#its a constant tug of war for whos the main character and when .

[nyaskitten]

Listen all I'm saying is if Paramount and Warner Bros. could be friends, we could have the best Transformers and Ben 10 iteration ever, mushed together ! Just think about it !!!

[justmenoworries]

Okay, I'm about to say something very controversial.

I think the Terrans and the Maltos are kind of the weakest part of EarthSpark.

"What? But they're the main characters!"

Yeah, I know. That's the problem.

The main characters are this group of children who are, for the most part, not in the loop when it comes to the show's more interesting conflicts.

The Transformers fitting in on Earth, post-war tensions between Decepticons and Autobots, G.H.O.S.T. being corrupt, parts of humanity being suspicious of and/or downright hostile toward Cybertronians- all of those are things the Maltos are either only tangentially related to or stumble across accidentally.

And that makes sense!

The Terrans and the Maltos are literally children, they shouldn't have to deal with all of that. And the way the show makes clear how brutally the realities of war hit them once shit starts going down is absolutely heartbreaking and well-written.

Still, I can't help but find their story-arcs... kinda boring and repetitive.

Now, I'm aware EarthSpark wasn't really made for people my age. It was made for young children, kids who are just starting to become Transformers-fans and need or might need an introduction to this universe and its characters.

And its message about the power of love and family is a really important one to tell.

But part of me can't help but feel that the Transformers stuff kind of ends up falling by the wayside.

When I think of episodes I enjoyed, the ones that come to mind are always those where the Maltos either interact with Cybertronian characters or ones where the Maltos completely take a backseat, leaving the plot room to focus on the Cybertronians and their troubles ("Decoy", "House Rules", "Missed Connections", "Warzone").

While the episodes that focus more to entirely on the Terrans were often the ones I was least interested in ("Moo-ving In", "Friends and Family", "Bear Necessities"). That's not to say any of these episodes are bad, but like I said, they weren't particularly interesting.

At times it feels like the show itself is aware that the Maltos don't really contribute much and flips a switch to artificially boost their importance. Like in the finale where all the Cybertronians (and Terrans) just so happen to get incapacitated so that Mo and Robbie can save the day with their magical healing sleeves.

There is this constant tug-of-war between a heartwarming slice of life cartoon about family, coming-of-age and love and a dark space opera epos about the consequences and casualties of war, racism and genocide. And when these two clash it often doesn't work.

We'll spend one moment talking about how Megatron used to brutalize his troops and the next doing a comedic sequence where Bumblebee falls off his hay-chair and does a funny exclamation. One moment we're examining the unjust detainment of one faction while the other walks free, and then suddenly it's "Look! The funny mini-casette-bots are making craaazy mischief!"

We get hints that there's something more going on, we get hints that some characters deal with heavy stuff, but if those characters aren't the Terrans or the Malto kids or in any way related to them, hints is all we ever get until everything comes bursting out at once.

Just to make this clear, I am not saying that EarthSpark is a bad show overall or that I hate the show. But no piece of media is perfect and the reason I'm criticizing EarthSpark isn't because I want it to go down, it's because I want it to do better.

Back to the Maltos: If they were interesting enough characters, I wouldn't mind them being the protagonists at all. They have potential, I'll admit to that.

But once you get past the novelty of Transformers born on Earth and being bonded with humans, there's just not much to them.

They're not very deep as characters go and their personalities aren't strong enough to carry them just as they are. They're your standard bickering but loving kid siblings.

It doesn't help that they're not really allowed to be anything but a family unit, to the point of being quite literally a hive mind.

And yes, the show wants to send a message about being open with your emotions and family bonds. But after the umpteenth time a Malto-character started a monologue about how much they love their family and how much their family makes them strong and how they're confident they can get through anything with their family I was like

I hope they develop these characters further in season 2. I want to like them, but right now it's really not easy for me.

Those are just my two cents, feel free to give your own.

[catnykit]

🄸🄽🅃🅁🄾🄿🄾🅂🅃

♖☯ 𓃠 𓃬𓃠 𓃬𓃠 𓃬𓃠 𓃬𓃠 𓃬𓃠 𓃬𓃠🥀🕳

Hi!!! Cat here :3 I spawned here and im figuring stuff out. Like i dont know what im doing this might be in constant change.

Info about me is in the desc!! I didnt think I would need a intropost but well,Here we are!

some things you might want to know about the blog are:

I constantly join ask games and then completly forget so if youre gonna ask based on an ask game aslo link the ask game pls ♡

I dont exacly have a dni,Just interact with me and we'll see!

I LOVE being tagged or getting asks so if you think anything is from my interest,Or anything that reminded you of me or my ocs,Dont hesitate (Or do hesitate to check for the things i avoid below this first I guess)

(IMPORTANT NOTE: I AM LITERALLY SCARED OF ANY KIND OF IRL HOSTILITY,OR DRAMA. LIKE. EVEN WHEN ITS NOT DIRECTED TOWARDS ME,IT WILL TRIGGER ME AND UPSET ME. I AM AN EXTREMELY SKITTISH CREATURE. TAKE THIS IN MIND.)(maybe releted to whats below 👇)

This blog is a safe place to ignore reality for a bit or atleast I try to make it as fictional as possible,I'll always tag "#Reality tw" whenever I consider something is on thin ice but I feel the need to reblog it. aslo. #rageposting is common here so i I recommend you block that tag

So,Welcome to this strange realm! Here we have cat biology and Angsty whump writing!

(Aka:Beware because there is a lot of fictional yet fucked up untagged work)(aslo just ask me about cat biology i can't find thigs to reblog ᴖ̈)

Thats basically it,In fact,This blog was supposed to be a whump blog is just that I repost all kinds of stuff,Even my hyperfixiations and fandoms sometimes!!! And more! You can even find my random thoughts under #Cat says stuff

Im a writter for fun but I aslo like my tiny witty piece of recognition,So if you like one of my stories,

I BEG YOU,COMMENT ABOUT IT I normally dont have the energy to actually write down my stories,So if you want to see more make sure of atleast leave a keyboard smash for support♡

And finally,Here's my own fucked up whumpy writing! :D (Slow,random updates♡)

🫀▁ ▂ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ 🐈‍⬛█ ▇ ▆ ▅ ▄ ▂ ▁ 🫁

Writing (mostly whump)ideas:

Whump idea#0 whumpee's by control (old)

whump idea #1【woods+maggots+insanity? Not a good deal.】

Whump idea#2 【THE TORTURE JAR+NONHUMAN GIANT WHUMPER & CARETAKER】

The Original Stories

(Fun Fact about my masterlist: i put the tag of stuff on the tittle)

🅃🄷🄴 🄲🅄🅁🅂🄴 🄾🄵 🄽🄾🅆🄷🄴🅁🄴: MAIN TW: IMPLIED MURDER,PSYCHOLOGICAL WHUMP Deidamia rotari,Better known as The Nowhere Killer,Passes throught all sorts of horrors in this one-shot collection series that the author will upload randomly and if it makes sense or not is independent. This is just the author having fun with an OC and it will NOT be chronological . (It will be numbered anyway to avoid confusion)

(More ocs may spawn)

....

(....or despawn.)

🅵🅾🅻🅻🅾🆆🅸🅽🅶 🅵🅻🅾🅰🆃🅸🅽🅶 🆂🆃🅴🅿🆂(PSEUDO CANCELLED) : MAIN TW: IMPLIED MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH

The idea is to see the world in the eyes of a ghost. I dont know if I can put this idea on paper properly,Time will say weird ass hiatus cuz im planning to MAYBE remake this. who knows (not me).

FRAGMENT 1: A POOR DEVIL (MAIN TW: SUICIDAL THEMES,OLD AND IN NEED OF REMAKE)

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My favorite writing tropes are (In order): EMOTIONAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL WHUMP. WHUMPER(S) BEING HURT,AKA DYNAMIC/REVERSING ROLES. SELF HARM WHUMP/SUICIDE. CHEERFULL/SADISTIC WHUMPER. LAB WHUMP/MEDICAL WHUMP. STOIC/NONLACHANT WHUMPEE. PET WHUMP/CONDITIONED WHUMPEE. COSMIC WHUMP. WHUMPER TURNED CARETAKER(again,dynamic roles.) SPECIFIC WHUMP THINGS I LIKE: suffocation n variarions Fainting Human whumpee × Nonhuman caretaker DETAILED GORE/VIVISECTION N STUFF(ironic cuz my love is between extreme gore and extreme trauma in a constant tug-of-war ♡) My squicks are: editing this,Anything that's frustrating. now,here's a list; bad endings. Recapture. ...and that's it! im still findind out.

My Triggers are: I am starting to belive im D*ck repulsed. or suggestive intimacy repulsed? idk

♖☯ 𓃠 𓃬𓃠 𓃬𓃠 𓃬𓃠 𓃬𓃠 𓃬𓃠 𓃬𓃠 🥀🕳

[dreadintensifies]

underrated isekai idea

so its a standard reincarnated as xyz isekai, where the mc takes over the body of the character they are reincarnated as

except instead of being a total soul overhaul, or a blend of both characters, give me an ozcar style two souls character

the main character gets yeeted into the body of someone else, except the body is never empty so now both the mc and the og are fighting for control

bonus points if they are inherent opposites, like the main character is a standard heroic modern young adult and the og character is that of the main antagonist of the story, or the mc is a lazy bum who just wants peace and the og character is a righteous beacon of glory and adventure who Can Not Say No

and the whole story is just a constant tug of war and each soul trading turns with the body until they eventually agree on one goal and work together

it would also be fun to explore the mundane aspects of this, like who sleeps? if there is a special food they both want, how do they decide who gets to eat it? what about when someone notices? there is so much fun potential here

[letsrearise]

Season 1 retrospective part I: the most memorable adult evolution, Filmon.

As a way to celebrate ReArise’s Anniversary, I’m starting my retrospective series on season one highlighting its most memorable parts in order to cover season 2 later on.

ReArise’s season one scenario writing is mostly formulaic—it uses the basic format of meeting up with the focus character, having some kind of spiral encounter that’s resolved through fighting and some kind of highlight such as a new character introduction or a new evolution. That’s not to say it doesn’t seed its plot and lore—although the repetitiveness hurts lending the drop feed more interest. From the Tamers’ introductions that involved random digimon as collateral, there’s been hints to Herissmon's true nature and their affinity to Spirals; as well to the Spirals’ plans through them provoking digimon and manipulating both the digital points’ frequency and size (the most pointed case being in act 11, with Keito noting the weird expansion of a particular Digital Point). Which leads us to acts 12-13 being among my favorites in season one, since they take all these hints and escalate the situation in an effective, shocking way.

The end-of-act-11 cliffhanger revealing the spiral expanding the Digital Point is still around, coupled with the fact that the unusual electronic disturbances point at the movement of the Digital Points for their eventual convergence at the center of the city are both rewarding little ideas that sell a sense something bigger than usual is brewing, more so than your typical “Digital Points are increasing in frequency” talking point so far. The event ties the instability of the Digital Point to Tyrannomon, so we get a different main objective than simply destroying the Spirals in order to restore the space back to normal. Previous digimon encounters haven’t necessarily been friendly from start, but none were a serious threat to the Tamers themselves as much as to the digimon’s own safety, so it’s a fun tug-of-war between Spirals and Tamers to get to and pacify/subjugate Tyrannomon first (also, it’s nice to see the once-to-be mascot of the franchise get a lil’ hype as especially strong).

