#leave me with my childish excitement and optimism for this game.

[ladyinthebluebox]

i'm so sorry, but every single post detailing how the keep issue could've been easily fixed that crosses my dash is more unrealistic than the previous one.

[sonicfanj]

Hi! I saw your response from a post related to idw! Amy from the last number of the comic. For some reason I don't feel satisfied with the way idw is handling amy and your response got my interest cause you mentioned really good points. I don't know if you want to continue to talk about the topic but if you do I would love to read more about your point of view Thanks for reading

I rant quite a bit about how IDW Amy has been handled as a good deal of it is a betrayal to her character concept which you can hear Kazuyuki Hoshino explain himself here.

https://youtu.be/0nzxRoIX4QU?t=2315

Sorry I can’t embed in an “Answer”, but the general gist of it is, Amy was created as a character who was to be the Minnie Mouse to Sonic’s Mickey Mouse, but as Sonic is not that type of character they needed to mix it up. As was very true of the early franchise where traditions were turned upside down for the time such as Tails being a nerd and athletic enough to keep up with Sonic while Amy was both a girly-girl and a tomboy at the same time, Sonic and Amy’s relationship was inverted from guy chasing after the girl to much less commonly seen girl chases after guy trope. So Amy could actually survive in a role as the love interest of the main character where she had to the chasing of a character always seeking out his next adventure and challenge she needed to have the energy, good cheer, and optimism to never give up chasing him and the willingness to partake in and love his lifestyle.

Early on you would see this in the Japanese manuals so naturally they were missed outside of Japan, but localization and not bringing content out of Japan (no less cases of Amy erasure by SEGA of America with her even having several scenes cut from the western airing of Sonic X removing a lot of her humanizing scenes showing she was a well meaning girl but acts on a foundation based on having the necessary energy to keep chasing Sonic unendingl) still did not stop that foundation from appearing in the games that brought her into the forefront of Sonic stories. The Sonic Adventure games.

Now there is a lot here that could be unpacked, but I’m going to focus on two moments.

1) At the beginning of her story Amy laments her boredom and pines for Sonic to be in her life again so she can enjoy excitement again like she did back when he was around. This out of the gate shows you that Amy detests being bored, yet IDW has her actively announce it at one point while doing Restoration paperwork, and also has Sonic have to practically drag her out on an adventure. 

So not only is she betraying her character by refusing to do what she was created to do, with even her great handling in issue 2 has her actively reject her own character function, but when she is pulled out onto an adventure what is her reward? Well of course the start of the Zombot crisis, in which she gets to see herself maim someone and then see Sonic infected with the same stuff. From there her role in the entire arc is to just be a mouthpiece for how bad the crisis is on a global scale. Yet her character foundation states this should not be the case.

At one point during the Zombat arc we see Cream after losing Cheese and Chocola have to cheer up Amy who can’t herself understand how Cream is able to smile. Yet before this point, Amy’s history has always shown her to be the one who keeps people optimistic, who doesn’t let people get down, who always has the energy and ability to believe in Sonic saving the day in the end and is able to smile because of that. So again, not only is her character down and betraying who she is supposed to be, but a character she should be cheering up is instead cheering her up. Who Amy is and the foundation for her character is completely absent, and again, Amy is sitting still instead of taking action and going out into the world and doing her best in her way. Her adventurous spirit and get out and do something attitude are completely absent.

2) Now, the other line from the Adventure games which shows a problem with Amy just growing lifeless in a dark room is from Adventure 2 where aboard the Arc she complains about how the boys always leave her behind. She’s there because she wants to be and has done everything she can throughout the game to keep up, and started by infiltrating Prison Island and acquiring a key card to Sonic’s cell. She is demonstrated to be proactive and again has a love for adventure and a desire to travel with Sonic. Yet again this is actively ignored in IDW to plug her into a role in the Zombot Arc meant for Sally Acorn during the Archie New 252 run.

Ian Flynn has on record stated that the Metal Virus Arc was originally meant for Archie starting at or a little after issue 300. It was inspired by the “Metal” skins from Sonic Heroes and would have seen the Freedom Fighters tested against the horror of the Arhieverse version of Eggman like never before. At this point though a problem becomes abundantly clear, and that’s that you have a role to fill where Sally Acorn is absent in a more gamecentric setting. How Amy ended up in the roll is in part due to Ian Flynn typically righting characters and only really being able to use Amy, though he has admitted it’s not a role he believes she should have. Yet SEGA OKed it and for the Zombot Arc Amy has had to become Sally Acorn. Instead of being the cheerful girl who chases after Sonic and does her best to keep up with and help Sonic she has become the girl in charge he checks in on. Instead of being out in the field leading through motivation, encouragement, and example, she has become a war room tactician. These roles all fit Sally to a tee and she is a character designed to be able to serve the purposes of those roles and thrive in them. It is what she was made to do after all; lead a desperate group of mismatched people through an impossible situation. That is her core role and part of why she doesn’t work for the games where the narrative is simply where is Sonic now and what is he getting involved in. But for the Zombot Arc she was perfect, yet Archie’s bunglings put an end to that and to force his story into only the second story arc of a new comic before the characters had room to grow and become established with distinct identities in IDW, he took Amy and shoved her into Sally’s skin in what is one of the worst ill fitting results I’ve ever seen. She is at almost no point in the arc given even a single moment that speaks from the foundation of her character as she can’t for the sake of he plot. The plot needed Sally Acorn, but Amy was the only one available to fill the role, and as is typical when Sally is needed, Amy gets mistreated, misused, and winds up getting nothing in the end except more comfortless stress and worries with none of her actual character there to show she can actually smile through it all.

The funny thing is though, Amy’s actual character makes it into the Zombot Arc. It’s one of the best written scenes in the whole arc and occurs at a point when Sonic really needs that traditional Amy spunk to put the spring back in his step. In fact, the way the whole scene is written it is likely had the story been told in Archie it would have been the moment when Amy fell to the Metal Virus. And I would not have been mad in the least. In fact, I would have been eagerly anticipating Sonic’s eventual victory to see her faith rewarded and her sacrifice rewarded. Unfortunately though the scene was handed off to someone else, and I have had a hard time appreciating the character since as a result.

You see, in IDW there is a very energetic character who shares most of Amy’s core traits. Energetic, optimistic, and almost always full of good cheer. Where they differ is in their secondary traits, or more accurately the traits they don’t share with Amy. Being romantic, in love with Sonic, childish, occasionally bratty, and very old-fashioned girly. Those five secondary traits are completely absent from this character, and as a result, anytime they do something Amy would based on the otherwise same foundation they get praised where Amy would have been derided simply for being Amy. But the peak of it is again a moment that felt 100% like it was meant for Amy but as she was assigned to be Sally couldn’t have it. And yet, no one seems to notice, but rather cheers the entire scenario because Sonic needed that hug and physical contact. He needed those words of a faith that is placed solely in him. He needed to see that ability to smile and stay optimistic even when infected, and keep giving their all with boundless energy, good cheer and optimism. He needed Amy Rosy, Rosy the Rascal, the pink hedgehog girl who has followed him as best she can since Sonic CD. But instead, Amy’s very foundation and role was cheered not when carried out by Amy, but instead when carried out by relative new comer with none of the history or even reason to have faith in Sonic like he needed in that scene, Tangle the Lemur. And the scene was cheered even more due to the love that Whisper the Wolf has as her despair at losing the first friend she allowed herself to have since she lost everything just drove it completely home for everyone. And don’t get me wrong, the issue was brilliant written. Just enough was done to make sure you knew it was Tangle and not Amy at a casual glance. But I don’t look at scenes that scream Amy at me from the start casually. Her and Sonic are easily my favorite characters, so when I see her role being played by someone else you can bet I notice. And Tangle played it brilliantly.

But what did Amy get as a reward for playing Sally’s role in this issue? What else? She had to play the role of the incompetent villain. They barely saved anyone. Another town was lost on her watch. She had hold Whisper back from going out to try in vain to save Tangle. It would have been quite engaging to see Sally challenged as a leader of people and crisis manager as she specializes in it and this arc would have been great to see her character deconstructed and see what really makes her work. Instead, Amy was given her role when she has no business having it, and is shown to be completely worthless after a scene that reads like it was handcrafted for was played out by another character. And of course, that other character when finally cured even gets another huge hug, while Amy is left watching the skies to despair.

It’s hard to see Amy as being treated well by IDW when you really break it down, but because she has been stripped of her character and generally sidelined, her detractors are pleased and as new fans don’t know any better they can’t see what is wrong no less call it out. She played her role in the plot as written so time to move on. She doesn’t matter beyond that, though fans of Amy Acorn/Sally Rose have surely been born as a result, and as an actual Amy Rose/Rosy the Rascal fan that hurts as one of my favorite characters will continue to be slowly killed off as her heart and sole is siphoned out of her and only a shallow doppelganger is left in her place.

Thanks for the Ask anon. I hope that rant and breakdown wasn’t too long or cynical, and that it clearly illustrates why at least I’m not happy with IDW Amy. Maybe even it will help you reflect and see why you aren’t satisfied with her either.

