#his type of healing journey is EXACTLY the kind I love most
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animezinglife · 1 month ago
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@writingway-in-writinghell, ALL of this.
I think a lot of people--especially what we might consider very contemporary fantasy readers/viewers--equate redemption and healing both with something as being loud, messy, and dramatic. It's telling rather than showing on the writers' part.
Cullen's the opposite. He's human. His healing (and redemption, depending on how you look at it) isn't isn't fully linear, but bless him, he tries so hard not to let his own struggles drag anyone else down or burden them. He tries so hard to move through it on his own (while responsibly making sure he had someone reliable who wouldn't waiver at all in her conviction watching him and would relieve him from duty if he failed).
A lot of the arc happens off-screen (and I get the sense that throws some off a bit), but you also have to remember that not every player is going to want to spend time with Cullen or invest in his life when there are already a million other things going on. Aside from deciding whether he continues taking lyrium (which I think is just a flat evil choice on the player's part) or not, not every player's going to become intertwined with his story.
Every single scene and every line in a game also takes time, money, effort, and other resources to build. People need to remember that. The writers more than accomplished their goal in showing Cullen's healing rather than telling in what they give us, and that's a rare enough feat.
Mira (my character) and Cullen very much have the underlying theme of trust and safety in their relationship. The Inquisitor and the Commander masks come off in private and they're instead just two incredibly human, imperfect people doing the best they can and taking it one day at a time. They're very similar despite being a mage and former Templar, and the ways in which they're different complement each other.
They see each other. They hear each other. I'm not sure how well I can describe it without writing an entire essay on Mira's character, but they simultaneously free each other and keep each other grounded.
Good men need to be encouraged, loved, and held too no matter how strong they seem.
I doubt you get as full a picture of it if you don't romance him, but his healing journey is blatant and thorough if you do. There's something about seeing him casually dressed in that epilogue with his hair a little loose, smiling a big, beautiful smile, petting his new four-legged best friend after reconnecting with his family and looking back at his wife like he's the luckiest and happiest man in the world that just hits differently.
That soft, murmured comment he makes at their wedding about all the fighting being worth it referred to a lot more than the giant hole in the sky.
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"The thought of losing you...I can't."
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pyrodolls · 1 year ago
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gorgeous (havik x gn! reader)
warnings: slight gore i suppose? and spoilers for mk1’s story mode but if ur reading this i’m sure you already know.
a/n: i still dont know how tumblr works but i love havik sm so i just wanna keep writing him. anyways this is based off of how i was listening to gorgeous by taylor swift and thought of havik bc he may look like a burnt rotisserie chicken but HE IS VERY GORGEOUS TO ME!!
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you always had a crush on havik. you originally met through quan chi, since you were both working with him. but you decided to not pursue havik, since he seemed very keen on his journey to liberation. you figured he wasn’t looking for a relationship, especially because he probably isn’t the type of guy to commit to one.
besides, you had some problems of your own to deal with. for example, even though you were working with him, you still found quan chi to be a pain in the ass. he was always asking you to do meaningless chores and missions, while giving the harder ones to your other allies like sareena, darrius, and nitara. you were tired of being treated like you were weak.
“quan chi.” you called out from behind him.
“oh, (y/n). i’m assuming you have finished scouting the area.” he said, as you were both at the ying fortress. you were there with quan chi, aiding him and shang tsung as they were working on their soul stealers. quan chi had ordered you to keep watch outside the fortress along with nitara and sareena. they apparently had a run-in with sub-zero, scorpion, and smoke.
“i have. sareena and nitara ran into a few intruders recently.” you informed.
quan chi furrowed his eyebrows. “intruders? were they sent by liu kang?”
you nodded. “most likely. nitara and sareena could not stop them. they are probably already inside as i speak.”
“stay here. keep watch while i apprehend our little intruders.” he growled.
you rolled your eyes. “i will not stay here. i’ll apprehend them myself, quan chi.”
then, you ran inside the fortress before he could argue with you. you must prove yourself useful, so quan chi will cease to underestimate your kombat.
you ran into the fortress and found a swarm of guards running around the area led by sub-zero himself and shang tsung.
“what is the meaning of this, shang tsung? isn’t sub-zero working for liu kang?” you questioned.
sub-zero scoffed. “i refuse to be associated with liu kang anymore. while working with him, the lin kuei were doomed to mediocrity. now, we will achieve greatness. unfortunately, kuai liang does not understand the lin kuei’s potential. we must not let him escape.”
you nodded, and went on your way to help find kuai liang. if you were the one to apprehend a member of the lin kuei, you would be well respected. you were determined to find him.
until you ran into havik and darrius. and they had just fought kuai liang.
unfortunately, it looked like havik’s face didn’t exactly survive the wrath of scorpion.
“havik..?” you whispered, seeing half of his face gone. it was flesh instead of his regular, beautiful skin and lips.
havik’s expression was of rage and exhaustion from his defeat. until he saw you, and his face softened. he went quiet, not replying to you and just looking down.
“what happened?” you asked, kneeling down to his side. “did scorpion do that to you?”
“yes. he shoved my face in there.” he spat, pointing at a pot of some kind of burning liquid.
“i see..” you sighed. “that must’ve hurt. aren’t you going to heal it?”
havik paused, and thought about your question. he stood up and looked into a reflective surface nearby, analyzing his new face.
“i suppose i won’t. i can use it as a symbol of chaos.” he claimed, proud of his new revelation. he looked down to your slightly disappointed face and scoffed. “is there a problem with that?”
“i mean, no, not at all. in fact, i think you still look… gorgeous.” you muttered.
havik raised an eyebrow. “still? gorgeous?”
you paused, deciding whether you can pretend you misspoke or be honest.
“yeah.. i thought you looked great when you still had your face. and now, i think you still look good. especially because of how proud you are of your new appearance. that is very honorable.” you admitted.
havik chuckled. “i see. i appreciate your compliments. i do believe my scars are a memorabilia of my past struggles and reminders of the kombat i have faced. my wounds are a sign that i honorably fight for liberation, and i will never surrender to anyone or give up, no matter how painful the journey may be.” he ranted.
you listened intently to his rant, genuinely interested in what he had to say. you didn’t fully agree to some of the things he does, but you overall sympathize with his struggles and understand that his anger and drive are because of his rough past. you wanted to help him, and free him of his pain. even if you disagree with some of his methods, you’ll be there for him.
“you are one of the only people to truly understand me. i appreciate your intelligence.” havik complimented. “would you like to join me in my journey? i could use your skills and i can provide you safe haven from harm. however, you must agree to accept chaos.”
you thought about his offer for a moment. if you decided to directly work with havik, you’ll most likely never go back to your regular life. you will make enemies that you don’t want. you realized he will probably be your only company for a while.
“i will join you.” you replied.
and so, you both worked together to spread chaos and bless outworld with anarchy. havik was very pleased with your efforts and how you wouldn’t hesitate to help aid him. he ended up confessing his feelings for you, and you were both pretty happy together. he was overprotective over you and vowed to keep you safe from harm. you were supportive and tried to help him heal from his past.
overall, havik loved you. even though he never imagined himself feeling so devoted to another being, he was grateful that you were the hope and light that kept him sane throughout his life full of blood, sweat, and tears. with you by his side, and slowly succeeding in freeing his people in seido, havik was very content with his life.
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ambarthecancer · 6 months ago
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Notes on being 30
I’m turning 31 in a week, I’m excited, I love my birthday and I love growth and change. Before my birthday I like to reflect about the year I’m leaving behind in hopes of entering the new year with perspective. It has been an emotional rollercoaster to say the least,a lot of good came in too and I’m learning from my mistakes, recovering from the pain and grateful for everything else.
Here are some thoughts, notes and humble advice on being 30:
I often tell my younger friends “make sure you get to your 30s with savings if you can”. I give this advice not in a “finance bro” type of way but in a “have money that can buy you some freedom” type of way. Freedom can be getting psychological/psychiatric help, a solo trip abroad, swimming classes, a year off work, whatever freedom is to you, save for it.
In my case, I landed here with no money, but since the universe works in perfect mysterious ways, I got fired from work and with the severance money, I bought myself 3 months off. I paid my credit card, I paid my student loan 3 months in advance, I started going both to the therapist and the psychiatrist to get the help I so desperately needed. It was the biggest blessing since I’ve been burnt out from work and life since summer 2022 and allowing myself time off without worrying about my live-hood was just exactly what I needed.
“Your new life will cost you your old one”
On a karmic level, your past comes creeping at you, all the lessons get back to check if you finally learned. I repeated a lesson from a decade ago. This time it took me less time to remove myself from the equation, even though it was even more heartbreaking than the first time. I learned my lesson the hardest way possible, it cost me blood and tears, but I did and for that I’m grateful. Life keeps showing us the same lessons until we learn, and it is important we do so or else we suffer.
On a lighter note, personally I feel very authentic at 30, I carry myself and all my past versions with honor and respect. Almost everyday I think teenage me would absolutely adore me, I’ve become the woman 12-17 years old me wanted to be. The greatest gift is that I like myself a lot, I like my own company, my sense of humor, my integrity, I like myself and the woman I’m constantly becoming plus I feel way cooler and more interesting than I did at 20.
I still have many fears but they are different now, I'm in less of a rush with everything, I started enjoying things more. I kind of understand why my mom made me say hi to people that met me as a baby. Life is about little moments, sharing with others and acts of kindness.
5 years ago I also realized something that has helped me navigate life and my 30s since: the most interesting thing about people isn't their job, their socioeconomic status, the money in their bank account, but the person they are and how genuine and kind they are. So I focus on that on being a better version of me.
Life is a journey to self and awareness, carry yourself with grace, be kind and fair, I wont say nice, but fair, because nice doesn’t really get you anywhere.
Anyhow, I’m alive so my life is in constant progress until the day I die. I'm not fully healed, I’m not fully aware, I’m not fully there, I’m just living. I have insecurities issues, self worth issues, I hold grudges, I’m bitchy and mean, I say hurtful things, I’m not a guru or guide of anything, I’m just a girl a few years older that wanted to share all of this.
30 is not an ending, it is a beginning and it is actually the right time to start over. Do not be afraid. Welcome life and every year on this beautiful earth with grace and try your hardest to find some joy in all of the small things.
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shallowrambles · 1 year ago
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I'm going to break these up to respond @ilarual, because these are so good!
#this is very much Dean giving Cas the kind of compassion no one else in Cas's life ever has least of all Cas himself#it's not so much Dean forgiving Cas because he believes Cas has taken real accountability for what he did wrong#as it feels like it's Dean forgiving Cas because he looked at the ways Cas has hurt him and he looks at Cas's emotional needs#and decided that giving Cas grace and forgiving him was more important
Yes, exactly. It's grounded in compassion and understanding, because they do understand each other and what motivates the other. They're both "men of action," types in very big ways, and they both act as "family protectors." And strangely, even when things are going terribly, they wind up being huge sources of support for each other! They need each other's support now to heal and grieve, and they wind up prioritizing that, which is really how partnerships work. Cas knows what lies behind Dean's sometimes razor-sharp words, and Dean knows what lies behind Cas's sometimes inexplicable lone-hero actions. (Feature/bug dilemma, on both sides. Cas likes Dean's passion; Dean likes Cas's heroics.)
#which isn't necessarily sustainable long term but it's also a) something they can actually work on once all cards are on the table#and 2) not necessarily something that's anywhere near as likely to recur in a post-Chuck world where the crises aren't as apocalyptic#either way it's an expression of incredible compassion and love and I don't think Cas takes that for granted#anyway I thought too hard about The Trap prayer and went fully insane again oh my god#spn
Yeah, it would help not to have cosmic deals, cosmic consequences, and murderous grandfathers-out-for-their-grandson's blood breathing down their necks all the time. The most believable thing about season 15 is that when Dean's hero-magic goes away during The Hero's Journey/The Gamblers, he immediately shows signs of stress-exacerbated disorders, like IBS. Yeesh!
I agree that Cas doesn't take it for granted. I think Cas knows his own tendencies at this point, as evidenced by how he was able to verbalize it more successfully in Absence (if only he'd gotten back from Anael sooner!). He usually realizes that he needs help and should communicate better with his partner and family; he just has the horrible luck of doing it too late, too often. Poor Cas!
I think the thing with Jack was unique, because this time, he did the lone wolf thing during a critical risk period, and it was in relation to co-parenting rather than "Heaven business." (Jack was dangerous and volatile, even if it hurts to admit that. He could've hurt any one of them.)
Then, it all got so tragically fragmented.
It's fascinating to me how much I've changed my mind about Dean in The Trap. I'm waaaaay more sympathetic to the whole Cas-being-forgiven aspect of it, because yes, Cas apologized initially, but the root of the issue was Cas's painful withdrawal of his partnership and his withholding of critical information. Full stop. He and Dean are NOT equally culpable in this one.
It's not just about Mary and Jack, and yet Cas keeps pivoting to "Dean blaming him for Mary." Which oversimplifies the whole thing in a terrible way. Yes, they're all culpable, and yes they all saw that things were wrong with Jack, but next to Donatello, Cas is THE authority on souls and physically the strongest of TFW. To make matters worse, he all but demanded Dean to parent Jack and take care of Jack's emotions, even though Dean expressed discomfort over his memories of soulless Sam. Dean has repeatedly expressed how he wants Cas to be open and honest with him, especially now that they're co-parenting, and although Cas demanded Dean parent Jack, he then turned around and hid Big Parenting Stuff from him and went off to meet Anael.
Barring Cas's one feeble and poorly-timed, "I tried to fix it on my own because I was afraid of losing this family," he doesn't really spell out his part in the communication failures or apologize very well for withdrawing from Dean, specifically. He sorts of sulls up and say, "I already apologized and I'm not doing it again." Yet, Cas has a continued, longstanding pattern of withdrawal from the partnership. I'm floored that my Cas goggles kept me from seeing it before, and maybe I'm a little embarrassed, too. I mean, honestly, it's amazing that Dean takes him back at all. :/ Once you look past, "Oh no! Dean said mean things!" anyway.
I think by The Trap, Dean has given up trying to get Cas to change or hold him accountable for his lack of communication. Cas sort of gave Dean ultimatums over it, if you squint, and Dean rolled over. And Dean wants to get back together. He needs Cas's support and Cas need his. He looks at everything Cas is and decides that Cas's avoidance and want to protect the family is just woven into the fabric of him, and Dean decides to accept that. It's something he loves about him as much as he resents it. Cas's chivalry is a feature and a bug. Dean loves him for it. It makes his life a Hell sometimes.
