#less into bruno than the others but he is still a great character

[notmoreflippingelves]

[furienna]

I've got a very mixed relationship with TV Tropes. They banned me twice for no real reason, but I can't stop admiring their archive of tropes. This is what a work page for my "Encanto" fanfic, "Cracks in the future", would look like. (Some of these tropes also fit the canon characters in the movie.) This fanfic is set in an alternate universe, where Bruno has a wife (Míriam) and two kids (Teresa and Víctor). 

A - L

Adaption Personality Change: Downplayed. There's a bit less emphasis in this fic on the weirder things, that Bruno will do in the movie. This is partly because most of it is told from Teresa's point of view, and she's a Daddy's Girl who won't find him strange. But it helps as well that he's happier in this fic than in most of the movie, and it makes his anxieties less pronounced and easier to control. That said, it is made clear that Bruno still manages to weird other people out. Abuelo Gonzalez (his father-in-law) actually wonders if he's "right in the head", and Pablo is forced to admit that he can see why people would find him "odd". But still, while Bruno is likely to cover his face with a hood if he's out in public, except if Míriam is there to pull it down, he will never wear a bucket over his head here. And he still has rats as pets long before it would be seen as normal, but his two alter egos Hernando and Jorge are never mentioned at all in this fic. And even him being superstitious is only mentioned exactly once.

Adaptional Angst Downgrade: Bruno is generally much happier in this fic than in most of the movie. It is true that he still deals with the pressure from his mother, and with a bunch of judgemental villagers. But it's noted that him meeting Míriam has improved his life a great deal. He never hid from his family for years either in this fic, since he could talk to his wife about his visions and had two kids to raise. Bruno and Míriam decided to simply not reveal what he saw in Mirabel's future. That made his mother furious with him, but he didn't have to become a hermit…

The Alcoholic: Tía Malena's husband Enrique is described as a violent drunk, and nobody in Malena's family likes him.

All Work vs All Play: This is what Míriam and Malena were in their younger days. Míriam preferred to stay at home and help their parents in their shop, but Malena would be out dating different guys instead.

Almighty Mum: When a bully's father is about to start attacking Bruno's door, Bruno can't do much except take his crying wife into his tower, and tell his kids to go to their rooms and hide there. And as soon as the man attacks the door, what saves the situation is that the door gives the attacker an electric shock, and that Abuela Madrigal arrives and tells him and his wife off. They try to make it look as if everything is Bruno's and Teresa's fault, but that doesn’t work at all. Abuela Madrigal only tells them to leave. And naturally, they must obey her.  * As a matter of fact, people respect Abuela Madrigal so much that Teresa can use it. She learns that if Pablo's father keeps on slandering her and her father, her bringing up her abuela is the only way to make him stop.

Ascended Extra: Bruno has never hidden from his family for a decade in this fic, where he becomes the beloved father of protagonist Teresa. So he naturally has lots of screen time here, that he didn't have in the movie. 

Awful Wedded Life: Tía Malena is clearly unhappy with her marriage to Enrique, who's described as a violent drunk who nobody in Malena's family likes. Also, Pablo reveals to Teresa that he wonders if his parents even still like each other. Both of these cases are in contrast to the three happy Madrigal marriages.

Bespectacled Cutie: Mirabel happens to be the only family member except for her father, who needs to wear glasses. She's also the only Madrigal kid to have no gift and struggles with that. 

Beta Couple: Julieta and Pepa are already dating Agustín and Félix respectively, when Bruno and Míriam get together in the first chapter. It is later revealed in the second chapter, that Julieta and Pepa are planning triple dates. And later on in the story, the three couples have been married for 22 years and are still friends. * Dolores and Mariano become this to Teresa and Pablo by the end of the story. It is a case though, where the Betas get together later than the Official Couple, since everyone had just expected Mariano to propose to Isabela, while Dolores had hidden her feelings for him.

Big Sister Instinct: Teresa manages to save Víctor from a group of mean bullies, and it's revealed that Pepa used to do the same thing for Bruno. 

Birth-Death Juxtaposition: Abuelo Pedro was killed during an attack right after his kids were born. 

Bookworm: Bruno is hardly fond of being out among people in public, but he will still take his family on regular visits to the local library. It is noted that he was an avid reader as a young man. So now, it is important to him to encourage his kids to read. And it worked especially well with Víctor, who loves to go to the library. However, Teresa will borrow a book or two as well. 

A Boy, A Girl, And A Baby Family: Dolores is 21 years old, Camilo is 15 years old and Antonio is the baby of the family at five years old. 

Boyfriend-Blocking Dad: Bruno becomes a downplayed example when Teresa meets Pablo. Bruno is clearly uncomfortable with it, but he still is more nervous than aggressive. And he doesn’t have anything bad to say about Pablo, he is even able to apologize for acting weird, and acknowledge that Pablo is the first person who isn't a family member, who will respect him. As soon as Teresa asks her parents if she can bring Pablo to her room though (she promises that they'll only talk, but they would be alone together in her bedroom), Bruno has to warn him that he can't do anything "improper" to her.

Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: Downplayed with Bruno and Míriam as he is as gentle to her as she is to him. They were also both lonely before they met each other. However, Bruno was extremely unhappy until then. And he still has his anxieties and a bad reputation. Míriam managed to see that he wasn't dangerous though, even if she was the only girl in the Encanto to be willing to date him. Nowadays, it is her job to help him deal with whatever his problems are… * Pepa and Félix are a gender-inverted example. She is very hot-tempered and overly emotional, and it became his job to calm her down (and it's a very important job, since Pepa's mood controls the weather in the Encanto). 

The Bully: A gang of them attack Víctor in an alley before Teresa can stop them. One of the bullies who insults their father gets what he deserves though…  * It is revealed that Bruno also was attacked by bullies when he was younger, and that Pepa had to strike them in their heads with lightning. 

Bumbling Dad: Mirabel's father, Agustín, is clumsy and always attracts bees, but he does love his wife and his daughters dearly and will do anything for them.

Canon Foreigner: Míriam, Malena, their parents, Teresa, Víctor, Leonor, Pablo, Pablo's family and Enrique are all characters, who don't appear in the movie. 

Clashing Cousins: Teresa and Isabela are never able to get along. But then, Teresa suddenly has an epiphany that Isa almost accepted a loveless marriage. And it makes her feel sympathy for her at last…  

Daddy's Girl: Teresa is very devoted to Bruno and won't let anybody insult him (and that is what most of the villagers do). She is very adamant about assuring that he's right about all of his visions. Her theory is that she got the same gift as him for this reason: Since she loves her father so much, she can't imagine having a different gift…

Demoted To Extra: This happened to several of the characters from the movie. Mirabel is Teresa's best friend and still an important character, but she's not the protagonist and will not appear in every chapter. And as much as Julieta, Pepa, Agustín, Félix, Camilo and Antonio are still there, they only get a few lines each. When it comes to more minor characters from the movie, like the kids who pestered Mirabel, Señora Pezmuerto and Señor Flores, they are still around as well, but they're not named and don't get any lines. Osvaldo Orozco Ortiz is an aversion though, as he is in the spotlight in one scene. 

Disappeared Dad: Abuelo Pedro was forced to sacrifice his life to save all the other villagers, when they were attacked when his three kids had just been born. Not only did this traumatize his wife Alma (a k a Abuela Madrigal), but it's clear that Bruno (who was the only boy) also struggled a lot as he didn’t have a father.  * Nobody has ever found out what happened to Teresa's cousin Leonor's father. He seems to have just disappeared one day. So he must have either been killed, or he found some way to leave the Encanto and abandon his pregnant fiancée.

Energetic and Soft-Spoken Duo: Mirabel and Dolores end up with this dynamic, when they're in the same scene together. Mirabel is very bubbly and talkative, Dolores is calmer and much quieter.

Fiery Redhead: Tía Pepa is red-headed and really hot-tempered. Her mood is what controls the weather in the Encanto.

Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Míriam had become the responsible sister, who preferred to stay at home and help her parents in their shop. Malena would be out dating different guys instead. Even as they've reached their middle age, Míriam is Happily Married and described by Teresa as a perfect wife and mother, while Malena is stuck with a violent drunk and is very jealous of her sister. 

Freudian Trio: The three middle-aged women in the Casita form a trio like this. Pepa is really hot-tempered (the Id), Julieta is the calm and responsible sister (the Superego), while Míriam does her best to be the perfect wife and mother, but she can still start crying and lose her temper (the Ego).  * This is true for their husbands as well. Félix is jolly and extroverted (the Id), Agustín is calm and more composed (the Superego), while Bruno is introverted, but will often show emotions like sadness and anxiety and shame (the Ego).  * And naturally, this is true with the triplets too, with Pepa as a hot-tempered Id, Julieta as the calm Superego and Bruno as the introverted but nervous Ego. 

Generation Xerox: Míriam got really scared the first time she saw Bruno's eyes glow green, and it made him plead with her to not leave him. Years later, this is repeated but gender-inverted with Teresa and Pablo. He is very startled when he sees her eyes glow green, and it makes her plead with him to not leave her. * Pablo's mother says that Teresa reminds her of her mother though. But later, Pablo reveals to Teresa that her eyes will look sad even when she's smiling. And that's a trait, that she's apparently inherited from her father.  * Víctor is very much like Bruno, which has become notable to lots of people. Both of them are described as having a melancholy and nervous personality. Their pictures that hang next to Abuela Madrigal's door are nearly identical. Both of them are also into writing stories and theater and have rats as pets. * But a lot of this might go back one more generation. As soon as Pablo sees a painting of Abuelo Pedro, he says he thinks that Bruno looks a lot like him. Bruno and Víctor are also implied to have inherited their writing skills from him. 

Generational Trauma: Abuela Madrigal watched her husband get killed during an attack. And it made her think that her kids and grandkids have to work hard, and produce new generations of Madrigals, so the magic and their protection from new attacks will stay strong. But it makes her do things like allowing the villagers to slander Bruno, pushing Mirabel to the side until she feels unloved, pressuring Isabela to think that she must enter a marriage that she doesn’t want, and Luisa to think that she has to work hard until she almost burns herself out. Teresa is mostly left alone until she meets Pablo. But then, Abuela Madrigal makes it clear that she wants great-grandkids. It is only after the Casita crumbles and the magic is lost, that a healing process can begin…

The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry: Míriam and Malena have a responsible vs irresponsible divide, and not a smart vs pretty divide (even if Míriam is the wiser out of the two, and Malena is described as having been the more popular sister). But still, Malena seems to see her whole life as just a competition with Míriam. Malena is very bitter and jealous since Míriam has a better life than her.  * Mirabel and Isabela are unable to get along, and Mirabel and Teresa love to mock Isabela for being so haughty. But they can reconcile after Isabela reveals her secret: she was only going to marry Mariano to please Abuela Madrigal.

Glowing Eyes: This is what happens when Bruno or Teresa looks into the future. Their eyes will glow green. 

Good Parents: Teresa and Víctor feel that Bruno and Míriam definitely are this. Teresa adores her father and admires her mother, just as much as Víctor adores his mother and admires his father. 

Green Thumb: Isabela's power is that she can grow plants out of nowhere. 

Happily Married: Teresa is glad that she grew up around three happy marriages (Bruno/Míriam, Pepa/Félix and Julieta/Agustín), but she can also describe her abuelos as being devoted to each other… 

Hidden Depth: Even if Teresa didn't quite agree with Mirabel that Mariano was a "dumb hunk", she is very surprised when she learns that he's a poet. 

Honorary Uncle: This story has an inversion. Normally, Teresa and Víctor would have called Tía Malena's husband "Tío Enrique". But nobody in Malena's family likes him because he's a violent drunk, so nobody has taught Teresa or Víctor to think of him as their tío. He is therefore referred to as just "Enrique". 

Housewife: Zig-zagged with Míriam. She devotes a big chunk of her life to just taking care of her husband and her kids, and that is clearly what she wanted. However, she likes to run her family's shop too after she gets a chance to do so. Still, she is ready to stop working there after the magic returns. 

I Am Not Pretty: Teresa is very surprised when Pablo actually calls her pretty. What she thought was that Isabela was the pretty one.

I See Dead People: Víctor's power is that he can both see and hear the spirits of the dead.

I Want Grandkids: Actually, Abuela Madrigal is pushing for great-grandkids now. This is very justified though since she believes that if the Encanto will survive, there must be new generations of Madrigals to keep the magic strong.

In-Series Nickname: "Mira" for Mirabel, "Isa" for Isabela and "Juli" for Julieta. Antonio and Pablo are called "Toñito" and "Pablito" by their respective mothers. * As a way more negative example, Bruno is known as "Bad Luck Bruno" among the villagers. It is even used by his brother-in-law Enrique, but he's not portrayed in a positive light anyway.

Jacob and Esau: Pablo is clearly his mother's favorite, and Pablo is convinced that his brother Manuel is their father's favorite.

The Jinx: Most of the villagers consider Bruno as one of these. They think that not only can he see the future, but he will make all kinds of bad things that he sees happen. Teresa is later accused of causing an elderly woman's death as well…

Like Mother, Unlike Daughter: Mirabel and Dolores swapped their mother's roles. Mirabel is bubblier than Julieta, while Dolores is quieter than Pepa.

The Lost Lenore: Abuelo Pedro was forced to sacrifice his life during a war. That is when the miracle was born, but it has truly traumatized his wife, Alma, who saw it happen in front of her eyes. As the years went by and she became best known as "Abuela Madrigal", she started to put a lot of pressure on her kids and grandkids. She thought that this was the only way to keep the magic strong, and it would give them protection from new attacks…

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group D Round 2: #D1 vs #D2

#D1: Prohibition era Mafia revenge story

#D2: Prophecy girlie, hyper cellphone, and gamer cat get silly

Details and poll under the cut!

#D1: 91 Days

Summary:

As a child living in the town of Lawless, Angelo Lagusa has witnessed a tragedy: his parents and younger brother have been mercilessly slaughtered by the Vanetti mafia family. Losing everything he holds dear, he leaves both his name and hometown behind, adopting the new identity of Avilio Bruno. Seven years later, Avilio finally has his chance for revenge when he receives a mysterious letter prompting him to return to Lawless. Obliging, he soon encounters the Vanetti don’s son, Nero, and seeks to befriend him using the skills he has quietly honed for years. Set during the Prohibition era, this show tells the story of Avilio’s dark, bloodstained path to vengeance, as he slowly ends each of the men involved in the killing of his family.

Propaganda:

This series has character designs by the art director of Baccano. In fact, the setting of it being in the early 1920s in America is sort of reminiscent of Baccano. However, the story is much crueler and more grounded than that other famous series, even if it involves a similar amount of guns and blood.

The anime follows a broken and traumatized young man fueled by revenge. It’s a tragedy and a thriller and a Mafia series. We see the lengths Angelo Lagusa goes to avenge his family, whom he’s the last living survivor of. He changes his name and leads a double life, getting close to the Vanetti family, who killed his birth family. But in the process of trying to do this, he gets adopted into this Mafia family.

He must wrestle with his morality as he keeps on the bloody road of revenge. People that don’t deserve to be hurt get hurt or killed because of his actions—even dying by his hands.

It's an anime that shows just how far someone is willing to go for revenge, willing to break everything in his path for it. And considering the Prohibition era came to an end in history, was all the trickery and killing even worth it?

Trigger Warnings: Animal Cruelty/Death, Cannibalism, Emotional Abuse, Graphic Depictions of Cruelty/Violence/Gore, Suicide, Alcohol and Smoking.