Of course though I rant quite a bit about the franchise in general and have a whole list of other rants of mine you can track down by dropping ‘rant’ into my blog’s search bar. Though that won’t connect you to these four from twitter (though one is kind of segmented)

https://twitter.com/kokoloko45/status/1284905784531398661 (Quite a bit of ranting in here though you have to fish around through the replies to find it)

https://twitter.com/JoshTarwater/status/1283088147576795137 (this one I go off quite a bit about the depreciating meta narrative of the IP)

https://twitter.com/JoshTarwater/status/1254439910422925312 (And this one I go into where I see Amy’s character as mishandled and the necessary steps as I see it to put her back on track)

Thank you again anon, it was a pleasure to answer, even if it did get me riled up again XD 

[rkvok]

Private Audition for SPHERE ENTERTAINMENT Date: 14th November 2019 Location: Sphere Entertainment building, Itaewon, Seoul Song: ‘Real Fact’ by Jang Moonbok, ft. Seong Hyunwoo and Yoon Heeseok (00:23-00:41, 00:44-01:08, 01:16-02:02) [Timing arranged to fit within time limit] Outfit: x Gif credit: Donghans

It feels like fate to have his audition on the 14th of November. While Chaewon is sitting her CSAT, here’s Moonbok, sitting outside the audition room at Sphere Entertainment. If he wasn’t so nervous, Moonbok would have laughed at how it all worked out. And even despite the nerves there’s a thrill of excitement. He’s about to do what he’d promised (threatened) he’d do when he was 12 years old; audition for an entertainment company. Every so often, Moonbok can feel himself starting to grin like an idiot and he has to try to force his expression into something a little more mature and calm looking.

It’s not like this is his first audition, after all.

He’s still somewhat bewildered that he was scouted walking around in a glorified cosplay, doing nothing of note. And yet, nothing came from his efforts at the MGAs or the TRC Triple Threat Challenge except disappointment and humiliation on national television. It’s why (yet again) Moonbok hasn’t told anyone except Yena and Yoona that he was scouted. After all, if he doesn’t tell his family and he succeeds, it’ll be a (hopefully) pleasant surprise for them. If he fails, well, at least only he and the girls will know and he’ll have spared his family the humiliation at being rejected for a fourth time in 12 months.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he scans his lyrics yet again. After getting Yena’s approval, he’d decided to go with a song he’d been writing for his audition instead of simply covering another artist. He’d intended on saving it as a collab piece for him and some other members of odd society, but after looking back over it, Moonbok had realized that the song was a good way to show off a side of him that he’d never really displayed musically. And given that he was performing for Baek Jiyoung herself, Moonbok knows he has to leave an impression this time. He didn’t want her to still think he was ‘coasting’ in his journey to become an idol.

Truth be told, that was still one of the most painful things anyone had ever said to him. Had it been from anybody else, even one of the other Big Five CEOs, perhaps he would have gotten over it in time. But because it was Baek Jiyoung, the CEO he admired, it had been like she’d stabbed him in the heart that day. 

No. Being stabbed in the heart would have hurt less.

He shakes his head firmly with a soft noise of disapproval. Now was not the time to think about this summer. That was then, in the past. What matters is what’s happening today, now.

His stomach rumbles and Moonbok is glad he’s alone, not that it stops him from making an irritated face. When he’d gotten up that morning, all he’d been able to stomach was a cup of coffee and even then he’d abandoned it halfway through. Figures that his stomach would complain about being empty just before he auditioned. That said, it could also be his nerves too. 

Not that he’s nervous for just himself, that is. He can’t help but wonder how Yoona’s audition will turn out. Will his cousin get a contract? He hopes so. Moonbok is still in shock that both of them were scouted (albeit by different companies) at the same time. Another intervention of Fate?

Before he has much time to think about it, the door opposite him swings open and a staff member steps out. Moonbok almost has a minor heart attack, his hands clutching hard at the seat beneath him as the words he’d both been waiting for and fearing rang out in the corridor.

“Jang Moonbok? We’re ready for you now.”

“Coming!”

Hurriedly clambering to his feet, Moonbok brushes himself down, straightening his shirt and sliding the sheet of lyrics back into his sling bag, having no need for them now. (But he still wasn’t going to leave them lying around where anyone could take off with them, it’s still an unreleased song, after all. His unreleased song, come to that.) Taking a steadying breath and saying a quick prayer to himself for luck and strength, he makes his way into the room.

Even though he’s been in front of Tiger JK for the Triple Threat Challenge and the entirety of the Big Five for the MGAs, he still can’t help but feel somewhat intimidated at the panel watching him enter, particularly when Baek Jiyoung herself is seated in the middle of the other assessors. However, nervous as he is, Moonbok gives the panel a sunny smile and bows deeply.

“Hello! My name is Jang Moonbok, thank you so much for inviting me here today!” Straightening up, he looks the CEO in the eye and gives her a grateful nod before continuing to the point of no return.

“Today I’ll be audition with a song I’ve written myself.” He holds back from adding ‘again’ to the end of the statement, not so pig-headed to believe that he made enough of an impact for anyone to remember his performance of ‘Red’ during the summer.

“It’s called ‘Real Fact’ and it’s a lot different to the stuff I’ve written or performed before. I hope you’ll like the new side of me that you’ll see~” He offers the judges another smile, daring to hope that the shadow of a smile on Baek Jiyoung’s face isn’t just a figment of his imagination. 

“So, I’ll begin, now!”

With a nod towards the staff member manning the music, Moonbok takes a deep breath in as the music begins before beginning to sing.

I just wanna be with you, baby. Again today, it was you for me. I just wanna be with you baby. If you still doubt me, oo-ooh~ My words are real facts

It’s funny, in a way. It’s as though he’s singing about wanting to be scouted by Sphere itself. Moonbok doesn’t blame Baek Jiyoung for perhaps still having doubts about him. But he wants to prove his sincerity to her and the other judges. That his wish to be an idol is a real fact, and not just a childish whim.

My words are real facts Fact, fact, fact My words are real facts

As usual, he doesn’t dance. Not that he’s unable to, because he’s certainly improved from even this summer. It’s just that he never envisioned this song as anything more than an odd soc release, and so never thought about choreography. That said, he doesn’t stay still, leisurely pacing back and forth to the music, gesturing with his arms energetically, all with a grin.

God, he really loves this song. And not just because it’s something out of the ordinary for him either.

My feelings for you are real facts Whenever it is, I’m always there for you Even if I’m not good at expressing myself Just understand me, ‘cuz when I’m in front of you My heart beats so hard I need to tape my ears together

How many times has he said words like that to other people? To Yoona, Hyunjin, Daniel, Jihyo and his own sister. The phrase ‘I don’t know how much help someone like me could be, but I’ll always here for you’ a staple of his vocabulary for as long as he could remember. He likes to help others, purely because he wants them to succeed and be happy, like anyone has the right to.

A guy like me can’t go on without you So there’s no games when it comes to you But you already know how I feel As if you already received the letter I’m gonna give you

At this stage, no one should be shocked that he chose to rap. It’s what he’s known for, after all. And it’s what Moonbok does best at. Still, this cheery flow is different to the raps he’s performed before; instead of the melancholy of ‘Reflection’ or the confusion of ‘Red’ and ‘Boy in Luv’, this is a rap filled with optimism. 

My heart is for real I wish you would believe me I’ll honestly show you my everything My heart is a real fact You can try to test with me.

He hopes he’s showing how sincere he is about all this. He knows this is not just a test of his skills, but of his perseverance too. After all, how many friends of his that he’d made over the last year or so already give up on their wishes to be an idol? Moonbok is here to show that no matter how many times he fails, he’ll still return to this dream and one day, he will achieve it.

I just wanna be with you baby, I’m rowing in your forest I just wanna be with you baby Again today, it was you for me. I just wanna be with you baby. If you still doubt me It’s only you in me, my only light I’ll only look at you even deeper

The chorus this time is shaken up with another rap, Moonbok proud of how he’s able to transition from singing to rapping without his breath hitching or his voice cracking. This time last year, he’d needed a sizable gap between vocal and rap parts to give himself time to transition. He’s come a long way from that first time he showcased his singing publicly during MGA season 4.

My words are real facts My words are real facts Fact, fact, fact My words are real facts.

The music fades as he reaches the end of the song and Moonbok smiles once more. After a second’s pause, he bows to the panel once again, speaking once he straightens up, his words and smile sincere.

“Thank you so much for listening to me. It was an honour to perform in front of you.”

And it was. A company audition is so very different to one done on TV. It feels more… real, in a way. With one last smile at Baek Jiyoung, Moonbok takes his cue to leave, shutting the door behind him as he re-enters the hallway where he had been waiting.

With a shaky sigh, Moonbok leans against the wall, taking deep breaths to calm himself. He was glad he’d been able to hide his nerves while performing, because if the judges were to see him now, shaking like a leaf, Moonbok would have died from mortification. Giving himself a moment or two to settle down, he exhales deeply and pulls away from the wall, heading towards the exit.

He’d done his best, done all he could do, much like Chaewon was sure to have done in her exams. Now for the both of them, the rest was up to the powers that be.

[Word count without lyrics: 1610]

[chaosbcrne]

citylights

       There’s solid concrete beneath his feet and a strong sea wind against him. For an hour now, he’s been standing here facing the gust with the sun setting at his back, possibly waiting for the night to come, it might seem. Like a patient sentinel overseeing the passage from day to dusk and dusk to night, he never budged, arms crossed and eyes fixed on the approaching obscurity. It almost looks like it’s being pushed by the breeze rather than chasing a vanishing sun.

