#but yes i do agree their dynamic would be not only hilarious but amazing to see

[beanghostprincess]

Only good thing about Pudding's current situation is that she's in close proximity to Garp. Grandpa & her need to bond. He needs to adopt her as his granddaughter asap. Then he needs to help her harness her ridiculous strength (I'm choosing to believe her being able to damage Germa exoskeleton is more than a gag) so she can Pudding Punch tf outta Blackbeard. Maybe even the fist of love too. He'll be the Zeff to her Sanji.

The guilt after Marineford is so huge that Garp be collecting grandkids like Pokemon now

[lurkingshan]

Your list of ride or die couples is iconic and has so many of my faves, flower of evil bad buddy it's okay that's love lighter and princess one spring night like yes give me a show where the entire story is two individuals willing to take on the world together and for each other, it's my favorite dynamic and we don't get a lot of it especially in heterosexual couples. You have amazing taste and I would take any other suggestions you have of the same dynamic.

Hi anon! Thank you for the kind words, I do agree that I have amazing taste. :) The Ride or Die list is specifically about drama couples who we get to see be in a confirmed romantic relationship for at least half of the drama's run, with their relationship development the primary focus of the plot. I think of them as battle couples; they face challenges together and stay loyal even when they struggle. There actually are not that many of these in dramaland, which is why they are so precious to me and why I hold them close.

That said, since I wrote that post I do think we have gotten a few more entries for the list, so here are some additional recs for you:

Won and Sarang, King the Land

(S Korea, Netflix)

It was getting salty about fan reaction to this show that inspired the Ride or Die list in the first place, and I am happy to report that when it finished its run, these two were still a rock solid couple. This drama is entirely about their relationship and we get lots of time with them as an established couple getting to know each other and settling into a great relationship. I love it and will stab anyone who says it's boring.

Ten and Prem, Cooking Crush

(Thailand, YouTube)

Ten and Prem, my beloveds! These two meet, start liking each other, and move into dating in relatively short order, and the back half of the show has them navigating a slew of external conflicts that would normally result in a lot of breakups and false starts. But not for them! They slay every relationship demon via the power of communication.

Maki and Haruta, Ossan's Love Returns

(Japan, Gagaoolala)

This one comes with a caveat that this is technically a sequel season, and the first one would very much not qualify them for this list. But you don't have to watch that first season if you don't want to, and in this return they are a couple the entire time and there is just so much time spent on them navigating their relationship and facing every day life challenges. They're an extremely charming pair.

Yuanzhou and Ruyi, A Journey to Love

(China, iQIYI)

The most literal battle couple on this list, we have ourselves an assassin and spy master pair here. They meet, she decides he's the perfect baby daddy specimen, and a hilarious pursuit begins. These two get together remarkably early for a cdrama and face just so many trials and tribulations, phew. But they face them together in their color coded costumes and look amazing doing it. CW: the plot is basically about them and a band of buds leading a suicide mission so, uh, there will be many deaths, and their ending can be read as ambiguous but IMO is actually quite a happily ever after in context.

Achi and Karan, Cherry Magic Thailand

(Thailand, Viu)

Karan and Achi are so into each other it's embarrassing, and we get to see them build and deepen and maintain their relationship every step of the way. This one is a little harder to watch--you will need a VPN if you're not in Thailand--but so worth the effort, trust me. And you may recognize this actor pair from the main list, because they are in fact the same beautiful faces behind Pete and Kao of Dark Blue Kiss. Congratulations to Tay Tawan and New Thitipoom for being the only actors who have achieved the honor of making the coveted Ride or Die list twice.

[sassybluee]

Dramas in 2023 roundup!

It's midway thru January, but it's never too late to reflect on the year before. I think I watched the most dramas I've ever had this past year, so I wanted to write a little roundup with my thoughts.

Here's an overview of the ones I completed!

Unchained Love (2022) ⭐️ 7.5

I've Fallen for You (2020) ⭐️ 8

Miss the Dragon (2021) ⭐️ 7

The Rational Life (2021) ⭐️ 9

Till the End of the Moon (2023) ⭐️8.5

A Romance of the Little Forest (2022) ⭐️ 7

Back from the Brink (2023) ⭐️ 8.5

The Starry Love (2023) ⭐️ 7.5

The Wolf (2020) ⭐️ 8.5

My Journey to You (2023) ⭐️ 8

Never Give Up (2023) ⭐️ 8.5

Ancient Love Poetry (2021) ⭐️ 9

Destined With You (2023) ⭐️ 7.5

Here are the ones I placed on hold/dropped

Legend of Anle

Love You Seven Times

Love in Flames of War

Only for Love (dropped)

The Snow Moon (dropped)

More detailed thoughts below the cut!

Unchained Love (2022) ⭐️ 7.5

Part palace drama, part comedy, this was a fun ride. I really liked watching the relationship between Bu Yinlou and Xiao Duo develop from friendship into romance. The comedy moments were really well done, and had me actually laughing out loud. The fight sequences were also really well done, and I liked the costumes. However, the last five or so episodes had such an abrupt tonal shift, and there were some questionable decisions made by otherwise smart characters, so it kind of fell flat at the end. BUT I would still watch it again, just maybe just skip the last eps.

I've Fallen for You (2020) ⭐️ 8

I didn't expect to like this one as much as I did. The basic concept is: childhood sweethearts try to find their way back to each other, end up married after a strange series of events, but they aren't sure their spouse is the childhood sweetheart they're looking for. It's silly, cute, and very good fun. I really liked the secondary couple as well. The ending managed to make me very emotional, which surprised me. And I enjoyed that the heroine was a fan of doing autopsies (something that does occasionally become plot-relevant).

Miss the Dragon (2021) ⭐️ 7

Okay, first off, I know this one has a reputation of being a bad drama. And tbh, I agree! Objectively, it's not very good. HOWEVER! The viewing experience? Was so fun. The characters? Very entertaining. The frenemy dynamic between the ML and 2ndML? Hilarious and also a bit gay. The FL is a bit flat, but she does develop more personality through her various reincarnations. My fave life of hers was the 3rd, I believe (the lady general arc). Wang Hedi's acting is not the best but I still think he's very cute lol and he's watchable! It's just maybe not what you'd expect from him if you saw CLJ or The Rational Life first.

The Rational Life (2021) ⭐️ 9

Yes, this was for a bit of a palate cleanser after the overall ride that was Miss the Dragon. I wasn't sure if I'd be into the modern cdrama genre cuz fantasy/historical is more my preferred vibe of media, HOWEVER, I wanted to give it a shot because I'd seen some cute gifs. I really loved it, far more than I expected to. Every character was really well done, and I really liked how the story was centred on women's experiences in various workplaces/times in their life. It also gave me age gap brainrot, I won't lie. I loved the gradual build from coworkers to friendship to romance with Qi Xiao and Shen Ruoxin. I will say tho... I would like to know what whoever dressed Wang Hedi in this show was thinking. Some of those outfits were... a choice lol.

Till the End of the Moon (2023) ⭐️ 8.5

Everyone has seen or at least heard about it at this point. Dare I say it's iconic? I won't lie, my rating upon finishing it was lower. I had issues with the pacing in parts and I found the last episodes difficult to get thru because they just didn't capture my attention the way the beginning of the drama did. However, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. Plus, the performances by Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu are amazing. And I really feel they embody the "enemies to lovers" trope better than anyone!

A Romance of the Little Forest (2022) ⭐️ 7

Tbh... this show deserves less than a 7, but I rated it as such because I love my queen Xinxin, and her chemistry with Zhang Binbin was good. I think this would've worked better as a 24-episode drama, as the last couple plot arcs felt kind of tacked on. It's great if you want to see Yu Shuxin in various adorable outfits and a fun fake dating plot, but maybe stopping midway is good enough. Fair warning, the second couple's storyline was awful on several levels. Essentially, the man lies about being in a wheelchair to garner sympathy with his crush, who herself is partially Deaf. Yeah, it's BAD. Just skip all their scenes.

Back from the Brink (2023) ⭐️ 8.5

I really enjoyed this, especially how silly it could be. They really amped up the humour, and to me that worked well. At the same time, there were also some very heartfelt moments that made me tear up. I really liked the side couples as well, they were all quite likeable. It was just a really fun show from beginning to end.

The Starry Love (2023) ⭐️ 7.5

I really enjoyed this, up until the last arc. I found after that, it dragged a bit. To be honest, it dragged a bit in earlier parts too. What saved it for me was the humour, the relationship between the two sisters, the Void Realm subplots, and the adorable Di Lanjue. Unfortunately, Yetan/Youqin didn't really do much for me, but I still found them enjoyable at times.

The Wolf (2020) ⭐️ 8.5

This was a surprise for me. I didn't expect I'd like it much going in, but I still wanted to give it a try for my guy Xiao Zhan. I'd tried watching it before when it first aired, but I found the first couple episodes too cheesy. I still found them incredibly cheesy this time, but after about midway through episode 3 when the main plot kicked off, I found myself really invested. Fair warning, Xiao Zhan only shows up in episode 11, so if you're watching it just for him, you may be disappointed. Fortunately, I found myself invested in all the characters quite a bit. If you like messy toxic bitches, this is the drama for you. Warning: there was an attempted rape scene I found quite uncomfortable (though it's not played as being romantic, thankfully). There are a couple other dubcon incidents I wasn't a huge fan of, and one character has a miscarriage. Just things to keep in mind before viewing.

My Journey to You ⭐️ 8

Where do I even start here? Once again, I probably should rate it lower, because the story itself is a mess. HOWEVER, the characters, aesthetics, and cinematography are all excellent. The characters are really what stayed with me the most, and the episode focusing on Yun Que was devastating in all the best ways. The beginning episodes were also fantastic, the way the story unfurled. It just became clear in the latter half of the series that the writer had written himself into a corner and didn't know how to get out. Frustrating, but I don't regret my journey with this show (heh, get it). It's for that reason I'm not sure I can ever rec it to anyone, but I'll gladly talk about it to anyone who will listen.

Never Give Up (2023) ⭐️ 8.5

This was a fun office sitcom-style drama that I really breezed through after the horror show that was MJTY. Lighthearted with short episodes, it was very enjoyable. If you've ever worked in an office, you can probably relate. Once again, I'd like to speak with whoever dressed Wang Hedi cuz they made some interesting choices lol.

Ancient Love Poetry (2021) ⭐️ 9

Another surprise for me. I had tried the first episodes a while back and found it a bit dense, but restarting it this year I found it a lot more interesting. Maybe having more xianxia general knowledge helped me out. It was a really beautifully done drama. The CGI and sets were all superb. There was a whole host of characters to get invested in as well. It was a truly epic story from start to finish.

Destined With You (2023) ⭐️ 7.5

The one Kdrama on this list! I really loved the two actors, their chemistry, and the plot in general, but the pacing in the middle took me out a bit. I would still recommend watching it, as there was lots to enjoy. The modern with magic elements were really intriguing, as was the concept of past lives. I also like that the ML and 2ndML work together instead of constantly butting heads once it becomes clear who the FL will pick. The flashbacks to the past life were also really interesting--I wish we'd had more of that tbh! I'll definitely be looking out for both actors in other dramas!

As for the shows I placed on hold, I will likely stop lying to myself and drop them. But I might give them another shot before doing so. I'm still really disappointed by Only for Love, but I couldn't bring myself to finish it. Not even the power of Didi and Bai Lu could make me do it. It just got too frustrating.

