#i know some people want netflix's version to be carried out

[treefey]

I kind of want to make a petition for a platform to take the six of crows cast and just do an actual book adaptation? Like just a 2 season miniseries filmed at the same time like LOTR and done really high quality like that isn't too much to ask, right?

[placeinthemiddleofnowhere]

Keep Moving Forward

Pairing: König x Reader

Summary: You're determined to find out why everyone thinks König is so scary, afterall he's just some guy that's taller than most people right? He's probably harmless! Well, he's a little scary, but you still like him anyway.

(No use of y/n or mention of gender/race)

AN: Just want to say a massive thank you for everyones lovely comments on the last part, I can't believe how many notes that has now 😱 I've got a taglist so if you want to be added or removed (I just stuck down everyone that commented or reblogged the last one with tags/comments) lemme know! Also I've got my own version of what König looks like and I've been including details so hopefully you like my thoughts on him 🥰

Part 2 of A Rocky Start - Full Masterlist Here

-☠️-

A forbidden crush, a whole unit of men watching out for any missteps and a job that required you to be on your A game - it all sounded a bit like a bonkers netflix plot, but no this was your life now. You were desperately trying to hide your little (massive) König crush, while trying to get through your days and it was going horribly. The universe was working against you. 

König kept appearing for one. Now that he knew you weren’t talking to him just to fuck with him, you’d been meeting more and more and talking for longer each time. In fact, you’d come to learn a lot about the man in the short amount of time you’d spent together and unfortunately for you, nothing about any of it turned you off.  In fact, you were only falling harder for him. 

Every touch, every grazed hand when you were reaching for mugs and brushed sides when you sat together on the couch - they were driving you crazy. Not to mention catching little details about him here and there, painting a mental picture that rivalled the mona lisa. 

You’d caught a glimpse of a scar that snaked up from his lip and a few that marred his hands and arms, you’d noted bruises that carried back from missions and most of all you couldn’t help but think of the little birthmark on his left hip that he’d exposed when he’d been reaching for tea. You thought about running your fingers along them often, kissing them all better. 

You’d learned that it was pretty much pointless to make movie references to König because he barely took time to watch them. He was much more of a doer, he didn’t like to sit still for long and most film runtimes were over an hour and a half, which was no good for him. And so you’d slowly gotten a peek into his more active hobbies. Hiking, rock climbing and skiing, only to name a few. The man was an athlete that rivalled most of the soldiers you knew.  

“And this was the view from top!” he’d proudly said after he showed you another picture from one of his hikes.

“Woah, no wonder your legs are like tree trunks,” you’d murmured, raking your eyes over his thick thighs.

“What was that?”

“Oh! Just- you must get a good workout climbing all those hills.”

Just one of the many times you’d let your appreciation for him slip. You could barely help it most of the time, he had your words fizzling out like some kind of mentos and coke explosion. The highly trained soldier in you died the minute you were in a room with him. 

It was when he grabbed you that you finally went stupid for him. König was - as Captain Price had described him - a mammoth in many regards. You’d already taken note of his verging on monstrous height, but you’d come to learn a lot more about his strength. He could lift you like you were little more than a lap dog.

How had you come to find this out? Well -

“Watch out!”

Your head had been completely in the clouds, busy catching up with messages from your family, when suddenly you were in the air. You gasped as you felt a pair of hulking arms pick you like an apple from a low hanging branch and squeaked when you looked down and came to notice the pile of vomit that lurked below your flailing feet. Gross. 

Then you’d come to the slow realisation of exactly whose arms were wrapped around you. Suddenly the rising feeling of nausea was replaced by hordes of stirred up butterflies.

“Are you ok?” 

You blinked, still shocked that König was holding you like you were nothing.

“Uh- ah- yeah! Yup! All good, big guy!”

You’d hurried out your reply, sputtering out your words like a leaky tap. You felt like an idiot. Then the feeling intensified when he put you down and turned you to face him. In fact, you felt like someone had placed a heat pad to your face after running a marathon.

If he could lift you that easy when you were limp, imagine how easy he could lift you up against the wall and-

“Are you sure you’re ok? You look…not so good?.”

You gulped and offered him what you hoped was a reassuring smile and then - to make matters worse - a double thumbs up (who did that???). You silently cursed in your mind, but covered up your embarrassment by staring back at the sick pile for a second and then facing König again.

“Ew…thanks for saving me from that! I would’ve been throwing up as well if I’d had to clean that outta my shoes.”

“Any time, friend!”

Friend.

It stung a little, but then you had to remind yourself you were both supposed to be acting professionally, this was a base afterall, and quickly righted yourself. Friend would do fine in a setting where Price would have your head for even looking at König a little flirtily. Especially when the resident gossips had continued to grass you in for any interactions they caught. 

-☠️-

“That was some amount of whitey those new recruits left all over the hallways yesterday,” Soap had remarked after finishing a set of pull ups. 

You hummed in agreement, remembering back to being lifted and growing quiet as you thought about Königs bulging arms. It had been a recurring thought for the whole twenty two hours since it had happened. Not that you were counting or anything, especially not being obsessive by any means. It was just that the electricity that had been sparked by that touch had been racing around your body and now you were stuck replaying the scene over and over in your head like an accursed rerun. 

“English, Soap,” Ghost grunted, from a nearby bench. 

“There was a lot of puke all over the place yesterday,” Soap sighed, rolling his eyes at the Lieutenant. 

“Oh yeah, I heard about that. Did you hear sneaky almost stepped in it?”

“Ooft, that’d be a shite shift cleaning that off.”

“I know. Luckily little sneak got airlifted to safety,” Ghost said slyly, giving you a pointed look. “Got snatched away by a certain giant before they stepped right in it.”

You froze in your spot, just about to curl a weight upwards before letting it crash out of your hands and onto the floor. That fucking, no good old dear prick! How had he heard about that? You hadn’t thought anyone else had been around when it had happened. 

“Careful, sneak. The German’s not here to stop that from stubbing your toe,” Ghost chuckled.

“He’s Austrian actually…And how did you know about that?”

“Oooh! Austrian,” Soap snickered.

“Well I do apologise. You should know by now that I hear about everything when it comes to our unit, sweetheart.”

You hated that. Whenever Ghost patronisingly called you sweetheart it made your blood boil and clouded your thoughts like a thick red mist. Though, there was nothing you could do about it. He wasn’t someone you could wage revenge on without being thoroughly outgunned in all respects. Plus, it would only make you look more guilty. 

“Well, you didn’t even know what nationality König was so you don’t know everything,” you muttered.

“Well, now that you’ve filled me in, I can go tell Price you were getting lifted up by the big Austrian cunt that he told you to stay away from,” he countered smugly. 

“What! I can’t help who snatches me out of the air from nowhere,” you hissed. “Have you seen the size of him? I can’t exactly stop him.”

He tisked. 

“Well then, soldier. Sounds like you need more training. C’mere, we’ll practise getting out of holds!”

You yelped as Ghost had come crashing toward you and dove out of the way just in time to miss his outstretched arms. Even if he was smaller than your new companion, Ghost was still built like a tank - and he would pin you down like a mouse under the wheel of a 4x4 if he caught you. 

“Stay away from me!” you’d squealed, running away from the gym. 

“Oh now you’re suddenly averse to getting grabbed!”

-☠️-

Essentially, you were discovering a new level of hell every day. Your entire unit had cottoned on to your little thing with König and now there was no escape from the jokes they made. Well that is until Price came along and no one was quite enough of an asshole to mention your activities to him. You all knew the consequences of getting his back up and it wasn’t worth the stress for anyone. 

Though, not everyone was aware of that - König himself for one. Unluckily for you, you’d found yourself in the kitchen with Price and Soap and just as the kettle was put to the boil, who should walk in but the Austrian giant himself. 

“Evening,” he murmured, barely loud enough to be heard over the kettle. 

Soap looked up from his phone as he noticed König and widened his eyes before searching you out and giving you a sly smile. Oh lord. You knew he was going to love watching you squirm. 

Suddenly your heart was thudding like a samba drum and your mind was racing to find your self restraint. Don’t let Price see you turn into a nervous fucking wreck! You repeated that over and over like a mantra, turning it over in the sands of your mind as if you might find some calm that way. 

“Evenin’” you smiled, feeling your voice lilt.

Oh god. 

You smiled at König as he approached the counter and promptly scampered away to the table, hoping that by keeping some distance you wouldn’t be so transparent. Fat chance considering the stupid smirk that was all over Soap’s face as he pretended to batter his eye lashes behind Price’s back. Asshole!

You knew you looked guilty as hell, even if you were walking away from König. However, any chance of not being caught ogling by Price was worth taking. So you figured you’d stare at your phone instead and prayed to all the gods you knew of that König was busy and he’d have to leave again after getting himself something to drink. 

Why didn’t he ever go out for food? There was a perfectly nice pub just over the road and he could easily go there instead of looking over you all the time - putting you in grievous danger of toilet duty. You’d have to tell him about it sometime, and hope that he’d ask to go with you. 

“Anyone else want a brew?” Price offered, in the midst of pouring his own cup. 

You looked up from your phone screen, darting your eyes over to the captain. Answer him! Speak normally!

“Oh! Yes, me please.”

Maybe that was a little more polite and nicey-nice than usual, but at least you were coherent. That was something, a small victory.

“Coffee for me, Price,” Soap grinned. 

You breathed out a small sigh now that Price was distracted by Soap and let your eyes wander over to König, resting your chin in your hand. He was so big, he towered over the two other men by a few heads at least. He could pin you down like a lion and there’d be nothing you could do about it, nothing you’d want to do about it. 

“That’s the wrong one.”

You jumped as König’s accented voice interrupted the thankful silence and widened your eyes as you watched him turn to Price. What was he doing? You sucked in a breath and watched as the two men became locked into an exchange and silently hoped a rogue sniper might take you out. 

“Sorry, what was that?” Price asked, frowning deeply as he stared at the masked man.

“That’s the wrong tea,” König supplied helpfully. “Sneaky likes this one.”

As if correcting Price on his choice of tea wasn’t enough, König went to the lengths of picking a bag of your herbal stuff out. He dropped it into the mug and stuck the other bag back in the back, tilting his head as Price stared at him with a raised eyebrow. 

