#he has to act there as part of his essential role as a spy and he has to commit 500% to that bit

[thatswhatsushesaid]

ftr my thoughts on jin guangyao portraying himself as being small and weak and harmless and vulnerable are essentially that it isn't an act, because an act in this context implies a duplicity and/or disingenuousness that i don't think is present. but i do think it is a performance--it's just a performance that he has to play given the power disparity between himself and the rest of the cultivation world, at least until he becomes chief cultivator. in short, jin guangyao is performing the role of the non-threatening, subservient retainer that is expected of him to ensure his own survival in a world where he knows that the only person he can rely on to put his needs first is himself.

---

this post has been added to my dreamwidth meta archive here: https://thatswhatsushewrote.dreamwidth.org/10385.html

[mirai-e-jump]

Uchusen Vol. 182 (Autumn 2023) Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger | Detail of Super Sentai Main Cast Member Interviews (translations below)

Publication: October 2, 2023

Taisei Sakai x Watanabe Aoto x Kaku So x Masashi Ikeda Interview

The story has entered a new chapter! The actors who play the kings have grown just as much as their characters through more than half a year of filming. In this issue, we asked Taisei Sakai, Watanabe Aoto, Kaku So, and Masashi Ikeda about stories from filming and their enthusiasm for the new chapter.

"First, we'd like to talk about the battle against the Earth Empire, Bugnarak, which was depicted in episode 26. While filming, did you notice any growth in your characters?"

Ikeda: Jeramie has grown significantly. Gradually, he's become more human, and has shown new sides and changes in his feelings, which gave off the feeling that he was being "updated" as I played the role.

Sakai: Gira hasn't changed much in terms of his character, but I felt that the feelings he has for his people have changed greatly since becoming king.

Watanabe: The impact of Yanma's first appearance was strong, so I think the way he's depicted is to show the various sides of him. As an actor, it was fun to see developments continue, allowing me to play new aspects of his character.

Kaku: There was a big change in Kaguragi with the absence of Racules……I enjoyed acting and having conversations with (Masato) Yano-chan, who plays the role of Racules, and many people complimented us on our performance by saying, "It's like something out of a Taiga drama,* only more profound." However, I get the strong impression that Kaguragi remains the same, and is as relaxed as ever. Perhaps more impressive than the change in character, is the growing friendship between the cast members over the past six months. We even go out to eat after filming finishes….. (*annual historical drama by NHK)

Watanabe: With the exception of our days off, we're always together.

"Looking back, please tell us about any episodes that left a particularly strong impression on you."

Kaku: It would have to be episode 26. It's the last episode of the first chapter, and I was moved by the scene where Gira and the others resolve things with the Bugnarak. The one that was most fun to play was episode 24, which was the summer festival episode. Wearing a yukata in that worldview was also fun.

Ikeda: Episode 26 is definitely memorable, but if I had to choose the best one, I'd say it's episode 11. I think that the scene where Jeramie made his first appearance, taking off the spider mask he's worn for 2,000 years, was the first step in his new life. I'll never forget that scene.

Watanabe: The first film shoot I had was together with Gira. From there, everyone came together in episode 5, and after Legend King-Ohger arrived, Jeramie joined us…..When I think back on the process, the most memorable moment was when all 6 of us were together for the shoot. In particular, I was moved by episode 19, when it was announced that we were, "The Five Kingdom Unusual Incident Countermeasure Lifesaving Force," abbreviated as, "Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger!"

Sakai: The 6 of us transforming together in episode 19 left a deep impression on me as well. I was amazed when I saw the finished video for the first time. I was impressed by the wonderful effects of the screen cracking at the moments of impact.

Ikeda: It was fun to see everyone fighting together, and gave off an atmosphere unique to the Sentai series.

"We'd also like to ask about the retainers who support the kings. What are everyone's impressions of Douga, Shiokara, Kuroda, and Gerojim?"

Kaku: Despite the fact that he hides his face, I'm glad that Kuroda is very popular. I discussed with (Hajime) Kanzaki-san, who plays Kuroda, that the relationship between Kaguragi and Kuroda is that of a lord and a spy, but Kuroda's personality became alot more prominent, and he's since come to the forefront. Before I knew it, he became an essential part of King-Ohger.

Ikeda: Gerojim is so cute! When I watch the broadcasts, I can't help but laugh when Tomokazu Seki-san (Gerojim's voice actor) interjects between my lines. I never thought I'd have a retainer, or that he'd even ride in God King-Ohger. I did alot of acting with monsters, especially scenes with (Riichi) Seike-san, who plays Desnarak VIII. Seike-san is a really passionate actor, and before we performed the farewell scene between Desnarak VIII and Jeramie in episode 26, Seike-san encouraged me with, "Come at me with everything you've got!" In the beginning, I wasn't used to acting with Suit Actors, but thanks to Seike-san and the others, I was able to act naturally, which made me very happy.

Watanabe: Shiokara and the others are a good group of friends who react to every single thing Yanma does. On our days off, Chiwata Yuhei-kun, who plays the role of Shiokara, takes the initiative in arranging dinner parties for the N'Kosopa team. I'm very grateful that communication is connected through Chiwata-kun, and I'm also happy that just like in the show, Shiokara plays the role of connecting me with our citizens.

Sakai: Episodes between Douga and Gira haven't really been depicted, but it seems like a strong relationship was formed over the 2 years between episodes 26 and 27. They must have thought of ways to ensure that food would reach the children, and how to run the country while coming up with ideas together on how to better serve the people.

"Did the staff tell you about any changes that occurred during the span of those 2 years?"

Sakai: I haven't been told the specifics, but Director Kazuya Kamihoriuchi told me that he wanted Gira to be the same as before, but to show a casual composure when performing final attacks.

Ikeda: Although Jeramie's 2,000 years old, on the inside, he's as innocent as a child and is inspired by every single thing that happens to him. So, I think he's taken in alot during those 2 years. Especially in the new chapter, we can see his growth as he tries to express his feelings to the other kings in a straightforward manner. The biggest change was that Jeramie became king, so he must've been busy building a nation for the past 2 years, right? That's what I think atleast. Personally, I'm happy that my country is finally being projected on the LED wall.

Kaku: Kaguragi was arrested for using an underground cultivator called "Arijigoku," which could also be used as a weapon, but he was probably conscious of the fight against Racules, so was making agricultural machines that could be converted into weapons. However, even after 2 years, I still don't know what he's thinking. I wonder what forms of communication he'll start to use……Now that Racules is gone, it seems easy to deceive anyone, so I'm looking forward to seeing what he'll do (laughs).

Watanabe: Not only Kaguragi, but Yanma was also arrested for monopolizing electricity to create the Ultra PC called, "Under Heaven and Earth, I'm the only one." This just shows that even 2 years later, the kings can't sit still.

"The imprisonment of the kings was a surprise, but at the same time, the new chapter has brought changes in hairstyles and costumes."

Watanabe: I was told that the visuals would change when we started depicting what was happening 2 years later. So, I suggested a more mature haircut, thinking it’ll help Yanma settle down, but Director Kamihoriuchi immediately rejected it. Then came the blonde pompadour, and I thought that he was far from settling down, and that his "peak" was yet to come. I actually had the opportunity to suggest a new visual to the Director, and as it was also one of the choices for Yanma's original costume, the short gakuran was chosen

Kaku: Kaguragi has black hair, but I thought it would've been better if he had brown hair….but, that didn't work out (laughs). I'm looking forward to letting my hair down and seeing how the viewers react.

Ikeda: Jeramie now wears a cloak, which makes him look more dignified as a king. Also, the fact that he can now proudly show his Bugnarak hand is a sign that humans and Bugnarak have become closer over the past 2 years, and that the world has become more peaceful. This also seems to have had a significant change in his personality.

Sakai: My changes were left up to the make up artists (laughs). My hair is longer and parted down the middle, and I'm wearing the same clothes as Racules…..I've made a bunch of suggestions myself, but nothing's been approved (laughs). I wonder, will the reason for why he's wearing Racules's clothes and his hairstyle change be revealed in future episodes…..? That's what I imagine.

"By the way, when was everyone made aware of the new chapter?"

Kaku: I think it was right after the dubbing for "Adventure Heaven." The costumes were going to change from episode 27, and there were discussions of, "What are we going to do about it?"

Watanabe: It was about 2 weeks before we started filming, so we didn't have alot of time.

Ikeda: When they said it took place 2 years later, I had the image of a new development in an anime, so it made me very motivated.

"Episode 28 featured a difficult episode of switching roles. Gira and Jeramie, Yanma and Rita, Kaguragi and Hymeno switched, how did you like each of the roles you played?"

Watanabe: I tried to play the role in my own way without asking Yuzuki-chan too many questions. I tried to exaggerate Rita's image by keeping my distance from them except for the physical part, and I wonder, did it come out good? On the other hand, Yuzuki-chan asked me various questions, but since we didn't have many scenes where we talked to each other, I didn't know what was going on until I watched the broadcast.

Kaku: I was also looking forward to seeing how Marie (Erika-san) would play Kaguragi. In my case, I discussed this with Marie, and we began to imitate each other, starting with our finger movements one by one. However, at the start of filming, Director Kamioriuchi told me that it, "Wasn't interesting." I panicked when I heard his comments. The Director wanted her to play the role as if she were an exaggerated imitation of "Hollywood Zakoshisyoh,*" and from there, he expanded on the image he had for Hymeno. But, was I really becoming Hymeno? I was worried at first. Marie's performance as Kaguragi was so far out there, that it was almost too much. She would say, "Ro~Yal~Arms~!!" and I would respond with, "I've never said it like that!," and so she had to try again (laughs). (*Japanese comedian)

Sakai: It’s really difficult for one person to come up with a performance that took about six months to create. Ikeda-kun taught me in detail about Jeramie's gestures, the way he walked, and even the tone of his voice, and I studied and consulted with him alot during filming.

Ikeda: I could tell that we were thinking about the various elements of each other. I kept in mind that we should try to respect each other and exaggerate the other person's character to make it just right.

"We'd also like to ask you about the "Kingdom Dance Competition" that became a hot topic when it was released over the summer. What’s the story behind that video of you dancing "Zenryoku King" in a decisive competition?”

Kaku: It was difficult in many ways! (laughs). I thought I only had to do the scenes where I appeared, but then I realized that I had to dance to all of them. It was very hard, partly because we were filming the movie at the same time.

Sakai: But, that was the first time all the cast members got together for filming. King-Ohger had alot of filming done in the different countries, so it was rare for everyone to gather together, including the entourage. That's why filming it was lively and fun.

Ikeda: I personally have something to say about the distributed video! I was told that since it was being done in one take, even if we made a mistake, it would still be used. However, the other members mistakes weren't included, and only my mistakes were picked up......(laughs). This is to the staff! Couldn't you have just changed the order of the shots?!

Watanabe: But, the Bugnarak team's dancing was wonderful.

Ikeda: That's because Seike-san gathered the team's Suit Actors and even held a strategy meeting.

Kaku: The sexy poses of Rita and Morfonia in Gokkan were ordered by Director Kamihoriuchi. It was interesting to see that Morfonia didn't seem too happy about it (laughs).

"Finally, can you tell us about the development of the new chapter and its highlights?"

Kaku: I think that the pasts of Kaguragi and Suzume will be further explored, which will deepen your love for the characters. I'm looking forward to the future of this story, not only as an actor, but also as a viewer.

Ikeda: I think that not only the pasts of each king and their retainers, but also the mysteries of the world of King-Ohger will continue to be revealed. I want to know the ending as soon as possible, so I can't wait to receive the next script!

Watanabe: Not just Yanma, but past stories related to N'Kosopa will also be depicted, so I hope you'll continue to watch King-Ohger every week!

Sakai: Gira is especially mysterious. He was born into a royal family, and yet he ended up in an orphanage, and we don't know why he knows about the Wrath of God. Even I don't know the truth behind it, but I've been imagining alot of different things as I play the role. I hope that from now on, you'll continue to support King-Ohger! _

Murakami Erika x Yuzuki Hirakawa Interview

Following the male cast members, we asked Murakami Erika, who plays the role of Hymeno Ran, and Yuzuki Hirakawa, who plays the role of Rita Kaniska, to talk to us. The two of them will talk about everything, from the changes they went through during the six months of filming, the costume changes that accompanied the start of the second chapter, and even the untold story of the body swapping episode depicted in episode 28.

"With episode 26, the battle against the Earth Empire, Bugnarak, has come to an end. Having played Hymeno and Rita for six months since the first episode, how do you feel your characters have changed?"

Murakami: Hymeno was the type of queen who wasn't suited for collective actions, having led people according to her own selfishness. But, when the Bugnarak attacked, she decided to join forces with the other kings to save Chikyu. In episode 7, there's a scene where Hymeno couldn't respond immediately to Gira saying the words, "Let's be friends!" After that, I think she gradually developed a mutual relationship with Gira and the others, and was able to grow toward her goal of saving Chikyu.

Hirakawa: Rita has slowly begun to depend on others. I think that they're gradually becoming able to express their honest feelings. In the beginning, Rita was building walls against others on their own, but as the story progressed, their barrier against the other kings gradually grew smaller. As a result, their self control to suppress their feelings have weakened, which is why they've started to sometimes scream in front of others.

"Hymeno has her retainer Sebastian, and Rita has their retainer Morfonia. As Hymeno and Rita, were there many scenes where you interacted with those two characters?"

Murakami: Sebastian is the one who listens to Hymeno's every request and spoils her. But, when taking God King-Ohger into battle in episode 25, although she was afraid that she might get them killed in battle, she asked Sebastian and the others, "It's incredibly selfish, but will you hear me out?," as if begging them to fight with her. It really was a lovely moment where I felt the relationship of trust between the king of Ishabana and her entourage.

Hirakawa: Originally, Rita and Morfonia had a professional relationship only. Then, during episode 10, Morfonia approached Rita, and the distance between them changed. In episode 25, Rita asked Morfonia for a favor outside of work, and I think this showed that the relationship between the two of them has grown even deeper.

"How is your relationship with Hiroto Yoshimitsu-san, who plays Sebastian, and Kasumi Hasegawa-san, who plays Morfonia?"

Murakami: Yoshimitsu-san is really sweet to me (laughs). He's always buying me something tasty.

Hirakawa: It was daifuku the other day (laughs).

Murakami: It was delicious~ (laughs). Also, when I would raise my voice during a scene, (Mizushima) Marina-san, who plays Elegance Moun, would become worried and give me throat lozenges…..Since the members of Ishabana's entourage are all older than me, they spoil me as if I were their daughter.

Hirakawa: Kasumin (Hasegawa-san) is like a kind big sister who's always looking out for me. Possibly due to both of us being from Kyushu, we became good friends the more we started hanging out in our private lives. Recently, we've been doing live streams together, and have become closer than ever.

"Looking back up to episode 26, what were the most memorable scenes?"

Hirakawa: Rita's past being portrayed in episode 16 was the most memorable for me. Rita's past was hard to imagine and rather mysterious. Although not everything was explained, I think that episode 16, which explained why they became king and what happened to them in the past, was the episode that impacted me the most in the past six months.

Murakami: We've been filming for six months, but the most memorable was episode 3. Hymeno's selfish, but she's also a king, so she has her beliefs. I'm most attached to episode 3 in the sense that it depicts Hymeno's inner self. But, after learning in episode 7 that her parents deaths were caused by scorpion poison, she can no longer hold back her feelings…..This development was also important for Hymeno. Although she expresses her own strength, she also feels resentment toward the unsolved case, and I acted while thinking about Hymeno's inner thoughts.

"Has anything changed in the relationship between the cast members?"

Murakami: After about four or five months, everyone would laugh at me no matter what I said. I can now speak my mind without worrying (laughs). I'm not really good at expressing my opinions in front of other people, but I've become able to do so with confidence. My mother, who watched "King-chan" (TTFC talk show), even said to me, "I think you've become more comfortable with the other cast members, and your sense of humor has improved, hasn't it?"

Hirakawa: You really make us laugh over trivial things. I was surprised at first, because Marie's wasn't the comedic type. Now, I'm also in the mood to play along.

Murakami: Recently, Kaku-san, Aoto-kun and I went out for dinner, and we ended up going to 4 different places. We were having so much fun, that I didn't realize we were moving from one restaurant to another. I've come to trust them both with all my heart, and I even surprised myself at how well I could get along with people.

Hirakawa: I may not have changed in any way, but……What do you think? Have you noticed anything?

Murakami: In the beginning, Yuzuki didn't complain at all, right? But lately, she's started mumbling things like, "It's painful," and, "I'm tired."

Hirakawa: I'm not good at telling people that I'm having a hard time. I'm mindful of not saying anything because I'm concerned about worrying or bothering others. But, I think I've gotten too close to Marie and the others, so it comes out unconsciously. Because we're together every day, I feel like I don't have to care anymore, as we share the same physically and mentally demanding times.

Murakami: That being said, the stage greeting held in Fukuoka for "Adventure Heaven" was like a field trip. Even though it was work, everyone was having fun and it felt like being on vacation.

Hirakawa: Marie joined us on a different plane, but she was wearing big sunglasses and looked like a celebrity going overseas. I took a bunch of pictures of Marie and sent them in the group chat…..

Murakami: I suddenly noticed that there were alot of hidden photos taken of me in the group chat (laughs). As revenge, next time, I'll take lots of cool photos of everyone…..It was really fun. The cast of King-Ohger is friendly regardless of gender, so it really makes you feel like you're back in high school. Until now, I haven't had the opportunity to work with so many colleagues who are aiming for the same goal, so it's very refreshing,

"Episode 27 onward will be the second chapter, and will depict the battle against the Uchu Five Jesters in the world 2 years later. What was your impression when you first heard about the new chapter?"

Murakami: We know what happens next when we receive the scripts, so I was really surprised when I read the scripts for episodes 27-29. It's 2 years later, but worst of all, we're out of the picture (laughs). As I read on, I realized that we were imprisoned! I thought that was an interesting angle.

Hirakawa: I've never heard of time skips in the middle of a story within the Super Sentai series, have you? I was also told that the visuals would be changing. I felt very honored to be able to participate in a production that provided such a rare experience.

Murakami: I'm really happy because there are so many new things happening within King-Ohger, including filming with an LED wall.

"We'd like to hear more about when you learned about the new costumes."

Murakami: If I'm remembering right, I was having a review meeting with Director Kamihoriuchi at a yakiniku restaurant, when he casually said to me, "Think about what kind of visuals you want." At the time, I thought it would be for a one time episode, so I thought, "Gira with a shaved head?" or something…..I was thinking things like that, but then I heard that they were asking about new visuals to be used from episode 27 onward. In Hymeno's case, up until now it's always been about cute things, but I talked about how it'd be cooler to express herself with natural elements, rather than to dress her up. As a result, I ended up with a costume like that of a female knight. The hairstyle, which used to change each episode, was shifted to include more hair extensions and different colors

Hirakawa: Rita's costume has changed only in that the length of their jacket has become shorter, but their hairstyle has changed alot. Actually, I've been saying that I wanted to cut my hair since the beginning of filming. However, this wasn't allowed in the beginning, and filming proceeded with my long hair. Director Kamihoriuchi remembered this and suggested that, "Rita should cut their hair after two years." Rita was given a short hair cut and was able to turn their visuals in a cooler direction.

