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just-some-random-blogger · 3 years ago

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GOO-GOO GAGA

Marvel Avengers Peter Parker x Barnes!Reader Summary: *insert snap that reads: just wanted to make that toxic rat toad regret disrespecting me but now i'm having a mental breakdown 🦿🤳🌪️🌬️* Work Count: 3k+ Warnings: Barnes Granddaughter!Reader, fluff, angst, toxic!ex, bad relationships, fake dating, pining, lying, naivete, stupidity, protective!Bucky, also it's an au so yeah, domestic!avengers, typos, etc.

A/N: i love this particular fake dating trope. This is actually my second story like this. Yeah. It's Underrated for realz. It's a Day6 fic though, so if ur interested in it, it's in my masterlist.

"And another thing. I don't know who needs to hear this," Natasha says, staring dead into my eyes, even though I wasn't even looking at her, "but three peanut butter sandwiches does not count for a meal."

I, without looking away from my homework, mid chewing said third peanut butter sandwich, flip her off from the couch in the large common room, all the way to across the floor where the kitchen was stationed where Nat was microwaving her leftovers.

"Put that down," a grumpy voice calls as he walks into the room with some bags in his hand. I snap to the voice and stand in protest. "HOW!" I shrug in confusion, "how do you always just walk in when I am at my tipping point?"

My grandfather bee lines over to me, raises a brow, and crosses his arms, "you mean I catch you and your vulgarity often because you were raised with no manners."

"Well," my other grandfather says, walking past him with some bags held as well, "it's genetic, pal."

The six foot, metal armed man rolls his eyes and shoves his blonde comrade on his way, "you're not helping, Steve."

I raise my hands, "it's not my fault I'm an orphan."

Grandpop turns to me, face full of fury, hands on his hips, "hey, hey, bellow the belt."

"Yeah," my other, other grandfather says, pointing whilst holding a plastic wrapped loaf of walnut bread, "that's genetic."

Grandpop turns to mischievously grinning Sam, "Imma whoop your ass."

Sam chuckles and leans back, before walking off, "that's learned."

Natasha walks over to us, just behind grandpop and gives me a look, while eating her takeout from last night, "hmm, you know what, Bucky, you should ground her."

" 'nough said, I was just about to say, no phone, no internet, no parties, nothing for a month," old flannel and stubble said, giving me a look.

I break into a a scoff, "first of all, bold of you to assume I even go to parties, second, I need both my phone and the internet for homework, third, you can't ground me, I'm literally an adult."

"Yeah, guess what, 18 year old with a lot of lip, I'm literally supposed to be in a museum, but we're here still having this conversation. So the day they finally turn me back in will be the day you're an adult, okay?"

I groan and roll my eyes, "you know what, fine." I look away and get my things, "I'd argue more but Nat's face makes me wanna explode into every sailor's word ever."

Natasha gives me a smirk. Sam walks over to her, walnut bread no longer in hand, and whispers, "what are you up to?"

They merely exchange a look before Steve cuts in again, "hey, you two, knock it off."

As my grandpa watches me begrudgingly gather my things and move to my room, he thinks and turns to Natasha, "why did she flip you off anyway?"

Natasha continues with her leftovers, "truth hurts."

I nearly choke on the sandwich I stuffed in my mouth on my travels to my room. I dump my things on my bed and look over my shoulder with scorn, that man literally can't even connect to the wifi, how does he even think he can ban me from the internet.

I sigh and climb onto my bed, lying on my back, pulling out my phone, sandwich drooping down my chin as I aimlessly chew on it. My fingers haphazardly press the buttons out of second nature and I find myself scrolling through my gallery, looking through the seemingly endless couple shots I had with this man.

I felt my eyes water, moreso because my eyes were sensitive over anything else.

But then my chest began to tighten.

With one hand hung up in above me, I pull my sandwich away to take proper bite. I prop myself up.

See, this was all Nat's fault.

Her and her mind games, and her sense and reason. Yeah, she was always right, but also, she's crazy.

Peter has been my best friend before he was a spider, before my dad died, before we both coincidentally became an Avenger in our own right.

He... he was my best friend. My confidant. The love between us was familial. He and I could never-- and besides, I had asked him for this, for this favor. I wanted to show my ratty ex that, yeah, if he could make out with the girl he told me not to worry about, then I could date my best friend he said was controlling and annoying. Clearly, it was that troll that was controlling and annoying in the end.

Suck on that.

I curl up in my bed and finish the last of my sandwich, thinking about what Natasha had been pestering me about as I tried to finish my Chem homework.

I couldn't though, it was pretty hard since I began to recall how we walked to school hand in hand as displayed a good enough amount of PDA so people would start talking. I inhale and lean back into a pillow beside me. I begin to relive how I sat on Peter's lap during lunch, how we hung by the field and made out for show.

I shudder, feeling goosebumps form on my skin at the memory.

My ex was livid when he saw us cuddling as we walked down the hallway. He caused a whole scene, as if we were still together and he wasn't just lip locked with that annoying girl.

"It's true then," my buffoon of an ex walks up to my locker. I turn to him, and so does Peter who was right beside me. He gives Peter a look and turns to me, "you settled for your nerd friend." He clicks his tongue, "You were probably going behind my back too, huh?"

I slam my locker and raise a brow, "stop projecting your cheating habits on me. I just finally realized if there was anyone in this school that could treat me right, it's Peter."

I miss the face Peter gives me as I am too preoccupied with wanting to bash this moron's face into the ground.

"You were never that hot anyway."

I scoff. Peter pulls me into his arms and soothes me, "come on, babe, this moron's not worth it."

"What did you call me, Park-" my ex squares up and grabs at Peter, but misses and ends up slamming his face into the lockers.

The people watching make an ooooh sound and I break into an amused laugh.

I sigh and shake the thought out of my head.

Everything that happened was all for show.

"You got me cheesecake?" I ask as Peter opened the box he had.

"You said you wanted one, so I could you one," he said simply. I sniffled. Peter turned to me and got a spoon, bringing it up to my mouth, "no stop crying over that moron, okay?"

"I'm not..." I say.

Peter gives me a look, "yeah, right. Then why are you crying?"

I sigh. What do you think, Peter?

Suddenly, Natasha's voice is ringing in my head.

Do you honestly think that if you feel like this about Peter that he doesn't feel the same way about you?

Seems sane, except she can't be right. She can't. What I've been doing with Peter was pretend, fake. Overblown, flashy, exaggerated, insincere, and done out of spite. Sure, it felt different to get ice cream with him when he'd sometimes insist on kissing my cheek for an instagram post. It made me feel like the younger version of me that nearly had asthma attacks whenever middle schooler Peter did something sweet for me.

But reality check, I don't have asthma anymore, and I sure as hell know for a fact as someone who came out of a bad relationship that building one on lies was not good for anyone.

It only made the welling of my tears form into real tears as I continued through my infinite supply of Peter through my roll.

Even after finishing my sandwich, I wasn't done looking.

That is, untill I got a text.

From Peter 🐸: ??? Uh Srgt barnes kicked me out??????

From Peter 🐸: he said you were grounded?????

From Peter 🐸: ???????

From Peter 🐸: ???? Uh why are u grounded??????

From Peter 🐸: Again???????

I stared at my phone as the messages flashed. As the last one came in, I mentally battled on whether or not I should reply.

I wiped my face and moaned.