Occasionally, I still see people harping on how horrible Dean was for "forgiving" Cas, like Cas doesn't need to be forgiven. And with some distance and clarity, I find that pretty baffling now, but I also remember feeling that way when I wasn't looking at their partnership equally and giving Cas too much leeway on his continued absence from the partnership. I almost...respected Cas more. That thought makes me wince. But his bad decisions I was way more likely to stamp as protective or tactically genius, at least compared to some of Dean's similar decisions. Dean's things I tended to group as "too angry/emotional/irrational." :(
I guess I've come a long way when it comes to holding Sam and Cas accountable for their actions, too. Much of the time, my issues with Dean devolved to unfortunate tone policing or not liking him to express his anger and be angry at his boundaries being breached over and over, even when he was taking his anger out on inanimate objects. I balked just because it made a loud sound that made Sam wince (oh noes, not the wincing).
///
On the other hand, I'm quite impressed that Dean and Cas were finding their way back to each other after the Death of a Child. That's about the hardest thing a marriage can go through, and they were getting back together and trying to heal even before Jack reappeared. Clearly, it's a stress-tested relationship. WAY more stress-tested than your everyday marriages; they've been through multiple apocalypses. On the whole, they often have good communication, even when they disagree, they knew where they stood (like with Donatello). It's just these huge, incredibly unusual horrible earth-shatteringly terrible things that throw them. Chuck's grooming is such a bitch.
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aaronmaurer · 2 years ago
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Movies I Liked in 2022
Every year I reflect on the pop culture I enjoyed and put it in some sort of order.
While my taste in film always tends to be a mix of crowd-pleasers and prestige fare, this year the contrast felt even starker. I call these lists things I “liked” rather than claiming they are the “best” because, though I can recognize when a film is a great work of art even if I never want to revisit it, I tend to want to share/highlight things I actually enjoy.
For example, TÁR is certainly a masterpiece that I found utterly riveting while watching, however, it’s also an uncomfortable and off-putting experience (which is of course, part of – if not entirely – the point). So the 10 films (and honorable mentions) that follow display a level of artistic acumen that resonated with me on multiple levels while also being movies I, you know, liked.
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10. After Yang (Blu-ray, VOD, Showtime)
A lyrical science fiction film centered around a family’s relationship their robotic son, director Kogonada’s second effort is beautifully realized and deeply affecting. There are futuristic echoes of the likes of A.I. and Minority Report in the service of deep meditations on life, love and grief.
9. White Noise (Netflix)
Noah Baumbach’s movies are typically a few shades too caustic for my taste, I found but this adaptation of Don DeLillo’s postmodern novel an ideal artistic match. If the book is couched in fatalist black comic critique of Reaganism, then its relevance to our current Trumpist era (where the outsized cult of personality hovers over current politics even after his time in the White House) is perfectly apt. Willful ignorance, denial of death and unabashed consumerism abound, but so do critiques of ivory tower liberalism. The use of 80s filmic tropes to underline the deadpan nature of its setting and content is expertly realized, as is the perfectly (at times) indecipherable & unsettling sound design filled with lots of, what else, white noise.
8. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Theatres)
The best superhero film of the year is more emotionally affecting and more personal than most others in its genre, with writer-director Ryan Coogler and his cast grappling with the real-world death and absence of Chadwick Boseman. The result is kind of shaggy (especially compared to the efficiency of its predecessor), but also includes moments of dynamic action and gorgeous production and costume design, especially for newcomer Namor and his kingdom of Talokan. I also really appreciate an action movie that grapples with themes of revenge vs forgiveness/healing (and not in a way that feels wholly unearned, a la this year’s The Batman, but more like the unjustly maligned Spider-man 3); Shuri’s grief and anger are palpable as she wars with Namor – and herself – and her journey rings true.
7. Everything Everywhere All At Once (Blu-ray, VOD, Showtime)
The Daniels’ maximalist indie epic is wholly unsubtle but genuinely affecting. With themes as broad as the salvation of the multiverse being kindness and love, I suppose you need other broadness as well, including broad comedy (some of which I enjoyed, some of which I did not exactly enjoy while still admiring its audaciousness). Ultimately it is the fully realized performances, primarily those of Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu and Ke Huy Quan, that breathe life and humanity into the proceedings, making for a emotionally moving experience.
6. Confess, Fletch (VOD, Showtime)
Having never read any of the Fletch novels or seen the earlier Chevy Chase films, I really had no context for this movie, aside from being a fan of both director Greg Mottola’s Adventureland and the comedic chops of Jon Hamm. I found it to be quite a pleasant surprise, then: a fun whodunnit where the mystery is less important than hanging out with the characters, especially Hamm’s titular investigative journalist. This is the type of eminently rewatchable movie rarely made these days and I’d be quite content if the future finds us with plenty more Fletch adventures to go along with the exploits of Benoit Blanc.
4. (tie) Wendell & Wild (Netflix) / Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Netflix)
My two favorite animated films of the year both happen to be stop-motion features bankrolled by Netflix. They’re also both unique visions that don��t pander to a broad audience.
Director Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline) created Wendell & Wild in collaboration with Jordan Peele and it’s a favorite of mine from each of their output (yeah, I liked it better than Nope). The design is a visual delight from start to finish and I found the story to be surprisingly resonant (an examination of grief and trauma as well as a critique of corporate interests and the prison industrial complex that also has a lot of great humor and a killer soundtrack).
Del Toro’s version of Pinocchio also features critiques of power, as he sets the tale in fascist Italy. Subverting the quite on-the-nose {ahem} morality of the original story, in del Toro’s vision, it is being yourself and not conforming to puppet-like assimilation that makes one worthy of the gift of life. The design here is stunning as well, especially in the creatures featured throughout.
3. She Said (Blu-ray, VOD, Peacock)
Add She Said alongside the likes of All The President’s Men and Spotlight as a worthy entry into the cannon of great films about investigative journalism. The true story of the New York Times’ investigation by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey into Harvey Weinstein’s crimes, it is a truly moving testament to the heroism and perseverance of these journalists and the incredible bravery of the women who chose to confront an ingrained patriarchal system of abuse. The lead performances by Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan are expertly pitched and fully lived in, while simultaneously allowing the stories of the women they interview to truly shine.
2. Glass Onion (Netflix)
Knives Out was my favorite film of 2019, so it was probably inevitable that its follow-up would make an appearance on my list. Thankfully, Glass Onion does not disappoint – it’s a “lighter” and perhaps broader mystery romp, but it is just as smartly constructed and excellently performed (by an entirely new cast of characters, aside from Daniel Craig’s returning Benoit Blanc). While lacking some of the depth of the social commentary of its predecessor, the caper still has a lot on its mind, and its reveals and takedown of the ultimate culprit is immensely satisfying.
1. Cyrano (Blu-ray, VOD, Amazon Prime)
Though technically a 2021 release for awards purposes, Joe Wright’s adaptation of Erica Schmidt’s stage musical Cyrano didn’t really release until February 2022 and it has stuck with me ever since (so much so that I saw it multiple times during its brief theatrical run). As a fan of the National, I was intrigued by the prospect of the music from that band’s Dessner brothers with lyrics by frontman Matt Berninger and his wife Carin, but was surprised at how much the songs moved me, especially as sumptuously staged by Wright. Hayley Bennett and Kelvin Harrison Jr shine as the pair of young lovers Cyrano reluctantly brings together through his words, but it is Peter Dinklage in the title role who is the heart of the film, exposing the soul of the lovelorn poet whose wit and bravado masks his self-doubt and pride.
Bonus! Honorable Mentions:
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder (Blu-ray, VOD, Disney+)
The original Doctor Strange and Thor: Ragnorak both rank in my top 5 Marvel films, so I was understandably excited for their follow-ups. And I left mostly satisfied, even if neither reaches the heights of its predecessor. Multiverse of Madness is allowed to be the MCU version of a horror film with plenty of ghoulish Sam Raimi flourishes, and I really loved the audacity of introducing a group of alternate reality heroes known as the Illuminati – including the first official MCU appearances of members of the X-Men and Fantastic Four – just to (spoiler alert!) quickly dispatch them. Love and Thunder tries to do a lot – maybe too much – but still contains great heart and humor typical of Taiki Watiti, plus a great go-for-broke villainous performance from Christian Bale as big bad Gorr the God Butcher. There is a stunning visual innovation on tap as well, displaying some of the most artistic uses of digital effects in recent memory (see the black & white battle sequence).
The Banshees of Inisherin (Blu-ray, VOD, HBOMax)
I quite enjoy Martin McDonagh’s latest (well, as much as one can enjoy such a film), but it doesn’t quite reach the heights of In Bruges for me. I would recommend it, however. As quietly beautiful as it is quietly devastating – yet with an abundance of humor, often served pitch-black.
Thirteen Lives (Amazon Prime)
Ron Howard’s presentation of the 2018 Thai cave rescue is immediate and compelling, relating just how many diverse parties came together for the massive and dangerous operation of saving the trapped soccer team and coach. While it doesn’t eclipse the excellent documentary The Rescue, there are benefits to dramatizing the story, such as glimpses into the Thai boys’ homelives and the sacrifices made by area farmers that enabled the mission to succeed.
Avatar: The Way of Water (Theatres)
More of a thrill ride or immersive experience than a normal movie, the second Avatar outdoes its predecessor in just about every way. The plot is (somewhat) more novel, the characters are more engaging and the effects more visceral and spellbinding. That said, for me, it’s an in-the-moment experience that I haven’t thought much about since leaving the theatre and I doubt would be anywhere near as exhilarating at home. I’m happy it exists but definitely don’t want all movies to be like this. (Plus I really hate high frame rate, especially the choice to arbitrarily cut back and forth between 24 and 48 fps in its director-approved presentation.)
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unhealthyfanobsession · 4 years ago
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I teased this in a previous post and people asked me to expand so...here’s my controversial take that Rhysand and Nesta are actually parallel characters in many ways and that they both hate each other so much because they ultimately hate themselves.
Alright ladies and gentleman, anti’s and stans, buckle your fucking seatbelts or hope off the roller coaster here because I’m about to learn you a thing or two about the most divisive characters in the ACOTAR world. 
Starting out very broadly- both characters are introduced as sort of confusing villains (Rhys is “evil” but he’s also helping Feyre. Nesta is an “awful sister”, but she also is protective of Elain and tells Feyre essentially to go and be happy), both have faced significant trauma and grapple with self-loathing and feelings of not being good enough, and both ultimately find redemption and healing with their mates who love them. They also both currently exist in a strange parallel coming out of ACOSF where Rhys is supposedly “chosen by the Cauldron” and Nesta is “blessed by the Mother”- the two sacred entities of Prythian.
Intrigued? More specifics and text analysis under the cut
Mommy (and Daddy) Issues:
Both characters were basically raised by their mother’s alone and then lost them at a young age and that had a deep impact on them. Rhysand had a far more positive experience of being raised by his mother HOWEVER I would argue that it was still “grooming” of a type since she took him away to train in Illyria specifically so that he wouldn’t be influenced by his father.
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Rhys’ mother did this out of love and Nesta’s mother groomed her out of a social climbing agenda, but it had the same effect- they both lost the parent who was their primary caregiver at a young age and they were both not close with their father’s because of their mother’s actions  (again this was a good thing for Rhys, not as much for Nesta).
Parents Death: Rhys and Nesta both blame themselves for one of their parent’s death and are deeply affected by feeling like they failed someone important to them.
Rhys thinks that he is responsible for his mother and sister’s death because he gave Tamlin info
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Rhys even says after this “It should have been me.”
Nesta feels that she was unable to save her father and she hates herself for it.
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Rocky sibling relationship and Separation:
Rhysand and Cassian are obviously a lot further along in their sibling journey, but it’s stated that he and Cassian HATED each other and fought constantly essentially until Azriel arrived and then they decided to be “allies”.
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Nesta and Feyre are also at each others throats but seem to put their differences aside in order to not upset Elain. (Even when Feyre first goes back to the human lands Nesta says NOPE NO FAE! But as soon as Elain asks her to do as Feyre says she agrees) and then Nesta states in ACOSF that she and Feyre were brought together by Elain to be allies in the war.
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Rhysand and Cassian obviously grew into true brothers despite their adversarial, insulting, bitter beginning... and Nesta and Feyre after ACOSF have done the same. Obviously there’s still a lot of work to be done in that relationship, but the parallel stands (and is just strengthened by the fact that in both cases it’s the character with more power in the relationship- Nesta for being the oldest and Rhys for being the one whose family took Cassian in is then mated to the opposite sibling!)
Both have a parent who essentially separated them from their ‘siblings’ for their own benefit. Nesta’s mom isolated her as a child so that she could groom her and tell her how to maneuver her sisters when the time was right while Rhys’ father- afraid of his, Cassian, and Azriel’s combined power- separated them for 7 years through the first war to ensure they wouldn’t ally against him. Nesta was also separated from Feyre by Tamlin and tried to go to the wall to get her back but couldn’t get through- which is very reminiscent to me of the scene at the beginning of ACOWAR from the first war where Rhys is searching desperately but without hope for Cassian.
Shared Trauma and Learning to be “Evil” to protect their family:
both characters are sexual assault survivors who spend a chunk of their book (I’m counting ACOMAF as essentially Rhys’ book since that’s when we learn more about him as a character) grappling with that, coming to terms with it, and moving forward with a general attitude of “Never Again.” I would also argue that even their abusers are parallels as Rhysand was only ‘with’ Amarantha because he was trying to protect his family and Nesta was only ‘with’ Tomas because she thought his family might be able to take in and feed Elain (she says in ACOSF that she would give him whatever he wanted- her body meant nothing to her and Elain meant everything, which is essentially Rhys’ UTM mindset). In addition, both characters are able to escape their abusers out of love for Feyre. Rhys does so when Amarantha is about to kill Feyre, and Nesta does so because she realizes that Tomas would never go to the wall with her to save Feyre.
 Beyond this, both characters express that it is the lack of control over their own lives that truly haunts them. Rhys when he felt like he had no choice but to be Amarantha’s puppet and Nesta with a lot of her life, but especially when she is forced into the cauldron. Both of these are things that make them feel like failures for not protecting others. Rhys is haunted that he couldn’t protect Feyre under the mountain and Nesta is haunted that she couldn’t protect Elain from the cauldron.
This leads both characters to have a terrifying power-surge nightmare brought on by their trauma (Rhys from Amarantha; Nesta from the Cauldron) that terrifies those around them and can only be stopped by their mate.
