#not exactly cyrano

[destinationtoast]

It's finished!! Only 1 year, 2 months, and 2 days after I started. XD And there are some new sex & kink tags:

Rating: Explicit

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M, Multi, F/M

Relationships: Keeley Jones/Roy Kent/Jamie Tartt

Characters: Jamie Tartt, Roy Kent, Keeley Jones, Rebecca Welton, Leslie Higgins, Shandy Fine, Trent Crimm, AFC Richmond Players (Ted Lasso)

Additional Tags: Humor, Pining, Letters, Impersonation, Jamie ships Roy and Keeley, but is also very into shagging Roy, while they're both pining after Keeley, what on earth could the solution be?, thinking.gif, Polyamory (eventually), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Relationship Negotiation, Polyamory Negotiations, Threesome - F/M/M, Dom/sub, Praise Kink, Orgasm Delay

Words: 31,206

Summary:

“Why won’t you just talk to Keeley and try to fix things?” Jamie asks after sucking Roy’s cock.

Jamie hatches a mad letter-writing scheme to get Roy and Keeley back together. Which is a bit of a shame, because he's really enjoying shagging Roy. (Canon divergent as of mid-S3.)

read it on AO3

[heretherebedork]

Oh no, he's Cyrano de Begerac. Yang is Cyrano de Bergerac! Oh no. On the other hand, holy shit, he's Cyrano de Bergerac! Using his words in someone's mouth to help the person he loves seduce someone else. Okay, not exactly Cyrano but close enough that I choose to accept this and also to embrace the queering of the Cyrano tale by having him be in love with the courter not the courted.

[obeetlebeetle]

guy who is handling rejection extremely well. especially considering he has not actually been rejected.

[psn-stalling]

By "handled" do you mean harassing her and cheating? Because that's what it sounds like.

No.

Quite the opposite really. What kind of tour guide would I be if I was mean to her straight off the bat?

Not at all!!

In front of Cyrano? Who do you take me for?

[longagoitwastuesday]

I'm loving how, being stagings of the play and not reinterpretations, many productions are able to add some characteristic creative twist to it that adds or enhances something in particular

[lunar-years]

What do you think is the most character accurate fic you've ever read??

Ever read? That's an impossible question lmao. I have been reading fanfics since i was twelve. I have read fanfics I don't even remember 🫡

Obviously it's a subjective question to begin with but part of the fun of fanfic to me is exploring different avenues for characters according to different author's preferences and putting blorbos into incredibly un-canon Situations. But in a lot of those settings what is "in-character" is even more thrown asunder because it's so far removed from anything that would even remotely happen in canon.

I guess what I mean by that is a lot of the fics I read and love don't necessarily align with my personal ideas of/headcanons for a character, yet still remain "character accurate" in my esteem, if you will (I'm thinking, for example, of that one Gay!Roy fic which is EXCELLENT and incredibly in-character imo and yet I still don't personally think Roy The Character is gay. But even though that's generally not how I think of his sexuality I still liked exploring that alternative verse and still recognized that story's Roy as Roy. Does that make sense?)

ANYWAY. going to veer off the specific question and instead just list some miscellaneous recent(ish) favs (or at least ones I think were published after I made my last rec list):

Paperwork by @pghumfort (Roy/Jamie)

Tits Out! also by @pghumfort (Jamie/Keeley)

if anything could fall (it's the world that falls away from me) by scarlettroses (Roy/Jamie)

i came prepared for absolution (if you'd only ask) by scarlettroses (pre-relationship Roy/Jamie); I've definitely recommended this one before but it's SO good on character exploration, especially for Roy. really really complex and meaningful look into his brain. I love it.

I should know (what turns you on) by Dancey96 (Roy/Jamie/Keeley)

It's Fine With Me (if you wanna stay the night) by @shortcuts-make-long-delays (pre-relationship Roy/Jamie/Keeley)

screaming crying throwing up by @morethanslightly (Roy/Jamie/Keeley)

that four letter word by @izzyspussy (Roy/Jamie)

5 Times Phoebe Meddled in Uncle Roy's Love Life... by darkesky

An Invitation by Laurasaurus (Roy/Jamie, Roy/Jamie/Keeley, Roy/Keeley)

Not exactly Cyrano by @destinationtoast (Roy/Jamie/Keeley); I may have recommended this before but now it's finished!! go back and re-read it if you haven't finished it yet...it's so worth it!

Also the Gay Roy one I referenced earlier is so afraid that time will take it all from me by LikeAMovieIOnceSaw. Really such a lovely fic 💕

as always please read the tags and story descriptions and ratings before diving in to make sure they are right for you and your needs etc.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Hi there! So i hope you dont mind me requesting the BB league elite four members + Kieran with a disabled reader who used to be a former BB league elite four member themself (Romantic for Drayton and platonic for the others)

So basically, the reader used to be the fifth ranked member of BB league elite four but after Kieran became the BB league champion, they lost their rank to Crispin and now is the sixth ranked member. Though, they dont have any hard feelings and still see the elite four members as their friends

the reader had an accident when they were younger and now uses a wheelchair to move around. They have a gardevoir who they raised since she was a ralts and now helps her trainer with stuff (so maybe there’s something the reader needs but it’s on the top shelf, Gardevoir will then just use psychic and bring it down for them or maybe the reader wanted to try walking with a cane, if the reader fall, Gardevoir will catch them with psychic) and a Hisuian Braviary to help them get to places in the terrarium (if some hisuian pokemon still exist in this generation, who’s to say that Hisuian Braviary still exist as well)

With permission from the director, Gardevoir was allowed out of her ball to help the reader which then leads to a misconception where people think the reader is a psychic type trainer due to Gardevoir and Hisuian Braviary, when in fact they’re not. They are actually a ghost type trainer but they never bother to clear the misconception bc its funny to see people’s faces when people see their ghost type team.

Hope you have a lovely day/night btw!

- 🪷 anon

Oooh in regards to Hisuian Pokemon, I have a hc that they are extremely rare and got isekai'd to the present via space-time distortion bubbles (like opposite of how Porygon and Johtonian Sneasel were transported to Hisui)

Anyways these hcs sorta took off on their own haha, so they're under the cut!

.....

Drayton

Despite being wheelchair-bound for most of your life, that never stopped you from joining the BB Elite Four and becoming the fifth ranked member practically overnight.

Around that time, you and Drayton were dating, and during his champion days, he always tried to make time for you and put his duties on the backburner.

