#often hes more interested in watching other people react to a movie than the movie itself LOL we are cut from similar cloths..

[bmpmp3]

its important to watch a new movie or read a new book sometimes. largely because 1) its nice to experience all the art this world has to offer but also 2) you might be able to find new scenarios to imagine your OCs in

[harryslittlefreakk]

dating at the drive-in

summary: harry finally gets a chance to take out the pastor’s daughter, under the guise of learning about faith. but it’s y/n who ends up learning 👼🏻🍁📽️

warnings: mentions of religion

wordcount: 2.7k

a/n: hello beautiful people!!! this turned out longer than i planned on lol but i really loved writing this 🥹 i want to write more of them

if there are any tropes or ideas you want to see during fictober, let me know!! <3

fictober masterlist | main masterlist

You didn’t quite know how you'd ended up there.

Well, you did. It had taken weeks of endless planning and scheming, whispered late night phone calls and half-hearted prayers to a God you weren’t sure you believed in, asking for forgiveness you weren’t sure you needed.

It had started when you were paired up with Harry in biology - him the boisterous, popular football player, and you, the quiet, often ignored, pastors daughter.

You hated your dad's commitment to his faith, his insistence on your inclusion into a community you’d never asked to be a part of. You wanted to be like the other girls your age, the girls who got to hang out at the mall and roller rink on weekends, not lead the children through Sunday school. You wanted real friends, ones whose houses you were allowed to go to after school without your dad meeting their parents first, ones who could come to your house without being weirded out by the heads dipping around the dinner table, the Bible passages recited before cutlery met food. Most of all, you wanted a boyfriend, and being paired up with Harry had only exacerbated that need.

He was the class clown, the kind of boy you read about - the ones who were cheeky, reckless at times but always able to charm themselves out of any real punishment. He was the football teams star player, the girls favourite eye candy and the boys favourite teammate.

But he was more than that, and the more he opened himself up to you, the more you wanted to exist in a reality where he could be yours.

Harry was studious and sincere, his grades never slipping his even as he explained, and explained and explained, until you finally understood.

The lines between a crush and love - or at least your inexperienced, teenage definition of it - blurred further everyday, until your heart started to physically react to Harry’s presence. The way his hand brushed against yours as he reached for his pen, his dimples set deep in his cheeks as he watched you speak.

Then one day he’d looked at you, really looked at you, seeing the face beneath the lights and shadows of the classroom projector. His stare had forced a great red blush over your cheeks, your name slipping out of his mouth in whispered tones until you’d finally turned to face him. “I really- please, Y/N, let me take you out, there’s a movie at the drive-in, it’s a Friday, I-”

Your heart had broken, shattered into a million pieces as you finally got what you wanted and yet couldn’t have it.

“I can’t, Harry. My dad..” your voice trailed off, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes. “My dad is the town pastor. He’d never let me.”

But he hadnt given in. Hed appeared bright-eyed in the back pew the following Sunday, his brows furrowing as he tried to follow the prayers and preachings.

He'd waited until the crowds dispersed, approaching your dad with faux interest, introducing himself as a young man who wanted to explore faith and find where he might fit in.

"A fine young man”, your dad had recalled that evening. That was where you came in.

"He goes to my school, Daddy. He asked me to teach him, to tutor him through the Bible.”

Youd crossed your finges under the table and hoped, prayed with a conviction you’d never felt before, that your dad would allow you this.

You knew what was running through his head. A boy, wanting to spend time with his little girl. On the other hand, a boy who wanted to join his church, who could pull out the enthusiasm that he’d noticed you lacking lately.

“Thirty minutes, once a week, at this table. We can figure out a day later,” he’d agreed after a beat.

And so you had half an hour a week with Harry, not alone, but not under the watchful eye of your classmates. He was overwhelmingly polite to your parents, patient with your insane younger siblings, and soon he would join your family for dinner on the day you’d tutor him.

He’d bided his time, waiting to have your dad fully on his side before he proposed anything further. Still, when he’d (not so) secretly asked your dad if he could take you to a movie, purely on the basis that you deserved a real, sincere thank you for the time that you’d devoted to Harry, you hadn’t expected him to say yes.

He had his rules of course, home within fifteen minutes of leaving the movie, absolutely no funny business, and most importantly, to bring home some real movie theatre popcorn for him.

Your dad wasn’t a bad man, not really. He was loving and caring in a way other men weren’t, never mean or angry as you knew your classmates dads could be. He was merely strict, bound by the rules of his faith.

But still, there you were, feet propped on the dashboard of Harry’s car, Lionel Richie’s Endless Love playing softly from the stereo as you waited for the movie to start.

“Why did you do all of this?” you blurted out suddenly, turning to face Harry. “You could have any girl, one that comes without all the.. God.”

“You’re special,” Harry replied, leaning forward to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear, his gaze intense as he looked over your face. “Besides, I really wanted to see this movie.”

You shook your head, his cheeky grin as infectious as always. “I haven’t seen the first one. I’m not really allowed to watch scary movies.”

“It’s not scary, I promise it’s not scary. It’s just this man, Michael Myers, he escaped from a mental institution and he goes back to his hometown to kill people,” Harry shrugged, nodding at one of the posters. “That’s him.”

“It sounds a bit scary,” you murmured, fiddling with the straw in your soda. The opening credits started to roll as you spoke, the ominous soundtrack already sending a chill down your spine.

“You sure you’re up for this?” Harry teased, a playful glint in his eye as he leaned closer, nudging you with his shoulder as he tuned the stereo into the right station.

You rolled your eyes, grabbing a handful of popcorn from the bucket on his lap. “I’ll be fine,” you said, hoping Harry hadn’t heard the slight quiver in your voice.

“Of course you’ll be fine. No one would dare try to get you with me here,” he grinned, flexing his toned arm.

🍂˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚☕️

The movie started off slow, but the tension built quickly. Each scene seemed to draw you in deeper, until your heart was racing. The eerie music swelled, and before you knew it, you let out a little gasp, shrinking into your seat.

Harry chuckled softly beside you, his eyes never leaving your face, the arm he had wrapped around the popcorn bucket settled on top of your hand instead. "C'mere," he murmured, slipping an arm around your shoulders, gently pulling you closer.

You didn’t resist, settling into his warmth as his fingers brushed lightly against your arm. He gave a reassuring squeeze, but you couldn’t relax. The movie wasn’t scary, not really, but you were so full of tension, your heart pounding every time you remembered where you were - and who you were with.

Harry had this effortless charm, the kind that made your heart race the second he walked into a room. In the classroom, and over your dining table, it was like you could sense him watching you, his eyes lingering a little longer than necessary, his smiles just a bit more than friendly. And though you knew he was into you — the way he looked at you, the way he always found a way to be close, how his jokes were for your ears only, the fact that he’d even done all of this in the first place — you still couldn’t shake the nervous energy that clung to you every time they were together.

You hadn’t ever kissed anyone before, let alone had a relationship, and now, Harry was doing all the right things — the sweet touches, the lingering looks, the casual arm draped around your shoulders when you were sitting close. It was like he knew how to make you feel seen, but it only made you more aware of everything you weren’t sure how to do.

Whenever his hand brushed yours or his gaze caught yours for a moment too long, you would feel your cheeks warm and your heart stutter. You’d overthink every response, wondering if you were being too shy, too quiet, or if you should be more playful, like the girls who seemed to know exactly how to flirt. When he laughed at your jokes or flashed you one of those soft smiles, you’d forget how to speak, barely able to string together a sentence without making yourself look a complete fool.

Even there, sitting beside him in his car, your nerves hummed with anticipation. You could feel his eyes on you, the movie barely holding either of your attention. You wanted to act cool, to lean into him the way you saw in movies, but instead, you focused on your hands in your lap, your heart racing at the thought of him making a move.

When Harry shifted closer, brushing his knee against yours, you froze for a split second, but when you peered up at him, that easy, reassuring smile plastered on his face, you softened against his chest.

“You alright?” he asked softly, his voice low and gentle.

You nodded, your throat dry, but you couldn’t look away just yet. Not with the way your heart was pounding. You knew he could probably tell you were nervous — even if he couldn’t always read you so well, he could definitely feel it — but you weren’t sure how to act. Should you lean in? Should you say something flirty?

Instead, Harry shifted again, just enough to take your hand in his, his lips pressing a gentle kiss to the top of your head.

Your breath caught, and for a moment, the words you’d been holding back nearly tumbled out: I’ve never kissed anyone. I don’t know what I’m doing. But instead, you bit your lip, your heart fluttering as you let yourself relax into him a little more.

The movie was the last thing on your mind, but you were vaguely aware of the music winding tighter and tighter until a sudden, loud bang burst from the stereo. You startled, your free hand instinctively curling into Harry’s t-shirt, the other gripping tight around his knuckles.

He smiled softly, his gaze lingering on you, warm and knowing, as if he could see right through the layers of uncertainty you’d been carrying all night.

He slouched in his seat until you were face to face, his thumb brushing over your cheek.

“Y/N, I know,” he said, pushing your hair from your face. “I know you haven’t done any of this before.”

Where other boys would be teasing or impatient, Harry was just... kind. You swallowed hard, your gaze flicking from the green of his eyes to his lips, then back again, not sure what to say, but Harry was already one step ahead of you.

“And I don’t mind,” he continued, his voice soft but firm. “We can do whatever you want. Or don’t want. You just tell me, and I’ll follow your lead, okay?”

You felt your breath catch, a mixture of relief and something else washing over you. He was giving you the choice, the control, making sure you knew he wouldn’t push you into anything.

But you wanted everything with Harry. You weren’t even totally sure what everything was, but you knew you wanted it. Your voice came out barely above a whisper. “Harry-”

You couldn’t even say it. He was one of the most popular boys in school, and you were about to ask him to kiss you. You screwed up your face, feeling even more pathetic than normal.

Harry’s smile was gentle as he cupped your face, his thumb brushing lightly over your bottom lip. “Do you want me to kiss you?”

You nodded, feeling your cheeks blaze.

“You sure?” he asked, giving you one last chance to change your mind.

You nodded again, your heart pounding. “Yeah. I want you to.”

That was all he needed. Slowly, Harry leaned in, closing the gap between you. When his lips finally met yours, it was soft and careful, as though he was holding back, making sure you were still comfortable. His hand slid to the back of your neck, fingers weaving into your hair as he deepened the kiss, moving slowly, giving you time to adjust.

Your pulse was racing, the sensation of his lips on yours sending shivers down your spine. You hadn’t expected to feel so much all at once, the warmth of his touch and the way he was so focused on you. There was a tenderness to it, but there was also a hunger you could feel simmering just beneath the surface, restrained but palpable.

As your body relaxed into the kiss, you found yourself responding more, your hand tentatively splaying across his chest. That was when it all changed.

It grew more heated, Harry’s lips pressing harder against yours, his breath mixing with yours as the tension between you intensified. His hand tightened in your hair, pulling you closer as your mouths moved in sync, slower but more deliberate, each kiss longer, deeper, until everything else seemed to fade away.

The air between you was thick with heat, and you could feel the weight of his desire, but still, Harry kept the pace measured, never pushing you beyond what she wanted. His lips were firm, his movements sure, but there was always that quiet restraint, like he was letting you set the tone.

When you finally broke apart, both of them breathless, Harry’s forehead rested against yours, his fingers still tangled gently in your hair. He grinned, his voice husky and low. “How was that?”

You smiled back, heart still pounding in your chest. “Perfect,” you whispered, your lips still tingling from the kiss, his taste still lingering in your mouth.

Harry pulled you onto his lap, his hands gentle but firm as he positioned you close. His eyes traced the outline of your face as his fingers laced back through yours. “You are so different to what I expected,” he told you, his voice soft.

Your heart skipped a beat as his words sunk in, and you tilted your head, waiting for him to continue.

