#i can say i definitely don't Personally own disney plus

[gffa]

hi Lumi, your posting about star wars books made me want to start reading them, which ones would you recommend?

Hi! There are a lot of Star Wars books out there and there's a lot I enjoy about them! Sure, I'll give a warning that I'm picking out the best moments and a lot of the books are not always great in their entirety, especially depending on how much you want to stay 100% true to Lucas' story.

A lot is going to depend on what you're looking for--are you a prequels fan? Are you more interested in original trilogy books? Jedi-centric books? Bounty hunters or pilots instead? Etc. Generally, I assume if you're asking me, you're here for the prequels books, but I have a more generalized list of recommendations here or you can browse my novels recs tag.

But I always generally recommend starting with: - Revenge of the Sith novelization by Matthew Stover isn't a perfect book, I could nitpick some details here and there, but the heart of this book remains unchallenged as the best SW book there is, imo. It elevates the story it's adapting (already a high bar for me, I love ROTS), Stover knows how to turn a phrase to dig deep into a character's motivations, and there's a reason why we're all constantly quoting that book. It adds so much to the story and it's a compelling tale on its own, it makes me love the characters and hurt for them all over again, and there's approximately a thousand lines in this story that you could write an entire essay on.

- Padawan by Kiersten White cannot dethrone the ROTS novelization, but I would say that I think it wound up being my favorite of the Disney era books, because it's such a straight shot to my id. It's definitely on the lighter side, it's a happier look at Obi-Wan's childhood (which I think fits his character better), he struggles and has a lot going on, but overall he's pretty well-adjusted and happy, plus there is an absolute ABUNDANCE OF CUTENESS in this book, it was so delightful and whimsical and adorable, it just made me happy.

- Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule if you're at all interested in The High Republic. This is still my favorite book of the entire series, I think it set the stage incredibly well, it had some absolutely banger lines for someone with prequels brainrot like me, and genuinely made me excited for the entire line-up.

- Dooku: Jedi Lost by Cavan Scott, which is an audiodrama but has a script version available if you're hoh or just don't like them. It's a solid look at Dooku's time as a youngling and why he left the Jedi Order and backstory with Sifo-Dyas that'll break your heart. I prefer the audio version here because the Asajj framing works so much better with the actress' voicework, it really digs into her feelings about all of this as well, making it a nice gut-punch of a story.

And now I would add Padawan's Pride by Brian Q. Miller (audiobook only, unfortunately) because it's a lovely, charming look at Anakin's time as an apprentice. It's very deliberately written as a lead-in to the Obi-Wan & Anakin comic (which I think you're supposed to be keeping in mind as you read, so I'd suggest reading in release order rather than chronological order), showing the conflict between Obi-Wan and Anakin, between Anakin the Jedi way of life, yet all the love that's growing there and the hope that they weren't wrong to hold onto. Just the right amount of crunch and sweet.

I recently read The Living Force by John Jackson Miller and, while I have a couple of issues with it (it was less spiritual than I'd like, some clunky "attachment" discourse moments that clash against Lucas' definitions, etc.), overall it was a book I loved. It was laugh out loud funny at several moments, it showed the Jedi as deeply caring, it gave time and page space to Jedi who don't usually get much focus, it had some knockout administrative worldbuilding details, and a genuinely fun experience of a story.

There are more that I personally loved (Force Collector was really good for me but not an easy one to recommend, The Legends of Luke Skywalker was very dear to me for being so in love with the galaxy far, far away, Obi-Wan & Anakin: Choose Your Destiny is a Choose Your Adventure style book that's not going to be for everyone but I adored and got so much out of, that's where Theater Nerd Mace Windu came from, the first and third From a Certain Point of View anthologies had 3-4 incredible stories in them each, the ESB one didn't impress me, etc.) and a lot of comics that I think are just as good to read if you haven't started on those, but I think this is a good starting place for prequels nerds.

(I stuck mostly to Disney continuity, it's what I'm more familiar with, and the only Legends books I fully recommend are Revenge of the Sith novelization and Dark Rendezvous, not even my beloved Wild Space comes without a bunch of caveats, but if you're interested in Legends, let me know!)

[yaboirezzy]

Any of you ever find a new thing you're interested in and you want to know and see more of it, only to find out that thing has been dead or gone for a while and the person/people behind it did something awful or got in some bad controversy?

Cause I have and it's with this:

So I was rewatching some old/classic web animations (mostly Eddsworld, SMB Z, and archived newgrounds animations) and I saw this in one of the playlist that has a bunch of those animations. I only watched it because it was next in the queue but after a couple of minutes I was kinda hooked on it and kept on watching, after a while I decided to watch it till the end, and well...I was really interested.

Sure it was REALLY dated with how it looks and feels, plus the characters and the concept or setting are really standard and could use some improvements, but I thought to myself while searching for more stuff about this series: "Eh, it's part of the charm with these old web animations. Also this was just the pilot episode so surely there's more to come, surely it'll get better from here, surely this'll be a good or at least fine series that'll have some charm and laughs with absolutely nothing bad happening to-" yeah that didn't happen and I wished it did instead of what actually happened.

Yeah so going over every unfortunate thing that happened would take like forever (I think based on what other people have said) so I'll just give you a short summary of what happened: The creator (animated james) canceled the series after two short seasons, he was exposed to have some questionable actions and/or interest which of course led to controversy, and he disappeared from the internet (wherever he is I hope he's doing well). Yup it's another "a classic content creator's downfall" situation...

Okay but you might be thinking to yourself: "What about the series itself and it's two short seasons? Is it any good, is it another case of separating the art from the artist, did it at least leave a bittersweet taste behind?" well....no. Yeah I'm very sorry to any C Students fans out there, I understand if you like this series and think it's really great or an underappreciated gem from the past, I get that and I respect it, but C Students is just really meh to me.

"Well what is C Students?" you might ask, well according to the wiki: C Students is animated web series centered upon a group of teenagers and their life and misadventures in Hartlane High School. Yup, that's all it is from the wiki, and it's actually fitting because that's is ALL this series is about, it's literally just another "teen high school - slice of life & comedy" series kinda like the ones you would find on Nickelodeon or Disney Channel back in the 2000s, except this time it's animated...which isn't really giving it much, like aside from the expressions, some of the movements, and a few things here and there you can have this series in live action instead and it would not be any different.

The characters don't improve or change even slightly from their basic one-note roles/stereotypes in the pilot, similarly the misadventures and situations they go on or find themselves in aren't that interesting or different compared to those from any other series in the genre, and the humor is...the same as those from any other series of this kind, not to say that it's all bad but it's definitely got a lot more misses than it does hits as the later episodes go on, hell even the mature jokes have all aged in varying conditions (both generally and based on the controversy). Speaking of which, that's kind of the overall problem I have with C Students: It clearly looks and feels like a comedic slice of life high school series, but it also tries to be serious and act like it has something important to tell, and it's obvious that it doesn't mix together or handled well. Like for example there's the music video "Creative Types" which is great to watch and listen on it's own, but when put alongside the actual episodes it feels out of place and doesn't feel like it's from the same series at all, which it is even if it's not canon to the main series' timeline. So TLDR: It peaked at the pilot and it slowly and sadly went downhill

However the thing that upsets me more than anything else about this series is...It could be good! It could've been better! I wish it could've been better! I wish it could've entertained us with something different or interesting to it's concept or genre in the same way as The Looney Tunes Show does to suburban sitcom, I wish it could've mixed/handled/balanced the more serious and mature stuff better like Smiling Friends, I wish it could've had some nice charm and laughs to it at least.

Which is why I'm planning on making my own take/version of C Students! Yes I know it's another one to add to my pile of "stuff I've planned out but never actually making", but that's the thing with me unfortunately: I'm good at planning or making ideas and not so much on actually making them come to life, I'm just one person and the idea of making a long running thing on your own without any help whatsoever is terrifying, I'm the one with the blueprints and I need other people to actually construct the thing. But anyways yeah, that was my personal thoughts on C Students (If you don't like or disagree with it then feel free to do so as it is MY opinion and you shouldn't feel obliged to agree with it) I'm PROBABLY gonna make my own take on this series sometime soon, hopefully we'll see how that turns out

EDIT: So I found out that the seasons I watched was a fan-continuation of the series not by the OG creator, but all my points still stand as it would've been more or less the same as canon (according to the creator and people in the comments)

[sweettjrose]

Nobody asked me to do this and yet I'm doing it anyways...

I'm gonna explain why I ship Blotis...

Now before you say anything I am 100% aware that this is a crack ship and honestly doesn't have much evidence for it even less than usual for a gay Disney ship. Tbh I was introduced to it because so people made some art for it and I thought it was interesting and then as I played around with the idea more in my head, I started to like it and eventually form a story around it.

I think one of the big appeals for the relationship is just how unique of an idea it is. It's definitely not the first ship you think of when reading the comics which is probably why most people don't think of it at all. But even just the concept is kind of out there. I mean you have a costumed phantom thief paired with a mad scientist? That doesn't really happen with the closest ship I can think of being Voxman (From OK KO) but even that's still a bit different.

But while it is out there it's not like it makes zero sense at all. I mean while I'm not aware of any comic interactions that could hint to any possible feelings, I could still see it happening with some version of themselves. I mean they do have similar interests. The most obvious being the fact that they are criminals who scheme ways to obtain massive amounts of money and power.

But even beyond that both of them have an interest in science and technology and using it to devise all sorts of inventions. Both of them are pretty intelligent and have devised all sorts of weird scientific contraptions. But what's cool about that is while they go about it in different ways. Portis is more of a scientist, interested in the process and theory behind it, while Blot is more of an engineer, more interested in the application.

Together they form sort of a symbiotic relationship as they both can help build on each other's knowledge and skills to both get what the other needs and further build on their own plans. But even the fact that they excel in different areas kind of gives an opposite attracts vibes. As one is associated more with refinement and wealth, and the other feels more associated with "grunginess" in my interpretation sorry Portis and doing the best with what he has. I can see them both introducing eachother to a completely different way of living, but also connect in some areas like both being somewhat introverts.

But what I think is also cool about this relationship is also how it affects their relationships with other people. The Phantom Blot works quite a bit with Pete, but he alternates between seeing him as a decent partner or not really respecting him and betraying him the first chance he gets. However that starts to change if he has feelings for Pete's cousin, as now that will affect how he is able to treat Pete. He can't just betray him anymore. It ties him about closer to groups they tend to be a part of and affects how he has to interact with them.