He knows you value your independence and will only help you out with stuff if asked.

But usually it's your two psychic types that assist you. They don't battle much, but rather work as your medical support Pokémon.

Gardevoir, a sweet lass you've raised since she was a Ralts, uses Psychic to retrieve things for you that are just a little out of your reach in the store.

One good days, you could walk around with a cane...but if they turn bad (ie your chronic pain acts up) she'll use Heal Pulse as a temporary remedy.

She also pushes your chair around in case your arms get tired, taking you around to accessible spots.

Director Cyrano gave you permission to let her stay outside her pokeball 24/7 so she can properly work.

You also have a Hisuian Braviary--who literally travelled across time and space to meet you--that flies you around the Terarium, letting you climb on their back while their talons securely hold onto your folded chair.

With those two often out and about, there's a common misconception about you being the Elite Four's psychic specialist...when in reality you have a ghost type team.

Many challengers find that out the hard way when they clear your trial and send their ghosts against you....only for you to reveal your own ghostly duo that hit back twice as hard.

Drayton loves watching your matches from the sidelines and laughs every time he sees their shocked faces.

He even proposed an idea that your team should remain a mystery up until the moment of battle.

All is well until Kieran comes along and dethrones him, which demotes you to the sixth ranking member..while Crispin takes your spot.

It wasn't exactly a position you liked, since it's on the cusp of disqualifying you as an elite member.

But you weren't mad at anybody over this...if anything you had to make sure Drayton didn't get too mad at Kieran.

Eventually, though, he learns that he could spend more time with you and has less responsibilities on his plate (ofc he's still petty, as we all know during Indigo Disk).

Despite his lax personality, he wants to do all he can to support you and defend you from harassment.

This man would definitely find excuses to carry you around.

"Oh why don't cha give your Pokémon a break and let me help you over here?" He suggests and you end up accepting his offer, letting him carry you from your wheelchair to the sofa in the club room...which is literally five feet away.

Still, you let him do what he wants.

Plus getting to cuddle is a nice bonus.

Kieran

You once knew him as this sweet shy kid who used to be scared of your Hisuian Braviary, always asking if they're gonna hypnotize him.

"No, Kiki..they just help me get around places."

"...a-are you sure? Because they're starin' at me kinda weird.."

"That's how they normally are."

Plus he (like many students) falsely believed you had a psychic team when you're actually the Elite Four's ghost-type specialist.

He admired that "element of surprise" you brought to the table and dreamed of the day he could challenge you himself.

But one trip to his hometown and back later...he's suddenly the Champion, a shell of his former self, who only sees Pokémon as tools for battle.

You wonder what happened to him, although apparently he had a bad falling out with some exchange student and took his angst out on everyone at BBA.

Getting you knocked down to the sixth rank was something he never really apologized for.

Despite that, he didn't tolerate people who talked shit about you, your ranking, your medical condition, or why your Pokémon get to roam more freely than their own.

"At least [y/n] is still out there training their team every day. At least they're turning their hardships into strength. What's your excuse?"

"I-I didn't mean any offense, Kieran! Listen, I'll apologize to them and-"

"Oh, you will...after we have a battle so I can assess your strength. No potions. No moves that boost attack, speed, or defense. If you lose, you resign. You have one hour to prepare."

Sometimes, you're not sure if he's genuinely looking out for you...or if he just wanted an excuse to bully club members around.

While he's aware that Gardevoir and Hisuian Braviary are mainly your medical support 'mons, he still thinks they can always try out battling.

"They could be the ones who help you climb the ranks again [y/n]. Surely you're tired of being in last place, aren't you?"

Yet the advice he believes is helpful is usually unwarranted half the time.

You could just be casually talking to a friend about how your opponent out-sped you and/or used Light Screen/Reflect...

Only for Kieran to barge into the conversation with "well maybe you should've taught Braviary Tailwind/Defog..but I guess you don't have the time for that" or something passive-aggressive that just makes you both uncomfortable.

Your psychic types are honestly annoyed by his new attitude..and you're just disheartened by how he acts around Drayton now.

You and him dating never bothered Kieran before, but now he just glares at your bf 24/7 and scoffs loudly if you're talking about anything except battling.

Despite everything, you knew he was going through something difficult, so you tried not to take his words to heart. You still saw him as a friend.

Someone who was just misguided in his ambitions.

After his humbling defeat and adventure into Area Zero, he comes back with extreme guilt, with you being the first elite member he apologizes to.

He especially feels shitty for distracting your psychic types from doing their jobs properly with his constant nagging to battle them.

But you forgive him, thanking him properly for all the times he's stood up for you.

And you do end up taking some of his unsolicited advice.

You invite him to a friendly double-battle when he returns from break and brought out Braviary and Gardevoir, using Tailwind and terastalizing one of them into a ghost type.

It turns out that whenever they're not working, they battle in perfect sync.

Crispin

In the beginning, this chef boi wondered how your two psychic types help you with your daily life, and you just explain everything as simply as you could to him during a picnic.

"So Gardevoir pushes me around, retrieves stuff I can't reach, and helps me manage my pain. Braviary just flies me around the Terarium....any questions?"

"Just one......do you use Braviary because the taxis here don't accommodate your wheelchair?" He assumes, already starting to fume. "How outrageous! That's not-!"

"Calm down, Crispy..they do. I'm just saying that I'd rather fly with Brave most of the time. It's not only convenient, but more fun for me."

"...o-oh, right. Sorry for getting all fire-up back there.." He gushes.

After learning how hard they work, he absolutely wants to make sure they're fed well everyday! Snacks alone won't sustain them. He knows this for sure.

So he's always cooking them up something, often wanting their opinion on the meals and sandwiches: are they too spicy or not spicy enough?

The same goes for your ghost types, too (especially if you have a Chandelure, Ceruledge, and/or Skeledirge on your team).

But after Kieran becomes the new champion and Crispin takes your rung on the League's ladder..he feels really awful and constantly apologizes for pretty much replacing you.

He should feel good about climbing closer to the top, but he doesn't, as he cried over the possibility of you hating him forever or resigning from the club because of him.

When you confronted him, he tried blaming the onions.

But your Gardevoir--one of the most emotionally-intuitive Pokémon out there--saw through his lie, and you had to reassure him he was still your friend.

You kept telling him you weren't mad....until you almost got mad fr because he wouldn't stop asking if you were 100% sure of that.

To prove it you, your psychic pokemon, and your ghost team all split one of the spiciest sandwiches he's ever made.