"I didn’t notice you before. Then you had all that personality tucked away. And your dad…”

His hand rested on your hip, anchoring you to him, his thumb gently stroking your side. “You’re a good girl. Nice and good,” he finished, pressing a gentle kiss to the tip of your nose.

But you didn’t want to just be a good girl. You pushed forward, trying to summon a confidence you didn't quite feel.

Your lips met his in a soft, tentative kiss. It was almost hesitant, as if you were testing the waters, unsure if you were doing it right. Your hand found its way to the side of his face, a little shaky, but you hoped he wouldn’t notice.

Harry’s hand came to rest on your waist, the simple touch giving you the reassurance you needed. He didn’t pull you closer or take control like you half-expected. Instead, he let you lead, allowing you to find your own rhythm.

You could feel yourself relaxing, gaining a bit more confidence with each passing second. Your kisses became firmer, more assured, though there was still a certain vulnerability.

“Nice and good,” Harry repeated when you pulled away, a shaky laugh bubbling out of your throat as he held you close.

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[artificial-transmutations]

Two sides of the same coin - Officer

Buck and Tony were the perfect gay couple. They lived together since years, almost never argued and, most importantly, loved each other unconditionally. Their relationship was so close that they often said they were practically married anyway. In fact, their parents even got along quite well with each other!

They shared the same interests including a love for video games, so today, as usual on a Saturday evening, they were lying on the couch together, playing and played some relaxing video game. They had ordered pizza before and were happy they didn't need to leave the house anymore today. It could have been an evening like any other Saturday evening, but it wasn't.

Tony felt a bit uncomfortable and shifted around in his seat before he reached under himself, fishing out a small sparkling coin.

"Ha! Thought I was sitting on something! Look at that." He showed Buck the shiny piece of metal.

"What is it?" asked Buck curiously.

"I don't know, it just appeared out of nowhere," Tony answered. As he took a closer look however, the coin just vanished into thin air. "Huh, weird!"

"Maybe it was just some cookie and it crumbled apart when you picked it up", suggested Buck.

"Perhaps...", Tony said, not really convinced and tried to get back to his game. However, he was finding the video game increasingly boring. He glanced over to see if Buck was still concentrating on the screen, but Buck's eyes were focused on him instead.

"What?" he asked, feeling embarrassed.

"Nothing," Buck replied quickly.

"No, tell me what you're looking at."

"You," Buck said simply.

"Me? Why?"

"Because you are sexy," Buck admitted shyly.

It seemed like Buck was in the mood today. Well, why not. "How about we watch some porn", suggested Tony.

Since a few minutes ago, Buck was feeling increasingly horny. He was rarely in the mood for sex, but today was different. So, when Tony suggested to put on some porn, Buck agreed quickly. After all, watching two men fuck each other was pretty hot stuff after all.

When they turned on the TV and found a nice gay movie, they settled down onto the couch again and watched the scene unfold. It was about a cop controlling traffic who forced a speeding man to suck his cock instead of paying. The guy obviously liked sucking cock and sucked on the officer's hard dick while getting fucked from behind by his partner.

Buck was already rubbing his own cock through his jeans when he saw how the two guys kissed passionately.

Tony also found concentrating on the porn movie much easier than the game before. Somehow, he had found the game a bit too difficult to follow today. His eyes were glued to the police officer on the screen, and he also massaged his cock in his sweatpants.

Without looking to his boyfriend, he asked: "Do you think a police uniform would suit me?"

"Sure," Buck responded at once, picturing his boyfriend in a police uniform. Both of them weren't exactly fit, so he had to use a bit of fantasy to imagine Tony as a burly policeman, but yeah, it could definitely work.

"And then there's my hair," continued Tony, stroking his medium black hair. "I should cut it shorter, right?"

"Yeah," Buck nodded enthusiastically, thinking about Tony as a cop with a short buzz cut. It would certainly make him look more intimidating.

While they were both fantasizing, the movie had come to an end. Tony immediately started a new one and discarded his shirt and pants. Now only in his boxers, he fished out his cock and started stroking it slowly.

"And if I were a cop, what would my uniform look like", he asked.

Buck found this whole conversation oddly erotic, so he answered without hesitation: "I think it would be blue."

"With golden buttons", added Tony, imagining himself being dressed in a tight uniform. He couldn't help but feel excited at the thought of having a big bulge in his pants. He imagined how people would react if he walked past them in such clothes.

Buck was so into the conversation that he didn't even notice that on the tv screen, the scene had turned into a mmf threesome. Tony was still watching it but found it oddly exciting. How had he never noticed that bouncing boobs excited him?

Buck was feeling light-headed. The mental images of Tony in a police uniform didn't seem so far off, actually. He had a good fit build and wore his hair in a short buzz cut already. He just needed a bit more muscle, and of course, a uniform. He briefly imagined how it must feel to be his uniform? To cling to that muscular body, to cover that firm ass.

"You would go commando of course", Buck fantasized, "Nothing between your dick and me..."

"You?" asked Tony and switched the porn channel. Straight porn. A busty blonde being fucked by a cop. Why not? "You want to be my uniform?"

Buck didn't mean to say it out loud, but the question alone made him stroke his cock even harder. "Yes! Think about it! I could be your vest, and your pants, and even your boots!"

Tony wasn't sure what to think of that idea of being this intimate with another man, he was no fag, after all. On the other hand, that wasn't a man he was talking about, but a mere object, a bit of fabric, leather and metal.

Buck didn't know what hit him. He was a human being, but right now, nothing felt righter than being just a set of clothing, wrapped around this man’s chiseled physique. The large muscles that danced when he stroked his cock to each moan of the girl on tv, the heavy balls that made a sweaty slapping sound, the muscular butt. With a cry of ecstasy, Buck came, shooting cum all over his body. At the same time, he deflated, like a balloon losing air. His feet were the first to change, becoming black combat boots. His legs followed suit and turned into a pair of blue police pants, while his cock and balls elongated into a black leather belt with a weapon holster. The cum quickly dried into his chest, as it turned into a blue vest with badges on them and a white undershirt. Finally, his head turned into a black leather police cap, as the last remains of his human mind faded away.

The last thing he sensed was that the police office on the couch finally came, spewing cum all over himself. A big strong hand grabbed his undershirt body and wiped away the cum with it. The uniform part gladly absorbed all of it, adding one more stain to the numerous ones that were already there.

Tony, the police officer sighed. He needed that break. There hadn't been any hot woman speeding today and he had felt blue-balled. Perhaps he should just start stopping hot babes for no reason. Yeah, he grinned. That sounded like a great idea. He quickly got dressed, not caring about the wet cum stains on his undershirt. Of course, he went commando. He always did, he just loved the thought of not having anything between his large cock and his uniform pants. And the bulge was a real eye-catcher for the ladies, too.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like my other ones in this theme. Also be sure to check out this cool blog!

[icycoldninja]

Heyy

How would Dante, Vergil and V react if their s/o got diagnosed with aspd?

I can actually relate to this, believe it or not. Enjoy. 💜

Sparda Boys + V x Reader with ASPD (antisocial personality disorder) headcannons

¤ Dante ¤

-He noticed you were very avoiding of people and initially assumed you to be introverted and shy--until he brought you along on a job where you saw some suffering people and smiled. It was then when he began to wonder if this was more than just introversion.

-After your diagnosis came in, Dante wasn't all to surprised to learn you had antisocial personality disorder, seeing as he kinda suspected all along, but started to fear how your relationship would change because of this. If you didn't like people, did that mean you wouldn't like him?

-He was a little bothered by it, but quickly got over it and decided that if you won't take the initiative to socialize, then he will.

-He tries to engage in conversation with you as much as possible, yet is mindful of your boundaries. If you start to visibly get uncomfortable or anxious, he'll pipe down, press a kiss to your cheek, tell you it's OK and leave the room.

-If you want him to stay, he will. He'll sit next to you or across from you and flip through his magazine, just basking in your presence.

-However, if you are interested in going out there and attempting to get over your aspd (good for you!) Then Dante will put his extroverted ass to work and bring you to parties/gatherings/whatever so you can mingle. As stated before, he respects your boundaries, and will make sure everyone else respects them too.

-If you have manipulative tendencies, Dante can and will resist them. Such behavior is unhealthy and he will not allow it to continue.

□ Vergil □

-Vergil didn't think much about your antisocial tendancies; if anything, he found it to be something the two of you had in common.

-Once he learned of your official diagnosis, he nearly fainted. No, it wasn't because he was afraid your relationship would take a turn for the worse, it was because he was ecstatic to finally have someone he could relate to.

-He doesn't care that you can be a little insensitive sometimes, because he is too. You guys don't fight often, and if you do, things either blow over within a few days, or someone forces you two to talk things out.

-You two are best friends now--no, more than that--soulmates. You hang out together all the time, never really speaking a word to each other, just chilling. Literally chilling.

-Sometimes you sit in matching plastic chairs outside, sipping drinks and silently, casually, judging everyone who walks by.

-Loves to read with you, too. It may seem uncomfortable to passerbys, as you're just quietly sitting together, your noses buried in books, but you two are actually more comfortable than you've ever been in your lives.

-Vergil will never push you to socialize with others, nor will he try to take that initiative himself. He's all you need and you're all he needs.

○ Nero ○

-Nero noticed you despised socializing and generally being around people, so he decided to talk to you about it. After a long, long chat, he arranged for you to visit a specialist, who diagnosed you with antisocial personality disorder.

-He was a little worried on the inside, as he genuinely cares about you, but decided to not say anything and just support you in any way he could.

-He encourages you to go out and do things, but also doesn't mind spending a quiet night in, just cuddling and watching movies.

-He will protect you from Dante and Nico annoying extroverts and help you get out of uncomfortable conversations if such a situation arises.

-He understands you can be a little insensitive and does his best to not take it personally.

-He loves you, all of you, even if you are a little cold sometimes.

• V •

-After receiving news of your diagnosis, V decides to embark on an educational journey. He reads tome after tome after tome and scours Wikipedia for information on your condition.

-He understands that manipulative, sadistic tendencies are common in patients with ASPD, and that that kind of behavior can lead to unhealthy relationships. Therefore, he decides he will support you however you need him to, from correcting your behavior to helping you initiate conversations.

-Griffon is a huge help here; his loud mouth cracks a lot of funny jokes you can't help but reply to.

-Shadow is also great for emotional support, should you need it; the big ol fluffy cat is perfect for cuddles.

-He won't pressure you into interacting with other people because secretly, he loves being the only person (not counting his familiars) you ever really talk to.

-Most days, V will read to you and may even write poems for you, which he will then read aloud. Then he'll just wander around the house doing stuff, preferably with you.

[kerubimcrepin]

Liveblog - Dofus, livre 1 : Julith [PART 16]

Finally, we arrive at my most favourite scene of the entire movie: The battle against Atcham. And my most favorite music, too. Seriously, if you're reading this blog, and hadn't watched the movie yet, what are you doing? At least watch this scene!

Once again, we see Bakara fighting someone who is much older than her and has been to at least a single war.

She has absolutely no element of surprise, and he enters the fight on his own terms, — attacking her from behind, because her reaction time is way worse than his.

Just as in the last confrontation, he dodges and parries her blows. Mostly dodges. He's more agile in air than Kerubim, and gets to his enemy faster. As a trade-off, Kerubim attacked more often in between parrying Julith's blows, because his nunchucks are a sort of ranged weapon.

As already said — she is absolutely no match to him.

There are many implications here: first of all, Atcham may or may not like women. Second of all, he may or may not even have preferences, despite nobody likely wanting him fr.

This info is very important for lore discussions, everyone.

This battle was him playing with her. And he removes her from the battlefield just as nonchalantly as he won.

And here is my most favourite track in the entire movie...

I think 10yo kids have a superpower that lets them detect people's insecurities. That, or he's remembering what Kerubim told him about Atcham.