Plus I think it would be interesting to see how the Blot's reputation would affect Portis and his relationship with other characters. There's are quite a few who aren't a bit fan of the Blot and it would be interesting for them to explore how to get around that.

But on another note, I actually think that their relationship is one of the few ones that they would be comfortable with having. I feel like one of the biggest reasons why both would avoid romance is because it could give someone a way to threaten and blackmail them. And it becomes worse if the partner isn't really part of the criminal underworld or capable of defending themselves. However they both are very familiar with the criminal underworld and can protect themselves rather well. So even if someone were to try to "kidnap" the other for blackmail, it wouldn't be easy and likely not worth it. Therefore allowing them to have a relationship without the typical fear and drawbacks. Though personally I think they would still keep their relationship on the down low so they have control over how it's percieved and just because they don't think everyone needs to know.

I could see some issues with their relationship. They both have pretty big egos and would have a hard time compromising in arguments. But that would make it more interesting imo.

But yeah that's my thoughts.

So there you have it.

Hopefully you can see the vision too.

This is long.

[synergysilhouette]

An alternate take on "Hercules" (1997)

This movie is a classic, though I did want to put my own twist on this, similar to my other remakes. Granted, my version isn't really too much closer to Greek mythology, but it has a bit more tweaks in there.

Change his origins. If we're gonna be loose with Greek mythology, I'll put my own twist on it. I'd make it so that Zeus (a questionable father in any iteration, it seems) had a child with a mortal woman--who's looks and personality would be similar to Disney's version of Hera--but because she was human, she couldn't be with him. As such, he married Hera, who is bitter that she was his second choice, and is extremely jealous when it's discovered that the mortal woman sired a child with Zeus named Hercules (let's say she was born in Rome), though she changed his name to Alcaeus to hide him from Hera. When he finds out the truth, he wants to go to Olympus to meet his father, but must achieve godhood to do so. It's also explained that many Olympians have taken in interest in Hercules--namely Dionysus, Hermes, Apollo, Athena, and Artemis, plus the Muses, all of them godly children that Zeus sired before his marriage to Hera--and they assist him here and there, though they must do it discreetly to avoid Hera's wrath.

2. Change the villains. This is a complex issue; Hera is definitely a villain here, but so is Hades, and to a point, Zeus. Zeus is the "good dad, bad husband" type of person; he's a lively person and a fun friend, but not good with his relationships, ie making Hera his second priority and undermining his older brothers since he's the king of the gods. He's not evil, but he is toxic. As such, Hera sets a plan in motion: she tells Zeus that she will not harm Hercules or his loved ones if he proves himself worthy of being a god, thus setting in motion Hercules' quest (as well as wanting to find where he belongs). However, she tasks Hades and Persephone (no Pain and Panic here, sadly) with doing him in before he can become immortal. She also manipulates her sons, the neglected Hephaestus and the power-hungry Ares, into helping her bring about Hercules' doom. She also cheats by occasionally giving him unreasonable bouts of anger that hinder his progress as a hero. And since we're dealing with about five villains, the Titans don't exist.

3. Megara is different--but only slightly. Still her jaded, pessimistic self, I'd want to remove any possible arguments of her being toxic with Hercules, since I was never a fan of them together. Here, instead of Hades offering Meg her freedom, her simply forces her to do his bidding, almost like an Ella Enchanted situation. However, seeing her lack of enthusiasm for this, Hermes, Apollo, and Artemis intervene during several occasions to help her work around her master's manipulation as well as giving her tools to help Hercules if he's in a bind (since they can't openly use their powers, as it would put a target on their backs with Hera). A part of me wanted to conflate her and Persephone's character into one, making her a woman forced to be Hades' wife and become bitter as a result, and Hercules' love and kindness makes her fall for him and decidedly leave Hades, but perhaps that's too much.

4. The ensemble is different. The main cast of the original was Hercules, Pegasus, Phil, and Meg. Here, the cast is made up of Hercules, Pegasus, Iolaus (his cousin rather than his nephew like in mythology) and Meg. Phil doesn't exist here, with Apollo, Athena, and Artemis training Hercules, with Meg and Iolaus as moral support. Hermes mainly tries to keep everything discreet so it never reaches Hera.

5. The message/ending is slightly different. Zeus learns to be a better person/god, owing his treatment of others due to his own childhood trauma at the hands of his father. His redemption is kinda like it was in "Immortals: Fenyx Rising." Hades and Persephone get some kind of gratification, as Zeus vows to treat Hades better and Hades acknowledges his manipulation of getting Persephone to marry him (this version of the story varies, but if he's gonna be a villain, we may as well go that route). Hera is imprisoned with Ares, and Hera acknowledges how she mistreated her sons due to her own pain, with only Hephaestus managing to overcome his trauma and help Hercules. Hercules doesn't really "give up" his godhood for his mortal family, though--he's never forced to make a choice between them and the Olympians; I kinda hated the implication with the original ending.

Lemme know what you think! This has been rattling around in my brain for a while.

[almadesarrollo]

WISH, DISNEY'S DEFINITIVE SALVATION OR RUIN.THE COMPLETE STORY IS LEAKED. QUIET, THERE IS NO SPOLIERS

Hello, aha, I'm back after my previous post was both praised and hated hahaha, logically, I didn't expect anything less, and this type of movies separates many people who love Disney en masse, which I think should never be like that It is very sad, but well, to say first of all, that I respect all types of opinions and I welcome everything, and I respect everything, I am aware that not everyone can agree and that is how it should be, that is, if everything were the same The world would be chaos, right? and I admit that I was confused in some areas, that's why I edited the previous post, because that information already appears in what has been leaked.

and now we are going to the big part, as you have read correctly in my title, the entire plot of Wish has finally been leaked about what is going to happen and how it is going to end, this information comes from a book that came out recently, a youtuber shared it this in english the book and the audio, now I'm going to leave you the link here

This is at your own risk whether you want to SEE IT or not, (DON'T WORRY, EVEN THE IMAGE ITSELF OF THE VIDEO YOU ARE WATCHING IS SPOLIER) AHAHA

For my part, I saw it and I am going to give my opinion WITHOUT SPOILERS SO CALM, YOU CAN CONTINUE READING THIS POST WITHOUT FEAR OF ANYTHING, YOU CAN READ WITHOUT WATCHING THE VIDEO AND SO ON, YES?

OK, let me tell you, in itself, the idea of ​​how Disney pays tribute to Disney with this movie at 100 years is not bad, but I feel that it falls short, that is, if you can see the tribute that they give to Disney itself, but I feel that the rest of the story and Asha herself spoil this story, you already know my opinion of Asha from my previous post in terms of the physique herself, but here it is already in personality and the dynamic with King Magnifico. ..ains..it doesn't convince me, I feel like I'm seeing more of the same from the latest movies, even though we do have a classic villain and several references to Disney princesses.

I think that being 100 years old they could have taken more risks, and invented another story, this seems more like a feminist and progressive pamphlet, but of course if you think about it this film pays tribute to Disney and of course, what is Disney like sometimes? It is Disney being Disney, in some way it is being very much its own....but I still feel that it is that, a feminist and progressive pamphlet, how King Magnifico acts and so on, the topic of desires, I feel like they want to put shoes on you A pamphlet idea that no matter where you look at it makes no sense, the story is like it tries to force that into you because, well, woman and man, right? Poor woman, she is an angel hahaha you already understand me, the perspective of the Magnificent King is more interesting to me, and that is why I say, remember this paragraph.

"People are going to end up loving King Magnifico more regardless of what he does, whether good or bad, than Asha herself, which should not be the case because, clearly, she is the protagonist, she is who you go to to buy dolls or stuffed animals and from whom in theory will give more merchandise, but I feel that it will be the other way around "

The theme of the wishes itself is very brief, the main theme is supposed to be the star of the wishes, but I don't see them exploiting this 100%, I honestly expected something better or another story, with more depth, and I'm sad to say it, seriously, it's 100 years bro, but I don't feel like this movie is up to par..

Is it salvation or ruin?

Well, I think that this is going to be the final ruin of Disney, this film was supposed to be its salvation after having messed up with other projects but I don't think it's even for those, and look, we're talking about the plot itself of a book that has been leaked, the movie will obviously be full of details and things that are not in the book, that plus the music can help, yes, but in the long run, what matters is the story and there is only You have to look at the comments, if you dare to see the leak and the comments that accompany said video, people are not liking it and that is bad.

Even so, I'm going to wait to see the movie to give my final verdict but, I tell you, go with low expectations because, it's not that big of a deal, I'm sorry if I'm discouraging, really, but really, if this is the story it's worth it to Disney....

[myclematis7]

*cutely asks you about all the books you’ve read*

The Kingdom of Fantasy. I was OBSESSED with the twin fairies, Blossom and Wither. and their brother, Prince Lucky. basically, all the attractive characters. when I read book 13 (pretty sure that's it), I started off by shipping Flamelet and Winglet, but then of course, Winglet x Lorian grew on me, though I still half-shipped Flamelet and Winglet. and also Flamelet was revealed to be Winglet's sympathetic villain cousin (!) so of course Winglorian became endgame. My favorite book in the series was The Phoenix of Destiny because I was a child and didn't know of the twin thing. Long story short, my mind was blown.

The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer. My grade 3 teacher read this book to us and BAM! Loved it since the first chapter. Everyone in my class loved it too, so they borrowed the only copy of the second book from the library. Since I actually had money back then, I bought it. It's still there on my shelf.

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. The only criticism I have for these books is Finnick. WHY'D HE HAVE TO DIE, SUZANNE. WHY. WHY. WHY. Catching Fire is definitely my favorite movie and book.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by rick riordan. I am a daughter of Athena. I like the books. I am also very tired so I'll leave it like that. Also, I can't wait for the Disney+ show.

The 39 Clues. Any stans, leave. I literally co-founded the I HATE AMY CAHILL club. Dan, however, is a different story. He's cool. I don't have very much to say about it, other than that I would be a Lucian or Ekaterina. Probably Lucian though. They need more people ever since Natalie and Isabel died.

A Tale of Magic trilogy (so far) by Chris Colfer. Yes, it is separated from TLOS because there was a four-year gap between the two series. This series made me try to draw again. I might draw Xanrik fanart soon. Very soon. I will start as soon as I get home. And I may color it. Also, I need a book with Emerelda, Tangerina, and Skylene POVs.

The Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare.

The Grishaverse by Leigh Bardugo. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THESE BOOKS AND I DO NOT NEED TO SAY ANYTHING ELSE. READ THEM NOW. RIGHT NOW. (or at least try).

The Throne of Glass series (minus Tower of Dawn and Kingdom of Ash) by Sarah J. Maas. I preferred it when she was Celaena. Now she's basically a whole new person, Aelin Ashryver Whitethorn Galathynius. Fire powers are cool though.

ACOTAR by Sarah J. Maas, plus a bit of ACOMAF, ACOWAR, and ACOSF. Can I just say...wow. What is this series? Why are there so many faeries? Why is Tamlin evil now?

Lockwood and Co. series by Jonathan Stroud. The skull was great, Kipps' redemption arc was great, Holly was great, and everyone was great. I also liked Annabel's locket. It inspired me to wear my own locket every day.

[alex-the-nonsensologist]

Thank you for the reply. I acknowledge you have a different point of view, and what I say might not change that, which is fine. I just hope my point of view is easy to understand.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

Comparing Amaya and Asha to current-day Disney management is an interesting interpretation, but not one that I can fully support. Amaya and Asha can definitely be seen as more lax compared to Magnifico's strictness. However, Disney has always had strict rules, or at the very least, been overly bureaucratic. One infamous example is the multiple instances of censorship Alex Hirsch had to face while working on Gravity Falls. You can also find many horror stories from Cast Members who work in the theme parks about the stress they endure and the rules they follow to perform their job.

Even today, Disney is still hesitant to allow more ambitious original ideas because they don't want to risk financial loss, instead choosing to only green-light "safe and marketable" ideas, resulting in the current influx of sequels and remakes. This is where I find parallels with Magnifico being overly cautious to a paranoid degree in trying to maintain a rigid status quo he has established, by choosing to not grant wishes he views as "dangerous" despite there being little evidence to support his concerns. In this regard, I think Magnifico is the one holding on to the past, while the other characters are the ones looking to the future. I will admit, it's not a perfect correlation.

I cannot agree that the people of Rosas are "lazy", but that's because Magnifico himself literally claims, "People come here because they know they can’t make their own dreams come true. The journey’s too hard. It is too unfair." which contradicts the idea that the people never worked hard for their dreams. We don't know for a fact what their lives were like before they came to live in Rosas, or spend enough time with them to like them as characters, so it's just another example of the movie's bad writing.

I don't think the girl's wish to fly is a bad thing. It looks innocent enough. And the movie had a decent resolution, to have the girl work with someone to invent a flying machine. No more sitting around stuck simply daydreaming. At first glance, the desire to fly may not seem like something that will contribute anything to society, but not everything in life has to. People should be allowed to create for the fun and joy of it. Plus, we do know in real-life, flying machines do eventually become important to society. (In this situation, I find parallels to Walt Disney himself, who faced many doubts from others when creating Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which is why the movie was mockingly referred to as "Disney's Folly" during production. As we know, Walt proved his critics wrong.)

Are you suggesting that the reason the final version of Wish has poor writing is because of a last-minute attempt to avoid being too similar to Puss in Boots 2 and Nimona? That's certainly a hypothesis, and one that will be very difficult to prove without official confirmation from the filmmakers, but I think it just goes to show that Disney management needs to give the creatives more time to perfect their craft and experiment with new innovation, instead of always forcing them to make tight deadlines.

It is true, some desires can lead to dangerous consequences, but that is not always immediately obvious. In the context of the movie, I doubt removing the memory of a "dangerous" wish is a proper solution. Forgetting is not the same as properly moving on or letting go. Challenges should be confronted head-on, so that people can learn to adapt. Forcing yourself to forget something is not healthy.

If Gaston were a well-rounded person, he would have listened to Belle's rejection and learned to respect boundaries. If he still desired a romance, he could have learned to become a person worthy of loving and capable of giving love, and eventually found a partner who was just right for him. None of that could happen if he were made to simply forget about his desire for Belle, instead of naturally maturing on his own. (Of course, the only reason this does not happen is because he is the villain of his story.)

Yes, it is unwise for a person without sailing experience to board a ship. But with honest effort and years of proper training, they could become an expert and knowledgeable sailor. I should repeat, the movie never argues that all wishes should be granted, and it never argues for instant gratification.

You may not actually be able to make your wish come true on your own, but you may learn something about yourself, or find something unexpected that you needed along the way. If it turns out your wish was never meant to come true, then it was better that you learned it on your own. In the case of mourning a deceased loved one, accepting their death and moving on cannot be accomplished  by simply forgetting about your desire to still be with them. True peace can only be achieved by learning to live with your past, not by ignoring it.

Thanks for reading.

Later at the wish granting ceremony, CEO Magnifico announces he’s greenlit Ice Age 6 and five more live-action remakes.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

There are so many cancelled and unrealized projects that Disney is sitting on, that they do not benefit from in any way by keeping them locked up tight. They really ought to just let them go if they don't have any intentions of doing anything with them.

Incidentally, I could never agree with the mentality of “Magnifico is actually the hero, and Asha is the TRUE villain” that a lot of people seem to have. I drew my comic based on this post. I feel like if more people had been aware of this possible interpretation, they wouldn’t have sympathized with Magnifico.

Does Wish have bad writing? Yes, it does. And it’s because of that bad writing that every single character suffers. What I think happened is that, as a result of said bad writing, Asha became a character that’s so uncompelling and lacks uniqueness that she ends up a blank slate for audiences to project their frustrations with the movie onto. King Magnifico on the other hand, is probably the most interesting and entertaining character, due in no small part to Chris Pine’s performance, and so the audience is much more sympathetic towards him and willing to ignore his flaws.

One of Asha’s problems as a character is that she doesn’t really contribute much to the story. By contrast, Magnifico’s downfall is brought about entirely as a result of his own actions. Magnifico is in fact not a good leader, because he gives in to paranoia and temptation, acts in a very unprofessional manner, and escalates the conflict to an absurd degree.

Please note, Asha does not get upset that Magnifico refuses to grant her grandfather’s wish, nor does she ever demand that Magnifico needs to grant every wish. She gets upset that he insinuates that her grandfather might have dangerous intentions, and because he does not have a convincing reason why he doesn’t return wishes that he won’t grant. Rather than calmly explaining his reasoning to her, Magnifico rudely dismisses Asha and then blows up at her.

If Magnifico were a good leader, he would have explained to each person WHY he won’t grant their wish, and given them advice on alternatives. As it stands, he knows full well that everyone expects their wish to be granted. It’s why they even came to Rosas in the first place, it is the literal reason he even built his kingdom. He clearly makes a big spectacle out of the wish granting ceremonies, which every citizen visibly goes wild for. Not to mention, he literally tells Asha, "People think wishes are just ideas. But no, no, they are a part of your heart. The very best part." He knows, for a fact, how important wishes are to everyone. But the movie's awful writing makes him think the best solution to dealing with wishes that MIGHT have dangerous consequences, is to just hoard them. All that returning the ungranted wishes will accomplish is returning the memory of what the wish even is, that's literally it, and the people will be no better off than they were before they gave Magnifico their wish.

I dunno about you guys, but whenever I watched stories that preached “be careful what you wish for”, my takeaway was never “your desires could be dangerous and you should never pursue them for fear of disaster”, I always thought the stories were telling us, “beware of anything that promises instant gratification, because it’s usually too good to be true, and will cost you more than you will gain”. While the things you want in life may have disastrous consequences, you won’t really know until you try to pursue them through your own honest efforts, and not through “magical” shortcuts. That’s how we learn and grow, through trial and error. 

As it currently stands from my point of view, when people say "Magnifico has every right to keep ungranted wishes" it looks like they're unintentionally saying, “The Disney Corporation has every right to keep your work and ideas, because you willingly and legally handed them over. Tough luck if you regret the deal you were given. No takesies backsies!”

While I have found no evidence to confirm that the filmmakers intended for Magnifico to be a criticism of Corporate Disney, considering the inclusion of the animation sweatshop scene in Pixar's Inside Out 2, I think the probability is likely. (Not to mention, when Asha shows Magnifico her little flipbook animation, he remarks “Do we consider that a talent?”)

Please note, everyone is free to rewrite and reinterpret Magnifico however they want. He's just a fictional character after all, and fan content is supposed to be for fun. I just think it's funny how defensive people get over him. They say he deserved better, and I agree, but we have very different ideas of what "better" means. In fact, I think every character in Wish deserved better, because again, they were all victims of bad writing. My problem isn't that they took a good man and made him arbitrarily "evil", it's that they didn't make him evil enough from the very beginning. Remember those deleted scenes featuring a villainous Magnifico with better writing, along with an evil Amaya that he can play off of? I'm fairly certain that everyone unanimously agreed these deleted scenes were much better than the final movie, and yet some still insist that Magnifico should have been a hero all along. I dunno, it's a funny dichotomy. 

[blueofroyals]

RULES: answer all questions, add one question of your own and tag as many people as there are questions. I was tagged by @foxpaws10 Thanks! :D

coke or pepsi: coke (or dr. pepper)

disney or dreamworks: disney

coffee or tea: coffee

books or movies: at this point, movies, because they are easier

windows or mac: uhhhh, windows I guess

dc or marvel: marvel

x-box or playstation: I don't know, I had an x-box cube ages ago so maybe x-box

dragon age or mass effect: never played either :/

night owl or early riser: more of a night owl, but mostly sleepy

cards or chess: cards

chocolate or vanilla: chocolate

vans or converse: converse

Lavellan, Trevelyan, Cadash, or Adaar: ????

fluff or angst: has to end with fluff

beach or forest: forest

dogs or cats: dogs

clear skies or rain: rain, I love an overcast day

cooking or eating out: eating out is usually more fun, plus you don't have to deal with the horror of washing dishes

spicy food or mild food: mild

halloween/samhain or solstice/yule/christmas: why would you make me choose between the baddest bitches... I guess solstice/christmas

would you rather forever be a little too cold or a little too hot: definitely a little too cold, being hot makes me furious

if you could have a superpower, what would it be: to pause time for short periods so I can do more things: read, paint, clean, etc.

animation or live action: animation

paragon or renegade: ???

baths or showers: showers

team cap or team ironman: team cap, but really team found family

fantasy or sci-fi: fantasy

do you have three or four favourite quotes, if so what are they: “you cannot pick and choose what parts of her to love” // “fight because you don't know how to die quietly. win because you don't know how to lose” // “we'll lay here for years or for hours, your hand in my hand, so still and discreet. so long, we'd become the flowers” // "i've never been to uber javer"

youtube or netflix: netflix

harry potter or percy jackson: would have been harry potter, but I'm kind of on a strike about it

when do you feel accomplished: when I have completed a task

star wars or star trek: star trek

paperback books or hardcover books: hmmm, paper backs are easier to hold but hardcover is nicer looking - hardcover for the better quality cover art

to live in a world without literature or without music?: I have to say literature, it would be awful but I need the nice sounds

who was the last person to make you laugh? my sister or her boyfriend I'm not sure

city or countryside? countryside

favorite chips? baked lays

pants or dresses? pants, but not jeans

libraries or museums? libraries

character driven stories or plot driven stories? character driven stories for the win

bookmarks or folding pages? would rather use bookmarks than fold the pages, but I do neither and just remember/flip to the page I'm on

dream job? graphic designer for an animal rescue or pet treat company so I get to be around pets and design OR a writer

My Question: zombies or ghosts/demons?