      Duty is not what motivates his surveillance. This phenomenon, he’s watching purely out of self-interest. The wind is cold, cripplingly so, but it carries hints of summer, promises of warmer winds to come and of increasingly delayed twilights.

      That, and a particular patch of clouds caught his attention. No more than a mundane occurrence to the common eye, save maybe for how it’s held together for the past hour. The simple fact that it covers the sky right in the middle of its gradient appealed to his mitigated sense of wonder, though. These clouds make it look like half the sky is still bright while the other has long gone dark. So for an hour, he diligently watched the heavens move, immobile, headphones in, undisturbed by all things grounded.

      (Put me down, in your house)       (I’ll be right there)

      He finds himself looking up when the frontier reaches him, refusing to take his eyes off those stubborn clouds making up such an odd transition. He’s left with the impression that they move faster, now that they’re as close as they’ll ever get. The sky may not be moving with the winds, but these certainly are, and the winds have been trying considerably hard to uproot him from his observation spot.

      (Oh I swear it, it’s true)       (I’ll do it just for you)

      One last glance at the blackened horizon, as if to defy those winds in an obstinate reminder that they aren’t what moved him in the end, and he turns around to rest his gaze on the clouds again. They seem even darker like this, as he looks inland, where the sun still feebly holds on to its reign. Where the clouds take over, the first few street lamps light up.

      (Citylights blind my mind)       (Moonshine sees me now)

      A shiver of excitement runs up his spine upon realizing what phenomenon is about to occur. Both fists are clenched in an attempt to steady that temptation.

      (And all I do)       (I do it for you)       (I do, I do)

      Yet he’s looking around all the same, noting the absence of people in the vicinity. Of course, no one wants to stay near the shore when it’s so windy. No one wants to stay out when the skies are so threatening. No one finds charm in an obscured sunset over a busy city. Why would they ? Why does he ?

      There’s electricity in the air. Those clouds, those lamps, his own childish eagerness - who knows where it comes from, but it is undeniable. Oh, screw it.

      His feet finally leave their spot as he takes off, leaving behind the deserted eastern harbor to head into the city and catch up to these clouds. Sure enough, the street lights flicker on one by one, drawing a direction from east to west as the clouds provide them with the darkness they require to light up.

      (Citylights blind my mind)       (Moonshine sees me now)

      Right away he has to take detours, getting around buildings tall and wide alike, and picking up speed to keep up with the lights. 

      (And all I do)       (I do it for you)       (I do, I do)

      Whatever eyes may catch a glimpse of him would only see a golden trail of light racing the switching on lamps along with the oncoming night. Tracing patterns across the sidewalks, the streets, too entertained with his made-up little game to stop at any turn, instead jumping over cars, zooming past people, and speeding up some more when he misses a corner and feels a need to catch up. Then comes the last one, bordering the western harbor, and he scales up the tallest building he can spot in the neighborhood without stopping still, refusing to give up the race until he has virtually nowhere left to go.

      (I need it now)       (Just pick me up somehow)       (Just pick me up somehow)

      It’s after taking in a few steadier breaths and blinking his vision into focus that he notices the clouds are gone. Well, not quite. But they spread out, now so thin a veil he can see some stars behind them.

      (Let me back a sound)       (I need it now somehow)

      He takes a few more steps, calmly approaching the edge of the roof for an optimal view. Crimson eyes drop from the sky to lie on the sea, what little of it reaches this part of the city. A very thin line of orange light still hugs the horizon, but night has otherwise taken the region.

      (Moonlight shines so bright)       (It feels like everybody knows just why)

      Momentary adrenaline fallen, he shakes his head with mild disbelief, looking back the way he came despite himself. He can’t see any of the lights he meant to keep up with, from here. What was the point of all this ? Then looking back ahead, he can see the stars’ reflections on the water. 

      (Whatever it feels like)

      He can’t answer his own question, but he’s left with a pleasant feeling nonetheless. Perhaps that’s the only answer he needs. 

      An instant later, he’s gotten down the building, and he’s heading home with the wind at his back.

[ss-squad-au-real-world-stories]

Ch. 1

The following storyline is one big roller coaster ride of emotions. It will have its ups and it will have its downs. It will have its OMG moments and cliffhangers. Lots of cliffhangers (how else do you expect me to keep ya coming back?) there will be angst, drama, action, mystery, and possible love. Not sure on that yet, we’ll see where it goes.      I will do my best to keep the language down. I’m not fond of using the F’ bomb, but words like bitch and asses may be tossed around. That’s about the most of it, but nothing too profane. I know that some of ya’s are under 18. So as to not get myself or you in too much trouble, I’ll do my best to keep the language in check.  Just know that this story is all over the place and you read at your own risk. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!

      Roman watched Logan working at his desk in his room while leaning on his door frame. He gave him a mischievous smile "Hey Microsoft Nerd, wanna a change of atmosphere?" Logan sighed, stopped typing on his laptop and looked up at Roman "What did you have in mind?"

      "Well, I thought that maybe you could grab your car keys, a bathing suit (provided you own one) and we whisk Padre and Hot Topic off to the Beach!"

      Logan mulled this proposition over in his head; he had been working on his thesis for a while, he looked up at Roman and smiled "That sounds... actually quite enjoyable. I'll text them and ask if they would like to go to the beach with us." Roman raised his hand and chuckled. "No need, they're uh, actually waiting for us downstairs." Logan stood up shaking his head in amusement "I see. So you decided on this before asking me. Very well then, I will be downstairs in about 15 minutes." Roman let out a childish giggle "Ok," and bounced out of the doorway down the hall.

      Downstairs everyone waited as Logan got ready, excitedly chatting about the day ahead of them. "Now we all have sunscreen, right? We don't need any lobsters tonight." Asked Patton.

      "Do not worry Patton; I have packed everything necessary for a good beach day." Replied Logan as he walked down the stairs, holding a large tote bag, with his beach towel wrapped around his neck. Patton smiled "Great, and I have the cooler packed with goodies to nom on." The roommates worked together to pack the car and set off for their beach adventure.

      After a while of riding in silence, Roman slid in a Disney CD into the radio, when it started up everyone groaned. Roman pouted "Well, the silence was starting to bug me."  Virgil shook his head in annoyance "That's what earbuds are for Princey. Try using them." Logan nodded his head in agreement "I hate to say it, but I must agree, I can't focus on my driving with your music blaring and bouncing around." Roman turned off the music and pulled out his phone mumbling to himself "No one appreciates good music that's all." Patton let out an amused sigh and went back to watching the scenery pass by out the window.

      They continued to drive in silence. That is until...  "YELLOW PUNCH BUGGY, NO PUNCH BACK!!" Screamed Patton and punched Roman from behind in the shoulder. Roman rubbed his shoulder in pain "OW!!"

      "Did. Did you just punch Roman, Patton?" Giggled Virgil. Patton gave him an amused smile "Well yeah! A yellow Volkswagen Beetle was driving next to us!"

      "Had I known we were playing Padre, I would have gotten you ages ago. Well, since you took the first strike, I guess the game is on. You in Virgil?" Virgil let out a small sigh, "Sure, as long as you both promise not to leave bruises like the last time." They both laughed, "Agreed." The rest of the ride was in silence as everyone was on high alert, carefully keeping watch for any more Volkswagons. Logan nudged Roman's hand at a stop light and pointed. Roman smiled and leaned over the back seat. He punched Virgil in the knee yelling like Stitch "BLUE PUNCH BUGGY!" Virgil glanced up to where Roman pointed and back at him. "Gah. Point to you." Then from behind Roman, he saw a black Volkswagon. He smiled at Roman and leaned forward, Roman's eyes went wide, and he looked in the direction Virgil was looking in and knew what was going to happen, but before Virgil could punch him "Black punch buggy, no punch back!" laughed Patton as he punched Virgil in the arm. Roman let out a sigh of relief knowing it was Virgil who got the blow and not him.

      Logan let out a laugh "And with that Patton wins, as we have arrived at the beach. Game over."   He turned into the Beach parking lot and parked near the boardwalk.

      The four piled out of Logan's car, Virgil stretched and popped his back "Finally!". Patton gave a big smile and inhaled deeply "Mmm, smell that Ocean Breeze. Roman gazed out at the waves, "Breathtaking." Logan stretched and surveyed the beach; he points off to their left "That looks like the most optimal spot would be over there. We'll be able to see the car, and we'll also be close to the restrooms and water."

      "Not to mention in good view of the lifeguards," said Roman.

      They unloaded the car and set out for Logan's spot. Once they were all set up, Patton held up a bottle of sunscreen, "Who's first for sunscreen?!"

      Virgil sat down under the umbrella "Uh, I don't plan on stepping out into the sun. So I'm good." Patton looked down at him with his (as they so fondly named it) Dad look. Virgil rolled his eyes "Ughhhh fine."

      Logan pushed his glasses up on his nose and looked at Virgil "You know Virgil, even though you're shielded from the suns rays by the umbrella, the sun off the ocean can still affect you." Virgil was about to give Logan a snide comment, but two young women approach them. Both were holding a small stack of papers in their hand. The shortest of the two walked up to Roman and handed him one.