Interestingly, while his swords seem to be made of wood at a first glance to a person who hasn't watched this movie 20 times like yours truly, these two shots (besides all the sparkles that'll be flying off these swords when they begin fighting...) confirm that it is, very much, not wood. He isn't afraid of accidentally killing a university student, a random idiot, and a ten-year-old.

Judging from Joris's scared-ass face, he is also quite aware of what Atcham coming here with two shiny, sharp swords (currently pointed right at his head), means.

He's putting Joris in his place, here. He's the unarmed 10-year-old. What can he do to him at worst? Cry about it? Scream?

Another part of this is that he needs Joris to come to Julith mostly unharmed, and not missing any limbs. Which will be easier, if he's scared and compliant.

Bad news for Atcham: Joris's response to being belittled is the same as his.

Because this battle goes by very fast, due to Atcham and Joris both being very agile, it is interesting to look at it on a frame-by-frame basis, to see what they're actually doing to one another.

Joris has his hand in a fist. There is a big likelihood that he wasn't grabbing her bell, but punching Atcham, and this hypothesis seems quite likely when one sees how Atcham is thrown in the air by the impact.

Just from this little moment alone, it is probably obvious to Atcham that, despite Joris's age, it will be a very annoying battle at best, and a fair one at worst. But even being aware of this doesn't give him the time to react to Joris's moves.

After being punched in the face by Joris, he drops the bell, but interestingly, despite having all the time to grab it, Joris goes straight for his sword.

He has good priorities. Even if this battle is due to his worries about Lilotte, grabbing her bell and risking losing the opportunity to grab a weapon, would be far more detrimental.

Atcham hits Joris with his head 1-2 times, similarly to the way he will hit Ush in the future. This can point to either him borrowing other classes' techniques (the classic iop headbang), or to him developing this style when he was a child (when you're small, thin, and furless, the best way to defend yourself if some older kids are pinning you down would be to hit them with your head).

Also, interestingly, while Joris aims to hit Atcham with his sword lethally, Atcham keeps parrying his hits by either aiming at Joris's sword, or hitting him with his hands/legs/head. He can't exactly risk killing Julith's kid, — despite the numerous threats.

I had always viewed this scene as Joris's true ascent to adulthood — not hiding, but grabbing a sword, a tool of killing, into his hands, for the sake of whatever family he has left.

Besides that, I also think it is the scene that truly made Atcham and Joris family, — brothers, an uncle and a nephew. Atcham would never have listened to him, much less grow to respect and love him, had Joris not fought back at his insults.

I bet when he was little, Atcham fought back too, just as feverishly. This is something he respects a lot, ad I bet that he blames himself at least a bit for not being strong enough when he was a kid. A very dog-eat-dog mentality.

(puts on tinfoil hat) If Kerubim and Joris's bond is "violence forged through pure love", and then Joris and Atcham's is "pure love forged through violence".

[novelmonger]

So I'm a pretty big LotR fan. And I'm a pretty big fan of the movies. No, they're not perfect, but they're a really good adaptation and a truly masterful work of cinematic art. I've grown pretty familiar with the movies over the past 23 years (@_@) - and not just the movies themselves, but I also love learning all about how they were made. I've watched all the way through all the bonus material in the Extended Editions at least five times (and some of the more fun bits way more times than that XD). I've even watched all three movies with the cast commentary.

But you know what I've never done, not even at the height of my obsession when I had way more free time than I do now? I've never watched the movies with the other commentaries. It looks like there are three more commentaries, with different groups of various people on the crew, and for some reason I never got around to listening through them. I can't for the life of me think why - maybe I thought I already knew everything they'd talk about? maybe I somehow thought it would be boring??? - but today that changes!

I'm going to just jot down the main things that stick out to me that I didn't know before. I've gleaned a lot of BTS information and stories about these movies from various sources, so I'm not sure how long this will be, but I'm sure there will be some new things that jump out at me.

From the FotR writer/director commentary with Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens, and Fran Walsh:

There was a draft of the script where they didn't have a prologue, and all the information about Sauron and the Ring and Gollum and everything was going to be in that conversation between Frodo and Gandalf @_@ Can you imagine? I mean, yeah, it would be more like the book, but At What Cost? (At the cost of several memes and short attention spans, that's what.)

Peter Jackson says he doesn't like magic or wizards in movies. Um...sir? Why the heck are you making fantasy movies then???

The location where they shot the Ford of Bruinen was a real ford that was used during the gold rush in New Zealand! Because New Zealand had a gold rush around the same time as the one in the U.S.!

Hugo Weaving actually did the voice of Isildur when he claims the Ring and says, "No." I have...questions.

Peter Jackson says the journey through Moria is the best sequence in the book, and Fran and Philippa say it's the best-written chapter. Interesting! I don't know what I would point to as the best-written chapter of FotR; I don't think I've ever thought of that (though I might say some of the best descriptions in this book are in Rivendell).

They said they might redo the Gollum scene in Moria to make him look more like he does in TTT. Uhhh...it's been 23 years, guys, where's my remaster? XD

The Frodo-Gandalf conversation in Moria (the "all we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us" conversation) was done with forced perspective??? I never realized that! I thought they just had Elijah sit a little lower than Ian so their eyelines would be right! They totally look like they're looking into each other's eyes, but they're not! :O

"Often in movies, that's a rare thing, to have shots in which nothing is real." - Oh, PJ, if you only knew what the state of things would be in two decades....

The scene of the Fellowship mourning Gandalf outside Moria was filmed before Ian McKellan had even arrived in New Zealand! :O So they were all mourning and reacting to the death of someone they probably weren't even sure what he looked like yet!

Sean Bean was apparently the only one of the primary actors who had any experience with a sword? Or at least he had the most experience. Viggo had to do the Weathertop fight scene on his first day, when he'd never touched a sword before @_@

In Boromir's death scene, the words sung by the chorus in the background is an Elvish translation of Faramir's line "I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend." ;A;

At one point, they were going to have Frodo fighting off an Uruk-Hai before he goes into the boat??? They even shot some of the footage?! Thankfully, they realized that was completely the wrong way to go about his end to this movie; it needed to be an emotional climax, not an action scene, and Frodo's victory is over his own doubts and the Ring's influence on him, when he grasps the Ring and marches forward to continue on his Quest, alone if need be. Thank goodness they realized that before it was too late.

SEAN ASTIN WAS NOT UNDERWATER IN THE SHOT OF HIM DROWNING WHAAAAAT MIND BLOWN

The shot of Boromir's boat going over the edge of the waterfall was actually footage of a barrel going over the Niagara Falls, and they just used CG to replace the barrel with the boat O.O

Fran Walsh: So Viggo's just put on Boromir's gauntlets... Me, a nerd: Vambraces, actually.

[iamacolor]

my take on sweet mobster is different I like it but every post on twitter about the show since basically the start is a variation or more precisely not a variation of "SJH is a such a looser in love" and that's not a good sign for me if the entire thing the fans are taking away from the show is how down bad the guy and him being pathetic means the the drama is focusing on that to a very high degree and my idea or a romantic lead is a not a dude who spends his time blushing and kicking his feet over a girl I'm sorry if there's not a specific reason for it or if she's not matching his freak in every instance. In this case I don't feel like they are at all yeah she likes him but they're showing that he likes her a lot more in so many ways it's not even close you cannot tell me you think they've shown the same degree of caring for each other because it's not true.

hi anon! I think you're raising an important point by pointing out the fandom's reaction to the show (and I have to say I only caught up with it last week so I've not really been aware of what people have been saying about it until this week) but to me that's something that's observed in kdrama fandom no matter what the show is, it sometimes go so far as to direct criticism towards the female lead whenever she doesn't stick to her more passive traditional role (I remember seeing people criticise sol from lovely runner for trying to go back in time again to save the ml and for taking away their first meeting because it wasn't his choice when she was clearly doing things that no one would've criticised from a male lead and when she clearly had the main goal of saving him no matter what because she loved him sooo much) and in this previous ask I've talked more in details about the traditional gender roles in kdrama as a genre when it comes to how female and male leads are expected to show affection (where women are supposed to be more passive and men more active and more intense and be romantic and devoted etc which I don't think is good) if you're interested. so I do think this is often an issue in the writing but to me a fandom's reaction isn't necessarily representative of what's actually written especially when a kdrama's fandom is often composed of people more willing to fawn over a new man (although why is loser in love the new keyword like can't we find something else lol nothing about loving a woman is a loss of dignity and it feels very overused now) than to appreciate the nuance in a woman's personality. I've seen entire fandoms of many different types of shows or movies focus on a random secondary or imaginary ship or go as far as to turn a vilain into a simply misunderstood man while constantly criticising everything the female lead does so fandoms can be very volatile and irrational

as for the kind of romantic lead that jihwan is, I personally don't think the whole blushing and kicking his feet over a woman disqualify him as a romantic lead and it's fine if he isn't your cup of tea, there are plenty of heroes who don't do that and who are also very interesting and entertaining and intense in their own ways - I know I couldn't watch just these kinds of leads all the time I like to see different types of characters - but that's not an issue that's just a question of personal preferences

as for what I can or cannot tell you, I've never said that they've been shown to have the same degree of caring - I said that I think their dynamic is more "he falls first" (which necessarily implies we're going to see more of his feelings) than "he's the only devoted one" and that yes he's the one who gets flustered the most because it takes more time for her (and also they're different people who react differently to things). I agree that his feelings are definitely the ones pushed forward for entertainment purposes (especially for comedy purposes) but the narrative we're on right now balances that out. until ep10 (which I haven't watched yet so maybe that changes things) she's the first one who has admitted to someone else that she has feelings and who has approached those feelings with him by saying she doesn't want to be confused, that she's hurt and that she liked the time in his house and specifically the time spent with him, who's calling him out for his inconsistencies precisely because he's shown many times he cares and yet he says nothing about his feelings (and that's after many times where she shows she clearly cares for him, is curious about him, wants to defend him, wants him to take better care of himself - the hospital scene was a really big step in shifting their dynamic to me -, is attracted to him, finds him funny, enjoys teasing him, is willing to put herself at risk for him when he goes missing etc which isn't always the case with female leads). she's also clearly been shown to be jealous several times - and that was clear to him - and so has he. I'm not pretending the show doesn't rely a lot on him having no idea how to handle his feelings and making a mess of it (most of which she doesn't even see so it's mostly for us viewers) while also protecting her and caring for her and being a very romantic brooding hero but the writing also gives eunha a lot more agency than expected and an actual voice over her relationship with him and I feel like we're progressively getting to see different layers of her that makes this whole thing much more balanced than what is usual in kdrama and also more nuanced than how the show started out. I'm not just going "oh this is good because it's a little bit more than what we usually get" I also genuinely feel a progression in the show itself. I purposefully pointed out examples of her actively caring for him precisely because for a non viewer most of what the fandom highlights are jihwan's actions when many of eunha's actions don't get the same treatment

there's another imbalance that's caused by the fact that he already knows she's his childhood friend but she's still in the dark about hyunwoo - and so obviously that adds a depth to his feelings that she can't show even though it's there but that's obviously meant to change

[dailycharacteroption]

Okayo Corsair (Swashbuckler Archetype)

Have you ever sat down and watched martial arts movies? Not just the ones that get big advertisements in the west, but even a cursory deep dive into them? That shit get zany as heck, maybe not Bollywood levels, but still pretty wacky stuff, and it’s awesome.

We’re talking things like a young inventor coming home to his village to bring the wonders of progress but realizing how estranged he’s become to his own culture and how ruthless his new big-city ‘friends’ are, as well as comedy stories about an apartment complex where everyone is a secret martial artist, including the crabby landlady. There’s so much mixing and matching of genres and setpieces and some truly stellar fight choreography.

I bring all this up because today’s subject smacks a little bit of such things, given we’re talking about swashbuckling pirates from a nation in Tian Xia that pick up on some of the martial arts of the continent and even emulate some of their mystic arts.