This entire series is a mob story so there's lots of guns, blood, and killing. There is an assisted suicide of an important character. Also the family dog dies when the main character's family is massacred in the first episode.

#D2: God Troubles Me (Hanhua Riji)

[Admin: Still couldn’t find a season 1 trailer, so here, have a PV for S2 instead~]

Summary:

Su Moting, the daughter of a god and a monster, is the supposed Chosen One set to fix the balance of the universe, but unfortunately, she’s just barely living as it is. Only just told of her great fate, Su Moting couldn’t care less as she juggles her social life, work, and her new duties (which she doesn’t take seriously). Alongside Moting are Star Tianji and Star Dikui, a god and a monster out to help our protagonist with her grand mission. They, too, are also struggling to figure out life on Earth, as Tianji is an immortal who doubles as the god of Su Moting’s personal cellphone and Dikui is a cat monster immortal more concerned with lazing about. Somehow, they make things work as the best worst roommates of all time.

Propaganda:

Four-season donghua (Chinese anime) that’s so recent and seeped in American pop-culture that I needed to do a double take when a literal cockroach said “Run, Forrest, run,” in English with a heavy Chinese accent. There’s a cat who plays video games (he’s very good at it), a phone who’s the worst kind of hype man, a sentient air conditioner, a guy who can shapeshift into any vehicle, off-brand Super-Man but jerky, a high-ranking god that collects anime figures, and the mega ultra cool protagonist who is a normal human girl fresh out of college and always low on money. It’s great

Trigger Warnings: Animal Cruelty or Death, Child Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Flashing Lights, Racism, Self-Harm, Suicide.

All the TW’s above are done for comedic effect, but they come in fast and hard with the humor. Better safe than sorry! The biggest things I remember are one or two “blink and you’ll miss it” racist jokes, characters joking about killing themselves out of embarrassment (no one goes through with it), and there’s a LOT of self-harm via stupid decisions. Stupid things like tying a loose tooth to the back end of a sports car sort of stupid. The protagonists have 3 brain cells collectively.

When reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

If you want to criticize one of the shows above to give the one you’re rooting for an advantage, then do so constructively. I do not tolerate groundless hate or slander on this blog. If I catch you doing such a thing in the notes, be it in the tags or reblogs, I will block you.

Know one of the shows above and not satisfied with how they’re presented in this tournament? Just fill up this form, where you can submit revisions for taglines, propaganda, trigger warnings, and/or video.

[themculibrary]

Missing Scenes Masterlist 2

part one

.40 Caliber Ache (ao3) - aSintobeRin G, 1k

Summary: Peter just needs a second. Less than a second. Just long enough for him to catch his breath and get rid of the stars dancing across his vision.

A missing scene from NWH, between the school roof and the science lab.

AKA Odessa (ao3) - sirendoom T, 3k

Summary: Natasha was given a mission years ago to escort an engineer but encounters a mysterious enemy along the way.

Bottom of the Ninth (ao3) - anti_ela steve/bucky T, 1k

Summary: The missing scene from Avengers: Endgame.

"I understand," Bucky said, smiling. His heart was imploding, but what did that matter? He'd never expected Steve would choose him. This was inevitable.

Benign (ao3) - Face_of_Poe G, 2k

Summary: “T’Challa,” Ayo moves closer, leans in to whisper harshly. “I accept your word that James Barnes did not murder King T’Chaka. He is still HYDRA’s assassin. That has never been in question.”

T’Challa turns and considers him; Bucky’s eyes skitter away under the scrutiny. Steve keeps a firm hand on his shoulder, steadying him, grounding him. Signaling his readiness to defend him further, if he must. “Was, Ayo,” T’Challa murmurs. “He was HYDRA’s assassin. And the Winter Soldier had a great many victims, yes?”

Bucky swallows and keeps his eyes fixed on the ground.

“We cannot let ourselves forget that the Winter Soldier’s first victim… was James Barnes.”

Breathing Room (ao3) - kcscribbler T, 5k

Summary: In the immediate aftermath of S02E01, both Loki and Mobius are a little worse for wear. Shameless self-indulgent H/C, you've been warned accordingly.

Disconnect (ao3) - shadowhuntingdauntlessdemigod T, 1k

Summary: The first day they tie him to the table in the isolation ward, James Buchanan Barnes fights with all the will and strength he has left—not that he has much to give after being held in a prison cell and barely fed for weeks. Here’s what it gets him: strapped so tight that his lungs can hardly expand, stuck with needles filled with varying liquids, and knocked out by a fist to the cheekbone.

Fracture (ao3) - Silent_but_Artemis bruno/kamala G, 5k

Summary: An addition to the end of Episode 3: Destined to fill in some blanks. What happened after Kamala left Bruno and Nakia that night? How did Bruno end up with his arm in a cast and was Nakia able to get the full story of Kamala's powers explained to her?

How Bucky Barnes Accidentally Became A Goat Farmer (ao3) - SeaSpectre160 G, 1k

Summary: Bucky Barnes has been through a lot of strange experiences. This latest one? Being stalked by a pair of goats that have apparently decided that he’s their human now.

(in)sincerity (ao3) - Ingrid_Gradiant loki/sylvie T, 955

Summary: At McDonald's, Loki and Sylvie were talking for another minute and a half while we heard Mobius talking to Brad Wolfe. What did they say? Maybe this.

in your arms i fall (ao3) - icantsleepits4am steve/bucky M, 1k

Summary: In 1945, five Red Army soldiers search for a dying American in the Alps and thus, the Winter Soldier was born.

my mind is a hurricane (but you calm the storm) (ao3) - helloilovefanfiction implied loki/mobius T, 1k

Summary: As he flipped through the files, Loki’s gaze caught on a particular variant with dark bruises around his neck, clearly inflicted by a hand. Against his better judgement, he read the summary of the variant’s Nexus Event.

One More Bridge To Cross (ao3) - Taramayus mj/peter T, 20k

Summary: Now, sitting on Happy’s uncomfortable, probably very expensive, modern couch, with Peter on one side of her pressed up close and holding her hand, and Ned on the other end slumped in the corner as they watch Mean Girls (MJ’s pick, sue her, they needed something more light hearted to watch after the week they had) MJ wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. There is a running commentary comparing characters to students at Midtown with May chiming in from the kitchen here and there. -- or, how do MJ and Peter evolve from the post-credit scenes in FFH to the main events of NWH

remember me (for centuries) (ao3) - bookinit loki/mobius T, 3k

Summary: He doesn’t have time for this. It’s been twelve years, and he still doesn’t understand the inner components of the throughput multiplier. Yes, twelve years is a mere blink of an eye, in relation to the grander scope of his life, but—foolishly, Loki thought he would be a quicker study. OB said centuries, but Loki had, in the far back of his mind, expected minutes. He had expected greatness. He had expected to be exceptional.

He is decidedly not.

—

between centuries, loki figures out what he wants.

say goodbye (ao3) - thorbiased jane/thor T, 1k

Summary: A missing scene from Thor: Love and Thunder that answers a few questions I had like:

How did Jane get Warsong? Why did Jane go to Valhalla if she’s not Asgardian? How come we never saw Valkyrie’s reaction to Jane’s death? Can’t we actually have some Valkyrie screen time?

Single Malt 9ao3) - Tsimmes T, 1k

Summary: Sam could forgive Walker for the guns-a-blazing approach to diplomacy and intel gathering, or his generally obnoxious demeanor, but he draws the line at forcing him to deal with a concussed international terrorist and certified pain in the ass.

The Church Bells Toll For Thee, Lost Soldier (ao3) - DCAngst T, 2k

Summary: James Buchanan Barnes is a face and name on display in the Smithsonian. He reads about himself, and when he leaves, he heads to Brooklyn, where a haunting sound calls him to a familiar place.

In the Captain America: The Winter Soldier movie, Steve comes home from his mother's funeral, with Bucky following. Church bells ring in the distance. Seventy-eight years later, they ring again.

The Talk (ao3) - mybestgirl steve/peggy G, 3k

Summary: Steve has a crazy idea. Bucky doesn't think it's all that crazy.

thought we built a dynasty forever couldn't break (ao3) - mducklesworth G, 2k

Summary: He finally looks over to Steve, who’s still staring intently at his book.

“That haircut,” Tony says, “looks absolutely terrible on you.”

He doesn’t miss the flash of surprise that crosses Steve’s face, like he’s shocked that Tony even noticed he’s there. He smooths the page out and looks up. For a minute, he doesn’t say anything, just looks, sitting like that with his cheek against his fist, and Tony doesn’t manage to hold his gaze for too long.

[stuffgoeswrong]

Maybe it's late but do chuuaku next if you feel like it!!! Have a sweet day 💕

Of course! It's never too late!

Chuuaku

Ship it

What made you ship it?

Honestly? This person's art--I mean look at it. I love their style, it's gorgeous. After that, I just started seeing more official art of them and hearing about the hype for Chuuaku on Twitter (or at least I thought it was fairly popular over there). Then I began to rethink the characters and what they could have in common, which turns out is kind of a lot. To quote my anime journal, they've both been hurt by Dazai and have been lone wolves for most of their lives. They've been through so much and I want them to bond over being used by people they once trusted (Aku--Dazai, Chuuya--Shirase, Verlaine, anyone else from Stormbringer? I haven't actually read it yet). They each ponder their self-worth but admire those around them (Chuuya admires Mori's leadership but worries about his own humanity, Akutagawa admires Atsushi for being able to stand up to him but doesn't see his own strength as good enough, and obvs Dazai). Listen, so we all know Chuuya is a loyal character, it's one of his core traits. But Akutagawa has that same potential too! He's kept his promise to Atsushi not to kill anyone for six months. I believe Beast even as an alternate universe implies traits that are there in every version of a character, so Akutagawa's protection over Gin can also be seen as loyalty. Any two people being fiercely devoted to each other or having that possibility is a huge plus for me. Yeah, they haven't had any actual scenes together in the main story (ig Dead Apple kinda counts, I always forget that exists) which made me a little iffy at first, but they've had a little screentime together in Wan! which is good enough for me and I ended up loving them!

2. What are your favorite things about the ship?

Chuuaku's vibes are like off the charts emo autumn season and I love it. Their color schemes are so Halloween-y and I always picture them within an aesthetic collage of hot chocolate, falling leaves, and overcast skies. I also like how easy it usually is to come up with headcanons for them, like Akutagawa would be so bad at compliments (thinking about him like Kageyama saying knife instead of nice) and Chuuya would appreciate him trying yet he's so much smoother at it, they both shop at Hot Topic, love similar music, effective on missions together, find it easy to bully people together, and go on midnight motorcycle rides to help Akutagawa's lungs. Oh, I love that Chuuya is kind of the mentor Aku never had and so it's for sure just one of the most positive relationships Aku could have. Also, it seems to me they're both workaholics so it would be fun to see them realize this about each other and force the other to work out making time for fun things, not necessarily with each other. In my opinion, Chuuya needs someone calmer than Dazai and Akutagawa needs someone who's patient but still outgoing. Of course, I believe that with any Akutagawa ship, he needs to be less obsessed with Dazai to be more in tune with his partner. I think Chuuya could help him move past this because of his specific position in Akutagawa's life as a coworker and someone who knows Dazai pretty personally. Overall I like that this ship, like my other favorites, is pretty balanced power-wise, has a great aesthetic, is on opposite ends of the personality spectrum, and has room for "missing or behind the scenes" fanfictions. Also the possibilities for AUs (from mayoi alone we get detectives and bandmates)!

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Not sure since there aren't several fans I've talked to about Chuuaku, but I'm gonna use this opportunity to say that these are the top songs that remind me of them: I Will Follow You into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie, Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne, Better Than Me by The Brobecks, Easily by Bruno Major. Perhaps my unpopular opinion would be that they're actually just very domestic.

Thanks for the ask!

[auditionsuggestions]

Show Breakdowns - Moulin Rouge!

This one should be fun! The tricky thing with MR is that they specifically ask for non-musical theatre songs (Hadestown does this, too). My challenge for myself for this breakdown was trying to stay away from the pop songs already featured in the show. Some of the songs repeat since they can fit a few different characters.

Unfortunately I can't seem to find actual notes for the ranges (but given they changed keys for all of Christian's stuff when they brought in Derek, I don't think it's too important).

Satine

Playing age: Late 20s-Mid 30s

Leading Role. Star Vehicle

Dance Requirement: Strong mover at the very least, ideally a dancer

Range: Mezzo belt (Bottom note is about an F#3)

Sexy and confident on the outside, Satine wants nothing more than to be free of her life in the Moulin Rouge to be a real actress. She's both strong and vulnerable with a decisive pragmatic streak.

Suggested Songs: Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson, Leave by Jojo, A Million Reasons by Lady Gaga, Fighter by Christina Aguilera, Bang Bang by Ariana Grande & Jessie J, ft. Nicki Minaj, Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson, Big Girls Don’t Cry by Fergie, Trouble by P!nk, Who Knew by P!nk, Circus by Britney Spears, Shadows of the Night by Pat Benatar

Christian

Playing age: Mid 20s-Early 30s

Leading Role. Star Vehicle

Dance Requirement: Some dance

Range: Tenor (or Baritenor)

A true idealist, Christian is a bit naive. More or less a male ingenue at the start. He believes love can and will conquer any obstacle and that art is the true meaning of being human. As the newcomer character, he is also the main cipher for the audience.

Suggested Songs: DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love by Usher, Mr. Brightside by The Killers, You Give Love A Bad Name by Bon Jovi, I Write Sins Not Tragedies by Panic! At the Disco, Livin’ La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin, Attention by Charlie Puth, The Other Side by Jason Derulo, Tearin’ Up My Heart by NSYNC

The Duke of Monroth

Playing age: 30s-early 40s

Supporting Role

Dance Requirement: Mover

Range: Tenor w/ a strong lower extension or high Baritone

Darkly charming and seductive, with a violent temper, The Duke is the other third of the iconic love triangle in Moulin Rouge. However, rather than the sniveling man-child of the movie, he's a viable, though dangerous, choice for Satine. He knows what he wants and will not take no for an answer.

Suggested Songs: Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) by the Backstreet Boys, Paralyzer by Finger Eleven, Tonight I’m Lovin’ You by Enrique Iglesias, Bad Guy by Billie Eilish

Santiago

Playing age: 20s-30s

Supporting Role

Dance Requirement: Strong dancer with partnering skills

Range: Baritone with a gruff, scratchy color. Lots of false fold work.

Santiago is the narcoleptic Argentinian, the greatest tango dancer in either Spain or Argentina, and "also the biggest gigolo." Suave, and just a touch silly. He's the choreographer of the show within a show. He and Toulouse take an immediate shine to Christian.

Suggested Songs: Smooth by Santana, Bailando by Enrique Iglesias, Hips Don’t Lie by Shakira, Livin’ La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin, Maneater by Nelly Furtado, Rock Your Body by Justin       Timberlake

Toulouse Lautrec

Playing age: Mid 30s-mid 40s

Supporting Role

Dance Requirement: Some movement

Range: Baritone

The great painter, Toulouse is another of the Bohemians. He grew up with Satine (or at least has known her since before her time at the Moulin Rouge). A little world weary, he still believes in the ideals of Freedom, Beauty, Truth, and Love.

