#how many references of their quotes and moments can i pack into one ask? a lot. down to you stupid jerk - one of my favorite lines.

[kitaishi]

❛ It's you, ❜ Cloud mumbles against her temple, ❛ it's always been you. ❜

unprompted ask ( i think ).

    a sealed up wish, tender feelings no one could know... // i. ❛ cloooooouuuud! ’ he never plays with her group of friends, always avoiding them when they call him over to their group. he would just ignore them, which really meant ignoring her, no matter how hard they try to invite him over. that always annoys tifa, her tiny hands bawling into little fists as her voice rings angrily across the town centre - which admittedly wasn't very far, ❛ fine, don't play with us - you big, stupid jerk! ’ she's not really sure why it bothers her so much; why there's still a pout on her face as she whines to her mother about it ( again ) as they walk hand in hand to her bedroom or why her mom just quietly laughs as she tucks her into bed. adults were weird.

      a starry night at a well, a promise itched... ii. tifa swallows the bitter disappointment she feels when a man, his hair dark and cascading down his back in spikey layers instead of blonde and upright, arrives into town with the well renowned sephiroth. every boy she had known had left home, making promises to write and more as they waved her goodbye - declaring they would make it big as they left their small town life, and their small town friend, behind. she hadn't ever bothered to see if they had, except for one. she feels silly the more her mind lingers on it, reminded of all the months she spent waiting on any small fragment of news that reached nibelheim - desperately searching for any sign of a certain name. tifa adjusts her hat as she pulls on her fakest smile, voice heavy with her mountain accent and a feeling she doesn't want to acknowledge right now tugging at her heart. ❛ welcome to nibelheim! ’

      if everything is a dream, don't wake the dreamer... iii. she can't help but stare at him, confusion and concern coloring her face as she watches over her childhood friend. ❛ cloud....? could that really be you? ’ he simply blinks up at her, his head rolling while he repeats her name from the ground in what feels like a drunken stupor before something inside of him suddenly clicks...and he jumps up with such an unnatural speed that tifa nearly stumbles over from surprise. cloud smiles down at her and it frightens her a little as she rises to meet his gaze. maybe it's because he's smiling but it's not at her, at least not really. it's past her; through her almost. cloud nods twice to himself before repeating her name again - although this time it sounds more like a confidant affirmation to himself, as if remembering her is locking something inside of him in place.

she briefly turns away from him, desperately trying to think of what to do or what to say - missing how his hands rise to clutch his head in pain once she's no longer looking. when she turns back, his posture is perfect and he's still standing there, smiling eerily past her. there's a familairty that rushes through her when she studies his face - memories of playing amongst dirt and riverbends, of stargazing and being lulled to sleep by crickets and wolf howls all coming back to her. of the smell of her father's warm and worn leather jacket and the taste of his own mother's cookies that always melted in her mouth just right. he reminds her of home. even when his bright mako eyes, eyes that she would normally despise, stare back at her instead of the bright blue she remembered from childhood. without any hesitation, tifa places a hand on his shoulder - giving him a gentle smile in return before she begins to lead him out of the rain and away from the station, ❛ it's good to see you again cloud... ’

      parting words left unsaid, only to be washed away... iv. mako poisoning. the doctor said it was...mako poisoning, an advanced case but the words, her new reality, still barely registered. even as she kneeled in front of cloud's unresponsive body, sobbing into the thick fabric of his pants. tifa wasn't sure how much of this she could take. ❛ please cloud... t-tell me that you can see me, that you can hear me?! talk to me! ’ there's no response, just like it has been every over time she's pleaded and begged for him to wake up - the small patient room silent aside from her continuous crying and the beeping of the machines fruitlessly monitoring cloud.

      together, in the stream of life, we find each other again. v. tifa watches in quiet awe as the illusion of the boy that she grew up with and who had helped her piece together the truth disappears with a comforting smile. all that's left in his place is the crumbled body of his adult self - clutching his head in pain and groaning to himself. ❛ cloud! ’ tifa shouts and runs to his side, desperate to touch him  - to know that he's real and is okay. ❛ it's really you...isn't it? ’ she asks softly while crouching down to his level, watching carefully as his eyes dilate and adjust to the glow of the lifestream before finally settling on her. once their eyes meet, it feels like, at least to her, that they're seeing each other for the first time in their entire lives.

 ...i was devastated. ...i wanted to be noticed. i thought if i got stronger i could get someone to notice...

      those words were spoken by his younger self and it had confused her then but now she understands. all the why's in her life suddenly making sense: why he always ignored her. why she agreed to meet him at the water tower despite that. why she cried alone when she couldn't gather the courage to ask zack if he ever knew a boy name cloud back in midgar... ❛ cloud, i... ’ her words are cut off when she feels his arms around her, wrapping her in a tight embrace as they both finally cry together, finally accept each other. it's you, she can hear his breath whisper against her hair as he cradles her, all the shared pain and trauma and unspoken feelings releasing in the depths of this strange place inside of his mind. it's always been you. 

❛ ...i know. ’ she whispers softly, her cheek laying on his shoulder as she closes her eyes and allows the current to take them back to the surface - back to mideel, to meteor, and all their troubles. but they had each other so tifa believed things would be okay this time. ❛ i see you cloud - i always have. ’

[sueske]

Was SNS an accident?

This whole "Kishimoto wrote SNS gay on accident" take is just... not right. If there were only a few moments here and there, if you could chalk up things to coincidence, you could say so. But there weren't only a few moments. There weren't coincidences. The story of Naruto might as well have been Naruto and Sasuke. 

Art - Kishimoto, who carefully draws art, taking particular care with composition and angles and colors and draws inspiration from other films and literary works, drew these:

Writing - Kishimoto, who wrote SNS with so many romantic tropes, starting with a comedic, accidental kiss in chapter 3 to making SNS define what 'friendship' means to them at the end - and of course, everything that happened in between. 

Body Language - Sasuke, who almost always rejects physical contact with others, actually seeks it out with Naruto. Look at how they're portrayed. We have Naruto pining in his room over Sasuke, like a schoolboy thinking about his crush, we have Naruto wishing on a star for Sasuke, we have Sasuke get up all close and personal with Naruto, fight sequences that are close combat, etc.

Quotes - So many meaningful, beautiful quotes were said between them.

I know your heart, and you mine. Can you kill me calmly, Sasuke? Those times were not meaningless. I'll bear the burden of your hatred and die with you. My one and only.... friend. I'm your one and only. It's just when I see you take on all that stuff... It just hurts. The only one I need to cut down to be truly alone is Naruto. You never attempted to cut me off. You had a strength that I didn't. You were my goal. My body moved on its own. I wanted to be strong like you. Cool like you. At that time... I wish I had reached out to you. The only one who can assist fire is wind. I'll be a fool all my life. Sasuke accepted me more than anyone else (the most precious person). Even if I break my limbs, even if I have no eyes, tongue, I'll bring Sasuke back.

Romantic/Gay Coming-of-Age Tropes

Defining their bond - I think it was important for them to go through comrade? brother? friend? - they exhausted all possibilities of what their bond means. Kishimoto had SNS take account of different types of bonds, think about them, question them, to see if it resonated with them. But none of them did - which is why, in the end, this 'friendship' that Sasuke had to ask Naruto to define, this 'unexplainable' bond between them that Naruto admitted to having difficulty trying to explain, ended up being "I hurt when you hurt." It's not 'what does brother mean to you', it's not the classical definition of friendship, but something more.

"They're BroThErS" - As if having Indra and Ashura's reincarnated chakras makes them an incestuous relationship. Be serious rn. Never mind that Sasuke never referred to Naruto as a brother, and said that the only brother he had was Itachi. Never mind that Naruto wondered if it was like to be a brother in vote1, because he had no reference. Nevermind that at the end Naruto tells Hagoromo that he and Sasuke aren't brothers. Naruto told Itachi 'I am more of a brother to him than you' because Naruto would never do to Sasuke what Itachi did to him. As in, 'I love him more than you do to do that to him'. Plus, he was still questioning things. Again, I'm not going to bother with this anymore. If you treat your siblings like SNS do each other then... I have no words.

Other Literary References - I have seen many people in the fandom be insecure from shipping SNS, due to anti harassment, or any other reason. But please do not feel insecure. Personally, if there is one thing that cements SNS as 'Canon', one moment I had to pick above all else, it would be the bridge scene. Omoi, who referenced a romantic suicide pack early on, foreshadowing this; having Naruto's confession be similar to Hinata's confession during the Pein arc; having it take place at a bridge; how were these accidental? How can that be your final conclusion? Do you think Kishimoto didn't know what he was doing? Writing that scene would be like someone writing a story and making a direct reference to Romeo and Juliet. 

And this is just scratching the surface levels of these topics. I could give in depth essays for each paragraph, separately (I already have, for some).

So... how was this an accident? Kishimoto could've also been the world's greatest feminist but that still wouldn't have changed Naruto and Sasuke's characters and relationship and what happened between them LOL. Sasuke rejected all of Sakura's advancements. Naruto never even acknowledged Hinata's confession. But yet, such a carefully thought out love story between two men is reduced to 'they're BroThErS'. You don't need to ship SNS. You don't need to like it. But to not acknowledge the fact they were deliberately written as romantic? Come on.

[the-archpriest-and-the-outcast]

from @the-consortium

(If you think it's over-stepping that I've written a little bit of your character, please ignore anything before the letter - I just wanted to add a bit of fluff so the question doesn't hang in space so dryly 😊).

It is not entirely clear how the message actually made it to the Primarch - especially since it very obviously bears the electronic seal of the Consortium and hardly anyone has tried so persistently and repeatedly to remove the Chief Apothecary from existence as the political arm of the Word Bearers. But interestingly, the contents are of a private nature - which is probably why the dataslate has made it past all bureaucracy to Erebus, who now carries it to Lorgar with only barely suppressed curiosity - he is not good at simulating neutrality, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly in amusement.

He hands it to his primarch with a respectful inclination of his head.

As the Urizen reads, rays of light from thousands of candles and stained glass windows dance on his golden skin and he is the centre of a cosmos of warm glow and icy darkness.

"Primarch Lorgar! I write these lines out of the spirit of friendship that once bound our legions together. And out of a certain self-interest, as one of your sons is, excuse my words, getting on my tits. He can no longer find your quotes on a bird species (picture attached - it's a Cardinal) and that makes him a really very tiring fellow. I therefore respectfully request that you send him some reading material so that peace can return and I can finally get back to work without having to put up with his whining. Or perhaps even a few direct lines on the subject from yourselves?

Respectfully,

Arrian Zorzi, Apothecary of the World Eaters.

P.S.: He really does take your writings terribly seriously. So, I won't complain about him here. 1A son!"

@the-consortium

A look of amusement passes over the daemon primarch's face as he reads the note. He gives a raised brow to Erebus.

"You allowed this to come from Fabius and his Consortium?" he asked. Erebus gave a nod. "It is authored by their World Eater, no less. Fascinating little note."

He waves a hand, conjuring a shelf packed with the thousands of volumes that comprise the entirety of the Book of Lorgar. One hand reaches for an applicable volume, the other conjuring parchment, quill, and ink. Despite millennia being inundated in the Warp itself, learning its secrets and mysteries, he still enjoyed the simple creature comfort that writing with parchment and ink provided. It grounded him. Refocused his thoughts.

As he selected the relevant tome, he pulled up the parchment, and began to record his response.

Apothecary Zorzi,

I apologize on behalf of my son for his conduct. He is simply trying to be true to his faith, and I understand how it can come across as... irritating, especially if one is persistent. I had such an inclination when I was quite young, still walking the sands of Colchis with Kor Phaeron.

To answer the question, however, I am sending along a copied volume from amongst my personal writings. I request it be returned once Apothecary Thresh is done with it, and I also request that it be treated with delicate care and respect. The volume contains a number of collected writings regarding the symbolism and proper care regarding many creatures, and the relevant section on the cardinal has been marked.

If you have any further inquiries, please do not hesitate to ask them. For future reference, however, it may be best for Saqqara to send the inquiry himself. You are very lucky this was not intercepted by the Dark Council. Unfortunately, Apothecary Bile has a bit of a reputation.

I hope this serves you well.

Yours,

Lorgar Aurelian

He takes the parchment and gently folds it, putting it under the cover of the volume in question. He then wraps the volume itself in a soft, red cloth, and puts a ward on it. The ward emblazons itself upon the cloth in shimmering golden cuneiform. He looks to Erebus for a moment, before he instead simply sends it away himself, and dismisses his son.

The package materializes next to whatever Arrian finds himself working on in a soft flash of light, the sender unmistakable.

[centuriantalevevo]

Eveland line headcanons and shit- lmao-

With Ivy, Ike, and Eki-

With some x reader vibes

Ike has already said that Ivy is built in the boing being department HOWEVER, I think Ivy is also built in the height department- I think she's like 5'6- she tall as fuck in my eyes 😭😭😭

Ivy turns her back for ONE SECOND with a knife- or any weapon in the room for that matter-

Eki:

Ivy: exists

Eki:

Ivy: throwing Eki

Eki: screaming

Ike:

You basically have to babysit Eki because he cannot be trusted alone for even 5 minutes. You have to put him in one of those kid harnesses.

You have to put him in the shopping cart while shopping so he stays put.

He gets the most random bullshit-

"Can we get this? We're gonna get this" a 10 pack of knives, bleach, and then 5 liters of mountain dew.

What's he doing? We don't know- do we WANT to know?? Prolly not-

Eki is starting on his bullshit, Ivy is automatically going for the pressure point- No HE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE TO DO SHIT- THE MOMENT HE EXISTS, SHE'S GOING FOR THE PRESSURE POINT-

Oh ya! Remember Ike saying "OW! She THREW something at me!", Ivy saying "I'm tired so I'm going to go take a nap..." and Ike saying "She's glaring at me-" "I'm po9kojg over trying to make sure she didn't hear me-" "If I don't wake up, it's you guy's fault!"

I like to think that Ivy somehow came into this universe, prolly because of Shu- and she lives with Ike and they just say they're siblings instead of trying to explain what the hell happened- and it works-

Some Alice Of Human Sacrifice type shit- "the smart older sister, the stubborn younger brother"

Of the two, Ivy might be SLIGHTLY older

When reader comes to visit Ike in Sweden I can PROMISE you Ivy is stealing them like yOink-

"Hey when y/n gets here, I'm stealing them from you" "what? No! Back off!" "NO! The 2nd season of All Of Us Are Dead is out and I want to watch it with them!"

