#it's so funny (and sad. but let's use the funny lens this time)

[inamindfarfaraway]

How Hermes talks about Luke to others: (the most adoring, protective, forgiving father you've ever met, full of praise and admiration, refuses to give up on him no matter what crimes he commits, defends him to the heroes and begs them to show him mercy, utterly crushed by regret for his own failures)

How Hermes talks to Luke:

[rootspiral]

Agatha All Along deep dive: episode 1 part 4

(Wandavision entries: [1][2][3])

(AAA entries: ep1 [1][2][3][4] ep2 [1][2][3][4] ep3 [1][2][3] ep4 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][+1] ep5 [1][2][3][4][5] ep6 [1][2][3] ep7 [1][2][3][4][5][6] ep8 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] ep9 [1][2])

well, well, well, if it isn't the consequences of my own actions

do you think it took Rio a long time to choose her revenge dress? did she agonize over every detail? I picture her process like, okay I need an outfit that says fuck you (threatening) but also fuck you (horny) and fuck me (very horny) and then circle all the way back to FUCK YOU THOUGH (VERY threatening)

as to why Rio goes from super soft to *that* - I see it as the equivalent of the TV trope where someone almost dies and their loved one is very concerned, but as soon as there's no danger they slap them around the head and call them a fucking idiot. this is Rio's WELCOME HOME, CHEATER moment (Agatha has been kiiiind of been cheating death, lbr)

this is the best way rio could choose to approach agatha too, and not only because it lets her express all that pent up anger. what would be the alternative? sit Agatha down and have a honest chat? Rio knows her too well, she knows it would be simply too much. Agatha *is* more comfortable with big bombastic scenes, with violence that is a lot like foreplay. Rio is looking out for her right now, she is making it as easier for Agatha as she can, while also not letting her get away with her bullshit any longer.

one little sentence, so many ways to read it

only physically. she's not letting you in. not anymore. you'll have to save her from herself kicking and screaming. dear god she's actually honestly crying. this is a WHOLE fucking deal. and it's also the first time she sees Rio while knowing WHO rio is. she's feeling all the feelings

girls. GIRLS. how am I supposed to take decent screenshots if you keep flinging each other at walls. keep STILL! (look at the furniture btw, isn't it a bit curved? I think they're still using a fisheye lens. reality is still shifting. almost as if we're in the presence of an otherworldly being)

oh the metaphor of it. sometimes you just have to reach out and connect, even if you get hurt in the process.

BECAUSE SHE'S BEEN SHIELDING FOR SO LONG TO HIDE FROM PAIN. OH MY GOD. did a 2000s emo kid write this

every other MCU fight wishes it were this perfect storm of hot and emotionally devastating

Rio cannot physically kill Agatha, it's not allowed, she's only the collector. So what is she trying to do, exactly? Has Agatha really been cheating death for so long that Rio has no choice but to bring her in? Or is she not here to collect at all and this is just her way to get back at her ex (and possibly win her back)? I adore both options, they're tragic in different ways.

time to bullshit! time to bolt! time to get to that escape route! this is what Agatha does best. anything but face the truth

funny how agatha usually has no problem looking undignified. it's almost like this is not the point at all. so let's review: wanda has stripped agatha of the powers that have been keeping her hidden from rio. rio comes over to confront her - and not kill her, she wouldn't be allowed anyway. she does it in a way that agatha would find less scary than having a mature convo. still, agatha has to face things she's been escaping for so long and it's simply too horrifying, too overwhelming. the fact that she's joking around so much (while her future conversations with rio will be sad, soft, dramatic) tells you just how scared and how miserable she is. She's begging rio to stop, because even fighting and flirting, which is their comfort zone, is proving too much. And what does rio do? She listens and goes away. only temporary, she won't let her off the hook now that she has found her. but she's still willing to go at Agatha's pace.

aubrey plaza I would die for your evil little face

can I just say that agatha trying to flirt right now is devastating? she is at the end of her rope. she does NOT want rio to stay, doesn't trust herself around her in so many ways. but she knows how much rio wants her and just... she tries to manipulate her with flirting. it's a desperate gamble, completely undignified, completely in character for agatha. she offers herself to rio, but only physically. when what they had was infinitely more than that, it was beautiful, it was sacred.

and rio... forgives her. she laughs another one of her little soft laughs and lowers the blade. plaza is so good here, the way she says "okay, agatha," is a perfect blend of resentment and tenderness. she knows agatha better than anyone ever had or ever will. she knows why she does everything she does. and she follows her lead. one last time.

agatha's relief. she's trembling, deflated but still on her guard. she looks completely traumatized. the masterpiece that this scene is: you feel smart when you realize that they're flirting rather than fighting. when it finally dawns on you the real weight of their encounter... it's too late.

"by the way there's a bunch of scary witches after you and I totally want them to kill you, that's why I'm telling you exactly who they are and when they're coming"

agatha tries with all her might to believe that rio is heartless. because anger is easier than sadness.

we're leaning, we're leaning, we're leaning!

rio licking agatha's wound to heal it perfectly encapsulates her feelings: anger, horniness, and infinite tenderness. what a power move. rio was the one in control this whole scene, and it wrecked agatha.

"te veo" (I'm gonna go scream in a pillow)

she's gone, honey, she's gone. breathe.

Billy walking on the two of them having sex would have been less awkward than this

she was a BIT preoccupied, kid

and episode 1 is in the bag!

next stop: IT'S LILIA TIME

go to episode 2 part 1

[jjenthusee]

Racing Hearts Pt. 4

f1!driver!jason x reporter!reader

A/N: hello my gremlins <3 i wanted to share with u guys that i successfully moved YAY so that explains the update being slightly behind and the less responses i’ve given to comments (i read them all i swear <3) BUT HERE IT IS \(^o^)/ i took way too long to edit and rewrite the way i believe the story should go, im having so much fun with this series and i want to thank all of u who are supporting it from the beginning or saw the updates as they came. ENJOY the fourth chapter of the Racing Hearts series (ALSO THERE’S 300 FOLLOWERS WOW 🥹 THANK U TO ALL THE PEOPLE THAT LIKE MY PAGE AND CONTINUE TO SUPPORT MY CRAZY SAD WRITING AND MY DRAWINGS i love reading your funny comments, unhinged reblogs, and talking about your favorite parts of the story, it really gave me the push to write and contribute to the jason todd community) and i just wanted to remind yall…i haven’t forgotten about that hurt/comfort tag :)

Check out the Racing Hearts masterlist! It shows all the updated chapters and upcoming ones <3

Tags: banter, agonizing fluff, hurt/comfort, strangers to friends to lovers, spicy if u squint, we’re hitting halfway thru the story so let me introduce what i do best…angst HAHAHA

Word Count: 4.1k

“In all of my career, I have to say that I never thought I would be standing here wearing…these.” Jason looked down to his feet.

The camera focused on the two of you standing next to one another, the lens following Jason’s stare toward the ground. The camera woman zooming in on the bright red Lightning McQueen crocs he was wearing.

You sheepishly admired the shoes, proudly smiling back up to Jason. Bewilderment plastered on his face as he couldn’t believe you actually gifted him Lightning McQueen merch, not even in private but in an interview with multiple cameras pointed at him.

What a predicament he was in. He was definitely not offended when you told him how similar the red car and he were.

“It’s a small thanks from the company for completing your third interview with us.” You smiled brightly at Jason. “Also consider it as a way for us to say ‘good luck’ for your upcoming season.”

Jason couldn’t believe it as he laughed. No matter how much time he spent with you, you always surprised him in the best ways.

“Y’know, I thought the Cars jokes were going to fade out, but you’re a bad influence on my fans.” Jason lightheartedly teased you, stomping his foot enough to let the crocs light up.

You fought a straight face, holding in laughter and trying to stay as serious as you could, but you were about to break any second. You bit the inside of your cheeks to prevent yourself from smiling, internally promising yourself that you would make sure to get a picture of him later.

You already had his new contact picture picked out.

“I couldn’t think of any other way of showing you my support.” You nodded your head proudly.

“Really? Nothing else?” Jason’s eyebrow rose, his tone sarcastic.

“You’re the best F1 driver I’ve ever interviewed.” You smirked, watching the shoes sparkle.

“I’m the only F1 driver you’ve ever interviewed.” Jason looked at you in disbelief.

“Anyway! We’re closing this as the last part of our series, I’m glad you were able to be a guest before you get busy putting on the RedBull uniform again, I know your fans will really enjoy that—” You wrapped up the finale, finalizing the last public appearance the two of you would have next to each other. A bittersweet ending.

But you always had the Jason laying with you on your couch. Feeding each other dinners, taking motorcycle rides late in the night.

“This can’t be the last time I see you. You’re my favorite interviewer.” Jason lulled his voice, rephrasing your earlier comment back at you. “After all, you gifted me something so…special.”

You paused, shocked at Jason’s forwardness with you, the timber of his voice adding an underlying flirty tone to him.

You’ve never talked to him about the public appearance about the two of you. Could you go public?

It’s for the camera. You silently told yourself.

“You have to win for me to see you again.” You smirked, quickly playing along with his attempt to fluster you.

“That’s too easy, you could try to make this a little harder for me.” Jason chuckled lowly. “It’s almost like you want to see me.���

Oh my.

“So much talk for someone who hasn’t started his comeback season.” You playfully rolled your eyes. “You also didn’t start your last season smoothly, so don’t talk so confidently.”

“But who sat at my last press conference celebrating my win? I don’t end things so easily.” Jason tilted his head as he looked down at you, tension increasing. “I’ll come back when I win, it’ll be our little secret.”

Jason winked at you, the cameras focused in on his face and your reactions.

You raised an eyebrow, trying to decipher between the RedBull Jason on camera and your Jason.

He was his playful self, the signature half smirk trying to get you to blush, but his eyes were soft when he glanced over to you.

You calmly gave in, maybe it was for the camera or maybe it was for you.

“Aw, that’s so sweet, but I don’t think I could keep that a secret.” Your polite smile opposing Jason’s mischievous one. “I don’t think you realize but,” you leaned toward Jason, pausing to eye his figure up and down, gleefully watching him pay attention to your every word. Your smile getting wider at how easily he was wrapped around your finger. “I’m a reporter, I can’t keep that beautiful face to myself.”

“But I’m really good at keeping them.” Jason stepped closer, eyes never leaving yours.

His eyes beamed a playful hue to them.

You cleared your throat, looking at the camera woman who also stared in awe.

Crap, the office was going to get suspicious.

“You should focus on winning first before you make any promises.” You coughed, diffusing the atmosphere Jason created as the film crew watched. “Then call my business number and you don’t have to keep any secrets.”

Once the camera stopped rolling, you resumed your professionalism. Saying goodbyes and getting final pictures for the website and both social medias.

All the previous interviews went well. The fans saw Jason’s personality in action, gaining more attention and love for the racer. Jason’s management team was satisfied with you and the attraction he was gaining before the season started.

It gave him the right press he needed to put him in the spotlight.

After Jason left with his management team, you finalized the video upload that his company agreed to. Your draft for a new article about Jason to be edited and reviewed for the upcoming week. It was business as usual.

Getting work done during the day, then meeting Jason for the evening.

When you got back to your desk, you organized yourself to overlook the release date for the final interview and reviewed for the next big project to tackle now that your work with Jason was finished. Multiple meetings with project managers and your team.

Work was picking up for you, managing larger projects, interacting with larger faces.

Jason lit the hallway to opportunities for you.

Your phone lit up next to your laptop, distracting you from one screen to another.

(Handsome) Mr. Todd: pick you up at 6?

You smiled to yourself. Happy, but bittersweet.

You reminded yourself that Jason’s off-season was ending. You wished time could slow down.

—— “Gosh, you’re so clumsy.” You adjusted Jason’s helmet. All the time spent with him reflected in your familiarity with the motorcycle helmet.