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In addition to this, they both have a “persona” that they put on and sometimes feel like they can’t shake off, a face that they made to protect themselves and their family. Rhys with his “Court of Nightmares” persona that he uses UTM, in the Hewn City, and with the other High Lords until the war. Part of his growth is letting people see beyond that ‘most powerful high lord of darkness’ mask.
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For Nesta this is expressed by her “wolves” that she uses to put up a wall between her and the people who mocked her and her family, and especially Elain. And her learning to open up with Cassian and her found family was really important for her growth
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HOWEVER, they both also keep that persona. Rhys has his mask polished for when anyone might threaten the people he loves and so does Nesta. Neither of them truly gave up that side of themselves, the darkness, they simply learned to stop it from consuming them. 
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They also both LIKE doing this to their enemies. Rhys likes to toy with his enemies and torture those who would harm his family or betray him and so does Nesta- she revels in cutting down anyone who insults Elain and says in ACOSF that she’s felt the urge to do the same for Cassian. They both wield words like weapons and use their intelligence to ensure they are always one quip ahead of their enemies. Something that both Feyre and Cassian admire in their mates and try to emulate to a degree.
(Bonus points for the fact that in both cases their families did not ASK to be protected/sacrificed for.)
Found family and sacrifice:
Rhys calls Cassian and Azriel his “brothers” after becoming close while training and they conquer the blood rite together. Nesta calls Emerie and Gwyn her “sisters” after becoming close while training and they conquer the blood rite together. Rhys sacrifices himself to Amarantha in order to protect Cassian and Azriel (and Velaris). Nesta sacrifices herself to hold the path of Enalius to protect Emerie and Gwyn. There’s also a line in ACOMAF and a parallel line in ACOSF essentially about Nesta being willing to do anything- including “whore” herself- to protect Elain, and in order to protect his brother’s that’s exactly what Rhys did- “whore” himself to Amarantha.
Both are ‘saved by’ and feel not good enough for their mate:
I hesitate to use the word “saved by” because ultimately both characters have more agency than that, HOWEVER, both characters rely on their mate to a degree to pull them out of a very dark time and place. Feyre helps Rhys remember who he is and forgive himself for under the mountain and he even specifically calls her his “salvation.”
I don’t think I need to even say the Nesta part here, all of ACOSF is essentially Cassian helping Nesta climb out of a dark period so that they can heal together.
(Both also start connecting with their mates on a “just sex” situation.)
Both characters think that because of the things they’ve done and the darkness inside of them that they don’t deserve the people they have been mated to.
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Obviously there are many differences, but the characters are similar in a lot of ways and what I think this really highlights is just how true that line is in ACOSF about Nesta being a wolf that was never allowed to learn how to be a wolf. Meanwhile Rhys is 500 years older and has always had power and agency of some kind even at his lowest point. Nesta didn’t have that power and wasn’t allowed to really unleash herself so she armed herself with a steel exterior to make up for that lack of power and control. Which is very similar to what Rhysand did when he felt he didn’t have power under the mountain- put on a cold face, not let anyone in, and act cruel in order to get through it.
Overall it’s an interesting character study because in a lot of ways these are very similar characters, but there is such a MASSIVE divide among the fandom of liking and hating one or both of them. Ultimately, I do think that a lot of the hate Nesta gets is because she’s a woman and female characters simply aren’t allowed to have the same flaws as male ones- which is kind of Nesta’s whole life story. BUT I think that Rhysand actually gets unintentionally screwed over by the narrative in one big way. Becuase my final paralell is that I think a lot of people came around on Nesta when they saw in her perspective that she knows she has problems and how much she was struggling… and I also think that Rhysand is so hated by those who dislike him because of Feyre’s ‘he can do no wrong’ perspective. I think if we saw more of Rhysand internally struggling and knowing that he made the wrong call sometimes and second guessing himself he’d be a lot more likeable character. We know he’s capable of this because when Cassian calls him out on the training roof for always thinking the worst of Nesta he just says “you’re right. I’m sorry” and he even *kinda* admits some wrong when he’s so shocked by how deep Nesta’s trauma is. Feyre and the rest of the IC constantly exalting Rhys as perfect when he so clearly isn’t and in fact has a lot of the same “flaws” as Nesta is probably the most frustrating thing about the character, which ultimately I think is kind of unfair because we know from his few perspectives that he doesn’t see himself that way.
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stickynotestoletters · 4 years ago
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Yandere BNHA Boys pt 2
Okay, this is a continuation of the first yandere ones I did because I wrote that in basically a night and was too tired to do more, I'm probably gonna post some after for the pro heroes and villains if I have time, I might finish those on the weekend then post it.
This is just a bunch of headcanons I have about the boys in BNHA and what they’d be like as yanderes. Only the really fluffy or good things about them listed here. Neither of these works are a good depictions of a real yandere and make sure to be careful to identify yandere traits in real people around you. It’s a very dangerous world and stay safe!
sorry if you were waiting for me to come out with these and I literally took forever lol, link to the first one is here. It's basically just me comforting myself with the sweet things that I think they would do as yanderes.
Warnings: Brainwashing, blood, gore, death, trans headcanons, body dysmorphia, nonbinary they/he Sero, they/them pronouns + nonbinary headcanons for Tokoyami, he/they nonbinary headcanons with Shinsou, a little NSFW because if I don't specify then they are aged up (around 20-25 is where I imagine the timeline that they actually captured you and have a hero carrier going for them already), manipulation, regular yandere things, kinda just turns into dumbass horknee headcanons at some point after Shinsou (sorry lmfao), objectification
Sero Hanata
so basically the first time they saw you they immediately wanted to come up to you
they love to give you back hugs because once you stop trying to fight them he's gonna be so honored you finally trust him
Big time slut [non-derogetory] for you
Likes to have an apartment that's high up, probably a secured penthouse with lots of windows
If you're afraid of heights they will get a ground bed for you two, they would also vibe with a low hanging hammock if you allow it
they really really like just putting you on a custom made leash, not inherently in a sexual way just in general likes to have it look like that with their tape on you at all times
they really really like it when you come to them for hugs and comfort
If you're a trans reader, if you want a binder he will get you one as soon as you ask, cried when you told him about it.
they cried way more than you though...
Was very accepting as an nb person as well
they custom made you a tape binder of his
Kinda as a joke but high key felt like they were gonna combust at the thought of you wearing that for them
Takes you to pride but you cannot speak
only takes you to pride after they are 1000% sure that you're not gonna speak to anyone but them
Takes you to it as a part of their float because they'd been invited onto the Hero Float
You are in a costume that's exactly like his, helmet and everything, you aren't allowed to be looked at
After that though, it's gonna be your choice to go or not to go
they trust you a little more after you run away from some assholes though and after that sometimes lets you take your helmet off during pride, you have to give them a lot of kisses though
When/if you ever consider any type of surgery he is 110% on board
they demand that you have to have it performed by someone who has done this a million times before, trusts no one else
If there's a way for you to go through it without the surgery they're excited but he's more excited if there is surgery because they love the idea of you being so cuddly and clinging to them for their comfort
Tokoyami Fumikage
haha they're in love with you
like, intensely in love with you the moment they first meet you
Dark shadow thinks you're adorable but says nothing more about their obsession with you
when you met them before UA they absolutely cannot handle being around you in a 10-foot radius
Eventually, though they do try and become a friend of yours
After that, it's a hop on the manipulation train, my dude
they basically make you see them as your savior from a mean uncaring world
they love talking to you about things that make you happy and loving you in little ways
hugs, hand holding, a lot of time it's just a little peck (haha) on the cheek
they love living with you though, like really love it
they like baking and making dinner for you
but especially baking
like really, baking
the manipulation they use makes it seem like everything is okay when you only talk to them so that's what you do and to you, it seems so much better than anything you could do
they haven't come out to you by the time you come out to them so your trans journey really helps them figure things like that out as well
The first time you explain that gender is a made-up construct they're like "yeah......isn't that how everyone feels? Like, not a gender????" we love this for them
you both kind of heal each other through this process
they like seeing you when you're most comfortable so they get you as many binders as you need
also gets you a custom binder like Sero but with feather designs, not like stupid printable patterns but something that is soft and the softness isn't feathers it's regular fluffy cloth
idk I'm not a designer that's why I gave up and became a writer lmao
they also get you a compression corset because they're emo
if there is surgery it takes a lot of time to convince them
they don't ever want you to regret anything they helped you with so it takes a lot of long-winded conversations about it
there was a lot of nervousness on their part because (this is just my headcanon) they were almost convinced to get surgery to construct their face to look human-like
they had a lot of their family tell them that, because of the way they looked, they had less of a chance to become a hero, they were immensely traumatized by this and thus wants to make absolutely sure you were okay with this
but when they finally find themself comforted by you about it it happens quickly and in the safest way you could possibly imagine
Shinso Hitoshi
Shinsou didn't want to approach you at all, he was so scared you'd run away or tell him he's a villain
they always thought that they weren't good enough for you
he loved you but you needed to say hi first
and you did
so he whisked you away
they like to just brainwash you into tasting certain types of food when you're craving them instead of just getting you food
he likes to talk to you in a voice like he would talk to a kitten, not like husky or anything sexy, but something cute and adorable
especially when you're brainwashed and can't say anything to him
He likes to give you lots of soft stuff like I'm talking pillows upon pillows and squishmallows
once he gets his own house they get it in a place that's more comforting in the dark than in the light
they really like the dark and outdoorsy vibe anyway so if they choose a place somewhere in the forest to keep you what's the added bonus if no one can hear you scream?
a little bit of spice; he has this whole a/b/o fantasy (idk it's his vibes that he'd read that fanfic and stuff lmao) and kinda treats you like you were an omega
sometimes if you guys do have sex they'll brainwash you to act like an omega or once he's more experienced with bodily manipulation involving their quirk they'll make you do all of the......omega things
when you come out to them, if you're trans, they're definitely gonna not care
like if you need comfort and stuff about it they will not make a big deal about it
he legit is like "okay .....can I still fuck you or?????"
HE JUST GIVES OFF REALLY HORKNEE VIBES OKAY?????
definitely brainwashes you into not feeling dysphoric anymore though
like loves it when you come up all sad to him and uncomfy just to ask them to brainwash you
he melts over you cuddling them after those times though
if you want surgery they're gonna make sure that it's between him and the doctors that y'all are there
like no one knows you're there, completely off radius, in and out like nothing (he's basically a cryptid in the woods by the time you guys have the surgery, so they wanna make sure no one questions it)
Monoma Neito
bold of you to assume that man can express literally anything when he wants to just sit you on his lap and look at your pretty face
love at first sight taken literally but not in a shallow way
he loves just having you around him
kinda treats you as an accessory at times, talks like you're a purse or something and people don't really comment but it's really freaking them out sometimes when you don't speak up on it
likes to say he's the only one to understand you cause he's afraid you'd leave him
a hardcore fan of collars though
definitely has lots of jewelry that represents him even though you don't go out he still loves the idea of it
big time cook
loves providing for you, never lets you do a damn thing other than watching pre-approved cartoons and hobbies
absolute fucking disaster about hugging you
always has to be touching you
he thinks you're so fucking gorgeous and body worships you even out of the bedroom
if you're trans he will definitely be weird about it at first
he's just diet transphobic
he's not denying it but sometimes he's like "Are you sure???" and stuff
he clears this up with the help of you being pissed enough to not eat or talk to him until he apologizes
he then educates himself on it and comes to the conclusion that he was in fact being an asshole
talks to you about binders and stuff like that
doesn't really believe in surgery, he would never allow you to do that just because it would be too painful for him to see you go through
he instead literally searches the whole fucking globe for a person with a body-altering quirk to make sure you don't get hurt
he seeks out homophobes, transphobes, and other dumbasses on the regular just to kill them like literally it just started out for your approval but now it's just for fun
Anyway, the villain one (if I do it) will probably become just horknee brain rot cause I am a slut. Request some stuff and I'll try to put up some works if y'all want ig.
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therogueheart · 4 years ago
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So I’ve seen a few posts questioning why it’s always Eddie in fics that struggles (sometimes negatively) with his sexuality or experiences internalised homophobia, some of which vague that it’s hateful towards the character or follows the ‘trend’ of victimising/babying Buck. There are also posts I’ve seen that reference the same, but in relation to the actual show and the handling of Buddie or mlm relationships with Buck and Eddie in canon.
So I’m going to do what I did with my post about Eddie’s reactions (or lack thereof) being in character, and lay it out as factually as I can.
It is more in-character for Eddie to be the one to struggle or to have a difficult sexuality journey than it is for Buck.
Even the show, in not so many words, has said the same thing. We’ve already seen Buck in several scenarios where his sexuality is questioned, assumed or vaguely referenced, and in none of them does he have a negative or overtly reactive response.
Buck’s sexuality was outright assumed, twice, to his face. In the first instance with the Christmas Elf Lady he was openly confused but ultimately shrugged it off with a smile and compliment. In the scene with TK we see him react a little more expressively, but with no obvious negativity or unhappiness. Poor baby was just confused that his bid for friendship was being taken as flirting, explicitly by a homosexual male. 
Eddie, however, has several character factors that would point towards a choppier journey with realising he isn’t heterosexual. To name a few:
His (explicitly stated and referenced) past relationships, love interests and current love interest are all female, although the same can be said for Buck.
On the subject of Buck; Eddie also isn’t shown to have any real friendships with men (or women) outside of the 118, and none as close-knit as Buck. Eddie also doesn’t behave with his male peers (such as Bobby, Chimney and Albert) the way he behaves with Buck. Contrary to this, Buck is referenced up until recently to have been a very social person outside of the 118, even thus far as to live with several other men prior to moving into Abby’s and then into his own apartment.
Eddie was brought up in a heavily Latino/Latinx family and lifestyle and presumably, community. It’s common for Latino/Latinx communities to expect men to comply with the ‘macho family man’ archetype, and there are multiple resources from Latino/Latinx people that review the toxic masculinity of the communities and culture. We see a reflection of this in Carlos from 911: Lonestar, where his family is accepting but in a dismissive way, so much so that he makes the decision to introduce his boyfriend as a work friend.
He served in the military. Now the military is notorious for being the most homophobic ‘gay for the stay’ community you’ll ever encounter. It’s kind of fine to jerk each other off behind the craft building while thinking of your wives, but if someone comes out as gay they could be outcast, given a vaguely or outright homophobic nickname and face the age old ‘you’re gay so you’re a predator/risk’ type of treatment. (I’m not saying everyone and every base is like this, but again there are plenty of resources available that document the institutional homophobia in military spaces.) In worst cases gay/bi+ men are bullied or forced out of the barracks, beaten or killed.