By the time it was finished, you were convinced you just learned the move Flamethrower.

Yet seeing that bright smile return to Crispin's face made it worth the agony.

Lacey

She loves hearing that you have a Gardevoir (or just cute ghost Pokémon in general).

If you have a Mimikyuu on your team, that's a plus in her book.

But regardless, she's the first to give you a warm welcome into the Elite Four, explaining the criteria and tests you had to pass in order to be accepted as a member.

Yet even outside of battle, she quickly discovers that your ghosts are still mischievous at best--always playing pranks on her fairies with moves like Phantom Force, Shadow Sneak, Astonish, and Poltergeist.

Ofc they never mean any harm, but when she hears Whimsicott squeal in fright, she's quick to come to its rescue and scold the perpetrator.

If you have a Gengar, it just laughs and mocks them both until it hears you roll up like "that wasn't very nice, y'know...apologize to Lacey and Whimsicott right now, please".

Even if it's a little defiant, a glare from Gardevoir or Hisuian Braviary is enough to make it relent and apologize.

Speaking of whom, seeing an ancient variant of Braviary did frighten Lacey upon first meeting them (especially with their hypnotic-looking faux flaming "eyes").

But over time she grows to like them, seeing how obedient and gentle they are with helping you get you around the Terarium.

If you have any decal on your chair, she'll suggest adding a few more things to make it "cuter". Like stickers of fairy types or a soft pillow for your back.

When you get demoted to the sixth rank in the League, she bought you those exact things to cheer you up, feeling bad that things turned out the way they did

But you expressed zero grudges towards anyone and appreciated her kindness.

Her Granbull always offers his tummy to you should you wanna rest somewhere--even though this makes Braviary a little jealous bc they're supposed to be your favorite resting spot.

Their rivalry is amusing, but Gardevoir often has to come to her fellow psychic type's rescue.

Meanwhile you're just sitting back and snickering at their banter, while poor Lacey begs you not to encourage this behavior.

Amarys

When you both first met, you found her personality rather off-putting, assuming she was doubting your capabilities of being an Elite Four Member despite passing all the tests.

She never seemed happy for you, her face always blank.

Growing up, a lot of people have pitied you, given you odd stares, or thought you would've given up being a Pokémon trainer...and some even asked outright insensitive questions about what happened to you--and seeing how Amarys acted kinda brought some of those ugly memories back to the forefront.

But once she realizes this, she apologizes straightaway for giving you such a bad impression, clarifying that she fully believes in your battling abilities.

Since then, you've formed a better friendship with her.

She asks you respectful questions about your wheelchair (ie if it's made from any strong alloys, how well it gets you around the Terarium's biomes, etc.) and how Gardevoir and Hisuian Braviary aid you in your daily life and listens well.

Learning that you actually battle with ghost types despite the misconception circulating around the school wasn't too surprising.

If anything, Amarys believes that was quite strategic on your part.

It's no wonder you have a lot of victories under your belt.

Even after getting demoted to the sixth rank, she's impressed you're still able to bounce back from such defeat..and that you didn't hold it against Kieran or anybody.

She believes he could learn a lesson or two from you and not take his loss against Florian/Juliana so hard...but knows that's not her place to speak.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Korea drops my favorite cameo ever & gives KISSES

Entirely subjective yadda yadda. Organized sorta by favs in each category.

Sept 2023 Wk 1

Ongoing Series - Thai

I Feel You Linger in the Air (Fri grey) ep 4 of 12 - Well that’s one way to find out if he’s gay, see how he reacts to reading a het sex scene out loud. Yai is flirting so hard it’s like he knows everything. 

Dangerous Romance (Fri YT) ep 4 of 12 - Oh no! I love them. Also cohabitation trope! Also ALL the other ones: hair dry, meet in childhood... GMMTV going no frills with this one.

Hidden Agenda (Sun YT) ep 9 of 12 - Zo’s drama over Pat helping Joke flirt seems awfully manufactured. I’m losing faith in this show. Could GMMTV PLEASE hand JoongDunk a decent script? 

Only Friends (Sat YT) ep 5 of 10 - Sand & Ray are the only interesting couple, and I’m pretty much only watching for them. They gonna go south fast, tho, and they're already ruined by persistent singing. Ooo. When Sand said Top "stole his ex" did he mean Boston? How gay. 

Naughty Babe (Sat YT) ep 2 of 8 - The pronoun conversation had a bonkers translation but I enjoyed the actuality of it. The reasons for Yi's trickery are very convoluted soap opera. But I suppose that is the amnesia trope for you. 

Be Mine Super Star (Mon Viki) ep 10 of 12 - Boys. We discussed this already. No sex in onsens! I found this one dull, until the end when LLS showed up. Happy to just have him in everything. Thank you Thailand. Looks like it is a classic ep 11 DOOM next week. Who cares? 

Venus in the Sky (Tues iQIYI) 1-2 of 10 eps - The usual Thai pulp claptrap this time a reunion romances in and around a convenience store between a boy who recently quit his job and his former bestie who is now a doctor. Mostly not great acting, plot, or production but the sound is okay and no bad effects or singing (so far), so that’s something. The gay brothers have a fun relationship. It’s vampy and campy but fun. I like it but not sure anyone else would.

Love in Translation (Sat iQIYI) ep 4 of 10 - The date was cute but I still don’t like the lead or the premise (we moved into Cyrano de Bergerac territory). It’s moving slowly but it seems like we might be over the crush/stalker part of the narrative, so that’s a relief. 

Crazy Handsome Rich (Sun Gaga) ep 2 of 10 - I just can’t. The sound is too weird. With punch down humor and other issues incoming I may DNF this. You’ve been warned. This ep we got to see LLS with his shirt off. Did anything else happen? 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Jun & Jun (Korea Thur Viki) ep 8fin - No wonder he is everyone’s favorite hyung, boy can read the room like no one else. I love that we got to see exactly how clingy and demanding Choi Jun was always going to be. Only Lee Jun is easy-going enough to put up with him. Also I’ve never watched a KBL with more innuendo. For Korea this was… raunchy. I gotta say had Laws of Attraction not come along, Simon might have been my favorite character of 2023.

