#i love how the adaptation is not direct but still obvious

[nikalibres]

reading the book and I knew armand didn't like claudia from the start but I wasn't prepared for him to just outright tell her to go die and leave louis to him the first time they met

[bweeeb]

SWEETNESS

PEDRO PASCAL × READER

Summary: After an interview, the casua thing between you and Pedro ends up making the public suspect that he is not denying someone who is twenty-three years old.

warnings: nothing major, very cute, age difference but both are adults (obviously), bad writing maybe. Enjoy.

— So, according to the recordings, I think we all saw how close you two have become. How has that been?

You and Pedro smiled at the woman, who seemed to be around 35, interviewing you both.

The curiosity in her eyes was obvious.

— I think it’s been time well spent.

Pedro said, laughing and glancing at you, who was already laughing even before speaking.

— I think our characters demanded a connection of...

— Hatred and anger.

Pedro interrupted you, and you laughed loudly.

— Yes. That’s why I’ve been spending the past few months figuring out which tool is best for channeling hatred towards someone.

— Our makeup team has been covering up all the damage we’ve been doing to each other.

Pedro added, and your extravagant laughter made him laugh as well. You two really were doing some damage to each other, but that was your little secret.

— You can clearly see you can’t stand being around each other.

— No, we can’t.

You said with a smile, waiting for the next questio

— And the movie tackles a delicate theme about relationships and age gaps. What made you both accept such controversial roles? Especially you, Pedro...I’m sure you’ve broken all the minds of 20-something girls with this film.

— He definitely has.

— I don’t know what it is with you all nowadays, thinking an old guy like me is attractive. The conversation shifted back to you and Pedro, and the interviewer smiled with amusement. The chemistry between you two was undeniable, even more than you realized.

— Because you’re a man, you give off the feeling of being a man but don’t have to prove it. You know what I mean? You understand me?

You asked the interviewer, who nodded, agreeing that it was indeed a big difference.

— Of course, I’m a man, but an old one.

— Shut up and answer the question.

You said, laughing, as Pedro gave you a mock-offended look in his usual dramatic way.

— Honestly, I wasn’t going to take the role. When I got the audition, I just said, "Nope." But a lot of people kept telling me I’d be the perfect Nick for the book adaptation, and I hate disappointing my fans.

— So you still wouldn’t date someone in their twenties? Maybe?

— No.

Pedro quickly denied it, and you wanted to roll your eyes but didn’t.

— And you, darling?

Nice deflection, you thought, almost laughing at him.

— Ahm, I gave it a lot of thought, especially about the nude scenes I was informed of before accepting the role. I didn’t want to freak out my family. But once I learned more about the characters, I discovered the adaptation was from a book I love, so I couldn’t say no.

— That’s amazing. I heard you even got a real piercing for one of the scenes in the movie. Are you wearing it now?

The question was directed at you, and you smiled painfully, moving your hair away to reveal the piercings you got during filming.

— I added thirds and a helix. Yep, these guys are fine. — You pointed at the piercings farthest from the cartilage. — But I’ll be honest, this one is hurting a lot right now. I was even going to ask if someone could help me after this because it didn’t hurt this much when I got it done.

You laughed, and both the interviewer and Pedro looked at you with concern. Pedro leaned closer, moving your hair from your neck.

— Oh, crap, darling, it’s swollen. You need to take care of this. — He said in such a calm voice that even if the interview ended right then, the audience would already be glued to the screen. — Do you want to stop?

— I’m fine, thank you.

Without even realizing it, you brushed your thumb against Pedro’s wrist, where his hand rested on your neck to examine you.

Later, the interview was posted, and you almost laughed at how fast the channel edited it. Your ear was still throbbing like it was being pierced again, and lying on the couch, you felt like crying—not because it hurt that much, but because you hated the feeling of discomfort in your body.

— Darling?

You heard Pedro call you and looked over the back of the couch to see him smiling at you.

— Now I’ve finally wrapped everything up. No calls. Ugh. — He flopped onto the couch, and noticing your silence, he looked at you oddly. — What’s wrong?

— Nothing.

You denied it, not wanting to worry him.

— Look at me and say that.

He raised an eyebrow and laughed, sitting cross-legged on the couch.

— Nothing.

— Come on, baby, your ear is hurting, isn’t it?

You murmured your agreement. He then places a hand on your neck and places a kiss on your lips, you move closer, deepening the kiss until he pulls you into his chest, on the side that didn’t hurt.

— I’m sorry about this.

— It’s not your fault.

— No, but you seem exhausted by the pain, and I’m sorry for that.

— Thank you. Have you seen what everyone’s saying?

— I haven’t.

— You’re a terrible liar. They’re calling you a liar. You laughed, feeling comforted in his embrace.

— Me? A liar? Yo nunca mentiría.

— You’re a liar and ridiculously hot when you speak Spanish. “Oh, I’d never date anyone in their twenties,” and two seconds later, “And you, darling?”

— What’s wrong with that?

— Friends don’t call friends “darling.” Like, we’re friends who hook up, but you get my point.

You thought for a second and worried you’d sounded over the top in the classification you seemed to be giving you two.

— You’ve been the most argumentative exception I’ve ever made.

He said, and you nodded in agreement.

— I hope I am. I’d hate to find out another young woman took my spot as a legend.

— Legend for what?

— For being the youngest person in the world to hook up with the ridiculously hot Pedro Pascal. You said, and he laughed loudly. You didn’t know how far this would go, but you intended to enjoy the sweetness of that man for as long as it lasted

÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷

I hope everybody enjoy this.

Requests are opened!

[byers-bowlcut]

The Cyrano Trope & Byler

The byler painting lie is such a clear example of a literary trope where a character receives some form of courtship that makes them feel "in love", however the character does not know the true identity of WHO they got it from. 

This trope has a full fledged name called "Playing Cyrano". It comes from a famous french play from 1897 about a character named Cyrano, who felt that the love of his life, Roxane, would never love him back because he was not good looking enough. Still, he tries to find the courage to convey his love to Roxane through a love letter (think~ painting) and this is what happens: 

(link to full article)

Will is the one "playing Cyrano" here for El, as a means to make Mike happy, help Mike and El's relationship, and also to secretly convey his own feelings for Mike in the process. 

This trope very obviously ends with Roxane (Mike) falling for Cyrano (Will) upon learning the true identity behind the letters (painting/van speech). 

And it's also precisely why Mike makes the expressions he makes at Will in the van; why his eyes shine with awe, why he takes breathless gulps as Will speaks, the whole nine yards. 

I've spent a long time wondering why Finn Wolfhard acted the way he did in the van scene (the expressions he makes are VERY distinct and emotive, he was given clear acting directions for it), and this is the most concrete reason why: The writers/directors here were trying to show us how Mike is perceiving Will's gift and words, and what it's making Mike feel. The van scene is not ONLY about Will, but about Mike's feelings too!!!

Mike's expressions in the van scene clearly tell the audience that he feels like he's falling in love all over again. It's giving him hope for his relationship with El. It's making him forget about his insecurities with her, and making him feel needed and loved. 

And the obvious catch here is that it's all Will doing that. Not El. And that's the missing piece to how they're going to segue into byler in season 5. 

--------- 

Beyond Stranger Things, obviously the idea of 'Playing Cyrano' has been adapted for literally over a hundred of years, into hundreds of stories, cementing it as a trope in romance plotlines. Here are just a few other examples:

Ben and Beverly from It

Ben gives Beverly a poem, but she thinks it's from Bill and ends up with Bill in the first movie. In the second movie she learns who the poem is really from and rightfully ends up with Ben.

Olivia and Sebastian from She's the Man

Olivia quickly falls for Sebastian while reading a sheet of song lyrics he wrote. But she thinks the lyrics are written by his twin who is disguised as Sebastian at the time. She spends most of the movie chasing after his twin, but eventually finds out the truth and ends up with Sebastian. 

Ellie and Aster from The Half Of It

Ellie agrees to help a jock named Paul write letters to his crush Aster. Ellie is in love with Aster and communicates it through the letters under Paul's name. This helps Paul and Aster's relationship a lot and they begin to date. Eventually Aster finds out the real person behind the letters, which leads to Ellie and Aster ending up together.

I especially love how the Cyrano trope is used in this story, because it shows how easily the trope can be molded to fit the queer perspective: in the original, Cyrano believes his love will never be reciprocated because he's not attractive enough. While in the Half of It, Ellie believes her love will never be reciprocated because of her gender.

Otis and Maeve from Sex Education 

Otis plays Cyrano for Jackson who is hooking up with Maeve at the time. Otis is in love with Maeve and knows everything about her, and essentially meshes with her perfectly. But he's too insecure to confess to her. Meanwhile, Jackson doesn't mesh with Maeve super well, and gets Otis to play Cyrano (eg. Otis telling Jackson Maeve's favourite books) . Maeve and Jackson end things when she finds out the truth about Otis's involvement, and her/Otis are the main couple of this series. 

---------

Overall the moral behind Cyrano's story is about how love at first sight is foolish and that appearances are not the basis of true love. 

Reading about this trope struck me with the thought that maybe this is why the writers forcibly shoved El and Mike into the love at first sight trope— even when it doesn't totally fit Mike's behaviour or words in S1E2 (after he sees El the first time, he does not behave like someone "in love" at all and plans to send her away). 

In most cases of the Cyrano trope, the love that exists between the "wrong" pairing is mainly based off of physical appearance and cyrano's masked courtship. There is little else holding them together. So by writing Mike declare that it was "love at first sight", it makes me question the whole basis of his love for El and how superficial it might be. I mean sorry Mike, how did you know you loved her the moment you saw her? You didn't even know anything about her. Meanwhile there's an undeniable depth to byler's bond— their friendship deepened and evolved over the course of many years, and it's anything but superficial.

(Side note: this trope sometimes involves Cyrano actively aiding the other love interest -Christian/El- but sometimes does not. In byler's case it does not. Will does not directly plan with El to woo Mike, and instead uses her name to an unknowing Mike to help their relationship. This trope can be executed a million different ways, but the main point is: the one in Roxane's role doesn't know who is causing their feelings of love)

[vanderdyks]

I geniunely cannot stand when allistics try to say Resident Alien is actually making fun of autistic people because they believe Harry is too childish now because I JUST-

In the beginning, Harry tried SO MUCH HARDER to fit in with the humans around him. He mimicked their speech patterns, consistently observed them, emersed himself in their activities so they wouldn't suspect he was different.