Canon extensively implies that Eddie is straight. We don’t get the same vagueing and hinting/joking that we do with Buck. The closest we’ve come is the livestream where several comments mentioned him and Buck as a couple, but we don’t see Eddie react to these or even potentially notice them. Every time crushes or love interests are explicitly presented to/for Eddie, they’re female. Ignoring any possible meta about camera and behaviour choices, Eddie is depicted exactly the same as the other heterosexual male characters of the show, such as Bobby and Chimney. Contrastingly, Buck is the only one who receives explicit reference to or vagueing towards his sexuality and relationships, especially with Eddie.
Relating to the point above; if Eddie is a closeted bi/pan/demi/gay+ man, then he’s lived as a straight man for years and it would be a colossal change for him to come out. It would mean coming out to his family (assuming he hasn’t already, and to the family that already thinks he can’t function without a wife), his friends and peers, it would mean dealing with the change in perception of him from his peers and adjusting various aspects of his life; not least, talking to Christopher about it too.
In Season 3 and 4 we also see Eddie struggle with moving on from Shannon, and I think it’s plausible that Eddie would feel it’s some kind of betrayal to her. Eddie would likely wonder if his sexuality aided to the collapse of their marriage and would likely also wonder about the impact it had on their chances of reconnecting and his relationships with Buck and Shannon, if Buddie is the pathway to Eddie’s sexuality exploration.
Now I’m not saying Eddie would go off-the-rails homophobic in the instance that he was put in a situation like the ones Buck has been in, but Eddie would definitely be in-character to have some form of mild crisis, fear or doubt about explicitly realising he’s attracted to a man.
Eddie would quite literally have to question his entire existence and past and explore this new part of his identity, whereas from what we’ve seen on screen thus far it’s far more likely that Buck is open to or has already considered his own sexuality. Buck is also easier going about new parts of his identity, which the show depicts through his ‘Buck 1.0′ style self-developments.
Also; it is perfectly plausible for someone to be completely fine with other people being LGBT+ but to struggle with a change or discovery of their own sexuality. Again, the LGBT+ community is full of stories, most notably the Reddit thread about the man who realised he wasn’t homophobic; just jealous. Eddie’s immediate acceptable of Hen and Michael does not necessarily equate to immediate acceptable of his own sexuality.
When people consistently write Eddie as the one to have a sexuality reckoning, it’s not out of hate for the character or out of the desire to whump/baby Buck. It’s just in line with the character. Similarly, if the show does decide to go ahead with Buddie or to reveal Eddie as not heterosexual, please don’t lash out or criticize if they depict him struggling with it or taking a long time to adjust/accept it. Similar to healing, the journey of sexuality exploration is not always linear. Michael’s character is an excellent example of this, paralleled by Charles from Why Women Kill.
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saby-chan · 3 years ago
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Why the ATLA comics fail when it comes to Zuko and his family
To whom ever took their time to actually stop and read this post, thank you in advance for not skipping my post and willing to stay and read my humble opinion! I hope I won’t disappoint you!
As a relatively newcomer to the ATLA fanbase since 2020, I’ve come across a lot of interesting debates, comments and rants about the show, characters and fandom in general, but nothing has captivated me as much as the dumpster-on-fire that are the ATLA comics, more specifically: The Promise and The Search. 
On one hand we have the hardcore fans who want them to be animated or serialized into the Netflix live action, praising the comics for the new views and subject matters they’ve brought into the show’s lore, while on the other hand we have the furious Azula fandom who is really angry for the fact that best girl didn’t get the redemption arc she rightfully deserved so much after the painful event that was the Last Agni Kai and the even more angry fans of the Urzai ship (yeah, the people who actually ship Zuko’s parents unironically) who hated the retconning of the show’s cannon since the comics basically took a huge fat dump on what was previously established as official cannon, when the Search entered the scene, but between these two sides, who has the more valid point? In the end, are the comics good cannon or bad written fanfiction?
Well... Here are my two cents on this matter since I myself happen to be an Azula and Zuko fan and had huge expectations from these comics (since I wanted more from my fave hot-headed fiery siblings duo) but ended up disappointed: the comics are indeed a huge mess and actually bad written fanfiction when it comes to Zuko and his family! Don’t click off yet, because I actually documented the reasons why exactly the comics fail in this area:
1. The author of these comics is not part of the BryKe duo
Yes, I would like to start with the fact that if you actually take a second to look up who in the heck took the time to write these two books, you won’t find Bryan, nor Mike, but a fellow man named Gene Yang. This is important because while the wiki of both The Promise and The Search state BryKe as the creators, that doesn’t mean that they were the actual minds behind these comics, but rather because ATLA is their “baby” and these comics involve their characters, over which they have copyright. Mr. Yang here is the actual brain behind the plot, as the main writer, which explains why we find huuuuge inconsistencies between the show lore and the comics, especially Zuko wise.
My main issue with Mr. Yang isn’t that he isn’t BryKe specifically, but because he did an unforgivable mistake in his writing process: He projected himself into Zuko’s character, based on the relationship Zuko had with his father. This is a documented fact from an interview in which he explains that he sees himself and his dad’s relationship into Zuko and Ozai and used that when writing their interactions and built Zuko’s character in the comics. And this is wrong because when you have an already very developed and complex character such as Zuko, you can’t just come in and be like “Oh, I was an angsty teen just like him in my teenage years, fighting with my dad and whatnot, so he must have the same thought process as me!”. NO! This is bad fanfiction writer behavior! Zuko has his own personality and philosophy, which he developed over the course of 3 seasons and is not defined by only 1 unfortunate aspect of his past, so you can’t just base his whole mindset and actions off of your own personal experience just because you had the same daddy issues he had!
2. The whole “Promise that you will kill me if I turn out like my dad!” nonsense in The Promise
Reason number 2 why these comics fail and go under the category of “bad fanfiction” is because they fail to convey the core essence of the source material. The whole point of Zuko’s redemption was that he realized the wrongdoings of his ancestors and his own mistakes. He outgrew his desire of gaining his father’s acknowledgement in favor of choosing his own destiny. Having him worry that he’ll turn into his father is utter nonsense and feels like poor angsty drama material for the sake of angst. At this point in time, Zuko has overcame that obstacle in his life a long time ago and should be at the level where he himself is the “Uncle Iroh” for other people and in no way someone concerned of becoming their own worst enemy!
Not only that, but the whole point of Aang’s journey and the story of the show as a whole was to teach us, the viewers, the importance of forgiveness, empathy and love in life. Aang didn’t spare Ozai, aka “the ultimate evil” just to flex in front of his pals or because he is a “ 12 y/o vegan pacifist monk kid”, but because he knew that killing someone, no matter of what they did or wanted to do, wouldn’t restore balance into the Universe, on the contrary, him killing the villain would have meant perpetuating the “endless cycle of hate” that plagued the world. So having Aang promise to kill his best friend in case “they turned into an evil maniac like their dad” contradicts Aang’s whole character and it’s a nonsense that throws into the trash what we’ve learnt throughout the entire TV series.
3. Azula deserved (and was supposed) to have a redemption ark
This might still be pure speculation, but I count it as a documented reason because I’ve heard quite a few people saying that there should’ve been a book 4 in the show, aka “Book 4: Air”, and no, it wasn’t The Search, but actually Zuko and Azula’s journey as Zuko helps his younger sister heal her broken mind by being her very own “Uncle Iroh”. Sure, they prolly were going to end up looking for Ursa, but the journey should’ve ended with them actually being happy and a family again and not the bs we got in The Search where a still very unstable Azula runs away and becomes the “Next Joker”! The only problem is that M. Night had to pop up and curse the world with his movie, which forced BryKe to delay the project (and eventually abandoned it in favor of Korra).
All in all, either if BryKe had this preplanned or not, it made sense for Azula to get a redemption ark, she deserved it because she was just a broken 14 y/o child! If Katara’s mom’s murderer deserved to be forgiven, so did this poor child who had no fault for what happened to her since she had a dysfunctional family! What Gene Yang did in his poorly written fanfiction was to just antagonize a broken child, turning her into a monster for the sake of friggin angst!
4. The Search is the worst of the two, being flat af character wise
And finally, getting to the point that I personally find the most annoying about these comics: The Search. This one... This one is a mess on a hella lot many levels, and just to list a few: characters are flat as fudge, being either black as vanta black (like Ozai and Azula) or pure white like Gene’s Gary Stue OC, Mr Ikem (or how I like to call him, IKEA man) and his ‘victim’ rendition of Ursa, Azula gets to suffer more for no reason (see reason number 3 to why I find this as a no no), Ursa���s whole character sucks ass (man, I could write a whole thesis on why Yang’s version of her is terrible and doesn’t match the strong woman we got in the show) and Zuko does morally wrong stuff (my man literally used his unstable sister to bribe their dad into spitting info about Ursa... Show Zuko would never do that!;-;)
Oh boy, as a person who’s seen a ton of anime and other media and read many books, I can’t begin on how much I despise this type of writing: flat characters are the worst!
 ATLA characters in the show are nothing close to being flat! What I mean by that is that none of them fall perfectly into pure white (aka goodest of good characters with no imperfections) or vanta black (aka lowest and darkest twisted monsters out there), each of them are various shades of grey (like Aang who is a very light grey because despite being a very kind and nice character, he still isn’t a “perfect hero” since he ran away from his duties, practiced tax fraud with Toph, had insecurities and even threatened to kill people on ocassions like with the sand benders who took Appa) and this is a good choice because that prevents them from becoming what’s globally known as Mary Sues and Gary Stues (aka those either “perfect” characters with no flaws and/or unlimited power, or the twisted monsters full of flaws).
And the other reason why many other people hate The Search: it literally negates previously established cannon. And here comes my short essay on why this comic fails Zuko’s family (since we’ve already talked enough about Zuko himself).
In cannon and even interviews with BryKe, it was clearly stated that Zuko’s family was “once happy”. Where is this “once happy” family in The Search? All I see is pain, deception, lies and betrayal, nothing close to anything that resembles happiness. Okay, some of you might come in and say that “It’s because it was never the case! It was only lies and Zuko trying to convince himself that he didn’t live in hell forever!” and here is WHERE YOU WERE ALL WRONG! And why? Because, my dear fella, where were depicted the flashbacks of Zuko’s “happy family” in The Beach? Ember Island. And what do we know and had been even quoted in the show?  "Like waves washing away the footprints on the sand, Ember Island gives everyone a clean slate. Ember Island reveals the true you." (direct quote from the show). Exactly, no matter who you are or how hard you try, you can’t hide your true self when you are on the Ember Island, best example being Azula, who’s impenetrable though shell cracked and revealed the true vulnerable child that was underneath. If Azula couldn’t resist the “spell of the island”, no one can. So this means that Zuko’s family was indeed happy once and yes, Ozai wasn’t always the douchebag we got to know in Season 3 (I have a whole nother essay on my theories regarding what could be his real past story and why he’s actually the “Zuko” of his generation, based on stuff I gathered from old wiki entries and character analyses I made, but that’s for another time, lemme know if ya’ll are interested).
And what I guess is the biggest proof why The Search did this family’s past trash is comics Ursa herself. My dude, if this woman were indeed the victim of years of endless abuse and never loved her husband, I guarantee you that she would’ve been closer to what we saw in Todoroki’s mom from BNHA and Zuko would’ve gotten that scar or even worse long before the Agni Kai, not from his “daddy dearest”, but from “mommy dearest” herself, because no sane woman would be soo affectionate and attached to a child that’s the perfect copy of their abuser, sepecially appearance wise (again see Todoroki’s mom’s case from BNHA because the stories are really similar) and in no way would’ve she been willing to sacrifice her life for said child’s sake. With this ocassion, I remind ya’ll folks that according to the ancient ATLA cannon wikis on Nick’s site, Ozai was designed with Zuko’s appearance in mind, being meant to be like a “grown up scarless version” of Zuko. So yeah, remember this with a grain of salt that whenever you simp over grown up Zuko, you involuntary simp for Ozai too.
So yeah, I guess this kinda concludes my “not so short” rant about why the comics fail and are bad fanfiction. Lemme hear your thoughts in the comments and if you agree, feel free to leave a like and even reblog.
Bye bye and remember that Momo is the true strongest character of the show!
 Saby out.
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andrehm22 · 4 years ago
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Thoughts about Dota: Dragon’s Blood now that I’ve finished it
When I discovered that Netflix was gonna make an anime series with none other than Valve about Dota 2 I was, at first, shocked about it. It was unexpected and weird considering to make an anime series about a videogame with so many characters to choose and with a specific type of game. Was it going to be exactly like the source material? Who was gonna be the main characters in a world were you have a total of 119 heroes? Was it gonna be like a traditional or computer based anime?
The trailer helped a lot to see what we were gonna witness towards the first season: Traditional animation with computer based on the creatures, focusing primarly in 3 characters (Dragon Knight, Mirana and the Invoker who, coincidentally, each with the main attribute of the game), lot of action scenes and fun enough, some inspiration in other classic series such as Berserk.
I’ve watched the whole season in 2 days and honestly it was a really good anime! It introduces the characters pretty well along side the lore or the world of Dota withouht having to be a die hard fan of the videogame. Look at it as a way to introduce the game so you can give it a try. I also like to mention that the ending gives you a good way for us to wait at the new season (if there is one of course but I have my hopes very high considering that so far this show is the top 2 in Netflix on Peru)
And now, as always, I’m gonna post the good and bad stuff of what I’ve seen:
The Good: - Animation: I was really worried that the animation would be mostly like the Ultraman, Pacific Rim or the Godzilla animated films. This is mostly because the computer only are very limited compared with the traditional animation style which gives more emotions and movements towards the characters. The only computer scenes are done by the creatures (dragons or the big fluffy cat mounts of Luna and Mirana).
- Character designs: There is wide variety of characters in this show but clearly you can notice the main ones than the secondary. The heroes looked way different than the game like for example, Davion reminded me a lot of Guts from Berserk but less edgy while Mirana seemed way more younger than her videogame counterpart. It’s like they have their bases on the characters but written them differently.
- MARCI. Marci is the best. I love her.
- Music: This is one of my fav aspects of the show. As far as I’ve found the music was composed by Dino Meneghin and has this sort of ol’ videogame vibes music with the beats but also mixes with a style of a fantasy adventure. Props to him on making such a great job and also not making me skip the intro, because it’s lit!
- Voice acting: I’ve listened this anime with the english voice actors and it was nice. Gives them more character emotion like Davion being very cocky, Mirana wise and fearless, Invoker emotionless but also concerned. Plus, Tony Todd is there! Loved his voice acting in the videogame! I’ll have to listen in the latin american spanish because I’m curious about it too.