“Only for you.” Jason stood there, leaning down to let you reach around his head. Watching you worry about the two of you.

Jason had kept his promise to pick you up.

Most of the time he waited on you to get back from work. Sometimes pushing the boundaries and secretly meeting you for a quick lunch. Meeting him far from where your coworkers frequented.

Your first encounters were hidden behind the idea of work, finding answers to questions for interviews, or suggesting new places to eat.

It was like you couldn’t be apart from one another.

Oh, how you can change a man.

You let Jason fake his ignorance through certain tasks, giving him any reason to get you close to him.

But you gave into his every attempt. Not fighting against his clinginess.

Your roles would switch soon, he wouldn’t wait for you after tiring days of work. You would have to watch him race lap after lap on live television like the rest of the world.

He was leaving soon, you knew he would be busy, it was inevitable, but you wanted as much time before he left.

You sat behind Jason, his body warming the front of you as you wrapped your arms around his waist.

Holding onto him close, wearing the helmet he got you, feeling his solid stomach shift the motorcycle as you rode around the city. You were getting used to your new lifestyle, despite the hidden secrets you shared.

He couldn’t announce a relationship after you were waiting for the last installment of your interviews.

The timing wasn’t right and the meetings this would cause for you and Jason were going to give you a headache.

You heard the motorcycle engine interrupt your thoughts.

Jason slowing at a red light. He stopped, placing his feet on the ground to stabilize the two of you while you waited. The red glow reflected onto Jason sitting in front of you.

The streets were almost empty. Gotham barely waking to the darkness, a city that never sleeps.

“Jay.” You hesitated behind him.

“Hm?” Jason unconsciously acknowledged, resting his hand over yours around his stomach. Rubbing the fabric of his gloves onto yours.

“I want to stay with you longer.” You calmed your voice, careful in verbalizing your feelings.

“You want to drive around more? I think we can drive by—“ Jason continued to rub your wrists. Cars passing in front of him, the opposing traffic keeping you still.

“No, I don’t want to leave you tonight.”

Jason paused, his hand resting on yours, no longer moving. If the cars weren’t in front of you, crossing the intersection, you would have thought time was frozen.

Jason tilted his helmet back, to get a look at you.

You don’t know what he was looking for, your face covered by a protective helmet like his was, but he found what he needed when the light turned green.

It was green, but you stayed there, no other traffic surrounding you.

Just you and Jason.

“Want to come to my place?” Jason kept his black visor on you. “I have a killer TV to watch Cars on.”

You chuckled. Squeezing his waist a little more.

“Better have a good speaker for playing Life is a Highway.”

Jason smirked, hidden from your eyes as he watched you lean back into his warmth.

The humid air covering the two of you into summer clothing. Thinner fabrics and showing more skin.

Jason wore a simple fitted thin long-sleeve, matching the look of his helmet and gloves. It made a great view of his broad back.

A quiet exhale as he looked forward again, revving his engine to life to make a quick turn, opposite of your home.

You were racing the rain as Jason was taking you back, but after you spoke the magic words, how could he send you back home?

The dark summer rain clouds were no longer behind you, the two of you heading straight for them as you watch Jason take you down new streets, an unfamiliar path to Jason’s place.

“I don’t think you’ll make it to the living room before then.” Jason quietly spoke to the light drizzle hitting your bodies

“What did you say?” You couldn’t hear above the engine.

And he was right.

After you were soaked to the bone, fabric sticking to your form, water droplets falling down your skin. A glossy sheen from the harsh rain falling all around you.

Jason had pulled into his garage.

He was in the same state, wet clothes stuck to his skin. The water from you and the motorcycle dripping onto the concrete floor.

You pulled your helmet off, the only dry place.

Once Jason parked the bike, he took off his helmet, placing it on the nearest work table. Your body shivered as you threw your leg over to maneuver yourself off.

You looked down at your state, smiling in disbelief at being caught in the rain.

Maybe you could wear Jason’s clothes after a nice warm shower. You internally thought to yourself. Excited to enter Jason’s place. A new location unlocked.

When you put your helmet next to Jason’s, you could finally take in all of him.

Black shirt tight from the weight of the water, his hands littered with scars, free from the gloves. His hair dry, but messy.

All his muscles more prominent.

You stood in awe, your chest rising from the breaths you took. Humid air invading the inside of the garage, elevated from warm summer nights.

The sight of Jason reminded you of the professional pictures taken of him, leaving his Formula 1 car after a race. He was sweaty, running his hands through his hair with a towel in hand.

After all the time you spent together, it was your favorite photo of him. You secretly saved it because there was something about the look on his face, happy to win, alive on the track.

How attractive he looked was a definite bonus in your opinion.

Jason glanced over to you, finally realizing the state the two of you were in. He slowly looked you up and down, lost in the same visual you were in awe of once you saw him.

You suddenly remembered the last time you and Jason were enclosed in a garage, close to each other, messy from a hard day of distributing winter jackets and food to those who stopped by.

A slight warmth increasing on your face.

Jason stepped closer to you, hands grabbing for your waist to pull you in. His hands reaching under your chin to stretch your neck to adjust to his height.

Breaths mixing as your lips touched only from the movement of your lips unconsciously opening, ready to kiss him.

He waited.

Letting the pressure build as he spoke.

“There’s no volunteers to interrupt us now.” Jason lifted you, letting you sit on the surface of his work table. His arm swooping everything off as he cleared enough room for you.

You could hear objects fall, but you couldn’t care less as Jason stepped between your legs. Quickly, but carefully rubbing at your legs with his palms, his hands getting closer to the blurs of where your thighs met your waist.

Everywhere felt great that you didn’t know where to focus.

The feeling of your lips, your sides, his body between your legs?

You could only huff between the intensity he was igniting in you.

“Jay—inside—it’s cold.”

Despite your words, you didn’t bother to move. You kept touching, feeling everything before Jason lifted you again, the placement of his hands as he carried you, lifting the edges of your shirt.

The feeling of a mattress beneath you as you uncomfortably tried to peel the clothing off your body.

Jason chuckled at your frustration. You couldn’t bother to give him a snide remark as he also struggled to get your soaked clothes off.

When lifting the shirt didn’t work, you tried rolling the fabric, but it only bunched just below your sleeves.

You could only laugh as Jason desperately tried to get the shirt through your arms. Tangled in the mess you both created that you were left with a heavy shirt stuck around your biceps.

“Why is there always something stopping me from seeing all of you?” Jason laughed as he kneeled above you, his shirt completely off at some point along the way to his room.

“I don’t think a pair of wet clothes are going to stop you now.” You smiled at him, glancing up at his figure through the darkness. Only the city lights creeping through the blinds, illuminating his skin.

“Fuck, you’re gorgeous.” Jason yanked your entire shirt off your arms.

You sucked in a breath at his desperation, memorizing the look of his face as he leaned down closer.

“I want to turn you into a mess.” He whispered into your mouth, kissing down your body.

Overwhelming gasps and breaths left your mouth the more he touched your skin.

“I want to touch you too.” You exhaled, trying to coherently express yourself.

“Next time, sweetheart. I want to focus on you. Everything I want is you.” Jason moved your hair out of your face, stuck from the sweat covering your skin.

The night filled with you repeating Jason’s name, no distractions keeping that man off of you.

After a shared warm shower, Jason gave you a nice pair of his dry clothes. You walked around his place, relaxed after Jason’s…expertise.

What you weren’t prepared for was just how normal his apartment looked. It felt like yours, but bigger, a little more luxurious like it was bought with the intention of having better quality to last longer.

You hoped he had no plans of moving anytime soon.

You stood in the kitchen in awe.

“You have a kitchen island.” You whistled in excitement. “Formula 1 money is good, huh? Maybe I need to pick up a Redbull uniform.”

Jason chuckled, hugging you from behind smelling like the same soap in your hair, his face nuzzling into your neck. You continued to speak.

“No, I can’t steal your fame.” You whispered to yourself. Jason feeling the vibration of your voice the longer he leaned into your neck.

“I’m happy you’re here.” Jason mumbled into you, ignoring everything you said.

“Me too, I’ve been curious where you live.”

“I invited you before, but I guess we’ve always gone to your place.” Jason smiled into your skin. “What do you think?”

“Its very…Jason. I like it.” You glanced around.

You more than liked it. It smelt like Jason. A smell you’ll never grow tired of.

His apartment was slightly bare, the space a little too large for the one man, but that was charming too. It felt like you were able to occupy that small empty space in his life.

When you walked around, Jason following you like a duckling, you noticed the small knick-knacks you bought with him on your dates.

Matching plushies, a book you picked randomly, a bookmark you gifted him, and a tiny paper frog you made while waiting for your table before dinner.

You felt cherished, looking at the physical representations of your memories together.

He grabbed you again, wanting the closeness. You fell back into him, the small paper frog in your hand, made from old receipt paper.

Jason resumed his prior back hug, absorbing your warmth.

He was more clingy than usual tonight.

“How was your trip to the charity today? I forgot to ask you about it at dinner, it must be hard to take a break from them to race again.” You leaned into him more.

Jason buried himself further. Not a great hiding spot since he was larger, but it was the thought that counted.

“I would love to hear about it.” You put the frog back on the shelf, letting it watch the two of you.

“It was good, I got to do one final check to make sure everything would be good when I’m gone. But…” Jason hesitated, squeezing you a little tighter.

You waited, rubbing circles on his forearm.

“I had noticed a lot of stuff come in, it’s a good thing, but it wasn’t like our usual haul. I didn’t recognize it as the stuff I brought over either.” Jason breathed, agitation filling his voice. “When I asked around about it, they said Wayne Enterprises had it delivered.”

Jason went silent. He was tense.

“I always tell that old man to fuck off. He never listens.” Jason sighed.

The last thing Jason wanted was another check from Bruce. Taking over the hard work he had volunteered for months.

Another sanctuary was being taken away from Jason’s grasp.

“I can’t stand it.” Jason whispered. His eyebrows taut.

You maneuvered your head back to kiss him on the cheek.

“I’m sorry, I know that was the last thing you wanted to happen.” You soothed.

Jason leaned in for more kisses.

“Don’t worry, I’m feeling better already.” He exhaled, his shoulders relaxing. Jason smiled into your skin, his voice returning to normal. “But looking at those damn crocs every morning makes me mad.”

You laughed as he grew bolder, pushing the topic aside as you leaned to the floor buried from Jason’s affection surge.

If he was deflecting, distracting himself from his hurt then you could let him kiss you a couple times to distract himself.

Shared kisses, lost in each other’s presence, too occupied to notice the multiple buzzing sounds from Jason’s phone.

——

Once the public release of the third and final interview was released to your company’s website, the usual flood of comments embraced the look at the two of you.

You lost yourself in the positive comments, ignoring the negative ones, but that was the price of social media. It was the evils of publicity.

You read comment after comment about the excitement to watch the fresh new season. Iconic racers coming back to their playing field, excited to reveal new car designs, getting the opportunity to collaborate with anyone and everyone.

As the time for Qualifying reached you, the temperature fully warmed and Jason wasn’t next to you to enjoy it.

He had conferences, practice drives, and flights to catch. Now that he was past elimination, it was time to test his fastest time.

It wasn’t even the peak of the season, but you were missing him.

You sighed into your phone, a small vibration felt in your palm. A message from Jason appeared.

It was a photo of his Lightning McQueen crocs on the plane. A big contrast to the fancy carpeting, expensive seats, and an up-to-date screen playing the children’s movie.

You smiled to yourself in your desk chair, but a small prick to your heart struck you.

The difference in your lifestyles hitting you. He was a rich racer, traveling the world in one of the most expensive suits in modern racing.

You felt…small.

The two of you hadn’t talked about what would happen once he started racing full-time again.

How far was this relationship going?

Would you follow him to his races around the world? Should you follow him?

Would you officially announce anything?

Was this an off-season romance? Only an off-season romance?