       "Hi, my name's Nelly, and this is my teammate Kara. We're from the Orlando Swim team, and we're holding a Sand Castle Contest. Judging is at Sunset, and the first place winner will receive $20,000 and a family pass to Walt Disney World, 2nd place will receive $10,000, third place will receive $5,000, and honorable mention will receive a family pass to a restaurant of their choosing. We hope you'll join in."

      Patton looked over Roman's shoulder and smiled at the girls "You bet! Thanks for the heads up." The girls smiled and walked away. Patton snatched the flyer from Roman looking at it. "OH MY GOSH RO WE HAVE TO DO THIS!! We're gonna have so much fun!"

    "I concur, what say ye gents, shall we join in the festivities of Sand Castles?" asked Roman with his hand on Patton's shoulder. Virgil let out a sigh "Welp; there go my plans of hiding under an umbrella. Logan, you in?" Logan smiled "Well, I do have my sketch pad with so we could come up with a game plan." Patton jumped up and down with excitement "YAY!! I know we'll come up with something amazing!"

      Roman surveyed the sand in front of them "How big should we go? I was thinking about something that maybe kids could go into?"

      Logan took out his sketch pad and stood next to Roman trying to imagine what he may be seeing; he then started to draw "Hmm, That may be difficult, however, if we added some support here like this and maybe..." Virgil came up behind Logan and gently moved him back into a sitting position under the umbrella. Then Roman and Patton joined him as they leaned over watching him draw.

      "That looks like a great start Logan. I'm going to go and start making the mud." Said Patton. Logan nodded his head, "Remember one pail of water to eight pails of sand!" Patton waved his hand to show he heard him. Virgil grabbed a huge brimmed hat from his backpack "I'm gonna go help him." and he walked over to where Patton was gathering the sand.

     Roman grabbed a pail "And while your drawing and their making mud, I shall go and look for some seashells along with some driftwood. In the rules, it says that we're allowed to use the driftwood for decoration only. How long do you think you'll be drawing up the plans? So I'm back in time to help build."

     Logan looked up at Roman, then to the sand where they were going to build and back at his pad "uh, I should be done in about fifteen minutes at the most. Before you go, could you relay that to Virgil and Patton for me please." Roman gave him a two-fingered salute "Will do" and headed off in the direction of Virgil and Patton.

      While Logan drew, a Volley Ball struck him in the back of his head, knocking his glasses off into the sand. He swore in pain and then fumbled around in the sand trying to locate his glasses. He heard someone running up to him; he couldn't see who they were. "I am so soooo sorry. Are you ok?" Came a young male voice. Logan let out a frustrated grunt "It's quite alright I was more shocked than hurt, but it seems though that my glasses have flown farther than expected."

      "Oh here, let me get them." a quick moment passed, and Logan felt a hand touch him, the hand turned his hand palm up, and he felt his glasses being placed into his palm "Here ya go." Logan gripped his glasses and put them on. The owner of the voice and his surroundings came into view "Thanks. Please be more careful next time." The young man nodded his head "Will do, my name's Thomas by the way. " He held out his hand; Logan took it and shook Thomas's hand to be polite "Logan."

       Behind them, another male voice called out. "Hey Thomas!, Stop flirting and come finish this game!" Thomas let out a nervous laugh "Uh, I gotta go. Uhm, maybe later, you and your friends can come and join us for a round of Volley Ball?"

      Logan looked at Thomas's friends and then back at the empty beach, "Thanks, but no. We entered the sand castle contest and well my one friend has big plans so that we may be at it all day." Thomas shrugged his shoulders. "Well, the offer still stands if you finish early. Bye!"

      Just as Thomas met back up with his friends, Roman walked up to Logan with his hands full of driftwood. "Who was that?" as he got close.

       "His name is Thomas. He suggested a game of Volley Ball later. I told him we might not be able to join him, as we're already committed to this contest and yet he still insists that should we finish early we should play at least one round with them.  I, however, won't participate as you know I'm more of a cross-country runner and not a ballplayer, but if you and the others would like to play a game with them, that's up to you three." He sat back down under the umbrella and finished working on his sketch.

      Roman looked in the direction of the game "Uhm they're a four-person team specs. You would either have to join in or force one of their team to sit out, but I wouldn't worry about it. That won't be for a while; we can figure things out at that time. If there's still time to play. You about ready?"

      Logan held up his drawing for Roman to look at; he was amazed how each page was detailed and thought out on how they were to build the castle. He smiled down at Logan "Do you think we could move in after we build this?" Virgil walked up behind Roman and snagged the sketch pad from him "Let me see." he flipped through the pages "This looks really cool. Hey, Patton get a load of what Logan drew!"

      Patton ran up to join his friends Virgil handed him the sketch pad "OH MY GOSH!!!!! It's amazing!!" Logan stood up and took his sketch pad back from Patton. "I'm glad you all approve. Let's start by marking out the walls."

      "uh-oh" interrupted Patton. His eyes narrowed as he looked past his friends. Virgil gave him a concerned look "What's wrong Patton?" he asked. Patton raised his hand and pointed past Logan, they all looked to see what he was pointing at "It's Devleon and his band of miscreants."

      Logan rolled his eyes at the sight of them; he turned back to his friends "We are all adults here. If they try to do something, we'll just report them." He clapped his hands to get their attention "That being said, we'll just stay a bit more vigilant so that we're ready, should they try to and do something."

      Roman put his hand into the middle of their group "All for one!" the other's caught on to his reference and put their hands in "And one for all!"

      Logan smiled at his friends "Ok, let's get to work, as I was saying before we should mark out where the walls will go. We can use these four pieces of driftwood to mark out the four corners to the castle."

      Virgil pointed over his shoulder with his thumb "We have four pails of mud filled to start the walls with, maybe we could do a fire line to move it faster?" Logan nodded his head "That's an excellent idea."

      They spent the next 2 hours working tirelessly on their castle, the base of the castle was finally complete. "ROMAN HEADS UP! INCOMING!" Yelled Patton from his side of the castle. A volleyball was flying fast towards Roman's side of the castle walls.

      Before Roman could even react, Virgil quickly snagged the volleyball in midair before it could hit. "Nice catch Hot Topic. That was a close one." complimented Roman as he helped Virgil up.

      The four friends looked around for the owner of the ball to appear. Just as they figured, it was Devleon "Hey coon face, Toss the ball back over!" he yelled at Virgil.

       "After you apologize to my friends and I and promise to be more careful," exclaimed Virgil.

       Devleon Shrugs his shoulders "I'm sorry the ball got away, but I can't promise it won't happen again. I can't control where the ball flies when we hit it." He gave them a malicious grin.

           Virgil shook his head and chucked the ball back as hard as he could. Devleon caught the ball "Ya call that a throw?" he teased and turned back to his game.

           Thomas walked up to them holding a tray of drinks "Looks like you all could use a refreshment after that encounter." The four took a drink from the tray and thanked him in their own way. "If ya want, I could stand guard for ya while you work on your castle."

           Logan smiled at him "That's really kind of you Thomas. We wouldn't be keeping you from your friends would we?" Thomas shook his head "Nah, they all went to work." The four friends chatted for a few with Thomas about the castle, then got back to work.

           Thomas watched Devleon and his friends play Volley Ball, the ball did fly their way a few more times, but with each attack, Thomas caught the ball and tossed returned it. Three hours passed, Thomas walked up to Logan "It's been about a half hour, and nothing's flown this way. I think they may have given up, which is good, cause I have to split soon. I have work in a few minutes." Logan looked at him dismayed "You should have mentioned something sooner. No need being late to work, because of us."      

           Thomas laughed "No worries, my jobs right there." He pointed over to the lifeguard tower.  "Take it easy! Peace out!" He ran off giving them a peace sign as he ran towards the tower.

           "Bye Thomas!" Called out Patton and Roman. Virgil waived "Peace out to you to Thomas! Thanks!"

           "Alright, now all we have to do is decorate," said Roman, he handed each of his friends a pail with seashells and small bits of driftwood and seaweed. It only took them fifteen minutes to decorate, when they finished, they stepped back and admired their work.

           "I'll go and find the Judges!" Exclaimed Patton. "I'll come with you" Virgil offered, and the two ran off together. "While they're gone, I'll take this side, and you take the other side so we can defend the castle from Devleon. Just in the off chance him and his friends try any more tricks, now that we're down in manpower.

           Logan nodded his head in agreement "Good idea Roman." he took off to guard his side. A few moments passed, and Patton walked up to Roman.  

           "Judging will begin in two hours; the judges say that we're 6th on their list." He looked around "Where's Logan and Virgil?"

           "Logan's on the other side of the castle keeping a lookout for Devleon. As for Virgil? I thought he was with you." replied Roman.

           "He was, but since I needed to use the restroom, he said he'd head back here without me."

           "Knowing him, he probably went to get more food for us on the boardwalk. Let's give him some time before we worry."

           Patton looked back the way he had come "Ok...."

           A half hour goes by when a teen walks up to Roman. "Hey, are you Roman?" he asks.

           "Yea, who are you?"

           "Jack. Some dude in a yellow bandanna asked me to give this to you." He hands Roman a piece of paper and walks away "Deuces!"

           Roman reads the note and turns pale "We gotta go, now." he exclaims, crumpling the note into his pocket.

           "What's up?" asked Patton, looking worried.