"Does this mean that the costumes were made lighter to accommodate the summer shoot?"

Murakami: I don't think so. It was still hot (laughs).

Hirakawa: It was hot……(laughs).

"2 years later, Hymeno was charged with arson, and Rita was imprisoned in Gokkan for violating the Labor Standards Law. How have Hymeno and Rita changed during the span of 2 years, and how will you interpret these changes through your performance?"

Murakami: I felt that we were able to fight while being aware of our respective roles. In the beginning, the kings weren't well organized, but over the past 2 years, they seem to have developed a sense of camaraderie.

Hirakawa: Their resolve as a king has become stronger, and I think it shows in their visuals. However, Rita has grown in their ability to talk with the others as friends, while also taking their feelings into consideration.

"Episode 28, the most recently aired episode, depicted the body swapping of the kings. Murakami-san plays Kaguragi and Hirakawa-san plays Yanma. How was the filming for that?"

Murakami: I'm so tired! In all my time in the entertainment industry, I've never acted in such a disorganized manner, so I'm worried that everyone will be turned off by my performance. Kaku-san is very kind, so he said, "It was fun!," but I was still worried about it! (laughs). I think the most obvious way to express Kaguragi's performance is through his eyes, so I tried my best to open my eyes while spreading my legs, but I overdid it and we had to reshoot. However, the reason I was able to do such a disorganized performance may be because I get along so well with everyone and am able to tell jokes and make funny faces.

Hirakawa: I didn't really prepare for the role of Yanma that much. That's because I'm abit like Yanma in some aspects of my everyday life (laughs). I studied yankii like postures, but other than that, I tried not to think about anything other than playing a passionate guy named Yanma. More than that, when I was playing the role of Yanma, I was showing my entire face, so I was very conscious of that. I've been performing with my face hidden for more than half a year, so I was surprised at how embarrassed I felt showing my face (laughs). While checking the monitor, I thought to myself, "This is what I look like……"

"What did you think of Hymeno being played by Kaku-san, and Rita being played by Watanabe-san?"

Murakami: I was surprised to realize that this is what Hymeno looks like from other people's perspective. When Hymeno couldn't accept Kaguragi's body, I think I would've wanted to say, "I can't take it!," and run away. However, Kaku acting all depressed was very cute. I was very happy that he opened up a side of Hymeno that I didn't have.

Hirakawa: Aoto just did whatever he wanted (laughs). Even though I thought to myself, "They wouldn't open their eyes that wide, would they?," I felt that Yuzuki Hirakawa's performance broadened the range of Rita's character. Due to the stress of having their body swapped, Rita's emotions are more tense than usual. It made me realize that I could show these kinds of facial expressions. It made it easier for me to do my future performances.

Murakami: Now that I think about it, during filming for episode 27, Director Kamihoriuchi was laughing while watching the monitor the whole time (laughs).

Hirakawa: Before I knew it, I became more determined to make the Director laugh.

"It was because of that determination that it turned into such an outrageous episode. Now, we're anxious to see what'll happen next, but what would you two like the fans to pay attention to when watching the show?"

Murakami: The foreshadowing from previous episodes are gradually being revealed, and there are episodes in which each character's pasts are explored in depth. For example, Sebastian's real name, which hasn't currently been revealed, may be mentioned, and even if you haven't watched it up to this point, I'd like you to watch King-Ohger, even if you start from the new chapter!

Hirakawa: Also, there's an all out action episode by Director Sakamoto Hiroshi. Although filming hasn't started yet (at the time of this interview), I've heard that there'll be lots of action, so I'm really looking forward to doing the performance. It'd make me happy if you could continue to watch every week!

_

Shinichiro Miki (Kamejim Voice Actor)

Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger has entered its second chapter, but there's only one enemy leader that's survived from the first chapter. His name, is Kamejim Unka! He was the one behind the 2,000 year battle between humans and Bugnarak, and is one of the Uchu Five Jesters who serve under the Uchu King, Dagded Dujardin. The voice is provided by veteran voice actor Shinichiro Miki, making this his first performance in the Super Sentai series. Miki is a big fan of King-Ohger himself, so how does he approach the role of Kamejim Unka?

"Miki-san is also known for his role as Sieg in "Kamen Rider Den-O," but this is his first performance in the Super Sentai series. What are your impressions of the series?"

Miki: I love tokusatsu productions, and have been watching them since "Himitsu Sentai Goranger," which is from my generation. But, after I started working as a voice actor, whenever I heard the voice of someone I knew who was appearing in those shows, I stopped watching them out of jealousy (laughs). It was only after I started working on Den-O that those feelings toned down abit, and I was able to watch them again. These days, I listen to the voices of my juniors and think to myself, "(Yuki) Kaji-kun is really doing his best~." Even so, I still get jealous (laughs).

"What was your impression when you first heard about the setting of King-Ohger, and the role of Kamejim that Miki-san plays?"

Miki: I felt that there were alot of new elements, and thought, "This is interesting and different from previous Super Sentai!" When I first saw Kamejim's design, my impression was, "It's really cool!" I was told that he was a, "Sharp intellectual, and a faithful subordinate of King Desnarak VIII," although, I expected him to have something happening behind the scenes (laughs). I got the impression that he was polite with his words, but I couldn't understand his true feelings, and during the audition, I was conscious of trying to convey the nuances of that part well.

"There seems to have been various decisions made as recording progressed, so were there any changes in the way you created the role compared to the beginning?"

Miki: As the story progresses, we're learning more about his character, and there are alot more parts of him that, "Dare to say the opposite of what he means, but still holds true." Along with this, the range of my speaking style has expanded, and I try to be aware of the thought behind the dialogue as I go into recording.

"You said that you expected, "Something to be happening behind the scenes," and we have the impression that Kamejim evolved into a character with one or two quirks as a result of Miki-san's performance."

Miki: Thank you so much. Well, things just turned out that way (laughs). That being said, I think the result is from a good mix of not only my voice acting, but the performance of Suit Actor (Masato) Tsutamune-san acting out my character. Even though the meaning of the dialogue doesn't change, we're recording while focusing on the way he speaks during the action scenes. For this reason, during dubbing scenes, I try to pick up on the movements of Tsutamune-san's hands and fingers as much as possible from the footage.

"Capturing the theatrical elements from a Suit Actor's performance requires a different skill set from that of an anime."

Miki: In the sense that Tsutamune-san plays the role and adds his voice to the finished video, it's more similar to dubbing a foreign film than to an anime. However, being able to go and observe filming and talk with Tsutamune-san, and being able to work with the actors to create the show, is what makes it different from foreign films. I believe that communicating in this way is one of the most important aspects of perfecting a character.

"What kinds of conversations did you have at the recording studio with Shimura Tomoyuki-san, Desnarak VIII's voice actor, who Kamejim served until episode 26?"

Miki: I call him "Shimu-nii," as we've known each other for over 20 years. So, from the first recording session, we said to each other, "This is reassuring!" However, Shimu-nii is a "doer." When the Director asks him to do something on set, he does so many things that it becomes too much. Because of his personality, he brings smiles to everyone on set. The true character of Desnarak VIII……Although he's not a person, I think the kindness towards his fellow comrades is linked to Shimu-nii's kindness.

"Also, speaking of characters played by actors rather than voice actors, don't you have alot of interactions with Jeramie?"

Miki: We've never done the recording together. Kamejim doesn't have much to do with Jeramie, so there weren't many scenes where we had direct conversations. It's like we just talked to ourselves…..Jeramie has lived for 2,000 years, but he has a more child like side to him compared to Gira. From Kamejim's point of view, I think he thought that part of him is adorable.

"From episode 27, the story enters the second chapter, where the King-Ohgers confront Kamejim Unka and those from the Uchu Five Jesters. When did Miki-san learn of these developments?"

Miki: I had heard beforehand that, "There's an even more powerful enemy in the universe, and that Kamejim was a spy sent by that enemy," but when he was defeated by God King-Ohger and exploded in episode 26, I was worried that he wouldn't be coming back (laughs). In order to prepare for the role, I was given alittle more information than the viewers, and was shocked by the scripts around episode 27. After receiving a new script at the office, I often look them over while having a drink, and there were many moving developments, including the scene where Desnarak VIII defends Jeramie. I cry every time I read it. If I hadn't been able to participate after episode 27 though, I might've cried in a different way. I survived, so at that time, my tears were that of relief (laughs). The storytelling in King-Ohger has a wonderful way of creating a story that can also resonate with the hearts of adults.

"Now that Kamejim Unka has been revealed as one of the Uchu Five Jesters, how did you react to his change in position?"

Miki: I think he's most comfortable in a position like that, as a second in command. I think he's the type of person who leaves the big things to someone else and enjoys doing what he wants to do. The way he reappears in episode 27 is also typical of him. Objectively, I think of him with, "He always looks like he's having fun," and, "I wish I could live like that."

"Since your position changed, did your role change in any way?"

Miki: There were basically no changes. There's a change when the person he supports is nearby and when they’re not, but up until episode 26 and from episode 27 onwards, there's no change in personality, just a change in the person he serves. However, since his comrades of the Uchu Five Jesters have appeared and are in the same position as him, I think there’ll be new aspects in the interactions with them that have never been seen before.

"Characters in the same position consist of Goma Rosalia, Hilbil Leech, and Minongan Moth. What kind of conversations did you have with the cast members who play them?"

Miki: The Uchu Five Jesters cast has a great lineup, with (Kazuhiro) Yamaji-san and (Miyuki) Sawashiro-san. I don't have much of an opportunity to talk with them, but I talked to Tomokazu Seki the other day, and he said, "It seems like they picked me since Minongan Moth is a character who doesn't talk much" (laughs). Then I remember telling (Ishida) Akira-kun, "I'm happy we're working on the same program again."

"On the other hand, you were in charge of the narration for “The Secret of King Racules,” which is available on the Toei's Tokusatsu Official YouTube Channel."

Miki: In the main show, Jeramie narrates the story, but since "The Secret of King Racules" is the story of the "Worst King," it was decided that since I'm on the evil side, I would be in charge of the narration. However, if I did it as Kamejim, it would be too obvious, so I tried to do it in a calm manner, keeping the narration style in mind.

"What do you think about the story in "The Secret of King Racules?"

Miki: I cried. It's alittle more mature than the main story, and the final scene was especially emotional. I also liked the screen composition, where the faces of King Racules and Vedalia are alternately shown in close ups in the background. It was also very emotional that Kofuki, who appeared in that work, rode the 20 person combined God King-Ohger in episode 25 of the main story.

"Miki-san said he cries as he reads the script, but which scenes in the episodes that have aired so far have been most memorable?"

Miki: There's too many! Like the scene in episode 16 where Rita says, "Thank you," in a small voice after receiving the Moffun from Hymeno, or the scene in episode 25, where the retainers of each country expressing their feelings towards the kings is depicted…..There are really too many to choose from. I watch the broadcasts 3 times every Sunday. First, I watch the reactions on SNS in real time, saying things like, "I can see why people would react this way here," and, "I see!" (laughs). Then, while drinking, I would do it a second and then third time. Afterwards, while reading the script for the next episode, which had already been dubbed, I'd think, "This is what happens after this, huh," and then start to cry (laughs). Even though I didn't appear in it, I went to the theater to see "Adventure Heaven" as a fan.

"You're looking at this from a genuine fan's perspective, rather than from a performer's perspective."

Miki: Of course, there are things I can reflect on about myself, but that's something I can make use of in my next job. While I want to reflect, I also want to have fun with the fans. In all my years as a voice actor, this may be the first work that makes me feel this way.

"Why are you so enthusiastic about King-Ohger?"

Miki: There's one reason for participating in it, but I think there's also many other reasons, such as the story, the wonderful character designs, and the fact that the filming method is different from what we've seen before. Maybe it's the excitement and sense of being with everyone in an era and worldview that's different from usual.

"King-Ohger continues to have unpredictable developments, Miki-san, please tell us what you think we should focus on going forward."

Miki: The development of Gira's involvement with the Kyoryuger's has become an even newer development within the new developments of the second chapter. I'm sure that these developments will continue to go beyond the expectations of the fans who have been watching the show. Although I know the story alittle earlier than you readers, I'd like to look forward to the future developments with a passionate attitude. When I see words related to King-Ohger trending on SNS every Sunday morning, I feel happy as if they were my own, and this show has taught me how to enjoy watching it with the fans. I hope you'll continue to enjoy your time with me!

[sideprince]

A movie question I wanted to throw your way: what do you think about the decision to use a decent amount of physical acting on Rickman’s part for comic effect? I’m thinking his snatch of thin air in Philosopher's Stone, his creeping along the table towards Ron and Harry in Chamber, his dramatic point in that same scene, his walk up to the stage for Dueling Club, his whacking students in Goblet and Order, etc.

On one hand, I feel like this does match the tone of the books; he canonically lurks and prowls and points and snatches at the air, and his menace is often undercut by a physical description that’s meant to be some level of comedic. On the other hand, we don't see Snape nearly as much in the movies as we do in the books, so this aspect of his character seems somewhat overinflated by the movies?

TLDR I don’t think these decisions in the movie were completely out of left field, but it also feels off for some reason. Idk I don’t know how exactly to verbalize my feelings on the matter and wanted to hear your thoughts!

It will probably come as no surprise that I feel like any answer to this question is inseparable from the absolute hatchet jobs that are Steve Kloves' screenplays for the HP franchise. This reply is going to end up inevitably long (you ask me about my favorite subject, you suffer the consequences), but all of it is ultimately framed by the problem of having to make the best of a badly written script. (**edit: This post is way too long. Run away. Don't look back.)

The writing doesn't support the story

The first thing that jumps out to me is that there's a separation between where and how these comedic moments are used, up until the end of GoF and after. They're more a part of the story only until Harry's story arc reaches the point of Cedric's death, when he first witnesses death in the way that allows him to see thestrals after. GoF is when the story takes its first dark turn, and up until then the tone and story is much more in line with children's literature, so it makes more sense that Snape is portrayed in a bit of a playful way. After GoF - even though the films reveal it as an aside and much later than the original story does - Snape resumes his role as spy and becomes more integral to the story as a key character and is thus no longer just a foil in a children's story. I think what doesn't work about it is the inconsistency. The books have comedic moments with Snape too, which are cartoonish, up until the end of DH - I feel those are also out of place, but at least their existence gives a basis to what's done in the films.

Nevertheless, one of the biggest problems with the films is that they're badly edited. I'll leave that analysis for another post (you're welcome), but essentially these comedic moments feel inconsistent in part because there's often a disconnect between the performance a director has asked of his actors and the tone that's established in the editing room once pacing and a soundtrack are added. Any vision a director had for these films was muddled by the involvement of big studio producers and limitations. This is made more jarring by the way that Kloves has interjected light, funny moments in awkward ways throughout the scripts. He struggles overall to convey the world that Rowling has created, and if it weren't for the brilliant production design of Stuart Craig, Kloves' failures would be much more obvious (again, worthy of its own roast post).

Take the scene where Snape whacks Harry and Ron on the head in Gof: why are the students all studying in the Great Hall? Why are various years sitting together? Why is Snape overseeing them? It's a scene almost verbatim out of the book (Fred asks Angelina to the ball casually, he and George tell Ron and Harry to get dates "before all the good ones are gone," we find out Hermione already has a date), but like pretty much every scene that originally takes place in the Gryffindor common room, this one is moved to another location for no discernible reason. The main difference in the change is how restrictive it is: in the common room the children are free to be themselves, but in the Great Hall, under a strict teacher's nose, they have to be quiet and restrained. Another subject that would need its own post is the myriad of ways Kloves goes out of his way to rewrite settings and characters to avoid allowing them to express themselves or grow as characters, and how hard he works to stifle and limit them in ways that are convoluted and work against the story, as if he himself couldn't deal with any kind of emotional vulnerability (in a way, his scripts are a desperate cry for help). This directly contributes to why so many of Snape's comedic moments feel off.

The changes in the scene in GoF don't even make sense from a production perspective, as they required more actors, more lighting, and more setups. Instead of using the cozy setting of the common room to establish camaraderie between the students, Kloves replaced that energy and lightheartedness with Snape in a way that's uncharacteristic. The scene, as he wrote it, is already light and has humor, but Kloves doesn't trust it - he feels the need to exaggerate it and the casualties, as always, are the characters and their portrayal. It's as though he's following a formula and saying, "this page number/scene number must provide relief from the tension of the story" and then doesn't consider how following that directive fits into the rhythm of the narrative. It's closer to being an isolated scene akin to a comedy sketch than to a scene that's part of an act that's part of a film. It's worth noting that, in GoF, Kloves interjects this scene as if he's forcing this moment of comic relief into a story that didn't require it and then relies on playing off of Snape's usual seriousness as its crux. In OOtP, when there's a callback to it as Snape smacks Ron with a book again, it's no longer the point of the scene, but an aside in a comical montage focused on Umbridge (OOtP was also the only film not written by Kloves, so this moment is more likely the result of Michael Goldenberg trying to maintain a consistency with Kloves' work). Overall, I think that feeling of something being off is, again, more rooted in the writing than the performance.

Rickman as an actor playing Snape

There's a lot of criticism in the Snapedom of how Alan Rickman portrays Snape, but not enough acknowledgment that none of the characters are portrayed well, and most of it comes down to Kloves' writing of them. Book!McGonagall insists that all students under 17 are evacuated before the Battle of Hogwarts, where Movie!McGonagall only cares that the Slytherin students are locked in the dungeon, everyone else can stay, what does she care if first years die? Book!Hermione is intelligent and empathetic while Movie!Hermione is a two dimensional maternalistic harpy whose main job is to be a mouthpiece for plot exposition. Book!Ron is funny and brave and fiercely loyal, while Movie!Ron throws Hermione under the bus, is cowardly, and is reduced to a flatly written sidekick. Book!Harry is complex and while I could list a million examples, I'll stick to this one: in PoA when he finds out Sirius betrayed his parents, he's enraged but has no reply when asked if he'd want to kill Sirius. Movie!Harry says with conviction, and without prompting, that he wants to find Sirius with the explicit purpose of killing him. Every single character takes a hit because of how Steve Kloves writes them, and Snape is, sadly, no exception.