“Well then…thanks for the advice,” he finally said, turning to stare you down. “It’s never nice when you expect one thing and get the other.”

You were in deep shit. 

He was giving you the ‘I’ve killed before and I’ll do it again’ look. You gulped and slumped in your chair, feeling like a tiny child that was about to get reprimanded. Price was going to learn all about your involvement with König soon, the game was up. 

“Oh yeah, no problem!” König said, sounding like he was smiling under his mask. 

That idiot! 

Though, in fairness to him he knew nothing about the toilet duty thing. He didn’t even have any idea that you weren’t supposed to be interacting with him, especially when you’d gone so out of your way to do it over the past month. It wasn’t his fault, but at the same time you could strangle his beautiful massive neck for what he’d done. 

“Sneak, would you mind coming with me for a moment? I think we should have a little chat,” Price smiled. “I’ll bring your tea.”

He was probably omitting that he was going to dump it over your stupid head, you thought worriedly. This wasn’t good at all. 

You gulped and nodded at him, slinking out of your chair like a dog about to take a beating. Though, you continued to follow behind him just as dutifully - Ignoring Soap as he gave you a little wave off and a snarky smile. You knew as soon as you’d left that he was messaging the group chat right then, and the whole 141 would know that you were getting pulled up for speaking to König. 

He lead you down the hall and into an empty meeting room, setting the two mugs down on the table, they hit the wood like death knells, and pointed to the chair in front of him. It all felt very formal, like this was going to be one of the worst telling offs of your life. 

“Don’t look so scared, kid.”

You bit your tongue and chanced a look in his eyes, seeing the glint that lingered within them. He didn’t look furious, but he didn’t look like he was going to offer you a cuddle and kind words either. It made you sweat a little less, but you weren’t dumb enough to completely untense your body yet. 

“Y-you’re not annoyed that I’ve been speaking to König?” You asked, chancing your luck.

“Oh, I’m annoyed, but I’m not going to kill you for it,” he laughed humorlessly, leaning back in his chair. “You look like you’re going to shit yourself.”

“I think I might,” you said, biting your lip and fastening your shaky hands around your warm tea cup. 

“See, that’s why I’m concerned about this…relationship you’re building with König. I worry about you.”

You frowned, thoroughly surprised by his reaction. He was being a damn sight more sympathetic than you were expecting. This wasn’t a bollocking, this was an intervention. 

“You don’t have to worry. We’re just friends - strictly platonic! We talk and have tea together, nothing more than that,” you explain breathily, hoping it’ll appease the captain.

He strokes a hand through his beard and eyes you warily. He’s clearly unconvinced. His jaw is set into a worried line. 

“Hmm.”

He doesn’t give much away. 

“Really, I’m not trying to take things f-further.”

You stutter like a liar. Really, that is what you’re doing if you’re honest with yourself. You might not be asking König out on dates and braiding flowers into his gear, but you have been shamelessly flirting with him and getting into close proximity with him at the slightest chance. Plus, Price practically knows you better than your own parents, he’d be able to tell when you were acting differently, like you were in terminal stages of puppy love. 

“Look, he’s not part of our unit, so really it’s none of my business, I can’t actually do anything about it - as much as I’d like to,” he says, glowering for a moment. “I just think that he’s dangerous and I don’t like the thought of you getting close to him. For all I know, he’s nice enough to you, but when he’s on the field that man’s an animal. There’s something wrong with him.” 

You gasp a little as he says it, shocked that he’d say something like that to you. What did he mean there was something wrong with König? Sure, you thought, he was quiet and intimidating but he was so polite and cheerful when you’d gotten to know him more. It’s not like most people were their best selves on a battlefield - it was in your training to leave all that behind. It was hypocritical to judge Königs actions given your experience with the 141 out on missions. 

“What do you mean there’s something wrong with him?” You finally asked, curious to know just what Price meant. 

“He takes too much pleasure in the work he does. He’s sick when he’s out there- like letting a rabid dog out of its cage. I worry about you getting involved with him and being at the mercy of a man like that. You wouldn’t have any chance against him, Sneak. I’ve seen him crush bones like they’re twigs, he’d snap you like a toothpick.”

You can feel your pulse in your ears, can hear it working away like a jackhammer. You don’t know how to respond. The fact that Price is this worried for you really does concern you, but on the other hand König has never given you any reason to be scared of him beyond that first encounter you’d had with him. Then again, you reasoned that that surely wasn’t the real him - that was guarded walled up version of him. Right? 

“I see,” you sighed, not able to come out with more. 

“I know you won’t want to take my word for it, and you’re going to keep doing whatever it is you're actually doing. I just want to know that you’ve been warned and you’re going to be careful.”

You took a breath and looked away, roving your eyes over the assortment of chairs on the other side of the room. Sure, you could take his warning on. Though, it didn’t feel like it was going to stick, not when you thought back to his arms wrapped around you and making you feel like a precious gem. 

“I’ll keep what you’ve said in mind,” you acquiesced. 

“Good soldier,” Price smiled, leaning over and patting your shoulder.

You swallowed thickly and stood up, feeling your breathing return back to normal. Well that was it then. You weren’t going to be killed on sight and you didn’t have to worry about staring down the bowl of a toilet for the rest of your miserable life. 

You both stepped out the doorway and into the light of the hall. You felt dizzy on your feet, but relieved that you were getting away without any punishment. Well, other than the fact that König might be someone to worry about rattling around in the back of your mind, that is. Then again, you had a sneaking suspicion that you’d forget all about it as soon as you were in his company again…

“Remember what I said, Sneaky! Otherwise I’ll let you think about it some more while you’re on your knees scrubbing toilets,” Price said over his shoulder, taking an indulgent sip of his coffee afterwards. 

You stopped in your tracks and shared a look with Soap, who’d poked his head out of the kitchen to check on you. Well, maybe you weren’t going to completely forget Price’s warning. His lingering threat would keep you on your toes. 

-☠️-

“It seems a little late for you to be out walking,” you noted.

You watched as König whirled around, and went wide eyed when he looked like he might hit you. His fist was drawn back and just when it looked like he was about to swing it - he stopped and let it fall flatly to his side. As soon as he’d scanned his eyes over your shrinking form he went limp immediately. 

“Scheiße! Where the hell did you come from?” he cursed.

You took a moment to recover but eventually found your heartbeat returning to its regular rhythm and swallowed, relaxing your shoulders soon after. That was close. You assumed he’d have known you were sitting there on the wall, he always seemed to have a hyper awareness of you as if he was some kind of bat. Though his echolocation must have failed for once, you’d been too obscured by the untrimmed tree branches that had surrounded you, most likely.  

“I-I come out and sit here sometimes, its nice to look at the stars.”

König regarded the wall you were sitting on, just a low down thing made of worn stone and his head followed where it stretched down the road. It cut off the pavement from the small scatty park inside. Then when he looked back at you with his twinkling azure eyes, those eyes that had you forgetting all about the near miss that just happened, you finally got to take him in properly. You watched him as he settled next to you on your makeshift seat. 

Two things struck you all at once. Firstly, König was wearing a neck warmer instead of his usual sniper hood, probably so he wouldn’t scare any civilians more than a hulking giant like himself normally would, it was drawn way up to the bridge of his nose, but nevertheless you knew it was him under there. And next - the mess of shaggy dirty-blonde hair on top of his head. You had to fight the urge not to ask if you could run your hands through it. It was like putting a moth in front of a thousand watt bulb. You ached to feel the fuzz of his faded sides and get to rearrange the chaotic locks above that sprawled in every direction.

“You’re staring.”

You bit your lip as he said it, and looked away guiltily. Oh fuck. It’s not like it could be helped though, this was the most you’d gotten to see of him. He was always so covered up and burdened by gear you could barely make out the man from the material - and now you were getting to see what was basically a visual buffet of König. It wasn’t fair. You could look at every inch of him that he’d let you see all day. 

“Sorry,” you finally breathed out. “I just- uh was surprised is all.”

“Why?” he smirked, eyes crinkling as he stared right back. 

“Didn’t think you’d be blonde,” you say, thinking blessedly quickly. 

“What is it they say? Blondes have more fun?” he chuckled, coming to sit on the wall next to you. 

You snorted and looked away from him again. Even though you’d been talking for a while now, his silly humour could still surprise you, especially when you recalled the way everyone acted around him, as if he’d bite them if they got too close. It was like getting to see a tiger roll onto his stomach when no one else was around. 

“How come you don’t wear that around the base?” you asked, tilting your head at him.

“Why would I? I can wear my hood there without getting questioned about it.”

“But isn’t it less stuffy with the neck warmer?” You ask, crinkling your nose at the thought of being trapped under that heavy material all day. 

“Yes, but it’s as though I can physically feel people's eyes cutting into me when I wear this - or nothing. The staring is too much.” 

You pause for a second and laugh at yourself, feeling a little more embarrassed.

“...Like I was just doing to you there.”

König laughs a little with you, but after a second he shakes his head and breaths out into the frigid night air. The skies had been dark for a little while by that point and the light of the moon was bright and shiny, reflecting in König’s eyes like a gleaming pearl. It was probably the first time you ever recalled admiring the moon that much. 

“I didn't feel like I was being dissected by you, no.”

You felt a little tingle run rogue down your arm. So he didn’t mind you looking at him? You smiled a little wider to yourself and tried to conceal it with a scratch of your cheek. 

“Really? Why’s that?” You asked, feeling a little brave. 

“You stare at me all the time, I’m used to it.”

Instantly it felt as if the air had caught fire and was charring you into oblivion. He’d caught you? Why hadn’t he said anything before? You opened your mouth ready to come up with some kind of silly excuse, too flustered to think of something good. Though he interrupts you before you can get a sound out. 

“I didn't mean to embarrass you, I find it endearing,” he soothed.

“What? Why?” you ask dumbly.

“The way you look - with your wide doe eyes…” he says trailing off. 

Now he cant look at you. His head turns away. You can't speak either, so you're both left frozen in place.

“The way you’re looking at me now,” he finally says.

“Maybe I just can’t stop staring at your messy hair,” you chuckle, trying to awkwardly change the subject. “Someone should fix that for you.”

“Does someone want to?” he asks, his brows setting as he tilts his chin. 