It was probably for the best grandpop kicked Peter out. I don't know if it was a good idea to see him right know.

I don't even feel like replying to him right now.

But then again, I know for a fact this was all a part of Natasha's evil plan though. That sneaky old lady probably knew Peter sometimes snuck into my room through the vent. She would probably want me not to reply so Peter would continue to sneak in. I sniffle and give a quick response.

To Peter 🐸: he's just dramatic. You can just go home peter. Tell aunt may I said hi.

I huff and lock my phone. I sprawl on my chest and continue on my homework.

I get back into the groove and for a brief moment, I forget that Peter was even on my mind. That is until I hear a commotion in my ceiling vent and hear soft grunts and calls from Peter, calling out, "incoming!"

I avert my attention to the corner of my room and walk over to remove the cover of the vent, coming face to face with an out of breath but grinning Peter. I sigh, so much for that plan.

I move off, and in another few moments, and one swift landing down to the floor, Peter turns over to me and give me a look, "now, what's this grounded sentence for this time?"

I watch as Peter climbs on my bed and scans my work. I shake my head and shrug, "usual. I flipped Nat off for being up in my business."

He hums, knitting his brow, "#5 is wrong." He grabs a pen and flips the page of my notebook. He begins to redo the number and I just watch as he lies sprawled on his stomach in my bed fixing my chem homework.

Peter turns to me and raises a brow, "aren't you going to sit down?'

So I do.

The bed dips. Peter begins to tell me where I went wrong. I hear him speak, but all my focus was on how he was so casual about this whole setup. I mean, he was in my bedroom, uninvited, snuck in. This was fully a big deal. Plus, he and I were so close, like physically.

"You got that?" he asks, turning to me.

Then I remember, right, it was just Peter. My best friend, Peter. Peter Parker. That's all.

I nod, "thanks."

He smiles, "no problem." He then sits up and faces me, "now what else did you do?"

I shake my head, half amused, "you think so little of me."

"No, I don't. I know you go big or go home."

"Well," I roll my eyes, "I did an orphan joke."

Peter flinches and slaps his face, "NO!" he whisper-yells, "stop it with that!"

"Why? I'm literally the orphan!"

"Oh my-- Imagine if I told that to May! She would freak!"

"Well, that's because your sense of humor is vanilla."

Peter shakes his head profusely, "Duuuudee! Just think for a second okay. Bucky had a girlfriend. He served in world war 2 and had to say goodbye to her. He almost died, got turned into the winter soldier, gets woken into the 21st century, find out his lover from the 60's was pregnant and had a daughter, and that daughter of his had a daughter herself! But now his daughter's daughter went into the foster system since her grandma was dead, mom died in childbirth, and her dad died in a car crash. And now that he's met the only family he has, then she proceeds to joke about being an orphan."

"Dang, okay. You're always so serious about it."

"Well that's what Bucky most definitely feels, so lay off it, please."

"Fine, I'm always the bad guy," I retort, unconsciously turning my tears on.

Peter clearly instantly feels bad, "wait, oh no, don't cry. Why are you crying?"

I let out a pained sound and break into a groan and laugh, "I'm so pissed with chemistry."

Peter is panicked still as I play it off and rub my eyes. I fall back on my bed and sigh, "gosh, I forgot to ask grandpop to buy me cardboard for my diagram."

I sit back up, "I also need more glue for my glue gun."

"Do you want me to go get you some?" Peter asks.

"Nah, I need to go on a walk."

"It's getting pretty late though, plus you're grounded."

I stand and grab my phone and wallet, "it's fine. I'll ask grandpa Steve and say you're still outside. Just jump out the window this time."

It was, in fact, not fine.

I mean, I didn't struggle with my grandpas or anything, but Peter and I wound up getting burritos on our way back and he held my hand and took a couple selfie with me out of reflex. I stared at the notification as we walked through the now dark streets on our way back.

I looked at Peter as he walked a little bit more forward with my hand in one of his hands and his second burrito in the other, along with my art supplies clamped in-between his arm.

My heart was racing when I first realized we looked so much like a couple like this. But it sank simultaneously, knowing it wasn't real.

I can't keep doing this.

Not when I had this urge to hug him as we took the bus and I tested how he'd react and he didn't even flinch and just he rubbed my back. Not when he thoughtfully ordered my combo and offered to get some cupcakes, which was where we were headed now, because he knew how much I liked them.

So yeah, I freaked out when Peter ordered my favorite cupcake, even though best friends know each other's favorite food sometimes. And I defeatedly knew why I was so skittish around him when he literally just opened his mouth, it was because I so desperately wanted this to be real.

I didn't want how he looked at me to be... an act.

We spoke at the same time at one point while he sat in this cupcake place across from each other.

We obviously both stopped, and Peter smiled, insisting I continued as I insisted he did.

He does not relent, and chuckles, "I don't know why you're making a big deal of this. Just go on."

I suck in a breath, "fine." I place my hands on the table and turn to his amused expression, "I just... I've been thinking a lot. About us..." I turn away from him and clarify, "I mean. I'm really grateful and thankful for everything you do for me."

"As you should," Peter cheekily cuts in.

I turn to him and his smirk and feel my heart twist. I hold back a frown, "yeah. Uh, I... I just, I wanted to say that we can stop now."

Peter knits his brows, "stop what?"

"This. The pretending that we do."

Peter straightens on his seat, "pretending?"

"Yeah. We don't have to pretend to like each other anymore. I mean, gosh, this is a whole head ache in and of itself. I don't even think of my ex at all." I point to my temple, "It's all chem now."

Peter's jaw slacks. He nods slowly, "ah, right. Yeah. The fake dating."

I nod.

"Right, cause we've just been pretending the whole time."

I feel a lump in my throat form.

Peter purses his lips and chuckles, "this wasn't real at all... to either of us."

For a moment, we sit in silence.

"Should... should I delete all our Instagram posts?" Peter asks.

I have to admit, I'm a bit taken aback, "uh... I mean, if you want. You can, but you did just post it-"

"Right."

"-You can just get rid of it later."

"Right, right. Totally."

Another moment of silence passes.

I remember, "what was it you were supposed to say?"

"Ah... Nah, yeah, I was just going to say we could go to this skateboard event on Saturday. I saw a flyer for it. We should go."

I give a smile, "yeah. We should definitely go."

He smiles back, though unalike how he smiled before, "great."

And once another moment passed, Peter asked, "should we get going?"

I nod.

Then we made our way back. Beside the fact Peter was no holding on the brown paper bag with both of his hand and the feeling between us was weird, I would say it worked out pretty well.

"Hey!" Peter, panicked, calls, yanking me by my arm, my moving me out of the way of a passing bike.

I am looking at him as he pulls me against him and scowls at the biker, "watch where you're going, dude! You're gonna hurt yourself and innocent pedestrians!"

My breath hitches when he grabs my hand and leads me across the street, asking, "are you okay?"

I nod, "just shocked."

"That dude should get a thousand dollar ticket. You know, one time on my patrol, there was this small child that also almost got hit my a biker. It could have been so back had I not caught that girl in time."

Peter looks over to me after his rant, half wonder why there was no quick response in his favor.

He immediately lets go of my hand when he realizes how firmly he had it gripped in his.

"Sorry," he mutters quickly, wiping his hand on his pants. He looks away aimlessly.

I shake my head and smile, "it's okay."

"I'll try not to do that anymore- you know, since we're broken up."

"..."