Now, I'm currently watching Story of Kunning Palace, Royal Rumours, and The Last Immortal. I'm not super sold on the last 2, but SOKP has really grabbed me by the throat (just like Xie Wei to Jiang Xuening) so I'm glad to be starting the year off strong!

[princepaddy]

‘I wanted all eyes on me’ – The OA and Shadow and Bone star Patrick Gibson on his acting pedigree

After the Netflix series that gave Patrick Gibson his break-out role was cancelled, it was no doubt tempting to jump at the next thing that came along. But the Dubliner — who has been acting since age eight — has chosen his roles carefully to forge a long-term career. It helps that he’s had his thespian parents, Lenny Abrahamson, and a clown professor to guide him.

A solidarity exists among those who survived hotel quarantine during the pandemic. On encountering a fellow detainee in the free world, an immediate bond forms over a shared experience in enforced confinement, and occasionally, so does a dynamic of oneupmanship.

“A fortnight without an open window,” I’ve smugly responded of my own quarantine episode, to those who underwent a mere week to 10 days with a terrace. “It was tough, yet strangely cathartic, and actually quite spiritual in some ways,” I then deliver with a martyred air.

Consequently, I feel completely diminished by Patrick Gibson’s multiple bouts with room-serviced captivity. “I think I did it five times,” the actor casually estimates, scratching a whiskered chin. “Once in Australia, once in America and a couple of times while going back and forth between the UK and Belgium.”

He’s unsure how long in total, something I chalk up to a coping mechanism from the residual trauma. “Maybe,” he agrees. “I mean, the days blended into each other. I did keep a video diary as a way not to lose my mind, but I’m too terrified to look back at it now. And I had it easy compared to some of my friends who’re actors. A couple I know were in and out of quarantine once a month.”

With each stint in confinement preceding an acting job, Gibson explains that all delivered the perfect duration in which to learn lines; to find a character’s motivation, and even workshop with a clown professor. Yes, you read that right — a clown professor.

“I was quarantining in Brisbane to work on a film I was shooting in Australia called The Portable Door which has a lot of physical comedy in the script, something I’ve never done. I’ve never done comedy — there’s actually nothing scarier than doing comedy because the reaction is so much more immediate. You know if you do something and people don’t laugh, you’re in trouble. It’s not as nuanced as drama.

“So I did workshops on Zoom with a clown professor. He’s an amazing movement coach teaching in one of the best drama schools in Australia. And it was about facing the fear of falling on your face, which is at the core of clowning; getting comfortable with that, not giving a shit if you make an idiot of yourself. It was actually way more philosophical than I expected. The theory of clowning is so fascinating.”

I’m disappointed with the distinct lack of clown tropes in his account of the experience: no red squeaky nose, no water-squirting flower. There must have been some slapstick involved.

“There was a physical [slapstick]. He would get a chair, give himself a simple task to unfold the chair and do a 60-minute routine, which was hilarious. And I learned from that, just doing simple things and allowing myself to flow with it. He’d have me waving my arm around, and then he’d click his fingers, and I’d be waving the other one, or my leg, or some other crazy action. Jumping up and down. Using my whole body.

“If I was being monitored [during quarantine], they’d have thought I was losing it in there.”

It’s Friday evening in Los Angeles. Gibson (27) who found fame with the Netflix cryptic fantasy series The OA, talks to me from his hotel room. “At least this one I can come and go from,” he laughs with a drawn-out titter.

He periodically repositions the camera during our video call, often at an upward angle, which for most of us would manufacture a furl of unfortunate chins, but only serves to enhance his pale, cinematic features.

The Dubliner, raised in Stillorgan and schooled at Gonzaga College in Ranelagh, is on a flying visit to meet his agents, Dar Rollins and Andrew Kurland at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), who between them represent and negotiate for screen luminaries such as Michael Keaton, Samuel L Jackson and Sarah Michelle Gellar.

I’m imagining the agency as an open-plan office, with blinding white furnishings, floor-to-ceiling views of the Hollywood sign, and skittish assistants clumsily clutching scripts and offering green juices. “Well no, not quite,” Gibson smiles.“ But we went for a coffee on a roof of some fancy hotel, which was still very LA.”

Since a breakout role as a disaffected delinquent in The OA — a supernatural, sometimes baffling series, circling near-death experiences and alternate universes — Gibson has ricocheted from sumptuous costume saga in The Spanish Queen; to Gen Z romcom In A Relationship, alongside Emma Roberts; and a West End stage debut in Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer-winning Sweat.​

Meanwhile, the fruits of his quarantine labour are set for imminent release, including a second season of Channel 4 crime series Before We Die; independent teen drama, Good Girl Jane, lauded at the recent Tribeca Film Festival and a central role in the next run of Netflix mega-hit Shadow and Bone.

As a rule, agents largely guide and counsel an actor towards success, while sometimes inadvertently steering them into failure. Does Gibson feel comfortable placing his full faith in his LA-based representatives?

“Good agents, who you feel completely at ease with, who understand your goals and what’s right for you, they will have your back. And [my agents] have my back. Right now, there’s so much content being made with all the streaming platforms, it’s important to know the next thing you’re going into is right for you. Because once you’re in, it’s a big commitment.

“Shadow and Bone, that’s six months of the year. That’s a massive project to sign on for, so it’s important to have a team of people to discuss with, feel it out. Some have their own motivations and will encourage you to work on something that serves the immediate, rather than the long-term plan. A good agent will encourage you to say no if you need to.”

At just 27 and still in the infancy of his career, is saying no to work frightening? “Saying no is scarier than saying yes but it shouldn’t be. Also, if you say no to something, people can then assume you’re not working but I don’t think it’s good to make decisions over what others might think of you.”

For Gibson, performance is in the DNA. His parents, Irish mum Kate and his dad, Richard, who was born in Uganda and raised in the UK, met and fell in love as actors on London’s West End. “One of them was doing a Noël Coward play I think, I can’t remember what the other was [doing].”

While Kate walked away from acting, ultimately transitioning into marketing, Richard continued his career on stage and screen, notably doing a 10-year stint as Nazi buffoon Herr Flick in the iconic BBC sitcom ’Allo ’Allo!.

During summer breaks from school, young Patrick and his older brother Billy played backstage during Richard’s touring stage productions, mingling with cast and crew. For Patrick, a seed was planted. “The costumes, the transformative atmosphere, the creativity — it captured my imagination.”

Gibson tagged along to his father’s theatrical agency in Dublin, communicating his desire to act. Aged eight, he landed his first commercial for Vodafone and enrolled in afterschool drama classes, the latter a futile exercise.

“I remember briefly doing Betty Ann Norton, Billie Barry [stage schools], and my parents being told, ‘This kid is not designed to be in this environment, he’s too mental’. I imagine I was incredibly annoying to teach; must have been a nightmare. I had no interest in group collaboration. I wanted all eyes on me.”

This unapologetic self-interest proved rewarding on the local audition circuit, with Gibson and his brother cast as Liam Cunningham’s sons in a 2007 RTÉ production of Maeve Binchy’s Anner House. Shot in Cape Town, it’s the only time Gibson has travelled to the African continent. While far removed from his father’s childhood home in Uganda, it gave Richard the opportunity to introduce his children to a taste of his African upbringing.

“Dad left Africa when he was 10, moved to London when his father was working there and he had a mad transition. Uganda was all he knew, and he’s told us how wonderful it was to grow up there and then he moved to the UK where it was grey and miserable. So being able to revisit Africa with us as kids was significant for him. He brought us to Kruger National Park, which isn’t in Uganda but he had been there as a child and it was a special trip for all of us.”

By the time Gibson attended Gonzaga, he had appeared in a couple of episodes of The Tudors and was a ‘lost boy’ in Neverland, Sky’s expansive adaptation of Peter Pan. “That’s where the penny dropped. That’s when I realised, ‘Yeah, I really want to do this’.”

Disappointment came with an audition for Game of Thrones’ adolescent despot Joffrey Baratheon, a role which ultimately went to Cork’s Jack Gleeson. “I was 15, maybe 16 and I know I got close. Not final two, but I got really close. But Jack was Joffrey. There’s a DNA in every part that casting directors are looking to match that up with. When you see it, it’s undeniable. I’ve had parts I don’t get because no matter how hard I work on that character, there’s somebody who matches up [more than I do].”

A successful casting for Lenny Abrahamson’s What Richard Did as an impressionable young sidekick to Jack Reynor’s titular anti-hero heightened his profile and fostered an enduring relationship with the Oscar-nominated director. Abrahamson was directly instrumental in Gibson studying philosophy at Trinity College.

“I was thinking about doing philosophy, and at the same time talking about drama school and Lenny gave me the nudge. He said: ‘If you want to be an actor for the rest of your life, do something now that’s different. And if you’re going to act for the rest of your life, philosophy demands you look at everything from every angle.’ It encourages you to analyse and assess beyond a linear point of view.”

However, Gibson struggled to balance work and college. “I missed classes, tutorials. I missed my exams two years running,” and after landing The OA in 2015 and relocating to New York for five months, his studies had to be ultimately sacrificed. “I will go back, some day,” he promises with a cackle.

The OA was a complex learning experience for Gibson. Conceived by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, the creative duo behind indie efforts The East and Sound Of My Voice, the series was a psychedelic blend of comic-book fantasy and murky mystery, and hailed as being both brilliant and baffling. One critic called it, “bonkers with a vengeance,” while another dismissed it as “gripping but annoying”.

With Marling taking centre stage as a blind woman missing for seven years who reappears with her vision restored, a mysterious carving on her back and a flat-out refusal to disclose where she had been, the show amassed a keen audience who were left bereft after the shock cancellation in 2019, leaving the storyline on a cliffhanger.

Some were so disappointed they raised funds for a ‘Save The OA’ digital billboard in New York’s Times Square, with one devotee going on hunger strike outside of Netflix’s LA offices.

Gibson was deflated by the cancellation. “I got a call from Brit and Zal when I was coming back from a music festival, which was a slight buzzkill. And they said, ‘We have some sad news’. From their side, while everything in that show had been a challenging thing to make, I found the whole journey was so bizarre and magical. And it didn’t feel that out of the ordinary the way it ended. With something like Shadow and Bone, that would surprise me if it was cancelled that way but, with The OA, it felt right in a strange way.”

Shadow and Bone is Gibson’s second punt with the Netflix machine. Joining the hugely successful show in its second season, after the debut series drew in 55 million viewers in its first 28 days, long-term success appears a more likely outcome.

Adapted from a series of popular fantasy novels by Leigh Bardugo, the glossy saga boasts a central band of heroes and cads with varying degrees of magical capabilities. Starring Chronicles Of Narnia’s Ben Barnes, British-American actor Zoë Wanamaker and Irish newcomer Danielle Galligan, audiences were gripped by an interspersing, sweeping narrative framed against the battle for Ravka, a fictional realm heavily influenced by Imperialist Russia and the reign of the Tzars.

Joining the conflict is Gibson’s Nikolai Lantsov, a prince of Ravka masquerading as a pirate — a duality the actor relished. “He’s a prince and a pauper, an alter ego in disguise and he brings this massive bravado; a pirate who has this massive ship, has got this massive swagger. Kind of like Robert Downey Jr in Iron Man, he gets on people’s nerves but he’s also hard to hate. Underneath, he’s vulnerable, not given a chance by his family. It was fascinating to be able to explore both sides of that person.”