           "They took Virgil. He's in trouble, grab Logan and catch up." He took off running. Instead of running to Logan he called out to him.

           "LOGAN! SHAKE A LEG! VIRGE NEEDS US!" Logan came running around the corner of the castle to see his friends running away. It didn't take him long to catch up.

           "What's going on?" He asked, trying to keep up.

           "Devleon has Virgil...an.. and he's going to... to throw him in the Ocean... If...if we don't surrender our castle over to him," replied Roman between gasps of air as he ran.

           "Well, he...He can just sw..swim to shore," said Patton.

           "He can't swim." Gasped Roman "He didn't want you two to know." Patton's feet gained more speed after hearing that.

           Logan reached the Jet Ski Rentals before the other two "Two Jet Ski's please."  The owner eyed him "That'll be a hundred dollar deposit." Logan pulled out his wallet. "Here hold my Credit Card. We're in a hurry. A life is at stake."

           the owner raised an eyebrow at him "What?" Roman slammed his fist on the counter "Just call the damn cops AND GIVE US THE KEYS!!" he demanded. Wide-eyed the owner handed him two sets of keys with the numbers 8 & 9 on them. They ran to the Jet Ski's and hopped on, Logan with Patton, Roman alone and headed off to find Devleon's boat.

*On Devleon's boat*

           Devleon watched the shoreline through his binoculars, with Virgil tied to his boat with a cloth bag over his head. Virgil struggled to get free as he walked up to him. Devleon removed the bag and looked Virgil in the eyes.

           "Sorry about that, my friends got carried away. You know you really shouldn't struggle next time. Just let the kidnapping happen." Virgil looked around at his surroundings; when he realized he was on a boat, he started to panic. "What the heck man?!" he exclaimed, "I thought we were chill! Take me back to shore and let me off, I.."

           Devleon cut him off. "How about... no. I gave your friends a choice. Either you or your castle, so it's their choice, not yours." he went back to looking out at the water with his binoculars.

           "They're not going to come for me; they'll just call the cops on you and have you charged with kidnapping. Now take me back to shore, and ya know what, we'll just forget the whole thing went down. Are you even listening to me?"

           Devleon smiled as he saw Virgil's friends arriving on their jet ski's. He turned around and started to untie Virgil. "Seems your wrong, coon. Look for yourself." he handed Virgil his binoculars and pointed in the direction he had seen his friends. Virgil cautiously stood up and looked through the binoculars "I can't believe it, they’re actually trying to save me?"

           "You wanted off?" Devleon giggled "Well, off you get." Virgil turned around to tell Devleon he couldn't swim, but it was too late. Devleon hit the gas pedal, and the boat engines roared, and lurched forward, the force of the boat taking off sent Virgil flying backwards off the boat hitting his head into the water.

           "VIRGIL!" screamed his three friends as they watched him go under the water.

@thatsthat24 @thejoanglebook @tallykat3 @oresawesome @immacrazyfangirl @anxietystatement @bunny222 @wooflesthatwoof @wicked-rosie @tsfanart @anxiousangelvirgil @iris-sanders-athena @randomslasher @youtuberswithalex @just-an-anxious-mess @ts-storytime @lilkrazykat

[oumakokichi]

We know he would never do it out of free will but do you think Ouma would be able to get away with murder in the game? Also, actually would he have been able to get away with murder by claiming credit for Miu's murder?

I have absolutely no doubts that if Ouma had really wantedto, he could’ve committed any sort of murder he wanted and gotten away with itscott-free. The fact that he’s a liar, an expert liar, means that if he’d trulyhad bad intentions or wanted to hurt others, he could’ve deceived them andtricked them any number of ways.

He’s intelligent. Extremely intelligent. I’ve talked atlength about how I suspect that he has some kind of SHSL Analysis talenthimself, and I still stand by it: there just aren’t many other explanations forhow he could write a script of roughly 300 pages or so in a span of less thantwo hours. His ability to predict and analyze the behavior and responses of hisclassmates means that if he were honestly evil, he could do so much damage.

But well, Junko is living proof of that. Junko and Ouma doshare certain similarities, even though they also have several key differences.Take away Ouma’s love for silly, childish pranks and his genuine compassion forhuman life, and he would essentially be the same person as Junko. It’s hissilly side and his compassionate nature that differentiate him from an antagonistlike Junko, not his genius. I have an ask in my inbox about the similaritiesbetween Junko and Ouma that I’m probably going to answer next so I’ll hold offon going into more detail about this point, but it’s really fun to compare andcontrast them.

My point is, Ouma had more than enough means to kill any ofhis classmates. And he was smart enough that he could’ve gotten away with it withoutany consequences at all. When you’re a liar with the intention to hurt people,you lie to make them trust you, to rely on you. Backstabbing and betrayal hurtsmuch more when they thought you were a genuine friend and a part of the groupfirst—see Tsumugi later on, in Chapter 6, after all the comments she made about“working together with everyone” and “getting out of the school together.”

But instead, Ouma spends all his time warning everyone notto trust him. He keeps them on their guard, tells them point-blank that he’s aliar and untrustworthy, tells them they should be doubting other people intheir midst as well. He wants to keep them alive at any cost, and in order todo so, he tries on several occasions to get them to stop relying so much onblind optimism and naïve faith.

It would have been so easy for him to kill any of the groupthat he wanted to. He had so many plans going on in secret which absolutely noone in the group was aware of. He went snooping around and investigating everysquare inch of the school, left hints for the others to find, set his façade perfectlyin place to pretend to be the ringleader—and most impressively, he did it allwhile keeping Tsumugi perfectly unaware of what he was doing for the longesttime. She genuinely thought up until Chapter 5 that he was enjoying the killinggame, not trying to end it, and that took an incredible amount of caution andexpert acting on Ouma’s part in order to make that charade believable.

He had so many inventions at his disposal, things he haddrawn up himself and recruited Miu to make. The electric hammers and electricbombs were just the tip of the iceberg; the remote control she made him thatcould control electronic devices would’ve been more than enough to let Oumakill pretty much anyone and everyone, if he had really wanted to. That remotecould control the Exisals directly, something Tsumugi never accounted for. Itcould unlock them, open them up, move them around—and it definitely couldcontrol the guns equipped to them as well.

Unlike previous killing games, the ndrv3 killing game has noexplicit limit on the amount of people one culprit can kill. This is somethingOuma lampshades and then bluffs his ass off about in Chapter 5. He shows upwith one of his electric bombs, pretending that it’s a real bomb, and asks who’swilling to team up with him. The killing game will end the moment only twopeople are left, so it’s technically not a rule violation at all for one personto kill everyone else, leaving only themselves and one other person alive.

He proposed that plan in the hopes of smoking out theringleader, thinking that whoever would volunteer to team up with him of coursewould have to be heartless and not care about the group at all. But it was aviable plan, and if Ouma had been even a fraction as heartless and ruthless ashe pretended to be, he could actually have carried it out. After all, he had full control over all of the Exisals. He could’ve just gunned down everyone until he was the last person standing.

It’s not evennecessarily a plan that an evil character would carry out—Munakata would havecarried this sort of plan out in a heartbeat if it meant ending the killinggame, no matter how many sacrifices it required. But Ouma was someone who could only bluff about being ableto really go through with those cold, hard sacrifices. Actually carrying themout was another thing entirely. Going through with one of his plans and makingsacrifices in Chapter 4 alone was enough to almost destroy his motivation tokeep going entirely; he hated havingto pretend to be so uncaring.

As for whether he could’ve gotten away with Miu’s murder byclaiming credit for it—the circumstances would have to have been a littledifferent for it to work. The main reason why he couldn’t actually claim creditfor it even though he certainly did most of the planning was because Gontacarried it all out of his own free will. Contrary to what people thought due tomisinformation when the game first came out, Gonta’s avatar wasn’t “hacked” andhe wasn’t “brainwashed” or “mind controlled” into killing Miu. He did it allwillingly within the VR world, then forgot about it when he logged out becausehe had mixed the cables up on his helmet.

All we really know about murders in which one person plansthe crime and another person carries it out comes from sdr2 Chapter 2, whereMonokuma agrees that if the person planning it uses a “tool” to carry it out,then that would make them the one still responsible for the murder. The reasonwhy Peko gets held accountable in Chapter 2 is because Kuzuryuu refuses tothink of her as a tool or call her one when it’s something his family has beendoing all her life—and Peko went and decided to kill Mahiru on her own, afterall, not on Kuzuryuu’s orders. However, sdr2 Chapter 2 does seem to imply thatif Kuzuryuu had been heartless enough to call Peko a “tool” and used her as aweapon to eliminate Mahiru because of the grudge he had, that would’ve made itpossible for him to be executed as the culprit instead.

Ndrv3’s killing game often features different rules than theprevious games, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the same sort of logic applied.Had Gonta’s avatar actually been hacked or had he been “brainwashed” in anyway, that would mean he had no free will in Miu’s murder at all. He would’vebeen little more than a tool or an object himself, and that would’ve made Ouma100% responsible for both the planning and the execution (moreso if he had beenphysically controlling Gonta’s avatar, which most people in the western fandom seemedto mistakenly think he was).

