#it's a gunn thing on that level and every other one
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exploding-goobery · 29 days ago
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RE the tags
Yes it's very fun then bam emotional devastation
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G.I. Robot and Nina Mazursky Creature Commandos Season 1 Episode 3
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the-cat-and-the-birdie · 1 year ago
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Also don't think anyone has said this (thats a joke) but like, art styles aside:
The animation, expressions, movement, everything of ATSV is IMPECCABLE.
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Like insanely, ridiculously, almost mind bogglingly good.
[This is a MEDIUM length post]
The main strength is the Emotion -
In terms of animation, the range of emotions Miguel is capable of expressing is like... crazy good. Gwen's emotions ARE UNSPEAKABLY IMPRESSIVE.
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LIKE...ANIMATING HER FUCKING BREATHING???? AND BLINKS!! AS AN EMOTIONAL CUE. HELLO???!!
And the movie hinges on this - almost every scene has an emotional cue that HAS to hit. Whether is Jess's looks of hesitation or Peter B.'s looks of horror.
And this may seem like the most ridiculous comparison ever made but like...
The Bee Movie and Across the Spider-Verse came out FIFTEEN YEARS APART.
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THE BEE MOVIE...THIS MONSTRASITY that has plagued humankind - was made less than two decades from THIS:
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The fact that we progressed that far as a society (pun intended) in that short of a time will never not baffle me.
I genuinely cannot name any other animated movie that:
Has multiple styles throughout the duration
Can seamlessly change styles without the viewer immediately noticing (like Gwen returning to her universe)
Show two or more animation styles on screen at the same time (and no, Roger Rabbit and Space Jam don't count - that's half live action lol)
Just off the top of my head - ATSV shows up to three styles in one scene: I'm mainly thinking of the scene that shows Hobie (customized - style 1), Peter B. (standard - style 2), and Miguel (a light stylized - style 3).
It can be brought to four if you want to count Miles/Gwen, though their style isn't visible.
I can think of a couple scenes that genuinely blew me away in terms of animation -
One being Rio's 'What-EVER?!' because of the little stance correction and head bob she does, because it's such a natural thing to do. And it adds so much to an already perfect line.
It's something someone would genuinely do IRL without even noticing.
Another I LOVE is Pavitr and Hobie roughhousing.
Like, I can't yell about these five seconds of animation more.
It's SO fluid it looks like Motion-Capture and I left the theatre googling is any Mo-Cap was used in the movie (and from what I can tell - no, it's all original animation).
The way Pavitr falls to the side and bumps them - This not only being a natural reaction to Hobie and his weight, but it also LOOKS natural. So much so you can see it affect Hobie's model too. The movement has kinetic energy on both models -
Which is AMAZING CONSIDERING THEY'RE ANIMATED ON LIKE FOUR DIFFERENT TIMES.
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In this shot alone, there's the guitar, vest, AND Hobie, all of which have their own animation rules. Plus the outline on his guitar AND him. And then there PAVI too, who's running at a higher frame rate, touching and interacting with Hobie.
So much so that Hobie's model nearly wraps himself around Pavi. Pavi's hair is moving, Hobie's guitar is moving, there's movement in the background - and it looks GREAT.
PLUS THE CAMERA IS MOVING AND GOSTLING. IT'S NOT A STATIC SHOT. The models and camera are moving AS IF THEY'RE REAL when they're not.
That's - My..I CAN EVEN COMPUTE THAT.
But by far, I think the range of expression used on Miguel is like... Chef's kiss.
(of course I was gonna trick you into reading another post about Miguel. Uh-huh that's what's about to happen)
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Like... are you kidding me?
NAH DEADASS ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????
The whole later half of the movie hinges on Miguel looking buckwild crazy insane and they NAIL that. And like-
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Oh my god what the actual fuck
?????????????????????????? I........ I have nothing to add. After that picture......Nah... LMAOOO
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(left: actual photo of Moche watching this happen)
But Anyway chile, This movie is like.. genuinely a modern marvel.
If Marvel gave Tim Gunn 4 billion dollars and five years, whatever live-action rendition he would have made would not even compare to ATSV on any conceivable level - that's how good it is so jot that down.
And like...don't even get me started on Hobie..his design..his representation...girl I will start crying in this Arby's do not play with me
I just felt that needed to be said.
you get what I'm saying yall know what I mean iight coo
Here's a picture of Hobie to cleanse your palette.
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Bye.
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sarcasticace · 4 days ago
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Episode 7. Little bit of a live reaction. The opening, very tragic. Very emotional. But the dialogue, I can't help it, its so funny. "Doctor, this is beyond me, but you are the worlds leading most expect. So smart and handsome. And cool too. If anyone can save her, it would be you." I'm exaggerating just a bit like I do, but really.... they were laying it on real thick.
But that's not what I want to talk about. I love how every member of the creature commandos, more or less, are different kinds of monsters. Either literally, they are a robotic killing machine or walking, talking corpse. Or it their nature/origin story are metaphors for what 'a monster' means in our society.
Nina is an outcast. The whole group are a bunch of outcasts, yes, I know, but Nina was born into the world of humans. As was Dr. P, but unlike him, Nina never fit in. Dr. P lived most of his life as part of the human world. He had a childhood. Fell in love. Had a daughter. Then as an adult, he was pushed to his limits. Broken. Had everything taken from him. By the greedy and corrupt who didn't see him as an equal. As lesser. Someone who they can inflict harm onto because who gives a shit about anyone who isn't on their level. Everyone else is less important than the pursuit of profit. And how dare he threaten that profit. Everything was taken from him until the only thing left was his rage.
On the other hand, Nina never fit in. She was bullied. Rejected. Other-ed. Her being a monster is a very obvious, not at all subtle metaphor for how society treats people who do not fall within the expected standard of how we should look, act, etc. I could go on but I think a lot of us here get it or know what that's like. To be treated like a freak for being different in some way that someone doesn't like or thinks is abnormal. Nina never connected with other humans. She connected with other 'monsters'. That is where she finally fit in.
And then, MAJOR SPOILER ALERT, Nina dies. Seemingly. Most likely. Yeah, she's dead. No coming back from that. And as much as I'm sad that she's gone, in terms of the narrative, it was necessary. She was a casualty, an unnecessary casualty, of the actions of humans being awful to one another. Nina was never a monster. Waller was the monster. The princess was the monster. But Nina was an 'other'. She was expendable in Waller's eyes. That's why she was put on the Creature Commandos. Sent off to fight wars that weren't hers to fight. To suffer on their behalf so the humans don't have to. Die on their behalf. also of course nina dies and GI robot turns out to have been rebuilt. now its his turn to mourn her fuck you james gunn. Humans keep on being awful and we monsters pay the price.
Except this one time where the bride says fuck you.