While some film shoots allow for improvisation, a big budget production on a tight schedule with scenes that require a lot of prep work can't afford to make many changes. So, for example, while Ralph Fiennes was asked to improvise his scene as Voldemort at the end of DH2 when he re-enters Hogwarts victorious (and that's why the dialogue is redundant and that weird hug with Draco continues to plague us), it could be done because the wardrobe and set and cast were already in place and the time required had already been scheduled in. It wouldn't be possible, though, to add an additional scene - like Snape going feral in the hospital wing at the end of PoA - unless it was written into the script. Additional actors would be required, which would mean coordinating with their schedules and adding them to the budget, not to mention scheduling in additional days with the crew who may already have other work lined up. It would require either pushing every other shooting day back - which is near impossible - in order to use the hospital wing set while it's still up, or tacking on production days to the end of the shooting schedule and rebuilding the set on those days. This can be done for necessary pickups that round out existing scenes, but you can't really say, "hey I decided we need a scene here that didn't exist before" without causing huge problems. Because of how contracts work, any significant scene changes would have to be sent back to Kloves who would have to write alternate scenes and/or dialogue, and even then if you wanted to fix a specific character's arc - like Snape's - you would have to add in so much that it just wouldn't be feasible. Screenplay lengths have to fall within a certain number of pages, because each page is approximately a minute of screen time, so adding a few more to a finished script mid-production is very difficult. The actors have to make the best of what's on the page. Which brings us to Alan Rickman, his choices as an actor, and what informed both him and the character of Snape.

Alan Rickman was a RADA trained actor, so his approach to a character involved a lot of physical work as well as character analysis. As far as I know, he was the only actor to contact JK Rowling directly to ask about his character, because he wanted to make an informed decision about how to play him since Snape was so nuanced and gray. Unlike some of the other actors (like Michael "DIDYAPUTYANAMEINDAGOBLETOFFIYAH" Gambon) Rickman read the books - those that were available when he took on the role, and each as they came out afterwards - and used them to inform his understanding of his character beyond what Kloves wrote (presumably in crayon with all the e's backwards). In interviews and Q&A's it's clear Rickman was fond of the HP books and story, and had a thoughtful process taking on Snape's character. He did not see him as a villain, because, as he's said, he didn't approach characters with that kind of judgment. And while I'm sure the egregious amounts of cash Warner Brothers threw at the actors was inevitably a factor for all of them, several of the ones playing teachers or other adults have said that they took on their role because a child in their life insisted on it, despite them being unfamiliar with the books, whereas Rickman's process was to read Rowling's books in order to decide whether to take the role. Again, he was a RADA trained actor, and thus had a meticulous approach to his work that followed a thoughtful, considered process and a decision based on whether he felt he could embody a character in a way that did them justice/if they were interesting enough to him. By the time he started shooting PS, he also had experience directing a film and was working as a director in theatre as well as still acting, so he understood the process from the perspective of not just an actor, but also as someone behind the camera, someone working with actors both as a peer and director, and someone sitting in an editing room.

We know from his diaries that he became increasingly frustrated with how his own process and expectations clashed with that of the producers on Harry Potter. He wasn't interested in renewing his contract after the first few films (goodness knows how much money they offered him in the end - his wife has said that he never let anyone else pick up a tab in a restaurant and if they argued, he would just say "Harry Potter."). He writes about seeing the films at premieres and being frustrated with how little story and development there is (especially for Snape), which makes me think there are deleted scenes somewhere that haven't been released. At one point he writes about a premiere party where he had internally lost patience with the three Davids (Yates, Heyman, and Barron). It's obvious that there's a discord between the work he wanted to do with Snape's character and what choices the production made:

He describes how, during the filming of the Yule Ball scene in GoF, there was an attempt to get him to dance but he refused because he didn't think Snape would dance:

It was a rare moment of potential for improvisation because, again, the set and cast and timing were already accounted for, and in this case there wasn't even dialogue. The scene where he smacks the boys with the notebook - as far as I know - was scripted. So there's a difference there in how much freedom he had, as an actor, to say no to what he was asked to do. Even in the above diary entry it's clear that, given his way, he felt the character wouldn't even be present in that scene, but he had no choice. This tells me that when he had more freedom to make choices, he did so based on his understanding of Snape as a character and, given that he was an actor who was both very respected (and got away with more than most) and also someone who could get argumentative about his character choices, I think this is the most apt lens to examine his physical work with Snape through.

Knowing that he wasn't interested in continuing the role of Snape after the first couple of films and that he was often frustrated with the lack of characterization and story arc, his physicality in his first scene in CoS (when he reprimands Harry and Ron for flying the car) says a lot. (Caveat that one of the reasons he didn't want to renew his contract was that the shooting schedule restricted his schedule and he wanted work on other projects, but I can't help but wonder if that had been the case had HP provided a more satisfying process.) It's almost certain that he had read all the available books by the time the scene in CoS was filmed, including PoA where Snape becomes apoplectic with rage in a way that, to a child reader, is comical (and intended to be) and to someone analyzing Snape is clearly rooted in triggered trauma.

Alan Rickman knew from the outset that Snape's motivation was his love for Lily, so he would have understood the dynamic between his character and Sirius re: who Snape thought sold Lily out to Voldemort. He would also have understood that Snape's reaction in PoA was more about distress and anxiety, and that this was connected to the promise Snape had made to protect Harry for Lily's sake. This would have therefore informed his portrayal of Snape's anger at Harry in CoS, and it's reasonable to assume that Rickman was trying to walk the line between the way Rowling portrayed Snape in full unhinged rage in PoA, what this tells him about this character when angered, and the connection between the moments in PoA and CoS when it comes to Snape's anxiety over Harry's safety. Unlike the author of a book however, who has full control of how they tell a story, Rickman was an actor in a film - an inevitably collaborative medium which therefore made his portrayal reliant on the decisions of others as well.

Chris Columbus, the HP movies, and feral Snape

PS and CoS were directed by Chris Columbus, the guy who directed both Home Alone and Home Alone II and Mrs. Doubtfire. He was a successful director from the 90s tradition of children's movies whose sensibility was informed by the era's attitude towards children's media: kids wanting to see themselves in narratives, in ways that felt empowering and allowed them to process the confusion of a world run by adults in playful, quasi-cartoonish ways within a 3 act structure where the villains - mean adults - get their comeuppance because it feels fair. One thing that set Harry Potter apart was that the villain was not the mean adult; Snape, the mean adult, is a character kids can hate and project their own experiences onto, but Voldemort is a true villain who represents evil and is vanquished by the hero. Chris Columbus established a tone for the first two films that was no longer apt by PoA, not only because it didn't work for the story, but because that 90s era of children's movies had ended and the culture moved on to more complex narratives (and Columbus has focused more on producing than directing since, because his style doesn't work for audiences anymore).

What's ironic about the way Snape's scene at the start of CoS comes off is that, in the book, there's a great comedic moment that's left out:

This is cut from the film, and instead it's Filch waiting at the top of the marble stairs who catches Ron and Harry being late and delivers them to Snape (I don't know why, the scene in the book is much more dynamic and would have taken up about as much time on screen). Rickman, meanwhile, is using the information he's gotten on who Snape is from the books, and imbuing some of that feral Snape energy into his portrayal of a Snape who is genuinely angry:

(Thank you for making these gifs @smilingformoney , they are truly the gift that keeps on giving.)

The thing is, no matter how much of feral Snape Rickman brought to this, no matter how menacing his performance is, this moment still lives within the dynamics of a Chris Columbus children's film. It gets cut off by Dumbledore's entrance - meant to be a comeuppance for Snape, since Dumbledore (being the voice of wisdom and fairness in this world) prevents him from punishing Harry and Ron (you know what, at least in the books they got detention, but ok). Despite Rickman's performance, Columbus as a director has framed this scene in the same context as the one Kloves cut. The tension is brief, and the focus is on Snape being foiled, because it's what children want to see - a mean adult experiencing consequences. It's down to the editing and soundtrack, choices Columbus made in the editing room. In addition, we don't know how many different ways an actor tries a scene, only what ends up in the final cut of a film. The process of the work done on a set is often much richer and more diverse than what an audience sees in the finished film.

Tbh I think this is also why Snape's feral moments were cut from PoA: it's a darker film, but had to straddle the line between being for both children and tweens and not getting too playful, nor too intense. As much as I want to see feral Snape on screen, it's extremely difficult to make work in a narrative that is about Harry and his friends. It either skews too intense, making the audience uncomfortable because seeing an adult becoming unhinged and in pain is difficult and frightening for most young people, even adults, and would therefore take away from Harry's goals and narrative as well as his changing relationship to Sirius (all of which is already barely supported by Kloves' writing). Alternately, it could also skew too comical and over the top, which takes the audience out of the tension of the film's climactic moments.

If Snape's story had gotten more focus and screen time, an unhinged moment would be better justified because the audience would have been more invested in the character and their arc. PoA sidesteps pretty much all of the most compelling parts of the book, which is the realization that Harry is not only connected to Sirius personally, but that his dad, Sirius, Lupin, and Pettigrew created the Marauders Map, that they were animagi, that Harry's patronus takes the form of his father's stag, and that Snape was initimately connected to all of them as well. For me, reading the end of PoA was what cemented Snape as someone who would be crucial to the narrative and whose role would increase as the series went on. As a result of Kloves skimming over these essential plot twists, Snape is a minor character in the film, showing up mostly as a foil who tries to expose Lupin and then catches him and Black in the Shrieking Shack (this also sets his character up to be minimized in every film down the line, which has a worsening impact as Snape becomes increasingly integral to the plot).

One thing I find interesting is that Snape's comical physicality changes over the films. In PS and CoS he's menacing, a looming, larger than life figure the children fear and easily assume to be a full-fledged villain. By GoF there's a relationship embedded in how he interacts with Harry and his friends. He's no longer terrifying, just intimidating, more of an adult Harry challenges than someone he must defeat. The comedic effect now comes from a rapport within an established dynamic between characters. By HBP, the only comical moment is at Slughorn's party, and it's no longer Rickman who uses physicality - the action happens around him, and the comedic effect is in his lack of reaction to any of it. In other words, he's no longer the comic one, he's become the straight man in a (badly written) comedy sketch (with abysmal timing, what even).

Ultimately, as with most of the characters in the HP films, Snape is undermined by the writing. Rickman was stuck working within the confines he was given. No matter how well he may have understood the character, the limited screen time and character development were always going to stifle how Snape was portrayed on screen. I'm very much pro Let Snape Be Feral but I also don't fault Rickman in how little we saw of that.

How Feral is Snape?

If I'm honest, I feel like the Snapedom has taken the Let Snape Be Feral thing and has started forgetting that he wasn't all-feral-all-the-time. The point of Feral Snape is that it's a heightened state of tension in a character whose trauma is being triggered. Apoplectic Snape wouldn't have an impact at the end of PoA if that was his usual way of being. And, as you so brilliantly showed @said-snape-softly Snape's speech patterns are primarily quiet and controlled, his speech gets softer the more dangerous his mood, and it's only after he reassumes his role as a spy that the description of his speech becomes increasingly volatile (but is still controlled). Feral Snape's definitive aspect is the lack of control shown by a character who usually is so exceptionally capable of self restraint and compartmentalization. So again, while I would have loved to see Feral Snape on screen, I think it's also important to acknowledge that this is not the defining feature of his character and is more about what those moments mean to his arc. Their absence is primarily due to poor writing that didn't create space for them (including what leads up to them), and the direction that didn't carve out any kind of niche for them, not Rickman's choices as an actor.

In fact, Snape as a character is defined by descriptors of his voice more than any other character by far. I have my own theory about why this is, and it has to do with Alan Rickman being inextricably connected with how Snape is written. Chris Columbus said that Alan Rickman was always Snape as far as he was concerned, because when JK Rowling showed him a sketch of Snape she had made, it looked exactly like Rickman. I don't think this is accidental.

Alan Rickman was always intended to be Snape

First, what's important to remember is that before Harry Potter, Alan Rickman was best known in the 90s for playing both villains and sad romantic leads. His signature defining feature was his voice. I think it was Ang Lee who described the casting choice of Greg Wise and Alan Rickman in Sense and Sensibility as wanting Willoughby (Wise) to be dashing and Brandon (Rickman) to be sexy (if this was Emma Thompson and not Ang Lee, my apologies, I can't remember where I read this and can't find the source). This is how Rickman was perceived by audiences up until Harry Potter. And I know a lot of the Snapedom considers him to be sexy as Snape too, but the general audiences of the films don't, so please don't @ me, I'm just setting up a point here.

This is relevant because, as we find out in the end of the books, Rowling wrote Snape's motivations to be rooted in romantic love (I'm very nobly putting aside, for the sake of focusing on Rowling's intentions, my personal interpretation that Snape's feelings for Lily were platonic, please acknowledge how brave I am for this). She pulls a lot from gothic tropes into how he's written, and as much as she's talked about the character having been inspired by a chemistry teacher she disliked, and as much as she's talked about Snape being both morally grey and someone she personally dislikes, she also romanticized him. Between this and what Chris Columbus said about her sketch of him, it's hard for me to ignore that this character, conceived of in the 90s, wasn't written with Alan Rickman in mind from the beginning, especially since Rowling herself has said that she envisioned him in the role. Whether or not he lived up to Rowling's imagination is, frankly, his choice and Rowling's problem.

The story of how Harry Potter was written according to JK Rowling is that it started with the idea coming to her on a train ride in 1990. She completed the PS manuscript in 1995. While everything I'm about to say is absolute conjecture, I can't help but wonder at the connection between these films and the way Snape was written (spoilers ahead, no regrets, these films have been out for over a quarter of a century - forgive my reviews, I can't help myself):

1988: Die Hard comes out. Alan Rickman plays Hans Gruber, a villain who is a genius, composed, controlled, and soft-spoken. (Great film, a classic, the only valid Christmas movie.)

1990: Truly, Madly, Deeply. Rickman plays a man whose wife can't get over his tragic death, nor can his own ghost, who comes back to spend more time with her. No one else can see him, and they can't really share a life anymore. She eventually lets him go as she realizes that his spirit doesn't belong in the mortal world and her own life can't move on as long as she clings to it. (Beautiful film, will break your heart and put it through a shredder.)

1991: Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves. Rickman is the Sheriff of Nottingham, an unhinged, feral villain who wears all black complete with billowing cape. (Terrible film, disaster of a period piece, Rickman's performance is the only redeeming thing about it. Halfway through its press tour talk shows started booking Rickman instead of the lead, Kevin Costner, because Rickman stole every scene.)

1995: An Awfully Big Adventure. Rickman is an actor who comes back to his hometown to revive his role as Captain Hook in a local theatre production of Peter Pan. In the process he has an affair with a young ginger stagehand who reminds him of his lost love, a vivacious woman named Stella with bright red hair who, as far as he knows, birthed his child - a son - before she died. It turns out the girl he has an affair with is his daughter, which he realizes when he visits her home where she lives in the care of her aunt and uncle - whose name is Vernon - and connects the dots of who this girl's mother was. (He then rides his motorcycle out to the pier, screams "Stella" at the heavens like he's in a revival production of Streetcar Named Desire, trips and hits his head on the edge of the pier and falls into the water, drowning. I can't make this up. Mike Newell directed this. The same guy who directed GoF. As if following in the vein of the 90s movie obsession with incest as the controversial-trope-du-jour wasn't enough. I don't even need to review this, just sum it up.)

1995: Sense and Sensibility. Rickman plays Colonel Brandon, a forlorn, grieving man who lost his first love at a young age and spends most of the film pining for the only other woman he's ever had a romantic interest in. Wears all black, rides a black horse.

Given what a well-known actor Rickman was in the 90s - especially in England - and how connected his characters all seem to be to various aspects of Snape, it's hard not to see a connection. The entire premise of Truly, Madly, Deeply sounds like the inspiration for the Resurrection Stone in Deathly Hallows. The redheaded lost love whose child is left in the care of an Uncle Vernon in An Awfully Big Adventure is difficult to look past. All of these characters either exude menacingly soft-spoken Snape energy, feral Snape energy, or forlorn because of his lost love Snape energy. As a result, I feel like it's almost inevitable that Rickman inspired Snape, especially when you consider how known he was for his voice and how frequently Snape's voice is used to describe him. When Rowling said that she envisioned him in the role, it makes me wonder if she meant during the casting process for the first film, or well before it. I think his previous roles were a contributing factor in how the character was written in the books. After Tim Roth - who was originally cast in the role - had to back out due to scheduling conflicts, she got her way. Authors don't often get to choose who plays their characters, but in this case it worked out as the production thought Rickman was a good fit as well.

I'm done, I promise

So where does this leave things at the end of this horrendously long post? Rickman's choices of how he physicalized Snape - comedic or not - are only part of a larger whole. He was playing a character who was written based on his other roles, and limited by the shortcomings of how Steve Kloves translated that character from Rowling's books into his own screenplays. Whatever Rickman did on set was limited by that writing, by the directors he worked with, and by the choices made in the editing room.

I'm fascinated by the idea that Rickman was playing a character written with him in mind - but not really him, the him who embodied other characters whose echoes show up in Snape. It's difficult enough to contend with an actor playing a character in a screenplay you wrote with them in mind when you're directing your own script, because they'll never be what you imagined in your head. But for that process to get filtered through several directors, a team of producers, another writer who changes your work, and an editor, let alone throughout a decade of films - that's downright wild. The original intention gets lost and reinterpreted like a game of telephone, and I think that a lot of the consistencies between Movie!Snape and Book!Snape are down to Alan Rickman's nuanced and generous nature as an actor. If I'm honest, I'm not convinced that every Snape moment that comes off comical was meant to be so by Rickman. But again, film is such a collaborative medium that his intentions aren't the only ones that matter, ultimately, at least they aren't the only thing that ends up in the final cut.

My take, personally, is that I'm more interested in critical analysis than personal criticism. I respect that everyone has their own vision of a character and fandom is absolutely here for, among other things, having a place to share those thoughts and feelings. But a character is rarely going to appear on screen the same way you see them in your head, and that's not always going to be a fault, even if it's a disappointment to you. It's interesting to hear different people's perceptions, but there isn't that much to discuss there - you can't refute how someone feels, and you can't argue that their truth is what it is, to them. Whereas with critical analysis there's a lot more to talk about and examine, so it's where my own interest is much more invested.