I’m tagging: @nekojitachan @normalisoverated666 @scrollypoly @tsfennec

[cofferi]

mulan (2020)

boring and lame but what did we expect.

i’m going to preface this by saying of course this is every chinese girl’s childhood movie. you don’t need to be chinese or a girl to watch this, but if you’re a chinese girl, need i say more. i’m not going to go into everything because there was probably no part of this new movie that i liked. literally none. and yet some part of me can’t bear to think of this as less than a 5/10 simply for being a mulan story. like why disney? why are we here? so anyway here are my main points of contention:

this movie has NO emotion. there are seriously no highs or lows. they gloss over every single story beat which i knew they would, but it’s done so very crudely like they’re embarrassed the original ever did it in the first place (e.g. mulan never cuts her hair, the others don’t even know she’s the one who triggers the avalanche, she doesn’t bring back (new) shan yu’s wiggly sword to show her dad -- by far the biggest disappoint to me). there is no music at all. or if it’s there, it’s very very barely there. i don’t need this to be a musical, but the only emotional part of this entire film was the second ending song, yes after the first ending song, that had the rendition of “reflection.”

new characters. don’t understand why they’re there. what’s the significance of mulan now having a sister? is she even her sister? she doesn’t contribute anything, she has two appearances, it just now makes me wonder why does mulan go in their father’s place in contrast to her sister? what does she have that her sister doesn’t? what’s the point of her sister??? also the antagonist witch lady. i’m assuming she’s supposed to be like the powerful queen piece to the (new) shan yu’s king piece that mostly does nothing. she has “chi” and is an animagus but i don’t understand the limits of her power. she can basically do anything which means there are no dramatic stakes. anything can happen and anything does happen. i can kind of understand her speech to mulan about them being similar because they’re both women amongst men -- typical “join me and we can rule together” antagonist speech. but mulan very easily says no. and then i don’t know why the witch later SACRIFICES herself for mulan??? extremely random. i don’t think her very weak one-sided kinship with mulan warranted that at all...

language/accents. i really hate how inconsistent this is. some characters speak english fluently, some speak with a hint of an accent like they’re trying hard to have one, and mulan speaks with a pretty full accent. i don’t know anyone’s names because i can’t hear them. pls tell me i am being racist to my own kind because i can’t hear half the shit people are saying. i kind of thought this when i watched the aladdin live action -- like, what if everyone had an arabic accent? and i still think that could’ve worked in order to be a little more authentic and feel more cultural. but here it’s horrible. there are other shows that have characters with accents with better enunciation like fresh off the boat or kim’s convenience.

liu yifei. i was never enthused about the initial announcement of this movie and then i really wasn’t enthused when i heard about her shitty comments on hong kong. i can understand some celebrities had to possibly put out something in support of the CCP simply for their own safety or their family’s safety or what have you. it’s unfortunate but i’m not going to call them cowards or whatever because i can’t in good faith believe that what they’re saying are their true feelings. but did she really have to be so disgustingly rude about it when she made hers? when hong kongers are fighting for their lives but they should be ashamed of themselves and if we disagree then we can basically all go fuck ourselves? she didn’t say that exactly. but i dislike her on a purely emotional and personal level and that’s on me. but on top of that, her acting in this movie just seriously sucks. one critic apparently said before of her “she is pretty, but she’s too afraid to look ugly.” and that’s basically the standard for a lot of asian films/dramas. but that doesn’t make it good. it’s hard to draw the line between where the character development fails and where the acting fails because they’re both not there. i really hate to see this story of mulan where she breezes past everything with no real struggling, no hard work, no exertion beyond some beautifully painted dirt on her face, and not even one actual facial expression the entire time. i don’t think i saw her smile once. they really stripped bare this story of a woman trying to make it in a man’s world, using cleverness and strategy because she had to because she didn’t have the physical strength, and instead gave her this random “chi” that i still don’t understand anything about and they never explain. she’s good at sword fighting and roof parkour from the beginning, but she struggles only at carrying buckets of water up the mountain because the plot dictates it so.

i knew what i was getting into, and this movie still hurt me in a very shallow wound sort of way. like i knew there was a 0.5% chance i would enjoy it, either on an “it’s so bad it’s good” kind of way or even an “it’s actually not so bad” kind of way. but i’m still hurt nonetheless because i know this movie is going to be the only mulan some kids are ever going to watch. and i can’t bear to think this is going to make the reputation of chinese people look even worse, just in a very generalized back-of-the-mind unconscious way. this sort of watered down, cheap, barely serviceable “made in china” product that this technically isn’t but is all the rage in wanting to avoid now. and i don’t blame anyone for it. well i blame disney for it.

[writer-monster]

11 reasons why cap 4 should reintroduce Bucky Barnes as the love interest, an essay

to start this off, i am not writing this essay from a shipping place nor do i believe that this would have any influence at all over the upcoming movie. i expect nothing. this is simply something that i would personally like to see. (of course no hate to anybody who thinks differently)

here are 11 reasons why i think making Bucky into Sam Wilson's love interest in Cap 4 would be a good move for Disney.

-

1. on the Chinese film market - and why it's an irrelevant argument against the inclusion of homosexual themes in Cap 4

the Chinese film market is something that has been blamed for a lack of diversity in Hollywood films a lot lately. many people claim that this market with a lot of buying power has been responsible for the lack of gay and black representation in particular within Hollywood films.

and we have certainly seen Hollywood treating it as such, going so far as to cut gay scenes from movies for their Chinese releases, and vastly minimising John Boyega's (a black actor's) presence in the Chinese poster of Star Wars The Force Awakens.

[image ID: on the left is an image of the American poster for Star Wars The Force Awakens, featuring John Boyega prominently on the right-hand side. And on the right is the Chinese poster for the same movie, in which John Boyega is barely visible.]

so we know at the very least that Disney believes this through their own actions and efforts to self-censor for the different markets.

but Captain America 4 is a black-led movie, don't you forget. and Disney can't minimise Sam Wilson/Anthony Mackie in the movie or the poster because it's his movie and his poster. and no amount of creativity in the editing room can change that (thank God!).

so if by their own argument the film is already going to be either banned, panned or slammed in China... then what do they have to fear from making it a gay movie too?

-

2. oh, the queerbaiting

queerbaiting is an unusual cultural idea. and sometimes i find myself thinking that the term is far too easily used, but then all of a sudden i will stumble upon a movie or show that is so quintessentially cruel and overt in it's... well... queerbaiting that i will start to wonder what the hell kind of a bizarre relationship all these straight people seem to have with their friends. take Troy and Abed from Community or John and Sherlock from Sherlock as the perfect examples of this. (in which my reaction to the show's creators saying the show wasn't gay was to ask so then why did you make it so gay?!)

i felt that Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes in tfatws were getting quite close to this level of queerbaiting.

there was the field scene, the couple's counselling scene, the boat scene, the couple's counselling scene, Bucky going with Sam to face Karli when she told Sam to come alone, the couple's counselling scene, ALL the staring scenes, Sam checking out Bucky's ass here as they said goodbye, the "i would move in with him but" hidden scene, "Uncle Bucky" showing up at the cookout scene, the romantic walking off together into the sunset together ending scene, and the couple's counselling scene. did i forget anything? but i mean seriously, the couple's counselling scene!!! that thing they did with their legs and their crotches while staring deep into each other's eyes, would any straight guy willingly do that? do straight guys crotch-snuggle now?

[image ID: an image of Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes during the therapy scene with the quote, "Isn't anybody going to drag me into impromptu couple's therapy and slot my legs firmly between theirs before staring deeply into my eyes?"]

(yeah i stole this image from a buzzfeed article on the fan reactions to the couple's therapy scene. but given that they stole 80% of the content of that article from fandom tumblr, i think it's pretty even-steven.)

there's also the fact that people started talking about bisexual Bucky Barnes a lot after the tiger pictures line, and the lead writer Malcom Spellman responded to the talk of Bucky's bisexuality with "just keep watching". well we watched, Malcolm. but it's beginning to feel like you were just jerking us around.

-

3. the writing

seriously though, what else is Bucky Barnes doing right now in the MCU? his only remaining connection to anything going on right now is through Sam. there is literally nothing else established that's left for him to do that doesn't involve Sam. he moved to Louisiana to be closer to Sam (canonically), he hangs out with Sam's family (canonically), and Steve is presumably gone and is definitely not coming back for more adventures.

he has no villains or loose ends left. he has no other superheroes that he appears to be in contact with. he has no girlfriend or potential love interest, or even other friends or family. he is living in a tent that he has secretly set up in Sam's backyard and is mysteriously appearing from the bushes when it's time for dinner like a stray cat.

in my opinion there is no other meaningful and pre-established progression for Bucky's character that wouldn't just feel cheap.

plus, i don't think the general audience would be all that surprised if they kissed. i think a LOT of people picked up on all that tension. i think a lot of straight people picked up on all that tension too.

-

4. the chemistry between the actors & the chemistry between the characters

the original pitch for tfatws was essentially just this, it was the chemistry between Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie and their respective MCU characters of Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson.

now obviously Anthony and Sebastian are simply friends, and i wouldn't mean to imply anything more. but they are also not their characters.

