#but i not only managed to watch the whole campaign i also really enjoyed it haha

[pinazee]

Sometimes i’ll remember that moment in the dnd campaign where (spoilers) tony (jon) tries to sacrifice himself and it basically goes:

*everyones shocked and a little appalled hed do such a thing*

Jon despairs that his choice nearly got everyone killed (and did in fact kill zephyr, james’ character) and everyone gives him shit for it

Mariah tries to tell him its okay

Jon pleads in the comments for people to donate so his friends will still play with him (bonus: his smile when they did it)

And lastly Everyones screams in excitement when he successfully saved himself and they managed to get everyone out of the campaign alive.

P.S the moment everyone shouted at Jon to put his little fly hat back on lives rent free in my head.

[utilitycaster]

Do you think this episode is so boring because they brought back the Nein and reminded us how good they are? I keep thinking about this as I'm absently watching this episode, saw your post and would love to hear your thoughts on it. Because like, at least to me, most villains this campaign are painfully boring. But the Weave Mind are also boring. That was fine, M9 handled it perfectly and I loved it. Ludinus is arguably the only kinda interesting bad guy and a PC's mom is in mortal danger and I can't manage to care.

I don't find Ludinus and the Weave Mind boring! I don't find Liliana boring either! And I found Ozo Cruth and Otohan Thull DREADFULLY boring but actually, the fights with them are pretty fucking great. I mean, I have a LOT of criticism about the first Otohan fight that boils down to "this was EXCEPTIONALLY poorly signaled and I'd be PISSED if my character was killed for someone else's arc at this point in the story" but Otohan being boring is about the non-combat elements; she felt very real and compelling as a THREAT, just, she could have been a giant blender of magic knives that the party was going to be dumped in for all she had an impact on the story as a person. But I do think it is because we've seen the Mighty Nein and Vox Machina recently and remembered that they're orders of magnitude more compelling.

I think it's really like...I don't even want to say Bells Hells isn't bonded, but they lack something. I think I alluded to it in the tags of one of my posts but there's no banter between party members or sense of urgency. Like, I enjoyed the whole All-Minds-Burn/Myceit scenes a lot, actually, but after Imogen's initial (justified) panic the pacing felt unbelievably slow until we got to combat. I have found that really, for a good deal of the campaign, you have to kind of take things episode by episode and enjoy the good set pieces and scenes because it simply does not make for a pleasing and rewarding whole. The reason I didn't care about Liliana is, to be fair, partly because I think having her die would be an interesting development, but also because there wasn't a sense of "we can't stop and fuck around with mushrooms, LILIANA IS DYING" within the episode itself. No one was comforting Imogen as they ran through the tunnels. The Mighty Nein showed more personality and investment in the lead up to a fight that really, they had no more stake in other than the broad world-ending ones. As someone who's been playing a LOT of Veilguard which is all about building a close-knit team, and who's had VM and the Nein the past month to compare Bells Hells with, that lack is immediately apparent.

I said, over a year ago (possibly over two, I don't recall) now about one of the relationships in the campaign that it felt like when I see a single episode from a soap opera I don't follow. The actors are imbuing lines with emotion, but everything feels kind of disconnected. Like, this is all in a deeply subjective realm, I cannot give you a strong argument based on logic here as it's very much vibes-based, but I feel like when I watched this, my thought process was "BAFTA-winning Actor Laura Bailey is doing an excellent job of conveying the emotions 'terror and anguish over a dying relative' in this line read, and not "Imogen Temult, a character I've been familiar with since October 2021, is devastated over the potential demise of her mother.' " And I never had that issue with C1 and C2. Like, you can call it je ne sais quoi or the juice or the sauce or chemistry or the spark or whatever the fuck but Campaign 3/Bells Hells simply doesn't seem to have it for a huge number of people who have adored pretty much every other Critical Role work, and that means something. My personal thought is that it's because this has been such a plot-focused campaign without strong DM prepping of what kind of characters would be appropriately invested that we've had the problems we did (rampant indecision, lack of party chemistry due to lack of early opportunities to mingle and meld, lack of investment in each others' lives due to insufficient time focused on backstory-related plotlines), but I could be wrong, and ultimately the root cause isn't super important to this question, which is just. they don't have the it factor.

[welcometo79s]

just a little love

synopsis: as you're busy reading in your coruscant apartment; fives really craves some attention and affection from you.

contains: fives x gn!reader, kisses, fives being clingy, pure tooth-rotting fluff, self-indulgent [repost after being shadow-banned]

warnings: non-sexual making out. yeah it's a thing. my asexual soul only found out that most people on this cursed earth consider like, french kissing and neck kisses inherently suggestive like 4 weeks ago so if you wanna read it like that, sure. but it's also fiction where i can have whatever i want so just know this was made with the intent of it being SFW romantic fluff and that's how it's written. i hope this isn't too confusing to my allosexual audience, bear with me here.

word count: 2k

The rain seemed to be hitting the windows of your small Coruscant apartment but you paid it no mind. The thick glass shielded you from the relentless storm outside and your nose was buried in your newest novel; an adventure of two mercenaries doing seemingly impossible jobs throughout the galaxy. You had made yourself a cup of tea and the steaming beverage as well as the warm blanket you had thrown over your lap soothed you and helped you focus on the story. You hadn't gotten very far in the book yet; only having just started Chapter 5, but you already had a feeling that this was going to be a good one.

You were about to find out whether the two protagonists would manage to make it to Tython to find an ancient Jedi holocron for their client when you heard sounds coming from the bedroom. You noted that Fives must have woken up. This was his first day on shore leave and as much as he had enjoyed the nice lunch he had shared with you and the holofilm you two watched together, the campaign before had tired him out. So the two of you had laid down in bed and cuddled; Fives having fallen asleep in your arms to the sound of your heartbeat and the soothing motion of your fingertips running up and down his back.

Once you had woken up, you couldn't fall asleep anymore so you opted for finally getting started on that book you bought; getting up quietly as to not wake your favorite ARC Trooper. You had pressed a soft kiss to his cheek and left him to finish his nap, instead sitting down on the living room couch.

But now that Fives was awake, it didn't take long for him to show up in the doorframe, dressed in black pajama shorts and a loose fitted blue 79s shirt he, according to his own words, had won in a Karaoke competition. You gave him a soft smile. "Slept well?", you asked before returning your attention to the datapad you were reading on.

"Hmm... I missed you though", he mumbled and made you laugh with the almost pouting tone in which he said it. He sat down beside you and wrapped his arms around your waist, leaning against you and resting his chin on your shoulder. You could tell right away he was in a clingy mood and when Fives wanted attention, he wasn't exactly subtle. The way he had basically slumped against you with his whole body weight and attempted to snuggle up to you, despite your sitting position and the way you were holding that datapad making it pretty difficult, had already given you an idea of his current state.

But when you continued reading instead of putting the datapad aside and giving him the affection he was looking for, Fives decided he had to dial it up a notch. "Cyare...", he started carefully, turning his head on your shoulder to press a few soft kisses to your neck that tickled you, "you know I'm only on leave for a couple of days... then they're putting me back in the danger roulette with all the separatists, clankers and evil alien machines that want to kill me."

He sat up and and put a finger to your chin, turning your head towards him and pecking your lips gently. "You're the only thing I look forward to when I'm on leave... well besides not having to fear for my life", he continued and you let out a sigh. Fives nuzzled your cheek, leaving a few kisses on your skin every once in a while. You paid him no mind. There was however a subtle smile tugging at the corners of your mouth. You couldn't deny that you liked Fives being a little clingy and sappy sometimes.

Fives wondered whether you had understood that he craved your affection. "Can I kiss you?", he asked and poked your other cheek with his pointer finger, resting his chin on your shoulder once more. "I really want to kiss you."

You wrapped an arm around his shoulder, gently running a hand through his hair. "Believe it or not, I got that cyare", you chuckled and your tone softened a little. "Let me just finish up this chapter. Shouldn't take more than 10 minutes."

Fives' response to that was attempting to sit down on your lap, pushing your datapad closer to your face due to the proximity. You looked up from the device and gazed at him through half-lidded eyes, raising your eyebrows. "You're a pain, you know that?"