 We also get to entertain some kinda strategy from the Tamers, with Takumi dealing with Tyrannomon directly and the others offering support by clearing the Spirals. Agumon’s eventual request for their help in order to talk it out with Tyrannomon also provides a shake-up to the usual course of action. The Tamers clear a path for Greymon to get to Tyrannmon, who at this point is merely a rampaging beast… It’s a bit underwhelming as far confrontations go, but it’s also note-worthy as the first time ReArise puts reaching out to the creature lashing out at the heart of the debacle, something that gets much greater pay-off in season one’s own finale.

 Herissmon’s building sense of impotence through act 12 is good to anticipate their eventual evolution during this event, as well as valuable characterization setup for their constant ruminating and guilt through the last stretch of season one as the Spiral possession occurrences keep on troubling them. The Tamers’ initial hesitancy to simply destroy Tyrannomon isn’t too deply explored, but it’s nice to see echoes of it for when the possibility starts creeping as a way to deal with Herissmon themself later on.

 The end of act 12 is a great cliffhanger on its own right— just when it looks the tides have changed and the Tamers have successfully weakened and cornered Tyrannomon, the Spirals resonate with it and force a corrupt evolution that successfully integrates Spiral data. This finally puts into perspective all of the Spirals previous experiments and hints at their ultimate goal as well as it foreshadows Herissmon’s own eventual fate. Not to mention it was just cool. This fucked up egg is my friend.

Herissmon’s adult evolution being fueled by a desire to help their friends when they’re in a pinch and literally paralyzed is Digimon at its most classic. It’s not the most shocking of revelations, but it goes quite well with Herissmon’s character— their answers for the Spirals in the season 1 finale hinges on how much they cherish life thanks to their beloved friends, and this will continue being their core source of strength through season two. Herissmon’s deep love for its friends is even baked into the lore of its ultimate evolution, given that it can get a power boost from the emotions of its allies. That the spirals are drawn to Herissmon as well and it looks like they might try to force a corrupt evolution right there and then is the cherry on the cake adding a bit of a twist. All in, it’s the perfect scenario for Herissmon to evolve for the first time.

There’s genuine pathos in the way the Tamers note SkullGreymon’s pain over the forced evolution and MetalGreymon’s desire to keep on reaching their rampaging friend culminating in a bittersweet victory for the Tamers. It’s a bit of a waste this season doesn’t use this event to pivot to a more serious atmosphere, especially as we deal with its shadow looming over Herissmon and how it affects the other Tamers—particularly Takumi, but I still enjoy the tragedy of it as is.

[roostercrowedatmidnight]

when i first watched s8 of doctor who when i was younger, i loved it but never liked the clara/danny/doctor dynamic going on. it just felt like i love triangle, which i'd never enjoyed before, and i couldn't see the point of it. but now i actually like it a lot more because i know it has very little to do with what is happening at the surface level, and actually serves more important thematic functions that make it super interesting.

the doctor and danny in s8 have to be in conflict because they are representative of clara's two lives -- normal work/home/earth vs adrenaline-high space adventures -- and how she is torn between them. these two different lives are constantly tugging at her throughout s8, as we all know. they are her main conflict in this series, perhaps even clara's main conflict across her entire run. of course the main symbols of those opposing lives, the doctor and danny, need to be constantly at odds, to demonstrate clara's inner struggles.

(there is also of course a surface level aspect to all this, which is that the doctor and danny both consider clara the most important person in their lives, and are jealous of the connection that the other has to her. but i'm guessing we all know that already.)

the doctor and danny are also supposed to be constant reflections of one another because they both look at the other and see their negative experiences with war. the doctor and danny were both soldiers, and although danny seems more accepting of that part of himself and has a more positive view on the military's function, both of them chose to leave that behind, and both still have the lingering trauma that a war experience causes. danny looks at the doctor and just sees the cruellest figures in the military. he is worried that clara will have something horrific happen to her on her adventures just like danny had in the military. the doctor looks at danny and sees who he was in the time war, the person who he hated being, and is probably worried that if clara can like a military figure like danny, then maybe she likes the doctor because she sees him in the same way. this feeds in to the 12th doctor's main conflict in s8, which is identity and morality. in 'the caretaker' he thought clara might be dating the other english teacher because that is the sort of person the doctor prefers to see themself as -- silly, academic, sweet. definitely not military.

this obviously isn't perfectly executed all the time, and it is sometimes disappointing that the doctor and danny only look at and evaluate one another with the worst outlook from beginning to end without ever seeing the good sides of one another that clara sees: the way the doctor is selfless, compassionate, and loves life in all its forms, and the way danny is patient, forgiving, supportive, and calmly grounded. however, i still think the dynamic does really interesting things with the doctor and clara and danny. s8 of doctor who is character-fuelled in an extreme way, so that practically every aspect of the plot is a result of the main characters (doctor, clara, danny, missy) and their actions, or a tool to help explore the characters' developments and conflicts better. and i love all of that now and understand it much better than i did when i first watched the show.

[songbirdsingingthings]

Luminescence - Armin Arlert x Reader

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, they belong to Hajime Isayama

AOT Masterlist - Main Masterlist

WARNINGS: Season 3 & kinda 4 spoilers

Requested by Anonomys:

Hello,I hope you have a beautiful day! Could you please make an imagine of Armin and his s/o (either fem or g/n,whatever is more comfortable for you to write) about their night routine when they go to the sea and just relax in each other's presence?(everyone has already seen the sea for the first time) soft armin hours 24/7😭

I have been FEELING the Armin feels so much recently. This little blonde boy has just captured my heart. I hope you like it, I had so much fun writing it!

Word Count: 1.6K In and out the tide would go. All day, never ceasing, the ocean would move in and out in a steady rhythm. Sometimes the waves would be a little more rough or even shallow, but they would ebb and flow all the same. It became a comfort for you ever since the Scout Regiment had built the new headquarters by the ocean. There was always a buzz throughout the buildings; Eren doing this, the Marleyeans saying that. It all grew so effortlessly tiresome that by the end of the day you were fatigued, your shoulders were aching, and your head longed to be nestled into a soft feathered pillow. There was one thing, however, that you allowed to capture your attention rather than allow your brain to turn off and sleep. Armin Arlert. With his newly cut blonde hair and his mind brimming with knowledge, he had managed to weave his way into your heart and invade your senses, bringing with him all the things you never thought you could hold dear. 

“Y/N, you’re free to go. Just take that paperwork back with you and have that analysis done by tomorrow.” The recently appointed Commander Hange tells you, flashing a quick smile before sweeping up her own materials. Across from you Captain Levi had already stood up from his chair and was making his way out. Finally Jean, who was seated to your right, huffed a sigh.

“Preparations are never gonna end are they,” He laments, pinching his fingers to the bridge of his nose. You give him a pity smile and pat his shoulder.

“Not until Hange and Levi think that they’re good enough.” Jean rolls his eyes and stands from his chair, stretching his arms out.

“Alright, well, I’m outta here. See ya tomorrow.” He sighs. You wave your hand in farewell and gather the several papers and briefings into your arms and drag yourself out of the little conference room. You groaned as you felt your several aching limbs weighing you down and the pounding in your head. Making plans for the invasion of Marley were no joke and surely took a toll on your brain. In a decent amount of time, you make your way to the beach huts where you found Armin waiting your steps, his nose buried in a book. A light smile spreads across your face.

“How was your day?” You asked, causing the blonde to close his book and jog over to your side.

“About the same as yesterday. You?” He says softly, taking your hand in his and walking the both of you into the little hut. You simply hum and lean a bit more into Armin’s side, which told him basically everything he needed to know. You were tired, your brain was fried, and you wanted his company. With a content grin, he placed a kiss to the top of your head and had you sit on one of the chairs in the small living room. “How about I grab some dinner while you shower? I’m sure Niccolo won’t mind if I take a couple of plates from the dining hall so we can just eat here.” He suggests. His proposition practically makes your heart sing at the thought of having a quiet meal, just the two of you.

“I’d love that,” you say earnestly, placing your paperwork on the low table in front of you. “And even if Niccolo won’t be happy about it, he’ll be too distracted by Sasha to notice.” You quip, earning a laugh from Armin.

“Alright, I’ll be right back.” 

The shower you took was heavenly. Since everyone was having dinner, you had first dibs on the hot water and you basked in it. Your body smelled of a light lavender, every bit of grime was wiped off of your body, and even your hair was washed. The change of your clothes also helped to brighten your mood. Gone was the white button up and cargo jacket - you were all comfy in the light and airy sleepwear. The soft fabric seemed to kiss your skin in such a sweet way that you felt you could fall asleep right then and there. But, the savory smell of freshly cooked seafood worked its way into your senses causing your eyes to snap open.

“Dinner!” Armin called. You rushed your way towards him, and more importantly the food, in excitement.

“Looks yummy.” You say, helping him set down the trays of food and laying out the utensils. Dinner was a little quiet, since both of you were super hungry and dinner tasted fantastic.

“I read something rather curious,” Armin says, instantly gaining your full attention. He was always finding something new every time he read a book. Whether it was the genetic property of a fig leaf or certain characteristics of different types of rocks, you always found it interesting to hear.

“Do tell,” you urge, using your fork to bring the last little morsel of food into your mouth.

“It’s a sort of natural phenomenon called bioluminescence. Unlike a shooting star, though, it’s actually caused by microorganisms that light up when agitated.” You pause a bit when you hear his explanation, confusion flickering across your face.

“They light up?” You wonder. Armin nods to you in response. “But whenever we’ve been outside and in the ocean, I’ve never noticed anything lighting up.” Armin takes your response into consideration and leans back in his chair a bit. It takes a minute for his brain to connect all of the dots, trying to think of why no one has ever seen anything that was somewhat supernatural in the water before. Then, like a lightbulb going off in your head, you stand up suddenly causing Armin to jump a bit. “Because it was daytime!” You conclude, grabbing hold of Armin’s hand and ushering him out of the door. Neither of you bothered to slip your shoes on beforehand, so your bare feet met the somewhat chilled sand.

“I don’t even know if these kinds of organisms are native to our area though,” He says warily, squeezing your hand.

“It doesn’t hurt to look!” You say cheerily, all of the former exhaustion leaking from your body as the cool ocean breeze swished your clothes and hair. Finally, the two of you made it to the shoreline. The waves were constant as ever and reached just before your toes before pulling back. “You said they lit up when they were agitated, right?” You ask, looking to Armin who was standing by your side.

“Yeah,” he says as he rolls up his pants so they don’t get wet, “so any touch from us should make them glow.” With a deep breath and a cautious expression, you extend one of your feet over the water and very slowly let it sink into the water.

It was as if your touch was magical. The second your foot met the water, a bright blue light surrounded it. A gasp left your lips, immediately followed by a smile as you let your other foot go into the water, causing the space surrounding it to glow even more. You looked back to Armin who was currently marveling at the discovery, and he quickly joined you in the water. The deeper you got the more the water lit up. The light blue reflected across your faces, shading them in an azure hue.