Now, there’s a decent amount of evidence here and there that the ki used by monks and ninjas and the grit/panache used by gunslingers and swashbucklers are different applications of the same force, and nowhere is that more expressed than in these corsairs, in an archetype that is, stripped of setting context, a hybridization of swashbuckler and monk.

In-context, the style arose among pirates of the Dragon Empires, and has since spread as far as that Mecca of piracy in the Inner Sea Region known as the Shackles.

The result is a swashbuckler, whom may or may not actually sail at your discretion, that has some neat monk tricks in their arsenal, so let’s have a look!

Unsurprisingly, these swashbucklers demonstrate incredible finesse when wielding monk weapons, and their charisma can serve for those combat feats with wisdom requirements in addition to those that require intellect.

They can also use their panache for some very monk-like deeds, starting with the ability to use ki to enhance their attack speed, movement speed, or reaction speed.

They also gain other staples like using walls to slow their fall, using panache to leap high, and even do a short-range teleport, though that last one is a bit costly.

Finally, they also train to be able to utilize fighter and monk techniques with their combat training.

This archetype trades out some of your deeds and alters your key abilities so they work with monk feats and the like, but overall you’re still going to be playing them the way you would any swashbuckler, though you don’t get to do things like purposefully miss to get a feint next turn and the like. As such, I would highly suggest looking up the feats that require monk levels as a prerequisite and see how you can blend the two.

It is interesting to see more acknowledgement of the connection between ki, grit, and panache, but this also begs the question about how characters in the setting react to it. How to monasteries and martial arts academies feel about some pirates stealing their styles and better yet, manifesting expressions of ki without any formal training or discipline. I’d imagine that a decent percentage aren’t too happy about it, could be very useful for conflict between characters and in the story itself.

While researching at a local library, the party stumbles upon an account from a dashing and spiritually-empowered pirate captain that stumbled upon a strange island, where they found ruins tied to some lost civilization of insectile people. However, they also found it rife with a monstrous fungus that reanimated the giant insects of the island as spore zombies. Recognizing the danger, they quickly fled, and destroyed anything which might have harbored the spores. However, with the right protection, perhaps another group could learn more of this lost civilization?

Where other peoples boast great power, humanity often has to make do with innovation and creativity. Such is the case with the sailors and pirates of the Singing Sea. Many cultures of aquatic peoples jockey for control of those waters, and many see those sailing on the surface as useful sources of supplies or thralls. However, humanity adapts, and many such sailors learn Sea Dragon’s Blade, a style of martial arts adapted from the dragon style founded inland to include weapons and the daring acrobatics of ship combat.

Scuttlebutt in the port town taverns says that there is a new pirate crew running the nearby waters. Very little is known about the captain of this vessel, but they say he leaps and runs as if striding on air and wields a curious weapon resembling a heavy spherical weight on the end of a rope. If nothing else, they seem to be quite competent as a sailor as well as a combatant.

[esosage]

Okay im going to go on a little rant here, so forgive me if this is messy, but i NEED robotnik to be in the third sonic movie and let me explain why.

(Also slight spoilers for SA2 i guess.)

Anyways, i mainly want him in there for the sheer amount of character developmwnt that robotnik gets in SA2. Like up untill now, robotnik hasnt really had any personal stakes in the fights other than his pride and ego. But SA2 changes all of that, as its the introduction of not only his grandfather, his cousin (aka maria), but also shadow who is technically his uncle but more on that later.

Its bassically an introduction to robotniks family, which is immensly important to robotnik as a character because hes an orphan. Which brings into question how hed react to this. Robotnik, who ussually shuns any form or humanity or family, now learns that he actually has one. A family. People related to him by blood. But their dead. And the ironic part is THEY WERE KILLED BY THE GOVERNMENT HE WORKED FOR! The last remaining family members he had, were killed by the very same people he spent YEARS of his life working for. Now would he feel about that?

Robbed maybe. Angry. Sad. Or maybe hed try to ignore it in an attempt to not have to confront the human parts of himself. Because family is a sore spot for robotnik as he is an orphan, and often times we see his most emotional reactions being when hes talking about his family. But robotnik hates emotions, viewing them as horribly human, so when hes met with this side of this family, that he could have known and talked to and bonded with. Something he had longer for, for years as a child, taken away and killed by the people he worked for, that has got to cause some reaction. And how he deals with that emotion would be immensly interesting to watch, as hes bassically forced to confront this very human side of himself that hes never really had to deal with before. Or at least for a long time.

I honestly think robotnik would be a rollercoaster of emotions, angry and sad at the loss, yet trying to ignore and supress that greif in turn for keeping himself in his own eyes as perfect. Infalluable. Because admiting he cares about this, is admitting some part of him is human, and some part of him can be hurt and i think that would terrify him. So hed avoid it, obviously.

But then there comes the best part, shadow. Shadow is one of robotniks last LIVING family members, as hes technically robotniks uncle. (Because hes gerald robotniks son, so that would make him robotniks uncle.) And i find it intteresting how robotnik would view shadow. Does he know how realated shadow is to his family from the start, or does he learn as the movie goes on?

Lets say he learns as he goes on because i find that the most interresting. I think at first robotnik would see shadow as nothing but a mere weapon to be ussed against his enemys. After all, thats kinda what shadow was made for (kinda). But as the story goes on and as robotnik learns more about him, perceptions might change as he realizes just how connected shadow is to him. As shadow is his last surviving family member, to the family he once pressumed as dead. Meaning shadow is the only link he has left to his family. The last surviving connection he has to his relatives.

And how would he react to that? Would he ask questions, wanting to at least feel connected to the family that was robbed from him. Want to know more about the family he never met. Or would he shun shadow? Seeing him as sort of a physicall manifistation of his humanity, as shadows very existance forces him to confront things hes never had to, nor wanted to confront before. Shadows bassically the shadow of robotniks past, of his family, and when the doctor is faced with so much emotion and possible greif about his family whenever he looks at shadow. Would he push him away in an attempt to avoid those emotions? And to him, to cut out the last peice of humanity he has left, because robotnik sees the emotions he has and is forced to face about his dead family as painfully human, as vulnerable. And he hates that. And in attempt to cut that out of himself, hed try to cut shadow out, to push them away so he doesnt have to deal with that confrentation of his past. And it really gives them an interesting dynamic.

Like would robotnik try to push shadow away but eventually cave and begin to try and bond and discover more about this peice of his past he didnt know about? And if so, what would cause him to cave and try to bond with that?

Well maybe its his grandfather. Because in the games, robotnik is shown to have a major admiration for his grandfather. Like he is the only person robotnik probobly, genuinly, praises ever to the point where he strives to be like him. And what would happen if that part of robotniks character transfered over to the movie version of robotnik? Would he admire his grandfather at first, secretly liking the connection he feels to his long gone family member (despite him never admitting it) because of how just similar they are? Would he praise him just as much as his game counterpart? Would he be the one part of robotniks history that he likes? Would he be the one part in robotniks past/family that robotnik views as good. Kind of like a beacon of light in the rest of robotniks mucky past. Something to strive twards, to emminate. Would he cling on to the image of his grandfather, because he views him as such? And how much would the fact that shadow is his grandfathers creation effect their how robotnik views shadow and treats him? How does robotnik feel about gerald as a whole?

And would his admiration for gerald be influenced by the other stuff going on, outside of his emotion termoil. Because robotniks ego is also on the line in the third movie.

Because at that point robotnik has already lost to sonic twice. And as a narccisist who prides himself on being perfect, how could he take that? Maybe he denies being defeated by sonic, saying it was really a draw since he almost killed sonic in the second movie. Or maybe hed be absolutely vistiouse. Maybe hed go a bit crazy. Throwing everything he can at the headgehog in a despret attempt to salvage what little bits he has of his ego left. In an attempt to feel superior again, to feel in control. Maybe he does both? Like he viehemently denies sonics win, but deep down, in his heart of hearts, he knows sonic won and he just cant take that. Because sonic winning means that hes better tham him, and if someone is better than him that means hes not perfect. And robotnik had bassically built himself up on being perfect so thats like a slap to the face to him, twice.

Which this combined with the family issues might cause him to go on a downwards spiral. Viehently denying and bottling up his emotions as he despretly tries to find a way to salvage his ego. To convince himself that hes not a failure, or what he views as a failure. Trapping himself in a web of lies just to keep his mental health a float, which shadow breaks sometimes as he forces robotnik to conftront all the emotions he has about his family that hes activly avoiding.

Which i think leads to two things.

The first being him pushing shadow away in order to avoid his feelings and the second one clinging to his grandfathers image out of desperation.

I mean robotniks at rock bottom right now wether he admits it or not, and his grandfather might be the last beacon of hope he has to reclaiming who he was. Maybe he views his grandpa as the end goal, that when he is exactly like his grandfather he'll be fine. That when he becomes like him, maybe things will go back to normal. Maybe he could feel like himself again, rather than the failure he innevitiabbly feels like.

Maybe its that despret idolazation that causes him to follow his grandfathers plan to use the eclipse cannon. Beliving that it was a gift from his grandfather to him, to help him reclaim his rightfull place. The eclipse cannon, and his plan to use it, giving him one last shred of hope that he can still win. That he isnt failing, and he isnt a failure... only for the broadcast of his grandfather, the man he adored and idolized, the one part of robotniks family that he didnt scorn or push away, to play out as his grandfather reveals that he intends to destroy the entire planet. And robotnik is helpess as he watches. Destroyed as he watches all the blind trust he put into his grandfather, that he probobly put into anyone ever, completly shatter.

And honestly, i think this might be the catalist that causes robotnik to explode. That causes all of the trapped that he had been bottñing up for years, probobly decades even, to just burst out. With him forced to be vulnerable, forced to confront the feelings that hed been running from for so long, at the most innconvinient time possible.

And even worse, he might be forced to cry infront of sonic, infront of his enemies, and maybe infront of everyone. Which is the worst part to robotnik. For the man who has refused any sort of human connection for years, is suddenly forced to be very vulnerable and very emotion, possibly in front of his greatest enemy no less. That had got to be terrifying to robotnik. Having a full mental breakdown after so long of covering up his emotions as an attempt to seem perefect, under the eyes of everyone around him. Its bassically robotniks worst nightmare come true.

And if somehow he manages to pick the peices of himself back up to help stop his own gradfather, hes going to have to work with sonic. Which is basically salt into his already gapping wound. Forced to bear the most vulnerable parts of him on display to sonic and then forced to work with him. The one, which he views, as the catalist of his downward spiral.

And then shadow dies. Well maybe he lives in the end of the third movie, (it hasnt come out yet by the time im righting this in november) but if wwre going off of the SA2 story line, then shadow dies. And robotnik is forced to watch. Watch as the only family member he ever put his blind trust, and possibly love, into betray him to destroy the world.. and forced to watch as the last remaining connection, the only person who could tell him what they were like, their habbits, who they even were, dies. Dies saving the world that shunned robotnik for so long, that left him out to dry. And robotnik is cant to anything but watch. Hes helpless.

Left to pick up the peices of himself as he grapples with the greif of his idol betraying him, and his last surviving family member finnally being put six feet deep. Thankfully he has stone there to help him through it.

I could probobly write more about this, as i have alot of thoughts. The main two being robotniks morality, and his relationship to shadow and how it could develop throughout the story. As there is alot more things i wannted to get into about them, especially about how hed feel at his grandfather trying to ending the world, and the parrallels between him and shadow. But this is long enough so ill leave it here.

Sorry for any grammer mistakes btw as this was really more of a rant than anything else.

[inmyarmswrappedin]

Some thoughts on Heartstopper s2:

Overall, I liked Tara and Darcy's arc, but I wish it had been set up better. I got the impression in s1 that Tara and Darcy have been dating forever, maybe even since they were like 13-14, and I just can't believe that the ilu issue hadn't come up yet. Particularly on a show like this when even platonic friends will say ilu to each other all the time. I think a better way to set up the sl would've been:

show Tara saying ilu to Darcy without expecting reciprocation, portrayed like it's something she does all the time.

show Tara longingly watching Nick and Charlie saying ilu to each other.

have Tara say ilu to Darcy now with the hope/expectation that Darcy will say it back.

everything else takes place exactly as it did on the show.