He chuckled. "You don't mean that."

You let out a sigh and handed him the datapad. "Can you put this on the table for me?"

There was a triumphant smirk on his face when Fives took the item from you and leaned back, turning slightly to place the datapad on the living room table behind him. Once he had turned towards you again, he inched closer to you on your lap and you snuck your arms around his waist, pulling him flush to your chest. You could feel his weight on your legs, knowing he was technically too heavy for you to keep him here for long, but you tried to brush that thought aside.

Fives was so close to you now that you could feel his breath on your lips and he smiled at you softly; a loving gaze in his eyes before he cupped your face with his hands and pressed his lips to yours. You closed your eyes and kissed back immediately, slowly and lightly pecking his lips with your own. You could feel his lower lip slightly tremble under yours and you went to gently pluck on it with your lips. Fives let out a content sigh and pressed a more firm kiss to your mouth, then your cheek and several spots along your jawline.

"I love you so much...", he mumbled between kisses, making you smile at him.

"I love you too", you responded quietly, pulling him in for another round of kisses to his lips, your tongue gently sliding over his bottom lip and being met with a sweet taste. You pulled away for a moment, smirking at Fives. "Are you wearing lip balm?"

Fives chuckled slightly. "Had to. How else am I supposed to convince you to keep kissing me?"

"What makes you think I'd say no to that?", you pressed another soft kiss to his lips and Fives went in for another two as soon as you pulled away.

"You just did", he responded, thinking back to you reading on the couch.

"No, I said 'wait a second'", you reminded him and Fives grinned.

"If we spend all our time waiting, life passes us by", he proudly proclaimed and you rolled your eyes.

"Do not give me words of wisdom to justify your abysmal lack of patience", you laughed and Fives chuckled as well. "What flavor is this anyway? The lip balm?"

"It said bubblegum peach on the package", he answered and you shook your head with a smile at the mental image of the 501st elite ARC Trooper, slayer of battle droids, walking into a drug store and buying something called 'bubblegum peach lip balm' just to kiss you later. Then again, that was something Fives would do. "Do you like it?"

You pondered the question for a moment, chuckling to yourself. "Jury's still out on that one", you teased and pulled him close again, pressing your lips flush against his before opening your mouth slightly. Fives' plucked at your lower lip gently before his tongue slid in to meet yours in a loving, slow kiss. You felt a fluttering sensation in your stomach and Fives wrapped his arms around your neck, the motion lifting his shirt a little. You shifted the position of your arms and wrapped them around his exposed midriff, your fingers gently drawing circles onto his sides; something you had learned did not tickle him in the slightest.

Fives kissed you slowly but passionately, pouring all his love for you into the gesture and you knew what he tried to convey without him needing to say anything. He had missed you. You had felt the same way while he was away on the campaign. This was him making up for all the times you both had been laying alone in bed at night, wishing to be able to hold the other. Fives already called you every day if possible, sneaking out of the barracks at night in secret to contact you and let you know that he was okay; that he loved you and thought about you. You thought about his brothers and wondered what they would think if they could see him sometimes; sitting on your lap like this and kissing you tenderly over and over again. The difference from seeing him decapitate droids in battle was probably jarring.

You smiled against his lips at the thought, almost letting out a chuckle as Fives attempted to snuggle even closer to you, his tongue moving against yours in a gentle motion. You didn't know how long you remained like this. It was easy to lose track of time when Fives was all you could focus on and he kissed you like you were his favorite thing in the galaxy. He said you were, at least. You vaguely remembered him having followed that up with listing "beds that don't feel like concrete" and "fruity mocktails at 79s" for second and third place.

Sometimes it felt like you could go on like this forever, getting lost in the sensation of his kisses and forgetting about the rest of the galaxy; about the war. For those few days you spent together when he was on leave, a future where the two of you didn't have to worry about keeping secrets and fighting battles seemed almost in reach. You pulled away after a while, noticing how your legs were beginning to feel a little numb from the weight of carrying Fives and you gestured him to lay down.

Once he had done that, you snuggled close to him on the couch, pressing a few lazy kisses to his lips before Fives lifted his head to press one to your forehead, his nose brushing against yours as he did so. You slid down a little to rest your head against his chest, burying your face in the fabric of his shirt. For something they gave away at a Karaoke competition in a clone bar, the shirt was of surprisingly good quality and soft; the comforting sensation made complete by the warmth that Fives radiated. He wrapped his arms around you and held you close, resting his chin on top of your head.

"I still can't believe I'm this lucky", you mumbled and felt his chest rising and falling with every breath. Fives chuckled softly.

"I feel the same way sometimes. A lot of times actually", he had a content smile on his lips and closed his eyes, enjoying holding you in his arms like this. "Want to continue that holofilm later we started on my last leave but never finished?"

You shrugged. "I honestly didn't like that one that much", you admitted and Fives grinned as an idea hit him.

"Then how about a Fives original?", he chuckled and looked at you with a mischievous smile. "Do you want to see Hardcase and Jesse look for the hidden stash of gold from a pirate group in the freezer of 79s? They made me promise not to show the recording to any of our brothers but you're not one of my brothers, so..."

You laughed. "I don't think they'd appreciate if you showed their drunk misadventures to me though."

Fives sighed. "Yeah they wouldn't... still, do you want to see it? I made it a montage and put funny music over it too."

You chuckled and smirked up at him. "Are you kidding? Of course I want to see it."

[munson-blurbs]

Happy 2k followers! If it’s alright could I make a request for my birthday using the 2k prompts with Eddie/hellfire room/birthday cake?

Very fluffy fic incoming! Hope you enjoy!

Warnings: none, all fluff!

WC: 1.2k

--

“Okay, okay, yeah. No, I totally understand,” you say into the receiver, willing your voice not to crack. “I hope everything gets cleaned up quickly.” You slam the phone back on the hook, punctuating your aggravation with a string of curses. 

“That sounds like it went well,” your neighbor, Dustin, quips, munching on a granola bar. Any time he comes to your house, he manages to find your snack stash. 

You bury your head in your hands. “That was Meg’s Café,” you explain. “Apparently a pipe burst last night and flooded the whole place.”

“Shit,” Dustin mutters, taking another bite. There’s nothing more indestructible than a teenager’s appetite. “That’s where you were having Eddie’s birthday party!”

“Oh, really?” you retort, voice dripping with sarcasm. “That hadn’t occurred to me; thanks!” You sigh as Dustin flips you the bird. “Where are we gonna find space to throw him a whole party in…” you check your watch, “...three hours?!” You turn to the younger boy, who’s already moved on from your crisis in search of more food. “Dustin, focus!”

“Sorry, jeez.” He holds his hands up in surrender. “I can’t think on an empty stomach.” 

You roll your eyes and reach into your fridge, pulling out a crown of broccoli and tossing it to him. “Go nuts.”

He takes a big bite just to spite you. “Okay,” he says, “let’s consider our options.” He puts the vegetable down on the counter. “We could have it here.”

You shake your head; the apartment you share with your mom is barely big enough for the two of you. “Too small.”

Dustin nods. “I’m guessing Eddie’s trailer is also out, then.” He sighs in exasperation. “My mom would never let me throw a party, so that rules out my place, too.” He taps his chin before raising his pointer finger excitedly, like a mad scientist with an ingenious idea. “How about the Hellfire room? We can decorate it, order some pizzas, cut a cake—”

“The cake!” you groan. “Meg’s was gonna have one for us!” 

Without saying another word, Dustin darts across the hall to his own apartment. Communication is not his strong suit, you think wryly. He comes back moments later, out of breath and clutching two rolls of cookie dough and a bag of potato chips. 

“Let’s bake ourselves a cake,” he pants, plopping the tubes on the stove. 

“With sour cream and onion chips?”

“Oh, that’s for me. Though the broccoli was much appreciated.”

~

Dustin quickly recruits the rest of Hellfire Club—and Steve Harrington, their reluctant chauffeur—to decorate, while you two start on the cake. 

“I need a rolling pin,” you tell him as you open the plastic casing. He dutifully hands you the tool. “I hope Eddie is okay with a chocolate chip cookie cake,” you murmur. 