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ordinaryschmuck · 2 years ago
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Alright, last time ever that I’ll talk about Velma. I promise.
Because I’ve been extra salty towards this show all week, and I don’t want to take it further than that. Talking nothing but bad stuff about this show for the entirety of its run is exactly what the writers want. They want us to hate watch it so we can talk about each new atrocity the show brings up week after week, and call us haters or anti-woke propagandists. When, in reality, they don’t give a FUCK about any of that. They don’t care about other races, genders, or sexualities. They just WANT you to think they do. Know how I can tell? Because I’ve SEEN genuine attempts of representation.
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THIS is a genuine attempt of representation. Matt Braly, the series creator of Amphibia and a Thai-American, felt like Thai culture was underrepresented in media. So, he not only made his main character and her Thai, but he also dedicated subplots and entire episodes showcasing the culture he wanted to represent.
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THIS is a genuine attempt at representation. Dana Terrace, series creator of The Owl House and open Bisexual, wanted a main character that was explicitly bi to finally help kids feel like they’re seen. To help give the representation SHE always wanted.
But when I look at Velma? None of it hits the same.
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This isn’t a genuine attempt for representation. This is Mindy Kuling turning a character into a self-insert to make herself look smarter than everyone else and the most important person in a narrative. Truth is, this Velma is nothing more than a sociopath, narcissistic dipshit who thinks she’s better than everyone else but is actually more aggravating than endearing.
So...Good job representing YOURSELF there, Mindy.
And this?
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This isn’t representation. This is a shield.
A way to protect the show from any criticism because it couldn’t possibly be bad. They have gay characters! Gay characters are good in everything!
Except that is the LAST reason you should include gay characters! Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE more LGBTQA+ representation in media. What I don’t love is obvious attempts to pander to audiences just to avoid criticisms. And keep in mind, this is NOT the first attempt a creator wanted to make Velma gay.
James Gunn wanted to make her gay in the live action movie, but WB said no.
Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated (the GOAT of the Scooby-Doo franchise) wanted to make Velma gay, but could only imply it because Cartoon Network didn’t greenlit Steven Universe yet.
THOSE are genuine attempts to make Velma gay, to represent people because the creators of both products agreed that it was the least they could do.
But making Velma and Daphne a thing just to protect a show is nothing more than shallow and inconsiderate of the hard fight dozens of people put up with for the sake of representation.
And, honestly, I’d be a little more forgiving if the writing in Velma was good. But it’s not.
Within the first minute, this show features...
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Cockroaches having sex...
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And fifteen year olds taking a shower to make a joke about how over-sexualized a series’ pilot can be.
First of all: FUCK YOU FOR MAKING ME FIND THIS SCREEN SHOT FOR A POINT!
Second: You lose every ounce of credibility that you actually care about people when one of the first moves you make in your series is to sexualize minors for the sake of a joke.
A joke that doesn’t make sense at that. Point me to a series pilot that’s over-sexualized. If you get more than ten, I’ll say you have a point. I won’t say that sexualizing minors to make it was a good thing, but I’ll at least say that, “Yeah. You’re right. So many pilots do this. SO STOP DOING IT!”
That’s the level of writing Velma has. And it’s why they have their “representation” to protect themselves. Meanwhile, you want to know the level of writing you’ll find in The Owl House and Amphibia?
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Villains who prove that the most dangerous people are the ones who make the rules.
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Jokes that are actually funny.
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Likable main protagonists who are kind and caring to the people around them.
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Protagonists who have heartfelt relationships with other great characters, to the point that it breaks your heart to see them leave each other.
And on top of that, actually good representation. But here’s the thing: The representation isn’t only genuine. It’s a bonus. Something great to add onto everything else the writers and the creators do right.
What it isn’t is an attempt to protect a show from what it does wrong.
And that’s it. That’s the LAST time I’ll ever talk about Velma. I really mean it this time.
Talking about this show past it’s premier is already more attention it deserves. And if you were smart, you would not only stop watching, but stop talking. The best attention to give something you hate is NO attention.
If you really want to waste time, waste it by watching something good, like The Owl House and Amphibia. They may be kids shows, but they have more maturity than a single second of Velma.
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I really, really wish everyone on the right would stop pretending certain people are awesome and on our side and everything they've ever done has been good actually just because they do one or two things that are pretty cool now.
This is mostly about Tulsi Gabbard, who despite being pro-government healthcare, pro-DACA, pro-Green New Deal, and pro-gun control, among other positions we wouldn't accept from people who have actually run as Republicans, is being turned into some kind of populist right wing hero just because she calls out the extreme left sometimes and left the Democrat party.
But it's also about Mel Gibson, who is apparently part of a group that stops human trafficking (which is good, if true), which means some people are now trying to pretend he's been using his movies and his public statements to expose truths and fight for freedoms forever, when mostly he's just been going on drunken anti-semitic rants.
It also applies to a lesser degree to people like James Gunn, who has about 30 tweets joking about being a pedophile but because he calls out cancel culture after being fired for five minutes because of those tweets he's suddenly based. Or Chris Pratt*, who has never publicly spoken about his political beliefs on anything, but because he's publicly religious and didn't want to film a campaign ad for Biden, we assume he's a secret right wing Hollywood guy and it's "safe" to watch his movies.
I'm not saying we shouldn't admire or respect someone for doing a good deed or supporting a righteous cause. Far from it. One of my other problems with the right is, paradoxically, how they'll sometimes cast someone who is right 99% of the time away like they're stale bathwater because they did something we don't agree with once. That kind of attitude doesn't win anyone over to our side. But that's also my point. We're way more willing to put horribly imperfect leftists (or potential leftists) on a pedestal just because they're on "our side" once or twice, while we demand ideological perfection from anyone we already think is with us at all times. Keep perspective. I know Trump worked out really well for us, but populism and populist euphoria, while at least somewhat necessary to politics these days, is a dangerous thing to indulge in too much. It's how you end up with cults of personality around people who end up destroying movements.
*So Chris Pratt doesn't really fit into the theme of this post, but I wanted to put him here anyway because it startled me how quickly people went from "He's just another Marvelshit actor" to "OMG he's just like us!" It's disturbing because, A, we don't know what his beliefs are and it's weird to assign him ours just because we like one thing he was public about, and B, because it shouldn't matter what his beliefs are. We rightfully disdain Hollywood and the culture it breeds and the people who thrive in that culture, but the moment a Hollywood lifer says something that even remotely sounds like they might not be left of Stalin we freak out and start acting like twitter stans? Come on, guys. Don't worship celebrity. And don't be so quick to assign virtue to people who have never publicly shown it. Someone at Chris Pratt's level, if he is truly "on our side", should be using their money and influence to do something about it besides going to church and mentioning God every so often. If someone from Hollywood shows up publicly at the March For Life, or publicly donates to a reputable pro-2A advocacy group, or does something like pay the legal bills of the Jan 6 political prisoners, that's who I'll respect and praise. But just not publicly being a raging leftist shouldn't be enough to get us creaming in our pants.
