#epic entry scenes

[justshahrukhkhan]

Raees entry scene

...for scientific purposes only

release anniversary January 25, 2017

[justshahrukhkhan]

Can't be normal about him...

bitches will be normal then a man will fuckin-

[eightstarr]

at the count of three — ellie williams.

summary: how do you tell your best friend you’re in love with them? ellie has an answer! just be cool and wait for the right moment— and the next. and maybe another one, just to be sure. if you get impatient, you can always take a deep breath and count to three! (years, that is)

warnings: slow burn (childhood friends to lovers <3), little bit suggestive but no smut!

notes: born from a piece of dialogue i wrote like, a year ago and completely forgot about but somehow a week later it's 4k words? idk you're welcome or i'm sorry!!! also yes they do spend almost every scene sitting together on a couch but that's what lesbianism is all about...

don't support the last of us franchise.

daily click. learn about palestine. donate and share!

・。.・゜✧・. ────

ONE!

A movie plays on the TV, a slightly tarnished DVD of an 80’s action flick starring some oily guy and the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen— Ellie doesn't remember much other than an obnoxiously epic soundtrack and lingering shots that made the plot twist too obvious about 20 minutes in. 

She's freshly eighteen; you’re ahead only by a couple months. It's a warm Friday night, Joel and your dad in the kitchen putting scraps together for a mildly healthy dinner, Ellie sitting on the very opposite side of the couch from where you are. It’s hot, she'd said, looking away from your comically insulted face that grew with every scooch she made from your side, a lame excuse to save her from the newly found (and fucking torturous) fluttering that sparks in her stomach whenever she sits too close to you.

From the kitchen comes the sound of a can hitting the floor, followed by Joel’s 'shit!' and then quickly, 'sorry, girls'. You chuckle, turning to Ellie and catching her staring at you. A wrinkle forms between your eyebrows at the same time a pink warmth floods her cheeks. “Dude, you’re not even paying attention.”

“I am,” a scoff, her eyes now strictly committed to the screen. “The noise distracted me,” she adds, knowing it didn't even make her flinch from the careful study of your side profile.

“Scaredy cat— ow!” a pillow crashes against your cheek, sudden enough to shock you, too soft to do any real damage. “What the fuck?”

Ellie raises her eyebrows and looks at you from the corner of her eyes, a smirk half hidden by her hand. “Don’t be rude, you're missing the best scene.”

You throw the pillow back and scoff when she catches it, your lips slightly pursed, the signature sign to tell you’re annoyed. It's almost identical to the replica of that gesture that sits at the end of her last journal entry, an overly dedicated sketch born from a wandering thought. She could make it more accurate, she thinks now, soften the line of your jaw, take the scar on your cheek a little more to the left.

The sound of water splashing from the TV catches her attention and Ellie snaps her head forward (lest she get caught staring again), just as the blonde haired love interest is walking out of a fancy looking swimming pool.

“She’s hot,” you say, fingers pulling absentmindedly at loose threads on the rip of your jeans. When Ellie doesn't say anything, you turn to look at her, “You don't think so?”

Her voice comes out a higher pitch than she’d like. “What—” she clears her throat before continuing to mumble, “I don't know, I guess.”

You laugh. “You guess?” 

“Yeah, I— I don't know, dude, I wasn't thinking about that.”

You watch the nervousness on her face, the gulp that passes her throat, the red under her freckles. Fondness tugs at your chest and your voice softens just slightly, a smile playing on your lips. “Oh my God. Ellie, it’s okay,” green eyes find your face and she sees you hesitate for a second before you shrug. “Who cares? It's just me.”

You make it sound easy. It's the most distinct thing Ellie remembers about this moment, how suddenly safety felt like the most obvious thing. TV light on your face, your arm over the back of the couch, the same eyes she's been looking at since she was fourteen. Of course it's okay. Everything else with you is easy, why wouldn't this be the same?

Ellie shifts on the couch, the distance between you turning quickly ridiculous— offensive, even. She’s embarrassed to have let her flusteredness get in the way, but the urge to be closer doesn't feel right either. Everything she does feels like too much, everything she says too intense. “How long have you known?” she asks.

You tilt your head, less of a question and more of a guidance, “Known that you…”

Ellie parts her lips, unsure of whether or not she’s gonna say it or how, trying to will the words to come out. And they do, she remembers it well, because it was the first and maybe the only time she was this direct about it. “That I like girls.”

The smile on your face is teeth-rotting sweet, but she only gets to bask in it for a second before you widen your eyes and lower your voice to a scandalized whisper. “You what?”

Ellie rolls her eyes, cheeks burning, “Oh, fuck you.”

Your laugh fills up the room and the fluttering in her stomach feels absurd at this point, like she would actually be able to feel those annoying little butterflies flying around if she were to press her hand against her abdomen. “Sorry, sorry,” you say, and for a terrifying second Ellie thinks maybe they're loud too, and you’re able to hear them. But then she looks at you and forgets about it, easy easy easy. “It’s really okay. You know that, yeah?”

“Yeah,” she says. For once, there's not a glimpse of doubt about it to be found.

You watch another ten minutes of the movie in silence before your dad's head peeks out from the kitchen to call you both to the table for dinner.

Ellie has a habit of eating like it's her last day on earth. When you were both new residents of Jackson, hungry and scared and not at all used to the idea of a full plate of food twice a day, she couldn't help it. And you were the same, hence why your dad thought it would be good for you and Ellie to spend time together, which quickly turned to being around each other basically every minute of every day. But as the weeks passed, you seemed to be learning to adapt faster. A younger Ellie found this frustrating— especially after that time Joel complimented your table manners.

You’re just… nicer, she remembers saying, a stressed frown on her still childlike face, fiddling with a box of marbles she’d found under her new bed. She remembers how you pulled one out, your fingers brushing against her own for the first time ever, and held the clear crystal with green stripes next to her eyes, a satisfied smile at a practically perfect match. You’re nice too, Els, you’d said, shrugging your shoulders, the marble shoved inside your pocket, I think I just lie better.

Until that moment, Ellie had never thought about it that way; the fact that you could be pretending to feel more confident and comfortable than you really are to make yourself safer, to get people to like you. But when she asked, you swore you had never lied to Ellie. She used to drive herself mad thinking about that, a strange, confusing worry gnawing at her chest— she likes that you don't feel the need to lie, but what does it say about how you see her? Is it that you don't care if she likes you? Or worse, is it that you know that she already does?

You sit in front of her today at the same dinner table, four years later, and watch her practically inhale her bowl of pasta like no time has passed at all. You let out a snort and Ellie wonders if you can see it even now, if her constant thoughts of you are obvious even when she looks this busy.

"What?" she asks, an immediate frown on her face, though she's done you the honor of swallowing her mouthful before speaking.

"You're so gross," you say, chin resting on your palm, tilting your head like you're looking at some thought provoking art piece. Ellie thinks you'll leave it at that, but then you reach over and swipe your thumb over the red spot of sauce next to the corner of her lips, so soft she barely feels it. You watch her frown soften for a second before it becomes even deeper.

Ellie feels like her whole body is exploding with warmth, too hot under the hoodie she's wearing, too pink across her face. It's so obvious, she thinks, it's so— fuck, pull it together. Her gaze follows your finger as you bring it to your lips and lick off the sauce. “You’re disgusting,” she retorts lamely, her hand rough when she brushes it over her mouth, lest you notice another stain and she has to watch you do that again.

You are familiarly not deterred by her meanness. Or her attempt at it. "And you eat like a five year old,” you shrug. “I guess we both have our issues."

Ellie catches herself staring at your hands for the rest of the meal, certain that she's never noticed them in the same way before. How much time has she been wasting? You both have your issues, you'd said, but Ellie thinks she has you beat. Yours can't possibly be anywhere near this dangerous.

─────✧･ﾟ: *✧･

TWO!

Someone's knocking on her door. Ellie sniffles and lets out a groan as she gets up from the couch, sore throat, her limbs heavy and tired. She knows it's you because it's always the same three knocks; the first two firm and loud, a pause, and then one tiny one that sounds almost like 'sorry'. You’re impatient but still painfully afraid to be rude— if she loved you a little less, Ellie thinks she would make fun of it a lot more. But alas, she's cursed to smile at it every time.

She opens the door and the breeze that slips in makes her fall immediately into an embarrassing coughing fit. “It’s fine,” she mutters, at the same time you’re saying jesus christ, Ellie. “Shit. I’m okay,” she clears her throat and finally gets a moment to look at you, all pretty and put together in your best shirt and a freshly showered scent, the sun setting behind you like a perfect frame. Ellie prays her lungs don't betray her again and tries to make the brush of her hand over her messy hair look casual instead of desperate.

“Well, I was gonna ask if you wanted to come to the party with me for just a few minutes, but… I’m not sure you should be out of bed,” your worried frown is pretty, too. What a cruel fate. “Is Joel home? I can stay—”

“No, no, you’re good,” Ellie shakes her head, arms crossed over her chest like maybe it’ll cover up enough and you won't notice she was wearing the same long sleeve the last time you saw her. “He’ll be here in like, five minutes. I’ll be fine, ’m not a baby.”