Similarly, I loved Tao and Elle's arc. I was really looking forward to their getting together after s1, and throughout the season I was 😍😍😍😍. I just didn't connect with Elle's mood after the movie date. I guess I myself would've been disappointed, but not to that extent, and so that part didn't work for me.

While I'm glad that Imogen will be wlw (more in a sec), a part of me wishes she hadn't been just to compare the way people reacted to her character in s1 vs s2. Because really, Imogen acted exactly the same in both seasons (it was the way the dude treated her that changed), but I can't imagine people would have the same reactions towards her with Nick vs towards her with Ben.

I do hope Imogen will be a lesbian, mostly because of the lesbian lighting. That being said, I wish it was Sahar who got the self-discovery arc. In the end though, I want a wlw to get the Heartstopper self-discovery arc, and I look forward to whatever happens with Imogen (and Sahar!).

I was also looking forward to Isaac's arc and it didn't disappoint. I think Isaac is the first explicitly ace character (maybe also aro?) with a self-discovery arc I've watched, and I was really interested in how it was going to be portrayed. I love Isaac's actor's smile, I think he's so cute.

Olivia Colman put her whole pussy into that family dinner scene, whew! Nick's mom's role wasn't that large, but she stole the show with her facial expressions and her whole "I just don't know wtf is wrong with this man!" attitude.

I feel sorry for Ben despite his whole evil Mark Owen thing, but I also like that Alice Oseman chose not to redeem him. I am mighty tired of bullies and abusers getting half baked redemption arcs (hi Druck s7 and s8), and it's plausible for Ben to just not be there yet. I think Heartstopper as a comic and show has people being lovely more often than not. So I think it's a brave choice not to redeem Ben, and let us give him a happier ending in our mind if we so wish.

And on that note I really appreciate that Heartstopper allows its characters to call out bullies, abusers, bad parents, and tells its audiences they don't have to forgive bad treatment if they don't want to. For a show that's been so criticized for being wholesome (i.e. sexless) and, for that reason, not ~challenging~ enough, I think allowing its characters not to forgive is actually a subtly subversive choice. I think just about any other teen show would've made Charlie allow his former bullies into the party because the ringleader had been a bit nicer in the Eiffel Tower. Imo it's details like that that show an actually queer person is behind the show, compared to the shows produced, written or directed by straight people.

[iceswords]

Garden, Finch And A Trial

with everything else figured out from the watchmaker's legacy to gallagher's true identity, the only thing left was to find out what happened to mikhail and thus here yanqing was again at timesplit square. it was hard to not notice the new building -

- that had appeared after the astral express crew passed through dreamflux reef as yanqing walked up from the stairs from slumber town and headed towards it's direction. stopping in the middle of the flower design on the pavement gound where the tombstones lay.

" you wanted to find mikhail." came gallagher's voice causing yanqing to look over at him with a sour expression as he crossed his arms. the lieutenant was a little bit upset over having been lied to. while normally a thirty year old looking man couldn't possibly be thirteen years of age, there were the pepeshi running around and it can be hard to determine whether or not someone is the age they claim with how many different short life and long life species there are on penacony.

gallgeher nodded his head towards the fore mentioned building, not paying any mind to how yanqing was reacting to him as it was quite warranted. " there's where he'll be- his final resting place." he informed the boy as he was very aware of how close misha and yanqing had gotten.

" what exactly happened though?" yanqing decided to ask after practically glaring the man down. there was no more reason for gallgeher to keep lying now. nobody seems to be acknowledging misha as the watchmaker's grandson. was that because nobody else knows about that? was it something yanqing only learned from talking to misha and spending so much time with him?

most likely yet still the idea that the oh-so precious legacy mikhail had left behind could be anything other than misha was.. yeah, no. it was obviously misha. everybody else was just too far behind to realize it yet. it doesn't seem like a lot of people paid attention to misha in general. " I'm sure you get the guist of it. mikhail got into a disagreement with the family, mikhail left and never returned."

" yeah. I know. left misha behind." yanqing replied and shook his head at the very mention of what mikhail did. he didn't care much for mikhail but misha had been hurt by the man's actions, " but I was also thinking he left the planet yet you're saying that he's been sleeping up there this whole time."

" oh?" gallagher placed a hand to his chin as he looked down at the boy with interest, " so I take it you're of the opinion misha is the watchmaker's legacy then. quite the nice sentiment."

" I get that mikhail didn't get along with the family but.. did he really have to leave misha like that? his actual family." perhaps it was more personal for yanqing because he knew misha and perhaps the lieutenant related to the feeling of having been abandoned by your own flesh and blood. yanqing often got emotional whenever he watched a movie or show about an child who had lost their parents somehow and either were living on their own or ended up with terrible caretakers.

he paused and took a breath. wouldn't want to get too worked up or else yanqing would wake up. he looked up and out at the garden. he wondered if misha had ever gone up to see his grandfather yet.

" hmm.. afraid that is a question I can't answer but you are free to check it out for yourself, lieutenant." gallgeher informed and that was exactly what yanqing did. having to walk up quite the few stairs to reach the tranquil garden and then a few more to get to the gazebo like stature where mikhail sat in his wheelchair.

yanqing almost wanted to shake the old man awake yet when his eyes landed on him.. he knew that mikhail was long gone now. giving one of the wheels of the chair a kick out of frustration. " listen to me, old man. I don't care about your stupid stellaron or that stupid bubble you're holding.” lashing out at a person who couldn't even hear him. it was the only thing yanqing could do in that moment as whatever was inside the bubble could only ever hold any significance or meaning to the nameless and yanqing wasn't one of them, “did you really think some petty disagreement was more important than your own grandson!?”

before yanqing could kick at the wheel chair anymore, he would feel arms grab him under the armpits and pull him away though yanqing continued to yell at the dead man, “ coward! didn't even die an honorable death! just slept away up here in your dang wheelchair. " if yanqing had something to throw at the ‘asleep’ mikhail, he would even as he was being held back by arlan. “ could you stop it already? you don’t need yet another charge put against you.” the security guard noted as he stood there almost as tiff as a board and with feet practically rooted into the ground. they really didn’t need yanqing to throw off the handle again. it was much too much energy, frustration- yanqing didn’t feel as sunny as usual but there was still a fire in him. one that was currently being fuelled by so many different emotions and some of those emotions were new to yanqing. he just wanted to do.. something. put all this information and energy to good use somewhere.

once arlan knew that yanqing wasn’t going to do anything towards the sleeping old man, that was when he finally let go of him allowing the lieutenant to see who had decided to follow him up to the garden. he could see down below misha anxiously cleaning up the place, mumbling himself as he likely hadn’t come here before and looked nervous to see his grandfather again. huohuo without her tail had also been present in dreamflux reef and upon seeing a familiar face in yanqing likely had followed him up here. “ uh, um.. lieutenant yanqing. is-is this a g-good time to mention that.. somebody wants to talk to you? he said to tell you to meet him in the church later.” came her quiet and timid voice as she reached to ling onto her tail only to frown and look about ready to cry when she remembered that it was no longer there, opting to ling onto her skirt instead. “ yeah. the key word there being later. did he happen to say when this ‘later’ was?” yanqing asked the girl, knowing he would have to be a little more patient and gentle with her- just because of how huohuo naturally was but also because of the recent loss of mr tail. “ no.” huohuo answered with her foxian ears pointed down and her eyes drifting away as if feeling guilty from not having any useful information to give to the lieutenant while the lieutenant merely looked over her shoulder down at the hellhop for a moment before stepping over to the top of the stairs and deciding to call out to the boy, “ doing great, qīn'ài de!” that bellhop really needed some positive reinforcement, perking up upon hearing yanqing’s voice whilst huohuo heard the affectionate term the lieutenant used for misha and looked over in slight confusion, “ q-qīn’ai de..?” though yanqing’s focus was more on misha and watching his reaction therefore arlan had to ask her what that term meant before explaining the situation to her.

misha looked so pleased with himself after getting that stamp of approval even though he didn’t really understand what yanqing just called him, he could hear the tone of voice and get an idea that it was something sweet and nice. this positive reinforcement from yanqing would continue to go on while arlan and huohuo had their discussion about what has been happening and what huohuo missed. “ what happened to your tail?” arlan asked at one point certain that foxians usually had both a tail and ears whilst huohuo only had the ears but that question only caused the girl to burst out into tears. arlan panicked in reply as he tried to find some way to calm her down or undo the damage he just did without even knowing the context of why it was making her so upset. “ bad arlan! you never ask a lady about her physical appearance- has nobody told you that? also, misha, you can take a break now- spotless job as always!” yanqing scolded one boy and praised the other.

“ I am certain I have seen you ask a lady the same kind of question, yanqing, you egotistical hypocrite!” replied arlan.

“ knowing and doing are two different things.” retorted yanqing.

“ h-hey! don’t call the lieutenant that!” cried huohuo who was more crying over her own issues than what arlan called yanqing and yanqing picked up on this as he watched her and debated if it would be right for him to comfort her when he couldn’t do anything about what happened to mr tail. in the end yanqing decided to pull out his flute and play a little tune that always relaxed any orphan he came across as the group found somewhere in the garden to sit down. misha having curled up in yanqing’s lap. it was a calm and peaceful garden and the longer yanqing stayed there, the less he found himself blaming mikhail for choosing this as his final resting place yet he could never forgive the man for what he had put misha through no matter how long the lieutenant stayed in that garden. and all the while in the back of his mind, yanqing was thinking about the man who asked for his arrival in the church and wondered if it would be a good idea to go- could it have been sunday? that man was a priest or something, right? did he want yanqing to confess to his ‘sins’? or perhaps yanqing finally had gotten a bounty on his head and a galaxy ranger was coming to collect? he always wanted to meet a galaxy ranger! heroes who fought for what they believed in but unfortunately that acheron woman hadn’t truly been one of them. huohuo continued to sniffle but had slowly started to stop crying while arlan awkwardly stood on guard and watched for any disturbances while having an ear out for the tune that yanqing played as it seemed to not be that bad.

eventually yanqing decided to go out to see who had asked for him and what he could have wanted. walking into the place and immediately being greeted by church music that was in line with the path of the harmony but only managed to irritate the cloud knight. it would appear to not yet be time for his dual or trial as many people were present ranging from locals to guests- guests ranging from the pepeshi to the more mechanical lifeforms. yanqing stepped to the side, staying out of people’s way while not getting involved in what felt to him like a cult gathering. he would spot sunday up in the front beyond the rows of benches and talking.. about the harmony. how the harmony arrived in penacony and changed it into what it was today. that the harmony was what guided the family. he would also catch a glimpse of what appeared be a cyborg cowboy who was currently doing about the same thing as yanqing but instead the cowboy had found himself somewhere in the benches to sit with hat covering his face so that nobody knew if he was shut down or sleeping whilst sunday’s preaching and talking went on.

those were two of yanqing’s potential opponents- a bucket of bolts and bullets or a pigeon cooing - that sounded more like squeaking in yanqing’s ears - as loud as he can about the harmony. which one will be the one to strike first was left to be determined as yanqing waited until the church session was over and everyone else left.. leaving only yanqing and the cowboy in the room by themselves. a galaxy ranger and a cloud knight. putting these two in a room together was just asking for trouble as yanqing rested a hand on the helt of his sword, waiting to see what the cowboy will do. his yellow ember eyes were trained on the older man who eventually pulled out his gun and pointed it at the lieutenant who in turn withdrew his sword and pointed the tip of the blade at the cowboy.

silence continued to linger for a second longer until yanqing let out a prideful huff as he smirked to himself, “ what? I thought this was just how galaxy rangers said hello.”