What about your job?

“Hey, we need to be there by one. Should we grab a quick lunch?” Your coworker called out to you, interrupting your pessimistic thoughts to yourself.

“Yeah, I’ll be right there. Meet you in the lobby?” You locked your computer, grabbing your key badge, ready to go out of the office.

You quickly typed out a message, taking advantage of Jason still on his phone.

You: Hey slow down try to give the other guys a chance

(Handsome) Mr. Todd: fast is the only way I go. you, especially, should know that ;)

You blushed, quickly putting away your phone to catch up with your team.

——

Jason’s performance during qualifying went as expected. He performed in P1, claiming and boasting as he usually did. His time seemed to be getting faster, raising the competition standards for everyone.

You only shook your head as you looked at the results on your phone, a small smile on your face.

Jason was busy going to opening days, press conferences, driving on the racetrack. His replies were becoming sparse.

You: I knew those crocs were good luck charms

No read receipt. No reply.

You kept yourself busy at work. Falling into a routine.

You checked your phone again during lunch. No messages.

Your apartment felt empty when you came home, no lovable man standing in the kitchen.

Still no reply from Jason. It would’ve made you sad if you weren’t so tired.

Your phone rang as you got ready for bed. Letting your head hit the pillow as you heard Jason’s voice in your ear.

“I just saw— paper frogs that—vendor—the street and—grab some.” Jason’s voice went in and out of your mind, fighting the urge to sleep.

His voice was too soothing.

“That’s nice, Jay.” You slurred.

“Sweetheart? Are you awake—“ His voice started to get farther and farther.

You couldn’t keep your eyes open and your dreams filled with you sitting in the stands, watching Jason race.

Wind hitting your skin, watching the flags fly in the air, engines roaring past you.

He was so far away and kept driving further away from you.

You jerked awake. Looking for your phone in the blankets.

You had fallen asleep while on your first phone call with Jason since he left.

“Shit, I wanted to hear his voice.” You shook the blanket in the air until your phone fell from it.

You looked at your call history. Apparently, it had been a video call, but you hadn’t realized after you woke up this morning.

Jason not only heard you embarrass yourself, but he saw it too. You quickly opened your messaging conversation.

You (Yesterday): I knew those crocs were good luck charms

You (Today): i’m sorry I didn’t know it was a video call

(Handsome) Mr. Todd: don’t worry about it, I got to see u when your phone fell off your face

“Nooo!” You screamed to yourself.

Your face fell in your hands as you read the messages coming in.

(Handsome) Mr. Todd: I got something out of it HAHAHA

(Handsome) Mr. Todd: let’s talk next time

(Handsome) Mr. Todd: I wanna hear your voice

You sighed.

Getting up to start your weekend, putting Jason’s live race on the TV screen.

Putting on the shirt that smelled like Jason.

Tag List: @jaybirdstreet @gallusstuff @meowkn @velvetberries @i0lovepink00 @rayaskoalaland @spidernuggets @janybabyy @deimks @yasmin-oviedo @bigraga-sk @indulgentdaydream @uhhellnogetoffpleasenowty @idontknowanythingsblog @xakilicious @livvyliv15

[zettaireido-emotion]

Camus character analysis: games VS anime

If you finished the Uta no Prince-sama anime and your opinion of this man is "wow, he's kinda terrible," I don't blame you. in fact I've seen a lot of people say this

In this post, I want to talk about his characterization in the games and give my two cents on what the anime was trying to do with him, especially in his single focus episode Saintly Territory (S3E6).

Disclaimer: I wrote this on a whim because I'm sick and stuck at home so if anyone reads this, sorry I might go all over the place

Spoilers for all of the games!

The "be my slave" thing

Starting with Anime Camus's most egregious crime: treating Haruka like a servant/slave (however you want to translate it)

Basically in his focus episode, Haruka is tasked with writing a song for Camus. She wants to learn more about him in order to write it, but Camus will only let her follow him if she acts as his servant. She accepts without complaining, Cecil is rightfully angry, Haruka continues anyway and the song gets completed.

Now, am I about to say that Game Camus would never do this? No because he literally does lmao.

The anime doesn't pull this "servant" plotline out of nowhere, here's the context in his route:

Haruka accidentally overhears Camus talking about a plot to assassinate Saotome on the phone. When he notices that she heard everything, he basically tells her that he has to kill her now. But if she served him, he'd be able to keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn't leak anything, so she could escape death.

Okay uh "work under me or DIE" isn't exactly better, nor is it a good start to a love story, but I'm not finished!!

(A side note: I have to add that the anime made him look like an even bigger asshole and borderline dumb when it came to the things he made her do. Like he expected her to know that snapping your fingers means you want coffee without prior explanation. bro

^This might have been for comedic effect but I promise he can be actually funny and endearing.)

What the anime couldn't cover

The Camus episode wraps up with Haruka pulling through and writing a song that makes Camus "sincere," he says it's cool at the very end and that's the episode. I think the problem is that we technically didn't see him being sincere or what that even means to him, besides when he was singing (banger song btw)

It's a shame because in a 20-minute episode you really can't show the game experience of slowly piecing together what this man's problem is.

First of all, in Debut and AS you'll be quick to notice that he always has homeland and duty on the mind, constantly reminding himself that he's in Shining Agency/Japan for a reason, and it's NOT to have fun or make friends

The truth is, he slowly starts to appreciate the banter with his colleagues, music, and working there in general.

But because of his initial mindset, he has to rationalize & justify every connection he forms, like "it's just for work" or worse: "actually it was ALL A LIE and I NEVER ENJOYED A SECOND OF THE TIME WE SPENT TOGETHER, I'm such a great actor haha"

He uses that to fool himself and to push the other person away so it doesn't happen again. This scene is probably the best example:

(I'll be using google lens because it's faster but I checked that the tls were okay)

He also does this in the Non-Fiction drama, which may or may not have actually happened, but I think it's still a pretty good reflection of what could happen in reality because he tells Ranmaru their bond was a lie, then mopes around in his guilt thinking about the good times and wondering why he's sad, and THEN later doubles down on the "it was a lie, I don't care about you" because he just can't let himself get attached to anything.

Basically, he's terrified at the thought of forming actual bonds because he genuinely thinks he's nothing if he stops being a cold weapon:

At one point he does admit he sucks (as a love interest)-

-which is pretty huge by utapri standards. I love these games, but the amount of times where a male lead does something icky, and everyone, including Haruka, acts like it's normal or like it's Haruka's fault is ehhh but I digress

Upbringing

Of course he's very proud of his homeland and status, but sometimes it's to the point of thinking he can't be anything other than his title. So why is he like this?

We got to hear about his childhood from Camus himself a few times, and it often ended with Haruka thinking "wait? that's kinda messed up?" and Camus insisting it's nothing/it's normal so yeah that's something...

His parents were in an unhappy arranged marriage, and his mother was forced to birth an heir which traumatized her so much that she can't see Camus without falling ill. Overall it's a pretty tragic situation since what happened to her was horrible, though not Camus's fault either. Even now she refuses to see him, and I wouldn't say that makes him sad because he never really met her, but simply knowing of her sacrifice probably adds a lot of pressure. As in, he only exists for this one purpose (inheriting his father's title and serving the country), so if he doesn't play his part correctly, it would have all been for nothing.

He was raised by his father not as a child or son but as the heir, always treated and judged as an adult (even during physical training apparently, make of that what you will)

When Haruka asks about childhood memories he has a very hard time finding something that doesn't have to do with his duties or the nation. And then admits he didn't truly have a "childhood" since he was never treated like a child

As for the queen, I think his love for her is sincere: she taught him a lot of things growing up, and according to him, she's also a victim trapped by her duties so he wants to ease the burden.

So hypothetically, if he found things or people that made him happy in Japan, he would feel obligated to lock them away because that happiness is incompatible with his life: he'll have to leave when his mission ends, he shouldn't be spending time on things that aren't "useful" as he doesn't have the free will to pursue them

In his mind he's completely tied down by the fact that he was born and raised for a single reason, and the fact that he does want to serve the queen.

(This is Saotome describing him btw)

Also it might sound ridiculous to bring his self-worth into question because of how pretentious he is, but I've counted a few situations where he seemed to have complete disregard for his own life, only worrying about Haruka and Cecil's safety in scenes when they were present. And he thinks wanting to be loved unconditionally is a childish thought he shouldn't have.

"Double Face" was a lie. There's like at least 10 layers

On the surface he does have two personas, his perfect polite butler act for the media, and his cold bitchy attitude off camera. But honestly, even when he's not acting as a butler, he's often putting up a front to hide any form of vulnerability (from himself as well)

His main struggle is finding who he is outside of what he's being told to do. Before, he never actually stopped to think about what he WANTS because it just never occurs to him, or if it does he ignores it.

That's why realizing that he has his own desires is essential to his character development, and him staying with Quartet Night (and Haruka in his routes) is so important. It's why Reiji feels the need to reach out and when he does, Camus either freezes up or tears up;

This all makes him the opposite of Ranmaru (being true to yourself and sincere), and similar to Ai (gradually learning to view the world in a less cold and logical way), but I kind of want to save that for another post lmao

He is especially hard on Cecil because Cecil says & does whatever he wants, and everything still works out for him, which is a way of life that Camus can't imagine for himself at all (despite maybe wanting it?)

That he can realize this and eventually admit out loud, despite all his pride, is also one of my favorite things about him

Season 2 does hint at something, so that's pretty cool!

Side note, I really love that his theme in the new Oracle series is "Change," the melting of ice.

So what was the anime supposed to do??

Of course there's no way to show all this in a single episode or even during the runtime of the anime, and I never expected them to because the story is very surface-level (that goes for all characters).

It's just unfortunate since the anime is the most accessible and well-known utapri media in the western fandom, and the character's main episode is bound to leave the biggest impression.

I understand the choice of being laser-focused on the servant plotline, it's supposed to be funny (?) and waters him down to a trope that's easy to understand at first glance (the step-on-me guy I guess)

Still, I can't help but compare it to Ranmaru's episode, who was also hard to work with in the games but was chill in S3E7 and got to pet cats. Anime onlys will never know how much Camus loves to dote on his dog smh.....

[37googolplex]

Alright, Rise April and Donnie mean SO much to me and it’s not even FUNNY. They’ve always been my top two favorites since watching, and my resolve on liking them really only got stronger after watching Donnie v. Witch town. (Objectively the best episode, by the way, but I digress—) this is the perfect segue to discuss how Donnie v. Witch Town was probably the BEST April/donnie centric episode in all of rise.

And although this is incredibly opinionated and biased, as this specific episode just so happens to be my FAVORITE episode, I still will put my cognitive bias aside and give you, the audience, solid evidence as to why this episode: Donnie V. Witch Town—is objectively the best episode in 1) explaining how and why Donnie acts the way he does, 2) demonstrating the strength of Donnie and Aprils friendship and Sibling-hood.

1) EXPLAINING WHY DONNIE IS THE WAY HE IS:

Okokok. So. Without a doubt, this is tumblr, and therefore, technically, I DONT need to explain Donnie’s autistic coding. But I still will because I for one am autistic and seeing such good rep makes me so happy that I just NEED to talk about it 24/7. If this is getting repetitive you can skip ahead. But if you don’t, this is some important foresight that changes the theme of Donnie V. Witch Town substantially, even though it may not seem like it. But I will make it quick so I can get to my main point: Donnie is Autistic. His coding is very prevalent and obvious, and saying he ISNT is autistic erasure. Donnie infodumps when he gets the chance to about his inventions, interests, or otherwise, and often gets hyperfixations very easily. (FAB spray, his dubbed “speech mode��� from Leo, basically the entirety of Donnie’s gifts episode (which plays a lot heavily into Donnie v witch town just you wait), atomic lass, purple game). Donnie also has a so-called “monotonous” voice and has a limited tonal range. He isn’t very good with displaying or understanding emotions, especially when it comes to other peoples emotions, (like when Mikey was crying over Mike Tony’s pizzeria closing down, and Donnie saying “now that we’ve all moved on-“ mere seconds after explaining why he never liked Mike Tony’s. And then later saying “I WAS ONLY PRETENDING TO BE SAD WHEN IT HAPPENED TO MIKEY BUT NOW THAT IT HAPPENED TO ME, I HURT” when his favorite closes down too) despite this despite this (one off gag) however, Donnie isn't an emotional brick wall and understands negative emotions and feelings. But because of his low empathy coding Donnie simply just can’t FEEL that. Donnie also has a multitude of sensory issues that are sprinkled in across the whole series (such as, flavorless juice, prioritizing comfort, the battle shell and the whole deal with his soft shell, AND THE RISE MOVIE. Iykyk.)