- Character’s personalities and evolution: When we see the first episodes we have a base on the main characters who take some time but change greatly. Davion starts as fearless and willing to help anyone but sometimes craves for attention to become someone who doesn’t know his purpose anymore yet still fights for what he believes it’s right even if it can risk his life; Mirana wants to do everything on her own but then realizes sometimes help is a good choice. Luna is someone who obeys anything Selemene commands yet in the end starts to doubt her goddess actions.
- References to the videogame: The most common scene is the beginning where the Oracle introduces us the concept and the base of this whole world, showing still images of the other heroes fighting each other but also in the next episodes it gives us scenes like the seller from the secret shop who has some of the items. It’s like a nice way to tell the audience that this is based on a game and they can find more playing it.
- Cliffhanger ending: It’s very obvious that they want to continue this series with more seasons and they make a good way by giving us different endings to the characters. We want to see what’s gonna happen now after all this journey that is just the beginning.
The Bad:
- Characters who are not very likeable nor interesting: One of those who I didn’t really liked was Bram, Davion’s squire. I mean he cares truly for Davion but was just there in the first and last episodes only, we don’t truly see his potential and makes him uninteresting at the end.
- Some nsfw scenes: As mentioned, there are some implied nsfw scenes which limits the audience. I understand there had to be a brothel in a black market but then in the elfs scene (if you know, you know) I kind of feel it was a biiiiiiiit unnecessary but hey, it’s their culture not my own.
- Not enough Marci.
- More use of the skills of the characters: Here’s a thing I kind of find lacking a lot and was that most of the characters didn’t use much of their skills based on the game. I mean Davion has his blood dragon thing that heals him quickly (?) and sometimes Mirana shoots his arrows/stars but then nothing much. Terrorblade is the one who truly uses more the skills.
I hope that with this long review you can dig it and watch some of this nice anime that has a lot of potential and let’s see if we can see more heroes next season!
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incorrect-ikevamp-quotes · 4 years ago
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Hi again! I come to you today with a question that may simply be a continuity error, but I'm still interested in your thoughts! In the main story, le Comte *knows* it was MC that came through the door behind him. Yet in Comte's "One Night, Beneath the Crescent Moon" POV story, he said he "...had no idea of what would happen next... That she would end up using the same door and end up stuck on the other side." What's your take on it? Thanks in advance! 💛
Hiya! First off I wanna apologize for how long it took to reply oTL I had originally drafted a response and then lost it when I accidentally closed the tab, and whenever that happens I always have to like sufficiently mourn the words I lost 😂😂😂
But to answer your question! If I’m entirely honest, I can’t remember what it was Comte said exactly in the Main Story in regards to her entering the door. There could be a lot of explanations for him saying he “knew”: continuity error, him wanting to put her at ease by seeming “in control” of the situation (while he’s screaming internally), or maybe even him wanting to cast some doubt as to whether or not he’s a person that can be trusted (aka the whole like “MC nooooooo don’t trust me I’m a vampire very bad very scary run away” kind of like Leonardo). 
All that being said, given the evidence we have and the stories I’ve read from his POV--esp that Crescent Moon one you referenced--I’m most inclined to believe that he had no idea she would follow him that day at the Louvre. If anything I really don’t think he ever anticipated any human person could follow him through the door? Because remember Sebastian (and the suitors for that matter) only manage because Comte is their escort. Sure their will to live on was strong enough that he could hear them, but they had no capacity to approach or find a door on their own as far as we currently know. The door was closed when MC found it; this suggests that Comte fully closed off that avenue to make sure nobody wayward stepped in by accident. He did the responsible thing and he left long before he could ascertain her safe journey through time, but she still managed to make it across somehow.
That’s why I think MC’s mere existence is earth-shattering to Comte. I mean we have all the good basics: a lovely lady, sweet and hard-working, means well and does her best. And these attributes all do matter, for sure. But the door is perhaps a greater catalyst in their romance than we might have first anticipated.
There will be some semi-hefty JPN rt spoilers below the cut for Dazai and Comte, so I’m just going to keep it under wraps just in case there are people who want to remained 100% unspoiled:
TW: Mentions of suicide in Dazai’s rt
The reason I say this is twofold, based on information provided by Dazai and Comte’s Main Story route. In Dazai’s route, remember that the focal point of the story is that Dazai wants to go back in time to kill himself as a baby so that he can never grow up to write his books or cause anyone pain in the near future--essentially, suicidal ideation to a frightening extreme. One of the main reasons that he fails (though MC plays a significant role in stopping him, too) is that Dazai’s will to kill himself is too weak. In simpler terms, this means that--no matter how much he insisted he wanted to die, the truth of his heart was revealed in his constant hesitating and difficulty going through with it. This is very often a reaction from people who need sizable psychological assistance to overcome trauma; they don’t usually want to die, it’s more that the pain of surviving their experiences is outweighing any possible joy they can find in living. 
But back to the most important part in bold. When Dazai asks about being able to use the door to travel through time, Charles confirms that it’s possible to travel without a pureblood escort. HOWEVER. This type of travel is very, very difficult unless you have an intense sense of willpower. I imagine the implication here is that you have to have an overwhelming desire and firmly believe it’s where you want to be in order for the travel attempt to succeed at all. (I don’t think the tethering point necessarily matters, but there is a suggestion that strong bonds between people--whether platonic or romantic--can serve as powerful guideposts when the door is distorted.) In other words, the reason Dazai relies on Charles’ moral bankruptcy is because Dazai knows he doesn’t feel strongly enough to go through with the suicide. He needs someone else who has the sheer determination and unbending will to see it through when the door opens. 
This is why Dazai is forced to ask Charles to accompany him, even though Charles doesn’t necessarily want to kill him. For Charles, this is less about a desperation to kill Dazai and more about his intense obsession-love for MC, and his willingness to do anything to receive her love/attention in return. In Charles’ view, since MC is ostensibly in love with Dazai, removing Dazai from the picture permanently is ideal. While Charles’ judgement is clouded and a little horrific, he is nonetheless rock steady in comparison to Dazai’s nonstop wavering. Dazai knows that he’s fickle on a personal level; one moment he wants to die, another he’s too afraid to let go of what he does care about or upset anyone. He’s at a point where he doesn’t know what’s right or true anymore and he’s floundering, which is honestly fairly common among those who share his lamentable condition. (Most people don’t have a death wish--it’s more a combination of circumstantial problems and healing that has remained in stasis that constitutes the extremity of that behavior.)
Moving right along, Comte’s route also features a similar testament to willpower, believe it or not. This happens in the last few chapters of the main story. Basically, Shakespeare dumps MC on Vlad’s doorstep and she’s more or less suffering the latter’s monologuing for a good while. Not long after that Comte appears and nearly shoots Vlad in the head, the bullet just grazing his cheek. Comte demands that he let MC go, and Vlad--in a classic sadistic act of compliance--wrenches open the door and just tosses MC into the freefall of distorted spacetime.
Now this is dangerous to MC’s life in and of itself, but there’s a key element there: distorted spacetime. In this main story the door never returns to its normal state after that first month period. Rather, the expanse of the door is too dangerous to be traveled even by a pureblood, let alone a human being. The chances MC will ever be able to escape in order to survive are closer to zero than any other number. Remember that Comte is immortal. If he gets stuck on his own, he can’t die and the damage to his body is always more than able to heal when he’s back to safety. (He even warns Leonardo in Leo’s MS that the danger of getting stuck in some kind of pocket in spacetime is still too significant to be ignored, though I can’t be sure if that’s due to Leonardo’s inexperience with time travel/requirement for an escort, or just an inevitable risk you juggle anytime you travel through the door.)
Of course Comte leaps in after her to try to save her, but presumably their entry point is long gone now (Vlad shut the door), so they’re just kind of floating in amorphous time. They do and don’t exist. Comte is understandably distraught because MC’s life hangs in the balance; if they don’t find a way out, she is almost certainly going to die. Comte admits that--while he hates the fact that his very existence is a danger to her, he still doesn’t regret finding her by any extension. MC protests, naturally, that there’s nothing to regret. Circumstances be what they may, she loves him. 
Now, here is the key. While Comte is trying to think of a way out, MC is thinking hard about wanting to return to the mansion. Her mind reflects an acute, intense desire to return home to the place where they both belong. And wouldn’t you know it? They both suddenly tumble out of the door in the mansion and onto the carpeted floor, whole and alive, sputtering in disbelief. Comte is baffled at first but it can only give way to immense relief that she’s safe, and he just immediately breaks down.
The only reason the two make it out unscathed is because of--I can only assume--MC’s overwhelming will to live on with Comte and return to the mansion. While it would have been natural for her to be overcome by fear to the point where she could make no productive decision, or even humor the concept of focusing on their home, she does it all the same with immediate success. That’s also part of why I think Comte just 100% caves into both of their feelings in the next chapter. He saw firsthand that, not only does MC keep a level head under duress, but she also has the overpowering will necessary to survive amongst vampires. And it was perhaps this unshakeable will in the first place that landed her in the late 19th century all those weeks ago.
It’s interesting because, honestly? Her entry through the door is more or less a hinge point for their romance. While it obviously isn’t the only reason he cares about her, it definitely is one of the bigger reasons he even feels safe enough to court her in earnest in the aftermath. It is literally only after this event that he confesses everything. Why he created the mansion and the men. How he’s really felt about her and himself all this time. What Vlad showed her and the implications of Vlad’s existence. And finally the truth about what he wants. He wants a relationship with her, but he keeps being held back by the fear that he’s too much. That the demand of being by his side will outweigh any happiness she might find choosing him. (Granted MC and I find that preposterous given how attentive and considerate he is, but you know). But after seeing her pull off surviving Vlad and traveling through the door by her own willpower again? I think it sufficiently lessens his doubts as to whether she could handle a future with him. It gives him the courage to just ask her: Do you want a future with me? Can you handle the demands of a vampire that cannot accept a mere human lifetime to be in love? 
And so this is why I have unceasing Comte brainworms ladies and gentlethem. I need to go lie down before I start crying again, I love him oTL
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thefairyletters · 4 years ago
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Could you answer this question? I went through a bunch of Sakura fics, many recommended by yourself (many good ones, thanks for your excellent taste!) but I also explored on my own, which is how this question spurred. I was wondering why so many ppl want Sakura to have wood release? &, because it's been a while so my memory's foggy, wasnt wood release sort of a bloodline thing? They had to infuse Hashirama's cells w/ Yamato for him to use it. It seems a little...I guess radical to give it to her? I LOVE Sakura, which is exactly why it kind of throws me off. I think she's already strong as is, & I think being able to utilize genjutsu & slug sage mode are logical expansions of her abilities, so wood release seems very...Idk how to put it but it seems like erasing Sakura. I'm discovering that I truly really dont think I like BAMF Sakura fics a lot bc it just doesnt read AS Sakura. It's like the author's are ashamed of her. Also I dislike when they use Strong!Sakura as a tag on ao3 bc she IS strong that HASNT changed & there's a canonical version of BAMF!Sakura in everything before the Pein arc. Everything after the Pein arc turned the entire series in a bad fanfiction for everyone in itself.
Thank you, I'm happy to know you enjoyed my recs!
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That's a good question.
This is what I think makes Sakura badass ➡ here
I love Sakura the way she is, as well. Her development, however, is lacking not in terms of her personality but her skillset. She has impressive chakra control, monstrous strength and is one of the two frontline medics and one of the best healers in the world. She has impressive feats under her belt as well, two of the most remarkable include her byakugo seal and her fight with Sasori alongside Chiyo. But it pales in comparison to her teammates, including Sai and Kakashi. I don't mind that too, because her journey is different than others, excluding Lee and possibly Tenten. She isn't seen much involved in fights, her attacks are repetitive in the show, she isn't bestowed many techniques under her belt and her best moments are in games and novels. It is not her character's fault but Kishimoto who just doesn't use her strength and intelligence which he (and other characters) have mentioned she has.
She is genjutsu type – but has she ever performed one, or even gotten out of one easily? Whats the use of such information if Kishimoto doesn't use it?
She has near perfect chakra control – she should be easily able to perform many techniques and practice different elements, especially water, but earth style and cloning is what we mostly ever see her use.
She has good foundation in Taijutsu – and that should increase her stamina and therefore her chakra coils, and that in turn will ensure she is able to use many techniques.
Her medical and research skills are only next to Tsunade – and we wish to see her revolutionize the medical field which she has but in Borutoverse. That is time skip. That doesn't really relive you much.
She has resistance to mind jutsus, thanks to her inner personality – and theoretically she should be able to even evade strong genjutsus like she did Ino's clan technique (something never been done before) but Kishimoto only used that incredible ability once. ONCE.
She has massive chakra storage and exceptional chakra control and sensitivity – she should be able to master Senjutsu, a field which is all about chakra. Anything that has to do with chakra control is Sakura's playground.
She is more or less an unofficial poison expert – but we didn't see her playing with poison expertly (a poison that even Suna's poison experts failed to break) after Gaara's retrieval arc.
She is the smart and responsible one of team 7 – but Kishi often makes her look both stupid and selfish. We don't see her use her intelligence much. I hate that more than her lacking in the expansion of the skills.
She trained under a political leader – that itself makes her and Shizune great administrators and governors. So, out of everyone, Sakura is the one of the best Hokage material. Hokage is said to be the strongest fighter of the village but that requirement failed us when Tsunade became the fifth Hokage.
She has yin seal – the strongest seals one can make, in their own body no less. It also shows her expert control of her chakra. She can summon one of the big 3 summons. Sealing is more or less code that requires high intelligence and great chakra control that can be fused into the ink. As far as I can tell, she is one of the best candidates to learn Fuinjutsu.
With all these possibilities of her growth – because it is not something we make up but something Kishi has implied she has but never explored – how can one not exploit it? It doesn't mean one doesn't love Sakura for who she is but that its because they love her that they want to give her what she has the right to. She doesn't have to be expert at something to be powerful, just her putting her skills to best use is admirable as it is. I love Sakura for who she is and who she could be.
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Now, onto the question as to why people seem to favour giving Sakura wood release, this are the following reasons that I think could be it:
Does it have to be bloodline limit?
Kishimoto gave Hashirama a unique bloodline limit that apparently cannot be inherited by any other Senju. That defeats the purpose of bloodline limit. What makes Senju clan so different? Without Hashirama in the picture, you cannot distinctly identify a Senju clan member aside from their strong chakras. Tobirama is identified for his water techniques. Tsunade has perfect control of her chakra that allowed her to exhibit monstrous strength and incredible healing abilities. How come wood release is a bloodline limit but is not passed down the line?