"Not that is was every real..." Peter says, "of course not."

"Of course not," I repeat for absolutely no reason.

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gale-gentlepenguin · 2 years ago

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Ok idk if u did this one but what about the beyblade metal series: metal fusion, metal masters, and metal fury

I never watched past the first two beyblade series.

Though from what I saw it still as wacky as before

#beyblade metal series #rate the childhood #ask game

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ad1thi · 4 years ago

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underrated stevetony fics rec list (P2)

this is ridiculously late and im so sorry, but here’s part 2 of this list!!

sweet lips on my lips (kiss like real people do).: @nethandrake

Frankly, if anyone told Tony that he’d be carried out of a burning building, well, he would’ve laughed in their faces. And if they were being extra mean about it, he probably would’ve even thrown them across the Atlantic.

After all, he’s Tony Stark. And Tony Stark always makes sure he has a safety net installed in his armor for emergencies, so it wouldn’t be out of commission before the building decided to collapse onto itself.

And yet, here he is, his armor out of commission, and being carried out of a burning building.

Carried out of a burning building by Steven Grant Rogers.

(In which Tony's from Civil War and Steve's from Infinity War. It's a problem.)

Rising: @withstarryeyes

Heat is licking up his sides and he groans, feeling his knees turn wobbly, and fumbles his way to the wall of the elevator. The metal is blessedly cool on his forehead and he sighs, eyes burning when he closes them. It’s still dark outside and every fiber of Tony’s being is telling him to go back to bed but he has work to do and plans to make and a blueprint open on his desk in the lab, Fury approved, and he can’t not do his job. So he musters all his strength and pushes off the wall when the elevator lands, ignoring his wet hacking as he moves.

He falls before he makes it to the bench, his top coated in sweat, and his eyes shutting to the whirling sensation that takes his breath away and leaves him panting in nauseated gasps. His hand shakes from where it’s planted on the ground, keeping him up.

the square root of infinity: @firebrands

steve and tony have their first fight. tony doesn't handle it well.

A Social Engagement: @finduilasclln

Written for the prompt: “This is without a doubt the stupidest plan you’ve ever had. Of course I’m in.”

Steve agrees to something without fully comprehending what it means. Modern times are confusing.

Wounds Without A Bandage: @gotthesilver

Tony burrows deeper in his blankets, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to forget the last year. Taking control of Stark Industries was one thing, even if it had been a shock to Obie and the rest of the board when Tony came of age and started dispensing of all his dad’s old cronies, but SI’s exploration team actually finding Steve? Tony deciding Steve should come live with him? Tony has regrets.

Well.

He has regrets this morning.

Before last night, the most Tony regretted in relation to Steve was not jumping him the moment it became clear all his faculties were intact and that Tony hadn’t defrosted a brain dead Captain America.

Love Like A Hunger: @gotthesilver

Pushing the door open to the bedroom, Steve pauses at what he sees. “Tony? I—”

“Surprise?”

“I—” Steve swallows, taking in the sight of Tony, blood instantly going to his cock as he looks him up and down. “You look—wow.”

Tony’s got on a damn Princess Leia outfit, gold curling around his chest and hips, with red fabric skimming over his crotch, and Steve’s brain feels like it’s shut down.

The Night Shift: @weethreequarter

Welcome to the Emergency Department of San Antonio General where Dr. Tony Stark joins the team fresh from his most recent tour in Afghanistan and - much to the consternation of the other staff - strikes up an instant rapport with Nurse Steve Rogers. Meanwhile, new resident Bruce Banner refuses to give up on his patient, and Dr. Sharon Carter learns something from her own patients. Throw in a pissed off hospital administrator, Clint using the coffee pot as a mug again, and a major car crash and you have, well, just another night shift.

the james braincell: @starklysteve

“Right. How do we get them to admit they love each other?”

In front of him, Bucky brings out a metal flask and takes a swig out of it. “Hell if I know. You’re the genius who went to MIT.”

“I studied aerospace engineering,” Rhodey rolls his eyes, “not how to get two idiots to kiss.”

-------

Or, Bucky and Rhodey are the braincells.

In a desperate last ditch attempt, they set Steve and Tony up for a blind date.

Steve and Tony don't know that their date is each other. But they might have a braincell of their own. Might.

the good place (is next to you): @starklysteve

“I mean,” Tony tries his best shot at breaking the tension, “if you’re stuck with the wrong guy, at least I’m sexier than your real deal?”

Tony died and got sent to some sort of heaven, with Captain America as his soulmate. Except, they got the wrong Anthony Stark, and to stay in the Good Place, Tony must convince Steve to teach him how to be good.

-x-

(watching The Good Place is not necessary to understand this AU, but will help)

president captain america: @livingtheobsessedlife

He’s supposed to be campaigning to be elected as president of the United States, not pining over some billionaire he met at one of his campaign events. And yet, Steve can’t seem to get genius, philanthropist (and his newest big-time donor) Tony Stark out of his head.

come build a home out of me: @maguna-stxrk

Steve clears his throat.

“What if I went with you?” he asks nonchalantly, like his heart isn’t threatening to beat out of his ribcage.

Tony blinks a few times, looking at Steve, his mouth ajar. “As a— As my date?”

“Yeah.” Steve nods, feeling a little breathless.

“You don’t mind?” Tony furrows his eyebrows.

“I don’t. In fact, you can just tell them I’m your boyfriend. I’m sure they’ll back off, wouldn’t they?”

What.

“I— Huh?” Tony stares at him, brown eyes blown wide open.

What. What. What.

“Huh? Uh, I mean— You know, that way people will see that you have definitely moved on. Monica will see that you have moved on. Right?” Steve smiles, hoping that it masks his inner panic, because what?

Steve Rogers, what have you done?

Between Two Infinities: @/anonymous

The Titanic, 1946. Steven Grant Rogers did not think that going to war would end up with him being three times his normal size with superstrength and agility to boot, and... rich...but hey, he wasn’t complaining. Steve also didn’t expect to fall out of love- if it was even love in the first place- with the woman he was explicitly told to propose to, and instead fall for a formerly rich, formerly a playboy, still a genius, Tony Stark. Especially because, you know, it was a little tiny bit illegal, and he was supposed to be “America’s Golden Boy��, as Bucky put it.

All Tony expected out of the trip was to escape Europe with his best friend thanks to a lucky game of blackjack. He didn’t think he’d find himself having sex in the back of a car located in the cargo hold of the Titanic, or almost jumping off said ship. But that was just the life of a rogue Stark child, wasn’t it? At least Peggy was nice. Her dad, not so much.

A Thief Like Tony Stark: @dontholdthiswarinside

Tony is a high ranking criminal, known for his talent to disappear. Steve is a disillusioned soldier who needs some cash.

And some people will always be heroes, no matter what they do for a living.

The Things We Can’t Unsee: @/orphan-account

The mission was simple: get in, gather information, get out. Of course, Steve never really expected the enemy to follow this plan. One way or the other, something was bound to happen. They were the Avengers, after all. Nothing ever went easy for them.

What Steve didn’t expect was it going as far as it did; he didn’t expect having to make a decision that nobody should have to make.

Now Bucky’s lying there, bloody and dying all because of him, and Natasha’s poisonous words keep ringing in his head. Thinking about the ring he carries with him every day, Steve knows she’s right.

He’d never be able to make that call if it were Tony.

