#nothing like trying to focus on someone whos wearing subtitles :)

[yunogf]

[makeste]

BnHA Movie 3 Trailer Hyped-Up Overreaction Post

WHO WANTS TO CAPSLOCK ABOUT THE NEW MOVIE 3 TRAILER WITH ME

I HAVE MANY THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS

first of all, subtitled version here for anyone who’s interested! now, then.

so we start with a baby. I wonder if this is supposed to be THE baby? like, you know, THAT BABY. THE GLOWY BABY

this guy has the longest, skinniest feet in the entire world. like, those are some snazzy shoes don’t get me wrong, but I can’t focus on that at all because this person has like an entire extra foot glued onto the end of his. hey mister why are you stepping on this golden baby

what did it ever do to you

is this a cult?

is the focus supposed to be people standing around this gold thing in the front of the main room, or the person standing at the top of those stairs up there? why are they pointing spears at a statue. this image is extremely strange

“are quirks blessed fortunes sent to humanity” possibly, but if that’s the case humanity did a great job fucking that up like we fuck everything else up sob

what’s this bridge here? this kind of looks like the 25 de Abril bridge in Portugal, but the surrounding terrain is different and it looks a lot smaller. like, really small. is this bridge actually tiny or is this fountain secretly HUGE. or is the bridge actually like way farther away than we’re supposed to think it is?? this is another strange image

“creator, supervisor, and character design by Horikoshi Kouhei” all I needed to hear, THANK YOU. good job 2021. between this, the vaccine, and the boat stuck in the Suez Canal you’re on a roll lately

now we get to the really good part

so, my brain refuses to accept that this is a real sentence. “hero Deku wanted for mass murder” no those words don’t go together like that. that’s a fucking fake sentence. this literally doesn’t compute for me at all. I can’t fucking process it without immediately cracking up lmao. DEKU KILLED SOMEONE YOU GUYS. HE KILLED MASS SOMEONES ACTUALLY. HE’S WANTED FOR MURDER. THIS IS WHAT A MURDERER LOOKS LIKE

LOOK IF YOU DARE, INTO THE FACE OF EVIL

WORLD CRISIS. THE DESTRUCTION OF THE EARTH. yeah that sounds par for the course for BnHA these days

this person seems really upset

it’ll be all right, friend

WHAT IS THIS IMAGE DOING HIDDEN HERE IN THIS “PAUSE OR YOU’LL MISS IT” SCENE

JUST IGNORE ALL THE YOUTUBE STUFF, I’M SORRY, I COULDN’T GET RID OF IT, AND I DIDN’T WANT TO CROP IT OUT BECAUSE EVERY PIXEL COUNTS IN THIS ONE. ANYWAYS, NOTHING TO SEE HERE, JUST TSUYU, OCHAKO, KIRISHIMA AND TETSUTETSU ALL LYING AROUND DEAD AND STUFF. PROBABLY DEKU DID IT

PLANES!!! THE BETTER TO YEET CHILDREN OUT OF

also what city is this?? this isn’t any recognizable city that I can think of, but it’s not like I’m an expert, and also it is supposed to be the future so the skylines might have changed

MY BOYSSSS

ABOUT TO JUMP OUT OF A PLANE. PROBABLY ON THEIR WAY TO COMMITTING SOME MASS MURDERS IDK. SHOUTO’S NEW COSTUME IS COMPRISED OF AT LEAST 50% HOODIE YOU GUYS. I LOVE THIS SO MUCH??

WHY IS THERE A TIME LIMIT OF TWO HOURS

BURNIN’?!??!

THEY MISSED AN OPPORTUNITY TO CALL THIS NEW MOVIE MY HERO ACADEMIA: HEROES FALLING. YOU KNOW, BECAUSE... BECAUSE LIKE, HEROES RISING... AND NOW THEY’RE FALLING... GET IT... BECAUSE THEY’RE... ANYWAY

so can Burnin’ fly?? none of these heroes appear to be wearing parachutes. heroes sure are wild

TOKOYAMI?!?!

HAWKS LOOKS SO... IDK WHAT IT IS BUT I’M LOSING IT AT HIS FACE SOB

HOODIEEEE

you all don’t understand how badly I NEED THIS HOODIE IN MY LIFE. it is INSANE how jealous I am of Shouto right now. YOU CAN DISAPPEAR UNDER THAT THING!! JUST PULL IT RIGHT DOWN OVER YOUR EYES AND TAKE A NAP. THIS IS SUCH A POWERFUL HOODIE YOU GUYS YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND

KACCHANNNN

HE’S SO SNUG IN HIS HOODIE!!! HE LOOKS LIKE A LITTLE KID WEARING A HALLOWEEN COSTUME BUT SOMEHOW HE PULLS IT OFF. AND DID HE CHANGE UP HIS MASK??? I LOVE THIS??

DEKUUUUU

THE BLACK AND GREEN AESTHETIC IS SO FUCKING DOPE YOU GUYS. LOOK AT THE EYES!! THE MASK IS FINALLY COLOR COORDINATED!! FINALLY IT’S ALL COMING TOGETHER. DEKU ANY OTHER COSTUME YOU HAVE AFTER THIS WILL BE A LETDOWN. YOU PEAKED, DUDE. YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO TOP THIS I’M SO SORRY

FALLINGGGGGG

OKAY THANK GOD, IT DOES LOOK LIKE THEY’RE WEARING PARACHUTES HERE. NOT THAT KACCHAN OR SHOUTO NEED THEM. SHOUTO LOOKS SO COOL SOMEHOW. DOING THE AERODYNAMIC THING. HE LOOKS LIKE A PROFESSIONAL. HOW ARE THEIR HOODIES STAYING ON WITH THEM FALLING LIKE THAT

KACCHAN IS JUST

BYE KACCHAN

SHOUTO’S FLAMES LOOK SO TINY IN COMPARISON BUT HE’S TRYING LOL

this gave the impression that he was trying to blast off like Kacchan did, but because his flames are only on his left side he ends up just spinning in a circle lol

boy what are you doing

I guess they’re trying to shoot at someone?? probably Kacchan for showing them up like that

THERE IT IS THE SHOT OF DEKU

they always gotta do this shot

AHHHHHH

GLOWING!!!!!! SHINY!!!!!

IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT FOR THIS AHHHHH

love how there is absolutely NO CONTEXT for Deku being a mass murderer at ANY POINT IN THE ENTIRE TRAILER. it’s just, “by the way Deku’s a murderer lol” and then all of this other stuff with people falling out of planes and being shiny. DEKU KILLED SOMEONE, EH... WE’RE JUST GOING TO IGNORE IT

anyway, so! this movie looks liiiiiiit you guys, I can’t wait. it’s hitting Japan in August, so hopefully we’ll start getting it in other countries within a couple months of that. can’t wait to see all that murder, goddamn

[impossiblelibrary]

Today's rant brought to you by: Queer Eye Japan, can we all just try to be as kind as they try to be?

After watching the Queer Eye Japan super short season, I wanted to google to see the overall reaction to the show, make sure that my western eyes were correct in seeing the care that was given to the culture. Were cultural taboos, other than being outwardly gay, crossed? So I find this article in the top results and other than the perspective, why tho? Tokyoesque.com had an article with a higher reading level, with surface level appreciation but at least better written.

I can't get over this hate article though. Unfounded, dumb, wrong and incorrect. Do not go forward unless you like that blistering kind of anger from me.

But the reasons just get weaker as the article extends: "Hurts the country it set out to save?" Looking for white savior much? They did not go to save Japan, they gave some free shit to like 4-5 people, think smaller.

Their culture guide wasn't gay enough.

You want to suggest any lgbt insta models or celebrities, use your platform to raises some up?

"There is a growing sexless culture in Japan for married and unmarried people, and it is perilous watching Queer Eye present this without any context behind what is driving this behavior."

Sexiness is what the fab 5 embrace, unfortunately and it was probably discussed behind the scenes of how much talking about sex was allowed or polite and the conversation of not having sex is closer to the tip of the tongue rather than the feeling of sexiness. The West is not the ones blasting that information. It is across multiple Japanese printed newspapers and online stories by now and the "context" is still being discussed and debated amongst Japanese. So I don't think any outsiders should be weighing in or "explaining" this phenomenon. We can repeat what we have been told but guessing at the reasons is not our place. The reasons illustrated by the author of the article seem lacking, a take but not the only one, but who am I to speak on that being in a sexual relationship with someone who pulls from that culture?

Kiko begins to lecture Yoko-san on how she “threw away her womanhood” (referring to a Japanese idiom, onna wo suteru) by going makeup-free and wearing drab, shapeless clothes.

The mistranslation by the subtitles fixed by this author was necessary information. But Kiko didn't lecture her on it, it was brought up by Yoko before any of them arrived, that was her theme, that was what she had decided to focus on. Meanwhile, if you watched Jonathan, he understood there was no time to spend on makeup and skincare so provided her a one instrument, 3 points of color on the skin to feel prettier. That and the entire episode being the 5 treating her like a woman on a date, not trying to hook her up, which is what they did in American eps.

"In teaching a Japanese woman, who already struggles to find time for herself, how to make an English recipe, Antoni is making great TV and nothing more."

So Antoni shouldn't have taught her apple pie because it's too exotic for a Japanese woman. (Can you smell the sexism?)

He didn't make an apple pie, altho Yoko did mention her mother made that for her when she was a kid. He made an apple tartine after going to a Japanese bakery who makes that all the time. Then highlighted the apples came from Fuji in true Japanese media fashion. Honey, American television doesn't usually highlight where the ingredients come from. A Japanese producer told him to do that. So all worries handled within the same ep. She got Japanese ingredients, had the recipe shown to her and then made it for her friends in her own house. Did the author actually watch this show or nah?

"beaten over the head with his western self-help logic. “You have to live for yourself,” he says."

The style of build up the 5 went for was confrontational but in a "I'm fighting for you" way. It's hard to describe, but the best I can say is, a person has multiple voices in their head, from parents, siblings, society, and maybe themselves. By being loud and obnoxious, American staples right there, they are adding one more voice. You deserve this, you are amazing, you are worth it. I know this is against most Japanese cultural modesty, but maybe it shouldn't be.

Sarcasm lies ahead:

Apparently: mispronunciation is microaggressions, not just someone who had a sucky school system. Yea okay, They're laughing at the language not at how stumbling these monolinguals are with visiting another country. Mmhm. Japanese don't say I love you and don't touch and that should stay that way instead of maybe, once in awhile, feeling like they can hug. Yeah, let's just ignore Yoko's break down that she had never hugged her lifelong friend after hugging strangers multiple times. Maid cafes are never sexualized in Japan ever, just don't go down that one street in Akihabara where the men are led off by the hand sheepishly blushing. Gag me. And Japanese men love to cry in front of their wives and would never break down once the wife leaves. I have never seen a Japanese movie showcase that move. Grr.

"I identify as many cultures."

So you're a Japanese man when it's convenient for you to get an article published? Are you nationally Japanese or just ethnically or culturally?

Homeland is an inherently racist word?

"After the Bush administration created the Department of Homeland Security after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a Republican consultant and speechwriter Peggy Noonan urged, “the name Homeland Security grates on a lot of people, understandably. Homeland isn’t really an American word, it’s not something we used to say or say now.”

Yes, let's use a Washington Post article rather than a etymology professor. Yes, the google search results increased after 2001 Homeland Security was used but the word has been around since the 1660s and I've read multiple turn of the century lit on white people returning to their homeland, i.e. the town off the coast they were born in.

"But" is not disagreeing. I think the repeated offender for the author is the not acknowledging the makeover-ees feelings. But, that is how LGBT have decided to deal with the inner voices that invade from society. They are just that, not our own, they are the influence of society, and we can choose, we have to choose, to be influenced by someone, anyone else.

Karamo can't speak about being black when an Asian is speaking about being Asian, even though the Asian gay man was feeling alone. It's called relating bitches, and I'm done with people saying that is redirecting the conversation, it's extending the conversation. That's how we talk, the spotlight is shared, especially when someone's about to cry and doesn't want to be seen as crying, time to turn the spotlight.

The gay monk wasn't good enough, you should have invited the gay politician.

Yeah, causes I'm sure a politician has all the time in the world for a quick stint and cry. They picked a Japanese monk who travels to NY because they had a guest who travels to the West too. Did you want him to stop traveling back and forth? Did you want a pure, ethnic and cultural Japanese gay man who has no ties to the west to talk to this Western educated young man? Seriously?

This is just not how it works in Japan.

Being in a multi-cultural marriage between two rebels, discussions on facets of culture are plenty in my household. Culture should be respected enough to be considered but not held on a pedestal like we should never adjust or throw some things out. LGBT being quiet and private for instance. "Being seen" was Jonathan's advice, and a good one especially for a Japanese gay man that was called feminine since he was a kid. Some gay men can hide, but as Jonathan said, he couldn't hide what he was, he couldn't hide this. So fuck it. Don't hide. It's actually more dangerous for a feminine man to come off as anxious rather than gay and proud. It makes you more of a target if they think you won't fight back. Proud means, Imma throw hands too, bitch.

This is also from the civil rights playbook going back to Black America: never hold a protest or a fight without the cameras, without being seen. LGBT have found the more seen they are, in media, in the streets, the better off we are. When LGBT Americans were being "private" about our lifestyles, we died, a la 1980s. They won't care if you start dying off if they never saw you to begin with.

And hence why I think the author's real anger is from these 5 being seen dancing flamboyantly in Shibuya, in Harajuku, afforded the privilege of doing this safely because of their tourist status, cameras and very low violence rate in Tokyo, loud and obnoxiously. Honestly, they wouldn't have been invited or nominated if they didn't want that brash American-ness coming into their home, just for a taste, at least.

Here's my real anger, my own jealousy: Japan's queer community currently does not have marriage or adoption rights. US does, so we have progressed further. But we are also not that many years from being tied to cow fences with barbed wire, beaten with baseball bats and left for dead overnight. If things are so bad over there, maybe take a few pages from the civil right playbook we took so much time to perfect and produced by the Black Americans who fought first. But so far, I only hear loss of jobs and marriages, which we still have here too. Stop trying to divide us, we are one community, LGBT around the world and we are here to try to help. Take it or leave it, it's not like we're going to go organize your own Pride parade for you.

Rant over? I guess. Is this important enough to be put in the google results along with his. Hell no, anyone with half a mind can see he's reaching more than half the time. And any argument about: this wasn't covered! There are a shit ton of conversations that are not covered in the 45 min they have. They are not a civil rights show, it's a makeover show, doing their best in that direction anyway. Know what it is.

Next blog post, what research I would guess was happening behind the scenes for each of the 5? I'm pretty sure I saw Jonathan doing Japanese style makeup there...

[empressxmachina]

Is THIS what will push me to make an AO3 account? (not clickbait) (surprising)

[See this journal in a better layout on my blog site or on DeviantArt.]

I’ve fallen so down abysmal for the Help, I Shrunk My… series – “…Teacher“, then “…Parents”, and finally (?) “…Friends” – especially the last movie and its scenes between peers, that I have such an uncharacteristic urge to write a fanfic.

Yep, fanfic. I did say uncharacteristic. But with the cuteness and quality, especially at certain scenes in “…Friends” like below, I don’t think you can blame me.

“Holy shit, I’m going to pass out/die/shit myself/etc.” -me, at nearly everything in this series

(Post?) Pubescent Pairings

A. The Classic Couple.

I’m already, because I’m a serial romantic that loves a good self-insert, thinking to name the whole story “Help, I Shrunk My Lover/Girlfriend” or something cheesy like that (maybe even in German?) for Felix and Ella to be stuck together and have to deal with (post?-) pubescent awkwardness. I mean, I feel so honey-dicked that we got cute shit like this and its amazing scene…

God, look at that FOV, the (lack of) focus, the size difference, the subtitle, that face… Fuck.

…but it had to be ruined because – SPOILER ��� the dumb, lusting teen boy couldn’t see what was literally right in front of him for years until the end of the third movie! Plus, being steps away from a married couple of hotheads, who knows what kind of fights or arguments they’d get into? Are you telling me you wouldn’t want a scene like this again?

That stick is actually way too big to really be a toothpick (or is it?), but I’m not mad. We stan a brave queen.

B. The Will-They/Won’t-They Duo

I’m thinking of making Mario and Melanie into each other, too, as irony based on how much they hated each other for most of the last movie. She stole his phone (and everything else) and then his heart. (lol, I’m so sorry.) Maybe she’d still have some fancies for Felix but then sees that Mario has redeeming qualities of his own, on top of a rich background (not that it matters, but money is cool). My main focus in mind was just for Ella to be shrunken, with Melanie being the supportive gal pal, but given she’s new and hasn’t yet been small herself, maybe this would be the time.

I think Mario would’ve totally gotten over the prepubescent power drive from the first movie by now and certainly no longer has even the slightest grudge over Melanie causing and/or catalyzing chaos that could be played with if he had to deal with a small her. Surely.

C. The Bros in the Back

Would it be too presumptive to make Chris and Robert maybe gay for each other… or even absolutely the opposite? I respect a strong friendship and/or bromance, and LGBTQ+ representation is always a win, too. But for either, I don’t want to do anything “just because” or because it’s “(not) woke;” it should add to the story and have meaning. After all, a situation like “Dude, I love you, and I’ll love you forever, but not like that” could be just as cute. We stan supportive introspection between men. Bros before hoes, you know?

Though, maybe they’re likely the great masterminds to figure out what/why the plot thickens. They seem like the most intelligent of the squad, even if they were only henchmen at the beginning.

D. The Elders

I guess it would only make sense for Schmitty or Felix’s parents to get shrunk again, as is tradition. Maybe the former would be due to considering retirement from teaching/being principal.

I’d do anything to get Hausmeister Michalsky protecting her with his hat again.