Ike is still asleep, dead to the world and y/n wakes up before him for once- but.. Ivy is up before y/n- she usually gets up at like 3 PM because she's up until 5 AM for literally no reason-

"Oh wow you're up before me!" "Yeah, I actually went to bed at a decent time!"

"What's for breakfast? Y'all got cereal?" "Why don't we go out for breakfast, just you and me?" She asks, "what about Ike?" "I'll just leave a note for him, it'll be fine! If he's really worried, he'll call!" She grabs her satchel and that stetchy plastic wristband Keychain thing with her keys and everything, "let's go!"

She has a spair set of keys to the apartment AND Ike's car.

The two go and have breakfast somewhere, coming back a while later to Ike being awake.

"How dare you go without me..." Ivy just shrugs-

I made so many fucking memes in about 5 seconds on mostly Ivy and Eki lmao-

Eki on his way to say hi to y/n

Ivy: nO-

Eki so badly wants to say HI to y/n- he exists for 5 seconds and Ivy is running at him at the speed of LIGHT- "WAIT I JUST WANTED TO SAY HI TO Y/N-" "KILL THE BITCH!!!"

"H e l p"

If we go with Eki sharing the same body as Ike... Eki takes control but y/n instantly calls bullshit and KNOWS its Eki and he's just "I wanted to say Hi-" "And I wanna see Ike." "Aw... you're so mean... you don't love me?" "It's a hit or miss" "🥺🥺🥺"

If the Eveland family are the literal embodiment of Panty and Stocking with Gartbelt it feels like-

Ike replaces Stocking, Ivy replaced Panty

Or Eki replaced Panty, Ivy replaces stocking

Ike AND Eki replace Panty and Ivy replaces Stocking

If you got the "KILL THE BITCH" reference, ily- if not it's a quote from that show-

Eki actively likes to shit on Miku just to piss Ike off-

"Miku sucks, why do you like her-"

"I'm about to end the entire Damm world and make it look like an accident."

"no wonder you act like that, you like Miku"

"No wonder your mom thinks your a failure, you're EKI"

Eki shoots grenade bullets but he's not ready to have them shot right back-

Ivy DOES roundhouse kick him-

Ivy DOES hold him by his collar over a ledge like i'ma drop you- oH- I almost dropped you!!

Ike: asleep

Eki: I'ma st-

Ivy: hello motherfucker-

Eki: exists

Ivy: I'm about to end this mans whole career

Ike speaking Swedish, English, and Japanese

Ivy speaking those 3 and like 2 other languages-

Eki, struggling to speak English without a whole ass swedish accent and trying to grasp English grammar while screaming in agony

Eki: I-

Ivy: I am fluent in over 6 million forms of kicking your ass

Eki: I... wanna take a nap. Everything I make.. FUCKING... S U C K S

Eki: It's bad.

Eki: AAAAAAAAAAAAA

Ivy: You know that feeling about when you're about to lose your job life, sweety?

Eki: uh- n-

Ivy: It's a horrible feeling, sweety.

Ivy: I love you Ikey

Eki: its Eki-

Ivy: I couldn't bare to see you leave, I couldn't! I couldn't do it!

Eki: uh- thanks I-

Ivy: So here *gives him a note*

"You're fired lol Your life subscription has expired lol"

Ike: *sobbing*

Ivy: Ike, what's wrong?

Ike: Ivy... I can't speak english very well... my Swedish accent is too strong

Ivy: what do you mean? I hear nothing wrong with your English!

Ike: I can't say... road... roller..

Ivy: what?

Ike: road roller!

Ivy: w h a t ?

Ike: ROAD ROLLER

Ivy: I can't understand you!

Ike: forget it! God!

Ivy: I ' m S o r r y -

Ike: s h u t u p

Halo: come on now! All of us are great!

Ike: says the enby with a weird color scheme for both their outfit and stream overlay

Halo: that's the last time I'm helping a swedish VTuber

Ivy: that's racist-

Ike: you freaking cracker-

Ivy: THAT'S REALLY RACIST-

Halo and Ike: arguing

Ivy: Oh no...

Shu: *opera singing voice* aaaaaaa! Hey guys! What's up?

Eki, with a grin: I FINALLY GOT AN ENGLISH UTAU!

Covered in dust again

Eki: w a t ???

(Based off of "Luka can't say road roller" where Ike replaces Luka, Ivy replaces Al, Halo replaces Sweet Ann, Shy replaces Prima, and Eki replaces Miku)

I'm having Ike, Ivy, and Eki brianrot plz help

[pale-silver-comb]

So I know absolutely nothing about Leverage except what I've been seeing you post lately and I have to admit you're making it look tempting to watch! Can I ask what are some of your favorite things about the show/reasons you would suggest people watch it? And is there really a poly relationship that is canon?

Okay. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. I am going to do my best not to just “asdfghkjl” at you and answer coherently.

In a nutshell, Leverage is about 5 people. 4 are criminals (Parker, Hardison, Eliot and Sophie) with different and unique skill-sets and 1 is an ex-insurance investigator (Nate) who, at one point or another in his career, has tracked down (or at least attempted to) the other 4. The whole show is essentially: man reluctantly reforms 4 criminals to use their criminal powers for good and 4 criminals move into man’s life and stubbornly refuse to leave because, goddammit, now they have morals. 

I’ve got a lot of favourite things about the show but the main ones are as follows:

1. Found family. And I’m not talking about loners who come together to fight crime and happen to co-exist to the point where they realise they happen to have found themselves a family. I mean, Nate and Sophie are the Drunk Uncle and Wine Aunt who somehow become Mom and Dad to 3 beautiful criminal children. Mom and Dad love their criminal babies and the kids love them (as well as each other, but we’ll come to that in a moment). You get amazing family moments such as: Mom and Dad packing the kids lunch before sending them out to kick corporate greed’s ass; Mom and Dad giving the kids ridiculously expensive and personal Christmas presents causing their most Grumpy Kid to go very very quiet and soft as he runs off to gleefully play with his new murder toy; the kids interrupting Mom and Dad’s big Movie Style Kiss to ask if they can please keep their new underground layer and huffing and puffing when Dad tells them no.

2. Found family: the OT3 edition. To answer your question, the OT3 is indeed canon, confirmed by the creator. Now, usually, “confirmed by the creator” infuriates me because most of the time it’s a way for a creator to be seen as “progressive” without doing anything to actually be progressive. That isn’t the case here. The OT3 are built up carefully and while it is obvious the creators didn’t originally intend for all 3 of them to become a relationship in the romantic sense, by mid-season 5 we are given a very clear picture of where Parker, Hardison and Eliot are heading in their relationship. There aren’t any kisses at the end to signal this but there are solid marriage vows in not only one but two episodes. (And by marriage vows I mean literal equivalents of marriage vows: “for better or worse” and “’til death do us part”. I’m not even exaggerating). The OT3 also doesn’t need explicit romantic narratives to convey how much they love each other. Their love is laced through the whole show, from the way they teach each other things to the way they respond to each other and work as a unit. The way they fiercely protect and admire each other. Like someone once said, if you need characters to kiss or say I love you to let the audience know they love each other, you are writing them wrong. 

Aside from that, each of the parings in the OT3 are just. Gah. They are so well done, with friendship being the solid basis for them all. The creators never expect the audience to assume anything about them or fill in the gaps. They give us their relationships on screen and reference many things off-screen to show us how these relationships continue to build in between episodes.

Hardison and Parker are a canon couple and date in the show: it’s approached slowly and they are so goddamned sweet. They are basically every fluffy slow-burn trope with a healthy dash of mutual pining in the mix. They are basically that quote “love is patient, love is kind”. (I would like to add their romance never becomes the focus of the show or overrides the importance of any other relationship they have with the other characters, especially Eliot.)

Hardison and Eliot are the Old Married Couple and from day one are already bickering and looking at each other/making comments that are found in every UST fic ever (not to mention Hardison has a very good knack for making Eliot grin like a little kid, when usually he’s basically an Angry Little Chef Man). They argue, they play, and love each other plain as day. 

Parker and Eliot are more subtle but every bit as wonderful. They have an unspoken connection and understand each other on a level no-one else can. Parker and Eliot are not good with giving themselves over to affection for different reasons (and Hardison plays a central role in helping them realise it’s okay to want it and have it- that boy has endless patience) but there is something so beautiful in the way the two of them come together on their own and develop their own special bond that works for them. Parker and Eliot are that trope where the characters don’t need to speak to understand each other perfectly. They just do. Their love language is a lot of the time non-verbal but speaks volumes. (Parker also likes to annoy the hell out of Eliot and Eliot....just.....lets...her. Because he’s soft. The softest, grumpiest boy.) 

I could go into so much depth for each pairing and their dynamics as a 3 but that's for another post.

3. Subverting stereotypes. There is the occasional hiccup in the show regarding stereotypes but ultimately, Leverage gets an A+ when it comes to writing characters and making them 3 dimensional people who are not defined by certain characteristics or events. Nate could so easily fall into the White Man Pain trope where he uses the trauma of losing his kid as a reason as to why he is entitled to act like a dick. Nate is a dick but he doesn’t use his pain to excuse it and I appreciate that. Hardison is a black man who is soft and nurturing. Easily the most empathetic and patient of the group. He’s nerdy, an actual genius, and has the biggest heart of all the characters. Nate is maybe the glue but Hardison is definitely the heart. Media’s usual aggressive, amongst other, racist stereotypes can fuck right off. Parker is canonically autistic (I am sure this was confirmed by one of the creators) and she is not defined by it. It’s not written as some kind of singular personality trait. It’s part of what makes up Parker but it’s only one facet of who she is and not once is her actions, thoughts or feelings treated like a joke. Sometimes people don’t understand why she does and says the things she does but it’s met with patience and fondness over the course of the show. Equally, it’s not met with over-caution. Parker is just Parker. No-one tries to change her. The other nice thing is Hardison, who always makes sure Parker knows she’s amazing because of who she is and not in spite of it. Finally, Sophie is in her 40s. She’s not treated like she’s past her prime. Ever. She’s sexy, smart and never is she pitted against or compared to Parker (who is younger) for anything. Sophie is amazing and there’s never even a conversation of “I may be older but I am still *insert adjective typically associated with younger women here*”. Sophie is possibly the first female character I’ve ever seen who isn’t just unapologetic about her age but has never had to apologise for her age. It’s a non-issue and that’s that. The women on the show are written so well, right down to secondary characters and it’s beyond refreshing.  

4.) It’s just fun. The show has a “monster of the week” type format. Except instead of a ghoul or a ghost, the monster is some corrupt wealthy and powerful individual or organisation. The show draws on real-life individuals to do this and therefore closely parallels real-life people and events. It addresses important political, economical, social and environmental issues while at the same time remaining fun and light-hearted. The characters constantly get the chance to play dress up and by GOD do they have fun with it. You get to watch Eliot beat up bad guys in the most delightful of ways, usually after a witty non-sequitur and with a weapon you’d never think could be a weapon. The dialogue and back and forth between the characters is everything. And finally - my favourite thing- the team can never resist striking a dramatic pose after they’ve taken down the bad guy, making sure the bad guy sees them. I mean, they COULD just walk away, satisfied they’ve taken the person down, but nope. They gotta be dramatic bitches 24/7 and pose like they are models for every single month of this year’s Criminal Calendar.  

5.) Competence Porn. So. Much. Competence Porn.  

Honestly, I could list a thousand reasons for why Leverage is amazing but to list them would to be spoiling so many amazing moments you’d get to discover for the first time on your own if you do choose to watch it. It’s the kind of show you can watch with an eagle-eye and sink your teeth into. But it’s also the kind of show if, you would prefer, put on in the background for something entertaining while you do something else. Each episode is about the job at hand but it’s made up of so many moments between the characters that show how much the creators and writers care about them. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll do whatever it is you do when something Soft and Wonderful happens that makes your heart melt. I am so beyond grateful for Leverage. It’s everything I always wanted in a show. Nearly every show I’ve watched in the past 10 years has disappointed me in some way, usually either because the writers run out of steam or characters who I love are treated poorly or given some kind of unnecessary “shock value” arc. Leverage doesn’t do that. Leverage is what it says on the bottle. Fandom isn’t something I joined because I needed canon fix-its. Fandom only enhances and celebrates an already excellent canon. 

[cheri-translates]

CN Qixi Greetings - Victor’s Voice Actor

The actual video is too large to be shared on Tumblr so here’s the link!

🍒 Warning: References are made to Victor’s Undeclared Date (translated by @itaruchi-trash​) 🍒

More Interviews: Gavin l Kiro l Lucien l Shaw

Wu Lei: Hi everyone, I’m Wu Lei. I voice Victor in MLQC. How have you been? Have you been happy with our Old Vic recently? I came across a quote in Weibo which said that no matter how good of a friendship you have, everyone disappears once you start dating. Judging from CEO Victor’s packed schedule in the first half of the year, I have deeply experienced the logic in that phrase. Putting that aside, the annual Qixi Festival is coming soon. I wonder what surprises our CEO Victor has prepared for you *smiles cutely*. Make a guess? Are you able to guess? Are you looking forward to it? *shakes head* I won’t say anything.

Wu Lei: *laughs* Okay, I won’t hide it. Actually, I have no idea either. I have no idea what surprises there are. 

Comment: The producers already know what it is.

Wu Lei: Fine. As expected, you’re more important. 

Question: Are you able to share any interesting stories that happened while working on MLQC in the first half of the year?

Wu Lei: *changes his voice to the high-pitched voice he used when pretending to be the three-headed dragon in Undeclared Date* They’ve been asking me to do difficult things recently. They wanted me to do something at one moment, and another thing in the next. I said that I couldn’t do it. But they insisted that I could. After much effort, I managed to do it. Then, they said they wanted to change the direction. *sighs* They can’t be exactly the same. Hmph. So I said that if they wanted to continue being like this, I’d report it to Victor. 

Question: What have you been talking to Victor about over drinks recently?

Wu Lei: *voice returns to normal* You know this. It’s definitely about work. He’s CEO Victor. As the name implies, he’s CEO Victor. All of us know that CEO Victor has lots of experience in the business world. No matter how good your relationship is with him in private, you can’t let this opportunity pass by. Trust me. So in the area of business, I’d ask him many questions. That’s all.

Question: Does Teacher Wu Lei have anything to say to the producers?