The Last Barman Poet: @nativemossy

Tony wasn't expecting anything more than dealing with a tequila-drunk Clint and a slightly wrinkled suit on this trip to Mexico. He got plenty more than he bargained for when he catches the eye of a handsome vacationer at the swim-up bar. Tipsy shenanigans ensue.

#adi's rec list #stevetony #superhusbands #steve rogers/tony stark #steve rogers x tony stark #steve x tony #underrated stevetony fics

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lunapaper · 2 years ago

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Album Review: 'HOLY FVCK' - Demi Lovato

Holy fvck really is the perfect way to describe the past few years for Demi Lovato.

In 2018, the singer suffered a near-fatal overdose, which left her legally blind. She came out as non-binary, preferring to go by she/they pronouns. She became the ambassador for a conspiracy theory website. She revisited past trauma on 2021’s Dancing with the Devil... The Art of Starting Over. She had beef with that frozen yoghurt store, which drew criticism from fans and critics alike.

Lovato now channels all their fear, longing and fury into big, chugging, metal-inspired riffs and snarling pop punk on her eighth album. But while everyone and their mother seems to be jumping on the bandwagon, trying to score a collab with Travis Barker in the hopes of becoming the next Olivia Rodrigo, Lovato’s love of rock, metal and emo is true. Not too long ago, they recounted the time she crowdsurfed at Norwegian black metal band Dimmur Borgir’s show as a teenager in an attempt to evade the moshpit.

And Lovato wears her influences proudly on her sleeve.

First single ‘SKIN OF MY TEETH’ is a formidable tribute to Hole’s ‘Celebrity Skin.’ ‘Demi leaves rehab again/When is this shit gonna end?’ Lovato drawls as she longs to be free of her much-publicised demons (‘but I can’t ‘cos it’s a fuckin’ disease’). ‘SUBSTANCE’ owes a lot to Jimmy Eat World’s ‘The Middle,’ the singer searching for meaning in an increasingly shallow and fragmented world. Though it’s kinda ironic that Lovato would decry a lack of substance in the world while choosing to align herself with a platform that pushes misinformation…

‘EAT ME’ is vicious and ragged, with Royal and the Serpent’s Ryan Santiago providing the sickly-sweet yin to Lovato’s raspy yang. It wouldn’t have looked too out of place on Poppy’s I Disagree, at the same time maintaining a Muse-like grind. The title track has a slinky groove and dirty, filthy bass akin to The Pretty Reckless, with riffs like flames licking at the walls and Lovato revelling in the leather-clad melodrama. Standout ‘BONES’ has ‘Trouble’s Coming’-era Royal Blood in its blood, an underrated cut of salacious disco punk that has the singer wanting to jump a lover’s bones (natch).

HOLY FVCK is as preoccupied with the sexual as it is the sacramental, Lovato making her desires known while burning down the toxic purity cult that Disney kept her imprisoned in for so many years.

‘HEAVEN’ is a dizzy, wailing ode to self-love channelling Marilyn Manson’s ‘Beautiful People,’ with Lovato trying to reconcile the deeply-held Catholic beliefs of their family with masturbation, inspired by Matthew 5:30 (‘If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off, because it’s better to lose one part of your body than your entire body to hell’). She plans on christening every square inch of LA in every position possible on SUM 41-style filthfest, ‘CITY OF ANGELS.’

’29,’ however, is a much, much darker.

‘Thought it was a teenage dream, just a fantasy/But was it yours or was it mine?’ Lovato spits back, allegedly at their ex, Wilmer Valderrama, a grimy, gasoline rainbow of a rock banger that’s since become an empowering catch-cry for hundreds of women on TikTok who’ve also been preyed on by older men. The singer doesn’t hold back, offering up skin-crawling lines such as ‘Just five years a bleeder, student and a teacher/Far from innocent, what the fuck's consent?’ But it’s definitely among the most cathartic of HOLY FVCK’s tracks, its chorus thrashing like a wild animal that’s burst out of its cage.

The crux of the album, though, lies with ‘HAPPY ENDING.’

‘Am I gonna die trying to find my happy ending?’ Lovato wonders, ‘And will I ever know what it's like.’ It paints a brutal portrait of the realities of addiction, never truly free of her demons. It also has a lot in common with her 2018 track, ‘Sober,’ released after suffering a relapse, but this time, Lovato seeks to turn hopelessness into something hopeful. ‘The feeling I hope that people take away from listening to this song is that I hope they don’t feel alone,’ she told fans via her website. ‘In this song, it’s talking about feeling so hopeless but I want my fans to know they’re never alone and someone has felt this way before and made it out of it.’

Then we reach the halfway mark, and the album’s tension begins to wane, Lovato soon retreating into the inoffensive Disney pop rock of years past (bar ‘DEAD FRIENDS,’ of course). The scuzzy sleaze rock of ‘HELP ME’ (featuring Emily Armstrong of LA rock trio Dead Sara), however, is a bright spot, taunting and swaggering back at the listener ‘thanks for your useless information’ and shoving their pointless opinions back in their faces.

If you’re gonna go full rock and metal, complete with the metal-style V in the album title and the bondage and crucifix imagery to match, then commit. Why hold a ‘funeral’ for your pop music if you’re just gonna end up getting cold feet halfway through and end up resurrecting its corpse?

HOLY FVCK is a long overdue burst of anger from Lovato. Rather than wallow in her pain, she revels in it, entices it and grabs it by the fucking throat – at least for the first half of the record.

It could also do with a little subtlety: For every stark confession, there’s a cliched platitude or goofy lyric. Lovato’s boasts of being ‘ungodly but heaven-sent' can also come off as trying too hard at times.

Still, ‘[y]ou can’t have light without dark,’ Lovato recently told the LA Times. ‘The dichotomy was really important to me, and I had to take my anger out of the shadows in order to heal. I am owning my dark side, and it doesn’t have to take me down.’

And by doing so, she’s never sounded better. Hopefully Lovato keeps fvcking things up like this…

- Bianca B.

#music #demi lovato #holy fvck #new #reviews #albums #Bianca B

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beybladefanboy · 3 years ago

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He's... So cute 😊

drawing @ 1am oh yeah woo yeah

#beyblade #beyblade metal fight #beyblade metal saga #metal fury #king #king beyblade #metal fury is underrated

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sky-of-dusk · 5 years ago

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Ginga: an underrated character?

I saw again someone describe Ginga as "the idiot one who loves burgers". It makes me so annoyed ! I don't tell you to like him, but look at him like he is and stop talking him down by summing him up at two or three details.

First, he saves the world four times from the beginning of Fusion until the end of Fury.

Let's go back at the beginning of the first season. Ginga believed for MONTHS his father died before his eyes. Many people seemed to forget this traumatism... It's not because it was no true in the end that it erase everything Ginga felt and lived. He. Believed. His. Father. Was. Dead. For. MONTHS. Right in front of him. The happy-go-lucky Ginga has one of the darkest past of all the Beyblade World (I tell on purpose Beyblade and not MFB). He traveled alone for months to fight alone an organization able to (literally) kill people and a power so evil it was imprisonned for centuries. Ginga believes it was his duty (well, a big weight for someone so young...). He doesn't even whine or complain. He goes on like it's perfectly normal.

Plus, consider the guilt he feels. He doesn't success to do anything to save his father. A weight that combines at the others.

Despite all of this, Ginga still finds time to help people he meets (cf. Kenta vs Face Hunter). His words when he faces Kyouya, at his come back from the Wolf Canyon, are full of empathy and comprehension. He sees the sadness of Leone.