You’re both nineteen by this time, Ellie remembers because you wore the same pretty blue shirt that you're wearing now for her birthday, and it was the day she realized her crush was no longer deniable. It's easier to act like nothing’s happening when she feels like she's alone in it, like there's no universe where you could love her like she loves you so she might as well let the fantasy die— but then you put on your shirt that's reserved for special occasions just to come over and bring her the cupcake you made, and suddenly Ellie can picture herself with her hands on each side of your waist, pulling you close, saying thank you with her lips brushing against yours before she kisses you. She can see it so clearly that it startles her, changes everything. Her birthday comes with a punch to the gut and a hunger she wants to tell you and only you about.

“You’re not gonna be bored? I really don't mind staying until he gets home.”

Ellie thinks (dramatically, extremely nineteen—) that if she lets you take care of her, she might actually die. It felt like she almost did last time you visited, your face serious with concentration as you pressed the back of your hand against her forehead. ‘You're warm’, you said, ‘do you feel sweaty?’ Ellie stared up at you, eyes glossy and heavy from sleep. ‘Not really’, her fingers sneaked out from under the blanket to wrap themselves around your forearm, a moment of bravery or delusion, ‘your hand feels nice’. You chuckled, ‘okay, keep it’.

She’s less feverish today, but not yet recovered from the greedy voice in her head that begs her to keep you close. If you don't go to the party now, she thinks (knows) that she’ll let herself casually talk you into staying the rest of the night. “Nah, don't miss your party,” she says. “I’ll be okay, Joel’s gonna teach me how to play that old card game.”

You raise your eyebrows. “So you're gonna argue all night.”

“No— what?” Ellie scoffs. “It’ll be good, I learn fast.”

“Yeah, because you make up your own rules.”

“I have questions about the rules, that's not the same thing.”

“It is if you cheat—”

“I’m not a cheater!”

You hum, a curious tilt of your head, and Ellie rolls her eyes before the words are even out of your mouth. “No, I guess you’d have to have a girlfriend for that.”

You watch her run her tongue over her teeth, her shoulder against the door frame. “You know I could say the same to you, right?”

“Too bad I said it first,” you shrug, pretty smile stretching your lips. “I guess I'll go, then. I’ll come over when it's done so you don't miss me too much.”

Ellie tries to maintain her composure. You know, she thinks, do you know? You must know. You can't know— “Right. Also so you can steal my food and crash in my bed, I’m guessing.”

“When you’re all vulnerable and weak? What do you think of me, Ellie?” you frown sadly, a hand over your heart.

“I think I know you,” she says, the corner of her lips lifting just a little, inescapably.

You walk to the gate and turn around as you close the lock, your hands on either side of your mouth as if she’s miles and miles away. “I’ll take the couch!”

“Yeah, sure!” Ellie yells back, her voice pretty even when it's hoarse, knowing she’ll hold on for just about ten minutes before she insists you take the bed instead.

Joel stays awake with her until around 10pm, when his yawns become too many to hide and he’s already let Ellie win three games, his smile genuine and wide while she chuckles and pretends she doesn’t notice. He leaves her with a tupperware of soup for tomorrow’s lunch and a deck of cards. To teach your friends or— I don't know, keep on the coffee table, he’d said, make you look cool. Ellie’s not sure you would find a box of cards ‘cool’, but she’s not above trying.

Ever since she moved out to the garage, she’s discovered a new type of stress at the notion of having you over. At Joel’s house, all she ever did to prepare for guests was pick up the dirty clothes from her bedroom floor and put her books in a (wobbly) single pile. Now things are different. The garage is small, but it's all hers— her floor, her living room, her kitchen. She can't have you thinking that she can't take care of things on her own.

She spends the next hour moving things around until finally, two loud knocks. A second passes; Ellie looks at the cards and considers shoving them inside one of the drawers on her desk. By the time the one quiet knock comes, she shrugs and decides to leave them on the coffee table, lest Joel was right and she misses a chance to have you start thinking she's cool and mysterious. “It's open,” she says from the couch, tiredness soon catching up with her after all that time rearranging things.

The door opens and you come in, quickly closing it behind you, a relieved sigh at the loss of that crisp, cold breeze outside. “Did Joel forget those?” you ask, bent at the waist as you take your shoes off, your chin pointing at the deck, the only thing on the coffee table. Maybe she should've been more subtle with it.

“Uh, no,” Ellie scratches the back of her neck, her legs stretched across the couch. “They’re a gift.”

She's not sure you hear her over the groan you make as you stretch your arms above your head, her legs moved to the side automatically to make space for you to sit. You fall down with a sigh and both forget about the cards— you, distracted by the warm tingly feeling of a couple drinks, and Ellie by the new jacket you’re wearing.

She lets a million different scenarios spin around her head for a couple seconds before she blurts out the question. “Whose is that?”

“What?” you turn your head away from the movie playing on the TV.

“The jacket.”

“Oh,” you look down at yourself as if you’ve just remembered it’s there. “Maya was leaving too, so she walked here with me. It’s hers.”

Ellie hums, her back sliding a little further down the couch, legs spread. “Stinks like it’s hers.”

You chuckle before you can help it, her animosity ridiculous and charming— Ellie’s better with actions than she is with words. “I don't even know what you're talking about,” you shake your head, not quite slurring, but not too far from it either. "She smells like strawberries."

Fuck Maya and her strawberry shampoo. Ellie could get some if she wanted to, maybe if she traded— what the fuck is she thinking about? She rolls her shoulders back and pushes the thoughts away, gluing her eyes to the screen. “Sure,” she says, less because she agrees and more because she doesn't wanna hear what else you like about Maya. “You had fun, then?”

“It was alright. You didn't miss out on too much,” the end of your sentence stretched out by a yawn, you cover your mouth lazily and rest back fully against the couch. “Jesse was drunk. They had to stop him from getting up on a table.”

Ellie chuckles. “I don't know, maybe he had something to say. I think I would’ve let him.”

“That's what I said,” you smile and let your head fall to the side, your cheek against the cushion. She feels you staring, enables it for a while by acting oblivious, falsely over-invested in some movie she can't remember the title of. She hears you move closer before she feels it— the shuffle of your clothes, the stupid jacket rubbing against her couch, so easily forgettable by the time your temple falls on her shoulder.

Ellie's about to fall asleep when she hears the little noise you make, something like a sniffle. For a worrying second she thinks she might’ve given you her cold, but then she feels the tip of your nose brush against her shoulder and she realizes you’re trying to breathe her in. 

“You always smell nice,” you whisper, half asleep.

Ellie swallows and prays to keep her body completely still, scared she’ll make the wrong move and have you pull away, scared you’ll lean closer and be able to hear the fast beating on her chest. She sounds breathy, “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you say. “Like fresh rain.”

Slow like the roll of credits playing on the TV, Ellie feels how every muscle in her body settles down, relaxed, content— fucking cocky. She wraps her arm around your shoulders and hopes the scent will rub off on the jacket and remind Maya of a cloudy autumn night, rain over her garden.

─────✧･ﾟ: *✧･

THREE!

"Do you think we would've liked each other?" you ask, your legs resting on her lap while she fidgets mindlessly with the ruffled cuff of your socks. Every patrol lately ends the exact same way, a quiet walk home and a joint on Ellie’s couch. "Back when the world was normal?”

Ellie turns to look at you, blinking lazily, a reddish hue over her green. You’re not sure if she's more tired or high, but either way you're not doing much better— everything you’ve said during the past hour is the kind of thought you have when you're alone at night and your brain wanders, moments away from falling asleep. It's a meaningless question, but Ellie lets out a soft hum and thinks about it like it's worth considering. You're not sure if anyone you’ve met in your whole twenty years of life is as willing to indulge you as she is.

"Yeah," she says decidedly, in the same tone with which one would say duh. "We—" a yawn cuts her off, slender hand rubbing one of her eyes. "We would be friends, like, in college."

"I wouldn't be in college.”

Ellie frowns, takes one last inhale and discards the joint to the ashtray on her coffee table. "Why not?"

"'Cause I'm not smart like you," you shrug.

The fold between her eyebrows deepens. "You're smart," she argues, with enough conviction that you almost believe her, insisting, "You are."

"In other ways, sure—” Ellie opens her mouth to interrupt but you get ahead of her, “I’m not trying to talk badly about myself, I just don't think college would be for me.”

You’ve never been the most disciplined. It’s hard to imagine yourself staying up late to study, taking diligent notes in class. It feels ridiculous.

“I’d be working somewhere, I think. Making coffee for people or something.”

Ellie pauses before she nods, adjusting her daydream to what you’re saying, strangely committed. "Then we would meet there,” she makes it sound like the easiest thing in the world, a natural equation. “I'd go get coffee from you."

You chuckle. "You don't even like coffee that much."

Ellie shrugs, soft pink lips curved in a smirk that tells you she's sleepy and serves to warn you of the horror that's about to come out of her mouth.

You groan. “Don't—”

"Maybe I like the pretty girl that's making it."

“Awful,” you push her shoulder away, barely any force behind it, her giggles swimming comfortably around your head. “Never speak again.”

"Not my best work?" she asks, her fingers wrapping lazily around your shin. Too much, her brain warns, but then she remembers the pad of your finger over the back of her hand last night, the cursive lines with no purpose other than to be touching her— and it feels right, or like it's not enough. Too much soon turns to coward.

"Possibly your worst.”