Suggested Songs: 24 Karat Magic by Bruno Mars, Somebody to Love by Queen, The One that Got Away by Katy Perry, A Million Reasons by Lady Gaga, DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love by Usher

Harold Zidler

Playing Age: Mid 40s-mid 50s

Supporting Role

Dance Requirement: Strong Mover

Range: Baritone

The MC/Ring Master of the Moulin Rouge. He is flamboyant and fun, though very morally gray. Everything he does is for the MR and he will do anything to keep it running.

Suggested Songs: Circus by Britney Spears, Mambo No. 5 by Lou Bega, Bang Bang by Ariana Grande & Jessie J, ft. Nicki Minaj, Nothin’ But a Good Time by Poison, Tik Tok by Kesha

Nini Legs-in-the-Air/The Lady Ms

Playing Ages: Mid 20s-Early 40s

Supporting Roles

Dance Requirement: Strong Dancers

Range: Alto, Mezzo, or Soprano

Nini is another dancer at the Moulin Rouge, though jealous of Satine, she's deeply loyal to all the girls. The other Lady M characters include Baby Doll, Arabia, and La Chocolat. These characters also serve as a bit of a Greek Chorus, and ensemble members. These Four: Nini, Baby Doll, Arabia, and La Chocolat sing Lady Marmalade to open the show. Typically Baby Doll is cast with an amab actor though the character is femme presenting and La Chocolat is cast with a Black actor.

Suggested Songs: Bang Bang by Ariana Grande &  Jessie J, ft. Nicki Minaj, Maneater by Nelly Furtado, U + Ur Hand by P!nk, Genie in a Bottle by Christina Aguilera, He Said She Said by Ashely Tisdale, When I Grow Up by the Pussycat Dolls, S&M by Rhianna, I Wanna Be Bad by Willa Ford, Kings and Queens by Ava Max

[wardingoffevil]

I posted 5,105 times in 2022

That's 5,105 more posts than 2021!

135 posts created (3%)

4,970 posts reblogged (97%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@noahsthottie

@mrsbsmooth

@beesandfigsblog

@litgwritersroom

@rebelrayne

I tagged 963 of my posts in 2022

#litg - 660 posts

#love island the game - 512 posts

#litg fanfic - 252 posts

#litg s5 - 237 posts

#litg ex in the villa - 203 posts

#litg s2 - 159 posts

#ex in the villa - 114 posts

#litg ff - 111 posts

#litg suresh - 95 posts

#joseph quinn - 73 posts

Longest Tag: 124 characters

#i still don’t feel he’s genuine and he’s been stringing kat along but i did snog his ass in the loo since i felt like it lol

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Gary Rennell as a Dad

Gaz is adorable to imagine as a dad. I can’t deny how great of a father he’d be. I do see Gary having a big family, but for this post, he’s going to have three kids.

❤️ Gary is a nervous wreck while waiting for his kids to be born. He is constantly pacing back and forth, asking nurses and doctors the most ridiculous things, experiencing every emotion imaginable. It’s more of a rough time for him than the mom. And, yes, he most definitely fainted at the birth of his first child.

❤️ This is one of the most interactive dad’s there is. He has formula stains on himself, can change a diaper with his eyes closed, knows every song to every children’s show, has the babies down for sleep in less than five minutes. You name it, he’s mastered it.

❤️ Gary as a girl dad is such a sweet sight. He took on the role as the honorary tea party host. Complete with pink boa, tiara, and pink heels. If you don’t believe this little girl doesn’t have Gary wrapped around her little finger, you’re crazy. She asks him to jump and he asks how high.

❤️ Gary as a boy dad is something he was quite scared of at first. Since he didn’t have his dad around, he treats his son how he wished his dad would have treated him. Similarly to his daughter(s), this little boy is the sparkle in Gary’s eye.

❤️ Yes, Chelsea decorated the kids’ nurseries/rooms. Yes, Lottie also babysits when no one else is available. Yes, Noah is their full-time babysitter, other than Nan on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

❤️ The first time he brought his kids to work, he got up in his crane with them, and asked someone to take their picture. That is the picture he has in his wallet: his kids and him inside cranes. It fills his heart with so much love.

❤️ Do not go to Gary if you: have a cut and are bleeding, broke a bone, just threw up, etc. He will not only gag, but potentially pass out. He can’t handle bodily fluids like that. The only part of parenting he hates.

❤️ Nan babysits every Tuesday and Thursday. The kids absolute love going to Nan’s house. It’s still tradition even as they grow up to spend the night there twice a week. Gary doesn’t even have to ask, they just want to go.

❤️ Gary’s son’s first words were “oi, oi.”

❤️ Just like Bruno, Gary is a loud and proud dad. He is clapping the loudest, hollering the loudest, front and center for all the pictures and videos. This man knows the weekly schedule for the family.

❤️ Dating Gary’s children consists of: acts of intimidation that turn cringe (for his daughters), embarrassing stories, inappropriate jokes, and curfew being upped an hour. He’s a lot more chill about it than some may think.

❤️ The family has two dogs, two cats, a rabbit and a hamster.

❤️ Gary is the type of dad that you can go to him with anything and he will do everything he can to help you. Flunked a class? He knows you tried, and will reassure you that you didn’t disappoint him. Have a bully? He had them too and he will get them to stop, even if he has to scare them stupid. Broke something valuable? He can fix it or replace it. Got dumped? He’ll remind you of your worth and help you heal.

❤️ Christmas is a big day for everyone, but it is a HUGE day in the Rennell household. They all have matching pajamas, they watch Christmas movies before bed on Christmas Eve, and Gary is in charge of eating the cookies and milk that the kids left out. He even takes their letters to Santa and replaces them with one he wrote as Santa. For Christmas Day, they go to Nan’s and have a big dinner with everyone in the family. This family’s Christmas/Holiday cards are A+ every single year! 🎄

Thank you, @future-mrs-suresh, for recommending him! I hope the Gary stans enjoy this. You know I had to throw in a crane picture in for Gaz. 😉

95 notes - Posted October 24, 2022

#4

Oliver as a Dad

I feel like if there was ever a more patient and nurturing man, it would be Oliver. As a father, that shines through. I do not see him having a huge family (like Bruno, James, Jake, Gary, Bobby). One to two kids would be his ideal family size. His first born is a girl and his second is a boy.

🌺 When his two kids were born, Oliver didn’t sob, but he did cry. He was almost scared to touch them because they were so small compared to him. He was scared he’d break them. But once they looked up into his eyes, he was smitten. No love could ever compare to the love he has for his children.

🌺 Oliver as a girl dad is incredibly sweet. He tries to be strong with her, but she is so much like him that he can’t resist when she gives him her big brown eyes. He sees so much of himself in her. She has all of his mannerisms and quirks. She is Oliver’s little twin.

🌺 Oliver as a boy dad is energetic! His son keeps him on his toes, and always pushing boundaries. You’d think his daughter would be that way, but no, his son is his complete opposite. He’s always getting into something. Cannot leave him alone for a second! Dandelion gets exhausted being his partner in crime.

🌺 He loves reading bedtime stories!

🌺 Breakfast is a busy time in this household. Food cooking, people rushing around, it gets crazy. Oliver likes to be the one cooking. He makes breakfast every single morning before work and school. Includes little pictures he drew in the kids’ lunch boxes, too.

🌺 Dandelion rotates sleeping in the kids’ rooms. She likes to check up on them through the night. She’s their cat-mom. And she is insanely protective of them. No one messes with her human babies. 🐈

🌺 Oliver actually gets along with his kids as teenagers. He’s laid back and pretty easy-going. He knows when to give them space. He’s not quite up on a lot of the trends, in which case his kids will kindly educate him.

🌺 His daughter’s friends have crushes on him and his son’s friends are intimidated by him (at first). He thinks it’s funny.

🌺 Oliver is Southeast Asian, so he loves to teach his kids all about his culture. He’s very proud of that. He likes to make a traditional dish a few times a week for dinner, and invite his nan over. He’s very close with her.

🌺 As a tattoo artist, Oliver’s kids have been hanging out at the shop since they were newborns. His daughter actually wants to follow in his footsteps, and would love to be his apprentice. She’s insanely gifted at art and can draw anything that pops into her head. Her specialty is portraits. Oliver’s proud to teach her everything he knows. His son would “rather die than work here…” (actual quote from him).

🌺 Bruno got his first tattoo by Oliver, and they frequently hang out at each other’s houses. Their families are pretty close. Every now and then Will and Kobi hangs out with them, too.

🌺 Oliver’s parenting style is just vibing and going with the flow. He has raised his kids to be genuinely good people. He is a proud father, and encourages them daily to chase their dreams. No matter what happens in life, he will always stand right beside his children and guide them. He melts my heart so much.

I haven’t played Oliver’s route, so please don’t attack me if things are wrong! I hope all the Oliver stans enjoy some wholesome dad content. Thank you, @libelle949, for recommending him! If you want some spicy NSFW HC’s on Ollie, Suzi has some for him here. 🖤

97 notes - Posted October 20, 2022

#3

Bobby McKenzie as a Dad

Omg this is one of my favorites! Bobby as a dad gives me brain rot. Fatherhood was meant for Bobby. I wanted to save him for last but I couldn’t wait. I finally finished this

Note: Please don’t attack me if we have differing opinions. Be respectful or don’t interact.

🧁 It was a rollercoaster ride for Bobby when his kids were born. He definitely tried to get the mom, nurses, and doctors to laugh while putting on the gown, gloves, mask, and wrapping a stethoscope around his neck. He may have tried to lighten the mood but inside he was a nervous wreck. Bobby’s a crier. He sobbed for each birth. Full on ugly crying.

🧁 Bobby wants a lot of kids, I’d say about 3-4, if not more than that. It doesn’t matter if they’re all girls, all boys, even number of both, odd number of both, he’s happy regardless. A baby around his chest, a toddler wrapped around his left leg, a seven year old putting icing on the fresh cupcakes out of the oven—that sort of chaos is Bobby’s bliss.

🧁 All of Bobby’s kids inherited his pretty freckles.

🧁 There’s no Bobby as a girl dad or a boy dad—he’s the same dad to all his kids: energetic, lovable, silly, and supportive. He’s just happy to be a dad. Period.

🧁 Bobby is the child-at-heart type of father. The type of father that loves to see his kids use their imagination, their creativity. The type of father that doesn’t see “weird” or “eccentric” kids. He sees children being children. He may be an adult, but his childlike sense of wonder and curiosity still flows through his veins.

🧁 Bobby’s eldest daughter’s named Paisley.

🧁 Chelsea designed the nurseries. Bobby helped a lot with ideas and quirks. They’re an amazing interior design team and Bobby thinks he may have a future in it if his bakery fails (it won’t).

🧁 Bobby has no problem at all checking on the baby during the night. He knows the drill. Even if he gets home late, even if he has to be up in three hours. He’s making sure his children are alright.

🧁 He named cupcakes after his children at his bakery.

🧁 Nap time isn’t just for kids in the McKenzie house. Bobby likes to join in because it gives him an excuse to watch cartoons and nap.

🧁 Bobby calls Gary a lot asking him for advice, telling him what curse word he taught his toddler to say, planning their next “dad’s day”, etc. They were best mates in the villa and it remained the same outside the villa. If they’re not texting, they’re FaceTiming.

🧁 You’re insane if you think each of his kids don’t get their own unique boops from him, complete with sounds.

🧁 Bobby makes all the kids’ lunches every day before school. Something different every day, too. Complete with a cupcake/cookie and a smiley face Post-It note from dad.

🧁 There’s always some kind of music playing in this house at all times, the genre varies from day to day.

🧁 Bobby sings “You Are My Sunshine” to his kids. With a guitar or without.

🧁 Bedtime stories are reserved only for Bobby. Sometimes he’ll read their favorite books, sometimes he makes the story up on the spot. But his favorite story to tell is “The Adventures of LongBob Cupcake.” He tells the kids that it’s based on true events.

🧁 The McKenzie’s (including his parents and sister) do go to Jamaica, once a year, to visit Bobby’s nan. Everyone looks forward to it.

🧁 Bobby never gets mad at his kids for throwing parties while he’s gone. All he cares about is the kitchen not getting trashed.

🧁 Bobby’s another loud and proud dad that attends every single activity for his kids. Definitely can hear him shouting over all the other dads, and he’s always front row center when taking videos. His social media accounts are flooded with his kids’ things.

🧁 Gary, Rahim, and Noah still hang out with Bobby. Bobby loves when everyone comes to visit because it gives him an excuse to bake and to try new recipes out on them. Gary eats anything, so really he tests the recipes on Rahim and Noah.

🧁 Bobby is the father that every kid dreams of having. He’s so loving, so accepting, so supportive of his children. He is never NOT proud of them.

There are so many Bobby pages on here that are amazing, but one in particular sticks out the most: @ravenadottir (currently on hiatus), and it can be found here. There’s all sorts of information/route guides/headcanons for Bobby. She even has an amazing fic for him as well (Paisley Cuddle is a must-read if you haven’t yet). 🖤

107 notes - Posted November 28, 2022

#2

Lucas Koh as a Dad

Hear me out…

This one is hard for me because I’m one of those who can’t see him as a father. Yes, it’s canon that he doesn’t want kids. So I’m going to step out of my comfort zone to deliver.

The only way he would become a father, or even entertain the idea of being a father, would be if he found the right person first. It would take years and years of begging and pleading for him to agree. Or a divine miracle. That being said, if he becomes a father, he’s only having one child, and it will be a girl. A son would trigger his trauma with his own father, and it would make him a cold and distant father. If he chose to even stay in his life, but that’s a different story for a different day.

🖤 Trust me, they already know it’s a girl. Lucas knows the entire process and what it entails. He’s going to go through it with ease. He’s going to be reluctant to hold her because, frankly, he’ll be scared. So many emotions will be going through him, but he’ll be calm and collected on the outside.

🖤 There is no one on Earth that will be more protective of his child than Lucas Koh. I mean that man will know where his daughter is, who’s with her, what’s going on with her, at all times. He will have a hawk’s eye on her.

🖤 Lucas may not always be the one getting up to change or feed her. In fact, I do see him considering a full-time live-in nanny.

🖤 The more that the reality sets in, he will become more in tune with fatherhood. It will scare him to death. He’ll constantly need reassurance. He knows he can provide financially for her, but he’s more scared of providing emotionally to his daughter.

🖤 If you think he’s going to be the type of dad to play dress-up or dollhouse, I’m sorry but that isn’t him. If she wants to play doctor, though, that’s more his thing. That’ll include him explaining what the tools are for. She won’t understand him but continue playing.

🖤 It’s true this little girl will have everything she could ever dream of: the sun, the moon, and every star. However, she will be used to hearing the word “no” sometimes. The last thing Lucas wants is a bratty child.

🖤 You know how parents go all out for their kids’ first birthday? Lucas will have the most exquisite, most lavish party for his daughter.

🖤 Lucas will regularly attend therapy. Having a child really made him think about his past. He doesn’t want his daughter hating him or resenting him later on, so he wants to work on healing his trauma so he doesn’t repeat it.

🖤 This is really random but I can also see his daughter being extremely beautiful. Even as a newborn. She’ll be one of those adorable little girls with pretty, long, straight hair. The older she gets, the more she resembles Lucas.

🖤 When it comes to her education, Lucas will have her enrolled in the most top notch school around. If there is one thing he’s strict on it’s her grades. He wants her to have an education before anything else. He wants her to be successful. I can definitely see him enrolling her in boarding school.

🖤 Dating will be forbidden until she moves out on her own. In his house her education comes before dating. Lucas isn’t stupid—he knows she’s beautiful and her peers know it too. If she does sneak around and date, without Lucas knowing, well, let’s hope she doesn’t get caught. Yikes.