[twistedtummies2]

Top 10 Portrayals of Mycroft Holmes

In my last couple lists for the supporting cast of Sherlock Holmes, I discussed two of his closest allies: Mrs. Hudson and Inspector Lestrade. It’s now time for another of his allies, though perhaps the most begrudging of them all: his elder brother, Mycroft Holmes. Mycroft is an intriguing character, because there are essentially two completely different ways to portray him. In the original books, Mycroft is declared to be even smarter than Sherlock is, which is already quite interesting. What makes him even more fascinating, however, is the reveal of his career: Mycroft “IS the British Government.” He’s the head of political and military intelligence, his power seemingly second only to the Prime Minister and the Royal Family themselves. With so much power and brilliance, one would expect Mycroft to be a rather imposing figure…but in Conan Doyle’s stories, the character is actually depicted a sort of comical figure. Mycroft is a sort of stereotypical, pompous bureaucrat in the books; like Sherlock, he’s a trifle eccentric, as well as rather pompous and slightly foppish in demeanor. The humor comes from his blustering attitude and exaggerated rotundity, which are completely at odds with the potential for something more dangerous when you realize what and who he really is. As a result of this dichotomy, different reimaginings and adaptations of Mycroft tend to gravitate more towards one side or the other: some versions play the character very much in the Conan Doyle vein, as a comically uppercrust caricature. Others, however, have focused much more on his political prowess, making him a much more serious character, with the humor stemming now from his dandy manners and the relationship he has with his brother. In the books, Sherlock and Mycroft have a SLIGHT sibling rivalry, but they actually seem to get along fairly well; most reinterpretations, however, really play up that rivalry and have the two constantly at each other’s throats…but when push comes to shove, that brotherly love still shines through. With so many different ways to handle Mycroft, choosing my favorites was rather difficult: this duality to the character and the way he’s been portrayed means that he is both easy to mess up and yet hard to mess up at the same time, if you can imagine such a paradox. I think, however, that the choices I’ve made are more or less finite, though a few may rise or fall on the scale depending on my mood, more than anything else. With that said, here are My Top 10 Portrayals of Mycroft Holmes!

10. Rhys Ifans, from Elementary.

It took me a while to warm up to this version of Mycroft, but ultimately I did come to like him. In here, instead of being the head of British intelligence, Mycroft is simply an AGENT of said intelligence: he’s essentially this universe’s version of James Bond, a suave and classy spy for MI6, who works under the facade of a restauranteur. While I do have a few issues with this take on the character, overall I think it’s an interesting one; a big part of what makes him good comes from Ifans’ acting.

9. Robert Morley, from A Study in Terror.

This Mycroft COULD have been in my Top 5, at the very least, if he had a larger role. Morley is probably the most book-accurate take on Mycroft ever, but he’s only in the film for a couple of short minutes, and…well…frankly, he has absolutely NO purpose to be in the story at all. I feel like someone just included him BECAUSE they wanted to see Robert Morley play this character, and…fair play to them, I suppose, I’m glad it happened. I just wish he had more of a reason to be there, and more screentime in his pocket.

8. Peter Jeffrey, from Hands of a Murderer.

In this period remake of “The Woman in Green” (one of the Basil Rathbone films), Jeffrey’s Mycroft ends up being kidnapped by Professor Moriarty, who is seeking information he wishes to sell to enemy agents. (Which actually sounds similar to a completely different Rathbone movie, “Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon,” but I digress.) While his role is relatively peripheral, I enjoy Jeffrey’s work with the character, and they really play around wonderfully with the relationship between the two brothers.

7. Richard E. Grant, from Sherlock: Case of Evil.

While Mycroft’s role in this film is small, his presence is important: it’s revealed that part of the reason he is such a reclusive figure is because he was captured and tortured by Moriarty (after the previous pick, I’m sensing a pattern) during Sherlock’s first encounter with his arch-nemesis. Mycroft’s brain is as sharp as ever, but his body still bears scars. This is one of the most supportive takes on the character out there, and Grant plays him very well.

6. Boris Klyuyev, from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson. 

Arguably one of the funniest versions of Mycroft, in my opinion. This Russian-made TV film series used Mycroft fairly often, and he was always fun to see in action, really leaning into the comedy of the character from the original stories, and even doing a few new things with him, such as having him help Mrs. Hudson during “The Tiger Hunt” (their adaptation of “The Empty House”). Very, very amusing to watch.

5. The Version from Moriarty the Patriot.

This version takes some obvious cues from the rendition from “Sherlock,” portraying Mycroft as a more traditionally handsome, limber fellow, and really emphasizing his power as “the very embodiment of the British government.” However, he’s a much “warmer” character than the BBC version, which I think helps make him stand out, and gives him a little more of the humor that was present in the original stories. In Japan, he's voiced by Hiroki Yasumoto; the English dub is played by "Black Butler" star himself, J. Michael Tatum.

4. Stephen Fry, from the Guy Ritchie Films.

Mycroft appears in the second film, “Game of Shadows,” in another case of a “small but important” sort of role. Some of the funniest scenes in the film are thanks to him, and he’s also important in terms of the movie’s climax and conclusion. Fry is a shockingly book-accurate take on the character for the modern era, both in appearance and portrayal, and I think that’s a big part of why I like him. For all the things these films did differently from Conan Doyle, Mycroft almost feels ripped straight out of the pages.

3. Christopher Lee, from The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes.

Lee was the first “serious” Mycroft, depicting the character as a more athletic and icy sort of character. This is ironic, since “The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes” is mostly rather comedic in nature, although it does have its hard edges. With that said, while he is a bit more dramatic than earlier interpretations, he still has a lot of humorous bits and moments. Plus, it’s Christopher Lee: of COURSE he’s awesome.

2. Mark Gatiss, from Sherlock.

Gatiss not only plays Mycroft in the series, but is also one of its chief creators. As if the guy needed MORE power. This version rather famously plays up Mycroft as a very, VERY authoritarian figure: much colder and more mean-spirited than almost any other interpretation. At times, he’s more of an antagonist than a protagonist in the show. However, he does still have a heart hidden under his dictatorial ways, a fact that’s made clear literally from the start of the series, and does help Sherlock out in various ways throughout the show. I was sorely tempted to make him number one…hopefully the person I chose instead won’t disappoint.

1. Charles Gray, from the Granada Series.

Gray first played the character in the film “The Seven Per-Cent Solution,” but it’s the Granada series (with Jeremy Brett as his younger brother) that I REALLY recognize him for. Alongside Robert Morley (and possibly Stephen Fry), I would argue that this is the most book-accurate take on Mycroft there’s ever been. I love how even though he is depicted as the generally more lighthearted figure from the original stories, he’s not played up as a caricature or a cartoon, and can be serious when the moment calls for it. The show even had two episodes where Mycroft took the place of each of the Baker Street gang, with one episode teaming him up with his brother, and another teaming him up with Watson. Gatiss may be more recognizable nowadays, but for me, Gray IS Mycroft, just as Brett IS Sherlock and Colin Jeavons IS Lestrade, plain and simple.

[culttvblog]

Denis Shaw Season: Danger Man - Are You Going to be More Permanent? and Conclusions

I started this series of posts on actor Denis Shaw's TV roles with his role in The Prisoner and end it with his role in The Prisoner's predecessor, Danger Man.

Are You Going to be More Permanent? is an episode which has a strange effect on me because it both bores me witless and also intrigues me.

It bores me for the completely personal reason that it is, to me, a pure example of what we might call a spy procedural and although the solution is dependent on Drake's charm this makes it a bit procedure-driven for me. I'm not sure that that genre actually exists, but I hope to start a new trend. The plot is a rather thin one, and it is essentially that Drake goes to Geneva as the controller of M9 to find out what has happened to the last two controllers. The three M9 agents in Geneva are suspects for whatever has happened to the controllers.

I have looked online and strangely can find no suggestion that this episode of Danger Man is echoed in The Prisoner episode A, B and C. Of course you may say that the only similarities are that there are three suspects and the world of espionage is involved, but that's exactly the sort of tie that makes connections between Danger Man and The Prisoner. There is also the presence of Denis Shaw, who has we have seen, reappeared in The Prisoner as the shopkeeper.

Here he plays a member of the world's least-regulated profession, namely an estate agent, and I have to say the role suits him down to the ground. Shaw gives exactly the right impression of a dodgy salesman trying to get the customer to rent a complete pup. He says that the house has been empty for six months but it's a place where you can really breathe and he points out the mahogany bannisters. Of course if he was any good he would tell the owner to get the whole place decorated and weed the wildly overgrown garden, but instead must either think his charm can get the run down place let or he just doesn't care. We've all come across an estate agent like that or two!

Conclusions

Having always avoided talking about the actors while I have been blogging, this series of posts is the first time I have changed tack to focus on one of the actors instead, and it's been an interesting experience.

One aspect of this has been that Shaw tends to play relatively minor roles and going through his TV roles has made me focus on the nature of these roles. They all tend to be rather unpleasant characters, which given that he was known as the rudest man in London, makes me wonder whether he was character acting!

I have been surprised at some of the relatively rare shows I have managed to watch for this, and impressed at how much of his work exists on published sources and the internet, given that the latter part of his career coincided with the peak of junking television. One of the more interesting parts of this experiment for me has been to make me watch shows I wouldn't otherwise watch, which I have appreciated. My only sorrow is that I would estimate I have blogged about less than half his TV work and the majority of the rest no longer survives. I have not touched any of his film work, since it's beyond the scope of this blog.

My other sorrow is that I don't feel I know Denis Shaw as a man or an actor any better at the end of this series of posts, and with the bare facts of his life and personality I could have guessed the nature of his television career. Again this may be explained by the small parts he tends to play.

This has been an experiment in blogging that I have definitely enjoyed and appreciated. I have a shortlist of other possible candidates for this treatment in the future now that I've discovered I can do it. Otherwise I suspect I'll go back to not talking about the actors in my normal blog posts, though, because I haven't changed my mind that if you're thinking about the actor they're distracting from the role!

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[dynared]

I'm once again bored, so I'm thinking over a character from Transformers who got either ignored and/or hosed and am wondering what Skybound or another series can do with him. With the Super Ginrai toy apparently due out soon, I'm turning my attention to Ginrai/Powermaster Optimus Prime/Apex Prime, quite possibly one of the most unique concepts in Transformers that no one really has fleshed out in any way.

Ginrai is the main protagonist of Transformers Masterforce, a truck driver who is accidentally bound to two bracelts that let him combine with a very familiar red looking truck.

Unfortunately, the narrative itself says little about the fact that the truck is Optimus Prime, with a clip show called The Big Book of Masterforce released after the series ended claiming it was meant to be a new body for Prime before the evil Devil Z stole it, and it was bound to a human.

The Marvel comic book meanwhile, ignores this in favor of saying it WAS Optimus, with his binary-bonded Nebulan partner, Hi-Q, helping to unleash his body's true potential. Only there it was Hi-Q who became the non-entity, barely appearing on panel until a plotline where Optimus cheated death by essentially downloading his brain into Hi-Q.

And yet despite both the popularity of the toy mold and design, and the flexibility of the idea, Powermaster Prime/Ginrai hasn't really been used in anything. Dreamwave floated the idea of Ginrai appearing in one of their sourcebooks, only for the company to have its rather famous dissolution due to Pat Lee's tomfoolery, Animated had plans to make their version of Powermaster Prime/God Ginrai without Ginrai or any Powermaster elements but the show famously ended with the start of the Hub Network, the Wings Universe had Ginrai as a separate character from Prime (and a paranoid neurotic) and IDW, as part of their hate-on for all things Japanese Transformers, didn't use him at all.

That said, there's a lot you can do with this character, but it feels like all of it is Year 4 or Year 5, rather than Year 1.

Optimus Prime - Agent of GI Joe.

With the Energon Universe going all in on the idea of Transformers and GI Joe being in the same universe, the human element has a much easier grounding figure than someone who just happens to come along and slots neatly into the Commander role without interference. If a human was able to transform into someone that looked like Optimus Prime and the government found out, well, odds are that person would be recruited by Colonel Hawk and the Joes to act as the Autobot commander, and possibly to ensure that the Bots act in the best interest of the US government.

From there, there's a lot of both Transformers action and spy fiction elements that can be implemented into the story. How long before the Autobots figure out the ruse? Will they? Will Ginrai or whoever the human is be forced to silence his allies to avoid his secret coming out? And how much of Optimus will rub off on him? Especially if Optimus isn't really dead and that Transector isn't empty?

Spike Witwicky - King of Braves.

Poor Spike has been through a lot in the first arc of the Transformers comic. Without spoiling too much, the series starts with his mom having died a few years back, his dad an alcoholic, and he gets hurt during the fighting between Bots and Cons. While characters like him are normally used in a context to provide a more "normal" set of eyes, the US cartoon eventually made Spike into an Autobot, as the head of Fortress Maximus. Unfortunately, The Rebirth miniseries where this occurred clearly had shown the series was out of gas at that point.

Still, given Spike's relationship with Optimus, the idea of Spike being forced to act as Prime's partner, or even more notably, his replacement, creates an angle that would be very interesting, IF we spend enough time with him to feel earned.

It's bad enough Spike was essentially a galactic ambassador to a war he never knew about, now he has to lead the people he got to knew and trust against enemies probably far more powerful than the Cons that started the war. How does he react to that given everything the war has likely taken from him? Does he embrace the opportunity to fight back against the invaders, or does he threaten to crack under the pressure? Not to mention the evergreen G1 characters Spike may know suddenly dealing with someone who's a full-fledged super robot, and may be the difference between victory and defeat?

Like my Star Saber meta, these are just some basic ideas for what could be a very interesting character later on with themes of identity, symbols, and the injecting of super robots into the American G1 framework in a more direct way than the Japanese shows did originally. Still, I think it's something that could be a lot of fun in the hands of the right writer.

[tinysnailtales]

Thoughts from reading Yona of the Dawn Ch. 3

I call this the "Hak backstory chapter" or who is Hak and why is he so dedicated to King Il and Yona?

Enter the era of Hak really watching over and taking care of Yona. He puts her wellbeing first. And the care he puts into it = it is about more than just keeping her alive.

"Am I going to die? And you too...? Is Soo-Won going to kill us? Don't you dare die Hak. If you do...I'll never, ever forgive you." – Yona is barely conscious but it is not fear for her own life that she expresses but care and concern for Hak's.

She was so focused on Soo-Won that we didn't get exposure to the true extent of her feelings in regard to Hak, but here it is made clear. As Hak is driven by his desire to protect Yona, she in turn will be driven by her desire to protect him. And at this moment, it (and Hak himself) is all she has.

"King Il is dead. What a sorry excuse for a king...leaving her highness to fend for herself" – Hak was just defending King Il against Soo-Won, but Yona comes first.

"I've been by her side for a long time. She's never had to deal with being dirty or being in pain." Yona was extremely sheltered and now is being exposed to everything she was protected from. Change is upon the princess, in more ways than one.

"King Il's too bubbly. I can't stand talking to him" "There's no need to bow [to the king]" – King Il hasn't yet earned Hak's respect

"If General Mundok and his heir start fighting" / "A commoner like me shouldn't wander in too freely" – Hak is the heir to the Wind Tribe, but he rejects his duty and responsibility (and status). But though he calls himself a "commoner," he also skirts the line of respect and is very casual with those in positions of authority. (For The Apothecary Diaries connection, I call this his "Maomao tendencies" – claiming to care a lot about "one's place" but not always acting accordingly)

"'What's this 'Lord Mundok' nonsense? Call me 'grandpa'!' ...'We're not even blood relatives!'" – part of Hak's rejection of his role as heir may be because he does not consider himself worthy of it/the "rightful heir."

"'Yona gets lonely when you're not around' 'You bubbly little liar'" – Hak does not believe that Yona misses him or likes spending time with him!

"Dealing with the nobility exhausts me" / "To be honest...I don't want anything to do with the royal family or nobility. I can't stand the backstabbing and spying." – Hak's reasoning feels like it goes from more of an excuse to more legitimate. He dislikes the nobility, their dishonesty and how they behave–disregarding people and treating those people and everything like a game (playing with lives). His disrespect for nobility and royals surely influences his demeanor towards them.

"And besides...there's another reason I don't want to stay in the palace." – but the biggest reason for Hak to avoid the palace might be Princess Yona herself.

"And besides...there's another reason I don't want to stay in the palace... Whenever I'm near her highness...she throws me off-balance" AWWW hehe (sorry, can't help it), Hak clearly ~likes~ Yona.

"I haven't seen you in ages, and that's all you have to say?" – Yona gives some credence to what her father said about her missing Hak and being lonely without him. And her running to him here shows that she trusts him and is comfortable around him (and also specifically trusts him to protect her)

"King Il doesn't have a son...so Tae-Jun's trying to win the princess's heart so that he can take the throne." – essentially, Tae-Jun is to the Fire Tribe as Hak is to the Wind Tribe, so there's some extra weight here: if Tae-Jun could win the throne, so could Hak.

It's interesting that his flirtations make Yona uncomfortable, but Hak's teasing does not. I wonder how she feels about Hak's later more flirtatious teasing. She is not flattered by Tae-Jun's flirting, probably because it is too aggressive, but I'd say Hak's behavior down the line can be somewhat aggressive (or forward) too.

"'Sorry, but a certain young man named Soo-Won has my heart already" – Hak is already aware of Yona's feelings for Soo-Won.

"That's what I thought. That's why I hate coming here."

"Stop being so annoyed with me! You're so cold, Hak. Soo-Won would never say anything like that!" "If that's how you feel...then go crying to him when you want someone to protect you!" – oh, Hak. Clearly jealous of Yona's feelings for Soo-Won (yet he's the one who brought him up) and tries to hide his feelings by pushing Yona away and being kind of brutish.

"What's got you in such a bad mood?" "I'm not in a bad mood!" – LOL classic, I love his brooding.

"I'm sorry about earlier. You must've been mad at how spineless I was acting. I'm the princess of Kohka, and I have my honor! I've got to stop whining and do something about my problem...Those are for you. It's a peace offering!" – what a cute moment. I think it provides some insight about what has endeared Hak to Yona (and functions similarly to how the dragon warriors will be endeared to her too). It also offers a preview of the Yona and character growth to come!

It's rather mature of Yona to apologize and kind of hilarious that she's taking the blame when Hak was misbehaving because of jealousy. This moment also shows how she cares for him.

I see your little blush, Hak!

"This is why I don't want to deal with her highness..." She throws him off-balance, indeed. Makes him feel all kinds of things.

I don't suppose he likes being reminded of how he likes her and what he can't have. It is easier to not want things. Or to remain in denial.

Hak overhears some (valid) complaints + critiques of King Il. The seeds of doubt in the king were already planted before Soo-Won took him out.

And Hak reaffirms his desire to not "be a lackey for the royal family," which factors into his rejection of his duties.

In his head, Hak calls upon Soo-Won to play the role of the romantic hero. But he acknowledges that Soo-Won is kind of clueless about those matters and even sympathizes with Yona, showing his care for her ("I bet it's hard on her highness.") And Soo-Won might be oblivious about Yona, but Hak isn't.

Hak also notices that Yona is really trying her best, and I have to admire her efforts. Poor girl. She even took Hak's "advice" to heart and is trying to talk things out.

"I'm not getting involved. It's not my problem. I'm ignoring this" – I again categorize this as Hak's "Maomao tendencies"–trying to ignore complications and stay out of things but inevitably being dragged in. For Hak, he can't avoid the pull to Yona. His care for her is what makes him rise to the occasion and act.

We again get a display of Yona's comfort with Hak. Even when she's like "wtf are you doing," she accepts his embrace.

"Who said you could touch my princess"

And like, I kind of hate total possessiveness and the cliche "we're together, so you shouldn't be bothering her," but that "my princess" gets a yes from me because the implications, man! Of their relationship, yes, but also the importance of Yona being Princess Yona to Hak. And as her guard, he's more hers than anything (getting ahead of myself, but– "Think of me as a tool"), but she's also his in turn.