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thevindicativevordan · 2 years ago
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What would you like to see in Superman: Legacy? Do you think James Gunn is the right person to ''bring back'' Superman on big screens?
My top 10 wants:
Don't use Lex or Zod as the villain
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(Credit to David Jamison for the art). Take a look at all these guys, this doesn't even cover all of the options, there's a whole bunch of them we've never seen on the big screen. Pick one of them, preferably someone on the smaller end of the power scale so we didn't repeat MoS starting Superman's career with the entire city being destroyed, and advertise that it's a villain we haven't seen before. Right now Lobo remains the most likely choice for Legacy, but if instead they're using him for Supergirl, I want Metallo or Parasite.
2. Don't make Clark stoic, morose, or navalgazing
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After how boring Cavill's incarnation was, I'm ready for a Superman who is assertive and aggressive. He's young and eager to prove himself, or he should be. Let him show joy in using his powers, more scenes like Cavill's First Flight where Superman is clearly having a blast being himself after all the years of hiding. Let him talk shit to bad guys, after the last two guys were self-doubting Jesuses, I'm ready for the new Supes to be more cocksure. Yes we get that Superman can be a burden, but it can be a pleasure too. Remind the public of that side to him.
3. Draw on the animated Metropolises for inspiration design wise
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The DCAU, the League of Super-Pets movie, the Tomorrowverse, they've all given us some great looking Metropolises. Look to them for inspiration in designing the DCU Metropolis. For all it's other failures, I thought Superman Returns had a cool looking Metropolis too with all the Art Deco architecture. It's totally possible to make a Metropolis feel like it's own character, same as Gotham, but it requires abandoning "realism".
4. Take inspiration from the Snyder fight scenes but reign in the collateral damage
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If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know how I feel about the DCEU. Doesn't mean there aren't aspects of that which I think are worth building on. If there's one thing Snyder did right it's showing that Superman fights can be just as thrilling and visceral as Batman and Spider-Man. Only problem is that the level of destruction was way too over the top. Don't vaporize downtown Metropolis and you should be in the ballpark for what's acceptable. While you're at it, instead of destruction porn, why not make Superman be the one who comes away looking like hell? One thing I miss from the Raimi Spider-Man films is that Peter and his suit always got torn up by the end to show how tough the fights were. Do that to Superman instead of the city this time around. Give Superman black eyes, bruises, and bleeding cuts, I assure you that would be more impactful to the audience than seeing another CGI building explode.
5. Make a new Superman theme and costume
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Trunks, no trunks, s-shield on the cape, solid red cape, Fleschier s-shield, classic shield, something new, I don't care. I'm pretty open to Superman's suit being changed, and in fact I don't necessarily want a "classic" Superman suit. My only big grievance with Cavill's suit was the washed out colors and needing a thicker belt around his waist, but otherwise I thought his was fine. I would love to see the Gleason designed Reborn suit serve as the inspiration for DCU Superman suit. I've seen some people ask for the Williams' theme to be used, and that's a hard no people. Use it as a shorthand for Superman in general, but every new film Superman needs their own theme, just like Batman and Spider-Man.
6. Give me the Fortress of Solitude, Krypto, and the more fantastical elements
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If Krypto doesn't show up in Legacy, then we know he will be in Supergirl's film at least. Gunn naming All-Star Superman as a big influence should hopefully ensure we get these fantastical elements, especially since Gunn himself loves this kind of obscure memorabilia (he's the one who introduced the Infinity Stones into the MCU after all). Since we're jumping into a Superman who has already started his career, I want to see the Fortress of Solitude with the Intergalactic Zoo, and the Phantom Zone projector, and the Kryptonian war suit, and all the crazy trophies Superman collects over the course of his career. Superman Robots are a must.
7. Use Jimmy
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I know you've read Fraction's Jimmy Olsen mini Gunn, don't let me down! Go with Jimmy as Clark's surrogate younger brother and demonstrate why the two of them are good friends. Jimmy is perfect as the sort of comic relief character who still has emotional depth that Gunn loves.
8. Either kill the Kents off or keep them sidelined for now
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We've seen his Smallville upbringing and the Kents giving him advice countless times already. Kill them both off this go around or at the very least keep them sidelined. I'd rather see Clark treat Jimmy as his confidant over his parents for this incarnation.
9. Keep the shared universe at a distance
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I don't want Legacy to end up like The Flash, where the main character is just a vehicle to take us along for a trip to see other DC properties. I don't want Batman or any of the other DC characters showing up. Ideally I would prefer none of them were even referenced at all, but I recognize that's delusional. Sure you can have people make a passing mention of the freak in Gotham or a speedster in Central City, or a green guy in Coast City, but nothing more than that please.
10. Get Lois right... but don't put her and Clark together at the start
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After the DCEU completely rushed the pairing, I'd rather see a slow burn this time around. Pairing Clark at the start with someone else would certainly upset quite a few people, but it's what I would do. Have him and Lois be rivals/competitors at the start, he dates others at first as does she, but ultimately the two will of course get together. I would put Clark and Leslie together, that would make things interesting for when she becomes Livewire. For Lois if they're not doing Metallo in the Legacy, maybe have Corben pursue her while she fends him off? That would be good build up for Legacy 2. Just make sure the Clark and Lois actors have good chemistry together because the Cavill/Adams interactions were so painfully stiff.
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etherialises · 1 year ago
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── ( rachel zegler, gender apathetic, she/they. ) * ︰ alicia grace jimenez. chiron often praises their ardent temperament, but mr. d’s always going on about how they can be pretty venomous. that comes as no surprise, knowing that they’ve been at camp now for fifteen years and they turned twenty-three this year.
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BASICS.
FULL NAME  alicia grace jimenez NICKNAME(S)  ali, al AGE  twenty three DATE OF BIRTH  february 21 PLACE OF BIRTH  fort lauderdale, fl CURRENT LOCATION  long island, ny ETHNICITY  white latine GENDER  gender apathetic PRONOUNS  she / they ORIENTATION  bisexual & biromantic RELIGION catholic EDUCATION LEVEL  high school, ged LIVING ARRANGEMENTS  cabin 10 FINANCIAL STATUS  lower middle class SPEAKING VOICE AND ACCENT  south floridian, “long vowels” SPOKEN LANGUAGES english, spanish, greek
PHYSICAL APPEARANCE.