“Armin…” You murmur, breathless at the sight, “it’s beautiful.” Wrapping an arm around your waist, he pulls you into his side. In front of you, he lets his hand fall into the ocean and drags it along, the water behind it leaving a brightly-lit path. “What was this called again?” You ask, looking up to his awestruck expression.

“Bio, uh, Bioluminescence,” He says, hesitant as he’s taking everything in. Finally, he looks back up to you and smiles widely. “Think of everything else that the ocean can hold.” He gushes. As you look at him and his infectious grin, only one adjective comes to mind. Delectable. You move your lips closer to his as you tug his collar down, bringing with it his head. He gets the message quickly. He raises his hand, now wet with seawater, to your cheek, his thumb swiping across your lips. You had no idea where he had gotten so confident - Armin was a gentle lover. Usually he preferred to cuddle rather than to engage in a makeout session and favored forehead kisses. Maybe he had seen someone do that or read it in a book, but you didn’t care - it made your heart race. His lips met yours passionately, wrapping both of his arms around your waist tightly and pressing you as close as possible to his chest.

“When this is all over,” Armin says breathlessly, then going back for a second kiss. “When this war is done.” Another kiss. “Let’s live on the beach. We can discover everything this great blue abyss has to offer.” One final kiss. You lean into his body as he embraces you, situating his chin on top of your head.

“That sounds lovely,” you hum, nestling your head into where his arm and torso meet. The two of you stay like this for a moment, basking in each other's warmth and presence before the chill of the air got to be a bit too cold for your liking.

“Should we go inside? Burrow under some blankets?” Armin asks, both of you wading your way out of the water. His hand is in yours again, swinging them a little. You give him a grin and nod as he leads you back into your and his shared hut.

“Bioluminescence, huh.” You say, still marveling at the glowing sight. You made your own discovery too. The closer you looked at Armin’s eyes, the more you saw that glow of the blue water. Both brimming with energy and both inviting. Their presences are equally calming to most, but to you, it was all him.

[theatresweetheart]

Crash Landing

Warnings: Non-descriptive crash landing, swearing, non-graphic broken wrist, fear, anxious thoughts.

Pairing: Platonic Moxiety

Wort Count: 3231 words

Characters: Virgil, Patton, Logan and Roman (mentioned but not present)

A/n: I have had this in my drafts forever. I’ve finally given myself the time to finish it up! Which was nice, since I haven’t written anything g/t related in a while! This was certainly refreshing and fun!

                                         ——————————

“Contact with Home Base has been disrupted.”

This was not good.

This was really, really not good. He had made a list of everything that could go wrong and this exact situation just happened to top the list by far.

This was not how this was supposed to go.

The training that he had received should have prepared him better if he were to lose contact with his ship, but the flashing red lights and constant blinking with the grating sound that seemed to fill the cabin of the ship was making it harder to focus on anything other than the anxiety that was filling his stomach.

He was trying everything he knew. Resetting the system, trying to shut it off, attempting to override the automatic shutdown.

“Ace, override emergency operation Lock Down and return to manual piloting.”

The fact that this mission had been nothing more than an exploration of some of the least charted worlds of the galaxy, he had insisted that he be given a chance to prove himself worthy.

While there were a few other pilots who may have been a bit more acquitted to dealing with this situation, he had been allowed the chance.

Even as Virgil frantically tried to figure this mess out, the constant blinking of red lights in front of him still didn’t cease.

When the ship had gone into lock down, it was something that was supposedly made to keep the pilot within the ship safe if they were unconscious. Unfortunately, he was wide awake and unable to stop what was happening in front of him. The fact that he was useless to stop the hurtling spaceship from smashing into the ground was horrifying.

“Unable to override operation Lock Down.”

“Goddammit,” he swore under his breath, reaching up, he pulled at one of the lever above his head, before flicking the switch beside it and causing one of the only other lights to flicker on to a dying blue hue. The sounds of the locks shutting further gave him a little comfort.

There was nothing he could do if the ship couldn’t even turn it off.

“Ace, attempt to override emergency operation Lock down again and return to manual pilot.”

The beeping almost got louder for a moment and he winced in response to the squealing noises. The more high pitched it got, the more ear grating it became.

“Still unable to override operation Lock Down.”

“Attempt to reconnect contact with Home Base.”

The moment he had lost the connection with Home Base was the exact moment he had realized just how screwed he was. Without it, how would they know where his ship ended up? Would it even be possible to contact them again after he landed?

“Unable to reconnect contact with Home Base.”

Fantastic, that was exactly what he needed to hear right now. The anxiety was threatening to overwhelm him at this point, but if he allowed it to get the better of him, he would have no chance whatsoever.

As Virgil’s eyes focused on the planet in front of him that just seemed to be growing larger and larger by the second, he knew he needed more info on it. If he touched down and knew nothing, it would only get him in trouble faster. Attempting to fit in would be a bit more difficult without any knowledge.

Taking in a deep breath, he slid his hand across the touch pad, only watching as more warnings popped up in front of him. “Give me information on the planet Terra.”

The fact that he had been so sure of himself, only for his ship to shut down right in front of him while being completely helpless to stop it, proved that he probably shouldn’t have been so adamant about doing this.

At least not by himself.

Proving himself meant nothing if he was dead.

“Terra, inhabited by Terran. It resides in the Milky Way. It only consists of one moon and is the third closest planet to the sun, thus the year on Terra is—”

“Important stuff, Ace,” he called up, the panic growing heavier in his chest, making it harder to breathe, “more information on the Terran.”

“Terrans, more commonly known as ‘human beings,’ are a violent race of bipedal mammals that have a long and detailed history of starting wars between themselves over provisions such as oil, water and large expansions of land. There appears to have been a time of peace hundreds of years ago, before Terrans realized the importance of certain provisions. Humans are known for their violent and greedy nature and are often avoided by others.”

He could only sit and watch as the planet of green and blue got bigger and bigger. Hurtling towards the ground at unimaginable speeds was absolutely horrifying.

Then there was the fact that A.C.E. was saying how Terrans were more prone to jump into negative action if they found something they didn’t understand.

“It is rumoured that the humans—“Americans” as Terrans call them—of the United States of America believe there is a secret military base called Area 51. A place where countless other planets have lost explorers to. There are some notable planets in your galaxy that have lost explorers to this base.”

“Great, just what I needed,” Virgil hissed, tugging the seat belt tighter and reaching forwards to hold onto the wheel in front of him even if he wouldn’t be able to change course. The idea that there were people down on this planet that captured other beings set a hard rock in his chest. “Is there any way at all to slow the descent?”

“Negative.”

Well, guess he would just have to brace for impact as best as he could.

“Ace, attempt to reroute all power back to the main bridge and return control to manual pilot.” It was all a loss at this point, but he needed to try at least once more.

The ship went silent for a minute, the flashing stopped and for one brief moment of relief, Virgil thought that he would get control back. Then the sirens picked up again and the yoke remained stagnant. He could tug, he could turn with everything he had in him, and the thing still wouldn’t move an inch.

“Unable to reroute power supply to main bridge,” Ace’s computerized voice spoke from somewhere above him.

While crash landing was inevitable at this point, there was nothing really settling about that. There was so much that could go wrong when one hit the ground too hard. Whiplash, sprains, broken bones and, in the worst case scenario, death.

Sinking a bit further into his seat, the young man grasped the armrests. His knuckles were white from the force. The ground was approaching far too fast and he didn’t have it in him to watch.

So, he squeezed his eyes shut as tight as possible and waited for the worst of it.

—

The first thing he registered when he began to regain consciousness was the stinging in his left arm. Sharp, jabbing pain that seemed to allude to something greater than just a hurt wrist.

But there was pain almost everywhere. Every time he tried to move, there was something hot and burning. His muscles ached and could feel thin cuts along his good arm. The crash landing must have taken more of a toll on him than he had originally planned for. At least his ‘worst case scenario’ hadn’t played out. He was still alive for everything that counted for.

The next thing he registered, even when he still laid half unconscious, was that whatever he was on was much softer than solid ground or even the leather covering of the seat in his ship. Whatever he was on was a lot warmer as well. While the ship had its heating system, this felt like it was more body heat than anything else.

Whatever was happening couldn’t exactly be good.

When he tried to move his injured arm—ignoring the awful, horrible pain that shot up through the rest of his arm—that’s what jolted him awake instantly. He couldn’t move it. Not just because of the pain, he could grit his teeth through the pain, but because of something that prohibited its movement in the first place.

He sat up, suddenly hyper-aware of the weight slightly pressing against the back of his neck and his right shoulder.

Wide, startled brown eyes moved directly to his left arm and he saw the pristine white bandage wrapped around it, before tied back into a sling that was tucked around his neck. The sling itself was surprisingly well made and did its job with keeping his arm from moving, but that led Virgil to another question.

Who did it?

Which led to yet another question; where, in the name of God, was he?

His attention shifted, after realizing that he couldn’t just spend his time staring at his broken, but miraculously wrapped wrist. Not if he wanted answers. Though, when he did take the time to look around the room, he was only left with more questions.

And a crippling stab of anxiety in his stomach.

He was in a bedroom. It looked like any other normal bedroom, just on a scale a hell of a lot bigger. There was a bed, a dresser, closet, bedside table, a window, lamps, wall decors, anything that you would expect in a bedroom. Except everything was probably twenty times his own height and the panic began to set in hard.

The feeling of tightness in his chest was the first sign of the oncoming attack, then there was the heavy breathing that followed closely afterwards.

Tearing his eyes away from the looming sight in front of him, Virgil noticed a small cup of water to his right but if he wasn’t mistaken, the water was contained inside a bottle cap. Something that he had tossed mindlessly into the trash before. Seeing it nearly the size of his hand was unnerving and frankly terrifying.

While a part of him wanted to reach over and quench his thirst, another part of him—the more reasonable part of him—knew that the drink could very easily be poisoned. This entire thing could all be some sort of Godawful trick and the Terran that was currently keeping him captive would eventually do away with him. He was a hostage and there was no way to change that, not if the scale of the room said anything about the scale of the human being.

It took a moment, but something caught his attention, set off to the side as if it were an afterthought. It was his ship. Sitting right there out in the open, so close but so far away from him. It was like a sick tease.

However, the more he looked at it, he saw the damage that had been done when it had plowed into the earth’s surface. Glass was shattered, it was dented in more places than one and wires stuck out along it’s edges. Seeing it in such poor shape hurt him, even if the thing wasn’t sentient.

Everyone had an attachment to the ship they were assigned to pilot and he had been in his for what seemed like weeks. Getting to learn its controls and figure his way out around the large place.

Ace, even as an A.I, had been some of the only company he had gotten during his mission. However, because of the advanced technology he had been able to make contact with either Logan or Roman at least once every two days. Never for very long, but hearing the voices of his two closest friends was always reassuring.

Maybe if he could get back to his ship, Ace would be able to help him now. They were on solid ground, so perhaps he’d be able to rework some of the wires without the panic of crashing unexpectedly.

Almost as if fate thought that this was some cruel joke, he could hear movement coming from the other side of the closed door.

The shadows of someone moving on the other side caught his attention and his stomach sank. Panic quickly managed to wrap its clammy hands around his throat and squeezed, easily directing his focus from breathing, to ‘oh my god, what do I do now.’