As for the parents, it’d likely be a wrong place, wrong time situation. I don’t know.

Unless Sandra and Peter were snooping again, I doubt Felix would willingly do this to them.

Overarching Themes

Aging for Innuendo

Regarding all this, I do know that I’d like to make the story time-skipped a bit, making the kids at least U.S.-adult-aged for my own sake. I am a fan of double entendre, cheekiness, and raw emotion, so I’d love to spill them all over a story or characterization if fitting. However, I couldn’t bear to see or write any kiddos explicitly going through with any entailed implications – that shit’s illegal, lmao. Plus, why even risk something like that when an age-up takes away all the trouble, thus not make any innuendos or ideas awkward?

In a fun way, small or not, wouldn’t seeing the gang party together with real man’s drinks or whatever be cool? What about someone getting turnt on a thimble’s worth or a gummy bear’s paw?

The cups have been used. That’s adorable. +10 points for realism.

In a trash way, if a greater trust was built between Felix and Ella to wear one would suggest taking a bath with the other, and a small Ella floating in the soap ocean bumps into something on her back, only to realize all of Felix’s (normal) limbs are out of distance, in view, and/or just not able to touch her yet he’s blushing, then what would that imply? (It could be nothing, but it could be something.)

Why, Though?

I just can’t figure out a supposedly new catalyst for the ultimate shrinking plot point, mostly due to the main chaos causers, aka the ancient magic users that tackled the school, being sent to the Shadow Realm in the last movie. I do have some ideas, but I’d always love to hear more.

*Oh, Hulda Stechbarth… Bless this crazy bitch, lol.

Throughout the series, people going to our wanting to go to America was frequently brought up. Maybe, like Ilvermorny is to Hogwarts, maybe there’s a (maybe American) (college?) counterpart to the Leonhard school that is interested in the kids. Could the sudden shrinking be a part of the admissions or entrance exam process, such as figuring out how to reverse it? I can’t imagine someone still wanting to go to a school that risked its prospective students’ lives, but who knows? Still, I’m sure the friends would debate whether going overseas for any school is the best idea, especially with the ridiculous costs. Could differing views cause tension?

What if one between Felix and Ella considered it, but the other didn’t, and a coincidentally timed dream for them to stay together – not unlike Minami-kun no Koibito, if you know it – made one of them small with no way for Felix to turn the affected back to normal (due to the tests)? What if people start believing that Felix is intentionally not transforming people back, despite not being at fault but trying his best the whole time?

I suppose another villain is cool, too, but what would be their spite? Would Felix getting all of Leonhard’s power be enough to spark something?

***

I want to do this, but I rarely finish anything now. I can’t even think of a proper plot! Maybe putting this out into the world will inspire myself or even someone else to give a fanfic a shot or at least expose this series to our fandom more (like when I found Dwarfina and blushed at every scene, despite not knowing a lick of Tagalog)!

The third movie pretty much just released, so I only see it (legally) able for streaming (via renting or buying) via Vudu and Amazon Prime Video (in the U.S.). It maybe more widespread in Germany where it was made. (Though, VPNs do exist…) But the first and second movies can be bought or rented from multiple sources, surely.

In any case, let me know what y’all think, and feel free to share your thoughts!

[dreamescapeswriting]

BTS Reaction || You’re An Interviewer at BBMA’s [Request]

A/N: Hope this is okay for you hun!!

Seokjin:

To say you were nervous was an understatement, you were beyond nervous now. You'd been working for the company for one week and they decided to throw you in at the deep end to see if you could survive in their world. Being a journalist wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Now here you were standing on the red carpet of the Billboard Music Award's about to interview one of the biggest bands at the moment, said band was also one of your favourite bands and you were going to have to keep your cool around them.

"Are you ready?" The cameraman asked as BTS started walking towards you with smiles on their faces, you smiled back at each of them and you nodded at the cameraman.

"Let's do this." You told him, getting ready to interview the boys, you didn't bother with the questions that your boss had given you because they were awful.

"Hi guys, how are you enjoying tonight?" You stuttered over the words and they all smiled, going into explanations about how their nights were going and Jin noticed you. He'd seen plenty of interviewers in his time of being in BTS but none of them were like you, you looked nervous and he could see your hands shaking as you tried to keep talking to them. He kept his eye on you, mostly because he couldn't take them off you, the moment he walked over to you he couldn't stop staring at you, your smile was what drew him in first, the way it was small but as soon as they walked over it seemed genuine and true, unlike a lot of other interviewers.

"You okay?" He asked once the interview was over and the camera was down, you nodded without saying anything. Trying to manage your breathing but it wasn't working very well.

"Here, breathe with me." You stared at him as he started to breathe in deeply, holding it and then breathing back out with you. You began following along with him and the other boys looked at you both, saying nothing and continuing with their own conversations.

"How are you doing now?" You smiled up at him and nodded, finally finding words to be able to talk to him.

"Sorry, it's my first big interview, they sort of threw me to the sharks." You joked looking at him as he chuckled at your lame attempt to make him laugh,

"We aren't that scary, but I'm glad that you were our interviewer, not everyone is as nice as you were." He told you as he looked at Namjoon, they were being called along to the next interview and he looked at you sadly. He almost didn't want to move, he knew he couldn't slip you his number in any way because there were cameras everywhere,

"I'll find you again Y/n," He whispered to you just as he left you there, you stared off after him thinking you were imagining him saying that when he turned around and sent you a sly wink.

Yoongi:

Yoongi was looking forward to your interview, mostly because he knew about you and how kind you were with everyone you met. He was walking down the Billboard Music Awards red carpet when he spotted you, you were stood interviewing someone else and all he could focus on was you. You weren't dressed up like everyone else on the carpet, you were wearing jeans and a fancy shirt unlike other female interviewers who were all dressed in giant dresses or heels they couldn't walk in.

"What can fans expect from the new album?" He heard when he zoned back into the interview they were already in but he couldn't help but keep glancing over at you, struck by how cool and calm you were being.

"Hi boys, can I offer you some water? Or something to eat before we start?" You questioned looking at each member and they all took a bottle of water from you and a cookie. From what Yoongi had read about you, you did this with everyone. You wanted everyone to be comfortable during your interviews,

"I'm Y/n and I'll be doing the interview tonight." They all nodded and you smiled again before you went straight in with the interview, but you were reading questions from Army instead of generic interview questions and all of them were loving it.

"The last one for the night, Army wants to know what your favourite tracks are from the new or the old albums." All of them went on to tell you their favourites and you actually listened to them, turning to Namjoon if he had to translate something and then looking back at the original member as they spoke. Something Yoongi noticed a lot of interviewers didn't do, they would ask a question and then ignore them or just wait for them to finish. Yoongi's turn to speak was coming up and he'd been rehearsing what he wanted to say in his head and when you turned to him and smiled he almost lost everything in his head, he told you his favourite song and why and then did something that shocked you,

"What about you?" In all your time in interviewing a celebrity never wanted to engage in more than they had to so it was a little shocking.

"I think it's either Cypher part 2 or maybe What am I to you...I'm a sucker for your old music but I do love your new stuff." You told them and the interview finished, they stayed standing with you for a couple of minutes while they waited for the next one to open up.

"You guys are amazing, thank you for taking the time to talk to us tonight." You said to each member before they began talking to one another. Throughout the rest of the night, Yoongi would look around to see if he could spot you and when he did, he couldn't take his eyes off you and he made a promise to himself he would find out how to get your number or any way of contact with you.

Hoseok:

Another red carpet event meant another night of interviews, with the same questions just worded differently. Hoseok was normally the happy one but tonight he was too tired from practising the night before and all morning and all he wanted to do was go home and crawl into bed.

"Hello guys, I'm Y/n and I'll be interviewing you tonight, I hope that's okay." You said to them, as Namjoon went to translate you surprised him by repeating what you'd said in Korean to the members, Hoseok's ears picked up and he looked up from the floor to meet your eyes, you were smiling at each of them.

"I took Korean in school, I knew it would come in handy for something." You told Namjoon as the cameraman got the camera ready for the interview. Throughout the entire interview, you were switching between English and Korean to make it easier for the boys to understand and to give Namjoon a break from being a translator all night. You knew you were going to have to edit the subtitles in later but it was worth it to see BTS smiling so much during an interview.

"Lastly, what can fans expect from the upcoming album?" You questioned in both English and Korean, Namjoon looked at each of the members and Hoseok took the answer to the question,

"It's going to be big, huge and we hope that Army will love." You smiled at him as he spoke in amazing English and then you ended the interview, handing your cameraman your microphone and shaking Namjoon's hand as he complimented you on your Korean, they were all waiting for their next interview to start so you offered them some water and then looked at Hoseok who'd been staring at you all night, you smiled at him and felt a blush creeping up on your cheeks as he smiled back at you.

"You did amazing, where did you learn Korean again?" He questioned and you went into a deep conversation about where you went to school and why you took Korean instead of French or Spanish.

"I hope you enjoy your night." You said as they were getting ready to move along to the next interview.

"And good luck with your performance." He waved at you and asked Namjoon if he knew where he could find you after the night was finished. He didn't want that to be the last time he would see you.

Namjoon:

They were all used to interviews by now, it was something they'd been doing for seven years and something they were going to be doing for a long time coming but Namjoon couldn't help but feel that small amount of cringe when they met an interviewer and they faked being happy to see them, or were really giddy and couldn't contain themselves which is why when they met you on the carpet for the BBMA's it was like a breath of fresh air to him and the rest of the boys. You were standing up by the entrance, you were the last interview of the night and he smiled at you,

"Hi, I'm Y/n." You said to them all, giving them each a genuine smile and looking at your cameraman to check if he was ready for you.

"I'll be your interviewer for the next five minutes." You told them and the cameraman nodded, you took out the cards you were reading from and asked the questions. The whole time Namjoon was supposed to be paying attention but every now and again he would find himself zoning out as he watched you speaking, only coming back to reality when the younger boys poked him in the side, you blushed as you noticed he was watching you but continued to read off the questions calmly trying to ignore the fact that one of the hottest men were staring right at you and watching you.

"Thanks for this." You said to them as the interview ended and you were left to talk to them before they were called into the building, Namjoon was still staring at you at a loss for words.

"Hyung...Ask her out if you're so taken by her." You heard Jungkook whisper not so quietly, you looked at the floor trying to act as though you hadn't heard anything not thinking he was talking about you. You knew that people have their own private lives and it wasn't your business to meddle in them.

"Jungkook, shut up," Namjoon mumbled under his breath and you turned to look back at them going to offer them something to drink when you came face to chest with Namjoon, almost knocking him and yourself over.

"Sorry, I didn't expect you to be that close." You giggled as you tried to steady yourself but his arm was on your upper arm steadying you so you didn't tumble over.

"It's okay, I didn't think you would turn around that quickly." You smiled looking up at him and forgetting everything you'd been thinking about before as you stared up into his brown eyes.

"Erm-I...Do you want something to drink?" You asked as he let go of your arms and nodded.

"Sure," At first it was awkward to be around him without having premade questions for you to ask him but he smiled at you and it made everything seem less awkward as if he had some superpower to do so.

"I would love to do another interview with you, do you have a number we can call to set that up?" You nodded and reached for a business card but Jungkook came over to you,

"He means your mobile number, he's too much of a gentleman to ask." You felt the blush creeping back and you took out a pen, writing your number on the back of the card and handing it to him.

"Thanks, Jungkook." You whispered as they walked away.

Jimin:

The number of interviews the boys had done that night had lost count in Jimin's mind and he was getting tired of answering the same questions over and over again which is why when he got to you he didn't look happy and just wanted the night to be over or for the interviewing portion to be over, he was looking forward to performing. You introduced yourself and he blanked out like he normally would after saying hello but as soon as you started giving them questions that weren't routine or everything they'd heard before he started to pick up, his mood brightening as you continued to read off questions from Army instead of the company.

"Your fanbase is one of the kindest I've met, I asked when on twitter on Instagram for questions because I know how boring those interviews can be and Army welcomed me with welcome arms." You told them and they laughed along with you, you began giving them questions and you noticed that Jimin was smiling more as you read them out. Which is why you did this instead of the boring old interviews, you wanted to give celebrities a way of talking to their fans instead of asking questions that no one really cared about or something they'd answered ten times over before.

"Army wants to know if you all have secret fan accounts?" You questioned looking up at them as they all shook their heads, but Jimin nodded not thinking about what was happening.

"Oh...Oh- No, no we don't." He answered quickly and you made a not to remove him nodding from the interview, knowing that if it got out that he did, no one would rest until they found it.

"I'll edit it out." You told Namjoon who was looking extremely nervous about Jimin's answer he smiled at you and you continued reading from the cards.

"Do you really have secret accounts?" You questioned after the camera was away and Jimin nodded laughing at Namjoon's glare,

"I won't tell anyone." You promised as you giggled at Jimin pretending to be scared of Namjoon,

"We have to go, but I hope I can see you again." Jimin said taking hold of your hand and kissing the top of it, before he walked away from you, leaving you blushing and trying not to freak out.

Taehyung:

Why did you agree to do this again? You were just an intern and your boss decided it would be a good idea to let you lead interviews with people since the original interviewer was out sick. You looked up nervously to meet Taehyung staring at you with a smile,

"I'm Tae." He said shaking your hand and you greeted the rest of them, smiling and shaking their hands as you tried to remain cool.

"I'll say sorry now, I'm not used to this. I'm only here because my coworker is sick." You explained as you felt your hands shaking, you'd been like this for the last hour. Nervous to talk to anyone who came over to you. Taehyung noticed and shook his head at you,

"It's okay, take your time." You smiled gratefully and he looked at Namjoon who was also smiling at you. Each of them understood that you were new at this and weren't used to running that kind of interview.

You made it through the interview without messing up too badly but you'd stumbled over a couple of the questions but you got through them in the end.

"You doing okay?" Taehyung asked handing you a bottle of water from your cameraman, you nodded and looked up at him.

"I'm not an in front of the camera kind of girl, more of a, sit behind a desk and type up articles." You told him and he chuckled kneeling down in front of you since you were sat on a chair trying to calm yourself down.

"A tip I got when we first started was to imagine everyone in their underwear but it doesn't really work...So use this instead," He came closer to you and you stared at him as he spoke to you.

"Act as though you know everyone like you've been friends before and it's just catching up." You nodded along with him and he smiled, helping you up to your feet.

"Ask me something." He said to you, handing you the stack of cards and watching you, you did as he said. Pretending in your head that you'd known him years and you were just catching up, no one else around you. Just you and Tae and you did it. You weren't shaking or stumbling over your words and he smiled patting you on the back.

"Thanks, Taehyung, maybe I'll be able to make it through the rest of the night now." You said with a small laugh behind your words and he chuckled looking up to see Namjoon calling for him to leave, he patted you on the back and left you, glancing back to see if you were still okay and you were.

Jungkook:

Jungkook had been watching you for most of the night out of the corner of his eye, he noticed how calm and collected you were with everyone you were meeting and he smiled at the thought of someone being so in love with their job that they really were happy to interview everyone they met. He was making his way over to you with the rest of the boys when you turned around to switch out cards, he walked closer and was standing beside you, making you jump and drop the cards onto the floor when you finally noticed him standing right behind you.

"Shit." You whispered bending down to pick up all of the cards that were now out of order,

"Well done Jungkook." The older members teased and Jungkook dropped onto the floor to help you find all of the cards since it as his fault that they were on the floor in the first place.

"It's okay, you don't need to help." You told him but he insisted and continued to help you, handing them to you. Your hands made contact and you stared from his hands up to his eyes and he smiled at you with one of the biggest smiles you'd seen, and you couldn't help but blush as he stared at you.

"Sorry, you just have really pretty eyes." He whispered to you as he blushed back, you both stared at each other for a couple of seconds before the cameraman cleared his throat and you were brought back to reality both of you standing up and joining the boys to continue with the interview.

"Sorry about that, I scare easy." You told them as they all waited for you to start and you did, avoiding looking at Jungkook throughout the whole thing but you could feel his stare on you the whole time. He couldn't take his eyes off you, you'd really caught his attention when you locked eyes and it was as if the world around him had gotten brighter. Something he'd always dreamed about when he thought about meeting someone, but he never expected it to happen so soon, he smiled at you and then looked at the rest of the boys. They were getting ready to leave and he didn't want to, he wanted to stay with you all night and stare into your eyes.

"Here. Her number." The cameraman said sliding the number to Jungkook who raised his eyebrows at the man before smirking and running off to join his Hyung's and tell them what he had.

tagline: 

@yoongisdumplingcheeks​ @ficdump101​ @babymochichimmy​ @btsiguess-kpop​ @snowy-meowl​ @lynnthevirgo​ @yourguessisasgoodasminemate​ @lyoongx​ @mitzwinchester​ @rjsmochii​

[life-rewritten]

Spooky Season! A look into a Masterpiece (He’s Coming To Me Review)

I've been waiting to talk about this show and how my love for it will never end. Surprisingly the source of the show is GMMTV, whilst known for so many problematic elements in BL genre; He's coming to me manages to avoid every single issue naturally had with this genre. And because of that, this review is an ode to a masterpiece that should not be forgotten and should not be underrated. It's also Halloween, so this is another excuse to go back and look at the best things about this show. Hopefully, we get more like this GMMTV.

Ratings: Plot: 9/10 Directing: 9/10 Acting: 910 Satisfaction: 9/10 Overall: A* Rewatch factor: 8.5/10

AN IN-DEPTH REVIEW

Nothing wrong to say about this show. And that's a breath of fresh air; I remember first watching this show in 2019 very late because we had issues with the subtitles, and I went into it very sceptical and had low expectations. By the end of this show, I was so grateful and happy that this exists. 