Dustin chortles. “Please,” he says, “that man would eat dirt if you were the one serving it to him.” You feel your cheeks heat up, and you try to focus on rolling out the dough. You and Eddie have been friends forever, but you’ve only been dating for a few months. That’s why it’s especially important for everything to be perfect. 

“Don’t believe me?” Dustin continues. “Ask Lucas and Mike. One time you left him a cute note in his locker, and he kept looking at it during Hellfire. Couldn’t even stay in his DM character. And this is the guy who once puked and came back to finish a campaign like nothing happened.”

“Okay, okay,” you say, placing the dough in the oven. “I’m gonna call everyone and let them know about the change of venue. Just take the cake out when the timer goes off.” He gives you a little salute as you make your way through the guest list. 

“Cake’s done!” Dustin calls out as you wrap up your final call. The smell of freshly-baked cookies wafts through the air. “Just gotta let it cool.” He looks over at you before blurting out, “So, uh, do you love Eddie?”

“I, um,” you choke on your words. “I don’t really know what love feels like. Like, romantic love.”

“Well,” he starts, plopping onto a kitchen chair, “when you get news—good or bad—who’s the first person you wanna tell? When you think about your future, who’s there? Who makes you smile more than anyone else? Whose sadness makes you sad?”

It’s the same answer for all of his questions. “Eddie.”

“So, there ya go!” Dustin exclaims, slapping the table. “Now all you gotta do is tell him.” He says it like it’s no big deal; like you wouldn’t be baring your heart to him. What if it was too soon? What if he thought you were rushing things?

~

Your nerves are already at an all-time high, but when you hear Wayne and Eddie’s voices traveling down the Hawkins High hallway, your heart feels like it’ll pound out of your chest. 

“So you’re applying to be a custodian?” Eddie’s saying, disbelief tinging his tone.

Wayne coughs. “Uh, yup. Figured you could show me where your club meets before my interview.” His voice is so stilted and awkward; for everything he’s good at, Wayne Munson is not an actor. 

The doorknob turns, and your stomach feels like it’s filled with lead-winged butterflies. “This is the Hellfire–” Eddie stops in his tracks as he takes in the sight before him. All of the club members plus Max Mayfield yell out, “Surprise!”, and you watch as a huge grin spreads across your boyfriend’s face.

“Happy birthday!” You bound over to him, wrapping your arms around his waist and pressing a kiss to his lips. 

“Baby,” he murmurs once he wills himself to pull his lips away from yours, “did you do all this?”

“Kind of?” You laugh at his bemused expression. “This was gonna be at Meg’s, but they had a flood, so everyone helped me move the party here.” You glance at the table behind you, where people are already digging into the pizza pies. “I was hoping for more of a sit-down dinner, but we had to make do.”

“Tell him about the cake!” Dustin shouts, making you roll your eyes playfully.

“Cake?” Eddie asks, cocking an eyebrow.

“Yeah…Meg’s was also supposed to provide a birthday cake, so Dustin and I whipped up one using cookie dough.” You’d managed to find a tube of blue gel icing in your cabinet, and you’d written Happy Birthday Eddie with a little heart on top of your makeshift cake. “I know it’s not exactly what you wanted, but it’s all we had on hand…”

Eddie shuts you up with another kiss. “Not exactly what I wanted? Babe, I’m surrounded by my favorite people at a party thrown for me by the girl I love. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

You’re so touched by his words that you nearly miss his confession. “Wait, you…you love me?”

He nods, caressing your cheek with his thumb. “I love you so damn much, it scares me,” he admits, letting out a little laugh.

“I love you, too, Eddie.” You’re about to bring him in for a passionate kiss–audience be damned–when you’re interrupted by a certain curly-haired meddling freshman.

“Told you!”

--

[on-a-sunbeam]

Revenge and Dollhouse for the ask game?

YES HI!!! Uhm I’ll do Dollhouse first!

My rating (1-10): I’d give it a 6, maybe. Which is to say that I enjoyed it A LOT but also I have just like. A Few Critiques. Just one or two.

My favourite character: ADELLE!! There is no contest here at all I loveee her

My least favourite character: Okay, this used to be super easy because I really hated Topher at first, but I have grown to tolerate him so. I mean I hate like almost all the clients and also Sierra’s handler, but you’re supposed to hate them so it’s not really specific to me, I guess. I’ll say Nolan though, for obvious reasons.

The character I think I'd be friends with: I think Ivy because I have friends that Ivy reminds me of heh

The character I think I won't hit off with: Maybe Ballard? He seems very serious I don’t know

My favourite episode/scene: EVERY SCENE WITH ADELLE. I’m kidding but only slightly. Uhh I really liked A Spy in the House of Love, though, and I think Echoes is pretty funny. Belonging has um. A LOT going on in it, but I will say I really liked Adelle in that one, too.

Whose clothing style I like best: Unfortunately, I’m legally obligated to say Topher because I dress exactly like him. It was slightly detrimental to my whole initial hating-him campaign that every time I saw him I went ‘ah I would wear that’

Times I watched it (and if I would again): Once! And I definitely would again; despite its flaws I do really like it and it’s not super long either. Plus Adelle.

Aaand Revenge!!

My rating (1-10): 8.5! I love it a lot

My favourite character: UHHH HARD tie between Emily and Victoria. I do also really like Amanda so I don’t know.

My least favourite character: It’s been a hot second since I’ve watched this, so no one’s really jumping out to me. I will say though that I somehow forget that Jack exists half the time. I really don’t know how I manage that when he’s kind of a Main Guy, but it’s still a little surprise every time he shows up. This doesn’t even happen to Declan, just to him.

The character I think I'd be friends with: I’m not saying Ashley is normal, per se, but I am saying she’s MOSTLY normal. I feel like we could hang out and chat while I was blissfully unaware of any scheming.

The character I think I won't hit off with: I have a weird soft spot in my heart for Tyler but we most certainly would not be friends

My favourite episode/scene: SHOOT. Okay, I liked the party where it all came full circle to the beginning, and I feel like there were some really good twists, but I really like the scene where Amanda dies (which is stupid because I love Amanda but). Also I know this is SUCH a small thing, but for some reason that group shot of the Grayson’s after Victoria kills Helen means everything to me. It’s so silly, but I love it so much.

Whose clothing style I like best: Nolan, maybe? I don’t know, I feel like he had some iconic looks.

Times I watched it (and if I would again): I have a confession to make guys, I actually have not finished it yet 😔. I’m actually still in the middle of season 3 because I’m slow at watching things sometimes. But I have really liked it so far, so odds are pretty good it would be something that I will rewatch!!

Sorry, I just thought of an answer to the least favourite character thing. I HATE AIDEN. I HAVE NO RHYME OR REASON I JUST DISLIKE HIM.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for the ask though!!!

[ruvviks]

hi. vitali's favorite food & any hobbies. is he allergic to anything . when did he find out. does he take multivitamins

HIII THANK YOU FOR THESE >:] young vitali would honestly just eat about anything because he barely had any time to make good food for himself so his all-time favorite food back then would've been like. burritos. those very soggy ones that you put in the microwave and are entirely too greasy and there's barely any flavor but the whole combination of textures and flavors is sort of JUST tolerable enough to be decent. but when you're really hungry you can devour that thing in seconds. am i making sense here. he was also never sober when having them which would've also played a part in it

vitali nowadays doesn't eat greasy food anymore because his digestive system can't handle it anymore (gee i wonder why) and he likes eating varied, so i'd say his all-time favorite food nowadays would just be a good stir fry! very versatile and easy to make, he loves cooking it and he loves eating it just as much. anything with good quality beef or pork would be his favorite ^_^

when vitali was younger he honestly did not have many hobbies :/ he mostly just liked hanging out with people to get high and drunk and then go clubbing, or he would go hang out at someone's apartment to then get high and drunk there and play video games or watch the other person play video games (and then they would have sex afterwards nine out of ten times), or he would just sit on the floor and stare at the wall while listening to music and he called that his self-care hour. any other moment was filled with either going to school or doing homework or trying to keep a job (he was bad at it because he was stubborn and talked back when people were being annoying and also most jobs didn't allow him to take regular breaks for his leg which also didn't help)

nowadays, vitali still works entirely too much so he doesn't have a lot of free time on his hands but at least he knows how to relax now :] i'd say cooking is 100% one of his hobbies because he loves preparing food for himself and others; he also enjoys playing the guitar, still goes boxing sometimes (he didn't consider it a hobby when he was younger, more just anger management LMAO), surprisingly enough has picked up chess sometime after the broker fic, and he's also surprisingly good at writing plot lines for ttrpgs because he regularly writes outlines for fun quests for the d&d campaign his mercenaries are playing :] he doesn't really play himself all too often but he would show up for a session every now and then. the dice rolling is too confusing for him

as far as i can remember i have not given vitali any allergies but i can't double check because i don't have my laptop. poses cutely. he also only takes vitamin d because of the long office hours he makes and thus doesn't go out in the sun enough. basically he needs a vacation but also he doesn't want a vacation. he's a businessman boy