Oh no. You bite your lip feeling like your body’s going to astrally project onto another planet. Was this really happening? Did he actually just give you permission to touch him, no, run your hands through his hair? 

Part of you wants to laugh him off and prevent any embarrassment when he turns around and says he was kidding, says you’re a weirdo for wanting to touch him like that. Your mind starts going down avenues of all the awful things he could say about the little freak that looks at him too much, but then the sane part of your mind kicks and acts as a buffer stop, halting the run away anxiety train. König would never do that to you. 

You were far too used to dealing with Ghost and Soap, and all of their stupid teasing. But even then, not even they would do something so cruel. 

“I do,” you murmur. 

König nods and leans forward and closes his eyes, giving you what little advantage he can with the amount of height he has on you. At first, you’re incredulous that you’re in a real life scenario and not locked into a fantasy seven layers deep, but you quickly give up that idea and decide to tentatively reach out. You’re too excited not to take the opportunity. 

Your hand shakes a little at first as you make contact with his soft hair, and immediately you think of the devil dog your neighbour used to have when you were a kid. It was a huge old thing that barked like a foghorn, but once it got to know you, it would roll over and present its downy fur and you could spend hours at a time running your hands through it. Now, though, it’s not the scary shepherd you’re taming, it’s König. 

He sits perfectly still while you sort through all the strands, smoothing them back and fixing them into place. You swear you can hear soft groans coming from him, but they’re so quiet you could be mistaken. That, and you’re too mesmerised by the task at hand, forming his hood mussed hair into a style. 

When you’re done and his hair is mostly settled - apart from a small cow lick you can’t seem to fix - you can’t help but run your fingers over the fuzz on the side of his head. Immediately he shivers like a harsh breeze has rolled in, surprising you, but when he snaps his eyes open they don’t look annoyed like you worry he is, instead he looks ready to pin you down and take you right there against the wall.

“That felt very nice,” he said softly, blown out pupils shifting away from you as he straightened.

You’re not sure what to say, you just smile and bite your lip, keeping your eyes fixed on him. You know rightly that your pupils are just as wide as his, you can practically feel the explosion that’s going on. You want him. 

“König I… I uh-“ 

Footsteps sounding from nearby, crunching up the leaf littered pavement, interrupt all your thoughts and both of you turn your heads as someone walks up to you both. You hold in a breath, feeling like you’d scream otherwise and watch as a face comes into view from out of the shadows. 

Mercifully it’s not Ghost or Soap that marches up to you, it’s Gaz.He’d been the only one not to completely batter the dead ‘Sneaky and König up a tree’ horse. He stops when he sees you both and his eyes widen as he spots König, probably just as shocked as you were when he realised he can see his face. Though, he quickly averts his eyes and looks at you instead, awkwardly shifting his hands in his hoodie pocket. 

“Captain said to tell you we’ve got an early start tomorrow,” he says looking at you pointedly , “we’ve got a briefing at four. Said you best get all the sleep you can.” 

“Oh…do you know anything about it?” You ask, still feeling a bit breathless from before.

“From what I gather, the 141 and KorTac are heading out together, but I don’t know much beyond that,” he shrugs. 

You give a sideways glance to König and watch as he regards you the same way. That meant you’d be working together for the first time. You take a breath and look back at Gaz, finally nodding your head.

“Thanks for coming to let me know, I’ll head in in a minute,” you assure him. 

Gaz nods back curtly and turns on his heel, retreating to the base again and leaving you alone in the only silence. You finally look back at König, only once you’re sure there’s no one lurking around and looking to catch you with him, and smile softly. 

“Looks like we’ll be working together then,” you laugh awkwardly.

“Seems like it,” he replies, lowering his head. “Perhaps we should listen to the captain’s advice and head in.”

You feel a stab of disappointment tear through your heart immediately. You’d wanted to resume things from where you’d left off. You wanted to pull back the cloth from his face and kiss him under the stars as if they were watching and you were the only ones there. There were fireworks and sparklers going off in your mind, but now they were being snuffed out as you watched König stand up from your not so secret spot. 

“Come on, you need your rest,” he insists, holding out his hand. 

You raise your eyebrows, but put your hand in his and rise as he guides you up. Even with you standing, he towers above you. It’s especially noticeable as you stand so close to him, almost pressed to his big wide chest. There’s a snapping creature in your mind that distantly wishes to jump onto him and kiss him, but you beat the thought back and look away from König instead.

“Hey,” he says softly, tilting your head back with his rough gloved fingers. “I want to pick things back up too, but…not before a mission. We can do this again after all that. Yeah?” 

You gulp, feeling your spine light on fire with tingles. Did he just acknowledge that things were about to go further there? So he definitely felt the same as you…

“Makes sense,” you murmur, feeling your desperation roll off you in waves. 

He is speaking sense, but you don’t want him to be. 

“You can fix my hair for me again when we get back,” he teases, rubbing his finger against your jaw again. “I’m sure it will be very messy.”

“Am I your stylist now?” You smirk, feeling your mood lift. 

“Amongst other things,” he says, eyes showing the smile that was surely on his lips. 

You raise your eyebrows and just as you’re about to ask what things, he silences you with what he does next. He leans down and brings his lips to your cheek, and through his mask, kisses you. 

You freeze in place, your heart thudding like it’ll explode and close your eyes. You can’t believe what just happened. You laugh a little to yourself - letting loose a giggle and open your eyes, watching as he smiles back at you and gestures his hand back to base. 

“To be continued,” you whisper to yourself.

-☠-

Next Part Here

[zutarasbuff]

I watched the Netflix adaptation of ATLA today and being a hardcore fan of the OG series who knows every nook and cranny of the ATLA world, here’s my unbiased and truly honest review (It contains both the negatives and positives of the series, so dear reader please enter to read at your own risk).

Firstly, let’s talk about the wonderful additions to the already magical world of ATLA.

1. The depth of the genocide

Well, I always wanted to know how the air nomads were suddenly wiped out and how it would have been for them? Why didn’t they resist? I got my answers in the first episode where we explore how the unhinged power of the comet was “actually” used to create a genocide on a massive level. Before that, I had only heard about it in the OG series. Those few scenes were so powerful that they had left me sobbing uncontrollably and Gyatso’s concern regarding Aang had me bawling.

2. Suki’s Characterization

In the OG series, we do find our Suki the fiercest warrior, but here in the live action, she’s an absolute goddess. She is perfect in every sense. She understands the responsibilities she has being a non-bender and is fearless. Her character is what I believe to be was the strongest one of all.

3. Graphics & Music

We never talk about a film by M.Night (that didn’t happen), but this one is really a visual treat for you can readily set yourself up for some mind-blowing bending scenes, plus the fight scenes are quite impressive. It seems that the VFX team had really done their homework this time. Plus, both Momo and Appa are so freaking cute. I loved the fluffy Appa. Good work over there. The revival of the OG theme is also a highlight plus the sun warriors’ chanting in the end is given a new but intriguing twist. The background music especially in scenes where Aang unravels his Avatar powers is mystical in every aspect.

4. Life in motion

I don’t know about others, but I have always been a sucker for animation as well as live-action where characters are operating even in the direst of the circumstances. Life is there and even after they know what happened a hundred years ago, they are still trying to believe and regain their past confidence. This is beautifully portrayed and I was very much impressed by the way people are continuing their day-to-day activities even in the middle of a crisis.

Overall, the series serves the purpose of an adaptation carrying its unique colors (at least better than the previous live-action disaster that didn’t happen).

Now let’s move to the bad side, and when I say it’s honestly what I felt, you need to take my word on it being a hardcore Atla fan.

1. Weak writing & lots of exposition

ATLA remains at a 9.2 IMDB rating even after years because of its writing, strong plot, and very few plot holes. This time, the writers are the real amateur ones. Despite adding more to the already flourishing universe of ATLA, sadly, they killed the quest of the viewer to find answers. There is too much exposition. It seems that every character just wants to see the end of the war and keeps on revealing things after things. Plus, some of the OG moments that were the soul of the series are not even included. The way Aang finds Momo and then decides to keep it with him as a last remnant of their bygone air nomad civilization is nowhere to be found. In fact, the replacement of Roku with Kyoshi is the biggest disappointment. I love Kyoshi like no one else but that was unnecessary as per the cycle.

2. Bland acting

Even the worst writing shots can be digested only if the acting appears real good. Sadly, this is another issue that I found with the NETFLIXED version. No doubt the characters must have done a lot of hard work for this, yet, they lack the expressive power. Gordon as Aang is super cute but the goofiness is not even there. Katara seems a nerd who doesn’t like to talk much even when it’s necessary and Sokka’s jokes are forced. Meanwhile, Dallas seems to save the day at one point, but again his over-the-top angry young man attitude ruins it for me. Maybe the actors will learn from the criticism in the upcoming season (if Netflix plans to go with it).

3. Major changes

Yes, it’s okay to change the narrative while you are working on an adaptation, but targeting the loyal viewers who are OG fans of ATLA means that you have to be very careful when you are trying to implement your changes in scenes that are the real soul of the OG. You can’t change the Omashu myth as if it’s nothing when we actually see even the cute animated version of the folklore. You cannot portray Roku more as a perpetrator of the genocide and Bumi as the evil king when in truth he’s the mad king who’s known for his genius ways of teaching. I hated that. Plus, reducing Zhao’s authority and taking Uncle Iroh’s sarcastic attitude is just meh. Mai again doesn’t even seem perfect as a cast. Jet is good as far as the aesthetics are concerned but Jet being in Omashu doesn’t even sit right with me. The amalgamation of multiple storylines creates so much confusion and this persists till the end.

4. Bending at convenience

We all know how Katara’s bending progressed throughout the first season and it’s little effort each day. However, in series, one day she’s unable to bend even a droplet of water and the next day she is capable of producing ice crystals. This was unacceptable for me because I was anticipating her learning strategies. Besides, Aang doesn’t learn much water bending throughout this season and in the end, it’s him being the savior in Avatar state. Thoughtless bending sucks despite the great VFX and that’s one thing at which you can’t convince me otherwise.