Now that all of us have either had a good refresher of what happened OR, contrarily, educated on the matter, let’s all go back to the episode of Donnie’s gifts. This episode is an extremely important one in context with Donnie V. Witch town, and totally changes the perspective of that episode (in my not so humble opinion) when watching it from that lens. If you recall properly, Donnie’s gifts was basically about Donnie, well, making his brother, gifts. That end up being more harmful than good.

However, A lot of people miss the intention of that episode. Donnie wasn’t being a pretentious a-hole just because he could be a pretentious a-hole. He didn’t make these devices that basically hamper his brothers more and call out their every mistake JUST to pick on them and make them feel bad. Absolutely NOT. His INTENTION with MAKING those devices—(albeit concerning)—was in good faith. He made those devices because he GENUINELY thought, wholeheartedly, that they would help. And of course this isn’t really an EXCUSE for making your brother a shock collar that sends a 4000 watt jolt through his body every time he says a one off pun, but rather an explanation for Donnie’s behavior. Donnie made those devices, because he loves his brothers, and he wants to help them. And yeaaah it didn’t really, BUT HE GENUINELY THOUGHT IT WOULD. He says, before presenting the gifts: “(these gifts) are a whole lot more personal and if you don’t like them I will just be crushed!”

But why, you ask, why on earth would Donnie think that making THOSE THINGS even help his brothers, and why on earth would they like them? (Or maybe you’re not even asking that. Hell if I know, I’m just a ND teen ranting on the internet. Let me obsess over mutant turtles in peace!) I’m glad you asked. This is because I FIRMLY believe that Donnie uses his tech in the sense that he created that tech for his brothers, which is, helping or aiding him and his weaknesses when it comes to situations. We know that out of the bunch, Donnie is objectively the weakest (not very sports oriented, has a traditionally defensive weapon than offensive, ((but do not misconstrue my words this does not mean he is WEAK just in comparison to his brothers he’s on the lower end of the strength spectrum.))) and his tech highly heightens his skills. It helps him be more agile, attack with more vantage points—hell, his (soft)shell alone is a negative variable, and you know what fixed that!? HIS TECH THATS WHAT! Because of this reliance on his tech he assumed that his brothers would need or want that same reliance or help, even though they cope with their own issues in very different ways. And of course Donnie’s tech to help his own issues isn’t literally physically harmful, but I genuinely just think that Donnie’s Gifts was just made this way for the slapstick humor. (Sometimes there isn’t a deeper meaning to things and it’s just what it is. Guys I know we’re all big over-analyzers but this is still a Nickelodeon cartoon sometimes it’s just goofy for the goofs. :P) however Donnie’s gifts was such an important episode to me because it showed me the biggest way Donnie shows his love: Acts of service and Gift Giving.

Donnie LOVES doing stuff for people. He goes the goddamn EXTRA MILE to show off what he did for others, what he made for them; what he’ll DO for them, he’s not good with words or physical touch but my boy will LITERALLY fly you to the moon and back while reciting what happened on the Apollo missions and the space race with 100% accuracy. And there is so much proof of this SO MUCH. (When he made the hazmat suits, when he tried to fix albearto by making him “dazzle”, donniepods, etc…) his love for others and how he shows it is totally entirely transactional. This is how HE does it. And better yet,(?) he likes this. He LIKES being the tech guy, the fixer upper, he likes being called on for help and his prodigious skill because it makes him seem useful and more than that LOVED, and this is what he wants and desires sooo badly. To be USEFUL.

See where this is going? :)

Segue to Donnie V. Witch town. April, his best friend, is not seeking out HIS HELP for a school project, despite the fact that she almost always does. Instead, April is seeking out the HELP OF WITCHES, and Donnie simply has to tag along and help her get help. Donnie literally questions this and April states that it’s because when he helps school projects can uh, go a bit overboard.

See the parallels between Donnie’s gifts and Donnie v. Witch town?

Donnie tries to help, ends up not going so well, and he ends up not even helping at all in the first place. Double whammy.

And assuming we’ve all WATCHED Donnie V. Witch town, this same cycle repeats again. ESPECIALLY with the worms, and just when his pretentiousness and need to be right and PROVEN better gets in the way. His self righteousness is also his biggest fault. And everything goes wrong and he just wanted to help. And yeah, Donnie V. Which town is different because his broken ego is at play but WHY is he taking this so personally? BECAUSE APRIL DIDNT ASK HIM FOR HELP. It further strengthens his negative self talk of being useful and usefulness. Since, objectively speaking, he shows his love quantitively, when April has no desire for him to help her; what good is he even for anymore?! HOW WILL APRIL EVER LIKE HIM AGAIN IF HE ISNT HELPFUL!!!! HOW!?? He set this standards and he can’t even hit them? What is he if not useful? And with the context of Donnie’s gifts and how he really, truly, just wishes to help others, Donnie v. Which town is honestly saddening. I was honestly on Donnie’s side the whole time. Fuck those witches dude. And yes, what he did was bad. He should have been more open minded, and he shouldn’t have kinda messed up the entire witch tradition, and NO I am not making excuses here. But you must also remember that this is a teenager. He’s literally just a kid, and nevertheless from his perspective it’s honestly a betrayal. Again not an excuse but rather an explanation. Yes he fucked up but WHY? And the whole conversation with April really pushes it. “Because I’m the science guy—If mystic powers can do everything I can but better, then why would you guys even need me?”

Why would they *NEED* him.

Why, if mystic powers, can do it better—why would they NEED him.

It’s always a NEED for Donnie. He doesn’t quite seem to understand that mystic powers are a tool. And he is HE. He isn’t replaceable, but he thinks he is because there’s something more efficient than he is. He, essentially, sees himself like a tool, which is a mantra many autistic people have, including me. And although I joke about that line a lot it’s actually a really heartbreaking line. And if you guys see the scrapped storyboard..well.. why don’t I just show you…

“Solving problems with my tech is ALL IM GOOD FOR.”

“When you chose magic instead of me, I got scared, …”

Ouch.

This storyboard is infinitely more raw and personal and honestly I’m upset they didn’t go with it. If this doesn’t show you how deeply this matters to Donnie—how personal it is to him that people ask him to help them I DONT KNOW WHAT WILL.

Donnie is the way he is because it all builds up to his deepest insecurities, that people love him because he’s useful to them, and he goes and searches for validation and appreciation like a vulture looking for a carcass. He is so fucking desperate for a hint of being useful that he will throw everything he has to prove it. ((I’ll also do an analysis of relating this to the purple dragons episode because, albeit less angsty or obvious, these themes are very prevalent there too.))

Thus, this concludes my first point on how Donnie Vs. Witch town is the BEST episode to point out how Donnie’s insecurities truly affect him in every way shape and form, and how it really makes him who he is and why he acts the way he acts. It’s all out of the desire, the need to be needed. Next up: April’s response and how it shows their deep connection and how it’s just. So amazing. This half is more opinionated but I digress .

2) demonstrating the strength of Donnie and Aprils friendship and Sibling-hood!!!

Aprils response to this is equally as important. Aprils response is actually BEAUTIFUL.

“Donnie, how could you say that!? You’re not important to me because of your tech or science, you’re important to me because of YOU.”

That. Is by far. The best response you could POSSIBLY EVER GIVE. And her sentence is really self explanatory. Donnie doesn’t see her as a tool, or measures the extent of their friendship by what she brings to the table so why should she? Or, rather, why should Donnie measure that for himself?

She loves him because he’s HIM. Because he’s a nerdy loveable dork that’s passionate about what he loves. Because he loves HER. This is also the most vulnerable Donnie has ever been with somebody, and it’s with April.

“We do things better as a team,” AND APRILS RIGHT!!!! She’s his older sister. She’s his pal, Buddy, ride or die, and it’s—just—this whole Situation, their whole friendship, and this whole arc in Donnie v witch town means SO much to me. I really just realized how opinionated this second part is but let me be. And unfortunately I’ve reached the god forsaken image limit but Aprils further discussion in the storyboard of Donnie v. witch town also just further pushes how close and comfortable they are with each other. Basically, April says:

“Magic and science are just tools, it’s how you choose to use them that matters. And you choose to help people.”

MY FUCKING HEART DUDE. Agh. Shattered. “You chose to help people.”

I feel like it’s that line that really just pushes it for me. YOU CHOOSE TO HELP PEOPLE DONNIE DONT YOU SEE? ITS YOUR INTENT THAT MATTERS. And I’ll say this over and over and over again but intent means so much when it comes to things. April, using this line, doesn’t entirely dismiss what Donnie feels and says and does. But rather, puts a healthier perspective on his behaviors and needs to be “useful.” Shes basically saying: “you try to do what’s right, and that’s what matters.”

I love April. SO MUCH. She is such a good friend and sister and supporter, and honestly I wish I had someone like her growing up. Again I really wish they went with the storyboards because it’s so much more personal and touching than what happened. #aprilsweep.

Aprils support for Donnie (as well as his brothers) is unconditional. This is also observed in other Donnie and April centric episodes, especially the purple satin jackets episode, where April does call Donnie to check on her code which he does so with much valiance, before he gets roped into the purple dragons and stuff—and then at the end, when Donnie defeatedly talks about how he just couldn’t be a part of them , April replies with: “it’s okay, you’ll always be part of the April O’Neil dorky pals for life club.” I wish we got more of rise because I would KILL for more Donnie n April centric episodes.

Anywho, have a happy thanksgiving guys. Make sure to tell your autistic friend that it doesn’t matter if mystic powers are better than them or not. Watch tmnt and listen to stomu yamashta. Thank you and goodnight.

[plusultraetc]

👀👀 you mentioned a sports festival rant?

YES Sports Festival rant!! When I answered this ask about MHA favorites, I 'jotted down a couple of notes about the Sports Festival' which turned into like. A 1.5k word essay. In my defense, this arc truly does have it all, the good, the bad, and the ugly. There's so much to talk about here that 1.5k words doesn't even begin to cover it!!

The Good:

So until now I have been a predominantly anime fan who occasionally reads the manga when I need a quick refresher on something, or I just want to reexperience a chapter through a slightly different lens. That being said, I haven't read through the Sports Festival arc in its entirety, so my opinions are based on the anime, and in the anime, this is genuinely such a fun arc to watch. It has a similar low-stakes-high-energy vibe to Joint Training; the audience is properly introduced to so many new characters and their quirks; and there are some really great emotional beats throughout (shoutout to Todoroki vs Sero. I am HAUNTED by the entire stadium in awe of Todoroki's instant-win juxtaposed with Midoriya thinking 'In that moment, he looked very sad to me.' That split-second moment where Todoroki wonders if not using his father's quirk really makes him any less Endeavor's son? HAUNTED.)