FACECLAIM  rachel zegler HAIR COLOR AND STYLE  dark brown, usually long COMPLEXION  cool, mid-toned tan EYE COLOR  dark warm brown EYESIGHT  poor, typically seen with glasses on her head HEIGHT 5'2 BODY AND BUILD  petite, lithe, delicate TATTOOS none PIERCINGS  ears, singular CLOTHING STYLE  ecclectic, primarily feminine, flow-y and loose cuts, lots of skirts DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS  large mouth SIGNATURE SCENT  suntan oil and various, cheap body sprays
PERSONALITY.
LABEL  the chameleon POSITIVE TRAITS  passionate, lively, friendly, adaptable, curious NEGATIVE TRAITS  vitriolic, spiteful, irresolute, irritable, unsteady TROPES manic pixie dream girl, the broken bird, cute and psycho, damsel errant, beauty brains and brawn, the ophelia TOUCHSTONES molly gunn (uptown girls), holly golightly (breakfast at tiffany's), sally bowles (cabaret), juliet hulme (heavenly creatures), penny lane (almost famous), jenna rink (13go30), daisy buchanan (the great gatsby), cordelia chase (btvs)
BEFORE CAMP.
triggers parental death
mateo jimenez meets aphrodite much like he would have met any other woman — in the crowd, at one of his rock shows in a little divebar. he doesn't think much of it at the time. beautiful women are a perk of his job, as it happens. a false name, a pseudonym of hers, and he's never the wiser for their brief love affair. a child, much less one that he didn't ask for, was never part of the plan. a gift, she calls it, though he's less certain of that. when he recounts the story to his daughter a few years later, her eyes wide and bright, he'll tell her it was because he had so much love to give and her mother knew that he needed them. and a loving father he is, while he can be. he gives up his music, he starts working in real jobs, moving them to where the work is, turning their travel into games so alicia, named for his mother, will never suspect it was because they have to. demigods are distinctive, and she is no different. he does what he can to protect her while he's there, though that does not last as long as either of them would have liked. she's only six when he passes, an accident, she's told, when the gentleman who informed her is asking where her mother is, the answer one she doesn't have. her mother's not there, her mother's never been there for her. no extended family that she knows, only seven with no answers. their answers will change everytime she's asked, but she knows to travel on her own now, using some of the same tactics her father did to evade danger — both human and monster. she gets used to relying on only themself for safety, occasionally taking up with others, but rarely sticking with them for as long as it would take for them know her, see her do her little rituals of protection every night, pray to a mother they're certain has never listened or cared. she gets by through asking for things, an explanation that earns her confused glances from others without homes, something they haven't had luck with. she doesn't know her persuasion is magical, only that it works. it isn't long, however, before some of these friends are not quite so normal, either. she knows they aren't like her, not exactly, but they seem to know more than her. one of them tells her there's somewhere she can go, where she wouldn't have to keep on the move as much anymore, where her mother's other children are. indignation strikes her more than desire, that her mother has other children and has not brought them to the same place after all this time, but the desire to have a family again wins out.
CAMP.
after her satyr friend explains everything about the gods, she isn't sure what to think, whether to believe them. she chooses to, for the sake of meeting siblings she may have, but there's a suspicion in her at the concept of gods outside of the god that her father raised her with. it's hard to disagree once she reaches camp, though, and sees the magic for herself. she spends the bulk of her time there — mostly training, which she liked, but also learning, which she liked less. she doesn't feel the same need to keep moving, feels safety finally for the first time since her father passed. aided by having friends with similar abilities, who understand what she means when she says she can just do something, or that the words on a page swim around for them the way alphabet soup does in the pot. it makes it easy to feel at ease there, to sink into comfort they haven't had before, and they rarely leave as a result, becoming a long term resident and one of the friendlier faces for new campers. her upbringing doesn't get brought up much, certainly not by alicia themself, and any mention of parents usually gets a swift subject change. their trust in her siblings and other demigods does not extend to the gods, to the mother who neglects. despite her comfort at camp, the distance she creates by letting few people in is a safety measure. fifteen years, longer than she had been on her own or with her father, and she does not want to risk not living up to the image they have had of her for so long. so she shapes herself to what she thinks people want to see, an image of perfection as they see fit, with little to no room for error. she wants to be everything to everyone, craves approval like it's water. she just wants to be enough.
tldr pathological people pleaser with abandonment issues, a different person to everyone
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vacantgodling · 1 year ago
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🩹 for any of your ocs? and also 🎻 for any paramour oc because I'm curious about that world's music scene
hey!! thank you for asking :) — sorry this gets very long LMAO. tw for tagetes being an abusive piece of shit.
🎻 VIOLIN — does your oc play any instruments? what is their skill level (beginner/intermediate/advanced/virtuoso/etc)?
tagetes can play instruments however they refuse to—they’re one of those “i never do anything for free” and the idea of performing for someone else is SUPREMELY offensive and degrading to them personally lmao. they do often hire musicians and ask them to perform extremely complex versions of symphonies to flaunt that they can hire such talented performers, but also as a cruelty. they found a particularly difficult movement by some bigwig composer and asked for one of their harem girls who’s talented in violin to play it for them. every time she messed up she’d have to start over and she wasn’t allowed to stop until her fingers bled. yknow. cuz they’re so normal 😒
iberis can play the piano passably but he isn’t particularly musically inclined. he dabbled with the idea of learning violin because violin prowess has some research showing it’s association with mathematical proficiency and because he’s a scholar he liked the idea of that. but he never ends up having enough time; getting a doctorate and all.
narcissus has no talent for music whatsoever though she does greatly enjoy it. large orchestral performances or showings are some of her favorite kinds of balls to attend because they make her feel refined and she loves to get lost in the way music sounds. clematis gunn (the shitty father of all these assholes) spent a considerable amount of money on tutors on a number of different instruments however she’s just tone deaf, bless her.
hyacinthus was never taught any instruments, not even in his tenure of living with tagetes. hya would’ve refused regardless—he and tagetes are somewhat alike in the idea of performing for someone else is not ideal. hya, unlike tagetes though, does appreciate the arts—he’s just more fond of books and things he can do quietly on his own.
lavendula is the most musically gifted among the gunn family’s lot. she is proficient in “pretty” instruments as her mother calls them; flute, violin and harp. she doesn’t enjoy them as much as her other proficiencies but when asked she can perform rather well.
aloe has a lovely singing voice but he prefers to sing in temple choruses or praises for The Shepherd. he doesn’t usually engage with secular music.
in terms of lower class characters, music is very eclectic and more down to earth; working with what’s available and learning proficiency in that than any sort of formal training. i would say that terian is the most musically inclined of lower class characters because he can play the guitar and his voice has an amiable timber to it.