The title of the show (He keeps coming to me) is what the heart of the show is about.  Thun, our main character who keeps going to Mes,  a ghost who he can see, his determination in keeping Mes by his side, to being his childhood acquaintance, to his best friend and finally to his lover, is felt and focused on when he has to brave the world and society norms, and some truths about himself.  Meanwhile, Mes has to discover his reason for being a ghost and unravel the mysteries tying him to his fate with Thun. So incredible to watch and see their love story unfold. 

Criticisms/ Comments

As I said, there are no negatives when it comes to this show.  All we could maybe mention is the slow pace from episode 1-3. But even at that, the relationship dynamics are shown genuinely because of the time it takes to develop the story.

This love story uses the trope friends to lovers which entails a soft cute and heartwarming bond between Mes and Thun since they first met each other. The two want to spend as much time with each other even though their worlds are different (spirit realm vs human realm). Thun is determined to have Mes keep coming to his side, learning about the lore and rules surrounding ghosts in our world; the use of incense, the way Mes starts of not being able to hold onto anything, the fact that Thun is the only person who sees Mes. He can't hide his feelings even when he's with his friends, he makes up excuses just to return home to spend time with Mes, and he makes it his mission to discover why Mes died, so Mes gets reincarnated. The slow pace might make people think the show is a bit boring, but it's just a way to introduce and show exposition to the other characters surrounding this world. If you rewatch the show, you also start to recognise foreshadowing symbolisms, devices and hints pointing to the final revelation about how Thun and Mes are tied together.

I also think some people struggled with as well the lack of 'skinship' from Thun and Mes, but this is a device used to emphasise one of the obstacles of our couple;  the lack of touch ( because Mes struggles to learn the rules of how to hold objects or touch Thun). We the audience try to uncover the reasons for why sometimes they're able to feel each other by mistake and Mes starts to work hard to hold objects and cook, and turn on the incense which keeps him tied to the environment it's in. I didn't have an issue with the skinship because the actors were phenomenal at showing little subtle hints to feelings on their faces of longing, want and love. The scenes where skinship was required wasn't stiff or awkward or weird like other shows of this genre make you feel about them. It felt natural,  a tad unrealistic (in terms of the way their heads tilted and the camera spun) but so what?  The show wasn't meant to focus on that; it focused on the bond and love between the two, they just enjoyed talking and spending quality time being domestic with each other, and that's adorable. Alright, let's look at the positives:

Character Breakdown and Plot Meaning

The characterisation of HCTM is so excellent; it still shocks me how much I didn't expect it to be this way. All our characters are critical to the plot, even when they're just side characters with no deep story arcs to themselves. Thun and Mes interact with people who are part of their path in recognising what they are to each other. Before I praise the characterisation of the two, let's focus on some other characters who were so good in this show:

Thun's best friends: Prince, Plufai and Khiem

These were a phenomenal group of friends who were so caring and patient and genuinely the heartwarming part of this series as well. I enjoyed watching how much they went out of their way to ensure that Thun was okay, even when they didn't understand why he was the way he was and also felt frightened by some of his actions (talking to himself randomly, and acting out). One of my fave story arcs during the season is when Khiem (Played amazingly by Sing) thinks Thun is taking drugs and so starts a secret series of investigations keeping an eye on his actions. It wasn't because they were judging him but because they were worried about his wellbeing.  

Also, my heart melted for Prince (Played by another excellent favourite Chimon),  who had unrequited feelings for Plufai and struggled to deal with her feelings for Thun and his own seemingly cold/nonchalant/evasive actions concerning her. It's the way he wasn't toxic or problematic and also was willing to step down if Thun did have feelings for Plufai. I also really enjoyed watching his relationship with her develop and the natural chemistry between the two.

Lastly, PluFai first starts as every female character from a GMMTV show, a competition, someone there to be a beard to the main character. Still, I enjoyed her heart. I also loved her being the mirror character to Thun's mum when it came to her relationship with Mes in the past. Both women show strength and understanding and acceptance once they discover the sexuality of the person who they had feelings for. And I thought her way of dealing with it, their friendship being robust and full of communication was really what sold it for me. There were moments when I was frightened about her connection to the mystery of Mes's death, and it broke my heart when she realised what she was to him and what it meant for her grandfather. I also enjoyed the way she takes it on her self to make it up to him and how forgiving she is to her grandfather despite the fact I didn't think he should be. She showed strength, understanding and warmth and kept being that way and also consistent.  And I love that because she wasn't problematic female stereotypes that GMMTV loves to add to women, she stayed great and true throughout the show. And I loved it.

Thun's Family: Mum and Dad

Honestly, the way the writing of these characters was what made me love this show the most. Thun's dad shows up only in episode 1 before he dies surprisingly and Mes sees his ghost disappear. I thought that's all we needed to know of him. Still, we really get to learn more about Thun's family dynamics; there are answers to why his mum didn't join them during the grave excursions, why she was absent during those years he meets Mes, his father's knowing and understanding gaze as Thun cries about not being able to see him and also how he's hidden the fact he sees ghosts. We get information as well about the relationship with him and the mum after Mes broke up with her.

Next, we have Thun's mum, her first appearance is warm and pleasant. Still, we won't be able to fathom that she's wearing the watch that Mes has been drawing all this time, she's the girl who provided Mes with the same gift he created for Thun, she's already been close with someone who came out and so she was a source of strength for Thun when he struggled with accepting his sexuality. That coming out scene is so incredible and has made this show a fantastic piece of media for representation for LGBT. I loved her relationship with Mes, despite it being an obstacle to our couple at first, she's so understanding of him, and she's so grateful he returned and is the person her son loves. But also it's the plot twist that Thun sees ghosts because she too can, and she was hiding that as a secret until she meets Mes. It made it better, a relief to know that he's not alone and there is a reason for why he's able to see them. It also made the relationship with our couple easier because she understood and saw Mes, so Thun and Mes's relationship was more readily accepted.

He's coming to me brought these characters and connected it to its world-building, rules and understanding of its supernatural themes whilst still providing consistent dynamics about friendship and family and life in general. Not only is it a BL show, but it had other focuses as well rounding it up and making it much more wholesome and needed. The characters held no toxic tropes commonly also found in BL, the relationships felt real and authentic, and each of the characters had development and growth that tied them together to the plot overall. Now onto the heart of this show: My all-time faves Thun and Mes

Thun

One of my favourite characters, honestly rewatching this show was so incredible, especially when I started to notice more about this character after all the revelations revealed throughout the show. I went into the show surprised at how open Thun was to Mes already, the way he cared and wanted what was the best for Mes who has always been alone and neglected. Even when older Thun shows up and still shows the same amount of care even though he dislikes the fact that he could see ghosts, he's so warm and protective over Mes, and it made me swoon and smile. I enjoyed watching him come to terms with who he was.

At first, we don't see any hints that this is something the story will focus on.  But as we go deeper into his university life and his reason for why he studied law etc. It becomes evident that Thun knows he's gay but is struggling with internalised homophobia, it's also pretty clear he's had feelings from the beginning for Mes. He even knew when Mes started having feelings for him too.

They just didn't want to confront what it meant. Ohm Pawat's acting is so incredible you can see the subtle changes in Thun, and meanings with his actions with Mes that they both have requited feelings for each other but they don't want to cross the line. Thun has memorable speeches during the show as well about his struggle with his sexuality and how people perceive him. It's incredible how the show mirrors his on the surface secret about seeing ghosts and being seen as abnormal to the world to his internal/ more profound secret about his sexuality and also feeling abnormal. It's so telling that once Mes enters his life, he no longer feels it a struggle to embrace who he is, he uncontrollably speaks to Mes and laughs and stares romantically whilst hanging around his friends, he can't help but run to him when he needs him. Especially during the rooftop scene, the fear of losing Mes causes him not to care what others think, and he proceeds to call for him and confess his feelings and stay out in the rain waiting for him. He also proceeds to accept his sexuality even more, once Mes enters his life, he kisses Plufai to determine what he truly feels and once that occurs he decides to head straight and try to talk to Mes about it, thereby afterwards always making Mes know what he is to him is more than friends. I can talk a lot about his character and how much I enjoyed his development and how he chose to finally trust the people around him and also his determination to keep Mes by his side.  Which we, later on, find out is also the reason for why they could touch and feel each other. The show emphasises that it's about his determination, his perseverance and love for Mes that keeps the latter coming to him. And towards the end, his wish comes true, and Mes returns to his side because of that. Awesome and beautifully written.  

Mes

Singto has been an unstoppable force in GMMTV as an actor, and Mes is another character that is just as memorable and great as the others. While Thun's characterisation surrounds his will and determination to keep Mes by his side, Mes's surrounds his warmth and caring aura. I love. love realising that both Mes and Thun mirrored each other when struggling with their sexuality, both had girls who were loyal and great to them, but they couldn't hide who they were anymore.

The show emphasises the importance of this,  telling the audience that yes they're gay, this is a show about two gay boys falling in love, and this is also about how they accept who they are whilst dealing with the obstacles that are supposed to separate them.

Mes is so soft, he's this adorable, mischievous (with personality), ball of fluff and I enjoyed his character. He wasn't written as a stagnant and a boring character; he had his own goals, his own self-exploration, his own storyline and mystery to be solved. And the way the show told his story, was fantastic, the way they mixed the supernatural elements of Mes and the mystery of his death back to Thun was so great. Mes and Thun were always destined to find each other; they were on the path to each other though one of it included him being murdered by his relative, every character is connected together to help get these two together at the end. I love how the show makes us feel like Mes has an unrequited love for Thun at first.

We see Singto's acting to the finest, the longing, the jealousy and the worry about their new blooming relationship. He also shows guilt and character depth when he realises that Kwan is Thun's mother. The pacing and directing keep us in the dark for why he's gone for so long and ran away after their first kiss. We later get the truth revealed as Thun comes out to his mum, and it's such a brilliant way to get the audience even more heartbroken about the reveal. Due to dramatic irony. The mum is the reason for why Thun can happily accept Mes as his lover in his life yet is also an obstacle because Mes can't get over what he did to her in the past. It's brilliant, and such a great way to write the story.

I am so happy as well that Mes returns to Thun's side. I cried like a baby watching their week together, knowing that the time to say goodbye was coming closer. Their conversation about everything and their uncontrollable feelings was so meaningful and heartbreaking; their confession about how they've loved each other from the start; how they've known how the latter felt but refused to accept it because of all the obstacles in their way. Mes still unsure but deciding to spend the last moments together as much as possible. And their relief in discovering that they can touch each other, and the reason for why. These two's love was so beautiful to see.

Lastly, I enjoyed the fact that this is a happy ending. With this genre when surrounding these topics death, separation etc. You expect sad endings mostly because that's the way directors like to end LGBT shows for a long time (something I absolutely detest), from episode 1, the show actually foreshadowed the ending, and comes through with it, I cried so much when I realised that it was not yet Mes's time to go all because of the reasons stated in episode 1. I also cried because GMMTV directors let a great representation show have a hopeful, romantic ending, and a show for many people to relate to, but also to run to and forget about reality.

 That's why this show is a masterpiece. I didn't even go into the devices and symbols used in this show, but there was a lot of meta, foreshadowing, dramatic irony etc. That also made this show brilliant. The directing and production quality is also fantastic and deserves praise. The actors; all of them were incredible. I just want another show like this please GMMTV?

[osakaso5]

Nagi Rokuya RabbiTube Rabbit TV Part 2: A Special Day Of Sincerity

Part 1 | Part 3

Yamato Nikaido: ...Hold on. Let's do a roll call, just in case. I can't tell who's who with these masks.

Iori Izumi: I'm Iori.

Mitsuki Izumi: I'm Mitsuki.

Tamaki Yotsuba: Tamaki.

Sogo Osaka: I'm Sogo Osaka.

Riku Nanase: I'm Riku!

Mitsuki Izumi: ...'Kay, that's everyone.

All: ........

Yamato Nikaido: A-are we really gonna do this..?

Iori Izumi: It's not as if we have a choice, considering it's for Rokuya-san's Appreciation Month...

Tamaki Yotsuba: I'm actually kinda into this.

Riku Nanase: Me too! It's so exciting!

Tamaki Yotsuba: Yeah. It's like we're the bad guys from a hero show!

Sogo Osaka: Cocona-chan isn't a villain, though...

Mitsuki Izumi: ...What were we supposed to do with these masks on, again..?

Iori Izumi: Our mission is to entertain Rokuya-san through impersonations and quotes from the show.

Mitsuki Izumi: ...Sounds like Mission Impossible to me...

Sogo Osaka: It's like we're court jesters who have to perform in front of a king.

Iori Izumi: That's a good analogy.

Yamato Nikaido: ...Alright. Let's do this, for Nagi!

All: Yeah..!

Nagi Rokuya: OH..! Incredible! You are all wearing such cute masks!

Iori Izumi: ...I'm already sick of doing this...

Sogo Osaka: Hang in there, Iori-kun. We're only just getting started!

Riku Nanase: Magical Flash!

Riku Nanase: Ehehe. Well, how'd I do?

Nagi Rokuya: Say it again, Riku! This time, I will film it...

Nagi Rokuya: And straighten your back out just a bit more!

Riku Nanase: L-like this?

Nagi Rokuya: Yes! That is perfect!

Tamaki Yotsuba: ...Are we gonna do that, too?

Yamato Nikaido: Were you not listening when we went over this plan the first time..?

Tamaki Yotsuba: ...Nagicchi!

Nagi Rokuya: What?

Tamaki Yotsuba: Take this!

Nagi Rokuya: ...OH..!

Mitsuki Izumi: Whoa!? Now Nagi's wearing a mask, too!

Iori Izumi: Now there's seven of us...

Sogo Osaka: ...COCONALiSH7..?

IDOLiSH7: ...Pfft.

IDOLiSH7: Ahaha..!

Mitsuki Izumi: Damn you Sogo, I was trying not to laugh..!

Riku Nanase: Ahaha, the mask suits you, Nagi!

Iori Izumi: How can you even tell if a mask suits someone..?

Nagi Rokuya: Does it really..? But I do not think I am worthy of it..!

Yamato Nikaido: Why would you not think that?

Sogo Osaka: I understand what he means. The closer you get to someone you respect, the more you start to feel inferior...

Tamaki Yotsuba: Are you seriously still saying stuff like that, So-chan? After all the times you've worked together?

Sogo Osaka: I-I wasn't referencing anyone in particular..!

Tamaki Yotsuba: But I can still tell exactly who you're talking about.

Nagi Rokuya: ...Ah, if only I had the gift of magic, like Cocona does...

Nagi Rokuya: Then I could get rid of those lousy calligraphic subtitles, and direct the show's plot according to my wishes...

Mitsuki Izumi: That's a pretty disturbing thing to say when you're in the entertainment industry, even as a joke.

Riku Nanase: We may not be able to change the show, but we've got something else you can watch!

Nagi Rokuya: And that is..!

IDOLiSH7: The RabbiTube!

Riku Nanase: It's about to begin! Everyone, take off your masks! 

- - - -

IDOLiSH7: ........

Mitsuki Izumi: It was pretty fun to watch how quickly you went from being all regal to hugging your legs and shaking in fear!

Nagi Rokuya: Touching mystery objects is quite difficult indeed...

Tamki Yotsuba: Yeah, seriously.

Riku Nanase: I thought you wouldn't have to drink the senburi tea..!

Sogo Osaka: Same here. I thought you'd guess what it was right away, since you're so smart.

Tamaki Yotsuba: ...What did you call it again... Monster Deluxe?

Nagi Rokuya: Monstera deliciosa! It is rough and round, so I mistook the pinecone for it.

Iori Izumi: You, Nikaido-san, and Yotsuba-san our only members who have failed the challenge thus far.

Yamato Nikaido: ...I'd rather not be reminded of that...

Nagi Rokuya: Heh. It would seem we are comrades, Yamato.

Tamaki Yotsuba: SENBURiSH3!

Riku Nanase: What a group that would be!

Iori Izumi: Please don't just make up random teams. It'll only make those of us who succeeded feel weird.

Mitsuki Izumi: I get what you mean, Iori. Grass always looks greener on the other side...

Nagi Rokuya: Surely, there is no grass in senburi tea!?

Mitsuki Izumi: You're missing my point, buddy.

Iori Izumi: ...Nii-san, Osaka-san. Let's make up a group name for ourselves, as well.

Sogo Osaka: Huh..? D-do you think we'll need a theme song, too?

Yamato Nikaido: I have no idea what you people are saying anymore...

Riku Nanase: Do you always hold your arms out like that when you unbox merch, by the way?

Nagi Rokuya: ...Yes. I focus all the nerves on this right hand of mine, and feel for the jackpot.

Tamaki Yotsuba: I guess that's how you got the rarest thing on your first try.

Nagi Rokuya: Heh. If you ever need help with blind bag items, feel free to ask me for assistance.

Iori Izumi: ...Really..?

Riku Nanase: What is it, Iori? Is there something you need Nagi's help with?

Iori Izumi: N-no. Nothing at all.

Mitsuki Izumi: If you're so good at guessing, can you tell what's in here!?

Nagi Rokuya: .......!

Nagi Rokuya: I can, and I need not even use my technique! It is a cake for me..!

Yamato Nikaido: It would've felt kinda weird to cut up a cake with Cocona-chan's face on it, so we decorated it with stars and hearts instead.

Nagi Rokuya: A super ultra rare cake, then! Thank you so much!

Riku Nanase: ...Thank you for always being such a good friend to us, Nagi!

Sogo Osaka: Your voice gives us courage.

Iori Izumi: ...You've been a great source of encouragement to us all.

Tamaki Yotsuba: I hope we can keep you smiling, too!

Yamato & Mitsuki: Nagi!

Yamato, Mitsuki, Iori, Riku, & Sogo: Happy birthday!