With Lantzov a standout fan favourite of the book series, the actor is keenly aware of a pressure to please with his take on the character. Unusually for an actor in his 20s, Gibson employs a veteran’s perspective to quieten such anxieties.

“With movies and TV shows, everything is talked about like it’s life and death, and it can often feel like it is, but at the end of the day, it’s not. Other people’s jobs are — some literally.”

He tells me his brother Billy — now a father of two, who works as a cardiologist in a Dublin hospital — is a massive inspiration. ​

“Working a 24-hour shift, then taking his kids to the pool, has a few hours off, then goes straight on to another night shift. And the stakes he’s dealing with, the health and well-being of people, their actual lives — it always puts it in perspective for me.”

Quite the effective reality touchstone, I remark. But does it always work?

“You hear actors complaining all the time. We’re the number one for it. But you know what, it’s absolutely unwarranted because to get to do this as a job is the most fortunate thing in the world. It really is. And I won’t take that for granted.”

[rebeccalouisaferguson]

Hello! I am the anonymous person who wrote on October 24 that I finally saw Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. And I did it in the cinema (finally) Initially I was going to limit myself to the first two paragraphs, but then… I'm terribly sorry, hahahaha

TLDR: I really enjoyed the movie, but I have questions about it.

I must say right away that it's completely useless for me to evaluate Dead Reckoning Part One without the upcoming eighth part. This is a movie where a lot of things happen and nothing happens at all 😄 Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise put the characters in their places throughout the film, and now absolutely everything depends on the eighth part: if it fails, then the seventh part will fail. Chris and Tom have been saying lately that whenever they release a new film, they always want to outdo themselves with a new film together. Well, let's see what they will do with the eighth part, because splitting into multiple parts is something new for them.

That's why I can't say anything about Ilsa Faust: it's weird and sad and the most monstrous moment in the entire franchise, but at the same time we have no context at all. As I said, a lot depends on the eighth part. In the worst case scenario, only the first six missions will exist for me.

What bothers me most is the camera choices in this film. I mean, I get why they chose digital cameras, given the difficulties of shooting the Train Scene, the Motorcycle Jump, the Rome Car Chase. But if Fallout looked large-scale and majestic, DR didn't give me that feeling. However, I appreciated the dynamics during the conversation scenes. And these action scenes are freaking amazing. And I just love Dutch angles. I just hope the eighth film will give us great scenes on IMAX cameras like Fallout did, or at least we will see an improved version of the seventh film.

Mission Impossible wouldn't be Mission Impossible if it weren't for a bunch of small details that I would like to return to this franchise for. In this regard, the seventh film was no exception. Three things that have come to my mind right now:

In my opinion, Dead Reckoning Part One has a cool way to create dynamics by splitting into two moods: there's a dark direction in one scene, and Ghost Protocol-style humor in the next one. Humor is once again used to poke fun at the rules of the franchise (the Shea Whigham thing is great. How come they didn't think of this before)

Vanessa Kirby is amazing as Hayley Atwell, lol. This episode reminded me the little scene where Benji pretends to be Solomon, but when Henry Cavill figures it out, Sean Harris starts acting like Simon Pegg which is one of the hilarious things in Fallout.

During the scene where Gabriel makes a comically pompous speech, the sound went off in our cinema hall for a second. People were like, “Huh?”, but then the sound came back. I think that was The Entity broking into our cinema and breaking the fourth wall, lol. But seriously speaking, did you pay attention to the sound of the Entity after the closing credits? I wonder if it's just a reference or something more? I won't mind if it turns out that the Entity hacked the seventh movie and somehow Ilsa is alive.

So, I'm looking forward to the eighth film for which Tom and Chris will have to shoot the biggest stunt in the franchise: the reasonable return of Ilsa Faust.

Hi! Glad you watched the film and really happy you enjoyed most of it. Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I agree about digital cameras and since they are getting 3 weeks of IMAX for MI8 hopefully it will be shot for IMAX, the feel is definitely different. And yes, of course, hopefully things get explained and expanded in the next film so we can see the whole picture and decide how MI7 ranks in the franchise.

[wheneclipsefalls]

This 🥔 is the icon of ❤🧡💛💚💙💜🫂...

BABE—— Please, do not leave the credit to me only!!! Please know that you're one of the most amazing, talented, beautiful writer that I ever known!!! I honestly can't count the total of my fingers for how many times I've reread it again and again! Thank you so much for fulfilling my wish and desire to read an alpha x beta dynamic fiction work for Neteyam and readerreader❤🧡💛💚💙💜🫂

I'm not gonna lie. I was scared that you won't accept it at first. And here, I need to admit the hilariously long request of the first alpha Neteyam x beta reader is me too. I was about to dig my grave but, oh, your words lighten up me and part of my world. So, I decided, let me throw in another request that has more flexible for the writer, and thus, it came the great masterpiece of yours!!!

The fact there weren't many piece of alpha x beta dynamic in most of my favorite OTPs always left me sad. And I'm not a good writer to be honest, and I'm also not good with keeping tabs. So, there wasn't an official work of mine. Which is why I want to thank you so much for fulfilling a gal's dream🥺🥺

Speaking of which, I would like to gratitude my blissful happiness by writing a snippet of alpha Neteyam x beta reader (but different concept) I would likely throw in by still being 🥔 if you don't mind and would like to read it, it might take days, though.

Of all things happened, this made up my day when I thought it could be worse. Thank you for everything, Eclipse. And now, I can't wait more for the... Ma Neteyam series😌😎😏

By the way, since you probably be working it for a long time. I won't bother you in the very meantime, but I must tell you that I have one and another two tempting ideas that can be considered a second and third to alpha Neteyam x beta reader, but it won't surround to them (instead, it's Kiri x Ao'nung, Lo'ak x Tsireya), if you ever feel the desire to write so, just shout out to me. Sayyyy... 🥔!!! I'm saying this because you're the one I feel like possible to bring out this dynamic, and I trust you ❤🧡💛💚💙💜🫂. I would only briefly describe a bit of the concept too and the dynamic still totally goes with you❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

Gosh, I'm seriously taking up to much space and words at this point. Even so, I sincerely wish you could feel my gratitude upon these messages. I'm not good with words, and there is probably grammar mistake, but it is all I want to tell you. Thank you so much for everything🫶🫶. And, do call me... 🥔 (honestly, it's the only thing that could never go wrong in any cookings and baking and snacking etc., unless it's in the wrong hands😱😱😱)

Bye, and have a nice day everyday. 😘😉🥰.

Oh my gosh HEY BABE IT'S YOU🥳! This makes me even happier that I was able to fulfill your request. Truly it was so much fun! I agree there really are not many alpha x beta stories in certain fandoms, but I guess that is true for omegaverse in general. I started writing omegaverse for Avatar just because I couldn't find many stories with the full dynamic and second gender stuff so it always makes me happy to see that I'm not the only one that enjoys it! (Honestly when I first posted Ma Neteyam I was worried people would find it so bizarre😅)

And YES! I would absolutely love to read whatever you write (but also do not feel pressured to do it just to make me happy)! You are seriously so adorable, bestie!😘 You're kind words are so greatly appreciated, they make me smile to big! Writing brings me so much joy and I'm just happy to get to share it with people 🥲, especially those that understand my Avatar obsession haha.

My request box is getting a little full and I do need to focus on Ma Neteyam for a week or so but you could always just throw it in there. It gives me time to let the idea stew and plot for it. Most of my creative process is me just daydreaming about different possibilities while I'm at work or school😂

(Your comment about potatoes has me literally cackling!🤣🤣 If I was told I have to pick one food only to eat for the rest of my life I would choose potatoes because there are a million ways to make them and EVERY SINGLE ONE is so freakin good!)

My inbox is always open for you, love <3 I hope you have the best day!

[taohs]

i hope youre doing okay now!! im so sorry to hear about the hospitalization, always take care of yourself extra now + dont forget to drink water! ;u;

yor is such an amazing character, besides being really pretty her character development and how she always strives to be the best for her family is what i love about her too! csm trio is hilarious 😂 the differences in each of their personalities creates such a good dynamic surprisingly hahaha. so far i have no idea which character i like from csm since ive only seen a few episodes but itd probably be aki or power! as for sxf i also like yor and anya both. their relationship is one thats warmed me to my core everytime i see them interact :')

yes mushikaburi-hime came out this fall season! i love the prince/princess kind of shoujos bc i havent seen many animated and it just catches me off guard some times with how the main couple interact.

heres a few questions that came to mind: what are your favorite colors? how about your top 3 favorite animes and a little as to why you love them so much! - your animanga secret santa c:

thank you so much! i’ve been resting and sleeping a lot nowadays so i am healing properly!! ❤️❤️ i agree with everything you said about yor and the csm trio!! i love found family tropes so much and it’s so nice seeing the hayakawa family slowly growing fond of one another and taking care of each other. they mean so so much to me :’) anya’s attachment to yor is the sweetest thing ever!! yor loves her little girl so much, it warms my heart to see her trying her best to be a good mother for anya 🥹

hmm i would say i am a big fan of pastel colors! they are just so pretty and soothing to look at, and i especially love the color pink and blue! my top anime i would say is attack on titan. i’ve fallen in love with it at the beginning of this year because the storytelling and plot twists just blows me away. it has such a strong story and a great cast of characters. it’s kept me hooked from the beginning and the way isayama writes different relationships in the story just makes my heart cry 😭 ALSO ALL OF THE SOUNDTRACKS ARE SO GOOD

my other top anime would be demon slayer!! the animation and the characters are just so so 🙏🙏🙏👌👌 i feel like the story is really fun even if it’s simple and easy to follow. my third one is probably tied with haikyuu or hxh! i cant choose between these two haha. i always cry whenever i watch hq since it’s genuinely so wholesome and i love all of the teams so much. meanwhile all of hxh’s arcs are really strong and compelling, i’ve probably rewatched them all so many times over and i haven’t gotten bored of it yet! do you have a top 3 of your own my santa? c:

[lnkedmyheart]

Oh wow...you and I have VERY different opinions lmfao! But here's why I disagree on some personally.

What I mean by Voltron being generic is that I have seem about 20 shows with similar concepts, many executed better. Now this could be because I used to be a big fan of old mech anime. Of course in terms of newer stuff vld would be a bit different. I wouldn't mind reading your 3500 words if you ever write them though.

Seriously though, too many writers.

Oh my god yes. 😭

You heathen! How dare you!? Lol. No I can see why you might not like him, he does fall under a specific type of character. But I think he's adorable, vulnerable and more. And see I don't need to know more about characters and their past since I am a huge fan of leaving the backstories out and letting people flesh things out. Personally I could tell you more about Shiro than I could about Coran that isn't some random quirky moment that adds anything to his character.

Honestly yes, reboots are either hits or misses. But I do think with a reboot like vld, which is an IP owned by many MANY people there is very little creative control.

I disagree. While Kallura had a lot of potential thematically, Keith was beyond uninterested in any romance, least of all with Allura. Even in the og golion series kallura was pretty shoehorned in which was fixed in the later voltron reboots. I don't see Keith ending up with anyone in vld.

I disagree actually. Given Zarkon's incredibly compelling backstory and his insane power scaling he could have been an amazing villain. Vld just sucked as a while in regards to writing villains that weren't hilariously black or white.