🖤 I don’t see him always attending her events or activities because of his work schedule. He does try. He really does. Sometimes he just can’t get out of it.

🖤 Once a week, Lucas takes his daughter out to any restaurant of her choice. They order the same thing and sit at the same table. After eating, they go shopping or any activity that she wants to do. He enjoys one-on-one time with her. He enjoys making memories that will have a big impact on her.

🖤 Becoming a father has made Lucas grow as a man. Will he have fights with his daughter? Absolutely. He knows that. Instead of being passive-aggressive, like he usually is, he’s the first one to apologize. Especially if he overreacted. She is far more important to him than holding a grudge.

🖤 It may have been a long journey, but eventually Lucas will learn that he is capable of loving another human as deeply as he does his daughter. The fear of making a mistake will never leave him entirely, it’ll always be there. Every father has it, and Lucas knows it’s okay. He may not be the type of father that Bruno, or Gary, is but that doesn’t mean he loves his daughter any less. Lucas is the type of father who teaches structure and discipline. She knows she is loved, and wanted.

Okay, anon, I hope you enjoy this! It was a wild ride. I hope the Lucas stans enjoy this! 🥹

115 notes - Posted October 31, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Bruno Kaminski as a Dad

🤍 No matter how many children he has, Bruno will sob at every single one of their births. He will be an emotional wreck, yet so very proud. He will drop his phone on (at least) one of his kids while taking pictures of them as a newborn. Nothing too damaging, it won’t leave a mark.

🤍 Because of working late, Bruno does enjoy sleeping in, but since becoming a dad he’s happy to be the one to wake the baby up in the mornings. He sings their favorite song while opening the curtains, and he always asks if they had a good sleep. They reply only in babbles, but Bruno understands perfectly.

🤍 Bruno as a girl dad—he’s letting her pick out her own outfits and hair styles. He opts for the easy, and his personal favorite: pigtails with bows, but if she just wants to leave it down then he’s good with that too. He likes to let her be independent and make her own choices. Bruno is definitely all about Girl Power. Just seeing him as a girl dad makes my heart so full.

🤍 If Bruno has a son, that little boy will be his twin. I can’t unsee it. I honestly love that for Bruno since he grew up with all sisters. The bond they’ll have will be unlike any other, and I honestly want to cry thinking about it.

🤍 Bruno’s a baby at heart, so think of him as an extra toddler running around the house. He’s definitely a Labrador Retriever puppy with his kids. And my heart will explode from the cuteness.

🤍 Yes, he watches his kids sleep and makes sure they are breathing during the night.

🤍 Learning to talk is fun because of his Scouse accent. He teaches his kids bad words in Polish, too. When they are babies, and learning how to walk, Bruno holds their hands and helps steady them. When they’re in public, he tells people they have their “training feet” on. Imagining a tall dad, bent down, holding their tiny baby hands, as they wobble about.. I’m crying.

🤍 Bruno’s in charge of bath time! Suds everywhere. Toys all over the place. And that mess isn’t just from the kids.

🤍 He is that loud and proud dad at all of his kids’ games, rehearsals, recitals, etc. He has every moment on video. He’s posting them on every social media account he has. He knows when all of their events are and shows up early to them all.

🤍 His daughters are NOT to start dating until they’re “at least 45 years old” and he’s “too senile to know what’s going on.” Those are his rules, not mine. Their first dates include: having their date come in, introductions, small chitchat, and then be subject to Bruno attempting to be intimidating but comes off as awkward for everyone.

🤍 When the family wants steaks, hotdogs, or hamburgers, Bruno’s the type of dad that thinks he knows his way around a big fancy grill, but almost blows the house up every time he tries to use it. So now he’s only allowed to “grill” on the stove when his wife’s home. Or they opt to get takeout.

🤍 His kids will always have a pet. Dog, cat, hamster, rabbit. Or even a goldfish (iykyk 😉). Or an exotic animal. Or one of each. Bruno’s unpredictable.

🤍 Bruno’s the king of “go ask your mum!” The kids know that he’ll never say ‘no’ so they always go to him first. Sometimes he gives in (okay..he always gives in), but he’ll spice things up with a ‘no’ here and there to keep the kids on their toes.

🤍 Having teenagers isn’t as scary for Bruno as one may think. He’s very patient and understanding. He has older sisters, and he was a teenager once too. He does require some reassurance because sometimes teenagers can be mean. He does his very best to stay up on trends, and will learn all the TikTok dances. He can dance so it won’t be a horrible sight.

🤍 Bruno is super involved with his kids. He’s playing board games with them, coloring and drawing with them, playing hide ‘n’ seek, playing tag, etc. He’s 100% devoted to his children. They are his laptop background, iPhone lockscreen and wallpaper, his Facebook profile picture and cover photo. Every school picture they have taken are in his wallet, too.

🤍 On that note, Bruno is the ultimate sap when his children make him anything. He keeps all of their birthday/Christmas/Anniversary cards that they gave him, coloring book pages, drawings, paintings, crafts, etc. Every Valentine’s Day, when his kids are little, they give him a Valentine that says “(their name) loves daddy THIS much!” or “Daddy is my Valentine!” and he tears up. You will periodically catch him going through all of those keepsakes as his children grow up, and he will be crying.

🤍 It means a lot to Bruno to have his Polish roots incorporated in his kids’ names. His first born son will have the same middle name as him. His other kids will have a Polish middle name, possibly named after Bruno’s family members. His way of paying tribute.

🤍 Bruno + teaching his kids to drive = madness.

🤍 Bruno will get “empty nest syndrome.” He will be sad when his youngest child finally leaves his house for uni. Hell, he’ll get a little sad when all the kids are at their friends’ houses for the weekend.

🤍 Oh, and Will Kimura helped paint the kids’ rooms. Bruno keeps him on call when he needs something fixed or “one of the kids pours their food down the drain again.” Will knows exactly who did it but just goes along with it.

🤍 You’re crazy if you don’t think he’s got his kids in his stand-up routines. He’s got so many jokes about them and his life as a dad.

🤍 Bruno will love his children regardless of who they grow up to be. He only wants them to enjoy the moment and be happy. He hopes that he (and his wife) have given them all the tools they need to have a bright future. No one on this planet could be more proud of their children, or love their children more, than Bruno Kaminski.

@mrsbsmooth touched on the domestic life of Bruno as well. You can find that here. As well as some HC’s for him as well. Those can be found here and here. Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see! 🖤

115 notes - Posted October 17, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[m00dysunflower]

My Jojo Ranking

I'm deciding to go more in depth for my Jojos rankings from the ask game asks I got!

(Please don't bother to criticize, you won't make me change my opinions lol)

6. Giorno Giovanna

I don't dislike Giorno at all, he's perfectly serviceable in his part, but I do think he's weaker when it comes to personality and presence. He's quiet and has under reactions because of abuse from his mother and step-dad, so I get it, but his typical response is trembling looking paralyzed, and I don't think it translated as well from manga to anime.

I don't care for his design, it's certainly memorable, but I think there are far better, more iconic designs in Jojo... I also wanted that dark blue suit from the manga. I also just didn't like how saturated the colors looked in VA so that didn't help either.

His stand and personality is very fitting for someone of both Joestar and Brando descent and I like how he has a chaotic neutral/lawful evil kind of vibe. He'll do the right thing by his own moral code and will do anything to achieve his own goal and will look out for those aiding him, and I respect that, it's certainly unconventional for a story's protag.

The main reason I ranked him so low though is that he took a backseat in his own story and becoming the Don of the mafia was more of a side quest. It was the Bruno Bucciarati show, not that I'm complaining, I adore Bruno, he's my favorite JoBro, but when your protagonist/Jojo is the least interesting of the entire anime's cast, maybe reconsider how interesting you're protagonist is.

I still think Giorno has some of the best anime OPs and the best character theme of the Joestars, but visually and narratively I thought he was weaker than the other Jojos. It can make for some great fanfic fodder where people can flesh him out even more, but even then, it's walking a fine line of changing his personality too much

5. Joseph Joestar

Look... yes he's a dick+cheated on Suzi later on, but I don't like DIU anyways, besides I know most of you guys like Josuke and he wouldn't have existed if Joseph didn't cheat so... go figure your pros and cons I guess. If anything, I would rank him and Giorno in the same spot, just because there's different reasons to like or dislike either of them for me.

DIU and BT are my least favorite parts, he gets slightly more points than Giorno just because I have a soft spot for SDC Joseph and throughout both BT and SDC he was an active member in the plot. Never once did you question if he was the main character or not like I did with Giorno at certain points.

There's still many qualities I dislike about Joseph, he's the loudest and most obnoxious of the Joestars, the complete opposite of Giorno, but Joseph did have the charisma to back it up and I found his bits with Suzi to be really cute.

Hermit Purple was a unique stand that he had to get real creative with at times, and he was a very caring father to Holly and had the strength and love to deal with Jotaro too; it was very enjoyable seeing him bond with his grandson in SDC. He also really did try with Josuke which was kind of sweet to see as well. Battle Tendency Joseph can go suck it though, he wasn't that funny, but his dynamic with Caesar was fun and the true basis for the Jojo+JoBro dynamic that was to come in later parts.

In short, Stardust Crusaders really saved Joseph's character for me, it's sad though we had to give him 2 parts to get better. If we had gotten to see Giorno more and how he grew up in Stone Ocean, maybe the rankings would be swapped. For now, Joseph is half a step above Giorno in my personal ranking.

4. Jotaro Kujo

Jotaro and Giorno aren't that different when you stare at them for a while. They're both quiet and have under reactions, both rather overpowered stands for their parts, but I just think Jotaro ended up being more likeable.

For one, we get the most time with Jotaro in the series, he's in 4 parts, but in Stardust Crusaders, even though he talked less than the rest of the cast, there was never any denying he was the main character. He just had more of an active presence despite lack of dialogue. He was enjoyable as side character in DIU, I loved his appearance in VA, and when he came back in SO at the end there? It was fantastic.

His relationship with his daughter, while I still think he was wrong for never explaining until she was 19, is understandable, but you can't help but feel a little bad for him too. The man has PTSD and did what he had to do to protect his family, for better or worse.

I think he's the perfect bridge between the original Joestars and the younger generation.

He has a great, easily recognizable design that changed over the years while still holding onto that core design, his theme is one of the best, and Star Platinum is just great stand design and a great blueprint for stands and what they would later become in my opinion.

Sometimes less is just more and I think he's earn his place as the flagship character and face of the series.

3. Josuke Higashikata

Josuke, like Jotaro, share a common problem with Giorno, this one though is taking a back seat to his own story, as part 4 focuses more on Koichi (which I HATE), but also unlike Giorno, I think Josuke has the charisma and charm to make up for episodes where he's not in the spotlight. To be honest, I don't think I'd hate Diamond Is Unbreakable so much if Josuke was just the main character and we didn't meander so much on pointless, boring side stories that did little to strengthen him as a character. He stayed pretty consistent from start to finish.

I was very disappointed to learn that we'd never see Josuke ever again after DIU, not even as a cameo in Stone Ocean. He just oozed personality and potential, whenever he was on screen was my favorite part. I also wanted more time with him and Jotaro, they made a good team.

He has a great JoBro dynamic with Okuyasu, wonderful design, even stand. I'm not too in love with Crazy Diamond's design, but his ability is very fitting for Josuke and I would love to see him become a paramedic in the future.

Unfortunately there's not much more to say for me, his personality left that big of an imprint on me though that I want to say he makes it to my top 3 favorite Jojos.

2. Jonathan Joestar

Until I got into Stone Ocean, Jonathan was my #1 favorite. He dropped to 2nd place just because Jolyne had more development amd more going for her. But he was the first! The blueprint! I can't imagine the series without him!

His will, his determination... Yes he's good for the sake of good, but Dio is bad for the sake of bad, they're both one dimensional in that aspect yet people will love Dio and shit on Jonathan for being one note.

He has such great parallels with Jolyne, they have this yin/yang, beginning/ending dynamic that I feel was very intentional to tinnitus all together. I can't imagine why people hate Phantom Blood and urge people to skip when it's the very foundation for the series, and it's not even that long! I would have loved to see Jonathan going on more adventures and having more skirmishes with Dio and his minions.

His theme has such a classic heroic sound to it and Phantom Blood's opening: Sono Chi No Sadame is equally grandiose and feels like pure Jojo energy. His main outfit is iconic and a very good example of "less is more".

He's also just such a gentleman that it baffles the foes he has to fight into respecting him back, which amused me so much to see. We see him as a more impulsive kid that hones his anger I have such respect for his patience and just hope that in the universe reset, he was able to experience his family and see at least some of the legacy he never got to the first time around.

He's a kind soul that I think every person should try to be like.

1. Jolyne Cujoh

I knew I would love Jolyne, but goodness gracious, she really became a top favorite, didn't she?

I feel most of my feelings about Jolyne can be summed up in the Stone Ocean Ending Analysis post I made, but in short, we got to see her get her stand and learn and progress with it and it felt so natural.

I don't care if you think that she was "weak" for dying at the end, same as Jonathan, she still broke her family's curse and set them all free. Her great, great, great grandfather would be very proud of her.

Visually she's stunning and fun, her theme is kickass, and Stone Free is such a cool stand that appears to be average, but Jolyne was able to use it with such versatility and creativeness.

If people are interested, I can do more character analysis type posts as well for individual Jojos or characters in general. I plan on ranking JoBros, villains, and OPs/Endings too.

[spiderdreamer-blog]

Superman: The Animated Series (1996)

It’s not always easy to appreciate how groundbreaking Batman: The Animated Series was. Much in the same way that The Simpsons revolutionized adult animated sitcoms, Batman completely changed the game for action cartoons in America. And as it wrapped up its initial run, the obvious question arose of what to do next. While creator/producer Bruce Timm wasn’t initially eager to do a Superman series, believing it would be much more difficult even with Batman under his team’s belt, he warmed to the idea and set forth on a series that would follow in those footsteps, but create its own identity. Gone were the gothic shadows of Gotham City, replaced by sunny Epcot-esque futurism. The heavy Max Fleischer influence on the character design would give way to a sleeker, streamlined look more reminiscent of Jack Kirby and Japanese anime (designer and art director Glen Murakami would take the latter influences even further on series like Batman Beyond and Teen Titans). And Superman himself would be a vastly different lead character, which trickled downwards. So how do things hold up?

As usual, we start off with a bang in my favorite rendering of the origin in the three-part pilot movie, “The Last Son of Krypton”. Jor-El desperately tries to warn the planet Krypton of its impending destruction, but they are unmoved, especially with Brainiac manipulating matters to the A.I.’s favor. Right out of the gate, we have smart decisions. I greatly dislike the depiction of Krypton as a cold, ultra-conformist state, and while it certainly has problems from what we see, there’s less of an implicit suggestion that they had this coming. Jor-El is portrayed as a nuanced figure, correct in his warnings and ultimately heroic in his dogged pursuit, but it doesn’t ring false when Lara and others chastise him for being so caught up in being right that it’s become obsessive. And tying Brainiac into Krypton’s origins immediately gives him character through his twisted logic and ego rather than “he’s a bottle city collector because wacky Silver Age” (and don’t get me wrong, I love me some Silver Age).