MY PERSONAL FAVORITE PART OF THE ARC: Aizawa & Present Mic's stand up comedy routine in the commentator's booth. They had no reason to be as funny as they were. 'There you have it folks, Eraserhead is a terrible teacher' I mean. I did write a fic about the circumstances leading up to the comedy routine and it is,, not super lighthearted but let's ignore that for now and focus on the silly. I WILL SAY, something else Sports Festival does is constantly remind me that characters like Aizawa, Mic, Midnight, and All Might are products of UA and, in turn, of pro hero society. Those first three especially are products of an All Might-centric pro hero society, which adds another messy layer to the things they are willing to accept and even encourage. Huge brainrot about the pro hero house of cards balanced on the wobbly table that is All Might forever!!

Midoriya is really at his most Midoriya in this arc also. I personally think Izuku is at his best when his ingenuity and empathy are the focus (these are character traits that imo become less and less prominent as the show goes on and his focus shifts to becoming stronger. You can probably pinpoint the exact moment where his priorities change (at least I think so?) and then you could probably write an essay about trauma and responsibility and cry). ANYWAY, early Midoriya is Very Worried All The Time about doing exactly as All Might says, which is why it is so so important that he does not win the Sports Festival. The Festival is kind of a microcosm of the pro hero world, with the medal ceremony being the parallel/precursor for hero rankings. Coming in first place/being Number One is a big big deal in this arc, as always. Izuku's most impactful moment is when he prioritizes something (or someone) else over that coveted first place medal, in spite of how badly he wants to impress All Might and be worthy of his legacy. He was just a really good bean in this arc okay???

The "Bad" (but no less interesting!):

As wonderful as it was to see the pro heroes come to the rescue at USJ, the Sports Festival is here to remind us that, in so many ways, this world is a dystopia. It's not just because of the Hunger Games-esque nature of watching children fight each other & broadcasting it worldwide for entertainment and profit. When you think about it, the Sports Festival is kind of like college-level sports, just with superpowers and high schoolers (there's even a recruitment aspect. It's literally like MHA college football). And sure, fighting each other with superpowers is considerably more violent than your average sport, but they do have people with healing quirks like Recovery Girl on standby. Even serious injuries can literally be undone in seconds. What makes the college sports-ification of hero school so weird is the 'hero' part. Like, not only are you already indoctrinating your future heroes (who have so much relatively unchecked power & responsibility as pros) into the hero/celebrity culture super early on, but the students are competing to impress current pros, secure a good internship, and further their careers. Like. You're essentially teaching them that being a good hero = putting on a good show. Maybe if the point wasn't to 'win' an internship it wouldn't be so strange to me but as is? Wild. Really fun bit of worldbuilding. I am spinning it in my head like a carnival prize wheel.

I also want to take a minute to talk about the medal ceremony here. I thiiink that Bakugou being chained to the podium is meant to be comedic(?), kind of a 'look how mad he is, they literally had to drag him out here' moment, but the conflation of hero/villain imagery in this scene. Omg. Again, the medal ceremony is like a mini hero ranking (that he has won!!!) but the only other time we've seen a muzzle-like thing like the one Bakugou is wearing is on a villain in the first episode. To bring that back at this moment?? The bars of my enclosure. The bars of my english degree. Agh.

I actually mentioned this around the time I posted that very silly Sports Festival fic for Monoma’s birthday, but can we talk about how 1-A IMMEDIATELY turns on each other during this arc? Like?? They’re a MESS. Obv the writing reason for this is that there needs to be competition to make this competition arc interesting (and it succeeds!) but 1-A’s immediate willingness to go for the jugular gets Really Awkward when you realize they are literally the only class that does this—and, what’s more, that there is literally no reason for them to do this. Unnamed 1-C student #3 is right: the other first year classes are only participating in the Festival to make the hero students look good. We know this because the first challenge—the obstacle race—is literally designed to eliminate non-Hero Course students from the competition. Even if hero students didn’t have (generally) more powerful quirks and more training than everyone else, the very first obstacle in the race is the Hero Course Entrance Exam robots—ie, a challenge the hero students have already beaten, but that disqualified students from other courses from admission. Even deliberately hanging back and doing recon, 1-B is able to get all of their students through the obstacle race. Then, after the Cavalry Battle, we see 1-B once again demonstrating a level of maturity and support that the vast majority of 1-A severely lacks. I know I sound like Monoma rn, but I think this has a lot to do with the fact that, as we continue to see throughout the series, 1-A takes a lot of their cues from Midoriya and Bakugou and, to a lesser extent because he’s so quiet, Todoroki. Later, this is a good thing, because the mini big three pushes their class to be the best they can be, but here, these three characters are in shambles—insecure and off-kilter and desperate to prove something, and that energy very much spreads to their peers--which I personally think is great bc it makes for good TV and leaves lots of room for character growth!

The Ugly:

You have no idea how tempted I am to just put a picture of Stain here. He would deserve it for what he did to my man Tensei. I actually love Stain as a villain but SPEAKING OF WHAT HE DID TO MY MAN TENSEI.

The show tells you how important the Sports Festival is. Everyone treats it like it’s the Olympics, except fifty times more important. UA students are scouted by pro heroes and agencies during the event, and putting on a good show can literally change the course of your career (just as doing poorly can ruin it before you even get a chance to graduate). More sports analogies! This makes sense. But the thing is, countless pros show up to watch the event in person. Even more provide security. Literally my first thought was, if I was a criminal I would commit so many crimes during the Sports Festival. Who tf would be around to stop me? And then I had a good laugh because we actually see Shigaraki watching the Festival and I was like ‘oh, there isn’t a spike in villain attacks because the villains are watching it too lol.’

But THEN, Tensei gets attacked by Stain ON THE DAY OF THE FESTIVAL. So there are still heroes out hero-ing and villains out villain-ing, and it’s probably way easier to do the latter when everyone from All Might to Endeavor and beyond are watching teenagers beat the tar out of each other. But you’ve gotta scout those future interns and sidekicks so what are you gonna do!! Once again, the Sports Festival is a microcosm of pro hero popularity society—it’s this insulated little bubble where everyone is so worried about how they look, where they ranked, who they beat to that podium, while the real world carries on outside. Iida himself is distracted by that shiny first place medal until Stain attacking his brother body slams him back to reality.

[rinski]

SH2R Review

I don't usually do this, but we live in extraordinary times and I have Opinions.

So here is my review of the new Silent Hill 2 Remake. (tl;dr: when it's not bad it's... good? kinda?)

If you go into this game holding up the original and looking for all the ways the remake falls short, like that Bobvids reaction video, you will have no shortage of material to work with. The remake is inconsistent and I legitimately do not understand what they were attempting to achieve with some of the changes they made. This game is incredibly easy to make into something profoundly disappointing if that’s what you want to do. Like Bobvids points out, almost all of the most iconic or emotionally-powerful scenes from the original were fumbled. Not like “they tried to do something different and it didn’t quite work,” no no, no: They were fumbled. They dropped the ball and it shattered like glass upon impact. It's ironic: The game has what it calls "Glimpses of the Past," which are little shrines to iconic scenes and objects from the original game, with their own bespoke camera angle and a little jingle, but then they somehow manage to fail at preserving the scenes people care about most.

If you're reading this, we have both probably been passionate about this game and franchise for a huge chunk (if not the majority) of our lives on this dumb planet, and seeing someone botch something we’ve managed to hold precious for so long can be very painful to watch. 

But there’s also a lot to legitimately like about this game that using that lens will obfuscate. And I’m generally of the mind that we should try to scavenge for whatever joy we can find, wherever and whenever we can, because the world fucking sucks in general. And besides, it’s not like we haven’t had to endure other SH games over the years that ran the gamut from “aggressively mid” to “well at least it’s funny in a bad b-movie kinda way.” I think the best way to enjoy this game is to go in with the assumption that basically everything you care deeply about is going to be butchered in some way, so that you won't be hyper-focusing on those mistakes when the game actually manages to do something good. By all means jeer and throw popcorn at the screen whenever they mess something up—that's a lot of fun too!—but don't let the bad completely shadow the good, especially if it's only bumming you out.

To be clear: I'm not arguing that anyone should buy the game. Other people already have, and their playthroughs are free to watch.

The game is overly long, which leads to some pacing problems. They fill up some of the extra space with places and story beats that feel on point, but a lot of it is filler with only the faintest, somewhat-sour Silent Hill flavor. They do some interesting new things with the combat and enemy AI, but that also gets old quickly because combat is more mandatory, more frequent, and there's only like 3 different enemies in total.

The characters are all different enough that I think comparing them to the originals is just going to make everyone sad. I do not love most of the new takes on the characters. But I also do not hate most of them. At times, they’re even surprisingly good. 

I like the new James most of the time. He's different, sure, but he feels more like a pathetic worm man hiding behind a facade that he's only barely able to maintain. His voice cracks with exertion and desperation as he kicks downed enemies, and after he hears a spooky noise he asks a wavering, "hello?" There are times where his facial acting is incredibly well done and there are times where he basically doesn't react at all, like his "k bye" exit from Angela's final scene that's worse than if they'd just teleported you to the next room with no transition.

The first two Eddie encounters made me roll my eyes, because he feels like a caricature of the original. They made him look and act a lot grosser in the remake, like they imported the original into a character creator and pushed all the middle sliders to one extreme or another. But despite nothing about his design or initial characterization saying “this was made by someone who appreciates subtlety and nuance” he still managed to have some legitimately subtle and nuanced character moments that are their own thing, separate from the original version. When James asks him, "You're gonna go out there alone?" and he gives that slight smile and a distant, barely audible "yeh"? That's good shit.

I think my hottest take is that the new Angela is Good, Actually. I love the original Angela. I think she was perfect. This is not her. Trying to draw any comparisons between the two is a shortcut to feeling depressed and disappointed. There are several interactions with her that actually hewed too close to the original version, which didn’t work *specifically* due to these changes. And her finale is nowhere near as good. Despite all that, I like the new take. She stands on her own as a different (but obviously similar) character. I like her new VA, I like her new scenes, and the new Abstract Daddy boss fight is, I think, the absolute highest point the remake manages to hit. 

Maria is the one character where I legitimately don’t understand what they were going for. Even putting the original aside and letting the new Maria be her own thing… what… *is* that thing, exactly? To start, she’s barely in the game at all—she's absent during many of the scenes she was present for in the original. When she does interact with James, she’s so inconsistent that I can’t get a sense of what they intended her character to be. Hot, cold, charming, socially awkward—in any case it definitely doesn’t seem like they intended her to be “the Mary James fantasized about,” so then… what *is* she? James and new Maria’s overall vibe is “people who only barely tolerate each other because they have a shared friend group." In fact, one of the better interactions between Maria and James is the lead ring scene, where instead of being flirtatious, James dejectedly accepts the ring with a flat, “Oh… thanks...” like she just spat in his hand. So ok fine, they don't like each other this time around. But in the finale she still claims to be able to provide James with everything Mary couldn't, which... no? I don't get what she's attempting to provide, but whatever it is, James certainly doesn't seem into it.

Overall, the environments and music were amazing and on-point, but there were also times where neither was true. The non-otherworld hospital in particular struck me as generic to the point where I’d believe it was made from asset store prefabs. And the newer version of Promise (Reprise) that plays after the video tape is… weirdly up-tempo? Like, to the point where it undermines the tone of the scene (don't worry, it wasn't great anyway). 

Look: being a SH fan has been tough for *multiple decades* now. And I have no love for Bloober Team. They most certainly did not stick the landing here, and even if they did, I would be reluctant to give them credit for it.

I understand feeling passionate about the original. *I* feel passionate about the original. I understand how someone could experience this remake while hating every second of it. I believe I understand how Bobvids feels too, because he’s objectively correct: The remake does not treat any of your most precious memories with care.

And that’s why I wanted to write this. Because it’s very easy to view this game through a lens where it sucks shit, is disappointing, ruins your enjoyment of the original, and spells doom for the future. This game provides a scenic vista full of eye-catching trash fires where all the famous landmarks should be. But if you choose to look elsewhere, away from all the hot garbage, there’s a lot to see that’s perfectly fine or even beautiful. And it makes me sad to imagine all that going ignored because the trash fires burn too brightly.