It is complicated because Tsunade is also renowned for her perfect chakra control just like Hashirama. So, some stories make Sakura a secret Senju clan member because of her uncanny resemblance to Tsunade and Senju clan in general. Pink hair can be a diluted version of Red (Mito) and her chakra control originating directly from Hashirama's lineage.
I personally don't like this because I love Sakura being a civilian child.
It's not a bloodline limit:
So, assuming wood release is not a bloodlimit but a very hard technique requiring precise chakra control and mastery of dual elements Earth and Water, then it is possible for Sakura to practice same technique because of her prodigious chakra control. By that logic, we can also assume that Tenzo inherited Hashirama's unique chakra control to use wood release. Because Orochimaru could have used Tsunade's DNA too if it was only about clan blood. So that rules out bloodline limit.
I love the idea of Sakura practising wood release because it is possible for her to do so. So if an author gives Sakura wood release that she hones with practice and control (ref. fanfic: Labyrinthine) instead of having been gifted with it, I'm digging it.
Nature chooses the wood user:
Naruto universe has many references to spiritual entities such as gods/goddesses, reincarnation and celestial bodies. It is conceivable to make nature an ethereal entity that has its own will. Sakura looks like the embodiment of spring with her petal hair and green eyes, and Hashirama can be compared to wood with his warm personality and appearance, these attributes can make them look distinctly attractive to nature. No other characters remind me strongly of nature than these two so I suppose they can be uniquely selected to be blessed this ability. Tenzo's abilities is the result of human experiment by Orochimaru who always cheats on nature so he is an exception.
I only like this because I like the idea of Sakura being Nature's child.
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Most stories that I love don't give her a special edge and only give her more techniques under her arsenal. It is very rarely that I love an OCC Sakura who has a bloodline, a clan or godlike abilities.
After Pein's arc, Naruto turned into a joke. Everyone in team 7 (barring Sakura, Sai and Yamato) and long list of antagonists seemed to get power ups left and right. Sakura got hers in the last moment as a last ditch effort to reunite team 7 as one, a moment that felt so hasty that I couldn't take the show seriously at all. I was so disappointed with the whole war arc. I cringe just thinking about it. I sometimes think if it would have been better for everyone to just die with happily ever after in their mind. That would be tragic but a fitting end because Madara became too OP and Kaguya ridiculously so.
The reason people add 'Strong', 'BAMF', 'Smart' prefixes before Sakura is the reason why people add extra qualities to Sakura's character. They are not satisfied with how Sakura handles herself in fights and many base her fights with the one she had with Sasori. After that, did you see her actively participating in any major fight, barring her attempts to make a score on sidelines? Usually, these fanfictions also justify why she is Tsunade 2.0, something the Naruto failed to show.
By the way, many stories have BAMF tag for Shikamaru, Naruto and Sasuke as well. Are they not already strong af? They don't use Strong tag for them though, and that's because their fighting prowess is already seen. Shikamaru is not much of a fighter as much as he is a strategist and a leader. He is a cool and sly character. Naruto and Sasuke have flashy moves with flashy names under their belt with absurd power levels that puts them in god tier. Sakura has none of that – no signature move that is uniquely her, no clan to back her, no move with a name (barring game moves) – and she is seen useless because she is a healer which is a non-offensive, background job even if it is the most crucial and taxing job. It's significance is even more reduced when people point out how her work is futile because they are again sent to the fight/missions once they are up to go. Most fans only care for visual aesthetics, regardless of how rare and in-demand medics are because of the lack of qualified people who can muster and use medical chakra properly.
Sakura is more than just a healer but in canon she is more or less reduced to that. To make things worse for her, both Ino and Hinata are also shown to have healing techniques. They both also have clan techniques (vastly unknown) with them which makes them appear more 'useful'. Sakura is literally in the shadow of her mentor and her friends.
In Boruto, she is said to be the most powerful Kunoichi of her generation and quite possibly the greatest medic in the world but in Shippuden it is severely undermined. This is also why Boruto fans love Sakura but a bunch of Shippuden fans don't.
I mostly don't judge BAMF/Strong Sakura fanfictions, but I mostly avoid Anbu Sakura fanfictions if I can because I personally don't belive Sakura to be an Anbu material.
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I want to add more, but I think I got my point across. Thank you for reading this far. I hope I answered your question adequately.
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eevee-and-the-fandom · 3 years ago
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It’s about time that I talk more about the second fanfic story that I’m working on!
WARNING: KHUX ENDING SPOILERS AHEAD
This story takes place immediately after KHUX, or at least, it takes place after Ephemer wakes up in the the flooded remains of Daybreak Town. And we all know he built Scala, right? So this story follows his journey to build Scala, among other things.
This story will also include the first Princess of Heart and all the new lore that comes with it (in fact, that’s what inspired this story in the first place), prototype Keyblade armor, learning about the importance of world order, world resets, sad key kids, lots of angst, attempts at architecture, and much more, not exactly in that order!
Of course, a fic like this requires some OCs, especially OC key kids. So I created a few to start off with and their designs are up above! Lemme tell you about them because I love them so much now and they’re all actually pretty cool and they’re a big part of this story anyways so yeah
I’ll go from left to right!
First up is Jamie! One of my friends wanted an OC in here based off of a few ideas he had, but of course, this character is so much more than that. Jamie is from Radiant Garden as a middle-class citizen of the fabled City of Light. He doesn’t have a lot of connections to people; he’s mostly busy working at his job and just trying to make ends meet. But when a chance at a better life comes in the form of a Keyblade and Ephemer, he takes the chance and leaves his world.
Jamie is usually an easy-going and confident guy, and he’s also one of the older people in this initial group of key kids. However, he also is quite short-tempered and can get angered at others easily. When in battle, he’s more of the strong, physical attacker type. So he’s a bit slower than some of the others, but of course, he’s a quite a bit stronger too. He doesn’t have much magic skill, but he’s capable of using weaker spells in a pinch. He’s definitely one of the least experienced in the group when it comes to using a Keyblade.
Next up on the list is Rand. He’s a somewhat flirty guy, who’s also kinda cocky. Sometimes, intentionally or not, he gets on other’s nerves and can be a bit of a pain to be around sometimes. And of course, he’s always teasing someone about something or another. However, deep down, he’s really not that bad of a guy, he just likes to rile people up sometimes and likes attention. He never goes out of his way to actually hurt anyone, at least on purpose. He actually really cares about his teammates and friends. I’m still working on his backstory though, especially since I’m not sure if I wanna make him an original Dandelion or if he would be a new wielder like Jamie.
Besides that though, in battle, Rand likes to use strong attacks of all varieties. Whether it’s physical or magic attacks, he likes to hit as hard as absolutely possible. Unfortunately, that does mean that his attacks take much longer to charge compared to his teammates’ attacks, but at least they can hit extremely hard. He is pretty balanced when it comes to attack and magic stats. And his specialty more specifically lies with non-elemental or more physical magic kind of attacks, such as earth and attacks similar to Ragnarok or Ripple Drive.
After Rand is the elegant Glacies. She’s well-respected among her peers, and is not only a capable warrior but is also rather good in social environments. She’s basically second-in-command—behind Ephemer—due to her capabilities. She’s also an extremely hard worker, always trying to be better and stronger on the face of her peers, but also for the sake of the worlds that she knows that they all have a duty to protect. Due to this, she sometimes snaps at her fellow teammates if she thinks that they aren’t taking their duties as Keyblade Wielders seriously, which can lead to some tension. However, she always apologizes later, and as the story goes on, learns to respect her teammates a little bit more. When not in battle, she’s honestly a pretty chill person and tries her best to help everyone else be at their best too. Glacies is a Dandelion.
Glacies specializes in elemental attacks, though of course her favorite element to use is ice. She’s also more skilled in magic attacks than she is at physical attacks, but she’s trained enough that her physical attacks can hurt if she needs them too. Her magic attacks do tend to be on the stronger side, but they aren’t as strong as Rand’s magic attacks. However, she’s very skilled at finding an enemies weak point and exploiting it with her elemental attacks, and she also casts relatively faster than Rand can.
Selene is up next! She’s a Dandelion who was in the same Union as Ephemer before the Keyblade War happened. She’s also who I have planned to be the first official Princess of Heart. Selene is a quiet but kind girl who finds pressure difficult to handle. At first, she seems a bit aloof and shy, but honestly she feels a lot of social anxiety. Even so, she’s very good at working together with her teammates, and she’s also pretty knowledgeable about the more practical uses of magic, like for teleportation and levitation and even for stuff like cooking or structures.
Selene’s combat capabilities are more attuned to the magic side, more specifically to light and status attacks. So attacks like faith, slow, haste (yes, I do mean FF haste), magnet, KH1 Aero, or cure. She’s also pretty good at physical attacks, since her status moves don’t do a lot of damage, but she’s not particularly strong in the realm of physical attacks either, so she usually has to stay back and act as more of a support role to her peers.
Last but not least is Nadia, another key kid who survived the Keyblade War. Sadly, Nadia came out as on of the most mentally scarred of the group, and she’s very cold to the others at first, even though she agreed to come along with Ephemer. Nadia does not take shit and is not here for friends. She almost believes that Ephemer shouldn’t even revive the art of the Keyblade because she doesn’t want to have to experience yet another Keyblade War, and she’s afraid that the more people know about the Keyblade, the more likely it is that something terrible will happen. Later on though, after some character development, Nadia turns out to be a good friend who isn’t afraid to give criticism or snide remarks if she feels it’s necessary. She’s jaded and scarred, but she’ll eventually do her best to heal.
Nadia is a swift physical attacker. Her attacks don’t hit as hard, but she hits fast, and she moves fast too. Her smaller stature allows her to maneuver through the battlefield with greater ease than most, and if a distraction is needed, she’s the best person for the job. She also doesn’t have as much of a defense as the others, but as mentioned, her speed more than makes up for that. She’s also surprisingly strong with really good stamina, and so she can jump higher and climb farther than most of her teammates as well.
Anyway, that’s all of the OCs! Ephemer himself is an all-rounder, able to play any kind of role that he needs to, but of course he’s not a specialist in any of them. But if one of the others is down for the count or if there are only a few of them on a mission, he can take any role that would benefit the team the most.
That’s all I’ll share about my story for now! The working title name is “The First Heart,” but I’m still trying to find something a little better lol.
I’m honestly super excited to write this story!
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ahsbitch · 4 years ago
Text
A Walk In The Woods
Word Count: 5762
Summary: You find a wild Michael Langdon in the woods, and after deciding that he definitely needs some help, you invite him back home with you. 
Warnings:  Smut, 69ing, so obviously oral happens, Male and Female Receiving, A Bit Of Praise Kink, unprotected sex, Vaginal Intercourse, Sad Boi Michael, some cockwarming at the end (obviously I’m v into cockwarming, don’t @ me) Shitty Writing, lots of cursing, that’s all I can think of
A/N: I’m sure this is awful but idk I put effort into it so I’m posting it. Also I should totally wait to post til tomorrow bc it’s like midnight but?? I really wanted to post it today so I’m just going for it. Hope y’all enjoy, comments are Always appreciated, much love! ♥️
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Walking barefoot in the woods was probably your most ridiculous hobby, but it was probably your favorite as well. 
There was always something to discover in the woods.
You tried to take a forest walk at least once a week, on Sundays. You would be gone for hours, wandering, feeling the ups and downs of the universe all around you.
There was always something to discover in the woods, and it was always something different.
Often you would stop in sunny patches and meditated. Sometimes you could feel the musings of something greater than you, running through you. 
Occasionally, you would find a wounded animal, typically just small things like squirrels or sparrows, although sometimes bigger creatures, a deer, an owl, a fox, things along those lines. You felt a responsibility to them, to help them, to clean them up and help them heal and get them better enough to go off on their journeys in life. 
On this particular walk, you found a type of wounded animal you’d never dealt with before. 
Michael Langdon. 
You found him wandering the woods, bleary eyed, coated in scratches and sunburns. 
“Are you alright, sir?” You moved slowly closer to him, not worried for yourself but afraid to startle him. 
The man was beautiful, you could tell he was beneath the dirt that covered him. 
You had startled him, it seemed, as he looked up at you with wild, piercing eyes, raising a hand and sending you flying back against a tree, pinning you there by the throat. 
Well, fuck. 
Your hands clawed at your neck in spite of yourself, trying to pull at something that wasn’t there. You wouldn’t have tried at all, if you were capable of rational thought, would have let it happen as you had great faith that the mystery man was going to let you go, but of course when one loses the ability to breathe, one’s body tends to panic in spite of what the mind may wish for. 
After a few seconds, you dropped to the ground, gasping for air.
Breathe in...Breathe out...Breathe in...Breathe out...Breath in..
“I’m sorry,” You stood up, keeping your gaze on the ground but taking a step towards him.
Although you still didn’t look him in the face, you could tell just from his voice that the man was confused, wandering closer to you, “Why are you sorry?”
Shrugging, you lifted your head from the ground, although you still kept it below eye level, “I frightened you. I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry.”
“I,” He frowned, and you focused your eyes on his mouth, “I attacked you.”
“Because I frightened you. I was trying not to, but I did, and I’m very sorry for it.”
“Is that why you won’t look me in the eye?” He sounded curious, and his mouth curved into a funny little smile, “Because you’re sorry?” 
“Because direct eye contact can be intimidating,” You explained, “I don’t want to upset you again.” 
Biting his lower lip, the man extended his hand, “It’s okay. I’m... my name is Michael. I’m sorry for...what I did. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
You took his hand, feeling a zip of electricity shoot through you, and finally looked into his eyes, “It’s okay. I’ve been hurt worse. Wasn’t a big deal. I’m Y/N. It’s nice to meet you, Michael.”
Brows scrunched together over his crystalline blue eyes, Michael cleared his throat, “It’s nice to meet you too, Y/N. I’m sorry for bothering you, I- I should let you go.”
You weren’t quite sure whether he meant that literally or figuratively, as he was still clutching at your hand like a lifeline. 
“Hang on,” Drawing him closer, you reached a careful hand up to his face, hesitating at the way he flinched, then stilled, his eyes flickering to the side anxiously, but allowing you to cup his cheek and examine him, “How long have you been out here?” 
Michael looked unsure of himself, leaning into your hand ever so slightly and seemingly not even conscious of it, “A few days, I think. I was doing a, well, I was doing something, but it didn’t work, and then I tried to make my way back to the city, but I kinda got lost.” 
“You must be starving,” You pulled away from him, straightening up, “I can take you back to the city, and you can come to my place for a little bit.”