Nagi Rokuya: If our meeting was not a miracle, then I do not know what it was. I love you all! 

End of Part 2.

[monaisme]

Day 22: burned

Day 22: burned

“I’m just gonna say this,” Peter piped up, “It sure is nice to know that there are people on this planet that have the sense to run for cover when alien lizard men attack your town.”

“True story!” Mr. Stark exclaimed as he dragged his Iron Man suitcase along beside him. “I’d say I blame the NYC tourists but... yeah.”

Peter, still in full garb gave him the side-eye. “Are you sure you don’t want me to carry that for you? It’s really nothing for me, sir,” he offered for the second time.

“Pfft. Do you hear that, Clint?! He calls me old and then expects me to back up his insult by allowing him to carry my totally not too heavy armour.” Mr. Stark lamented.

“I never called you old, Mr. Stark!” Peter replied.

Mr. Stark stopped in his tracks and pointed a finger at the kid. “Did you or did you not call me ‘sir,’ Spider-Man?”

“You know I did!”

Mr. Barton snorted.

“And I rest my case, your honor! The kid thinks I’m old!” Mr. Stark flailed around in mock exasperation, and then continued on toward the quinjet. “I’ll carry my own suit, thank you very much—even though it’s practically scrap now.”

That suit was actually why Mr. Stark, Ms. Romanoff, Mr. Barton, and Peter were walking down the abandoned Main Street that ran through the center of Broadbury, New Jersey; home of Joe’s Garage & Gas & Convenience Store & Diner... well, maybe not anymore?  The town proper had actually managed to come out of the attack pretty unscathed save for Joe’s, which was still on fire, but it was only the Diner end and it looked to be burning low. An alien powered knock by one of their lizard nemeses had messed with Mr. Stark’s power distribution, though. Within minutes of the hit, he’d received an alert that he needed to exit the suit or risk needing to be cut out of it.  

... and without the suit, they didn’t have the scanning capacity to confirm that all hostiles had been dispatched and that the town was safe.

The quinjet however was wholly capable...

Sirens could suddenly be heard in the distance.

“And that would be the cavalry!” Mr. Stark joked. Yes, Damage Control would come in and help out in the end, but that didn’t mean they let the world burn. Just before his suit had shut down, Mr. Stark was calling in the neighbouring townships’ volunteer fire departments. Broadbury, New Jersey would be fine.

Mr. Barton grinned once he heard the approaching trucks. “Sweet! You know, if we double time it to the quinjet, we can be back in time to sneak in some pizza and a couple of movies before the Spider-baby here,” he gave Peter a playful shove, “needs to be home for bedtime.”

Ms. Romanoff smiled, “That sounds fun, but I’m picking the movies, tonight.”

Mr. Stark and Peter knew better than to argue with her. Mr. Barton, however, couldn’t contain the whine. “But Nat, you always pick stuff with subtitles!”

“Yes, Clint, it’s called exposing the baby spider to culture.”

Peter stopped walking abruptly, “Guys, wait. Did you hear that?”

Of course no one else heard a thing, and with the suit offline, Mr. Stark couldn’t even pretend to try and help.

Peter raised his hand to stop their rustling. “Shhh.”

“heeeelp.” The call was so weak, it was no wonder the others couldn’t hear it... and it seemed to be coming from Joe’s.

“Shoot, guys! There’s someone over at Joe’s!” He gestured to the building. “I’ll be right back, okay?”

He was off before Mr. Stark could holler out a “Be careful!”

They were all mother hens, and he told Mr. Barton and Ms. Romanoff as much over the comm.

“Enough with the sass.” She called out. “Focus and get the job done. It’s a fire and you never mess around with it.”

Peter had helped with enough fires in the city to know exactly that. “Yes, ma’am.” He replied, and then searched for a safe point of entry.

The diner seemed to be the place to be, and so Peter called out as he entered the smoke filled but flame free part of the building, “Hello?! Can you hear me?”

Peter heard a weak cough, but no actual call for help. He had to hurry.

“Hey! I’m coming! Just hang on!” he yelled out, and crossed through the diner into the small attached convenience store. He wondered offhandedly if the aliens had made their way in here and they’d missed it, ‘cuz Peter could tell that the building was trashed even through the smoke. Twinkies and cases of Gatorade and those little white powdered donuts were messing up the entryway, but he leapt over them all easily enough. “Hello?! Can you make some noise?”

Peter heard another cough on the opposite side of the room, closer to the entryway to the garage... and the fire.

Shit!

Hey! I’m here, buddy! I’m coming!” The heat was becoming uncomfortable, especially when coupled with the smoke. It hadn’t looked that bad from the outside, had it?

“Ms. Romanoff! What’s the status of the fire?”

She replied immediately. “It’s looking pretty much burnt out from where I’m standing, but that doesn’t mean anything.” She paused, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he replied as he tried to move a large, industrial metal shelf while keeping lower to the ground. “But tell Mr. Stark we’ve gotta work on a better-- *cough*-*cough*-- air filtering system for the *cough* suit.”

“Will do, Spider-Man. Just hurry.”

Peter did, and within ten seconds had found the man trapped under another metal shelf. The man was nearly unconscious and Peter was starting to struggle to breathe a little more, but that didn’t stop him from reassuring. “I’m here, buddy *cough*-*cough*-- gonna get you outta *cough* here.”

He’d never be exactly sure how it happened, but as Peter moved the shelf trapping the now unconscious man, another shelf toppled and shattered an exterior window. His spider-senses flared like the fire around them and Peter was throwing himself over top of the man he was determined to save.

He could barely find the breath to scream as the fire receded, though the flames licking at the edges of his scorched suit still burned, and he dragged the man toward the only exit he could barely see through the smoke with the last of his strength.  He stumbled and fell forward, and thought this was the end, only to be caught in the arms of the fireman who would pull him and the man to safety.

Peter was barely aware of the people surrounding him—them... the man? The man was being pulled away and Peter was being strong for him and then he was gone and all Peter knew was pain in its purest form. He was the pain. No part of him existed save for it.

He didn’t hear Ms. Romanoff screaming over the comms for Mr. Barton to run faster—get the quinjet there NOW!

He didn’t hear Mr. Stark threatening to kill the next person to try and take the mask off as he waved around the sidearm he would wear under his suit.

He didn’t hear anything because he was flame and fire—

* * * * * *

On a regular day, the distance between Broadbury, New Jersey and the compound would be approximately ten minutes, if Clint really meant it.

Today, he did. Clint made it in five and a half.

Everyone was afraid to touch him, so they didn’t save for the removal of his mask within the safe confines of the quinjet and to place a nasal cannula for oxygen once he’d been positioned on his belly on the stretcher.

They’d never been more grateful to watch the boy lose consciousness.

While Peter was unconscious, his teammates sat brief vigil—none of them were devout to any type of faith, but only a higher power could be responsible for someone as wonderful as Peter, and that was who Tony, Clint, and Natasha prayed to.

* * * * * *

They landed and within seconds of the landing gear hitting the roof of the compound, SHIELD medical staff were flooding the plane and tending to the boy. He was transferred to a gurney and was on his way down the ramp and on his way to Helen Cho... and thank God for her and the absolute providence that placed her in New York in the first place.

She’d sent a nurse out to update the lot of them approximately forty-five minutes after they’d entered the room. Their group had grown to include Steve, Sam, Bucky, and Wanda once word had gotten out that the Spider-kid was down.

None of them reacted when she disclosed that seventy percent of his back had been impacted by the flame. Second and third degree burns and months and months of pain and surgeries and grafts were in the cards for that precious boy, depending on...

And May was at a nursing conference in Virginia and out of contact until 9:30pm.

Tony was the secondary emergency contact and Peter’s alter-ego’s medical power of attorney, so when Helen Cho came out looking to discuss Peter’s care after a few hours of nothing, he was it.

She looked tired, but satisfied when she spoke. “He’ll be fine.”

It was like a puppet whose strings had been cut— the relief was palpable.

“We’ve just finished debriding his back and, because Peter is still a minor, we need a guardian’s permission to go forward with treatment.”

Most of the superheroes paled.

Steve muttered a quiet, ‘shit.’

Helen smiled in sympathy. “Yes, it was a lot, and unfortunately Peter woke up during the worst of it. We did give him his painkillers, but as with non-enhanced individuals, it can only bring so much relief. Now, we need to discuss how we are going to progress in his treatment.”

Tony cocked his head in confusion, “What is there to discuss? You do what you need to do to fix him. End of story.” He looked back at his teammates, where they all stood nodding in agreement.

“It’s that there are two options here, Tony. We have an enhanced teen so the standard option isn’t one— that would be the multiple surgeries, etc. Now what I’d like to do is use the Cradle but—“

Tony jumped in, “Do you have the Cradle here? I thought you were keeping at your lab in Seoul?”

“I do have it here. It was why I was in New York in the first place... I would—“

Again, Tony didn’t wait for her to finish. “Use the Cradle, Helen. The boy shouldn’t have to suffer for doing the right thing.”

Relief washed over Helen’s face. “Thank goodness! Okay, I’m going to head back in to prep him for the procedure.” She then addressed everyone present. “The treatment will be at least a few hours. You may want to head up to your quarters and shower and clean up.” She knew how much the boy was cared for. “I will send out an update when everything is done. Trust me. We’ll take good care of him.” She smiled once more and headed back into the treatment room.

Tony looked at his team, all exhausted for the waiting and doing nothing. “Alright, folks, you heard the good doctor. Everyone head out and grab a shower if you stink like Clint, or something to eat or whatever. Just take a break. We’ll all be here for the next couple of days I’m sure, so let’s just take a breather while we can.”

Clint grumbled about not smelling bad, Steve mumbled something about making his Ma’s soup so it would be ready for the Spider-kid, and all the rest filed out one after the other... except for Tony.

Tony stayed and waited.

* * * * * *

Tony called Pepper to fill her in on the chaos and she promised she’d be at the compound first thing in the morning to help out with whatever they’d need. She was awesome that way.

He’d also managed to get ahold of May shortly after midnight. A quick drink with friends had turned into a girls’ night so Tony was sending Happy out with his private jet out to collect her first thing in the morning so she could grab some sleep before she entered the fray. Peter was stable, and there was no need for her to stress about finding a way back so it just made sense.

It was an hour after that when Helen popped her head out into the waiting area and scanned the room. She saw Tony, pointed to him, and then spoke, “Come with me. He needs you.”

Tony was up and moving before she’d finished demanding. Nothing would keep him away.

She talked as they walked down the short corridor to the treatment rooms. “We’d just finished up with the Cradle when we were moving him to a bed to rest. Everything was fine—is fine. We wanted him to take a few steps, just to get the circulation going and,” she put a hand out to stop Tony from entering the room. “It’s my fault. I didn’t take into account the energy he burns through when he heals and he ended up passing out.”

Tony was about to panic but Helen put up her hand to stop him.

“He’s fine! We’ve got him in bed, but we’ve put in a nasogastric feeding tube and he was a little upset. He’s calm now, but we thought you might be able to cheer him up.”

Grateful that he was being recruited for support squad and not something more dramatic after the long day they’d had, Tony gladly accepted the task and walked through the door—only to stop short at what he saw.

It wasn’t gore or anything like that. Not at all. Peter was laying on his stomach on one of the med bay beds. The tube that Helen had mentioned was in and a bag of nutrient sludge was hanging from a hook next to the IV bags of saline and antibiotics and the like. It wasn’t the oxygen. It wasn’t even the exposed pink skin, freshly grown on the kid’s back.

No. Tony always seemed to forget how small Peter was—for the huge presence he was out in the world and even as a part of the team, he was still a gawky sixteen year old boy trying to find his place.

“Hey, Mr. Stark,” the boy whispered, interrupting Tony’s thoughts. “I told them you didn’t need to come in. I figured you were probably asleep so...” he trailed off.

Tony pulled up one of the rolling stools and plunked himself down. “Nope—I was waiting for my favourite Spider-Baby to finish playing with the cool kids,” he gestured to the medical staff around them. “And now I just get to hang out with you for the boring part.”

“Boring part?”

Tony smiled softly, “You know, the part where you close your eyes and sleep part?”

Peter smiled back sleepily. “Oh, that part.”

“Yeah, so you can close your eyes now. The scary stuff is over and now you can rest or make a list of movies without subtitles to force Nat to watch—Hell. I may even let you order a pizza with pineapple on it without giving you grief once you’re outta here.” Tony gave him a playful wink.

“That sounds nice, Mr. Stark... but, um... I like the movies with subtitles.”

Tony laughed, “Of course you do, ya’ brat!”

Peter chuckled along, then grew serious. “Mr. Stark? Did the man make it? The one from the fire?”

Tony hadn’t needed him to clarify, but was embarrassed by his response. “I’m gonna be honest, Pete. I hadn’t given him a thought.” No. Tony had been too busy worrying about him. “Why don’t you go to sleep and when you wake up, I’ll have some information for you, okay?”

Peter nodded cautiously. Some of the new growth kissed at the base of his neck and Tony was sure it felt strange.

“Don’t worry about it, though. He looked pretty okay when I last saw him.” He got up and leaned over, planting a soft kiss on the side of Peter’s head. “You did so good, kid. Now take a break and let the ‘B’ team worry about things for a while.

Peter nodded again, and closed his eyes. “Thanks, Mis’r Stark. You’re the best.”

Tony ran his fingers through the boy’s curls as he fell asleep, thinking to himself, “No, Petie, you are.”

* * * * * *

Peter had just fallen asleep for the night after a couple of false starts. Tony was going to do the same once the staff brought in a recliner, but when Nat and Steve came to the med bay room door, Nat clutching a manila folder, he figured it was a lost cause.

“How is he?” Steve asked as Tony approached them.

Tony smiled. “He’s gonna be fine. I think we’ll have some issues to deal with it, but I’m gonna talk to Sam in the morning and figure some things out.”

Steve closed his eye for a second and nodded. Perhaps it was a prayer of gratitude? Tony would never know, but he was grateful, too.

Nat interrupted then. “I know it’s late, but we just found out how Michael ‘Joe’ Hanlan is doing, and thought you’d appreciate the update.”

Tony saw the look on Nat’s face, and cringed. “I’m not so sure this is news I want to hear.”

She looked frustrated and angry, two combinations that were never good on her. “The fire marshal headed over to the site shortly after we left. There were some concerns that with a team member of ours being hurt, that we’d need all the relevant information for our reports as soon as possible.”

Tony was imagining that he looked as confused as he felt. “That was mighty considerate of him?”

“It was, and I was especially appreciative of the fact that they’d already moved quickly to arrest Mr. Hanlan for arson once they found the gas cans.”

Tony straightened. “Excuse me?”

Nat just shook her head. “Apparently Mr. Hanlan saw the aliens and decided that now was the time to cash in with Damage Control and get the hell out of Broadbury, New Jersey. He and the stripper he met in Atlantic City during his last gambling binge were already planning to head to Vegas for a fresh start when this opportunity literally came out of the sky. He was apparently shoving over some shelving to add to the ‘level of authenticity,’” she air quoted, “when the shelf fell over unexpectedly and he ended up trapped and hurt.”

“He’s hurt?!” Tony inquired.

Steve took this question. “Yeah, he ended up with a pretty bad sprained wrist from when he topped the shelving, a mild concussion from when he hit the floor, and of course, the smoke inhalation.”

“...And our Spider-Baby is growing himself some fresh flesh for the effort to save the scumbag.”

Steve smiled and shook his head. “You know that won’t make a difference to Peter, right?”

Tony scowled at the truthfulness of the statement. “I know.”

And Tony really did, because already, the kid was better than them all.

 @febuwhump

[magic-is-something-we-create]

Happy WBW from @norahammen! I'm very curious about this trio of monarchs so I'm gonna ask about that. What makes them special in the eyes of the people? How have they kept control for so long? Why is only one ruling the government? Tell me all!

hi!!! happy WBW, @norahammen, and thank you for the ask!!!

i warned on my profile that i go all out, right? either way, sorry this is so long a;sldfkja;sldfkj

So, the Eternal Three are special, for the most part, because all three of them are immortal! However, one of them, Tieling Evergreen, is also special because way back when he was still mortal and A Literal Child, he was Chosen by the temple he was born in to stop this destruction of magic they had predicted. And because Prophecy and the temple he belonged to are major facets of the religion of the area, he’s considered a major holy figure.

And I realize now that the way I phrased it in my WBW profile was a little misleading, but each of the Eternal Three rule their own government/people! Tieling Evergreen is the one, in particular, who has a revolution that’s ready to yeet him out of the picture, but the other two (Veratrum K’Ron and Arthur Coldstone) are pretty well-liked among their people, and also much better at taking criticism than Tieling. Each of them has a different reason/strategy for staying in power for so long, too!

Tieling, for one, has relied heavily on his religious status, sweet talking, and damage reduction skills for most of his reign. This isn’t the first time he’s had a rebellion amongst his people! This time is just the worst, because it’s happening right when he needs to pull things together to actually stop magic from being destroyed. Also, there’s, like, twenty other really bad things going on for him, right now, and he’s overwhelmed. I’ll include the details under a readmore, cause I actually have a slide from my reintro that’s relevant for this a;lskdfj

Veratrum K’Ron, however, is the queen of a very different culture (i.e. chaotic but in a different way), one that values parental bonds and physical strength more than Tieling’s court does. She was immortalized after having a kid, so she has a line of direct descendants, which helps her credibility. She’s also dedicated a lot of her immortal life to learning all she can, with a special focus on battle, which she does so that she can protect her people single-handedly.

And Arthur never wanted to be 1) immortal or 2) a king. He’s the most down-to-earth of the three -- where Tieling sees himself as the Only One Who Can Save The World, and Vera sees herself as a demigoddess powerhouse, Arthur just sees himself as a dude who was unlucky enough to be caught up in the mess of religious Ehlven drama that birthed them. His court is famously casual in comparison to pretty much every other court in the world, and he’s generally pretty humble, kind, and fatherly to whoever crosses his path. He’s also still really traumatized by the whole immortal thing and how it happened.