[snapdragonling]

🌙↕️🛏️👀 for middy cian and a card you place face down on the board!

thank u 🥰 | sinday headcanons

🌙 do they need an emotional connection or are one-night-stands an option?

middy — in canon she's never had a long-term relationship and most of her experience comes from one-night stands, but she also forms an emotional connection within 2 seconds of striking up a conversation, so both are true at once! (there's a bittersweetness to it. she treasures every fleeting evening of connection, and starts to think romantic love must just be a fleeting bittersweet thing in general)

cian — 99% of the time he needs an emotional connection but there was one occasion when he was desperately lonely and someone he'd been talking to in a tavern made a pass at him and one thing led to another. it was nice, but he felt a little conflicted afterwards.

ozy — one night stands are definitely an option. it takes him a long time to fall in love but sex is free and fun!

↕️ are they a sub, dom, or switch? top, bottom, or switch?

middy — switch? she's definitely not a blanket sub, and i think if the occasion calls for it she could be a very sweet and teasing dom. she bottoms more often but not always. (she really likes being taken care of and put through her paces, but she'll talk the entire time, unless her partner manages to string her out so much she's beyond words. a nice bedroom challenge)

cian — sub. he doesn't have a tonne of sexual experience but i think the one time he topped was when he slept with a woman. he wasn't sure how he felt about that, and still isn't sure which part he wasn't sure about (cian's sexuality is a little wiggly to me but i'm leaning towards gay. don't quote me on it though)

ozy — this man spent the last 50 years almost exclusively topping (it's what people wanted from him, and what he was inclined towards) but suffice it to say post-campaign kallux has him on his knees in all senses of the phrase. i think they still switch it up pretty regularly but in general ozy wants kallux to tell him what to do and kallux loves getting to ruin ozy. (ozy's two modes are service top and chatty bottom tbqh. kallux is definitely more dominant in the relationship across the board)

🛏️ what’s their favorite position?

middy — she really likes cowgirl and also just plain old missionary (and all variations of it) because she can tease and laugh and see her partner's face at the same time. spooning is also excellent for a lazy morning fuck.

cian — he's super vanilla. i think he'd like sitting in his partner's lap because he can hide his face in their shoulder and be held at the same time :')

ozy — trying to find the names for all these sex positions is interesting to say the least. apparently missionary with one leg over the shoulder is called "pirate's bounty", so there you go. he also finds anything against a wall or miscellaneous piece of furniture very hot, the arch is good, and he LOVES giving head. frankly i think ozy enjoys pretty much anything as long as it's with the right person.

👀 how do they feel about voyeurism? exhibitionism?

middy — don't think she's particularly into either of them, though exceptions can be made! of the two she'd prefer to watch, but she'd show off for the right person. actually she might really enjoy showing off for the right person. hm. (either way she'd be the type to carry on a completely unrelated conversation throughout. it's part of the game)

cian — NO!!! NO!!!!!!! he doesn't want to be looked at like that and doesn't really want to look at anyone else like that, thank you! (he'd lean more voyeur if he was in a committed relationship, but only in the teeniest tiniest doses, and only if the other person was talking to him the whole time to make it less weird. it still might kill him though)

ozy — [cracks knuckles] okay so yes and yes. i hadn't even thought about this for him until i saw the prompt and clarity struck me like a lightning bolt. he's definitely partaken and enjoyed both in the past (emvalin orgies, enough said), but i truly think kallux brings out something insane in him. he'd very much like performing for kallux. he'd also like being told he's not allowed to do anything while kallux takes care of himself, and when i say "he'd also like" i mean it would make him so horny he can't function.

[hermit-searching]

TMNTposting, Michelangelo edition:

I still have favs, but I would love nothing more than to talk about the boy in orange. Michelangelo is such an interesting character, development-wise in the series. While Leos and Donnie's usually end up developing more negatively (like the emo breakdowns and all that) Michelangelo and Raph seem to always be the ones that make positive growth. And I love it. We love to see that here.

All Michelangelo's are pretty silly and goofy. They're the most laid back of all the turtles, mostly due to the "youngest brother" dynamic he has with the rest of the turtles, Rise being the most obvious one of all. With 87 Michelangelo, he's more of a chill party dude with an unyeilding optimism despite the circumstances in the later "Red Sky" seasons of TMNT 87. He's the only one of the turtles who genuinely still saw the good in things, and tried to revisit the old dynamic they had even though there was a massive hate campaign against them, and getting double mutated...among many other things. This dude, this little guy, was able to keep a steady girlfriend through all this which is insane (and adorable).

Some of the other cute things I remember about him is:

-he remembers their time being regular turtles.

-he normally sides with Leonardo whenever theres an argument (usually started by Donatello)

-the little alien star child in season 7 could have destroyed the planet but he still decided to be nice and comfort him anyways.

Also random fun factoid about the memory of being a regular turtle. Both he and Donatello or Raphael have mentioned before they spent half their life at the bottom of a glass bowl, in the pet shop. Which either implies they lived in a tiny fishbowl for a really long time, or they were really young when they mutated. The implication seems to lean more towards the latter, and the turtles mutated straight into being teenagers. It's entirely likely the 87 turtles are technically young kids stuck in the bodies of teenagers. Enjoy the nightmares thinking about that.

Now for 03 Mikey. I want to chefs kiss the writers because this series was when they started the "kinda annoying younger brother" trope for him, but somehow still managed to handle his development with absolute grace. The Battle Nexus arcs are some of my favorites in TMNT 03, personally. Both because I'm a sucker for 03 Leosagi, but also because they showed everyone just how smart Mikey can be, and that he is perfectly capable of handling a fight on his own. He's been named Battle Nexus champion, not once, but twice. The first time was more circumstance, but don't let that distract you from the fact he outsmarted Raph in a fight and still won the tournament.

And the second time? That time, he was cursed so any injury he sustained couldn't be healed and he still won! The second time was entirely on his skill and fighting alone and he won.

Despite rubbing it in his brothers faces, he genuinely didn't believe he was capable of winning the Battle Nexus tournament and I LOVE the writers for giving me that. 03 Mikey is a loveable menace.

fun things I love about 03 Mikey:

-he literally saves Klunk because he liked her vibes. on Christmas. good for him.

-despite how often they bicker, he's Raph's best friend.

-the whole thing about him (and his brothers) helping the homeless people in the Garbageman episode.

I don't really have much to say about 2012 Mikey tbh. He sure is a guy who exists. It is cool he survived in Dimension X for a few months on his own though. Good for him.

And finally, I'll leave the Rise ramblings to the other TMNT blogs out there. Because everything I say is something someone else definitely has before. And I mostly want to make these posts for the people out there who never watched the older TMNT series.