The Harry now? He doesn't care. He's loud in places he should be quiet. He talks how he wants. He laughs FREELY. He's learned large crowds of people? Not for him. He doesn't like being touched by strangers.

He's just Harry. Himself. Because he can be. Because he's realized even if some of the people of Patience find him strange, it doesn't matter. They'll never guess he's from outer space.

Have you noticed that every other alien we have seen is not like Harry? Not the greys, or the half human hybrids, not even Heather. When Heather is around humans who know she is an alien, we get to see the difference, but when she isn't? She fits in so well with any other neurotypical human.

Not Harry though. So yes, he is autistic because I said he is. Because I am autistic. And if you're allistic, you don't get to tell autistic people they shouldn't headcanon Harry as autistic (even though it is very obvious they're purposefully playing him as neurodivergent now.)

When you take an autistically coded character that a lot of autistic individuals relate to, and try to argue the character is actually a "child" and being "infantalised," you're actually being ableist.

You're saying that the traits we have resonated with are childish... Harry seems like he's "regressed" because instead of trying to adapt and pretend to be human, he is becoming something else entirely. Not human, but not fully alien either.

The body of doctor Harry Vanderspeigle was once just a disguise. Now it IS Harry's. It's his body, his own skin. And he's gotten comfortable in it and you know this because you deliberately witness times where he might be holding his hands like he would his claws (primarily when he's sleeping.) His brain doesn't realize he's not in his normal form, because in many ways, this is his new normal form.

He has emotions. He cares. He's in completely new territory and finding himself. And in doing so, that carefully crafted human mask? It's fallen a bit.

So that thing you label as "regression" is a thing I label as progress. He's learning still. Let him learn. Let him be. And give it time. And I hope to GOD Harry never becomes fully human to the point we can't recognize him. I hope he never loses his unique inflictions, or his love for pizza and pie. I hope he continues to love the quiet. I hope he ALWAYS laughs obnoxiously. I hope he always runs like he doesn't know what to do with his limbs. I hope you always see his emotions throughout his body because they simply cannot be contained. I hope he continues to jump when excited or pace when he's angry. I hope he stays obsessed with Law & Order forever.

Because if you take all that away, you're taking away the bits that make him Harry. You want a carbon copy human. I want the autistic alien struggling to understand human nature.

That being said, of course you can express your opinion him. And it can be discussed because everyone is going to have a different perspective.

But you don't get to dictate an autistic perspective if you are not autistic. Or try to cancel anyone for it either.

I love Harry. And I relate to him SO MUCH. And I love how much representation I can see him through him for me. Because I personally believe Alan and the writers have chosen to keep presenting this character as ND.

It's okay to dislike the direction of his character development. It's okay to find the flaws. It's okay to share that perspective. What's NOT okay is dictating the feelings of others because they might not agree with you.

I don't find him childish. I see him as an autistic individual trying to navigate a society that his brain hasn't been hardwired to understand.

And if you think he's too childish, please look closer at the why you think he is. Really be introspective on this one.

Because Harry is a parent. And has a child. And he has relationships. And he takes care of himself. Not only that, he is the town doctor and takes care of everyone else too. He is the smartest. He is the strongest. None of the characters have had to worry about the wellfare of Harry specifically. Its why no one realizes the greys have captured him. Because of course Harry would be fine, hes the alien expert. He knows what he's doing. So while everyone else spent so much time worrying about each other, no one was left to worry about Harry.

So ask yourself why you believe Harry has become "too childish" and if your answer comes down to any of his quirky traits or his misunderstandings of human nature, then you really need to consider if what you're actually uncomfortable with is autism/autistic traits.

[twig-tea]

Love in the Big City TV Series Episodes 1 &2: The Loneliness of Conformity and Nonconformity

[Wondering what’s going on here? In Feb-Mar of this year a bunch of us agreed to read the Love in the Big City novel one part per week and write pieces in response to the novel and @bengiyo’s excellent discussion questions weekly, which was a fantastic experience. @lurkingshan did the driving and wrangling and organizing, and compiled all of the meta from that period here . Now we’re watching and responding the series on the same cadence, 1 part (2 episodes) per week, and Shan is once again wrangling us and Ben is again providing excellent discussion questions to help inspire responses. Like last time, rather than answer the discussion questions directly, I’ll let them inform the directions my thoughts take. Also re: romanization, I’m going to use Go Yeong for the TV adaptation and Young for the novel since they seem to have standardized his name to “Yeong” at least on Viki, and that provides some distinction which is convenient]. 

In my written response to part 1 of the novel I talked about how Young was an unreliable narrator, because he was so dissociated from his own emotions that he didn’t often notice when he was having them. The loss of the bulk of the first person narration is inevitable in an adaptation to a visual medium, but I think these episodes still captured Young’s general disconnect to his emotions especially in episode 1. There are moments where he smiles that felt almost jarring, like smiling is his default response even if it’s emotionally a mismatch. The change in perspective in the series also means we see beyond Young’s POV, so we get the Mi Ae outing scene (which as @lurkingshan laid out, lent Mi Ae more sympathy than Jaehee was represented with in the novel) which really underscored that in that moment, she chose her future husband and the person she was becoming over her best friend and the person she used to be. I liked how the series included the karaoke scene with the T-ara's shading Nam Gyu so that we had context for what Yeong expected when he went to dinner with Mi Ae and Jun Ho, and how different Mi Ae's behaviour was to his expectations (instead of his commentary about it that we got from his first person narration in the novel).

Like @starryalpacasstuff pointed out, I liked how the argument in the show between Yeong and Mi Ae after she outed him made it more obvious that part of the reason why Yeong was so upset was that he was already hurt by Mi Ae pulling away. @wen-kexing-apologist rightly pointed out that Mi Ae put herself in the position to have to out Yeong by lying to Jun Ho in the first place, and one of the things that both the novel and the series left me wondering was whether Jaehee/Mi Ae made that decision knowingly; did she choose to embrace amatonormativity and a heteronormative life trajectory because she wanted it, or did she feel like she had to? Either way, Yeong's pain of seeing someone who he otherwise had so much in common deviate towards the norm and leave him behind and further isolated is very familiar. I linked out to my alternative milestones to measure your life by in that original book club post and I’ll take the excuse to do it again; for those of us who find the standard hetero/amatonormative milestones alien/undesirable, it’s nice to think about other ways we can think about the progress in our lives.

Another change in the series that I appreciated was the addition of more of Yeong and Nam Gyu’s relationship. Ben talked about how much more realized a character Nam Gyu was to K3/Kia guy in his post. The building out of K3 with things like a hometown, cheesy song choices, (h/t @moutheyes) and heteronormative romantic idealism tied to traditions like Namsan Tower (h/t @lurkingshan) was all possible because of the time that a visual medium provides (like WKA said in their post linked above) and all made him feel much more like a real person that inspired sympathy than Young ever described him as in the novel (this is not a failing of the novel, but it gives them a different flavour that I am appreciating in both iterations).

And because he’s a more realized character, Nam Gu's death hit me harder watching the show. From reading the novel, I remember Young returning to K3’s final text messages regularly, and how his reaction sounded very dissociated, but the scene of the empty funeral mourning room in the series is one of those visuals that will stick with me. It's been a couple of days and my stomach hurts just thinking about it. He was trying so hard to live a "normal" life that he was in some fundamental ways barred from by society, and it left him so lonely.

By seeing more of Yeong’s life in the series adaptation, it made it more obvious to me how many ways Yeong is choosing to be alone, and how his relationship with Mi Ae was an exception to that rule until it wasn’t. I noticed that Yeong moving in with Mi Ae coincided with the T-aras leave for their mandatory military service, and his breakup with Nam Gyu was after their sendoff party. By having more of Yeong's relationships depicted in these episodes, his loneliness when Mi Ae was gone to employee training and after they stopped talking was louder than in the novel, because we as an audience were aware that there were people he was choosing not to call. And it's worth noting that it was only when he had cut ties with Mi Ae that he turned back to Nam Gyu, only to close off that thread permanently too. It was an interesting pattern to me, that In the series, Yeong ends things with Nam Gyu after he loses other people in his life.

As  @shinjikar1 pointed out Yeong's parallel losses of Nam Gyu and Mi Ae are about the decision to conform or not conform (and @troubled-mind pointed out how perfectly the song parallel really underscores this comparison, and the visuals of the abandoned marlboros and the ring do the same (h/t @conscbgb). H/t @lurkingshan for saying in our chats that specifically, Yeong's relationships with Mi Ae and Nam Gyu represent conforming to or rejecting a set heteronormative standard. Mi Ae chooses to conform and marry Jun Ho, but Yeong chooses not to commit to Nam Gyu, and so he loses both Nam Gyu and Mi Ae as a result. Yeong laments his choice after Nam Gyu's death, but as @my-rose-tinted-glasses wrote, that read to me more as romanticizing a relationship only after it's done than any realistic assessment of their relationship potential. And the bittersweet representation of Mi Ae’s relationship with Jun Ho and how the only moment she really looks happy and herself at her wedding is the moment she runs over to sing with Yeong (and how we can see by his reaction that Jun Ho has never actually seen his wife be herself) tells me that maybe the decision to conform may not be any less lonely. That being said, as @impala124 called out, just because a relationship ends that does not negate its importance in our lives, and I love how that theme which was so strong in the novel shines through in the series adaptation.

As Ben mentioned in his post linked above, I chatted with him about how I was not just thinking about the additions but also pondering the scenes that were left out of this adaptation (e.g. the STI scare scene), and whether the moment at the funeral when Yeong asks how Nam Gyu died might function in a similar way for the TV adaptation that the STI scene functioned in the novel–something that when we reflect back on later, in the context of Kylie, will get additional weight and meaning. I wondered, too, about the club scene when Yeong kissed that random guy so hard the guy pushed him off and checked if his lip was bleeding, and how different that was to Young freaking out at the taste of blood after kissing too hard in the novel. Again, that scene made me wonder whether this was before Kylie or after, and if Yeong kissing people too hard will be a theme in the series. Similarly, we didn’t get the coverage of his time in the military in the first two episodes, but we instead got a mention of the T-aras leaving for their military service, which leaves Yeong’s military service as a loud absence, again seeding the presence of Kylie in a different way to how it was foreshadowed in the novel.