Sam and Bucky's scenes together before tfatws were both limited and short, and yet audiences still fell in love with the dynamic between the two characters.

in interviews, these two actors are constantly slipping into character and flirting with each other and frankly it's adorable. plus it's really entertaining. i'd love to see that dynamic, unfiltered, in a movie.

because believe it or not the flirting is actually even more open in their interviews than it was in tfatws. and i'm leaving some links as proof.

this here is known as the "married" compilation

and here's a "lucky dip" selection of interviews - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,

and here's Anthony trying to get Seb to take his jacket off.

i'm just saying, why not let their chemistry shine? these two are so talented and so entertaining, especially when you put them in a room together. and can you imagine how absolutely hilarious and brilliant it would be to watch them navigate being a couple?

(and for those who bring up the "friends would be uncomfortable pretending to be dating" argument, i'm not here asking for a sex scene or anything. i don't think anyone would expect them to show any more intimacy (physical or emotional) while playing a couple than what they've already shown together in say... tfatws or in their own interviews. not that i actually expect anything regardless.)

-

5. if they were a man and a woman they would've gotten together in tfatws

i have no more to add here. just that... yeah, they would've.

-

6. and i'm not talking about the comics here, i'm talking about the MCU.

i understand fully that none of what i'm saying here falls in line with these characters from the comics. but the mcu itself doesn't fall much in line with the comics either, and these two characters especially are very different from their comics counterparts.

i'm not asking for these two to get together in the comics. tbh i don't think that it would work.

but the mcu Sam and Bucky are different and closer than their comics counterparts. they've got different histories, different backstories, and a very different dynamic. please rest assured that i am only talking about them in the mcu.

-

7. Bucky Barnes is believably bisexual. and Sam Wilson has never been proven to be straight in the mcu, nor has he had a love interest.

(now please continue to keep in mind that these points only stand for the mcu versions of Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson, and not at all for their comics counterparts.)

Sam Wilson has never had a love interest, which is crazy because have you seen that man! he has had two blink and you'll miss it moments of verbal expression of attraction to women, both in TWS. and that's the extent of it, through his entire history in the mcu.

Bucky Barnes has had a number of surface-level female love interests, but none of them even came close to the level of connection and chemistry that Bucky shares with Sam.

and i'm sorry SarahBucky fans, but i just don't think there's very much to their relationship either. i love Sarah, i really do. but it's Sam who shares all the meaningful moments and history and chemistry with Bucky. and i don't see what making her into a love interest would do for Sarah's character either, what would that add to her story?

[Picture ID: Bucky at the cookout with Sam, Sarah, Cass and AJ. Bucky and Sam are looking at each other and smiling.]

and also there is the whole tiger pictures thing... again. which does strongly suggest that Bucky is bisexual whether this was intentional on behalf of the writers or not.

-

8. it's representation... AND it feels natural

marvel hasn't had a lot of queer representation that's been noticeably present in the MCU at the time of writing this.

there have been a lot of failures so far, from the bisexual erasure of Valkyrie in Thor Ragnarok to the wlw erasure in Black Panther.

there was queerbaiting almost identical to the bisexual Bucky baiting for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. when asked if he had considered featuring a gay hero in gotg2, director James Gunn stated that "We might have already done that. I say, watch the movie." after the movie's release audiences were understandably confused about the lack of queer representation. To which the director followed up his comments with, "But we don't really know who's gay and who's not. It could be any of them."

there is also Loki, considered by most fans after the airing of his six episode series on Disney+ to be both a poor attempt at both genderfluid representation and bisexual representation. with both attempts being summed up fairly well by the term "blink-and-you'll-miss-it". (also it's just terribly written and Loki doesn't wear any interesting clothes! fanficcers are a Goddamn blessing in this hard time!)

and let us not forget that Andrew Garfield was apparently FIRED for pushing for a bisexual spiderman. a bisexual spiderman within an interracial mlm relationship no less.

so for all these failures, marvel, why not allow us queer fans this? two brilliant and heroic men in a loving interracial relationship. two heroes that we can look up to.

now, one of the biggest detractions from the argument for representation is the idea of "forced diversity". and some poorly written characters certainly do end up feeling forced into the narrative. take Iceman in the comics for example, with Jean Grey just straight up suddenly telling him he's gay. like, marvel, sweetie, that's not how this works! and i don't know a lot of queer people who thought much of that "representation".

but the crux of the "forced diversity" argument is almost always that it feels unnatural within the story, right? and i don't think that anyone could say that about MCU Sam and Bucky ending up together, given these characters' existing chemistry and their history. they've both played characters in gay relationships before so we know that it's not outside of either actor's wheelhouse. and y'all know that Anthony and Seb can act, people. if it's in the script i believe that they'll make it seem like the most natural thing on earth.

-

9. it'd be a nice change

there's been an ongoing meme lately about "Disney's first gay character", the joke being that they continually announce gay characters without really ever including gay characters in their films.

this is to the point where Disney has formed a reputation amongst queer audiences of being homophobic.

if Sam and Bucky were to become a couple, then Disney could have its first actual gay character within a gay relationship. AND have him be in the lead of his own movie, no less.

it's also worth keeping in mind that there's likely an overlap between the people who were outraged by a Sam Wilson Captain America, and the people who'd be outraged by a gay Captain America. and if they were already not seeing the film, then i don't think much is gonna change that.

queer audiences would definitely love it, and the media attention would be guaranteed to be huge. i mean, simply look at the amount of media attention mere rumours of a character's queerness gets you and multiply that by a canon confirmation of said rumours.

but i'm pretty sure that Disney already knows this.

-

10. and yet, in truth, it's not about the representation

in truth i've never felt that i had any trouble relating to characters of any sexual orientation, race, gender, sex, body type, etc. (although that is not to throw any shade at all on people who do wish to see themselves represented) but for me, i think it's more about the story than the packaging.

and yet, a love story is still just a story. straight or queer, monoethnic or interracial. when two characters have chemistry and history and have sacrificed for each other time and time again, and they also can't keep their hands or their eyes off each other, then i'm pretty sure that that's a love story.

straight or queer, monoethnic or interracial, it shouldn't be about these simple labels. it should be about how well written the relationship is. it should be about chemistry, and history, and sacrifice.

because i'm fucking sick of all the hollow, forced romances in media no matter the genders of the participants. i'm sick of lazily written, shallow relationships where any two people sharing the same space for any extended period of time will simply fall in love. it's boring, it's repetitive, and as a writer myself it drives me up the wall!

romance stories suck! and everyone knows that romance stories suck. between twilight, and most of the entire YA genre, and love triangles (so boring), and romance used as poorly-written throwaway subplots in Hollywood movies, the world is in agreement that the romance in western media is simply dreadful. and yet we still want love stories. it's an entire genre that sits at the heart of the human experience (<3), and yet one which so few of today's best known writers seem truly able to capture.

i don't think that i'm the only one who feels this way, either. i suspect it's actually a large part of why fandom is so romance-centred in the first place, that we're all just starving for a good love story.

(btw i think fandom has a reputation for being something that as a whole that it is not. it has this reputation for straight up demanding things and harassing people until they get their way. while unfortunately there are a few people who do this, they're fucking annoying and i swear that they're far from the majority.

in my experience fandom is mostly about writing a five thousand word story at three am while drunk off your ass because it might make someone whom you've never met smile, editing it in the cold light of day, and then posting it. expecting nothing. sometimes getting nothing. and sometimes getting someone send you kudos or a comment so heartbreakingly wonderful that it makes you smile in return.)

-

11. so once again, it is all about the writing.

i want to see Sam and Bucky get together in the mcu, not because they would be a gay couple but because i genuinely believe that their story has potential to be an amazing love story.

and i know the mcu isn't about the romance. it's why in my personal opinion we haven't gotten a lot of good canon romances besides Peter Quill and Gamora. and i don't think that the mcu should be all about the romance either. i fucking love the action and the fighting scenes. i love the comedy. Captain America: The Winter Soldier had no romance and it was a fucking treasure, it was an amazing spy-action-thriller and it made my little gay heart dance. Thor Ragnarok had no romance, and it was an utterly brilliant comedic spectacle action film. not every movie needs romance.

but mcu Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes were doing couple's therapy and fixing a boat and walking off into the sunset together in tfatws. they were inseparable on the battlefield. they've got a dynamic. it's beautiful, it's romantic, and it's gold.

a budding relationship between them in the next movie would be a good way to explore both characters more without the narrative feeling too stilted and separate. at the end of tfatws, both Sam and Bucky fans found that their respective fave felt somewhat underutilised and that their characters were underexplored.

now, that problem would be even more difficult to remedy in a movie, because the plotline of a movie needs to be really tight to work (giggity). and we know that the central conflict of the movie is gonna be action-based (which is good), but we still need each character's personal journey and growth to tie into the main conflict. (which is another issue that some fans found with tfatws, that these characters didn't really feel connected to the action-based plot on a more personal level.)

if Sam and Bucky are already in a relationship, however, this whole dynamic changes. first, their relationship has already been set up for nicely since TWS and through tfatws and they would officially be the best-fleshed-out couple in the mcu. but most importantly, a relationship gives them a perfect vehicle to explore both of their pasts comparatively and connect them personally to the action-based plot.

do you want to establish that Sam is a little too trusting and naïve? then establish this through his relationship with Bucky, and through showing his placing his trust in Bucky. (rather than through having him sympathise with a villain who threatened to murder his sister and his nephews).

perhaps you want to show Bucky recovering from his trauma? show us how comfortable he is with Sam. they get along, they're enjoying each other's presence, we see more of Sam's life and of his family, and then let Bucky tell Sam something that's raw and dark and honest about his life as The Winter Soldier. something about a memory, one that he only just recalled. he's opening up. and maybe what he tells Sam is even something that sets up the future action-based conflict, to ground that in something real.

you want to explore that Sam has trauma too? do this through Bucky. he tells Bucky a story about his time in the military. in the form of a flashback, he shares his own story of loss to evoke before the audience the shared theme of feeling at fault even when you're simply a helpless bystander to an act of pure destruction.

then, action sequence! and it's directly connected to Bucky's time as the Winter Soldier. explore the grief of someone whose life the Winter Soldier tore apart manifesting into a villain perpetuating the cycle of pain. establish your villain.

Later, Sam is dragged into battle against this villain for protecting Bucky. But Bucky doesn't want Sam to protect him. He feels guilt for what he can't control and he doesn't want Sam getting hurt because of him. Bucky reminds Sam that he has a family, one who needs him and who loves him. He tells him to go home.