[cringefaecompilation]

choice elaborations under the cut

i was so fucking tempted to just put delilah briarwood as the option because she's the worst case of this but it applies for all of them. otohan could have been cool and was tied into MULTIPLE characters (ashton used to idolize her. y'all remember that.) but she vanished and only remained an angry dark cloud looming over bh. ratanish was also just there as a threat and got turned into glue. zathuda is so fucking cliche he needed a scottish accent to hide every word out of his mouth being the most obvious WE CAN RULE TOGETHER drivel and he's a rapist so fuck him. smaller characters like emon hytroga and armand treshi are fine as bland side characters, but it does feel like ludinus and mama are the only main ones who have any personality or goals that aren't saying "yippee i love murdering and being evil!"

okay maybe this one is cheating since i HAVE seen a lot of people complain about this, but it still annoyed me too. downfall was fine. i did enjoy the three party pileup and i am glad they liked it. i am not saying it was a slog they hated. but for me, it felt annoying to keep cutting away from them even if they were entertaining. they weren't even allowed to have their own episode 100.

i touched on this in another post but the story is good, questions a lot of the set in stone lore, and tries to be more realistic. so when you go back to the older ones, it can get really awkward watching everyone stay inside the lines or forgive people instantly for something that would have caused more friction in the story or have actual repercussions/consequences.

this one is a very personal complaint but it's like... okay. yes they do keep telling each other that they don't have to do anything that makes them uncomfy or give themselves up to a dark power. but that gets undercut by the narrative basically telling them "okay but actually you DO have to do that so suck it up whiner" like with the shard and the predathos of it all. only laudna has really been allowed to say "no" and everyone else is either warned it will HAVE to come to this or incentivized to keep giving away parts of themselves to be a good little warrior.

matt mercer as a storyteller doesn't like holding people's hands so maybe this is a stupid complaint, but i feel like it'd maybe give more obvious motivation for them to be "huh, maybe the current paradigm is allowing people to act so cruelly because nobody's questioned their power" if they had a religious antagonist telling laudna to go fuck herself or something. it was mentioned in people's backstories and aeor is a whole thing, but maybe just once we can have a clue-in as to what the plot is trying to say. for the people in the back, y'know.

i am so sick and tired of seeing essek thelyss pop up. also the fact that there will be really cool npcs in c3 that will show up for about 3 episodes and then vanish into seafoam. only ira has managed to last around since the beginning. there's also the fact that ryn and ludinus are from c2 and can feel less personal to c3 and its story because of it.

[tarakaybee]

Oxventure - Portal Combat and Final Final Campaign Thoughts

This is gonna be a bit of an essay, but I have had a lot of thoughts over the years.

Honestly, in the end, Oxventure just managed to stick the landing for me. My one major ask with my complex relationship with this D&D show, and the reason that I stopped watching it, is that I wanted to be told a good story. I feel like sometimes when I talk to people about this, I get given the excuse that "it's just a comedy" and that you don't need to follow the rules to have a good time, neither of which is at all where my complaints lie. Don't get me wrong, I'm a massive nerd for the mechanical minutiae of 5E and love to minmax and roleplay using my character's stats and abilities, but the rules don't automatically equal a good story. It certainly can help to create a story with dramatic tension if the rules carry with them the possibility of death and failure, you only need to listen to The Adventure Zone: Balance to see that you can tell a good D&D story that follows the rules as little as it feels like, and have an overtly comedic tone, while also telling a really strong, effective story with a realised world, an escalation in dramatic tension and three dimensional characters.

I love Critical Role, Dimension 20 and that first arc of TAZ, but my personal favourite Dungeons and Dragons actual-play is Not Another D&D Podcast, which is basically the platonic idea of Oxventure (and also is more consistent and a better told story than TAZ in my opinion). The setting and characters are explicitly comedic archetypes, and they can spend half an episode riffing, but they're much more competent at keeping the story on track, which is after all, part of the reason I invest in this game. When I say that Oxventure started to get boring and receptive around Season Two, that I think they mess around riffing with each other too much, which saps time away that they could've spent developing their characters or fleshing out the world in any conceivable manner, and that they don't follow the rules enough for the game to have any tension, I want you all to bear in mind that my favourite D&D show is one that starts with a five minute conversation about dragon pussies before introducing any of the PCs, and that one PC has a possum who has the ability to scribe letters and act as a lawyer, purely because she joked about it so often the DM was forced to canonise it.

I thoroughly enjoy Johnny and the Oxboxtra crew, and I've always thought that they had it in them to tell great stories, and I was proven to be correct when their Deadlands and Blades in the Dark campaigns concluded and told amazingly compelling, dramatic stories without losing their comedy edge, and that encouraged me to give the main campaign another shot. For the most part, this final arc has been more of the same kind that I got bored by and stopped watching, but these last two episodes managed to pull through for me. The story and everything the story has ultimately been about came to head afterward the main fight with the post-climax confrontation with Lilliana.

I love the bold choices that Luke, Andy and Ellen made, technically none of those spells should have worked the way they did, but for the purpose of the story it worked. Corazon's big sacrifice was a great story beat to end on, it was a bit of a cliche, but cliches are used for a reason. What I like about Corazon and Dob's big sacrifices is that Corazon would never have done that in episode one, wheras Dob was always this good and always would have done, and his choice affirms what we love about him. Ellen acted the hell out of that scene too, I'm glad that she got a big moment as well.

This campaign is the one that got me into the TTRPG hobby, it was bittersweet to see it end after all this time. Inspired by Dob, I ended up playing my own Half-Orc Bard in a weekly campaign that lasted five real years, it's not an exaggeration to see that that was a whole and significant period of my recent life that Oxventure kicked off. Knowing now what they know about the way Oxventure turned out, I'm genuinely curious to see what they'll all do differently, since obviously they won't want it to just be the same kind of campaign a second time. I personally hope for a story that sticks the middle, as well as the landing and takeoff, but we'll see!

[girl-next-door-writes]

Of course I have some Eddie for my dear friend @fandom-princess-forevermore under the cut.

A: Aftercare, B: Body Part, E: Experience, F: Favourite Position, I: Intimacy, K: Kink, N: No and W: Wild Card

A: Aftercare; what they're like after sex.

Eddie would like to be the perfect gentleman, he really, truly would, but he has just put everything he had into what you just did and you're lucky if he has enough energy to roll off you. In his head, he would help you clean up, whisper sweet nothings, tell you how wonderful you are and how amazing what you just did was, but the reality is him just pulling you close and mumbling incoherent sounds as he drifts off to sleep.

B: Body Part; their favourite body part of theirs and also their partner's.

Although he quite likes his hair, Eddie's favourite body part is his fingers. They are expressive and dexterous and he can play you almost as well as he can play his guitar. Yeah, he is incredibly proud of what his expert fingers can accomplish.

When asked what his favourite body part of his significant other's is, he will grin cheekily and say 'have you seen that ass'? But in reality, he thinks the best bit about you is your lips. You can make him weak with just a smile, can make him ache with a soft pout. His gaze often lands on your lips and sends his mind racing to create a whole load of incredibly filthy scenarios.

E: Experience; how experienced are they? Do they know what they are doing?

What this boy lacks in experience he makes up with enthusiasm. He may not have had many sexual partners, but he is a kinaesthetic learner so he takes every opportunity to get some practical experience in. He takes his time to plot out what gives you the most pleasure with the precision of one of his DnD campaigns and boy does that attention to detail pay off.

F: Favourite Position; this goes without saying.

Eddie is absolutely feral for you on top. In this position his hands are free to explore your body and being able to look up and watch you take charge, knowing you want this as much as he does, it blows his mind. There are times he still can't believe you are with him, so being able to take you in from this position is like a dream come true each and every time.

I: Intimacy; how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect.

The only time this boy breaks eye-contact is when his lips are trailing over your skin. He is a hopeless romantic and that side of him definitely comes out when he is between your thighs and buried deep inside you. Holding your hip with one hand as his other caresses your thigh, his forehead pressed to yours, his gaze a little cross-eyed due to the close proximity as the tip of his nose grazes yours, soft, sweet words of adoration falling from him as he makes sure you are enjoying this as much as he is. Eddie really is so soft for you in all the best ways.

K: Kink; one or more of their kinks.

Eddie is definitely down for a bit of roleplay. He is a dramatic fuck anyway, but if you showed up dressed as an elven princess, asking to be rescued by the big brave hero, well... honestly he is gonna be lost for words and then have a mad scramble to get into character, but the idea that the two of you would end up together in alternate universes where you were the Arwen to his Aragorn, that really gets him in a way nothing else does.