The tragedy comes as it must, and moving into Earth gives us more smart decisions with Jonathan and Martha Kent coming off as regular people rather than saintly. Then we segue into Metropolis with my favorite depictions of Lois Lane and Lex Luthor ever, as well as Superman’s first public showing and fight against John Corben. All wonderfully efficient and full of great character beats. I particularly enjoy Luthor’s smugness that turns to anger as he tries to talk a stonewalling Superman into working for him, or Martha observing that Superman could use good PR because she doesn’t want people to think he’s “like that NUT in Gotham City”.

We then move into the main body of the series, which is episodic but far more connected than what could be amorphous continuity in Batman. A lot happens step-by-step, such as the discovery of Kryptonite in “A Little Piece of Home” or Parasite’s energy-sucking powers in “Feeding Time” prompting Superman to create protections. Or how “Tools of the Trade” has a story that appears to be about crime boss Bruno Mannheim, then reveals itself at the end to have set a far grander stage with the introduction of Apokolips...and Darkseid. It’s certainly not as heavily serialized as series we have now or even some at the time like Gargoyles, but it’s an important step regardless. And we get the first inklings of a wider DCAU, with appearances by the Flash, Dr. Fate, Aquaman (albeit with his classic design rather than the Peter David mullet-and-hook-hand 90s look that would take hold later in Justice League), Kyle Rayner becoming Earth’s first Green Lantern, and of course, Batman fully folding in with “World’s Finest”, a 3-parter still so awesome I’m mad more adaptations haven’t taken inspiration from it. This is a smart approach creatively because it allows Timm and company to expand the scale and tone of stories that can be told with these characters, esp. because it can be so matter of fact in terms of Superman going “well I know this magic dude, he might be able to help”. Superman himself gets to be far more present in the narrative than Batman could be at times, which so often ceded the viewpoint to its villains. And we even explore his psychology in episodes like “The Late Mr. Kent”, where he has to consider both the effect he’s had and what might be lost if he has to give up his human identity.

Character, of course, is what these shows live or die on, as well as casting, and voice director Andrea Romano assembles another incredible team of actors to give life to these icons. In terms of our heroes, Tim Daly is an excellent Superman, bringing his sitcom bonafides from Wings to create a man of steel who’s very grounded rather than an unapproachable god, and without coming off as phony or bland. If I had one criticism, it’s that I think he’s not always up to the task of Superman’s righteous fury, occasionally coming off as flat in trying to work himself up; George Newbern is more natural and intimidating with these beats later on in Justice League/Unlimited. (I will say he’s an excellent Bizarro, mining a lot of comedy and tragedy out of the character in ways I rarely see) Dana Delany is an outstanding match for him as Lois Lane, a modern career woman who’s genuinely sexy and romantic to boot; she often gets the funniest lines in any given episode like a fast-talking sum-up that ends in aggravation towards an elevator. While George Dzundza and David Kaufman don’t get AS much to do as Perry White or Jimmy Olsen, they’re excellent archetypal depictions nonetheless, and Kaufman gets to show off the likability that would serve him well later on as Danny Phantom. I also like Mike Farrell and Shelley Fabares as the Kents; not only does their real-life marriage add a certain flavor, they come off as warm and down to earth. Joseph Bologna and Joanna Cassidy provide able support as SCU cops Dan Turpin and Maggie Sawyer, tough and credible at every step. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Christopher McDonald as Jor-El; it’s a performance a million miles away from the likes of Kent Mansley or Shooter McGavin in its genuine heroism, and he gives real poignancy to Krypton’s final moments.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a superhero show without great villains, and Romano does this equally as well. The approach TO the villains is interesting in and of itself; even when there are hints of tragedy or sympathy, they’re far more straightforward in their villainy and motivations rather than the psychological Russian nesting dolls we could get on Batman. Lex Luthor is of course the pinnacle of all Superman’s foes, and Clancy Brown simply IS the man to me. There have been other good depictions of course, but none are so immediately arresting and iconic than his deep, overpoweringly egotistical tones. Though my favorite era of his performance might be Justice League/Unlimited, which sends him and us on an emotional rollercoaster compared to the relatively untouchable industry captain here. Just behind him is Corey Burton as Brainiac, who gives the A.I. a chilling intellectual tone that bolsters his logical-only-to-himself mindset, and Michael Ironside as Darkseid, who has never been matched in terms of seeming like a genuine personification of evil. Plus we get solid recurring threats like John Corben, who becomes Metallo, and even in lesser episodes, Malcolm McDowell’s sneering aristocratic villainy is always welcome; the late Brion James gives Parasite a working-class brutality; Brad Garrett is hysterically funny as Lobo, who I can never, ever take seriously and barely want to try; Gilbert Gottfried is just as comedically on point as the obnoxious Mr. Mxyzptlk; Bud Cort gives Toyman an arrested-development creepiness; and Ed Asner, he of the iconic grouchy grandpa voice, goes astonishingly against type as screaming queen Granny Goodness. If you ever wanted to hear Lou Grant himself try out an Ursula vibe, this is the show for you.

Animation-wise, one reason for the streamlining of both this and the accompanying New Batman Adventures episodes was to make things look more consistent rather than the peaks and valleys of how the original Batman run could look if you got a crappy studio that week. This is mostly successful. While Tokyo Movie Shinsha’s episodes still look the best in their fluidity and shading, only a few episodes at the tail end of the series look outright wonky, and both the character acting and action scenes evolve a lot. Musically, Shirley Walker is back to oversee things with a full studio orchestra and composers like Kristopher Carter, Lolita Ritmanis, and Michael McCuistion. They give things an upbeat, heroic sound and start mixing in flavors like electric guitar depending on the episode. I particularly like Darkseid’s doomy, foreboding theme that signals You Are Fucked in the most direct way possible.

The series isn’t without its flaws, of course. The upfront consistency is certainly appreciated compared to the early LOW lows of Batman. Even this series’ worst episodes, with the possible exception of the truly dreadful “Superman’s Pal”, feel better executed than the likes of “I’ve Got Batman In My Basement” or “Cat Scratch Fever”. But this can mean that there will be strings of episodes that are good but not necessarily exceptional, and many can become slugfests thanks to the nature of Superman’s powers; “Father’s Day” is a particularly apt example of this in starting at an interesting point, but devolving into a surprisingly dull, long fight between Superman and Kalibak. He gets to be clever, certainly, but there’s less chances for him to outright outwit an opponent in the ways Batman could. And while the female characters are still very well-portrayed, especially for the time, the unrelenting horniness of some of the designs is a little “oh wow, how did I not notice THAT back then”.

All in all, though, Superman is, on some days, my favorite DCAU series because of how rock solid the fundamentals are and how enjoyable it can be to really get in a groove. It was an important series for laying the tracks that would become Justice League, and compared to some of our more modern depictions of the big blue boy scout, it’s a breath of fresh air. Despite ending on a somewhat downer note with “Legacy”, the show kept hope alive. And that’s a nice sentiment to return to now and again.

[a-tale-of-legends]

So @epicspheal told me about this concept of trainers who have a type specialty often have some sort of supernatural sense regarding their type. Fairy types becoming more ethereal, grass types and their connection to nature on a deeper level than average, psychic and ghost type trainers having some sort of connection to the supernatural, even if that person doesn't exactly have powers say, etc etc

If I'm being honest, before tlh I would have thought " oh cool, but I don't think that'll fit in my universe" , but now? It seems perfect. I'm running into a problem where it seems that the Chosens are the only ones who can really do anything regarding TLH, or any type of threat that comes to the world. It makes a lot of very capable characters seem incapable. So why not give certain characters some abilities of their own? Obviously, even if a character doesn't have Chosen powers or any sort of type based ability, it doesn't render them not important. Barry doesn't but he's vital to the pla plotline and trying to understand legendary Pokemon more. But obviously with a threat as bad as TLH I feel like giving characters more options that just their pokemon would be great.

At the top of my head- Korrina is an aura user, so naturally she's more intune with her inner self- or at least learning to. But in terms of her fighting type specialty,I feel like her strength and stamina are above average. Her stamina and agility especially, since I personally don't see her to be able to break boulders like Bruno or Marshall.

Wallace ( and Misty) can hold their breath underwater for a longer time than average. Wallace can possibly kinda see through illusions? Or rather can sense them. Dunno how exactly that relates to water, but the whole illusion thing is, well, his thing.

Bede kinda has to deal with the whiplash of going from a psychic type specialist with a bit more awareness of his surroundings to a fairy type specialist who is more ethereal and knows Glimwood Tangle like the back of his hand even though he's only been through it a couple of times. Still has some of that psychic in him, I don't think it'll go away.

I'm debating on Leon having some sort of sensitivity to ghost types. On one end, he isn't a ghost type specialist, and is already a Chosen. On the other end, that ghost sensitivity might be interesting in regards to Eternatus, who in my au is literally a corpse repossessing its body.

My goal isn't to make all of these characters super over powered, or even really "powered" at all- they're still regular humans with their limits ( or whatever limits the pokemon world humans have if they can casually go up on an active volcano and not die immediately), and definitely not on pare with any Chosen ( cause you know. Literally got gifts from the gods) but to give them a bit more oomf, you know.

Also it makes sense that Arceus would create humans ( assuming they created humans too) to be more adaptive to the world of pokemon, less they would all have been wiped out a lot earlier in life.

[casualmovies]

Encanto

I grew up on Disney. The first movie I ever saw in theaters was The Little Mermaid. In the 4th grade I sat at my VCR playing and pausing The Lion King to transcribe every word of dialogue despite having the movie basically memorized. I've continued to watch Disney well into adulthood. So it broke my heart when I finally saw Encanto.

The animation is absolutely stunning. The music is great. The cast is phenomenal. The character design is delightful. The writing.......was disappointing.

The first thing I found strange was the names of the the main character and her two sisters. Mirabel, Isabel, and Luisa. One of them is supposed to be notably different than the other two. They could have swapped Mirabel and Luisa's names and it would have made a lot more sense.

There was a whole lot of telling and not a lot of showing. Disney movies usually have very tightly crafted plots because they have the resources to properly develop them. The plot of Encanto felt more like what a webcomic would produce. That isn't shade to webcomics, they just have a tendency towards less polish due to a lack of editorial assistance.

For example, the tensions between the sisters isn't really shown all that much. In fact, during the song introducing the family, it seems the issue stems from Mirabel resenting Isabel rather than the other way around. We don't know Luisa is having any problems until Delores says she heard Luisa's eye twitching. In fact neither Luisa or Isabel shows an ounce of doubt in themselves until Mirabel confronts them.

Everything I read about this movie touted Mirabel's intelligence as her "secret gift". But her confrontations with her sisters have nothing to do with any observations of her own, but rather things other people told her. Then she just pressures and badgers them until they crack. Which goes in direct contrast with the theme the movie tries to present later, that she loves her family and will do anything to protect it.

Then there's the issue around Bruno. It almost feels like they came up with the song first and found a plot reason to include it. Up until Mirabel has to go into Bruno's room, there's almost no hint about him. And until the actual song about him, there isn't even a hint about people resenting Bruno. But then there's the reason they resented him.

As presented, his gift is at the very least a conscious activation type of deal. The implication was that people were coming to him and asking for him to look into their future, yet they act like he was a madman running around and telling them ominous thing, behaving as if Bruno were making those things happen. It would be one thing if people talked about him before the song or something, but all of the fear mongering about him comes out then and not a moment sooner." He sees your dreams, and he feasts on your screams!" Really? Those were Camilo's lines. If he was old enough to have a solid memory of what Bruno looked like, he'd know that wasn't true.

They make Bruno leaving out to be this epic thing. But we never see it. Knowing nothing about what went down, the implication with the shattered vision glass thing was that it was some big blow up. That something major happened and the family had to force him out for everyone's safety or something. But no, he just "disappeared" one day. And they show later that he'll just casually cast aside and break the vision glass like it's no big deal.

But then there's the gigantic plot hole of Delores knowing he never actually left. She's eager to tell everyone about Maribel going into Bruno's room, but never once uttered that she knew all along that Bruno was still in the house?! The "We don't talk about Bruno" rule feels about as effective at keeping Delores from talking as Mirabel was at hiding the vision glass from her father.

Then there's the glaring fact that everyone treats Mirabel as being lesser than everyone else for not having a gift, while Alma herself never actually got one, yet she got her own door and everything. And the fact that Mirabel has to stay in the nursery because she didn't get a gift. It would have been just as impactful if the door just stopped glowing and turned into a normal door and behind the door was just a plain bedroom instead of a magical space. Like there could have been scenes of younger Mirabel trying to make her room feel magical with trying to decorate it or something. But nope. To the baby room with you, even when you're a grown adult!

Then there's the candle. Shouldn't the ever burning candle started to melt when the magic started to fade? It could have become a ticking clock, marking how little time they had left to figure it out. But instead it goes from just fine to the wax being almost completely gone in an instant. And yeah, yeah, magical candle and all that. But it lacks an impact when there was no sign before that other than a flicker or two. The house cracking isn't the candle dwindling. Hell, it could have been something like Mirabel saw it half melted suddenly then it was back to normal when the cracks faded.

Even Mirabel finally snapping at Alma didn't feel fully earned. Yes, Alma treated Mirabel like trash. But the other reasons just aren't there. Alma didn't come across as pushing Luisa to always be stronger or Isabel to be more perfect. In fact, it seemed like she was proud of her two granddaughters who had gifts. They never expressed wanting anything different and happily went along with their roles. It would have been vastly different if there was even a hint that Alma was pressuring them into these things. When things change, she's not disappointed in the one who did something different, she just blames Mirabel. Especially with the Isabel situation, it makes sense that someone would assume Mirabel did something instead of assuming Isabel, who'd always rubbed it in everyone's face how perfect she was, had suddenly decided to not be perfect.

Hell, the whole "I never wanted to marry him, I was doing it for the family" thing comes out left field. There's zero sign of there being anything wrong with the guy, or his family, or of Isabel wanting literally anything else. In fact, he's so great that Delores had been pining for him. So why didn't Isabel want to marry him? Zero reason given. And zero hint about her feelings before she suddenly blurts it out.

Overall it just feels like the had plot points they wanted to hit but just hastily strung them together with no thought to building those moments properly. Which is so disappointing given how gorgeous the movie is.

[furienna]

I've got a very mixed relationship with TV Tropes. They banned me twice for no real reason, but I can't stop admiring their archive of tropes. This is what a work page for my "Encanto" fanfic, "Cracks in the future", would look like. (Some of these tropes also fit the canon characters in the movie.)This fanfic is set in an alternate universe, where Bruno has a wife (Míriam) and two kids (Teresa and Víctor).

A - H

Adaption Personality Change: Downplayed. There's a bit less emphasis in this fic on the weirder things, that Bruno will do in the movie. This is partly because most of it is told from Teresa's point of view, and she's a Daddy's Girl who won't find him strange. But it helps as well that he's happier in this fic than in most of the movie, and it makes his anxieties less pronounced and easier to control. That said, it is made clear that Bruno still manages to weird other people out. Abuelo Gonzalez (his father-in-law) actually wonders if he's "right in the head", and Pablo is forced to admit that he can see why people would find him "odd". But still, while Bruno is likely to cover his face with a hood if he's out in public, except if Míriam is there to pull it down, he will never wear a bucket over his head here. And he still has rats as pets long before it would be seen as normal, but his two alter egos Hernando and Jorge are never mentioned at all in this fic. And even him being superstitious is only mentioned exactly once.