Sam reminds Bucky that he's a part of that family. And that sure Sam's a hero and his job is to protect anyone and everyone, but that he's doing it because he wants to. It's not simply to prove that he can, or to prove that he's not a bystander (this connects to Sam's trauma here), but that he's doing it to help people.

and this gets Bucky thinking about who he is and what he's doing here. is he a hero who stands by Sam's side? or is he an ordinary man who stands aside? or perhaps, does he stand alone? what does he stand for? Maybe Sam knows. But does Bucky?

Sam and Bucky fight off the villain again, and for the first time Bucky meets this adversary face to face. And Bucky recognises this villain, and has a flashback to the genuine pain that he inflicted upon them in the form of the Winter Soldier. Bucky freezes mid-fight, he almost dies, and Sam has to save him.

Sam chews Bucky out for almost getting killed because he was afraid for him. but Bucky takes this the wrong way and goes off to fight the villain alone, or perhaps to die alone, he's not quite sure.

He puts up a half-hearted fight. He apologises for what the Winter Soldier has done, and he waits for the killing blow, when Sam swoops down and he saves him. He asks Sam why he saved him and Sam calls him a moron. And then, Sam asks him what sacrificing himself would solve. He tells him that you can't choose your past but you can choose your future (connecting to his own experience of loss and guilt and grief). And that no matter what Bucky Barnes still has a future, whether that's as the Winter Soldier or the White Wolf or just some dork with a day job. And that he has a future as a part of Sam's family too.

Sam fights the villain, and it's toe to toe. He delivers a few good blows, but receives a fair few himself. And then the villain tears off his wings, first one and then the other, in a manner reminiscent of what the Winter Soldier did to him in TWS. Through Bucky's eyes there's a flashback to highlight the parallels. Sam gets back on his feet and he fights his best fight, but is now losing.

And then the heavily injured Bucky steps up and fights by Sam's side, and only together do they take down the villain.

"So... I inspired you, huh?" Sam teases with a smile, utterly exhausted. "With my heroism and-"

"You inspired me." Bucky said, equally exhausted. "Let's leave it at that."

Together, Sam and Bucky go back to the safety and warmth of their family. Sam fixes his wings. Sam goes back to being Captain America. And Bucky... he's around, but it's unclear what he's doing.

That is, until the very end. When Sam is in a fight, and suddenly Bucky shows up and helps him out.

"What are you doing here?" Sam asks.

"I've made up my mind." Bucky says. "I'm the Winter Soldier. But now I'll save lives, Sam. Now, like you, I'll be a hero."

Sam smirks. "So does this make you my sidekick, then?"

Bucky smiles. "C'mon, at least make me a partner." He says.

"How about co-workers." Sam says (in flashback, he remembers back to the death of his last on-the-job partner).

"How about friends." Bucky says, with a wry look.

"Bucky... I don't want to see you put your dumbass self in danger." Sam says.

"Oh, and it's ok for you to go running off into danger on your own all the time?" Bucky asks.

"Yes." Sam says stubbornly. "Absolutely it is."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not a dumbass?!"

"Sam, if you think I'm not gonna be watching your back for the rest of time... then you're the biggest dumbass I know. And I don't care if you need me or not, I will be there for you."

"Because Sam, you're more than Captain America. You're more than a good soldier. You're a good man. And I think sometimes, the world forgets what the difference is."

-

...or something like that.

(i only spent like 15 minutes on that. you know if i were actually writing this movie i would come up with something much better. and if anyone from marvel is seeing this, yes i can come work for you. i will make the time, let's do this thing right!)

-

finale

at the end of the day, whether or not the mcu chooses to make Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes a couple, it's their decision. and they don't owe me anything.

i'm just some random person on the internet. who thinks that Captain America 4 should #givecaptainamericaaboyfriend

[destinyc1020]

What is up with these big Hollywood producers against the MCU now? Are they just realizing that people go to the movie to be entertained and not just to open a meaningful dialogue about life. Both are important, don't get me wrong but stop hating on the MCU because it's bringing massive amount of money that they can only dream of.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/quentin-tarantino-marvel-controversy-1235268411/

Honestly? As I've said before, not everyone is going to like EVERYTHING. Ppl are entitled to their own opinions. It doesn't mean we'll agree. 🤷🏾‍♀️

Plus, I've noticed that some ppl just relish on hating anything or anyone that is popular or "hot" right now. It's a tale as old as time. They just like being the outlier and don't want to "conform" to pop culture I guess.

I'm torn because on one hand, I can definitely understand what Quentin is saying (there SHOULD be diversity in the types of films that are made/greenlit, and there SHOULD be movie-goers who are excited not just by Marvel films, but by even some indie films, etc..

I think the problem is everything is so freaking expensive these days, that when ppl decide to go in person for a movie, they want to go to a movie that makes them feel good these days. Which I'm pretty sure is the reason why "Top Gun: Maverick" made so much money this summer. It was a FEEL GOOD movie.... and after two years in a pandemic, maybe ppl were aching for that. I know I sure was.

On the OTHER hand, I totally agree with what Simu stated:

For being such praiseworthy directors over the years, Quentin and Scorsese have not really shown that much diversity imo. Quentin is a LOT more diverse (I'll admit), but Scorsese is still stuck in the "stone age" of Hollywood film-making it seems, and I rarely notice him casting any actors of color in his films. 🥴

Marvel films have opened doors for many actors imo. 🤷🏾‍♀️

But I do agree with Quentin in that many ppl tend to love the actor SIMPLY in the Marvel films, and end up hating their other work, or just not being as excited for it, or, the character they play ends up being the star and not really the actor themselves. It just depends I guess. 🤷🏾‍♀️ But I do see what both sides are saying.

I just like balance in my movie-going habits. I love Marvel films, but I also love documentaries, musicals, drama, comedy, sci-fi, history, thrillers, biopics, Disney, etc. I like it all. 😅

I don't like when one thing dominates an entire field either. I always feel there should be a balance. I've complained about this before regarding Disney owning practically half of our entertainment. 🥴 It just doesn't feel right when one thing dominates everything. Jmho.

Great article anon. Thnx for sharing.

[galindaelphaba]

What do you think the next musical is going to be? Sorry if you reply this before. I believe is time to let other guys shine so I feel Seb is going to be the lead and I'm thinking Hercules maybe? To give the spotlight to every girl and maybe Gina is Meg and she signs I won't say I'm in love and it fits with whatever is happening in the season. My own wish is The little mermaid with RINA as leads but by far the same characters has never been leads twice. I wouldn't mind Descendents either

Hi - no worries I haven't answered this before.

I was under the impression that the musical they did had to have a stage/broadway version for some reason. I just googled it and Hercules does have one coming out in the 2022-2023 season, but I don't know if that is too new to adapt for the show. I think Gina singing 'I Won't Say I'm in Love' would be amazing though as it is one of my fave disney songs!

I actually get the feeling that the musical is going to be the little mermaid (like your wish lol). My reasons for this are 1. stage version exists. 2. movie coming out soon, can tie in promo for that and 3. it has been mentioned a bunch in the show plus there are heaps of characters so most can get a good part.

With Beauty and the Beast and Frozen both musicals were referred to before they were done in show in dialogue and plot points. Beauty and the Beast, obviously was the musical performed at Camp Shallow Lake with EJ and Nini East High before hsm and Frozen has been mentioned in the show a couple of times before (I am having trouble remembering when because its 7:40 am as I write this, but there definitely was a couple in s1/s2), plus it was hinted at when Dara and Frankie performed 'Into the Unknown' randomly. The Little Mermaid was kind of a big presence last season with the North High thing and how Zack Roy was in the broadway show, which is why I think they may circle back to it.

My personal dreams would be Descendants as well (I'm just obsessed with it if you don't know plus it is a core 4 which I think suits this show well), Tangled and Aladdin. I mean just imagine Ricky and Gina as Aladdin and Jasmine singing A Whole New World and tell me it isn't the stuff dreams are made of.

edit: plot twist - this morning I noticed all my hsmtmts music mixes are labelled Aladdin Original Broadway Cast... i wonder why

[putonmyfavoriteshow]

This is probably just me being self-indulgent but here's my explanation of my latest hyper-fixation if you've kept following me thru this and have no idea what it is and are curious to know: "DCLA" stands for Disney Channel Latin America aka Disney Channel series that were originated out of Latin America, specifically Argentina, and more specifically what I personally refer to as "The Big 3"

The Big 3 are Violetta (2012-2015), Soy Luna(2016-2018), and Bia(2018-2020). These shows have been internationally popular for years (especially the first two) since besides Latin America, Disney Channel aired these shows in many countries across Europe, Africa, and Asia.

They're also considered to be telenovelas which means they follow a format of about 80 episodes per season and each episode basically picks up where the last left off. Violetta and Soy Luna have 3 seasons, Soy Luna's last season is 60 episodes, and Bia has 60 episodes per it's 2 seasons (they did not get renewed for a 3rd which was likely due to Covid + the move from network to Disney+). All of them are very music focused and consist of originals and covers within the show, soundtracks, and world tours that the casts have been on (Bia was unable to tour due to Covid). Each involve a mystery-drama surrounding family. And of course, there's your typical teen drama surrounding friends and romance. Unfortunately after Disney Channel has moved a majority of it's focus to streaming on Disney+, this format has been discontinued. However, D+LA greenlit a ton of 10-episode similar type series for the service with familiar actors from the aforementioned shows. These also have been shot in new locations as opposed to just Buenos Aires (which is the main location for Violetta, Soy Luna, & Bia). And seemed to be dubbed as well as subbed in multiple languages. (Violetta is sufficiently dubbed, Soy Luna and Bia don't have English dubs) Personally I watch with subs since it helps me with the language I am NOT fluent in, matches lip flap, and I just like hearing the character's real voices. There has been some debate over which of "The Big 3" is "the best" but personally I think they all have something to offer that makes them uniquely great. Also, I think nostalgia is a major factor to which show fans gravitated towards (many watched these shows when they first aired in their own country). Some of us have only discovered through Disney Plus and I do think order of viewing can sway opinion. And each have some problematic material that is worth criticizing - however, I do think they've eliminated most of these elements with every new series they've created (ie. consent, misogyny, & racism). But it's definitely worth noting and calling out!