"I'm Son Hak, the next general of the Wind Tribe. The king has personally chosen me to serve as Princess Yona's guard"

And I don't exactly find the "pretending we're together protectiveness" romantic, but this is. For Yona's sake, to defend and protect her, Hak accepts the role of Wind Tribe heir that he has been rejecting and the role of being Yona's personal guard. Romance, we love it. And a badass moment.

I also do have to admit I love a good pretend relationship claim backfiring. Here's where Hak realizes he fucked up. He's not at all affected by Yona saying she loves him, nope. No blushing here.

And here's the moment King Il gains Hak's respect. And through the pain, King Il still offers a bubbly smile–the kindness and mask hiding the deeper person underneath. The deeper (and braver) person Hak now sees.

A good fucking scene.

Hak puts Yona first, but he does act out of loyalty to (and respect for) King Il too.

[merakiui]

Hehe Vil and Neige for character bingo!

I adore Vil!!!! He has such a sharp, pretty gaze. I’d be intimidated even if it wasn’t his intention to intimidate. ;;;; but omg he’s such a lovely character!!! Seeing his growth from book 5 to book 6 makes me so soft aaaaa!!! He’s genuinely so sweet and caring and only wants to bring out the best in people, which is why he can seem very critical and harsh and strict. It’s all done in good nature. But in that same light, he’s also incredibly critical with himself, which was seen in how he was comparing himself to Neige and always striving to be the most beautiful. It’s also just nice to see him realize at the end of his book that he doesn’t have to be fairest of all; he can be unique in his own way and there’s just as much beauty in that as there is in being known as the fairest. Also the fact that he sincerely apologizes to us and admits that he was in the wrong at the end… I might be remembering this wrong, but I feel like he’s the only character out of the Overblots who apologized so genuinely to us.

Also his UM???? IT’S SO COOL?????? There are so many possibilities with that. Somehow I always overlook it when I’m thinking about Vil, but it’s really so interesting and has many uses. Even the fact that Vil’s skilled in making potions is already giving me thoughts… so much potential with this. And his role in book 6!!!! Omg it’s made me appreciate the Pomefiore trio even more. I also love the method Vil used to escape his cell during the power outage in book 6. That felt so super spy omg!! <3 (super spy Vil au……. thinking thoughts.)

And because I’ve yet to say it: fashion inspiration!!!! Aaaaaa Vil is such an inspiration. Whenever I’m doing my makeup or putting together an outfit, I always think, What would Vil think of this look? He’s just so,,,, inspiring. And he always slays in every outfit he wears, as expected of Mr. Vil. Sometimes I think how fun it would be if Vil was real because I’d love to have a conversation with him about fashion. My friend called my wardrobe the “playable character closet” because all of my outfits feel like main characters you’ve unlocked in a storyline. Naturally. <3 you should feel like a main character in your life because you’re the star of it, after all hehe!! :D

Vil is just so wonderful to me. I love him dearly and I really should dust off all of the Vil concepts rotting in my drafts and share them. orz he’s so perfect. He could do no wrong (except for that time he almost poisoned Neige), but he was still so babygirl!!!!!

Speaking of Neige!!!!

I have this certain Vision in my mind when I’m thinking of Neige and it is not at all canon, but I still love his canon self a lot. I think Neige deserves to be talked about more (as does Che’nya, Rollo, and the staff). The lack of love for Neige is doing him so dirty! D: he deserves lots of love because he’s just so cute and sweet. And very hardworking!!! When Vil gives us more insight into Neige’s past, it really shows a deeper side to the normally always cheerful idol that everyone adores. His screen time is so minimal, and it doesn’t help that twst English had to cut the Minna de Yahoo rhythmic. :( I wanted to see it so badly in twst English, so it was sad to not see it. </3

Part of me was hoping to see a darker side of Neige in twst. But then he is based on a hero and he goes to Royal Sword Academy, which is essentially the school of heroes compared to NRC (the school of villains). Still… T-T I would like to see a cunning side of Neige, or Neige who may have known Vil held a grudge against him and had a feeling he might try something. Thinking about Neige putting on the oblivious, happy act to mask someone who is very observant and intelligent beneath… AAAAAAAA it would have been so interesting if he attempted to drink the apple juice while fully knowing it was poisoned just to see if anyone (i.e. Rook) would jump in and save him—perhaps to test just where Rook’s loyalty and heart lies? The idea of Neige intentionally putting himself in compromising or even dangerous situations just to test his own theories is so fun to consider. After all, he’s been working in the entertainment industry for so long now. It’s hard to think he wouldn’t be at least a little deceptive or cunning because I’m sure he’s picked up some tricks from so much time spent in the business.

All in all, Neige is very beloved and I’d like to discuss him more. orz

[disappointingyet]

More films that didn't quite make my favourites of 2023 list... although some of these got very close.

You Hurt My Feelings

Nicole Holofcener has been making consistently good very talky films for many years now. This one stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a writer whose essentially rather appealing life has just become a little more complicated. Her husband (Tobias Menzies) is (of course) a therapist. If you’re not the kind of person who gets upset at the idea that people with such enviable lives should ever think they have any problems, this is funny and insightful.

(Prime)

Alcarràs

My mother spent part of her childhood in a village in Catalunya (otherwise her family were city people), and her strongest memory was picking fruit from the trees and eating it, and nothing (she told us) could ever approach how delicious it was. I thought of that watching Alcarràs, which takes place on a Catalan tenant farm during the peach harvest. 

It all seems idyllic: the gentle abundance of nature, little kids roaming freely over the land… But of course, it isn’t: the family’s lease on the farm is not a formal one, rather the legacy of a (huge, it should be said) favour done in the 1930s, one that understandably seems pretty distant to the current landowner, born, I’m guessing, in the late ‘80s. He’s busy shifting his fields to the more profitable option of solar energy generation, so this could be the last peach season.   

The cast is largely non-professional, there’s no score and the cameras often stay close to the characters, so the approach is naturalistic. But this is isn’t brutal realism: there’s fun and it is all very pretty if maybe doomed. We see it through the eyes of multiple age groups: the little kids who keep losing their latest fort, the teenagers who are somewhat adrift, the current generation in charge of the farm and the oldies, including the patriarch in decline (Josep Abad, who looks a lot like the great British character actor Peter Vaughan).

Small point: I think it would be useful for non-Iberian audiences if the subtitles pointed out the rare times the characters are speaking (Castilian) Spanish - eg, with west African day workers or with the Romanian woman the film seems to be implying is a mail-order bride.

Anyway, it’s very good.

(MUBI)

L’Innocent

This doesn’t have a promising premise: mother and adult son who interfere too much in each other’s lives, mother runs acting classes at a prison, marries one of the inmates, when he’s released the son doesn’t trust him and starts spying on him. Director-star Louis Garrel has given himself the role of one of those moody, immature blokes we are somehow meant to have some sympathy for despite their dickishness.  (If this were British, it would almost certainly be the year's worst release.)

And yet… I really liked this film. It contains a lot of things that – if done well – endear a film to me: amateurs trying to trail people, scenes in which the characters are acting, heist planning… Also: I’m wondering if I’ve ever seen a film set in Lyon before?  It’s funny, it shifts gear nicely and ties together well. (If you’ve only seen Noémie Merlant in Portrait Of A Lady On Fire and Tár, here’s a chance to watch her having fun.) (MUBI)

Actual People

Super low-budget/ultra-indie/neo-mumblecore movie about a student gradually falling apart in her final year of college – it’s basically a comedy if not a particularly cheery one. Lots of parties in small apartments and shouted conversations in hip bars, that kind of thing. I liked it quite a lot… but also don’t remember it that clearly.

(MUBI)

Broker

After a career making films in Japan, the great director Hirokazu Koreeda ventured abroad for 2019’s La Vérité, just the most French film you’ve ever seen. That was an impressive bit of code switching, but didn’t play to his strengths. For Broker, he’s also working away from home in a foreign language (Korean), but this one has a lot in common with Shoplifters, his excellent film from 2018.

In Broker, a young mother abandons her baby outside a church. She later tries to retrieve him, but he’s been nicked by a couple of guys who sell babies to desperate couples. These are the bad guys, right? Nope. These are our rather sweet protagonists, and the mother joins up with them on a road trip to find a nice couple who are also willing to pay a decent amount for poor little Woo-song. Meanwhile, a pair of exhausted cops are on their trail. 

You can tell it’s a Koreeda film by the sheer amount of time the characters spend eating and, if not eating, talking about food, plus all the stuff about families, biological or chosen. I’ve watched a lot of movies set in Korea, but I think this is the first one I have seen with multiple references to Tottenham Hotspur’s dazzlingly skilful forward Son Heung-Min. On the other hand, like many Korean movies I’ve watched, it stars Song Kang-ho.

It’s touching, it’s funny, the characters are endearing, it’s a very nice film.

Retour a Seoul

French party girl* Freddie (Park Ji-min) sort of accidentally ends up in holiday in Korea, country of her birth. Just as haphazardly, she makes contact with her biological father and has a massively awkward meeting with him and his family, not helped by the fact that she doesn’t speak the language. Freddie, it seems, is not a comfortable fit for Korea. The film then takes some interesting turns, while determinedly not filling in the gaps. If you’re the kind of film watcher who needs to know who/what/why and sometimes when, you’ll get deeply frustrated here. I found it very absorbing even though I was never entirely sure what the film was trying to say – plus there’s some great hair, make-up and costume work going on.

*In the non-euphemistic sense.

Amanda

Super-offbeat Italian indie about a young woman from a privileged family who has no friends and does things like hang out at raves on her own. I guess some points of comparison (if probably not particularly helpful ones to most people) are Todd Solondz and Roy Andersson. Bleak comedy, basically. I’d heard great things about this and it didn’t fully live up to my super-high expectations. (Its director, Carolina Cavalli, co-wrote Fremont, which I liked a whole lot more.)

Tár

How much of the love for this film came from (my fellow) Gen Xers enjoying watching Cate Blanchett’s Lydia Tár humiliating the kids with their ‘my journey’ self-obsessions? To be sure, there are many other pleasures to be had: Blanchett’s performance, the interior design, the costumes, the music etc… Plus just debating questions like: is this a ghost story/horror movie? But while I was impressed, I’m not sure I really liked it that much. 

May December 

Actor gets cast in a movie about a real-life scandal - grown woman had sex with 13-year-old… and when she gets out of jail and he’s of legal age, they marry. Almost a quarter of a century on, they are still together and they allow the actor to visit for research. Which is surely asking for trouble.

May December is not the only film this year (I’m thinking of Anatomy Of A Fall, for instance) that in summary could sound like it could be a 1991 erotic thriller but very much isn’t.

Natalie Portman plays the TV star, Julianne Moore the suburban mom-turned-sex offender-now again a suburban mom. Both women are terrifying. Charles Melton plays the somewhat hapless husband. 

This is a strange film. It’s directed by Todd Haynes, who is known for wildly adventurous music biz movies (Velvet Goldmine, I’m Not There) and retro-set melodramas (Far From Heaven, Carol.) May December is a melodrama but its 2015 setting is not long enough ago to count as a past when things were different*. So it lacks the tension between nostalgic beauty and undisguised bigotry that was crucial to the appeal of FFH and Carol. 

In its place we get… a jarring score borrowed from The Go-Between (1971) and the occasional unsettlingly weird shot. Presumably, by way of reminding us that this is a doubly screwed-up situation: that even if the outcome is seemingly a happy family, what Moore’s character did was unspeakable but also Portman’s actor is a nasty piece of work. 

There are echoes of Single White Female, but few of the trashy thrills that movie had. Some critics have mentioned Bergman’s Persona, and I can see why. I was left wondering whether if I had watched more films by (1970s German master/chemical dustbin) Rainer Werner Fassbinder, May December would make more sense to me. Then again, I have to assume the vast majority of people who catch May December on Sky (in the UK) or Netflix (US) will have seen exactly zero Fassbinder flicks.

All of which is to say that May December is an interesting and sometimes compelling movie, but not one I actively enjoyed.

*I mean, in a number of ways it does feel like a long time ago, but none of those are relevant to this film.

How To Blow Up A Pipeline

There are plenty of films about people setting off bombs. Less common are serious-minded, commercially released films unambiguously endorsing the destruction of corporate assets in the country the film was made. The reference point for critics was Kelly Reichardt’s Night Moves – the other relatively recent film about American eco-terrorism – but that film is deeply ambivalent about its characters’ underlying motives and the wisdom of their actions. HTBUAP, at least as I understood it, is firmly onside with its crew of angry Gen Zers. 

But although the message is pretty earnest, the medium is a stripped-down thriller: it’s classic heist movie assemble-the-team, plan, execute and then deal with the messier than planned consequences. It’s pretty effective, and very watchable – I just felt the film requires more of a buy-in on its politics and admiration of its characters than I can manage. (Netflix)

Un Beau Matin (One Fine Morning)

Secretly, the most Brexity film of the year, occasionally seeming like it’s directly aimed at Brits who imagine that the French have figured out how to do things like care homes. Apparently not, according to this film starring Léa Seydoux as a young widow whose writer father has dementia. The ending seems to be trying for something a bit upbeat, but the rest of the film is so bloody miserable it can’t pull that off. I really liked Mia Hansen-Løve’s previous film – Bergman Island – but this is hard work. (MUBI)

Les Cinq Diables (The Five Devils)

This gloomy, spooky French drama starring Adèle Exarchopoulos  is rather like a darker, fucked-up reworking of Petite Maman,  and fulfils my default expectation that ‘x but dark’ = ‘x but worse’. It can’t quite decide whether it wants to be an all-out horror movie – I think it would have been far better if it had been.

(MUBI)

El Conde

Hard to think of anything more off-putting for people of my age and ideology than a film narrated in the voice of Margaret Thatcher – that’s a real fingernails down the blackboard experience. This is a truly bizarre film from the always-interesting Chilean director Pablo Larraín: the idea is that Augusto Pinochet is a vampire and thus didn’t die in 2006 but instead continues in existence in hiding in a vast remote compound. The movie is a baffling mix of horror fantasy (it’s in lush black & white) with characters reading out great lists of how much the Pinochet family have stolen from the Chilean people. And then there’s that narration in English and dialogue largely in Spanish (and some French). Credit to Larraín for looking for new and interesting ways to tell stories about historical figures (this follows films about Pablo Neruda, Jackie Kennedy and Diana Spencer and he’s taking on Maria Callas next), but for me this doesn’t really gel at all.

(Netflix)

Passages

Very big with critics, this one. Tomas (Franz Rogowski) is a diva-ish film director married to long-suffering Martin (Ben Whishaw). Then he gets picked up by Agathe (Adèle Exarchopoulos) at a club and pretty soon is saying he’s in love with her. If you’re thinking this is the familiar tale of a bloke stubbornly insisting he’s straight after all, you’d be wrong – Tomas is still very much the same silk-crop-top-wearing dude whoever he’s shagging on any particular day. I think the film’s success hinges on whether you can understand why either Martin or Agathe tolerates this obvious tosser for more than a few days – I couldn’t, so didn’t really enjoy the film. (Indeed, probably the best scene for me is one with just Whishaw and Exarchopoulos.)

(MUBI)

Women Talking

One of those films I had a very strong idea of what it was going to be like before I saw it, and that idea was not exactly wrong, but not right either. I think the version in my mind was more like 1970s Marxist collectivist theatre – truly just women talking. Don’t get me wrong, there’s an awful lot of debating, but there’s also some pretty Malickian shots of kids running through fields, a bit of romance (misplaced) and some dramatic tension. 

It takes place in one of the religious communities that cosplay living in the 19th century (the news story the book the film is based on was inspired by happened in a Mennonite settlement). Some of the men and boys have been drugging and raping women and girls, and on a day when all but one of the men are away, the women gather in a barn to decide whether to stay or leave. Rooney Mara is very good, Claire Foy I don’t really get, Ben Whishaw is unnecessary (and I’d already see him being perpetually long suffering this year in the couldn’t-be-more-different Passages.) It’s watchable but worthy and a little obvious in places. 

La Amiga De Mi Amiga (Girlfriends And Girlfriends*)

Barcelona-set (but in Castilian Spanish not Catalan) indie movie in two senses – it’s minimal budget and somewhat homemade but also assorted characters are in somewhat twee bands and the soundtrack is on a similar tip. The director, Zaida Carmona, plays Zaida (it’s one of those films where most of the cast use their own names), who has been dumped by her girlfriend and flees to Barcelona. She meets up with old friends; she fancies a woman, that woman fancies another woman’s girlfriend who in turn fancies… You get the vibe. They have dinner parties, they go each other’s rubbish performance art or gigs, watch Eric Rohmer films, hook up and fall out. It’s meant to be kind of funny but also kind of honest, but I found it flimsy and a bit clumsy. Then again, that’s also my take on Rohmer, so maybe Carmona has nailed what she was aiming at.

*This English title is absolutely terrible. Firstly, My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend both sounds so much better and tells you what the film is about. Secondly, the title is a riff on Eric Rohmer’s L’Ami De Mon Amie – the lead character’s fave film – which in the UK came out as My Girlfriend's Boyfriend, in line with the original title. (In the States, it’s true, that was released as Boyfriends And Girlfriends, but why double down on a lousy decision from 36 years ago?) (MUBI)

Saint Omer

Bleak French courtroom drama. A woman is on trial for killing her small child – that she did it is not in question, whether there were any mitigating circumstances is. A writer/academic goes to watch the trial as material. She’s pregnant. Like the accused, she comes from a West African family and seems to feel that they share something. It’s fairly austere in style and intellectually high flown – characters are described as Cartesian (ah, the French, or at least the French in movies). It’s clearly a good film, and there are pertinent points being made about racism and France etc, but it’s a tough watch and I never felt I was in its groove. 

(MUBI)

A Plein Temps (Full Time)

My sister and I were discussing a French film when she asked, ‘Has it got that actress who always gets naked?’ With French actors, that doesn’t narrow it down a lot. But I think she was talking about Laure Calamy from Dix Pour Cent/Call My Agent, who stars in this film but stays dressed. 

This is a very stressy picture – it’s got the fraught vibe of something like Uncut Gems although everything that happens stays within the law. Calamy plays Julie, the divorced mother of two who lives in a village some way out of Paris but works cleaning rooms in a posh hotel in the city. She’s got an educated, bourgeois background so maybe feels the work is beneath her – and her manager certainly assumes that’s the case. During the week or so the film is set, there are escalating strikes bringing Paris to a halt, so each commute is something of an odyssey and she’s late to work, late picking up her kids from the neighbour who reluctantly looks after them, etc. Those commutes get urgent electronic thriller music, and the idea is to make us feel as on edge as Julie. It’s well done, but not much fun… and I suspect it wants us to have more sympathy for Julie because she is a middle-class person in an uncomfortable situation. If true: boo!