And also: trash fires can be fun too, right? When they're not bumming you out, at least. Given the choice between "mid" and "trash fire," I'd choose the latter every time.

Silent Hill 2 came out in 2001. Since then we’ve had SH3 in 2003, SH4 in 2004, Origins in 2007, Homecoming in 2008, Shattered Memories in 2009, Downpour in 2012, PT in 2014, and, most recently, Short Message and Ascension. 

We have been scrounging for food and sustaining ourselves on dumpster crumbs for a very, very long time. So let’s not throw away this opportunity to eat a bite or two just because the chef is a piece of shit and the food is partially spoiled: A lot of what’s on offer is perfectly edible. It’s not the best food, no, but we're already used to picking through garbage for a few savory morsels. And within that context, SH2R is a smorgasbord for anyone willing to eat around the moldy bits. 

I recommend we eat what we can, while we can, because we're not likely to get a better meal any time soon.

[cyberdragoninfinity]

you know it's yugo 🍌🏍🐉

LET'S YUGOOOOO

Why I like them/why I don’t: YUGOOOO god i love him so much. I think a pretty large part of why I enjoy thinking about him so much is i feel like he kind of gets written off as just Mr. Funny Sillyguy who doesn't get taken very seriously, which is a shame!! Cuz he's a really cool and brave and interesting and honestly deeply sad character! He's just some dirt poor kid trying to find his best friend and start a better life with her, he doesnt know he's a shard of The Evilest Man Alive. And then his best friend got BRAIN WORMED and KICKED HIS ASS and he NEVER GOT TO SEE HER AGAIN. ALRIGHT. I'LL BE NORMAL ABOUT IT. (and also he is absolutely hysterical. guy who says 'whoopsie.' guy with maybe 3 braincells to spare on any given day. god help him)

What I like about their appearance: I LOVE yugo's color palette, the primary colors with the white truly both evokes bruno my friend bruno but also the white is such a nice visual link to synchro summoning. Also he just really feels like he belongs in a 5d's inspired dimension, his racing suit/outfit design feels right at home next to actual 5D's characters/just that sort of turbo duel racing motif'd world in general. also his banana bangs are so fucking funny

Do I prefer their dub names or original names?: same in both, yugo through and through, and i love it! ("hugo" is also really funny. guy who is not beating the White Yuya allegations)

OTP: hey check this out *starts doing crazy aro!rin queerplatonic appleshipping maneuvers that blow your mind*

NOTP: i like. dont even Hate yugo/yuri it's just so nothing to me. the dynamic of these characters is infinitely more interesting to me through a platonic lens. stepbrothers (2008).

OT3: yugo and rin and their motorcycle outracing the cops for life!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Favourite card they use: I DO LOVE CLEAR WING A LOT such a sick as hell dragon design... I also really like his one speedroid spell card thats just a lottery Scratch Off Ticket. speedroid 7/11 gas station ass card.

Favourite moment they were in: god. so many. but i do think 'yugo thinking zuzu is dead and in heaven and he keeps bringing it up' is one of my favorites. it's so fucking funny. NOBODY TOLD HIM!!! i do also love like. every time they would cut to yugo during friendship cup duels he wasnt in and he would just be like. eating his doordash. it made me laugh every time

Least favourite moment: THE PARASITE'D!RIN AND YUGO DUEL IS SO FUCKING HARD TO WATCH. IT'S JUST MISERABLE his fucking motorcycle, this emblem of his bond with rin, gets broken, he doesnt even get to see rin truly in her right mind and neither does she. and then they never see each other again because they both DIE AFTERWARDS. IT READS LIKE FUCKING MELODRAMATIC TORTURE PORN. WHY DID THEY DO THAT TO BOTH OF THEM.

Something I associate with the character: yuya is usually my AJR discography yuboy but The Dumb Song is such a yugo song to me. college AU yugo especially. i love the idea of like...yugo being more self aware of his dumbassery than he lets on.

[leolithe]

For the ask game, since i cant find the emojis i need:

Family hc

Random hc

Clothes hc

Hobby hc

Oh my god i managed a thousand words of headcanon THANK YOU LOL. Ask game here!

🧬 Family

After the New War, Lotus sheds the part of her that's the clingy and anxious mission mom, and it kinda transfers over to Natah and Margulis instead LOL

Natah is a backseat gamer, telling the Tenno about patch notes the second they drop, giving them unsolicited modding advice, putting way too much detail in a mission transmission as if she doesn't know that the Tenno do not have Sentient processing capability. She watches over missions like a hawk... Very very diligently.

Margulis is the "you've been playing for over a hour" message in chat, just in overbearing mom form. She's very reluctant about leading missions without Natah or Lotus co-conscious; it's very overwhelming keeping track of so many mission feeds. If Natah is too present during missions, then Margulis is the opposite. She really tries to see the Tenno as who they are now, as capable warriors fighting to bring order to the Origin System, but she understandably struggles! She just wants her Tenno to be home safe and sound.

Some Tenno complain about them to the Lotus but all she does is smile. "Let them have their moments," she says. They eventually mellow out, but the first few months Natah and Margulis take the lead are rocky. The Tenno keep their patience with them, and the Space Moms take the time to learn what their children need, swapping between alters more and more fluidly as time goes on.

📓 Hobby

All three space moms share the joy of design! On Tau, Natah wasn't given the time to make her own blueprints or models on account of being put to use as a spy, so building new things together with her headmates really excite her, whether it's weapons or architecture or simple cosmetics. It's honestly adorable, you get to see Natah's innocent side during a brainstorming session.

Natah is big on overall shape design, while Margulis delves deeper into details and intricacies. Lotus is obviously a mix of both, so the other two kinda go through her for design vetting lmao. Surprisingly, they don't argue much during a design-related project! They bounce off each other's ideas and find plenty of value in them. It's very soothing. Margulis gets to exercise her proverbial Archimedean muscles and Natah gets to catch up on what she missed out on in her past.

When Margulis gets too tired in the middle of a project, Natah MOURNS the loss of her design partner. She's devastated to need to stop, she gets so sad that it's funny. Lotus goes "You can keep working on it while she rests" but Natah is like "I CANNOT PROCEED WITHOUT HER BRILLIANT MIND".

Cue them sleeping together while Natah's mind is still spinning with the vigor of a puppy wagging her tail.

👗 Clothes

Living in the body of a Sentient Mimic makes dressing up very easy. Just think of an outfit and boom the shared body adapts to it. Margulis picks out clothes that are comfortable and easy on the eyes, Lotus goes for something classy and elegant but not pompous, while Natah goes for more...... unorthodox fashion statements. she has a distinctly Sentient lens on the whole self-presentation thing.

For example. I've been playing with a Natah who, when outside of her usual mech, presents herself with the features of a Xenomorph. With the long, skeletal tail and just creepier general anatomy. She's honestly a furry, just a Sentient version of one lmfao. I think she maintains her default colour scheme when she changes up her body

Lotus and Margulis share each others' wardrobes and in their headspace they take the time to do little Human rituals like actually painstakingly put their clothes on and do each other's makeup. They definitely lean towards more femme fashion, but they both will indulge in a good suit...

😶 Random

NSFW!!! UNDER THE CUT

SPACE MILF SEX HEADCANONS LET'S FUCKING GOOOOO

Margulis: Bottom switch. Surprisingly commanding in bed if she wants to be. She is incredibly alluring and she knows how to tease... Ridiculously good at dirty talk........ Everything she says and does is like scientifically formulated to drive you up the wall. Being the OG Space Mom who owns the titty window I am inclined to say she can be verrrry slutty. Unfortunately still a regular Human in the datascape, but she's a curious woman and eventually finds out how to use the Sentient body for her own fantasies that i will not elaborate on 😶

Lotus: Vers Switch. Painfully. Excruciatingly. SWEET. In bed. She shows glimpses of herself that are so polite and innocent and affectionate that it makes you want to stop everything and just cuddle her and tell her you love her and she's safe. She NEEDS validation. It greatly upsets her if she thinks she's not doing a good job. Wins "most likely to cry while having sex" award (reasons range from being reminded of trauma or because you told her she's perfect the way she is or because she remembered again that she's free) and you HAVE to be nice about it...

Natah: Stone dom. Does not have nerve receptors and does not want them. She kinda just has sex to satisfy her curiosity and to fill her data banks. You should probably hope she likes you or she will not leave you....... Ahem. Alive? But if she DOES like you, she'll take joy in figuring out ways to push you to your limits and then give you aftercare. For her, sex is less about tactile pleasure and more about learning Human tendencies and how to best manipulate them.

Also she doesn't use her Human body (she reserves the intimacy it grants her for Lotus and Margulis) so you're stuck with her big beautiful mech shell thing and her clawed tentacles. Have fun!

[adragonsfriend]

Do or Do Not, There is No Try

I have seen, I think, the full gamut of misinterpretations of this phrase, so, I'm going to take a crack at breaking down its meaning, and also look a little at its impact on Luke, because someone once tried to tell me that Sidious couldn't've conquered the galaxy without Yoda, and I'm here to say that that's *so funny*, because actually Luke couldn't've saved Anakin without Yoda's teachings.

Let's look at another, simpler example first, to establish my method of analysis. Pretty much, it's about context. Lets take the sentence,

"Hey, don't cry, don't cry."

Let's ask some key questions:

Who would might be saying this and who might they be saying this to? An adult or older child might say this to a young child.

When might this be said? When the child is distressed, and either crying or potentially about to start crying.

What might the older person's intention be in this scenario? Comforting the child.

What is the cultural context? Crying can be caused by a wide variety of intense emotions, but (in modern western culture at least) it is most strongly associated with sadness or pain, negative emotions. There are sometimes negative attitudes about crying being a sign of weakness, but that's not a uniformly held idea, and young children generally get a pass on this.

We can debate about whether saying "Hey, don't cry, don't cry," is the best way to comfort someone who is crying and whether it does or doesn't reenforce negative ideas about crying, but phrased the way I've phrased it, and said in a generally comforting tone and accompanied by other comforting actions, it doesn't literally mean, "I command you to stop crying immediately."

It means, "I see that you're sad/hurting. I wish that you weren't experiencing those negative emotions that are causing you to cry, because I care about you and how you feel. You're going to be okay and this is a situation that we can handle."

(If anyone has, like, specific trauma around this phrase, please note I'm not saying you're not valid for having whatever feelings you have about it, I'm looking at it in the situation described above where intentions are all around pretty positive)

See? Context.

Now let's look at our phrase,

Do or do not, there is no try.

First, a list of common misinterpretations, some of which (I believe) come from people trying really hard to make sense of this phrase but coming at it from the wrong lens, some of which take it very literally, and some of which are cop outs:

it's not just advice about how to use the Force

it's not saying that effort doesn't exist, or that trying really hard is stupid

it's not saying that putting in your best effort is worthless if you don't succeed

it's definitely not saying to only do things you already know you can succeed at

it's not a meaningless platitude, and it's not totally open to any interpretation you'd like

So, context questions:

Who is saying this? Yoda, a life-long teacher of the Force, of lightsaber dueling, and of philosophy. Also a life-long leader, humanitarian, and warrior. He is also a Jedi.

Who is Yoda saying this to? Luke, his student, who aspires to face defeat a terrible evil--the empire--and generally help people where ever he goes. He intends do so by becoming a Jedi.

What is Luke doing when Yoda says this? He is talking about how he really needs his X-wing to not sink into the swamp so he can get off the planet, at the same time as he's saying, "But I don't really know if I can do anything about that so I'm gonna half-try and then give up," and, "My X-wing is very important but I can't have it but I need it so I'm not going to seek out any other solutions to my problem either." In this moment, Luke is whining, and not facing up to his problems (he got it from his dad).