Wu Lei: As always, I’m grateful for your love towards Victor. Actually, I believe that no one is completely perfect. Everyone has their own weaknesses. Our Victor is the same. He simply looks more mature and composed than we do. But I believe he’s just like us. He needs care and concern. He needs to be understood. He looks like he doesn’t need them, but that’s not really the case. Victor is someone we need to spend more time and effort in order to experience his world, and figure out that genuine person in his heart. I believe that love is a kind of responsibility. How should I put this. There may be many things that don’t need to be said aloud, and yet you’ll know them. But this isn’t an easy thing to do. Love is something that requires much time, and years of company. It also needs some chemistry in order to be attained. So I believe we feel the same way. Love can be seen, and it can be touched. 

Wu Lei: And love... exists in time. 

Wei Lei: The Qixi Festival is coming. I wish you and Victor a Happy Qixi Festival. I wish the both of you health and a happy life ahead. And may you get to eat delicacies every day. 

[missnight0wl]

What do you think of Rowan, Ben, Penny and Merula's Patronus? Though I don't like Merula very much, I still think she is able to conjure one.

I’m putting it under the cut because it turned out a bit lengthy.

Rowan

I used to think of an Owl for Rowan because, y’know, it's “a symbol of wisdom” and all. But when I got this ask, I remembered that I found the site on Irish Astrology just days earlier – the same Rowling was using for birthdates and wand wood of the Golden Trio. Interestingly, each sign has assigned an animal there, and since the rowan tree is one of them, I decided to check it to find out that it’s a crane or a green dragon. A dragon makes me think of Charlie, but I did a little bit of digging on another option, and I have to say – I think I’m gonna stick with a Crane Patronus for Rowan.

This is what I found on the Crane symbolism:

Throughout Asia, the crane is considered as a bird of happiness and prosperity. The Japanese, Chinese, and Korean traditions relate it to longevity and fidelity.

Aristotle wrote about this bird that it always held a stone in its mouth so that if it fell asleep and the stone would fall down, the bird would wake. Thus crane symbolism came to be linked with vigilance.

I also checked Indian symbolism since Rowan is part Indian, and I found this:

[The Sarus crane] is also known as the eternal symbol of unconditional love and devotion and good fortune.

Interestingly, cranes are monogamous and they mate for life. That’s actually why in Japan, they’re often incorporated in wedding décor!

Overall, we have pretty positive symbolism. The parts about devotion and unconditional love sum Rowan up as a friend pretty well. We also have a part about vigilance which again is pretty fitting for Rowan who was probably the most aware from all of our friends that MC is indeed in constant danger – and that’s why they were suspicious of Ben (not because they simply didn’t like Ben – let’s remember that Rowan and Ben were friends at the end of a day).

Admittedly, “in some cultures, the meanings of crane birds can be negative: they represent deception, a harbinger of death, and even the symbol of the devil.” However, it’s actually a bit meta, considering all the people suspecting Rowan of being a traitor.

Ben

I really like the idea of a Lion Patronus for Ben. A Patronus form is not only about representing one’s personality, but also “the Patronus represents that which is hidden, unknown but necessary within the personality” - and it fits Ben’s bravery so nicely. I talk here mostly about Old Ben, but that’s also a pretty old idea of mine. I mean, Ben was always super brave when his friends needed it, he just couldn’t really accept it himself. I also find it kind of heart-warming to imagine Old Ben being intimidated by his own Patronus at first, only to become more and more comfortable around it with time.

Another thing, I remember reading once someone else’s point that it could be a funny reference to the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz – which, now that I think about it, Ben would be probably familiar with as a Muggleborn!

Now, as for New Ben… Well, honestly, I don’t think that Ben would be able to cast Patronus Charm at this very moment. He probably still feels too much guilt for Rowan’s death and whatnot. Still, I remembered a discussion I had with my friend after Rakepick’s Patronus was finally revealed, and she pointed out then that male lions tend to kill little cubs if they defeat a previous male lion and take over his pack. Y’know, to eliminate wrong genes. And you know what? It’s kind of what Ben did with his old self. Before the end of Y5, Ben had a pretty good understanding of bravery. There was that very sweet moment in the O.W.L.s TLSQ, for example:

But then, the end of Y5 happened, and Ben was like: “Nope. I know no fear and THAT’S bravery���.

Either way, I do hope that Ben will eventually return on his path of a healthy balance between his old and new self, and I have a feeling that a Lion would still be a pretty good match then.

Penny

Probably an unpopular opinion, but I always thought that Penny’s Patronus should be some kind of a predator. I once even proposed a Black Panther, but I didn’t have a lot of reasoning behind it, to be honest. Now, I think I’m gonna change it anyway, and I’ll say that Penny would have a Fox Patronus. This is information I found on it:

The fox is a natural trickster, and brilliantly charismatic. Those with this Patronus are often more reserved, but do have the social capability to speak to just about anyone. They are strongly ambitious and observant of the behaviour of others, watching key points in what others do and storing them for further reference, when they may need them. They are good talkers, meaning they can convince people to do what they want and make them think it was their idea in the first place.

Foxes are quick, intelligent and strongly ambitious. Although they are known for their cunning nature, they are very charismatic and easy to love. If your Patronus is a fox, you have an ability to think outside of the box and act quickly during emergency situations.

Penny is insanely ambitious about her Potions-making. She said on more than one occasion that she couldn’t pass the opportunity to brew more advanced Potion. She’s also obviously charismatic, and the part I might like the most is about “making others do what they want and even make them think it was their idea”. Because when you really think about it… it’s exactly Penny.

Like, making MC steal the ingredients for the Forgetfulness Potion and very similar situation again with the Draught of Peace (each time not even telling MC what it’s about until the very end). Making MC impersonate a Professor or a Prefect. All those situations could get us in pretty serious trouble. Yet, the best example in all of that is the Animagus TLSQ, in my opinion. 

The quest started with the rumours that Talbott is planning to become an Animagus, and so MC got intrigued and decided to help Talbott get ingredients, hoping that Penny could make an extra Potion for them. But then, it turned out that Penny doesn’t make the Potion for Talbott at all, and she wanted MC to take it instead. Moreover, Talbott was already an Animagus, so the whole story didn’t really make much sense from the very beginning. Now, it might be the case of Jam City screwing up badly in writing, but it doesn’t change the fact that this is basically what happened: Penny wanted to brew the Animagus Potion, so she sent Talbott to get MC intrigued in the whole thing, so MC thought it was their idea while Penny could brew her Potion. Now, tell me she’s not a Fox – especially that again it could’ve been pretty dangerous for MC if anything went wrong.

There’s also a part about thinking outside of the box and acting quickly during the emergency, and funnily enough, it’s also kind of true for Penny. The thing is that she doesn’t act well in those situations – but that’s a separate problem.

Also, I don’t know if you can tell it by now, but I totally believe that Penny should’ve been a Slytherin, and I will die on that hill. Just a digression.

Merula

Hm, how about a Mole? Or a Rat? :D Just kidding, of course. Mostly…

Seriously though, I had a bit of a problem with Merula. I thought of a Skunk or a Frilled-neck lizard at first, y’know, because they try to look more threatening as a self-defence mechanism. I considered a Yorkshire Terrier as well because they’re always yapping at bigger dogs. And while they kind of fit Merula, they’re definitely not perfect matches. Merula has no dog qualities whatsoever, and even though her aggression is probably caused by a lot of insecurities, skunks and frilled-neck lizards don’t really harm whatever threatens them. Merula does harm, whether physically or emotionally, and she’s pretty calculated in that.

So, I kept thinking about something else, and there was one option I was coming back to. And even though I didn’t fully like it at first, I think I’ll stick to it, and I’ll say that Merula would have a Black Mamba Patronus.

Here’s some information about Black Mambas:

Cloaked in the color of death and measuring over 14 feet in length, the Black Mamba is regarded as one of the most vicious snakes in the world. It’s also one of the most venomous. (…) Unlike many animals, which simply have an anger problem, Black Mambas are driven by an extreme form of fear-based aggression. Being exceedingly nervous, the slightest sense that the snake’s escape route is compromised may unleash an attack of unparalleled ferocity.

There’s also an interesting quote from the discussion on whether or not they chase humans:

No, they absolutely don’t chase humans. No snakes chase humans. However black mambas are so high-strung they’re practically hysterical the moment something makes them nervous, and they’re really not very intelligent. As a result, these snakes are extremely prone to absolute panic. If you corner a mamba, its fight/flight reflex is triggered, and it will freak out and try to fight you to escape. This involves wildly throwing itself around and biting you like 60 times in a row, if you don’t get the blazes out of the way. (…) And they’re not very good at evaluating the level of danger they’re in. Or… much of anything.

… and that’s basically Merula. She’s in a constant state of panic that people are better than her. Especially in earlier years, she constantly felt threatened by MC’s mere existence, even when MC was clear they just don’t care about her – so she was attacking. All. The. Freaking. Time.

Moreover, snakes in general are often associated with deceit, so there’s that.

Of course, there’s also much more positive symbolism around snakes, like a rebirth, transformation, or heling. And while I have no doubts that Jam City won’t give Merula a proper redemption arc (because they're too lazy about it), she clearly is a character who’s supposed to be all about redemption. So, I guess that’s another reason why a Black Mamba would fit nicely, even though it seems a bit stereotypical for a Slytherin (then again, Merula totally should’ve been a Gryffindor, but that’s a topic for a different discussion).

[starlightshadowsworld]

YGO Protagonists

Atem:

*Oldest brother... Literal dad

*Is very protective over the rest of them

*Seriously don't touch a hair on their heads because you will lose your soul.

*He totally has Kaiba on Speed dial and calls him over the dumbest things to get a rise out of him (but they are friendly?( Seto would also murder you dead if you hurt these munchkins he just won't admit it... (I will not apologise for this)

*Does not understand memes (mee mee's?) but tells dad puns for days.

*Always gives compliments and gives great life/dueling advice to the rest (puts a hand on their shoulders with that knowing and proud look).

*Will spend hours bragging about how far Judai's come, how smart and talented Yusei and Yusaku, how Yuya and Yuga created original dualing rules, how Yugi is awesome. He will tell anyone and everyone (they all secretly love it)

Yugi Mouto:

*Younger older brother? (identical twins but younger of the two)

*Super optimistic, always there to lend a hand and is very pacifistic... but will throw hands if the situation requires and without hesitation.

*Has Kaibaman in his deck to spite Kaiba (it works every time)

*HE SHARPENS HIS HAIR!

*Yes it can pierce a wall... It was for science.

*Usually the one to help escalate the chaos, and than pretends to have no idea why the house is upside down... And on fire... And the fire is green.

*Is the only one other than Atem to get Yusei to go to sleep.

*He loves puzzles, telling riddles and leaving little clues around the house for the others to solve (and they always get a present even if they get it wrong because they tried.)

*Doesn't see anything wrong with his fashion sense.

Judai Yuki:

*Problem child 1, needs a hug

*Memelord, will constantly troll Atem with movie references, and anything he can think of. (Yes he does quote the star wars prequels during duals.)

*Yubel makes sure he's looking after himself and has woven their way into the family. They and Astral have fun conversations. (Pharaoh the cat gets on very well with Atem... Werid.)

*Either he's happy, outgoing and herding the younger kids into various pranks. Rounding up Yuya, Yuma, Yuga and Yugi into his antics, (we don't speak of the Eggwitch incident). Sometimes he manages to drag Yusaku in to join them, giving them all a part to play and praising their efforts (they haven't been caught)

*OR he's depressed, haunted and full of guilt. He finds comfort by spending time with the others, hating being on his own. Everyone even those fairly reserved pick up on his mood and direct him to different tasks. Especially with Yuya, both of them can talk for hours about what ifs, shoulds and shouldn'ts.

*Favourite non dualing activity is helping Yusei to bake, he has burned many a cookie but he loves icing cakes.

*Very protective, will tap into the power of the Supreme King and Yubels abilities sometimes as unconsciously when one of the others are upset, or he's pushed into a corner.

Yusei Fudo:

*Oldest after the twins, literal mum

*Can't take care of himself to save his life but cares deeply for the others. Packing them lunches, helping them with school work etc.

*Takes Yusaku under his wing as soon as he sees his tech skills, both of them stay up for hours working on projects until Yugi scolds them at 4 am.

*Always half asleep, covered in oil and holding a cup of coffee (no he doesn't have a problem.) He mumbles codes and always seems to fall asleep holding a wrench.

*Usually he's accompanied by Yuga or Yusaku, either sitting and asking questions about their projects or working on a shared on/Yusaku's own stuff. He doesn't like working alone so it works out.

*Can do the "Mum look" and it has stopped the Supreme King, Dark Zexal and Zarc in their tracks.

*Card games on Motorcycles...having his bike borrowed by the little ones who want to play a card game on a bike but aren't old enough or know how to drive.

*Likes to bake, learned from Martha to give the others birthday treats and finds it fun.

*Claims he can never get sick... Liar.

Yusaku Fujiki

*Problem child 2 (all problem children need hugs and therapy, Kaiba get your wallet)

*Tried to stay closed off from the others but finds he enjoys their company and their antics.

*He has a Metapod hoodie that Yuya won at a carnival and gifted him. He wears it all the time, its cosy.

*Pretty Awkward, very cold sometimes without meaning it but somehow there all able to understand what he means without getting upset or offended.

*He spends hours working on projects with Yusei, neither talk much and it's a comfortable silence. Yuga often accompanies them, full of questions and joy and he enjoys sharing his work.

*Prefers to watch the others dual than to dual himself, absorbing the strategies and while he doesn't quite understand their motives... He finds himself smiling at Yuya's shows, wondering what he means with his smiling routine.

*Offhandedly told Kaiba that he fixed some holes in his security system. Kaiba went on a firing spree (yes with his firing people coat) and his was promptly hired. He actually enjoys it, and is now Kaiba's favourite brat.

*Also... The missing persons list is growing after Yusaku finally opened up about his past.... Werid.

Yuya Sakaki

*Problem child 3 (see above)

*Smiles go for miles

*Finds a lot of comfort from the others. The first time he let slip about Zarc, Judai was right there with his glowing green/orange eyes and they bonded instantly.

*He tries to only dual for entertainment and fun but that can't always be the case, though it really rattles him up afterwards. Do not make him mad in a dual if you value your life.

*Plays a lot with Yuma and Yuga, as the oldest of the trio he tries to set an example... He never said it was a good one....hes part of Zarc.

*He always has a game, an idea and the others will always be his faithful audience. He's made real solid dualing into an art, Atem and Judai have made his monsters real at times without the need for the tech (it was beautiful)

*Starts the appreciate Dragons Fanclub with Yusei and Kaiba.