Lastly, this is tangential to everything, but I found myself thinking about how Korean audiences might react differently to the Itaewon scenes and how different they must be to how things are now, post-Itaewon crush incident and how the club culture has changed as a result of that event and COVID-19. The kids apparently just don’t go to the clubs like this anymore. In that sense, these episodes feel a little like nostalgia for a generation and not just for youth in general.

[tossawary]

Regarding "The Hobbit" film trilogy, even if I ended up personally disliking and resenting how much time and focus the elf characters (and others) ended up taking away from the dwarves whom I think deserved more focus as rich internal characters (I know that studio pressures are a factor in that terrible love triangle and so on), I still... vaguely appreciate the effort to create and include named female characters like Tauriel, when the book is sadly lacking in them. I think she's fine, actually. Comparatively, there are many other elements in these adaptations that I think are much, MUCH worse.

But still, if you want to add female characters to this story, the obvious answer to me seems to be to just make half the Company into dwarf women? (With similarly fancy beards and other facial hair! Because I think that's fun.) It's just... so much easier?

Do NOT come at me with that "dwarf women are rare" bullshit. Unreliable narration. Logistically unlikely. Also, if you believe that "men are the warriors and craftsmen, the women stay at home" is how dwarf society strictly functions (boring, honestly, on top of being incredibly sexist), I could argue that the Battle of Azanulbizar and other struggles probably left a significant dent in this dwarf group's male population, leaving behind many widows and mothers without children to pick up the work. The battlefields have come to and TAKEN both Erebor and Moria from the dwarves. I see no good reason why dwarf women would not have equal investment in reclaiming their home and the gold. Many of the Company are not presented to be formally trained warriors, anyway.

Now, ideally, we could do way queerer stuff in terms of both romance and gender here, but we know cowards with veto powers would not let this happen. Still, I feel like basic genderbending would have been a very doable move and is, actually, a very reasonable ask of an adaptation that would have added some depth to the story even if you didn't acknowledge the change at all.

Like, preferably, this would be an adaptational change that would be directly addressed. Maybe all of the Company appear male at first due to traveling that way (and assumptions made by humans and hobbits), then Bilbo might learn that some of the Company are dwarf women when he becomes closer to all of them. We could have a brief scene acknowledging that dwarf women are fighting these battles for their pasts and their futures too. It doesn't have to be a big thing! They can just be there. Existing. Participating.

I even think it would be fun if two of the dwarves were actually an older married couple traveling together, instead of brothers or cousins, because loving married bickering and battle couples are fun. You can have running jokes in the background about how Smaug's invasion ruined their wedding day, and going back and forth with "you never take me anywhere nice" @ each other whenever they're stuck in Goblintown or the Mirkwood dungeons. (I like seeing good marriages & partnerships in fiction and established couples going on fantasy quests together. I just think it's neat.)

But another (sillier) direction is that you could just cast some actresses in beards to play some of the dwarves, then leave the fact that some of these characters are probably dwarf women (traveling as men) as a fun detail for the audience. Bilbo is either too oblivious to notice or much too polite to bring it up at all. It's canonically compliant to the text this way!

Now, obviously some few people would have complained that Tolkien's work was being ruined by "political correctness", but they complained anyway about Tauriel (when there are MANY other bad choices in these movies), and what worthwhile arguments could they have possibly made against genderbending some of the THIRTEEN dwarves? Like, most casual fans I know cannot NAME the entire Company, who get so little character development in the book that the films had to come up with unique designs and backgrounds for most of them anyway. Bro (directed towards someone objecting to the idea of including female dwarves), be real, there's no way that you honestly cared this much about "Nori the Dwarf" before right now.

[thesoftboiledegg]

I wasn't sure what to make of "That's Amorte" before it aired. When signs pointed toward "the spaghetti comes from aliens," I wondered if we had a rehash of Futurama's "The Problem with Poppers," where the crew finds a delicious treat on a planet only to learn that the "popplers" are underdeveloped alien offspring.

Rick and Morty's take on Soylent Green also seemed likely. Everyone knows the twist: Soylent Green is people! A dark sci-fi concept like that could be a ripe parody for this series.

However, "That's Amorte" adapted a concept that other shows have referenced a thousand times and took a right turn. No one's angry at the humans for eating their suicide victims: in fact, they love the spaghetti and turn it into a corporate product.

This is an obvious shot at capitalism and how companies will destroy the environment, brutally slaughter animals and turn cities into concrete wastelands just to make a buck. And I mean--chowing down on this spaghetti isn't that different from eating meat. I'm an omnivore, but I kept thinking that at least these pasta producers chose to die.

The suicide element gave this episode a poignant touch instead of turning it into an edgelord slog where the humanoids kill people and throw them in a meat grinder. Admittedly, the clones leaned in that direction, and that scene also shows how Rick struggles to understand the world outside himself. He doesn't react when the clones kill each other, but one of his daughters is a clone, and he'd be horrified if anything happened to her.

On its own, "That's Amorte" is a great episode. However, when you take the whole series into account, the plot retreads the same old Morty narrative: Morty tries to do the right thing, it backfires, Rick dodges responsibility while antagonizing Morty to be petty, Rick gets stuck fixing everything and Morty tries to pretend it never happened.

I keep waiting for something good to happen to Morty. Rick has plenty of episodes where he makes positive changes: going to therapy ("Analyze Piss," "Air Force Wong"), improving his relationship with Jerry ("Final DeSmithation," "The Jerrick Trap"), trying to do right by Beth ("Bethic Twinstinct"), being kinder to Morty ("Full Meta Jackrick"), etc.

Season five doesn't emphasize his character development as much, but plenty of scenes show how much he's changing. Even season four has moments where he's gentler.

Rick's being his petty season-two self in "That's Amorte," but even here, he does the right thing by showing the world exactly what--and who--they're eating. In earlier seasons, he would've done that just to be an asshole. Here, I don't think that he was trying to torment people as much as he just knew that this spaghetti shitshow had to end.

Same with the spaghetti itself. He didn't feed it to the Smiths, then show them the dead body just to torture them. I think he genuinely wanted to share the spaghetti because it was delicious, but he also figured that they don't want to know where it comes from.

On a similar note, I enjoyed Rick's moments of physical gentleness. Great animation detail.

So Rick gets a little character development and saves the day again, and Morty gets...nothing. Just a rehash of old storylines. "Mortynight Run" in particular has almost the same plot, beat-for-beat.

"That's Amorte" touched on Morty's depression and his family's coldness toward him but didn't go further than that. Morty keeps cycling through the same issues with no resolution. He blows up in one episode, then shuts down the next. His attempts to do the right thing go astray. When's this kid going to catch a break?

Again, this episode isn't bad. It's funny, original and well-written and has a lot to say about ethics and capitalism. Still, I don't understand why reviews on other sites keep emphasizing Morty's character development because I didn't see much.

I will say that everyone's horror at where the spaghetti comes from was a great takedown of the meat industry. Everyone loves sausage, but nobody wants to see how it's made!

Still, next time we get a Morty episode, I hope that it says more about him and less about the world outside his cartoon.

[ducktracy]

the first clip for "the day the earth blew up" was posted on twitter. can you spare us your thoughts?

@aadrawings: So uh how about that new Looney movie clip?

I MOST CERTAINLY CAN SPARE MY THOUGHTS! TWIST MY ARM! first, i'll link it here in case anyone hasn't seen it:

FIRST (and most obvious) THING'S FIRST: I'M SOOOOOOOOO EXCITED UUUUUUUUUUUUUGHHH!!! the film JUST started premiering in Annecy as we speak and my heart is literally pounding MY FINGERS LITERALLY SHAKING. so i apologize if this turns into a discombobulated mess i'm so so so excited and trying to keep an eagle eye out for any and all details. BUT ANYHOO

IT LOOKS GREAT!!! this is a fully rendered clip of the roughs that were uploaded back in September of 2022, so i'm already pretty familiar with this since i gushed over it to hell and back then, too. i had a few teeny tiny neurotic nitpicks that i would not take too seriously--honestly me nitpicking anything modern LT is a good sign because it means i'm ENGAGED and actively thinking and engaging with the material. there are a lot of modern LT adaptations i cannot say the same for. so it's all out of a labor of love and i also realize that most of these nitpicks are very.. you guys know my level of fanaticism. don't take it too seriously. my standards for this series AND THESE TWO KNUCKLEHEADS IN PARTICULAR who are my favorite characters of all time are so high that even the classics don't meet those expectations half the time. we all know i'm insane. BUT ENOUGH BLUFFING

my biggest critique is that it's going to take me quite a bit to get used to Eric Bauza's Porky. i LOVE Bauza, he is such a sweet guy (he sang me happy birthday as Daffy Duck and i almost exploded) and so talented and it's been really great seeing him rise up the ranks. i used to only know him as "the guy who voiced Stimpy in APC" and so i'm VERY glad to see he's gone on to greener pastures LOL.

but, with that said, the first time i saw these roughs i actually thought Porky's lines were scratch audio. there isn't enough stuttering--it's important for me to note that people give Porky's stutter WAY too much prevalence, in terms of how he sounds and just characterization as a whole. a stutter is not a personality. BUT, in the clips above, he doesn't really sound like Porky unless he's stuttering. it moreso sounds like Daffy talking to himself. Mel Blanc had Porky speak (and even sing!) in full sentences all the time, but it's never noticeable unless pointed out because Porky still sounded like Porky and Blanc knew how to make his personality come out in his voice beyond the vocal fluff of a stutter.