Adaptional Angst Downgrade: Bruno is generally much happier in this fic than in most of the movie. It is true that he still deals with the pressure from his mother, and with a bunch of judgemental villagers. But it's noted that him meeting Míriam has improved his life a great deal. He never hid from his family for years either in this fic, since he could talk to his wife about his visions and had two kids to raise. Bruno and Míriam agreed to simply not reveal what he saw in Mirabel's future. That made his mother furious with him, but he didn't have to become a hermit…

The Alcoholic: Tía Malena's husband Enrique is described as a violent drunk, and nobody in Malena's family likes him.

All Work vs All Play: This is what Míriam and Malena were in their younger days. Míriam preferred to stay at home and help their parents in their shop, but Malena would be out dating different guys instead.

Almighty Mum: When a bully's father is about to start attacking Bruno's door, Bruno can't do much except take his crying wife into his tower, and tell his kids to go to their rooms and hide there. And as soon as the man attacks the door, what saves the situation is that the door gives the attacker an electric shock, and that Abuela Madrigal arrives and tells him and his wife off. They try to make it look as if everything is Bruno's and Teresa's fault, but that doesn’t work at all. Abuela Madrigal only tells them to leave. And naturally, they must obey her.

* As a matter of fact, people respect Abuela Madrigal so much that Teresa can use it. She learns that if Pablo's father keeps on slandering her and her father, her bringing up her abuela is the only way to make him stop.

Ascended Extra: Bruno has never hidden from his family for a decade in this fic, where he becomes the beloved father of protagonist Teresa. So he naturally has lots of screen time here, that he didn't have in the movie.

Awful Wedded Life: Tía Malena is clearly unhappy with her marriage to Enrique, who's described as a violent drunk who nobody in Malena's family likes. Also, Pablo reveals to Teresa that he wonders if his parents even still like each other. Both of these cases are in contrast to the three happy Madrigal marriages.

Bespectacled Cutie: Mirabel happens to be the only family member except for her father, who needs to wear glasses. She's also the only Madrigal kid to have no gift and struggles with that.

Beta Couple: Julieta and Pepa are already dating Agustín and Félix respectively, when Bruno and Míriam get together in the first chapter. It is later revealed in the second chapter, that Julieta and Pepa are planning triple dates. And later on in the story, the three couples have been married for 22 years and are still friends.

* Dolores and Mariano become this to Teresa and Pablo by the end of the story. It is a case though where the Betas get together later than the Official Couple, since everyone had just expected Mariano to propose to Isabela, while Dolores had hidden her feelings for him.

Big Sister Instinct: Teresa manages to save Víctor from a group of mean bullies, and it's revealed that Pepa used to do the same thing for Bruno.

Birth-Death Juxtaposition: Abuelo Pedro was killed during an attack right after his kids were born.

Bookworm: Bruno is hardly fond of being out among people in public, but he will still take his family on regular visits to the local library. It is noted that he was an avid reader as a young man. So now, it is important to him to encourage his kids to read. And it worked especially well with Víctor, who loves to go to the library. However, Teresa will borrow a book or two as well.

A Boy, a Girl, and a Baby Family: Dolores is 21 years old, Camilo is 15 years old and Antonio is the baby of the family at five years old.

Boyfriend-Blocking Dad: Bruno becomes a downplayed example when Teresa meets Pablo. Bruno is clearly uncomfortable with it, but he still is more nervous than aggressive. And he doesn’t have anything bad to say about Pablo, he is even able to apologize for acting weird, and acknowledge that Pablo is the first person who isn't a family member, who will respect him. As soon as Teresa asks her parents if she can bring Pablo to her room though (she promises that they'll only talk, but they would be alone together in her bedroom), Bruno has to warn him that he can't do anything "improper" to her.

Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: Downplayed with Bruno and Míriam as he is as gentle to her as she is to him. They were also both lonely before they met each other. However, Bruno was extremely unhappy until then. And he still has his anxieties and a bad reputation. Míriam managed to see that he wasn't dangerous though, even if she was the only girl in the Encanto to be willing to date him. Nowadays, it is her job to help him deal with whatever his problems are…

* Pepa and Félix are a gender-inverted example. She is very hot-tempered and overly emotional, and it became his job to calm her down (and it's a very important job, since Pepa's mood controls the weather in the Encanto). The Bully: A gang of them attack Víctor in an alley before Teresa can stop them. One of the bullies who insults their father gets what he deserves though…

* It is revealed that Bruno also was attacked by bullies when he was younger, and that Pepa had to strike them in their heads with lightning.

Bumbling Dad: Mirabel's father, Agustín, is clumsy and will always attract bees, but he does love his wife and his daughters dearly and will do anything for them.

Canon Foreigner: Míriam, Malena, their parents, Teresa, Víctor, Leonor, Pablo, Pablo's family and Enrique are all characters, who don't appear in the movie.

Clashing Cousins: Teresa and Isabela are never able to get along. But then, Teresa suddenly has an epiphany that Isa almost accepted a loveless marriage. And it makes her feel sympathy for her at last…

Daddy's Girl: Teresa is very devoted to Bruno and won't let anybody insult him (and that is what most of the villagers do). She is very adamant about assuring that he's right about all of his visions. Her theory is that she got the same gift as him just for this reason: Since she loves her father so much, she can't imagine having a different gift.

Demoted To Extra: This happened to several of the characters from the movie. Mirabel is Teresa's best friend and still an important character, but she's not the protagonist and will not appear in every chapter. And as much as Julieta, Pepa, Agustín, Félix, Camilo and Antonio are still there, they only get a few lines each. When it comes to more minor characters from the movie, like the kids who pestered Mirabel, Señora Pezmuerto and Señor Flores, they are still around as well, but they're not named and don't get any lines. Osvaldo Orozco Ortiz is an aversion though, as he is in the spotlight in one scene.

Disappeared Dad: Abuelo Pedro was forced to sacrifice his life to save all the other villagers, when they were attacked when his three kids had just been born. Not only did this traumatize his wife Alma (a k a Abuela Madrigal), but it's clear that Bruno (who was the only boy) also struggled a lot as he didn’t have a father.

* Nobody has ever found out what happened to Teresa's cousin Leonor's father. He seems to have just disappeared one day. So he must have either been killed, or he found some way to leave the Encanto and abandon his pregnant fiancée.

Energetic and Soft-Spoken Duo: Mirabel and Dolores end up with this dynamic, when they're in the same scene together. Mirabel is very bubbly and talkative, Dolores is calmer and much quieter.

Fiery Redhead: Tía Pepa is red-headed and really hot-tempered. Her mood is what controls the weather in the Encanto.

Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Míriam had become the responsible sister, who preferred to stay at home and help her parents in their shop. Malena would be out dating different guys instead. Even as they've reached their middle age, Míriam is Happily Married and described by Teresa as a perfect wife and mother, while Malena is stuck with a violent drunk and is very jealous of her sister.

Freudian Trio: The three middle-aged women in the Casita form a trio like this. Pepa is really hot-tempered (the Id), Julieta is the calm and responsible sister (the Superego), while Míriam does her best to be the perfect wife and mother, but she can still start crying and lose her temper (the Ego).

* This is true for their husbands as well. Félix is jolly and extroverted (the Id), Agustín is calm and more composed (the Superego), while Bruno is introverted, but will often show emotions like sadness and anxiety and shame (the Ego).

* And naturally, this is true with the triplets too, with Pepa as a hot-tempered Id, Julieta as the calm Superego and Bruno as the introverted but nervous Ego.

Generation Xerox: Míriam got really scared the first time she saw Bruno's eyes glow green, and it made him plead with her to not leave him. Years later, this is repeated but gender-inverted with Teresa and Pablo. He is very startled when he sees her eyes glow green, and it makes her plead with him to not leave her.

* Pablo's mother says that Teresa reminds her of her mother though. But later, Pablo reveals to Teresa that her eyes will look sad even when she's smiling. And that's a trait, that she's apparently inherited from her father.

* Víctor is very much like Bruno, which has become notable to lots of people. Both of them are described as having a melancholy and nervous personality. Their pictures that hang next to Abuela Madrigal's door are nearly identical. Both of them are also into writing stories and theater and have rats as pets.

* But a lot of this might go back one more generation. As soon as Pablo sees a painting of Abuelo Pedro, he says he thinks that Bruno looks a lot like him. Bruno and Víctor are also to have inherited their writing skills from him.

Generational Trauma: Abuela Madrigal watched her husband get killed during an attack. And it made her think that her kids and grandkids have to work hard, and produce new generations of Madrigals, so the magic and their protection from new attacks will stay strong. But it makes her do things like allowing the villagers to slander Bruno, pushing Mirabel to the side until she feels unloved, pressuring Isabela to think that she must enter a marriage that she doesn’t want, and Luisa to think that she has to work hard until she almost burns herself out. Teresa is mostly left alone until she meets Pablo. But then, Abuela Madrigal makes it clear that she wants great-grandkids. It is only after the Casita crumbles and the magic is lost, that a healing process can begin…

The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry: Míriam and Malena have a responsible vs irresponsible divide, and not a smart vs pretty divide (even if Míriam is the wiser out of the two, and Malena is described as having been the more popular sister). But still, Malena seems to see her whole life as just a competition with Míriam. Malena is very bitter and jealous since Míriam has a better life than her.

* Mirabel and Isabela are unable to get along, and Mirabel and Teresa love to mock Isabela for being so haughty. But they can reconcile after Isabela reveals her secret: she was only going to marry Mariano to please Abuela Madrigal.

Glowing Eyes: This is what happens when Bruno or Teresa looks into the future. Their eyes will glow green.

Good Parents: Teresa and Víctor feel that Bruno and Míriam definitely are this. Teresa adores her father and admires her mother, just as much as Víctor adores his mother and admires his father.

Green Thumb: Isabela's power is that she can grow plants out of nowhere.

Happily Married: Teresa is glad that she grew up around three happy marriages (Bruno/Míriam, Pepa/Félix and Julieta/Agustín), but she can also describe her abuelos as being devoted to each other…

Hidden Depth: Even if Teresa didn't quite agree with Mirabel that Mariano was a "dumb hunk", she is very surprised when she learns that he's a poet.

Honorary Uncle: This story has an inversion. Normally, Teresa and Víctor would have called Tía Malena's husband "Tío Enrique". But nobody in Malena's family likes him because he's a violent drunk, so nobody has taught Teresa or Víctor to think of him as their tío. He is therefore referred to as just "Enrique".

Housewife: Zig-zagged with Míriam. She devotes a big chunk of her life to just taking care of her husband and her kids, and that is clearly what she wanted. However, she likes to run her family's shop too after she gets a chance to do so. Still, she is prepared to leave the shop again after the magic returns.

[fuyunoakegata]

31 Days of Dick Grayson

Day 2. Panel of Dick being his gorgeous self

As far as I’m concerned, that’s most panels, and yes, I’ve seen quite a few of my favorites shared already (and yes, I don’t care how many other people put in a Travis Moore panel, I will, too, because HAVE YOU SEEN HOW THAT MAN DRAWS DICK???) so I’ll try to find one I haven’t seen anyone else post and then toss a few others in :)  (and wow, in looking to choose just one panel, I’ve got yet another folder on my thumbdrive of Dickpics... and of course I couldn’t manage to pick just one panel)

Starting with Travis Moore. And Phil Jimenez. I’m not sure either of them are capable of drawing Dick looking anything less than stellar. (Nightwing 68, Nightwing: Prelude to the Wedding, and two from Nightwing 39)

And George Perez. I know there are so many amazing pics to choose from from him, but these with Dick and Donna from her wedding, no costumes, are really special, I think.

I’ll toss in some more semi-random panels. I noticed a few things in picking these. Dick definitely shows a wide range of emotions; the artists don’t shy away from that with him. Also, they tend to draw him looking good even when he’s hurt or devastated. From the Outsiders 11 art by Will Conrad, Nightwing 77 and Nightwing 47 art by Patch Zircher, and New Titans 86 by Tom Grummett.

Yes. One entire grouping of posts from Batman 34, because I love how Joelle Jones draws him in that issue.

And I may not be entirely thrilled about some of the story or characterization decisions in this group of stories, but wow, the art here... and remember what I said about all the emotions and how he looks good even when he shouldn’t? Tossing these out as proof. From Nightwing 80 Bruno Redondo art and the Jamal Campbell Nightwing 97 variant cover, and Grayson 5 by Mikel Janin (I’m still a sucker for that comic, because of all the Robin Dies at Dawn references).

Greg Land generally draws a very nice looking Dick (and Babs). From Nightwing 54, Nightwing 55, and Birds of Prey 8.

and another story with disappointing fallout, but knockout art was Forever Evil.  Definitely pulling out the emotions with everything in this set of pictures. And yeah, I know the Frank Quitely art in Batman and Robin 2 isn’t normally what you’d think of for Dick looking great... except look at this shot? Everything you love about this character is right there, everything that makes him HIM.

There are so many more pics I wanted to share, so much more I wanted to write... I’m posting this a day late because I took so long. I’m going to leave with one more picture. the variant cover to Nightwing 59 by Yasmine Putri. pick any of her Nightwing covers and I pretty much guarantee they’ll be gorgeous :)

[goatpaste]

If you don't mind me asking, why do you dislike part 5 so much ?

ough so i wrote up a long winded thing about how i felt

but honestly my friend Rex tweeted this last night and it says what i said in a bajillion words in a single tweet

also this one but not so much a complaint on my part but i do funnily agree lol

but anyways to also chop of some of my own long winded shit i said

i dont HATE p5, i HATE p2, i just dont CARE for p5 very much. it has some stuff i enjoy but as a whole i think its really lack luster

to preference a lot of this to, i think its mostly personal taste! i guess i get why p5 is so popular and why ppl enjoy it but its really not for me.

but like along with all the other stuff said

i think giorno is the most boring protag of all of jojos so far to me. i think he is such a nothing guy. i can SEE some traits of character going on, but in the end he doesnt do shit and i dont find the appeal of him. i think some ppl do a great job taking what vauge character he has and really bringing it out to make him more interesting, but hes just. weh

i think he was MORE fun and interesting at the start of the series during his lil black sabbath fight, and his altercation with bruno and his robbing koichi. But after joining Brunos group he just kinda fades away and becomes an accessory to the group and the last interesting thing he does is let that guy on the boat slurp him up so Abbacchio could do his thing. He's kinda like a guy who has a cool ability and can do cool stuff, then he joined a group of close knit friends that all had fun powers and who dont all give a shit about his stand beside, wow! now we can throw ourselves at danger hard and faster knowing you can fix us when he eat shit, SWAG. like, giornos like a pursedog with hotglue and bandaids for everyone.

idk just, good on ppl who enjoy giorno, he needs the fans. but i think hes so boring and all his fights are boring and he has less personality than p3 jotaro

BUT, opposite to that

i love Bruno and Trish the most, they were solid characters and their relationship was sweet and good and SAD. Also Trish and Spice Girl had my favorite fight in the whole part. i love her stands that doubles as a girlfriend.

then i also like Mista and Narancia, the two of them vary on how much character they have Rancho have a bit more character personality than Mista. But their FUN characters, their fights are fun and i like some silly guys. But man.. Narancia death just felt mean... like Abbachios death felt like absolutely nothing (except sdgjksh NArANCIA CRYINGABOUT IT WAS THE SADDEST PART OF HIS DEATH TO ME) and Brunos was sad because i liked him and his connections to others and his slow awaiting death to the world while everyone has to watch is sad, but narancia just felt mean like just killed him to take a gut shot one last time before they wrap up the plot. idk if i feel this way because i liked narancia or whatever.