[itsytinyspiders]

(Part 11)

If I’m not mistaken, the actor playing the King of Bohemia isn’t speaking during this scene. Instead, they seem to be playing a recording of Irene’s actor using their male voice. Since all the actors are have a mic, the difference would be nearly unnoticeable, especially for people watching in person.

Let’s also enjoy a bit of buffoonery from the 221B boys. John whacking Sherlock’s head for his impoliteness is gold – do as I say, not as I do.

Irene making her entrance like the Prima donna she is.

Pretty sure that’s the dress she wears on a volume cover (volume 6?) of the manga.

I’m a bit surprised that this is how they decided to show the picture Irene “stole”. For context, the “king” is telling Sherlock what kind of blackmail Irene has on him. The moment he said “the type of picture that would make the viewer think the people on it are getting married”, a bright light is shone onto Irene’s hand with the picture.

I was expecting to actually see the picture, since the production has been projecting all kinds of images onto the stage – even the reference book Sherlock consults when he told John what EgPGt stands for.

Oh, so they were doing this to emphasize how badly the “king” wants the picture back. Alright, I can roll with this.

Putting a dramatic spotlight on the “king” while he gives the initial payment and names the final price of this consultation?

All of these theatrics tell me one thing – Irene is having the time of her life, tricking these fools into playing her game!

Oh my-!

They actually did a switcheroo between the first actor playing the “king” and Irene’s actor, now in the “king” costume!

See, one thing I didn’t mention in the previous scene was that there were a lot of wall-moving in the background. You could see two of the small walls in the scene where the “king” tries to get the photo from Irene.

I originally thought the wall-moving only served to illustrate how frustrated and helpless the “king” felt in his situation, but it seems that it served a double purpose.

Well done!

Is this the Baskerville arc I spy?

For some reason, the Hound of Baskerville is the only Sherlock Holmes story/novel title I can remember. Though to be fair, I have not read a lot of the original canon.

As for Yuumori, I find this arc memorable because it shows us not only more of Fred, Louis and Moran’s character, but also the reason why Blitz Enders was chosen as the Noahtic victim. I find it fitting: the Noahtic was their first big plan together and we, as the readers, get to learn more about them as they essentially tie up loose ends.

And we switch right back to Irene!

Poor Fred barely got a few sentences out of his new client and we jump to the Woman.

Sidenote: Irene’s spotlight color is purple, which can mean a lot of things, but is mainly eyecatching because colored spotlights were previously used to represent blood/violence (red) or represent the OG Moriarty family (purple and yellow). That said, Irene’s purple is of a darker shade…

In light of how Irene’s character arc progresses later on, the use of mirrors – and Irene appearing from one mirror to the other – feels like not only a representation of her acting but also a foreshadowing of the role she will take on.

Sherlock and John are also gearing up to see her, so this will be fun!

And we’re back to the Baskerville arc!

It’s alright for them to switch between arcs, since we’re still at the ramp-up part of the introduction, but later on, they’ll have to choose which arc goes first. It’ll probably be the Baskerville arc, since that one only lasts one night. Maybe they’ll do the explosion at Irene’s house, then the Baskerville mission?

I do like this scene though. We don’t get to see much of the Morigang’s interactions that don’t include one of the Moriarthree – which is a shame because I want to learn more about these characters.

[theodora3022]

Selfish Deeds (Yandere! Gojou Satoru)

Summary: Satoru just wants you to be free of danger. If you are so knowledgeable why can’t you understand that he only wish the best for you?

A/N: This is just one snippet of many out of a collection(haven't decide the name just yet)...Since I have not read the manga(anime-only for now) so I just got a vague impression of what Gojou has been through, but that does not stop me from writing him like the cocky bastard he is. Hopefully it is not too OOC(as if yandere variant itself is not OOC enough pfttt) The reader is a stubborn psycho because that is what I am :) Will there be some future pieces that involves nsfw elements? I got a few ideas but no promises.

I blame @popi-the-fatui for my Gojou brainrots. You got your revenge on me by making me attracted to this dubious man. Word count: 1.6k

Banner credit

Warnings: Female pronouns, Possessive behaviour, DELUSIONAL behaviour, non-consensual touching, power inbalance, general yandere content, slight mention of confinement and violence(This is not a healthy relationship dynamic!!!), reader is not a soft UWU girl, kthis is so self indulgent *buries myself into the bottomless pit of shame

It has been nearly fifteen minutes since the headquarter disconnected the call, yet you are still staring at your phone screen with disbelief.

You were supposed to travel to another city for a mission tomorrow, they had notified you of this mission a week ago.

You already got your luggage packed, and your theoretical research on the objective is thoroughly done. Then they dare to inform you: they have found a more suitable candidate! Right on the day before your departure too.

Your curse techniques have already limited you to more of a supporting role for most situations. There are not plenty of missions available for you to begin with. While you are content with educating the fresh blood of the community in classrooms the majority of the time, you still long for field actions every once in a while. It is an essential part of being a Jujutsu sorcerer after all.

Both you and the soft-spoken secretary who made the call know this is nonsense. The higher-ups recognize that you are one of, if not the best sorcerers available when it comes to reconnaissance and espionage.

Letting out a sigh of immeasurable frustration, you swore to yourself that you will find out who is the conductor of this humiliating turn of events. This is going to be difficult since you do not recall having any issues with any of the administration staff recently.

There is no reversing this misfortune, but at least you can be aware of who is responsible for such violation of conduct.

He is only doing this to protect you.

Gojou Satoru tells himself as such, at least.

He is aware of how unfair it is, to make someone less capable to take on the job. But he cannot risk your safety. The man has already got used to your company, and he is not willing to just let you disappear from his field of view for more than a week. Sure, you might have not admitted how much you like him yet, but it is just too endearing to see you flustered at his flirtatious words.

Although there have been some difficulties with rescheduling, he managed to use his connections to exclude you from that first-grade mission at last minute. On the bright side, the sorcerer cannot wait to lend you an ear to vent about how conservative and unfair the higher-ups can be. Maybe you will even say yes to a trip to the newest local bakery! You need some sweet treats to cheer yourself up, don’t you?

But Satoru has never thought about how you specialize in putting two and two together. (understandable since he never saw you in action before).

------------------

Strange, you are not near the usual area in the library.

Sensing his footsteps, you opened your office door before Satoru had a chance to knock.

“We need to talk, Gojou-san.” That expression is new. This is the first time he sees you genuinely angry, which is to be expected.

But somehow he got a bad feeling about this.

You did not even invite him to sit down, instead just standing next to the floor window, arm crossed, with your back turned to him.

“Why would you do such a thing?” You have to use up all of your self-control to prevent yourself from having a full blow-up right at Gojou Satoru. Maintain composure. But it is easier said then done.

Does he think this is funny? To sabotage someone else's sorcerer career like this? You knew you should have kept him out of your daily life, as he is nothing but trouble to you. But you made the mistake of choosing to tolerate him, and some superficial part of you might even enjoy his dallying words a bit too much.

To the extent, you overlooked some red flags. This is a grievous error indeed.

Shit, now that he vaguely remembers what role you play on missions.“(y/n)-chan, what are you saying-” He knows you always act in supporting positions, however, he has overlooked your actual abilities and curse techniques. You collect intel and spy on enemies, how could he forget that? “Don’t play dumb with me. You got your ways, I got mine. There is no use denying what you have done. I thought you out of all people would understand what it means to be a sorcerer.”

This is a violation of protocol, changing mission assignments at the last minute. However, you know this man would not be receiving any solid punishment should you decide to report this. They would say there is “no harm done” and you would just receive a pitiful apology. Suppose you cannot blame them though.

They need Gojou Satoru, the Jujutsu community needs his prowess to keep innocent people safe. He will remain in the system no matter what.

Why are you questioning his motives? Does he have to spell it out for you? Letter by letter?

“You are not a skilled combatant, (y/n)-chan. What if you got yourself hurt?” Or even worse, killed. It scares him to think that you could be gone one day, how he would walk by this office corridor and never sees you sitting behind the desk ever again.

Not much in this world could send Gojou Satoru a chill down his spine, yet the thought of you dying is now on the list. He knows how petty this is, you wouldn’t be the one doing the actual exorcising after all. But the if, the slight possibilty.

He cannot allow that to happen, not ever. Even that means angering you and getting yelled at.

“What am I, some normal lawful citizen? I am a sorcerer just like you, Gojou-san. Putting ourselves on the line for innocents is part of the deal.” You let out a few short, sarcastic giggles, narrowing your eyes at him with fury. “It’s funny that you, out of all people, fail to understand that. If I am needed I will do what I must. If this is some sort of sick joke, stop it already, not funny. ”

Blunt, unrelenting stubbornness. Not like that’s news for him, Satoru has lots of experience with that since the day your path crossed. Although he finds this quality to be adorable most of the time, it can pose major problems like the present.

Oh, he is not angry at you. Satoru is more outraged at himself, don’t you worry. On the contrary, he is rather intrigued by your sarcastic remarks! However…

Instead of walking towards where you stood near the window, the man decides to take a turn towards the door.

That flashing panic within your eyes did not escape his sight.

The illusion figure you were projecting near the window dissipated instantly once he got your left wrist in his hand. Concealing yourself and projecting illusions, a rare techique indeed.

“Clever tactic. Making yourself invisible, projecting a faux illusion to distract me, leaving the door open and staying close to the exit. Your curse techniques are impressive. I almost got fooled, job well-done (y/n)-chan.”

The grip on your wrist suddenly tightens, you have to bite your lip to hold back a hiss of pain. How can he still flash that casual, playful smile when committing such atrocity? Those damned cerulean blue eyes too, you are ashamed of how you tremble and (internally) swoon at it at the same time.

Efforts to get away would most likely be futile, but you have to try. “See, you underestimated your opponent. I do see why you are good with lurking in the shadows now. Do you have any idea what I am capable of though?” Such delicate hands, it would be a shame if they were to bruise.

It’s unnerving how easy it looks for him to maintain a solid grip on your wrist while you pull back with all of your might. You know Gojou Satoru is strong and all, but this simple demonstration of strength is devastatingly effective. “Let go of me, you bastard!”

To your surprise, he softens his grip and you finally distanced yourself from him, panting and guarded. “Who are you to decide what I should and what I should not do? I made it crystal clear on the first day that I do not like you for the slightest.”

You know the walls are thin and coworkers might heard you, but you will have to worry about it later. It is, sadly, a matter of fact that you are somehow attracted to him, but that does not give him the right to use it against you. You must not give in to the temptation.

“You are pretty slow on the uptake for someone so smart. I was thinking of doing this naturally, we can go on normal dates to coffee shops, amusement parks, or even the museum if that is what you wish for. But now I see you do not know how much you mean to me.” Do you think Gojou-san is only flirting with you for the fun of it? It might have been the case in the beginning, but that is not the case since...recently.

He did not stop you again when you turned away, giving him one last menacing look and disappeared from his sight, even if he could see the faint trace of your curse energy. You will return to him and apologize after you calm down, he is confident about that. You value your job way too much to quit.

Then he could finally pull you into his arms, saying he does not mind and forgive your childish tantrums. Satoru does not plan to lock you up in a cage or anything(yet)! The students adore you and they need your guidance. Your clan is insignificant compared to his, your influence? Does he even need to consider that?

Gojou Satoru would always achieve his goals by whatever means possible. You are no exception to this.

[cuntycassandra]

Breaking down Hunter and Omega’s relationship: pt 4.

Hi everybody. My biggest apologies for the delay on this series over the past two weeks, I’ve had a lot of medical issues going on, alongside a big decision in my life I had to make before the end of September taking precedence. However, with a little more time on my hands and a new team of proof readers behind me, I’m hoping to be back on track soon enough! I hope you enjoy my analysis of ‘Cornered’, and please always feel free to reply/reblog/send an ask with your opinions and discussions! I love to hear and reply to them! 💛

(Pasted paragraphs: I would just like to add a disclaimer here. I am, in no way whatsoever, slating the other batchers for having differing relationships with Omega. I absolutely adore everything single one of the boys, and I think they all have wonderful and unique interrelations with her. Although I may point out these different approaches in comparison to Hunter’s, I am not stating these engages are wrong, just different is all!

I’m going to separate this into a little series- covering each episode in a separate post, which I’ll have tagged as the series progresses. Once I’ve tackled these two, as they’re my favourites, I’m going to move on to each individual Batcher and perhaps a few other dynamics such and Hunter and Crosshair, or Wrecker and Omega! Let me know what you guys would like to see!)

(Thank you to this weeks proof-reader: @very-depressing-waffel 💛)

Cornered: S1/E4

Although minimal, I absolutely love the small interaction between these two in the opening scene of this episode. While it would make sense for Hunter to take the chair, as he is navigating co-ordinates, instead he allows Omega to sit down and rest, the pure affection between them is particularly radiant in these moments. I’d also like to note that it is Hunter’s order to originally send them to Idaflor, where we can only assume he is heeding Cut’s previous advice given on the subject of ‘disappearing to start a new life’. By connotation, this essentially means Hunter was extremely ready to settle down with his brothers and both raise and protect his newly found little one. However this clearly becomes an evident concern of Hunter’s as Omega begins to whine, claiming she desperately wants to explore the galaxy instead of hiding away on an uninhabited planet. Although appreciating her enthusiasm, he insists they cannot risk it, not right now, showing he has all further plans to take her to see the universe whenever it may be safe to do so. Her safety has become his priority.

Also, another little mimic on Omega’s part is mentioned after Tech’s evaluates their situation- “Well, Pantora it is.” “Pantora it is :)”. This angel, she steals my heart.

Moving on slightly to the arrival of Pantora, Hunter’s civvies and Omega carrying his backpack for him, which is as big as her little torso might I add, makes the world spin. Notice too how her eyes never leave him for a moment, it’s a typical child trait when wanting to catch an adult’s attention for good behaviour. After Wrecker mentions the implications of sightseeing, which ultimately peaks Omega’s interest, Hunter is quick to diffuse the situation by insisting this is only a quick supply run. I strongly believe this is because although he intends to take Omega into the city with him, most likely recognising her desperation to explore, his main intention is to keep her safe and protected, I personally spy a compromise here. Finally, regarding this little interaction, when inviting Omega to join them, he calls her ‘Mega, ‘MEGA!!! Hunter is the first member of the batch to nickname her affectionately, and her little excited cheer in response says it all!

When strolling through the busy marketplace, I noticed that alongside drinking up all sights she can set her eyes on, Omega continues to perform the aforementioned ‘smile at parent because I am both well behaved and very excited’ technique, breaking away from her awestruck staring to give Hunter a cute grin, which he affectionately returns under the realisation that her purity and innocence has erupted through something as simple as a marketplace, another endearing trait his charge has displayed. I’d also like to shed light on the protective hand-on-shoulder movement Hunter uses after the squad of troopers pass by him, Omega, and Echo. His wary stare and protectiveness is an extreme diversion from his usual headstrong attitude, which we know is correlated to his need to protect his charge. (Hand-on-shoulder, AGAIN. Comforting Dad alert!!)

When offering to trade with the Gran merchant, I noticed that whenever Omega picked up a new item to inspect or show off to Echo, Hunter glances over his shoulder to observe her. I have reason to believe he might not only be watching her explore, but keeping an eye on her after the incident on Cut’s farm. I can practically see Suu’s words of advice ringing in his ears, and he wants to make sure she stays out of trouble. And after she does inevitably knock something over, although he scowls a little in her direction (as any parent would), Hunter swiftly turns his look of annoyance towards the Gran as he begins to scold Omega, once again showing his protectiveness in her regard, and in all honesty, he has every right to respond this way, we’ve already established this salesman is stubborn and conceited.

The entire plot of this episode is centred around Omega’s inevitable separation from Hunter and Echo as she ends up running off to chase a voorpak, who has stolen her new doll. We cannot fault Omega for her behaviour, it was a little juvenile at most, but we must take into account this would be her first time in such a situation, and she has never been taught otherwise. Hunter’s immediate faltering smile as he realises Omega is missing is honestly gut wrenching. He has just received 3,000 credits, a hefty sum for what they’re in need of, and now he’s lost his ward, and the pain and concern is fully mirrored through his halting eyes.

I’m moving ahead slightly to add a little character-action comparison! Now, this may just be me nitpicking, and I mean no hate to Fennec Shand (I actually ADORE her), but did anybody else notice the difference between her hold on Omega and how Hunter holds her? Fennec’s fingers lay beneath the nape of Omega’s neck, almost curling into her tunic’s collar, and so while it may seem protective, it actually holds very possessive and controlling connotations. Whereas when Hunter places a hand to Omega’s shoulder, his fingers are quite loose, and it only ever rests up her upper shoulder, allowing the girl freedom if she so much as wishes it. It’s extremely docile. Furthermore, I wanted to briefly comment on Hunter’s tenderness when retrieving Omega’s new doll, most likely using it to track her recent movement. His hold is very gentle, considering he is now clinging to the last piece of Omega he has contact with, and a noticeable shred of panic holds his upper body rigid for good measure. It’s very nicely animated.

Coming ahead swiftly to the brief ‘positive’ interaction between Omega and Fennec, I haven’t seen this mentioned before but I personally see the discussion concerning the need for protection when travelling the galaxy as a small nod to Omega’s newly found connection to the boys, and Hunter specifically. Omega insists it’s a good thing she has her ‘friends’. Noticeably, she is still very hesitant to label them as her brothers, as she most likely feels excluded to an extent (bearing in mind the boys were raised together with the exclusion of Echo, no matter her previous ties to them, Omega was always going to feel isolated to some extent), but not enough to deny she has an attachment to them, and vice versa. Hunter has already shown on multiple occasions (Kamino, Saleucami, the moon from episode 3) that he would do whatever it takes to protect her, but it’s nice to see Omega’s perspective on the newly found emotions too.

Finally, Hunter is able to catch up to both Omega and Fennec, and the sudden change in his demeanour and her aura of innocence is extremely present here. Hunter drops the worrisome parental act fairly quickly, and it’s replaced with the familiar soldier we all know and recognise, he needs to exhibit such strengths to assert the extent he is willing to go to protect Omega. Equally, upon realising Fennec doesn’t quite have her best interest at heart, Omega wastes no time jumping (recklessly) into action to save both herself and Hunter anymore trouble. Of course, being a weightless little girl, she isn’t able to do much, and Hunter ends up in a physical altercation with Shand, where he actually ends up taking his eyes off the assassin to address Omega directly, insisting she run. This not only shows just how much he cares about her, but how desperate he was to ensure her safety by putting himself at risk by not only getting into a fight, but exposing a vulnerability by taking his eyes off of her. (Her worried little face as she flees too, poor girl 😔)

(This point doesn’t have much to do with the relationship between these two, so feel free to skip over it if you want, but I did want to briefly comment on Omega’s timid exterior as she runs to Wrecker in the maintenance tunnels. It truly helps to perceive her genuine age and immaturity, the way she cowers into his neck and sits in his arms especially.)