What is Yoda doing when he says this? He's lifting Luke's X-wing out of the swamp with the Force, thereby solving Luke's most obvious outward problem--his dependence on his ship for transport. He's a teacher showing his student the capabilities of the Force, addressing another of Luke's outward problems--his lack of knowledge of the Force. He's also, because this is how both movies and teaching work, addressing Luke's main inward problem: his lack of perseverance and conviction. In this moment, Yoda is helping, and teaching.

So it's a phrase that, along with Yoda's demonstration, is meant to teach Luke something about conviction and effort. Well, we probably already knew most of that, so let's ask some more questions:

Is there a larger context of this phrase? Yes, this phrase is being said in a movie, and so Luke isn't it's only intended audience, and Yoda isn't the only one saying it. The other audience is us, the literal audience, and the writer is George Lucas. All the cues in the movie tell us the audience that Yoda saying this is an important moment we should be paying attention to.

What are his opinions of/intentions for Yoda and the Jedi? Extremely positive. He does not say they are perfect--the conclusion of RotJ says that Yoda and Obi-Wan were wrong about something--but he does say that Jedi are people striving very actively to help others and to be their best selves. These are characters through whom a lot of his beliefs about what goodness is and how people should live are being transmitted. So as this idea of Yoda's is not the one challenged by the conclusion of RotJ, we can assume it is meant to be interpreted positively.

What were George Lucas' cultural inspirations for Jedi culture that relate to this phrase? A combination of christianity, buddhism, and his own unique ideas. To oversimplify: Christianity gives us the light vs. dark, true evil and true good both exist and we should strive for goodness part, buddism gives us the mastery of self, non-attachment, and meditation parts. I am not an expert in any religion, and definitely not in buddhism--I was at least raised christian--but even I know enough to know I'm about to make some sweeping generalizations, so grain of salt, if you please. But disclaimers aside, I believe his phrase, and the way it is phrased, are and indication it is being inspired more by the buddhism side of things. The way christian texts, specifically the Bible, are written typically goes "here is a story/parable about some people doing something, and here is how big G god and/or Jesus reacted to that." There are plenty of metaphors sprinkled in, but they are mainly there to clarify points for readers. Buddhist texts on the other hand (and lots of other easter belief systems as well, like daoism, hinduism, etc. It's an important note that these belief systems don't necessarily conform to the western idea of what a religion is, and often their original languages don't even have a word which is equivalent in meaning to "religion") use metaphor and poetic language in often deliberately contradictory ways, to both express and make the reader/listener (lots of these "texts" were (and still are) oral traditions before they were written down) think about things which are considered impossible to fully express in words and which defy description in other ways as well. The ongoing, unresolved struggle to reconcile contradictory descriptions is the point. Importantly, this doesn't mean those texts can be interpreted however a reader would like. There may be more than one right interpretations, but there can also be wrong, or lacking, interpretations.

Our phrase has a positive/useful message (you can debate whether you agree with that message later, if you'd like), it can't just be about the Force since a very non-Force having audience it meant to gain something from hearing it, and it's not meant to be taken entirely literally.

From here, it's me taking the context and running.

Do or do not, there is no try.

Yoda is making a statement about being decisive, about commitment, and about the unexpected power that can be found when you really put all your effort towards a goal.

Yoda is giving a lesson much more important than 'How to lift things 101,' and much more relevant than how to use the Force.

He's telling Luke to stop whining and make a decision about what it is that he really wants to do, and telling him that when he does know that that is, he needs to put all his effort behind that goal.

Star Wars is telling all of us to stop whining. To decide what we believe in and to act on it.

(If there are any Doctor Who fans who've made it this far, there is a really similar theme across Doctor Who, especially for the 12th Doctor--my personal favorite. Yoda and the Doctor would make wonderful chaos friends.)

And guess what? Luke takes this advice to heart. He decides he's going to redeem his father and he puts aside all doubt, all hesitation, everyone--Yoda, Obi-Wan, Leia, all of rebel leadership--who would tell him it's impractical or foolish or not worth his time.

Do or do not?

Luke is going to do this.

He's not going to say, "Eh I'd really like it if my father redeemed himself, but I don't know if I can do it or if I should try or how I should go about trying."

He makes the decision that he's committed to that path and then stakes his life on succeeding.

He may be going against Yoda's specific opinion on Vader, but he's absolutely doing so in accordance with the commitment which Yoda helped to teach him.

[commando-rogers]

last post I’m gonna make re: ofmd s2 teaser for now- tl;dr David Jenkins is not letting ANYONE think this show isn’t a serious romance anymore

a phenomenon that really struck me about season 1 was that a lot of people didn’t take it seriously. so many of us, myself included, went into this show thinking “oh! taika series, we know what we do in the shadows, this is gonna be a hilarious, lighthearted, silly funny show.” of course, most people (especially queer audiences) caught on to how serious it actually was as the romance plot grew, and then by episode 8-10 knew that oh, this is a romance, this is a drama. (don’t get me wrong, it’s a comedy, but you know what I’m saying.)

but a lot of people didn’t realize it (read: straight audiences). I rewatched the show with a straight man who was watching for the first time, and he was SHOCKED at the kiss. I said “you couldn’t tell they were falling in love? you couldn’t see all the signs? the other characters comments? the tropes?” and he literally said to me “yeah, I thought they were joking though. I thought they were buddies who were close and people were making fun of them.”

like. wow. straight men.

(to his credit, he caught on quickly and was very emotionally invested by the end. straight redemption.)

so when I rewatched the show again, I made a deliberate choice to flip the switch in my head between serious and funny. the thing is, if you choose to, you can ABSOLUTELY read it as all funny, tongue in cheek, comedic shenanigans. that lens is absolutely there and valid, and if you’re not looking for the serious undercurrents, you don’t see them.

and the season 1 trailer enforces this! there’s drama but it’s still silly! it’s all “ha ha funny man tries to be a pirate and adventures ensue.”

but with this first season 2 teaser, there’s none of that. it is serious, it is dramatic, it is intense. of course there’s some comedy thrown in, but it’s the heartbreak and the longing and the dramatic music and the danger. we see characters screaming, firing guns, actively in peril. the tone is dark. there’s no silliness here. David Jenkins took away our ability to be ignorant to what this story is at its core.

all us fans were stunned by the end of season 1, we thought it was funny why are our hearts ripped out!! (and I just made another post about this, but we were shocked that it wasn’t just queerbaiting, so this trailer literally makes clear from the beginning it’s a love story between Stede and Ed.) and so many other viewers of the show didn’t get it, they were surprised and didn’t understand how this funny show was trying to be serious.

season 2 isn’t gonna let us do that. David Jenkins is clearly showing us that this is a love story, but it’s dramatic and sad and intense. the laughs will happen because that’s what’s at the heart of this show, but make no mistake, this is a queer love story with all of the highs and lows that come with it. and I’m thrilled.

[starkjoy]

it’s insane how disappointed i am with this season… like i don’t even know how to deal w this lmao. i just feel like i’m being gaslit into believing all the stuff i previously thought about tomshiv’s dynamic and even tomgreg’s (in terms of the nero/sporus subtext) isn’t true. it’s a weird decision on the writers’ parts.

the whiplash is so odd to me that i can’t help but wonder if they’re intentionally misleading us for some late-in-the-game twist. that’s probably delusion though—simplest explanation is that they changed their mind or it’s shitty writing. seems to be a trend with hbo final seasons. let’s see how it all ends before we make any final decisions, though.

unlike failed internet darling mlm ships of the past, tomgreg isn’t a case of fandom creating a narrative and setting themselves up for disappointment—the writers intentionally implanted homoeroticism into their plotline. the actors knowingly played around with it. jesse literally called them homoerotic a few weeks ago. it’s really sad to think succession may fall prey to every other queerbait-adjacent (adjacent for now since the season isn’t over) curse, leaning into the queer undertones until they’ve written themselves into a gay corner with the internet convinced something is gonna happen, only to backtrack and pretend the vibes were never there at all. it’s too early to say if that’s the case here, but it certainly feels that way at the moment. i mean, what else are we supposed to think when the writers go from nero and sporus gay marriage as the through line of season 3, to disgusting brothers hetero sex tour comedic relief background noise with tomshiv redemption front end center? am I supposed to be enjoying this?

all that being said, on a positive note im glad we’ve seen how much closer tom and greg have gotten as partners, and that they’re scheming together and on the same page. i’m glad they’ve had at least one interaction each episode. i’m glad greg seems much more into tom than previous seasons, quelling any unrequited friendship accusations. i’m glad we got insane homoerotic undertones in episode 1, even if they’ve dropped off since then. but where we’re sadly lacking is depth—what was once the hallmark of tomgreg’s deeper connection in contrast to tomshiv’s emotional constipation. now greg makes sexual quips while tom rolls his eyes…end scene. and again. it was funny and cute at first, but now it’s getting boring. don’t they deserve a more interesting arc in the final season after years of build up? why are we subject to tomshiv rehashing the same shit we’ve seen for 3 seasons instead?

also, one of the most compelling arcs of season 3 was tom’s vengeance, especially because we saw it play out from his perspective. outside of his plane convo with greg, tom’s pov has all but been erased. even the tomshiv moments are from the lens of shiv’s experience. and as much as we may sympathize with shiv’s heartbreak over his betrayal and her dad’s death, it feels almost wrong that the show is trying to make me feel bad for her? we saw how awful she was to tom for three seasons, we saw from tom’s perspective how much she hurt him. i don’t feel bad for shiv on the tom front at all, the fact that she kept his baby feels wildly out of character, and frankly it’s a little insulting the amount of time the final season is spending trying to convince the audience otherwise.

hey, maybe my feelings will change in a few days. maybe the final episodes will change all of our minds. i’ll always have some hope for tomgreg, but right now it’s not looking promising given the treatment they’ve received so far. anyone with any positivity to share hit me up because I could use it!!

[jojosito]

2, 9, 17, 23, and 42 for izou and nagayoshi each < 3

Finally getting time to ramble about my idiots yay <3

2-. A canon or headcanon hill I will die on

For Izou it'd be the idea that he's naturally very observant. Like, if he can replicate sword techniques just by seeing them, then he has to be really good at picking up on the little details when something or someone catches his attention. He doesn't do it on purpose, but just by watching he'd start noticing stuff that most wouldn't.

Something canon that will haunt me forever is this line from his materials profile

Originally he’s unsophisticated with a chivalrous spirit and has a kind personality, but since he was used as others pleased and abandoned in the end he is twisted.

That kindness it's still there, no matter how much he tries to push people away, it'll always be a part of him 🥺

Now Naga.... I think a lot of the oddities of his personality are simply how he's learned to survive on his environment prior to being a servant. His reactions seem unreasonable a lot of the time, but if you see them through the lens of warlord born in a era where strength was the only way to earn respect, then you can see where he's coming from. The extremity to which he takes it feels kinda childish in a way, like if you asked a kid to come up with the baddest, most feared samurai they can think of. Considering how young he was when he took on a position of authority, I can see how violence and unrestraint became core parts of his personality. That's not all he is, though, I'm sure he soon realized that sometimes strength wont be enough to survive, and there's where the more nuance aspects of his character come from.

For something canon, this dialogue from the last scenes of gudaguda 5 in particular has stuck with me.

Well, you know, in your time, you can't just go around killing people for looking at you funny, right? I don't think I'd fit in. I'm too used to pulling out my spear soon as something pisses me off. Hell, even my allies were practically dancing in the streets when I finally kicked the bucket. So just go back home where you belong and don't worry about me.

He's just... Completely ready to let the chance of joining Chaldea go, because he thinks that's what'll be best for them. It's so sad that he believes himself more trouble than what it's worth :( also the fact that he would decide on that kind of thing without discussing it with Ritsuka first speaks a lot about his character. You can also see it on his valentine scene. When he thinks something it's the best for the people he cares for he would just decide on it by himself. It's equally endearing and troublesome, but he's also willing to be corrected if you tell him his assumptions are wrong.