She might be going crazy, but lately Ellie feels like you’re looking at her differently. In your eyes there's something gentle, awaiting, a tracing of your eyes over her face that says please. She chews on her lip, her eagerness painful. “We would like each other,” she doesn't think there's a world where you wouldn't, and if there was… "I'd make you like me."

You raise your eyebrows, teasing, "Oh, so like now?"

Her lips part with genuine surprise, more amused than offended. “...I made you, huh?” 

You regret the joke as soon as it comes out of your mouth, immediately brought back to your fourteen year old self, lonely and admittedly captivated by the auburn haired girl from next door. Flashes of you rushing to catch up with her, untied laces on your too tight sneakers, Ellie, do you wanna be friends? The sound of pages shuffling and her voice reading in whispers in the dead of night because you asked, can you talk to me until I fall asleep? Infatuated from the beginning, obsessed. Even now, on her couch, after spending a whole day together— do you like me? Would you like me, always?

A pillow crashes against the side of her face, her laugh almost louder than the embarrassed pounding of your heart. You pull your legs from her lap and lie back, fold your arms over your face. “You're so annoying.”

A lie so obvious it makes Ellie smile. She shifts to crawl closer, one knee on either side of you. “C’mon, I was joking,” she leans forward and you feel her knuckles tap your arm like she’s knocking on a door. The power to make you shy is still foreign to her, makes her feel drunk, thrilled. She doesn't remember having it before, but of course it was there. In little ways, in daily, simple things. Your eyes always looking for her first in any room, lighting up even after an especially bad pun, tracing her arms when the day becomes too hot to keep her jacket on. You like her, of course. How much time has she been wasting? The breath she lets out feels like it's been waiting to be let go, years spent stuck in her lungs. Ellie wraps her fingers around one of your wrists, her voice sweet, achingly soft. “Want me to tell you why I know I’d like you?”

You lower your arms just slightly, eyes peering up at her.

“Yeah?” she tilts her head.

You nod, arms coming down, unusually quiet.

Ellie grins, victorious. “Okay, but fair warning— it's worse than the coffee thing.”

You chuckle. “Is it?”

“Very.”

“Hm,” you hum, pretending to think about it, distracted by the vision of her practically sitting on top of you. Freckled face framed by the hair that's escaped her usual bun, softly lit by the warmth of the lamp on her desk. “Alright,” you say finally.

It takes Ellie a second to respond, momentarily dazed by the thought of being pretty enough for you to ogle like this. She clears her throat. “You ready?”

You tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear and away from her eyes. “Sure.”

Ellie waits for the nerves to come, but even as she parts her lips to speak, they never do. What a kind fate. “I know I’d like you because nothing’s ever made more sense to me— I’ve been doing it since I was a kid. I like you enough for a million lifetimes.”

You look at each other, bask in a moment of understanding. Your eyes on her lips, a hand on her waist that pulls her closer. “That was worse,” you agree.

Ellie moves to rest on her forearms, cages you in, her nose brushing against yours. “I told you.”

She waits, feels herself count once again, a final time, one, two—

A hand against the back of her neck brings her in and the quiet noise of her surprise vibrates against your lips, makes her smile into the kiss for just a second before the hunger takes over. Her hips readjusting over yours, knees pressing against your sides, Ellie kisses like it's a need rather than a whim. She takes and takes and swallows every sigh you make like it's a gift, four, five, six seconds of a messy trail of kisses down your neck to say thank you before she resurfaces again.

“Love you,” she breathes out, because suddenly all that talk about ‘like’ feels stupid— immature, incomparable to what she actually feels for you. “Need you.”

You moan against her lips and it's her favorite sound in the whole world, immediately, as quick as realizing she would fall in love with you the day she met you. “Love you, Ellie.”

A kiss to your clavicle, your hands pulling at her shirt and her thigh between yours. She makes you say it three more times.

[quasi-normalcy]

Every "Nu Trek" (2017- ) Series Ranked from Worst to Best:

Very Short Treks (2023): There's really no words for just how terrible this series is. I mean, I know that it only barely counts because it's explicitly not canon and has a total combined run time of about 15 minutes, but *my god* is it bad! Only one of its episodes is remotely funny, and even that manages to feel like it's driven its main joke into the ground by the end of its 2-minute runtime. The only thing that I can say for it is that is that it gives me an easy, uncontroversial choice for worst Star Trek series, not only of the last 7 years, but of all time.

Picard (2020-2023): Listen; I know that this series is unpopular with the Tumblr Trek fandom, but it actually breaks my heart to have to put it so low on the list. It has, in my own opinion, the best dramatic acting of any Trek series and among the best directing, and almost every individual scene, in isolation, is compellingly watchable. More than that, it has fascinating worldbuilding choices, you can really *see* the passion of the writers for what they're creating (at least in the first and third seasons), and Agnes in particular is among my favourite characters in anything ever. It's got a lot of great moments, too! Picard and Seven bonding over shared Borg trauma; Soji uncovering the truth of her identity; Jurati hacking the Borg Queen's brain; Picard's final farewell to Q; Shaw's Wolf 359 monologue; Geordi's reunion with Data...I could go on. And yet, it just feels like so much *less* than the sum of its parts! Incredible ideas are introduced and then just shrugged off to pursue much more boring ones. Story arcs feel pointless if not actively offensive. Absolutely baffling writing choices are made throughout, with no indication as to why. And the nostalgia baiting , particularly in the final season, becomes so intense that it just chokes the plot to death. One comes away haunted by the feeling that this series should be so much better than it is.

Discovery (2017-2024): Really, this is two separate series: a twisty, grimdark, sci-fi war drama and a gentle queer coffeeshop AU about scientists who talk about their feelings. Both of them have their moments, but they each fall down in the same way: a focus on epic, high-stakes mystery box storytelling that undermines one's ability to really get invested in the characters, or even know who they are when they aren't off saving the universe. Without that, while I liked many of the characters and loved seeing them science the shit out of things using teamwork and the power of math, it's kind of difficult to get invested in this series one way or another. In spite of its absolutely gorgeous visuals, it comes off feeling weirdly...flat.

Short Treks (2018-2020): Not a lot to talk about here; just kind of an anthology series of short films adjacent to Discovery, Picard, and Strange New Worlds. Mostly they're varying shades of mediocre, but a few of them are as brilliant as any episode of Star Trek ever made, so the series gets to be relatively high on the list.

Strange New Worlds (2022- ): This is the first entry on this list that, in my opinion, belongs on the top shelf with some of the best of the older series. And it achieves it basically by adopting the same formula as the original series or the next generation--socially conscious planet-of-the-week adventures with enough wit, cleverness and joie-de-vivre to keep it interesting. I remember in 2017, there was plenty of discussion of how it's possible to update Star Trek's formula for prestige television; how funny that the solution turned out to be "don't change it at all, just give it modern special effects and actual character arcs." That said, the series is a bit *too* beholden to the original, with focus primarily on a bunch of characters who aren't allowed to grow or change too much because we already know how they'll turn out. It would be even better if it were about a new ship and a new crew full of nobodies who we can come to love. Which brings us to...

Lower Decks (2020-2024): Above, I said that Picard felt like it should have been so much better than it was. Lower Decks, frankly, should have been so much worse. How is an adult animated sitcom with Rick and Morty style animation and constant memberberries this freaking good!?! Every episode is a master class in efficient storytelling, with 22 minute runtimes often feeling like they contain as much story and character work as episodes twice as long. And the characters are incredible--like TOS and TNG, they feel almost archetypal, and even though you've never seen them before, they slide so seamlessly into the Star Trek universe that it's hard to believe that they weren't just *always* there; that there was ever a time when you could imagine the Star Trek universe without just intrinsically knowing that Tendi and Shaxs and Mariner were off somewhere in the background. It's greatest success though, the reason why it's comedy works when it really shouldn't, is that it's only *slightly* sillier than the serious series. What we end up with a fantastic series with an ethos that is pure Star Trek, and in fact, if I had written this list a month ago, it would certainly be in the #1 spot. However...

Prodigy (2021-2024?): The first season of Prodigy is...charming. It's got some fun characters, some spectacular visuals, some interesting premises. And if the plots tend to be a little too simplistic to be engaging to an adult, hey, it's a kids' show. It's good. Solid. Above average. And if I had only the first season to go on, it would probably be in third position on this list. But then, a few weeks ago, it went ahead and dropped the best season of Star Trek in a quarter-century, and I really...I just cannot recommend this series highly enough. The sheer, ambitious scope of the narrative; the arcs it puts its character through; the cleverness of the writing; the fricking GORGEOUSNESS of it! And it does all this while redeeming deeply unpopular characters and plot points from other series, in a way that never feels forced or pandering. Not only is it the best Star Trek series of the 21st century, it's one of the best children's animated series since AtLA. Go. Go! Watch it! Watch it now!

[j0die101]

I love how Illya and Napoleon just seem to take turns saving each other's lives. And also, how they would have kept ending up dead if not for the moment of "I hate this dude but guess I gotta save him, only for the sake of the mission of course" when they saved the other one before. Especially at the beginning of the movie.