The important difference in their levels of power, really, is that even if Vera and Arthur weren’t immortal and holy-adjacent, they would both still be loved and respected by their people. Tieling, on the other hand, thinks he’s nothing without those aspects of himself.

--

oh god that got really long

TL;DR: These three are REALLY important in religious and historical contexts for the world, especially Tieling. They have really different ruling styles between the three of them, and Tieling’s has a tendency to piss of his people, despite his religious significance, to the point of them doubting said significance. And for Firebreathers, specifically, we focus on Tieling’s government for the most part!

the relevant slides from my reintro are below the cut, and they feature art of the Three, as well as a little bit about each of them, and also all the things going wrong in tielings life right now ;sladkfj;alfdkj

[id:

The slide is titled "tell me more about these 'Eternal Three'...". Directly to the left, in a very light font, is text that reads "repost my art and you'll die by my hands i swear to god. hasn't happened yet but this is insurance.". Below the title, there is a note that says "i'll get more detailed in a proper intro down the line, but for now:". 

The middle stretch of the slide has three portraits aligned in a row, each labeled with the subject's name, title, and a small caption of important information.

The image on the left is a square portrait of a white human man in his late forties, with blond hair and beard that is starting to go grey. His eyes are a deep brown, and his nose appears to have been broken and healed incorrectly. He wears a simple wooden circlet on his head and a blue cape. There is a cobbled stone wall behind him, with a window that looks out onto the night sky. This portrait is labelled "King of the Mae Humans" and the caption reads "This is Arthur Coldstone. What you should know: 1) he didn't want to be immortal. 2) actually a p chill dude, would die for his people but cant anymore. 3) wasn't gonna be king but then the king died and he was suddenly immortal and he's still mad about it". 

The middle image is slightly taller than the other two, and features an androgynous man with long, vaguely round ears that stick out past his shoulders. His hair is a dark teal that fades to a bright cyan and then to a cool grey at the tips. He is wearing a maroon robe with a pale magenta collar, a translucent golden capelet, and an ornate metal crown with a yellow jewel embedded into the center. His expression is carefully neutral, with an air of condescension. He is standing in front of a large window of blue stained glass, which is embedded into a wall that looks to be built into the side of a tree. This portrait is labelled "King of the Mae Ehlves" and the caption reads: "This is Tieling Evergreen. What you should know: 1) he's technically the villain. 2) rolled a nat 20 to persuade the coddesses to keep magic around until he could fulfill their requests. 3) he was Chosen at, like, 13 and it really fucked him up. still a Bastard tho."

The portrait on the right is a square of the same size as the portrait on the left, and it features a brown-skinned woman in her early fifties. Her ears are shaped like cresting waves, and stick out from her head. She has freckles on her exposed shoulders, on the tips of her ears, and a few on her cheekbones. Her hair is a deep, velvety purple with streaks of grey. She wears an ornate crown of woven vines and wood that has streaks of blue along the bark. Leaves, feathers, and large claws stick out from the crown to frame a large red jewel at the center. A similar, smaller jewel hangs from her necklace, strung with teeth and claws. She stands in a swampland, with vines hanging from branches behind her. This portrait is titled "Queen of the Rill Ehlves" and the caption reads: "This is Veratrum K'Ron. What you shuold know: 1) she uses immortality to learn as much as possible about everything. 2) has a direct line of descendents because she had a kid before all this. 3) duels ppl before they're allowed an audience to keep shit interesting."

/End slide one.

/Start slide two.

The slide is titled "ok, cool, so what's happening??" with two question marks. The subtitle is in a dark magenta font, and reads "big picture? a lot of stuff at once, really." The body of the text reads: "the Goddesses asked Tieling to prove that magic could be controlled, that people would stop getting hurt. He had been told all his life that his task would be to unite the Ehlves, so that's how he's trying to go about fulfilling their request. Things have gone downhill about 8 years before the due date, though…" and what follows is a bulletted list, with accompanying text boxes.

The list reads: "1) the Ehlves in Deltierin have broken away from his control, so he needs to get them back." The accompanying box reads: "his solution: war." "2) Veratrum's heir, who's required to have a high seat in his council in order to keep her as an ally, has gotten on the bad side of Vera herself. 2a) also, she disowned and banished her OWN heirs." The accompanying box reads: "his solution: do his best to keep from pissing Vera AND her heir off when they're both v important in these last few years of prep." "3) the Ehlves in Emarye don't have any central government anymore, so he has to convince all of them to unite somehow." The accompanying box reads: "his solution: beg the current governments over there to enter a compact with him."

The fourth bullet is circled in red and labelled "this is the big one". The bullet reads: "someone has started a fucking rebellion among the people he already rules" and the accompanying box reads: "his solution: quell the insurgents ASAP".

The fifth bullet is back to the usual format, and overshadowed by the circle above it. It reads: "and, the one that hurts most for him right now: Arthur stopped talking to him for valid reasons." The accompanying box reads: "his solution: cry".

The top right of the slide is on a slightly darker shade than the rest of the slide, to draw attention to it. The text within reads: "too long, didnt read: Tieling's starting a war, the people are angry about it, there's a rebellion ramping up. Almost every ally he had has abandoned him in the last five years (approximately), and most of them are now helping the rebels.

/end slide two

/end id]

[nev3rfound]

holding back nerves : t.o

brief summary: going on a first date with thor 

word count: 1.8k requested: yes, by @meaganottiz02 - this was so cute to write thanks for the idea! warnings: none that i’m aware of. just lots of fluff

* requests are open if you have any ideas, feel free to drop ‘em in my inbox or message me. *

(ngl I really enjoyed writing this, and I hope you enjoy reading it!)

Fiddling with my nails I listen as Steve continues to change the channel, still not settling on a single show. “Come on, Steve.” I release a heavy sigh as I lift my head up, watching him furrow his eyebrows as he continues to click random buttons. 

“I’m trying to find something I like.” He mumbles and I collapse back down into the sofa, letting the soft fabric swallow me in as I bring my legs up. 

“Lady Y/n, are you bored?” Turning my head I smile as Thor walks over standing tall as always. 

I shrug my shoulders as I swallow my nerves back once more. “I wouldn’t be if someone could pick a damn show to watch.” I remarked, glancing over to Steve who remains oblivious, stuck in his own world. 

Hearing him move closer I feel the sofa dip behind me, just above my head. “Would you like to go see a show worth watching?” Thor speaks up and I tilt my head back, seeing him stood above me with a smile crossing his face.

“You, you wanna go out?” Stuttering my words I watch as he chuckles softly, resting his large hands either side of my shoulders. 

Beside me, Steve finally picks a show and quietly plays it whilst clearly eavesdropping. 

“I mean, if you’d like to.” Thor awaits my response and slowly I rise to my feet, brushing my jumper down before smiling back to him.

“Yeah,” I nod. “yeah, yeah why not.” Chuckling softly I brush my hair back behind my ear before jumping as he claps his hands together, laughter filling the room.

“It’s a date!” He calls out happily whilst Steve switches the subtitles on his show. “Say, tomorrow evening Lady Y/n?” Taking my hand in his Thor kisses it lightly, his eyes not leaving mine before he turns around with a spring in his step.

“Don’t think I’ve seen him that joyous since he did ‘Get Help’ with Sam last week.” Steve pipes up before he turns to face me. “You deserve a good time, Y/n.” He nudges me lightly before returning his focus back to his show, leaving me in my own thoughts as I realise what I’ve just agreed to.

“Holy shit, Steve.” I let out a short scoff, shaking my head in disbelief. 

“Language.” He quickly pipes in, as per. 

“I’m going on a date with an actual God.” I think aloud, laughing to myself in complete shock. “A God, Steve.” I stand up in front of the TV as Steve sighs heavily before placing the remote next to him. 

“Best make the effort then, doll.” He remarks as he rises to his feet, heading out of the room. “I’m goin’ watch something in my room in peace.” 

*

Tying the ribbon on my dress I brush my hands along the soft cotton, releasing my last minute nerves as I let out a shaky breath. “How’d I look?” Turning around I twirl in front of Sam and Bucky who just shrug their shoulders. “Thanks guys.” I mutter before picking up my bag and heading out of my room, leaving the two of them to bicker. 

“Wow.” A voice calls out and I turn around, smiling as Tony struts down the corridor and whistles to me. “You heading out anywhere nice by any chance?” Tony raises an eyebrow and I shrug my shoulder. 

“Possibly.” I sway my dress as I check my watch. He’ll be expecting me any minute. 

“Have a good time. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” He yells as I rush down the corridor towards the lift. 

As the lift descends I can see rain lining the windows as pedestrians shrug their coats higher whilst others seem more prepared for a cloudy evening in New York. “I knew I forgot something.” I mutter under my breath. An umbrella, one thing I should’ve brought. 

The doors of the lift open onto the ground floor and slowly I step out, hearing my heels clicking against the marble flooring. “Lady Y/n, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautiful sight.” Lifting my head I can feel the butterflies in my stomach somersaulting as I meet his brown and blue eyes. 

“I’m sure you have in all of your life,” My mind wanders to all of the planets he’s seen, how beautiful Asgard once was. “but I appreciate the compliment.” My smile rises as I walk closer towards him. 

“Nothing can compare,” He mutters as I stand in front of him.

Tonight it’s as if he’s a normal guy in New York. He’s wearing a tux that is clearly too tight around his muscles and Axe nowhere in sight. “Did you bring an umbrella?” I ask as I turn my head to the side, looking out as the rain continues to pour. 

“Oh, I’ll just get it.” He speaks up and holds his arm out, slowly waiting for it to be by his side. 

A series of crashing sounds echo through the compound, followed by some swearing from Bucky whilst Thor just laughs under his breath. “I knew I should’ve just picked it up when I was upstairs.” He states and I hold back my laugh as it flies through the room and lands in his grip seconds later. 

“I don’t think that is something I’ll ever tire of seeing.” I admit and he raises an eyebrow, making heat rise across my face.

“Well, Lady Y/n I think I’ll show you a few more things you’ll never tire of.” He remarks before holding his arm out for me to accept as we head out of the compound towards the car that is outside awaiting the two of us. 

*

Our evening is spent full of laughter and shared stories of our lives before we knew one another. I sat and listened to Thor tell the tales of him and Loki growing up and the tricks he’d pull whilst he flung his dinner all over the place with his mannerisms as I dodged pieces of chicken to the best of my ability.

As we walk back towards the compound Thor keeps his umbrella up, covering both of us as I hold his hand, swinging it back and forth lightly. “I gotta say, I didn’t anticipate tonight being this much fun.” I speak up, feeling slightly giddy from the four glasses of wine during dinner that Thor insisted we have. 

“How so?” He pipes up, glancing down as I’m unable to wipe a smile from my face.

“You’re much funnier when you’re not serious and all ‘Loki must be helped, oh no we must protect Loki or Loki is back, shits going down.’“ I try my best to impersonate him, only making Thor laugh harder and squeeze my hand. 

Shaking his head he pauses, bringing me closer under the umbrella. “You truly are something else, Y/n.” He mutters softly, placing his hand on my cheek as it slips from my hand. 

“I think you forgot something there,” I whisper as he lowers his face down toward mine. 

“And what would that be?” His question ghosts my lips as I rise on my tiptoes. 

“Lady Y/n to you, Thor.” I joke before closing the distance between us and wrap my hands around his neck.

With his lips against mine, I can hear him drop the umbrella, the electricity crackling between the two of us as he deepens the kiss. 

Rain falls onto us, making the kiss saltier as I pull away, slightly breathless. 

“I, erm,” Trying to swallow my breath Thor merely smiles, his arms resting on my waist as I remain on my tiptoes. “you dropped your umbrella.” 

Thor shrugs his shoulders, “It doesn’t matter, I’m holding precious cargo.” He winks and we slowly remove each other from the close embrace and continue the short walk back to the compound, knowing a car was close by if needed. 

Walking into the compound I can hear the drips of rain leaving a trail as we head towards the lift, knowing we’re on different levels Thor slips his jacket off, his shirt damp and clinging to his muscles. 

“Like what you’re seeing, Y/n?” He asks and I roll my eyes. “I like what I see, only fair if it were reciprocated.” 

I turn to face him and kiss him softly as the doors open, knowing it’s his floor. “I’ll see you in the morning,” Slipping away from him he smiles before exiting the lift, a few final words being heard before the metal doors separate us.

“Morning can’t come soon enough, Lady Y/n!”

The metal doors close, leaving me alone to process the entire evening and as I play it all back in my head I’m unable to wipe the smile from my face. 

Hearing the small sound the doors open and I slip my heels off, walking and humming as I head towards my room, heels in one hand and the end of my damp dress in another. 

Unlocking my door I slip inside, facing it as I chuckle to myself thinking morning cannot come soon enough.

“Good night?” Jumping I turn to see Tony and Steve perched on my bed.

“Fucking hell you scared me!” I yell as I drop my shoes, bringing my hand to my chest as I can feel it beating like there’s no tomorrow.

“Language.” Steve comments and I merely glare at him in response.

“What’re you doing in here?” I ask as I glance up to my clock. “It’s one in the morning guys.” I sigh as I collapse down on my chair, flinging my dress over it as I curl up in my blanket whilst the two of them study me closely.

“Well,” Tony asks and I look at him cluelessly, waiting for him to finish his sentence. “was it a good night? Cause based on the time I would say it must’ve been.” He smiles over to me as does Steve, the two of them acting like proud Dads. 

“It was lovely, but I’m cold and damp and need a shower so if you don’t mind.” Rising to my feet I open my door, waiting for them to leave.

Steve rises to his feet first, never one to disobey a ladies orders whilst Tony can’t hide his growing smirk. 

“Good night, Y/n.” Steve mutters as he keeps his head low, departing my room whilst Tony slowly struts out. 

As he has his hand on the door he leans back, “You got a bit of lipstick on your chin, might wanna invest in a liquid lipstick next time you go making out with a God.” He states before closing the door behind him as his laughter echoes through the halls.

But for once, I don’t mind. I walk into my bathroom, looking at the lipstick smudged on my chin and how part of it is above my lip line. I smile at the sight, knowing Thor is wearing it proudly too. 

Quickly I shower, warming my bones back up as the electricity running through my veins begins to shut down for the night without his touch and once I lie in bed I turn my light off. 

Morning can’t come soon enough. 

[mysideblogofsurveys]

Survey 7.

1. if you have any pets, were they adopted from the humane society? I don’t have my cat anymore (I had to give him to my parents when I moved in with my husband because he is allergic) but I had adopted him from the humane society. 2. what kind of cheese is your favorite, or no cheese at all? Honestly, all of the cheese.  I love it all haha 3. do you like home design, like picking out paint colors and furniture? Not really, I’m horrible at it. 4. have you seen any of the old james bond movies? No, just the new ones 5. do you chew gum on a regular basis? No, I actually don’t even remember the last time I had any.

6. do you think mitchell musso is hot, like all the magazines say? I didn’t know who that was so I looked it up and nope.  I don’t find him attractive at all.

7. list all of your features that you have ever got compliments on: How small I am (I’m like 5′0), I don’t look like I”m 32 so I get treated like I”m a lot younger, my eyes

8. do you play ps, ps2, or ps3? I haven’t in a while (been too busy playing my Nintendo Switch) but I have quite a few games for it.  My husband plays it more than I do. 9. have you ever been in a hot air balloon? and if not, would you ever want to go in one? I think it’d be kinda cool but getting my courage together to go on it is another thing lol 10. do your parents buy you something on a daily basis? No, I buy everything myself. 11. what type of computer do you have? Well, my laptop is from like 2015, its an HP. I bought it to help me study for my Licensing exams for my career (not college related)  My desktop is from 2012 that my Husband helped me build.  It was like $1000 but had all the best equipment at the time and still works great today. Expensive but so worth it. 12. do you like old, black and white movies? The only black and white show I’ve watched were old cartoons or 3 Stooges 13. is anyone else in the room with you right now? Not exactly?  We have an open floor plan so my husband is technically in the dining room (I’m in the living room) but I can see him if I move my head slightly, he’s just around the corner. 14. do you watch john and kate plus 8? No but I’ve seen one or two episodes. 15. do you whiten your teeth with crest white strips? No 16. do you listen to local bands? No, well we went to a Fair in January, not too far away from us that had local kids playing and they weren’t too bad (obviously haven’t heard them since then).  I hung out with a lot of guys that were in bands when I was in highschool though.

17. do you collect anything? Video games, I guess.  I prefer to buy the physical versions for several reasons 18. have you seen the movie, thirteen? I don’t think so. 19. do you watch vh1? I Haven’t in a long time but I did when I lived with my parents 20. have you ever said “fergalicious”, but changed it to your name instead of fergie’s? What?  No.  I only liked one song from her 21. do you have a pool in your back yard? No, but I did growing up (my parents asked if we wanted a trampoline or a pool and we wanted a pool) 22. do you watch youtube videos often? No, well not really. I don’t like follow any YouTubers except Tim Pool (Liberal) and Steven Crowder (Conservative).  Mostly because I believe they try to sift through the shit the news/media either doesn’t focus on or skips completely and try to get the truth.  I like listening to both Liberals and Conservatives then form my own opinion. 23. do you wear mascara? Yeah but the only make up I wear is eyeliner and mascara.

24. do your parents fight?  do they even talk at all? I’m sure they have like arguments but I’ve never seen them have huge ones.