I don't think Keith's arcs were skipped over, more like rushed. In all honesty he was maybe the only paladin who got multiple arcs. None of them particularly well done but many of them. I also don't think Axca is all that interesting that she can be paired off convincingly with one of the main mains especially since her entire personality revolves around dudes she follows around.

The black paladins episode is objectively the most watched episode in the show and the only one with actual emotional payoff that didn't have me rolling my eyes considering how cheesy vld had a tendency to be. While I do have my issues with it but it was the culmination of Keith's growth so far so I gotta disagree.

HARD disagree. It is in fact vulnerable and deep. Their dynamic forms the emotional core of the story and the difference in their interactions with each other vs other paladins is noticeably different within the same scenes to a degree that it can be memed. I still think they are borderline boring with how healthy they are and I will admit that this episode with the conflict was only possible because of convoluted shenanigans since neither of them really enter a proper conflict that they don't resolve with some talking.

Agreed.

Alteans were a walking deus ex Machina. They just randomly develop world breaking abilities at the drop of a hat.

To me personally season 7 was pretty bland in the second half. Shiro was a cardboard cutout, Keith was a Gary stu, Hunk and Lance were the only Paladins I cared about that season. Practically everyone was starting to behave incredibly ooc which got worsened by s8. I did not like how Sanda was handled, I did like the MFEs and allurance though.

I was so sick of the theme song.

Vld rewatch was a wild trip honestly. My general opinions are as follows:

Generic ass show. I'm not entirely sure why it took off as much as it did but it was generic af.

I still stand by that the Alteans spout some serious "white man's burden" type of shit. Very reminiscent of all the shit I spent slogging over in my postcol lectures.

I'm still shook that people never pointed out Alfor literally nuked Daibazaal and basically forced the Galrans into exile.

Haggar's character died when she remembered she's a mom.

I may not be huge on Allura given some of the really weird choices made with the Alteans but damn you really murked the victim of a genocide for the greater good, huh?

Kl fans really thought their ship was gonna be canon cause a couple people on the show drew art for it. I guess Revy and Roberta have been screwing behind the scenes.

Shiro is my son and the only good thing second to my best friend acquisition to come out of vld. I would have added Zarkon but we literally had only 2 seasons of him before his daddy ass was nuked.

I originally went in expecting ka1lura because that's how it always went and started actually liking a1lurance by the end. Yes it was developed pretty well all things considered. Only one other duo was developed more than them and it wasn't the two twinks.

I like the MFE pilots more than the paladins given that the latter's bond was non existent by the end.

Hunk and Shay were not a good couple in terms of development. Sorry it's cute but it's boring as fuck. No build up, they meet, the fat guy liked the fat girl and they immediately start dating. That's the way of the fat peeps in media. Lord forbid we give people who aren't skinny actual developed love stories.

My use of the word daddy is reserved for two fictional men. He's one of them.

Keith, Matt, Ezor and Allura were the prettiest characters. I can see why everyone wanted a piece of Keith in particular for their ships.

Keith x Axca would have been the lamest endgame. My boy is running around in space, is a part alien and with so many unique looking characters around him only to end up with the alien with the most uninteresting character design is just ridiculous. Had she looked buff like Zethrid or unusual like Ezor I'd have been down for it.

Krolia had bad character design. She's a generic fem galra Keith au fan art.

You couldn't get me to take [Man]'s existence seriously. If you put a loaded gun to my head and demanded I do I'd squeeze your trigger finger and off myself instead.

Shiro's new arm is UGLY.

The castle of lions looks like a giant fancy dildo.

Lotor's arc was dumb. Loved the racism of Lotor's Altean side being praised when he's faking goodness but a Galran when he's evil? As if it's not his Altean mother's obsessive ambition that led to his downfall while Zarkon literally went mad because of his love and devotion for Honerva? Oh right, Alteans good Galra bad. My mistake.

LM and JDS don't deserve a fraction of the slander they still keep getting. The show was bad in the way a generic idea tends to be when you have a bunch of different writers.

S8 is objectively awful but the quality declined after s2.

I hate their chins. Shiro was the only one with a chin I could get behind.

I really want to go back to that time when we used to slap "Disclaimer: I do not own *insert show name*. The show and all the characters are the property of *insert company/creator's name*". It will definitely reduce the obscene entitlement amongst modern audiences.

[thehappiestgolucky]

"A promise that they’ll see if the foundations of the past can allow them to continue with a relationship in the present." AAAAWWWWWWW~~!!!! 🥺🥺🥺 My heart completely melted at that---

Honestly, I was actually cooing and feeling things while I was reading your ramble, it felt like I was actually reading a story instead!! How you can oddly convey the journey of emotions Tiso and Quirrel would go through is honestly amazing and the way you concluded it is phenomenal!! 🥺💞💞

"A bit of a slow burn!"

OH I DEFINITELY AGREE!!!! Nothing spells Slowburn more than Tisoquirrel (imho). I mean, we have a nerd that might be oblivious to more intimate feelings and a stubborn himbo. Literally what could go wrong?

But I can't help but also find it hilarious that after all this time they still won't confess their feelings!! (Let's be honest, that's why we love them lmao)

But it also makes a lot of sense why the both of them would wait things out until everything is more peaceful and stable before they start confessing. After all, the both of them has already lost important people in their life duel to unforeseeable event and not only that but one of them quite literally left the other as well during the Infection duel to the difficult times and... peculiar circumstances. (Even if they already talked it out and Tiso forgave Quirrel, feelings are still feelings. And they can still linger at times)

Having that kind of stability and peace can ground the both of them even further and slowly find more courage to do new things and take things it to the next level.

And honestly? At the end of the day Vigilante Tiso and Quirrel's relationship, be it platonic or romantic, is still a comforting and beautiful one regardless of all their differences. And that's what makes them amazing. (Like that small comic where Quirrel covered for Tiso from the guards, even if they were just friends at the time, it was so amazing and I loved seeing their friendship bloom. The dynamic of a usually well-behaved scholar and a rowdy but well-meaning vigilante is just *chef's kisses* PERFECTION!!!) (On another note, I can relate so hard on wanting to doodle something before your mind starts throwing even more thoughts. Just--- F e l t. I have so many Tisoquirrel thoughts I rarely post myself after all lol ffsdfsdsf. Regardless, it's really nice seeing your thoughts on them!! Your take on them is amazing!)

Sksksksksdksdjsjds thank you those were very early ramblings sksksksksks

I just?? dont really have much to add to this ask like- you- you get it- you’ve taken a lot of the words right out of my mouth-

Like yeah tisoquirrel just kinda screams a slowburn to me - like I interpret Quirrel as kinda accepting of his feelings and going ‘ok well anyway that won’t happen so-’ and Tiso as a ‘no, nuhuh nope, this ain’t happening’ - so that contributes to slowburn, but also because idk, they just feel like they’d build up from a strong bond first before jumping the gun into a romance. Tiso needs a stable ground to admit his more vulnerable side without deflecting after all.

Middle paragraphs just agree. Even when Xero, Markoth and Monomon were ok and back, feelings are feelings. They linger, they can creep up on you in a moment and they take time to fade into scars rather than wounds. And yknow, sometimes scars flare up - even for a short while. It’s just better to wait until you’re ready to deal with those feelings because otherwise you could potentially do something that would go the direction you don’t want it to. Best to let yourself know you’re safe before you figure out those more intimate emotions.

And lastly just yes!! Like thank you for the compliments djksdjskhkhghjgjgyugkghbjbyjjg

I hold platonic relationships to a very very high regard, sometimes even more than romantic depending on the relationship at play, so to me romantic pairings I have usually have a foundation of a great platonic relationship too because that’s just, it’s important to me. I really appreciate the two as both kind of dynamics!! I can’t help but love dynamics between opposites that have some things in common, it’s the mutual influence and spark of new things that gets me. You never have to 100% relate to someone to be close to them and even if you get them by like 20%, you still get them on that deeper level and it’s just-ugfhfhfgfhgf

I don’t, I genuinely don’t have much else to add uhhhh have doodles i managed :)

[ahappydnp]

from you tag: “I something worry dnp don't fully understand why we love joint content so much and that's it's probably not for the reasons they assume”

If dnp were to ask you to explain to them what the difference is between what we actually want and what they think we want re joint content, how would you describe the difference? Like I think I agree but I also couldn’t articulate it well

Oof I will try but it's mostly just *wild hand gestures and grunts*

I think dnp sometimes still perceive us craving and wanting joint content as an excuse for 'fan service' (or phan service haha) with a focus on their relationship dynamic. Like our motives are based around wanting more ~heart eyes howell~ moments or #phanproof. Which I understand is a warranted assumption! They spent years seeing that kind of stuff and have been through a metric fuck ton of overstepped boundaries and feeling like their personal lives overshadowed the content they worked so hard on. So it's understandable that occasionally they're gonna have that mindset of "ugh they just want to watch us look at each other and see if we'll touch on camera now that we're out"

But like...that is so far removed from the case? Joint content brings out a completely different side in both of them. Phil unclenches from the AmazingPhil™️ persona a bit and it's like we get to see a more down to earth, human version of him. He just opens up so much more and shines when he's got someone pushing him. Solo Phil is fun and interesting, but you can tell when he's just going along with the AP approved list of reactions and script; it feels like real Phil isn't even in the room. But Dan (and maybe a handful of other people he's collabed with that he seems to feel comfortable with but this is about dnp right now) has the ability to nudge him out a bit. Because Phil is weird and funny and quick witted, but it's easy to play it safe when no one is pushing you to show it off. (Weird!Phil please return from the war)

And Dan!! First of all...joint content means he exists in the first place (god I miss him). Joint content Dan is so much softer and more approachable? Like twitter Dan and some of old solo Dan was what I can only describe as "I'm rolling my eyes that you're here invading my space even though I literally invited you". The walls are thick and high and you're wondering if you even know this person (*cough* ganp), but then you hear him on Stereo or he's chatting to us with Phil and you're like oh it's still Dan <3 I love Dan! And he likes us! He's such a kind and thoughtful and intelligent and fucking hilarious person, but some of that gets lost when all you have to go on is a generic Dinof tweet once a month. (And like Phil, there are people who've brought out those sides of him- like his interview with John which I could write an entire novel on dear god that was so fucking good).

They've acknowledged before that they know they have amazing on screen chemistry and an ~it factor~ as a duo, but I hope they know it's so much more than romantic (lol). They're just fun to watch and it’s so obviously THEY are having fun too? Like their happiness is palpable and it transfers to the audience instantly. And going to back to the conversation from yesterday, them together brings back a lot of really good memories and it's a safe place for a lot of people. Like yes the world is a on fire trash can, but Dan and Phil are still around being wonderful humans who can bring an unbridled amount of joy.