See under the cut for a very detailed list 😅😅

~Illya holds onto the car Napoleon and Gabby try to escape in~ Napoleon could have very easily killed him right there, clear shot, no distance at all, but somehow it just doesn't seem fair (N "saves" I)

~ Public bathroom scene: Illya refrains from suffocating Napoleon after his boss tells him to let go.~ kinda not sure whether that counts. Saving his life by not killing him (?), guess he could've just ignored his handler and go all in. I'll let it count. (I "saves" N)

~ breaking into the satellite facility part 1: almost getting caught because Illya is too slow to pick the lock -> Napoleon picking the lock for them (N saves I, or well saves them both)

~ breaking into the satellite facility part 2: Illya figuring out a way to escape when everything goes to shit. (I saves N, or well also saves them both)

~ The best, funniest and most epic scene in the entire movie if you ask me: the harbour and Napoleon's little truck-picnick~ now see I really love this scene because it is incredibly comedic while being incredibly dramatic and angsty and a major turning point in the story. They're being chased - they're out in the harbour on a boat - all escape ways blocked - Napoleon holding on to the top of the boat. They're being shot at - a lot. Illya takes a sharp turn - Napoleon falls off the boat into the water, or does he let go on purpose ?- Illya doesn't notice right away. Turning around a few moments later he only sees the entry holes of the shots, right where Napoleon used to hang on. What conclusion does this lead him to? Surely he must think Napoleon got shot, fell off the boat and is drowning or bleeding out or both somewhere on the water. He is on his own. So he tries to get away, but is fighting a lost fight. Meanwhile, Napoleon swims ashore, finding the picnic basket on the truck and just enjoys a little break, while Iliya is being hunted down.

Now here comes the part, which I consider the major turning point in their partnership. It's a tiny little moment. Almost unnoticeable. Almost.

Illya's boat is now on fire, and it's sinking quite rapidly. The hunt is over. Napoleon starts the engine of the truck. He's about to just drive off, in the chaos no one would suspect their own truck driving out of the harbour. He could just tell their handlers the truth. Iliya was killed by their targets. Get rid of him easily and move on with the mission by himself.

But then, he changes his mind. We can see how his expression changes. He's like "damn, somehow I can't do that. Why do I have to be like this? Why can't I just let him be done with?" Kinda being annoyed by himself really.

And so he turns the truck, drives it into the water, right onto their opponents boat, sinking all of them. Using the headlights to locate Illya. Saving his life by dragging him to the surface and ashore. (N saves I)

~ the chair: Napoleon is trapped, tortured by a nazi psychopath, no way of escaping. He believes Gaby has sold them out. He has no idea whether Illya is even still alive. And yet, somehow there he is, getting him out of a hopeless situation. (Also if anyone is ever shocked by electricity, get them to the hospital immediately!!! Heart failure can happen from this as well a day after as right away. They need to be under medical observation!!! Don't let the media tell you otherwise!!!) (I saves N)

~ the iconic motorcycle scene. Illya is hurt, trapped under his own vehicle after a crash that, lets be honest, should have killed him instantly. Napoleon is trying to save Gaby from the crashed car and is ambushed, about to get shot point blank while on his back on the ground. Yet somehow Illya doesn't just manage to get his motorcycle off of himself, but continues to throw it onto Napoleon's assailant. Guess Iliya's in the lead now (I saves N)

~ And finally: the stand off about the disc. Illya feels betrayed, he is struggling, he doesn't want to kill Napoleon, but needs to finish the mission. He is close to a psychotic episode. There is so much pressure on him, who wouldn't be stressed to their total limit. By now Napoleon knows him, he is excellent in reading people. He would have been able to shoot first. Maybe even resulting into killing Illya. But instead he decides differently and is able to de-escalate the situation. By showing care and kindness (aka surprising Illya with the watch). Thereby he doesn't only save his own life, he probably saves them both. (N saves I, I guess)

~ together they are able to make the only logical decision. A decision that is probably saving millions of lives. They burn the disc. Disobedience against their handlers. A decision based on what is right. Together. (N&I saving loads of people together)

[dragonofthedepths]

Knuckles practically kicked open the doors to the prison. Striding in as if he owned the place and giving his comrades a wink as he spotted them in one of the first round of cells. Managing to reach through the bars and pluck the hat right off Sticks’ head before putting it on himself.

“Hey!” The warlock gave a shout, trying to reach through the bars herself to get it back. Knuckles simply took a step back out of her reach.

“I need it! Got to complete the whole wizard look.”

“Me and the fire monster inside of me will COME FOR YOUR TOES!”

My entry in the @sthbigbang! Drawn for Castles and Creepy Creatures written by the amazing @bitttertrees

Finally! Here's what I spent the last half-month of my life working on! *jazz hands*

I've never participated in a Big Bang before and this was a lot of fun! I am just one of four artists who did something for this fic, so go check out the others too!:

@madcatscookiejar did this incredible scene

@hel-helly did this epic piece

And @lovelylivewirez drew the BAR FIGHT! (And the character designs we all used, seriously thank you so much!)

[a-fuked-up-mess]

the dynamic between yuji and nobara is so, so chaotic and funny and similar to eachother like they're on the same wavelength and oh my gods, still so nonsensical that it's hilarious.

next, the live action scenes are just... i can understand manga fans' frustration in action scenes a bit because it's literally something else entirely to see it flow like that than to see its picture by picture.

these negative emotions of mankind become the source of curses, they said. and yuji put all his negative emotions which are hate, fear and regret to turn it into that red flame fist. from this im assuming that all the negative emotions are also what jujutsu sorcerers use as their powers? and by basic fantasy logic, the stronger the emotions, the stronger the power ig? and as they said gojo is the strongest... does that mean he has a lot of negativity inside? eh dunno.

and after the howl, when sukuna comes out and fights that white, raisin looking curse... damn. and after he creates his domain and kills the curse and all. yup, epic. also, ryomen sukuna... why's he kinda... um... no nvm.

again, some scenes i should mention: idiot level teachings on special grade, yuji and nobara after the exit was lost and then petting with megumi's dog, megumi and itadori arguing over tadashi's dead body and yuji's internal struggle about the idea of "a proper death", megumi summoning animals, nobara (almost dying): you know i really hate frogs/megumi (trying to rescue her): well that's just too damn bad, the scene when sukuna burns that white, raisin looking curse with purple flame, and, nobara's phone's death because of kiyotaka ijichi lmao.

last, from ep3, that log entry of a curse being born and one of the three first year dying... is it itadori? because at the end of ep4, when sukuna asks him to switch, he doesn't or maybe... he can't. so is yuji stuck inside the body or something? or maybe im reading too much into it

[samasmith23]

Why Revenge of the Sith remains my personal favorite Star Wars movie

I think one of the main reasons I have such a fondness for Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith in particular amongst the entire saga (controversial opinion I know, but ROTS is my personal favorite Star Wars film period...) is because of the experience I had with this movie as a kid growing up!

This film came out in 2005 when I still would have been in the 3rd Grade, and I had already grown up loving the Star Wars franchise, watching the unaltered VHS copies of the Original Trilogy, as well as Episodes I & II on DVD constantly as a child. So when I started seeing tons of trailers and promotions for Episode III popping up, you'd better believe that I was incredibly huped about this film! I still remember seeing the initial teaser trailer for Revenge of the Sith when I first saw Pixar's The Incredibles back in 2004, and you'd better believe that little kid me was excited as all heck!

I personally remember the build-up and anticipation for Episode III being wild back in the day, since not only was this being promoted as the "final entry in the Star Wars saga" since George Lucas stated his intentions to not make an Episode VII at the time (hindsight can be funny sometimes... lol!), but this would be the film that finally answered the question of how exactly Anakin Skywalker turned to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader! Episode III was also promoted as the darkest film in the entire franchise since it was the first to ever receive a PG-13 rating (all the previous movies were rated PG here in the US…). Heck, I remember the PG-13 rating causing a lot of caution and concern among both parents and teachers, since not only did one of my teachers state that my 3rd Grade class was "too young to watch Star Wars Episode III," but when my Dad and I finally saw in cinemas, he calmed my Mom down by telling her he would cover my eyes if any scene got overly violent. Fortunately, my Dad did not end up not having to shield my eyes... although funnily enough he almost did so during the scene when Anakin ignited his lightsaber in front of the younglings before it immediately cut away (so their deaths occurred offscreen...). It wasn't until I was much older that I later learned that the primary reason Episode III was given the PG-13 rating was that in addition to Lucas’ personal recommendation due to the film’s darker tone, the rating was specifically aimed at the immolation scene on Mustafar when Anakin is burned alive by the lava after losing his duel with Obi-Wan.

When I finally saw Revenge of the Sith in theaters in May of 2005, to say that I was completely blown away by the film would be a massive understatement! Not only was I completely immersed in the sheer epic scale of the space and lightsaber duels, but the aesthetics of the planets like Utapau & Mustafar, as well as creatures & droids like General Grievous, captured my imagination to entirely new levels that surpassed even the previous Star Wars films. Heck, General Grievous in particular was a character that I became completely obsessed with as a kid in a similar manner to how countless other Star Wars fans are completely enamored by Boba Fett (both for his badass character design, as well as his status as a Jedi-killing cyborg who wields 4 lightsabers simultaneously while also foreshadowing Anakin's similar future transformation into a being "more machine than man")!

