’s voice in my ear. What is my life?’

“Still copy?”

“Yep.”

“He’s around the Piers 42/44, heading North.”

“Rogers that,” you mumbled, not fighting the smirk that always found its way to your lips when talking to Steve via comms, saying ‘Rogers that’ instead of just ‘Roger’. It was just too funny and you needed funny in your life. Even if you could basically hear him rolling his eyes at that. Rude.

You created an ice slide, rising and falling to help you to move faster. Tony had designed special shoes for you to move easily on it, while not giving yourself a shiner – it had taken quite a lot of tries and lots of black-eyes plus one broken radius, but hell if it hadn’t been worth it. Ha, hell.

Never mind. You had a task to complete.

You saw him now, the Devil. He slowed down visibly, which surprised you. He had actually managed to disappear on Tony in the sewers once. He had walked away in the middle of Cap’s recruitment speech, ignorant. Sure, he hadn’t shaken Natasha off, but hadn’t agreed either. Thor and Clint hadn’t tried yet. You wondered what Devil’s strategy was this time.

He stopped completely then and you landed few steps from him, a bit wary. You had done your reading on the Devil; he was fast, efficient and didn’t hesitate to break a bone or two. Or six. To be fair, you read about why he did it, on what occasions, and you truly weren’t judgemental.

“Wasn’t expecting any black ice tonight. It’s only September,” he commented nonchalantly, his voice deep. Not necessarily hostile though – you took that as a win.

Perhaps Steve knew what he was doing, sending you – you weren’t as notoriously famous as the others who had actually been present during The Battle of New York were, so maybe the Devil found it refreshing or something.

You wordlessly let your icy toboggan-bridge disappear. “Daredevil.”

“Why are you here? Have your teammates not gotten the message yet? Did you draw the shortest straw today?”

“Something like that.”

“The answer is still no.”

“Why?” you asked, already guessing the answer.

Because he belonged in the Hell’s Kitchen. Because he was a vigilante, not a hero, not an Avenger.

“I don’t really feel like fighting aliens. And someone needs to take down drug rings and smaller things that escape your notice,” he replied wryly and you sighed.

“You think we don’t see that?”

“Press harder.”

“Sounds like you don’t, given what your friend is saying,” he noted and you closed your eyes in defeat.

Steve’s voice was quiet, for you only, but it wasn’t news the Devil had extraordinary hearing. You couldn’t quite blame him for not liking you coming alone and not alone at all. You reached to your ear, turning your communicator off.

Daredevil tilted his head, seemingly confused.

“You think they don’t see that?” you corrected yourself, letting out the doubts you had despite the warm (ha) welcome the Avengers gave you. “You’re needed here. What you do matters, which is why they are letting you.”

“Why are you saying ‘them’?”

“Do I look like an Avenger to you?”

“You sure call yourself that.”

“Well, I don’t feel like one. But I let them talk me down. I’m a destroyer, yet, they convinced me I can help. And maybe I found a calling. Maybe I found a way to possibly redeem myself,” you whispered, being sure the Devil would hear you. He heard everything.

“I am answering a calling. By doing what I do,” he replied, aiming for firm, but failing. Could he tell the emotion behind your voice, the way you opened unexpectedly (to your own surprise too)? Could he hear the regret? Did he imagine what had caused it? Did it move him?

“And I understand that. Actually, kudos for aiming for achievable goal of managing ten blocks of Manhattan and not letting your ego get in the way too much. I mean, these guys are trying to save the world, talk about unrealistic goals,” you noted, lightening up the mood a little.

You imagined the man behind the mask frowned. “I’m sorry, I’m confused now. Are you still trying to get me to join, or…?”

You chuckled. “Doesn’t look like it, huh? I guess that’s fair.”

The corner of his lips quirked in an approximation of a smile. Your heart skipped a beat. You bet neither of your Avenging friends managed to do that. Not that this was a competition or a manipulation – you were being completely honest. Painfully so.

“I… I’m gonna be honest with you. Steve wants you on this one. And frankly, I have no idea why-“ you paused, realizing how it sounded. “I mean— I know why, we can always use some help saving the world and stuff, but... yeah. So just once for now, let’s team up. No strings attached.”

“That was quite a direct strike. Didn’t see that coming,” he chuckled and you blinked, your eyelashes brushing your eye-mask.

Did he just chuckle? Did he laugh at you? Not that he didn’t have the right, but it was still a bit incredible. His face returned to the mask of seriousness. For some reason, it seemed softer now. “It was… Steve, wasn’t it? You say they convinced you, but you mean Steve Rogers.”

You escaped his gaze – or you thought so. Escaped the way the glassy eye-covers of his helmet burned through you. Whatever.

“Yes,” you whispered. He didn’t comment on that. But you would swear he relaxed.

“How did you get your powers?”

You froze almost literally at the direct question. Well, he sure wasn’t beating around the bush. What was it to him? Was it a test? Did he want to know you before saying no? Was he considering a yes? Did he trust you?

You licked your lips, fighting a shiver.

“Untested treatment. I had a rare liver disease and they tested a treatment with some chitauri crap on me. I always had troubles with thermoregulation. The meds messed it up on a completely different level.”

“I’m sorry.” And he genuinely sounded as if he was, his voice dropping.