And to close I will admit that yes, it's also still a little bit of the "dear god what happened to the closed ice cream shop jesus please stop telling us things there was SO MUCH room on that couch why are y'all like this". Like no one..and I mean no one wants y'all to make out on camera or anything, but I don't think anyone can look at them and not feel something. Because I am, at my core, a gay who's spent over a decade now looking to them for hope that we sometimes do get happy endings and love and best friends soulmates arch enemies whatever the fuck else Howell has said

[spritelysprites]

a series of things surrounding my listening to trc audiobooks with my mum: 

her favourite raven boy is noah

she thinks the pig is obnoxious as hell (and she’s not wrong)

she agrees that blue reminds her of me in the stubbornness and determination to be weird as hell

she loved chainsaw so much, it was so funny

she hated monmouth manufacturing so much from the start. it only got funnier with the kitchen/bathroom description

she liked gansey right away, while I had the gut reaction that comes with a character fitting the description of “rich kid without much regard for anyone else’s feelings who can call up a helicopter on a whim and wears goddamn polo shirts”

oh yeah she thought noah’s “I’ve been dead seven years” comment was hilarious and when they found the body she sat bolt upright and was like “WAIT”

adam is her least favourite raven boy?? I don’t understand how but okay

she relates a lot to maura which makes sense given that while I was reading I related a lot to blue’s dynamic with maura

she ADORES calla, as she should

her favourite book was the dream thieves while mine is either that or blue lily lily blue

she literally spends every scene noah is in smiling

she doesn’t like declan but adores matthew (no surprise there)

when it was revealed matthew was one of ronan’s dreams she said “NO” really loudly, which is saying something given that most fictional plot twists she doesn’t care about

she has no patience for gwenllian (but that could be the audiobook narrator)

will patton’s voice is amazing just so you all know, he’s so fantastic and it creates such a cool and interesting atmosphere for the story

she is very invested in the lynch brother’s dynamics

she thought the toga party in trk was hilarious. every so often when I leave for school she asks if I have a toga party to go to. I am forced to say no. she calls me a loser.

as blue and gansey walk into the toga party there's a scene where someone sees blue and is like "holy fuck we got girls???" my mum thought that was the funniest thing ever

she didn’t pick up on ronan’s crush on adam (or adam’s crush on ronan) until the “the ocean burned” scene, when she turned to me and was like “oh my god are they going to kiss??” and I had to say “you’ll see I guess”

like. “adam parrish was ronan’s second secret” went straight over her head. I repeated it for her and was like “hmmmmm wonder what this could mean” and she was like “I honestly have no idea”

it was so funny. something would happen between them and she’d be like “wait, do they like each other? no, they’re friends. wait...”

I think she started suspecting around the hand lotion scene but immediately forgot until trk

to be entirely fair to her she’s in her fifties and took me coming out super well, heteronormativity has just made sure she didn’t have any expectations for them and I’m making it my mission to open the eyes of the Older Generations (tm)

yes I think I’m funny. yes I had her watch carmilla a couple years ago during my webseries phase

she legitimately thought they were going to kill opal to get gansey back

she also immediately understood that noah was permanently gone but neither of us fully get why noah would have mentioned glendower at all

she loves henry cheng. so much.

she keeps thinking the solution to their problems is to kill the orphan girl. I guess the night horrors set a precedent for that but also no. I love her. absolutely not. the gangsey kills opal over my dead body.

she ultimately decided that she liked the series and noah was definitely her favourite raven boy, although she absolutely loved maura and calla as well.

[taxinealkaloids]

Hi! I was wondering if you would like to say something ab your Elias, Gertrude, and Agnes dynamic because if yes I would love to hear it

(Also, your art is absolutely amazing. Sjdhwhdhehdheh thank you so much for drawing 💖)

Thanks! I’d like to start posting art more consistently but I’ve been so busy.

Also, YES absolutely I would like to talk about Them, at some point it’d be nice to present all this in a more organized manner but for now I’ll just throw some thoughts at you. (under a cut because it ended up being a bit on the lengthy side oops)

My general concept for these three is that due to Gertrude and Elias being connected through Beholding (I like to treat this bond as a lot more substantive than it was shown to be in canon because frankly it’s a crime that it wasn’t further explored and utilized as a plot device) at the same time that Gertrude and Agnes are bound due to Gertude’s semi-failed attempt to cripple the Desolation, the three have all ended up stuck in the same spiderweb, so to speak. I haven’t quite decided if the Web meant for Elias to get roped into this or if, like in canon, the extent of it’s plan was to weave Gertrude & Agnes together. I think it’d be interesting if they were all meant to get tied up together because I like to think of the mother of puppets as a better schemer than she ended up being in canon and because it adds another layer of mystery for the three of them to deal with (ie, what exactly is the Web hoping to achieve here? None of them are sure how extensive the plot is, so it’s an unknown factor; something that fundamentally does not agree with the base nature of anyone eye-aligned.) This connection manifests itself by causing the three to occasionally walk in each other’s dreams, randomly receive each other’s thoughts and feelings, and even have brief body-switching experiences where it’s like suddenly one person’s consciousness is in the other’s body (like the characters in Sense8 do, if you’ve seen that show). In general those episodes only last a few seconds but are extremely disorienting. There’s definitely quite an adjustment period when all this starts happening and everyone’s dealing with the sudden random urges to commit arson or fill out Excel spreadsheets. It’s especially a danger for Elias and Gertrude who are both trying to hide things. Having your mind occasionally taken over by the very person you’re trying to hide those things from is incredibly antithetical to that goal. I have a lot of half-formed ideas for problems that could arise due to these kinds of things happening unpredictably at undesirable times, I think it could range from very dramatic to absolutely hilarious which is fun to play with.

I imagine any sort of plot around these 3 would revolve around trying to unravel the Web’s plot and figure out what exactly the nature/purpose of their connection is (and potentially sever it). However, they can’t work together to solve it, because of course they’ve all got layers upon layers of ulterior motives and are nearly as concerned with sabotaging each other as they are with sabotaging the Web (which, of course, is what the Mother was counting on).

Elias: if I play my cards right here, I could potentially use this to figure out and stop the Web and the Desolation

Agnes: If I play my cards right here, I could potentially use this to figure out and stop the Web and Beholding

Gertrude: I could stop all three.

And so instead of pooling their resources they’re all going behind each other’s backs and lying about it and using their bodyhopping/mindsharing/dreamwalking occurrences as opportunities to spy on each other and/or surreptitiously glean info from the others without them knowing that’s what’s going on. This is a ridiculous undertaking, honestly, because even if they weren’t semi-telepathically linked and therefore likely to figure out what the others are doing anyway, Elias is watching most of what the other two are doing at all times and usually knows when they’re lying. So a lot of their group conversations are just…everyone tells everyone else blatant lies about what they’ve been up to, everyone is aware these are blatant lies, and no one calls anyone out because…. pot, kettle, you know?

Agnes is generally pretty happy to share her experiences with the Desolation w/ Gertrude; she’s never gotten a chance to talk about them to anyone outside the cult and likes Gertrude’s straightforward, free-from-religious-bias responses to what she has to say. Gertrude is able to get a lot out of her just by asking and she’ll even reveal quite a lot to Elias, though that’s usually more by accident. She wants to talk and often lets slip more than she means to.

Gertrude is a bit more wary and holds those of Beholding’s secrets that she knows a bit closer to her chest; she doesn’t want to tell any associate of the Lightless Flame something that could potentially help them trigger a Desolation-flavored apocalypse.

Meanwhile Elias doesn’t so much hold his secrets close to his chest as “keep them in a hermetically sealed double-locked encoded safe in the secret basement of his brain” and there’s no way anyone’s drilling him for information without him clocking it right away and subtly shifting the conversation to a more advantageous subject (for him). The instant Agnes and/or Gertrude show up in one of his dreams he immediately switches whatever it is to the most banal, irrelevant scene ever, like being stuck in traffic or doing his taxes. (What’s the point in living so long if you can’t even control your own dreams, right?)

(Gertrude and Agnes: Really? THIS is what you dream about??)

(Elias, completely stonefaced: Yes.)

While Elias tends to favor gathering and analyzing information to fully understand a situation before acting on it, Gertrude (and to some degree Agnes) feel more productive when they’re actually out doing legwork. So Gertrude’s breaking into Elias’s office to scan his files, she’s vanishing halfway across the country to chase a lead without so much as a day’s notice, Agnes is taking a page out of the Beholding avatars’ book and conducting “interviews” for information (she starts with her cultist minders and spreads outwards from there) but instead of using the Beholding power of compulsion to help the conversation along, she’s using the less delicate but undoubtedly effective Desolation method of “fire really close to the subject’s face”, and Elias is…doing none of this but rather simply watching the other two do it and ending up with the same information in the end. Works out for him!

The main problem here is the fact that with everyone trying to go behind everyone else’s backs all the time they end up impeding each other’s efforts to get the Web pinned down and, with them also spending so much time focusing on stopping each other’s entities, the spotlight is shifted off of the Web. so their behavior is really playing into the Mother’s hands (all eight of them).

In terms of general interpersonal relationships:

Gertrude and Elias are…not friends. Both are pretty sure they’re smarter than the other and definitely entertain frequent fantasies of murdering each other when one’s finding the other particularly infuriating. Despite that they actually end up just...hanging out a lot because they both have a habit of using their friends to death (which is why it’s a good thing they’re not friends). They have the same sense of humor though and honestly they probably don’t find the other’s company as distasteful as they like to claim.

Plus, the entire archive staff is scared of at least one if not both of them, and the fact that they seem to spend so much time in close collaboration doesn’t make anyone more inclined to establish social connections with either one. So they’re kind of workplace allies by default. (Honestly most of the staff assumes they’re sleeping together and because this rumor raises infinitely less questions than “they’re working to prevent the incorrect apocalypse from happening before they can make the correct apocalypse happen” they let it propagate)

(tbh it probably happened once but they both agreed to never mention it again.)

Also, I think Gertrude knew near immediately that Jonahlias was in no way the same person as Elias-Elias but didn’t do anything because tbh she didn’t care for og Elias and liked him better now that he’d apparently been taken over by some sort of bodysnatching monster (though obvs she would NOT admit that).

So, like, first meeting she had w/ him after his promotion she walks in, takes one look, and internally is like “ah. This man is no longer Elias Bouchard. Thank God, maybe I can actually work with him after all.”

Likewise, the instant Gertrude walked in with her soul tied up with the Desolation’s Messiah he noticed but said nothing about it. (I think the mark left on her by the Desolation would show up as something he could physically see; she mentioned in one of the statements that the bond hurt so maybe her flesh always looks a bit like it’s being set on fire from the inside out to someone with supernatural vision powers and he just has to pretend this isn’t alarming.)

For his part, Elias genuinely likes Gertrude. Most of the time. At least some of the time. He respects her and her utter ruthlessness for sure, but she’s extremely strong willed and nigh impossible to intimidate and he fluctuates wildly from being like “she was the perfect choice for Archivist, I’m so glad I picked her” and “I need to kill her right now immediately and get a new Archivist, I cannot work with this one”.

Agnes is…an interesting case because due to her bizarre upbringing she has a hard time figuring out what she feels about anything, ever. She wildly fluctuates from being overly sensitive/worried about hurting others to being absolutely sadistic, and can jump from a calm/withdrawn state to pure rage in an instant. She’s largely still figuring out who she wants to be while struggling with the fact that she’s not meant to get to pick who she wants to be at all.

Gertrude and Agnes find each other absolutely fascinating, they both think the other is the most compelling person they’ve ever met (or, rather, not met, it’s complicated). Agnes likes having a connection to someone outside the lightless flame cult, and likes the idea that Beholding’s archivist (who is rather infamous among lightless flame cultists and unanimously feared) ‘belongs to her.’ (Gertrude would maybe not entirely agree with that perspective but she doesn’t…hate the idea either).