Final thoughts on Jun and Jun:

A delightful office romance about an ex-idol who joins cubical life only to find his new boss is his first love. Others boys are sniffing around too. Operative word being "sniffing" as much of this romance involves smell. With a snappy script, enjoyable sides, a pretty as peaches cast, and descent chemistry this show made up for in style what it lacked in substance. I like fluff. I loved this. I smiled every moment I was watching. With tons of rewatch potential (especially the last few eps), my only caution is this is for fans of the BL genre only, I don’t think it’ll work for anyone else. A solid 9/10 from me. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I like that Korea is trying high heat, but Taiwan and Thailand are leaps and bounds better at it.

Love Class Season 2 (Korea Fri Viki) eps 9-10fin -

Omg they so cute as flirty bf. Eeeeeeee! CAMEO!!!!! My fav guest couple ever! So exciting!!!! I love that they intersected with MY Strongberry couple (Private Lessons). I’m not used to this but Holy innuendo Korea, what with Jun & Jun and now this show? It’s a bit much for my gay little heart. The final episode was entirely unnecessary, but it was fun to see them being all domestic and stuff. Maru with his dumb lettuce leaves was hilarious. I feel like I need to rewatch this one to really understand it properly, so I will likely do that soon.

Summary of Love Class 2:

3 couples form within a semester of university: 1. a hyung romance reunion of exes, one of whom has a dangerous past, 2. a friends to lovers romance, and 3. a mature student and TA one night stand + complexities (many aspects of which had me laughing). I enjoyed the characters and dialogue of this show immensely. It was a little bit more breezy and friendly than I was expecting after the first installment, Love Class. I’m not entirely sure Korea can handle multiple couples like this because it definitely felt disjointed, especially the 3rd more mature couple (also my favorite) who probably should’ve had their own series. But it was definitely fun and something different from Korea. 8/10 RECOMMENDED

Also, Korea tried to give us higher heat... that was... interesting. I mean, you tried hon...?

Kisseki: Dear to Me (Taiwan Tues Viki & iQIYI) ep 4 of 13(?) - Everyone is a sad sack this ep. Ooooo. Teach/student my favorite. We never get this one. It’s messy. I’m not sure if there is a plot. I’m not sure they’re sure if there is a plot. But I am still enjoying it.

Why R U? (Korea Wed iQIYI) eps 5-6 of 8 - Why is the Fighter character always so frustrating regardless of name or country? Ji Oh stalking his crush via IG is so relatable. He’s very first crush awkward, unsure, and sweet. They also gave a nice kiss - I love the backpack drop (kiss version of a mic drop?) I still hold that if you haven’t seen the original this might not make much sense. But I am enjoying it. 

My Personal Weatherman AKA Taikan Yoho (Japan Sat Gaga) ep 4 of 8 - Oh goody, another JBL where we have to pay attention solely to what they do and not what they say. 

Minato's Laundromat Season 2 AKA Minato Shouji Coin Laundry Season 2 (Japan Thu Gaga) ep 9 of 12 - Big fat sigh. 

It's Airing But...

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) ep 3 of 24 eps - I couldn't get hold of it and I'm not mad. I'm putting it on hold until distribution gets sorted, or icky get their shizz in order (like that'll happen).

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting

9/15 You Are Mine (Taiwan Gaga) Secretary has to deal with grumpy boss.

9/15 Bump Up Business AKA Bump Up Project (Korea movie) suspected cinema release? I don't know much about what's going on. Last status update. Love story between a trainee who is about to debut and a celebrity from the same agency. Kpop boy group OnlyOneOf has signed up to star in this idol-based BL (based on a webtoon). They’ve been auditioning for this since Libido IMHO. You can watch me chronicle their BL MV series in this post. It’s from Idol Romance who will do sad but can do good kisses (Wish You, Nobleman Ryu, Once Again, Kissable Lips, Poongduck 304, Tasty Florida, Tinted With You).

Still To Come In September

9/26 I Cannot Reach You AKA I Can't Reach You AKA Kimi ni wa Todokanai (Japan ????) - Adapted from the manga, childhood best friends: The cool, smart one who’s good at everything, and his average, dorky friend who struggles. Always by the other’s side, but not together in the way they truly want to be. No matter how hard they try, their hearts cannot reach each other.

9/27 Absolute Zero (Thai iQIYI) - from 2021, Studio Wabi Sabi and New Siwaj finally bring us this “time loop to prevent tragedy” romance. We don’t always get HEAs from them, so I'm on my guard.

9/27 Bon Appetit (Korea iQIYI) - from 2022, 8 eps from GoGo Studio, romance between an office worker who lives off junk food and the man next door who cooks well.

9/? Mr Cinderella 2 (Vietnam YouTube?)

2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED).

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

I love him. And I love his version of this character better than Jimmy's.

I also love it when a show gets meta. (Both Why R U? Korea) Why they didn't just go for YRU? the world may never know.)

(Last week) 

[countesspetofi]

Today in the Department of Before They Were Star Trek Stars, George Takei guest stars in "A Matter of Honor," episode 10 of the single season of Assignment: Underwater (original air date November 11, 1960).

There are a couple of caveats here. Firstly, the only copy I could find of this episode was a very lo-res kinescope, but I thought it was interesting enough to make up for the fuzzy images.

Secondly, I wanted to take a minute to talk about depictions of non-Anglo cultures in this series of posts. Sometimes, I'm comfortable just shrugging and saying "Times were different back then" and sometimes I'm not. I've skipped over episodes where the use of yellowface or redface seemed gratuitous to me, or where there aren't any other things going on in the episode that made me feel it was worthy of note. I'm still on the fence about other episodes, where the depiction of BIPOC aren't necessarily negative, but are just kind of ignorant, or reliant on stale storytelling tropes, where you can tell that the White screenwriters didn't really make much of an effort at research, or consultation with people in the culture they're depicting. (NB: I don't think any of this reflects on the actors involved; sometimes you just need to pay your bills and do the best you can with the scripts you get.)

This episode of Assignment: Underwater feels like it might be dipping its toe into that last category. Japanese and Chinese culture are kind of lumped in together, there's some "model minority" stuff going on with the Japanese-American family, and Italian-Americans don't exactly come out smelling like roses. But I thought the episode was interesting enough to make it worthwhile. It's available for free on The Internet Archive, so I encourage anyone who's interested to watch and make up their own minds.

Takei plays Ken Kitigawa, the oldest son of an immigrant family who are friends with the main character, who is in charge of some kind of U.S. Navy underwater rescue/civil defense operation. Ken has gotten involved with an organized crime syndicate, who are sending him to sabotage the boat of one of their rivals. The hero stops him in the nick of time, he agrees to turn state's evidence, and everyone lives happily ever after.