*Yes to capes (Sorry Edna)

*Fusion dimension isn't available at the moment... Or the forceable future.

Yuma Tsukumo

*Second youngest, space boy

*Atem gives him advice and praises every one of his duals even he loses, teaching him that every one can be used as a step towards success.

*Astral befriends Yubel, and often makes remarks at the Zarc fragments, he and Yuuri get on the others nerve.

*He spends most of his time with Yuya and Yuga, either dualing, watching Yuya dualtain or pranking. He started their lengendary prank war against Judai and Yugi...(Yusei was out of the house for a week and Atem gave up). It was a battle for the ages.

*He does worry at times that he's so behind the others skill's levels but as he gets closer to them it matters less. He cheers on every one of them, bragging about how cool they are.

*He takes up other hobbies, baking, cooking, and dragging everyone into family game nights. Which all end fine and do not result in a pissed of Zarc threathing Wario before kicking his switch out of a window... Nope absolutely not.

*Has a constellation book.

*Likes using big words he doesn't know the meaning off. And than trying and failing to convince everyone he knows exactly what he just said without googling it... While Astral facepalms, definitely picked it up from Yusei.

Yuga Ohda

*Tiny baby

*Yugi picked him up once and everyone starting to sing "it's the circle of life."

*He loves watching Yusei and Yasuke work, because they answer his questions properly and look at his inventions with respect and a critical but kind eye. They slowly teach him his to improve and it shows in his work.

*All of them were interested in his Rush duals and listen to him explain, finding it interesting and another new way to play.

*Yuya teaches him how to dualtain, both of them putting on hippo-tastic shows for their friends and loved ones. Fulfilling their goals to have fun.

*He steals everyone's hoodies and jackets, doesn't care how big they are he will steal them and wear them. And look adorable despite his argument that he isn't.

*Everyone is the most protective of him as he's the youngest and while he's touched, he's super protective over them and offers himself as a cuddle buddy whenever anyone has nightmares.

And there all one big crazy family

[the-hunchback-of-notre-dame]

Screenwriter Tab Murphy Talks “Hunchback,” “Atlantis” and “Brother Bear” During Walt Disney Family Museum Happily Ever After Hours

by Tony Betti | Source (x)

Over the weekend I had the fortunate opportunity to attend the Walt Disney Family Museum’s Happily Ever After Hours Virtual Program featuring screenwriter Tab Murphy.

Tab Murphy has a wide embodiment of work for the screen, but this program primarily focused on his work for what is now known as Walt Disney Animation Studios. He contributed to The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tarzan, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and Brother Bear.

Right off the bat, Tab said that his first foray into animation was a bit jarring. He wrote the script, and then partnered with Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz who, as he put it, had the script posted on walls all around a room and would then go up to certain sections and draw big Xs through the words and say “this is where we think a song should be.” As they worked together though, Tab said he realized how right they were to do that, and the end result is simply amazing.

Anybody familiar with the original story of The Hunchback of Notre Dame may recall that there are a ton of characters present in the original novel aside from the namesake Hunchback, Quasimodo. He said that was where one of the hardest parts of writing the movie adaptation lied, especially for a Disney animated film, noting that there was a certain “checklist” of sorts for a Disney film that the characters had to hit. So they developed the film around the characters that would best fill the roles of the principal lead (Quasimodo), the Hero (Phoebus), and the Princess (Esmeralda), along with the obvious villain, Claude Frollo. He said that the story was exceptionally dark for a Disney film, but he found the heart in it when you would take away everyone else leaving Quasimodo to do his own thing with the birds or the gargoyles, and the world got bright and colorful. This sentiment is actually echoed in the production design of the film, whenever Frollo is present, the colors are grays and dark shadows, and muted and boring hues, but whenever Quasi is involved in his own thing there are far more colors and brightness.

He also elaborated on his love for writing the character of Esmeralda, saying he felt that she was Disney’s original activist, and she was most definitely not a damsel in distress, standing up for the issues, with Tab citing the line (though he flubbed it a little) “You mistreat this poor boy the same way you mistreat my people. You speak of justice, yet you are cruel to those most in need of your help!”

When asked about the development of Quasimodo, Tab pointed out that more classic adaptations of the story, such as an earlier incarnation from Universal in their horror movie craze, took the character and turned him into a literal monster, some sort of terrifying creature. “This is a human being,” Tab said, adding that his version would not scare you but draw out empathy. But he still had to be realistic. He couldn’t be the hero either, that wouldn’t be true to the source material, but he echoed thoughts and ideas shared by animator James Baxter in a recent program from the museum, that he needed to be gentle and warm to reinforce that this was a human and not a monster.

Interestingly, Tab said that he had not watched the film in its entirety since the world premiere back in 1996 up until about two weeks before the program, forgetting how beautiful the final product turned out. He said he cried his eyes out and believes that story holds up because of that emotion, something that everyone can relate to at some point in their lives, that they’re different and feeling alienated and an outsider who overcomes that. “Everyone who worked on that movie, everyone was on their A-game.”

After Hunchback, Tab was assigned to tackle Tarzan, though he openly admitted he wasn’t as involved in that one as much as people think he was. Shortly after he began, Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise (directors of Hunchback) asked him to join their team for a radical new movie that would buck the trends of Disney Animation, Atlantis: The Lost Empire. According to Tab, the pair pitched him the idea while comparing it to Disneyland, saying “You know how you go in to [the park] and go right into Fantasyland, through the castle, see the princesses and fairy tales. Well, we’re going to take a hard left straight to Adventureland.”

Tab was excited, this was going to be something so out of the ordinary and he would be a part of it. He noted that he was especially excited because of the subpods that would shoot out of the Ulysses. At another point in the session, Tab mentioned that he was never worried about budget when writing for Disney animation, noting that the animators were so good they would figure out how to get what he wrote onto the screen successfully, with the Subpods off the main submarine as they battled the Leviathan an excellent example of that. He also elaborated on what he referred to as “movie moments,” those special quotes that you know, when writing them, people will always remember and associate with the movie, with Atlantis having one of his favorites, when Helga is firing the flare gun at Roarke’s balloon and uses his own words, “Nothing personal.”

As many know, the film was not an immediate box office success. It didn’t do poorly, it just didn’t reach the numbers that Disney likes to see. Because of that, Tab thought he had written Disney’s first flop. The film came out in 2001, and he said it wasn’t until last year when he was stuck at home that someone had exposed him to the following that Atlantis: The Lost Empire has acquired over the years. He even started getting letters and messages from fans, some saying that the film had inspired them to be linguists or archeologists as those who were younger when they saw it are now adults exploring their career path.

Tab has an almost Jeff Bridges-like quality to him, almost channeling the Dude from The Big Lebowski, and elaborated on the sentiment of career paths, commenting that when he was in school, he was studying forestry and biology. In one of his best pieces of wisdom from the session, he said that “Part of knowing what you want is knowing what’s not meant for you.” It was his love of movies that continued to grow prompting him to get into the industry as a screenwriter. However, that background in forestry and wildlife would come in handy on his next assignment, Brother Bear.

Tab said goodbye to the kids, and jetted off to Florida for a short-term residence at the Yacht Club resort where he would go to the Animation studio that was part of the Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios) where Brother Bear was in production. Most of the original story, he said, was created from campfire stories that he and director Aaron Blaise would share. Together they wrote the original story which was mostly similar and had Kenai being transformed and subsequently mentored by an older bear named Grizz, voiced by Michael Clarke Duncan. He packed up and left and only after that did they change one prominent piece of the writing. Grizz would now be dropped for a younger bear, Koda, and that one “movie moment” as Tab says, where Kenai has to say the “he did something bad.”

Tab said the story of what happened on Brother Bear is truly the story of animation. It’s living and breathing. Things get dropped, added, changed, tweaked. He felt like a starting pitcher in a baseball game, there to set you up for success and then be moved or changed out to make sure the game is won, but also only one part of the greater team as a whole. When asked about how he would draw out emotion in his writing he said he would only put the words down, and it was the rest of that same team that would succeed in making you feel something, adding that he might have words that touch you emotionally in scene, but the rest of the team knew how to enhance those words and make it something truly special.

[general-kenobi357]

Someday Soon-Chapter 4

Pairing: JJ Maybank x Fem!OC

Summary: Secrets start to create more tension within the Pogues, even more so when Kooks start to get involved.

Word Count: 3.1k

🔅🔆🔅

There's a moment in every kid's life when you feel like anything's possible. When you feel like you've got the total mojo. You could, I don't know, free-climb El Capitan, land on Mars, or, uh... get elected president. The whole world's there for the taking if you've got the sack to go for it.

And then, when you least expect it, some Kook shows up and tells you there's no eternal mystery. And then all that talk about free-climbing and Mars and the president... bullshit.

Magic gets cancer and dies.

“It's not there. Look, just... just pull the drone up.” John B instructed Pope. We had searched all over the ocean floor and found nothing but the figure head that used to stand at the bow of the ship.

“Shit.” I muttered, the storm was picking up as the thunder grew louder and the lightning closer to where we were, I entered the cabin where JJ was still trying to hold the boat steady. We hadn’t spoken more than five words to each other since him and Pope had picked me up the day before, I figured it was time. “You need any help?”

“Nah, but if you have 400 mil lying around, I’d be happy to take it off your hands.” He joked, bringing a smile to my face before a comfortable silence fell over us and we continued to listen to the rest of the Pogues outside.

“Look, we can do another pass. Recharge the battery.” Pope suggested. “We can... we can go back down.”

“We've done it three times. There's nothing there.” JJ spoke up competing with the loud wind.

“Shut up! The gold could be buried. We don't know.” Kie reasoned, still hopeful.

“If it was there, it would've been found on the metal detector, okay? Somebody beat us to it.” John B told her.

“Or it was never there.” I mumbled. The more we searched the more the stories started to sound impossible.

With the thunder rumbling we all pitched in to bring in the drone before JJ drove us back to the dock.

🔅🔆🔅

After we got back onto dry land the group all parted ways, promising to see each other later on that evening.

Once I got back to my house I changed into some dry clothes before making my way into the main room to see my mom sitting on the couch, I could hear Emmy in her room playing.

“Hey Hon.” My mom spoke up, setting down the book she was reading. “Where have you been all morning?”

“Oh we took Heyward’s boat out, trying to catch some fish. JJ’s cousin told him you can get spearfish out in the open water.”

“Did you catch anything?”

“No the storm picked up, we had to head back in.”

“Well that’s too bad. Maybe next time.”

“Yeah, maybe next time.” And even though my mom didn’t know what we had really been looking for, her words gave me a little hope, maybe we could still find something.

“Hey, are you and your friends going out later?” She asked after a few minutes.

“Um, I don’t know. Kie was talking about taking us to an outdoor movie over on Figure Eight.”

“Oh you used to love those as a kid, do you think they would be okay if Emmy tagged along?”

“I can ask. Kie was going to pick us all up in a little bit.”

“Thank you. I just don’t want her to miss out on everything you got to do when we still lived over there.”

“I know.” I replied with a smile. Ever since we had moved to the cut and Emmy was born, she had been trying to give us everything she possibly could.

🔅🔆🔅

A few hours later I was in my room when I heard a horn outside. Quickly I got up grabbing the bag I had packed before going to find Emmy. She had moved to the porch as the day progressed and the house got hotter.

“Em, you ready to go?” I asked her.

“Yep!” She said standing up. “Wait I have to go say bye to Mommy.”

I watched her run back into the house, before I followed behind her.

“Have fun you two.” Mom told us as she pulled Emmy into a hug. “Don’t forget bug spray, and not too many candies alright?”

“Okay Mommy.” Emmy said nodding her head.

“Here.” Mom said standing up and passing me a couple of bills. “It should be enough for tickets and a treat for each of you.”

“Thank you.” I told her, folding the bills to fit in my pocket. I knew it wasn’t enough for all that, but it would be enough for tickets and I had some tip money from yesterday to buy Emmy a treat.

“Have fun you two!” She called as we went to meet Kie who was waiting by the road.

“Hey.” I greeted as we approached her car. “Is it alright if Emmy tags along.”

“Yeah of course.” Kie said smiling, I had a sneaking suspicion that my friends might have preferred her to me most days.

“Okay Em, get in the back.” I instructed opening the door for her. “Are we picking up the boys?” I asked.

“Yeah they're our next stop.” Kie told me from the front.

“You gotta sit in the middle seat.” I told Emmy, before buckling her seat belt.

“I don’t want to sit with the boys.” Emmy whined. “They smell bad.”

“They don’t smell bad.” I tried to defend the boys who weren't there to defend themselves, as I got into the front.

“Well…” Kie trailed off defending Emmy’s point. We all laughed as she pulled out of our driveway and down the road to JJ’s house.

As we pulled up, the two boys were waiting by the curb for us, Pope looked scared while JJ looked as if he were preparing for something. They greeted us all as they climbed into the backseat and before long we were en route to Figure Eight.

“Are you guys sure you want to go to this thing?” Pope asked about halfway into the drive.

“What?” I asked turning to look at him. “You love these movies.”

“Well maybe we’re just not feeling it today.” JJ defended Pope’s statement.

“What is up with you two?” I asked, I couldn’t help but wonder if it had to do with whatever had happened yesterday.

“Yeah, what is up with you two?” Em asked, parroting what I had just said. It was one of her current favorite things to do, after she heard me taunting John B the same way a couple months ago.

Her comment was enough to break the tension that had been building in the car, as it brought a smile to all our faces.

“Don’t worry Princess, we’re just bein’ weirdos.” JJ told Emmy, using the nickname he had started using a while ago when she had joined us all for a boat ride and declared herself the Princess of the water.

🔅🔆🔅

“I'm so glad that they're still doing this.” Kie told us as we gathered all the stuff we had brought from her trunk. “Keep calm. Carry on. Back to OBX life. You know? Aren't you glad I made you come?”

“Ecstatic.” Pope replied in a monotone voice.

“My couch was pretty comfy, I'll be honest.” JJ added.

“Okay, Em? I’m gonna go with Kie to get your treat okay? What do you want?” I asked, setting down my bag.

“Um…” She thought, putting a hand on the side of her head. “Popcorn!”

“Okay.” I replied with a smile, moving to where Kie was waiting. “JJ can help you put out your blanket okay?” I told her before I turned to look at JJ, he gave me a thumbs up as I began to follow Kie to the concession.

“Hey, uh... can I get two Pepsis, please? Oh and a popcorn?” Kie asked the guy behind the counter.