Plus, Ginga is kind of great to judge the other characters. Right after meeting Kyouya, he declares that he had potential as a blader. He doesn't bear grudge against Kyouya and Benkei despite the Face Hunter thing (and the Wolf Canyon thing for the first one, later) and accept them in his group. He holds a hand to Yuu, Helios, Aguma, Bao and Chris, while they were in the other side. Because he could tell (he was even SURE) they weren't bad people. Ginga saved Ryuuga's life despite the anger and hatred he feels first, because of his father's "death" then because Kyouya's wound. Because he sees his acts were, in part, because of the Dark Power.

But Ginga doesn't try to reach every person he meets. He doesn't hold a hand to Reiji, Busujima, Damian, Pluto, Johannes and Ragou. He knows it would be useless.

And the way he accepts the others, with their personalities, is quite impressive. He doesn't try to change them or to force them to see the world as he sees it (he only talks to them about the Blader Spirit... because they already have one). For example, in the 105th episode, in Fury: "I can tell you I know more about him than anyone. He certainly have a self-centered , no doubt about it, in here he's filled with a heated Bey Spirit just like the rest of us". The French Version: "It's true he has an egoistic and hard side, I can acknowledge it, but in here he has a true Blader Spirit like the rest of us".

Ginga is the one who allows other characters to evolve. Kyouya was only a little gang leader when they first met (and he hadn't a tenth of the strenght he possesses after deciding he's Ginga's rival). And he would still be without Ginga (or, bored, he would have leave). Benkei too. Kenta wouldn't be able to stand up to others (and, let alone, to follow Ryuuga around). Yuu would still be at Dark Nebula's mercy. Teru wouldn't have found the Beyblade as a new passion. Etc.

(Well, none of the character would have these problems for long since the world would be destroy by the Dark Power without Ginga...)

And, like someone else point it out, Ginga is also smart in Beybattle. Without any help, he finds how to conquer Leone's tornado only by seeing his scarf sweeping away in the wind. He also locates the true Aquario in the midst of its illusions by using the sun's reflection on the metal. He found the time to think about that kind of details in the heart of a battle.

BONUS

About his love for burgers... So what? As if many people don't have any favorite food they could eat almost every day, without tiring of it... He is allowed to act as a kid now and again, isn't he? (plus, Koma is kind of a godforsaken place... burgers are surely a new discovery for him...)

#beyblade #beyblade metal fight #metal fight beyblade #mfb #ginga hagane #gingka hagane #ginga character analysis #mfb character analysis

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beybladefanboy · 3 years ago

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My trans ass headcanoning Kyoya as trans and favouring Fury:

For people who want a visual:

If metal fury “bad”, then why Kyoya wearing binder?

#beyblade #beyblade metal fight #beyblade metal saga #kyoya tategami #metal fury #beyblade metal fury #metal fury is underrated #trans headcanons #trans ftm #it really does look like a binder

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metalsongoftheday · 4 years ago

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youtube

Thursday, September 10: Riot, “Fight or Fall”

After the highly underrated Born in America went nowhere, Mark Reale decamped to San Antonio, laid low for a couple years and then rebuilt Riot from the ground up, moving away entirely from the NYC shoot-‘em-up hard rock of the band’s first several records and towards power metal. And “Fight or Fall” epitomized Thundersteel’s “bulldoze first and ask questions later” approach, steamrolling over everything in its path thanks to Reale’s newfound penchant for shredding, Tony Moore’s helium yelping and, arguably most crucial, Bobby Jarzombek’s relentless drumming. This was the first time many had heard Jarzombek, who would eventually become one of metal’s most in-demand percussionists. Bassist Don Van Stavern wrote “Fight or Fall”, making this a true band effort, so everyone was on fire. And the tune pummeled with a fury far beyond anything Reale had done up to that point, and indeed Riot would never again release anything this frantic, even as they committed to power metal on subsequent records.

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beybladefanboy · 2 years ago

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A brief(ish) review of every Beyblade Metal Fury episode

Well, this was a long time coming. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not put this off or abandon this rewatch because I dislike Fury. Not at all. Fury is actually my favourite of the three seasons. The reason I stopped this rewatch was two main factors: 1: it was around this time that I got really sucked into Yugioh VRAINS and with how chaotic my life had been during that time, I decided I would rather spend my free time watching new content than rewatch a show I’d rewatched many times at that point. And 2: I didn’t want to rewatch Ryuga’s death. Yeah… I mean I’m not gonna lie about it.

So after a certain episode, which I will say, the reviews are mostly from memory/rewatching specified scenes/skimming the YouTube uploads and episode descriptions. (Most of these however were written at the time I finished rewatching each episode.) Trust me that I’ve seen this show enough for me to be able to do that and I just didn’t have the time to rewatch all these episodes. However, it bothered me leaving this incomplete so today, I had some time and was thinking of Beyblade so I figured I could finally do it. Now, without further ado, my at first brief, but later not so brief at all because I have so many thoughts on and defenses of Fury, reviews of every Fury episode.

Episode 1: Star Fragment 8.5/10

The best first episode of a season. I love Kyoya and Gingka’s battles in general and seeing them go all out against each other, using the environment itself as weapons against each other is really damn fun. It also sets up the star fragment thing beautifully, instantly showing off their power and hinting at the greater story very early.

Episode 2: Legendary Bladers 7/10

A lot of this episode is exposition but it’s at least interesting. I can’t get over the fact that Beyblade took a real life end of the world prediction and made it part of their plot. The battle portion of this episode is also fine. I can’t tell if I like or hate Johannes based on this episode.

Episode 3: Lynx, The Monster Cat 8/10

Okay, I like Johannes now. He’s funny. And he miraculously gave Gingka a good fight, establishing him early on as a competent blader. Still a little silly that Gingka followed Johannes to a place where he should’ve known his bey would’ve been weaker though.

Episode 4: L-Drago Destructor 8.5/10

I don’t really have much to say on this episode outside of “I like it.” I like the scenes of them play-battling with the little kid, it’s the most light-hearted the show has been in a while, and I love Ryuga so obviously I love his presence in this episode.

Episode 5: Awaken, Anubius! 9.5/10

Ryuga slays three fools in a row and roasts people non-stop in this episode. Well, Yuki’s not a fool, he’s kind of a boss actually: shedding his anxious demeanour in a fit of rage to stand up for his friends. These characters are both amazing, they really shine in this episode.

Episode 6: Requirements of a Warrior 9/10

Having Gingka, Kyoya, and Yuki acknowledge that they need to actually master their beys and working to do so is really good and needed to be brought up. Also, that fire escape scene is really intense. The idea of being trapped in a fire really freaks me out so this could just be a me thing but it’s legitimately a well crafted scene. And Yuki, Kyoya, and Gingka fighting a volcano is the silly yet epic fun I expect from this show.

Episode 7: Kenta’s Determination 7/10

Oh boy, this episode. I both love and hate this episode. Well, not hate. I hate one scene of it that lasts a minute and really doesn’t affect the episode. The stalking though… I don’t know, it could just be me but it bugs me. Not as much as it used to, I’m willing to give this episode a fair score because it is really cute. Ryuga is a boss like usual and he shows a hint of his softer side for the first time in his scenes with Kenta. It’s pretty subtle, and easy to miss if you don’t know Ryuga all that well, which I like. This episode trusts that the audience knows Ryuga well enough at this point to know that him waiting on Kenta in the desert and later giving him food and letting him stick with him isn’t something he would do for just anyone. They’re small hints, which is all they needed to be, and they make the second half of this episode for me. It’s honestly one of my favourites to talk about and analyse, even if I feel that there are some… unwanted implications.