part of it is because i'm so used to Bob Bergen. and, even THEN, if i watch too much LTC or Duck Dodgers in one sitting, i need to "recalibrate" with the originals and hear Blanc. Bergen's Porky is much different than Mel's, more formal, the stutter more concrete in its formula (fun fact: Blanc's Porky has a southern twang in his voice if you listen for it depending on who's voice directing and i love it so much. biggest giveaway is how his "i"'s will often sound like an "ah" instead, not thinking of the stutter. I WARNED YOU we are getting into super pedantic territory here), but, much like how Joe Alaskey's Daffy is a much different interpretation than Blanc's Daffy, he was able to really make it his own. i think Bauza's Porky is still in a little bit of a limbo in finding its identity with that regard. but, also, keep in mind we've only heard him in this clip and Space Jam 2 and i have no plans of revisiting SJ2 to make a point here. sorry

THAT'S MY BIGGEST CRITIQUE i'd say! others are small, such as the design of the landlady is fun but reads like something out of the 2020 Animaniacs than anything based in the LT design philosophy, and you could argue that the fluidity is more Richard Williams-esque in its visual fluffiness and perhaps even excessiveness than, again, anything relating to LT. but i take less stock in that last one because the animation is STILL GORGEOOOOOOOOOOOOUS WHAT THE HECK!!!! so many fluid arcs and i really love that scene of Daffy talking to the landlady. the subtle twitching on Porky's cheek as a secondary action made me laugh.

other than that... you guys know that I. LOVE. LTC. i have been tracking it before it released, and there are posts on this blog (i think i saw one even dating back to its initial announcement in 2018, though it may have been a 2019 post of the 2018 upload. dunno.) dating back before i was even into LT at ALL. i've been keeping an eagle eye on every single development. the day they premiered i watched the entire batch 3 times in a row. i streamed it for you guys too! some people reading this may have been in that room.

ALL THIS TO SAY, i LOVE LTC SO MUCH and it's been the most excited i've been for anything in a very long time. i also have my fair share of nitpicks, but, as i've expressed above, they all come out of a place of love. some of the Porky and Daffy shorts in the LTCs i would have handled differently if i had my hands on them. Porky and Daffy are two characters who are deeply special to me, everyone knows me as The Porky And Daffy person including my coworkers and bosses, my friends who worked on the show and film have told me many times they're eager for my thoughts. the pig and duck are literally a part of my identity. so my critiques come more out of a place of fanaticism and love for the characters and wanting to do them justice and wanting people to see what i see in them, rather than an actual dig at the product

THAT ALL BEING SAID. there are some pitfalls and little traps the P+D (and a lot of LTC in general) shorts run into that i'm expecting to be in the movie as well. there's a little bit here with the screaming and some lines of dialogue that i probably would have shaved off (like "our roof?"). months ago i started typing up mini reviews of each LTC short that i may compile here someday--my Max subscription was about to run out and i wanted to watch all the LTCs one last time while i could. and then i renewed because i couldn't watch quickly enough and now need to return LOL--and it allowed me to lay out some of the nitpicks i have with the series more clearly, which i am fully expecting to also be in the movie. and that's okay!

ALLLL OF THIS RAMBLING IS TO SAY: I AM SO EXCITED. i've been tracking every single detail of this movie and this SERIES like a hawk since it was announced. i was even asked to work on the film back in 2021, but turned it down because i wasn't secure enough in my abilities and didn't know what job security would look like after i finished on the film. i'm glad i stuck with the decision as i did, because i figured i can draw those two any time i want, and the fact that i got asked meant that there are eyes on my work and i may get asked with other LT related offers (which turned out to be true!). needless to say, turning down the offer was genuinely one of the most excruciating things i've ever done and it seriously sent me into a pretty big funk for the next few days and weeks.

so, with all that said, it is ESPECIALLY important for me to see how this movie is and celebrate it and keep my fanatical obsessive eagle eye out. i'm so glad i get to live in a world where this is a movie that is happening and coming out. i've already got plans to see it with a best friend who i've shoved the agenda of the pig and duck down her throat many times. i am so excited to cheer on all my friends and colleagues who worked on this film. it's the most excited i think i have ever been for anything actively coming out in my life.

[cheesemonky]

Chapter 3: And The Journey Begins

pairing: fairy!felix x fairy!reader

Series Masterlist

Word count: 1.5k

summary: A fairy gets their wings once they're 13. A normal one at least. You're 23, and still without any. This leaves you without a mate, because who would love a wingless fairy? So when you decide to leave, it's quite the surprise to find a fairy with a wing missing…

warnings: reader has a swearing problem lmao, FUNKY LITTLE CAMEO FROM ANOTHER AUSSIE :3, felix is a cutie NOT PROOFREAD

“You heard me. I’m coming with you.”

“Didn’t you say the exact opposite last night?”

“... I mean yeah, but I can change my mind if I want to.” He couldn’t tell if you were kidding. Even you couldn’t believe what you were agreeing to. You had thought

“In that case… sure! You can come.” It surprised you a little with how easily accepting he was of your change of mind.

"But just a warning. This journey won't be easy. I’ve lived in the Bush for long enough to know. Are you sure you're ready for it?" He nodded his head confidently, smiling at you before speaking up. It scared you that he knew more about where the two of you were going, yet had no idea how to handle himself in the Bush.

"I would walk my way through the gates of hell to get my wing back. I'm not about to let anything stop me now." Your heart melted slightly by his brave and determined outlook. It was quite obvious that he probably couldn’t handle anything of that degree, but the enthusiasm was not unwelcome. Not to mention his beautiful smile. And those eyes! That bright and lively spark in them...

"Alright then. Let's get going."

“Let’s just hope that we don't get lost on the way.” You teased with a dry chuckle, but he laughed along with you. You couldn't help but think that he was just so adorable when he laughed.

“I really appreciate you coming with me. Just so you know.” His eyes were fixed on your face, and you almost felt a blush creeping up your cheeks. Almost.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever… I’m only doing it for myself anyway.”

"That's a funny way of saying that I'm so gorgeous, that you couldn't help but come with me." You couldn't help it. His teasing made you want to tease right back. It also made part of you want to tear him apart, but that doesn’t have any value to your conversation, so you keep that hidden.

"Just don't come crying to me when you miss your mom or get a splinter." You said, trying to hold back your grin. Now that you were both on the same page, getting along proved to be much easier. His warm presence made it so easy to talk to him.

"Let's get going, yeah? Which direction are we going in?"

"Well actually, in the story, it says that you have to collect the clues to get the key, which unlocks the door to The Heart of Eris." Right, because that's what happens in stories.

"So where's the first location?"

"Uhh, which way is Glebe?"

"East."

"So that means we go West."

"And where does that lead us?"

"A nice little fairy neighbourhood. Much smaller than our villages."

"Sure. I'll lead us West then." And finally the journey began. As you ventured into the unknown, the atmosphere between you and your unexpected companion remained surprisingly light-hearted. The landscape around you transformed as you headed west, entering the deeper areas of the outback. The scenery gradually shifted, and you found yourselves walking through dried paths. The air was filled with the sounds of nature, and the warmth of the sun peeked through the leaves overhead. As you continued your journey westward, the landscape became more rugged, the vegetation sparse and tough, adapted to the harsh conditions. The sun beat down relentlessly, casting long shadows across the dusty trail.

"So, any idea what we're looking for in this fairy neighbourhood?" you asked, breaking the silence that had settled between you as you walked. He scratched his head thoughtfully.

"Well, according to the story, the first clue should be hidden somewhere ‘among those people who wander the night, and they live off no sunlight’, whatever that means.”

“...huh?”

“Yeah, I don’t know either… welp, we’ll just figure it out when we get there.” You weren’t sure what scared you more. The fact that he didn’t even know what you were meant to be looking for, or that he doesn’t seem to mind. You probably should have considered this a bit further. But it's too late now. Plus, you don't exactly want to go back and leave his cute face to die. 

As you continued to walk, the landscape began to change yet again. The terrain became less harsh, and signs of life started to appear. Small patches of vibrant greenery dotted the landscape, and the air felt cooler as you approached what seemed like a small fairy neighbourhood, just like he said. You finally arrived at the outskirts of the quaint town and it was indeed much smaller than your villages, with little cottages nestled among the trees. The air was filled with the delicate fragrance of flowers, and the sound of laughter and chatter drifted through the air.

"Wow, this place is amazing!" Felix looked around in awe of the place. Such a small place, yet the beauty the landscape held was immense.

"Yeah, it is... we should find somewhere to stay, like an inn." You suggested, and he turned back to face you, a determined smile painting his face. But as you searched, there was one thing you guys didn't account for.

"So you're telling me... that you're a fairy... without wings?" The receptionist questioned, unbelieving of your story. "And this fella here had one of his taken?"

"Look ma'am, I know it sounds unbelievable, but I swear to you, it's true."

"Uh, yeah right. I'll let you stay once you stop lying. Unless you aren't a fairy at all. Then I can't let you in." The frustration became evident on your face and you clenched your fist to stop yourself from punching something or someone. Before you could reply, Felix stepped in to talk for you.

"I'm sorry, but we're doing something *really* important, and we need somewhere to stay a few nights."

"I know, and I'm saying, I can't let you stay. She for sure is not a fairy, and you're missing your wing. You could be dangerous creatures for all I know." God, this lady was insufferable. A sudden boost of confidence led you to step in front of Felix and lean over the counter to talk some sense into this woman. At least, that's what you were meant to do.

"Listen here, you little shit, my friend and I have been through a lot, probably more than a measly receptionist, and you fucking around doesn't help. Honestly, people like you are such cunts, like let us the fuck in you son of a bi-"

And before you knew it, both your asses were on the floor outside the inn.

"Stay out, pests." The gruff voice came from behind you and the door slammed in your face.

"Nice going, Y/N."

"Whatever, this place was shit anyways..." You mumbled under your breath. You were the one messing up now, and you weren't sure you liked it. Usually, you didn't pay mind to others' disappointment, but Felix was different. He sighed deeply, getting up and dusting himself off.

"It's okay, we'll try somewhere else." Unfortunately, you soon realised that everywhere you tried would give the same reaction. For hours the two of you went around everywhere, to every inn, pub, even a farmstead! But your efforts were to no avail. The two of you walked the streets in silence, both in deep thought as to what to do next.

"I mean, you still have your stuff, we can set up a little sleeping place outside the town."