He was hurt, which took away his chances of fighting. He was tiny, which took away his chances of actually finding a way to escape. He was nearly in the midst of a panic attack, which took away his rational thinking and replaced it with the common fight or flight response.

Adrenaline pumped through his veins as the door handle jiggled, only to open a lot slower than he thought it would have. Struggling to right himself, Virgil managed to halfheartedly move slightly backwards. Whatever he was currently laying on was much too soft to actually try and make some sort of getaway.

The door eventually did crack open and Virgil shrunk further back into the soft comforters of the bed, as if that would hide him from plain sight.

Dread pooled into his stomach as soon as his eyes made contact with the Terran’s. However, where Virgil was expecting to see blood red eyes (or something else relatively terrifying) he saw dark hazels—that would have rivaled Roman’s—hidden behind thick black glasses. And where he was expecting to see fangs and canines that were designed to tear and maim, he saw blunt teeth bared in an expression of relief and excitement.

A.C.E hadn’t given him any information on human body language, but he could only pray that a smile meant the same thing it did on his own home planet.

“Oh good!” The human said suddenly, stepping further into the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. “You’re awake. I‌ was a little worried there for a bit! You weren’t moving and it was a little hard to tell if you were breathing.”

Virgil had half a mind to demand release, but the other more sensible part of him realized that he was certainly in no place to be demanding anything. The human had been kind enough to leave water for him, but that didn’t mean he had the right to push that kindness just in case he pushed too far.

Anxiety tried to push forward, trying to make Virgil relent and stay compliant. And while that might save his hide, it wasn’t what he had been trained to do. At least, nothing had really trained him for interacting with giants, but at least humans—or this human in particular—seemed willing enough to make causal conversation.

So, he swallowed back his nerves and cleared his throat to the best of his ability, trying to still the trembling in his good hand. He dug that one into the thick covers to stop it. “What–” he took a breath, hating the way his voice shook, “what are you going to do to me?”

It was a morbid curiosity as well, Virgil reasoned. He wasn’t sure if it would be better to know his fate or to allow the human to do what he wanted and have it over with.

The human’s expression seemed to crumple. Virgil felt his stomach drop at the disheartened look that crossed his features.

“I’m not going to do anything to you,” the human said, his voice was softer this time. “I‌ really just wanted to make sure you were okay. The way your ship looks and the way your arm looked…”

Virgil’s eyes darted down to his wrist, seeing the careful bandaging and the sling. He felt slightly ill at the idea of how close the human had to get to him to do such impressive work, but it was still shocking. “You.. you did this?”

“The sling and the cast,” the human said, that soft smile returning once more. It looked proud and warm. “I‌ don’t know how well I‌ really did with it since you’re so small, but I‌ hoped it helps enough to let your arm heal correctly.”

You and me both.

Virgil took another breath, letting it out steadily and forcing the nerves back for now. He could let it take over when he was alone. Falling prone in the midst of a dangerous creature was not a good option.

“My name’s Patton,” the human said suddenly, causing Virgil’s eyes to shoot back up and meet his own. “I‌ just thought it’d make this a little easier, you know? A‌ bit more personal too.” The human—Patton—paused, and Virgil felt nervousness fluttering in his stomach again. “Do you have a name?”

Of course he had a name. Obviously he had a name. However, before he had the mind to speak it, he held his tongue. Was telling a human his name really the best way to go about this encounter? What if names had power on this planet, and the minute Virgil gave his away he was immediately in more danger.

Though, Virgil also had to take stock of everything that had happened—well, everything that hadn’t happened already.

Patton had done nothing but stand by the bedroom door, talking softly at him. That wasn’t exactly the recipe for a monster. However, there was also something else niggling at him saying that this could all be some elaborate scheme to get Virgil to trust him and than that’s when it happens.

Though, another part of him said, he seems pretty genuine. If he really did mean you harm, he didn’t have to fix your wrist. Or let you live, for that matter.

Virgil licked his lips, trying to wet them only to come up with a dry mouth. Right, he was thirsty. His eyes flickered over to the bottle cap of water to his side that miraculously hadn’t spilled in his panicked movements to create distance between himself and the human.

He then side-eyed Patton again. “Is the water poisoned?”

Patton let out a soft, surprised noise at that. As if that wasn’t the question he had been expecting in the least. If Virgil had any suspicion that it was poisoned, going off of that reaction it very obviously wasn’t. “No!” The human quickly said, wanting to get that truth out there vehemently. “Of course not. I‌ promise, I‌ really don’t want to do anything to you!”

Virgil gave a satisfied enough nod at that, tugging the cap of water toward himself—ignoring how weird it was that it was a bottle cap of all things—and tilted it just enough to let himself bend down and take a few greedy drinks of it. It was cool and fresh and amazing. The task of drinking was a bit difficult one handed, but certainly not impossible.

When he had drained about half of it, and felt a little better than before, he used his sleeve to wipe at the water on his mouth. After another moment of hesitation, watching Patton’s wide sparkling gaze, he sighed.

“…my name’s Virgil,” he said, turning his head away immediately, as if that would stop the heat from flooding up the back of his neck and into his cheeks.

And because of that reaction, he missed the way Patton’s eyes lit up further.

Virgil guessed that maybe he’d landed with an…alright human.

For now.

Besides, there was no harm in Patton knowing his name. At least, no harm yet.

[thankyoumskobayashi]

I didn't expect Tenebria to get in, but I'm glad she did! I'm going to tell everyone about her because I can. First of all, under no circumstances should anyone subject themselves to this game. The latest update where they added very disorienting animations to the summons banners still makes me seasick. Second of all, Tenebria is a villain. If this bothers you, you are free to leave. Ok goodbye. Now on to the good stuff! Spoilers for the game's main storyline below. Also tw for character death.

Tenebria is a villain, which means she fights on the side of the Archdemon, who's in a constant tug-of-war game with his twin sister the Goddess. Every time he destroys the world, his sister remakes it completely and the cycle begins again. Typical sibling behavior. As one of the Archdemon's three Acolytes, each time the world is reset, Tenebria is tasked with demoralizing the enemy and reviving the Archdemon. Her powers revolve around showing a dream of what the person she's near most desires (Kamen Rider OOO fans can understand why I'm intrigued by that sort of power). It's apparently rare to have the willpower to be able to break out of her illusions. She doesn't show many emotions, but she has complex reasons for that. Mortals, to her, are actors in a grand play. And she's a harsh critic.

The reason she fights for the Archdemon is also tied into her lack of expressions. As a B-plot to a limited story quest, it was revealed Tenebria was born a noble girl, tired of being proper and bored with her daily life. Magic stuff was her special interest and stories about it where the only way to get her to do things she hated. When no one was looking, she touched the cursed magical artifact that killed her entire castle, possibly even her town (exact area of effect was never specified but she reacted to the castle inhabitants at least). Horrified by what she'd done and refusing to face that she was the cause of it, she locked away all her emotions in that cursed artifact and made judging humanity as an unamused immortal her entire persona. Which, on its own, fascinates me. Because I think she's actually judging her past self whenever she judges humans. She just can't unlock her emotions long enough to actually admit that she was wrong. And the kicker is also that she uses the thing that killed her home and a bunch of random civilians to stay alive. I wonder what runs through her head every time she's defeated or the world starts to end. I wonder if, in that moment, she ever thought "finally, I get what I deserve."

There's three different versions of her in the game, and two of them have pink hair. Ice element Tenebria is from a canon AU where she's the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, which is a story I don't remember enough of to analyze right now. But her kit revolves around baiting the enemy team to attack one of her teammates. Which matches her ability to read what humans want. The Fire element Tenebria, the OG, has a kit geared towards giving enemies the Sleep CC and slowing them down so they can't fight as easily. This also matches her role as the Acolyte who makes illusions in dreams and sows disorder among the Archdemon's enemies.

In conclusion, I appreciate her for the role she plays in the story, her powers, and her emotional complexity. If you've read this far, thanks! Have the only canon picture of Tenebria smiling

Pink Hair Swag Tourney, Round One, Part Eight

[ladyloveandjustice]

Winter 2020 Anime Overview: Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!

Keep Your Hands off Eizouken! follows three high school girls: Midori Asakusa, Tsubame Mizusaki and Sayaka Kanamori, as they work together to create their own anime. They form a club on their high school campus, which they dub “eizouken” (the rough meaning of which is “film association”).

Awkward and spacey but endlessly creative, Asakusa takes on the job of director and also handles background animation. Mizusaki is a part-time model who has to dodge her parents disapproval over her pursuing anime, but she’s a whiz at character animation. And finally, there’s the tough-as-nails, blunt-as hell Kanamori, who doesn’t have much passion for animation itself but has a lot of passion for selling a good product, and she wrangles the two artists and reminds them of the bottom line.

Eizouken! is a vibrant artistic triumph bursting with wonder and ingenuity. I can’t really communicate just how good it is- this is truly a show that speaks to the existence of nerds, creative weirdos and (if you identify with Kanamori), the poor souls who have to deal with how ridiculous creative weirdos can be.

 The show finds great visual ways to express the creative and planning process for an enterprise, having the girls literally climb around in the settings and concept art they create, struggle to fly the planes they’ve designed, and so on. By doing this, it transforms what could have been a more standard narrative into a more unpredictable tale that switches between being a a thoughtful meditation on the different aspects of the creative and production process and a rollicking, wacky adventure story.

And it’s all carried by very strong characters. Even their designs are bold and distinct- its very rare to see a main protagonist female character in ANY sort of animation have a constant, unflattering grimace like Kanamori does, but it suits her cynical self perfectly. Eizouken! focuses on female characters, but unusually for anime, and let’s be real, animation in general, it doesn’t sand off any unique edges to make them as  generically cute’ as possible. Mizuasaki is the closest to a standard conventionally cute design, but that suits the fact she’s a part time model.  Thanks to the great animation, the girls also have a wonderful expressiveness that matches their striking designs. The great article The Glorious, Geeky. Goofy Girls of Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken goes into this more in depth. 

(As the article mentions, the storyboard director of episode 1, Mari Motohashi, said they animated the characters in a consciously gender neutral manner too, saying of the original manga that“ she liked the "gender neutral" feel of it. She described Asakusa as like an elementary schooler, Mizusaki as having some girlish aspects still left in her, and Kanamori as like an intellectual yakuza. She said that Kanamori's pragmatism was refreshing, and felt true to life regarding how the anime industry works, which may be why creative people tend to enjoy the manga. “)

It’s not just the main three! Side characters are distinctive too and unusually diverse for an anime taking place in Japan. The setting itself encompasses this diversity, you see signs in many different languages and so on. The mangaka has stated it was based on her own experiences attending a public school, saying on twitter:  "I was attending a public elementary school. There were Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, Americans, Iranians, Brazilians, Egyptians and Nigerians. Those are normal. And there were various skin colors, religions, and various names."

Of course, strong designs and animation need strong writing to match them and Eizouken! provides. All the characters are deeply loveable in their quirkiness and struggles, and they play off each other well.

Kanamori became particularly beloved with the fandom- she could have easily been a one-dimensional greedy producer type, but while she takes no shit and wants that money (oh boy does she) she also really genuinely hates seeing great small businesses fail due to poor management, and knows how harsh the world is and wants people to succeed in it.