yanqing walked out into the wide space of the church, restricted only by the benches that left enough room to crawl and hide for cover if the cowboy ever started to fire his gun at him yet the boy remained calm and vigilant with the tip of his sword still pointed at the cowboy. it was like the boy was in the middle of a western flim in which he arrived to a gunfight with a sword. typically you think that decision unwise but yanqing was quite efficient with the blade and felt confident that he could handle this with just his swords as he finally felt that his ice swords could finally pierce their way into the memoria and enter the dream.

the cowboy let out an amused chuckle at the boy as the barrel of his gun followed yanqing’s movements. “ really gettin’ friendly now, aren’t we?” the man remarked in reply and it wouldn’t be long now before the cowboy pulled the trigger and bullet went flying at yanqing who was able to move and think quickly within a second and slice the bullet in half. the dual had finally started as ice swords flew around the room, positioning themselves in a way that the cowboy had no where to run or hide- acting in a way similar to birds of prey as they watched for the man’s movements. the cowboy would shot a bullet at one of these ice swords only for the bullet to bounce off the icy cold blade and off to another resulting in few of the floating swords to end up playing a game of tennis or ping pong with each other using the bullet as the ball. at one point the game became hot potato until one sword decided to toss the bullet back to the cowboy who simply caught the bullet with his mouth and ate it before starting to go for the master of these swords who was floating off the ground now.

both yanqing and boothill were quick on their feet and able to dodge, block or counter attack each other’s strikes until yanqing summoned up the largest ice sword he could and send it flying down at the cowboy, wanting to see what he would do with that. he was filled with adrenaline and was currently raving off of the dopamine and vibrant firecracker-like signals in his brain that just kept going off one after the other. the dual only ended when a door opened and yanqing watched as the cowboy’s eyes looked over for a split second allowing the boy to get close enough to have the tip of his blade at the man’s throat. yanqing breathing in and out with sweat dripping off his forehead while a smirk slowly crossed his figures at having seemingly gotten the upper hand when boothill held up a finger for him to wait as sunday walked into the room from somewhere in the back and had a sour look on his face as if disappointed that the two had gotten into a fight but yanqing would soon realize that their fight had made a mess of the interior of the church.

“ oh. yes. it seems you have.. bonded in a way. have a good discussion while I was away? good, good.” sunday spoke using words to make it seem like he cared but yanqing knew better than that. the pastor didn’t even wait for either of them to answer his question before snapping his fingers and the damage that the two hunt pathstriders had caused was undone. not only that but yanqing soon found himself sitting in one of the benches, unaware of how he got there and without his sword this time while his ice swords had vanished.

boothill meanwhile was placed in a bench far away from the boy to keep the two from fighting again. as if distance would stop that. “ I have summoned you both here.. for a confession. if that confession leads to a trial, so be it. you will both be given your time to privately speak with me. any questions?”

“ yeah.. how does this ‘confession’ thing work exactly?” asked yanqing who had never been in a church even a day in his life until that day. sunday only shook his head to show any annoyance he had about the boy’s question before carefully considering how to answer it in a way that would make sense to the young boy, “ do you see that brown box behind me? that is a confession box. I sit in one side and you sit in the other. you speak, I listen and give guidance. anything you say in the box will not leave the box unless I deem what you said suggests danger towards yourself or others. do you understand, lieutenant?” he explained to yanqing who did his best to listen and take in the information before nodding in reply when sunday asked him if he understood, having looked over to the confession box in question when it was pointed out to him in the explanation.

“ what if.. we don’t want to confess?” was yanqing’s follow up question to which he would hear the cowboy give up a ‘oohh! that’s a good one’ as neither of the two were very thrilled about the concept of confessing to the man. “ fine. you can sit in silence if you wish but not saying anything at all may make things much more harder for you than lying if you wish for me to.. get off your back.” sunday had answered, “ but please do not think to lie to me. I will know. do not ask how, lieutenant, I simply will. and no, I am not reading your mind. please remain seated here until I call for you.” and when sunday was done explaining that, he would turn on heel and head into his side of the confession box.. letting the two sit in silence for a moment or two longer. an attempt to teach the both of them some patience.

yanqing chose to investigate his side of the church but found himself unable to stand up from the bench but could still move around of his own accord otherwise, looking along the books and papers that were kept in some kind of shelf on the back of the bench in front of him. many of the books were harmony textbooks, some were advertisements for soulglad or some toy or a line of clothing and some were pamphlets for therapy or dealing with mental illness. how to overcome imposter syndrome was on one of the covers of such pamphlets and another read stop buying so many swords! you have enough! but he also happened to spot a few books in the style of children’s stories. picked up one which cover featured birds- a charmony dove, a finch, a few pigeons and a swallow. he opened and flipped to the chapter on the swallow which graphically showcased the story of a swallow who grew up with lions and ended up getting eaten by the lions when it’s ground was let down.

yanqing became startled by the imagery and quickly closed the book before rushingly shoving it back into the little shelving unit. he really wanted his dad right now.. but instead took in a breath and pulled himself together. he can handle whatever this was. " hey, kid, you good?" came the cowboy's voice who had seen the boy's reaction to whatever he was seeing and started to become a little worried.

" what does it matter to you, sharkman?" the boy retorted doing his best to act tough but you could see the way he was shaking, exhausted from the fight and now dealing with whatever mental game sunday was putting him through.

" it matters because you're shakin' like a leaf!" replied boothill who would soon think more on what yanqing said before cackling, " sharkman.. good one." causing the boy to lighten up a little and smile. boothill would see this and sit up more straight. " you did real good back there. never seen swords play ping-pong with my bullet before and you were.. real fast. where'd you learn that from?" he asked in attempt to distract yanqing from whatever was bothering the boy since boothill knew that the boy had a lot of fun in that duel.

" I.. well. I was taught by general jing yuan but I've been getting into a lot of sparrs or fights with different people. it is important to pick up techniques from every encounter you have- learn at least something. that's how you become a better warrior!" yanqing enthusiastically explained to the old man, quickly switching from a defensive yet slightly frightened kitten into a excited little lion cub. still a kitten either way but now more happy and prideful.

" hah! that's right!" exclaimed boothill watching as the young boy practically shine with pride as yanqing stood up straight with chest puffed out and arms crossed. it seems the distraction was working. who knew when sunday would call for one of them though, " general jing yuan though.. I heard that name before. it's the fella that runs that rufou flagship, right? haven't had the pleasure of meetin' the man yet but he sure as hell raised a good kid here. gettin' into a little bit of trouble is natural for someone your age, don't worry too much about that."

hearing a complete stranger who had become more of a friend now that the two bonded, yanqing couldn't help but feel reassured by the older's words of praise and admiration. being told that you are a good boy was never something one could grow tired of hearing no matter how many times yanqing hears it in one day.

still.. hearing it from an outsider's perspective was even more rewarding because boothill didn't hold the same expectations or views of yanqing as any back on the xianzhou luofu would have. " boothill. it is time." came sunday's voice to interrupt their conversation and now finally boothill found himself able to stand, giving final words to the boy before heading into the other side of the confession box.

it was silent for a few seconds before suddenly the confession box exploded with shouts and screaming as whatever sunday had said offended boothill and in turn boothill started to throw insults at sunday as it seemed boothill's weapon had been taken from him too. a sweat drop and sigh, yanqing would pull up his phone and text jing yuan.

yanqing would look over the message he wrote out for a second or two, taking in a breath and letting it out before deciding to click send. and within moments he would see those three dots indicating that jing yuan was typing out a reply and soon that reply followed.

yanqing looked over the reply, reading the words and taking it in. calling jing yuan dad wasn't something that the boy normally did- this was something that jing yuan was fully aware of and hence the mere term being used was something akin to sending a flare, an sos as the boy felt scared and needed reassurance. boothill had helped of course but yanqing really needed his dad.. especially after reading that chapter about the swallow and lions.

his eyes eventually just stared at 'I will wait outside' as he took in deep breaths and tried to relax. didn't want to wake up just yet - not that whatever spell sunday casted would allow the boy to wake anyway. yanqing had the comfort of knowing jing yuan would be outside the church when it was time to leave. that was good enough for now when suddenly- " lieutenant yanqing." sunday's voice called out causing yanqing to look up and notice that boothill had left the building entirely.

he would pocket his phone, take another breath as he stood up and headed towards the confession box. no more door on the confessor's side of the box as it appeared that boothill somehow broke it at some point and therefore yanqing merely stepped in and sat down, placing hands on his lap.

sunday gave the boy another moment to adjust before speaking up to start them off, " through me, the harmony speaks and through me, the harmony listens. speak now, child, and speak honestly. of whatever troubles you."

it didn't exactly help to know that an aeon was using the older man's body to listen in on yanqing. he thought this was supposed to be private and yanqing didn't exactly believe in the aeon of harmony. he was on the path of the hunt. " that children's story book.. you should have known that I would see it." the boy started with a side eye at sunday through the window that separated man and boy, " the one about the birds. were you tormenting me? it had your fingers all over it. or well.. your thoughts anyway."

" right now I am a vessel for the harmony." sunday calmly answered void of all emotion or expression as if he truly was possessed by a divine being or devil, completely ignoring the boy's antagonising demeanor and focusing on giving words of advice, " I cannot speak on my own thoughts but it is clear you have suspicions and doubts towards me. perhaps you should ask yourself why you see only evil in my intentions. do you have any evil within yourself? I can assure you that the harmony only wishes to help you.. to guide you.. towards a better path or at least to the more correct path for you."

yanqing squinted at the man with some both confusion and annoyance. mind games were quite tiring and frustrating to be in the middle of. yanqing didn't like them at all but here he was again.. " I am on the correct path for me." two can play at this mind game. aventurine showed him how and yanqing found out the hard way who not to play this game with, "perhaps you should ask yourself why you allow an aeon to control your actions and words. do you not trust your own judgment? I trust mine. my judgement has served me quite well so far." yanqing responded to the questions with his own. all honest. all as straightforward and direct as yanqing liked it to be.

yanqing's mind and tongue having grown to become as quick and sharp as his sword. he could see a hint of irritation on sunday's face at the deflection and smirked to himself. either he was annoying sunday himself or yanqing just managed to annoy the harmony THEMSELF. a win on yanqing's part no matter which it was though.

" yes. so well that you ran upon the bloodhounds catching scent of your dishonour. aren't you ashamed as a xianzhou native, as a warrior? your word is your bond yet you were willing to break it upon entering penacony." sunday spoke.

" yes and with my judgement, I have found a way to restore that honour. I found the true legacy of the watchmaker. " yanqing revealed knowing full well that the man wouldn't be able to tell anyone about this, " you want to know what it is, right? I can't tell you that. I gave my word that I wouldn't spoil anything for others."

" how considerate of you, lieutenant yanqing." sunday spoke calmly yet you could see his eyebrow begin to twitch a little when the boy spoke about the watchmaker's legacy. clearly feeling somewhat annoyed that the boy took full advantage of the anything-being-said-in-the-box-not-leaving-the-box deal that they made earlier. " it does appear that you have truly reflected on your actions and had endured the consequences yet you haven't been punished enough- not for entering the golden hour. something has been letting a few children slip in unnoticed.." he explained to the boy before shaking his head, " no. you did not do that. "

that smirk of yanqing's slowly faded as he started to see the effects of angering an aeon as it felt as though all the lights in the church went out. the door on the ground flying up and closing yanqing in the confinement he now found himself in. it felt much smaller because of that.. the only source of light was sunday's halo and some kind of rainbow and bright white rays that was coming off of the man. " you.. you have caused much more trouble in the past, haven't you? yet you never seem to learn.. to truly learn." the halovain's voice almost echoed into what could have been the vacuum of space itself right now if yanqing couldn't feel the seat he sat on and his fingers didn't claw at and ling to the wooden walls of his side of the confession box.

holding on for dear as if the box would suddenly spin around and drop yanqing into the middle of no where. he couldn't even look at sunday now- much too much light. it was nearly blinding. " I'm sorry- I'm sorry- please don't be mad!" came the boy's pleas for forgiveness as he found himself terrified for his life, " let me out of here! sorry sorry sorry sorry-" he kept on repeating that one word until eventually it didn't even sound like a word anymore but yanqing didn't know what else to do as he watched as the rainbow and white light moved away from him and soon the boy was left in the darkness. in nothingness.

it was hard to tell where he even was anymore.. was it still that church? yanqing was trapped, that's all he knew. he clawed, kicked, punched and did everything he could to get out but nothing was working as he balled his eyes out. maybe.. maybe sunday would come back. no, he couldn't count on that man. all yanqing could hope for was that he was still in the church and jing yuan would be able to hear him.