"There is literally one blanket and I'm not sharing it with you. And we're not alternating either, there's no danger here."

"... they could try and kill us in our sleep, but whatever I guess..."

"We wouldn't kill you!" Felix let out a small noise at the sudden voice, and you snapped your head to look at the source. It was a young man, seemingly around both your age, his black hair framing his face perfectly. His smile was cheshire, and his eyes held a sense of mischievousness.

"Uh, thanks..? Who are you though..?"

"I'm Jake! I've been away for a while, but the people here are nice enough not to kill you!"

“That’s… great?” He smiled wider this time, holding his hand out for either of you to take. Felix, being the friendly man he is, takes it without hesitation, shaking it vigorously.

“Can you please help us? We need somewhere to stay.”

“I mean… I could let you stay at our holiday house, but I’m not sure if my friends would be okay with that-”

“Please?”

“... Okay fine. But if they don’t like you, that’s not my fault~!” 

“Yes, let’s go!” Your surprise knew no bounds. How and why was Felix so quick to trust?

“Felix, wait-” You grabbed his arm, and pulled yourself up to reach his ear. “This might be dangerous.” You whispered, keeping a close eye on Jake.

“Do you have any other ideas? Because I don’t” You held your breath, trying to find a reason to make him stay. Oh, how stupid you must’ve looked. Rejecting a kind (but strange) offer of help when that’s what you’ve been looking for.

“We don’t bite, I promise you~” One last time, you took a good look at Jake. He didn’t seem to impose any threat and his offer seemed genuine.

“Fine. But I swear to god, if you pull some weird ass shit-”

“Chill, chill, hahahaha~ you’re in good hands.”

taglist: @mumusreblogs @kai-lee08 @2minstan @painstakingly-juno @jinnie-ret @juskz @nvmkyuu @asp3ntr33 @cinnabunnyongbok @mirbokk @stardustlixie @vampcharxter @michelle4eve @silverstarburst send an ask to be on the taglist!!

leisel's note: i'm not dead!! just busy with uni and stuff :3 almost at 100 followers, so exciting!! im debuting a new blog at 100, so stay tuned ( ´ ▽ ` ) once again, reblogs are always appreciated, even if they're small 💗

[burst-of-iridescent]

atla live action thoughts: season one review

first things first: anyone who says the Movie That Does Not Exist is better than the live action is straight-up lying. the shymalan film fails on the criteria of even being a decent movie, let alone an adaptation. the netflix series, for all its problems, is at least an enjoyable watch with great effects, music and (mostly) appropriate casting. there's absolutely nothing to compare here - the netflix version clears easily.

now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's delve into the series, starting with the positives.

the good:

visuals and cinematography. they really did a great job of making it feel like a fantasy universe you wanted to be in & i love how vibrant the saturation and colour grading was. it made the world feel so much more dynamic and alive instead of the same flat, boring dullness that so many movies and shows have these days. sometimes i didn't even mind that i was being fed obvious exposition because at least they were giving me something pretty to look at lmao

effects and action. the bending was surprisingly good for the most part, and they did a good job of making the elements feel unique through the stunt choreography and the actors' movements. i'm immensely thankful they didn't try to skimp on budget by merely cutting away from fight scenes or showing us as little as possible. almost all the action sequences were fast-paced and engaging, and i was never bored watching them

acting. the main four were all great, but gordon cormier and dallas liu have to be the standouts for me. gordon brings such an earnest, innocent sweetness to aang that you can't help but like him, and dallas plays all of zuko's facets perfectly: the angst, the explosive anger, the bratty snark, and especially the deep-rooted pain that characterizes so many of zuko's actions in book 1. the range he has, especially when flashing from younger to older zuko, was insane. special shoutout to maria zhang and sebastian amoruso as suki and jet respectively, because they killed it

music. leaves from the vine instrumental had me tearbending and i love how they kept the iconic avatar theme while making it a little darker for this iteration of the story. in general, the soundtrack felt very true to the animation while still being a fresh spin on it

zuko and iroh's relationship and expanding on zuko's crew. i think the fandom universally agrees that lu ten's funeral and zuko's crew being the 41st division were the best changes in the series, so i'm not going to talk about it further other than to say that these scenes show me what the show can be, and that's why i'm not giving up on it

the bad:

characterization. almost all the main characters are missing the little nuances that made them so great in the original, but the greatest casualty is katara. i hate that they took away so much of her rage, and gave many of her traits and struggles to sokka. i don't think this is a problem solely with the writing though, because certain lines do feel like things animated katara would say, but the directing and line delivery don't have the same punch that made her so fierce in the original. this is an easily fixed issue though, so i hope they take the criticism and let my girl be angry and fuck shit up next season

exposition. this was primarily a problem in depicting aang's personality and the relationship between the gaang, because a) why are you TELLING me that aang is mischievous and fun-loving instead of just showing me and b) the gaang do NOT feel like close friends, mostly because they spend so much time apart in every episode that they have little screentime to actually bond and develop intimacy.

lack of focus on the intricacies of bending. for a show whose tagline is "master your element" the characters spend very little time actually... mastering their element. zuko is never shown to struggle with firebending (which is going to have ramifications when it comes to developing his relationship with azula), and neither aang nor katara ever learn waterbending from a master throughout the the entire show. i'm pretty sure aang never willingly waterbends ONCE in the entire eight episodes, discounting the avatar state and koizilla. bending isn't just cool martial arts, it's closely linked to the philosophies and spirituality of each nation, and i wish that had been explored more.

pacing. they really needed to do a better job of conveying that time passed between episodes because an 8-episode season is just going to FEEL shorter than a 20-episode one. the original animation felt as though they'd truly been on a long journey before arriving at the north, but here it feels like the entire show happened in the span of a fortnight or so because each episode seemed to pick up right after the previous. they needed to have more downtime within episodes instead of just rushing from plot beat to plot beat because it made everything feel a lot more rushed. give the characters and story time to breathe.

final rating: 7/10.

overall, i would describe the live action as a better version of the percy jackson movies - not an accurate or perfect adaptation, but a decent story that's very fun to watch. but what really makes me root for this show to get a season 2 is that it has a lot of potential and more importantly, a lot of heart. it's evident that the people who worked on it do genuinely love and respect the original series, and it shows onscreen.

regardless of anything else, this show created opportunities for so many asian and indigenous actors, writers and creators to tell the kinds of stories and play the kinds of roles they don't usually get, and that's something worth supporting. if they take the criticism from this season and improve, i believe they really do have something special on their hands which - although it might not be the original we all know and love - could still be a story to be proud of.

[assiraphales]

I love Sanji with all my heart but I'm not blinded by the fact that his animanga self is also very flawed. OPLA gave him the rizz early animanga Sanji was known for and I understand why a lot of fans complain about his not so very appealing characteristics (like his chivalry towards women being over the top and his not so subtle transphobic/queerphobic attitude). Those aspects of Sanji's character are what makes him a flawed and complex character. He isn't perfect and that's the point. And just because Oda-sensei writes Sanji that way it doesn't automatically mean he echoes the same sentiment. Other characters, most notably Luffy, don't even react the same way because they are different people.

And for how OPLA is going to adapt Nami and Sanji's relationship, I think he'd be a total pushover for her and Nami can be her manipulative (affectionate) self. Sanji takes pleasure in being of service to women. It isn't as obvious but he does still serve (meals) the men in his crew even if he's angry and rude about it.

I'm a big supporter of flawed characters -- people are flawed! writing anyone as "perfect" is boring! purity culture in media is harmful! there should always be room for growth! and i know that sanji is a complex character with a lot of good attributes. i know writers giving characters problematic/negative traits does not reflect on their own personal beliefs.

BUT a direct translation of animanga sanji's "flaws" to live action would have been bad. casual fans don't have hundreds of chapters / episodes to get to know him. the writers had four episodes to give him a backstory, dreams, a personality, and above all make him likeable.

I think there's plenty of things in the live action that make him complex -- including his silly little hissy fits, the way he said cocktails, and the way he's a big fucking sycophant for luffy after one compliment. we don't need over the top transphobia/queerphobia/misogyny to have an interesting, flawed character

[cyanidecrystal]

SPOILERS FOR SHERLOCK AND CO. AHEAD.

Ok so I've been listening to Sherlock and co. for months now, not really cause I'm a big fan od the podcast, more so that I have adhd and I'm a fan of background noise. I've been enjoying a lot of it, it's easy on the ears. Comfy. But I have some criticisms that I feel should be at least put out there.

1. The way the show treats disability

So we all know this is the first Sherlock adaptation with a canon autistic Holmes and I appreciate that I really do, but I'm afraid that's where the positive disability rep really ends.

Whenever a disabled character appears the the episodes after that, you can bet your ass they're going to be the villain. There has been a lot written about the horrible DID portrayal, but I'd also like to call attention to the mentally ill stalker guy, who not only is shown as a deranged murderer but we get to witness a graphic torture scene with him. How fun.

The last one (so far) is the very obvious twist villain of The Sign of Four and I was really hoping I was wrong when I guessed he'd be the bad guy because he seemed like a real step in the right direction if he turned out good. Sadly, as I said if a character outside of the main cast is disabled they are evil. That's just how it is.

This is obviously a very old stereotype. Showing the villain as unstable and mentally ill or disabled as a shortcut to let the audience know they're dangerous or evil. Even though in real life, mentally ill and disabled people are way more likely to be victims than perpetrators.

2. Sherlock's violent outbursts

Ok, this point I'm way less confident with so if someone knows the books better and can tell me I'm wrong I'll accept that but does anyone else think that Holmes is really quick to hurt people in this series?

I've been kinda letting it slide for ages now but in a lot of the episodes it seems like they're going normally and then suddenly Sharlock starts torturing people.

The reason I've let it slide is because they're usually actual killers so u know what that's not so bad, but in the latest episode he just goes off on some low level guy, who seemed mostly just kinda scared.

Even thought these people are always bad guys it really takes me out. It's so jarring. Idk.

3. Watson bullying

Yeah, just hear me out, okay?

I get that this is kinda their dynamic but between Mariana, John and Sherlock, Watson is constantly getting teased and bullied and it usually seems like he doesn't rly enjoy it.