Other Trek Connections:

Takei's gangster boss is played by Stanley Adams, AKA Cyrano Jones in the Star Trek episode "The Trouble with Tribbles,"

And his girlfriend is portrayed by BarBara Luna, who played Marlena Moreau in the Star Trek episode "Mirror, Mirror," as well as appearing in two episodes of James Cawley's fan production Star Trek: Phase II.

[gayofthefae]

[shorter version of this basically if you want, also linked at the end if you want to read it as well]

Here's the thing though: Will didn't directly quote El and he never claimed to.

No matter if she said the heart line or not, to his claim, everything was more described as something he observed in her, the "different" section even being informed by his own experiences for him to be able to identify even within the idea of his lie. He didn't say "here's a whole monologue......end quote, -El". He said, "she asked me to make this and this is what it means, now here is my positive opinion and insight into the situation to bring you comfort".

No matter whether she told Will all that or not, at the end of the day, to us and more importantly to, Mike. It WAS Will talking. You passing along information is still you talking.

And, oh, doesn't it hurt. And, oh, doesn't it make you fall SO hard...the way that, yes, he's telling you your girlfriend loves you, but only he would say it that way.

Will is saying that El loves Mike but he's saying it in such a Will way. He's waxing poetry about how EL loves Mike but Mike is sitting there in aw and pain just going "I love a good poet".

Will thinks Mike is in love with the type of person to need him. But he is in love with the type of person to make him feel needed. No matter how you spin it, that's Will. Will made him feel needed by telling him about El, but WILL still made him feel needed because Will is the type of person to think of saying that. Even within the truth, only Will would come up with telling him that and make the choice to pass that information along and phrase it exactly the way he needed to hear, because you can phrase validating information in a way that makes it not work.

There's the Cyrano "Mike doesn't love El he loves the person who gave him the painting" argument. But there's also the self-aware "Mike doesn't love the person who needs him, he loves the person who knew to say it". which is something he would know now.

It doesn't matter if he believes him or not because it isn't about the information. This season is about Mike falling for Will as he supports and validates him through his struggles. Before it was a few lines at a time, but here, it's grown to the point of Will responding to his self deprecation with a full speech, all just to make him feel better.

It isn't about the content. Mike is teetering over the edge every time Will forgives him, every time Will validates and supports him as he talks about the same relationship they fought about days ago, because that's just the type of person Will is. It's the concept. So this moment, the moment when Will hears Mike insulting himself and pulls out every stop he has in his book to convince him out of it, is what finally makes him take the final plunge and fall.

And maybe one of the stops he pulled out was the fact that El told him how much she loved Mike. It doesn't matter if it's the truth. Nothing matters but that Will was the one who did it.

El had the painting made as a sweet, romantic gift because she missed him, but that's more in line with the flowers he gave her. Will was the one who knew how to use it. He IS in love with the person who gave it to him and NOT the person who had it made, because the person who gave it to him is the one who made it mean so much more.

When I look at this face, I see "you did this for me".

Will lied, Will told the truth, El made the painting, Will made the painting, who needs Mike? It's all much simpler than that. It boils down to all things that Mike already knows: He was sad. Will immediately and passionately did everything in his power to make him feel better, validating him and continued to talk until he ensured that Mike felt like enough. Because that's the type of person Will is.

Mike is already in love with Will and he knows it, regardless of him lying, because he never cared about the lie in the first place. He is in love with the fact that Will told him. And he is goddamn far gone because Will is sitting there telling him "El is in love with you" and he is sitting there thinking "You are so kind for telling me that, this is why I'm in love with you".

I just realized. It's just show vs tell again. El told Will (supposedly). Will showed Mike.

[kourabiedes]

Carmine and Kieran Roleswap AU: Indigo Disk Edition

A while back I posted this thing, here's the rest of it! Long AU under the cut, there be turtles afoot. No pictures this time, sorry folks!

Right, so, the Indigo Disk.  Carmine is still the one who promotes you to Cyrano as an ideal exchange student, because she wants you to show yourself and be crushed.  She's changed dramatically in appearance, and the aggressive part of her personality is fully on display.  Kieran has been the one running around with Briar in various regions.  Carmine has taken over the Blueberry League and is running it with an iron fist.  She's also tweaked her team to be thoroughly savage.  Maybe Sinistcha in this universe has a third evolution, or her ace is a different Pokemon entirely.  Point is, she has basically laid a trap for you.  It's not a very good trap, since her whole goal is just to smack you down with witnesses, but it's a trap nonetheless.

So you go to Blueberry Academy, get initiated, then Kieran calls and is excited you're here!  But he's also worried about his little sister because she's acting fuckin weird and he hopes you can help... again, Kieran is kinda oblivious to emotional cues and probably doesn't entirely realize Carmine would happily disembowel you right now.  Drayton shows himself and invites you to the League Club Room.  The scheming bastard is hoping to use your presence to overthrow Carmine as Champion, as in canon.  He invites you to the cafeteria to meet with the rest of the E4 and Herself, to discuss you formally joining the BBL*.   Carmine doesn't notice you at first, since she's busy eyeballing Drayton hatefully, but the minute she's aware of your presence she laser locks on you.  She knows why you're here.  She doesn't even really register the E4 debating whether you should be allowed to join, until Drayton asks for her opinion.  She eyeballs him  --  she knows he's scheming, but he's also played exactly the card she wanted to come up.  Of course she wants you to join.  What could be better, in fact?  She can pull strings and let you start at the level that lets you challenge the 4.  The unusual nature of the situation will draw gossip.  The rest of the BBL* will be fascinated.  There will be eyes everywhere.

And when you make it to the top, she'll be waiting, ready to cut you down in front of the entire student body.

So you're in.

It's only when he walks in on half the E4 and his sister inducting you into the BBL* that Kieran realizes how bad the situation actually is.  He tries to reason with Carmine, only to be dismissed coldly.

For a while, everything proceeds exactly as she wants it to.  She knew you could defeat the E4.  She knew you would make it to her.  She knew you would be across the field from her, and she's worked so hard to be ready for you.

Then, you fight her down to the wire.  She pulls out all the stops.  You're down to one Pokemon apiece and she has her ace out and Terastallized and she knows she has you.

Your final Pokemon... is Ogerpon.  The monster.  The martyr.  In either case, a symbol of Kitakami, of home.

And for a moment, just a crucial, critical moment, Carmine no longer knows why she's doing this.