If that had been how the murder had occurred, and had Oumaactually been heartless and a villain, it would’ve been extremely easy for himto misguide everyone about Miu’s murder, yes. He could’ve tricked them all intothinking it was any other number of people, including Momota, who Miu herselfhad tried to set up, or Gonta, and then only waited until after the vote toreveal that he was the one responsible for everything. It would’ve beenextremely easy for him to trick everyone too, considering he could so easilyhave played the victim once the rest of the group knew that Miu had been tryingto murder him. Had he wanted their sympathy, he had more than enough charm andcharisma to put on a “poor, pitiful me” act and make them feel sorry for him.

However, since that’s not how the murder actually occurred,he probably couldn’t actually claim credit for Miu’s murder in canon. Gonta dideverything of his own accord; his free will was completely intact and he wasabsolutely conscious and in control of himself when he carried out the crime.Because of that, he couldn’t actually be regarded as an “object” or a “tool,”and therefore Ouma couldn’t claim complete responsibility for the crime, eventhough he was the one who planned it and asked Gonta to help carry it out.

It seems very telling to me, however, that while he couldn’tbe held accountable as the sole culprit, Monokuma didn’t seem to care one wayor the other when Ouma asked to be executed together with Gonta. The onlyreason that it didn’t happen is because Gonta himself asked Ouma not to, tellinghim not to blame himself and asking him to “be friends with everyone.” So itdoesn’t seem like Monokuma had any problems with Ouma being held partiallyaccountable—perhaps he just thought that an execution involving two culpritswould be more exciting for the killing game. But this is all speculation, of course.

Anyway, these are just my thoughts on the subject. Knowinghow incredibly easy it would’ve been for Ouma to win the game by killingeveryone sheds a lot of light on just how empathetic he actually was, in my opinion.He was neither a sadistic villain who killed for fun, nor a ruthless,calculating strategist who was willing to sacrifice anyone if it meantaccomplishing his goals—he merely pretended to be both of these things atdifferent points in time, lying to himself that he could really become eitherif that was what it took. But in the end, Ouma was a kid. A very intelligentkid, near genius really, but a kid nonetheless. He could never fully discardhis empathy and his love for human life, and that’s exactly why he played thegame according much more arbitrary rules, rather than hurting or killing asmany people as possible in order to end it more quickly.

Thank you so much for giving me a chance to talk a littlebit about this sort of question. I’m so glad more people have been realizingjust how much Ouma was against killing, since it’s such a central theme to hischaracter. Thanks for stopping by, anon!

[room666]

Top 10 Memorable Scenes Of 2016

Along with great films comes sometimes ever greater scenes. This year I broke down 10 of my favorite. These are all my personal favorite and are on this list because I haven’t stopped thinking about them since I saw them in the dark room with the giant shining light where I do my worship. These scenes are Heaven and film is God.

10. Morris From America (Car Ride) Of all the films I saw this year, Morris From America was one of the best surprises. Chad Hartigan’s coming of age tale about a young American boy growing up in Germany with his single father played brilliantly by Craig Robinson is the perfect examination of the loneliness of growing up and being grown up. In a key scene from the film Morris, played by Markees Christmas, has gone out of town with some new friends and gets stranded when he no longer wants to follow the group and starts getting taunted. His father has to come pick him up and the car ride in which Robinsons character explains to Morris all about his own loneliness and sense of sadness with being out of place in Germany is a beautiful revelation for both characters. It’s one of the best things Craig Robinson has done. The sadness and loneliness that we all feel but never can convey is brought out wonderfully in this conversation. As children we assume our parents could never understand our loneliness and as parents we aren’t sure how to connect with our kids but this scene shows that conversations can move mountains and break down barriers.

9. American Honey ( Star Grows Up) American Honey is like if Andrea Arnold was able to capture the wild excitement and the unstable emotional state of the youth of America. Throughout the film you follow Star, played by newcomer Sasha Lane, who is a young Midwestern girl who isn’t exactly living the best life. She and her younger siblings dig through trash cans for food while she also deals with sexual advances from her absent mothers boyfriend. It’s a situation you want her to get out of but what way out is there? Star comes across a van of misfits and lowlifes lead by king rat tail, Shia LaBeouf as Jake in an unusually good performance, who go door to door selling magazines. Star joins this merry band of arm pit stains and sets off on a literal journey to self discovery. The final scene displays the group dancing around a camp fire like some tribe of young stoners who worship Rihanna and it’s a mesmerizing site. Jake and Star and the rest of the group dance around the fire and sing songs as if it’s their most natural state. Jake pulls Star to the side and hands her a little turtle. Throughout the film Jake has been giving Star gifts but it’s mostly to disguise the fact that he’s really taking more away from her. The mind games he plays with himself and her are leaving Star emotionally confused and scarred. She takes the turtle and sets it back in the lake and even taking a dip in it herself. The scene plays like a baptism of sorts, allowing Star to let go of the childish games and relationships and start to become herself, whatever that may be.The scene doesn’t guarantee that Stars life gets better or that she even learned what she needed to from her interactions with Jake and the rest of the crew but it shows one persons internal growth in a masterful way.

8. Swiss Army Man (One Last Fart) Throughout Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s brilliant Swiss Army Man you are subjected to Daniel Radcliffe as a farting corpse named Manny and Paul Dano as the miserable loser Hank who finds his body washed up on the shore of a random island he choose to kill him self on. After Hank uses Manny as a speed boat he ends up in the wilderness with the need to survive and the only way he can is with the help of Manny and his many uses. He can chop wood and shot bullets out of his mouth and everything else like some ummm… Multi Purpose Dude?…. NO! Like a Swiss Army Man! Throughout the film Hank displays an unhealthy obsession with a female character named Sarah, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, we only see in flashbacks or pictures. You come to find out that, even though he has a picture of her as his screen saver, Hank has actually never talked to her and has been too scared and shy to really function as a socially expectable human being. When we get to the end and Hank ends up in Sarah’s backyard and finally on a beach where he’s already been outed as an obsessive stalker he lets out a fart and declares very proudly it was him who farted and in a lesser film Sarah’s reaction would be one of Joy and maybe she would have even entertained dating him seeing that as his self discovery but not in this film. Sarah and her husband a long with the rest of the crowd gathered on the beach watch in horror and never excuse the behavior. It throws the whole idea of all you have to do is be yourself and you’ll get the girl right out the fucking window. Sarah and the audience know Hank has a problem and regardless of how whimsical and cute it is, it’s a problem and he needs help and she or any woman of your dreams for that matter isn’t the answer and shouldn’t be forced to be your savior. Hank is off but he’s growing and watching Manny smile and fart his way up the ocean waves as everyone watches in disgust and horror and Hank,who stares and smiles knowing he saved a life,was one of the funniest and heartbreaking moments I’ve seen all year.

7. The VVitch ( Unholy bond with Black Phillip) Robert Eggers delivered one of the best horror films to come out in a long time. A slow burn of a film that deals with a family living out in the woods in 1630s New England. The family is cast out of their community and forced to live out in the woods where an evil presence lurks. The Witch is about liberation. It’s about freeing yourself from the shackles of society with all their religion and rules for how one should act. It is especially a tale of liberation concerning Anya Taylor-Joy’s character Thomasin. She’s carried down by the weight of her responsibilities within her family. A role she didn’t ask for but is expected of her since she is a growing young woman. She must watch after the kids and clean the house and cook and do all the things her families religion and society has assigned to her. Throughout the film an evil lurks in the woods in the form of a witch. You know you’re in for some fucked up shit when the film starts with a naked lady cutting open a baby and bathing in its blood. You don’t see all the gory details but you get the feeling that living out in the woods in New England during the 1630s was a pretty stupid idea. The scene I want to talk about is the ending of the film. An ending that pretty much will make or break what you thought of the film up to that point. The ending in which Thomasin pledges an alliance with Black Phillip, the goat who Thomasins younger siblings claim to be the Devil earlier in the film and Thomasin brushes it off, and follows him into the woods to find a camp fire of witches laughing and screaming until all at once they start to lift towards the sky in what is one of the best visual representations of liberation I’ve seen. Now, I’m not saying this movie got me to denounce God and start worshipping the Devil but it did.

6. Jackie ( Assassination Scene )

Pablo Larrain has knocked the biopic on its head with this amazing psychological horror film and Natalie Portman gives the performance of her career playing Jacqueline Kennedy in her most vulnerable and fragile moments. The key scene in question is the sun in which this film revolves around. The assassination scene could have been done in a very exploitive and classless way in the hands of a lesser film maker. The fact that we can actually see footage of the event only adds to pressure surrounding the scene. We all pretty much have watched the film footage. It’s morbid and violent and chaotic and it satisfies the worst of our voyeuristic tendencies. This could have been done in a way that glorifies the scene as some action set piece head shot but Larrain films the scene with a real heavy grace, dropping you in the car with a loud BANG! we are chaos and panic and we’ve landed right on Jackie and you feel as she pushes and struggles with us as we tear through the scene like a bullet creating uncertainty and dread. Every awkward movement and confused look is captured perfectly in this scene and it’s like we are seeing it for the first time and really feeling the weight of it.