 Also, because the student council leader genuinely smart and take-no-shit pragmatic too, her rivalry with Kanamori actually becomes fun to watch instead of being the usual generic one-sided battle we typically club anime- they’re equals.

Asakusa and Mizusaki also have really strong character focus too-for example, when we get into why Mizusaki loves animation, you find a surprising attention to detail and practicality hidden behind her starry eyed passion. One of Eizouken’s greatest strengths is how, while its brimming with joy and love of artistry, it doesn’t bullshit its audience and try to define artists in vague, idealistic terms, or act like it isn’t incredibly tough out there for animators, or anyone trying to make doing something they enjoy. The anime is defined by the tug of war between the wonders of imagination and the harshness of the actual world.

But it also acknowledges that like, sometimes high schoolers just wanna animate a girl fighting a tank with a sword cuz like how cool is that.

It makes for a message that’s still hopeful and inspirational to people who want to do what they love, but more in touch with the actual world (and the dire conditions of a lot of the anime industry, even if it doesn’t directly talk about it). Like with it’s characters, the show doesn’t sand off the rough edges of trying to make and sell art!

In the end, Eizouken! is both an ode to and a peak example of incredible creativity and all the effort that goes into getting art out there The only real flaw in it is that sometimes the info-dumps on the animation concepts can get overwhelming, but even that just means more cool stuff to comb through if you’re in the mood for it.

And there are a million strengths to offset it. Like how It’s funny and smart, striking a great balance between snappy, relatable moments and deeper musings on artistry and trying to make it in a confusing world. It’s got a lot for animation and anime geeks to snack on and is clearly made by people who both know what they’re talking about and don’t feel the need to sugarcoat it. It captures both the ridiculousness and loveliness of nerdery (you WILL see these dweebs arguing about giant robots in wonderfully/horribly specific detail). It’s a visual feast that switches art styles to express different feelings, and revels in every colorful detail. It’s full of great girls being awesome dorks.  

It’s likely to stand out as among the best of years to come and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it still going strong in “anime of the decade” lists when we hit 2030. I definitely recommend this series with no reservations- not just for artists and lovers of animation, but anyone who wants to have a blast. 

So please feel free to use this humble Tumblr post to spread the word about this show, though never forget Kanamori’s wisdom:

For we must always hold this knowledge deep in our hearts.

[utopiastrology]

How to spot a Capricorn Sun

-I think one my favorite things about Cap is its association with the Devil tarot card: as the last and most “complete” earth bound sign, they embody the height of success and self-mastery, as well as all the self generated obstacles to even get there in the first place 

-entirely personal opinion (I mean, aren’t all of these posts?), but it’s a pretty sexy placement tbh

-So. Here the ego lies within the realm of reputation, effort, merit, public success, the height of tangible, earthly human achievements before the Zodiac wheel gets decidedly ethereal and spiritual with the last 2 signs. 

-for this reason they’re the most attached to values & qualities that have been upheld as true marks of an accomplished & respectable human being for ages - things that make you the MVP in the public sphere, the work place, in society / and the ride or die in the private sphere, in relationships : keeping your word, cultivating wisdom, respecting the ones who paved the way for you, a good work ethic, loyalty

-Henceforth, being on the receiving end of their affection or effort and attention is invaluable. If they’ve decided someone or something is worth investing in, they will give to it/them with a kind of steadiness that not a lot of people have the resources to sustain. 

-They love you? they’ll put the work in. They protect people, they watch out for the weaker ones. They get serious about love, and friendships, which is awesome. 

-In the age of flippancy, meaningless trends and constant chase for comfort and ease, they were born to move mountains, to actually choose the hard way of abiding to a code of ethics and standards of conduct, to not cheat themselves out of the feeling of real success and achievement, to put in the actual work to create long-lasting value

-Although Saturn represents rules, Capricorns are not sticklers for “fitting in” at all costs; even for the most troubled of them there is a sense of solidity in who they are and what they want, which makes for great individuality and personal agency. Since they put their success in the world above most things, they are very likely to march to the beat of their own drums and realize their vision not matter what.

>the issue being... that they might kid themselves on precisely who they are and what they want based on traditions and cultural norms that have been passed on to them very early on. These elements condition their concept of an ideal, successful self that they’ll work towards embodying and perfecting. 

If those ideals and norms were positive and appropriate, then their character is beyond reproach, and their emotional lives bloom healthily. However if these norms were stifling, repressive, intolerant, then Caps have a long term issue on their hands (and so do the people around them).

 More so than other people, they internalize these types of notions and rigidly identify with them even when it’s not exactly in their best interest as they fail to adapt this persona to evolving circumstances in their life. This can create unnecessary internal strife, the feeling of playing tug-of-war with themselves to keep themselves “in check”.

-In early life it’s better that they be socialized in more open minded, bendable environnements, as they already have a natural tendency to create prisons for themselves. As long as they remember to willfully build up their sense of tolerance, THEN they’ll enjoy the best of both being a proverbial type A person AND being someone who’s fun, emotionally intelligent, who people love and enjoy being around. Emotional intelligence and acceptance are their main homework in life

-Because of their heightened sense of responsibility (and the responsibilities people like to put ON them) they can have a tendency to deny themselves the journey of “finding themselves” that everybody else embraces with a flourish in our day and age. They might feel unconsciously that it is too self-indulgent of a pursuit. Therefore they seem to prematurely act as though they have all their ducks in a row, which can give other the impression that they are unimaginative or lack spontaneity  

-this is not the case though, as they have a great intellectual capacity, curiosity and agility, paired with the actual stamina to study things deeply and seriously

-Hidden depths of sincere, life-long passion for the arts, their art

-I don’t think I even need to say this but material success, making the moneys$$, security, achievements you can count and measure: these are important to their happiness and ego. They don’t take success for granted and always live to be appreciated and recognized for all that they do 

-little patience for bluff or promises: it’s fine if you want something from them, but you better show them the money upfront, get those receipts ready regarding how and why you deserve their valuable attention. They pay attention to your track record 

-they have a sense of decency and modesty when it comes to their private life, their love life. It’s not that they keep secrets for secrecy’s sake *cough*Scorpios*cough*, they just have restraint when it comes to sharing their deepest feelings and most tender or painful emotions; and that is a mark of how much they value that part of their life  

-Remember their sister/shadow sign is Cancer: the home base and families in general are their secret treasure and drive, just like security and achievement is Cancer’s dream at the back of their mind. 

-So even though they might be outwardly motivated by other things, it is highly beneficial for them to enjoy a stable home environnement and conventional, reliable relationships with a longstanding family-like unit, be it born or chosen. The idea of having a legacy in appealing to them.

-they do enjoy being the boss. It’s not so much about being the leader, or ordering other people, but they love being the one to say ‘well, someone had to do it’!

They like being the one who steps up to the plate, the one who did everything right even when everybody was slacking - if you ask them at any given moment, people who aren’t them are usually slacking 

-see the career potential in people around them; talking about each other’s career and giving each other honest advice and useful tips is a way to show care and friendship

-do not mind blurring the line between their private life and their career; business associates can be friends, friends can be business associates; a family business can be an attractive concept

[kudamomo]

Top 10 Favorite Anime 

*Doesn’t contain spoilers (ㅅ´ ˘ `)♡

1. Michiko to Hatchin (2008-2009)

“Michiko to Hatchin,” may appear slightly flawed to the eyes of others, but I have fallen completely in love with this show for a plethora of reasons, both personal and critical. First and foremost, diversity is theme I am particularly fond of, fictionally and in the real world, so seeing an anime that takes place in South America was like a much needed breath of fresh air. On top of that, the soundtrack was completely on par with the gunslinger vibe the show gave off while still keeping the setting of South America in mind. Typically, in 24 episode long shows, such as “Michiko to Hatchin,” the show will begin to drag at some point during the middle. However, the director, Sayo Yamamoto, skillfully switches the show from being story driven to episodic as to keep the viewer entertained and when the time came, picked the story right back up where it left off. Ultimately, I bestow this show with the first 10 out of 10 on this list for its unique setting, characters, and adept pacing.     

2. Cowboy Bebop (1998-1999)

Arguably, not only Shinichiro Watanabe’s greatest creation, but one of the greatest anime shows of all time, is the iconic “Cowboy Bebop.” As to why this show is ranked so high up in this list, as well as any other top anime list, is fairly self explanatory. But to reiterate basically the entire anime community’s opinion on “Cowboy Bebop,” first, it takes place sometime in the far future and hubs on the misadventures of the bounty hunter, Spike Spiegel, and his partners as they search for criminals. Essentially, every aspect of the show is nearly or truly is perfect. The smashing soundtrack to the wonderfully cultivated characters to the attractively sculpted ending, everything, and I mean everything, about “Cowboy Bebop,” screams a 10 out of 10. 

3. Barakamon (2014)

“Barakamon,” is a light hearted, genuinely funny, comedic slice of life anime. It pivots on Handa Seishuu, a calligrapher with a tremendous ego and severe anger issues. After punching another renowned calligrapher, after he criticized Handa’s work for being comparatively lifeless and ‘textbook,’ essentially boring, he is exiled to Gotō Island to better himself and his works. In his duration on Gotō Island, he encounters outlandish Japanese village folk, such as a little girl named Naru Kotoishi. Sooner or later, Handa soon finds himself changing for the better as a result of his stay on Gotō Island. Personally, comedy anime have never been my cup of tea for the sole reason that they fail to make me laugh, but evidently “Barakamon,” came along. I mean, I fell so hard in love with this series that I own the first nine volumes of the manga for it is astoundingly beautiful and hilarious. “Barakamon,” is a soon to be classic for the next generation of anime fans and a simple 10 out of 10 that will surely get laughs out of any person to come across it. 

4. Mind Game (2004)

Made by the man, the myth, and the legend himself, comes debatably Masaaki Yuasa’s greatest work, “Mind Game.” “Mind Game,” is in fact a film not a single person could ever explain to you what it’s about. If anything could describe the film, is that it’s about the mind boggling experience of second chances and rebirth. If that doesn’t seem to have enough substance for you, then keep in mind, based off of Masaaki Yuasa’s track record of finely tuned character development and crazy animation, you’ll have to trust me when I say this, “Mind Game,” is a must see for it is nothing short of cinematic, surreal, masterpiece for I myself even own a copy of this movie. Conclusively, the irrefutable rating this film deserves is an obvious 10 out of 10.  

5. Mononoke (2007)

“Mononoke,” no, not the movie, is a spinoff of the 2006 horror series “Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales.” “Mononoke,” is an episodic series that focuses on a mysterious demon vanquisher, respectively disguised as a medicine seller, and the trials and tribulations he must go through in order to save the demoniac and surmount the demon itself. The first notable feature of “Mononoke” is its usage of color and perspective(s) that make each story within the show all the more captivating and exciting to watch. To go along with that, each story goes in massive depth with its characters, successfully inducing a very emotionally powerful relationship with the viewer almost every time. Yet, as the ending isn’t necessarily sub par, it leaves you hungering for more. Nonetheless, this show deserves nothing but a 10 out of 10.