It's usually about things he's seriously self conscious about. Then when he gets a love interest/friend who's actually nice to him they act even worse. I know it's comic relief so I just let it slide till now.

Until the last episode where Mariana seriously crossed the line. The fact she continues recording not only after being asked not to but also after he thanks her for not recording in such a sweet and passive way that makes me think he expected them not to honor his wishes.

I really hope this causes some kind of argument or fight or anything between them, but I expect it will just end up with John saying "you were right, guys I needed to get back to it" and never think of it again.

Anyway, I'm still listening to the series so don't take it as some bitter hater ramble. It's just some things I've noticed that have been bothering me for weeks and weeks. Feel free to agree or disagree or add your own thoughts.

[adobe-outdesign]

Will you review the Maraquan pets? I think Buzz is my favorite based on design, and there are so many really creative/punny ones. Personally, I’ve never liked Wocky.

Maraqua is probably one of Neopets' most distinct lands given that it's, you know, underwater. The idea of making a color that fits with the Atlantis-esq aesthetic just makes logical sense, and the actual designs tend to be pretty cool. I like how there's actual thought put into how [X] Neopet would function if it was adapted to life underwater, with the bubbling pit area vaguely implying it might be a natural mutation (given the amount of "painted" Maraquan pets we see in Maraqua).

Maraquan also didn't do too badly with customization, mostly because they're not compatible with normal clothing anyway so the poses are at least somewhat distinct. That said, it is weird that they changed the poses at all; they already have to have clothing drawn specifically for them, so why force things like fists onto some of them? It's so weird.

Even weirder is the seemingly arbitrary decisions regarding which ones got UC versions; Maraquan Chombys barely changed at all yet somehow got a UC, while Maraquan Zafaras changed drastically but never got a UC. What gives?

(I can't count it on the favorites list because there are too many good still-obtainable Maraquan pets, but shoutout to the unconverted Maraquan Zafara for being one of my favorite Maraquan pets. Shame it's no more.)

Favorite Species:

Gelert: While the unconverted Maraquan Zafara is my all-time favorite Maraquan pet, the Maraquan Gelert is a very close second, and is definitely my fav if we're talking pets that are still obtainable. I love Maraquan pets where the design is just abstract, taking cues from various sea creatures without being a 1:1 parallel of them, and the Gelert is particularly beautiful in this respect. It plays with the Gelert's long ears and tails by making it vaguely eel-ish—adding in a back fin, a few spots, and a lovely green and purple color scheme.

The UC version is particularly gorgeous, having this lovely flow that curves back from the head and leads straight into the curled tail. The converted version is still fine, as it's a fairly accurate recreation all things considered, but the pose is much more awkward (the body suggests an S shape, but the paws and ears are going opposite directions and the chest sticks out too much).

It does, however, at least fix the shading; for some reason the UC Maraquan Gelert has one layer of shading with no highlights or shadows to speak of, which is really weird. (See the above, which is an edit I made years ago that just adds the layers of shading that the actual UC is missing. The lineart should also probably be thinner but I digress.) Anyway, the point is that both are beautiful designs.

Uni: Maraquan Uni are also really beautiful. Similar to a Peophin (arguably too much so, but hey, there's no Maraquan Peophin at the time of writing anyway), they've swapped their legs for a tail and their wings and mane have become fins themselves, with a pretty curved horn and some subtle striping to boot. Even better, the converted version is basically the same as the old art, so there's no difficulty in obtaining one (other than the PB cost, of course).

Lutari: While there are still a lot of great abstract Maraquan designs that I love (Eyrie, Draik, etc.), I have to give a shoutout to the Lutari for being a really great design based off of an obvious animal (in this case, an axolotl). The cream and pink color scheme is lovely, and I love the subtle mottle gradients on its limbs. The multiple sets of ears forming the gills is fantastic, the tail is pretty, the black claws add contrast, and it still reads really clearly as a Lutari despite the animal influence. Really good stuff.

Least Favorite Species:

Kacheek: The Maraquan Kacheek just looks incredibly uncanny to me. The best Maraquan pets are either ambiguous or choose an animal that fits the Neopet, but here they just... took a Kacheek head and slapped it on a goldfish body??? Don't like that at all. The head in isolation isn't terrible and I could see it working on a more Kacheek-ish torso, but this... no. At least it's nicely drawn on a technical level, I suppose?

[docholligay]

Shamash Day Points: Live action round one

The question for this was: You get all the rights to adapt a piece of media that has never received a television show (so, no Sailor Moon, for example, but movies are allowed) INTO a television show. Tell me about your vision! How many seasons? Most importantly to noncompliant bitches who are me: What are you tweaking from the source?

Some of these were BATSHIT, and that was EXACTLY what I wanted. Bless you fucking all. 2 of you I could not tag, so check.

3rd place, one point:

So, I want to say Overwatch based on your fics but that feels too easy so let's take this in a completely weird opposite direction: a sitcom. I'm gonna call it… Tiny Woman, Big Gorilla.

Obviously, the two main characters are Winston and Lena. (Other OW characters can also be there.) They're roommates, of course. And it's all about their lives in London and the friends and enemies they make along away. Except there's no superhero stuff so this is just, like, Lena slept with Amélie who works at her favorite pastry shop (French, of course) and now Lena can't get her absolute favorite desert without dealing with their absolute nightmare of a breakup and her entire world is ending. (And, yes, Amélie still gives off assassin vibes which is a very strange vibe to get from the person who's helping you pick out which flavor of macaron to get.)

Every time people start talking too loudly about Lena being not-a-lesbian a particularly gay episode will come out. (Plus side to sitcoms? Everything resets so I can literally hold these episodes in reserve.)

People are constantly clamoring about whether or not Winston will get a relationship but the writers and I are terrified to go anywhere near that can of worms. However, in fairness to Winston who does deserve all the love in the world, we do flip a coin: heads, Winston is in a relationship; tails, he's not (yet). So far, it's always come up tails but we all know this is only delaying the inevitable; some day it will come up heads and the reckoning will be upon us.

Winston's existence is never explained. There are no other gorillas like him, this is very obvious without straight up being said, but it's never explained why or how it happened. He's just there, being a gorilla who is also a person. It drives fans batty and theories abound but whenever we're asked we just smile mysteriously (or smirk obnoxiously dependent on how annoyed we are by the asker).

It goes on for checks how many seasons Supernatural was around 16 seasons. (Listen, the idea of there being more Supernatural in the world than Tiny Woman, Big Gorilla is awful and I will not stand for it.) I end up full on Xena-ing it to make it last for 16 seasons. There are flashback episodes to Winston and Lena in their past lives (yes, plural). There are episodes about them being reincarnated into the future. There's even one about them going to an alternate universe where they're heroes who fight bad guys. There's a Lena doppelganger. There are multiple Lena doppelgangers. There's a Winston doppelganger. (You'd think a Winston doppelganger would explain some things. It doesn't.) There are no rules I will not break and no storey too stupid, as long as I can make 16 seasons happen.

It's ends, as most sitcoms do, stupidly sappy. Lena and Emily have, of course, had multiple kids by the point (16 seasons, people!) and we do the flash forward to a huge friendiversy party for Lena and Winston (because, yes, they throw one because of course they would and also because that's 16 episodes already partially written). Grandkids are there and friends and jokes referencing precious episodes are bantered about. Everything is happy and joyous as they pose for a group shot. The shutter blinks and it zooms out to show the picture being slipped into a thick file labeled Winston that is obviously some sort of dossier and BAM straight to black.

Suck on that, fans.

@madegeeky this is directly pandering to me, but boy is it detailed in every way I asked for while also being completely different from most other answers (75% of answers were fantasy.sci-fi series, and about 75% of those were YA), and as it turns out, I can be pandered to! Also i love Tiny Woman, Big Gorilla as a concept and also that they basically are living in a day to day sitcom now. I think my only question is: what job does Lena have if she's not a combat pilot/field operative? Give me a fun answer and I'll give you an extra point.

2nd place, 2 points

Oh, I want to say Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern, which was originally written in the 1960s and I read them before using critical thinking on them. I developed a fondness for them, despite some power structures that are fucking messed up, the slapping of women, and the fact that Brekke said No, multiple times, before F'nor took her into the jungle and and helped her to realize that she actually meant Yes. That's all shit that needs to come out and would be absolutely on my cut list.

The whole structure of the dragons in the Weyrs just wouldn't work - like 5-6 queen dragons bonded only to women and whose dragons are responsible for keeping the population of dragons in the Weyrs. Then men can only ride bronze, brown, and blue and only a bronze dragon can mate with a gold dragon. Only in later books do women start riding the other non-breeding female green dragons (which makes things real interesting considering that McCaffrey also jumped around the timeline). It just doesn't work, so massive changes would be necessary. I say brown, blue, and green are open to riders of any gender. However, bronze riders are pretty much designated as the leaders of the dragon squadrons, with browns getting the second in command position. So that won't work either!

Can I have it be inspired the books, but also be nothing like the books except dragons fighting Thread (an organism from space that eats all carbon based life forms it touches)? 'Cause I'm going to have throw things out whole cloth and figure out how to fix them and then reconfigure how to have some of storylines… ('Cause if we change the structure of the Weyrs there goes the Brekke and F'nor drama that happens, because F'nor rides a brown and Brekke a queen and as I said before those two aren't supposed to mate and since Brekke came from a Hold, is not so keen on the idea of multiple partners - take the dragon colors away and you lose that plot line - which is ultimately resolved by the death of Brekke's Wireneth, since Queens can't share bronzes and if two queens rise to mate at the same, well then we get a dragon on dragon fight.).

Also fuck it, I'm taking out that Gary Stu of a white dragon Ruth - always knows when he is and where he is. Because, I haven't mentioned this, dragons can teleport in this universe, not just to different places, but to different times, which would be the second season issue. First season would be set up with Lessa and F'lar (F'nor's older half-brother) assuming leadership of Benden Weyr.