However, the elements of Revenge of the Sith that especially captivated my young mind in the theater were the portrayal of Anakin Skywalker's turn to the Dark Side, as well as Chancellor Palpatine's rise to power as the Emperor. Before the movie's release, I would constantly speculate about what exactly would cause Anakin to become Darth Vader (little kid me came up with wild theories such as him being mind-controlled into being evil via Sith lightning or some such bullcrap... lol!) and the revelation that Anakin turned to the Dark Side primarily out of fear of his wife Padmé dying at childbirth was certainly not what I was expecting back then. At the same time though, this plot point made perfect sense to me and I couldn't help but be engrossed in the whole Greek/Shakespearean tragedy portrayal of Anakin's descent into darkness being motivated primarily out of love. Additionally, as I continued to rewatch Revenge of the Sith on DVD and Blu-Ray as I grew older, I began noticing more of Anakin's growing frustration and distrust with the Jedi council, and how it heavily correlated with the political themes about the corruption of democracy and the rise of fascism (which makes both the Order 66 montage and Padmé’s line, “So this is how liberty dies… with thunderous applause,” hit even harder)! Furthermore, Palpatine himself made for such a phenomenal main antagonist & master manipulator, with scenes such as him telling Anakin the legend of Darth Plagueis story at the Coruscant opera house as well as his reveal as Darth Sidious being particularly chilling standouts for me!

While some of those more complex themes went over my head as a 3rd grader, Revenge of the Sith was probably one of my earliest exposures to darker forms of storytelling dealing with flawed characters & complex themes. Elements that I now actively search for in my consumption of media, ranging to films, comics, TV, and video games. Additionally, as a child these aforementioned elements made me rewatch Episodes I & II with an even greater appreciation and attention to Anakin’s gradual downfall and Palpatine’s manipulations which all culminated in Episode III. As a kid, I used to primarily focus on the action scenes in Star Wars films above all else, but as an adult elements such as the corruption of bureaucracy with the Jedi Order, the downfall of democracy & the rise of fascism with the Old Republic's devolving into the Galactic Empire, and the Shakespearean tragedy of Anakin Skywalker's transformation into Darth Vader are the elements of the Prequels that continue with stick with me!

It's for this reason that despite whatever flaws Revenge of the Sith might have along with the rest of the Prequel Trilogy, it honestly still remains my personal favorite Star Wars film in the entire saga, followed closely by both Return of the Jedi and The Last Jedi (which means that my Top 3 Star Wars films include one from each trilogy! Lol!)! And for the longest time I thought that Episode III would have been the ONLY Star Wars movie I'd ever get the chance to see in theaters... thank goodness I was wrong with the release of the Sequel Trilogy a decade later! Still though... I will forever cherish that initial hype of Revenge of the Sith as my first-ever theatrical Star Wars experience!

[tez144]

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)- Review

Planet of the Apes keeps evolving for the better.

Planet of the Apes is my all-time favourite franchise. It’s not hyperbole to say my excitement and expectations were at absolute peak for the 10th Apes film. And it didn’t disappoint.

Director Wes Ball puts out a banger of a film that is character driver, emotional, and has a clear focus on the story that is being told. Compared to the previous 3 films (Rise, Dawn & War) which were world-changing epic events, this is a smaller scale story that also does a fantastic job at world building, and tackling larger concepts of community, society and extreme theological diversity. This is filmmaking at its best; the motion-capture and CGI is outstanding, the score is iconic POTA and every actor, whether ape or human, hit their marks and give it 100%.

The story is centred around young chimpanzee Noa who is a member of the Eagle Clan, a community of Apes who keep and train eagles. The Eagle Clan are remote and have no contact nor much knowledge of the history of the wider world. As Noa goes on his adventure and learns of the world and their history, including the great ape Caesar, the audience does as well. It’s a great way to introduce the characters, allow us to form a connection with them, and learn where the Ape society and where the world has progressed to. It also allows it as an entry point into the story and world for anyone who hasn’t seen the previous films, which can be a difficult task for the 4th instalment of a film series (or 10th overall).

Kingdom picks up “many generations later” after the events in War. That wording itself says a lot about the world we are being introduced to. Time is no longer measured in years, or centuries. The human concept of time has been lost and is measured in a societal construct of generations.

I picked up many easter eggs from the previous films, ranging from replicating scenes, props and sounds. I’m sure I’ll pick up more on a second viewing. If you know the POTA lore and timeline(s), these easter eggs keep the film in the guidelines, whether it be Ape customs or specific moments we see in the future, as its moving towards the time-period set in the original 1968 film. Are these just fun easter eggs, or am I reading too much into them being a POTA nerd? Probably the latter.

I have a couple of nitpicks about how small parts of the story don’t quite connect, but that is very minor. Another point to note is the first teaser trailer made it sound like Noa had visions of the future “when I sleep, I see strange things...not memories. New things. I see everything”. This whole story line has been cut from the movie. I’d be very curious to see that version of the film.

I could talk about this movie for hours, but I’ll hold back. Go and see it.

4.5 / 5 - Apes continue to be strong.

- Stay up to date on all my latest content on my Facebook page, Film & Flask.

[shredsandpatches]

The Devil Has All the Best Tunes: Ranking the Mephistopheles Arias

Since getting myself properly acquainted with Arrigo Boito's Mefistofele, I've been thinking about how much the character of Mephistopheles brings out the best in opera composers, although that's only fitting, since he also did for Goethe. And the idea of this listicle suggested itself to me pretty quickly as something to think about while I was having a slow day at work on Friday. Thus! My completely idiosyncratic ranking of the eight arias sung by Mephistopheles over the three classic Faust operas:

La Damnation de Faust (1846), Hector Berlioz

Faust (1859, later revised), Charles Gounod

Mefistofele (1868/75), Arrigo Boito

All three operas are considered in their best-known forms—like, I know there's a recent recording of the 1859 version of Faust but I haven't heard it and it doesn't even have "Le veau d'or." I'm also not rating the specific performances I used for the audio/video illustrations—all of these are of course extremely well-represented in recordings and have many, many, many versions on Youtube (the playlist I made while prepping this post has like 56 and it's only a small fraction of them all). I just picked ones that a) I like and b) allowed me to use eight different singers for the eight arias.

Finally, in case you're wondering: all of these are actually fantastic. There's only one that I don't absolutely love and I still really like it. This is just a straight-up array of bangers from beginning to end.

Behind the cut: the bangers. Join us, won't you?

8. "Vous qui faites l'endormie" (Gounod) (Text/translation)

So, here's the one I just like instead of being generally feral about. If this is your last-place entry in a ranking of arias you're doing fine. And it's basically right from Goethe! But while the evil laughter is fun, the melody just doesn't stick with me, and while comparisons are odious (pfft, right, I love comparisons) I think Berlioz did a much better job with this text.

That said, one way to make me love it is to have Bryn Terfel sing it while pawing at a strung-out (in-universe!) Roberto Alagna. What can I say, I'm a slut for Faustopheles content. (And I do love me some Bryn Terfel)

7. "Une puce gentille" (Berlioz) (Text)

We now arrive, basically immediately, at the portion of the list where I unqualifiedly adore everything on it even without the benefit of particularly gay stagings. In general I feel that my rankings here don't quite reflect how much I love La Damnation de Faust (although longtime readers of this blog will have noticed), but I think the strength of the piece is not as much in the arias (although I love the arias) but in the duet and ensemble scenes. In any case this is a delightful number (again, directly from Goethe, also set to music by Beethoven and, later, Mussorgsky) which is also not even the strongest bass aria in the scene. I think we can all agree Brander comes out on top in the Auerbachs Keller bass throwdown, right?

As far as video choices go I always have mixed feelings at best about fully staged versions of La Damnation to begin with—performing it with onstage action belies the extent to which the most important action is psychological, and conversely there are some truly epic moments that are almost impossible to stage in a way that does justice to the music. That said: here's Ruggero Raimondi camping it up.

6. "Devant la maison" (Berlioz) (Text)

Up above I mentioned that Berlioz does a better job with Mephistopheles' serenade than Gounod does—this is just a fun, snarky little trifle with a mock hurdy-gurdy accompaniment* and a collective evil laugh for the chorus. What's not to love?

Berlioz wrote some alternative readings into the Damnation score so that the role of Mephistopheles could be played either by a true bass or a baritone. I prefer the former (as do I think most contemporary conductors, as I haven't seen many other recordings that cast a baritone**) but Jules Bastin's lighter timbre suits the intricacy of this melody and his suavity contrasts well with the rough edges of the chorus.

*The libretto specifies that the singer of Mephistopheles should pantomime playing one, although this seems not to have been followed by most performers. **There is one with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau as Mephistopheles and Placido Domingo as Faust and, bafflingly, it sucks. Go figure.