6. Ping Pong the Animation (2014)

This being Masaaki Yuasa’s second appearance on this list, the only other work this position could've been gifted to is his masterful “Ping Pong the Animation.” Masaaki Yuasa, once again, is notorious for his stellar character development and this is it in its prime. Somehow, each character, no matter how insignificant, has a profound effect on the show and everlasting impact on the viewer. It’s almost unbelievable how a show about ping pong could be so relatable with the main characters inner struggles and their escapist hobbies whilst remaining an intense an interesting sports anime like any other. A facile 10 out of 10.

7. Kekkai Sensen (2015-2017)

“Kekkai sensen,” is definitely one of the more light hearted series on this list in which it’s about the supernatural monsters that now live alongside humans in places such as Hellsalem's Lot, formerly known as New York City. The main character soon finds himself leading out an extraordinary life in the said city as he joins the estranged group Libra after attaining the All-seeing Eyes of the Gods at the expense of his sister's eyesight. “Kekkai Sensen,” is a fun and witty show that any anime fan would enjoy. The visuals are eye-catching as well as the music being funky, making it quite the delightful series. Even so, as the finale approaches, it becomes unexpectedly emotional furthering the show’s greatest and superiority as well as establishing a great sense of character depth. Final rating, 9.6 out of 10. 

8. In This Corner of the World (2017)

“In This Corner of the World,” is a film that takes place in Hiroshima during World War II, which focuses on a young woman by the name of Suzu and her daily struggles during this time period. This seemingly drab movie in fact blossoms into something tragically beautiful and easily one of the greatest anime films ever composed, alongside the aforementioned “Mind game.” It unexpectedly tugs at your heart strings with magnificently animated pieces of Suzu’s art to display her interpersonal feelings when faced with particular situations, topped with an equally wondrous soundtrack. This film executes all the components, such as character development, pacing, and directing, of a good anime perfectly, making it optimal for critical and personal enjoyment. Final verdict, an easy 10 out of 10.

9. Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995-1996)

“Neon Genesis Evangelion,” is another iconic franchise that effected the anime community as well as the mecha genre itself as we know it today. “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” takes place in a post-apocalyptic era whereas humanity’s last hopes is in the hands of Nerv, a special agency ran by the United Nations. Nerv was founded in order to combat Angels, the species responsible for the destruction of Earth, using Evangelions. The show specifically focuses on the youth, Shinji, Asuka, and Rei, who pilot the Evangelions and their emotional reactions as a result of the responsibility being forcibly left on their shoulders. Although “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” is nothing apparent to reality, it feels exactly like real life. The emotional responses of the characters are ones you would witness in real people or rather experience yourself. The realism and psychology this show implements is absolutely groundbreaking and proved extremely influential on future mature anime. Thus, “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” is so deservingly awarded with a 10 out of 10 for the emotional levels throughout each episode. 

10. Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis (2014)

Based off the “Shingeki no Bahamut,” card game franchise comes “Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis,” as created by Studio Mappa. The show centers on a world of demons that are in constant war against angels and humans, but as the ancient dragon Bahamut appears before them and lays waste to their planet, the aforementioned races combined their forces in order to expel Bahamut and preserve life. However, thousands of years later, a mysterious woman by the name Amira appears in front of two bounty hunters, Favaro and kaiser, who ironically holds half of the key that is sealing Bahamut away. Simply, this show is nothing short of badass paired with a rock and roll soundtrack combined with quirky characters who you will fall in love with as they fall in love with each other. Final rating, 9.8 out of 10.

[aananusaan]

I decided to dig a hole. A hole I guess that I have been digging for a long time. Today I decided to dig and dig so the hole grew bigger and bigger. I was driven by exhilarating expectation of discovery. A desire to dig up the answer of a new question that arose with every thrust, every spadeful of soil thrown aside. What things that got covered under the shower of soil. What else came wriggling in it. Some worms that caused a squeal of disgust. Undesirable skinless confronting slimy. Undeniable trail left behind as it wriggles in and out of the soil. The bits of stone like hard shards thrown glass..on metal spade screeching in accusation.

Then came rain. First gentle, soft so slight..it felt so refreshing like a soft wash, calming relaxing. I thought it was a blessing and felt to rejoice. Now with increased eagerness deeper and deeper. I couldn't see outside, the hole was now large enough to completely fit me. Hide me. As my muscles started to tense from repeated action and was wondering about best way to step out of the hole. In came the downpour with a loud thunder...was the heavens laughing at me? Mocking my quest to discovery. Did the answers not deem me worthy to be unearthed by me? In deep retrospect, self deriding lack of confidence...as the spade fell from now numbing fingers.

With palms facing up and salty tears of exhaustion mingling with the downpour. Watching dirt turn to mud and slide off..cleaning my palm. In complete dejection I thought atleast no one has to be troubled to dig my graveyard...I have dug it myself and now in complete defeat laying in it. As I gave up to desolation with the muddy ground starting to feel like warm blanket compared to cold icy downpour washing in a steady stream of soil I spend all day throwing out right back in.

In the dismal state after a while closing my eyes refusing to bare witness to rejection by nature. My dark abyss now hell seemed better...anything but this world.

Slowly mind started calming down and the sounds around me started assailing my senses. Flapping coming closer. Bird screeching...then a strange warm wet sploch in the middle of my forhead. Inadvertently I couldnt resist opening my eyes if only to ascertain my suspicious and huff in annoyance. The rain had stopped but mud was still streaming down in the hole.

I sat up, half covered in mud. Looking around I suddenly realised something and it stunned me so much that eventually I started laughing but that wasn't quite enough. I soon jumped to my feet and danced around. I felt so calm and in that calmness I found a sense of happiness...easiness. The dread seemed to have been washed away by the downpour..now mixed with mud awaiting sun to dry it up.

While I danced around something pricked my toes. It was no easy feat to find the culprit in the thick mud but I had new find zeal of patience and I was now on victory not defeat. There was no giving up not after the great support. A unexpected blessing. I realised the main point...my most important discovery.

When I opened my eyes to the world after my intense bout of despair something had changed. My heart, my thought had changed. The thinks that seemed like rejection and defeat now seemed like a blessing, a victory. The rain brought so many things but I only saw negative things because I was filled with doubt and exhaustion and perhaps expectation of grand discovery. What I discovered in the calm after total exhaustion when the bird (not so) graciously forced me back to awareness. The rain didnt mingle with my salty tears. It washed my salty sweat and tears and giving head to my exhaustion forced me to rest. It made the soil soft and warm as it turned to mud and enveloped me. Our body is made of five elements so when it comes in contact with the elements in harmony then it is healed, revitalised.

Sometimes the harshest companions are the most sincere well wishers. Seemingly cruel people, things often are what makes us better and stronger as a person. The secret I discovered thanks to the downpour and birds 'blessing' is that what situation we acknowledge and how we acknowledge events and situations determine how it will affect us. If we see something in a positive light, find something good in the situation..however unfavourable or despite the inconvenience it causes...then everything can bring joy. If you become defeated and discouraged by things not going your way and expectations not being met then the arms of depression open eagerly for you.

We all have goals in life that we judge ourselves and others from their expectations of you. Its easy to get caught up in the constant tug of war to repress dismay and to embrace failure without getting devoured by them or slipping into inaction. Its a tiring journey especially for those that doesnt have the support system available with like minded people, here the importance of keeping good company of equal (as per place you are in self awareness and conquering the self journey) is evident.

The culprit that pricked my feet, a small bone. I have many questions. My eagerness for discovering the story and ownership of the bone shows how binded I am still in this world. I can accept that now. I am as I am. Not every person is of same level and simply imitating anothers behaviour or character wont change the growth or truth of our soul. The personality aspect which is heightened in you is probably the necessary characteristic..a tool..that will be instrumental in carrying you to the goal for which you have taken life on this earth. So just embrace yourself. You don't have to be sorry for who you are. There is a reason you are how you are. You dont have to be sweet and gentle to be compassionate or have high morale value.

Vice or virtue your character is inherent from birth and not in your control or your parents or partners. People who value you like in other aspects of life will seek anf value positive things about you and put in effort to understand and support your journey. Not everyone in your life is their to celebrate you, some come to teach you that you are complete in yourself and dont need outside force to celebrate you. Embrace that and let them go, find their own goal and happiness.

I have many questions still but as questions are posed answers turn up in due time in surprising places and instances. Its up to you whether you can realise the answer when it presents itself to you. Tomorrow I am going to continue digging my hole. I am certain if I dont let set backs render me helpless I will definately find my answers, my path. Even a slippery, muddy and prickly path can unearth answers and hope and dry seemingly easy route can end up entombing you. Keep digging its really the only way. Keep digging.

Aan Anusaan (c) 19th November, 2018

[hadarlaskey]

Don’t Look Up

Filmmakers have been wrestling with the climate crisis for some time now. In February 2022, it will be 15 years since Al Gore and Davis Guggenheim’s An Inconvenient Truth won Best Documentary at the Oscars; little progress (if any) has been made since then. In 2018 the UN warned we had 12 years to limit the catastrophe; this past November, the COP26 summit was deemed a failure by many critics. It’s understandable, then, that Adam McKay, who pivoted to political filmmaking in 2015 with his scathing take on the 2007-08 financial meltdown, The Big Short, might use his platform for a noble, urgent cause.

Understandable, too, is the impulse from Leonardo DiCaprio to front such a project; he established his own environmental awareness foundation in 1998, and used his Best Actor Oscar acceptance speech in 2016 to highlight climate change, not to mention producing eight documentaries around the subject and narrating two of them. But can a star-studded satire about imminent planetary death lead to material change, or does it land in the same way as a telling-off from a cool headteacher?

McKay’s allegory sees a PhD Astronomy student named Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) discover a comet while studying under Dr Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio). While her discovery is initially cause for celebration within the Michigan State astronomy department, the pair soon realise the comet is on a direct collision course with Earth and that the impact will cause a mass extinction event.

In an attempt to warn the world, they are joined by Dr Clayton Oglethorpe from NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office, who takes their concerns all the way to girlboss madam president, Janie Orlean (Meryl Streep). A tug-of-war ensues between scientists, politicians and businessmen (notably Mark Rylance’s tech magnate Peter Isherwell, modelled after Steve Jobs and Elon Musk) as each strives to protect their interests, and Dr Mindy quickly finds himself enamoured with the prospect of becoming a celebrity scientist.

This top-line synopsis barely scratches the surface when it comes to the celebrities packed into the film’s 145-minute runtime. Jonah Hill, Cate Blanchett, Ariana Grande, Timothée Chalamet, Tyler Perry and Ron Perlman all have cameos, with mixed results: Chalamet shines as a nihilistic gamer (he should do more comedy) but Grande’s turn as a vapid pop star adds precious little apart from her name on the poster.

It feels more like an exercise in attaching stars to a cause than a successful ensemble cast, and while DiCaprio is charming as the schlubby scientists seduced by celebrity, Lawrence feels ill-cast as the grounded outsider speaking truth to power even though the role was written for her especially. A romance between her character and Chalamet’s is cringe-inducing in how forced it feels, while Meryl Streep, for all her many talents, is just not a natural comedian. It’s a shame McKay has moved away from casting comedians and traditionally comic actors, because a cast with a better sense of rhythm and timing might have been able to sell this clunky script a little more gracefully.