Meanwhile, Gertrude knows their bond is part of a bigger scheme and on some level, the Web is tying them all in knots, and really she should be looking for a way to sever the bond. And she will! She’s definitely planning on figuring that one out. Elias accuses her of putting it off in order to find out more about Agnes and the lightless flame, and yeah, maybe she is, but so what? That’s useful information. And Elias must agree, or he would have sounded more upset. (He does agree, but he also dislikes the idea of Gertrude being part of someone else’s scheme and he REALLY dislikes the idea of being part of someone else’s scheme himself.)

Elias finds Agnes interesting the way one would find, say, a new species of venomous snake interesting; there’s a lot to be learned from careful observation and the implications of it’s existence are intriguing but you don’t want it near you. Her volatile nature makes her unpredictable, which makes her dangerous.

As a result he tends to use what knowledge he has about Agnes, the Desolation, and her fate as leverage to make his incineration less appealing. This works, for the most part; while Agnes finds it extremely irritating she also does want to hear what a Beholding-aligned non-cultist can tell her about her nature. She just does not appreciate Elias’s insistence on being infuriatingly obtuse all the time.

Agnes also does not appreciate the idea that the Archivist does not, in fact, belong entirely to her and that she has to share custody with this guy. Who even is this guy. She’d like to set all his paperwork on fire. (Really she’d like to set HIM on fire but Gertrude said she couldn’t.)

One thing Agnes does admire (or at least find interesting) about Elias is his usage of compulsion to get people to tell him things. She can definitely appreciate the usefulness of that, having grown up with a bunch of crazed zealots who refused to give her a straight answer about anything, and even ends up employing similar tactics herself, as I mentioned earlier. She knows Gertrude and Elias have very different perspectives on how compulsion should be utilized and privately, she agrees with Elias. If one has an advantage, why not use it? She doesn’t tell Gertrude this, nor does she tell her about the “interviews” she conducts, though she often wants to.

All three of them have very unique brands of incredible interpersonal tension with each of the others, so when they’re all sharing a dream at the same time the atmosphere is less “electric” and more “nuclear reactor meltdown”. They’re not sure that they could actually kill each other through dream-to-dream communication (Elias doesn’t think so, so probably not) but chances are that’s gonna be put to the test at some point.

I actually started drafting a fic about all this at one point lmao just cause I had so many ideas for specific scenes I thought would be interesting but realistically I’ll never have time to finish that. Still I definitely want to expand on all this because I’m obsessed with their potential AND the actual canon of tma pretty much never went into it so….my house now. Thanks so much for indulging me on this sdkjfhskj I thought this would be so much shorter than it ended up being

[ragsweas]

Hobbit Fic Rec List!

MODERN AU!

Hello! I always wanted to share a gigantic list of awesome works in Hobbit fanfic, but realized they are too many. So let's start small. A few modern AU that everybody has to read!

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How to fall in love in 100 days by Kytanna

As their lives intertwine, Thorin, Bilbo, and their nephews learn the meaning of finding a family, love and the hard path towards healing. All, over the course of a hundred days.

A lovely piece with all the cuteness and fluff.

Softer Strokes by autisticalistair

Thorin is a well-known artist living a secluded life in the Swiss Alps. Bilbo is a former history professor living in a trauma rehabilitation centre after a devastating accident that took his parents lives. Through a mutual friend, Bilbo finds himself in Switzerland, and Thorin finds himself with company for the next few months, and neither of them are prepared for what that will bring.

I'll never say 'I love you' by JustReadingMaybeWriting

Bilbo is a veterinary student who one night saves the life a handsome but wounded man. Bilbo should have called an ambulance. If he had called an ambulance, he wouldn't be in this weird mess. He certainly wouldn't be falling in love with the man he saved, who can't seem to leave him alone.

This one's a bit dark, but I love it.

painted blind by nasri

The last time Bilbo stepped foot in Aberdeen it was with a broken heart and a bachelor’s degree. All things considered, this time isn’t so different.

Plan B by Drenagon

Plan B: an alternative strategy; a contingency plan, devised for an outcome other than the expected plan.

Or, sending an unqualified temp to act as Thorin Oakenshield's PA because no one qualified can put up with him.

(He'd say they can't meet his standards. Of course he would.)

Meet Bilbo Baggins. He just became Plan B.

One Modern!AU I always wanted to read and this is just it! It's amazing!! And the whole COmpany is there!!

A Land Far Away by Prollyaghost (Callmerin)

"If we were in a different time or place, this story may have begun with ‘once upon a time’, or even ‘In a hole in the ground, there lived…’ But as it so happens, we are in this time and place, in the outskirts of London, where there are no ‘once upon a times’ and the only holes in grounds lead to sewage tunnels. There does happen to be, however, a man who has dedicated a great deal of his life studying these ‘once upon a time’s. He is an English teacher, enjoys afternoon teas with homemade raisin scones, and he most certainly does not believe in fairy-tales.

His name is Bilbo Baggins, and that last bit about him is about to change."

Bilbo Baggins, an English teacher who has never been outside of England, suddenly finds himself thrust into an adventure when a strange man named Thorin Oakenshield requires his help to fulfil his father’s dying wish. Turns out studying the niche topic of the ancient, fictional society of dwarves was more useful than his parents could have imagined. Plunged into a forgotten land, Thorin and Bilbo must find the mythical Arkenstone, before the legends of the past come back to haunt modern society.

Okay, this one's a WIP, but damn the premise is super interesting and honestly can't wait for the next update!

Nothing Gold Can Stay by perkynurples

Bilbo Baggins led a rather peaceful life, thank you very much, until an old acquaintance decided to turn it upside down, and he found himself agreeing to take a job that’s… let’s say not exactly up his alley, and might eventually cost him a little more than his treasured cozy lifestyle. Who would have thought tutoring a slightly menacing monarch’s more than slightly overbearing nephew could prove to be such an adventure?

This is one of the fics that does not need an introduction. No matter how many times you read this, it isn't enough. And we all love Fili and Kili here.

What to do When Your Cat is an Asshole by lily_winterwood

“You have a cat?” asks the face on the screen. “Yes. His name’s Smaug, he’s orange, and he’s an asshole. Aren’t you, Smaug?” Surly Food Provider glowers at me, which, of course, I am immune to. “Aren’t you a little asshole?” I don’t see why he needs to call me that. My butthole is perfectly licked, and it smells wonderful.

The AU where Smaug is Thorin's asshole cat. Written for the Bagginshield Unexpected Anniversary.

This one's small, and hilarious and even better if you imagine Benedryl Cucumbersnatch narrating the whole thing

No Ordinary Love by badskippy

Bilbo and Ori have been best friends since they were ten years old and tragedy brought them together. Now, a new job, a sudden rainstorm, a chance meeting and budding romance with a burly, handsome stranger will not only alter their lives, but set in motion events that will change everyone around them, and reveal how lies, deceit and assumptions can leave deeper scars than the ones that can be seen.

WIP, unfinished, but damn was this an interesting tale. For anybody who loves angst, go give it a read!

Remember Me by thehistorygeek

Bilbo Baggins and Thorin Oakenshield are destined to suffer. In every life they live, in every age, in every era, they meet, and this meeting brings back all the memories of the lives that have come before. But every meeting serves also as a death sentence, for once they have met, one of them is doomed to die soon after, usually tragically and prematurely. They remember nothing of their past lives until they meet, and once they have there is nothing that can be done to stop their fate.

For anyone obsessed with Reincarnation and/or History, this is it.

A Remover of Obstacles by MistakenMagic

"Dis often chided her older brother for being a misanthropist. She did it so often it had become a term of endearment. It was true that Thorin struggled with people; he struggled to form and maintain relationships. Dr. Grey had diagnosed him with this and Thorin hadn’t the heart to tell him this wasn’t a symptom of his PTSD, it was a symptom of his personality. He exercised a sense of apathy with almost everyone he met… But Bilbo was different. Thorin actually found himself wanting to know more about him."

Another fic that DOES NOT need an introduction. I have read it thrice and every time the emotions are still the same. Trigger Warnings, but damn this is all worth it.

An Unexpected Meeting by what_am_i_even_doing_tho

This is the chronicling of the modern day shenanigans of Bilbo Baggins, who is an absolute gay disaster, and Thorin Oakenshield, who is unashamedly enamored. Aka, the modern Bagginshield AU that no one ever asked for but they're getting anyway.

green and gilded by nasri

The next time he visits his parents there are flowers left in the grass, pressed back against the gravestone. They are yellow and white daffodils, plain and wilting.

“Who’s been to see you?” He asks, taking a single photo of the flowers with their drooping stems and curled petals and the wet winter grass that surrounds them. His mother would call it kind, his father might say it's curious, and Bilbo takes another petal to tuck into his pocket.

You know those stories that you read once and then they never leave your head? And somehow your whole life begins to revolve around that one story? Yeah, this is it. Spoilers in tag and I would suggest you read before advancing cause many people do not like it, but even if you are not in that group, just give it a read. This story deserves all the reads.

Bran' New Suit by pibroch (littleblackdog)

Andrew's description had been sufficient to recognize him— a riot of honey brown curls, short in stature, a well-favoured face with expressive features— but it hadn't quite been enough to prepare Tom for the sharp, almost painful tug in his gut at the sight of the man. They had never met before, to the best of Tom's recollection, but there was something eerily and inexplicably familiar about him all the same.

One of the first Modern AU I read and dauym...you won't get it until the end but then...it's fun.

Under New Management by frostyjack

Fili's life is pretty good -- he's doing well at university, he gets on well with his uncle and guardian Thorin, and he's never likely to know what it's like to be poor or unwanted. Then Thorin takes in a foster child -- Kili Oakenshield, a long-lost relative whose past is a total mystery. Suddenly, Fili's life gets a whole lot more complicated. But maybe it gets better, too.

Lots of trigger warning for this one, but when the end comes, you'll know it's all been worth it.

One-Sided Conversations by northerntrash

"Thank you for listening," Thorin said, getting to his feet. "I hope to be able to return the favour, one day."

The man on the bed didn't respond, but since he'd been in a coma for longer than Thorin had known him, that wasn't entirely surprising.

(Not Quite) Prince Charming by manic_intent

The problem, Bilbo would later tell Gandalf in aggrieved irritation, was not so much the unannounced visitors, oh no, but the fact that due to the lateness of the hour and sheer merciless fate, it came to be that at the respectable age of forty, Bilbo was being introduced to a real, live king while wearing striped pyjamas and fluffy slippers.

The Making of a Story by northerntrash

When Bilbo finds a case of old family photographs, he becomes determined to find the original owners: what he does not expect is to become quite so involved in their lives, or that those photographs should prove quite so important.

Misunderstandings and other obstacles for love by ylc

This series dammit! It's amazing, and the dynamics you would ask from a Modern AU.

Candle Glow and Mistletoe by euseevius

Bilbo and Thorin have been married for six months now. The thing is, Thorin’s family doesn’t know this. And because pretending to be just friends for the three weeks you’re going to spend at the family cabin is so much easier than telling the truth, that is what they will do.

(Of course Bilbo has his own ideas of how believable it is for a grown man to bring a friend to spend Christmas with his family. That’s why they make a bet out of it.)

For days you need to just laugh at these two idiots.