N: No; something they wouldn't do, turn offs.

Pain is a nope, he's also not keen on degradation. The poor boy has been through some shit in his life and the last thing he wants in an intimate moment of passion between the two of you, is a flashback to some childhood trauma he's managed to keep buried.

W: Wild Card; a random headcanon for the character.

It takes a while before Eddie finally seals the deal. It isn't that he doesn't want to, hell no! It's that he wants it to be special for you and, try as he might, he doesn't think his stained mattress in his uncle's trailer is the romantic setting you deserve. Neither is the back of his van. In fact, he spends quite a bit of time saving up so he can get a hotel room. Not some dingy motel room, no, he wants to really make the effort, even if that means waiting a little longer as he scrapes the money together.

[shytastemakerthing]

Hi, if it’s possible, would I be able to get a romantic TWST match up?

I’m not exactly one for athletics, but I’m a huge music nerd. I did choir for 8 years, and vocal training for 10, and I was a big theatre kid. I also enjoyed history and biology classes the most in school, and I’ve got a love for forensics. I also do doll repaints, and it’s one of my favourite hobbies.

I also enjoy gaming, but playing combat games gives me a lot of anxiety, so I only play when I have my cat to comfort me because I’m really jumpy, at least until I am ridiculously overpowered for the area I am in and can one shot any and all enemies. Outside of online gaming, I also like to play TTRPGs with my friends, and I lean towards playing either bards or sorcerers.

My personality as a whole tends to slip between “mother of three kids who is always sighing at their antics” and “if god wanted to stop me I wouldn’t have made it this far” depending on who I’m with, but I’m overall a fairly strong introvert, and I like to have some time to myself every day, though I do have a habit of swearing like a sailor.

Hello and thank you so much for your request!! As a fellow TTRPG player, I mostly play as either a rogue or a druid. Though, I do have one bard character I have yet to play!

Tw: None

I match you with........

Idia Shroud

Right off the bat, this man would absolutely love to do TTRPG's with you! He is very selective as to who he plays these with. Ortho will join him, maybe Azul here and there (Azul would honestly be so good at these sorts of things, I swear). And the moment that he hears that you play them? Bring all your supplies next time because the both of you are going to have a long night.

Now, as to the relationship part of this, it was hard to get him to open up to the idea of one to begin with, let alone being in one. It took a lot of time, effort, and dedication to get to that point, but you made it! Bonus if you ran a campaign throughout the duration of this process and in the end, managed to ask him out (or even the other way around), honestly, how could he say not to that?! Like I said, dedication.

Idia plays a lot of combat games, but he knows that you aren't the biggest fan of them, and given just how heated he can get over these matches, he is careful about how out of hand these games get. While he may not have a cat to help comfort you when you do choose to play a combat game, he has plenty of squishmellows. Feel free to go and choose one!

Game night dates, 100%. This man is the very definition of an introvert. If you opened a dictionary to look up the meaning of the word, his name is right there in big bold letters. So the fact that you are also more of an introvert is like a dream come true to him. No one to try and pull him out of his room for outdoor time. You two could just curl up in his room watching the latest slice of life anime, play tabletop games, or any of the various games that he has.... which is a lot.

He will never be able to admit this without his hair turning fifty shades of pink, but he loves to be able to hear you sing. The fact that you practiced for as long as you did to harness such a skill is always something that impressed him. Sure, he's had to work for years to harness certain skills that he has but nothing as skilled as working with your own voice.

Overall, honestly it's just a very wholesome relationship that you have with the gloomy housewarden. He is just thankful that you actually put up with someone like him with how self-depricating that he is about himself. But you make him smile, you make him happy, and he certainly hopes that you feel the same way.

[idleglowingpixels]

I finally got my schedule aligned with a friend of mine to watch Monster High 2 (the live action movie sequel) and I have some thoughts about it

(Keep reading only if you're okay with spoilers, I go into a lot of detail)

Monster High 2 was a solid experience altogether. The previous movie was in a similar vain, but I think the special effects budget got amped up, because everything looked stellar and just generally better than the first movie. It's still not cinema film level quality but these aren't meant to be compared to that. It's a TV movie, and for what it is I thought that (almost) everything rendered out beautifully (idk why they keep having Lagoona do the oAo thing but okay).

As per the previous film, there were lots of highs in the comedy (Frankie is always the highlight of these movies for me, Cleo taking her job as campaign manager so seriously was kinda funny to me, and a lot of the Heath shenanigans were so reminiscent of G1 to me ESPECIALLY the teasing about Clawdeen being Deuce's girlfriend and general himbo behavior), but it's also a kid's movie, so there's bound to be misses too. Comedy isn't personally my forte, but I got enough chuckles and laughs here and there that it didn't really matter to me.

The songs sounded pretty nice! I went into the movie this time without hearing any songs in advance like the first movie, and was pleasantly surprised. None of them were particularly bad to me, but I think my favorite one was the very-poorly-disguised friend breakup song with the main trio. It reminded me of a similar song in Descendants 2 ironically enough, but I don't mean that as an insult, I love the Descendants soundtracks too!

Okay, now the story of the movie…I don't really know where to begin, there's so much to talk about. I guess I can start at the beginning.

I've seen a few people complain about Clawdeen blowing up on social media and going viral when the characters would regularly go viral or get tons of views on their not-YouTube channels in G1. I know the Internet was different back in 2010, but it wasn't THAT much different going viral back then as it is now imo. I found it an odd complaint personally.

While I have no idea how a half-human ghost can exist in the first place, I ADORED the little bits where that new character was. Unfortunately I neglected to remember her name, usually I'm better with keeping up on this stuff. But she was so goofy, like yeah queen, walk through the door and immediately hit it on the way back out. 💖

The whole thing with the prefect is kind of irrelevant for the most part, so I don't mind it as much. I have an irrational love for the whole fire and water thing Heath and Lagoona got to do for it together, and I noticed characters like them actually have something to do in the movie instead of just awkwardly showing up at the end to record Komos and stand guard I guess??? And they had much more dialogue this time around (very few exceptions, I can only think of Ghoulia and Abbey but who knows, maybe they'll get to be main characters in the third movie I presume will release next year).

Torelai being a general nuisance was amazing, and here she really did feel like her G1 counterpart…if said counterpart was British lol. Her outfits were really nice, felt super edgy and it was a plus for me. I also liked the mention of her scarring from the witches in France, where she'd studied abroad, but I do think they repeated the point of her bringing it up against witches in the song was too quick after the initial mention, perhaps it could've been reserved to the song and have her sing-song her way through explaining the wraith silver.

Draculaura was the main focus in the film, and I really enjoyed her story. She's got every card stacked against her, even those she trusts, it feels like they turn on her in her point of view (Clawdeen and Ellis specifically). I've also seen characters like Ellis a billion times, but as generic as he is, he served the purpose he was in the film for (lowkey thought the name was a reference to Elphaba/Wicked Witch of the West).

Seeing Dracula as much as we did this movie was amazing, loved that, though Zamara kinda fell flat with me as an antagonist. Making a comparison here, but it felt like they were trying to replicate what they'd done with Komos in the previous film, just adjusting her to fit the new narrative, but Komos was much better executed imo (I promise this isn't my bias to Jekyll and Hyde characters showing, I just think his dynamics with the students flowed more organically). I found the whole thing about witches marketing herbal products as remedies with magical healing properties to exploit humanity's fears of appearing healthy to be funny with Z, but that's about it. I also could tell she'd be the villain a lot faster than I did with Komos haha. Seeing Apollo play a significant role here was nice too! I really like how the adult/parent characters can be just as important as the teens, as I find the lack of parent appearances in G1 to be too sparce for something so integral to the characters' stories.