" dad! daaaddd!! come get me, I'm scared! can you hear me?" yanqing eventually stopped apologizing and just kept calling out to his father who he truly hoped would come running to help him and eventually.. the blade of the ever so familiar spar sliced the box open allowing the boy to run out, be picked up and held in the arms of the man who raised him.

yanqing cried himself even more exhausted within those seven system hours of being put into a 'time out' by sunday. laying head on jing yuan's chest and falling to an even deeper sleep as jing yuan held him close and carried him out of there.

[forkaround]

i don’t see why they would need pr? i mean all shows and movies need pr of course but even with the budget not being big it has lots of people watching and talking about it? am i wrong or is that not the most important thing? or will the writers and creators of it talking about it and hyping it up help the pr? ngl i don’t know how any of this works tho i thought pr was just meant to bring it viewers which it already has but i could be wrong? https://www.tumblr.com/forkaround/725704160869220352/the-only-friends-team-is-interacting-a-lot-with

Yes, people watching and talking is important and that's my point. The OF team starts responding to comments/theories or posts something (like the blacked out card very early on this year.) And people start making theories and analysis before the show is even out giving it publicity. It's honestly an interesting tactic that perhaps other productions might learn from.

Now tbh, I'm personally very interested in how this all unfolds. I've not been following everything to closely, I never follow promo material for any show from anywhere, just a post here and there and what people repost to tumblr, basically whatever reaches me through word of mouth. And that's why it stands out as odd to me. For other shows I've seen lesser activity and even people repost something it has to do with the actors, what they said, some details of the characters, etc. but not enough to piece together a plot or characters even if these theories end up wrong. On the other hand Only Friends has Jojo and other Behind The Scenes people responding to fans or, like a day or two ago, where someone from the crew said something about heartstopper and then Jojo said something too. Like how often have shows hinged on the behind the scenes members [director, writer, PD, etc.] instead of the actors. For most shows everywhere it's the actor that determines how many people show up, thus the concept of brand pairs is so popular. And no doubt people are here for FK, FB, NeoMark, but more than that fans are here because of Jojo. For the queer rep he has promised. I've seen more reposts of his tweets than any of the actors.

Now this very much has to do with money. OF does not seem to have it. But it does have a dedicated crew who would like to tell this story and prove that this story and stories like these are worth telling and people are invested in it. That people will show up to it. In my personal opinion I think the crew is more dedicated to it's success than the cast. Perhaps it has to do with contracts, perhaps money but overall, while I see the actors playing their role as actors when doing publicity, it's no different than they would for any other show, afaik.

The thing I'm most worried about and perhaps even the most dangerous thing with this approach is if the show does not deliver on what it's promised or if they do deliver on the scamming, cheating, sex but with a bad storyline or if the show loses steam towards the end which GMMTV shows are infamous for. I don't think it would take away from the show but I suspect people could use it as an excuse to not invest in similar shows. [There is a very slim chance of this happening. LBF it would require the show to fuck up so bad it doesn't even make any sense by the end. But thing is, fans have hyped it up in their heads so much that I imagine anything less would cause an uproar. Which would be really sad. But I've also seen this fandom stick to terrible storytelling and flat out refuse to see the issues when the word queer is slapped on something.]

Sorry this answer was so long. I'm just as interested in the show as I am in watching how it unfolds in the fandom and how people react to it so I have a lot of thoughts on the matter. It's the crew's strategy that has done the PR for the show.

[unavailable-fan]

Some thoughts on the maze runner book series with slight spoilers probably

The maze runner book series and the movies are both interesting, but the best things about them don’t align at all, so people generally hate either books or movies, and sometimes both  I like the books more because of the things some people hate them for (though the second book was really testing my patience, especially in the middle)  and its so easy to hate some of the decisions Thomas makes, that it becomes this distinct feature to like about him as a protagonist since books follow his thoughts almost like his pov it turns this story into a story with unreliable narrator (kinda? at least it can possibly be seen like this?)  his thoughts contradict his actions quite often, and despite being convinced he’s “the smart guy” he clearly does the first thing that comes to his mind, and sometimes it even works surprisingly well i’d say he clearly has the spirit of a scientist, always ready to question something and to run and test his theories(mostly on himself, scaring everyone around) , but Theresa is the one with a mind of a scientist  And the funny thing is that they’re not even scientists - when they’re teenagers who lived in isolation in a postapocalyptic world in a really questionable environment from a very young age just to be a part of a big experiment, but from their perspective it’s more than just an experiment - it’s their whole known life  The books describe an experiment, and every part of the plot adds to this one idea of “the chosen one = the test subject”, and the movies have different perspective on the whole major thing that started this plot in the first place And it’s not a bad thing, on their own these movies can be quite entertaining, some of the point from the books are actually interesting to see in this sort of adaptation (though some of these details don’t work together and break this version’s logic, it can be overlooked, adaptations can be hard to make), but it’s a different story which looks like a story from the books only on the outside Books have completely different vibe and allow readers to be stuck in this situation with the protagonist, to suffer from the lack of important information just like the heroes with small bits of outside information to make it more interesting, and it helps building this sense of something incomprehensible, of knowing something is going wrong but nothing able to understand why, of being watched and controlled by someone, just like an experiment subject - and it’s unsettling,  it’s scary, it’s a psychological and physical torture  - and that defines these books for me But this format hurts the way characters are described - and it’s even addressed a few times how little the protagonist knows about a lot of people surrounding him - and for some readers this results in a lack of connection with the characters - because it takes some thinking and imagination really to get how weird and illogical some Thomas’s decisions look to anyone but him, and a lot of attention to actually get the differences in others’ personalities and their reasoning of their action -but it’s there at least at some degree it’s kinda like “show, don’t tell” but the light are all out - so maybe it was better to tell And, personally, i like it, it’s free “open to interpretation” thing  Also characters do have different way they act and react to different situations and a whole lot of traumatic evets thrown at them, and they change with the story - so they have different endings of their personal stories - and some interactions are painfully beautiful  (or beautifully panful in this case)  And it’s generally easier to explain some of the more stupid decisions in books, because all the events happen during a really short amount of time Some may complain about weird pacing - but it does convey the perception different of time in different situations  And the repetitions of the same ideas, especially in the first book, kinda help  convey how people subconsciously return to some thoughts if something about them seems off - and it also can be explained by some of the experiment’s conditions and the whole amnesia thing  Anyway - the first book is definitely worth reading - and it has all the good things + it feels really comfy for some reason and then hits with a bit of unreality - and that’s an interesting experience  And i just really wanted to share some thoughts on the series

[nnnnoooooooooooo]

Bringing Up Baby (1938, Howard Hawks)

I watched Bringing Up Baby earlier this summer in a packed theatre, following an introduction by Kevin McDonald. I wrote this afterwards, but, for whatever reason, I never got around to posting it.

Bringing Up Baby is a first-rate Walter Catlett vehicle. The actor tops such luminaries as Charles Ruggles, Barry Fitzgerald, May Robson, and Fritz Field. Of Course, the picture belongs to Nissa, a leopard who plays the titular Baby. She's an even bigger scene stealer than Skippy, the dog from The Thin Man series, who also appears in this movie. Seeing this as part of a crowd opened my eyes to Nissa’s star power. The collective tension in the theatre when she enters the picture, first interacts with a human, and when she's found wrestling with Skippy is immediate, and, each time, that tension is instantly melted away whenever she's revealed to be just a big affectionate kitty. She has the audience in the pad of her paw whenever she's on screen.

Nissa gets the titular role, but it's Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant whose names are above the title. Hepburn enters the picture in full force, never lets up, and still manages to ratch her performance up a notch for the climax. Grant is largely used as set dressing for Hepburn et al., gracefully misdirecting characters and dialog, as well as getting in a few choice outbursts of his own. For all of the chemistry the two leads share, their romance is never developed, and is rather limp on the side of Grant. The film is only interested in the flimsy romance only as a vehicle for the couple’s entanglements, an outburst of dalliances, with their barely repressed desire spilling out across the countryside in the form of slapstick routines.

The hit/miss ratio of the picture's gags rests squarely below the picture’s reputation. Grant, tasked mostly with reacting to the other players, suffers the most. With so many characters playing so much dialog and business up to the rafters at all times, he is often left holding a reaction for an extra beat or two, and his bits begin to sag before they even get their turn to play out. Other times, he has to repeat a gesture multiple times in quick succession, unable to build on his gag, so as not to take away from the reams of dialog being read by Hepburn, which diminishes his returns. However, Hawk’s breakneck pacing, and tendency for overlapping dialog and bits of business seems to have this failing in mind. When a joke fails to land, it's either covered up, or hurried by so quickly that the picture barrels forward without ever losing its momentum.

The picture is held up at all times by some of the premier screen talents of its day, and it doesn't begin to sag until its coda. The picture finally slows down following its climax, after which the cast is emptied,save for Hepburn and Grant. We are left in the room where we first began, only now the romance becomes the focus, turning away from the couple’s chemistry. This shift in focus is unprepared to carry its own weight, let alone carry out the picture through to its end. This, coupled with the fact that the main gag here runs on the fumes of the previous act - a back and forth lacking tension, which should have been brightened with grace and playfulness - prevents the ending from satisfying. That is, if you can consider a successful reunion between two such dizzyingly beautiful people to be inadequate. It's the rare moment where the picture leaves its blemishes uncovered, before cutting to the jaunty theme and end cards.

Bringing Up Baby is not a graceful movie, but a rough and tumble affair that’s only playful if you follow Hepburn’s lead. Otherwise, it’s an all-out relentless assault. All that aside, this was never less than a crowd pleaser, and I cannot recall the last time I was in a theatre filled with so much laughter. Granted, this was a curated audience, and, with my choice of pictures and playtimes, I'm seldom in a theatre with more than a dozen or two other people at any given showing.

[externallaughinternalscream]

Manga Review: Train Man - Net Development, the Love Story of a Local Train - 9/10

*Mild Spoilers Ahead*

Proper romance themed seinen manga are hard to come by. Oftentimes, seinen categorized under the romance genre are primarily other kinds of stories that happen to have one or two romantic themes within them. Slow slice of life stories with romantic subtext, comedies that use a character’s crush as a catalyst for further jokes, eroticas and ecchis that use love as an excuse to throw beautiful half naked women at the main character. I do not mean to belittle those kinds of stories nor those that read them, but I would like to point out that more often than not, they don’t focus on being love stories. Train Man, however, is a love story.

Only once in a blue moon is there a seinen romance stories with a capital R, that are marketed towards young men and focus primarily on the characters’ romantic development. Precisely what makes Train Man so remarkable is that it is one such love story with a premise that feels completely grounded while still being truly unique. 

Train Man is based on the supposedly true story of a young man intervening when a drunk began harassing several women on a train. The young man chronicled the story on the forum site 2channel and explained how one of the women mailed him an expensive gift in thanks. Online readers dubbed the young man “Train Man'' for his heroism and the woman “Hermes'' for the expensive brand name of the gift she sent the young man. The titular “Train Man” began harboring a crush on “Hermes,” and at the encouragement of those online, invited her to meetups which eventually culminated in the two dating. Regardless of whether or not the story told by these posts were true, it captured the hearts and minds of enough readers that it prompted several media adaptations, this manga being one of them.