25. have you ever watched a movie that’s in a completely different language, so you had to read sub-titles? All the time! I’m actually binge-watching “Dark” on Netflix (its a German time travel show.  Its SO GOOD but also fucked up.  It has English voice-overs but it just doesn’t feel right.  Sounds much better in the native German).  I also watch a lot of anime in Japanese (with subtitles).  I’m trying to learn both languages. 26. do people with yellow teeth disgust you? Thats kinda mean 27. do you drink alcohol on new year’s eve? Yes 28. do you wear rings? Only my engagement and wedding ring 29. are you hungry right now? Yeah, a little 30. would you like to have a universal remote, like in the movie, Click? I don’t thinks so, only because going back to fix something would change the future and as I’ve seen from “Dark” (mentioned above), time traveling is nothing I want to deal with lol

31. have you ever tried smoking a cigarette? Yeah.  I socially smoked (had one when I drank) when I was younger but haven’t had one in over 10 years. I never bought any or got addicted, just had one when everyone else went out for a smoke (if that makes sense) 32. do you get any magazines in the mail? Yeah, I get Game Informer because I’m a member of GameStop’s membership.  I get all of my video games there.

33. don’t you just wanna stab someone with a fire poker? No, wtf! 34. do you wear baseball caps? No, I’m not a hat person except when we go to the beach.  Then I wear a floppy one to shield me from the sun

35. what was the last memory you thought about that instantly brought a smile to your face? I’m not sure 36. has anyone inflicted physical pain on you today? No but myself is beating me up from the inside (I started my period last night so I’m all cramp-y :/ ) 37. are there any restaurants in walking distance to your house? Yeah, I suppose.  Its like a 15 min walk though. 38. what was the last store that you went into when you were at the mall? I haven’t been to the mall in months but it was probably GameStop. 39. do you currently have any coupons for stores right now, which stores specifically? I don’t have coupons but I have a bunch of gift cards.  To Kohls, Panera Bread, BoneFish restaurant and some others I can’t think of right now

40. what was the last picture you uploaded to your facebook? Its been a long time, I don’t post anything to FaceBook anymore (I don’t trust it.  If it wasn’t for keeping up with family on it, I would delete it. 41. when was the last time that you were so tired that everything was funny to you? A long time, I normally fall asleep before I get to the giggly stage. 42. what’s something that you do that you know hurts people close to you? Probably not call them as much as I should.  I suck at keeping in contact with those further away. 43. what was the last board game that you played? It was probably some form of Dungeons and Dragons, we’re super nerdy lol 44. the next time you will be going on vacation, where will you be heading too? Well, we were supposed to go to Germany in September for Okoberfest but since that is cancelled, we probably won’t be going (International flights are still undecided on.  But honestly, it’ll probably all get canceled.)  Aside from that, I’m still flying to my hometown in early Sept for my cousin’s wedding (and hopefully the Renaissance Festival with my sibling-in-laws but I’m not sure if that will be canceled either.) 45. do you get bloated at all after you eat? It depends on what I eat, so sometimes. 46. have you read the book lovely bones? No, I tend to read Sci-Fi/Fantasy books.  I briefly looked up what that book is about and definitely not something I would read. 47. are you mad that this survey is over now? No, I’ll probably do another one lol

[seojvns]

everything you didn’t care to know about seojun yoon. 

basic statistics.

full name: seojun yoon. 

nickname: jun, junnie, seo. 

how'd they get it?: they’re just... variations of his name...

age: twenty one. 

date of birth: april 27th. 

zodiac: taurus. 

gender: male. 

sexual orientation: pansexual. 

when did they realize this?: around the age he started being interested in people. it’s never been something he’s struggled with, it’s jus how things were/are. 

nationality: american.

hometown: daejeon, south korea.

current residence: cortland, wisconsin.

occupation: freelance photographer. 

for how long?: umm, probably since high school?? he started out doing it for free, to build his resume, and over time he began building it into something he could actually make money from. not much, but !! getting paid for doing something he loves?? really couldn’t ask for more than that. 

do they like his/her job?: obvs!!! does he wish he could have a lot more clients?? ya, but he’s patient and he’s got the time. 

salary: mm, depends on the job but probably anywhere from $150-250/job. 

family.

any significant ancestors?: ummmm, no. 

grandparents (describe relationship): he was really close to his grandmother, on his mom’s side, who passed away a few years ago. he’s close to his grandfather from that side too, but he’s a bit old fashioned in his views and sometimes conversations are... not really something he can take much from. but he likes his company, and overall they have a good relationship. his grandparents on his father’s side both died before he really got a chance to even know them. 

aunts/uncles (describe relationship): there’s definitely a distance. when he was younger, he’d see more of them, and his cousins too, but as he grew up... it became less of a tradition his parents and his aunts/uncles bothered to keep up with. he sees them at family gatherings, usually around holidays, but that’s about it. 

parents (describe relationship): there’s a lot of distance between him and his parents. his father’s always been distant, even at a young age he wasn’t very invested in seojun. but he’d buy him things, assuming that was a decent enough way to show his ‘love,’ but it only made seojun resentful of the money he tried to use in an attempt to get out of actually caring or showing interest. his mother, on the other hand, cared. but only when he was young. from the time he was adopted, at age five, until about eleven. after that she became more disinterested in him. she also started nitpicking him a lot?? like no snacks, finding a poem and critiquing it, etc. support wasn’t something he was given, which is why he’s become such a desperate lil people pleaser. 

are they still together?: yes, yep. 

what is the character's family life like: it was really lonely growing up, cause even if everyone was home they’d all be off doing their own things. usually seojun was in his room writing, or out exploring and taking photos. he probably would’ve found his way to his hobbies regardless, but their neglect definitely encouraged him to explore them in a way he might not have done much sooner. 

what does their family love most about them?: hmm, probably his manners. he’s a good boy and he’d never embarrass them or anything when they drag him to events or parties, so, yeah! 

hate?: they see him as too shy, and lacking of a personality, but really that’s just because they’ve kind of made him feel like he should just keep quiet and do what he’s told :/ and that’s exactly what he does. 

does the family have a specific set of values?: his parents are very much the type of people who want everything to look perfect on the outside, and not care much about how they actually are on the inside. 

what would their family be described like by another person?: reserved, well put together, successful. 

have they ever had any pets?: he did! he had a dog, a samoyed, which he got from his parents for his seventh birthday. his name was ghost,, original, i know!

what happened to them?: he died a few years ago :/ it was a rly rough time for jun, who basically had him throughout his entire childhood. 

relationships.

are they a virgin?: umm, nope. 

how did they lose it?: i’m embarrassed just thinkin abt it. 

have they ever cheated on a partner?: never would he ever!!! 

has a partner ever cheated on them?: probably. 

how did they react?: better question - did he ever find out? doubtful. 

who was their first crush?: hard to say :/ he gets a new crush everyday :/ 

are they in any kind of romantic relationship?: no!! 

how serious/relaxed is it?: hmph. 

describe the relationship with their current partner: this is... pointless... 

how did they meet?: why ask so many questions based on the POTENTIAL of him bein in a relationship... 

who made the first move?: prob not seojun in any situation ... he’s not very bold 

how does your character truly feel about their partner?: this.... is so redundant... 

when did they realize this?: thank u, next! 

who is your characters closest friend?: minnie uwu 

how did they meet?: umm they’ve been bffs for as long as seojun can remember okay!!! so how they met is just one of those things he doesn’t... rly remember bc it feels like he’s known her his WHOLE entire life, u know?? 

why do they get along so well?: because they’re both cute and soft and they just vibe together well ok,, why question these things?? there’s been so many late nights up talking about anything n everything, so many heartbreaks that she’s been there for, so many adventures they’ve had n have yet to have... she’s his other half!!! <333 

describe relationship with any other significant friends: adrian’s one of the most important ppl to him ?? like ever?? cause he’s jun’s best friend but also a lot more than that. even though they can’t seem to get things right, he’s always gonna have feels for adrian. kian......... gross where do i even begin!!!! seojun would literally die for kian. he’s more than his roomie ok seojun’s so disgustingly attached that no matter what kian did he’d never leave his side lmao #dedicated. jiwon is who seojun would be if he could choose his life sjfsfks she’s jus so,, uwu perfect n everything he aspires to be. he LUVS her even tho she can lowkey be a lil scary?? not in like a way that he’s legit scared but like... she can be intimidating a lil bit. rt if u agree

favorites.

favorite foods: sushi, korean fried chicken, fries. 

least favorite food: black licorice, celery. 

favorite colors: pale yellow and light pink. 

least favorite color: whatever the fuck u call the color blue that tumblr chose for the new bg color fksdjfs

music: pop, r&b. 

literature: mysteries!! 

smell: honeysuckles, bonfires, fresh bread. 

feeling: affection uwu

season: autumn. 

pets: dogs, but... he loves cats too :/ 

place: hmm, he’s really drawn to the woods?? like when he was younger he’d go into the woods with his camera and a book and just spend all fucking day out there. there’s something really peaceful about it ?? and there’s just so much to experience... the woods jus make him soft, k?? 

favorite sport(s): huh

possession this character values most: his camera!!!!!!!! his journals filled with poems about everyone he knows. 

why is it so important to them?: um, his camera is p obvious?? his poetry filled journals, well, that’s p obvious too. he doesn’t want to forget how he felt in the moments where he was inspired to write whatever he wrote. 

physical characteristics.

height: 5′8′‘. 

weight: 130 lbs. 

body build: slim. 

eye color: brown. 

glasses or contact lenses?: contact lenses, but sometimes he’ll wear his glasses when he’s feelin’ lazy. 

hair color: naturally it’s black, but he prob keeps it either light pink or blond.  

scent: tbh idk what to answer for this, describing someone’s natural scent... hard. 

voice: he’s got a soft voice :/ 

mannerisms: says ‘um’ and ‘uh’ too much, whining about nothing, watching anything/everything with subtitles, turns the tab on a soda can sideways. 

style: comfy clothing mostly?? like loose fitting tops and form fitting bottoms. 

how do they walk?: like a fucking model tbh??? 

what are their nervous tics: he’s blushing 99% of the time tbh,, nose scrunches, averting his gaze 

usual body posture: umm, i’d say he’s got p good posture?? idk,,

preferred clothing.

underwear: boxer briefs babey!

shirts: loose!! t-shirts, flannels, hoodies. anything oversized. 

pants: usually black jeans, like, 9 times out of 10. 

skirts: nah. 

jackets: more oversized shit. 

shoes: prob jus black boots? 

accessories: earrings, rings, make up. make up isn’t an accessory rly but i dunno where else to put that so yayuh that’s a thing. 

formal wear: umm he’s a classic black suit kinda guy, prob w a bowtie, idk. 

sleeping wear: t-shirts and boxer briefs,, do ppl ... actually have real pajamas? like in real life? 

swimming wear: swim trunks ig?? weird question but ok. 

intellectual/mental/personality attributes and attitudes.

did they go to school?: ya, duh. 

where?: west bridge!!! 

what did they learn?: he’s studying photography :-)

what were their grades like?: uh, they’re alright... could be better... he wants to do better but his focus is usually just... anywhere but where it should be. so he procrastinates, and turns in things late a lot, and still is trying to do better. 

native language: korean. 

do they know any other languages?: english. 

how smart are they?: not... very... both book smart and street smart. 

what is their strengths?: creativity, generosity, compassion. 

weaknesses?: time management, insecurity, awareness. 

character's short-term goals in life: don’t go to jail, pass all classes. 

character's long-term goals in life: have a lil photography studio and live happily ever after uwu

how does your character see themselves?: umm, he’s self aware enough to know that he’s kind of sheepish?? he feels like he’s probably awkward in,, so many situations, rip, but he tries his best to not be too weird skfjs 

how does your character believe they are perceived by others?: as a soft boy who wants to be everyone’s friend?? hopefully?? 

how self-confident is your character?: UM LOL NOT AT ALL

what makes their self-confidence waver?: everything,, he just never feels like he’s good enough?? prob because of his mom’s nitpicking, his parents’ lack of interest generally, and the fact that he just has a low self esteem overall. 

what would embarrass your character the most?: being put on the spot about anything, having too much attention, falling for someone who doesn’t like him. 

how does your character feel about love: he!! loves love!!! he rly thinks that there’s someone out there for everyone... maybe not in a ~soulmates~ sense, but he thinks that companionship is a big part of happiness.

about crime: he doesn’t commit crimes... often... but if he does it’s because he can be talked into almost anything. 

people of a different sexuality?: loves everyone, thanks. 

different nationality/race?: loves everyone, thanks. 

how does your character show affection/love?: listening to them n remembering things they’re told, hand holding, doing literally anything they ask. 

how does your character handle grief? not well. especially in the case of manon, which has left him with a terrible sleeping pattern and the heavy feeling of guilt. 

what are they like when they cry?: prob like really dramatic,, like cry a lot while curled up in his bed under the covers kinda cry. 

what can make them cry?: betrayal, loss, anxiousness, stress. 

how does your character handle physical pain?: not well, he probably whines a lot and pouts even more. 

emotional pain?: even worse. he’s so forgiving that even if someone hurt him emotionally, he’d forgive them, but he’d probably be lowkey sad (but in a self blame kind of way) about it for awhile.

is your character typically a leader or a follower?: big time follower. 

what kind of energy level does your character typically display?: soft, upbeat, 

describe their sense of humor: prob either lame or softly sarcastic. 

hobbies: takin pics, writing poems, making playlists for people that’ll never hear them, watching shows instead of studying. 

talents: ...takin pics, writing poems, making playlists for people that’ll never hear them...

extremely unskilled at: focusing! and sports. 

if any, what musical instruments can they play?: piano :-) 

emotional characteristics.

how does the character relate to others?: through soft interactions and deep conversations. he’s pretty honest and open, so if someone asks him something, or even just talks to him, chances are he’s being as open with them as he would be with his close friends. 

how does the character deal with anger?: not well, but when he’s angry, he’s usually more upset than angry? and he wants to resolve things as quickly as possible, otherwise he’s stressed abt it until it’s fixed. 

with sadness?: listens to sad music and cries in the shower. drama queen. 

with conflict?: he’s always the first to apologize. 

with change?: he’s actually pretty adaptable for the most part?? but if it were like a major change, maybe not as good. 

with loss?: ummm, could be better!! probably gets a lil distant when he’s dealing with a loss. 

what does your character want out of life?: happiness :/ 

what would your character like to change in his/her life?: the whole manon thing JFKLSF

what motivates your character?: his future, or at least the ideal future he has in mind for himself. 

what frightens your character?: the fact that they could get caught for covering up a murder perhaps??? terrifying. 

are they afraid of the dark?: ...yes, but he acts like he isn’t cause he’s embarrassed. 

death?: not really?? like he doesn’t WANT to die or anything, but he’s not afraid of death.

what makes your character happy?: listening to good music, giving people things that make him think of them, the photo editing process. 

sad?: being alone, the fact that his parents never care to check up on him, films where the main couple doesn’t end up together.

angry?: people being rude to his friends, being lied to, unnecessarily passive aggressive people. 

aroused?: neck kisses, being called baby, someone who’s rly direct and just kind of... does what they want skjfsl 

annoyed?: people who speak over other people.

guilty?: covering up a potential murder, turning things in late, lying. 

is your character judgmental of others?: no. even if he doesn’t agree with their opinions/things they do he still tries to refrain from judgment. 

is your character generous or stingy?: generous af. 

is your character generally polite or rude?: polite!! angel boy. 

optimistic or pessimistic?: optimistic. 

introvert or extrovert?: lil bit of both?? 

daredevil or cautious?: cautious. 

logical or emotional?: emotional lmao. 

disorderly and messy or methodical and neat?: he thinks he’s methodical and neat but he’s actually disorderly and messy. 

would they rather be working or relaxing?: working, even though he thinks he’d rather be chillin he’s kind of terrible at doing nothing. 

how do they feel about animals?: um... he loves them?? he’s the kind of person that’d accidentally let a raccoon in his house and let it stay. 

what is their best quality?: his sincerity. 

what is their biggest flaw?: how trusting he is. 

[imagicalrainbowunicornpuke]

I'm sorry if I got some information wrong. The whole deaf thing was mostly guesswork for me. I'm blind, not deaf XD. But no, let me know what is unrealistic or whatever so I can fix it :) Enjoy!

This honestly isn't my fault. I know, those words are something someone who was guilty would say. But this really isn't my fault.

Okay, maybe a little.

I probably (definitely) should've told my team, as you know any person with an ounce of common sense would.

However, in the past... people haven't reacted well.

Which, to me, is completely absurd because I can still hear.

Just not very well.

Thankfully, we live in a great time with loads of technology. So hearing aids were a simple matter. In fact, my deafness hardly impacted my life at all.

Well, if you exclude the several times my hearing aids broke or when we didn't have enough money to buy them.

Which is why ASL and reading lips have come in handy on my part.

Really the only problem is people's views. If I had a quarter for every time someone spoke obnoxiously loud to me I'd be able to afford a bodyguard to keep them the hell away from me.

Then there was the whole having to lie to the garrison about my hearing so I could actually get in. They had a strict policy on any sort of disability, even ones that did not interfere with their jobs.

Since, technically, I was supposed to have tip-top hearing I didn't inform my team of my condition.

It was no big deal, I could hear perfectly fine with my hearing aids.

Until those little fuckers broke.

I seriously had to work the graveyard shift the entire summer at a local 24-hour mart back home in Cuba. Not to mention, the dozens of odd jobs where I worked my ass off for hours on end.

I guess I should have anticipated that the heat of battle wasn't all that kind to the sensitive wiring in the aids.

So, that's how I ended up where I am now, staring down at the charred and blackened little buds.

Fucking delightful.

I groaned into my hands, massaging the bridge of my nose before pushing myself up and onto my feet as I headed out of Azul.

The sentient lion sent small and soothing comments to the back of my head.

Everything will be alright

Just tell your fellow paladins

They'll understand

I shook my head at her suggestion as I left the hanger and steeled myself to face the rest of Voltron.