As with pretty much anyone who's seen the film, it seems we were all shouting at Clawdeen towards the end to just turn human to avoid injury from the wraith silver bars (I was so confused lmao), but I think she was so desperate to save her friend that she was in too blind a panic to control that or think rationally. Frankie is in a similar vein; I thought their upgrades would've caused more pain than it'd be worth, and since we saw the electricity from their arm separating from the rest of their body earlier in the scene, it might've triggered a rush of pain to Frankie or their energy would've been zapped out like a light. Also, y’all, they thought their friend was going to forcefully commit genocide, I don’t think either of them were safe from having irrational/impulsive solutions to a situation in which their friend is literally gonna die if they take time to think critically. I do think there could’ve been better execution with the scene, especially how important it is for later, however. I may be explaining the thought process of my only other point of contention here, but it wasn’t thought out all too much imo — Deen could’ve tried to shift back and find it doesn’t work, Frankie could’ve tried to detach their hand/arm and found themselves getting hurt (but not scarred since that’s really the were-girls’ common thing).

But when Clawdeen died just from touching the bars for too long, I was so shocked it was happening from something so small, I figured the explanation was that it might drain a monster's life force or something. But I COULD NOT take the grim reaper thing seriously. Genuinely laughed my ass off cause WHAT WAS THAT??? It seemed so out of place for the pacing to me I guess. I felt like it could've been a perfect opportunity to have Komos reach out to her through his petrification, especially with how much she hangs around his statue during her troubles and looks to his statue for guidance, but I knew going in he was like 99% certain to be a one-off villain. 🥲

Anyway, Torelai and Clawdeen's little trauma bond moment with the scars at the end was very wholesome, a nice tie back to the "not afraid to show my secrets or my scars" line from Coming Out Of The Dark. And for once the franchise acknowledges were-animals as having kinship, like don't get me wrong, I know it's mainly for the cats vs dogs thing, but they're essentially the same monsters. I always found it odd that they were treated as completely different monster types entirely when all they are is just a human base with animal features and abilities (speed, agility, heightened senses, etc.).

A lot of people have a problem with Clawdeuce being a thing, but I don't mind it personally. It's a different gen, nothing has to stay the same as G1, so I’m just going along with the vibes. And I can tell Deuce leaving is going to be where we follow through in the next movie (unless he got tossed into the underworld in the end credits scene, I have no clue). To be honest I really like his prominent inclusion in the roster of characters, especially with how erased he’d get in the G1 movies (they literally cut his part of the rap out and it’s so apparent q-q).

But back to the point about the after credits, when I saw the grim reaper actually CAME BACK and just threw Deuce to the side (or maybe through the portal idk) I instantly freaked out, no laughter to be had, like "WAIT OH MY GOD WE WERE SUPPOSED TO TAKE THAT BIT FOR REAL—"

I know the third film is looking to be centered on Frankie (They 💖) but I do worry with how much elements they're taking from G1 movies to make up new/similar narratives (Drac's Sweet 1600, the previous gen's self acceptance narrative but specifically with a half human character, the emphasis on Jekyll and Hyde shenanigans, vampires vs werewolves but make it vampires vs witches instead, etc.). I just don't think another Freaky Fusion thing with Frankie sacrificing their life energy should be necessary. Especially considering the new antagonist is very clearly gonna be this Grim Reaper dude. And since the Underworld might be the main location for the third film, I wonder if the whole thing about Heath being Hades's son in the TV show will come up in the movie. Ik they're different canons from each other, but It'd be pretty interesting to see how they'd create a MH version of Hades. (I found his design from the cartoon after typing all this up and I mean, okay then I guess 🤷 Don’t love it but don’t hate it either, he just looks too nice to me haha. I love when Hades is actually a nice character, but his appearance and Resting Bitch Face make him out to be a huge dick.)

As of right now, that's basically everything I have to say on the movie. I personally prefer the first one, but I will not deny that it's because I liked Komos more as an antagonist than Zamara — antagonists are just as important as protagonists. He has the Jekyll and Hyde thing going for him too, which is just overall a favorite trope of mine (Though his change wasn’t as literal). I do think this movie had more going on and much higher stakes, what with characters almost committing mass genocide, suffering injuries and nearly outright DYING.

But I don't know, it was a solid 7/10 for me I think, on the higher end of 7 but Zamara keeps me from giving it a higher rating (sorry y'all I just REALLY didn't like her character, not even in a love to hate way, and villains’ likability matters too much for me personally). I guess my ranking for the first movie would be a low 8, but it’s based more on how much I enjoyed it than how objectively good or "perfect" it is.

[of-the-autumn]

i’ve been watching a ton of video essays on the last of us pt2 (again lol), not sure where this latest obsession came from tbh…

i’ve had some pretty strong negative opinions of this in the past but i think i’m now at the point where i consider it easily superior to tlou pt1 & possibly even one of my favourite video games of all time.

i think - as unpretentiously as possible - i really just didn’t understand it before.

my biggest complaints were around the general pacing & also the last few hours which i felt led to a drawn-out, anticlimactic & miserable ending. i’ve reframed my perspective about where i thought the ‘climax’ was supposed to be & that we were still only halfway through the story at this point. i had issues with the flashbacks breaking immersion, but i now understand how these are revealing key pieces of information at very specific points in the campaign to try & help us understand what the game is trying to do & why the characters might be reminiscing on these events.

i complained that the game was too bleak & the characters were too cynical & desensitised, all the while i was overlooking the various threads throughout the game where they are trying to be better than they are.

i always enjoyed abby more & was unfairly harsh in my dislike of ellie in pt2. i think i have a more balanced view now that they’re both fucked up people who have done some really bad things & found themselves in terrible circumstances. the game tries to draw parallels between their stories but i don’t think that means we should be making a surface comparison of ‘she did this’ vs ‘she did that.’ some aspects of their journeys are similar but they’re very different people.

i felt unsatisfied in the resolutions for both ellie & abby, but i’ve come to realise these aren’t the endings for these characters, pt2 takes us through a transitional period during the darkest times of their lives, they both finish the game ready to embark on the next part of their recovery journeys.

i think there’s a very valid argument to be made that it shouldn’t require multiple playthroughs & hours of reflection just to understand what kind of game you’ve played in order to decide whether or not you actually like it. i do think the structure of the narrative makes it impossible to properly appreciate on a first playthrough & i don’t know how i feel about that.

but ultimately i’ve really come around on pt2 & when i think back on the game as a whole now, something about it makes me feel almost hopeful - which is fucking wild considering where we started.

i’m a little concerned about the tv show, since i now understand how integral & intentional the structure of the game is in telling this story. i hope they manage to pull it off in a manner more suited to television.

[savigilante]

Putting this in the Universe

When I was little, I really thought things would someday just fall into place. No matter how bad things would get, somehow, I thought once I turned 18 & graduated high school, real life would kick in and I would be a success. I didn’t know what that would look like. I was good enough at everything but math and science. I read so fast and so well at such an early age that I made myself believe I was secretly a genius. All my “what career field should you pursue?” tests came back with the same kind of result - go into the creative fields, my girl, your brain is not built for anything else. At least that’s the message I get now that I’ve become more versed in my own specific kind of neurodivergence and trauma responses. Back then, I was sure it meant I was the next JK Rowling (which, now, ew...) or destined to be a hard-hitting journalist at Rolling Stone. I’ve always believed I have an accomplished writer living in my soul, just waiting for me to put my fingers to a keyboard and allow her to become real. Maybe that’s a delusion of grandeur. We’ll see if I have the energy to find out if I have any potential at all. But now, when I remember those visions of future me, they feel like a daydream. I never knew what steps to take to make any of them happen. I had always been smart enough not to concern anyone and did so well in some situations that they clouded the gaps to any teachers looking for “signs” of learning disabilities. My mom didn’t know that how fast I read and spoke and how lost I would get in my own little worlds and how obsessed I would become over anything I enjoyed were signs of something bigger when considered all together. When I watched Titanic a hundred times in second grade, it was more than Kate Winslet naked that made me do that. I could disappear into a three-hour film (that happened to feature Kate Winslet naked) and then my mind would just replay the film frame by frame in the time I wasn’t watching. When I was twelve, I spent an entire summer watching only The Fellowship of the Ring. I learned the whole script, devoted any amount of money I could get my hands on to buying magazines that I would paste into binders and write elvish phrases and guides and cast lists by hand. I still have one of the binders. It was the ravings of a lunatic, to be honest. At least that’s how it feels now. That obsessive behavior carried over into all my crushes. I was raised to be super religious in a very small Bible Belt town. I was known for my “boy-crazy” behavior regardless of the fact that I was terrified of them. And I’m sure I terrified them. I once got so obsessed over a senior boy when I was in seventh grade that I fished his empty Dr. Pepper bottle out of the trash. Proudly. Then I kept it on my shelf at home like a trophy for 2 years at least. LIKE why the feck that did not set off alarm bells for my adults is incredible. When I became "active" at 16, I wasted my energy on the absolute dregs of the male population at my school, angling for the attention of boys who now make me actively gag and sacrificing all of my self-worth in the process. I went off to college an hour away from home and couldn't keep up with the course load or the responsibility of living on my own while working full-time. I was inspired by the Obama campaign that fall and volunteered all my time. I leaned hard into the idea of politics as a career, only to completely make an ass of myself with a misplaced crush on my field campaign manager while I was also fighting a crush on my best girl friend. I flamed out spectacularly after the distraction of the campaign ended. I couldn't focus on class or show up most of the time and convinced myself I needed to drop out and re-evaluate back home as soon as it got really hard. When I got home, I froze in time and really never unfroze. I've fallen in love and made so much progress in theory. I have made dream trips come true and experienced real, unfiltered happiness and joy. And now I finally love myself but I am somehow still stuck.