After Tech informs Hunter of Omega’s current predicament involving the maintenance tower, it’s easily noticeable that when questioning Tech’s information, his voice mirrors the exact tone and edge it held when berating both the former and Echo after their ship was impounded in Saleucami. To me, this shows a clear connotation between the dire situations, and how quickly Hunter has taken to his new role in Omega’s life, and his job as her primary carer. Not to mention, she is literally hanging mid-traffic lane, and in desperate need of assistance. Alongside this, we see previously in this episode that not only was Hunter worried about attracting unwanted attention, after receiving such a thing and accidentally allowing Omega to hang in the balance (pun unintended), he actually steals somebody’s hoverbike in an attempt to rescue the little one, seeming to not care he is attracting even more unwanted attention. There is no hesitation on his end.

The look of absolutely HORROR that crosses this man’s face as Omega drops from the tower and just about hits the hovertruck below. We haven’t seen a look like that cross Hunter’s features since Crosshair’s ‘betrayal’, another indication to his immense worry for the newest member of his family. Equally, this is mirrored by Omega’s wide eyed, petrified stare as she momentarily watches Fennec shoot straight for Hunter’s bike, realising both she and the closest thing she has to a parent are still in serious peril. We need to take into account that this little girl has never experienced something this grim before, and the internal panic is evident for both herself, and Hunter especially.

This brings us down to the “HUNTER!!” comment from Omega as she dangles from the hovertruck. I personally believe her first initial thoughts were not to warn Hunter of the oncoming Shand, but instead a desperation to cry out for help from her guardian. This escalated as she notices Fennec approaching, and her eyes even widen as she calls out for Hunter to watch out, giving further evidence that her first thoughts might not have correlated to her eventual dialogue. It’s also important to note that despite her incredibly tragic situation, Omega is still much more worried about Hunter’s predicament than her own.

(Slightly unimportant, but I love the way Hunter leans in to take Omega in his arm before Shand knocks him out of the way. It’s very parental.)

I never noticed this before, but as Hunter catches Omega’s hand and hauls her onto the bike, he actually scans her over briefly to check for any injuries, before insisting she hold on tight. Notice how his voice isn’t scolding or harsh, he’s very calm despite the dire situation, doing his best to remain neutral for Omega’s sake, especially considering the day she’s had. It’s also important to note that this is further improvement from the situation on Saleucami, another example of their ever-growing relationship.

The WAVE of relief that rolls from Hunter’s entire demeanour as he places the backpack down in the Marauder cockpit, knowing he can finally rest now that Omega is safe, while simultaneously anticipating the flurry of issues about to storm their already hectic lives with a bounty hunter after the kid. His eyes are exhausted, his shoulders are only slightly slacked to insinuate his rough exterior, and yet he still does his absolute best to comfort Omega as she begins to get upset over the prior events and the unknown future.

And, finally, a small action but important nonetheless. I noticed that Omega’s eyes quiver slightly as she begins to get upset, and in her final moments on screen, they direct towards Hunter. This may seem unimportant, but it provides further evidence to the notion that she seeks him out for protection specifically. She’s upset and frightened, so she looks to him because he protects her. It is set up as if she’s about to toss herself into his arms, because she needs him right now.

I hope you liked my analysis of Hunter and Omega’s relationship in episode four of The Bad Batch! Of course, I’d love to discuss these two with anybody who might be interested, so please feel free to drop me an ask or a DM, and if you’re captivated enough I’d totally recommend looking out for my future posts on the topic!

As always, much love to our ‘Megs and Hunter, thank you for reading! 💛

Part One: Aftermath

Part Two: Cut and Run

Part Three: Replacements

[ghcstvalleychief]

i think porsche kinda-spying vegas in ep 7 and then asking for his help (in exchange of... pete lmao) in episode 13 makes sense character wise, problem is everything that happened in episodes 9 and 10 where it was obvious they needed porsche to basically act out of character so he could leave with vegas - pete could go to his house - the vp storyline could begin. nothing that happened on those episodes had anything to do with porsche or kinn and i think thats why so many people were surprised at how quickly it got resolved, the point of that plot wasn't for kp's relationship (although their scenes are obv top tier because mileapo will do the most with scraps) even if they were at the middle of it because theyre the mains lol. man i wish they had just dropped the whole vp thing completely and focused on porsche's parents, kp's relationship and vegas being evil without any redemption bullshit.

It would make sense character wise if Porsche's characterization was more consistent. Who Porsche was in episode 13 didn't exist prior to that episode and didn't exist in episode 14 either. Episode 13 Porsche only existed for that one episode and that was it. That same Porsche did not show up for episode 14. It's more about the whiplash of going back and forth between who the writers and the narrative need Porsche to be, and that's why it doesn't make sense to me. It's the idea that they need Porsche to act out of character to move the plot forward that's confusing and irritating me. That's essentially what Porsche's role in this season has been - acting in any way the plot needs him to act, even if it doesn't make sense to who he is as character.

And I know people like to say that Porsche couldn't have gone to Kinn with what he suspected about Korn's involvement with his parents' death because of Korn's control over him. However, that doesn't really add up because Gun had plenty of control over Vegas too. If Gun had caught wind of Porsche's little investigation, do you really think he wouldn't have ordered for Porsche to be killed to keep their secret? At the end of the day, that wasn't just a main family/minor family issue. Both Gun and Korn played a part in what happened that day, so both of them had blood on their hands. Gun had just as much control over Vegas as Korn had over Kinn. The major difference there is that Korn's control over Kinn was starting to weaken. Gun's control over Vegas never weakened. I know that's the fandom's way of trying to rationalize something that doesn't make sense, so I understand.

[canary3d-obsessed]

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed Episode 05 (first part)

(Masterpost) (previous episode) (this episode, second part)

Warning: Spoilers for all 50 episodes of the Untamed

The Pride of Yunmeng 

Waterfall Date

Lan Wangji gets to experience the two extremes of Wei Wuxian’s interpersonal skills within the span of a few seconds. This is even better than his rooftop date with this horrible annoying terribly, terribly attractive boy.

Lan Wangji has come here on a mission to make Wei Wuxian do his homework, which is why he immediately tells him “let’s go to the library” gazes at him silently for several seconds...

...and then lets him adjust his sleeve for him and step allll the way into his personal space. 

Unfortunately Wei Wuxian is about to guess a Lan Clan secret, so Lan Wangji ends the conversation by saying “let’s go to the library” grabbing him by his sexy arm muscle and dragging him off. Did he hold his arm all the way to the library? Even if he didn’t, his “I don’t touch other people” later at the lake is clearly horseshit. I don’t touch other people unless they are named Wei Wuxian and our brothers aren’t watching. 

(more after the cut!)

Apology in the Library

Wei Wuxian splits his library time between actually doing his homework and trying to make friends with Lan Wangji. And he tries really, really hard, starting by sincerely complimenting LWJ’s calligraphy and offering a pretty okay apology for his prior rooftop antics. Lan Wangji tells him to put his leg down but doesn’t tell him to go sit at his own desk. 

Lan Wangji exhibits steely self-control as he resists this look, which would cause anyone else’s robes to spontaneously un-weave themselves into a pile of threads.

When Lan Wangji won’t look at him because he feels his apology was not sincere, Wei Wuxian becomes much more formally apologetic. First he says “sorry” two more times, and he starts prepping Lan Wangji’s ink.  This involves grinding an ink stick against an ink stone with water, to make a pool of ink for the calligrapher to dip their brush into.

This is not Wei Wuxian being annoying and messing with stuff on Lan Wangji’s desk, a la Zhou Yunlan (Guardian). This is an act of service; a genuinely helpful thing to do if you know how to do it properly --which all of these young scholars definitely do--and an action that casts Wei Wuxian in the role of a servant or junior. 

Then Wei Wuxian offers to kneel down (to offer a major formal apology), while giggling like an adorable dumbass. It's unclear if this is sexual innuendo, just being ridiculously unconcerned about dignity, being slightly into abasing himself for this beautiful person, or all of the above. 

After taking a long moment to consider all this, Lan Wangji slowly and deliberately gives Wei Wuxian three seconds of the eye contact he’s been begging for.

Then Lan Wangji spoils the moment by dropping a silence spell on him. 

Wen Can I Have Some Fun?

The Wen siblings hang out and talk about their secret villainy and then fret about how much it sucks to have a chronic health condition, which is pretty relatable TBH.

I know life seems boring now but just wait until you’re an itinerant zombie with nails in your head.

Wen Qing is a devoted older sister just like Jiang Yanli, although with less fainting and more scheming. 

Good kitty.

Porno in the Library

Now, since this next scene ends with Wei Wuxian being a boundary-crossing jerk, let's start by remembering that Lan Wangji has magically gagged Wei Wuxian against his will three times now, as well as hiding his vulnerable family member behind a ward while lying in wait in order to attack him. So, you know. Teenagers in lust. They are both learning what is and isn't okay.  

Lan Wangji steals a long glance at Wei Wuxian while Wei Wuxian is drawing. 

Wei Wuxian is putting the finishing touches on a gift for Lan Wangji. The gift is a portrait of Lan Wangji with flowers in his hair. This boy is SMITTEN. I think he knows it, too; he just doesn’t think it’s a big deal yet. 

Wei Wuxian, who is good at everything, is really fucking good at drawing. 

When Wei Wuxian presents the drawing to Lan Wangji he says “this is my gift for you.”  This is very good-mannered of Wei Wuxian; Lan Wangji had to supervise him for three days, so he is presenting him with a gift to thank him and say farewell.

Lan Wangji completely ignores him, which is really breathtaking, next-level rudeness.

Wei Wuxian isn’t bothered by this, however, and just embellishes the picture with an extra flower or something before offering it again. This time Lan Wangji takes in and is very very very pleased with it, as evidenced by his slightly widening his eyes and how carefully he places the drawing on the far side of his desk.  

Also he gives Wei Wuxian some prolonged eye contact, and engages in what, for him, is playful banter, calling the gift “extremely boring” when Wei Wuxian prompts him to use more words than usual. 

Then Wei Wuxian spoils the moment by pranking him.

Now - let’s look at this erotic-book situation. This is a boundary-crossing prank, yes, but it’s also an invitation to engage in some form of intimacy. For teens who have access to erotic images, looking at them together can be simple naughty fun. Or it can be a way of discovering and bonding over shared sexual identities and interest. Or it can prompt more direct engagement, up to and including having sex with each other.

Lan Wangji’s horrified reaction means that Wei Wuxian has to characterize this as a prank after the fact, but he might very well have intended it as an invitation to get horny together. 

Either way, his response to Lan Wangji’s “shameless” comment is bound to make an impression.

Wei Wuxian is from the clan of "be free" and he just doesn't see why this is a big deal. And now he’s told Lan Wangji it doesn’t have to be a big deal. And through him, the producers are breaking the fourth wall and telling every viewer that this doesn’t have to be a big deal and that they shouldn’t feel ashamed. 

Threats and rudeness and book destruction ensue, and Lan Wangji is left alone in all kinds of emotional disarray, with a bunch of torn up erotica to tape back together throw away.

Boys on the Rocks

Wei Wuxian brags about his prank to Jiang Cheng and bestie Nie Huaisang, telling them that he got Lan Wangji to cuss at him. He’s going to put a notch on his sword handle for this achievement.  

Jiang Cheng is pissed at Wei Wuxian about this, like he’s pissed at him about everything all the time. Possibly he has already started the seedlings of his lifelong jealousy of Lan Wangji.  

Jiang Cheng doesn’t realize that he’s essentially prepared Wei Wuxian to court Lan Wangji by constantly criticizing, hitting, and threatening him. After a decade of Jiang Cheng’s rough style of brotherhood, Lan Wangji’s elegant and refined hostility rolls off of Wei Wuxian like water off a duck’s back. 

Nie Huaisang wants to make sure Wei Wuxian didn't rat him out, but isn't worried about the destroyed book because he has a whole external drive full of porn. 

Several Brain Cells Trio

These guys do make some questionable choices together, but actually they are all really bright and effective in complimentary ways.

Jiang Cheng is growing into a strong future leader - authoritarian and dickish, yes, but also decisive and unflinching. Wei Wuxian is observant of things around him, always ready for combat, and thinks deeply and strategically about events.  Nie Huaisang is a bottomless font of knowledge, sourced from books and from his own observations. 

So when the Wen spy bird shows up, they spot it, drive it away, identify what it is, and understand that it’s a threat and that its presence has political implications.  

They are all goofballs at times, but highly gifted ones.

Doo Doo Doo Lookin Out My Back Ward

Lan Xichen asks Lan Wangji if he’s found out who was sneaking around his the back ward and Lan Wangji hesitates before reluctantly saying “Wei Ying.” 

Ok seriously - nobody calls him Wei Ying. Nobody refers to him in the third person as as Wei Ying. Calling him Wei Gongzi or Wei Wuxian would be totally normal. His own brother calls him Wei Wuxian. And Lan Wangji has only called him Wei Ying to his face when he was angry. 

But now--immediately after the erotica debacle in the library--he is Wei Ying when Lan Wangji is speaking of him privately with his brother. 

By the way, Lan Wangji's shoulders seem super wide in these robes, don't they? I'm not complaining.

Forgettable Disciple #1

Now we meet apparent nobody Su She, who sucks. He wants to take care of the water ghosts himself. 

He is a no-headband disciple which is like - none of the juniors in the later timeframe go without a headband. The guys who got set on fire at the gate had headbands. One of the Lan Rules is “wear a headband.” Is there anyone else who doesn't rate a headband? This is a plot point later when it comes to the ice cave but for now it just seems that he's that one perpetual intern who never gets promoted and never learned embroidery.

Doctor Qing, Medicine Woman

[OP laughed way too hard at her own joke just now.] Wen Qing is helping Jiang Yanli, and Jiang Cheng is super happy to see her. When did he develop this crush? Because it's already in full swing. 

Did Wei Wuxian just sneer when he noticed Jiang Cheng’s crush? Like macking on Lan Wangji is more appropriate than this? 

I love you and I’m going to advocate killing everyone who matters to you

I’m a nosy jerk and I’m going to be your best friend for life, quite literally

Wei Wuxian complains about Wen Qing ignoring him and she gives him the prettiest, loveliest *sigh* death glare ever.

However when she sees that he's a little brother whose sister utterly dotes on him, she starts thinking maybe he's all right. 

For the Yanli-Qing shippers, there is a tiny breadcrumb here, where Yanli says they met by the river bank.  I don't personally ship my personal girlfriend Wen Qing with Jiang Yanli, but I support your ships wherever they may sail.

Continued in Part 2, right here

[agentnico]

No Time To Die (2021) Review

I swear this movie came out 2 years ago?... Okay, yes, I agree, that was a cheap gag, but look, the constant postponement of this film's release is in itself a joke! Finally though, it is here.

Plot: James Bond is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica after leaving active service. However, his peace is short-lived as his old CIA friend, Felix Leiter, shows up and asks for help.

“I’d rather slash my wrists.” Those were the words spoken by actor Daniel Craig in 2015 for a Time Out magazine interview prior to the release of Spectre. Seemingly it felt as if Craig was done with his signature role as famed British spy James Bond, however be as it may have been, MGM managed to sway away Craig’s suicidal thoughts and cut him a cheque with a sum he simply couldn’t refuse and have him return for a proper final outing. Hollywood business at it’s finest, ladies and gentlemen! But the question is posed, was there a need for another Craig/Bond film? For the previous instalment Spectre was such a let-down that it left a sour taste, or at least I think it did. Honestly, I don’t really remember much of what happened in Spectre, it was such a shoulder-shrugging forgettable feature. The answer however is a positive one, for No Time To Die ends up being worth the wait. All this wait. Though I would’ve found it super amusing if this film came out and turned out to be an absolute stinker, as then everyone would just be sat there in the theatre wondering why the hell we’ve been waiting for this movie this entire time. But nope, it’s a good one.

No Time To Die really feels like a culmination of Daniel Craig’s time as James Bond. And with that merit this movie doesn’t actually feel like a James Bond film. Yes, it has the one-liners and the action set pieces and the typical tropes of a Bond film, however the focus here is very much more on Daniel Craig’s interpretation of the character, and how he managed to turn a weapon into a human. For James Bond at the end of the day was always a killing machine. License to kill and all that jazz was always at the centre of what made the character, however Craig’s take brought a lot of humanity and reality to what was a stereotype. And it’s shown more than ever in No Time To Die, with Daniel Craig delivering a performance of vast emotional gamut. His Bond experiences moments of general happiness and actual love (real love, not just his typical one-night stands he’s known for) to then fury and sadness. My fiancée jokingly made a remark at the beginning of this movie about how petty James Bond is acting in this movie. And I agreeably chuckled at first, for to be fair he was getting offended easily and taking everything so personally without giving it much thought, however the more the movie progressed, the more I understood why he was this way. It made him feel more human, and actually made me care for him. Additionally, the aforementioned element of love plays a big part in this film, for romance is truly at the heart of this one. Bond turns out to be a real loving sweetheart, and this all culminated in one hell of a finale, one that really surprised me with it’s emotional gut punch. Look, I see this film’s ending really dividing audiences as it’s not something you would typically expect from a James Bond movie, however I absolutely relished it and saw it as a perfect swan song for Daniel Craig.

The movie is long. In fact, it’s very long. In fact, it’s too long. It runs at nearly 3 hours and yes, there is a lot of story crammed into this but honestly there are many chunks that could have been cut down and the film would have benefitted from it. For the movie is very good, but it has chunks that drag which does cause the experience to be slightly diminished, however that being said, this is a very well directed movie. Cary Joji Fukunaga (who’s previous work I don’t know much of though I have seen his Netflix limited series Maniac with Jonah Hill and Emma Stone which I do recommend highly) exhibits some strong directing here, balancing moments of real tension using unsettling imagery with moments of levity and good character chemistry. Yes, he brings class and the right amount of epicness to the action sequences, but it was actually the quieter moments that I feel he really excelled at. The opening sequence is especially disturbing, with the way Fukunaga displays this lonely isolated house in the middle of snowy nowhere, and we see a mysterious figure creep towards it wearing a mask so creepy it reminded me of that freaky monkey mask from the horror thriller I See You. A shot from behind a sliding glass door I found especially unnerving. 