“Oh I can buy Emmy’s food.” I told her, feeling a little guilty.

“No, don’t worry about it, did you want anything?” She asked, pushing away my hand which held a few bills.

“No, I’m good thanks.” I replied, as we waited for our order.

“Hey, Kie.” I heard Rafe Cameron call out from behind us.

“Hey.” Kie responded uncomfortably.

“What's up? How are you?” He asked, it seemed like he only noticed her. But it didn’t surprise me, I was generally looked at as the help.

“I'm fine.”

“Good, good. Um… Tell your boy that we know what he did.”

“Sorry, what boy are you talking about?” I finally asked.

“Uh, he'll know.” He told us. “Bye.”

“Douche.” Kie muttered as Rafe walked away. “What was that about?”

“I have no idea.” I told her truthfully as we made our way back over to the boys and Emmy. “Nobody will tell me anything.”

“Just saw Rafe, and he said, and I quote, <Tell your boy that we know what he did.> What is that?” Kie asked as I sat down between Emmy and JJ, handing her the bag of popcorn.

“Um… Where is he?” JJ asked nervously looking around.

“Right there.” I told him pointing behind us as we all turned.

“Great, the whole death squad.” Pope muttered.

“Don't stare, bro.” JJ warned turning around. “If they corner me, I'm coming out swinging, okay? Slice and dicin'. I'm on edge right now.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Pope confirmed, with every word they exchanged I was more confused.

“If that doesn't work, I got this right here.” JJ reassured Pope pointing to his bag, I was no longer confused, now I was just pissed of knowing exactly what he was referring to. How could he be that dumb.

“Yeah, yeah. So, we just gotta stay in the group. They can't get us in the group. Like a school of fish. Stay in the school. Can't leave the school.” Pope started rambling.

“I'm sorry, stay in school? Please tell me that you did not bring a gun here.” Kie asked, looking at the pair.

“JJ, there are kids. Emmy is here.” I reminded him.

“Sweetheart, I didn't bring the gun. Everything's fine, okay?” He told me with an unconvincing smile.

“Wow, thank you. That's really convincing. I love that, JJ.” I said, knowing he was lying.

“Founding principle, you guys. No secrets amongst Pogues.” Kie reminded them, which made me laugh bitterly. I was pretty sure everything Pope and JJ had said to me since yesterday had been lies. “What is Rafe talking about?”

“Kie, it might go down tonight.” Pope told her.

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“<Might go down tonight.> What did y'all do?” Kie demanded.

“Deny, deny, deny.” I heard JJ mutter to Pope. Shaking my head at Kie before I turned to look at Emmy, who sat blissfully unaware as she enjoyed her popcorn.

🔅🔆🔅

About halfway into the movie I heard the boys whispering to each other. Before they both stood up.

“Hey, where are y'all going?” Kie asked as they began to walk away.

“We gotta wring it out.” JJ responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“You gonna hold it for each other?” She criticized them as they left.

The pair had been gone for a few minutes when out of the corner of my eye I saw three Kooks head in the same direction JJ and Pope had gone. Glancing at Emmy to make sure she stayed put I shuffled closer to Kie.

“I think somethings wrong.” I whispered in her ear. “Three Kooks just headed off to where JJ and Pope went.”

“They’ll be fine, they have the gun, Rafe wouldn’t try anything here.”

“The gun is still in JJ’s bag.” I informed Kie, holding up his backpack.

“Shit.” She muttered, taking the bag from my grasp. “You stay with Emmy I’ll go make sure they get this.”

I moved back beside Emmy as I watched Kie walk away.

“Where is everyone going?” Emmy asked, curiously.

“Nowhere don’t worry, just watch the movie.” I told her, unable to take my own advice.

A few more minutes past as I sat thinking the worst had happened to my friends, until suddenly the bottom of the screen lit up on fire. The crowd began to scatter as more of the screen was engulfed in flames.

“Fuck.” I muttered under my breath, trying to decide what to do. “Okay come here.” I told Emmy picking her up, I knew I couldn’t leave her here alone but I wasn’t sure what I was about to walk into. “Close your eyes okay? Don’t open them until I say so.” I told her as I walked over to where I had seen all my friends go.

As I walked around behind the movie screen which had now been reduced to ashes, I could see Rafe and his goons running off and in front of me Pope, Kie and JJ were all laying on the grass. But I could see them all moving.

“Oh, thank you.” I mumbled, not entirely sure who I was thanking. Pope and Kie were sitting beside each other so I made my way over to JJ with Emmy still in my arms. With my free hand I helped him before pulling him into a hug.

“You’re squishing me!” Emmy called out from between us.

“Sorry Em.” I apologized, letting go of JJ and setting her down. “It’s okay, you can open your eyes.” I told her noticing that her eyes were still squeezed shut.

“Are you okay JJ?” Emmy asked, her voice quiet.

“Of course I am Princess.” He reassured her, scoping her up. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Izzie was swearing and I was worried when you and Pope left.” Emmy explained, ratting me out in the process.

“Iz, swearing in front of the Princess?” JJ asked, feigning a look of shock before he went back to talking to Emmy. “Come on let’s go get your stuff.”

I let out a sigh of relief before I followed the group back to where all of our stuff had been left. As I packed up my bag I heard JJ explaining to Emmy that it was all just a game that they were playing and that she didn’t have to worry about any of it. All I could do was hope she wouldn’t tell my Mom.

🔅🔆🔅

After dropping off the boys, Kie drove me and Emmy home. The drive was silent partially due to the fact that Emmy was passed out in the back seat and partially due to the fact that neither of us wanted to talk about what had just happened.

Once we had arrived I grabbed my bag before getting Emmy from the back seat. Kie unrolled the window to wave goodbye to me.

“Thank you.” I said to Kie with a smile. “For everything.”

“Of course, I’ll see you tomorrow.” She replied, waving as I made my way to the front door.

It wasn’t until I had closed the door behind me that I heard the tires of Kie’s car drive off. My Mom was sitting in the kitchen with a cup of tea reading by a candle when we got inside. I quickly went and put Emmy into her bed before I joined her.

“You two are home earlier than I thought, wasn’t it a double feature?” She asked me.

“Yeah, um some kids messed with the screen and they couldn’t play the second movie.” I explained, pulling her into a tight hug.

“You okay?” She asked concern laced through her words.

“Yeah I just missed you.” I said, pulling away.

“Okay.” She said not sounding entirely convinced.

“Goodnight.” I said before I walked out of the kitchen and into my room.

“Goodnight!” She called as I closed my door.

🔅🔆🔅

The next day the Pogues-minus John B, who no one had heard from-were gathered at Heyward’s discussing the events of last night.

“Don't let it get in your head. Three of them and two of us.” JJ reassured Pope, who was still on edge. “That's typical Kook shit right there.”

“Hey, Pope, someone here to see you.” Heyward interrupted, Deputy Shoupe trailing behind him.

“Evening, Officer.” Pope said, suddenly seeming even more on edge than before.

“I have an arrest warrant for felony destruction of property.” Shoupe told him blatantly. “Hands where I can see 'em.” He instructed beginning to cuff Pope. “Young lady, out of my way.” He said pushing past Kie as we all followed him outside.

“Whoa. Shoupe, what'd he do?” Heyward said, confused.

“Look at the warrant.”

“You're arresting him? You're just arresting my boy?”

“Be careful!” Kie shouted as Shoupe continued to read Pope his rights.

All of our voices seemed to mix together as I tried to figure out what was going on.

“It wasn't him!” JJ yelled over all of us, everyone else fell silent. “It was me. He tried to talk me out of it, but I was mad because he'd just been beaten up. I was so sick of those assholes from Figure Eight that I lost my shit. I can't let you take the blame for somethin' I did. You've got too much to lose.”

“JJ, what are you doing?” Pope asked and all of the sudden I realized what was going on and what they had been keeping from me.

“I'm tellin' the truth.” JJ explained, he was staring at me as if he wanted to say something more. “For once in my goddamn life, I'm gonna tell the truth. I took his old man's boat, too.”

“JJ, come on.” Pope tried to stop him.

“Just shut up, Pope!” JJ shouted. “Just shut up. He's a good kid. You know where I'm from.”

“Yeah.” Shoupe agreed.

“This was all me.”

“That's the whole truth?”

“Whole truth, swear to God.”

“I know what you think, damn it, I'm asking Pope.”

“Yeah, that about covers it.” Pope stated, as JJ nodded at him.

Shoupe sighed before uncuffing Pope and putting JJ into his car. I could hear Pope cursing from behind me as Kie and Heyward tried to calm him down. But all I could do was watch as the cop car drove off leaving me standing in the street, tears streaming down my face. Realizing I hadn’t even said goodbye.

🔅🔆🔅

[nikibogwater]

Bogwater’s Guide to Writing Platonic Relationships

Have a seat, dears, pour yourself a mug of cocoa, and let’s talk about writing for a bit. Specifically, writing emotionally intense, compelling relationships that are completely devoid of any romantic tension.

“Niki, those don’t exist! The only relationships that are truly intense and compelling are the romantic ones! Everybody knows that!”

*gently bonks you on the head with my magic scepter* NO. This is a common misconception that is perpetuated by media and especially fandom culture. And it stems from this bizarre idea that emotional intimacy must always equate with romantic intimacy. I have no idea where this idea got its start, but if you ask literally anybody who has experienced real, genuine friendship in their life, they will tell you it’s absolute nonsense. Just because you’re not doing the kissy-kiss with someone, that doesn’t mean you’re not emotionally intimate with them.

“But I don’t want any emotional intimacy without the kissy-kiss! It’s boring!” 

Yeah, so, there’s a reason platonic relationships in modern media often feel less interesting than romantic ones, and it’s precisely because of what I said above. Media producers and many fic authors are skittish about showing platonic love with the same level of depth and emotional intensity as romantic, so it often ends up being somewhat watered down and simplified, to the point that it becomes a less interesting relationship. The only thing this does is perpetuate the idea that any and all emotional intimacy immediately implies romantic attraction (it does not) while also devaluing the very real importance of genuine friendship/familial bonds. 

“Okay, but what if I just like romance better?”

That’s your personal preference, and that’s okay! Everybody has their favorite genres and tropes that resonate with them more than others. My personal favorite is Family, Found or otherwise (with a healthy dose of Hurt/Comfort on the side), but I can totally understand if romance speaks to you more. HOWEVER. This does not excuse writers and other content producers from low-key asserting that romantic relationships are objectively “better” than platonic ones. Hard fact of life: Nobody needs to experience romance, and even those who do experience it do so in different ways. But everybody does need to have emotional connections with other people through the bonds of friendship and family. Believe it or not, romantic love is not a universal experience. Platonic though? Everybody knows that one, and everybody needs it to be happy. To devalue it as a whole is to impose a toxic mindset that forces people to experience relationships in a very narrow and restrictive way.

Okay--*steps off my soap box and kicks it to the side*--now that we’ve established that friendship is important and should be given the same value that society gives to romance, let’s talk about a few ways to write intense and compelling platonic relationships!

Emotional Intimacy:

I’ve talked about this a lot already, but just in case some of you are confused, emotional intimacy is just when two people have a very deep familiarity and understanding of each other. They understand how the other’s mind works, and feel comfortable opening up to each other about their own stuff. Obviously, this is very important for any relationship, platonic or romantic, but writers will often limit such familiarity between characters to the romantic relationships. The first step to writing an interesting friendship is to not do that. Show that your platonic soulmates understand each other and are vulnerable with each other. Here are some easy ways to do that:

Character A knows all of Character B’s personal preferences--likes and dislikes, including small things like food, flowers, music, etc. 

A can finish B’s sentences for them. 

A is willing to talk about their feelings when B asks if they’re okay.

A and B trust each other and know the other always has their back

A and B will occasionally reference events in their shared history and even have inside jokes

A will seek B out for comfort when they are upset.

A and B almost never miscommunicate--they know what the other means when they say something, and will immediately notice if the other is acting strange.

A and B can communicate with each other silently, via subtle looks, eye movements, or gestures.

Selflessness:

To quote a grossly over-marketed Disney franchise, “Love is putting someone else’s needs before yours.” This is the simplest and also most accurate definition of love I’ve come across, and it is universal to all kinds of relationships. So in order to make your platonic relationship compelling, you need to show that the characters are willing to make sacrifices for each other--even big ones. Make sure this is a mutual exchange between both characters, because otherwise you risk making the relationship look a bit toxic. Here are a few of my favorite examples of selflessness between friends/family:

Character A willingly puts themselves in harm’s way in order to protect Character B.

A is always ready to drop what they’re doing and come to B’s assistance. 

A and B regularly do small favors for each other without being asked. 

A is always mindful of B’s needs and makes sure they’re taken care of.

A and B always do their best not to hurt each other, either physically or emotionally. 

A is openly very worried whenever B is in danger and stops at nothing to help them.

Affection:

This is the part where most writers balk when writing platonic relationships. “They can’t touch each other!!! That’s sexy and weird!!!” No, it’s not. This idea that any and all signs of affection are exclusive to romantic relationships is toxic, and we need to wipe it from existence. Obviously there are different levels of physical intimacy, and some absolutely are exclusive to romantic relationships. Here’s a list of No-Gos if you want to keep a relationship completely platonic:

Kissing on the lips/mouth/neck.

Gazing deeply and silently into each other’s eyes for long periods of time for no other reason than to simply Gaze.

Doing the Do or otherwise touching each other in an explicitly sexual way (I feel like this one should be pretty obvious. Also wth guys, that stuff is grooooosssssssss 🤢)

Honestly those are the only ones that I can think of that are always exclusively romantic. Everything else requires pre-established context in order to be taken as such. So here’s a list of affectionate gestures that are totally safe for established platonic relationships!

Little forehead/cheek kisses.

Hugs--yes, even prolonged ones. Sometimes friends/family just want to hold each other for a while, and not in a sexy way. 

Holding hands.

Leaning on each other.

Playing with each other’s hair or gently petting it in order to offer comfort.

Sleeping next to each other when circumstances require it (and neither of them makes any fuss over it)

Saying “I love you.” STOP MAKING THIS AN EXCLUSIVELY ROMANTIC THING, PLEASE, FOR THE SAKE OF ALL THAT IS PURE IN THIS WORLD!

Touching foreheads (my personal favorite of the lot!)

Maintaining prolonged eye-contact during moments of sincerity and communication, especially if Character A is trying to tell B something important.

Sweet little smiles, or other such soft looks of fondness

And many other gestures that I don’t have time to go over in this list.