Episode 8: The Crimson Flash 7.5/10

The first half of the episode is pretty typical but still fun. Then we get to the second half and the moment they said that someone challenged the entire school to a battle, I was already dying of laughter and the rest of this episode straight up killed me. Johannes is so funny, I can’t take it.

Episode 9: The Greatest Tag-Team Tournament 9/10

The first half of this episode had me cry-laughing, between Johannes’s utter ridiculousness and the absurdity of some of these other opponents. Then the second half of this episode is Yuki depicting an accurate representation of one of my anxiety episodes which makes me instinctively want to shield him from all harm. Great episode overall.

Episode 10: A New Roar! 8/10

I love Kyoya, and this is a Kyoya episode. A Kyoya episode where he slays a fool and creates a new special move. His opponent is Johannes, who I've grown to love on this rewatch and find to be really entertaining. So why didn’t I give this episode a higher rating? Easy: the Motti stuff makes me uncomfortable. Johannes snapping at her and knocking both her and Benkei out (in the most cat-like way he could) was a good pay-off but that entire stretch of them kinda sexualizing (or at least romanticising) this underaged girl was really uncomfortable. It wasn’t as bad as I remembered (for some reason I remembered Johannes acting creepy during this and was exceedingly relieved and glad that he actually didn’t), but it does detract from an otherwise great episode.

Episode 11: Cosmic Tornado 8/10

This episode is ten times worse than the Gingka vs Ryuga Fusion battle for people with a fear of heights (me). At least in that one you could see the bottom. This is a bottomless pit full of mist that two teenagers are constantly dangling over. Like jeez, do you wanna give me a heart attack?!

Other than that, it’s fine, I like most of the characters and the ending is chilling but man does this episode give me anxiety.

Episode 12: The God of Saturn, Kronos 8.5/10

The title of this episode is so dumb, but the episode itself is good. The Beylin Fist are an interesting group and this battle is so back and forth I genuinely wasn’t sure who would win. Cool ass episode.

Episode 13: Showdown at the Tower of Babel 10/10

Ryuga, Kenta, and Tsubasa all in one episode battling in and eventually destroying a historical building? This should be my favourite episode ever! :D And I do love it, definitely the most out of the Fury episodes so far. It’s got a hint of Johannes toward the beginning, a nice treat, shows that Kenta has already grown a ton since he started following Ryuga (despite his loss he still gave Tsubasa a hard fight), has Tsubasa as basically the main character we follow throughout the tower, and has Ryuga make a new ultimate move, kick Tsubasa’s ass, and knock over the Tower of Babel (the symbol of humanity’s arrogance and pride from what I understand) like the total badass he is. I love everything about this episode.

Episode 14: New Team Dungeon! 7.5/10

The opening of this episode is a bit spooky. I forgot how much of a cult the followers of Nemesis really are. I actually 100% see how these characters fell for this stuff. “The world is a constant cycle of destruction and rebirth, only through great darkness will a new dawn occur.” Does actually sound legit. Villains are far scarier to me when you can see their reasoning and how people can fall prey to it…

The rest of this episode is mainly set up and exposition but it’s interesting stuff that brings Masamune, Toby, Zeo, and Tsubasa into the main plot, giving Toby and Zeo new beys, and even giving Team Excalibur a bit of screen time. Good stuff.

Episode 15: Destroyer Dome 8/10

This is my favourite stadium in all of Beyblade. That seems like a weird thing to draw attention to, but the Destroyer Dome itself is so damn cool. The way the beys circle around the whole thing like comets, sticking to the ceiling and walls and looping around in every possible direction. It’s a stadium Captain Capri would’ve loved- OH MY GOD THEY BROUGHT HIM BACK JUST TO BATTLE IN THIS COOL ASS STADIUM?! HELL YEAH! I love this episode.

I do have one major gripe with this episode though: the Garcias faking a fight was… well, kind of a waste of both time and potential. It would’ve been so much more interesting both as a story and for them as characters if the fighting was genuine.

Episode 16: The New Striker is Complete! 8.5/10

JACK MY BELOVED MAKES A CAMEO! AND KING THE FUNNY ADORABLE LITTLE SHIT IS INTRODUCED. OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!

Oh yeah and the Russian team and Masamune and some other people are there I guess. It’s a fun battle royale. I really like the part where Lera reveals she has a special move and it makes Jigsaw visible again. Good stuff, even if it ends too quickly.

Episode 17: I Am the Champion! 9.5/10

DESTROYER DOME AT NIGHT, DESTROYER DOME AT NIGHT, DESTROYER DOME AT NIGHT, OH MY GOD IT’S SO PRETTY. THE BEYS LOOK LIKE FIREWORKS AS THEY CLASH OH MY GOD-

Also, the destroyer dome becomes a giant hamster ball and King and Masamune run with it like they’re on a treadmill. I dunno how the others got out when it was made clear by Blader DJ last episode that there’s no way to get out of the stadium once you get in but it’s cool so I’ll let it pass. But yeah anyways, King’s backstory gives him an honestly really uplifting reason that he’s so arrogant and reckless, which does lower the annoyingness of his previous and future actions a lot. He’s excited to be battling and not thinking of anything else in that excitement. He acknowledges that Masamune is someone he can use his full strength against and he respects him as an opponent. It’s nice and very sweet and all that mushy stuff. I love it.

Episode 18: The Maze of Mist Mountain 7/10

Half of this episode is just the main characters, and returning side characters Nile and Demure (nice to see them again) wandering around some mist. … okay then. The other half is a decent battle between Gingka and Ryuto. It’s a decent introduction to this story arc. I like the new character, Ryuto, even if he doesn’t really add much.

Episode 19: The Lion’s Pride 9/10

The travelling segments of this one are a lot more interesting than last time, being more than the characters just wandering around in some mist. And the battle portion is just really damn good. Team Wild Fang is back! Heck yeah! And Kyoya vs Aguma is a constant explosion match (both literally and figuratively) and Nile, Demure, and Benkei taking on Johannes, Bao, and the Beylin Fist bladers is also a fun side battle.

Also, while I was disappointed with how this character arc was resolved and the way it starts is a little weird (I’ll get to that later), it was still a really interesting idea to have Kyoya basing his self-worth on his independence, and seeing it as a weakness to rely on others. It’s a very toxic mindset that fits his character and would’ve been great had it been properly addressed. But I’ll get to that when I get to that.

Episode 20: Guardian of the Temple, Dynamis 8/10

Dynamis has probably the best introduction out of all the legendary bladers. All the others just kinda walk in like “hey I’m so and so and this is my goal.” Dynamis though? He speaks to the group when they’re lost in the mist as if he’s speaking from the sky like a god or something, then when they finally get into his temple he challenges them to a battle, smirking like a sassy little shit as he wins. Also, he literally can hear the stars talk, I forgot this detail. My point is Dynamis is hecking cool.