You were already walking, and after a moment you heard Michael hurry to follow you, “What do you mean?”
“You said you were lost. I don’t think you just mean physically. Besides, you must be hungry, and no offense, but you’re kind of a mess right now,” You glanced back at him, giving a small smile when you saw his shocked expression, “You need help. I’m happy to give it.” 
“Why?” Michael moved to your side, walking in step with you, “Why would you help me? What if I’m a murderer?” 
“Even if you are, I don’t think you’ll murder me. If you do, I’d ask that you do it quickly, that’s just a little personal preference of mine, although of course if you’re some truly evil serial killer then I doubt you’d care much about my preferences,” Shrugging, you grasped his hand in yours and pulled him behind you, feeling another volt of electricity crackle through your veins as you led him back to the city. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“You have a nice place,” Michael told you hesitantly as you made your way up the front steps of your apartment building. 
You almost laughed at that, but when you glanced back at him he looked so genuine in the compliment that you paused, pulling him inside, “You... you know this whole place isn’t mine, right? It’s an apartment building. My place is pretty not nice, actually. I mean, I like it, but it’s small and not very fancy, y’know?”
“Oh,” He looked a little embarrassed, and you could tell that he had thought the whole building belonged to you. He looked like someone who was used to money and big houses, or at least he looked like he would look like that if he didn’t currently look like he’d been attacked by some sort of weather monster and was now on the verge of passing out. 
“Sit,” You said simply, gesturing to the couch, and you hurried to get a glass of water, handing it to him, “Drink.” 
Bustling your way back to the kitchen, you looked back to see him staring at the cup, and you repeated, “Michael. Drink the water. Come on,” You turned to the plants on your windowsill, grabbing your kitchen shears, “Do you mind?”
“Do I mind drinking water?” Michael asked, confusion evident. 
“Not you,” You turned to him with a smile, nodding, “You don’t have a choice there. Drink the water. I was talking to Tennyson.”
“Who’s Tennyson?”
He had finished the cup of water, and you took it and refilled it before gesturing to the aloe vera plant that you had just trimmed a stalk off of, returning the cup to him, “The plant. The full name is Aloe, Lord Tennyson.”
“You name your plants?” Clearing his throat, Michael took a sip of the new cup of water, “You... talk to your plants?” 
Shrugging, you split the long leaf in half, scooping some of the gel inside onto your fingers, “Yes, and yes. Now this may hurt a bit, just a warning.”
You pressed against his forehead as gently as you could, where a large pinkish red sunburn rested, and Michael let out a hiss and suddenly you were flying across the room, hitting the wall. He didn’t hold you in place or choke you this time, at least, and in a moment he had leapt from the couch and hurried over to you, “I’m so sorry. It hurt and I wasn’t expecting it, I-”
“It’s okay,” You let Michael pull you to your feet, holding onto his hand ever more tightly as you looked at his ashen face and downtrodden expression, “I should’ve given you better warning. Listen, I’ll doctor you up later. Let’s get you in a bath, first, okay? You can bathe and I’ll make some food and then, after, we can take care of your sunburns and scrapes.”
“I keep hurting you,” Michael pulled his hand away, looking at it as though your touch had burned him, “And you keep being nice to me.” 
“If you were doing it on purpose, I’d be less nice. But you’re not, I can tell. Now, follow,” You led the way to your small bathroom, starting to fill the tub with water. 
Michael sat on the edge of the tub, watching you adjust the temperature and light the candles that lay at the corners and pour in some bubble bath. He stared as you moved, humming to yourself, and when you stood and started to step away, “I have some old clothes that I think will fit you. They’re not particularly fancy, like what you’re wearing now, but they’re clean. I’ll drop them off once I get some dinner started, okay?” 
Nodding, Michael began to undo the buttons of his shirt, and you hurried out of the room. 
He was still lost, even though he wasn’t in the woods anymore. And you were determined to help him. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Y/N?” Michael called, cracking the bathroom door open, “I’m dressed and everything.”
“Great! Hop up on the counter for me, okay? Just hang tight,��� You grabbed the bowl of aloe gel that you had scraped from the plant and a box of band aids and hurried back to the bathroom.
He was perched next to your sink, and you tapped at his knees. Michael frowned but opened his legs so you could stand in between them, “Why am I on your counter, exactly?”
“Because it’s time for me to play doctor. I’m going to touch your face, okay?” You cupped his cheek in your hand and tugged him down, beginning to dab gel onto his sunburns and clean the long scratches that streaked across his features, “Are you comfortable? Do the sweatpants fit okay and everything?” 
“They’re fine,” Michael mumbled, flinching when you pressed a band aid to one of the deeper cuts on his forehead, his hand curling into a fist. He sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, letting his other hand rest gently on your shoulder, “I appreciate you letting me borrow them. And letting me use your bathtub, and well, and everything else.” 
You nodded, taking in a deep breath and finally moving your attention to notice that he was staring at you, smiling at him, “You used my shampoo.”
“Oh, yeah,” He turned pink, “Yeah, is that okay? It smelled like strawberries and it was right there so I just...”
“Of course! Not a problem at all. You smell nice,” You were looking straight at him now, and he continued to stare, and just when you’d tilted your head to the side, trying to discern what exactly Michael was thinking, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to yours. 
The hand that had rested on your shoulder came up to stroke your face, and then as quickly as it had started, it was done, and he had pulled away from you, turning his head sheepishly to the side. 
Clearing your throat nervously, you stepped back, “Do you like tomato soup?” 
“Yes,” Michael hopped off the counter, following you to the kitchen, although he stayed about four steps behind you. 
The two of you sat in silence for a while, looking at each other over bowls of soup and large dinner rolls. 
Your lips still buzzed from the memory of him against you, but you tried to ignore that. Michael scarfed food down for a while, and you simply kept refilling his bowl until he finally started to slow down, and then you asked carefully, “So, Michael. What’s gotten you lost like this. Tell me where you came from. Tell me about your parents.”  
“There isn’t much to tell about them,” Michael turned red, and he steadfastly refused to make eye contact with you, “My father abandoned me, and my mother tried to kill me. There’s only one person who’s ever really cared, who hasn’t abandoned me, and she’s gone now.”
“I’m sorry,” You said earnestly, letting your hand reach out just far enough to brush against his, “Humanity is unkind, often especially so to those who need kindness the most.” 
Michael had a curious way of frowning, his confusion always quite evident. His eyes would widen and his brows would move, displaying everything he was feeling. It was cute, honestly. 
“I’m sorry about earlier,” He said finally bluntly, having been staring at you in silence, “I shouldn’t have done that. You’re just...I mean... I was gonna try to just not mention it, but you’re so nice and I feel bad.”
“You should’ve asked first,” Drawing your hand away, you tried to make eye contact with him, but now he was avoiding your gaze, “For a lot of reasons. But I’m not mad at you.” 
“You’re not? I know I should’ve asked, I’m just... I’m not used to having to ask for things. I know that’s not a good excuse, but I don’t really know what to say. I’m just sorry,” Michael was frowning even deeper than before. 
Shrugging, you reached back across the table, this time allowing your fingers to stroke along his jaw, “The fact that you’re sorry is enough. Just... don’t go around kissing strangers with no warning, okay?”
“Okay,” He smiled, leaning into your hand, a strange rumbling noise emanating from deep in his chest, almost like a purr.
Suddenly, you felt a bolt of desire shoot through you, seemingly out of nowhere, and you shifted a little in your seat, “Are you done eating?” 
“Yeah, I’m good. Thank you for the food. I can find somewhere to go, I’m sure,” Pulling away from you, Michael started to stand, and you rushed to stand too.
“What do you mean? Why would you go anywhere?” You grabbed his arm, trying to hold him in place even as he brushed you away. 
“I don’t want to be a burden.”
A burden? 
“If you were going to be a burden, I wouldn’t have brought you here at all. Spend the night,” Squeezing at his wrist gently, you moved to stand in front of him.
Michael looked utterly taken aback by this, “Really? Are you sure?” 
You tugged him along behind you, to your bedroom, bringing him to sit on your bed and collapsing down next to him. 
“I’m sure,” Turning towards him, you tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear and leaned forward, looking deeply into his eyes, “You’re the opposite of a burden, and I can prove it.” 
Michael’s breathing hitched, and he moved closer to you, closing his eyes and letting out a slow breath, “I really wanna kiss you again.” 
“You can,” You said simply, wanting to kiss him very badly, but having decided that he needed to be the one to initiate it.
“But you said-”
“I said you should ask first,” You placed a hand on his cheek, feeling something crackling in the air, his skin soft against your own.
“Y/N,” Michael leaned into you, and another rumble rolled from his chest, “May I please kiss you?”
“You can do a lot more than that. I want to show you that you’re not a burden. You deserve to feel good,” And then his mouth was on yours, and something deeper than electricity was running through you. 
He kissed you like a teenager, not pulling you closer to him but pushing his upper body forward, and you let out a giggle in spite of yourself.
Pulling back suddenly, Michael frowned, running a hand through his hair, “Sorry. Did I... did I do something wrong?”
“No, don’t be sorry!” You rolled your shoulders back, wishing that you two were still touching, a wave of regret hitting you when you saw the wounded look in his eyes, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t laughing at you, Michael, I just... I feel a lot of things right now, y’know? But they’re all good things! I’m just, well, shit, I’m rambling. I’m going to stop talking now and, uh, and take off my shirt. Take your shirt off? Please?” 
Michael’s eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to speak but closed it immediately when he saw you slip off your shirt, fumbling with the fabric of his own, letting out a shout as it got stuck over his head. 
“Fuck!” The fabric had bunched around his face, his voice slightly muffled, “Dammit, fucking, Y/N, help me!” 
Choking back a laugh, you climbed into his lap and assisted him in wrestling off the shirt, letting another giggle slip out at his look of relief once it was free, which instantly transformed into one of shock as he looked at you, and you could feel yourself starting to blush in spite of your best attempts not to, “Okay, you good?”
He let out a slow breath, eyes trained on securely on your breasts, covered in a lacy white bra, “I’m much more than good. I’m fantastic. Can I... I mean... can I kiss you again? Can I maybe touch you?” 
“I want you to feel good, Michael. Yes,” You gave him a quick kiss on the tip of the nose, smiling at the way he scrunched it up in response. 
Then Michael was kissing you again, and fuck it felt good, his skin ever so slightly prickling against you, and then he raised a tentative hand to your chest, swiping across your left nipple briefly. 
You let out a moan that you hadn’t expected, and he froze for a moment, beginning to slowly swirl his thumb around the covered bud. Suddenly his lips were gone from yours and wrapped around your right nipple, flicking his tongue against it experimentally, and he pulled back with a grin as you let out another breathy moan.
You sounded like a fucking porn star, what the fuck?
“Wow, you’re sensitive,” Michael teased, bringing his other hand up to replace his mouth, “Can I take your bra off?”
“I’ll get it. And I’m not this sensitive, not normally,” You panted, grinding down against him without thinking about it, reaching behind your back to unclasp, and letting out a high pitched whine when his hands were finally on your bare skin, “I mean, not like this. This is... this is you, I think.” 
You could already feel him hard underneath you, but at your words his erection became even more prominent, pressed firmly against your inner thigh.
The rumbling noise came from deep in Michael’s chest once again, and you decided that it was in fact a purr, or something damn close to one. He was beaming now, and there was something almost childlike about him when he looked so joyful, and there was an obvious note of pride in his voice, “Really? Me? Do you think I could make you cum doing this?” 
He pinched lightly and you gasped, head rolling back, “Probably, but not right now, okay? I wanna-fuck-I wanna-”
You couldn’t finish your sentence, couldn’t think of what was supposed to come next, and carefully you gripped Michael’s wrists, pulling his hands away from you and sliding off of his lap. 
With a pout, Michael watched you move between his legs, an eyebrow raised, “Was it really that intense?” 
“It was,” You glanced up at him from where you now lay, pressing a soft kiss to his cock through his sweatpants, your mind still strangely fogged, “It was... weird. Good weird, but weird. Are you secretly magical or something?” 
He barked a short laugh just a little too quickly for it to sound natural, but you figured that was maybe because you were mouthing along the outline of his dick, his hips bucking up every so slightly, and he was perhaps a bit too distracted to act like your terrible joke was funny. 
Just as you were sliding the sweatpants down his hips, Michael threaded his hands in your hair, tugging gently so that you’d look up at him, a blissful smile on his face as he watched you, “You’re so pretty, do you know that? You’re beautiful.” 
His dick had sprung out of his pants then, bouncing up to his stomach, and you weren’t able to respond at first because fucking hell, it was the most perfect dick you’d ever seen. Thick, veiny, a nice shade of pink although the tip had turned an angry red, and fuck it was big, probably too big, but you weren’t planning to complain about that. Finally, you snapped yourself out of your daze, looking back up at him with a laugh, “You’re just saying that because I’m about to suck your cock.” 
“No!” Michael looked shocked by the very thought, his hips bucking again, ever so slightly, at the feeling of your breath on his skin, “No, I’m serious. You’re so gorgeous, I-fuck-” You licked a line up the length of his cock, and he grabbed desperately at your shoulders, making you pause, “Dammit, I really want you to sit on my face.” 
Your thighs clenched, and you looked up at him, shaking your head to clear your thoughts, “I, I mean, no. I told you, I want to make you feel good. Not-”
“But it will!” Michael tugged at you, bringing you up until he could press a fervent kiss to your lips, “I want to. So bad. Please, Y/N, please do it. Please let me. Please.” 
Fucking hell, was he trying to kill you? 
“But I... I wanted you to feel good. Don’t you want me to...” You trailed off, trying to think as Michael kissed your neck. 
“I do, believe, me, I really do, but I also want this.”
“I’ve never done that before,” You admitted, feeling your face get hot with embarrassment, “Honestly, I’m afraid I’d end up accidentally smothering whoever I was with.” 
“That wouldn’t happen,” Michael assured, kicking his sweatpants the rest of the way off, and you find yourself peeling your own leggings off even though you still weren’t sure of what you were doing, and he hooked his fingers into your panties, a smirk on his face, “And even if it did, I can guarantee you that there would be no better way to die.” 
“Okay,” You let out a deep breath, letting out a contented hiss as he brushed his long fingers over your clit, “But I still want to give you a blowjob, okay?” 
“You can. Just face that way,” Michael grinned, ripping your panties off with one sharp tug. 
You were about to scold him, but then his fingers were pressing into your folds, and you gave a quiet gasp, “Michael, fuck.”