Tip the First: When writing platonic affection, be sure to bear in mind your characters’ personalities and physical differences. For example, if Character A is significantly bigger and heavier than Character B, they probably wouldn’t be tackle-hugging B, because that would risk seriously injuring B. Different personalities also have different levels of comfort when it comes to physical affection. If you’re writing fanfic, it helps to revisit the source material and observe how the two characters interact with each other. And remember: just because two characters aren’t physically affectionate with each other, it does NOT mean they don’t have a deep and meaningful friendship. Also bear in mind that many people have different dynamics with different friends simply due to the way their personalities fit together. Not all of my friendships look the same, and it’s not because of insincerity on my part--I just have different interactions with different people.

Tip the Second: If you want the gestures of affection to really pack a punch, use them sparingly. Save your long, warm embraces for when the two characters finally reunite after a long separation. Have Character A take B’s hand only when they can sense that B is frightened and in need of reassurance. A “First Platonic Hug” scene can be just as sweet and feelsy as a “First Kiss” scene if you do it right! Also, don’t be afraid to talk at length about how a gesture of affection makes a character feel. Describe the warm fuzzies that bubble up in their chest when their friend/family member gives them a hug, wax poetic about how grateful they are to have said friend/family member in their life. Taking time to explore and dwell on a certain feeling should never be strictly reserved for the ones associated with romance. 

And when in doubt:

Observe the professionals. Here are some fantastic platonic relationships from various pieces of media that I take tons of inspiration from:

Frodo and Sam from Lord of the Rings (especially in the books)

Jim and Toby from Dreamworks’ Tales of Arcadia series

Din and Cara from Star Wars: The Mandalorian

Lilo and Nani from Disney’s Lilo and Stitch

So in conclusion:

Listen, I get it. Romance is exciting and cute and sexy and very important in its own right, and society likes to beat us over the head with it these days. But I cannot impress on you enough just how vital platonic relationships are to living a good and fulfilling life. I am who I am today because of the family and friends who have helped me grow. Please don’t disregard it, whether in your writing or in your own life. Cherish friendship. Acknowledge the depth of your platonic feelings for someone. And writers, please don’t be afraid to express those feelings in your work. If we let friendship and family die, I can assure you, any potential for healthy romantic relationships will quickly follow suit. 

[tinumiel]

Time for the tea aka I just finished Rule of Wolves

Spoiler alert...I...was kind of really disappointed by it :/

NEEDLESS TO SAY THERE’S SPOILERS OVER SPOILERS FOR KING OF SCARS AND RULE OF WOLVES BELOW THE READ MORE...Also a long ass essay no one asked for, I just needed to vent.

General Impression.

I was kind of disappointed, because the duology was sold as a Nikolai Lantsov duology, and while I definitely felt that was delivered in King of Scars, I feel like in Rule of Wolves he just sort of became a secondary character to the stories of others like Nina and Zoya (which don’t get me wrong, I love that they gain protagonism, but then why sell the whole thing as Nikolai centered?). That said, I loved Nina’s entire storyline and really enjoyed the Shu Han plot (which I think sets up quite nicely for a new, independent storyline).

Things I DID NOT like.

First I’ll speak of things that I didn’t like but more because of personal preferences. That is, things I didn’t like, but I can see why other did enjoy.

Zoyalai. I guess this has a lot to do with the fact that I am a Nikolina shipper first and a human being second and it’s hard for me to let go of a ship once I’ve invested myself in it. I wanted to like Zoyalai, and I did for the majority of King of Scars, but in Rule of Wolves, it suddenly started to feel kind of forced to me. I think they have a lot of things in common, but differ in very fundamental aspects that on the long run simply wouldn’t make them work. But more than that, I felt like their entire lovestory in Rule of Wolves was basically some kind of Nikolina AU in which everything that a very large chunk of the fandom wanted to see with Nikolai x Alina, was given to Zoya x Nikolai. It almsot felt as if Leigh Bardugo said “Oh well, the fans really wanted to see this, but since I gave the character they wanted to see in it a different ending, I’ll just give it to them but with a different character” and Zoya was just the one available for the plot. They did have some cute moments and I definitely do enjoy their relationship, but more as confidents and friends than lover interests.

Zoya’s storyline. I feel like Zoya was done dirty in Rule of Wolves, which is kind of ironic considering she ends the story with pretty much everything she dreamed of and more. But i felt like in King of Scars, Zoya went through a very interesting journey. She was always this character than sticks almost stubbornly into a certain way things should be, she doesn’t like stepping out of her comfort zone because she likes to feel in control. And in King of Scars she went through a journey in which she gradually learned to step outside the box. But I felt like for the most of Rule of Wolves, she simply reverted back, completely ignoring her changes in the previous book, until the very last minute in which she has this sudden epiphany moment about letting go, which seemed unnecessary to me since she had already experienced it in King of Scars. Secondly, on a similar note with the whole Zoyalai being a Nikolina AU with a different character, I felt like in Rule of Wolves Zoya was simply shoved into the alternate role many of us hoped to see Alina in. Not just as Nikolai’s partner, but as a person. Think of it, she gained this power no one else possesses, she becomes pretty much one of a kind, she becomes a queen that represent reunification. It’s basically as if she became a version of what Alina could have been, but with a different personality. A soldier queen? Alina was a soldier. A grisha queen? Alina was grisha. A suli queen? Alina was not half suli, but she is half shu, which are pretty much equally discriminated against. And finally, there’s this part in which I think it’s Nikolai refers to her as “Soldier. Summoner. Saint”. Sounds familiar? Because it’s the exact same words written on every cover of the Shadow and Bone trilogy, referring to Alina. It makes me very upset that they gave Zoya this discarded storyline for Alina instead of building up her own storyline (Not to mention: it did Alina equally dirty because she lost all of those conditions because Mal couldn’t handle being in the shadow of someone extraordinary, but that’s another story). 

Not for things I didn’t like, but for much more rational reasons.

The Darkling. When I finished reading King of Scars, I thought bringing him back was a pretty good plotwist. But it was also a tricky choice, because it coul fall into the “He was such a appealing villain tor readers in the first trilogy, I’ll bring him back to have the same success” trap. And that’s exactly what happen. I feel like if a villain (or any character really) is going to be brought back, then they have to fill in a different role from the one they originally occupied. The Darkling is basically the same. Even his conditions aren’t fundamentally that different once he gets his powers back. All the Darkling really needs are his powers, his tongue and a group of people desperate enough for someone to follow. And he had all of those things in Rule of Wolves, so it was simply repetitive. It was like the Darkling, but in rags.Plus it didn’t feel so much as a storyline, but more like a constant reminder of “LOOK HOW EVIL HE IS HE NEVER CARED FOR ANYONE. THAT QUOTE YOU PEOPLE LOVE SO MUCH ABOUT CHANGING THE WORLD IS ACTUALLY MEANINGLESS LOOK HOW MUCH HE SUCKS”. Like, I don’t need to be reminded he’s a bad guy, I am fully capable of knowing this and still liking his character. He’s a fictional character, I don’t need to be reminded of it. I’m capable of rational thought. Not to mention his ending felt like a huge nothing. “And he impaled himself to a tree”. It just felt like more of an excuse to set up for a Six of Crows #3 book. It’s just disrespectful to the fascinating character from Shadow and Bone. It basically took away everything that made him such a good character.

David dying.Fine, not much rational reasons here. It’s just doing my baby dirty. Why, oh why is Mal still alive, boring, toxic Mal who spent most of his time putting his love interest down; while David, sweet David who compromised and made an effort to do things that would make his wife happy even though it was hard for him, dies? It’s just cruel. 

All in all, I felt like the Ravka storyline pretty much fell apart in Rule of Wolves. I almsot felt tempted to skip it if it wasn’t because I didn’t want to miss any Nikolai quotes. I felt like Leigh Bardugo doesn’t really know what to do with the characters, and it became pretty obvious to me during the titanium heist with the special guest starring of the Crows. In like two chapters, I felt like Kaz, Jesper and Wylan were more smoothly written than any of the Ravkans. Which was really sad for me, considering how Nikolai is my favorite character in the entire verse, and Zoya was such an amazing character in the original series (and in KOS too).

What I DID LIKE.

Nina’s storlyine. Just, all of it. It was exciting, and dynamic, and you could perceive Nina’s character arc while still never straying into ooc territory. The way her griedf was treated, her loyalties, her desire to fight, her desire for revenge but also her desire to honor Matthias’s memory. All of it was so flawlessly written. I thought I’d be bored with her stuck in the Ice Court, but it was the storyline I actually enjoyed the most. The Fjerdan intrigues and political battles, and Nina in the midst of it. trying to do what was best for her country and the people she loved.  I love what was done to her character.

On the same note, I love Nina and Hanne. This, unlike my problem with Zoyalai, is a case in which, while I adored an original ship, I actually ended up enjoying the new one. Matthias and Nina were perfect for each other. But I loved how Hanne came to offer a new love. (I’m not sure if I should refer Hanny as she or he, so I’ll just use they until I get a better notion of what pronouns the character identifies with). It genuinely felt  like they were not a replacement for Matthias, or an upgrade. They were a love interest on their own, with their own story, not a “what if” version of another love story. Plus, Hanne is just objectively great.

The Shu-Han storyline. I didn’t even know I needed it, but it was so fascinating to read about the Shu. I find there is a lot to unpack and I really hope in the future, Leigh Bardugo will write a new series  following those characters. I loved Mayu and Ehri and grandmother Leyti. Plus, Mahki would make a great antagonist. And it would suppose a new colorfun addition to the countries we already know well, like Ravka and Fjerda, plus the city of Ketterdam.

The Crows. I know it was probably pure fan service, but I love just how well written they are, how you can really tell that Leight Bardugo has the complete hang and understanding of the characters. Plus, it’s always nice to see how my babies are doing.

FINAL THOUGHTS

All in all, I felt that the book had some highlights, but some decisions just pretty much ruined it for me. I hope the good parts are picked up and carried on in different sagas, and the rest...well, I guess I’ll keep on pretending the Ravka story finished when Alina and Nikolai were watching the stars fall and from then on, imagine they got marries, became an awesome power couple, and were the godparents of all of Genya and David’s beautiful, clever children. While Zoya looked upon all of them like “These are a pack of idiots but they are my pack of idiots and I am so proud”.

If you read this rant until the end, you’re awesome. If you liked Rule of Wolves, damn you are so lucky and I am glad you enjoyed it like I wish I had. But at least we can all join together under one common thought: Jarl Braum is a little bitch.

[bexterbex]

A Soul to Mend His Own | Ch. 72

This is the part where I reiterate if you see something in the tags/warnings you don't like, please just leave the story.

Warning, PLEASE CHECK TAGS IF YOU SEE SOMETHING YOU DON’T WANT TO READ THEN DON’T READ. | Tag lists are closed | INBOX OPEN

Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Will tag as I go along, Will update tags, Slow Burn, Influenced by Star Trek and other Sci-Fi themes, References to We Happy Few, Tons of References and quotes to George Orwells 1984 see if you can find them all, The First Order is the new Big Brother,  but who is really surprised, Blatant Nazi Symbolism, Interrogation Themes, Eventual Smut, Eventual Romance, Really just drawn out Slow Burn, Don’t repost without permission, Torture themes, Suggestive Themes, Execution themes, Disturbing Themes, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Verbal Abuse, Controlling Kylo Ren, Physical Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Kylo Ren is Not Nice, Kylo Ren Has Issues, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, Possessive Kylo Ren, A character shamelessly based on Zelda

A Kylo Ren x Modern! Reader in a soulmate au with canon divergence. —————————————SLOWBURN————————————–

He is already the Supreme leader, searching the universe to find you, his Empress. Your name on his wrist has been the only constant in his life, while you have doubts about his existence and his acceptance of you. He isn’t in the database and why did the name Kylo Ren cover Ben Solo?

MASTERLIST

Chapter 72: Ink and Lies

You woke up with a pressure behind your ear and a hand between your legs. The last few mornings since you’ve been crowned Empress, since your wedding, Kylo has woken you up by fingering you and playing with your clit. Basically giving you an orgasm to start the day, not that you were complaining at all. You also tried to happily return the favor, but it was much easier to do some sort of handjob, wrist match name attention mix to get him off since he has really too big for your hands to handle properly. But that is what your mornings consisted of.

You and Kylo had done some work over the last few days but not much, you weren’t going to be able to get a proper honeymoon in the middle of a war, but your love nest was enough. Today was the first day that Kylo would be leaving the ship. The Alazmac apparently had something for him, something of Vader’s that they wanted to give you both as a wedding present. You weren’t exactly happy that he was leaving the ship, as you had wanted him close, he was right in the sense that him guarding you made you feel safer.

In the last few days, you had seen very little of your staff outside a few visits from your ladies-in-waiting and Mitaka, who relayed important messages. Hux was bearing the brunt of the responsibility of the First Order at the moment, not unlike before you were in the picture, but you felt bad.

In the couple of hours that Kylo was gone, you and your ladies-in-waiting did some rehabilitation work. Your body in many ways had taken a beating and you needed to be restored to some sort of functional state.

Eyeing you up and down, scanning over the many, many love marks. “You know you look like you’ve been attacked by a pack of wild dogs,” commented Adlez.

This caused a snort of laughter at the comparison, “If only you knew the truth.” Especially with your new nickname for Kylo. You didn’t mind the beast, especially in bed. But after the last few days, it would be nice to be able to feel the lower half of your body finally.

“Maybe you need to put him on a leash, hmm? Some obedience training? It’s worked wonders on his knights. And the pack of dogs they are.” Again it felt like Adlez was full of surprises. She’s hinted at her sleeping around with the knights, teaching them ‘manners.’

You tried to play off the smirk that was on your face. “All of them or just Cardo?” You knew the rowdy Knight of Ren had a soft spot for her. So much so that Kylo asked you about it.

“All of them.” She shrugged, “But Cardo has been a special boy.” The images that popped into your head were rather... scaring. You were just grateful that you did not have to witness them in real life.

Your face flushed with embarrassment, “Oh my god, didn’t need to know that, but good for you.” You really didn’t, she had her private life, and you had yours.

“You should ask the Supreme Leader about their wedding gift for you two.” Some rather terrifying possibilities jumped around in your head. You almost didn’t want to know, especially if he hasn’t shown it to you yet.

“Do I want to know?” You probably didn’t, but you might be able to get an answer out of her, eventually. “Well, it might just help with that obedience bit. He is their leader, their alpha and now you are their alpha too. Teach him some new tricks.” And the dog imagery was back, you wonder just how much she knows. But for now you wanted to drop the subject all together.