“I didn’t ask for this. I hurt people. I’m paying my debt, because I think it’s the only thing I can do apart from creating icicles and toboggans for kids and do some cold-drying of fruit for missions,” you said seriously and his shoulders slightly shook with laughter. You found yourself smiling too. Dammit, how did you switch from misery to joking so fast in one sentence?

“No strings attached?” he asked slowly and your mouth literally fell open. Did he just-

“Did you just-?”

“Yeah. How bad it can be? Plus, your friend is approaching with the jet, I guess he didn’t like you turning your comms off.”

“Oh I’m gonna be on detention for like a week, okay. Or until they need another cold-drying, Tony’s addicted to his dried blueberries.”

The Devil chuckled once more before a cute smile settled on his lips. He took several steps closer to you. “I’m sure they’re delicious.”

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Part 2

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Tags:  @murdermornings​ @mermaidxatxheart​

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Heya, people :) I decided to share one of my older fics with the tumblr, I hope a few of you will like it O:-) Whenever you want to be (un)tagged in anything of mine, shoot me an ask or a message or something like that. 

Thank you for reading :-*

[fairytaleslive]

Dobrý den again, I have another little question for ptak o. At 6:49 Skeleton shouts something to the dog, it sounds like "van". (yt, remastered version) Couldnt find such word in Czech. In German dub it is translated as "verschwinde" (go away). Whats the original word? I have now seen the film several times because of the excellent play of Karel Roden, and it seems to me the film is not as bad as I first thought. The Czech actors play well. The German men play wooden, T. Ruland (princess) is ok.

Hi again! :) (btw sorry for long answers! I can never stop myself when I start to ramble about fairytale films!)

To your first question: I can’t understand what Skeleton says either, lol! At first I thought he says “Ven!”, meaning “Out!” which would sort of make sense in the context. But no matter how many times I rewatch the scene, it sounds more as if he just does a weird roar at the dog – ”vrrr” is a sound of dog growl in Czech.

Oh yes, Karel Roden is great and seeing him in a fairytale role is a rare treat. He is extremely picky about his roles, especially in recent years, and often stars in international projects.

International fans might know him as a villain in Bulletproof Monk and Rasputin in the first Hellboy movie. Not to mention his roles in Lamberto Bava’s Dragon Ring, second Fantaghirò and Sorellina e il principe del sogno.

Karel Roden as villainous Skeleton in The Firebird (1997)

I think that all the actors did the best they could with the material they were given. From the Czech actors: I can tell you that everyone basically plays their standard roles, in which they are good at; I wouldn’t say that they had to try too hard to be believable (e.g. Langmajer plays the sleazy prince, cause he usually plays sleazy roles, even to this day; Roden plays a charismatic villain, as he always does etc.). Kudos to Marián Labuda Sr. who plays Skeleton’s henchman, he was one of the best Slovakian actors in history and yet he took such a thankless little role and managed to nail it! (I imagine he enjoyed it too cause he didn’t often get to play villainous roles on screen :)

Ondřej Brousek, who plays the hero’s brother (why, oh why did they add his character and then killed him off?), is nowdays more of a composer/musician than an actor. He composed music scores for e.g. fairytales School of Princes (”Škola princů”, 2010) or The Treasure (”O pokladech, 2012) among many others.

For me, it’s interesting to see Barbora Leichnerová (Elena’s maid Margita), as it was her last role on screen and I don’t think that she is still acting to this day. She is a lesser known Czech actress, but I remember her well cause she starred in several made-for-TV fairytale films in the 80′s.

Edit: I feel bad for not mentioning the presence of the legendary Horst Buchholz in my original comment! He was a great actor and I wish that he had more screentime as the King in this movie!

I’ve always liked Tina Ruland in both The Magic Pouch and in The Firebird. I think she was pretty and charming in both roles (more in The Magic Pouch since she had more screentime and personality there). And a big shout out to Dana Černá, one of my favorite voice actresses, who provided her Czech voice! (the Prince is voiced by another of my favorite voice actors: Zdeněk Hruška, who also provided his voice to Max Urlacher in The Queen of the Lake btw)

I think that one of the many issues this movie has, one of the biggest ones is how underused the Prince and the Princess are as a couple. (btw I had no idea they became a pair while filming this, thank you for the info!) Their meeting is pretty cute, love at first sight sort of works (*I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream* theme is probably copied from Sleeping Beauty 1959, but I am ok with it). Their chemistry seems alright to me. But then...they never really talk again and all their interactions become forced and wooden. They could have been an adventuring, villain-killing power couple but Elena is then pretty much reduced to a constant damsel-in-distress and the Prince always seems to need the help of other people/magic items to suceed in his tasks...

Like you said, this movie had a lot of good things coming for it. Personally, I think it’s a real shame that the screeplay and execution ended up being so completely superficial and without spark.

This is just my personal opinion, but I think that they should have given the job to someone else than director Vorlíček. Someone younger, with new, creative, original ideas, who would turn the source material into a fun fairytale adventure film....

Vorlíček was about 66 years old at that time and pretty much drained as a creator. I know I sound harsh, I really respect and love his works from 60–70′s, but after that, the quality of his projects started to decline and (judging from interviews he did in his later years), he often seemed to put the blame on anyone but himself and refused to admit that his latest films are trash (I’ve seen his sequel to Girl on the Broomstick and it must be one of the worst movies ever made)....