He laid down, hands tapping away at his stomach as he waited for you. Hesitantly, you crawled up the bed, turning so that you could look down the length of his body, and knelt over his face. 
You bent down, lifting his cock up and running your fingers along the underside of it, kissing the tip, and you felt him let out a shaky breath beneath you. 
“Fucking hell, you taste amazing,” Michael whispered, wrapping his hands around your thighs and pulling you down against him completely. 
He made the purring noise once more, sucking fervently at your clit, and you let out a shriek at the feeling of it rumbling through you. Pulling your legs even further apart, he buried his tongue into your folds, and finally, you opened your mouth as wide as you could and sunk down over his cock until his tip brushed the back of your throat. 
When he moved back to your clit, giving it careful kitten licks, you buried your finger nails into his thighs. At this, he groaned, thrusting up into your mouth, and you gagged. 
This was... what? The third time today he’d accidentally choked you? You hadn’t been angry during any of the other times, but this was the time that probably bothered you the least. 
“Sorry, babe, I’m sorry,” He rasped, and although you could hardly hear him, between the feeling of his words vibrating against you and the intense presence of Michael Langdon that filled the air around you, you knew exactly what he was saying. 
Babe.
It was such a gentle word from him, the way it rolled off his tongue so naturally making butterflies start fluttering in your stomach. 
Well, that, and the fact that the feeling of Michael against you was extraordinary, and you were feeling the tight, delightful bubble that signaled your impending orgasm beginning to form. 
You sucked harder. 
It took only a few minutes of this, of you licking and sucking, running your teeth over the pulsing vein that streaked along the side, before you felt him flex his thigh muscles beneath your hands, his salty cum splashing into your mouth. 
It was sweet alongside the salty, a strange mixture of the two, not unlike a chocolate covered pretzel, and you swallowed every drop you could before licking frantically along to make sure you didn’t miss anything. 
“Fuck,” He growled, something authoritative, almost dangerous, flooding through the air. 
Michael lifted you off of him as though you weighed nothing more than a ragdoll and tossed you down onto the mattress on your back, his lips suctioning around your clit once again, two fingers buried deep inside of you. 
You held onto his shoulders as his fingers scissored inside you, squeezing your legs tight around his head unintentionally. You felt him chuckle into your folds at that, and he removed his fingers from you momentarily to pull your legs over his shoulders. 
“Michael!” You mewled, your hips straining to jolt upward, and then he was moving faster, faster, adding a third finger that brushed a spot deeper inside you than anything else had ever reached. Your entire body clenched, and then suddenly you felt the waves of your climax wash over you. 
When your head was fully back, Michael had straightened up, examining his fingers, which were coated in your juices. 
“Fucking hell, Michael, I didn’t need to finish just then. You could’ve waited until you were fucking me for real,” You sat up on your forearms, laughing as you looked down at him. 
“Sorry,” Frowning, Michael pulled away, “Was that too much?” 
Why was he so goddamn sweet?
Moving to your knees, you pulled his face up to yours and kissed him, the taste of yourself that lingered on his tongue mixing with the salty remains of Michael on your own tongue, and you let out a low groan, pulling back to give him a smile, “No. It was wonderful.” 
“Okay. Can we... I mean,” He turned red, looking away from you, “Would you possibly consider riding me? Or do you want to stop now?” 
You rolled to the side, gesturing for Michael to move up the bed, and after a moment he did, sitting up against the headboard. Climbing into his lap in one swift movement, you let out a quiet moan at the feeling of him against your folds, his tip pressed against your interest. He swiped his hand between the two of you, gathering the fluids that had spilled from you and rubbing it onto his cock, lubing himself up with the remnants of your last orgasm. 
“Do you mind going slow?” You asked meekly, burying your face against his chest as you rocked against him, “I’m sorry, just, you’re really big.”
“Of course,” He cooed, running his hands through your hair, and finally you began sliding down the length of his cock. Burying your teeth into his neck, you tried to concentrate on how good this would feel once you got used to the stretch, the burn, and he whispered in your ear, “You’re doing so good. You-shit-you take my cock wonderfully, do you know that? It’s okay, I know it hurts, but you’re doing great.” 
When you had reached the end, and you were filled to the hilt, you gave a careful roll of your hips, testing the waters. You were feeling better now, running your tongue over the spot on his neck you had bitten, before beginning to suck another hickey into his soft skin. At this, Michael bucked into you, his cock hitting all the way up against your cervix, and you let out a shriek. 
You almost laughed at yourself. You had thought his fingers were impressive, but they were nothing compared to the sheer, masterful feeling of Michael inside you, his hands splayed against the small of your back, holding you in place as you leaned into him, taking one of your nipples into his mouth once again. 
“You feel so good, Michael,” You cried out, and Michael made that damn rumbling noise again, “Fuck, do you know that you purr? I love it.”
Although he continued to hold you, he seemed to be trying to hold back from fucking you too harshly, instead occasionally letting himself thrust into you, his eyes rolling back in his head at the way you moaned each time. He paused, looking up at you with a frown, “I don’t purr.” 
You giggled, although it quickly turned into a whimper as he began sucking hickeys into your breasts, and you squeezed his shoulders tightly to concentrate, “You do. You make lots of pretty noises. It makes sense, too. You’ve got such a pretty mouth, such a pretty face, such a pretty cock. You’re so pretty, it’s infected everything you do. And-fucking hell, that feels good-you move so well. Fill me up so well.” 
Michel lolled his head back against the headboard, the purring noise coming out again as you began to grind down harder. You kissed him quickly, watching as his eyes opened suddenly, drinking you in. 
“You’re perfect, Y/N, do you know that? You bounce so well on my cock, and your tits are so fucking perfect,” He paused, clearing his throat, “Was that the right thing to say? I don’t want to be disrespectful. I respect you, too, and all that. You’re just, fuck, you’re so fucking gorgeous and I don’t know how much longer I’m going to last.” 
“It’s okay,” You reassured him, looking at his face to see that it was glistening, and it took you a moment to realize that there were tears running down his face. Kissing each one away, licking up the salty trail they had left, you resolved not to mention it or ask why, exactly, he was crying, “I’m not gonna last much longer either. I want you to cum for me, okay? Please, Michael.”
“Should I... should I pull out?” He panted, helping you roll your hips. 
“You don’t have to,” Gasping, desperately, you buried your nails into his shoulders, trying to contain the climax that was beginning to boil through you, “Just, fuck, please finish soon, Michael. I’m going to-”
Nodding, Michael’s thrusting increased. Although he was still cautious, his hands coming up to cup your breasts, you could tell that he was close to his end, as well. 
And he was, and he did, his cum flooding you once more just as you felt yourself boil over, heading hanging back. You couldn’t keep it up anymore, couldn’t concentrate on controlling your body and finishing, and you felt your breath catch in your throat, stars dancing through the air just in front of you. 
Michael held your hips tightly as you came down from your high, and then you had buried your face against his chest once more, arms wrapped around his neck. 
Christ, that took a lot out of you.
You leaned back to see that his eyes had drifted shut, and you leaned forward to press soft kisses against the lids. 
When Michael blinked them back open, his mouth had curved into a sleepy smile, another purr rumbling up from his throat, “That was... wonderful.”
“I agree,” You smiled too, tilting your head to the side as he peppered gentle kisses along your throat, “Now, you’re tired. Do you want me to leave, so that you can get some sleep?”
Michael tensed, clutching at your hips desperately, “Please don’t leave. I mean, I do want to sleep. But please, stay.” 
“Okay,” Mumbling softly, you leaned closer to his ear, “And by the way, I know a place you might wanna check out tomorrow.”
Looking curious at this, Michael brought his nose to your jaw, brushing along it softly, “Where?” 
“Church of Satan. It’s a few blocks away.”
“What?” This snapped him to attention, and he stared at you as though you’d grown a second head, “You’re... are you a Satanist?”
“No. Not a fan of organized religions. I believe in nature, and kindness. In caring for the ones around you who need it. But,” You folded his ear forward, kissing the three small scars behind it as delicately as you could, “I think that it would be beneficial for you to go.” 
“How did you know?” He shifted back so that he could sit more upright against the headboard, and you felt your sore walls pulse around his cock, still buried deep inside you, as you moved. 
You shrugged, “Lucky guess. Now, that’s all. No more talk. You need some sleep.”
Michael looked like he was about to argue with you, but then you pressed your head into his chest once more, and he rested his chin contentedly on top of your shoulder. 
You were almost asleep when he finally spoke up, hands rubbing gently along your spine, his voice hoarse, “Y/N? I just... I wanted to say thank you. I don’t normally say that, but you’re, well, I haven’t been treated with this much kindness, this much care, in a long time. Don’t say anything, I don’t want you to say anything, I just needed to tell you. Thank you.” 
And within moments his breathing had shifted, and he snored quietly, softly, and the snores sounded an awful lot like purrs, and the two of you were as close to each other as was physically possible, his dick softened inside you and his arms wrapped around you, and then you were asleep too, the two of you floating to a dream land that you couldn’t quite name. 
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Adoption Application Recieved!
Name: Sky
Age: 20
Home region/city: Kanto, Rota
Home size: a small apartment (about 3/4 rooms) in the city, since I am taking a break from traveling atm
Other pokemon: riolu & eevee
Work/School: helping out in the local bakery
Allergies: none
More about me: I have already traveled around Kanto with my Squirtle but sadly had to say goodbye to him at the end of that journey. I collected all the badges in Kanto and am hoping to journey to either Kalos or Sinnoh soon, but I first want to stay in the city for awhile so I can visit all my friends. I work hard and love to train with my pokemon to become better fighters, but I've also participated in a festival performance once or twice. As to what kind of pokemon I would like the most to adopt? I don't have any preference! That's why I'm hoping you could help me out.
Okay Sky, I’ve found some Pokemon who say they might like to travel with you! Why don’t you come by the Island to meet them?
Sky visited Foster Island, and after a few hours of getting to know the rescues, left with a hardened Skarmory! He was rescued from a poaching operation about a year ago, and had been badly electrocuted. Although he’s all healed, he still has some pretty cool scars on his metallic body that resemble the silhouettes of trees. This makes him look intimidating, and combined with his quiet demeanor, he can seem mean. On the contrary, this Skarmory will put himself in danger to help those he cares about. This species needs to be polished regularly to prevent rusting, but just use a steel type polishing oil and a soft cloth, and keep him dry when possible. This species regrow their feathers every year, but taking good care of them will make sure too many don’t fall off in battle, plus will keep them looking nice. Feed him steel type food supplemented with mineral treats, berries, and occasionally dried meat or fish. In the wild, they are scavengers, so don’t be surprised if he gets distracted by or brings home old scrap metal or something dead. Skarmory need to fly every day, so get used to going on rides with him. Also, it’s hard to determine the age of a Skarmory, so I don’t know exactly how old he is, but this species is known to live upwards of 70 years, so he will be by your side for at least most of your life. I do have to ask for you to bring him back in six months for a check-in, and catch him to register him to your trainer ID for safety. Good luck you two!
@lovingcreatorstrawberry
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djemsostylist · 3 years ago
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Buttons, optional or Ada Masalı, bölüm 1
Some shows you watch and they cause you to stay up late and night with a cosmic ache in your chest bc the characters hit you in just the right way.
Some shows come at just the right time when you need a distraction and there is just enough something to keep you occupied until the thing you need past is past.
Some shows you watch and they happen and they pass and years later you think, "did I ever watch that?" and you can't quite remember.
And then there are shows like Ada Masali, and they are just what they say on the tin. Pretty, fun, light, summery, breezy shows that make you laugh and smile and feel that sort of warm, delighted contentment you get when you just feel good. They are uncomplicated and bright, and whatever meaning you find in them is purely what you want. They are the sort shows one might call comfort shows, that sort of combine all the best bits of the other shows into one.
Ada Masali is a small town show that reminds me of the good ones in the heyday of the CW or the WB. The side characters are quirky and funny and meant to enhance, not distract, and they provide color and setting and authenticity to the setting. Perhaps most importantly, none of the side characters make you want to "want to put a chopstick through one ear all the way to the other" (thanks @lolo-deli for this one). The setting itself is like a character, with the island feels and music and visuals. The story itself is nothing new: energetic, spunky city girl goes back to small town (where she just so happens to have roots) and falls for local boy with a heart of a gold and rough exterior. She'll want to leave but eventually fall in love with not only him but the island as well, and I fully anticipate lots of delicious pining and hijinks along the way.
The main draw of any of these stories are, of course, your leads, and Alp Navruz and Ayça Ayşin Turan are a delight. That they are beautiful goes without saying (this is a Turkish show after all) and their chemistry is 🔥. The first episodes certainly didn't hold back--I was basically on the floor from minute one. To summarize:
buttons were very much optional, and not just for Poyraz.
shirts later also became optional (I'm not sure how I'm supposed to read subtitles when all THAT is happening right there ama...)
there is dancing. a lot of it. the turkish arms kind and the smushed together with no space kind. it's all good
"You can sleep, I'll hold you." "Sus?"
his voice
the way he looks at her
the way she looks at him
their hair
her outfits
his outfits
his voice
the looking
the shirts (or lack thereof)
the music
the island itself
I could go on, but I think you get the point. This show is PRETTY y'all, and I don't think that's a bad thing. Haziran seems sweet and well intentioned, and while she is keeping secrets, this one seems like the sort of one to get cleared up okay once it comes out. I like that she immediately set out to fix her mistake, and I like that her attitude doesn't seem to come from a snotty place, but a place of just not being an island girl. She isn't bratty, and she is more than just, as @lolo-deli put it, a spoiled rich girl or an immature girl flailing in life or needing a glow up. She made a mistake and she is setting out to fix it, which I'm sure will result in her falling in love--with the island, her aunt, her cousin, and of course, Poyraz. Ayca plays her as funny and sweet, and her reaction when she finds out what happened is both genuine and believable. Ayca is beautiful to watch, and I'm looking forward to watching Haziran's journey.
Poyraz was beautiful of course. Like Turkish Ross Poldark with the character of those small town boys in so many shows--the Luke Danes type, only less prickly. He loves children and old ladies and being nice to people and dancing and not buttoning his shirts and helping people and saying really simple things very close to her ear in raspy voices and being beautiful. He's a very basic sort of character, but tbh, I don't need much. That he's sweet and smart is enough for now, and I'm sure he'll reveal more layers as the show progresses.
For now, if you are craving something light and beautiful and just feel good, I cannot recommend AM enough. It's exactly what I needed for the summer, and if you are in dizi recovery, whether from your fav. show getting cancelled, going on hiatus, or just turning to shit, AM can heal your soul. Come join me for meltdowns every week!
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