They ended up filling the tub with bacta for you to soak, Kylo had expressed the discomfort about you going to the med bay for treatment. And since none of your ‘injuries’ were severe or life-threatening it was a long bath in gross bacta gel for you. Adlez told you to submerge yourself but that meant Kylo’s favorite love bites would be healed too and you weren’t about to do that, you wanted to wear a few of them with pride.

By the time you got out, you felt renewed again. The only bruises left were those high up on your neck, along your jaw, and of course the one behind your ear. Still marked up for him, still owned, but it wasn’t like you needed it because you had your wedding ring and you doubt there is any place in the galaxy that doesn’t know your face now. You were his and were proud to display his conquest marks. You also haven’t worn any proper clothes in the last few days, if you were just with Kylo you were either naked or wearing just a robe, but if you were meeting with someone you wore a wrap dress. Which seemed to be Kylo’s favorite type of garment on you because he could easily untie you and have access to whatever he wanted.  

After Adlez and Olivia-Rose made you human again you had a meeting with your staff and Hux. They seemed to eye your condition carefully. Not really knowing how Kylo had left you, since you had really only been meeting with Mitaka and your ladies-in-waiting.

“What are my most pressing matters?” You knew you did not have much time to be talking with them Kylo would be back soon, and your rehabilitation treatments took a bit longer than you initially expected. Adlez insisted on you being repaired from head to toe with face masks, hair removal, and the works.

“You still need to meet with Senator Apolin about your education,” said Mitaka. Your thoughts went back to the dinner, and how he treated you. Acting as if you were some idiot girl that tricked her way into Kylo’s bed with the intent to rule the galaxy.

A thought popped into your head, you had new privileges now. “Do I or does being Empress now negate that?”

Hux cleared his throat, “I would say that it negates it. He technically has no right to question you now, I suggest a letter versus a call.” He seemed to have your back in many ways, especially when it came to dealing with Pryde and his friends. You wondered just how much he hated the man.

“Right,” you turned to Lieutenant Amala Graven. “Can you write up something about it? Something along the lines that since he, unfortunately, did not set up a date prior to me becoming Empress that he now is not in the position to review my education?” This made you feel happy, knowing that an old man like him wouldn’t be getting his way this time, and that you had tricked him into thinking he had some power over you.

She pushed up her glasses before she began taking notes, very diligent in her work. “Yes. Would you like it to be formal or semi-formal?”

“Formal, but as much hidden sass as you can put in it. Also, let him know that it was unfortunate that he couldn’t attend the wedding.” You were glad he didn’t. You were honestly surprised you were able to handle Pryde being there, but then again, you didn’t know he was there until after the wedding and consummation of your vows were over.

“But we did not extend him an invitation m’lady,” said Mitaka you could hear the worry in his voice. You don’t know if it was because the invitation was ‘forgotten’ or if it was because you were possibly going to piss off a powerful ally.  

You thought for a moment. Even if he wasn’t invited he still had an expectation to uphold his duty. “Has he sent a gift?” You were sure you knew the answer, one of the rooms that shared your chamber’s hallway was cleared out just to hold all of them, some of them still arriving.

Hux answered for the captain. “No, he has not.” You could see the wheels turning in his mind, you knew he agreed with you and what you were about to do.

You looked between both of them, holding your ground. “Then my point still stands. Shall we move on to the next topic?”

Before you could move on Kylo entered the room and ordered everyone out. He was holding something in his hand that you could not see. He chose not to remove his helmet before speaking to you. The chilling sound of his distorted voice haunting you to the bone. “I must leave.”

Waves of confusion washed over you, with their freezing cold waters. “Leave be you just got back? Where are you going?” Your mind was racing a million miles a minute. You were supposed to be relatively safe now, that other danger was not supposed to happen for a while, or at least that’s what you thought.

“I have something left to do.” The black voids of his visor peering into you, this was no guard dog at the moment, this was something else. You could feel something was wrong.

“But why must you go? Can’t you take me with you?” You didn’t understand what was going on, because he wasn’t explaining anything.  

He stepped closer to you, but with his helmet on, like that it didn’t feel sweet it felt threatening. “No, I must go alone. It would be best for you to return to your home planet.” So he was shipping you back to your home planet, to do away with you?

“What’s going on? You’re scaring me.” You wanted answers, answers that he never seemed to give you.

You felt them again, inside your mind. You felt the black tendrils forcing themselves to wrap around your brain, stretching, familiarizing themselves with their new home once more.

His voice taking a whole new, unfamiliar tone of harshness with the mask. His hand with an extended finger outstretched towards you, “You will not fight me. You will do as I say when I say it. You will go home to your planet while complete what I must do. Do you understand?” You were being talked down to, like a child but all you could do is nod. Your body involuntarily doing what he asked, were as the small rational part of your brain was struggling to survive. She was losing the battle.

“I will have a ship and the knights escort you back to Earth. Where you will wait for my return.” So that was it, you were a princess being locked away in some tower before your prince in black armor decides to return to you. No more fairytale for you, just the cold harshness of reality.  

He then left you alone, standing there unable to move as the tears fell down your face and the black inky blob in your brain took over. It forced you to sit down while you began to sob, awful ugly tears. All of your hard work was for nothing, as he crushed your dreams in a second.

Your spark, your flame of rationality was loosing against the downpour of black water that was Kylo in your mind.  You blacked out, or you thought you did. When you woke up, you found yourself on board the Steadfast in your old cold and bright chambers. Adlez, Olivia-Rose, and Mitaka were there with you. The black ink creature receding back into the corners of your skull.

You took hold of yourself again. “Where am I?” You knew where you were technically, but your brain wasn’t clicking. How did you get here? You don’t remember a thing.

Adlez had a look of confusion on her face. “You’re onboard the Steadfast , m’lady. We transferred here three days ago. You’ve been with us the whole time.”

You tried to cool your features as panic set in. “Why am I here?” Something was wrong, something was majorly wrong. Why didn’t you remember any of it? The lack of memories for the last few days was terrifying.

“We were to bring you to Earth, the Supreme Leader said that you wanted to visit your family. So that’s why we are headed there. Are you alright m’lady?” Mitaka’s voice was full of concern. You could tell he was able to sense something was wrong and if he could, then Adlez knew something was.

Just as the word No was going to come out of your mouth you felt the black ink creature take hold of your head. “Yes, I’m fine. I just spaced out for a moment that’s all. I think I need to go lie down and rest for a while.” Your body then took you up the stairs, automatically, without your consent. As your head hit the pillow all you saw was darkness, but you heard a voice. His voice. Kylo’s voice.

‘I need to protect you. Let me protect you.’

‘Why are you doing this? You’re hurting me Kylo. You know this!’ The doctor told you as much. He was going to smother the life out of you, for what? You didn’t know.

‘I am protecting you. I do not know what this purpose is yet, therefore you must be protected.’

‘You’re killing me, Kylo. Your killing the part of me that makes me, me!’  You were internally screaming at him now. Crying and begging for him to stop, but the black tendrils only held you tighter.

‘Man serves the interest of no creature except himself, I must do what I need to do to protect you.’ You don’t know what scares you more, the fact that he was doing this or the fact that the voice that he was choosing to speak to you in your mind was that of the mask. He wasn’t even using his own natural voice, this was devoid of emotion.

‘Please… don’t do this.’ You could feel the grasp you had on yourself quickly slipping away. You were losing any control you had and terrifying didn’t even begin to describe it.

‘You are mine.’ While before you thought the mask made him devoid of emotion, this came out as a snarl. The monster was rearing his ugly head in full form.

When you awoke it was like you were staring out of windows, except they were your eyes. You could not move yourself. You could not move your own body. No, he was doing it. You were trapped inside your own mind, watching how the outside world spoke to ‘you’ without it being you.

You realized you were surrounded by dying embers in your own mind, with black rain attempting to wash them away. You were trapped. And your captor was on the other side of the galaxy, claiming to be protecting you, or at least the you that wasn’t you. A man who claimed to love you, but in fact he failed to understand you. The beast, the monster had taken over him, taken over you. But there was no exit that you could see around you, no exit to this nightmare you were about to be forced to witness.

A/N: I even bolded some of the tags you should be concerned with in this chapter. 

[centuriantalevevo]

Eveland line headcanons and shit- lmao-

With Ivy, Ike, and Eki-

With some x reader vibes

Ike has already said that Ivy is built in the boing being department HOWEVER, I think Ivy is also built in the height department- I think she's like 5'6- she tall as fuck in my eyes 😭😭😭

Ivy turns her back for ONE SECOND with a knife- or any weapon in the room for that matter-

Eki:

Ivy: exists

Eki:

Ivy: throwing Eki

Eki: screaming

Ike:

You basically have to babysit Eki because he cannot be trusted alone for even 5 minutes. You have to put him in one of those kid harnesses.

You have to put him in the shopping cart while shopping so he stays put.

He gets the most random bullshit-

"Can we get this? We're gonna get this" a 10 pack of knives, bleach, and then 5 liters of mountain dew.

What's he doing? We don't know- do we WANT to know?? Prolly not-

Eki is starting on his bullshit, Ivy is automatically going for the pressure point- No HE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE TO DO SHIT- THE MOMENT HE EXISTS, SHE'S GOING FOR THE PRESSURE POINT-

Oh ya! Remember Ike saying "OW! She THREW something at me!", Ivy saying "I'm tired so I'm going to go take a nap..." and Ike saying "She's glaring at me-" "I'm po9kojg over trying to make sure she didn't hear me-" "If I don't wake up, it's you guy's fault!"

I like to think that Ivy somehow came into this universe, prolly because of Shu- and she lives with Ike and they just say they're siblings instead of trying to explain what the hell happened- and it works-

Some Alice Of Human Sacrifice type shit- "the smart older sister, the stubborn younger brother"

Of the two, Ivy might be SLIGHTLY older

When reader comes to visit Ike in Sweden I can PROMISE you Ivy is stealing them like yOink-

"Hey when y/n gets here, I'm stealing them from you" "what? No! Back off!" "NO! The 2nd season of All Of Us Are Dead is out and I want to watch it with them!"

Ike is still asleep, dead to the world and y/n wakes up before him for once- but.. Ivy is up before y/n- she usually gets up at like 3 PM because she's up until 5 AM for literally no reason-

"Oh wow you're up before me!" "Yeah, I actually went to bed at a decent time!"

"What's for breakfast? Y'all got cereal?" "Why don't we go out for breakfast, just you and me?" She asks, "what about Ike?" "I'll just leave a note for him, it'll be fine! If he's really worried, he'll call!" She grabs her satchel and that stetchy plastic wristband Keychain thing with her keys and everything, "let's go!"

She has a spair set of keys to the apartment AND Ike's car.

The two go and have breakfast somewhere, coming back a while later to Ike being awake.

"How dare you go without me..." Ivy just shrugs-

I made so many fucking memes in about 5 seconds on mostly Ivy and Eki lmao-

Eki on his way to say hi to y/n

Ivy: nO-

Eki so badly wants to say HI to y/n- he exists for 5 seconds and Ivy is running at him at the speed of LIGHT- "WAIT I JUST WANTED TO SAY HI TO Y/N-" "KILL THE BITCH!!!"

"H e l p"

If we go with Eki sharing the same body as Ike... Eki takes control but y/n instantly calls bullshit and KNOWS its Eki and he's just "I wanted to say Hi-" "And I wanna see Ike." "Aw... you're so mean... you don't love me?" "It's a hit or miss" "🥺🥺🥺"

If the Eveland family are the literal embodiment of Panty and Stocking with Gartbelt it feels like-

Ike replaces Stocking, Ivy replaced Panty

Or Eki replaced Panty, Ivy replaces stocking

Ike AND Eki replace Panty and Ivy replaces Stocking

If you got the "KILL THE BITCH" reference, ily- if not it's a quote from that show-

Eki actively likes to shit on Miku just to piss Ike off-

"Miku sucks, why do you like her-"

"I'm about to end the entire Damm world and make it look like an accident."

"no wonder you act like that, you like Miku"

"No wonder your mom thinks your a failure, you're EKI"

Eki shoots grenade bullets but he's not ready to have them shot right back-

Ivy DOES roundhouse kick him-

Ivy DOES hold him by his collar over a ledge like i'ma drop you- oH- I almost dropped you!!

Ike: asleep

Eki: I'ma st-

Ivy: hello motherfucker-

Eki: exists

Ivy: I'm about to end this mans whole career

Ike speaking Swedish, English, and Japanese

Ivy speaking those 3 and like 2 other languages-

Eki, struggling to speak English without a whole ass swedish accent and trying to grasp English grammar while screaming in agony

Eki: I-

Ivy: I am fluent in over 6 million forms of kicking your ass

Eki: I... wanna take a nap. Everything I make.. FUCKING... S U C K S

Eki: It's bad.

Eki: AAAAAAAAAAAAA

Ivy: You know that feeling about when you're about to lose your job life, sweety?

Eki: uh- n-

Ivy: It's a horrible feeling, sweety.

Ivy: I love you Ikey

Eki: its Eki-

Ivy: I couldn't bare to see you leave, I couldn't! I couldn't do it!

Eki: uh- thanks I-

Ivy: So here *gives him a note*

"You're fired lol Your life subscription has expired lol"

Ike: *sobbing*

Ivy: Ike, what's wrong?

Ike: Ivy... I can't speak english very well... my Swedish accent is too strong

Ivy: what do you mean? I hear nothing wrong with your English!

Ike: I can't say... road... roller..

Ivy: what?

Ike: road roller!

Ivy: w h a t ?

Ike: ROAD ROLLER

Ivy: I can't understand you!

Ike: forget it! God!

Ivy: I ' m S o r r y -

Ike: s h u t u p

Halo: come on now! All of us are great!

Ike: says the enby with a weird color scheme for both their outfit and stream overlay

Halo: that's the last time I'm helping a swedish VTuber

Ivy: that's racist-

Ike: you freaking cracker-

Ivy: THAT'S REALLY RACIST-

Halo and Ike: arguing

Ivy: Oh no...

Shu: *opera singing voice* aaaaaaa! Hey guys! What's up?

Eki, with a grin: I FINALLY GOT AN ENGLISH UTAU!

Covered in dust again

Eki: w a t ???