5. Forced friendships

We all know how it took some time for Sokka to embrace Aang as a chum. However, here Sokka keeps on calling him “the kid” and remains mostly alienated from Aang. Talking to Katara, then she also seems more interested in helping Avatar fulfill his goal than being with a friend. I hated the scene where Aang comes into the Avatar state and instead of hugging him just like in the OG series, Katara runs along Sokka and keeps on calling his name. How is that going to build any organic friendship? I think the first mistake began right from the very moment when Aang was taken back to Wolf Cove on a boat in his unconscious state. Upon opening his eyes, the first person he finds near him is neither Katara nor Sokka but a tribesman who’s playing guessing games. Writers were really high when they wrote that.

6. Lack of the four nations’ biodiversity

Maybe in live action, it’s difficult to create all the marvels of the four nations when we talk about their natural biodiversity. In the OG series, it is indicated by Aang that even after 112 years, he has still not forgotten the animals that define different regions in the four kingdoms and that’s exactly why he wants to finish those “important tasks” alongside saving the world. His important tasks included keeping a check on the natural biodiversity of the lands and exploring whether the Hundred Years’ War had not damaged the majestic animals. Actually, his first dialogue right after regaining consciousness is to go for an otter penguin’s ride with Katara. When I thought about that I felt that somewhere in Aang’s mind he was always connected to nature and that’s why he wanted to regain that connection by being an avatar. Sadly we never see much of the biodiversity but I hoped that maybe they will.

Also, how come Aang had that silent whistle for one hundred years when in the series he only discovers that accidentally? I missed the OG Yip Yip for our Appa. There are lots and lots of problems with the Netflix version, and no I am not being a nitpicker. I appreciate how the current creators credited the original ones, but now I know why Bryan and Michael bade farewell to this project. On a scale of 10, it’s a 4 for me or 4.5 if I am being too generous.

If I am asked to review the live action in a single line, I would only say this:

“The Netflixed ATLA makes you go back to the OG series and you end up watching the animation to give your mind a much-needed respite from a carefully crafted artistic disaster aimed at the sensationalized generation.”

[luteddecoction]

Okay, I have a theory. I think I know how Niko is going to be rescued in S2 of Dead Boy Detectives

--------

I don't know if the #DeadBoyDetectives writing team did some research on Canadian folklore before they came over to film and that somewhat became some sort of source in their writing to add some extra elements to the story; but bet they did because there 𝘐𝘚 a Canadian Inuit legend that 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 could connect to the open ending of Episode 8: 'The Case of the Hungry Snake'

And please do correct me if I’m wrong: According to the Canadian Constitution there are 3 primary groups of Indigenous people. These being the Inuit, the Métis and the First Nations. Each of them having their own legends and fair amount of local stories to share. The Inuit are mostly located on the Northern regions of Canada. The Métis live amongst the Metropolitan areas while the First Nations are situated on the Northwestern territories.

I’m going to focus on a very particular folklore tale from the Northern territories of the Inuit here, which revolves around whistling at night. Out of all the world-wide folklore tales about night time whistling I find this one to be the least scary. This Inuit legend says that if you whistle at night time you will risk calling the spirits of the Northern Lights to come down and swipe you up to carry you elsewhere into the sky. And 𝘛𝘏𝘐𝘚 is where I think that Canadian Folklore connects with Dead Boy Detectives and Niko’s potential rescue in S2. They leave us with the image of Niko sitting inside an igloo right by the Dandelion Sprites. And we get to see the Northern Lights shining 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 right above them.

The Northern Lights could by the sky’s path for the boys to connect with wherever Niko’s at (this being the Neitherlands in the comics).

In the comics, we see Charles going into the Neitherlands to help Rosa. And in order to achieve this he enters into a half-living, half-dead state by merging back with his bones. I highly doubt that Netflix will take this route if Netflix!Charles is the one ending up going after Niko to parallel his comic version. I think that if they do go with the parallels, they will achieve this by linking in the Inuit folklore. The boys will probably be adventuring out at night time and Charles will start whistling. It’s at this point in which he will probably end up being swiped up and end up somewhere nearby where Niko’s potentially at.

I know that the bear talisman is important and it must have some sort of key part to play. If it belonged to Mick's shop then, there must be a good use to it. I just can't exactly pinpoint 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵. To finish this thread, I want to link a poem written by Kate Tuthill titled: "Labrador in Winter". (which I'm guessing refers to the Aurora Borealis that happen strongly in Labrador Newfoundland).

I couldn't find the full poem but only pieces of it

[fangirleaconmigo]

I’m having some feelings about Fringilla Vigo (Netflix version. Not the books) And since I’m having these feelings, you get to hear about them. (If you want)

So, when I was writing my Yen/Frigilla fic, I came across some historical facts that draw a sad parallel to Fringilla’s story. I never shared it because I didn’t wanna bum anyone out!

But it’s been burning a hole in my brain ever since. So I’m doing a “read more” and the trigger warning is for historical animal cruelty.

So the name Fringilla means a kind of finch, a singing bird.

My short research into finches taught me that there are finch singing competitions called Vinkensport. People literally time how fast and rate how well the birds can sing in competition with each other. The birds that win can become worth a lot of money and there are even finch smuggling rings.

It made me think about how the sorceresses are pitted against each other ruthlessly for the gain of others.

And then I learned that historically, these birds were blinded to win these competitions because it was believed that they would sing more, not knowing the difference between day and night.

There is even a poem written in 1916 by an English poet named Thomas Hardy that protested this practice. The website I read (I haven’t confirmed it with a second source) said that the practice was banned in 1920 following this poem and a campaign of protest by blinded war veterans. That gives you a bit of hope, doesn’t it? All of these grizzled men fighting for tiny little birds?

But yes back to Fringilla Vigo.

The brutality of the training in TWN injured and harmed the girls. Fringilla herself had her arm shriveled and horribly maimed as part of this training process. Even once healed, she had to carry that psychological injury with her.

Part of the effects of this injury and abuse was explicitly to pit the girls against each other.

Upset and traumatized by her injury, Fringilla was then set against Yen and the rest of the girls. Now think about it! Those girls must have at least tried to develop friendships and love of some kind, some sisterhood of some kind, as young people dropped into this frightening practice. There had to have been late nights where they whispered about their dreams or who they like or where they did impressions of their instructors to entertain the others!

They could have been friends!

But the girls were all traumatized and injured and set against each other, being expected to fight and even kill one another for their kings of it came to that. The tragedy!

They could have been something beautiful for each other, the only people who understood their specific trauma, the specific pressure that bore down on them.

But the adults in their lives abused and abandoned them. Then they injured them irrevocably and set them against each other.

Sing, girls, sing. Sing little finch.

Gahhh sorry. In my feelings about Fringilla Vigo. It happens.

The little finch who was made to sing and decided to kill instead, to free herself from being the pretty little singing tool of the competition.

[rosellerivers19]

Raayan- I have high hopes (thank you tamil cinema)

I have for some time lost hope in telugu cinema improving in diversity of tropes and performances but with recent stars and movies I have been brought back

Gam gam ganesha, prasanna vadanam, Hi nanna (kinda iffy for some reason but diverse storyline), and Hanuman

And I am waiting to see Kalki 2829 AD which I think will be definitely a big game changer given its dystopian setting something Indian cinema hasn't really approached a lot before especially on this kind of budget.

I've been limited to telugu movies for a long time because language barrier but due to subtitles and Telugu dubs my options have increased recently I watched the hindi movie Maharaj on Netflix in telugu which I really loved despite people claiming its hinduphobic while the movie is based on a real case and the movie claims yet again how hindu practices aren't bad but people misusing them is then again not a lot of people have comprehension or actually watched the movie and jump the train on any movie that slightly criticizes the religion or even raises just a few questions

*cough* *cough*

"Hindi movie PK starring Amir Khan"

I've watched a few good tamil cinemas when I was younger I didn't watch a lot of Dhanush movies because of the language barrier the only one I saw maybe was Maari 1 and 2 because it was dubbed in telugu but now I've grown to watch a lot more realizing he has a lot of diverse scripts and am so glad this man exists I need to binge his movies over the summer.

So I was listening to telugu songs on youtube when I came across this one called

"Peechu Mithaya"- telugu version

It's from the upcoming movie Raayan and oh my god just seeing this lyric video made me want to pay anything for this movie to come out right now and watch it.

Not only is the music beautiful ( i can listen to this for hours I don't know how I found this gem but I did and I'm grateful)

But the visuals and implications we are given is something I am screaming for.

PLUS SIZED ACTORS ON SCREEN HAVING AN ACTUAL LOVE STORY!!!!

Indian cinema has a lot of colorism especially to heroines especially from what I've seen in telugu movies. And they have to fit this perfect bod I've never seen a heroine be remotely big or a bit chubby even if it would show off their curves thats how the industry is and that saddens me.

But then we get this song and we see Aparna Balamurali who is first of all a plus sized character in the film with a dark complexion not milky white now tamil fans may be used to this but for me being born in Telugu cinema this is a jackpot especially when I have to really dig for inclusive films. The only cinema I've watched which supported a plus sized heroine having a love story is "Size Zero" starring anushka shetty an Iconic queen but I honestly have not seen any other films having a plus sized heroine or at least side heroine as a plus sized character with actual depth where we see her love story or ability to get happiness I think there was one Allari Naresh film but I don't remember it well.

edit: Totally forgot HanuMan existed which is also a good representation even though the mc's sister dies she was empowered and was on the brink of marriage so love that

In the Lyric Video "Peechu Mithaya"

We see an unconventional girl (Aparna Balamurali) who doesn't fit the beauty standards end up with an average/ attractive character (sundeep kishan) or at least have a romantic relationship in the songs visuals and a healthy one so far.

I am primarily gonna be watching this movie for them seeing the side hero carrying the plus sized side heroine brought me joy knowing that it would give hope to other women who aren't the conventional beauty standard or plus sized that they can be loved and have a love story like them that they aren't too heavy and the right guy will do anything to make them feel appreciated.

Look at the way he carries her and looks lovingly into her eyes!!!!!!

And there's just something about seeing this man looking so utterly in love with a girl who thinks she won't be good enough because of her physical appearance or other insecurities and he wants to prove her desperately wrong that makes me go feral.

Do you see what I mean!?!?!?

And I don't know if they will even delve into that kinda trope in the movie but I really wish they will since its something women especially women who've not been exposed to that kind of concept in their media want. Keep in mind we don't even have a trailer for this movie yet so pure speculations

And there's just so many cute clips like-

Nudging each other playfully!?!?!?