5. La La Land ( Traffic Jam )

The opening scene of Damien Chazelle’s spectacular film La La Land is pretty much the opening scene to your life if you live in LA. Being stuck in traffic is hell but almost everyone of those people, honking and shouting, are here because they have a dream and trying to successfully realize that dream can make life one huge traffic jam. This glorious musical sequence is made all the more spectacular by being done in what is made to look like one unbroken long take that slips and glides up down the 105 as morning commuters dance and sing as if though Los Angeles is the casting director for Hollywoods latest big budget musical. They don’t make them like this anymore and Chazelle makes the case that as long as you know what you’re doing and you have a passion for film musicals can still be relevant and fresh but still remind us of the optimism and joy of early Hollywood. The scene encompasses everything about the film. Ambition, talent, and guts. You gotta have them to make it in La La Land and you gotta have them to think you can open a film like La La Land with a musical number as ambitious as this.

4. Captain America : Civil War ( Airport Scene )

The Russo Brothers snuck into my brain and unlocked my comic book geek dreams and wildest fantasies and used that collective knowledge to create not only one of the greatest superhero films of all time but one of the all time greatest superhero film scenes ever put on screen. I can write pages and pages about this scene and every little detail that was done correctly and with such care that it made me cry but I am just going to remind you that Spider Man is the best he’s ever been on screen in his brief moments in this film. Ant- Man and Paul Rudd as Ant Man is the superhero we didn’t know we needed. HE FUCKING TURNS INTO GIANT MAN! Just go watch the scene. As a matter of fact I’m going to stop typing and you should stop reading and just GO WATCH CIVIL WAR NOW!

3. Moonlight ( End of act 1/ Closing Shot )

What can I say about Moonlight that hasn’t already been said? It’s considered one of the best films of the year and for a very good reason. This beautiful film about self discovery and connection in a world that doesn’t give you a chance to do either of those things for yourself is a master class in subtle filmmaking. Barry Jenkins creates a giant effect with small intimate moments and although he is the cook it is his main ingredients that really bring this dish together. All the actors playing the 3 stages of Chiron’s life are pitch perfect and are supported by an array of brilliant performances. One of those performances belongs to Mahershala Ali, who plays Juan the drug dealer, and gives one of the best performances of the year. The scene in question puts us at Juans home where he lives with his girlfriend, played by Janelle Monae, and it’s the end of act one. We’ve just experienced Juan coming across a young Chiron ,who was being bullied and chased by older kids, and eventually forming a bond. This bond allows young Chiron to not have to go home to his crack addict mother, played by a fantastic Naomie Harris, and use Juans place as a safe haven from her addiction and verbal abuse but what Chiron doesn’t know is that Juan is where his mother gets the drugs that are sending her and his life spinning out of control. In an emotional gut punch of a scene young Chiron walks up to Juan who is sitting at his kitchen table and asks him if he is the one who sells drugs to his mother. What follows is one of the most heartbreaking exchanges I’ve ever seen on film and Mahershala Ali as Juan quietly figuring out in his head what to tell Chiron and eventually telling him the truth is an automatic Oscar in my opinion. Juan’s reluctance to tell Chiron and his eventual feelings of disappointment and anger towards himself are all shown in Ali’s eyes and body language. He never goes for the big scene and makes it larger than life because of it.

2. The Lobster ( David picks up on the Heartless woman while biscuit woman dies on the floor next to them ) In Yorgos Lanthimo’s brilliant relationship satire we follow David, played by Colin Farrell, as he is forced to live in a hotel for 45 days because he is single and being single is outlawed and in order to avoid being turned into an animal after 45 days he must find a partner and create a relationship with them in the hotel. Sounds like every other fucking day, am I right? In this brilliant comedy our characters find love with each other by finding certain traits that each can relate to. For example, a young woman has constant nose bleeds and instead of trying to win her over with a personality, another character decides to bang his head or stab a sharp object into his nose in order to give the impression that he also has constant nose bleeds and wins her over. It’s the perfect metaphor for the way people court each other and try to win each other over with surface and artificial things like being into the same bands or having the same fashion sense. In this key scene David decides he needs to find a partner soon and that he will also need to fake something in order to find her. David finds himself being attracted to The Heartless Woman, played by Angeliki Papoulia who was also in the directors previous film Dogtooth, who is given that nickname because she is mean and has no heart. The scene that really brought this film together and makes it stand out above the rest is a scene where one of the hotel guests has just jumped out of a window in an attempt to kill herself. She lays on the floor all crippled and screaming in pain when David sees this as an opportunity to try and court the heartless woman, he walks up behind her as she sits in a hot tub not very far from the attempted suicide and say’s out loud how he hopes that the lady will die soon so that she stops screaming because it’s really disturbing his day and with that heartless statement he gets a glance from the heartless woman and from there they are a couple. It’s doomed from the start and he knows it but with the pressure on us everyday to find a partner we are willing to go against ourselves to please others and even willing to complain about a dying woman’s screams. It’s hilarious and heartbreaking and dark in ways that give me joy beyond comprehension.

1. Green Room ( Patrick Stewart vs. Anton Yelchin )

Jeremy Saulnier’s punk rock horror film Green Room stands above the rest this year when it comes to thrills and twists you never see coming. It’s a master class in suspense and tension. This isn’t some free for all shoot ‘em up stab 'em frenzy, it’s a calculated cat and mouse game that requires our characters to think before acting. A punk rock band has just witnessed a murder in the green room of the venue they just played that just so happens to be run by a menacing skinhead gang. The bands bassist, played by the late and talented Anton Yelchin, was able to dial the cops on his cell phone before it’s grabbed from his hands and this creates a problem for both parties. Now that the band has seen what they saw the venue can’t exactly let them go but after having the cops called on the venue they can’t exactly just straight up murder these kids so they have to figure something out and they get their help in the form of their quiet but menacing leader Darcy, played by a brilliant Patrick Stewart, who figures out a way to get rid of the band and save face. At this point our band is locked up in the green room holding one of the skinheads hostage while they have his gun and figure out how the hell to get out of there. One punk suggests shooting his way out but this isn’t that movie and our characters know that they could have more guns on the other side and at this point the band believes the cops are on their way to the venue. Enter Darcy who shows up to clean the mess by promising that they will let the band go without harming them as long as they hand over the gun and the person they have in the room safely but the band as well as the audience knows that isn’t the case and it isn’t going to be that simple. What follows is one of the most tense stand offs in cinema history. It’s Anton Yelchin trying to figure out if he should unlock the door and hand over the gun to Patrick Stewart on the other side but it’s a back and forth that has both actors matching wit and verbally trying to knock the other out. It isn’t until the end of the scene that we get a burst of violence and chaos but leading up to that is a strategy game that leaves you at the edge of your seat and asking yourself “ What the fuck would I do in a situation like this?” and then showing you there is no right or wrong answer and you can’t always just go into action hero mode because the situation calls for it. For the most part you just die.

[jewish-gay-elves]

A Skyhold Meeting

Varric has a surprise for JT waiting at Skyhold, he almost forgets to go see what it is, but actually remembers at the last second.

Words: 2376, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 3 of Jackson Trevelyan: Don't Call Me That, Part 1 of Ant Hawke: Larger than He Seems

Fandoms: Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: None Characters: Male Hawke, Varric Tethras, Male Inquisitor (Dragon Age), Antony Hawke, Male Trevelyan, Jackson Trevelyan Relationships: None Additional Tags: takin in game scenes and fucking with em, aka thats all i do really, this ended up much bigger than i thought it would

Having to wait for Varric to give the signal to finally approach was a pain and a half. He said it had to be the most opportune moment, and if Anthony walked out too soon then the surprise would be up and that wouldn’t be fun for anyone. Ant knew it was silly but that childish voice in the back of his head begged to play along. So for about an hour now, he had been using force magic to keep himself aloft.

“You can come down now, Messere Inquisitor left for the Hinterlands not ten minutes ago,” Varric called, surprising Anthony with his volume. Ant gave him a look before Varric rolled his eyes and finally added on to his previous sentence. “He took Seeker, Sparkler, and Buttercup with him, just get down here Hawke,” Now it was Ant’s turn to roll his eyes before he lowered himself using small puffs of force magic to make sure he didn’t break his foot falling that distance. Even if it was just a forty foot drop.

“Well this is a bit anticlimactic don’t you think? Telling me to hide up here and such to wait for him to appear but then he just leaves? Almost rude if you think about it,” Anthony said, putting his hands on his hips and pouting slightly. Varric looked as though he were about to reply but was cut off by rapid footsteps on the battlement outside. With a panicked look shared between them Varric was heading for the door as Anthony used his abilities to propel himself upwards.

Soon the door burst inwards and Varric was busy trying to think of a reason that he was in the abandoned tower in the first place. Like a small whirlwind, a young man who Anthony couldn’t place for the life of him, swung into the tower already talking a mile a minute. Varric’s face had been schooled back into nonchalance, and he was obviously trying to keep up with the quick paced lad. Ant could only wish that he was that energetic anymore.

“Whoa whoa, Sharps, slow down, take a breath. I can hardly understand you. Where’s the fire, kid?” Varric said, finally just hoping that he would repeat everything.

“Oh right, sorry I got excited. We were almost down the Skyhold steps and Cassandra started ranting about who you might have been talking about bringing to Skyhold, and then Dorian and Sera started guessing. Then, Sera said it had to be the Champion of Kirkwall because there was no way you knew the Hero of Ferelden, and Cassandra’s face was so red it had to be true and then I remembered you told me to meet you here! So, I figured the Hinterlands could wait for a bit, it’s not like that dragon is going to go anywhere,” He said, still in a rush. However, the bit about the dragon caught Ant’s interest. Dropping down was no hassle and then he ended up behind the boy with the eager question on his lips.