Performances across the board are all great. Daniel Craig I’ve already sing praise for, however others are to be mentioned also. Rami Malek manages to take a fairly lacklustre villain and present him in proper vile fashion. He’s truly unpleasant and horrible in this role, and I truly despised him which is what made him perfect for the role. That being said the actual character was weak. There wasn’t much meat to him so to speak. Typical Bond bad guy who wanted to see the world burn. Lea Seydoux returns as Bond’s love interest Madeleine and her chemistry with Craig is wonderful and I really enjoyed seeing her character develop more since the last movie. Returning from Spectre too is the villainous Blofeld played by Christoph Waltz, and though he isn’t in the movie much, I weirdly enjoyed him more this time around. In Spectre is was really forgettable and the script didn’t know what to do with him, whilst here is serves a specific purpose and we also get to enjoy a great scene with him in prison having a battle of wits with Bond. Real good stuff. We also have a couple of new Bond girls, with Lashana Lynch taking on the 007 mantle, and it was nice seeing a very different kind of spy in her. Her and Bond bicker quite a bit, however natural they become buddies and they are the better for it. And Lynch can be easily added to the list of powerful badass women on-screen. Ana de Armas also appears in what is a little Knives Out reunion, and unfortunately she’s only in the movie for one sequence, but it’s actually a great sequence with her putting a new spin on the Bond girl stereotype, bringing charm, swagger and humour and riffing off good banter with Craig. Shame we only see so little of her. The likes of Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw and Ralph Fiennes also return, and even Jeffrey Wright takes a break from pondering What If? scenarios to make a little comeback. 

No Time To Die definitely stands next to the better Daniel Craig Bond films alongside Casino Royale and Skyfall, and it’s a true culmination of all of them, whilst still managing to ignore and forget the existence of Quantum of Solace, which is good, because Quantum of Solace sucks and I can’t believe I even managed to bring it up again!! Regardless, what a way to send off Daniel Craig on a proper high, and really refreshing to actually witness a Bond movie that features feelings and emotions. In fact, it’s pure Valentine’s Day essential viewing, so mark your calendars for next year, as you now know what film you have to rewatch on February 14th 2021! 

Overall score: 8/10

[jinxedpanda4life]

Criminal Investigator AU HC

I would first like to start off by saying thank you to everyone. 

I honestly did not expect the response I got to my Damirae Hospital AU HC list. 

When I first woke up and checked tumblr ~13 hours after posting I had a holy shit moment. 

I felt powerful, should I? Probably not. 

But! Since I am noticing a lack of AUs in the fandom, whether on Tumblr, AO3 or FanFiction.net, whatever AU comes to my mind I shall jot down some hcs for! 

Thank you all once again!

(Also trying format changes for easy reading)

(Also Also, I am thinking the story is less fluid but more episodic)

Let’s get started:

- So I’m thinking this is some FBI, SVU, and FBI BAU mixture or whatever. Basically all the great shows we know in love shoved together. From Bones to Criminal Minds and everything in between.

- Special Agent (Dr.) Raven Roth is a lead interrogator and is the resident psych consult. 

She’s been educated in interrogation, behavioral science, psychology, forensic pathology, and criminology. 

She has combat training (hand to hand), she carries (for her job) a gun and at all times has a knife/dagger on her person (people have stopped trying to figure out where she keeps them). 

Her father was/is crime boss T. Trigon who is currently imprisoned. 

Was born in the states but fled with her mother to Romania when she was a newborn.

When Trigon found them he killed Arella and took Raven, she was abut 9 - 10 years old.

She took her mother’s last name when she turned 18. 

Knows two languages besides English; French, Romanian, Romani (various dialects but knows multiple), Greek and Latin

On more than one occasion some goon of her father’s tries to recruit her, every time she kicks their ass. (Damian was there for the most recent (he was still green though))

Lives by herself in a decent sized apartment, has a gun safe (gun safety is important!), a cat (Nevermore), and is a regular at a 24/7 bookstore &/ cafe

Can usually be found wearing some kind of jacket, sweater, cardigan

She once helped save some kids (Melvin, Tommy & Teether) and is now their surrogate aunt, she has photos of them at her desk @ work. (Damian assumes/ed that they were her kids)

She also, when she can, hangs out and babysits them on occasion.

Raven is part of a team consisting of Dick Grayson (unit leader), Kori Anders, Garfield Logan, Jaime Reyes, and very recently Damian Wayne 

- Special Agent Damian Wayne is a lead investigator (he is still a bit fresh to the unit), translator, sniper and combat coordinator

He’s been educated in martial arts, explosives, hand to hand combat, close range combat, and combat (basically he knows how to kill you 9 ways to Sunday), also, behavioral science, computer science, criminology, linguistics and language. 

He can easily translate (into English): Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Hindi, Bengali, French, Polish, German, Spanish, Portuguese, he can also learn any language you put in front of him and know the basics within a day

(Having lived in many places around the world he needed to be able to speak and understand in order to survive) (wow dramatic much?)

His father is currently the director (or deputy director, whatever floats ya boat) of the FBI.

His mother was essentially a secret agent who worked for various agencies around the globe. (deceased)

His grandfather was the leader of a, um, well to be honest, terrorist agency. (deceased)

Was sent to live with his father when he was 15 (when his mother died) and has been in the states ever since

Lives alone, he has an upscale apartment that he truthfully spends little time in, has multiple locations in the home where various weapons are stored, his place has a very cold atmosphere

Is either in proper work attire or in work out clothing, there is no in between

Tries and fails not to take work home with him

He sees a therapist (who says he should probably try investing in relationships with the people at his job)

His only “friend” (he hates calling him that, more like close acquaintance) is Jonathan Kent who was in his class at the FBI Academy, Jon works in a white collar crime department in Metropolis

The only person he actually kind of sort of doesn’t dislike is in fact Raven Roth, she’s a no bull shit person, he likes that

He may know Grayson because of how he’s Bruce’s kind of son but it does not mean he likes him

He finds Logan annoying as all hell, even if he is somewhat useful

He picked a fight with Reyes first day and regretted it (he will never admit that), he respects him

Anders is overly friendly in his opinion, kind of acts like a secretary with all that positivity and grates his nerves, he tolerates her

(Unlike last time I am not going in detail about the rest of the team, this will be brief)

- Supervisory Special Agent Dick Grayson (Unit Chief) is basically Dick Grayson with a big fancy title but all the same skills

He is also obsessed with Slade Wilson and Red X (who is Jason in this)

- Supervisory Special Agent Kori Anders is a lead investigator and is also a go to for undercover work

- Special Agent Garfield Logan is a lead interrogator, is head of the unit’s K-9 unit and kind of has a thing for Roth (which she does not reciprocate) 

- Special Agent Jaime Reyes is a tactical analyst, tech analyst and is head of the unit’s SWAT team, he does not do well with talking with people, or change

The Scarab is a computing program that Jaime created himself

STORY START:

- When Damian first joins the team there is another member, Special Agent Terra Markov, she is revealed as a sleeper agent but she aligns herself with the team and sadly is shot and killed in a fire fight

- A couple weeks after Agent Markov’s death everyone is talking about what they are doing for an upcoming holiday, Damian says probably nothing, Raven invites him to spend it with her and her “niece” and “nephews,” he declines

- About a day after the holiday Damian is home looking through case files when someone knocks on his door

-- It is Raven. He asks how she knew where he lived, she says she asked Dick, she also says that she knows how it feels to be alone and that he may be insufferable but it doesn’t mean he can’t have a friend

-- His response is saying he isn’t the kind to make friends with co workers

-- “I’m not asking to be your friend Damian, I am asking you to be his,” She reveals a small black great dane puppy “I know that other people aren’t really your thing, but having someone in your corner and waiting for you is always nice, even if it isn’t human.”

-- Damian invites her in, names the dog Titus and thanks her

-- “Just make sure no one tries to kidnap and kill you, we don’t need you to go full blown John Wick.” Damian has no idea who that is. Raven tells him it is an action movie series that he should watch. She leaves. He does watch them that night with Titus on his lap. (after having gone to the local pet supply store to get everything he needs) The action is inaccurate but he enjoyed the movies none the less, and decides that he probably would go into John Wick mode if someone hurt Titus.

- SA Roth and SA Wayne are sent to a high security federal prison to interrogate a prisoner, who refuses to speak

-- When they get into the interview room the prisoner does start to speak, but not in English and not in a language Damian is fluent in

-- Raven on the other hand immediately responds to the prisoner (shocking the prisoner and Damian) “He is speaking Romani though not the dialect of those overseas, he learned it here.” 

-- Damian is fascinated by it and they are essentially switching roles the entire time

-- They leave having successfully interviewing the prisoner, and Raven leaves behind a written list of common words in Romani so that they can possibly communicate with the prisoner better

-- As soon as they are on the plane back Damian asks her a myriad of questions from “How many languages do you know?” to “When did you learn that?” and even “Are you a spy? Sleeper agent? Part of a terrorist cell?”

-- “Not as many as you, when I was a child, if I was part of any of that you wouldn’t be asking.” The rest of the trip is spent with her teaching him Romani and even some Romanian

- Dick & Kori eventually get together and after a while they break up. Kori takes some vacation time. At the same Dick has been temporarily reassigned to another unit.

-- Chaos ensues

-- Garfield thinks he should be the interim unit chief, Jaime thinks the same, as does, you guessed it, Damian (Raven doesn’t want to she is comfortable with her role on the team)

-- In the end they are assigned an interim unit chief, SSA Jason Todd, who usually works overseas on covert op missions (not gonna lie this could easily flow into a Jayrae thing)

-- Everyone kind of falls into line, except Damian, Damian doesn’t like him for two reasons

1) He doesn’t act serious about the job 24/7

2) He has been flirting and hitting on Raven the moment he stepped into their sector 

-- Damian hates the names he gives her; “Little Bird,” “Sunshine,” “Princess,” “Rae,” (no one calls her Rae, not even Garfield, at least not after the incident) etc.

-- (Little does Damian know, Jason and Raven have worked together before and are actually friends)

-- This all comes to a head when Damian and Jason are the only ones still in the office after a tiring case.

          “You shouldn’t do that you know.”

           “Do what? All I am doing right now is contemplating where Grayson                    keeps the liquor.”

           “Call Raven all those names, she doesn’t like it.”

           “Really? Because if you haven’t noticed she hasn’t exactly asked me to                stop.”

           “She gets uncomfortable, maybe not to the extent of asking you to stop,              but she tenses up and her body language becomes slightly more                        agitated.”

          “You seem to pay a lot of attention in how she reacts to thinks baby brat.             Seems to me that you like her.”

           “Of course I like her, she is a good friend and reliable teammate.”

           “No, you like like her.”

           “That presumption is juvenile.”

           “But you don’t deny it.”

           “Tch.”

-- If anything after that conversation Jason seems to doubled his advances. Which confuses both Damian and Raven. Damian because it is inappropriate and HR will be hearing about this. Raven because she was under the assumption that she and Jason were just friends. (Jason actually does have genuine intentions but is like 60% just egging Damian on)

-- Eventually (far too long for Damian’s tastes), both Dick and Kori return. At first it is sooooooo awkward. Like mom and dad divorced have shared custody but don’t hate each other but also cannot look each other in the eye. ((Was that a mouthful? Good)) No one can really look at each other the same? Though they do have a meeting to sort it out, get everything out in the open.

- Raven’s annual kidnapping/attempt to convert her/torture comes almost exactly one year after Damian joined the team (this is his 2nd time dealing with this)

-- This time Damian is prepared. By prepared I mean Raven doesn’t even leave her apartment before she is taken to safety. 

    “Damian what is going on?”

    “Christmas came early this year that’s what.”

    “Christmas? What in gods name are you talking about.”

    “God has no dealings in this matter.”

    “You do realize you are sounding like a bad action movie? It is not even 6 am and I am in your car going somewhere, I have had little to no sleep and I am barely dressed. What is going on?” Damian hadn’t payed attention to what clothing Raven was wearing. His mind was on one goal. Find Raven, keep Raven safe. His eyes glanced off the road enough to realize she was indeed not properly dressed. Her body was merely adorned with an oversized tee-shirt, tiny barely there shorts and a pair of fluffy socks.

    “I apologize, it appears in my haste I did not leave you time to properly clothe yourself. As to why you are here, it seems your father and his people have shortened their waiting time this year from one year to a little more than ten months.” Ravens hands fisted her shirt. “This time I was prepared,” last time he was still new to everything, last time he made mistakes, this time there will be no mistakes. “Since our last encounter with your demon, so to speak, I have been setting in place precautions and safety measures to ensure Nevermore and yours’ safety. I have also been tracking the movements of his big players. If any came close I would mark it down. Multiple are entering the city at this moment. Seeing as you we taken last time I have made plans to ensure that will not happen again.” The car made a snap turn down an unfamiliar street pulling Raven from her clouded gaze.

    “So I am going to be okay this time?” Her voice was faint and restraining against hope.

    “You’re going to be okay.” His hand lightly held hers. Only to stop the shaking, they told themselves, only to make everything better. “Nevermore is with Titus at my place being watched by a friend of mine. I have already walked Grayson through everything we will not be expected at work this week, but we can work remotely.”

     “We?”

     “I’m not going to leave you. Ever.”

-- ((Sorry for the blocks of text))

-- As Raven finds out they are at one of Damian’s safe houses. The one least likely to be tied to her. It is fully stocked with food, has security cameras and if needed weapons. The only problem is that the only clothes there are Damians.

    “Thought of everything huh?”

     “I was following their pattern, I expected to have more time to acquire clothing for you.” (he was looking away and blushing, you cannot tell me he wasn’t)

-- Raven just resigns herself to wearing Damian’s clothes, yes his brain does stop working for a hot second when he sees her in only his clothes.

-- All attempts to try and retrieve codename: Gem of Scath are foiled (like some good math)

-- So many bonding moments happen. Cuddling (pure accident *rolls eyes*), eating together, inside jokes, etc. At one point Damian answers her phone (he disabled and disconnected the tracer) to one of the mob guys after them.

    “Hello?”

     “You can hide the gem but we will find her.”

     “I’m sorry, is there a jewel you are looking for? I don’t think I have and any jewels that I am coveting.”

     “We know you are with her! It is but a matter of time until we collect her.”

     “I hope you do eventually find whatever you are looking for sir, but I haven’t the slightest idea the gem you speak of. If you could give me a physical description? Is it a ruby, diamond, onyx? Is it round or more of a pear shape?”

    “...”

    “Well, I will look for it here, but I do not believe I possess what you speak of. Will you give me your number so I can call you back?” (The line cuts dead, and Raven can be seen laughing in the background, the phone was on speaker)

-- Once the team tracks down, arrests and interrogates all of the parties working for Trigon; Raven and Nevermore can go home. Though both are reluctant in their own way. Nevermore has grown attached to Titus, and Raven well Raven has feelings. Sadly, as Raven knows, feelings are dangerous to have in their line of work. 

-- Look at Dick and Kori they were together and then they fell apart and the team almost imploded.

-- What about Trigon if he finds out about Damian and how she feels towards him? What kind of danger will he be in then?

-- Like all of her feelings Raven puts them in a box and locks the box away. Not just figuratively, in her safe there is a box with: post its, torn papers, journals, etc. That box has a lock on it. Whenever she has a new feeling that she cannot ignore, like her feelings towards Special Agent Wayne, she takes out the box and writes her feelings down. They can range from a single sentence to pages worth. (Her feelings towards Damian fill a small notebook she has on hand). Once she has written all of her feelings out she places them in the box, locks said box and then places the locked box in her safe, which she then locks.

-- Is this a healthy way to cope with her feelings? Maybe not. But, it is way better than how Damian deals with his. Violence. Also art but violence comes first.

- At this point both Damian and Raven have caught the feelings (highly contagious I hear), which makes this a little awkward and a little not awkward. For one everyone but Raven knows how Damian feels towards her. He does things for her and with her that no one else gets the privilege to.

-- To list a few:

--- He brings her tea whenever he gets himself coffee or tea

--- He talks to her about what he does outside of work, even about his kind of friend definitely not enemy, Jon.

--- They socialize outside of work. Watching bad movies (some of them are not that bad), going to the park with Titus (they once got Nevermore in a leash and walked her), meeting each other before and after work to get breakfast or dinner.

--- He doesn’t glare at her

--- He allows physical contact between the two

--- He worries about her (hello he created an entire plan so that she wouldn’t get kidnapped, with contingencies and everything, garfield would be lucky to get a plan)

--- His eyes light up when she talks, or enters a room, or you know exists in his vicinity

--- He actually smiles around her (Dick caught him smiling once at Raven and he though Damian was having a stroke)

-- Even though everyone knows Damian likes Raven, very few know that Raven likes Damian back. (this only includes; Kori, Dick, Jason, Titus, Nevermore, and Melvin) She does do certain things that give herself away just like Damian.

--The list:

--- When Damian gets frustrated or angry she puts a hand on his arm, or holds his hand

--- She laughs at things he does (light chuckles, or little giggles)

--- She will talk to him about his interests and actively tries to have conversations with him about things unrelated to work.

--- She blushes when he does something unexpected (like a compliment)((Mostly she tries to hide it until he isn’t looking at her))(((Kori has caught the blush before)))

-- Luckily for them it does not take some cliche ‘One suddenly becomes in danger and the other one saves them only to be close to death and then they admit their love for one another and promise to go on a date when the other is healed’ situation. 

-- Damian actually asks Raven out after being tipped of by Jason and Dick that she may like him back. Damian finds out when they have days off at the same time and asks her while leaving work.

   “Raven, you have this weekend off correct?”

   “Yeah I do. I wasn’t planning on doing anything though. Did you have something in mind?”

    “Um, yeah, heh, I was wondering if you would do me the pleasure of going to dinner with me tomorrow.” *Awkwardly rubs back of neck*

    “Like a date or two friends going to dinner?” *Thinks she sounds harsh* “I am honestly fine with either since we are friends.” *nervous smile*

     “Like a date if that is okay with you of course.”

     “Yeah, yeah totally that is totally okay with me.” *Starts sounding like a teenage girl who only knows about 10 words, because she’s nervous*

      “Good, I’ll be by your place around 1830, if that is okay?” *nerve central, the central nervous system could never*

       “Yup that is totally fine with me.”

       “Great.”

       “Good.” The elevator opens in the knick of time.

       “See you tomorrow evening Agent Roth. Have a good night.”

        “You too, Agent Wayne, you too.”

-- When Damian does pick her up he feels like his brain is going to explode. She looks absolutely breathtaking. This is just like all the other times they’ve gone to dinner, except this restaurant is slightly fancier and they are on a date.

-- Raven feels as though all her emotions are leaking out at once, she has no idea what she is doing.

-- In the end they have a good time and decide to do it again. Damian does bring up that all of the breakfasts and dinners they regularly do could now be considered dates. Raven does not oppose that switch at all.

- Fast forward a handful of years (like 3?), Damian and Raven are moved in together (Nevermore and Titus are happy about this, they even allow the humans to adopt another pet, a cat named Alfred). Damian is now Supervisory Special Agent Wayne and is in charge of their unit. Raven has retired from field work and now works at the FBI academy and at Virginia State University. In about 6 months Damian is going to propose and Raven will say yes. Their wedding will be small but happy and full of life.

Once again I would like to thank everyone and all the support the previous post got.

Like last time if anything is disjointed, out of place or seems wrong, please go ahead and tell me. I have been working on this since the last one, but have finally had the time to finish it.

I hope the new year will bring us all some good. Possibly more head canons to come.