Episode 21: The Legend of Nemesis’ Revival 8/10

Gingka vs Dynamis is a good battle but then it gets cut off without an outcome and then the rest of this episode is exposition. Out of all the exposition dump episodes in this show, I do think this one is the best as it’s the most interesting and action-packed but there is too much information in this spiel. If there’s any part of Fury that I can agree is rushed, it’s this. I wish the exposition in this episode had been shortened and maybe some of it spread out to other episodes so it’s not all dumped on the audience at once. The main things we really needed going forward from this episode was the origin of Nemesis, the way they were defeated long ago, and the fact one of the remaining legendary bladers is the Venus blader with a Quetzalcoatl.

So while this episode wasn’t the best way to convey most of its information, it’s still interesting and important information for the story, which I do think is a good story. So I’m giving this episode a somewhat higher score than what it probably deserves. I just enjoy Fury’s lore and Dynamis and the commentary on humanity and its history that much. I can see how this episode could bore and there were times the over-explaining bogged me down while watching but overall it was still a delight.

Episode 22: The Four Season Bladers 8.5/10

Okay, this exposition is a lot simpler and easier to follow. It takes up far less of the episode and cuts to the chase much quicker. Then the rest of this episode is the craziest battle royale of the entire show so far, ending when Kyoya reaches his breaking point which has been building over the past few episodes. He allowed what may have been just a small feeling at first to fester on the inside since he refused to tell anyone what he was going through until he eventually just snapped, which is pretty relatable to me personally. Kyoya’s arc in these episodes is well done. I understand the criticism that it’s strange he took Aguma’s words to heart so much when Kyoya doesn’t really know him and normally wouldn’t care about taunts like that. I want to argue it wasn’t specifically Aguma, or even what he said, it was Kyoya’s own internal realisation that he wasn’t living up to his own standards of strength. He internalised the idea that relying on others was showing weakness, an idea he carried yet simultaneously seemed to have been contradicting even before the start of the show. That kind of life shattering realisation is going to cause a huge reaction, no matter what prompted it. If Kyoya’s character arc this season had been resolved better (which again I’ll get to), it would be one of my favourite arcs of the show. I cannot stress enough how good of a setup this really was and how much potential this had.

Episode 23: The Battle of Beyster Island 8.5/10

“tHaT gUy lOoKs iNtErEsTiNg.”

I love King, oh my god. He is so freaking excited and happy to be battling that even when Aguma reveals a move that could defeat him, King just goes “that is so awesome!” I love his energy so much, he’s basically an excited fanboy and I love it. This episode was fun overall but King is the one who shines the brightest in my opinion.

Episode 24: Two Big, Fierce Battles! 9.5/10

I can totally understand how the back and forth switching between two unrelated battles might be off-putting… but I don’t have that issue. I love all these characters. I love seeing Kenta’s growth and Gingka acknowledging him. I love getting more of those subtle hints that Ryuga has grown to care about Kenta, and of course, the banter between Ryuga and King. There’s a reason I created a ship between these two. Even though they only met once in this battle, King not knowing who he is and just being excited to battle a strong opponent and Ryuga being confused/annoyed with him is really fun. Kenta and Gingka’s battle is definitely the more plot relevant one (and oh my gosh I love that scene on the beach) while Ryuga vs King could definitely be called fan service, but it’s great fan service that fits right in perfectly dammit! It’s something kid-me wanted to see ever since King’s reverse rotation was introduced and it’s great!

Episode 25: The Unseen Opponent 7.5/10

Chris’s introduction episode. It still annoys me how insistent the characters are that Masamune has to be the Legendary Blader and ignore Chris entirely and Chris’s bey’s physics are impossible but the battle in this episode is still good. And my god do I love Chris. He’s already a huge mood with the way he talks about his job. “I’ve dealt with much worse than this!” “If I lose, I will not be able to survive in this world!”

Episode 26: Orion’s Whereabouts 8.5/10

This episode is so chaotic, I love it. Everyone is just in a mosh pit of madness, with King defending his friend, Gingka trying to get him to chill, Chris instantly sucking up to his new boss, Ryuga showing up to wreak havoc, it’s all so damn fun. Stand out moments from this episode definitely include Kenta hugging the evil out of Ryuga, King cheering Masamune up, and that chilling ending. It’s great fun, and could be the last really fun episode of Fury as soon we get into the emotionally intense stuff…

Episode 27: The Lion in the Wilderness 7/10

Yu is such a brat but in a charming way. I can’t stay mad at the little guy, especially when he’s the one to call out Kyoya for not knowing shit about lions. Haha if only that weren’t the closest thing to resolving this character arc. Overall, fine episode. I like Tithi just fine and Kyoya and Yu are at least funny. Next episode though…

Episode 28: The God of Venus: Quetzalcoatl! 5/10

Yu and Tithi’s battle is pretty fun, it’s a good official introduction to Tithi. The first half of this episode is fine, fairly enjoyable if a bit standard. The second half though… ugh. I wrote a whole fanfiction rewriting this which… should explain how I feel about it. What Kyoya does here feels so out of character at this point and even if it’s not, it’s just irritating and the destiny moral is really fumbled here. Every other episode says the choices of the legendary bladers will decide the fate of the world and the narrative of this very episode even supports that: Kyoya chose to leave the heroes and then chose to return. Destiny didn’t actually force him to do anything. Kyoya just claims it’s his destiny out of nowhere. It fumbles the “destiny is a choice” idea and feels like an excuse to get him to return quickly without acknowledging the reason he left in the first place. Yu saying lions hunt in groups isn’t good enough because Kyoya doesn’t even acknowledge that or think about it… at all. So yeah it’s lazy writing and really disappointing considering how much potential Kyoya’s arc had. The final scene is pretty cool though, good setup for the next episode.

Episode 29: The God of Destruction’s Revival! 10/10

(This is the point where I start reviewing the episodes based on memory/episode descriptions.)

I’ll be honest, most of the episodes that were originally two 11 minute episodes flow pretty seamlessly as one put together episode. This is the only one where I can tell this was originally two episodes, as the two halves follow two completely different sets of characters. The first half is the revival of Nemesis, a chilling, tense spectacle, while the first half almost exclusively, and a little out of nowhere, is a battle between Kenta and Ryuga. That being said, while I definitely prefer the second half, both halves are fantastic. A little odd when put together, but tonally they mesh well enough and I love how much Kenta has grown in this episode and his plan to beat Ryuga is so good that even though I knew it wouldn’t work, I see how it could have worked. Plus, y’all know I love their friendship, it’s just so damn wholesome, I can’t-

Episode 30: The Child of Nemesis 7/10

Hello, obviously Doji in a top hat and trench coat. Why are you here exactly? Yeah I know his first appearance was in the last episode but I have less to say about this episode than I did that one so I’m gonna talk about the Doji thing here. Bringing Doji back was almost completely unnecessary and weird but honestly, after seeing how much more poor and ill-fitting his presence in Shogun Steel was, his appearance in Fury feels pretty inoffensive and just… whatever. He’s pointless but not unbearable.

Otherwise, cool ass raid episode, I like evil Dynamis and Kyoya showing up at the end. Nothing else really sticks out about this episode but it’s not bad. It’s just… not one that I can instantly point to and go “ah yes, the episode where this happened!” The main battle is Gingka vs Evil Dynamis. We’ve already seen Gingka vs Dynamis and they don’t even get to finish their battle. The episode is still fun but… feels like it could’ve been trimmed back to tighten the pacing.