Ogerpon Terastallizes her mask, swings her cudgel, and Carmine's ace falls, vanishing into its Pokeball in a flash of light.  Ogerpon roars, and Carmine wants to scream, but she can't manage so much as a whimper.

Her trap sprang, and you turned it back to bite her instead.  Now it's her that's on her knees, while the student body turns its back.

Of the people who are still able to react, Drayton moves first, and he does so to get a little of his own back at her.  He leans down and taunts her, and now, she does scream.  You and Kieran both want to help her, but now everyone with a Problem with this event is gathering to air them and getting in your face.

Then the intercom goes off, and you and half the rest of those present are summoned to a classroom, and Briar's discussing a trip into Area Zero  --  your second at least!  --  and it could not be a worse time.  Carmine agrees immediately when Briar mentions Terapagos, and Kieran agrees when she does because he's not sure what she might do in this state, and you agree because among other things, Geeta is gazing at you from across the room and she knows you went down there once already and her expression says I will come down on you like Hell itself if you don't agree to help with this.  So you go.

Area Zero is as much a Lost World as ever and you descend, down, down, down to the Lab where you fought for your life not so long ago, and then further because of the weird disk Geeta gave you before you left.  You didn't think Area Zero could get weirder, but it does.  There are Pokemon down here doing things you have never seen before, and you can't help but wonder if this weird Terastal energy is messing you up too.  Meanwhile Carmine's got a strange closed expression you don't trust, though now she's starting to act a little more like the girl from Kitakami and not the BBL* Champion in this unfamiliar place.  Kieran is watching her, but he's as off balance as you are down here.  Briar is absolutely no help.

Then you're in the deepest spot, and there's a crystal that could be Terapagos, and Carmine comes to life.  Surely, if she has a legendary Pokemon of her own, she can finally take you down.  Briar eggs her on and Kieran tries to dissuade her.

They wake up the turtle.

The turtle takes a look around and its gaze locks on to you.

In canon, Kieran has the Ogerpon experience foremost in his mind when Terapagos almost chooses you.  Carmine doesn't have that, but she's no less quick to throw her Master Ball and capture it.  Letting it reach you would be another win for you, and she cannot have that, not now, not after all this!  The Master Ball does its job, and she picks it up with an expression torn between exultation and terror.

Briar then does exactly the wrong thing in a situation that was already bad and pushes her to use the damn turtle so she can study it.  She locks eyes with you.

But Terapagos, like many legendary Pokemon, has a mind of his own, and he clearly doesn't care for being woken up and stuffed into a ball.  He fights for her, but his power is minimal, and Ogerpon beats him easily.  Then Briar suggests Terastallizing, and Carmine floods the little fella with energy, and suddenly a young god is awake... and angry.

At that moment, everyone present learns what happens when someone tries to capture a legendary Pokemon who feels nothing for them.  The Master Ball shatters, and Terapagos strikes out at Carmine.  She recoils in terror and it could have ended there for her, except that you're there, and your partner 'raidon is faster than any crystal turtle.  She looks at you as if she's seeing you for the first time, and maybe, in a way, she kind of is.

If you had a nickel for every time a berserk legendary Pokemon had tried to kill you in Area Zero, you'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird it happened twice.  Now you have to fight the tiny, overwhelmed turtle, and Kieran's down to his Hydrapple, and Carmine has locked up in horror because now she realizes how much of this was her fault and also completely unnecessary.  But she finally snaps out of it and comes to your aid, and hot damn if you both don't kick the ass of a legendary turtle.

Then, on the way home, it takes Carmine the entire trip to work up the courage to ask you to start over again.  Maybe you could be friends this time, for real.

You tell her "fuck no" and skip off into the sunset holding hands with Kieran and Ogerpon.

Okay no please don't do that.  Maybe the thought crosses your mind though, because man she has put you through the wringer...

Oh yeah and like a month later Kieran does the mochi dance

*brazilian butt league

[liminalmemories21]

omg the pillow fort prompt was the cutest thing I’m obsessed 🥰🥰🥰 If you’re still taking prompts:

“Shut up, that was one time”

Belated, I know. And, also counting this as WIP Wednesdsay because I'm pretty sure some version of this is ending up in Knave-4.

(tagged by @three-drink-amy, @strandnreyes, @carlos-in-glasses, @paperstorm, @carlos-tk, @chicgeekgirl89, @freneticfloetry, @sanjuwrites, @jesuisici33, and @iboatedhere - thank you!)

TK is loose and easy tonight, relaxed now that his final papers have been turned in and he's stuffed full of two slices of Liz's lasagna and the cheesecake Carlos had made last night.  He can't stop looking at him, and he's being obvious and he doesn't care.  There's nobody at this table who doesn't know how in love he is with TK.

He's not really paying attention to the conversation, idly twisting his wine glass with the last few sips still left in it, but his attention is caught when TK sits up, protesting, laughing.  "One time.  One time, Liz.  And how do you even know about it?  Doesn't the university administration have better things to do with their time than gossip about the love lives of the students?"

She's sitting up and laughing, and Matt quirks an eyebrow at her.  "Share with the class?"

"TK played Cyrano for one of the kids in his class."

TK kicks her under the table.  "Saying I played Cyrano implies I ended up with the girl."

Carlos hides a smile behind his glass of wine.  "Was the girl in question a nice 15th C marble sculpture?  Or, ooh, one of those art deco tables held up by like a wood nymph?"

TK throws his napkin at him.  "I mean, I wouldn't say no to one of those."  He grins at Carlos and lets their fingers tangle.  'You keep saying we need a new coffee table."  Carlos leans back and enjoys the warmth of the wine and the teasing and the easy intimacy of touch.

Matt clears his throat.  "Cyrano?"

TK drags his attention back to Matt.  "Right.  Two kids in my study group.  Classic boy likes girl.  Girl likes boy.  Neither one of them can string a sentence together when they're in the same place at the same time.  I helped them out."  He shakes his head.  "What are they teaching kids these days if they don't know how to flirt."

Matt gives him a dry look.  "The kids these days?  You're 28."

TK points a finger at him. "Exactly."

Carlos tugs on his hand.  "So, are you implying that you got taught how to flirt?  Was that part of the liberal New York sex ed curriculum we keep hearing about?"

[pegasusdrawnchariots]

Poetic cinema: when Cyrano starts hallucinating (?) in Act V & eventually faces the front of the stage & says...

"Qu'est-ce que c'est tous ceux-là ?—Vous êtes mille ?" "Who are you all? Are there a thousand of you?"