Generally tone-wise I'd say Violetta is campy as all get out. Bia takes a more serious and mature route. And Soy Luna kind of toes the line between the two.

Disney does have a few other novelas and series such as Alex&Co (Italian music series), O11CE (Novela but NOT a musical show), Juacas (Brazilian series, no music- also not sure if dubbed or subbed in English?). Netflix has a few musical telenovela-esque series but shorter format (Go!,Cielo Grande). Nickelodeon also has similar musical telenovelas that do have the same longer episode format as well but they're not as easily accessible (Kally's Mashup, Club 57). And probably many more adjacent to the Big 3 to keep the interest going!

[listen-to-the-inner-walrus]

Maybe I'm being cynical, but you're not gonna get a Spiderman 2 moment with that.

Most of the diehard monarchists in Britain do not give a shit about gay rights, at best. A lot of them actively oppose it. Plus we saw what happened to Meghan Markle; can you imagine if Harry wasn't just dating a person of colour, but a man of colour? The absolute best they'll get is a "if you don't like it, leave the monarchy" from that group. Realistically, Piers Morgan is gonna go on a tirade about how the royal family are being forced to "go woke", and Alex is going to bear the brunt of that backlash and be hounded every day online by the insane people who think Piers Morgan isn't just a sad, lonely bellend.

And most queer people in Britain don't like the monarchy because 1) queer people are more likely to have leftist politics and therefore oppose the monarchy considering the everything they've done that they're still actively benefiting from, and 2) queer folks in Britain won't ever forgive them for the way they treated Diana and the fact that they also probably had her killed.

Like Diana is a queer icon in Britain because during the AIDS crisis, she went and visited patients and held their hands, and was a respected public figure at the time. She established trusts and led fundraising campaigns both to help patients and for research. She used her platform and significance to help queer folks in the 1980s when Thatcher was in. And Diana was then wildly mistreated by the Royals in return. Even today, a lot of queer people - myself included - would never forgive the monarchy for that, even taking away every other awful thing they've done.

They're hardly going to go protest in the streets for a guy actively benefitting from an institution that he can leave at any point. It's not like he'll be out on the streets with no option if he leaves the monarchy. Just sell your exclusive story to whichever newspaper offers you the most. You'll get plenty. Like queer activists who organise marches and protests are not going to focus on Henry when trans British folks can seek refugee status in Aotearoa because of the dangers we face here.

And I'm not saying there isn't an overlap between the above groups because there is a definite overlap between the people who like and care about the monarchy and gays and/or allies of the gays, but it's a small overlap filled with people who have absolutely no idea how to organise a protest and often no desire to protest, as well as people who still consume anything Joanne Rowling puts out whilst whining about how all these trans people are so mean to them! Like these people will sell out their allyship or their fellow queers just so they can stan their favourite author of an enjoyable yet unoriginal fantasy series; they'll happily do the same so they can stan the fucking monarchy. You might get some grumbling about how this isn't right, but any actual protests would be small and ineffectual.

I can see someone painting that mural though. I don't think Casey McQuinn (is that their name?) did it purposefully because this is a tone deaf earnest book, but Han and Leia is such a good choice considering 1) it's an iconic heterosexual couple and b) characters from a tentpole IP owned by fucking Disney.

Like there's a big overlap between Disney Adults and gays/allies who would unironically say "yas queen" when referring to Queen Elizabeth Windsor/Queen Belizabeth Royal-Blue, and you cannot convince me otherwise.

one of my mutuals is apparently a rwrb fan because i just opened the app and my dash was just gifset from the movie after gifset from the movie after gifset from the movie.

and i find myself staring at each of them remembering your post about it earlier this year because wow it really doesnt explore either american or british politics nor the monarchy, huh?

like im staring at this henry bloke like oh you have a very high bar - probably like 22,000 feet high or so - to clear for me to not hate you in principle, let alone root for you.

it feels very tone deaf and i really dont understand how people are able to turn their brains off for it.

Kai I'm so glad I have the opportunity to ask you this because when I was reading the book I went "hmm, this seems pretty silly, but I'm too American to know for sure," so let me pose this question to you:

if it were revealed (by Evil American Politicians) that one of the lesser princes was a.) gay and b.) in a secret relationship with the US president's son and c.) his evil queen grandma (not That Queen, but she's written as a very obvious pastiche of That Queen) was pressuring him to stay closeted

what are the odds that the people of England would, hypothetically, take to the streets protesting for him to be allowed to be openly gay? and even more specifically, what are the odds that someone would paint an enormous mural of him and his American boyfriend as Han and Leia from Star Wars? like purely hypothetically

[stressy-enby]

Hello! So here's my request:

The 1-A girls including reader are having a girls night in one of their dorms playing Minecraft (teaching Momo how to play for the first time), giving out study tips, eating snacks and watching movies, etc... When their in a topic about their crushes and reader shyly tells them it is Tenya Iida... While the girls are shocked and ask a lot of questions why iida much to reader whos not really liking the questions, the girls decided to help reader out by setting both iida and reader on a date by grabbing readers phone and texting iida, much to readers protest and what the girls don't know is that the boys are having a boy night at the common room too and doing the exact same thing, helping iida out to finally ask reader on a date.

so yeah, haha that's all and you can add your own ideas there and can this be a oneshot? I also want to see the perspective of iida if that't possible? I hope this is okay? thank you!! ☺

Took a few liberties, included some personal touches, I’m really happy with how this came out and I hope you are too!

Risks

Masterlist

Weekend nights in Heights Alliance were arguably the best. 

Mr. Aizawa was more flexible about curfew on Friday and Saturday nights, so the class took those nights as opportunities to have slumber parties and late night get-togethers. 

This was one such night. You, Ochaco, Tsu, Momo, Toru and Kyoka had gone to Mina’s dorm room with snacks and games in hand. Your hostess had offered up her wide selection of video games and her Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ accounts. Toru had even come through with an impressive assortment of face masks, nail polish, and hair accessories. Needless to say, everyone was more than set for a night of careless fun.

“Wait, how do I craft something?” Mom held her controller out to Kyoka, brows pinched together.

“This button, here,” she took the controller, demonstrating by crafting an axe.

Upon realization that Momo had next to no knowledge of Minecraft, the party had abandoned its Super Smash Bros. tournament in favor of showing her the ropes. You’d vowed to help her make a simple house by the end of the night.

“Pro tip: make sure you collect all the same type of wood.” You suggested, eyes focused on the white stripes you were attempting to paint onto Tsuyu’s light green nails with some success. 

“Yeah, unless it’s on purpose, like if you use a different wood for the roof or floor, it’s just gonna look like you hobbled it together in less than a minute.” Mina agreed, before promptly shoving a handful of popcorn into her mouth.

Ochaco gasped playfully, swiping the bowl away. “Don’t eat all of it!”

“I’ll eat whatever I damn well please!” Mina retorted, making a grab for the snack as Ochaco floated it over to Toru.

“Okay guys, I can’t take it anymore.” The invisible girl grabbed the bowl out of the air. “We’re all together, hanging out with zero stress for the first time in months! Does anyone have anything juicy to share? Someone’s gotta have something!”

Kyoka rolled her eyes. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I didn’t come to gossip.”

“This class is a pretty tight-knit group, ribbit. Nothing really happens that we don’t all know about.” Tsu pointed out.

“Okay then. Crushes.” Mina prompted.

“What about them?” Momo asked.

“Who’s got ‘em?”

There was a moment of silence. You noticed how a few pairs of eyes flicked to Ochaco, who had gonna very red and very quiet. You sighed, musing to yourself about the things you did for friendship.

“I, uh, I kinda like Iida?”

You hated how you phrased it like a question. You hated how you mitigated the confession with the word “kinda”. You hated that silly, totally inadequate word “like”. Your feelings for Iida went beyond a simple crush. You’d had them for him for months now, you were long past the “like” phase. You were head-over-heels in love.

Toru gasped dramatically. “Really? Iida?”

Ochaco smiled at you, gratitude evident in her eyes. “You two would make a sweet couple.”

“What do you like about him?” Mina asked excitedly. “When did you fall for him? Are you gonna confess?”

“Take it easy,” Kyoka chuckled lightly.

You also laughed, albeit uneasily. You were beginning to regret not keeping your mouth shut. “Okay, I’ll take those one at a time. He’s kind and attentive, and he’s very loyal. I think I realized that I liked him a few weeks after the sports fest, and absolutely not.”

“Why don’t you want to tell him?” Momo asked, pursing her lips. “I think he’d appreciate the honesty.”

“Be that as it may, I don’t wanna make things weird between us or potentially ruin our friendship.” You explained “I don’t wanna jeopardize what we have now by confessing.”

“Plus, Iida doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who’s want to date someone, ribbit.” Tsu put in, examining her newly painted nails. “He’s very serious. He’d probably see it as a distraction, these are really pretty, (Y/N), thank you.”

You smiled weakly at your frog-like friend as Toru threw a piece of popcorn at her head. “Tsu!”

“No, she’s right.” You sighed heavily, motioning for the popcorn bowl, intending to drown your sorrows and maybe yourself in it.

“I’m sorry, (Y/N).” Momo patted your back sympathetically as she passed the bowl down. “I can’t imagine how frustrating it is.”

You hummed in agreement as you shoveled the snack into your mouth. “Whatever. It sucks, bur I’ll get over it.”

“Like hell you will!” Mina snapped “Ochaco: our romantically challenged friend’s phone, if you please?”

Ochaco dutifully and bemusedly took your phone from Mina’s bedside table and handed it over to her.

“What are you doing?” You questioned, suddenly on high alert.

You were ignored. Mina instead took your hand, and placed your thumb over the home button on your phone, unlocking it.

“Seriously, what are you doing?” Kyoka asked.

“Texting Iida.”

It took you a few seconds to process her words and what they meant. Once you had, though, you made a sudden grab for the phone. “Oh no you’re not!”

“Chillax, I’m not gonna send him anything embarrassing.” Mina swatted your hand away as she scooted safely out of your reach. “I’m just gonna suggest that you two go out sometime and heavily imply that it’ll be a date.”

“Now hold on,” Momo cut in, setting down her controller. “We shouldn’t be interfering. This is between (Y/N) and Iida.”

“Yeah, if (Y/N) wants to ask him out, they’ll do it themselves, ribbit.” Tsu chimed in.

Mina sighed, slumping. “I know you’re both right, but I can’t just let them wallow! Iida really likes you, (Y/N)!”