[purplesurveys]

1654

What is one change you need to make in your life this month? A month? That’s super short-term...erm, maybe trying to figure out a new position when I sleep? I’ve been waking up with very sore shoulders and numb arms lately. What was one good thing about today? My mom finally started using what was my Christmas gift to her – a portable, foldable bathtub hahaha. She always said she’d set it up once the climate gets warmer, and now that summer’s started she stuck to her word and used it for the first time today.

What’s been tugging on your heart lately? The whole sticky situation of mine and my friends’ fate regarding Yoongi’s concert. It’s too complicated to explain in full, but basically a major part of it is that Angela was lucky enough – and was the only one in our group of 4 – to secure 1 ticket (Reena didn’t get one from the ticketing website but quickly got to snatch one from a seller, so she’s covered), and she said she’s willing to turn it over to me while she and Hans can just go around Bangkok on the day of the concert. It’s a very conflicting situation on my end because as much as she says that she picked me and genuinely wants me to go, she is also my best friend in the world and I don’t want to enjoy the show knowing that I got in with a ticket she got, in a show she should be enjoying.

I’m super 50-50 about it right now because I’m heavily leaning towards just selling the ticket so neither of us go, but anyway that’s the reason why we’re still trying to chase extra tickets from people selling theirs – we want to be complete, and we want all of us 4 to get to watch the show. We’re starting to get offers from people willing to sell their extras, so we’ll just have to see where this takes us.

Are you comfortable with who you are? Have you accepted who you are? I’m at least more at peace with myself than I was, say, three years ago. I’d say that’s as good as it would get. There’ll always be things to work on and I don’t think I’ll ever get to say I ‘accept’ myself fully.

All the money you ever need or someone to spend the rest of your life with? Money; I don’t need a lifelong partner. Decided on that a long time ago.

What is the last thing you did that made you feel guilty? THE YOONGI THING UGH. I feel both guilty and bad about it. Of fucking course I want to see Yoongi, but I don’t want it to come from a place where my friend would have to give up her ticket for me. Worst case scenario none of us go and of course, honestly speaking, that would be a huge bummer.

Would you have sex with the last person you texted? Can’t remember the last person I texted but probably not.

What was the last thing you received in the mail? Just bills for electricity and water.

Who did you last creep on? Like...stalk? Just influencer profiles I had to review to see if they’d be a good fit for one of the campaigns I’m working on.

What country would you most like to visit in the future? I’d love just to go back to Korea. One day in Jeju is too short a time to be there.

At your workplace, are you required to wear a uniform? Nah, just a dress code.

Who is the last person that gave you butterflies? I had this minor crush on a girl I had to work with for an ad/commercial shoot. She was like production manager or something like that and anyway she fit what would typically be my type...but then that all ended when our most recent shoot ended up a disaster and we had to go like...9 hours overtime. It was a very stressful situation at work and I’d rather not get into detail but anyway that marked the end of any butterflies I had for her lmao.

Do you consider weed, marijuana, pot, etc. a drug? Well, yeah.

Are you planning on kissing anyone tomorrow evening? Nope. Do you require a lot of private time? Um, not really. I like being around people, and having weekends to myself usually suffices as me-time already.

Have you ever done something humiliating while drunk? Yep.

Have you ever told a guy you were a lesbian to get him to leave you alone? Kind of? What I did before was stick closer to my partner at the time and wait for them to get the hint.

If you have a favorite television show, who’s your favorite character? Gus Fring.

-- a lil two-in-one again for this round --

Hi, Your name is? Robyn.

What was the last thing you ate? Aligue pasta.

Do you hold the singstar microphone with your right or left hand? The...what?

What’s the best part about flying? The views at the start and end. The flights themselves can get so boring, but I still gun for the window seat as much as possible as views of the city always get me in the feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeels.

Who did you last have a deep and meaningful conversation with? Andi. I talked to them about my struggles with enjoying wrestling these days, and how I was starting to come to terms with the fact that I can’t actually digest technical wrestling and mostly watch shows for their entertainment/storyline value. Very WWE way of doing things – which is why I’ve always struggled to get into other promotions. It prompted Andi to open up and they got into this whole spiel of what technical wrestling is really all about, and taught me some mental notes to take note of the next time I watch wrestling so I can get into the in-ring chemistry more. They gave me some sample matches to watch too, just so I can understand better what they meant with their tips. Really loved that conversation. 

Any vacations planned? Yeah I’ve now got two in June. Bangkok with friends, and then Kuala Lumpur with family that same week. The latter has me going CRAZY because my mom booked it to be the same week I’m flying back to Manila from Bangkok :((((( So basically, I arrive in Manila from Bangkok on a Tuesday morning; then Friday evening I’ll be on a plane again en route to KL. It’ll be such a hectic couple of weeks for me lol.

Who were you last in a car with? Mom and siblings.

Do you play any sports? Table tennis.

Which friend have you known the longest? Angela and I have been friends for 18 years.

Do you drink the recommended 6-8 glasses of water per day? No. I drink a lot of water in a day, but not up to 8 glasses.

How many times have you been to Wet'n'Wild? What’s that?

Did you ever watch Sailor Moon? No, not into anime.

Chocolate or Vanilla ice cream? Honestly neither since I find chocolate to be too strong a flavor and vanilla too bland; but if I didn’t have a choice I might just go with chocolate.

Do you have a facebook? Yes.

Favourite shop? Ncat, hahahahaha.

What was the last thing you brought on ebay? I’ve never bought anything from eBay.

Did you know that Deli Lama is actually a person and not a Llama? Deli Lama??????????

Do you think Merryl Streep can actually sing in Mamma Mia? Idk I’ve never seen that movie and am not interested.

What gym do you have a membership to? None.

What do you want for Christmas? Damn, I have to pick this early? Hahaha at this point, if anyone asked me I’d probably just ask for Yoongi tickets.

Do you think hiptops should be called “shit tops”? I have no idea what this question is talking about.

If you had to get glasses would you wear contacts? I can’t stand anything being put near or in my eyes, so no. I’ll always prefer glasses.

Are Mac’s really better than PC’s? I’m sure both have their strengths but having experienced both, I prefer Macs. My old HP laptop lagged all the time and was a hub for viruses and it was all generally just very stressful for me lol.

Favourite drink? Just cold water.

Have you ever been to the snow? No, I’ve never seen snow.

New Year’s Plans? No clue, it’s too early to plan for that.

Would you agree that Sex and The City is the best show ever? I’ve never seen it but I’m pretty confident there are tons of better shows.

Do you call your friends with red hair “ranga’s”? No?

Should Paris Hilton consider running for president? No.

If you were to go to prison for one thing, what would it be? Idk man. Maybe disrespecting police because ACAB and because I realistically would have no problem doing that when push comes to shove, and especially if I feel disrespected first.