🩹 ADHESIVE BANDAGE — does your oc have any physical and/or mental disabilities?
i haven’t diagnosed many of my characters in the mental illness realm just bc it can get a bit dicey with the whole “representation” vs demonization debate and i’d rather not get into the weeds of that if i can avoid it sorry. i think the only character i have truly diagnosed for anything is jenna in the liminal space series because her being autistic is a very important part of her character. you can definitely see where some of my characters may or may not have certain dx’s but yknow. it’s more up for the reader to decide than for me to be forthcoming about.
though a good number of characters have ptsd tbh bc of the horrors.
physically disabilities wise, tcol has the most characters with disabilities just because as many of them are adventurers and fighting yknow. Creatures and the like, it can fuck ya up basically. off the top of my head:
eryn would be considered legally blind because she’s chaos touched in both eyes. it’s somewhat of a toph situation from atla where she has a sort of “sight” but not for just everyday stuff. she can essentially see the aura of chaos around things which is why/how she’s able to still be a ranger—a sight heavy class—she’s able to aim using the aura of chaos, which is something she teaches forte. it makes her shots more accurate and deadly tbh. i haven’t fully worked out how disabilities devices work in tcol yet (it’s on my tcol todo list but there’s so much worldbuilding on that thing i need to do LOL) but id imagine she has some sort of sight cane or something similar.
spoilers (but idc sorry), forte also becomes chaos touched in one eye after an Incident which leaves him partially blind in one eye and deaf in that ear on the side of the attack. he also develops a limp after this situation
karenza, from the same Incident also becomes physically disabled however i haven’t decided how quite yet lol
erebos (for this universe) has a skin condition where he is essentially albino; he was basically dead for 30 minutes due to a childhood accident and all the color drained out of him. he was able to be revived but he has a higher sensitivity to the sun and is immunocompromised for all intents and purposes. in a similar vein, helix, charissa, and altair have a similar condition but slightly Altered because of the special circumstances of their existence and the fact that they were able to be partially healed. after the fact it looks somewhat like vitiligo and the immune-issues are somewhat there in some ways i haven’t fully fleshed out how completely yet.
(spoilers idc sorry), erik loses an arm bc of a different Incident. like the whole thing unfortunately so. he does end up going to marthveil to see if he can get a prosthetic eventually.
aside from tcol i think the only other character i have that i can think of rn would be lennon from gothica bc spoilers idc but her legs get Fucked Up after the Big Incident with aurora and so she uses crutches and has a wheelchair later on in the second book.
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sivavakkiyar · 1 year ago
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you seem to like it so I’m gonna ask you, what is up with Persona 5 and jazz memes? why does it piss bros off so bad lol
in a sense it’s just standard gatekeeping stuff, but I’ll make an argument for it. Jazz has a kind of unique status in the 20th century as being a genre of music that’s simultaneously popular music and art music, though from about the mid 50’s on it starts to move more towards the latter while still having a relevance to the former. In the late 50’s there was this show called Peter Gunn that you definitely know the theme music for: the soundtrack for it, explicitly jazz, was a kind of gateway for a lot of people to look into the genre as a whole. When I was a kid and I think still today the score for Cowboy Bebop did the same thing. Persona 5 is less distinctly ‘jazz’ than either of those, but it has a distinctly ‘jazzy’ feeling in that kind of post-nujabes way that seems to get a lot of people interested (tho I think often in later forms, like jazz fusion or jazz hip hop or acid jazz. Whatever, jazz)
So all three are great, right? In my opinion, anyway. On the one hand what makes them ‘gateways’ are that they’re associated with other media that renders connecting to the music easier. On the other hand, the fact that they’re primarily *scores* means that from the perspective of the genre they’re very direct—-the medium of scoring means that you have about a second to set the mood, which means the stuff is generally “simpler” from the perspective of the music that is made to be primarily music: primarily textural, immediately melodic, short, immediate constant hooks. In truth it’s a different form, it wouldn’t be as successful if it wasn’t like that—-but it is what it is.
anyway what winds up happening of course is that as people get into the genre they get very defensive and argumentative for what got them into it, and so for every person saying ‘that’s not even real music’ you’ll have 3 or 4 people saying that it’s actually a masterpiece of the form, perhaps superior to the standard material of the form they might not have down yet (no joke: there’s a famous review of Coltrane’s Giant Steps where the reviewer explicitly says that the Peter Gunn soundtrack is superior on every level for all the above qualities mentioned: at least people like listening to it, only the pretentious could possibly prefer Coltrane or Bird, this is old stuff)
essentially standard fandom stuff, except it’s with music so people get particularly weird about it. Don’t sweat it. Like what you like and keep and open mind, keep in mind different things have different goals, don’t pay too much attention to memes
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starmora · 2 years ago
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I think Gunn cared about all the characters but he cared about the finale he wanted even more. The difference in character building, paying attention to smaller details and giving more equal space to each individual dynamic in vol 1 & 2 compared to what we see in vol 3 is pretty noticeable. Even with its flaws IW balanced muiltple characters and smaller plot points better than vol 3. As others have said in vol 3 you'd think IW and EG never happened. You have barely any idea about what happened after EG either except Peter clearly fell apart and Gamora somehow ended up a ravager who was somehow keeping up Nebula for some undisclosed amount of time. That's not good storytelling. We don't even know if the characters think Gamora was ressurected with no memory or if they know she's from the past. I'm also confused because the film treats it as if Gamora herself wasn't in EG
Gamora finally got to connect with the guardians and at least feel something for Peter but that's it. She's back with the ravagers like she didn't just go through a pretty emotional experience that opened up a whole new view of herself and what had happened before. I get the ravagers are who she's been with but there's too much that's went on to act like things hadn't changed.
I don't know what happened behind closed doors and I'm sure there were more details to all of this than we will know. But I do think people had enough self awareness to realize Gamora shouldnt stay dead dead but not enough to realize just being alive and present wasn't enough. Add to that Gunn having zero flexibility to work with the complexities of a shared universe and sexism/biases and everything became disjointed. There's good stuff for Gamora in vol 3 but there needed to be more and I think whatever small details played a part in larger decision making need to be talked about by Gunn away from Twitter so there aren't vague answers running amuck or a dozen different types of responses to the same question that are similar enough to not be a complete contradiction but different enough wording to cause confusion.
You’re right, maybe it’s unfair to say he doesn’t care about Gamora but it just feels like he cared about Rocket and his story the most and Gamora is unfortunately the one who suffered the most for this, for some odd bizarre reason, when it really didn’t have to be that way.
It’s funny you mention that about not knowing anything after eg, because I went with my mom to see the movie again (this was her third time seeing it with me, and she has seen every other movie the guardians are in multiple times, so it’s not like gotg is new for her) and she turned to me and told me she was confused about pretty much everything that happened in the opening of the movie and asked me what happened for them to have gotten to the point where they all have this base on Knowhere and Gamora is a ravager and everyone doesn’t seem to really care what she’s been up to and she asked me to explain it to her and I just. Couldn’t, because there wasn’t an answer. Like you just have to use your imagination I guess and that’s fine but it also feels like he just kind of wanted to jump to the end and tell his rocket story and get out.