Episode 31: Four Hearts 8/10

Okay, this episode is much more memorable. Kyoya vs Dynamis and Aguma vs Tithi are both fun battles (even if I don’t get why the Planet bladers were descendants rather than reincarnations when the latter makes way more sense with what’s presented in this episode, is that just a dub thing?) and the bulk of Gingka vs Chris actually happens in this episode. I could’ve sworn that happened in its own episode but… yeah this episode and the previous and following one kind of blend together in my mind because all of them take place in this temple and flow directly into each other. That’s not a knock against the episodes, it’s just how my memory works. This one moves the plot along more than the last one and I love Chris so most of the episode being focused on his battle with Gingka is good in my books.

Episode 32: Come Together, Legendary Bladers! 9/10

Also known as the episode where Ryuga fucks everything up. And every battle from the last episode also ends. A lot of Ls were taken in this episode. By the characters, the episode itself is damn fun. This episode also has two halves that feel a bit pasted together, with the first half focusing on the fallout of the three battles and the second half being the part everyone remembers where all the Legendary Bladers attempt to join together only for the aforementioned Ryuga hecking up everything but these halves mesh much better as it focuses on all the same characters as the first half so there’s no random sudden shift in focus, it’s just the next logical event in the plot.

This episode also features the scene where King and Masamune pose like magical girls. I’m just bringing that up because it’s cute not because it’s relevant.

Episode 33: Diablo Nemesis 8.5/10

The temple getting wrecked took up more time than I remembered but oh well, the first half of this episode is a good display of Rago’s power and while the second half is tonally different, it’s the most logical direction for the plot to go. Plus it’s a nice chance to see the Legendary Bladers interact, in some cases meet, in a way that’s more low-key. As much as I love Fury, I do wish it had more scenes like that, more chances for the characters to just breathe or establish bonds.

Episode 34: To The Final Battle Ground 7.5/10

So for some reason, the official source for Beyblade on YouTube incorrectly titled this and the next episode and also put them out of order. Episode 136 is titled “To The Final Battle Ground” and has that episode’s description but the episode is actually “Episode 137 The Lost Kingdom” and vice versa for the next episode. While I’m not fully rewatching these last eleven episodes due to time constraints, I did check my DVD for Metal Fury (which is an official release) and it didn’t make that mistake, the episodes are titled correctly and in the correct order so this was a mistake the YouTube channel made and I don’t know why it happened or why they haven’t fixed it even 7 years later. For anyone watching Fury, be sure to get the correct order! The show didn’t skip over Aguma’s redemption, the channel just put the episodes in the wrong order!

Anyways, the episode itself. Yeah, it has Aguma’s big redemption moment and… I actually do think it works pretty well. It’s nothing super deep, but he comes to the logical conclusion that saving the world comes before the Beylin Fist’s feud with Beylin and shows his commitment to the group by helping them fight off Johannes and his goons and save their helicopter. The rest of this episode before the battle is just the characters training to prepare for the final confrontation as they don’t know the whereabouts of Nemesis before they get a clue to said whereabouts and decide to go there. Not the most eventful episode but it works well enough. Besides… the next episode is… more eventful to say the least.

Episode 35: The Lost Kingdom 8.5/10

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to have pure pain directly injected into your heart? I don’t have to, I watched this episode.

Try as I might, I cannot get through this episode, or the following one, without crying. Some movies or shows that try to depict a character fighting to their very last breath with every ounce of their strength before ultimately fighting to their last breath, cannot convince me that the character gave it their all. This is not one of those moments. This battle is as long as it needs to be and every moment is there to further the struggle, the slow fall of the once invincible-seeming Dragon Emperor, and I feel every bit of it. It’s the reason I… couldn’t bring myself to rewatch these episodes again at the point in my life I was at when this rewatch occurred. I was already getting my heart violently ripped out by a new show (and general life events that I won’t go into) and didn’t want my comfort show also causing me pain. So while this episode is great, phenomenal even, it’s… the second hardest episode for me to revisit. Entrusted Emotions only barely edges it out because that episode literally traumatised me to the point of developing a phobia. This one… is just a really sad episode that I always grab tissues before.

Doji’s also in this episode and while I don’t feel like his presence in this season was necessary (and in retrospect, it may have just been there to set up Shogun Steel, which I overall didn’t care for), I will say having him specifically there to mock and enrage Ryuga makes it more painful, at least to me.

Episode 36: The Missing Star of the Four Seasons 10/10

Most of the episode, after the gang reacts to the death of Ryuga which is… also… really damn painful… is them struggling against Nemesis, unable to form the barrier to seal him away due to the passing of Ryuga and… yeah it captures that struggle well. The weight of the world is on the group’s shoulders and it is a hopeless impossible battle and you can feel that in the way they get knocked around despite their teamwork and despite them fighting at their hardest. Maybe it goes on a little too long but this is essentially the final battle and the feels are all there throughout and… the scene everyone remembers from this episode…

I did rewatch that scene (and a couple other scenes in the next episode), and my god is it still just as impactful all this time later. The build up, the atmosphere, the feels, the ANIMATION, holy fuck the animation. And the sound design, Ryuga’s harsh breathing, those final words. I don’t even know what to say, this moment is just phenomenal, my favourite in the entire series without question. Really, when I put Flash Sagittario in my top five Fury episodes all that time ago, it included this episode. Both are such a tense fantastic emotional spectacle that flow into each other beautifully.

Episode 37: Flash Sagittario 10/10

Everything I said about last episode applies to this episode, only now the tides have turned in the heroes’ favour with Kenta’s evolution into a legendary blader, with his new Flash Sagittario, which the episode shows off very well. That moment where he defeats Pluto with Diving Arrow gives me all the feels. If I have one gripe in this episode, it’s that there are more flashback sequences than they probably needed but it’s a final battle and the flashbacks don’t take away from or affect the pacing in any major way for me.

Episode 38: Hades’ Persistence 7/10

Oh, right, the last two episodes weren't the final battle. Honestly, could’ve fooled me, with a proper epilogue afterwards, that battle would’ve worked perfectly as the final battle, it shows the Legendary Bladers all working together and while it excludes a few older characters, the setup is cool and unique and fits the teamwork themes even better than Masters’ ending did and the battle itself is entertaining enough for me to forgive its shortcomings.

This… is just the fate of the world coming down to Gingka again. And everyone giving him their power. Again. Fusion did this first and did this better. Because that coming down to Gingka made sense, he was the one with the greatest connection to the villain, Fusion was very much his story and while he’s still the protagonist, he isn’t more important than anyone else in Masters’ final battle of the previous battle of Fury. This… ruins that, it feels really generic and phoned in. It’s not bad though, I do love Kyoya’s speech to Gingka before he and the others give Gingka their power. That does bring everything together really well and makes this otherwise pointless battle more forgivable for me. It’s a slip up for sure but it’s still entertaining.

Episode 39: A Ray of Hope 8/10

“Every bey has a Star Fragment in it so we can all contribute”… okay…? Well, that’s not incorrect or anything, it does fit the lore of the series and brings everyone together for the final climax in a way that episodes 36 and 37 didn’t but… eh, this never did much for me.

Now the epilogue post battle though? That’s some nice stuff. The gang have been through hell but now that it’s over, they pick themselves back up and start to heal. Enough so that Gingka and Kyoya are even willing to have a battle, a no stakes fun battle to see who the true victor between them is, just like old times. A great final note to a great show.

#beyblade #beyblade metal fight #beyblade metal saga #beyblade metal fury #metal fury #metal fury is underrated

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