(Based off of "Luka can't say road roller" where Ike replaces Luka, Ivy replaces Al, Halo replaces Sweet Ann, Shy replaces Prima, and Eki replaces Miku)

I'm having Ike, Ivy, and Eki brianrot plz help

[tenshindon]

Have you gotten Yamcha for the ask game yet? Or Tien? 😊

i have received Neither Chaps !!! So I will now do them both :) Pause on that :) gonna put this under a Read More since This Will Be Long <3

Yamcha:

Give Me A Character and I Will Answer:

Why I like them:

Uhhhh A Lot Of Reasons. Like. A lot. BUT I will be brief and say I like him because as a kid I always thought he looked cool and I always thought his first fight with Goku was radical. With My Big Man Brain Now I love him for just how sincere of a guy he is? And how loving and friendly and supportive? And I make fun of him for it but the wolf aesthetic genuinely is really cool- not to mention how he loves to change up his outfits and hairstyles!

Why I don’t:

I have no reason to hate this man. Like none exists. In The Most Platonic Way Ever he’s literally the perfect man and I would take him home to meet my mom and even then she would be happy with me dating a man if it was Yamcha Dragon Ball.

Favorite episode (scene if movie):

I have so many favorite Yamcha moments and ergo episodes good god help me BUT I will name ONE off the top of my head so I’m not stuck here forever and I really love the baseball scene in Z for Many Reasons it’s just so good it plays on loop in my brain 24/7 so I Will Say episode 10 of DBZ :)

Favorite season/movie:

The Tien Saga.... legendary.... yes he did get his leg broken but everything before AND after that??? Immaculate. Perfect. Astounding. No The Tien Saga Is Not Therapy But I Will Use It As Such

Favorite line:

Anything Yamcha says is music to my ears and is pure gold, and aside from The Iconic “Looking good, Tien!” quote from Budokai 3, I gotta say my actual favorite quote??

“No big deal. Bones heal, just like everything else.” -Yamcha to Tien in reference to his broken leg after the 22nd World Tournament

Like. It’s SUCH a simple line but it’s SO telling of Yamcha’s character?? Tien literally broke his leg with no concern of the long-lasting effects of doing so, not to mention his dickish behavior beforehand towards Yamcha beforehand. So for Yamcha to just be ready to forgive him at the drop of a hat when he sees Tien’s seem sincerely apologetic? Dude no one talk to me I’m going to write an essay again.

Favorite outfit:

I Mean This In The Most Platonic Way Part II but Yamcha can make Literally Any outfit and hairstyle look good it should be illegal. However I am legally required to choose One (1) outfit and at this point we should all know how much I adore the desert bandit fit of his. It’s just such a classic and cute look to him (not to mention The Sword <3)

OTP:

Oh You Know :) but if you don’t it’s Yamcha and Tien- even as just Friends They’re So Good I’m Going To Write An Essay like god I want what they have so badly.

Brotp:

I love his relationship with Puar, like I genuinely would love a small arc dedicated to how they even became friends in the first place since their origin together is so mysterious yet intriguing? But aside from The Obvious answer I love his brotherly relationship with Goku and Krillin! Unfortunately that relationship wanes as they all get older but I’ll always cherish the moments where he radiated such Big Bro energy.

Head Canon:

I’ve got a dumb amount of headcanons it’s terrible BUT I think my favorite headcanon is that Yamcha’s leg never properly heals after the 22nd Tournament.

Unpopular opinion:

I. Have a lot. Of unpopular opinions. Just genuinely loving Yamcha’s an unpopular opinion in of itself BUT One of my unpopular opinions is that Yamcha’s a flirt, a cheater, and promiscuous. If he’s ever portrayed as a flirt towards women, I can give it the smallest pass in the world that he’s trying to cope but even then that’s such a stretch in my opinion- and I guess this is on top of being a headcanon but Frankly I don’t think Yamcha’s ever even kissed anyone- he’s playing the long game everyone he’ll get his kiss on his wedding day btw that’s like. Partially a joke; I joke around a lot that Yamcha’s Super dedicated to the whole Nothing Until Marriage idea lmao.

A wish:

For the love of God Yamcha pack up your shit and Puar and just move in with Tien your apartment’s shit.

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen:

Honestly? I kind of don’t want Yamcha to get a girlfriend? But I also DO because he wants that the most in life and it’d be great to see SOMETHING nice happen to him!

My only gripe with him getting a girlfriend (and hopefully then a wife) would be that his girlfriend wouldn’t be that well defined of a character and she’d just be said in Passing Mentions.

5 words to best describe them:

Perfect, immaculate, loyal, courageous, lovely 

My nickname for them:

Furry, Dumpy, and Wolfie!

Tien

Give Me A Character and I Will Answer:

Why I like them:

Again I Have A Lot Of Reasons BUT I love how like. Deceiving he is as a character. Like ask anyone and 90% of the time people will say Tien’s smart and serious and No Bullshit but no he is exactly the opposite he’s dumb as shit in any department outside of farming and fighting and he’s such a lil’ jackass when breathing next to Yamcha. 

Sincerely though, I absolutely love his character development- it’s one of my favorite arcs in Dragon Ball to be honest but That’s An Essay For Another Time. I also love how funny he can be, intentionally or not, and he’s surprisingly really relatable at times? And just his dedication to fighting’s really neat too; at this point he MUST know he can never be stronger than Goku but he still tries nevertheless and that’s really indicative of his bullheaded personality.

Why I don’t:

You could not pay me to dislike him I’d sell my kidneys for Tenshinhan.

Favorite episode (scene if movie):

Any episode from the gang’s escapades on King Kai’s planet good lord save me. That’s where Tien’s existence shines the best it’s so good.

Favorite season/movie:

His own saga man like. As much as I LOVE Redeemed Tenshinhan I also love how much of a jackass he was like why was he like that LMAO

Favorite line:

Again, aside from The Iconic x2 “Looking good, Yamcha!” quote, I gotta say it’s:

“Yes... sir! <3″ -Tien preparing to strike Goku with the volleyball fist during the 22nd World Tournament.

Also “I left Chiaotzu and Yamcha behind. This seems too dangerous for them.” -Tien to Gohan during the Resurrection F saga

Favorite outfit:

Like Yamcha, Tien’s outfits always hit. Not a SINGLE one misses. BUT I gotta say I love his classic tits-out look- more so for the fact I like how he shows off his scar as a kind of way to say he’s moved on from the Crane School like Damn Son you love to see it :,) Deep reasons aside, my second-favorite outfit’s got to be the Buu Saga listen man everyone just had the Hottest outfits in the Buu Saga you can’t blame me.

OTP:

Oh You Know :)

Brotp:

Tien has Two (2) friends in his life man the pool’s small but even if it WAS larger I would say Chiaotzu anyway LMAO. Love them dudes man.

Head Canon:

Tien is just. Terribly academically and socially stupid. The Social Ineptitude isn’t even a headcanon that’s just fact but when I said he’s stupid in every department But Fighting And Farming I meant it. Flirting with Tien is a nightmare. If you’re not Yamcha or Chiaotzu joking with him is a headache. He’s only smart in the vocabulary department other than that he couldn’t tell you how many planets are in the solar system. He’s dumb as rocks but is smart enough to convince everyone around him he’s smart because he knows what picayune means.

Unpopular opinion:

I have nothing but love and respect for Krillin, but it makes like. No sense to insist Krillin’s the strongest human on earth. Tien does not go hard on that grind 24/7 just for everyone- writers included- to reduce him to such trash when fighting. But why pit two kings against each other you know?

A wish:

Please just give him one good sexy fight that’s all I’m asking for. Also Tien PLEASE use the solar flare you dumb motherfucker YOU INVENTED IT??? Actually all of my wishes are fighting related but yeah Tien for God’s Sake acknowledge how crazy your move kit is and fuck it UP MY GUY.

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen:

Tien please don’t get a random wife I fortunately cannot see that happening but for the love of God Toei if you make that happen I will actually commit arson. Any other fear I could have either has come true or cannot happen.

5 words to best describe them:

Deceivingly smart dumbass I love

My nickname for them:

Headass, Slap Head, My Man/s, Bald Motherfucker, Polyphemus Headass (I know Polyphemus is a cyclops but shush), Four Arms, Machamp, Stitch, Roach, King, and Ikea Dresser

[lions-arch-chronicle]

Issue 5

Mild Spoiler Warnings for LWS5

Image ID under the cut

Title: Breaking the Ice Legion: A New Terror Story: In the latest updates from the charr civil war reports have been coming in that negotiations have come to an absolute standstill. There has been a breakdown of all negotiations after the reported capture of Steel Warband member and second in command to Centurion Steelcatcher, Cinder Steeltemper, who has not been seen since and according to intelligence is to be considered MIA. Imperator Bangar Ruinbringer has also not been seen in the recent weeks, unverified sources claim that the former Blood Legion Imperator was last seen forging farther north. Reports also state that a new enemy has been spotted recently, a before unseen form of icebrood. The Jormag corrupted icebrood who have been referring to themselves as the Ice Legion have been rising from the ranks of Dominion all under Ruinbringer’s command. The United Legions, after gaining control of the southern portion of Drizzlewood Coast, will be looking to push beyond Wolf’s Crossing Bridge up into what is being called the Frost Citadel the main stronghold of the Dominion and Ice Legion. While on the surface this appears to be an advantage to the United Legions this could pose greater risks than ever as the farther north the legions push the closer they get to the looming threat that is the elder dragon Jormag. No comment has been made from the Legion Imperators within the United Legions about the risks that this advancement into enemy territory may entail but with an elder dragon involved nothing is certain.

Title: Introducing skritt fashion reviews

Story: Skritt was told by boss editor lady to seek help from others in writing of fashion column. So Skritt has come to paper reading people to ask for you to send us photos of your shiny shiny outfits. The shinier the better! Skritt will then give a full review of the outfit, the shiny pieces of armor that nice photo people are wearing, and the dyes that they have used. Boss Courica has said that even if the dyes are shiny that we can’t drink them, which skritt thinks is unfair. If you would like skritt to review your best shinies submit the outfit in our submission box. Uh, wherever that is, editor lady didn’t tell me where but skritt hopes that  people will find them so we can see all the pretty pretty outfits.Editor’s Note:  Outfit submissions can be shared via our tumblr page at https://lions-arch-chronicle.tumblr.com/submitWe promise that Kuritata will have very in depth reviews of outfits (we hope).

Title: An Icy Olive Branch from the Icebrood?

Story: Reports have arrived from reporters Truthseeker and Teekay that a group of seemingly peaceful  icebrood were spotted in Hoelbrak within the Great Lodge yesterday. The group was surprisingly peaceful similar to their Svanir counterparts that live within Hoelbrak. The icebrood  crowd was peaceful and even willing to give quotes to reporters on the scene. Truthseeker was able to get a very short interview with Svana Dragonbane who when questioned about the dragons and their opinions on them said, “Once, I thought the dragons were a blight. But now I see that Jormag is here to protect us. Ice fortifies, ice protects.” The group departed shortly afterwards toward Frostgorge Sound where there have been common sightings of the Claw of Jormag.

Title: An unbiased travel review of Divinity’s Reach from a Charr

Story: Divinity’s Reach is easily the best city in all of Tyria! The city is easily the most gorgeous with the best infrastructure. The locals are the most elegant and beautiful of all the Tyrians.The city is huge with plenty of shopping opportunities. If you don’t want to spend money you can always craft it yourself at the Dwayna Low Road crafting stations. The most beautiful and just Queen Jennah also resides in the city. The Central Plaza is one of the most beautiful places in the city, just second to the Queen’s throne room. The city is also one of the safest, with Shining Blade members posted throughout. All in all, if you are thinking about visiting Divinity’s Reach I highly recommend it! Plenty of luxury to be had! Editor’s Note: Kittyblog was asked if this review was unbiased as she grew up in Divinity’s Reach, despite being a charr. Her statement was that this was her unbiased opinion but in the interest of fairness we would like to point out her very strong conflict of interest despite how confusing it may be for a travel reporter to have said biases.

Title: The Boasting Hall, Quail on Quail

Story: I know you’ve heard it before but Ascalonian Quail are the best birds in all of Tyria! They are the superior bird due to many things. The first being their beautiful head ornament! It is perfect! You wish you had such a beautiful headpiece! They also lay the cutest little eggs! They are perfect for an egg salad or scrambled eggs OR even hatching more quail! Obviously hatching them and making more is the superior choice of those but all are great! Some quail can even lay an egg a day! Imagine the quail army you could have in a short amount of time!  It’d be an army superior to any other animals in Tyria i’m sure!  Quail also travel in small flocks and when spooked they majestically burst forward with power and speed to take to the skies(for a moment.) You would be blessed to see such a beautiful display of feathers and power! The Quail’s call is also amazing! Just listen to the male as he calls to his flock! It’s glorious and powerful! Also have you ever seen a small baby quail? It’s amazing! So small and fluffy and perfect for cuddling and carrying with you anywhere you go! If you haven’t seen a baby quail I highly suggest you change that right this moment! Adopt your own Ascalonian Quail today! They are the superior bird of Tyria and deserve all the love and attention we can give them! Editor’s Note: This may hopefully be the last opinion article we do on the birds of Tyria. If anyone at all no matter what the subject is would like to also participate in some non bird related opinions that they would like to share we would absolutely love to hear them. But we also won’t say no to more bird related content if that’s what our readers would like to see. Just please, maybe just a little less bird content. 

Title: A true omnivore: I ate like the Commander for a day

Story: What’s the secret to finding the best food Tyria has to offer? According to the famous Pact Commander… try it all. Including, no offense to the honorable Commander, some items I would not strictly classify as edible. To be fair, I did ask for out of the way recommendations, and I certainly got them! Some stops on our tour were fairly respectable, the Meatoberfest in Diessa Plateau, for example, was utterly delightful, but things quickly went in a questionable direction. We tried some Orrian sea urchin, and I have to admit it was enjoyable, if a tad bit salty. Next was coffee with bloodstone, which packed a punch so powerful that I was afraid my soul may have left my body. I think my skeleton may still be suffering the aftershocks and I would recommend avoiding all foods laced with bloodstone dust. After that was enchanted clam bait, inedibly slimy and unappetizing seeing as I am not a clam. Then I was handed something that came from a can and claimed to be flank steak. It tasted more like the faint memory of meat bestowed upon insulation foam. I politely declined when the Commander suggested we consume a clay based Grawl paint to, “Imbue ourselves with its essence.” And suggested we try something more conventional. I was pleased that our next stop was Rata Sum… until I was offered a bag of cat food. With all due respect… I hope the Commander sticks to fighting the elder dragons.