Then i dont really care about the rest, like giono abbachio and fugo i just can find any ability to really have interest in, sorry

and then i think REALLY one of the actual worst things is

they talk SO much

about fucking nothing

for FULL EPISODES

its like 5 minutes of time at MOST moves on in the span of an episode because their just TALKING fOREVER. it felt like they were trying to explain stands and abilities and moves they were going to throw LONGER than the attacks themselves last, for like 20 minutes then the fucking episode ends that part should not have been 40 episodes long that was insane, they need to shut the fuck UP

ALSO

if im real, im?? a lil disappointed in GER. Like its ugly still, and its ability is cool, i think actually im just disappointed in its fight with Diavolo. its

neat, but it just

the whole part at that point REALLY just felt like araki wanted to be done with it. it felt like he didnt want to be writing it anymore and just wanted to be done

idk! again i think a lot of this probably is personal opinion. i just think ESPECIALYL coming off of p4 which i think its the BEST part that really used its story and plot and characters well and just did a lot of stuff i think p5 lacked and leaving p4 which i really loved into p5 really made it harder to watch.. miss my friends in morioh....

[selcaby]

My fanfic, a master post

Now that I’ve posted, oh, more than two different stories on AO3, it’s time for a post that lists them all.

First and longest, there’s

Artificial Shortages

Mirabel finds her Tío Bruno living in the walls. He's in terrible health, is failing at self-care, and says he just wants to be forgotten.

The miracle still needs saving. But Mirabel’s new top priority is saving Tío Bruno.

People have called this a “more realistic” version of Mirabel finding Bruno in the walls. I’m not sure if that’s what it really is, but it’s definitely less Disney and more angst (and spiders).

It’s an AU that’s just like canon until one not-even-all-that-bad accidental injury tips Bruno's physical and mental health into a horrible downward spiral. If only he’d asked for help, he’d be fine. But he’s Bruno and he can’t bring himself to do that. Mirabel’s horrified and makes saving him her top priority, but it’s easier said than done. Expect lots and lots of Bruno sadness, but also a happy ending.

And a rather different multichapter work:

The Seasons Change In Turn

Casita has fallen, but some of its mysteries remain. For one thing, where is Bruno?

A story for Encantober 2023.

This is my attempt at a fast-moving mystery story with a twisty plot, based on the Encantober 2023 prompt list. Is this a stupidly overambitious undertaking for a slow writer like me? We’ll see.

Next:

No Use Crying

The Madrigals have a new cat. Unfortunately they didn’t okay this with the local small rodent enthusiast, who’s hiding in the walls. Can Bruno protect his friends without upsetting the children, revealing his presence, or getting ensnared by the cuteness?

I wrote this short story for Encanto Milk Day in 2022. It’s actually the first completed work of fiction I’ve ever published, and I’m quite proud of it. It’s Bruno in the walls again, because that’s a topic that fascinates me. What can he do when the family’s new pet starts hunting his rat friends? No cats were harmed in the making of this fic; Bruno’s too much of a softie for that.

The next three stories were written for Encantober in 2022; I’m in awe of the people who managed all 31 days when I only managed a few!

The Green-Eyed Rat’s Caterpillar

Luzette bought an old hand-made picture book in a yard sale. Her friend Nita says it’s impossible.

A little one-shot about some modern characters who discover something that Bruno made. The item first came up in Artificial Shortages, but no knowledge of AS is required to enjoy this one.

Endurance

If he said her name, called for help, she would answer. Probably. Possibly. He’s never tested it, because he’s always tried to protect her from needing to worry about him.

A little bit of backstory from Artificial Shortages. In the walls, Bruno is protecting more than one niece, but at great cost to himself. Can he stay strong as his body grows weaker? I’m not entirely happy with this one. I think it lacks some things I would have liked to put in, but on the other hand it was written very quickly, and for me that’s an achievement.

See Something Terrible

When Camilo loses his gift, he is stuck in the most embarrassing shape possible.

This is my third Encantober story, and it’s completely different. A silly scenario involving Camilo and Bruno, or rather, Bruno and the little man who came back with Mirabel and Alma on the horse, and who is unaccountably getting hugs from Camilo’s mother and aunt ...

Señora Grijalva Requests a Book Report

The triplets are 15 and their teacher wants them to write yet another book report. But Julieta is too busy to read, Pepa just rereads books she’s already reported on, and Bruno hates writing about “meh” books yet is too self-conscious to write about his favourites.

Then Bruno has an idea. An idea that makes all three triplets’ homework much more fun.

But he’s reckoned without Señora Grijalva’s ulterior motive.

Something different: teenage triplets, a teacher OC as a main character, and my take on how a much younger Bruno does visions. Also a magical shop.

Two Cats In The Yard

Four days after Casita falls, Bruno tells Mirabel about an intriguing and confusing side to his gift.

A fluffy short story I wrote as a tribute to the Discord server Casa Brainrot and my fellow writers there. To say any more would be to spoil the fun.

Trifles

It’s Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) in the new Casita, and there’s a Christmassy surprise on the dinner table, courtesy of Bruno and Mirabel. But Bruno hasn’t turned up to eat. Alma goes to talk to him.

Written for a Secret Santa in 2023. A bit of fluff, a bit of angst, a bit of (British) Christmas (via one of Bruno’s visions) and a postcanon Alma POV.

Finally, for completeness, shoved right down to the bottom so you won’t notice it, is the very first fic I posted:

Between Frames

With their house in ruins, the Madrigals fall back on their neighbours' hospitality. Osvaldo "Not-Special Special" has room for Mirabel and one of her relatives, but he's not prepared for who Mirabel brings with her.

Wherever Bruno's been for the past ten years, he obviously brought home enough bad luck to topple the Casa Madrigal. Still, the other Madrigals insist someone's got to take him in, and Osvaldo's drawn the short straw.

Sounds promising, right? Unfortunately I didn’t make a proper plan before I posted the first chapter, and I’ve never managed to work out how the rest of it should go. I might continue it one day, but don’t hold your breath. Still, there’s one chapter, and I don’t think it’s terrible.

I’ll try to keep this post updated as I write more.

[jackrrabbit]

cuffing season /// Ushijima x f!Reader (18+)

Summary: [Shiratorizawa fanweek day 5—Firsts] You convince your boyfriend to try something new in the bedroom, but as it turns out, old habits die hard.

A/N: Heard it was Shiratorizawa week 👀 technically I did originally post this on day 5, but I had to repost bc of tag issues, whoops :P Let’s pray it works this time!! edit: apparently it’s still not listed in the tags :<

The song that I mention is Bruno Major’s Old Fashioned (although it doesn’t fit the tone of this fic in the least).

Tags/warnings: mild bondage, size kink, rough sex!!!, marking (bruises/hickeys/etc.), power play/power exchange, reader tries & fails to dom Mr. Ushijima 😳, all characters are adults

Look, Ushijima’s a great boyfriend. Perfect, almost. Sure, he may not be the most expressive guy, but you’ve been dating him long enough that you’re able to pick up on the little gestures that tell you that he cares about you—the way he presses his face into your hair when you hug him after you’ve been apart for a while; his hands stroking circles into your skin when you fall asleep in bed next to him; all of it. He’s everything you could possibly look for in a man, except for one not-so-little issue:

The sex.

Because Ushijima, your sweet, wonderful boyfriend, who kisses you so gently it’s like he thinks you’ll fall apart if he’s not infinitely careful with you, is for some reason incapable of exercising the same degree of restraint (or any restraint at all) when you’re in bed together. When it comes to sex, your boyfriend is a fucking animal. And you’re not really sure how much more you can handle.

Maybe your concerns would seem petty from an outsider’s perspective. It’s not like Ushijima doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer, and it’s not like you don’t want to have sex. You’re attracted to him, of course you are! Almost 76 inches and 190 pounds of pure muscle, a body that looks like Michelangelo could have carved it from marble, and that beautifully solemn expression that had you salivating over him from the stands before you even knew his name? You want to have sex with him, you’re just fairly certain you can’t, not when it always ends up with you completely and utterly wrecked, so spent you don’t even have the strength to lift your hips off the mattress so he can wipe his cum off your thighs.

Look, anyone in your position would feel the same way. It’s awful and you’ll never admit it to him, but you almost broke up with him after the first time you two fucked. You knew going in that it wouldn’t be easy—the man radiates big dick energy and boy did he deliver—but it was just too much.

That first time had started off so innocuously, with you inviting him to your place for a nightcap after your sixth date. You’d set candles and put on your romantic sex playlist for a nice backdrop to let him hold you in his lap and make out—how the hell had you gone from that to having him rut you into the mattress, your belly pressed into the sheets and ass arched up so he could pound into you so forcefully that your rickety bed smacked into the wall hard enough to rattle the furniture with every movement, and you couldn’t even hear it over the sound of your own moaning? You hadn’t changed the playlist, and it felt downright obscene to listen to Bruno Major croon about love and courtship while Ushijima fucked into you like he was trying to carve the shape of his cock into your pussy.

You’d had to call in sick the next day because you could barely walk. The bruises from where he held your hips had taken weeks to fade, and by that time he’d already given you new ones. To his credit, Ushijima felt bad when he saw the evidence of how rough he’d been and he promised to take it easy on you next time…but after a few more rounds of mind-numbingly savage sex you learned that the man apparently doesn’t know what ‘take it easy’ means.

To be fair, at least some of it is your fault. You really shouldn’t have offered to go on the pill as a three-month anniversary present to him. At least before, he had to give you a break while he changed condoms after he came; now he has no reason to hesitate, instead going for round two (and sometimes round three) without pulling out. You never thought you’d see superhuman stamina as a bad thing, but…

“You don’t get it! It’s like getting fucked by a stallion. I need to plan to have three days to recover whenever I take him home with me,” you whined to your friends over cocktails when they told you you shouldn’t complain about a good thing—after all, Ushijima is just as committed to your pleasure as he is to his own, and there’s never been an occasion where he didn’t get you off before fucking you himself (probably at least a little because there’s no way in hell you’d be relaxed enough to take him otherwise).

“Can’t you just tell him to go slower?” one of your friends asked. “If he doesn’t listen to you, then that’s fucked up and you need to dump him.”

“It’s not that he doesn’t listen. If I tell him to stop, he stops,” you sighed, stirring your drink with the straw and watching the decorative sprig of mint fall under the surface to be overtaken by a chip of ice. “It’s like he can’t go slower. He’s not adjustable—it’s either crazy brutal or nothing, and then neither of us get what we want. Like a vibrator you can’t turn off the highest level. I don’t even think he realizes in the moment how intense it is for me.”

“Aren’t you ever on top? You can set the pace.”

“I’ve tried, but Ushi just—“ you made a gripping motion with your hands and mimicked raising something up and setting it down vigorously— “like, bounces me.”

One of them raised an eyebrow and then her eyes widened. She turned to your other friend and the two of them whispered to each other for a bit, then shifted back to you. “Tie him up,” she said with the air of an elder imparting sage knowledge, and your other friend nodded.

“Oh, come on.” You rolled your eyes.

“I’m serious. Guys usually love it when girls are in control, you just need to take the initiative. Get him tied down and then you can show him exactly how you like it. Let him feel like he’s at your mercy for once.”

The idea had seemed unthinkable at the time, but you hadn’t been able to forget it—which is why after weeks of contemplation, hours of research, and a single extremely awkward trip to a sex shop, you’re now crouching over Ushijima’s naked chest, wrapping a leather cuff around one of his wrists.

“Are you sure that this is something you want to do?” Ushijima asks in that weighty baritone that makes you shiver with need. He doesn’t pull away, but he eyes your actions warily as you thread the chain of the cuffs around a rung in the center of your headboard and reach over to do the other side.

“…Yes,” you tell him, a little less firmly than you would have liked, and you lick your lips to try to make up for how suddenly dry your mouth is. “Anyway, isn’t that my line? We don’t have to do the cuffs if you don’t want to. I won’t force you.”

“It’s alright. You and I both know you couldn’t force me, (Y/N).” Dark eyes pin you down and it’s incredibly unfair how much power he has over you even when he’s the one chained to the bed.

Ushijima’s right, obviously—if he didn’t want to be exactly where he is right now, he wouldn’t be. You’re sure as hell not strong enough to force him to do anything he doesn’t want to, but he didn’t have to say it like that.

“Okay then…good,” you reply, adjusting the straps of the cuffs to accommodate for how stupidly thick his wrists are. When you’re satisfied that they won’t chafe but he can’t get out of them without your help, you sit back next to his chest and admire your handiwork. Ushijima lays on his back, naked, relaxed, even with his arms stretched up to your headboard and cuffed there. He looks good, mouthwateringly good, and you’re ready to get your hands on him when you remember there’s something you need to get straight first. “Wait, before we—before I do anything, remember— what do you say if you want me to stop?”

“…Vanilla,” Ushijima says, reciting the safeword you decided on when you were hammering out details, although the look in his half-lidded eyes is telling you very clearly that he has no intention of needing to use it.

Privately you agree, but everything you’ve read on the kink blogs you’ve been trolling for research tells you that a responsible adult doesn’t put cuffs on their partner without deciding on a safeword first, and you’re determined to do this by the book. “Good boy,” you say, and the diminutive feels awkward in your mouth until you see Ushijima’s reaction—the flash in his eyes, a minuscule hitch in his breathing next to you, and the scrape of metal against wood as he gives a light pull at the cuffs.

With everything safe and accounted for, you give a final tug to the chain to ensure it’s secure, then inch back and swing one leg over the broad expanse of his chest so you’re straddling his abdomen (and he’s so damn big that there’s a twinge of soreness in your thighs just from sitting on top of him). Fuck, he looks good like this, all spread out and pinned underneath you, so masculine and bulky that you’re feeling your pussy get wet just from watching him watching you.

It’s not often you get to appreciate him like this—usually you’re too focused on not losing your mind from how deeply he’s fucking you—so you savor it, massaging his shoulders and sliding your fingers down his sides, tracing the smooth skin with a feather-light touch and then dipping to kiss under his jaw. Feeling more than a little devious, you let your teeth graze over the thin skin at the base of his neck and with your chest pressed into his, it’s not hard to feel his sharp intake of breath.

“The marks...my teammates will notice.”

“Maybe I should stop, then,” you murmur against his skin, lifting up just enough to brush over his nipples. He stiffens, and once again you hear him tugging at the cuffs.

“…Don’t. I want them to see,” Ushijima says, and once you have his permission you don’t waste any time in latching your mouth to his skin and sucking. It’s been ages since you’ve given anyone a hickey. Usually you’re the one marked up like a teenager after Ushijima has his way with you, so this is a nice change of pace, especially when you can feel him flexing underneath you.

Well, kissing is nice…but you’re getting impatient and you know he is too. Once you’re satisfied that your hickeys are going to show up nice and bright red around his neck like a collar, you sit back, walking your hands back on his chest, stroking over his abdomen and giving a little roll of your ass on top of him. Ushijima’s hips twitch—unconsciously, you wonder?—and he glares at you in a way that tells you in no uncertain terms to hurry up and let him fuck you.

And damn it, something about that look has you feeling weak. Needy. Obedient. But this time you’re supposed to be in charge, so you smirk and lift your hips, pulling your body back so his cock is nestled between your legs, not quite touching your pussy. He’s already hard—no surprises there, considering how intently he’s watching you as you mess with him—but you only take a second to stroke his cock up and down before shifting up so he can see you slick your fingers up in your own pussy.