...at the audience. Staring out at the crowd as if seeing them for the first time.

On the one hand, it's always good for a nervous laugh for the audience to break up a bona fide four-hanky finale.

But on the other, in the midst of Cyrano's dazed ramblings — the chant of the Gascony cadets, Copernicus this, Molière that — blindly addressing a "vous" that no-one else can see — speaking to the Grim Reaper as if there, tangible & visible before him — in the midst of all this, this line is a piercing moment of clarity between us & him. We've been getting a very good look at him for quite a while. We see him, naturally. But now, for the first time in 3 hours, he sees us.

(& on a third hand, bring out another hanky for when this line is addressed to a packed theatre. Cyrano, who's convinced that everyone finds him repulsive, sees that a thousand people have paid & stayed to see his story. Doubly poignant that Edmond Rostand wrote this thinking that Cyrano de Bergerac the play would be a flop ;-;)

Praise upon praise to productions who cause Cyrano to stare out into the auditorium at this line & sweep his gaze over the audience members 🤍 In a witty play full of subtle asides, a play that starts in a theatre (!!), this is the only 4th-wall break we have, & even then it can be played off as solely within the storyworld if the director wishes. Cyrano has a fatal head wound. Of course he can't see us, this is just part of his hallucinations.

In either case, the next line pointed at the audience is also good for a fond chuckle for our favourite bataillard, whose self-professed pleasure is to make new enemies:

"Ah ! je vous reconnais, tous mes vieux ennemis !" "Ah, I recognise you all, my old enemies!"

It segues us gently back into his delusions as he starts slashing at phantoms.

But there was a moment of doubt before! Was that really a delusion? A theatre character with one foot in the grave (or one foot on the other side of the curtain, so to speak) starts losing his mind & catches a brief glimpse of the audience. Of course, as the monologue continues, it's revealed exactly who/what Cyrano is addressing & he is safely enclosed back in the storyworld. But that shimmering moment, that stunned "who are all these people?" compels me 💗

[director-cyrano]

Hey! I’m Cyrano, the director of Blueberry Academy, and the founder of it too! (Isn’t that cool?). You should totally visit the Terarium here if you get a chance, and see the… big glowy thing at the top of it. Ask Briar, she’ll know what it is.

I’ve seen that a lot of my students are on here, and Lacey suggested I make an account on here for… uh, some reason, so here I am!

I… don’t remember exactly what I’m supposed to do on here, but I’ll figure it out. I’ll ask Lacey later.

She told me to put some random info under the cut… I don’t know what it is, but she said it was necessary!

I use he/him pronouns. That’s what Crispin told me! Pronouns are awesome, you should use them too!

Velly sometimes comes on here to help me out when things get too silly! Though who doesn’t like a bit of fun?

Was SO looking forward to rp as him, and the day has finally arrived! Have fun confusing this dumb old man.

Follows from @crystal-clovers, my main, and the same mod as @askmrjacq.

My friend made a Clavell blog, so instead of having him as a muse here, go check out her blog at @the-director-clavell for directorshipping mayhem! ((I’m sorry not

Cyrano’s chats will be tagged with •blueberryinbox, and chats with Clavell will be tagged #vellyhours. I’ll try my best to put the blogs name in the tags too!

For rules and stuff, it’s best to see them at my other rp blog, but to put it simply, just be nice. I wanna keep this a fun space, so SFW is best (I will tag anything that could be read otherwise accordingly). Otherwise, no hate space, please :)

Anon hate is NOT accepted unless I specifically give permission to do so. It can be quite hurtful and if i’m in a bad space at some point the last thing i want happening is my muses being hurt too! :’)

Magic Anon is off

Sapient pokemon can talk too, just nothing that would, i suppose, break the fourth wall much.

ooc will be tagged as ((ooc

[hoodmancol]

[DING. email notification sound? At this hour?]

Pokemon Reasearch ?

Good evening Mr.Colress, allow me to start off this email by saying we are so glad to have you here at Blueberry Academy! I'm sure your expertise will be a wonderful addition to our administration team. Speaking of expertise, on your resume you had mentioned a history with researching pokemon, I was wondering exactly what kind of research you had conducted and if you'd be interested in contributing to our own research project here on campus :)

Hope to hear from you soon,

Saffron Cyrano, Director

Finally. An email, for once.

Hello, Cyrano. Thank you for the warm welcome, I appreciate it well.

As for your main question; my research background consists of multiple sources. Mainly, I have worked in the Aether Foundation once. Admittedly, with Angela herself! The Aether Foundation is an organization that strived to help rehabilitate and house endangered/injured Pokémon. Further on, I have helped the URS (Ultra Recon Squad) with studies behind Ultra-Beasts. That was more of an Alola-centered phenomenon, but if you're looking for any examples, then it counts. I've done research on specific Pokémon only in a previous job as well.

Diving back into Pokémon research, especially on campus, would sound amazing!

Sincerely,

Dr. Colress Achroma

[scarabjewels]

Jack and the Cuckoo-clock heart: I Truly Think The Movie “Fixed” The Book

I was around 13 to 15 when I first came across a 360p movie on a pirated DVD filled with random animated movies the vendors could download, and it was this goth punk aesthetic 3d movie entitled "Jack and the Cuckoo Clock Heart". It was the most visually bizarre media I watched in a long time. It was hauntingly beautiful, it reminded me of Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland", specifically the White Queen's kingdom. I loved it so much that I fell into a research phase all about it. Matthias is a fucking lucky author, literally a vocalist of a band then they get to make a movie out of it and make music. I still rewatch it and love to consume video reactions and essays about in YouTube, such as BionicPig and RosMo.

I originally intended to write this movie about its similarity to classic but tragic love stories like "Romeo and Juliet" and "Cyrano". But then I decided to read the book and the stark contrast of it should be WRITTEN.

I will be writing 3 parts: 1) The differences of the book and the movie, 2) what they kept and made better, and 3) things I observed that aren't talked about enough

I just finished the book in one sitting right as I am writing this. I have to say, I was not prepared how adult it was.

PART 1: THE DIFFERENCES

Let's start with major observations and comparisons.

Book: Jack mentioning Acacia’s name leading into a lost of temper with a fight with Joe makes sense

Movie: Jack and Joe’s fight starting from a postcard doesn't make sense

Coincidentally, they apparently have the same birthday in the movie and Miss Acacia send Joe a postcard. Jack stumbled across it one day, and gets into a petty fit before ultimately getting into a fight with Joe. It is exactly what I see 14 year olds doing honestly, but ultimately it did not make sense

In the book, Joe (movie as well) warns Jack to not mention as so.much utter Miss Acacia’s name. After years of pent up anger, Jack decides to mention her name then a brawl starts. Now that’s a fight that makes sense and you can still see teenagers doing exactly that.