Having a couple argument/ confrontation!?!?!?

Riding on a bike together?!?!?!?

*cues internal screaming montage*

I love LOVE especially something so simple yet beautiful we need this more than Pushpa bribing Srivalli with money for kisses and putting his hand in inappropriate places without her consent. Or men just stalking in general and normalizing it????

Now I know that this couple might not even play a big part in the movie maybe one of the characters dies yadayada but knowing that scenes like this exist in the movie and that we'll have an entire song dedicated to THEM just quells my heart.

Dhanush sir thank you for this 4 minute montage that ignited my hope in Indian cinema and is making me want to delve into tamil cinema even more

[sharinganqueen22]

Okay, so...this is my first attempt to try and find roleplay partners here. So, with all further Adu, allow me to get started on my introduction. ((Bonus if you wanna do The Originals!)).

I've been roleplaying since 2012, and I'm a literate - advance roleplayer who mainly does fandoms. I'm over the age of 18, therefore it's a requirement of mine that all my partners (if I manage to get any) are also over the age of 18. Here are my rules:

Rules:

1: if you don't like 50/50 mixture of sex scenes and story, don't bother hopping into my inbox. I'm fine with sex scenes, but when it's constantly back to back, the roleplay itself gets boring.

2: Be literate. No one liners. I like to write..it's annoying when I send a 2-3 paragraph response and I get 3 lines...just...no. I am not accepting people who are just starting out! If you aren't experienced in writing or roleplaying, kindly stay out of my inbox.

3: Be okay with playing canon characters. I'm mainly doing fandom roleplays right now and it's going to be Canon x my oc. No, I'm not doing double ups. Do not even ask, because the answer will be no every time. I do not give a shit if you think that makes me 'lazy' or 'selfish', if you've got a problem, you can simply ignore or block me. Commenting on my post to bitch and whine about me not doubling up will only result in me blocking you. The ONLY time I'll double up, and if I'm confident enough, I'll only do female characters. I suck at males. Got a problem? Not my issue. Block and move on.

4: Roleplay in third person. I can't and won't adapt to first. Don't even bring up the idea of you playing first person and me playing third. Believe it or not, I've been asked this twice and that is just a hell no for me. The only time I do first, is when I'm writing into my book.

5: if you don't know how to share ideas, then don't bother messaging me. I'm tired of carrying the story when the other person doesn't help. If you've got ideas, then PLEASE speak up! Your opinion on the roleplay matters too! I'm an easy going person, and easy to get along with (dispite my rules).

6: DO NOT control my character. I control what she says, does, hears, sees, ect. I don't control yours, so don't control mine. HOWEVER, if it's highly necessary and needed, then run it by me first and ask me. Just leave me some wiggle room so I can make a decent response. Failure to comply by this rule, results in immediate drop of the rp.

Here are the list of Fandoms that I'm really wanting to do:

Fandoms & Pairings

Scream. (I've seen all but the newest movie. But Billy Lumis is 😍).

Deadpool (Wade x my oc)

The Adam's family

Pokemon ((MAYBE. Don't be nasty about it either!))

Bridgerton (or something like it. Can be Oc x Oc)

Disney Decedent's (or anything Disney) (oc x oc)

Orange is the new black (this can be oc x oc).

Criminal Minds (REALLY wanna do)

Marvel:

Loki x my oc

Spiderman (Tom Holland) x my oc

Dog The Bounty Hunter (REALLY wanna do):

Dog Chapman x my oc

The walking dead (REALLY wanna do!!):

Daryl X my oc

Batman x my oc

Lucifer (Netflix show series) x my oc (really wanna do)

The Originals: Klaus x my oc (PLEASE !! I REALLY wanna do this one!)

American Horror Story: Tate x my oc (REALLY wanna do)

Dragon Ball Z - Super (vegeta x my oc) (really wanna do)

Naruto: Minato x my oc

Harry Potter (thanks to the wonderful world of rp, the characters will be 18 or older. For me, I'd like it if it was Draco x my oc. REALLY wanna do)

Game Of Thrones (I'm still very early in the show, but I think we could think of something!)

Once Upon A Time:

killian x my oc, REALLY wanna do 🥺.

Avatar the last Airbender:

Zuko x my oc

Twilight:

Jacob x my oc

(Course, our version will be alot better than the movies).

Congratulations! You've made it to the end. Still interested? You've got the password. Message me and let's get started 😁. I also rp on Discord!

[nicotinzwei]

February

Hello, February was stressful but okay. The last months I picked a song to listen to parallel to reading but I literally didn’t listent to new songs this month.

Book

Krabat from 1971 is a short novel by Otfried Preußler based on an old sorbian story. It describes 3 years in Krabats life in which he originally wants a summer job at a mill but then accidentally does dark magic. The audio book is only 3 hours long, one for each year, and is on youtube for free. It’s narrated by the author who describes scary or fantastical moments is such a casual manner that sometimes makes me want to scream at him, but also really adds to the mood of the books and Krabats seemingly dead-end situation. After finishing I found out that they built some sort of themed area in the place the story is set. There you can find all sorts of fun attractions for kids like a haunted mill, places of deaths of the characters, a sunken carriage and a graveyard. You can also rent the location for company events or weddings so you already know what I’m gonna do.

Movie

This month I went to my first cult movie screening. I saw a very cleaned up version of Rocky Horror as a play before which was also filled with audience participation but seeing The Room in a small old Viennese theatre with drunk students for its 20th anniversary was just so much better. I love the concept of audience participation and am kind of sad so few movies got the cult status needed for it. For this movie there are a bunch of callbacks pointing out weird details, famous lines you can quote, props like spoons or footballs you can throw or you can just scream at the characters for being so fucking stupid. Some people even came in a suit. I think after like two decades of going to the cinema this was my favorite experience. In an age of Netflix I really think this is how you keep cinema and communal watching alive.

Game and Videos

A double feature category! I started playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons again. I already had like 300 hours in this game and thought I was through with it, but then I started watching the Amanda Files and she got me hooked. The first video of her I saw she visited some horror themed island and described the plot of Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 in her valley girl voice and it’s the funniest thing I ever heard. She could talk about literally anything for 2 hours and I would listen to her while playing animal crossing.

Website

I didn’t know what to call the category because it’s not really about the website but more about the concept of buying second hand directly from people. The vintage fashion thing got so big over the last few years that especially in Vienna second hand stores are selling the stuff so overpriced that even if you only do it for environmental reasons you just can’t afford it anymore. But after I got two harmonicas second hand earlier this year I really started looking through willhaben religiously. This month I picked up a table only like 4 minutes away for 20€ and two days later I sold my old one for the same amount. If you live in an area where a lot of people are using it and you have a friend to carry stuff this is such a cool opportunity to basically just swap your stuff for free if you play your cards right. Now every few weeks on my lunch break I go somewhere, pick up a picture for 3€ and get in a little walk. Highly recommend it!

[thenightling]

Explaining the four main characters of The Witcher (Netflix series) for newbies

Here I am going to explain the four main characters of The Witcher as simply as possible for people curious about The Witcher and don't want to watch it just yet but don't feel like scrolling through Wikias. Note: This is *SPECIFICALLY* in regard to the Netflix versions of the characters. This is not explaining The Witcher novels. It is explaining the Netflix TV show characters. I am also going to try to keep things as simple as possible so I will limit what characters I mention and locations. With that in mind let's proceed.

__________________________

Geralt of Rivia - Geralt of Rivia AKA The Witcher is a man of indeterminate age though he has a certain older world weariness about him. He has yellow wolf-like (or cat-like) eyes that give him an inhuman look. His hair is entirely white and it is indicated that his hair has been white since he was a little boy. Geralt was trained since childhood to be a monster hunter. The word for a monster hunter in the original Polish novels was Wiedźmin. Andrzej Sapkowski (author of The Witcher) wanted the word Hexer for the English language translation but "The Witcher" was the chosen English language title and it stuck.

Because of alchemical modifications done to Geralt as a child he does not age as normal people do. And he is sterile (unable to biologically father children) much like the immortals of Highlander. The process of training him to be a monster hunter required magical and alchemical mutations, including giving him his inhuman golden eyes and the consuming of potions to enhance his strength, senses, agility, and healing abilities. It was one of these quasi-unpredictable potions that made Geralt's hair grow in white. He cannot die from normal diseases or old age. Geralt wears a silver wolf's head medallion that vibrates when a monster is near by. A monster cannot touch this medallion. He also carries one sword made of iron and another made of silver as these metals are the most common weaknesses for supernatural threats. The golden eyes, white hair, and wolf's head silver medallion gave Geralt the nickname of "The White Wolf." Because Witchers are transformed to make them more efficient monster hunters, many people do not trust them. There are also false rumors such as the claim that Witchers do not feel emotions. Geralt does not correct these claims but those close to him know that he actually feels things and feels things very deeply. Geralt has a horse named Roach (Not named for the insect. It's actually a type of small fish and it's meant to be similar to naming his horse "small fry" or "Tiny.") Geralt wanders the countryside of The Continent (a Europe-like landmass in a medieval-style fantasy world). This is not our world. It just resembles our world in the middle ages. Modern words like "Okay" and "mutant" creep into the vocabulary. Sidhe (known as elves in this lore) used to be the dominant race in this world before humans came along and many humans in power want them to be subjugated but some actually think their world would be much better off if the Sidhe were in power again. Geralt wanders this land of empires and micro-kingdoms, fighting monsters for pay (and sometimes just out of pity) but usually not lingering any place too long because people are fearful and suspicious of Witchers. Sometimes Geralt sides with the supernatural creatures if he feels the humans are the ones in the wrong. He mostly only involves himself if he knows innocent lives are in danger and it doesn't matter to him if those innocent lives are human or non-human.