There are plenty of manga about two people going from strangers to lovers due to random happenstance. But you’d be hard pressed to find anything quite like Train Man. Its story centers on a man who has an entire online community of strangers united around their desire to give him advice and encouragement as he attempts to court his crush. 

A major part of what makes this story resonate, especially today, is that it puts the spotlight on how the internet can facilitate positive social interaction, particularly between total strangers. In our day and age, you can go on any forum website and you’ll find countless tight knit communities like the one that forms around our protagonist. Go on any question board and you’ll find people just like our protagonist, looking for real life advice, even if that advice is from anonymous strangers. You’ll also find anonymous strangers looking to help, trying to give useful advice, and genuinely rooting for the questioner’s success. 

What also makes the online community depicted in this manga remarkable is that it acts as an in-universe “real life audience” reacting to the protagonist. In this way, it is reminiscent of the movie the Truman Show, where an audience of real ordinary people watch and react to the life of the protagonist. The major point of difference is in the fact that this audience can speak directly to our protagonist via an internet forum which allows them to act as a very literal audience surrogate in a way that adds an interesting dynamic to the story. How many times have you watched a TV show or read a book and wished the characters could hear your voice and hear your advice? Well, this anonymous audience of everyday people advises the ML to act on his feelings as his courage in turn inspires his audience. Something I loved about this manga and wished it did more of was show how the online readers were encouraged to work on themselves as they watched the protagonist take their encouragement to heart to work on himself.

Speaking of self improvement, the emphasis on such work is what keeps this manga from wandering into the realm of wish fulfillment. The male lead realizes that one good deed isn’t magically going to make the female lead fall in love with him, so he works to make himself more appealing to her. With the encouragement of those online, he puts more care into his appearance and tries to come out of his shell. It can hardly be called wish fulfillment when a major theme of the manga is the protagonist putting in the time, money, and effort to improve himself in order to earn the object of his desire.

Naturally, as a bonafide manga about love, the romance part of the manga is one of its major strengths. Train Man does a good job of depicting what the early stages of courting and dating often look like, both the excitement and the uncertainty. A lot of the spotlight is given to the meetings between the ML and FML and is given to their gradual development from two strangers to acquaintances then eventually something more. All the way there are genuinely cute romantic moments that will make you smile, squeal, and kick your legs excitedly.

The pacing is another one of this manga’s stronger points. While many romance manga either develop so quickly that they feel forced and artificial or so slowly that they become unengaging slogs, Train Man enjoys a very steady sense of progress. The relationship between the two leads is constantly moving forward, with the only real pauses being there to allow the ML and supporting cast of online readers to discuss and reflect on his progress so far. The story is about as long as it needs to be, as if it went on longer the mangaka would have likely been forced to add in the padding and tediously sluggish development that plagues so many other romance manga. Train Man doesn’t overstay its welcome and that's part of what makes its story so engaging.

The manga’s art is made in a more cartoonish, old school style which I am personally fairly fond of. The cartoonish scribbles lend well to the manga’s lighthearted tone, but aren’t particularly aesthetically pleasing. Most readers would probably find art serviceable if occasionally found wanting, but it's not really a manga you’d read to enjoy the art anyway.

The characterization is arguably where Train Man is found most wanting, as you will find no complex or deeply fleshed out characters in this story. The manga is so focused on the relationship between the two leads that it doesn’t develop them out as characters anymore than is absolutely necessary for the narrative. Meanwhile, the supporting cast is made up of unnamed ordinary people whose lives are only really ever shown in brief snapshots as they read and react to the ML’s forum posts. This is an instance where the manga’s concise writing acts as a double edged sword. On the one hand, the narrative develops quickly and the characters are generic to the point of being ordinary and universally relatable. But on the other hand, it means that even the two leads lack much characterization beyond their relationship to one another.

One of Train Man’s quirks is that the male and female leads are never referred to by their real names, instead they are only called by their forum aliases. This was likely done for two reasons: because these aliases were all they were known by in the original forum posts and because it gives them an anonymity and universal character that makes them more relatable. As I read in the moment, I didn’t like this as I felt it robbed our ML and FML of their individual identities, as if neither of them had a birth name and their existence only mattered as it related to this story. But in hindsight I can appreciate this eccentricity as it acts as a narrative device to limit the manga readers’ knowledge about the two main characters to that which the original forum readers would’ve known about by reading the original posts on 2ch. You, the reader, never learn the real names of “Train Man” and “Hermes” because the people who originally read the original posts on 2ch never learned their real names.

Train Man is a story that I think most people would be able to enjoy on some level. However, it is not a manga to read if you are seeking complex characters, an elaborate plot, or gorgeous art.

Ultimately, Train Man only does one very specific thing, but it does it exquisitely. It is a life affirming love story. It is the story of a man who works on himself in order to be worthy of the one he loves, of the people who encourage his growth and are in turn inspired by it, and of the woman that loves him for it.

[kyleismoody]

The Parallax View and The Conversation: A Conspiracy of Looking

What is the point of a conspiracy theory?

Usually we see them defined as a way of outlining how plots against unsuspecting victims. It creates a narrative for “us vs. them,” a way to make sense of an often chaotic world. I had an entire podcast dedicated to it, talking about everything from the 9/11 attacks to MK Ultra, and even Bigfoot and other cryptids. But they always revolve around the same thing: the world is messy, there’s a plot against us, and these are the reasons why. We are storytelling creatures, and the story helps explain things in more comforting ways than “we live on a rock careening through space and are at the absolute whims of nature.”

Films around conspiracy theories are great ways of dealing with the messiness of these issues because they can easily cast compelling actors into convoluted plots that can delineate lines between good and evil. From movies like The Manchurian Candidate (1962 and remade in 2004, respectively) and Seven Days in May (1964), we begin to see how shadowy figures can be responsible for massive changes in the world. It’s easy to believe that those corporations and politicians we entrust with our goods and government would be sinister and want to enslave us; the reality of the world is much harder in that there are multiple systems and machinations set in place that take so long to grind to stop that we may never get to really change them. It’s easier to change ourselves than the system...that is, if we’re willing to change. 

The Parallax View and The Conversation are two films released within three months of each other in 1974. They both were crafted by excellent filmmakers (Alan J. Pakula and Francis Ford Coppola) with a focus on looking at how conspiracies and plots are set up. The difference is where the locus of control is placed. The Parallax View is focused on the unseen “them” of conspiracies, where we learn how the Parallax Corporation acts as an intermediary for political and social control. The Conversation is all about “us,” where we are under surveillance and act and react to the fact of being recorded.

The Parallax View focuses on the shadowy corporations and assassinations that became responsible for being the middlemen in plots against figures who are murdered suspiciously. Warren Beatty is there as a womanizing journalist named Joe Frady who witnessed a political assassination in Seattle at the Space Needle, and stumbles onto a pattern of murders committed against the other witnesses. Obviously riffing on the JFK assassination and the Warren Commission’s findings, Pakula plays with perception and fear in his examination of paranoia and how it manifests. The sense of discovery is largely what makes the movie so successful, as Frady soon sees that the Parallax Corporation is consistently growing and employing sociopaths and those who associate negative emotions with positive accomplishments.

This last part creates the best element of the movie, and it is breathtaking in its representation. Almost as though Frady jumps into the internet forty years after its release, The Parallax View makes its viewer experience the personality test in its horrific totality. It’s possible to watch this and see exactly what is so appealing about Parallax as a way of giving power to people that fall outside of the mainstream of society, which is eerily reflective of the rise of conspiracy theories like QAnon and its ilk in the modern era.

Frady is recruited by the organization and ultimately tracks down the plans of the Parallax Corporation, which is targeting another Senator with policies that go against their interests. Cleverly outsmarting a planned detonation of a plane, Frady then tracks down the senator to a rally, where the politician is gunned down. Suddenly he’s fingered as the culprit, and as he tries to make his escape, Frady is shot by the recruiter that brought him into the organization. Pakula ends the movie with a simple interior shot of an almost faceless committee reading the Parallax Corporation’s intended narrative about Frady, which was his isolation as the patsy assassin. Fade to black, it will happen again, and Gordon Willis’s famed dark interiors match our moods as the credits roll. The unhappy ending is part of the appeal of The Parallax View, as it released during the Watergate hearings and denouement with President Nixon’s resignation before facing impeachment. It’s a dark mirror of our country at a time when public trust in institutions was badly damaged. Little would change over the next half century.

The Conversation is a strong internal companion to the sprawl of The Parallax View, looking at the interiority of protagonist Harry Caul’s life and finding it wanting. Caul’s life is spent in surveillance – of others and of himself. He constantly monitors his own actions and those of others to keep people at arm’s length, seeking to be the best wiretapper in the country and thus trusting nobody. Unwilling to let others in, and he can’t open up, Caul exists in a bubble of his own making. He breaks up with the girlfriend he’s afraid of admitting he has; he doesn’t answer questions about his personal life; he’s clearly repressed, and when we learn that his last east coast job resulted in the murder of an entire family, we can empathize to an extent.

It's fitting that I saw this so soon after revisiting Klute as it also has a similar focus on technology and audio. Caul thinks that he’s uncovered a conspiracy on a job trailing two errant lovers, and he fixates on the details of the tape, which unleashes its static hiss and obscures as much as it reveals. Coppola lovingly focuses on the different mechanisms that are used to reveal the conversations, with Caul only coming alive as he reveals the audio and uncovers what is a plot about the possible murder of the people he’s surveilling. Coppola also twists the knife by never revealing much about the plot, leaving his audience to learn the possible meaning with Caul.

The party that happens midway through the film is a fulcrum point for the audience and for Caul. We see him in his element around other conspirators, people that are experts at wiretapping but wholly oblivious to the human experience. They don’t seem to care about the possible destruction their constant surveillance will do to their subjects, and includes Caul in their list of subjects when a pen microphone reveals some truths about the protagonist of the movie. How scared he is to talk to women; how much the murders weigh on his mind; and how much he pushes away anybody that dares to look underneath the surface. The sex worker he sleeps with that night steals his recordings away, as the client who asked for them was getting impatient.

The final reveal is ultimately satisfying because of how much it plays with audience expectations. Caul believes he’s stumbled onto a plot to kill the two wayward lovers, and he heads to the hotel they stated they would frequent, only to find the girl already dead. Or is she? In a stunning twist, the wife of the executive that paid for Caul’s tapes turns up alive, with her husband murdered by her lover and his assistant. Brilliantly, they used Caul’s paranoid nature to create the conspiracy. It’s all about his personality, which is how they trap him. At the end of the film, as he searches for an impossible bug that is planted in his apartment, he tears apart his world, leaving himself only to play along with a recording that he has destroyed. The pessimism that was in The Parallax View manifests again in the personal, which is the masterstroke of The Conversation.

Small wonder that both these movies resonate almost a half century later. The Parallax View and The Conversation show the pernicious effects of paranoia, of believing that somebody is always watching you, and of always watching and listening to others. Movies like these with major stars don’t exist anymore in the budget-conscious and fearful studio system, as superhero films pay homage to them without implementing the banalities that Pakula and Coppola sprinkled into their fantasies. It would be impossible to recreate the moment of The Parallax View, where a decade’s worth of paranoid fiction merged with the seismic news of the Sixties and Seventies, and we found ourselves at the other end of forces beyond our control.

But it is possible to imagine ourselves as Harry Caul, obsessed with technology and its implementation. It’s possible to see how our very natures could be turned against us. Companies like the Parallax Corporation (or Meta, in this case) do it all the time, gaming us against our own wills to produce simple Skinner box content. In the end, all these movies do is reinforce how we are also watching ourselves, making it impossible to look away even when the price is more than we can bear. The real conspiracy theory isn’t us against the invisible other. It’s us against ourselves...and we always lose.