The Lost Kingdom of Erebor by Twisted_Barbie

AU. The Lost Kingdom of Erebor is shrouded in myth, likened to the heavens and compared to Atlantis. Until an archaeological discovery unearths that which was lost and awakens the Mad King from his cursed eternal rest.

Not a happy ending, and mysterious and you need to give it a read. Just, do it. It will all be worth it.

Of Palaces and Ruins by livelongandgetiton

Slow burn. Bilbo Baggins is a half-baked archaeologist who has put his dreams of adventure on hold to teach secondary school. Thorin is the grandson of a politically powerful figure in the historically rich and deeply isolationist country of Erebor. When he flees conflict and corruption in Erebor to settle in London, he finds his hands full with two young boys. Gandalf meddles, and Bilbo signs on as a personal tutor for the boys in hopes of getting a foot in the door to archaeological work in Erebor. He soon discovers that Thorin is a tough nut to crack. As Bilbo takes care of the boys he and Thorin grow closer, and secrets about not just the brooding stranger, but the mysterious country and politics of Erebor begin to unravel. It turns out that Bilbo isn't leaving adventure behind, after all.

WIP, updating. JUST READ IT!!!

Write Me Down Easy by lucyraebrown

Bilbo Baggins, a simple man with a wish for something more than his life teaching high school English, is obsessed with a famous author by the pen-name Oakenshield. Although he knows the future is dim for his chances of finding out about the man behind his favorite book, it's reassuring to know someone has the same thoughts about the world.

WIP, updating. It's mostly fuff and happiness, so yesss...feed your inner Bagginshield!

Show Me My Silver Lining by BiSquared

Three years after the hostile takeover of his grandfather's record label by one DJ Smaug, lead singer Thorin Oakenshield is ready to give up on his dreams, even if his band isn't ready to give up on him. If Thorin can convince talent scout Bilbo Baggins to sign them, they might just have a fighting chance. Of course, this is the night when Thorin gets stage fright.

The music industry AU no one asked for.

Love-In-Idleness by perkynurples       

Taking Bilbo Baggins, a successful movie actor who is only just getting used to the perks and intricacies of becoming A Face People Want To See, and putting him together with Thorin Oakenshield, with his very traditional (read: slightly backwards) ideas about what constitutes Real Art and Real Talent, might very well be viewed as just some clothead’s idea of a joke. But there are jokes, and then there are carefully calculated risks the size of controversial reproductions of classic Shakespearean plays - for Bilbo, it is the chance of a lifetime to prove himself to all those who have ever deemed him too one-dimensional to even attempt stage, while Thorin has the opportunity to get out of the rut that’s been hindering his career for so long now, and shine in a role worthy of his talent once again. That is if the two learn how to share the same space for more than ten minutes without wanting to tear each other’s hair out. The course of true love never did run smooth, after all…

Did I read this in one go? Yes I did. Did I fall in love with Bagginshiled all over again? Yes I did.

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And that's the list folks! I hope you guys have fun reading all of these nice fics! (And all the bagginshield angst/fuff)

[madeyoumyvillain]

☕ maylen slander 🤭

Thanks for the ask bb @darklingswhxore ☀️🖤🌘💛

*me to myself, slowly,but with a lot of feelings* oh my fucking god my time to shine has come

This is gonna be long, apologies🌻

Where do i even start with blade boy?

to me,he didn't matter ONE BIT in the first two books, because my innocent self thought "hey,this is an ETL story,Darklina endgame no matter what and Malyen will just,,,go away" but,alas,I was fooled and baited by Leigh Bardugo. But that rant is for another day. My problem with Malyen isn't just that he's boring and basic and has the personality of a broken pencil. It's deeper than that. But he's someone so irrelevant to me,that I don't like chanelling my energy towards him. But let's go.

My problem with Malyen is,he seems very real. The way he treats Alina,the way he's filled to the brim with victim complex,the way everything he says to her is something I've heard myself,the way he thinks that he should be rewarded for being there for his best friend. Basically,he's the embodiment of what a real toxic man is like. Notice how I emphasized on real? Because men like him exist. And we deal with them everyday. They belittle you. They gaslight you. They slutshame you. They mock you for being happy and independent. They say they're scared of you,even when you don't mean any harm,when you're the more powerful one for once. They scream at you for flinching. They keep on reminding you of the things they did for you,even if you didn't ask them to in the first place. They think tht can talk on your behalf. They. Are. Real. Alot of people argue that Malyen was just 17 and dealing with alot so we can't hate him,they also say he's the less toxic choice for Alina. But this isn't a competition of more toxic and less toxic,it shouldn't be. You're either toxic,or you're not.

I know and I understand that Aleksander was toxic too. But Aleksander is a centuries old shadow summoning grisha. Aleksander is a fairytale villain meanwhile men like Malyen are very real. And as someone who has been in an extremely emotionally abusive relationship,the way Malyen went ahead and kissed Zoya rather than talking and understanding Alina's situation and why she flinched,it reminded of the times I was misunderstood,of the times when I flinched and was punished with a cold shoulder and ill treatment. I choose to ignore Malyen and the shitty endgame in the books,but how am I supposed to ignore it when it happens in my reality too? Bardugo very recently mentioned how she was in an abusive relationship herself when she was writing SnB,so after that info,I'm supposed to hate Aleksander, right? Because according to her he is the embodiment of her abusive ex,but what she seems to forget is,the main relationship in the books isn't Darklina,it's Malina. And Malina on its own is still a very,very toxic and weak ship. Alina mutilated herself just because she didn't want to leave Mal when the Grishas were testing her. In the beginning of SnS,Mal for once does not care that Alina is getting sick and frail because she's not using her powers. More than once he mentions how he's scared of her and how he wants the old Alina back. The same Alina who you ignored the whole time,Malyen? The same powerless and dependent Alina?

I'll be very honest,I started to love him in RnR. Yes,love him. His and Alina's platonic dynamic makes me SO happy. They'd be perfect as friends. But by the time the book ended and Alina lost her powers and even after being offered by Nikolai to rule Grishas and Ravka,she said no,how much should I bet that if Malyen stayed dead,she would've said yes? Malyen got EXACTLY all that he wanted,Alina legit got nothing. But how can I blame either when both of them are equally selfish? Yes,Alina is selfish,that's something I'll rant about some other day.

Thoughts about show! Malyen? He's not even the same person he is in the books and I'm so sorry to say that Malyen on his own is great but the 8 hrs of Malina? Not something I'd like to go through again. Show! Malyen is funny and is there for his friends and has his own struggles but if you have to completely drastically do a 180° on a character,it proves the point that he wasn't nice in the first place. If he was already the amazing character we were told he was,why would they not follow anything he did or said in the books? Why did they choose to make Zoya a racist on top of the meangirl bully plotline which already made her unlikeable yet make show! Malyen this embodiment of Mr. Perfect that he isn't? Isn't it fucking hilarious how people sympathized for him for losing Mikhael and Dubrov yet shit on Aleksander for being so vengeful after seeing centuries of his people, Grisha and Ravkan alike,dying,burned on stakes, experimented on while he could do nothing to stop it? Hypocrisy,hm? The only thing in commow show! Malyen and book! Malyen have are their names and being a tracker because the rest is just different, drastically different. And if they're gonna stick to the Malina propaganda in S2 too,then can someone make a compilation of all Darkling/Darklina/Crows scenes and send it to me? Because I won't be watching it.

These are my opinions and my opinions only,I respect anyone who does or doesn't agree. Do tell me what parts you agree with. Thank you <3

[sanstropfremir]

How do you feel about Studio Choom’s artist of the month? Both like as a concept but also the actual dances. For me they all sorta blend together but I liked SinB’s and the last half of Soojin’s with the lights and the table. I just wish they’d highlight smaller groups cause I’d love to see Hwanwoong, Byeongwan, or Sua there

i was literally just thinking about aotm when this popped up in my inbox....amazing. i love this.

so as a concept? i think it's fun and i like it! i like that there's a space outside of posting content on their group's own channels for the dancers to show off a little. i don't really know how studio choom is choosing the artists because the variety is HILARIOUS. like if you look at most of them they're all baby 98-01 liners and then there's 86er yunho......comedy. and i agree i do think they should be pulling in artists from smaller groups because i would love to see byeongkwan and sua there. or taeyang. however if they bring hwanwoong on they gotta just end the series, there's only like three people that can follow him up and one of them is enlisted.

as far as each actual dance? there are obviously some i liked and some i didn't like. i think the biggest flaw with the concept is the studio choom space itself, because you kinda half to do something with that white big blank box in order for there to be some kind of impact, especially when there's been almost a dozen aotms now. overall i think the ones that work the best are the ones that capitalize on the freedom of the space by pushing it, as opposed to just relying on the dance itself.

chaeyeon (izone) - i gotta give her a break because she was the first one but i don't particularly like this choreo, nor do i actually think it's that good; it's pretty flat. i also don't think they filmed it that well, which makes it harder to appreciate, but studio choom does get better at that as time goes on.

sinb (gfriend) - she's has ok presence but this is a generally flat performance on the whole.

soojin (gidle) - i like the idea behind the lights but that type of flashlight is too small to have any type of throw when there's stage lights blasting. again, if you want to use practicals like that it's really gotta be dark. i like her theme and i LOVE her outfit, but i don't know that she really embodies this performance; it feels very outside of her and i think that's mostly to do with her performance face.

yunho (tvxq) - i don't think this is yunho's best showing, but also i think that yunho's style in particular is incompatible with this kind of up-close showcase format. i've talked about him here, but yunho has one performance setting and that is 'attempting to light myself on fire so you can see me from the nosebleeds in the tokyo dome' and you can't really reel that in with any kind of readability to a close quarter camera situation. the vices section is much more readable and fun because he lets some of that attitude through, but he gave himself performance face for this one. i like that he brought in some set rather than just practical furniture.

yeji (itzy) - i feel like i've never watched this choreo all the way through because it doesn't have any dynamism. i also don't think the choreo itself does yeji much justice, since the moves slow down in pace in the last half and it makes her look like she's tired.

wooyoung (ateez) - this choreo does a great job of integrating character and the beat changes in a manner that interesting to watch and not particularly easy to perform. it has very complex dynamics because of the way the song is remixed and it's a real strength of wooyoung's that he can maintain the energy even though the choreo demands him to go slow-fast-slow-fast-slow-fast-slow. i like that studio choom chose wooyoung in the first place because he doesn't get a whole lot of performance time and although yes this is on brand for him and he could have pushed something more unusual, it's still nice to see.

yeonjun (txt) - i really hate the song watermelon sugar so poor yeonjun was already at a disadvantage, but i also don't think it was the right type of song for this narrative. i do like that there wass a narrative and i like that he chose a rock song for the second half, but they don't transition the songs together well and he didn't choose a good rock song. there's a lot of fun ways to blend an acoustic -> amped song that work better than this, and tbh he should have just stuck to one song rather than using two. the jacket guitar move is very fun but overall the choreo doesn't feel like it fits the concept that well, it reads very disharmonious to me.

chaeryeong (itzy) - this is one of my favourite routines! chaeryeong is one of the most effective at utilizing the emotions of the song to enhance the performance and also holding the space for herself as a performer, which i was a bit surprised by since i don't find her to be a standout in itzy. i especially liked the use of the tower cam for an above angle, which was a great way to give a different dimension to the space.