McKay’s stylistic flourishes (use of title cards, interspersed image sequences reminiscent of the Ludovico Technique sequence in A Clockwork Orange) remain distracting, particularly given the presence of so many stars. Even Nicholas Britell’s score feels overwhelmed by the constant bombardment of images, as if McKay is afraid to really let the film breathe. It’s only in the film’s final scene – which is maybe its best – that there’s any feeling of dramatic resonance, and even this is undermined by a slapstick post-credits sequence.

The film does succeed in portraying the lunacy of recent times, however, and although the main thrust is how world leaders continue to turn a blind eye to climate change in order to cling to revenue streams and polling numbers, it’s a handy insight into the political divides during the Covid pandemic as well.

Streep’s president is clearly modelled after Trump, which is funny up to a point, but also feels like too convenient a get-out, as if all we can do is spiral into darkness while our elected representatives continually fuck us over. It’s not like things have been markedly better since Trump retreated into the shadows; the maddening inaction of elected officials is now secluded behind closed doors, rather than played out on the POTUS Twitter account.

The thing is, it all feels a little toothless. While McKay’s previous film, Vice, ascribed every Western evil of the past 20 years to Dick Cheney, Don’t Look Up doesn’t ascribe much blame or responsibility, or even offer a phoney quick-fix ending. In fact, it doesn’t have much at all to say about the climate disaster beyond a shrugging ‘well, this sucks, but we still have each other!’

Perhaps this is an indication that we shouldn’t look (up) to celebrities for any sort of answer or salvation. But what do you do when celebrities are friends with the business execs who ravage the dwindling resources we have left to line their bank accounts? When celebrities are politicians, the very people with the power to enact global change? McKay doesn’t seem to have an answer for that.

ANTICIPATION. Vice was a mess; the bar is low. 2

ENJOYMENT. DiCaprio is on good form, but McKay still over-embellishes. 3

IN RETROSPECT. A TedTalk from Hollywood’s elite that offers no easy answers. 3

Directed by Adam McKay

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Rob Morgan

The post Don’t Look Up appeared first on Little White Lies.

source https://lwlies.com/reviews/dont-look-up/

[silkandconvalescencerpg]

I’m honestly a little in disbelief that this has finally made its way into the light, and I apologize for how long it took for me to simply put this together. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this little look into ballast and may it spur on any of your own musings!

001. OUT OF CHARACTER,

NAME/ALIAS + AGE. ↳ I’m Dea, eighteen, and my three favorite films are The Mummy, Moulin Rouge!, and Dead Poets Society (with Brother Bear rounding out as my closely-lagging fourth). I like to think they adequately spell out my character, if anything, representing the very core of my soul. (Evie O’Connell was my first crush and forevermore the love of my life, if that makes my personality any clearer.)

TIMEZONE + ACTIVITY. ↳ PST, and as for my activity, I try to be online as often as I can, and that’ll be a lot easier now that we’ve transitioned into the summer season. However, I still have work and that’ll take up a decent portion of my time, though I try to be as transparent as I can in terms of letting you all know when I’ll be absent from the main and such, and will continue to be so when game-play begins. Hopefully I manage to achieve the right balance between the main and James’ account!

TRIGGERS + PRONOUNS. ↳ I go by she/her, but have no problem with being referred to as they/them. Regarding triggers, visuals of excessive gore are pretty much the worst of what I can take.

002. IN CHARACTER INFORMATION,

MUSE DESIRED. ↳ Ballast & James Sirius Potter.

            JAMES, a gentle curse, an exhale, soft and affectionate and incapable of being said without a smile tugging at the corners of one’s mouth. spit in vexation, cursed in crimson-tinged anger, sighed in misled adoration, hiccuped in between gut-wrenching laughs. your mother whispers it (worry creasing lines on her otherwise youthful face, fingers twitching, longing to reach out to stroke your head like you loved when you could still fit in her hands) when she thinks you can’t hear and yells it (anxiety toppling into frustration, showering you in the spitfire that scorches in the center of her belly, distinct to the windswept fire of ginny weasley) when she knows you can’t hear anything but. your father, eighteen years of experience hardly denting the habit, sounds out the syllables of your name with a reverence (half respect for the father he never knew and half tender disbelief for the son he still can’t believe he had a part in creating) and groans them with an age-old tiredness (his scar may not pain him any longer, but you sure do). the very utterance of your name is followed by an exuberant eye roll, high in fashion with both your sister and brother. james, james, james. does it belong to you?

            SIRIUS, a bullet of a name. there are more legends than facts surrounding your namesake, and god, when did they become yours to swallow? you may not carry his blood (pure, black, rotten to the core) but your pout is sculpted from the same lips as his; your hair is as monstrously notorious and decadent; that gruff bark of laughter rings oh-so alike, except he was the grim and you’re a puppy; a leather jacket, illusory with the phantom heat of his flesh, and you can’t quite decide if the weight is a comforting warmth or if it burns, heavy and scathing. i mean, really ⏤ is it still just as funny when your telltale “sirius is my middle name” line is matched with a wince?

            POTTER, both a tragedy and a blessing. out of your unlucky lot, perhaps this is the worst card. your blood is tinged with the greats, the giants of wizarding lore, potters, and weasleys, and evans’ (singularly gifted witch that she was), and just about everything fucking else in between, because sometimes practically the entirety of the wizarding world wants to snatch their own piece and more the pity, you let them. resentment curls in your belly, curdling and hot, warring with the warmth of your love, the kind that seeps tender heat into one’s aching muscles, like the gentle caress of curling inside a bath, of a candle’s gentle flare in the center of your darkened home, rain softly wailing outside. it makes you want to weep; it makes you want to cry and scream and claw yourself inside out; it makes your heart want to burst from love, from bone-chattering laughter, from adoration, from responsibilities to ghosts, from the weight of it all.

            (  B A L L A S T  ), the solid stone beneath, the foundation everyone can’t help but stand upon. (and that’s it, folks, lmao.)

FACE CLAIM. ↳ Xavier Serrano.

GENDER + ORIENTATIONS. ↳ Cis male, he/him, and bisexual biromantic.

DATE OF BIRTH + BLOOD STATUS + YEAR. ↳ Born OCTOBER 30TH, 2005, as a HALFBLOOD, and currently enrolled as a SEVENTH YEAR at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

            This birth date falls under the SCORPIO star sign, in addition to being the day before Halloween, also known as the death day of his grandparents. Irony is a sharp bite to the ass, and this one particularly stings. He’s on the very edge of spilling into the sorrowful night, one brimming with the ghosts of old, beasts of legends, terrors lurking in the encompassing shadows. What is better: to be on the precipice of disaster (everyone sharply aware of just how close he came to being a masochist’s wet dream: firstborn son of Harry Potter emerging into the world on the night of his parents’ anniversary of being murdered; oh, our hearts are positively aching in bittersweet agony) or to narrowly miss another chance to align himself with the ghost who will forever haunt him?

            The exact date was chosen carefully, for the image of James being born in the high tide of the ever-haunting month, on the edge of leave-strewn and rust-tinted November and swarmed in the absolute magic that encompasses October, is one that is so wholly him. One might imagine him in the sweetness of spring, chaste and rosy and so heartwarmingly raw. Or perhaps in the heat of summer, where he is gold, gold, gold, and so unnervingly bright, it blinds you with its scorching radiance. Even winter could be his home, with its stark bitterness and empty promises of warmth and protection in a candle-lit home, cold snow blanketing all life. Yet, the season where leaves dance in the swirling winds and ugly beasts emerge into the night with the beauty of the divine is the one that holds his heart in its grip; fall, fall, fall, and he does.

            Moreover, this analysis cemented his star sign completely ⏤⏤ attracts people by: depth and allure, emotional bonding, safeguarding and undying protection, intellect and mystique, loyalty and slowly revealed vulnerability, ability to inspire inner confidence &  loses people by: antagonism, control and possession, withdrawal and reactivity, emotional coldness and emotional paralysis, self-righteousness, disconnecting privacy, staunch defence of personal ideologies.

HOUSE + ANALYSIS. ↳ GRYFFINDOR, and it almost seems a disservice to the gods above, to the spite burning in his blood and scorching his mind, begging to be contrary just for the sake of a rebellion, a piece of him that deviates from the path he was destined to crawl. Why couldn’t he be different? Why did his heart burst with the same roaring pound of a lion’s and bleed with the same passion and obnoxious sense of self? Courage was a pillar he conquered within his first breath, and nerve was the fire to his blood’s gasoline, lighting up with a stunning vengeance. But, oh no, these are not the grounds upon which his sorting was based on ⏤ if anything, his undying belief in morality, of all stupid things, is what so clearly planted him within the lions den. Even more so, it’s the fact that he values morality above all else, not the details of his beliefs. That dogged perseverance has the capability of swallowing him whole.

FUNCTIONS. ↳ DUELING CLUB & THE BONES CLUB, both sought him out, and though resistance tasted sweet, a part of him was soft for it, the idea of being apart of something other than within the barracks of his family. There’s a feral part of him, hunger aching in his bones, and it’s sated, buzzed on a high, when he’s in the midst of dueling for the fucking hell of it (spells teasing, a flirtatious back and forth of fatal proportions, a dark curiosity licking its paws in the corner, waiting to pounce, and god, does it fill him) or scheming in the dark, four heads weaving together, morbid mischief and jest galore reigning in their souls. The day that a bewitched note appeared in every page of every book he touched, flirting with him to join a club of bones (stupid fucking name, was the first thing out of his mouth in that beginning meeting of his, some years ago now) and daring him to chase (something? anything? everything?) was the day that some fragile chip of him sealed its way back on.

003. WRITING + EXTRAS,

INTERNAL ⏤ CHARACTER ANALYSIS. ↳ Because I’m lacking in time (entirely my fault, yikes, I know), I’ve chosen to highlight three individual aspects (headcanons) of his character as a whole in an attempt to puzzle together a tangible picture of who he is, and through the evulsion of these facets, other details and factors of his persona will become present (or at least that’s what I’m angling for, fingers crossed). Essentially, these are the corners of his character that breathed something a little more divine than life into him, conjuring him in a different light and contorting that light into something blindingly magnificent. 

            RELIGION, something that struck me as i was writing some part of the application above is my constant use of the word god, spitting out in my writing with a vicious ease. this isn’t my own, natural, guttural utterance of the word, but rather the voice of james, spilling out like an unwelcome grease. it started out as a small rebellion, more to himself than anything else, for isn’t it always? ⏤ something to distract himself, purge himself, from the person he is. he’s not a complete idiot, you know; he knew of a god, several of them, upon which muggles called upon, prayed upon, ached upon. magic was his god; his father, his mother, his grandparents, all of his blood family and all their friends; the titans of the wizarding world boiled down to human form, glorified and shining beyond belief; they were gods, or at least, they were treated as such. merlin was the force above them all; and circe and nimue and the founders of hogwarts and everybody else deemed a little bit special. well, perhaps the muggles had something better, and so, he checked. a copy of the bible was snatched by his hands, and the pages were devoured. greek myths were no longer fantasies, but reality; after all, if magic could existed, why couldn’t they? he scoured for any and all gods, learning the way of the old world and diving into cultures and religions with a swimmer’s finesse. he stuck to the idea like an indulgent tar, clinging to the idea with no small desperation; perhaps if there was a god(s), as the muggles proclaimed and spat, then who he is was no mistake ⏤ he was meant to be the firstborn of harry potter, meant to carry the weight of ghosts on his back, meant to feel a crumpling in his bones, meant to burn with a love for his family and yet freeze over with most others. it was out of his hands, yes, finally, thank god. for nearly the first time in his fifteen years of life, he breathed with ease, unfiltered and soft and free. and then, short of a blissful month later, he fell. not unlike a fallen angel, nor unlike a star toppling from the sky, crashing and burnt and dust. there was no fate or destiny of god above, watching and waiting and pulling strings like a grand and demented puppeteer. now, he spits the words, sarcasm denting every syllable, even in earnest. 