_____________________________________

Jaskier - Known as Dandelion in the English language versions of the novels and "Buttercup" (Jaskier directly translates to Buttercup) in the original Polish. Jaskier is the stage-name of a very flamboyant bard. In the world of The Witcher a bard is more of a troubadour or minstrel who performs songs at inns for profit. They are mostly treated like low to mid-level rock musicians. Jaskier eventually earns the fame and success of a medieval-esque equivalent of a mid-level rock star. Jaskier is a very pretty and youthful looking forty-something. Jaskier "is in his forties, looks thirty, thinks he's twenty and acts like he's ten." Jaskier befriended Geralt of Rivia though Geralt was very reluctant to accept Jaskier's friendship at first. Jaskier composes songs about Geralt's adventures. Jaskier does this for profit for both himself and Geralt and also to make people more comfortable and trusting around the mysterious Witcher (Monster Hunter). Over time Jaskier becomes more than just a slightly self-absorbed musician with a persona named for a flower.

Geralt's sympathy for the outcasts and outsiders has a major impact on Jaskier.

Jaskier starts to sympathize more and more with the Sidhe and others who have been wronged or oppressed. He creates a new persona for himself of The Sandpiper. He uses his free range of wandering as a bard to help smuggle people out of dangerous situations and into places of safety. Most people do not know that the semi-famous, and flamboyant, bard, Jaskier, is also the infamous Sandpiper a bit like Percy in The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Jaskier is a little hot-headed and often doesn't think before he speaks. He's also a bit promiscuous and this gets him into trouble. Geralt has had to rescue him repeatedly.

It is heavily implied that Jaskier has an unrequited crush on Geralt (See the song "Burn Butcher Burn") which even Yennefer noticed was about Geralt. Jaskier would follow Geralt to the ends of the Earth if he asked him.

_____________________________________ Yennefer - Yennefer is a sorceress. As a child Yennefer was a physically disabled hunchback with beautiful violet eyes. She had bone and spinal deformities that made her suffer as an outcast. Yennefer started to show magical potential near puberty. Yennefer is actually part human and part Sidhe, which is why she has such potent magical abilities and it is why she has such unique, purple eyes. Yennefer got taken to a magical school where many of the students are sacrificed and few actually gain the title of sorceress. Yennefer survives this dark Scholomance and magick is used to transform her disabled body into a beautiful one with perfect posture. She deliberately chose to keep the violet eyes. There was a terrible price for this magical transformation. Yennefer's womb was taken from her. She can no longer bear children. It is not likely that (with her disabilities) she was going to be able to carry a child to term with her original body anyway. Yennefer smells like pure lilac flowers and sweet-tart gooseberries, which just happens to be Geralt of Rivia's favorite scent.

Yennefer is bitter and resentful because she cannot forget how she was treated as a child just because she was different. She ultimately comes to regret choosing to give up her womb, wishing to be able to biologically bear children.

Geralt of Rivia is able to tell what Yennefer was like before her magical transformation and sympathizes with her sense of being an outsider. He starts to fall in love with her, despite himself, especially after she helps him save Jaskier's life after a bad encounter with a djinn (a free Genie). Yennefer's obsession with being able to bear children has gotten her into a great deal of unnecessary trouble.

Because of her own magical powers and physical transformation, Yennefer does not age as ordinary people do, so much like Geralt she is not likely to die of disease or old age. Yennefer is very beautiful but her age is undeterminable.

_____________________________________ Ciri - Ciri is the princess of a fallen kingdom. When Ciri's mother was pregnant with her, Geralt of Rivia accidentally invoked "Law of Surprise" in front of her. Law of Surprise is a sort of magical spell that invokes Destiny itself to intercede and give you something that the other person does not yet know that they have. This can be as simple as a sack of flour the person did not know was in their pantry or a new horse. Whatever the person next receives or realizes they have that they didn't know they owned, now belongs to whoever invoked Law of Surprise.

When Geralt realizes he had accidentally invoked this irrevocable spell in front of a pregnant royal he fled the kingdom rather than take someone's baby.

Twelve years later Ciri was the only survivor when her family castle was sieged. When Geralt found out about this he finally accepted his Destiny and adopted the orphaned princess. Ciri is no mere damsel. She learns about the cruelties of the world and the plight of the underprivileged and she shows a natural inclination to become a Witcher, herself. To complicate things, Ciri is of a rare and unique bloodline that makes her the direct descendant of the very first Witcher (The Witcher: Blood Origin) even though the majority of Witchers are sterile. Like Yennefer there is some sidhe blood in Ciri. Ciri's scream has supernatural abilities and she has other powers she has not yet tapped into. There are people in power who want to get a hold of Ciri for political purposes. Though The Witcher Netflix series is an adaptation of the books and not the spin-off video games, one of the endings of The Witcher 3 video game has Ciri abandoning her royal heritage and choosing to become a Witcher, herself, like Geralt (her adoptive father), and for her this is the happiest ending because this was her own choice and no one forced her into it or used and exploited her. Though The Netflix series isn't likely to follow the same lore as the video games (as the video games made up their own continuity) I still hope for this ending for Ciri. She seems most happy as a Witcher.

[moviemunchies]

Ever since I had the urge to watch Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, I thought I should one day go back and watch the first Puss in Boots movie. And probably all of the Shrek movies too, but the cat took precedence.

Welp it’s on Netflix right now, so why not?

Puss in Boots was the first spin-off film of Shrek that told the origin story of the titular sword-wielding cat. This is HIS story–how he became an outlaw, how he got his boots, and a big adventure featuring his own cast of characters. He’s a bandit on his own until he hears about the outlaw couple Jack and Jill transporting magic beans, treasure he’s wanted since he was a kitten. But there’s another thief after the beans: Kitty Softpaws, a literal cat burglar who is working for Humpty Dumpty, an old friend of Puss’s that betrayed him a long time ago. Humpty convinces Puss to once again join forces for the ultimate heist: take the magic beans, go up to the sky giant’s castle, and steal the golden eggs of the goose that lives there.

Right out the gate, my thought was: This isn’t as good as the second one. Which is a high bar! Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is about grappling with one’s own mortality and learning to live with your own choices with a fun art style that looks like concept art come to life. And I knew going in that a lot of people felt the same way, but I still wanted to check out this movie. It’s not like this one’s regarded badly after all.

And it is a solid animated film. It feels more like what Dreamworks was famous for… well, in the year it came out. There was a long time when people thought of Dreamworks as the competitor to Disney in that instead of making classic fairy tale retellings, it did more irreverent takes on its stories. It was still doing really good work–Shrek is a lot deeper than many gave it credit for, and it was also doing heartfelt stories in Madagascar, How to Train Your Dragon, and Kung Fu Panda.

I mean, there is some heavy stuff in this movie! The cost of betrayal and the price of forgiveness and redemption–those are big things! I don’t know if they’re handled all the well–Humpty Dumpty’s character arc in this movie isn’t incoherent, but it doesn’t feel entirely earned at the end of the day, either. Kitty’s relationship with Puss also feels fairly stereotypical, but then again I feel as if this is a sendup to movies about bandits and heists, so it’s MEANT to feel familiar to more experienced audiences while introducing these tropes to younger viewers.

The action in the movie is pretty solid–I don’t think any of it matches the sword fighting action of the second film (except MAYBE the dance battle between Puss and Kitty), which is a shame because Puss in Boots is known for waving a sword around. Still, this one has a villain who actually carries a gun? It’s more of a little cannon, but it’s still closer to a recognizable firearm than I expected in an animated movie about fairy tale characters.

[I am a little bit annoyed that the version of Puss in Boots in this universe is apparently entirely divorced from the actual fairy tale of “Puss in Boots”, but I suppose I should be that surprised. He was introduced as a parody of Zorro, after all]

This is far from a highlight in the Dreamworks library, but those are big boots to fill (pun kinda intended?). It’s a pretty good movie in its own right. The sequel that came out at the end of last year is markedly better by leaps and bounds, but if you want a fun, stylish family animated action movie, you could do a lot worse than Puss in Boots.

[roaaoife]

Avatar: The Last Airbender Netflix Episode 2 Review

This is going to have more spoilers than not in it. That said I'll still try to separate out some non-spoiler things. Overall, this was a good episode that gave us some more information about the world, remixed some things in a way that worked, and improved on some of the failings from the first episode. It moves quickly.

Non-Spoiler likes and dislikes

Like- Kyoshi Warriors

Suki and her girls were on point! The costumes, make up, the way they moved and fought were all fantastic

Like- combat and fight scenes

The martial arts choreography continues to be excellent. There was some choppy camera work during the big fight, but over all it felt like a hectic battle. Again, the Kyoshi warriors looked great.

Mixed- Momo

Look, Momo is adorable and has great comedic timing. But the CG is more obvious here and I wish they'd used a more practical effect.

Disliked- Sokka's jokes

They could have been delivered better. The actor isn't bad, he just has some choppy timing. He was good in episode one, so not sure what happened here, but hoping it's a one off.

Spoilers Review

Liked: Zhao

I'm about to say something that will cause some pearls to be clutched, possibly even a monocle to be dropped- I think the live action version of Zhao is better than the animated one. He's not openly hostile. He's clever, sly, ambitious in a slimy way. Everything from the way he speaks to how he carries himself is full of double meaning and deception. He makes for a great contrast to Zuko and shows the dark side of Iroh's political game.

Liked: Kyoshi

She was everything. Make up, costuming, attitude. When she drops down into the middle of the fight in the village and looks at the firebenders I experienced a moment of fight or flight, heavily leaning towards flight. The CGI looked better here than the first episode as well.

Again, I know some pearl clutchers will be upset, but I think it makes more sense to have her be the first Avatar Aang meets. He's at her Shrine, and it doesn't require a Deus Ex Machina spirit vision to get Aang to go backwards and into the heart of enemy territory. (Seriously, what would Roku have done if Aang hadn't been rescuing people from the Spirit World?)

Liked: Suki's Awkward Flirting

It's cute, ok? And then they form a battle couple, which is amazing.

Liked: Zuko and Iroh

From Zuko's tantrum to Iroh getting distracted mid-advice, their relationship is excellent. You really get a sense that Zuko is YOUNG and how much Iroh cares about and worries for him. We also get a better look at Zuko's desperation.

Liked: Aang burying Gyatso

This is a closure that we never had before. It feels like an important good-bye, and like last episode, drove home the tragedy of war and imperialism. Aang facing that grief, and that grief being the reason he doesn't want to start training right away, are very in-line with what's been established in this remix of the original.