Anyway, I'm supposed to get multiple seasons for the 9th pass, but due to budget constraints - (CGI dragons are expensive), letting Weyrs be the sexy parties they're supposed to be which angers the Conservatives and the Liberals remembering out the McCaffrey had some bad takes on LGBTQ. Show is cancelled before it can be finished, which is fine, because I haven't even gotten to the clusterfuck that is taking starship engines and making them go Boom on Red Star (where Thread comes from) to knock it just out of orbit that there will be no more Thread after the ninth pass.

I will regret the chance not do the prequel series of humans landing on a planet to colonize it, discovering Thread, and having to bioengineer the dragons. Along with the Moreta mini-series, which will be shelved, because there's a strong message in that one about out when there's a pandemic getting vaccinated.

…

You know what, I think I want to do live in that Sci-Fi world. No, wait, I think Covid10 has just proven that Dragonriders of Pern is a Fantasy World since everyone gets vaccinated when there's a global pandemic.

@uofmdragon oh my god I read Dragonriders of Pern when I was, I think, 12? 13? And it was part of what made me say, "I think I'm done reading fantasy for now" ahahahaha. This took me right back there! I don't think I got as far as you did though, because some of this had me saying, "Fucking what now??" And yes you can have it inspired by the books! Honestly given what I just read above that might be best.

first place, 3 points

It’s The School for Good and Evil, I get three seasons, and I outright refuse to adapt the second book, because it’s homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic trash. Instead, I am taking the stuff from the sequel series and using that to caulk over the gaps.

The first book/season still ends in Agatha kissing her best friend Sophie back to life and then both of them going back to their hometown. I would show this horrible world EXACTLY as it is, including the canonical slavery. I am also stealing a bit from the book of the movie but that’s only going to be hinted this season, not revealed.

The second season, like the book, opens with Sophie lying to everyone about being in Agatha’s place, wearing Agatha’s dress, and dating Agatha’s boyfriend, but she will actually be called out for this, because instead of the arrows crashing through her father’s second wedding? She’s going to have the people from the School crash the vanity performance and publicly call her out for lying. It’s also going to be a season of Agatha learning to NOT indulge this behavior because people WILL catch on and it WILL cause damage.

This is juxtaposed with Agatha’s boyfriend being hit with a fake half-brother who’s trying to steal his throne. Both of them are Anti Sophie, but the half-brother puts on a facade of being interested in her to get her to play along and dangle the possibility of being queen-which she REALLY WANTS-in front of her to string her along so he can get her powers on his side. Agatha spends this time learning the meat of leadership while her boyfriend, who KNOWS the basics, learns to apply them better.

Sophie finds out she’s being strung along and it turns into a huge battle at the end of the season, leading to Agatha’s boyfriend triumphing over his fake half-brother and Sophie being tricked into resurrecting the School Master, the Big Bad from the first season.

The School Master spends the first half of the third season talking Sophie into taking his side, and he succeeds, only for the back half of the season to be about Sophie realizing she’s been conned and that he’s pulled this con with multiple other female (former) students…including her favorite teacher (here is where those hints pay off!). I feel this is an improvement on her being his ally from the first page and spending AGES actively refusing to leave him instead of wising up.

Agatha has spent this time being mentored and growing as a person and getting real confidence. She meets her mother’s family during the third season. Sophie’s parental drama of “my “saintly” mother actually drugged and raped my father to get him to marry her” stays the same, but there is no secret sister reveal. Agatha instead learns about how Evil (her mother’s family is born on that side) was trying to find out the truth all along and a spotlight on how badly the School Master fucked them over.

I also punt the sexist, entitled brat pursuing Sophie off a cliff during the second season. The half-brother is getting rid of a rival. I am getting rid of an annoyance.

Agatha’s boyfriend’s drama with his dead dad, his mom, and his mom’s boyfriend that she ran off with is also a running subplot of the third season. They don’t really reconcile so much as he, like Agatha, learns that setting healthy boundaries and only putting the trust people have demonstrated they’re worthy of doesn’t mean you have to cut someone off. You can still have a relationship with them! But they’re not entitled to closeness they haven’t earned.

Also Sophie’s dad sucks and we can show that he sucks. He can be wronged by his late wife and still suck as a person and parent.

IndigoMay, congratulations, this is nuts. I feel like I'm having a stroke just reading this. I can feel the insanity and passion pouring offthe page. I love that this book series is very clearly not good but you are absofuckingluitely going to make it good by the sheer power of your belief that it could be. This is like my plan to adapt Mortal Kombat. It's bad, but I can fix her!

[adashofniallandasprinkleoflunacy]

What does alien an Harry think of Valentine’s Day?

He spends a whole day researching Valentine’s Day and when Y/N gets home, she’s fiddling with the keys to open the door when it suddenly unlocks and swings open on its own. Harry’s standing there, a bouquet of flowers tagged with a handwritten note in one hand, a huge tray of her favorite chocolates in the other, holding the gifts out like trophies as he smiles at her excitedly, though she can see nerves flicker across his face for a split second.

“Happy Day of Saint Valentine!”

She presses her lips together to suppress laughter, correcting him gently as she steps inside their apartment and shuts the door behind her. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“Right. Sorry.” His gaze darts between the presents he’d gotten her, suddenly more self-conscious than before. His words come out more rushed than he wants them to, spewing clumsily as his wits fail him for some reason, as if she’s not already his girlfriend. “Will you be my valentine? I got you some candy and the flowers with a letter. I mean, the note says what I just said outloud anyways, but that’s the human tradition, right? The letter? With the plants and the food? That’s what everyone was doing at the store, so I figured it was a safe option. The lady said roses were the most popular choice for— why are you laughing?”

Y/N can’t stop herself from bursting into giggles this time around— not in a mocking way, just a soft sound of endeared amusement. He’s now looking at the items in his grasp like grenades instead of trophies, extending them out from his body as far as possible in her direction, as if he’s scared she’ll reject them and they’ll explode in his face.

“Yes, that’s the tradition.” She accepts the flowers and Ferrero Rochers gratefully, admiring the cursive handwriting on the card that he’d clearly practiced just for this moment. She smiles up at him warmly, eyes brimming with fondness. “And absolutely, I’d love to be your valentine. This is so sweet of you, H. Thank you.”

Harry’s shoulders slump in obvious relief, one of his arms falling back to his side as he scratches the nape of his neck with the hand on the other. He’s still radiating anxious energy, as if waiting for her to tell him he did something wrong.

Y/N ducks her head and takes a whiff of the roses, humming appreciatively at the pleasant scent. She arches one of her eyebrows at him, her tone playfully accusatory. “I’m guessing you spent the whole day researching this, didn’t you?”

Harry’s ears turn as red as the bouquet in her hands. “No.”

Her eyebrow inches up further. “No?”

He sighs in surrender. “Maybe.”

“You’re adorable.”

His sculpted cheekbones blossom with color, matching his ears. “I just didn’t want to make a mistake and ruin it.”

Y/N leans forward onto the tips of her toes and plants a delicate kiss onto his twitching lips. “It’s perfect, baby. Best Valentine’s Day gift ever.”

Harry finally feels the churning in his stomach subside, her reassuring gesture funneling all the angst right out of his system. Adapting to human customs hasn’t exactly been a smooth transition for him— each time a new holiday comes up, his curiosity leads him into digging up every aspect of it, which could take him hours of concentration and memorization. It feels like learning to walk all over again.

It’s all so new and so foreign, it makes him question how much he actually knows about the universe. He can spew endless facts about countless stars, galaxies, and planets in the sky, he can build and operate technology beyond human comprehension, and he can speak a dozen interstellar languages from civilizations most people can’t fathom exist. The potential that he could have misunderstood a simple practice dedicated to celebrating love, which he knows from experience is a universal concept…

He’d never live down the embarrassment. He’s just happy he managed to get this one right without her assistance.

Y/N’s fingers sift between his own, squeezing his hand affectionately as she situates her gifts into the nook of her free arm. She tugs him away from the door, slowly backing towards the living room as she grins at him knowingly. “Why don’t you tell me what you learned?”

Harry’s legs move of their own accord, obeying her silent order. He follows her almost numbly, his body buzzing under her attention. He racks his brain for all the information he’d forced himself to absorb just for her, reciting it like a lecture.

“Valentine’s Day celebrates Saint Valentine, who was martyred by the Roman Empire.” He frowns as an afterthought. “Sad story.”

“Mm.” Y/N agrees, carefully sets her belongings down on the coffee table, pulling him towards the couch. “Go on.”

“Christian soldiers were forbidden from marrying as persecution on behalf of the emperor. Despite it being dangerous and illegal, Valentine ministered weddings for them in secret; he believed love was a right no one should be denied.”

Y/N allows herself to fall back onto the sofa, the action yanking Harry forward as a result. She parts her knees and he stumbles to a halt between them, towering over her with his own knees pressed against the edge of the cushions.

His girlfriend gazes up at him below thick lashes, her expression casual and innocent, but he’s familiar with her antics well enough to know her intentions are anything but.

She blinks up at him patiently, her palms gradually working their way up and down the front of his thighs, massaging them temptingly. “Anything else?”

Harry ogles down at her, his face hot and stomach jittery. He may struggle with reading human behavior, but they’ve been in this position so many times to the point where he can sense her objective clear as day.

“Um…” His tongue feels like lead in his mouth. “He…He was arrested for his crimes and eventually executed. During his time in prison, he fell in love with a woman who used to visit him in confinement— the jailor’s daughter, I think.”

“And?” Y/N’s lithe fingers begin toying with the knot in Harry’s sweatpants, undoing the little bow daintily just to tease him. “What happened between them?”

Harry swallows thickly, his own fingers fidgeting under her sultry influence. “Right before he was executed, he wrote her a love letter. He signed it off with, “From your Valentine.” It’s where the whole tradition of writing valentines originated. Once a year, humans honor his sacrifice by celebrating with the people they love.”

“You got everything.” She notes, easing the waistband of his joggers down a bite to expose the coarse trail of hair along his lower abdomen. She leans forward and presses a wet, lingering kiss along the tinted skin, smiling against it when she hears his breathing hitch. “Smart boy.”

“I try.” He croaks sarcastically, chewing along the inside of his cheek as he clenches his firsts, warding off the impulse to bury his fingers into her hair.