9. Scene that first made me love (or hate) the character

The thing with my love for them it's that it was born out of things outside of the source material. I liked them superficially before, but only once a friend of mine said that they should be a ship it's when I started looking more into them. So yeah, there's wasn't a particular single scene that made me go "wow, I love them" but the sum of reading how they are in fgo and the historical figures they represent.

But I'll talk about two scenes I like instead cus they're cool (⁠.⁠ ⁠❛⁠ ⁠ᴗ⁠ ⁠❛⁠.⁠)

This of Izou vs Taira no Kagekiyo fight. I love the visuals for his skill of replicating other's swordplay. He can be so scary in battle... Also love him not backing down even if he's going against people stronger than him. Hard not to fall in love with him <3

Naga's latest fight in Redline Just... The raw power he holds. He's like a fire. Powerful, unrelenting, terrifying. And yet, you can't help being drawn to the beauty of those savage flames. He burns violent and beautiful.

I love a maaaaaaaaaan.

17-. Quotes, songs, poems, etc. that I associate with them

This is my ultimate Izou song. Romantic implications of the lyrics aside, it perfectly describes his whole deal with Takechi and the tosa kinnoto. The beat its also very Izo.

I didn't had a Naga song in mind before this ask cus I find his vibe pretty specific and hard to replicate, but I went on to search, deciding that first of all it should be fun to listen to, like something you'd put on while driving fast with your frieds. After a while searching I remembered this one and... The lyrics fit him soo good it's eerie sjhhjshjsk. The ultimate Naga song, to me.

23. If they were a scented candle, what would they smell like?

I said it before, Izou's candle would be cigarettes, blood, sake and a hint of seaside under all that. Very stinky candle shjsjkhsjkhs

Naga's would of course smell like matcha tea, something metallic, either from blood or his armor, and uhhhh... Something warm. Like wooden floors that have been hit be the sunlight coming throught the window. I guess that's more a vibe than a smell shgshgshgj.

42. 3 comfort items

For Izou I guess cigarettes would be one, I can see him reaching for them whenever he's feeling anxious or wants to relax. There's also the pipe he pulls out with his fancy outfit. I think he would smoke it from time to time to chill by himself.

Speaking of outfits, he strikes me as the kind that would get himself a new one when he's feeling down. The "I deserve it" kind of deal sgjhsgjhs.

He doesn't mentions it in fgo I think, but historically his katana belonged to the Sakamoto clan before somehow ending up in his hands, so yeah, back in the day I can see him being really fond of it. As a servant it probably brings more pain than comfort tho.

Naga I think would definitely find comfort on his yari, it's an heirloom from the Mori clan, so I think he would feel connected to his dad and older brother throught it. I like to think the same applies to the white armor he wears in his third ascension. It's not said if it belonged to his father or if he got it made for himself, but yeah, I hc that it was passed down to him too.

I think he would love having a traveler's notebook to pull out whenever inspiration strikes him. I can see him all covered in blood after a fight, standing in the middle of the battlefield and writing a few lines or doodling a cool kanji with a brush pen.

Also, both of them would really treasure anything thst's been gifted to them 😌

Thanks for the ask! I enjoyed it a lot 💖

[i-just-needed-a-place-to-ramble]

Okay I have to say that it bothers me immensely how this fandom treats the Donnie’s Gifts episode.

Specifically the shock collar.

I know, I know, it’s an incredibly old topic that’s like poking a sleeping bear to bring up again, but if you may feel the same I do, then hear me out.

On one side, we have people who see it as Donnie being deliberately cruel and actively wishing to control his brother through force if need be.

On the other side, we have people who see it as something good, and poor Donnie didn’t mean to hurt Leo! He didn’t mean for his gift to cause harm! He just wanted to create something to make Leo focus more, he just doesn’t understand that what he did was bad! But it’s okay because he doesn’t get it!

Both these readings suck, in my opinion, though one I see more often than the other.

Now, I love Donnie, I do, he’s so, so fun and interesting and a fantastic character…but the shock collar was an incredibly messed up thing to make. Obviously, he loves his brothers, and he just wanted the best for them, but it was still an objectively awful thing to do to your brother. (Don’t get me wrong, Mikey and Raph’s gifts were also not great, but let’s focus on the collar.)

See, making a collar like that, and having your brother wear it, knowing what it does…that’s not a good thing. It doesn’t matter that he didn’t get to explain it first. It doesn’t matter if it was meant to help Leo in the long run. That ‘help’ is forcing Leo to endure painful shocks until he’s conditioned to, what, pay attention? (And that’s a funny thought, considering it was the shocks that distracted him in the first place.)

Good intentions don’t automatically make things okay.

There’s also an admittedly ableist tone to the reading of Donnie simply being let off the hook because he “doesn’t understand why it’s bad.” That’s- that’s so infantilizing. Donnie is more than capable of knowing when he messes up! And he did mess up here! I hate when people use his autism as an excuse, it feels so ableist to me. Just let him own up to it and apologize! He’s not a bad guy, and it’s okay for characters to mess up! So long as they own up to it! Donnie’s a person too, and he has flaws, let him own them, please.

However, this is not to say that Donnie is evil or abusive for doing this, not at all. While he should not be absolved of guilt, he clearly isn’t intending for his gifts to come off the way they had, and he clearly made them out of concern for his brothers. It’s understandable that he would go about it the wrong way - it’s just not okay that he did. And what he did warrants an apology to the others, especially Leo, even if they themselves shook it off.

So, yeah. The shock collar is incredibly messed up. It was painful enough to affect Meat Sweats- and Leo had it around his neck. It’s a comedy, so I know we gotta take these things with a grain of salt, but whenever I see this episode tackled in a more serious way, it almost always either 1) makes Donnie out to be the Worst, as though we aren’t constantly shown him caring immensely for his brothers, or 2), admittedly more prevalently and annoyingly, it chooses to focus on how sad and misunderstood Donnie is, rather than the very real harm he caused. Like. LEO IS THE ONE WHO HAD A SHOCK COLLAR ON HIM. Put there by HIS OWN BROTHER. And no one cares about that??? Leo’s pain is dismissed??? Donnie’s feelings matter more??? What????

I think that’s what gets me most here, honestly. Not that Donnie is presented as evil, or innocent, but that Leo’s experience doesn’t matter in comparison to Donnie’s reactions to it. It leaves a horrible taste in my mouth to see time and time again.

Again. It doesn’t matter what the intentions were. It also doesn’t automatically make Donnie abusive or evil.

But it was a shock collar, made to hurt, made to correct, and if you look at it outside of the comedic lens it was established in…it’s not okay.

Donnie’s not a bad person, and he’s actually a pretty great brother, a hero in his own right…but he really messed up here.

And that’s okay to admit.

[skijjiki]

people you'd like to know better!

thanks for the tag @crabbarts ! it was fun reading your answers to these questions; sorry I got to this so late! ToT

3 ships: I don't find myself shipping in media as much as I used to, but here are some that won't let me go -clenches fist and cries-

Narumitsu: Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth from Ace Attorney; the power these two hold over me... I haven't read fanfiction in YEARS but I read a handful of them last year and I can't get them outta my mind. These two are meant to BE, even if you looked at them in a purely platonic lens

Dorothy x Laurent: from Great Pretender; they are so tragic. ESPECIALLY WITH THE ENDING OF RAZBLIUTO... I can't get over them. They didn't get to have their time in the sun and they let each other go before they could ever get to it. No I'm not sad you are T_T

Howl and Sophie: from Howl's Moving Castle; I remember the first time watching the ghibli movie and I was just WRITHING and GROANING at their build up, it was so good!! I have the books; they're different from their movie iterations, but in the book they're funny and stupid and dramatic. Howl is way more dramatic and stupid lmfao. They're a nice, feel-good easy ship

First ship: oooooh hmm, first ever ship was probably Tarzan and Jane or Moses and Tzipporah from The Prince of Egypt

Last song: Saturn by SZA! I said that in my last post so the last one BEFORE that would be Kool-Aid by BMTH

Currently reading: All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Last film: I watched Leave the World Behind last night-- pretty good but bizarre. Not a favorite lol but it had an interesting message

Currently craving: coffee and ribs and brownies T_T cravings are so weird lmao

thanks again for tagging me!! This was fun :) I'll tag @chilipepperflake @2dou and @knightzp ! No obligations ofc o/

[boltlightning]

ok. saw sweeney todd revival on broadway. i went from not knowing any songs to seeing two productions in one summer so. thoughts:

because im me my immediate takeaway was: it's been a hot second since i saw a show with the orchestra in a pit down in front of the stage AND it was a 26-person orchestra with refreshed orchestrations! it was so crispy and tight and the energy of being able to see the conductor is difficult to put into words. i'm beyond glad they didn't hide the musicians backstage

there were a lot of people there just for josh groban — i was with family whom i persuaded to see this show because of josh groban, and i heard many people in line being like "hey so is josh groban the bad guy? how much does he kill" and there were some changes i feel reflected that. there was so much physical humor, and sometimes lines were added to further give context to someone's actions. i think it works overall, but you could feel the crowd paying less attention when mrs. lovett or sweeney weren't on stage lol

and it's so unsettling! the chorus has some incredible and strange choreography; the light coming through the steps up to the second story is so ominous; the harmonies SOAR through the theater. it's good stuff.

potentially spoily stuff about the production itself below:

and yes OF COURSE the leads were incredible. i feel like len cariou's sweeney is so angry and yet refined, and michael ball's goes hard on the madness and revenge, but groban's is so...sad. he's such a dad, he sings like an angel, it is so uncomfortable when he does something violent. groban's epiphany is HAUNTING and ELECTRIC and the way he interacts with the razors is incredible! and the way he plays a little priest is hilarious but makes it very clear that it is an extension of his mental break. genuinely and eye-opening experience thank you mr. groban

and ashford takes the more emotional cues from the 2007 movie, but makes you actually care about her lmao. like compared to lansbury's frenetic and absent-minded lovett, ashford is laid back and casual and almost lazy about all the weird shit happening around her. she feels bad about locking toby up, sure, but she's still gonna use it as an excuse to get sweeney to pay attention to her! she's funny she's heartfelt she's insane she wants to fuck sweeney todd so fucking bad. it's an incredible combo

and. yeah the rumors are true. she climbs josh groban like a jungle gym the entire time, and on the rare occasion sweeney snaps out of his brooding to reciprocate the flirting, it is HOT. their camaraderie on and off stage is potent. and it works in the other direction too — when he starts to flinch away from her in the second act it's painful.

i do think that the ending sequence in particular is kind of messy up until the last scene in the bake house; there's not a moment to breathe and not in a way that seems intentional? and some of the scenes with the judge/johanna/anthony subplot could have used some love. but. minor qualms. i am biased because kiss me through pretty women is probably my favorite section of the show 😵‍💫

my last takes are: johanna and the beadle in this production are unbelievably good. johanna leaned so into the bird motifs, as well as the idea that she is done waiting around and ready to do violence, much like her father. and the beadle is delightfully amoral and hates his job and delights in the power it affords him. i am so glad they didn't cut parlor songs and let him really eat it up

and. the last shot of sweeney and mrs. lovett is so so so good and i hope they do a professional filmed production of this so people can experience that alone. josh groban's in this it'll sell like hot cakes PLEASE just do it

my first experience with sweeney todd was a local production i saw this june, in a deeply intimate 300-seat theater. i was sitting so close i could've set my drink on the stage. the sweeney was elegant and suave and tortured; mrs lovett was so casually and affably mean. i will think about them forever! and it's very interesting to compare it to the big fuck-off money production considering they both got roasted for having a more emotional sweeney!! here's the theater's 40 second promo for it!!!

nothing will ever replace the original soundtrack in my heart. but i'm gonna be unwell about this revival for a bit

anyway that's all i got!! thanks for reading if you read this. attend the tale and all that (obligatory tag for @r-osehips thank you for the interest ❤️)