5. "Ave Signor" (Boito) (Text)

We aren't even quite into the top half of the list yet (I know! Like I said: THEY ARE ALL SO GOOD) and we're already getting to the real heavy hitters. This aria wins the special recognition for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Cuntiness. Like, sure, you're leading your best demonic life, why NOT have a casual chat with the old man (il vecchio, lol) upstairs, pout about how humans suck so much it's no fun to even tempt them these days, and then make a little bet about that weirdo Faust, all to a jaunty little flute accompaniment? Magnificent. *chef's kiss*

Erwin Schrott never fails to bring the sass and that suits this aria perfectly. The leather jacket is an excellent touch as well. I want one. (I actually own a giant leather jacket but the collar doesn't do that. I want one where the collar does that)

4. "Voici des roses" (Berlioz) (Text)

Okay, I'm gonna let you all in on a little secret which is that STRICTLY SPEAKING, from a musical standpoint, I probably should switch around this aria and the previous. But this one gets a generous helping of sentimental favorite points for two reasons:

a) I am, as discussed, a slut for Faustopheles content and this is the single most homoerotic Mephistopheles aria in the operatic Faust corpus. He calls Faust "beloved" (bien-aimé) and sings about how he's going to be covered with "crimson kisses" and it's amazing. And very, very gay.

b) I've been onstage while John Relyea sang this and I was part of the ensuing chorus, an extended, complex seduction/dream sequence which I am pretty sure took up about half the rehearsal period all on its own. When Mephistopheles sings his recitative at the very end of it ("c'est bien, c'est bien, jeunes esprits, je suis content de vous") it always made me so happy because yeah, we EARNED THAT. But the moment before the chorus section, hearing such a commanding singer perform such a beautiful and sexy aria and then coming into that and not breaking the mood—God, it was just pure fucking magic.

So here, of course, is John Relyea singing it. Not the production I was in, for the record. I probably don't need to clarify that I have never been in the chorus at the Met. (The video cuts off before the chorus anyway but does include "Une puce gentille" and the following recitatives, and I'm not sure YouTube lets you timestamp your links anymore so if you want to skip to "Voici des roses," start around 3:15. Or you could also listen to "Une puce gentille" again because John Relyea just crushes this role)

3. "Ecco il mondo" (Boito) (Text)

Of the three great Faust operas, Mefistofele has its finger most firmly on the pulse of the sheer chaos muppet energy exuded by its title character. This aria reprises some of the motifs introduced in "Ave, Signor" (the jaunty flute line contrasting with the grandiose intervals of the vocal line) and revolves around some really fun stagecraft. In performance, during this aria Mephistopheles displays and then smashes a model of the world—the original libretto calls for a glass globe, while the most iconic modern production uses an ordinary latex balloon. Sometimes you'll see grouchy opera purists grumble online about the latter, and they are silly: it's a perfect reflection of Mephistopheles' disdain for the "filthy and mad" (sozza e matta) human race—and his perhaps more complex feelings about one particular representative thereof. I haven't seen enough versions of this opera to cite any performances where the second half of the aria is addressed directly to Faust, but there's some pretty fabulous potential there.

Going old school for the recording here, with Cesare Siepi. Found this one in a blog post that was mostly devoted to pearl-clutching about the Carsen/Levine staging (in its most recent revival) and the sight of Christian Van Horn in tights: the reviewer found Van Horn to be a second-rate version of Siepi (on vocal grounds, not shirtlessness grounds). Harsh, man, and I'm not even that into Christian Van Horn, at least not in this role. But this is a great recording all on its own. I'm not sure why they put Emil Jannings on the cover though.

2. "Le veau d'or" (Gounod) (Text/translation)

What can I say? This one needs no introduction, really. It's one of the great operatic bangers of all time (and one of the most persistent earworms). It was in Hannibal (I think)! Its reputation precedes it and the only reason it's in second place here is because there's one more aria that's even more awesome.

I've always loved the way Rene Pape sings this—obviously you could eat the vocals with a spoon and his physicality lends a sort of Orson Welles-y* gangster energy to the role, but also there's something about his approach to it that gives you the sense that, as @skeleton-richard once put it, "he's been both the calf and the idiots in the mud." I also love that he gets to do a little dance in this version. LET MEPHISTOPHELES TWERK.

*And wouldn't late-period Welles have been PERFECT as Goethe!Mephistopheles? I weep for the lost opportunity.

1. "Son lo spirito che nega" (Boito) (Text)

And here we are. This aria is just an absolute masterpiece, the greatest of a truly impressive array of bangers. It just captures everything we love about the character of Mephistopheles: the chaos and terrifying cynicism, the subterranean low notes, the compelling derision and mockery. The whistling! How can you not love it? The whole thing just makes my toes curl. It really sums up why this opera should be better known and loved, because fuck. Brain chemistry forcibly altered.

AND SPEAKING OF TOE CURLING. For this bravura composition, a bravura performance by the great Samuel Ramey. He absolutely owns this role and that's perhaps nowhere most evident than right here. Even if he doesn't do his own whistling.

[dicenote]

ask game:

8 [matsuda], 22, and 23

Ooh yay! Thanks for the ask :D

8. what do you think [matsuda] would have done if they had gotten the death note?

(is it just me, or is the text kinda off center? eh, whatever)

Aaaanyway, there's two ways I could go with this. One is the meme-y answer: "Matsuda would think the Death Note is a diary, write his own name while writing a diary entry, and die". But that's no fun.

I'd have to give it more thought, but I feel like Matsuda wouldn't actually write in the notebook until Ryuk showed up. Not because he thinks it's wrong or whatever- after all, he says repeatedly in canon that he thinks some people deserve to die. But I don't think he'd want to believe that it's real. Once Ryuk proves to him that it is, though, I think he would kill criminals that he knows are on the loose.

He might try to justify it to himself in one way or another, or try to pretend that he didn't kill anyone. But he can't deny it forever. He definitely wouldn't go the Light route and play god to justify murder, but he's not completely innocent either. Honestly? He might get away with being Kira. A few random heart attacks in Japan might not be enough to set off any alarm bells, and Matsuda's not killing at the same scale Light is.

There is one thing that would definitely get him caught, though. If any of his coworkers (or, for extra angst points, Soichiro) were in danger, and the Death Note was the only way out, Matsuda would probably risk getting caught to save them.

22. which moment was the most painful to watch?

Soichiro's death. It's such a good scene, in both the manga and the anime. Dad Yagami dies without ever knowing the truth, and that fucking hurts. Not to mention Light's reaction (which I don't believe was faked, at least not entirely) and the Task Force all solemnly gathered around. OH and Matsuda holding Light back in the manga is a nice touch.

23. what was your favorite moment and why?

Oof, that's hard. Probably the whole plan to capture Higuchi. Even though I knew it wasn't gonna end well for team L, it was fun to watch. Also, Matsuda's interview is very funny:

Matsuda: Oh gee here I go telling the whole world about Kira's identity. I hope this privacy screen doesn't fall over!

Privacy screen: falls over

Oh yeah, and the return of Ide and Aizawa is such an epic moment! On rewatches, at least. I didn't remember who Ide was when I first read the manga, so the moment didn't hit as hard the first time.

[bratgoatswiss]

Apologies for length, have to save the cut for spoilers.

I FINISHED VEILGUARD!

I have. So many thoughts and emotions about it and I'm still processing but I just wanted to counter some of the vitriol I'm seeing from people who are doing the Fandom thing with what I hope are reasonable, normal thoughts. Ha. Haha. Anyway. Mostly spoiler free but there's one small thing and one BIG thing that is that I'll put under the read more.

There was a lot to like about this game. The combat was fun and I think upon a 2nd playthrough it'll be even better. Some of it could get repetitive but its not a big gripe.

The characters were very endearing and felt well fleshed out as people and I enjoyed spending time with them. Most of the side quests were related to your companions in some way and I thought that was clever. Some were more interesting than others.

The writing has been contentious and I can see why. It can get cheesy and predictable in places, but overall I thought it was very similar to DA2. I enjoyed it and thought it reflected some realistic responses to what was happening around you. If you're here for gritty edgelord shit 24/7 go play Dark Souls you weirdo.

I can only speak for the Lucanis romance cause I love an angsty man, but it was perhaps, underpadded. It was slow and sweet and I did like it very much but I could have used some...more you know? I didn't even get to see my own tits and that's tragic.

Solas. I did not romance the egg in DAI. I do not like the egg. I liked how I got to handle the egg. So much. I've seen the Lavellan romance scenes and if there's any uproar from the Sollavellans (one l or 2?) it's because they didn't let you see the 2 of them fuck nasty in high definition for an hour. It's Rooks story now. You're fine. Go write fanfiction.

The lore. Hoo boy. Honestly they really did put everything in a blender and fished out what they liked. Everything is made up and the points don't matter. I don't LOVE that they retconned so much of what was in Origins. Zevran and the Crows especially seems really odd. I THINK the idea is that it's been like 20-30ish years since all that and stuff has changed or information was wrong or inaccurate or whatever? But that seems lazy. I wish they'd addressed it more with SOMETHING. But also there's 3 games worth of lore, not to mention comics and novels and like. I get it. But consistency guys. Add more codex entries or something. This is my biggest gripe. It did not impact my enjoyment too much. I loved what was added.

Spoilers below

That ending was so ABRUPT?! At least with DAI you got a ending party and final scene with your LI but here you get some end cards and voice over? I would have accepted that if we were getting DLC but this?? This is insane! Bioware I am begging on my knees to give us at least a "well we did it!" scene. The ending was epic but the ENDING was a disappointment.

Now. The suicide mission. I spent [redacted] number of hours investing blood, sweat, and tears of friendship into these 7 assholes and there is NO way to save 1 of them?? And you have to choose between Harding and Davrin??? Just those 2?? There should be a way to save them! Don't give me the no matter what crap! I don't want CONSEQUENCES I want FRIENDSHIP. If you could do it in ME2 you should be able to do it here. Also. Can we not have it be 50/50 heroic sacrifice with a black man? Like. I know you can technically choose but like why make it an option. It just feels weird.