“I have a gift for you, too.” Y/N murmurs, dispensing more sloppy pecks across his clenching tummy, her pillowy lips leaving behind a trail of fire in their wake. “Been waiting to give it to you all day.”

Harry can’t help the way his head lulls backward in bliss, hanging from his strong, taut shoulders as his inhales grow ragged and shallow. His eyes flutter shut as he swims in the feathery sensation of her touch, his mouth parting in a silent groan as her caresses descend even lower.

“I thought we could go out to dinner. Do something nice, y’know?” Y/N studies the heavy bulge forming through his boxers, her eyes glinting with hunger. “But I didn’t expect to see you waiting for me with those flowers, all giddy and nervous…I think we can postpone dinner for a bit, just so I can show you how well you did— so I can thank you. Properly.”

A low, gurgled moan filters from Harry’s parched throat, and the way his nails are digging into his palms in barely contained desperation only amps Y/N’s need to pleasure him.

“Is that okay with you?” She asks with feigned sincerity, as if he’d deny it. She proceeds to mouth along the outline tenting his briefs, reveling in how it jolts under her tongue. “Or do you want to wait until after dinner?”

A sharp, damp gasp rips from Harry’s heaving chest, and he can’t contain himself any longer. His hands grab at Y/N without permission, his long fingers raking into the roots of her hair and holding her in a steely grasp, eliminating any possibility of her drawing back.

His hips buck forward in distress, his body craving the feel of her silky tongue and filthy mouth. He needs to feel the way she laps at him, with shameless determination and experienced skill— the way she uses her lips to dismantle him entirely, gripping the back of his thighs to keep him in place as her head bobs feverishly, eyes watery as the edges of her mouth curl into a dirty grin around his cock. Needs to feel the way she digs her nails into his plush skin as she sucks and licks at the tip tauntingly, tracing sopping kisses down the veins that protrude along his length. Needs to hear her words of encouragement as she edges him towards release, goading him into making a mess— begging him to fill her mouth and get it all over her face.

All of Harry’s thoughts collapse together to form a single statement, which he utters in a gravelly voice through gritted teeth: “Fuck me.”

Y/N’s gaze sparkles with mischief, her fingers hooking along the hem of his underwear but not pulling down quite yet. She wants to make him work for it. “What was that?”

The garbled whine that escapes her boyfriend is full of so much bottled strife, it sends warmth flooding between her parted thighs.

“Fuck me.” He pleads, his accent deep and tattered, his grip on her locks tightening until stars dance across her vision. His head swings forward in order to lock eyes with her, his thick brows furrowed in deprived torment.

Under his white NASA t-shirt (which she’d gotten him as a joke when he first arrived), the alien hieroglyphic tattoos etched across the expanse of his chest begin to glow faintly. “Please?”

Y/N can feel her mouth begin to water in anticipation, and she’s nodding her head fervently in agreement before she can get a single syllable out. “Whatever you want, H. You—”

Her voice is suddenly cut off by Harry’s palm wrapping around her throat, his strength besting her due to her startled state. The dynamic of their encounter completely shifts as he tilts her face back harshly, holding her steady as he glowers down at her with a newfound darkness in the jade of his irises, the surrounding white glowing vaguely like the scripture on his body.

From the moment they started dating, it’s no secret that Harry usually favors being more submissive to her; he prefers to let Y/N take the reins most nights, based solely off the fact that she knows more about sex than he does. That preference also coincides with his nature— he’s reserved, quiet, and tends to fluster easily. It makes sense that he prefers letting someone else show him the ropes.

But Y/N is aware that his compliance is exactly that— a mere preference, and preferences can change over time. He can be dominating when he wants to, and though it took a while for Harry to be comfortable enough to reveal that side of himself, it most definitely exists.

Over the months they’ve been together, Y/N has taught him practically everything she knows, and over the last few weeks, Harry’s been taking authority of their sex life more and more frequently. She’s always more than happy to let him have it; it creates a sort of balance between them she didn’t know was missing. Having control over him is fun, of course, but giving up control to him is even more exhilarating, considering it’s newer territory.

She loves it, to say the least, especially when it’s sudden and unexpected. Such as now.

Y/N struggles to keep her composure in her boyfriend’s unyielding grasp, but she can’t deny the frothing at the pit of her stomach. Seeing him seize ownership like that— seeing him live up to his broad frame, chiseled features, and low register— satisfies her beyond anything else.

Her fingers crumple the fabric under her hands, balling into fists to hide the way she’s trembling with desire.

Harry ducks down, brushing his warm lips across her heated cheeks, the pad of his index finger admiring the outline of her Cupid’s bow. When he speaks, it weighs in low and dense, the way a humid fog would prickle her skin.

“You want to thank me, is that it?”

Y/N nods to the best of her ability, worrying the inside of her cheek with her teeth the same way he had earlier.

“I’ll show you how.” He rumbles, tapping the crescent atop her mouth lightly for significance. “Tongue out.”

She obeys without hesitation, ungluing her chapped lips and sticking her tongue out as far as it will go. Her whole face stings at the prospect of what’s going to happen next.

Sure enough, Harry moves his vice grip from her jugular to her jaw, keeping her in place as he spits into her mouth roughly. She winces at the merciless action, but there’s a certain electricity behind her eyes that shows she’s thoroughly relishing it.

“That should help some, hm? It’ll give some slip, make things go smoother.” He coos mockingly, a nasty smirk shadowing his features. “Are you going to thank me for that, as well?”

Though he phrases it as a question, Y/N can read between the lines— in truth, it’s a command.

Her voice is a frayed whisper. “Yes.”

Harry’s brows quirk into an expectant expression. “Go on, then. Thank me.”

Her lashes shudder as she collects her bearings. “Thank you.”

Harry squeezes her face in entertained acceptance, dusting a soft kiss to her sweaty forehead, the action drastically contradicting his others. “Such a good girl.”

The whimper that claws out of her is borderline pitiful. If her ears hadn’t revealed that to her, the cruel simper on her boyfriend’s face surely would have.

“Now how about you show me what that pretty mouth can do, and then maybe after dinner, I’ll return the favor.”

[ungrateful-cyborg-moved]

Enough time has passed that I can share my opinion about Dawntrail now. It's a potentially unpopular point of view at times so uh... beware? Idk, people have very strong feelings about stuff sometimes xD

At the very least, beware of spoilers.

Overall I liked the story. Liked it a lot more that Endwalker despite a few things that bothered me. The first half is the most solid to me, because the second half has too much incoherent stuff going on for my taste.

But first thing first. I'm really happy with how well they made us care for all those new people and this giant country. Once or twice, I wished they wouldn't insist on how diverse it is I must say, because while it's nice as a marketing point, it gets old after a while. I have eyes and ears, after all. I can see that for myself.

Wuk Lamat left me cold when we first met her. I was a bit worried about accompanying her at first because she's a character archetype I don't like that much, but she quickly grew on me through the expansion, and I love her now. I do think, however, that the voice acting didn't always match the energy of the scenes (in English. According to friends who use the French dub, it's not an issue in French). Since it also happened once or twice with Koana, I'm gonna assume it's due to how they were directed, but it took me out of the story on occasions.

I really really wish they'd stop with the world threatening shit though. They did it for Endwalker. Fine. Logic even, it was the end of a 10 years old story. Then they did it again with the patches, when really saving the dragon should have been motivation enough. Then they had to do it once more in the second half of Dawntrail, this time threatening the Source AND the reflections. Frankly, it feels cheap and unimaginative, I'm a bit disappointed and worried about what comes in future expansions if they can't find other reasons for us to fight. For a game that keeps insisting that doing the right thing is what matters, they certainly don't like making it our main reason to fight.

The Mamool Ja story bothers me. They survived for centuries on eating bananas apparently and there's no sign of deficiencies so clearly they're adapted to their environment? And if not, nothing stopped them from cutting down trees to make space for the sun? Idk the fact that they spent centuries down there but need a foreigner to teach them how to live well rubs me wrong.

Solution 9 looks dope, though. Loved meeting Otis and Gulool Ja. For Sphene, I understand why they kept Wuk Lamat as the focus, but it felt like a missed occasion to teach her that wanting the happiness of her people and actually bringing it are two different things. Instead, it felt like listening to a teenager telling you that fixing the world is easy when they have no idea what's even wrong with it. In character, perhaps, but frustrating when you have so much more practical experience.

Not to mention that Sphene's issues with the weight of expectations echoe nicely with the weight of the WoL's mantle, and we didn't even get to pipe in to try to connect with her. Or with Zoraal Ja, for that matter.

The twins were entirely unnecessary. Them joining us felt forced and nothing in the expansion made me change my mind. They have nothing to do here except stealing potential lines from the WoL to say out loud the most obvious thing like it's deep. I love them both, but they should have stayed in Garlemald. It's not like the Garleans give a fuck about how the rest of the world deal with their shit anyway, and they visited enough places already. Tural gave them nothing they weren't already aware of.

Erenville got many hugs from my WoL, idc that the MSQ won't make it canon.

I'm still indifferent to Krile, but the Scions didn't grow on me before ShB so I'm giving her time. Still, I would've liked it better if instead of the twins, we'd had her and G'raha with us instead. You know, the guy with actual ruling experience of people from diverse backgrounds.

Slightly disappointed we didn't get to fight Thancred and Urianger tbh. That would have been fun XD

The whole time shenanigans hurt my brain in the second part. Like, if 30 years passed in just a few days for us then they shouldn't have had time to prepare Tuliyollal's defense. The dragons intervening was cool but there were better ways to make it happen without mysteriously forgetting that time flows differently inside the dome. Unless I missed something to explain why very conveniently it aligns now?

I liked the last zone. Gpose bait lmao I found it sadder that Ultima Thule tbh. Though, uh... we were in a hurry. Now wasn't the time to talk to every dead people we met.

Also I don't think it'll happen since he seems to have joined the guards, but I want Bakool Ja Ja to travel with us and Erenville for a while xD

Overall, I really liked it don't get me wrong. Aside from Thancred and Urianger, I don't think any Scion was truly useful however (not even Krile). This was my main problem with the time stuff, but I suppose they're not ready to let them go just yet.

And the graphical update makes me want to travel through all the areas and take screenshots until my hard drive can't take it anymore x)