juyeon (the boyz) - the choreographer and/or performance director did a GREAT job working with juyeon's one (1) expression of slighly-menacing-blue-steel. the combination of lighting and keeping the camera in close works really well in conjunction with this type of movement and the first two outfits are so good. they're both excellent examples of how to use black to minimize and disappear body parts: the tight black of his shirt combined with the red ripping though his jeans really emphasize the uncanny feeling that he's crawling out of his own skin in transformation, and the yellow underlayer at ankle, arm, and that sliver of torso gives just enough limb definition while while implying a process of unearthing gold. i do think they flub the final transformation with that plain white and black look though, they should have gone full matthew bourne swan lake with it, honestly.

hyunjin (stray kids) - the single split second of excitement when i thought that hyunjin had chosen an actual mötley crüe song....... and then his betrayal of cutting his hair........... this could have been so much more interesting than it actually was. it's good choreo and i think he performed it well, but it's also very typical of the stray kids brand and i would have liked to see something more experimental from him, especially in this space that's removed from the group, and since he just did something more alternative with red lights!

for me the most effective performances are the ones that use the lighting rig and camera flexibility to its full capacity, like wooyoung's, juyeon's, and chaeryeong's. the interesting thing that the aotm series does is expose how there's definitely a mode of younger gen performance; there are some that are able to shake that better than others, but it's still very present that they're all performing in a way that reads as performing. i don't think that this is a problem, it's just a thing i've been noticing. part of it correlates to them being young, but i also wonder if it correlates to the prevalency of this kind of close-quarters-filmed-content-focus that's been cropping up in the last couple of years, since yunho also adopted a similar style for this specifically. i want to say maybe that it's also to do with the distance involved in performing for a live audience vs a camera (theatre vs film acting) but there are third and fourth gen idols that are good at both, so it might just be circling back around to the point i made here where there's a difference between being able to execute choreo well vs truly embodying a choreo.

[kittyprincessofcats]

I finished RWBY Volume 5!!

Loved it!! After volume 4 was (understandably) a bit slower-paced, I didn’t expect things to get intense and serious this quickly, but I’m glad they did! I have so many thoughts I wanted to write down, so here we go:

[There will be spoilers for RWBY up to Volume 5 in this post (duh). Please don’t leave spoilers for anything after Volume 5 on this post, otherwise I will block you.]

- I have to say, I definitely liked Cinder more when she wasn’t talking. During Volume 4, I kind of started feeling bad for her on some level, but then she got better and started being her old condescending, power-hungry self and I was like… nevermind, I hate you again.

- Qrow being super drunk when he first brings Oscar home was absolutely hilarious.

- Yang is SO COOL. Have I mentioned that she’s so cool? Like wow, I wish I was that cool! The bike, the new (amazing) outfit, the way she just punched that creepy guy and walked right up to her mom’s bandit camp making demands of her – she’s so cool and I’m here for it.

- Yang and Weiss’ reunion was so sweet! 😭 I was waiting for literally any of Team RWBY’s members to reunite and that got me right in the feels! (Also, I loved the whole “Wait, your mom kidnapped me?” “Wait, you kidnapped her?” exchange - brilliant 😂.)

- Ruby’s reunion with Yang and Weiss was so sweet, too! 😭 Tears were definitely shed over reunions in this volume! And it was so nice to finally have most of Team RWBY and what’s left of Team JNPR back together and see them bond and catch up with each other 😭. Found family back together! It’s what they deserve!

- Yang being so angry at Blake for leaving makes perfect sense, imo, especially considering her own abandonment issues. And even more so considering that she lost that arm while protecting Blake. Also, I don’t think it’s reading too much into it to say that Yang and Blake’s interactions and their storyline together have had romantic undertones since volume 2. (And no, I’m not just saying that because I ship Bumbleby; it’s the other way around – I ship Bumbleby because those romantic undertones were there in the first place.) So yeah, Yang always tried to help and support Blake, lost an arm protecting her from her abusive ex, and then Blake just left – I get why Yang’s hurt and angry. And that moment where she goes from complaining about how she just wants to be there for Blake, before finally admitting “What if I needed her there for me?” - that’s a really good moment for Yang, even beyond the romantic subtext. It’s nice to see Yang admit that she also wants someone else to be there for her, that she wants to receive that same love and care in return.

- I also want to point out that it’s nice to see how far Weiss has come since volume one. She really took a level in kindness and became a lot more mature, to the point where she’s now giving Yang relationship advice. It’s really nice to see.

- Ruby’s talk with Oscar about Penny and Pyrrha really got me teary eyed.

- I wasn’t that fond of Sun at first, but he had some really great moments in this volume, so he’s starting to grow on me now. I still don’t ship him with Blake, but their friendship is sweet.

- And now, let’s talk about THE standout character of the whole volume for me: ILIA!! Holy hell, I love everything about her! You know how some characters grow on you over time, and then there are those characters that you see one episode with and they just become instant favourites? That second one was Ilia for me. I watched Blake’s character short before Volume 5 and the moment I heard her backstory she jumped right to the top of my favourite character list without question AND I started shipping her and Blake right away. (Yes, I love Bumbleby and all, but I’m a multishipper. I’m perfectly capable of equally loving two ships that contradict each other.)

- It’s just – Ilia and Blake’s dynamic got me hooked! Not to compare everything to my OTP (Catra and Adora from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power), but let me quickly make this comparison: Two girls who grew up together, were both members of a certain evil organization until one of them left it and the other didn’t, now they’re on opposing sides and have to fight each other, but they still clearly care about each other. Plus, there are confirmed romantic feelings from at least one side there. I know many people (including myself) have compared Bumbleby to Catradora before – because you’ve got one blonde jock and one catgirl – but when it comes to the dynamic and the backstory, Blake and Ilia (what’s that ship called? Catmeleon, I think?) resemble Catradora even more. And it’s just the kind of dynamic I’m weak for.

(Honestly, it’s kind of funny how predictable I am both when it comes to favourite characters and favourite ships. My sister, who got me into both She-Ra and RWBY, took one look at Catra years ago and immediately predicted that I would love her. And when she first saw Ilia, she also immediately knew she’d be one of my favourites. Basically, my sister once described my “type” of favourite characters as “troubled, cute and gay” and that pretty much sums it up.)

- Speaking of troubled, cute, and gay: I’m glad RWBY finally has some CANON LGBT representation! Hell yes for that! Honestly, I interpreted Ilia’s feelings for Blake as romantic right away, but I wondered if it was just bait or my usual tendency to see romantic undertones in any interaction between two girls. But then that “I wanted you to look at me that way” line happened and… WOW. Yes. Amazing, talented, brilliant, never been done before, showstopping, incredible. I’m 100% sold on both the ship and Ilia as a character.

(One more thing before I change topics: I try to keep these posts positive and not get into discourse too much (since I’ve heard there was (is?) a lot of discourse in the RWBY fandom – but I took just one look into the tag for Volume 5 and immediately saw people arguing that Ilia’s not good representation because she’s a villain. And I just want to quickly address why that’s nonsense, in my opinion (and before you ask, yes I am a lesbian myself): First of all, she’s not even a full-blown villain. She’s clearly shown as confused and misguided from the beginning. And her feelings for Blake are never portrayed as a negative thing. She also has a redemption literally two episodes after being revealed to be queer. And in general, I don’t think queer villains are necessarily a bad thing and I’m tired of queer characters not being allowed to be flawed. How come straight characters get to just exist, but any queer character better be a shining beacon of morality or else they’re bad representation? I agree that RWBY should introduce more queer characters to balance things out a bit, but I wouldn’t say Ilia was bad representation by herself, since she’s a character I think we’re meant to have sympathy for.

- Now I just hope that future volumes of RWBY don’t pull a Bury Your Gays and kill Ilia off... I’d really hate that. (No spoilers on this post, please!)

- The entire fight at the Belladonnas’ house had me so on edge the whole time. I thought someone (most likely one or both of Blake’s parents) was going to die any second. Basically, the ending of volume 3 burned me and now I constantly expect characters to die. I’m glad it all (mostly) turned out well!

- Blake’s speech to the Faunus might have made me a bit emotional. That was a really great moment for her.

- And then there were those final episodes… WOW. Like I said, I really didn’t expect everything to go down so quickly (or for the ending to be that happy – like I said, volume 3 burned me.)

- Jaune unlocking his semblance was nice! And I’m proud of myself for having correctly predicted that he’d have some sort of healing powers. (I was waiting for him to unlock some healing semblance back when Qrow got injured in Volume 4 – I’m glad it finally happened!)

- I was worried about Weiss for a second, then I realized there’s no way she can die since I’ve already seen pictures of her outfit in later volumes. (Plus, I’m pretty sure if a main character had died, I’d have been unable to completely avoid spoilers about it. So those 4 are pretty much the only ones I’m not that worried about.)

- Raven is a really cool and interesting character, but an awful person. (I got so angry at her when she blasted Ruby after Ruby was just so nice to her*. How dare you, lady?) I love her design, though!

[*EDIT: I just rewatched it and realized that it was Cinder who blasted Ruby, Raven just created the portal. Point still stands, tough.]

- The plot twist of who the Spring Maiden really is was EPIC. Really loved that reveal! (And I honestly didn’t see it coming.) Though I have to say, I feel really bad for Vernal, and for the previous Spring Maiden.

- The Cinder VS Raven fight was absolutely epic and just stunning to watch visually. I was wondering if we’d ever get a maiden vs maiden battle, and that scene more than delivered! And while I don’t particularly like either of them, I was definitely rooting for Raven in that fight.

- I’m not sure if Cinder really died there. If so, I’m honestly not too sad about it, but I would be disappointed because I kind of expected her to become a more interesting character later on. After Volume 4, I expected at least a bit of growth there or something that would make her more interesting. And I’m not talking about a redemption, just to be clear! I just think the potential to make her more interesting as a villain was there, and if they just killed her off it’s kind of wasted now and she stayed a very flat character until the end. But I guess we’ll see.

- Raven and Yang’s confrontation was pretty intense. I liked that Raven finally had to admit that she’s afraid and doing all of this just to protect herself, and the contrast to Yang, who is also scared but still does what she thinks is right. And the fact that Raven was willing to let Yang have the relic despite the danger that would put her in – mom of the year indeed 🙄.

- Blake and the other Faunus are the real MVPs of the battle, tbh. The fact that they just completely stopped Adam and the White Fang by sheer numbers and didn’t even give them the chance to attack anyone? God tier stuff. And when Blake’s mom came in with the police? 10/10, we stan.

- Also, Blake telling Adam she’s not there for him? Hell yes, girl! I love how she’s taking power away from her abuser by showing she isn’t doing any of this for him. Really nice.

- Yang and Blake’s reunion in the last episode was super nice. I like how there was so much attention on that reunion in particular. And while I’m glad Yang wasn’t too angry at Blake and it makes for a nice happy ending, I still hope there’s a scene next volume where Blake properly apologizes to Yang for leaving and explains her side of things. And then, they should get together and live happily ever after and have lots of kittens. I mean, what?

- And finally, all of Team RWBY is back together! And they’ll have a lot to catch each other up on. Blake doesn’t even know about the maidens, the relics and Salem yet, while the rest didn’t even know about the White Fang attack. Also, I want Blake to introduce the others to Ilia and to her parents.

I really loved this volume. Lots of action, lots of really sweet moments, lots of epic fights and cool plot twists. I find it hard to rank them, but this might have been my favourite volume yet (volume 3 was also really good, though).