So yeah. Initial thoughts and feelings. Overall good with some stuff I really disliked. I will be normal about this eventually.

I'll probably regret sending this out into the world when the sollavellens find me. Oh well.

[misha-69innit]

SRK BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION TAG GAME

SRK movie you've lost track of how many times you've watched it?

Definitely om shanti om because i've been watching that one since childhood, also jawan which i watched twice a day for almost a week Favorite entry scene?

the opening scene in jawan is just so epic! pathaan's "zinda hai", Don 2's entire opening sequence are unforgettable in terms of action. K3G definitely gives him one of the most iconic scenes ever in terms of hindi cinema

Is there a particular scene or character that lives rent free in your head?

Vikram Rathore's interval scene, Veer Pratap Singh, Raees, Om Prakash Makhija, the list goes on...

Got a favorite musical number?

my srk favorites playlist has like 80 songs so this is tough to answer but Radha is just so joyful! Banke tera jogi, jhoome jo pathaan, tumse milke dil ka, maahi ve have all stuck with me

If you could ask SRK one question, what would it be?

Probably something about the poems and backstories he writes for his characters, always wanted to know more about that...

I don't think I can tag anyone who hasn't been tagged already so whoever sees this post is welcome to join in

and i love this photo so much

[ailendolin]

Live Reaction to TRoP 2x02

Spoilers for 2x02 under the cut

oh we're off to a good start with evil spreading through the lands of Middle-Earth straight to Khazad-Dûm

I'm still so in love with the mirrors. Using them to light up the realm always reminds me of The Mummy

my favourite power couple is back and I love them so much

Disa sensing the rockfall is so cool

fuck the light is gone. Moria is darkening. Fuck no

oh shit, is this the scene from the trailer where Celebrimbor gets impaled against a tree by roots?

damn he's becoming one of the tree memorials and the symbolism of that, I can't. This is not good

oh more handsome elves. Commander of the East and West my beloveds. And Commander of the South, you look fierce and I love you already

"Celebrimbor and the secrets of his craft are safe." The fuck they are, Gil-galad. Those words will come to bite you in the arse and Celebrimbor will suffer for it

also Galadriel being cryptic again and not speaking plainly, I swear she does not learn

where is Elrond for I much desire to see him

"... waters running dry." That's the rivers you just mentioned shielding Eregion, Gil-galad. Wake up and get Celebrimbor out of there for fuck's sake

also gentle reminder, Halbrand has also gained Celebrimbor's trust in case we've all forgotten that. He's even more susceptible because no one bothers to tell him anything and he has no idea what's going on. Let's stop worrying about Galadriel and start worrying about our favourite smith, okay?

lol the way Galadriel still calls him Halbrand and Gil-galad will have none of it. Glad he's got some common sense left

"Supposing I was not alone." Don't you dare drag Elrond into this, babygirl, don't you fucking dare

Celebrimbor denying Sauron entry - yesssss!

but it's not because of the message of warning, but because he promised Galadriel. This is not good. This is very not good

"Messengers from Lindon shall arrive with news any day." No they won't. Dammit

epic riding scene is epic

I see Ciaran Hinds has exchanged the terrors of the Arctic for the deserts of Rhun (seriously though, I have loved him since HBO's Rome and am always happy to see him - now I also need Tobias Menzies to be cast)

loving the moth magic

I'm taking it back. It's that crazy magic lady from s1 (though I do love that her cloak looks like moth wings from behind)

what was that growling noise?

no no no, we're not slaughtering any halflings here, I forbid it

"No one can give you a name." That's a very powerful message

I love the harfoots' ability to hide in a matter of second and I'm glad we're seeing more of it

oh no, I've just realised Moria darkening means the tree in Durin and Disa's home will probably be dying. Nooooo

yes, Disa, you tell them not to trash talk your husband and adopted son

NARVI

oh no the stone singing is no longer working wtf

this is what's going to make them susceptible to Sauron, right? Their desperation to save their realm. Fuck

Disa being the voice of reason. I love her. I met Sophia last year (and Owain as well) and she shines just as beautifully as her character does

oh I feel those blisters, Durin. I got one on my thumb on a dig in Poland once and made the mistake of washing my hands after it had opened. I think I jumped three feet into the air in pain (and then proceeded to shower with my hand held above my head for a week afterwards because fuck those things hurt)

"Climb off your high peak" - I love that! Very fitting for the dwarves

and yep, here's Galadriel dragging Elrond into her mess. I knew it

not Elrond thinking he's no better than a dog - worse yet because he has his own mind and doesn't follow orders blindly. My boy has been disappointed by everyone around him and is seeking solace in shipcraft and I am not okay

"And why would he think that?" Oooooh I love salty Elrond

"And now he's done the same to Gil-galad and every elf in Lindon." I feel like this is poignant and deliberate because Elrond is not an elf. He's a half-elf and this line clearly shows how apart he feels from his people

Elrond holding onto his beliefs even though everyone is against him - someone hug him, please

no Galadriel, don't you guilt-trip him into this. Thank Eru Elrond sees it for what it is.

oh Elrond is not okay. Look at the pain on his face when Galadriel has left. My heart

okay, I see where Cirdan is coming from but why can't even one person tell Elrond that he is right to worry? He does not just fear the power of the rings. He fears Sauron's influence on them, and on Galadriel who bears one of them. What the fuck is he supposed to do if Galadriel goes full on dark queen like Sauron wants her to? He does not have a ring to counter her power, and we have already seen that his words mean nothing to any of the ring bearers.

have I mentioned that I love Poppy? Because I do. She's the best and not happy at all about dragging her tall friend through the desert

oh shit that bell ringing is not good

yep that did not take long

lol not me waiting for Imhotep's face to appear in the sandstorm

that new staff did not last long, did it?

no no no, Nori and Poppy can't be blown away wtf

ooooooh Ithildin?

YES ITHILDIN! Are we going to see the creation of the Doors of Moria?

the way Celebrimbor can't stop thinking about Halbrand. Just like Galadriel. Ugh this is so painful to watch

and of course Sauron exploits every weakness of Celebrimbor's because he knows him and knows exactly what chains to yank

Charles Edwards the actor you are. Celebrimbor's emotional reaction is everything

lol Celebrimbor going straight to the (First Age) bottle to celebrate

there will be fics about this, won't there?

no, Celebrimbor, you are not his friend, do you hear me? You are not

aaaaah and here the idea of the Nine gets planted

oh fuck, the silence in the dark tower is scary

ANNATAR

I know everyone was making fun of him having the same face as Halbrand but given how he reveals himself to Celebrimbor it makes so much sense and i love it

"I am your partner." Annatar beginning to seduce his next future ex

but oh how it pains me to hear the "sharer of gift" line

oh Elrond's new tunic is gorgeous

Elrond leading the company? Fuck yes. And of course Galadriel is not happy about it because it always has to be her way or no way

no no no not the dwarves going to Eregion

but also yes because that means Elrond und Durin (and hopefully Disa as well) will reunite and I need that to happen

[lazerv4]

Thoughts on Dragon Age: Inquisition [REPLAY]

Just my raw thoughts not a review or anything

Coming back to Inquisition after 10 years now, is like seeing an old friend that you truly didn’t realize how much they really cared until now that they’ve been gone for a while.

I loved my time revisiting the third entry in Dragon Age especially after last year’s Baldur's Gate 3 and the release this year of Dragon Age: The Veilguard in a few months.

Besides a few issues with the ambition of the story not quite being able to be realized at the time the game is incredibly fun, charming, epic, funny and honestly kind of ahead of it’s time like it’s series tends to be.

First speaking for the gameplay I played a rogue who specialized in assassination, which was incredibly fun a had an entertaining loop once I got my build finalized because man it took a bit to get to the good stuff and I’m not sure if I would have the patience if I already didn’t love the game which is a big slight issue that while the game eventually solved took way too long. The open worlds are all nice, fun and expansive if you remember that not all of them are gigantic and the hinterlands is a go back to every so often kind of place instead of staying there forever like many did. The combat flows well with the level design for the most part having areas that are open and easy to maneuver through however the prowess of the engine holds back some scenes trying to create a large scale that can’t be fully realized since the engine can’t hold that many enemies on screen even with a ludicrously over specs PC like most gaming PCs would be today. However even when the game itself can’t realize the massive world and scale of everything going on the story pulls through and does the heavy lifting. The main plot itself is rather simple, it follow your created character becoming the Inquisitor and expanding your influence to slowly figure out who killed the Divine and created a rift in the sky which eventually turns out to be a returning Corypheus from Dragon Age 2 and then you uncover a lot more things about him, the nature of dark spawn and the mysteries of Thedas as you work to beat Corypheus once and for all. The 3 DLC are 2 main story expansion and an epilogue, the first being Jaws of Hakkon which expands the world into previously uncharted lands further making the world of Thedas feel alive and well thought out as you interact with the Avvar people who basically share nothing besides their species and language with the rest of Thedas as well as uncovering the secrets of the first inquisition in what feels like a fantasy Indiana Jones jungle adventure at times just being incredibly satisfying. Next was The Descent which expands even further into Dwarves and the Deep Roads finally making them feel as cool as the series has always wanted you to think they were, the plot is a simple go down and explore what is causing sudden earthquakes and the resolution to it while leaving you with a bunch of new questions expands on dwarves in fascinating ways that I hope The Veilguard explores more through Harding. Finally you get to quite possibly one of the greatest pieces of DLC ever made with Tresspacer, the third and final story expansion set 2 years after the events of the campaign where an Exalted Council is held by your current Divine to see the future of the Inquisition post Breach and political pressure from both Orlais and Ferelden as a Qunari invasion starts within Eluvia Mirrors (teleporters to a different dimension) as you slowly uncover the mystery old the olden elven gods and why Solas left after the defeat of Corypheus then learning that he is in fact the Dread Wolf, the legendary trickster god who defied the gods and imprisoned or killed them as your mark which turns out to be his doing starts to slowly kill you. Trespasser alone is worth getting into Inquisition with how fantastic it’s quality is, I cannot stress enough how cool of an epilogue plot it is and how it’s unlikely anyone will quite be able to do it like they did.