I truly believe he thought about it and considered what would be best for her but it’s just clear to me he didn’t give her the same level of attention he gave Rocket or Peter, and honestly probably didn’t even consult anyone or get any sort of second opinion on it because he just doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to do that with all his talk about having complete control lmao. And like in a perfect world where infinity war had never happened to her, I don’t think that would have mattered AS much but it did and she needed a little more love and attention from Gunn because of it that he seemingly just didn’t wanna give
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dilfdoctordoom · 1 year ago
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Since you have so much knowledge about the comics do you think there was any way vol 3 could have incorporated the ravagers into more of the plot based on something from them?
I wasn't a fan of the ravagers and would have preferred vol 2 be the last time we saw them. Definitely didn't like Gamora being made part of their crew and that being where she ended up. That said if they're all James Gunn wanted I wish he had connected them to the main plot better and Gamora's old and new life felt merged by the end. It's like she's not on the level of the other guys now because he concluded her arc without ever giving her more tangible relationships with everyone. The description of the Strange Tales you mentioned sounds like it would have been the best story to adapt for vol 3, but since ravagers are what we got I'm trying to figure out how it could have been stronger.
Also this is a little off topic but reading your posts about Gamora have made me realize how badly we all need to go back the the drawing board when it comes to ideas about feminism and strong female roles. Not wanting to see every woman in a relationship or only being a love interest should never have become every lady needs to be single and alone. That's not equality or complexity. It's just as limiting as the things people are fighting against. There desperately needs to be much more understanding for the fact that white women are not the default of womanhood. Not every woman has been portrayed the same throughout the history of film. Gamora doesn't have to have a boyfriend but it will never be feminist that she lost her relationship because she was murdered. It's not lost on me that many fans have far less issue with white women being loved by popular male leads. Especially if those male leads are white. That needs to change. It's also not a win for the ladies that Nebula got a good arc because she was gifted Gamora's leading role on the team and Mantis wasn't even considered for a more leading role. That means James Gunn cared so little for all the women that he didn't bother to create enough space in his story for all to be on the team together in more equal prominence and no one losing the spots they previously had. Furthermore it's going backwards to have Gamora missing from Legos, funko's, marvel legends etc. Nobody is winning here when I can find multiple versions of all the men and Gamora is left out.
See, the thing is, there's a very obvious story with Gamora & the Ravagers and it annoys me endlessly that it wasn't taken, as it's a wonderful way to respect 2018 Gamora's legacy.
And that's this: Gamora is the heart of the Guardians. She's their moral center. Vol 1 & 2 established this and Vol 3 could've continued it with the Ravagers.
It's clear that the Ravagers are meant to be an homage to the original Guardians team that debuted before the modern revival. They just.... never get to act very heroic.
Gamora's how you fix it. It'd work her into the plot better too; 2014 Gamora did join the Ravagers... and she's slowly turned them from a band of thieves to a group of freedom fighters.
High Evolutionary is evil, we know this, the galaxy knows this-- so instead of Gamora joining up with the Guardians for money, it's a matter of the Ravagers and the Guardians working the same damn job.
It makes it clear that wherever Gamora goes, a family forms around her, one that's good and heroic because of her influence. It can be done to parallel the original Guardians. It gives the Ravagers their proper due and lets this Gamora establish herself while also respecting 2018 Gamora's legacy.
Of course, that's not what we got.
"Gamora doesn't have to have a boyfriend but it will never be feminist that she lost her relationship because she was murdered" EXACTLY Gamora didn't fall out of love, they didn't drift apart, she didn't grow out of that relationship-- she was violently murdered by her abuser. It was never an act of feminism to take away her love interest for the crime of being fridged.
Gunn's refusal to make space for women is especially glaring considering the run he chose to adapt. GOTG2008 isn't perfect by any means, but it did average 3 women in leading roles at a time, with arcs & forward-facing relationships. Phyla, Mantis, Gamora, and Heather were critical to the team's foundation & their dynamic. It's telling that Gamora was the only one allowed in the first movie, that a dumbed down and stripped-of-competency Mantis was let in for the second, & Phyla was only allowed a glorified cameo as a child.
The removal of women & their importance from this franchise is always gonna be an issue for me. I don't care how well done Nebula was, the women of color & queer women shouldn't have had to lose out for her existence. Ideally, they'd all coexist with the ease that all the men were allowed to.
But that'd mean giving a shit about women & at this point, I doubt that Gunn's all that capable of that.
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caatws · 2 years ago
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I do not know if I am the only one, but can they just make starmora get back together off screen if anything similar to other couples they have done? I dont think Gunn was debunking the first part, I mean he doesnt know that since he is not working at marvel anymore. I know that the "real" comment might seem weird but I think he just means that Gamora is back with the family she is deeply attached to, but that doesnt mean she doesnt consider the guardians a family to her in a way, after all Gunn said if you understand groot then tou are part of the family.
I know Pratt said he might be back but I doubt its anything big in the future, as for Zoe I could see her in pretty small stuff like cameos or small roles since she said she would like Gamora to continue. I highly doubt they will pair them up with someone else.
off the top of my head, the only time i can remember the mcu making a broken up (not just in the literal sense of "they broke up" but like in general a ship that was canon and then not canon) ship canon again off-screen was between cacw and homecoming when they had pepperony go from broken up to seemingly back together again offscreen, at least enough to get engaged for the media when peter parker decided not to join the avengers, and then next time we see them ~2 years later in iw they're planning a wedding
i'd love to see starmora get together again off-screen in some way like this too, but being realistic, i just wouldn't get my hopes up. bc idt ppl, on both the studio and audience level, rly care abt peter quill or his relationship with gamora the way they do with tony or pepperony
it makes sense that they did it for pepperony bc it's tony mf stark. the dude was practically the face of the entire mcu, along with steve, for a decade. the entire avengers franchise centered him, and his relationship with pepper was part of both his solo films and every avengers ensemble film. the story of his relationship was one that you could probably find countless casual viewers of the mcu to know abt and be fans of etc. if pepper ever died we would've gotten tony probably going berserk (understandably so) in canon, followed by countless irl thinkpieces and tweets and more abt how tony was justified, tony is grieving, tony this, tony that, ad nauseam. in other words, it doesn't surprise me that canon, fandom, and general viewers would all bend over backwards to keep pepperony together, even if just for the sake of forwarding tony's arc, pepper as an individual be damned lol
with peter and gamora...i just don't see that same energy rly happening for them. i mean, even yesterday i accidentally came across an article abt how iw "rushed" peter and gamora's romance bc it was so much more serious in iw than where the two left off in vol 2 and it's like...do ppl even know 4 years passed between those 2 films? so if the general audience isn't rly that invested in starmora does marvel need to make an effort to make it canon again later?