            JEWELRY, ever since he can remember, he’s liked the glint of jewels. the way they encompass a color, almost swallowing you alongside with it. the intricacy is unfamiliar to his own fingers, and yet they still grasp to hold it. there’s no explanation or reason behind it all, transparent and easy to receive. a cut, blood red ruby adorns a gold chain on his chest, and a sister piece sits on his finger as a ring, both a gift from his mother. he loathe to take either off in any case, and often treasures them as closely as his wand. moreover, he’s not been known to reject a little smear of matching lipstick, though on occasion it’s been used as a paintbrush for some doodle on his cheeks rather than lined on his lips. he has no qualms with revealing that shard of himself, and the swarm of deep red on golden flesh is quite the sight to behold, anyway.

            GOTTA DO MORE, GOTTA BE MORE, not all characters have an original muse, but mine was definitely charlie dalton from dead poets society, as well as the more obvious character parallel of neil perry. james was written and created for this verse with neither in mind, and a great part of my entire outlook and analysis of him was already set in stone by the time i rewatched the film, but then, it just hit me. the specific mannerisms of charlie’s character are so apparent in james, from his facial expressions to the false bravado and desperation to seek something a little more in life and shatter himself in the process, and of course the advice that would strike james just as severely as it did charlie: “sucking the marrow out of life doesn’t mean chocking on the bone.” moreover, this entire scene perfectly encapsulates a part of james that simply cannot be said through words, which is why it works so well. the loyalty that charlie holds, gritty and strong and unparalleled, is one that lives on within james as well. and then there’s neil perry, who is the brightest light with a heart of gold, passion and soul simply dripping off him in excess, yet is shackled down by the weight of his parents, though not in the same way as james. a darkness feeds off of him, deep inside and caving him in, and that is so true to james’ character. there are plenty more parallels to go over, but those can be dissected at another time (an actual detail-by-detail parallel analysis has been in the works, i can say). 

(And because I haven’t said much else, I’ll just add in this snippet of his character that I wrote a little while ago in response to a question!) To me, James is a highly emotional character who nearly bursts from the zest that breathes within him, but can almost be accused of being a masochist because he so forcefully attempts to swallow that down and play the role of one unbothered by life in whole. He has a great respect and fierce loyalty toward his family, yet this is what so severely hurts him, for in the times that he can’t help but resent the expectations that so massively fall on him, it tears him up inside, which just creates and perpetrates a vicious cycle. The Burrow is one of his favorite places to be, for sure. He’s at a standstill in life where he has no idea what he’s bound to do once he leaves the life he’s known for seven years, desperate to both leave and stay. He isn’t committed to academics in any way (for now), but that doesn’t account for his caustic wit. He’s wonderfully complex and contradictory, but he’s also a massive sweetheart, and I can’t help but simply think of heat in relation to him. Like he’s just That Person that constantly has warm, almost hot, skin and you don’t know how in the dead of winter that’s possible. He’s definitely an anchor, and that’s where my decision of ballast originates from.

EXTERNAL ⏤ CONNECTIONS + POTENTIAL PLOTLINES. ↳ I’m going to wait on divulging on any specific skeleton character connections in mind for fear of inducing any bias, though here are some plotlines I’d like to uncover.

            Something that I’m very eager to explore is the contrast that James feels in relation to his family, and how that positively tears him up inside. It’s likened to a battle of the heart versus the mind: who he truly is and who he feels he can’t be, in fear of sacrificing his soul in the process. Essentially, I want to push him to the breaking point, shattering his senses into some mangled ball of shit that he must sort out. He’s in desperate need a breath of fresh air, and he’s been suffocating for years.  Moreover, he’s never really faced this mass of contradiction within him, always turning a blind eye and swallowing it down, scorching his throat in the process and nailing his heart right through the center. And when he must, all hell will break loose, and what can I look forward to, if not that?

            James is a golden light that may dim, but has never been blown out. Until now. I want to see him untethered and catastrophically scratched, the golden, youthful and scarlet blush of his flesh waned and stark against the image of who he is. What will cause this, lead to this, pioneer his destruction? Furthermore, he’s a seventh year as this school year starts, and that means his ass is out in less than a year, and he is absolutely unsure of what awaits him once he’s left these halls. I want to plant the seeds of possibility, and what may come of them. 

EXTRAS, EXTRAS. ↳ (Uh, I’m enlisting admin privilege?? Once game play begins, trust that there’s going to be loads of unnecessary edits flooding his account, but for right now, it’s a little bare.)

[filmforthought]

Avengers: Infinity War

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Pratt and Scarlett Johansson

Rating: ★½

“Eh, that was okay I guess,” is what I said on my way out of Avengers: Infinity War. Behind me I heard, “what’d you say?”

I turned around and there it was: an angry mob of Marvel comic devotees shocked to hear such foul words leave the mouth of someone who isn’t up-to-date with the complete Marvel Cinematic Universe. Then, I looked straight ahead and picked up the pace, but so did the mob.

Ten seconds later, I sprinted out of the theater to my car as the mob chased me down. Luckily, I managed to hop in my car and swerve out of the parking lot as dozens of disgruntled fans yelled, “don’t EVER say that about Marvel movies AGAIN!”

Ok, maybe I wasn’t chased out of a movie theater by salty Marvel fans, but I did receive some backlash from fans who lectured me and shot some interesting texts my way. There’s no doubt Infinity War is solely enjoyable for the many diehard fans. However, it feels like an average over-hyped superhero movie for anyone who hasn’t watched every Marvel feature leading up to this one.

In the third feature of the Avengers franchise, all the Marvel superheroes unite to take down Thanos, whose goal is to obtain all six infinity stones which can wipe out half of the world’s population.

Before we delve in, I’d like to say it’s understandable for fans to be upset about my opinion. I’ve seen a handful of the Marvel movies, so this one wasn’t hard to follow. You’ve got to be pretty dumb if you can’t follow this plot. However, it’s incredible to think this movie was ten years in the making, so for someone to come along and have an unfavorable view towards it is sure going to tug on some capes.

Although Infinity War has excellent special effects behind its $300 million budget, an incredible cast and a story with consequences (for once), there’s a little too much going with blase action, constant transitions and poor dialogue.

One of the many issues with Marvel features is the predictability of each one. No matter what superhero the flick is about, we all know he or she will beat the villain and continue to do so in the next twenty installments in his or her franchise. The formula isn’t super anymore.

Then finally, seventeen movies later, Infinity War brings all the characters together and knocks some off. While it may sound good for some characters to meet their reckoning, they aren’t the ones detrimental to the cinematic universe.

Infinity War has consequences for about four characters who aren’t essential to the big Marvel flicks. The characters who feel the wrath Thanos don’t matter in the grand scheme of the cinematic universe, so while there are repercussions, it’s only for the small players. Quite frankly, when these handful of characters were eliminated I felt nothing.

Its ending is surprising and something worthy to applaud, but we all know it’s too good to be true. Marvel needs to make their money by churning out a bunch of movies each year, so it’s obvious that the characters people actually care about will not go away forever.

The outcomes for some characters are good along with the special effects. At this point for Marvel, this one is a given.

Whether you like Marvel movies or not, you can always get a kick out of the effects. They don’t particularly shine bright in battle, but they serve as a strong component to the production design of different planets.

Infinity War’s starpower goes unmatched as well. There are so many huge names that it feels like this is the red carpet event leading up to the Oscars. This cast is one of the greatest ever assembled in film history, but jumping from scene to scene seeing all these people gets too tiring.

Infinity War feels like Meanwhile: The Movie. There’s such a gargantuan cast that directors Anthony and Joe Russo have no choice but to constantly cut from different planets and solar systems. After a while, it becomes confusing as to who is doing what and why certain characters are needed.

By jumping around so much, there’s hardly any excitement within the first hour and fifty minutes. More than half of the movie consists of superhero drama with a bunch of overly dramatic and poorly written dialogue scenes.

Understandably, fans don’t go to Marvel flicks for the writing, but when there’s a jarring amount of talking, some of the lines will make you wish to have the ability to disappear out of the theater. The screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely is over-the-top and hardly funny.

Although there’s more drama than action, the dramatic conversations consist of the cliches we’ve all heard of. For example, the relationship between Vision and Scarlet Witch is made up of the usual, “never leave me” and “no, no, no! Don’t go! Whyyyyyy!”

Oh, please. There’s a romance written much better in the theater next door playing Ready Player One and that’s saying something.

Usually Marvel flicks are good for some laughs, but this only managed to squeeze one laugh out of me. All of the characters attempt to be funny, but each joke fails to lift off the ground.

This is especially surprising for Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr., who is known for his quips over the past seven other features he’s starred in. Stark still has the arrogant attitude, but his rebuttals aren’t creative. Stark’s better off hiding in his red suit rather than trying to crack a joke.

While the writing is far from heroic, so are the action scenes. By the hour and fifty minute point where we finally get fighting, it’s a complete let down. Each action scene is the same thing over and over again. A hero and a villain are fighting against each other, the villain pins down the hero, and just at the moment where you think the hero is going to die, another hero comes out of nowhere and saves the hero in distress.

This attitude toward action scenes is set in the first couple minutes, where the Hulk suddenly appears and saves Thor. Out of all the heroes, how does the Hulk stealthily save someone? I mean, it’s the Hulk! He’s the size of a building and Shrek green! Thanos might become the most powerful person in the world, but he needs to get his eyes checked.

Other than the repetitive situations heroes find themselves in during these action sequences, all the battling is dull because it’s heavy with CGI. Most of the combat is handled by animated characters or people in front of green screens, so it’s hard to get invested in the fights.

Compared to the fighting in John Wick or Atomic Blonde, Infinity War is a snooze fest. The action in the other two features consist of the main actors participating in real hand-to-hand combat, their own stunt work, and innovative choreography that’ll make you say “ouch” with every thump and punch they endure.

Alternatively, in Infinity War, there’s just a bunch of people flying around in front of a green screen who, at the end of each fighting sequence, don’t have a scratch on their face. The combat is much more computer generated in contrast to other features who put their best effort into making the action feel as real as possible.

As one who hasn’t invested my time suffering through all seventeen Marvel movies to reach this point, I didn’t feel much after leaving Infinity War, other than feeling tired when that mob chased me out. While the fanboys will gush over the new missiles featured in Iron Man’s new outfit or giggle when Bruce Banner comes up short on turning into the Hulk, regular moviegoers will gain the super power to sleep for a nice two hours and forty minutes.

Again, I’m sorry to bust all of your Infinity Stones. With the bland battle scenes, cheesy dialogue and boring jokes, you’d rather have Thor knock you over the head with his hammer than sit through this.