Inquisition as a whole package is incredible with how it weaves a story spanning the entire continent through it’s side quest and DLC and a pretty fun fantasy story in it’s main plot as you live and breath along with everything in Thedas in a medium that is inherently the best at making worlds feel lived in. Few do it like Dragon Age and none do it better, Skyrim gets a lot of props for being “immersive” but that is only true superficially, if you truly wanna see what a believable world is then go ahead and give not only Inquisition a chance but also the entire series including material outside the games, it’s all great and you get to visit so many places that you basically come to know Thedas as if it was a place you’ve actually lived in. I wish I could write more about how great this game and experience was but I feel like The Veilguard will cover some territory that I want to mention here so I will save it all for that.

[slightly-nerdy-rambles]

Robstar Week Day 7: Like the Fire, the Sun (Prompt: Playlist)

After putting some thought into the final prompt for this week, I decided to get a bit creative with it. Many of you are probably familiar with the Royal Family Verse, a special "setting" that I like to place one Robstar Week entry in each year. Well, when I was planning out each of the fics for this year, I realized that 1) I was six fics in and still hadn't made plans for an RFV fic yet, and 2) I didn't really have any good ideas to make "playlist" into a story. So then I thought, "Why don't I make the playlist, have it be an RFV playlist, and use one of those songs as a story prompt?"

What follows is a story set in the 'verse that's inspired by the song "You Are the Beginning" by The Family Crest. It's a sweeping, epic piece (The Family Crest is really good at those, I highly recommend the group) that gave me the mental image of Nightwing and Starfire standing together on a cliffside and staring down an alien invasion fleet. Because of today's theme, both the title of the fic and the lyrics at the beginning are from that song as well.

As a bonus, I'm also going to post the playlist itself once this fic is up. Now you, too, will be able to listen along while thinking about Robin and Starfire being awesome warrior monarchs together. Enjoy everyone, and happy Robstar Week!

Like the Fire, the Sun

Oh, what a love that gives And then taketh all away Oh, what a man will do When a man’s lost everything When everything’s changed

One of the less pleasant things Nightwing had learned from moving to Tamaran was that the Vega star system it was a part of was kind of terrible. Half the inhabited planets were veritable death-worlds, more than half of them seemed to be in competition with one another over who could make the most tyrannical and expansion-hungry interplanetary empire, and everyone who just wanted to be left alone had to deal with it. As loath as he was to admit it, he could see why some members of the intergalactic scene looked at the powerful warrior race of Tamaran and assumed they were just another gang of space thugs.

But he had also seen, time and time again, that those naysayers couldn’t be more wrong. Starfire’s people – his people, by rite and marriage – weren’t some mindless brutes, they were survivors. He’d seen them wrestle beasts five times a man’s size to the ground to stop them rampaging through the streets. He’d seen them cultivate carnivorous plants that made their mightiest Earth counterparts look like daisies because those plants’ flowers and fruits had too much medicinal value to ignore. He’d read and listened to the long history of Tamaran, its greatest triumphs and harshest tragedies alike, and he could say with full conviction that he was proud to be accepted among its people.

And if the Citadel warlords thought they could take that all away, Nightwing – Mari’kesh in Tamaranean – was far from the only one ready to put them in their place.

*******

Empress Koriand’r and Emperor Mar’ikesh stood at the edge of a jagged peak about a dozen miles out from Tamaran’s capital. The empress hovered just off the ground, though what joy sustained her at a time like this her husband could only guess. The source of the small crackles of viridian light playing at her fingertips was much easier to identify.

“What are you thinking?” Mar’ikesh asked. His grip tightened a little on the carved fighting staff propped against the ground – heavier than the bo staff he’d wielded years ago, but a comforting presence nonetheless – and he peered up beyond her to see how much of the descending warships he could make out.

Koriand’r did not answer right away, but her nostrils flared as if in challenge and she squinted closer against the haze of distance.

“There,” she finally said, pointing out one ship among many. “The Citadel disguised it well, but it’s just a little too bulky to be practical for an ordinary fighter, and too well-guarded. That is where we will find the command center.”

“Hmm.” Mar’ikesh didn’t have a Tamaranean’s distance vision, so he would have to take her word for it. In spite of the dire circumstances, the corner of his lip twitched into the tiniest of smirks.

“So now all we have to do is head straight for the ship with the most firepower and the heaviest guard,” he said. “Sounds fun.”

Koriand’r could not bring herself to share his dark humor. “They will not take our children.”

Mar’ikesh let his smirk evaporate. He wasn’t sure whether she was thinking of their own children – evacuated from the capital, now, and hidden as safely as they could be in a distant fortress – or the children, the people, the future of Tamaran itself. Either way, he replied, “No. They won’t.”

With a concerned frown, he eyed her and added, “You’re sure about this plan?”

The split-second of hesitation before she nodded was barely perceptible, not enough room for argument. “Yes. I can fly more quickly than a ship, and I’m a much smaller target. This is the best chance we have to end this quickly.”

Mar’ikesh nodded back. “I’ll be right beside you, even if I do need a ship.”

********

The flight to meet the invasion fleet went by in a tense blur. Mar’ikesh was not the only one who needed mechanical assistance to get there – only the best fliers dared join their empress in taking this mission on without the protection of a ship’s hull and shield, and in any case they needed the firepower to pierce the shields covering the command ship’s hull. But they sent a single fighter ship, their smallest and fastest, and cloaked along with the empress and their fliers until they got close enough to open fire.

What followed were a few tense minutes of sheer madness that seemed to stretch on to forever, as fighter and fliers alike dove and weaved to avoid return fire all while trying to make a breach in the command center. Mar’ikesh could only wait, white-knuckled in his seat, while blasts from the Citadel’s fighters strained the limits of his own ship’s shields and fliers around him fell. He could not say how many were hit and how many recovered, but he did not see Koriand’r among them. Speed, maneuverability, and surprise all seemed to be working in their favor.

In that time of waiting and praying, it struck him all at once that he didn’t know what he would do if he lost her. He had given up everything back on Earth to be with Koriand’r, with Starfire, when she had first been summoned to take the throne. They had both lost the lives they’d built for themselves twice over now, to tragedy and duty and love, but duty and love had given them a chance to build their lives anew. They had a family now.

If his children lost their mother while he was stuck waiting in a tiny fighter ship, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to forgive himself.

The sudden crackling of the command ship’s force shield tore him from his morbid thoughts, and the pilot of his fighter whooped as the shield finally dissolved under the Tamaraneans’ fire. The gunners didn’t miss a moment, and in seconds more the weaker physical hull of the command ship had been breached.

And then a new chaos broke out as the door to the fighter flung open and a Tamaranean flier leaned in to gather him and the other small handful of passengers. It was not Koriand’r, and Mar’ikesh had to fight to stop himself from making a leap of logic and assuming the worst.

Wordlessly, he undid his harness and took the flier’s arms in a trapeze hold like he’d done with his wife so, so many times. The Tamaranean pulled him out and up past the wild and confused shots of their enemies, and in another several stretched-out seconds they were through the breach in the command ship’s hull.

Mar’ikesh’s racing heart skipped a beat when he saw Koriand’r there, already felling Citadel guards with a flurry of well-placed starbolts. He pulled the staff from where it was clipped against his back and moved to join her.

“If anyone tries to challenge you for the throne after this, I’m kicking their varblernelki myself,” he quipped, swinging the staff wide to catch two Citadelians around the midsection and slam them against the wall.

Now, as the Tamaraneans were making headway, Koriand’r allowed herself a fierce grin. “And I will gladly watch,” she replied, flinging two more Citadel warriors to the end of the hall with her eyebeams.

The two of them whirled around one another, working together with practiced ease and watching each other’s blind spots as they fought. Before long the first wave of Citadel guards had been dispatched, and the Tamaranean team began making their way to the main control center. There they would be able to wreak havoc on the standing fleet’s organization and – with luck – claim some of it for their own. If this mission went well enough, they’d weaken the Citadel’s forces enough to end its invasion before it really started.

The two of them had found their paths changed twice each: Princess Koriand’r and Dick Grayson, to Starfire and Robin, to Empress Koriand’r and Emperor Mar’ikesh. They had rebuilt both times together, overcome countless challenges together, and now they could not truly imagine their lives taking any other path.

And whatever world they lived on, so long as they drew breath they were going to ensure that world was not lost.