i'm sure there will be opportunities for cameos and all that in the future for some of the gotg depending on where things go. i was just going off of the final screen of text at the end of vol 3 which suggested our next iteration of peter is gonna be a little more removed from the gotg we know, including gamora, since it Only said him. maybe he'll join up with the avengers again since he's back on earth for now and there will be some avengers characters who still remember him? idk
so to wrap this up bc again i got super wordy lol sry...i don't think anything's ever impossible, i just wouldn't be surprised if this is truly the end of the line for starmora being together "again" in canon. like i think what it is for me is i don't rly expect anyone at marvel studios to care more abt starmora than gunn, and this is the route gunn took with it (understandably) and now gunn's done, so i think things are just generally pointing more toward starmora ending here than not
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dragon-snoots-a-boopin · 2 years ago
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As someone who is still watching and, for the most part, enjoying the Arrowverse, I found some interesting things about the co-creator, Marc Guggenheim from an article.
“I’ll be honest: I would have like to have gotten at least a meeting. Not a job, mind you. A meeting. A conversation. A small recognition of what I’d tried to contribute to the grand tapestry that is the DC Universe. I’d only spent nine years toiling in that vineyard, after all. And then there was some other stuff which basically boiled down to me lamenting that although working for DC had been creatively fulfilling, it involved a lot of adversity, challenges, and personal sacrifices-none of which seem to have accrued to any professional benefit. Simply put, the Arrrowverse hasn’t led to any other gigs, so if feels-at least on a career level-that I really wasted my time”.
Now, as someone who is enjoying the Arrowverse, it’s kind of jarring to read that someone who is the co-creator of it having felt like they wasted their time making it. Sure, not every show is perfect, not every season is perfect. Some seasons of shows are good and some are not. But I also feel like Marc should be proud of what he accomplished, even if James Gunn and the other new heads of DC are not going to recognize what Marc did.
I mean, if there’s one thing that I feel the Arrowverse nailed is the casting. Stephen Amell is perfect as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, Grant Gustin as Barry Allen/Flash, Melissa Benoist as Supergirl/Kara Zor-El, Cress Williams as Jefferson Pierce/Black Lighning, Tyler Hoechlin as Clark Kent/Superman and everyone that is in Legends of Tomorrow because I’m lazy and don’t feel like listing out all those actors. I do wish that Grant’s Flash or Amell’s Green Arrow go to appear or were in the their own movies about their characters. We also can’t forget some of the star power that Marc was able to pull on to these shows like having Tom Felton appear on several episodes of Flash, Ezra Miller appearing in the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, Danny Trejo as Breacher on Flash and so on.
So while it almost feel insulting as a fan to hear that Marc feels that he wasted those nine years in the Arrowverse, I also do agree that he deserves to be recognized for what he accomplished.         
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Any thoughts on what's been announced for upcoming DC movies? Especially about the fact that they're adapting Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow apparently
RE: The DC announcements as a whole:
It's just so early, and DC/Warner Bros has such a bad track record when it comes to their films. Pretty much every DCEU post I've ever made has aged like milk. XD
But, hmmm. Some rapid fire reactions:
Glad it's basically one big reboot. Toss the entirety of the DCEU, there is nothing worth saving. XD
Superman starting off the new films? YES. YES. MY BOY.
Damian as their first live action Robin is an interesting choice!
I don't have HBO Max, so I will continue to miss all of those projects entirely. XD
Nooooot really a fan of the way they're handling the casting? Apparently it's gonna be like. One actor that will portray the character across all mediums and...mmmm.
Screen acting and voice acting are two very different things.
(Like listen I enjoyed What If...? but HOO BOY it has some bad voice acting from the MCU folks.)
Uhhhh...what else, what else. Hmmm.
Seems like a good blend of A-listers and deep cuts, but again, it's SO early, there's nothing of substance that's been announced for the various projects, really all I can personally say is, like, 'Cool!' XD
Oh, hey, credit where credit is due: It isn't just, 'Oops! All Batman!' thank goodness.
RE: Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow film adaptations SPECIFCALLY
In general:
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BUT ALSO:
This announcement was at the bottom of DC's press release and the way my level of investment went from 0 to 60, I tell ya. XD
SO, SO COOL that Gunn has decided to go with this story SPECIFICALLY to adapt. Like. Congrats to King, Evely, Lopes, etc.
...Less cool, the way he decided to describe it in the press release? XD
His little sound bite is honestly what folks assume this book is. EDGEY, HARDCORE KARA.
And like. It is a dark book, but it is so tempered with hope!!!
But eh. It makes for a punchy headline on clickbait sites, so. I get it. XD
And again: like any of these announcements, way, waaaaaaaay to early to have strong feelings one way or the other, but. BUT.
I will say...this book is Evely and Lopes. Like. King writes a beautiful story here, but the art.
THE ART.
The art makes it sing.
And I personally don't have a ton of faith in a live action take on the material, in that regard.
Also this comic is nothing but wall to wall narration so that'll be...interesting?
Honestly now that I'm thinking on it this book is gonna be a pretty tricky tightrope act--there are a myriad of ways it could go...wrong. XD
But hey! WHO KNOWS.
....
...
OH HEY WAIT maybe DC will promote this book now and give it a hardcover release because WHAT THE HECK, DC. WHAT THE HECK.
HUman TARGET gets not one, but TWO hardcover volumes--HUMAN TARGET. But you cannot be bothered to collect an Eisner Nominated, CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED book in a FANCIER FORMAT THAN A TPB!??!?!?!!!?!??!?!?!
(For the record I like Human Target but I promise you, this man is NOT a high profile character, why does DC think they can move more books starring CHRSTOPHER CHASE than SUPERGIRL?!??!?!)
(I'd blame sexism but Action Comics only has TPB releases as well. *shakes fist* Detective Comic Comics!!!!! AARRRGHHH!!!!)