Disliked: No "I'll save you from the Pirates"

I get WHY they cut it (pacing, time constraints, not fitting in with the new storyline, etc.) but DAMNIT I WANTED IT.

[jonboudposts]

Xmas 2023: Dead Culture Reigns

Christmas is progressing as I write this with nothing but inevitability. Too much money has been spent. Too much alcohol drunk. Too many people eating too much. Even more people not eating enough. Far too many sleeping in the streets. Looking around the media at least, it seems like nothing truly ever changes; just as many wish it to be. Christmas is a child fantasy orchestrated by adults who refuse to grow up, preyed upon by those who only wish to make money from the process.

This is a time of inviability; finely tuned to reduce surprises. Although for the first time in a long time, the music charts were a battle ground for the coveted Xmas Number 1 Slot; fought out between two songs that are forty years old and one that is thirty years old. All of which beats the Simon Cowell annual stitch up for sure, but has no other culturally worthwhile feature.

There are new Christmas songs, but no one hears them because radio does not do it’s job of presenting new music for people to decide themselves if they like it or not. The creative powers behind Last Christmas and Fairytale of New York are both gone now. George Michael it seems was beaten down by a music business that wanted him in a box, to be taken out at their whim to make money doing the same album over and over. He had other ideas. Shane MacGowan was also someone judged by the same industry, not least for daring to give us songs about injustice, the vile actions of the British state in Ireland, the working class history of standing up to power, or just the humanity of those rejected by society and left in the streets. Few obituaries discussed his politics. Some mentioned his support for a free Ireland; none that I have seen mentioned his support for a free Palestine.

Now the same powers just want us to download or stream or however you do it; the same songs because no one is allowed to make new ones, unless of course they sound like autotuned versions of the old ones.

But no, I must be dreaming. There are no other options, only what has come before can be repeated – from shit music to failed economic programmes. There can be nothing new, ever. There can never be any genuine progress.

TV was just as empty. All the usual Christmas specials of yesterday (and the day before; and the day before that) were on again. If you missed them, you could catch them on streaming, or another satellite channel that exists purely to make you believe no culture has existed since the late 1970s. The figures came out Boxing Day stating that the King’s speech had got millions of views or plays or however they grade it now. The most popular programmes were Doctor Who and Strictly Come Dancing – ‘no surprises there’ said the BBC commentator; you got that right mate.

Meanwhile, Channel 4, former bastion of all things alternative, gave us all the usual animation features they play every year and on Boxing Day had a double bill of The Great Escape, followed by Raiders of the Lost Ark. Beware that bleeding edge. Rather more seriously, their ‘alternative’ Christmas speech was from Stephen Fry, wearing his Jewish badge for a day and trying to make out he feels unsafe in a Britain that has large-scale demonstrations against the genocide being carried out by Israel against Palestinians (but, you know, Stephen and David Baddiel are the real victims here right?). He was once on a Channel 4 special for the gay community; now he advocates for extremists like Jordan Peterson, who has spent much of his career targeting trans people, who suffer vast levels of hate crime on a regular basis.

Netflix gave us a special from the only type of comedian that gets air time any more; unfunny rich cunts preoccupied with making themselves victims, pretending to be edgy telling the same jokes that would have filled the worst clubs of the 1970s, while claiming they are being cancelled everywhere.

The message is clear; we the establishment and their useful tools have made great efforts to shut down society to any alternative to what we like. The fact this has lead to a near-total shut down of culture does not matter; we are in control. Who wants anything new anyway?

Shallow. Empty. Pointless. Repetitive.

The project has finally taken hold and now it seems we cannot produce anything new. The uniqueness that once sprung forth from streets and towns has been beaten out of us. What do you expect really from a society that prises the middle class followers for their lack of talent and makes sure we all have to consume it daily. Those who never try to step out of their lane and more importantly, shut down the lanes to real creatives, are the only people rewarded. The working class need to understand that Britain can never allow another Beatles, Gang of Four, The Fall or The Pogues. There cannot be another Grime scene. Nothing that shows the raw power of working class creativity and for sure, we cannot allow anything to succeed that is born of the multiculturalism we have spent so much time and effort decrying.

Britain is dead. It is specifically culturally dead because we are incapable of producing anything new. We all know why, it has ben gone over so many times. This is the cultural outlet to fascism. The mythic past and how much better it is than the present is really just a tool to further cancel the future.

The establishment needs to be relieved of their power. The slate should be wiped clean and we can start over, with the priority given to working class creativity because this is always where the best stuff comes from. End the hegemonic control exercised by the worst people imaginable, who go from giving us nothing to live for culturally to justifying the mass murder of a people who make them feel uncomfortable. We must refuse to be a part of this any more. It is no longer just about crap TV and music; it is about power and who can imagine a better tomorrow – and how much they are allowed to.

[andromeda3116]

Having only seen the show, I think a lot of it is the look. That was definitely my first impression, that Cameron Chapman looks way more like book!Kaz than Freddy Carter, and does carry himself with that sort of recklessness bordering on death-seeking and high intelligence/arrogance that Kaz does. And Lockwood/Lucy does give severe Kanej vibes in the way they interact and connect in a way that is deeply emotional rather than purely physical, and see a certain kind of mirror in each other. I mean, I can't see Lockwood ripping out a guy's eye and then drowning him, but I can see Lockwood thinking about Lucy the way that Kaz thinks about Inej, that her laugh makes him believe in magic again.

I kind of feel like Lockwood -- or at least show!Lockwood, since, again, I haven't read the books -- kind of comes off like how Kaz might have been, if Jordie hadn't died. Like, still traumatized by the death of his father (and possibly mother, although she's never mentioned) and being scammed by Rollins, but he didn't lose everything, he still had something to hold onto and keep him grounded as himself. Lockwood still had his home, Kaz would still have had his brother. They seem to have similar core personalities -- usually the smartest person in the room and wants to make sure everyone knows it, reckless with their own safety yet fiercely protective of their people, snarky and cocky and bold leaders -- but the circumstances that shaped them were very different and led to very different people at the end of them.

I mean -- I can't see Lockwood ever deliberately killing anyone, unless it was a matter of immediate life or death, and he's much more open with his emotions, willing to apologize, and reach out to others than Kaz is. He's also not motivated by vengeance or rage, isn't nearly as misanthropic, and he reacts to situations differently -- for example, Kaz wouldn't have flinched at the agent dying (apparently) because of him, whereas it sent Lockwood into a panic attack. They live in very different worlds, and it's shaped them in very different ways.

But there is some overlap there, and I definitely see Lockwood appealing to the Kaz fans, perhaps more than the Netflix version of Kaz does. He definitely appealed to me a lot more than show!Kaz, who, the more I think about it, really disappointed me. He's a better portrayal of Kaz's soft side than the show's version of weirdly-soft-Kaz, while actually looking how the seventeen-year-old Kaz Brekker was supposed to look.

So, like. I get it. My first impression of the show was "Kaz Brekker, ghost hunter," although that changed as I kept going and the differences between Lockwood and Kaz really began to show and become more relevant to the plot and characterization. I feel like the comparisons might not have become so popular if not for the Netflix show's version of Kaz being kind of disappointing to a lot of fans.

Look, I’m a Shadow and Bone/Six of Crows enjoyer myself but the Kaz and Lockwood comparisons or similarities stop at the “asset”/“investment” thing and the fact that they both prefer formal clothes. They are not the same character. Lockwood cannot be “Kaz coded” because he existed before Kaz. Just because two male protagonists of a series aimed at young adults have both experienced trauma does not make them exactly the same.

[rozinaaa]

I'd Like to Join the Google Creative Lab 5 Programme After My Degree

This is just one of the many options that I have for once I finish my degree. This opportunity lasts for a year, and is based in London, although it can be done remotely as well. It's also paid, and I get a chance to work on real world projects that impact Google and the world.

I'm thinking about joining this purely because of my multidisciplinary practice (which includes things such as net.art and creative coding), my interest in technology, and the fact that I curate digital art in my spare time (although not very frequently, but it's something I do nonetheless), not to mention that I've got some ideas although they've been hidden away for a while now.

To be honest, I think this is a good opportunity because it could be my way into a FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google) company (FAANG is typically used in the tech industry, and usually refers to anyone who works at a large international corporation such as Google), where I also get to use my art degree to work on projects that I'd want to work on (in collaboration with others), instead of having the degree go to waste after having spent so much time and money to get it in the first place.

I think the work that I'm currently doing for my Final Major Project could work for this, and I could also make it exist within different contexts (perhaps creating a digital and interactive version of The Advertising Machine in the spirit of r/place and The Million Dollar Homepage, maybe also building upon that), as well as looking through ideas that I've shelved for a while, along with also coming up with new ones which link to the themes that I'm looking at.

I can also bring in the work that I did during my second year (the creative coding/computational stuff), as well as the drive and ambition that I had during that Turbulent Time (although I've left that drive and ambition somewhere, so I'll need to go and find it again), and perhaps combine those two aspects of my practice together.

However, with that said, getting a place on this programme is very competitive since only five people can be chosen for it, and with a company as big as Google, I might have a 0.000000000000001% of even getting through, but I won't let that stop me, since I could be one of the few that get picked, and I won't know unless I apply.

It's pretty ironic that I've written this post on a Chromebook (not mine, but at least I have the option to use it in guest mode, so that I can just do what I have to do and get out without much hassle) since my laptop loves to make a big fuss about doing the most simplest of tasks (even checking emails on that thing is a nightmare), to the point where it actually affects my productivity since everything takes too long to load, and where I end up becoming an amateur sysadmin instead of just Getting Stuff Done, but then again, I've had my laptop for almost 6 years, so it checks out, although I can probably just slap Linux on to it and (hopefully) call it a day, but this action will take at least a day to do.

With that said, I'd be tempted to get a Chromebook myself in the spirit of the Google Creative Lab Five Programme, although getting it for that sole purpose (when I haven't even applied yet), seems a bit ironic, but at least it'll make me more productive, I hope. If I do decide to get a Chromebook, I'd get an 11" one (or anything under 13"), so that it's actually portable, and so that I can just put it into my bag, instead of having to lug around a clunky device.

I'd also be able to carry on with my interest in creative computation (the only reason I stopped is that my current setup is too clunky to even do anything with, and it feels more hassle than it's worth, since everything on there takes an eternity), as well as being able to use Linux (since ChromeOS is essentially built on top of that) in an accessible and native way since Chromebooks have an option to just turn Linux on without much hassle.