“You said there’s a dragon in the Hinterlands?”

“Ohmakerwhatthefuck!” The lad, (really only someone under the age of 25 would wear armor like that) said in reply to Ant’s appearance.

“Really, Hawke? As if we didn’t have enough dragons in Kirkwall,” Varric piped in, slightly annoyed with the ruined surprise.

“Cassandra is going to absolutely kill me for getting to meet you first,” the boy continued, as if he had not even heard the question.

“See, thats where you’re wrong Sharps, she’s going to kill me first for lying to her, which is why I need you to keep quiet. Besides, we have more important things to talk about,” Varric said, trying to get them back on track.

“Yeah, like the dragon! Where is it? Is it very large? We got mostly the same breed of dragon around Kirkwall, so things got boring kind of fast,” Ant said, remembering the huge dragon in the Bone Pit and all of her many, many, children.

“Wrong line of thought Hawke, c’mon, focus big boy,” Varric said “Something about a friend who can help us?”

“Right yes, Crestwood. Wardens. Something big is happening and I have some friends who can help but he can’t come here directly. You’ll have to go to Crestwood and find them,” Ant said, careful to not disclose the name of his ally.

“I can’t believe the Champion of Kirkwall is here,” the Inquisitor said, still looking dumbstruck at the man in front of him.

“Right, let’s try this one more time, proper introductions. Sharps, this is Antony Hawke, Champion of Kirkwall, and the Grand Enchanter of the Kirkwall Circle. Hawke, this is Jackson Trevelyan, youngest son of the Trevelyan family, Herald of Andraste, and most recently leader of the Inquisition. Congratulations, you’ve met,” Varric said dryly.

“JT, please, the full name is terribly stiff,” he said, seemingly coming back to himself and his manners in a way only nobles seemed to pull off.

“Hawke works fine, I don’t use Champion much anymore, and Grand Enchanter makes me feel awkward,” Ant replied. The two shook hands at last and looked each other over.

“I figured you might have some friendly advice about Corypheus, Hawke. You and I did fight him after all,” Varric said, beginning to step away from the two humans. “Well, I’m going to take my leave, see if I can avoid Cassandra long enough for her to cool off some,” Varric finished, heading down the steps.

“You’ve already dropped half a mountain on his head. I’m sure anything I tell you pales in comparison,” Ant said, leaning against the railing, taking in the sight of Skyhold. His freshly shaved head creating a terrible glare. JT had to step closer in order to avoid it.

“I heard all about how you saved Kirkwall from a horde of raging Qunari, I wouldn’t put down your advice so lightly,” JT said, still remembering all the remarkable things he read about the Champion, not seeing the man in front of him.

“I don’t see how that really applies, or is there a horde of rampaging Qunari I don’t know about?” Ant joked, hoping for some levity.

“There’s a Qunari. He almost qualifies as a horde all by himself. Fortunately, he’s on our side. His name’s The Iron Bull, swing by the tavern if you want to meet him,” JT advised. Hawke smiled at the thought of drinking with a Qunari after all of his history with the Arishok.

“You know, this view reminds me of the home I had in Kirkwall. I had a balcony that let me see all of the city” Ant said, looking back out at the scenery. JT lowered himself onto his elbows as well, allowing him the same view as Hawke.

“You’re lucky it was just a single city, I’ve got half of Thedas. Though most days it feels like the whole world is on my shoulders,” JT said, slumping in on himself.

“You’re doing everything you can to protect them,” Hawke conceded, hoping it would cheer the lad up again. Instead, JT froze next to him.

“Does it ever get any easier?” He asked, sounding as young as he looked. Ant could only reply with honesty.

“I’ll have to let you know on that one. I don’t envy you Inquisitor, but I may be able to help you.” Ant finally said, figuring they might as well get on with it. Trying to remember everything he could from his foray into the Vimmark Mountains.

“Varric said you fought Corypheus,” JT prompted, not remembering this story from the Tale of the Champion.

“Fought and killed. The Grey Wardens were holding him, and he somehow used his connection to the darkspawn to influence them. Corypheus got into their heads, messed with their minds, turned them against each other. If the Wardens have disappeared, they could have fallen under his control again. I remember seeing what it did to Anders, no one should have to go through that,” Ant admitted.

“You said you thought you killed Corypheus?” JT asked, eager to hear more of Hawke’s tales.

“The Grey Wardens had him imprisoned. They used my father’s blood in a ritual to seal Corypheus inside, but he could still reach out and influence the Wardens’ thoughts. He sent them after me. And I didn’t just think I killed him. When the fight was done, he was dead on the ground. Maybe his tie to the Blights somehow brought him back, or maybe its old Tevinter magic, but he was dead. I swear it.”

“So Corypheus has the Venatori, the Red Templars, and now possibly the Wardens as well?” JT said with minor hysterics, shaking his head he just turned to sarcasm as he said “Wonderful,” in a dry tone.

“I didn’t come all this way just to give you bad news,” Hawke said, standing up to pat him on the back.

“If that’s what happened to the Wardens, do you think we can free them?” JT asked, knowing the outlook was bleak. Ant however, tried to share his optimism.

“It’s possible, but we need to know more first,” Hawke said.

“You’re giving me a lot of maybes, maybe Corypheus has the Wardens, maybe they can be saved, I need some proof Hawke,” JT said, standing to his full height.

“Then let’s get you some, that friend in the Wardens I mentioned? I actually have a few. The last time we spoke, they were worried about corruption in the Warden ranks. Since then, nothing.” Ant explained.

“Corypheus would certainly qualify as corruption in the ranks if what we saw in the Red Templars is anything to go by. Did your friends disappear with them?” JT asked, trying to be gentle.

“No, they told me they’d be hiding in an old smuggler’s cave near Crestwood like I mentioned,” Ant said.

“If you didn’t know about Corypheus, what were you doing investigating the Wardens?” JT asked.

“One of the templars in Kirkwall was using a strange sort of lyrium. It was red. My brother put a stop to that but, I’d hoped the Wardens could tell me more about it,” Hawke explained. JT didn’t say anything for a moment, thinking about everything that had been said.

“Corypheus had templars with him at Haven. They seemed to have been exposed to the type of lyrium you described.” JT told him.

“Hopefully, my friend in the Wardens will know more.” Ant said, being optimistic again. JT just shrugged.

“I’ll take any lead I can get at the moment,” he admitted.

“Good. I’ll do whatever I can to help. I’ll need to send out a few messages if that’s all right?” Ant asked to JT’s brisk nods. “But let me know if you have anymore questions. Otherwise, I’ll meet you at Crestwood.”

“Actually, I have to ask, where did you go after the mages rebelled?” JT asked.

“I heard the Chantry was thinking about sending an Exalted March to Kirkwall to put down the rebellion. There was no point in it, those who wanted to live free of the Chantry had already fled, having no particular ties to Kirkwall while those who wanted to stay would have been obedient as lambs. Those behind the rebellion knew that Kirkwall’s templar force had been decimated after the death of Knight Commander Meredith and fled. I thought that by turning myself into the Divine herself, I could save more lives than loose.

As it turned out, I needn’t have bothered. All the Circles were rising up by then, we helped a lot of them take that final step. Afterwards, I returned to Kirkwall with my brother who stepped up into the role of Knight Commander after Cullen had left with Cassandra, and I stepped into the role of Grand Enchanter, to try and keep the peace. Atone for the lives lost on all sides, set a new precedent for how Circles could be run.” Ant explained. “Just some wishful thinking on my part I guess,”

“That’s extremely admirable of you, but what about Anders, what happened there? What was he like?” JT asked, still extremely curious.

“Complicated, it’s not like the minstrels make it out to be. He’s not just a monster or a hero. Or, maybe he’s both. There was a voice in him, literally, driving him towards justice for the mages, so loud it drowned everything else out. He was trying to change the world, he knew it couldn’t happen peacefully. There had to be a catalyst in the equation. I can’t give up on him. He’d be here right now if it was anyone after me but the Wardens. He’s a good friend, but he used to be a Grey Warden, I won’t risk exposing him to whatever they’re going through.” Ant said, thinking of his closest friend.

“What about the rest of your friends and family in Kirkwall, where are they now?” JT asked, hoping to land on a lighter subject.

“When the Wardens began acting strangely I had Aveline and her husband return to Kirkwall to keep an eye on my brother. If the three of them were together I knew I didn’t have anything to worry about. Fenris on the other hand, he would have killed himself to protect me. I didn’t want to give him that chance. Isabela is still sailing, for all of our friendship, I knew she needed to be back on the seas rather than stuck in Ferelden. Merrill traveled with her for a while, but then began to help elven refugees who were displaced by the war, sending more than a few your way in fact. My uncle is still in Kirkwall actually, he and my cousin are keeping an eye on the manor while Carver and I are busy.” Ant said.

“Thank you, I know some of these things are hard to talk about,” JT said.

“It’s not an issue, but I’m sure we both have things we need to attend to,” Ant said.

“Right! I was going to fight a dragon!” JT said, finally remembering his team that he left by the gates. “Want to come along Champion?” he asked.

“I thought you’d never ask, Inquisitor,” Ant said with a broad grin on his face.