TL;DR - Some very compelling announcements, but until I am sitting in the theaters, watching these movies with my own two eyeballs, I won't believe any of them will *actually* exist. XD
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enigma731 · 2 years ago
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Hello! I've been slowly backing away from being online too much because I know the closer we get to vol 3 coming out the more likely for spoilers and I want to avoid that. But I stepped back on here for a minute and have been reading all these great vol 3 comments and wanted to cosign all of them! I also wanted to take the time to say that I think it's important to remember that gotg has never been the type of franchise that's trying to teach the audience a lesson about how hard life can be. It's been the franchise that understands and acknowledges that the audience already knows how hard life is. That many of us have been hurt, abused, lost people we love and are in general struggling. So what the films have done is remind us even with all of that there are still reasons to live, love and give something you care about your all. It reminds us that there is the ability to have second chances when you least expect it and that overcoming and healing from trauma even though hard, is possible. We don't need to worry about Gamora not becoming a guardian or failing to reconnect with her loved ones in some attempt to teach any of the guardians a lesson or for "stakes/realism" because they aren't trying to teach us the audience some lesson or get us to understand stakes. They know and consistently acknowledge we the audience already get it. We're living and breathing stakes and hard life lessons every day and what we really need is hope. At the end of the day gotg is a message to still have hope. We are groot is saying we the audience and the characters are all in this together. Also, I know people wish we could have had more focus on Gamora in the holiday special or more about her in the marketing, but here's the thing. In many ways the holiday special wasn't just about acknowledging Peter's grief, it was also about acknowledging the audiences grief. It was about giving us a moment of joy because they know we miss Gamora too. That we're sad and want her back just as much as Peter. The holiday special was like a much needed hug for Peter and the audience. Aspects of the marketing play into this as well. The sdcc trailer wasn't just about reuniting Peter and Nebula with Gamora, it was reuniting her with us as well. So many people have been asking where is Gamora, when is she coming back and will she reunite with the guardians. The sdcc trailer answered all of this for us. You have already beautifully stated the setup for a romance with the marketing and others have pointed out that gotg is an all encompassing love story. Adding to that I think it's our love story as the audience too. We love these characters and Gunn shows his love for us through them. So really we don't need to worry about Gamora failing to be a guardian again because Gunn doesn't want us to fail. We don't have to worry about her losing out on falling in love with Peter and all the other characters because Gunn doesn't want us to lose out on all that love. I also think that in many ways Peter and Gamora's struggle with how Gamora came back represents our struggle. Like Peter many of us were not expecting to get her back this way and it's been hard. Like Gamora many of us are even concerned about her being the same person. But as Peter works through his grief, we will work through ours. As Gamora finds herself so will we. As they both become able to see past the ideal set up to the truth of this being an unexpected second chance, so will we. And when they overcome this obstacle to win in the end, we will win too. Hopefully some of this has made a smidgen of sense and will resonate on some level with someone.
I have nothing to add to this lovely analysis but I'm sure it will resonate with others! Thanks for contributing to the reassurance.
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cress-meadowforge · 5 months ago
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flashback; fall/winter 107 before the 136th biannual hunger games
ft. @cain-gunn
The streets of the Capitol may have been distinctly carved, paved flawlessly and level, but their names blurred. Glory Lane, Valor Circle, Victory Street– Cress searched down each one. The issue with District Zero was that it operated like a vascular system, veins stemming from the core out and up. Though the city stretched miles, so did the vast expanse of catacombs beneath it. One end and the farthest other would always be connected, and so there was no telling where Cain had ended up. But eventually, in the eerie early hour when all was silent and dead and dark, Cress saw an odd shape: Cain, hunched and rounded, his blonde hair tinted blue-black, slumped body leaning against a wall. 
“Cain?” she called, stepping quicker through the stagnant night. They were alone, but the notion wasn’t comforting. Something felt deeply wrong. 
Cain had all but forgotten he’d called by the time Cress showed up. Her face hovered in the distance, her voice fuzzy and far away. Nothing seemed to reach his senses in real time, and the world around him was still spinning wildly. “Cress?” He asked, looking up at her with his brow furrowed. “You’re really here?” He questioned, because Mack had been honest with him about being a figment of his mind, so Cress probably would be too. If she wasn’t real, she would tell him. 
“I’m really here,” she promised, though it seemed a strange thing to assure. Cress knelt at his side, fingers brushing the hair – clumped and damp with sweat – from his forehead. 
“I-” he started, his head lolling back onto the brick wall with a thud, though the pain didn’t register. He sucked in a steadying breath, hoping it would be enough to keep him both semi-upright and not sick on the ground. “You didn’t have to come here,” he told her apologetically. Even beneath the haze of drugs and alcohol, Cain felt a flash of guilt for having pulled Cress out of bed. “I’m good. I’m good,” he assured her as he started on the painstaking task of trying to stand up. Cress pleaded for him to stay, to still, but he persisted. With each inch he managed, Cress followed suit, hands splayed to keep him steady, though it was a doomed feat from the go. Cain made it nearly halfway before he tipped forward and fell shoulder first back to the concrete below him.
“Oof–” Cress stumbled beneath the weight, the force bringing them both to the ground. Her body broke the fall, hands grasping for his clothes, his limbs, something firmer than the core of him, which seemed unable to support itself. “It’s okay. You’re okay–” Cress tried to shift him upward, upright, but there was little give. She was strong – Career strong, trainer strong – but she’d been bedridden and then healing. Now, she was just struggling. “Stop it,” Cress wrestled against him, tone firm in a way reserved rather solely for Slate (who was, by all accounts, an unreasonably stubborn being). Here, it seemed fitting. “I need you to work with me.”
“Okay, okay,” he mumbled, trying to shift so his weight wasn’t pressing down on Cress. “Sorry,” he added, realizing he’d knocked them both over. He moved slower this time, letting Cress lead the charge on getting them both standing. His limbs were heavy, so every motion needed to be deliberate or he’d fall over again. He brushed gravel off the fresh scrape across his palm, blood blooming in pin-prick dots over his skin. Cain tried to take a step, but directionless, he ended up stumbling forward and then overcorrecting back. His back collided with the brick wall, so Cain just stayed there, resigned to leaning against the structure which was much more steady than he was. “Cress?” He asked, tugging at the collar of his shirt in a feeble attempt to relieve himself of the waves of heat that seemed to be rolling over him. “I want-” Cain wanted to be home in his own bed. “I need to-” he needed to puke, he was pretty sure. “I’m just gonna lay down for a few minutes, okay? Standing is too hot. I’m just gonna-” He could feel himself tilting, losing his war against gravity. Cress was losing too. “Just gonna lay down. Five minutes, I’m gonna be on the ground right here.” She adjusted her approach; instead of trying to keep Cain up, she shifted to cushion beneath. If he was going down, she couldn’t stop him, but she could prevent him from crashing back onto concrete.
So Cress sat back against the wall, and Cain sprawled across the sidewalk, his head held in her lap. He tried to find Cress’ face through the darkness, but focusing on anything was an impossible task. “Tomorrow,” he decided suddenly. “We can get pancakes, and everything will feel good again.”
“Alright,” Cress conceded, brushing the hair from his eyes and off the back of his neck. He was warm, flushed, sweating. “Let’s breathe for a bit, and then we’ll try again. Some rest, a shower, and then pancakes,” the words meant to entice. “You’ll be alright.” But Cress felt like that was a lie. Tomorrow would come, yes, but Cain wouldn’t be feeling better.
Things wouldn’t be alright again for a long time.
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