So, being a part of the Creative Lab Five is one of the things that I want to immediately do after my degree (the other options mainly revolve around getting a job/apprenticeship within the tech industry), since I'd be able to actually connect with likeminded artists and people who sit at the intersection of art and technology, although these chances are very slim, but I can at least dream about it.

[ick25]

The real Sun Wukong.

As a long time fan of Sun Wukong aka the Monkey king, I’m really happy to know that he is finally getting the recognition he deserves, even though its because of a cartoon that is meant to sell Legos. Ignoring the Lego thing, the monkey king is by far the best character of the show because of his personality and great power, (also because he is adorable in this version), but what makes him even better is knowing what he had to go through before and during his famous journey to the west.

It has come to my attention that not many people know who the Monkey King really is, many might have seen or heard of him from cartoons, parodies, videogames, or at least as a reference in a Chinese movie or tv show, but not everyone got to read the book which is super long, not even me because I only read the first of four volumes but thanks to some research, podcasts, and many Youtube videos, I know a lot more about this character and his story. 

You could say I am one of the Monkey king’s biggest fans.

I was also born in the year of the monkey. So I’m gonna share almost everything I know about the Monkey King in this post, and if you still have questions about him, you can leave a comment or send me a note.

1. LEGO Monkey Kid.

The Chinese/American cartoon that is introducing the legendary Monkey king to today’s youth.

The cartoon follows MK, which is short for Monkie Kid, who lives in this futuristic city in China and works as a noodle delivery boy. In this future the Monkey king is a well known hero who basically founded the city after sealing away a powerful bull demon under a mountain with his magical staff. MK accidentally stumbles across a group of demons that free the Demon Bull King, and while attempting to escape, MK finds out he can carry and wield the Monkey King’s staff which eventually leads to Sun Wukong himself naming him his successor.

Sun Wukong’s personality is spot on in this show, he is vain, easygoing, a trickster, but he is also wise, disciplined, and knows when to get serious. What makes him a great character is that fans of the original story know what he had to go through to become what he is now. The cartoon, of course won’t admit this, but the “Great Sage equal to Heaven” wasn’t always the most respectful, compassionate or heroic being it wants you to believe.

2. The Journey to the west.

America is relatively new to the Journey to the West classic because for many years only Asian countries knew about this beloved tale, specially the ones where Buddhism is or was the main religion. 

What is this famous Chinese novel about? That is a very good question! Simply put, it is about a Buddhist monk, known as the Tripitaka, traveling to the lands of the west to retrieve some sacred scrolls with the help of his three disciples while overcoming various obstacles in their way. Simple enough, but what if I told you those three disciples are actually demons that were punished by the heavens and the obstacles they have to overcome are other demons and monsters that want to eat the Tripitaka? Yes, that is basically what the journey to the west is about.

To me, the book is like watching a cartoon meant for teenagers and young adults, just like any other fairy tale, it has a bunch of adult humor and darker meanings to what we would usually consider something fantastical and kid friendly. It’s like this mixture of dark humor, political satire and religious subtext with fairy tale like elements. The book is really good and ahead of it’s time, I often laugh at Monkey’s quips and how cynical he is through out the story while learning to be a good Buddhist monk. And if you love to watch anime, you’ll find a lot of classic anime tropes in this book because it inspired a lot of mangas.

It also features a lot of cameos and or mentions of characters from other famous Chinese myths such as prince Nezha and Chang’e (FYI they both have their own animated movies on Netflix if you are curious).

Nezha being one of the opponents that was sent by the Jade Emperor to fight the Monkey king, but later appears in other chapters to assist the Buddhist group in their journey.

Chang’e, aka the moon goddess, has a brief mention in a character’s origin story before she ended up in the moon. She appears again in a later chapter to stop the Jade Rabbit who got into a fight with the Monkey King after seeking revenge on an Indian princess, long story. 

(A fun fact If you watched Over the Moon: turns out the Jade Rabbit not only is white, but is also a female in the book because she wanted to marry the Tripitaka to absorb his life energy or something.)

So, yeah, Journey to the west is like a Marvel Universe of Chinese stories and I love it!

Another way of seeing the novel is that it is a metaphor for a person overcoming their inner demons to achieve their goal. This is because the monkey king represents the human mind, which explains why he is the powerhouse and the problem solver of the group, he is always the one that has to save Tripitaka and the others from demons because they ignore Monkey’s warnings.

The other members of the group include a Dragon that shapeshifts into a horse for the Tripitaka to ride on, a Pig demon with a rake named Pigsy who was a former Celestial warrior that was kicked out of Heaven because he was flirting with all the maidens there (including Chang’e), and another former celestial being turned into a demon named Sandy who has the appearance of a big blue monk with yellow eyes, a red beard and what looks like a broken monk staff for a weapon. The Tripitaka represents the human soul or spirit and the horse is the human will, Pigsy represents laziness, lust, and all the bad things that distracts a person on a daily basis, but I’m not sure what Sandy represents, all I know is that he is kind and is the best swimmer of the group, which comes in handy because Wukong can’t fight enemies under water, so he is often portrayed as an aquatic looking creature in some versions.

3. Who is the Monkey king?

The first 6 chapters are dedicated to the Monkey king’s origin, his search to find immortality, his desire to protect his monkey subjects by fighting demons and monsters that want to harm them, how he obtains his golden rod... and his literal war against heaven. Actually, the book is also a political satire because the heavens represent the Chinese government of that time, while the Monkey king represents the human mind that rebels against the system but is ultimately stopped by Buddha himself, reminding us that chaos will reign if there is no order.

Long story short, the monkey king gets a midlife crisis, gets drunk, and fights the natural order until God stops him by dropping a mountain on him.

I never said he was a good role model.

4. Physical appearance.

For some reason animes and cartoons portray him in two different ways, either he is short and playful, sometimes with a monkey tail, or a somewhat grumpy man covered in hair.

The famous example, of course, being Son Goku from the Dragon Ball franchise since the story was loosely based on the Journey to the West, in fact, Son Goku is how Sun Wukong is known in Japan.

The Monkey King has been often portrayed as just a monkey wearing human cloths. He has two recognizable outfits, the first one being his “Great sage equal to heaven” outfit, which was a fancy golden armor with yellow and red cloths, a cape, and a funny little gold headpiece decorated with two pheasant tail feathers.

Which is the design they went with in Monkie Kid.

The second one is his “Pilgrim” outfit, which is only described as a yellow shirt, with a red sash( that is changed to yellow or blue in some versions), a tiger skin from a tiger demon he had previously skinned, pants and shoes of undetermined color, but most importantly, a yellow hat or just the iconic crown like ring on his head.

It is a common misconception that the ring on his head is a crown, but it is actually what was left of the yellow hat he put on along with his new cloths. The golden ring was created by Guanyin, the goddess of mercy, who told Wukong to join the Tripitaka in his journey, since the monkey king was being difficult, Guanyin gave the monk the cloths and taught him a spell that would subdue the monkey whenever he misbehaves. The spell would make the ring on his head become tighter and give him a powerful headache. The book describes it only as a yellow hat, but some readers would think the Monkey King teared through the hat leaving only the gold lining, thus the iconic golden ring crown was born.

5. Live action Movies and plays.

In many plays, tv shows and live action movies, Wukong is played by a man with a lot of hair and makeup, this is because the book is not very clear on his physical appearance, he is called a monkey, but many of the things he does are very human like, so no one is sure if his body is that of a real monkey or if it is more human than animal, specially because he is described to be like 4 feet tall, which is too big for a monkey.

The color of his hair is also unclear, some cartoons make it brown because Monkeys are generally associated with that color, but in some Chinese adaptations it is made gold or orange, because he is generally associated with fire. 

Many fans and experts have concluded that the Monkey King is based on the Rhesus Macaque, a species of Asian monkey.

An important detail is that the Rhesus Macaque or monkey would sometimes have red coloring on its face, just like Sun Wukong is described to have a red coloring around his eyes, that’s why many of his portrayals wear red makeup around their eyes.

However, some people would think the makeup is just for symbolic purposes in plays because the book describes him as having red fiery eyes that can see through demon disguises.

6. Personality. 

Personality wise, he is sometimes seen as energetic, naïve, playful, and a bit of a prankster, so he is associated with a child like character.

He is also seen riding a cloud because he has this technique called the Cloud somersault in which his body becomes almost ethereal, making him light enough to step on a cloud.

The second characterization given to him is that he is grumpy and mean looking, which makes sense, because Sun Wukong is constantly making a tantrum or just frustrated during his journey. Since he represents the human mind, he becomes the most relatable character in the book.

Think of a person who is full of himself, believing every one is beneath him, sees humans like insects, can go to the West and back with the scrolls in a matter of seconds, but has to travel there the old fashion way while having to obey a monk who basically doesn’t allow him to do anything. So naturally, he is depicted as this grumpy, mean rebel who doesn’t care about anyone and is constantly forced to help people he thinks are beneath him, but to me, he is just misunderstood, he is vain, arrogant, impulsive, cynical, a little sadistic, and with a pretty dark sense of humor at times.

But don’t worry, he is not evil.

Conclusion.

Sun Wukong is one of those irreverent, wisecracking characters that you just gotta love, not only is he super powerful, but he is also clever and emotionally unstable like anyone else.

I’m not joking when I say he feels very real, you might think he is too OP, but he is far from perfect. He is impulsive, he makes mistakes and learns from them, he is sometimes blinded by rage, he can get depressed or discouraged, he feels pain, he even has a drinking problem! You just can’t help empathizing with him, so you are always rooting for him, when he can’t defeat an enemy in battle he has to use his wits to turn the tables.

Some see him as a hero, others as an antagonist with the ultimate redemption arc, characters in the book see him as terrifying and ugly, (which is a recurrent joke in the book because he often calls himself beautiful). Many adaptations will make him noble or just kid friendly, but if you really want to know his character in a deeper level you have to read the books, even if the story doesn’t make any sense sometimes.

A demon, a hero, and ally, or just a Monkey wanting to live a perfect life, one thing is certain, he will always be one of the most beloved and relatable characters in literature history.