"The hell was that Lance?" Keith's voice broke out first.

"You were completely unresponsive!" Pidge shrieked.

"You okay buddy?" Hunks comforting tone asked.

It took me a moment to understand what they said between reading lips and what little I could hear.

"Nothings wrong just got a little distracted," I answered.

In unison, all four face's winced.

"Inside voice," Shiro reprimanded.

I sent him an apologetic look before jetting it out of there. I skittered my way to my living quarters and hid there until dinner.

The castle must have tuned into my needs, as when the normal announcement of dinner through the intercoms (courtesy of Hunk), a small holographic screen popped up in front of me.

I shook my hands out as if I was trying to physically rid myself of the anxiety plaguing my mind.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped out into the hallway and headed down to the dining room.

Avoiding the imploring eyes, I headed over to sit down next to Hunk.

Hunk already knows of my hearing. He is, after all, my best friend.

Discreetly, I dropped the burnt hearing aids into his hands.

'Can you fix them?' I signed under the table. Or... not exactly those words- sign language didn't work that way- but that was the general gist.

Hunk shook his head sadly before mouthing, 'Ask Pidge, she could.'

I shook my head while sighing.

I signed, 'I'll live, I guess.' before turning around to the food.

By food I mean goo.

I was eating away at my oh-so-amazing plate of space goo when Hunk elbowed me and pointed to where Shiro had been trying to talk to me.

"I was trying to ask if you were okay, Lance," Shiro repeated.

"Oh um, I'm fine," I could already tell by Hunk- who flinched- that I once again spoke too loudly.

I stood up from the table and headed back to my room before anyone could ask questions. A reoccurring theme, I suppose.

Hunk showed up a few minutes later and hung out with me on my bed. I always felt safe with him, he always knew what to say.

The rest of the week passed by in the same fashion, me trying and failing to act normal and then running away.

It was tiring and the other Paladins were started to get pissed. Namely a certain paladin with a short temper.

"Lance, just stop fucking yelling!" Pidge snapped.

Bet you thought I was talking about Keith. Nah, the cute- I mean annoying mullet-head dealt with his anger by storming out.

Pidge was the one who was getting frustrated with me nearly every day.

"Lance, you need to listen more," Shiro berated me for about the twentieth time that week.

The situation was wearing on everyone, and I felt incredibly guilty.

Okay, so maybe it was my fault.

I just never thought that my hearing would actually interfere with my job. But...

"Paladins! There is a distress signal from a nearby planet!" the text popped up as I was fiddling with my phone.

I jumped off my bed before sprinting to the hangar.

When I landed in Azul, I called out 'Hey baby girl,' in my mind.

'Well look who finally decided to visit me.... when you need me,' retorted the fiery lion.

'I'm sorry babes, how about I give you a good washing after we return from this mission.'

Azul replied with a satisfied hum as we shot into space and met up with the other lions.

I heard a low murmur in my ears- presumably from the other paladins as they discussed the mission.

Luckily, a line of small text popped up near the bottom of my visor. Almost like subtitles on a foreign film.

Shiro was speaking- with a purple text- about the situation.

"A small planet enslaved by a Galra fleet," Shiro informed, "We need to defeat the Galra stationed there."

I nodded once before the paladins and I headed down to the planet.

Azul and I landed near a Galra base camp, hidden by the brightly colored trees and bushes.

Noting the peculiar lack of armed guards, Azul and I decided on quietly picking them off one by one.

Not actual murder, 'cause that was fucked up. The Alteans had long ago developed a weapon that simply knocked the victim unconscious.

The numbers slowly dwindled, involving lots of me stopping and dragging their sleeping bodies behind some bushes.

I pushed my luck as far as I was willing to before climbing back into Azul.

As I was trying to figure out how I should signal the other Paladins into joining me at the base to launch a full-scale attack.

Before I could, my comms were suddenly filled with unintelligible chatter and my visor was filly up with text so fast I couldn't keep up.

Random words I managed to read before they disappeared stuck to my mind lick lead.

Help

Trap

Galra

Abort

I was trying not to freak out, and figure out where the fight was breaking out.  But at this point, the text was just filled with "ahhhhs" and various curses.

'Shit shit shit' I thought to Azul.

From the front window, I could dimly see various explosions and stray shots.

I rushed Azul into the sky, momentarily forgetting the base camp under me.

Just as I was towards the edge of the battle, the several fleets left at the camp made themselves known.

I was between two deadly forces, the fleets behind me and the huge Galran forces who were fighting the other paladins.

How amazing.

I managed (barely) to avoid the majority of the shots while sending my own back in return.

Suddenly, a screeching sound of metal against metal that even I could hear rang throughout the battlefield.

I winced at the sound and couldn't even imagine what it sounded like to the others.

Pidge, using her vines, had managed to salvage a huge slice of discarded metal and use it against a battleship.

The hunk of metal scraped across the sides of the ship, knocking off rows and rows of satellite looking objects.

Then, the Galran ships that were floating in the sky started to crash down to the planet, like a hailstorm of asshole Galra ships.

Maybe it was prudent to celebrate, but I couldn't help the joyful laugh that I let out. Pidge had just defeated the entire opposing force in one shot.

Out of nowhere, my visor filled up again.

And the main focus was me.

I sighed heavily, anticipating the lecture I'd get when we landed.

But then a few words caught my eye.

Watch out!

Move!

Lance!

Before I could figure out what the hell they were talking about, something crashed into Azul from behind.

Of course, I fucking forgot about the fleet behind me. Because duh. It's me. Lance fucking McClain who can't keep his shit together.

Azul and I were sent hurtling towards the ground.

The seat belt which had always been faulty, unclipped, sending me to go banging around in the cockpit.

Every hard surface and pointed object in the small room slammed hard against my flailing body.

Azul crashed landed belly up, leaving me sprawled on the ceiling, groaning.

Not having the strength to even move, I instead chose to stay down.

You okay, Az?

I'm fine, paladin. I just need to... rest...

The familiar feeling of Azul in the back of my head was gone, which left me feeling hollow.

Black was starting to fill my vision, distracting me from the aching pain that swallowed my body.

I didn't come to for a while.

Not when the other lions carried Azul and me off the planet and back into the palace.

Not when Hunk dragged me out of the cockpit.

Not when I was stuffed into the cryo pod.

I did, however, wake up when I was falling out of the pod and onto my knees.

Hunk came forward and helped me up to my feet.

The faces of the other Paladins weren't all that welcoming.

"Lance, the fuck?!" Keith exclaims when I exit.

The familiar furrow of Keith's brows and pout of his lips as he snapped at me made him look like an adorable puppy who was trying too hard to be a full grown dog.  

Shiro held his hand up, stopping Keith.

"Give him some time, Keith," Shiro began, "He just got out."

"Lance, stop staring at Shiro's and Keith's lips, it's too gay for me," Pidge joked.

I looked down, feeling pretty shitty, to be honest.

Hunk bristled before looking down at me.

"That's what that was wasn't it?" Hunk looked down at me, saddened. "You need to tell them, Lance. You put yourself and us in danger."

Maybe it was Hunk's disappointed gaze or maybe it was the fact that I had put them in danger, but I nodded my head before asking Hunk a question.

"You'll help me right?"

Even though I knew that my voice was much too loud, the fact that Hunk nodded in an "Of course, dumbass" kind of way made me smile.

I turned to face the other Paladins, plus Allura and Coran who had walked over to us.

"So, uh," I began- graceful I know, "I owe you guys an explanation. And an explanation as to why I didn't tell you guys. Basically, I just have a lot of explaining to do."

Shiro nodded in an encouraging way, "That's great, Lance. I'm happy you're opening up to us. But could you maybe lower your voice? You don't have to shout, we can hear you, ya know."

The smile made it clear that the last part of his comment was a joke, but it only made me take a deep breath.

"That's the thing, Shiro. You can hear me, but I can't."

The other Paladin's faces were confused, as they tried to understand what I said.

I sighed before saying, "When I was around five, I was in a car accident. I suffered a traumatic brain injury. To this day I have to deal with incredibly painful migraines. Which sucks, I guess. But the worst- well I don't wanna say worst because it really doesn't bother me. It's just a part of me now. What I'm trying to say is that I'm deaf."

Seeing the shocked expressions on my teammates made me hastily amend myself.

"Well, not deaf, but hard of hearing. Nearly deaf. I have hearing aids, so my condition doesn't even affect me. Or had hearing aids, I suppose," I said, discontented, "They were completely destroyed last week. In that one mission with the fire planet."

"So um, yeah," I tried to end the awkward ass monologue I was delivering, "That's why I've been off the past week. I can't hear shit."

My lame attempt at a joke fell to deaf ears (pun intended) was met with silence.

The fact that none of my teammates were speaking, and instead staring at me was just fucking dandy. Great for the anxiety.

I mean I was just hard of hearing, no reason to have a brain hemorrhage.

"If you guys wouldn't mind saying something, that'd be great." I fiddled with my sleeves.

Keith shook his head before saying, "Um, okay. That's a lot to process. But uh, why didn't you tell us?"

I chuckled nervously before saying, "The Garrison isn't all too keen on any kind of disabilities. So, if they found out about me they'd throw me out. Which means I can't become a pilot."

Shiro's arm clamped down on my shoulder.

"You can trust us. Believe me, I know how the Garrison is probably more than anyone else."

I nodded, feeling lighter than I had in a long while.

"You absolute fucking dumbass!" Pidge spit out, "If you would have told me I could have made you hearing aids within an hour, and you wouldn't off been hurt."

Well actually, Pidge threw words at me so fast that all I could gather was "fucking dumbass... told... hearing... hour... been..."

"Uhh...." I started, "I can read lips but that was too fast."

Hunk tapped my wrist to grab my attention before signing to me what they said.

I dropped my gaze before apologizing, "I'm really sorry, okay? I was an idiot who made a dumb decision."

"As long you know that you're an idiot, we're cool," Keith smiled.

I couldn't help the grin that took over my face from his words.

The gremlin shook their head before saying, "Whatever, I can use the information from the cryo pod to make a pair of hearing aids."

With that, Pidge left the room, presumably going to the huge room they had claimed as their workstation.

I was hella tired so Hunk and I decided to chill in the common room for a few hours.

Hunk was signing to me about what new ingredients he'd invented and how he thought he could make a cake out of them when Keith entered the room and waved me over.

I excuse myself from Hunk before meeting Keith in the hallway.

"I'd like to apologize for being an ass this past week," Keith spoke and to my absolute shock, signed along as well.

"How did you?" I sputtered.

Keith smiled sheepishly, "One of my foster families had a deaf son, and they taught me how. I actually was in my room these past two hours trying to brush up on it."

His hangs smoothly formed the words with a precision that only a person who had signed for a long time were able to manage.

I smiled so wide I thought my cheeks were going to rip, tears began to form in the corners of my eyes.

"That's one of the sweetest things someones ever done for me, thank you so much," I cried while trying to wipe away any stray tears with my sleeves.

"And you're forgiven by the way," I offhandedly commented.

I was about to try and start some sort of conversation with a (probably) awkward starter when I caught Keith's gaze.

He was intensely staring into my eyes, lost in thought, and I couldn't help but lose myself as well.

His dark grey eyes swam with flecks of purples. They shone with hidden emotions, passionate emotions.

Slowly, without even realizing, our bodies gravitated slowly to one another.

His eyes flicked down to my lips just as my own gaze was distracted by the luscious red of his lips.

Gradually, I began to lean down, edging closer until our noses were a hair's breadth apart. My eyes fluttered close as I was about to meet his lips.

"Lance, guess what?!" came Pidge's boisterous voice from down the hallway.

Keith and I scrambled apart. I launched myself so hard that I actually fell on my ass with a painful thump.

"Why are you on the floor, weirdo?" Pidge questioned with a chuckle.

"I, uh tripped..." I lamely explained as I stood up.

Pidge rolled their eyes before handing out to small white buds and dropping them into my hands.

My eyes widened as I placed them in my ears, and sound completely returned to my ears.

"I tricked them out," Pidge gloated with a grin, "They're practically indestructible."

I smiled, looking down at the ground, "Thanks, Pidge."

"No problem," Pidge responded before heading to the common room to talk with Hunk.

I turned back towards to Keith, whose cheeks were dusted in an adorable scarlet.

"Wanna walk with me to my room?" I asked shyly.

Keith nodded sheepishly before tentatively holding his hand out.

Swallowing down my anxiety, I grasped his smaller hand and reveled in the feeling all the way back to my quarters.

And maybe a little longer too.

[acsversace-news]

“The Man Who Would Be Vogue” B+

For the first 10 minutes of the pilot episode, it feels like The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story is going to be a different show. Based on the series’ first installment, it’s likely that after opening with a murder, the season would then continue on to the ongoing FBI investigation, the issues with the press, and the ensuing manhunt—one that was, as dubbed in the subtitle of the Maureen Orth book, “the largest failed manhunt in U.S. history.” Instead, it appears that this season is going to work backwards: Here’s the murder, and here’s what got us to that point.

What’s also clear, within those first 10 minutes, is that this season is going to be gorgeous to look at. The set of Versace’s mansion—which critics toured a bit of at last summer’s TCA press tour, and which left me breathless—is immediately memorable, painstakingly recreated to the last detail. The direction by Ryan Murphy (who should perhaps continue to focus on throwing around big ideas and directing episodes while leaving the actual screenwriting to others) is fluid and impressive, gliding as it follows Versace through his mansion, and featuring languid tilts above marble staircases.

Through both the direction and the writing, Assassination aims to set up parallels between famed designer Gianni Versace and his murderer Andrew Cunanan—reflecting what Andrew hoped were similarities, but actually depicting the reality of their differences—and for the most part, it’s successful. Versace gets his morning orange juice delivered on a platter while Andrew drinks from a cheap soda can; Versace is cool and casual as he buys magazines and exchanges pleasantries while Andrew is panicked and sweaty after vomiting in a bathroom with homophobic graffiti. Even their walks are contrasted: Versace strides on the sidewalk, looking straight ahead; Andrew trudges through the leaves, his head down.

The titular assassination comes quickly. Versace’s dead before the title card.

So, where does the episode go from here? Way back to 1990, Andrew jumping on the bed between his coupled friends, waking them up to reveal that he met Versace at a fancy gay nightclub—in the private members only section, of course. As Erik Adams put it in his pre-air review, writer Tom Rob Smith has to “fill in a lot of the blanks involving the relationships between predator and prey,” blanks that not even Maureen Orth could fill in Vulgar Favors. Did Andrew and Versace ever meet? (Versace’s family categorically denies this; Orth’s book asserts they did meet at a club before the opera’s premiere.) But the scene is mesmerizing despite the truth because it’s the first time we see Andrew’s brain at work: the persistence, the narcissism, the neverending lying, the slimy—but almost impressive—way he can sense an opening and jump in, confidently faking his way through any conversation. And Andrew is already telling his friends it happened differently.

“The Man Who Would Be Vogue” isn’t terribly subtle in setting up Andrew’s character when it comes to dialogue. The non-verbal cues, the props (the episode’s title paraphrases the title of Caroline Seebohm’s book about Condé Nast, which Andrew keeps in his backpack along with his gun), and the lingering moments (such as the camera’s slow zoom during the opera) all work better. Sometimes the dialogue is too expository (yes, sure, it’s a pilot): “You tell gay people you’re gay, and straight people you’re straight,” Andrew’s friend says to him. “Every time I feel like I’m getting close to you, you say you’re someone else.” No one really knows who Andrew is—least of all Andrew—and that’s part of what made his murders so bizarre and confusing. What we do know is what Andrew wants to be: He wants to be one of the elite, he wants to be someone everyone loves. He wants to be, in his own words, “impressive.” Through his “date” with Versace—which was surely a fantasy, no?—we gather more of what Andrew wants to hear. “You’re a creative, right?” Versace asks Andrew while pouring them champagne on the abandoned stage. “You’re handsome, clever. I’m sure you’re going to be someone really special one day.”

There’s not much time to linger on that past because the episode jumps back to 1997’s murder: Antonio hearing the shot, Andrew examining his work that includes a dead bird. While Andrew takes off running, Antonio tends to Versace’s rapidly dying body. A crowd starts to form as the police arrive; a man grabs his Polaroid to snap a photo of Versace being loaded into the ambulance. That one flash is a harbinger of what’s to come from money-hungry friends and strangers trying, often successfully, to profit off tragedy to the ways in which the media will interfere, undermine, and screw with the police’s investigation. Another forewarning is about the FBI’s ineptitude: piles of “Wanted By FBI” flyers featuring Andrew’s photos are untouched and undistributed, sitting in the trunk of Agent Evans’s car. Later, a pawn shop employee recognizes Andrew; she turned over his transaction forms (a requirement) to the police a week ago but nothing came from it. Would he have been caught earlier if people saw the flyers around and called the cops? Or if the police had read the pawn shop form—complete with a current address—a week prior and recognized his name? What Assassination might focus on, it seems, is if Versace’s murder could have been prevented.

It’s strange that in the first episode of a show titled The Assassination Of Gianni Versace, there isn’t too much to say about Versace himself, or his world. Donatella’s entrance is thrilling, and each move she makes is so deliberate, from putting on her sunglasses to fixing the marblehead that the detective turned askew. Antonio is similarly transfixing, and Ricky Martin displays impressive acting in this episode. It’s heartbreaking to watch him questioned by police who conflates “partner” with “pimp,” and who basically discounts Versace and Antonio’s relationship—partly, I assume, because it’s a homosexual relationship and partly because Antonio admits they brought other men into it. When he asks “the difference” between Antonio and the other men, Antonio replies—tearfully, exasperated, almost helplessly—“15 years!” It’s thankfully broken up by Donatella, who dismisses the detective and instructs Antonio to never speak to anyone about Versace without consulting her first. Donatella’s grieving but still knows the score: the police and the press will go through Versace’s life, “every discretion,” with a fine-tooth comb. She also knows that she has to keep Versace, the company, alive. “I will not allow that man, that nobody, to kill my brother twice.”