“(Y/N)…” Ushijima’s voice is low, annoyed, and he looks hungry. But you’re so amazed at how wet you are under your own fingers that you don’t bother to pay attention to him shifting his position under you to try to get stimulation. Your juices are literally slicking up your own thighs, just from chaining up your boyfriend and teasing him a little? You should have done this a long time ago.

You push two fingers into your pussy and pump them a few times, making sure to angle your hips so Ushijima can see them go in and out. The stretch is almost uncomfortable for a second and you wince a little before schooling your expression, knowing you’re about to have something a lot bigger than two fingers stretching you open. Ushijima catches it though, and he frowns, trying to sit up before remembering the cuffs that are holding him back. “Let me—let me do it for you—“

“No, stay down,” you say quickly, using your other hand to push him back into the mattress while you continue to touch yourself. Ushijima lets you (and there’s no doubt in your mind that he is letting you), but his eyes narrow as he zeroes in on the way your fingers are glistening with your own pussy juices.

God, you’re—you’re supposed to be in control, aren’t you? So then you shouldn’t be feeling like this, eyes drifting closed as you fuck yourself on your fingers, letting your lower knuckles rub against your clit while you try to curl them to rub against your g-spot. Ushijima’s been spoiling you…you can’t remember the last time you’ve had to do this yourself, and as you feel the tension building up slowly you catch yourself wishing it were him fingering you instead.

His fingers are just so thick. And long, and so rough. You bite your lip thinking about the way he does it when he preps you to take his cock, mashing his palm into your clit, petting along inside you and scissoring his fingers and… “Mmh,” you hum, holding back a real moan for Ushijima’s sake.

There’s another click of the chain sliding over the headboard wood and it reminds you that he’s right there, you could just uncuff him and he could touch you and fill you up with those thick fingers, make you cum, make you cry. But the urge to seek your own pleasure is outweighed by the image he’s making as he looks at you, his expression almost angry in its intensity now that he’s watching you do this to yourself and he has no way to get his hands on you.

“Ahh—“ you whine, letting a real whimper out at the thought of what you’re doing to him. “Ushi, Ushi, do you wanna touch? Wanna touch me?”

His head ducks into a hasty nod and his jaw clenches at the strain of having to ask for what he wants instead of just taking it like usual.

The longer you touch yourself, the closer you’re getting…but you don’t want to cum, not just yet. You draw your fingers out of your dripping cunt and open them up in a V, showing off the juices that connect them, the evidence of how wet you are for him. “Mmm, I don’t think so. I think there’s something else I want in me instead.”

And then you’re reaching to the side for the lube, squeezing a healthy dollop into your palm and then wrapping your hand around Ushiijma’s cock. And—fuck, he’s big. Sure, you’ve had sex with him plenty, but no matter how often you take him, you never stop feeling absolutely torn up after. A tingle of trepidation races up your spine at the thought of riding him like this—can you even put it in by yourself?

Even just looking at it is intimidating. He’s painfully hard, cock flushed red and bobbing up against his lower stomach every time you let it go, and, Jesus, how is it even possible that this thing would fit inside you? When you wrap your hand around him your fingers don’t touch; he must be thicker around than your own wrist.

Halfway. That’ll going to be your goal tonight, to take him halfway. And even that…is going to be a stretch.

The anxiety must show on your face because once again you’ve got Ushijima straining at the cuffs. “(Y/N)—“ he spits as you stroke him up, nudging your palm against the tip. “(Y/N), you need to finish first. Let me make you cum.”

“No, this time I want to—I’m gonna cum on your cock,” you say, adjusting your position so you’re kneeling above him, the head of his cock sliding between your lips. “Gonna cum on your big cock, Ushi, okay?”

His cock jumps in your hand at the provocation. He’s glaring at you, but he’s also leaking precum, the sticky fluid mixing with the lubricant. You give Ushijima a moment to say the safeword if he really doesn’t want you to, and when he stays quiet you raise yourself up a little more and line the head of his cock up with your weeping slit. You hold your pussy lips open with your fingers, easing your thighs down and pressing the head into you and—

“Oh—oh—oh, fuck, oh fuck, Ushi—“ you stutter out helplessly.

It’s been almost two weeks since he last fucked you. One week, six days and about three hours, and at the moment this measure of time seems unreasonably important because it’s been almost two weeks since you last let Ushijima split you in half with his ridiculously huge cock.

You’re not ready, should’ve prepped more, should’ve let him make you cum like he said—fuck, it feels like you’re losing your virginity—and the mixture of dismay and relief that spills over you when the thick swell of his head pushes past that tight ring of muscle is almost nauseating.

The tip? Seriously, just the fucking tip, and you’re already delirious, shaking, your thighs quivering on either side of his. It’s taking all of your strength to keep from going slack—but you know if you do, his whole cock is going to slide up into you and even thinking about that has your cunt clenching and unclenching around what you’re able to fit inside.

“Do you need help?” Despite the strain in Ushijima’s voice at being teased like this, there’s an undercurrent of amusement. He clearly doesn’t have faith in your ability to take him deeper by yourself.

It’s this—this quiet arrogance, this belief that he knows what’s best for you and he’s the only one who can give it to you—that gives you the guts to convince yourself to lower yourself down onto his his cock until you’re literally gasping for air. It fucking hurts, but you’re not going to give him the satisfaction of hearing you say it; instead, you brace your hands against the stiff muscle of his chest and try to focus on the way his cockhead is pressing into your g-spot.

Halfway…he’s gotta be at least halfway in, right? You sneak a glance up at him and bite back a curse at the look on his face, serious as ever, so focused on the place where your pussy is reluctantly eating up his cock that you feel your insides tense up around him again.

You don’t even know how it’s possible for you to get tighter around him but somehow you must be able to, because you hear Ushijima grunt underneath you, and his muscles contract under your palms as he tries again to sit up. When he can’t, he hisses in frustration. “Move…now. Or I won’t be able to control myself.”

Funny, aren’t you supposed to be the one controlling him? But it sure as hell doesn’t feel that way when you’re barely able to stay upright just from trying to ride his cock. You nod desperately, chin jutting up and down like a bobblehead, and lift your hips up off his cock until just the tip is left inside. When you push yourself back down you can’t help whimpering at the feeling of him stretching you, sliding up into you, that stiff, wet cockhead dragging over your g-spot.

By now the pain has faded into an uncomfortable stretch, like leaning too heavily into a foreign pose in yoga, enough that you’re able to feel the arousal building in the pit of your belly and hold onto it as you rock your hips up and down him. The pace is slow—almost too slow; you marvel at yourself for wanting it faster—and there’s a fair amount of Ushijima’s cock that you’re not able to take, but this is really all you can handle.

“Mmm, Ushi, fuck, you’re so big, so big and hard inside me, feels so good on your cock—“ you moan, knowing you sound less like the dominant partner in this position and more like you’re teasing him, pushing his limits.

Ushijima’s breathing is heavy. Labored. He’s trying to hold himself back. “(Y/N), deeper—take me deeper, now.”

Part of your brain vaguely recognizes that he isn’t supposed to be giving the orders here, but you’re too drunk on the feeling of fucking yourself on his cock to complain, so you lower your hips and try, but it feels like you’re just too weak to do it yourself. “Ushi please, it’s too much, too big, I can’t, please—“

And your pleading must sound like an invitation, because his eyes flash and you feel him shifting the position of his legs behind you—and then he bucks his hips up and his cock sinks into your cunt, pushing up into your gooey insides until the head is pressing into the tight opening of your cervix.

“Ahn—?” you squeal, startled. What? He—what? Fuck, it’s deep, it’s so deep, you can’t hold yourself up so you flop downward, holding onto his shoulders for dear life, “ohhh Ushi pleasepleaseplease” and you barely hear yourself over the lubed-up slap of his pelvis against your skin.

Fuck, it feels like he’s knocking the breath out of you. Feels like you can’t fucking breathe like his cock isn’t just pushing against your stomach but your lungs too, can’t breathe so you bear down on his shoulders try to hold yourself up try to let yourself adjust but—

Ushijima’s in control now.

Not that he ever wasn’t, you’d think if you were capable of thinking except you’re not because as you try to situate yourself make yourself relax around that monster cock filling you up, he’s not giving you a moment to catch your breath, instead thrusting up into you at his usual breakneck pace. Apparently he doesn’t need to use his hands to make you bounce—you’re not even moving yourself now, just trying to hold still as his hips slam his cock inside you again and again and again, and again, rubbing up against that sweet spot in your pussy so quickly that you think you might go crazy from it.

“Nngh, so tight,” he growls, and you can tell from the way the words are choked out that he’s gritting his teeth. You almost want to roll your eyes—of course you’re tight, anyone would feel tight around him—but it feels like if you do your eyes might roll back in your head so you don’t.

Jesus fuck, you can’t even understand how long it’s been but you do know that it’s absurd for you to want to cum already, only the thick mass of his cock pushing into you is somehow hitting all the right buttons, just like it always does. Even if it’s rough you want more. By now you’re trying to meet his thrusts, rolling your hips in time with him fucking you open, doing your best to participate but really it’s all you can do to even stay still with how roughly he’s fucking you. “Ushi, fuck, so deep, wanna cum I wanna cum please let me cum—“

“Touch yourself,” he commands breathlessly because he’s still tied to the headboard and he can’t do it, and you barely have the strength to pick one of your hands up off of where you’re scratching into his shoulder and pull it down to rub at your clit.

It’s not enough and you whimper desperately, you don’t want your own fingers, you want Ushijima’s, you want him to touch you. You’re probably saying it out loud by now, begging him to put his hands on you—his eyes widen and then the sound of the metal cuff chain grating over wood reaches you—you can see the skin of his wrists get lighter from lack of blood flow, he’s pulling at the cuffs, pulling too hard, he’s going to hurt himself, you have to stop him—and then you hear a snap.

Aw, shit. The bed.

The thought comes in a singular moment of clarity as you watch the rung Ushijima’s chained to separate itself from the rest of the headboard, splintering, the nail that held it in place looking pathetically flimsy next to the veins bulging in his arms as he slides the chain away from it. He flexes his hands, forming fists and then unclenching them to restore the interrupted blood flow, and then you’ve only got a second to prepare yourself before he’s upright, dragging your hips up to meet his.

“Ushi, Ushi, Ushi, I want, please, I want you,” you beg, but you didn’t really have to because you’re pretty sure there’s no force on Earth that could stop him from holding you up so he can fuck down into you with a ferocity that could be mistaken for anger if you weren’t certain it was really lust.

The entire bed is creaking and rocking against the force of his movement, but you don’t really have the headspace to worry about more property damage considering he’s got you supporting yourself on the mattress on your back and shoulders, your spine curled up so he can kneel and still have your hips aligned with his, your legs dangling bonelessly on either side of him.

Fuck. Holy fuck. You open your mouth but words don’t come out, only a choked whimper, but if you could speak you’d be saying yesyesyesyesyes, touch me.

Despite your inability to speak, Ushijima picks up on what you need and then along with his cock carving its way in and out of you you’re getting the feeling of his fingers padding over your clit. Rough and callused, not gentle, nothing like the way you touched yourself earlier, but you’re starting to realize you don’t mind the aggression. In fact, it’s good, it’s so good, so good you’re gonna cum.

You’re gonna cum.

A long, drawn-out whine is spilling out of your lips before you can stop it; you wrap your hand over your own mouth out of shame or maybe courtesy to your neighbors (although by now they’ve probably invested in earplugs after listening to you squeal like a pig on Ushijima’s cock dozens of times in the past). Still, as your climax rocks through you shove your thumb between your teeth to bite down on it, but the sharp pain is nothing compared to the pleasure.

“Ushiiiii—“ you sob around your own fingers. Your spine arches—or rather, you try to arch your back but you can’t, not with Ushijima’s full body weight pressing into you and keeping you pinned to the mattress.

It hurts, it feels good, you’re seeing stars, you’re hearing Ushijima snarl as your pussy tightens up and convulses on his cock. His one-handed grip on your ass gets painfully tight as he abandons whatever pretense of restraint he had left and pumps his cock into you so hard and fast you’re pretty sure the headboard isn’t going to be the only thing broken, but you don’t fucking care because you’re cumming, you’re cumming, you’re cumming so hard you think you black out for a second, holy fuck.

It’s only when you hear Ushijima’s panting breath and feel him pulling your hand away from your mouth that you regain your grip on reality. “You’re bleeding,” he says, holding your hand up and inspecting the shallow indentations your teeth made on your thumb.

“…You broke my bed,” you reply tiredly once you’ve gotten in a lungful of air, what feels like the first full breath you’ve been able to take since he put his cock inside you.

“I’m sorry,” Ushijima tells you, although he doesn’t look particularly sorry.

You roll your eyes. “Did you cum?”

“Yes. When you did.” Without him holding you up there’s nothing to prevent you from sliding down off his softening (but still unfairly impressive) cock. You’re certainly not strong enough to keep yourself in position.

Even if he hadn’t confirmed it, you’d still be able to feel the familiar heat of his semen plastering your insides, and once your still-sensitive pussy is exposed to the cool air your inner muscles squeeze involuntarily but hard enough to force some of his cum out—you sense it, hot and thick, dripping out of your pussy to smear against your thighs. “Can we take a bath?” you ask, knowing you’ll barely be able to walk over to the bathroom, much less stand under the shower unassisted.

Ushijima nods and moves off the bed. “I can carry you,” he adds when you try to stand up and your knees almost give out before you flop back onto the mattress.

At this angle, with you sitting and him standing in front, it’s difficult not to see that despite cumming literally less than two minutes ago, he’s already getting stiff again. Jesus, is he even human? After how hard you just came, the thought of letting him fuck you again is giving you something stronger than butterflies, but you look up at him and offer anyway. “Wait, do you…um, want to go for another round?”

Ushijima’s gaze meets yours and then travels over your body underneath him. You must look like a mess—sweaty, hair all fucked up and tangled, body still shaking with the aftershocks of your climax and barely able to sit comfortably on your aching pussy—and you guess he sees how jittery (nervous?) you feel because for the first time since your relationship started, he shakes his head to turn down an offer of sex. “No, I’ll take care of it. Let’s clean up first.”

“Okay,” you sigh, releasing a breath you didn’t realize you were holding and raising your arms to let him pick you up.

“(Y/N).”

When Ushijima doesn’t move to carry you, you frown. “Hm?”

“The cuffs.”

Oh, right. The black leather is wrapped around both of his wrists, chain still intact. Apparently these cuffs are stronger than your headboard. Good quality. Too bad they’re going in the trash. You make quick work of the release and then undo the straps carefully, massaging over the light pink marks on your boyfriend’s wrists once they’re free.

“Sorry, did it hurt you? I didn’t mean to—I mean, I just wanted…” You trail off, feeling infinitely embarrassed that despite all your claims of dominating him, he still ended up with the upper hand, cuffs or no cuffs. And you liked submitting to him. There’s no denying that.

“It didn’t. And…I enjoyed having you on top,” Ushijima tells you, lifting you effortlessly into a princess-carry now that his arms are free.

“Yeah right. We’re never using those again,” you scoff, tucking your head into his chest as he carries you to the bathroom. “My boss is going to get mad that I keep taking sick days every time I have sex with you. I’m just going to throw the cuffs out.”

From your position, so close to him, you can barely see the upward quirk of his mouth that would be as good as laughter for anyone else. “Don’t get rid of them. I think…next time, I would like to have you wearing them, (Y/N).”

Well, fuck.