“Oh yeah?” You raised both eyebrows.

“Yeah! He’s a lot softer with you then with anyone else!”

“He does tend to let you get away with things,” Kyoka admitted. “Remember the other day when you were sitting on your desk? The guy didn’t even bat an eye.”

“He also seems like he talks to you more than he does the rest of us!” Toru pointed out.

“Plus he worries about you more than the rest of us!” Ochaco added on.

“He looks more relaxed around you.” Tsuyu threw in.

“Sometimes when we have class representative meetings, he’ll offhandedly mention you.” Momo reported thoughtfully. “He’ll tell me about something you said or did that he found funny or endearing. It’s actually pretty adorable the way he talks about you. It’s like his whole face lights up.”

You were quiet for a very long moment. It was too good to be true. You liked playing it safe. You kept your cards close to your chest until you were absolutely sure you had the wining hand. And if you’d learnt anything in your hero education, it was that sometimes you needed to take a risk.

“Can I have my phone, please?”

Mina tossed it to you. Without another word, you navigated to your messages, and typed something out quickly. Before you could reconsider, you took a risk.

You hit send.

. . . 

This isn’t actually all that bad.

When Kirishima and Kaminari had suggested a “boys’ night”, Tenya had been apprehensive at best. He was all for class bonding activities, but what was the point if it was only a fraction of their group?

“(L/N) and the girls are having a sleepover, so we may as well something ourselves.” Sero had pointed out.

Despite his skepticism, Tenya found himself thoroughly enjoying himself. After admitting he’d never seen a Marvel movie, Midoriya had immediately logged the common room TV into his Disney+ account and began the first ever 1-A Marvel movie marathon.

“Ugh, does this mean we have to watch Age of Ultron?” Ojiro groaned “That one sucks.”

“Yeah, but at some point I’m going to make Iida watch Wandavision.” Midoriya replied “Ultron is important to understanding it, sucky as it may be.”

“That’s not gonna be for a while if we’re watching every single Marvel movie, though.” Sato chuckled. 

“Yeah, we’re definitely gonna need more than one night for this shit,” Kaminari chortled “Wandavision not withstanding.”

Tenya smiled, not quite following but listening all the same. He suddenly felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

(L/N): Random question. Want to go out and get dinner tomorrow, just the two of us?

It was indeed a random question. He had no qualms about spending time with (L/N) though. Even if it was just the two us them. Especially if it’s just the two of us. Tenya quickly shook the thought away though, feeling he’s cheeks flare.

Me: That would be great! Do  you have a time and place in mind?

(L/N): Would 6 be ok? As for the place… would you be up for a surprise?

Tenya hesitated. Usually he’s say no. He liked everything to be perfectly planed to a T. But something about (L/N) made him want to be spontaneous. They made him want to take risks. So he decided to do precisely that. He threw caution into the wind as he sent his response.

Me: 6 is more than ok, and I’m always up for a surprise if it’s with you.

Tenya cringed immediately after hitting send. The instant regret was crushing and depressing. He wished he could be honest about his feelings, about (L/N) without overthinking every move he made.

Oh well. What’s done is done. He slipped his phone back into his pocket, praying you wouldn’t respond. However, his plea went ignored a minute later when he felt his phone vibrate yet again.

Biting back a groan, Tenya opened his texts, inwardly bracing himself.

(L/N): Awesome! I’ll meet you at 6 in the common room tomorrow, then. Can’t wait! ❤️

He gaped. That tiny red emoji wormed not his brain and burned itself behind his eyes until that was all he could see. He barely even registered the rest of the message.

“Whatcha lookin’ at, Iida?” Kaminari, never one to understand personal space, leaned over to glance at the class rep’s phone phone before he could angle it away. “You sly little- IIDA HAS A DATE!”

“No I- that’s not- Kaminari!” Tenya sputtered incoherently, arms flailing. “That was entirely inappropriate. You shouldn’t look at other people’s devices without their permission. It’s rude, demeaning, and an invasion of privacy!”

“Forget that, what’s this about a date?” Sero leaned in on Kaminari’s other side.

“Iida and (L/N) were texting,” Kaminari announced “They asked him out to dinner, he said yes, and they send a heart emoji.”

“What color?” Aoyama demanded, squinting.

“Red.”

“Oh my,” Aoyama leaned back in his seat, a coy smirk playing across his lips.

Sero chuckled, leaning across Kaminari’s lap to pat Tenya on the arm. “You lucky bastard.”

The blue haired boy brushed his hand away, bristling. “Not that my personal activities are any of your concern, but it’s not a date. We’re just going to get something to eat.”

“I’m not an expert or anything, but I don’t think many people go out one-on-one for dinner if it’s platonic.” Midoriya pointed out. 

“Yeah, plus, that emoji says a lot.” Kirishima added “(L/N) clearly means this to be a date. If you don’t feel the same way about them, you need to tell them.”

“You don’t want to go on a date with (L/N)?” Todoroki asked, raising an eyebrow “I would’ve thought you’d be happy for an opportunity like that.”

“See! Even Todoroki can see you’ve got it bad for them!” Sato exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at the confused heterochromic boy.

Tenya ignored his overly-excited classmates. He flipped back through his conversation with (L/N), staring at every text until he’d inadvertently memorized them all.

Me: Is this a date?

. . .

“So much for subtly, I guess.” Kyoka remarked.

“Subtly gets you nowhere with Iida!” Ochaco insisted “You have to be upfront with him!”

“But I sent him a heart,” You groaned for the fourth time.

“Well, there’s no sense in bemoaning it now.” Momo reasoned.

“It was a calculated risk.” Toru admitted, an undercut of worry in her voice.

“A risk, huh?” You chuckled humorlessly “I seem to be taking a lot of those tonight.”

Ding!

Seven pairs of eyes darted to your overturned phone at the same moment. No one moved an inch.

“Well,” Tsu nudged you “are you going to look at it?”

You gulped, shakily taking the device. The girl’s gathered around you. As you opened your text messages.

Iida: Is this a date?

“No backing down now!” Ochaco squealed, gripping your shoulders tightly and shaking you.

“Go, go, go, go, go!” Mina bounced on her knees like it was a sporting event.

You took a deep breath, then texted back.

. . .

(L/N): That was the idea, lol. It doesn’t have to be if you don’t want it to be, tho

Tenya pursed his lips, showing the response to Midoriya.

“C’mon, Iida.” His friend chuckled lightly “Just tell them the truth.”

The truth. He did want it to be a date, but a simple “I want to go on a date with you” didn’t seem sufficient. It wouldn’t do justice to how he really felt.

Tenya had already taken a risk tonight, so what was one more? But knowing what he now knew about your feelings, it didn’t seem quite so scary anymore.

Me: I’d love nothing more than to go on a date with you, (L/N). Truth be told, I’ve wanted to for a while now, I just haven’t had the courage to ask you myself. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. ❤️

[youarestellarverse]

@starlightshadowsworld tagged me in a thing about sexuality headcanons!

For the actual canon, my general feel is that it started at a period of time when having a main queer character in a series for young people that wasn't specifically a Queer Series was unacceptable. This has fortunately started to change in recent years (partly because of Nico— I cannot overstate the impact it had that a hugely popular author who could afford to take that risk insisted on taking that risk; the difference in post-HOH mainstream queer youth characters is so massive it makes my fourteen year old self weep as she keyword searches "gay and lesbian" on her library network because David Levithan and Annie On My Mind were her only options). The books seem to be adapting from "everyone is straight because Hyperion Publishing is owned by Disney" to "young teenagers are still figuring things out". I like that method, personally!

So that's why I'm answering this over here on my ficblog instead of my main @stillneedsmorekissing. I present the sexualities I am using in my fic (plus a few kink roles for the ones I've actually considered):

Percy is a sub who uses both "bisexual" and "pansexual":

"You know I think you're breathtaking."

"Against all odds, yes, I do."

"How do you feel?"

Percy blinks, like he hadn't been expecting it.

"I feel...pretty," he says, after a long minute of quiet. Then he smirks, and Jason gets where he's going with it a second before he makes the West Side Story reference. "And witty. I have too much baggage from the 'that's so gay' craze to use it as an umbrella term for myself, but 'bi' rhymes with 'guy', so it almost works if you swap it in and moosh two stanzas together."

"Are you still using pansexual too?" Jason takes another photo, watching as Percy relaxes into the pillow again, his eyes closing.

"Yeah. They both fit, they're both comfy, so why not?" He half-shrugs. "Pan is probably closer if we're going purely by definition, but they're similar enough that I don't care about making a firm distinction for myself. Plus I got most of my pride stuff secondhand from Paul, and he got most of it, like, a decade before pansexuality was coined. He even gave me a couple vintage bi-angle pins."

Jason immediately pictures a set of two tri-tone portraits, one for each flag. That's a project he'll definitely have to use Rachel's studio for; he'll need oil paint and a large canvas to do it justice.

"I wonder how he'd feel about you calling them vintage."

(From Here in Our Bed, chapter 12)

Jason is a bisexual dom.

Nico is a gay switch.

The rest are under a cut because they spoil some plans.

Reyna is biromantic and asexual/sex-neutral (she's not bothered by doing it, but she wouldn't seek it out for fun). She is, however, very much a domme...which can be a tiny bit of a problem, because:

Piper is a lesbian, and also a domme-leaning switch.

This is set up for the bisexual Annabeth to figure out she thought she was a domme, but she's actually a sub-leaning switch— she was misinterpreting her bratty streak. She and Piper are both allosexual and she doesn't mind getting ganged up on and losing fights, which balances out the relationship and gets it running smoothly again!

Hazel is straight.

Frank is straight with one (1) exception.

Leo is the exception, and isn't actually sure how he identifies, because it doesn't occur to him until many years down the line when they enter a V with Hazel and he eventually has to come to terms with the fact that at some point he acquired a boyfriend and made the V a triangle when he wasn't looking. Tentatively, he ends up landing simply on "queer", because nothing else seems to fit exactly right and that's what it's there for!

I'm still considering gender, because I'm undecided on whether my current Brand New Genderfluid Awakening Process is something I want to work through fictionally yet, but I suspect Percy will ultimately decide he's a guy with an asterisk.

(Also, the mental image of Jason using drag as a vehicle for self-expression after a lifetime of being molded into the Paragon of Masculine Ideals will not leave me alone, so there's that.)

That's about all I got so far!