Welcome to weekly coverage of The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, a title only a long-winded recapper could love! The O.J. installment was not only among my top shows of that year but probably the most fun I’ve had covering a show, so I jumped at the chance to dive into this one.

Did anyone else read the Maureen Orth book? Though it was certainly extensive and detailed, I was… lukewarm on it, to be honest, though mostly for spoilery (?) reasons relating to Andrew’s sexuality and sexual interests that I shouldn’t touch upon here but I’d love to know your thoughts!

It was nice to know a bit more about Versace through that “date” scene: his emphasis on family, how “maybe every dress” he makes is actually for Donatella, what he wants people to understand just by wearing his clothes.

Gianni Versace is a great follow-up to O.J. Simpson—and especially over a Hurricane Katrina season—for a number of reasons, but a big one is that the Simpson case (including the involvement of the press, how closely it was followed by normal people who were just watching television, and the failure to prosecute) were all still lingering in the minds of the FBI and local police departments when investigating these murders.

Two things I keep going back to: How long it took Antonio to wash Versace’s bloods off his hands, and Andrew explaining that his lies only matter if other people “know it isn’t true.”

[thesffcorner]

Marauders

Marauders is a 2016 crime-drama directed by Steven C Miller. Now, before I say anything else, this is NOT a review. I don’t feel comfortable enough to give this film a review, because I watched it at, no joke, a pub, with no sound, only subtitles.

I still watched the film, but I also missed like a good 30% of it, by virtue of being at a pub, so though I don’t think I would like it any better, had I seen the full thing, I still urge you to not take this as me telling you (not) to see this film. This is just me, talking shit for 2 pages, because what I saw of this film was WILD.

Now, I say that but really, this film is a rather generic action movie. What makes it wild is both my experience of watching it, where every time I would look at the TV some baffling new development would happen, but also the leaps in logic this film makes are… just pure confusion.

So, the plot (as far as I could proximate) goes as such: Four guys, who all look wear bargain-brand Halloween costumes of Crossbones from Civil War, rob a bank and kill the manager. An FBI agent, played by Detective Stabler from Law and Order: SVU (whose name is apparently Montgomery) gets put on the case. Before he can even get coffee there is a second robbery where the leader of the Crossbones team, stabs a man in the throat with a bullet(??) and the robbers get away.

The bullet has something to do with TJ, an army ranger who supposedly died but his body was never found. He was part of a rogue unit that kidnapped the former owner of the bank they robbed, and his entire unit was killed by a navy seal team. The guy who got stabbed with the bullet, was the commander of said navy seal unit.

We then get a truly bewildering scene, where the leader of the Crossbones team SKYPES Agent Montgomery, to tell him that they sent him files that Senator Cook (who is played by Bruce Willis) is gay, and that’s somehow evidence that he’s corrupt??? And then Montgomery is overly nice and accommodating to a man who just murdered a CIVILIAN, and a veteran in an ARMED ROBBERY, saying that the files the robbers sent won’t be enough to get the FBI to investigate Cook. Like, my dude, maybe they are busy trying to catch the ARMED THIEVES who have been robbing banks?? Also was the whole bit about Montgomery telling Crossbones that it’s none of his business that Cook is gay supposed to show that he’s an upstanding man? Otherwise, how is his sexuality relevant to his supposed corruption?

Montgomery then goes to talk to Cook and is unnecessarily aggressive with him, even though at this point he has no evidence that Cook even did anything, outside of possibly being gay and not appreciating that Montgomery is baselessly accusing him of things that the fucking ARMED ROBBERS told him. Side note, I realize I am like 12 for finding this funny, but anytime two men in an action movie try to intimidate each other with lines like “you’ll give me what I want or else I’m going to put you against a wall and take it” I just lose it because WHO TALKS LIKE THAT? Is that supposed to sound threatening?

At this point I missed a lot of the film, so I assumed that the robbers attacked Cook’s offices, but no; there is a third robbery in which there is a lot of shooting and SEVERAL security guards die, including one of the robbers (RIP nameless Crossbones impersonator). The FBI is super close to getting the robbers to surrender, when Montgomery bursts in, guns’a blazing, like a fucking cowboy movie, shoots the one guy, takes the second robber as a hostage at gunpoint, and has a standoff with the third robber who takes a woman hostage. And then he FUCKING LETS THE ROBBERS go WITH THE MONEY! What? And Dave Bautista, who does absolutely nothing in this film (except get shot at the end) tells him he saved lives??? WHERE?

This is where I gave up on the film, so the rest is a blur except for the following baffling scene, where Montgomery talks to special agent Wells. Now, Wells has been in the film from the start, and at first I thought he was the main character. He tells Montgomery that he thinks Montgomery is conducting the mission morally and really well (??) by focusing on Hubert and Cook’s corruption instead of the robbers, which, in case it wasn't clear by now, by how the film has awkwardly refused to show us who the robbers are, even makes MONTGOMERY pause and be like huh? So Wells, not a good liar.

Somewhere at this point we get some more explanation of what actually happened. Hubert conspired with Cook to kill his own brother so he could inherit the bank, and Cook staged a terrorist threat and sent in TJ’s unit to Costa Rica. They killed the brother and then got killed as a ‘rogue’ unit by the navy seals. One of the seals was Wells, who was a sniper and he saved TJ. He is now trying to take down both Hubert and Cook. TJ, I should add is barely in the film, and even though he got arrested, I never actually saw him on screen.

The third remaining robber is also a special agent, and his name is Mims. His wife has terminal cancer and he wants to give the money back so he can atone, but Wells won’t let him and ends up killing him. So are we supposed to be rooting for Wells? Because so far he has been an outright murderer, a homophobe, and the only good thing he’s done has been to donate the money, which is like trying to compensate for dumping toxic waste in the ocean by using a metal straw.

Montgomery and Wells have another heart to heart where they essentially just gush again about how good and moral the other one is, and yet again Montgomery lets Wells go, and even tells him not to go after Cook, because he can still use the money to start a new life and atone for what he did as a navy seal. Maybe I missed it, but I just didn’t understand WHY Montgomery was so kind to Wells, at all. This man is a killer!

The last scene is Montgomery sitting down to have wine with Cook (who has escaped in Mexico) and Wells coming to kill him. He and Montgomery have a staring match, Wells puts his gun down, Montgomery kills Cook, Wells kills his bodyguard and then fucking walks away. The end.

My brain has lost the ability to form sentences. First off, this plot is more convoluted then my own first draft of book 1 of a trilogy I wrote when I was 13. There are so many characters and plot points in this film, and all of them are complete dead ends. The main theme is, I think, supposed to be corruption, but nothing that happens has anything to do with corruption! Hubert and Cook pulled a hostile takeover, and used the military as cover, but they didn’t embezzle tax money or something. We never focus on any of the shady dealings Cook has, at most we get is lukewarm commentary on the people who enlist in the army because of poverty, but the film isn’t about that.

The second big issue are the characters. I can understand Montgomery being the lead; he is the every-man, investigating a conspiracy. But why is Cook the final boss when he wasn’t even the one who planned the hit? Why is Wells the leader of the robbers and not TJ, you know the guy who was left for dead, who was framed as an assassin and whose entire unit was killed?

I actually liked Montgomery but that’s because I think it’s impossible to dislike Chris Meloni, he’s just such a calming presence. There was some stuff about his wife being dead (I didn’t really pay attention to that part), but at no point did I understand why he was so sympathetic to the robbers, especially Wells? He willingly committed murder to save Wells, but why? Wells wasn’t a good man, and he should have been punished for the amount of people he killed in this film, regardless of the intentions he had. This isn’t John Wick, he wasn’t the best of all the assassins, he was a guy who got in too deep and got away with it, because the FBI agent after him was… moral.

Two more things. I realize it’s kind of gauche to complain about casting choices, but everyone in this film looked the same. Not only was the cast 99% white, all the actors looked alike, and I couldn’t distinguish any of the robbers or the people who died. Even their names all sounded similar!

Also apparently women don’t exist in this world, except for one FBI agent and one other one who I think was a singer and either someone’s wife or girlfriend.

Would I ever watch this again, fully this time? Maybe, if I have literally nothing else to do. Should you watch it? Honestly, I think Money Monster, Den of Thieves or Triple 9 are all better choices, and at least are ACTUALLY about corruption.

letterboxd

[hvsafstanzi]

Diversity matters

”Why Does Everyone Look The Same?”

- Grace F Victory

This is one of the subtitles of Graces latest blogpost. Why am I borrowing it? I hear you wonder. Well, because she is annoyingly right in her question.

This is in regards to the bloggers blog awards shot list being announced this week and the lack of diversity in them can’t be ignored.

We can all do our bit here to shine light on the problem that so openly stared back at us. I won’t try to rewrite Graces text because she put it out good enough for everyone to understand the gist of this situation. I will however give you a small sample of how this affected me once.

*If you would like to read Graces blogpost you can find a link to it at the end of this text.*

Ten whole years ago I started a fashion and design blog. I wrote about different design and fashion houses, how they evolved, and how their style is a trademark for each individual designer. I wrote about clothing and furniture and jewelry too. The aspects of creating a brand and how to evolve it was what I wanted to write about. I soon noticed that the bigest hits and comments came whenever I wrote about fashion. So I slowly started to focus primarily on fashion, clothing and style. And slowly and steadily the blog was growing. I got people inviting me for fashion events in China, Spain and Germany. I had to decline them all because I had no income at the time that would allow me to drop my work for a few days and enjoy these events. What I regret more however is the behavior I encountered from agents in Sweden. I live in Sweden if you did not know, and at the time of me having said blog I lived in Stockholm.

When I realized that there was a potential for my blog to grow so much as to have event planers and companies reaching out to me I looked into pr and agency firms that at this time were starting to reach out and cater for bloggers. As a blogger the business beyond gathering content and posting it was beyond my knowledge back then and I wanted to look into getting the appropriate help for this. However every single one that got back to me said basically the same thing. ”They didn’t know what category to place me in and market me as” and when I replied fashion, their answer was that they already had fashion bloggers and I was writing differently from them and they did not believe they had the right people to help me.

My best friend Lina and mine arm placed side by side.

”I was writing differently”? each blogger should have their own voice. That I am a firm believer of. Don’t copy your content. If you write about similar or even the same thing, do it in a way that sets you appart from the rest. And now these agencies told me that I was different. Surely they should be wanted that? What point is it to work with yet another blogger that is the mimic of the others. In hindsight I realize that that is actually what they all wanted! One assistant had the decency to take me for a business fika to talk. It was not different from the other answers but she was kind enough to meet me in person and tell me that what she understood as being the problem was that they didn’t know what to do with me. Not because my content wasn’t good enough but because I did not fit their mold of a 20yr old Swedish woman and how could they sell that? The agency didn’t believe there to be a audience big enough for someone like me and they didn’t want to take the risk.

Not until she told me that did I realize that this was why everyone else had turned me down too. I did not fit their preconceived mold. What the - is that suppose to mean in 2010? I was too shocked at the time to do much about it. Not only that, I was not born with a quick business brain and at 22 I did not have the knowhow to get in touch with those agencies and set my point of view straight to their faces in this matter.

But I was confused, I was sad and angry - frustrated that all this time I spend on blogging, because it does take an enormous amount of time, not only on the content but to write and edit and the image layout and post at the right time and all that, was not really leading anywhere any longer because those who held the market did not find me interesting enough to make a place for me. I should have made a fuzz, I should have written names and companies out in black and white and I could and would have acted very much like a vindictive child and not really gotten anywhere with it anyway! But at times I wonder, if I back then would have highlighted what had happened to me, would it have made a difference? Would I have seen more diversity in the bloggs of today? As I wrote before, seven years later I realize that the sweet mainstream young white woman is what they wanted and still what they want it seems. Back then I kept my blog for two more years but it had reached it’s limit of all I could do to boost it and I was not feeling as invested as before. I had grown tired so one day I just decided it was done. I erased every trace of it that I could. I had grown too frustrated in doing something that I enjoyed when I just felt like I was trampling water - not getting anywhere.

Life took me to other places and different works and meetings with new and exciting people. All the while YouTube was growing.

I started a YouTube channel this past december. It’s fun. A small scale thing that I try to get done whenever I have the time to set up my camera and film something. It’s different from a blog. Sure, preparation and content all takes time here too but I am for the first time sharing me. My stuff, not highlighting others work. It’s different and sure I would love to work more with the design/fashion side of things but that requires contacts that I do not have and that also requires a financial situation that I too lack. But I am enjoying it. And a few months ago I decided to create a blog on the side of youtubing. The blogging world has changed tremendously since I left it. Just choosing where to have my blog was a knot that took me weeks to undo. Then I started slowly with placing my youtube content and Instagram feed into the blog. But what was I suppose to write about? Last weeks post was one that just landed on me and it felt easy once I knew the subject. This week I was dragging myself, all the time pushing the deadline for this weeks blog post. Then yesterday I read Graces blog, I looked at the twitter conversations that had been taking place and I genuinely decided what to write as I realized that here we are again. I’m not going to build my blog as I did back then, I don’t have the time to follow each fashion house as closely as I did ten years ago, but I am definitely making sure that I stay active this time around. Visible. Sure I still don’t fit ”their” mold of a blogger, I just need to do a quick search on Google to see that the Swedish and European bloggers still fall into that same category as they did in 2010. Nothing bad with that, I follow a few of them and I genuinely like them, they deserve their place. However, do they deserve it more then others just based on them fitting a mainstream notion of what is the norm? And around the world it looks pretty similar too! It’s a disgrace. And the agencies who work with these bloggers and search the internet to find new ones should feel a bigger shame than the one I know they don’t.

If the representation always looks the same, if all we see are young, white, 20 something women as being the representatives for every single woman on this planet then brands and companies will only create products that fit in to their daily life. And everyone outside that mold will never really be given their true right to exist to their fullest self.

I will never fit that mold even if I tried. Not by nature nor by design. Let’s do this: It would be a lie to say that your looks isn’t the first thing someone notices when looking at you on a blog, YouTube channel or in person. At first glance many people tend to believe I’m Asian, I’ve never minded that however I’m Latina, from Chile to be more precise. But I grew up in Sweden and going back to my ancestors I am Scottish and Italian, and Spanish and Native American and probably Asian and African too. If I go by my ancestors family names then I have jews, muslims, christians, pagan and native american roots. I have big dark brown eyes. A defined nose that is either Mapuche or Scottish (if not a mix of both). My skin is darker than light but lighter than dark. I’m 1.73m. I have wide shoulders and hips with a smaller waist. I have black hair with red (dyed) ends. My upper arms are thick and long sleeved shirts are always to short for my arms. I have a stern looking resting face but have a positive disposition and a genuine love of laughter (and books). I dress more modestly then not and I have six piercings in one ear and two in the other. I am as Swedish as all my white friends I grew up with. And yet if you look at me I am different from them by nature. I don’t mind that some of you see me as a foreigner. I have luckily (how this is in any way lucky is just another thing that shows us how wrong peoples perception of acceptance and norm is) only ever directly face to face encountered discrimination for my born looks four times in my life (counting the above experience together as one). When I was a teenager I encountered more negativity from people my own age on my looks but that was based on my style and makeup so it is a difference. Still pathetic to evaluate someone based ont their looks but one I create (style) the other I am born into. Yet I go into beauty shops and can’t find foundations dark enough for me. I can’t fit my jeans over my hips unless I go up in size but then they will be loose at the waist? I understand that ready to wear fashion is made after specific guidelines but why can’t those guidelines vary more? And why can’t brands make skin toned products that are for people of all colour too? I’m tired of always seeing those 10  shades of beige.

I love the way I look. I like that my features are a huge mix from all over this world but that does not mean I should be excluded form the conversation as it where. I do still live on this planet with all the others, and believe you me, white is not the only colour that should be catered for.  This time, I’m here to stay. I’ll proudly do my bit to be visible, even if that means being a torn in the eye for some because the other choice is not an option any longer. It’s been ten years and nothing has changed in the blogging world. I will do my bit to make sure that when the next generation grows up they get to see more than a pale monochrome woman talking about fashion, design, arts and beauty in this industry.

Thanks so very much for reading this text. I’ll write to you again next week.

Stay amazing,

 x ~Stanzi

I encourage you all to read Graces blogpost if you haven’t already done so, through the link here:

http://www.graciefrancesca.com/2017/08/lack-diversity-blogging.html

Grace also posted this list which I hope she won’t mind that I share with you:

How Do We Move Forward?

The question that I get asked time and time again is 'what can we do?' and my honest answer is 'I don't know'. The lack of diversity within blogging is a reflection of the world we live in. That, and the lack of appreciation/respect/understanding of POC and very little intersectional feminism understood and recognised by our white feminist sisters. These are all societal issues which have to change via movements, governments and the very system racism was born from. However, as a blogging community we can all do our bit to improve on the issues we are face re diversity.

Call out brands who don't produce makeup for POC

Call out brands who don't use POC in campaigns

Support your fellow bloggers when they are tweeting about their experiences as a POC

Do not disregard a POC feelings and experiences

Ask questions to POC when you feel like you need educating or you don't understand something that relates to them

Seek out content created by POC

Follow POC who actively talk about racism and prejudice

Read books on intersectional feminism

Recognise your white privilege

Recognise your light skin privilege

Celebrate diverse voices and opinions

Go to events that discuss the lack of representation

Read posts like this to educate yourself

Collaborate with more POC

Share content from your favourite POC

In anything you do, be inclusive of marginalised people (the less abled, fatter bodies etc)