Book: Joe and Acacia were past lovers. Joe replaces Jack's job as a Frightener at the Ghost Train, and Joe uses their past to taunt Jack.

Movie: Joe and Acacia are seemingly old friends. While Joe sets out to destroy Jack's image, he unkowingly serves as a messenger of vital information.

Joe's intention in both media are the same, to destroy Jack's reputation and win Miss Acacia’s heart. In the book, he tells her about the injury (just that) and she confront Jack about this. In the book, Jack stumbles on his words first before dumping everything that happened. They get into an argument, with Acacia falling silent as he explains everything. They said their I-love-yous before separating. Acacia is clearly confused at the truth, which is why she fell silent as she left, on the contrary to her very fiery personality (it's ×10 in the books, added with extreme stubbornness too). Joe told him the next morning about how she came to him crying and that they hugged and kissed like they once did before, provoking Jack to charge at him. Believing his lies that Acacia in fact had some sort of little affair with Joe, his jealousy continues to sever his and Acacia’s relationship after another confronting argument about Joe's supposed truth.

In the movie, this issue was fixed, well I found it an issue. Instead of taunting with lies, Joe manipulates the truth a little differently, with a suprisingly huge amount of truth too. He told her that Jack’s handicap, his heart, it dangerous to detriment of others and himself, as he is capable of injuring anyone when he goes out of control. He points at his eye patched eye as proof. He tells her about the three rules that Jack must follow in order to stay alive. This makes Acacia’s argument actually have substance instead of just an act of violence. She couldn't bear the thought of him dying, so she pushes him away, telling him not to love her. The injury also came up in the argument, which Jack replies quickly, as opposed in the book. He explains it concisely, saying that it was an accident and that he did not want that to happen, all the while rebutting each of Acacia’s accusatory questions. That's what really solved the issue in the book. There was actual stakes as to why the argument is happening and Jack is standing up for himself, even at the person he loves. He apologizes more in the movie than in the books, and Acacia is a lot more kinder.

I was really losing it when I read the chapters of them arguing in the book. No one was apologizing. Literally none. Acacia didn't exactly listen to Jack, she was trapped with him believing his “lies” and had a hard time seeing what the actual truth was, which leads me to the next difference.

Book: Acacia truly believed that his clock heart was a joke, even when Jack showed her how it worked (and it lead to them …doing it), until the very end

Movie: Acacia was sold the moment he let her explore his clock heart and he trusted his key to her.

As I said, she found it hard to believe him, with what Joe told him. But, in the movies, she did actually hear him out, keenly at that, and it hurt her that she couldn't be with him because it might potentially kill him. At least in the movie, her yells of telling him to stop that actually accounts to something, as in telling him to stop getting angry or else he'll hurt himself more.

Book: (Maybe it more of an opinion?) I don't think Jack and Acacia were in love. It was too heavily sexual and secretive, and the things they share about themselves just lead to more sexual escapades than actual bonding. They strive on heated moments too fast and too often. Acacia had commitment issues from the start to the end.

Movie: They really feel like two teens falling in love. They share sweeter moments, emotionally sharing, have trouble with setting boundaries and communicating like any teenager, and actually ENJOY EACH OTHERS COMPANY.

Book Jack and Acacia were just incompatible. As far as I could see, it was not the kind of love Jack wanted. He liked the bare minimum because it would mean that he could keep seeing the girl he pursued and dreamt of so long that he was so blinded to who she is and how she treated him. She loved him, but she really failed to really be in an actual relationship with him. I understand that some people value their privacy, but when you are kept secret and essentially treated like a convenience, that's not a suitable relationship of love, much less respect. She did not respect his beliefs. She was volatile in reaction, and I personally believe that Joe did not lie about her having a little affair with him. She never really claimed that it did not happen, only telling Jack “you really think I'd go back to him”. In the end, she really did. So, I don't think Joe was lying. Yep, Jack put her too high of a pedestal. He essentially worshipped her. She was basically not human to him. It was already such a failure that I think their ending in the book made sense. He also admits this near the epilogue, that he wanted it to work out so much, that it just didn’t. Acacia wanted to supposedly "keep away from gossip," but that changed when she married Joe in the book, whom she is openly affectionate even when she admittedly was still in love with Jack. The minute Jack came back, despite her feelings, she also left him without saying anything, as well as Joe. She...was a red flag, it was clear she found commitments hard, leading Jack (unaware of his identity) on when he came, even when she was married and was also in love with another man. She might have her reasons, but she also left Joe in the end, so YEAH NOPE.

In the movie, Acacia was significantly a better character, with some flaws from her book counterpart. She was honest about her feelings toward Jack, yet chose to honor her feeling for her first love. She was clear with him, up front. Jack confessed eventually, and answers her question with honesty. They have chemistry and as soon as he confessed, she started to open up to him and he did as well. Their exchange is really good, and very plausible as two teens in love. A good definition of young love, if anything they were simultaneously more mature but impulsive than in the book, ironically the reason why they are compatible in the movie. Their argument had an element of out of love (for their selves and each other). Their ending was that their love was really meant to be their best one yet. Jack's life was worthwhile, despite it being short. A beautiful illustration of “it's better to have loved and lost, than not have loved at all”. But he loved and won in my opinion.

Book: Jack's clock heart was a placebo, representing Madeleine's attachment to him, wanting to protect him even when she knew he was strong enough to live without her or the clock.

Movie: Jack's clock heart was an actual device that kept him alive and more than just Madeleine's attachment to him.

This was so disappointing in the book. I was upset. I wasn't upset that Acacia and Jack didn't end up together, I was upset that what she was telling him the whole time was TRUE. I was at Jack's side until the nurse told him everything. I felt so betrayed. His family betrayed him basically. It hurt me that Madeleine had that unhealthy attachment to him, she could've let him live a normal life. That was painful.

That's why the movie was better. Jack actually couldn't live normally at all, he was a genuine handicapped person. The stakes were REAL. The ending was sad, but it had the perfect build up, that it was worthwhile. Madeleine didn't betray him, and she died trying to protect him.

(Yeah, I realize that I wrote too long of a review but I will be posting the other 2 parts very soon)