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flydotnet · 1 year ago

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All Will Be Fine (If You Say So)

WHUMPTOBER 2023, DAY 19: “I’ll take one final step, all you have to do is make me.” Floral Bouquet | Psychological | “I’m not as stupid as you think I am.”

This story won't make sense if you've never read The End of Kamoshida, at least until like chapter 8 or so. This story isn't meant to be read by people who don't have the context for it; so if you don't plan on reading TEOK ever (and I'd feel you, since that alone requires a bunch of HSAU knowledge the average JunYayo enjoyer doesn't have), then it's perhaps not in your best interest to read this one! I still appreciate you taking the time to read those notes.

This is a bit silly because, well… this is one of my best works for Whumptober 2023 lmao, since I managed to make it focused on whump affairs, kept it on track and made it snappy on top of it. So, uh… woops!

This fic is set between chapters 7 and 8 of TEOK, since Jun's lucid in this and not speaking in such broken Japanese I could've come up with it (albeit I wouldn't have shattered on purpose). It's an add-on about my ship of the moment because idk, I'm in the JunYayo mood lately, that's how it is sometimes. HSAU JunYayo is one of my fav dynamics to write to begin with, so it's never too hard for me to come up with ideas to write for them haha.

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All Will Be Fine (If You Say So)

Summary: Yayoi confronts her boyfriend about what the hell happened. It turns out not all is fine, at all.

Fandom: Your friendly neighbourhood high school AU (it's Captain Wing again)

Word Count: 1.2K words

AO3 version available here.

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The room is silent, aside from the regular beeps of the medical machinery. Jun has most certainly tried to explain to her what those doodads do, multiple times in fact, but she can never quite remember which does which. Well, she can read a heart monitor, that’s the one thing she’s had to learn to use on the fly over and over until it finally registered into her brain and never came out the other way.

She has a conflicted relationship with the heart monitor in his bedroom. On one hand, the fact it’s beeping regularly, without fault, is the sign he’s still alive and has come on top of what must’ve been one of the worst ways to almost go; but on the other, it’s a constant reminder that things have gone wrong, every beep is a kick back into her stomach, and nothing tells her it’s not going to flatline the next moment.

At least, today’s Jun is awake: even better, he’s lucid again, and watching her put flowers inside a vase.

“These are… white lilies, right?”

His voice is horribly hoarse, as if he had screamed and screamed for hours on hand; but it’s his voice, his words, a sign he’s still alive. She’s missed it so much.

“Yes, they are,” she replies as she adjusts the flowers.

“They mean… purity, if I’m not wrong.”

“In Hanakotoba, they do, yes.”

She goes to sit by his side once more, her hands a couple centimetres shy from holding his left. The pipe still going inside his arm makes it somewhat intimidating.

“Is something wrong, Yayoi?”

The question sounds like utter mockery. How couldn’t it? Even knowing this is a candid, caring question from the man she wants to build a life with even more so than ever, it hurts. She was so worried, almost sickeningly so, that the question being so nonchalant gives her whiplash.

Still, it’s no fault of Jun, she knows that. He did what he thought was best, even if it was reckless, despite how aware he was aware of the danger of what he was doing. He didn’t ask her about it, because he knew she’d have said no; why wouldn’t she? He was going off, on his own, against a man who would harm him in all sorts of ways she couldn’t fathom.

“I’m… I’ve been so worried for you, Jun,” she ends up responding after taking way too long not to seem suspicious.

“I imagine so. Things have been… hard on you, lately.”

“You could say that, yes.”

Her own words are filled with pain she doesn’t dare unleash, just because he’s the one who needs support at the moment. Who’d even put them ahead of someone who, even now, has a persistent, soaking cough. She’s never seen him so fragile before – so much closer to a porcelain statue than he’s ever been.

“I’ve not been awake for long,” he says, slowly, quietly, “so I’m still… finding my footing, so to speak.” He looks at her and even his gaze is a mussed blade. “But I can tell you’re hurt.”

“Of course I am, you almost got killed.”

Her fingers intermingle with his – his touch is hot, trembles in her hands.

“Ah… That’s true, yes.”

Frustration builds like mercury in a thermometer.

“Why do you sound so nonchalant about it?”

“It’ll be fine. You shouldn’t worry so much.” He clears his throat again. “I’m still alive, so you are. I’d rather see you smile.”

“But you almost died, Jun! That’s not something to take with a light heart!”

“Ha, light heart,” he chuckles in the middle of a cough. “It’s happened before, it’ll probably happen again. Nothing to worry about, I’m used to flirting with death.”

“It’s not a reason. Don’t you realize how bad this could’ve been…?”

She has the urge to cry. He doesn’t get it, he doesn’t get it!

“I assure, things will be fine by the end. When have they not?”

Without any fanfare, let alone a warning, ears now flow down from her eyes, blurring her view, tainting her voice; yet the words are clear as they leave her chest,

“I’m not as stupid as you think I am!”

She can’t quite see through the water veil, not to mention the sobs wracking her body in waves, but she can somehow guess – no, tell – Jun is staring back at her, perhaps with doe eyes, maybe unable to understand all of the sorrow he inflicted on her without realizing it, blissfully unaware of how badly he’s undermined it.

After all, he could understand it, he’d have already found a way to answer.

“I know what you’re trying to do, but this won’t work! I don’t think you realize how awful things have been for all of us, but especially for you. When I learned Kamoshida almost drowned you to death, I… I could barely register it. I thought that was it, that finally, someone got you. He could’ve taken your life, Jun! How do you think this has affected all of us?! You can tell me things you’ll be fine all you want, but you can’t believe in that either! Not after what happened!”

She takes a deep breath to both recover her voice and take some time to calm down – brush her tears away, tie back her hair. When the veil lets up and the waves of sorrow finally slow down, she’s greeted with soft eyes and a stronger press on her hand.

“You don’t look or sound fine,” she continues. “You’re still ill, you’re exhausted, and you’re shaken; an of course you’d be, you almost died in a horrible way! You must still be scared! You don’t need to pretend in front of me that you’re fine!”

Jun remains stunned, his heavy, congested breathing the only thing to come out of him for a long moment. Another urge swells inside her, this time to comfort him, cajole him until all is actually fine – which is naïve, so very naïve of her, for them, because they both know nothing’s fine at the moment.

So she settles for a good medium: carefully, she gets up from the chair and cups his face, taking in the heat of his skin, oh so bittersweet because it’s neither a dead man’s nor one of a healthy one. He doesn’t stop her, lets her kiss him on the forehead, leaving a slight trace of gloss behind it.

“You’re right, I’m not fine,” he tells her with a slightly more relaxed posture and tears in the corners of his eyes as well. “I’ve had nightmares about this pool and this… monster of a man…”

It’s his turn to divulge vulnerability, his body shaking and his already fickle breath trembling.

“Don’t hesitate to tell me, then.” His available hand lands on her wrist, telling her to stay. “We’re here for each other, aren’t we?”

“We are, yes.”

“Things will be fine, I’m sure, but let’s not pretend like we’re not going through hard times.”

He nods.

“I do have one question…”

“Hmm?”

He looks up at her, the tears still there but drying up.

“The lilies… You were trying to make a pun?”

She replies with a smile and another kiss, still on his forehead.

“Maybe.”

#whumptober 2023 #no.19 #floral bouquet #“i'm not as stupid as you think i am”#captain tsubasa #fic

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aquietwritingcorner · 2 years ago

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Fandom: Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003 Word Count: 3375 Author: aquietwritingcorner/realitybreakgirl Rating: T Characters: Miyamoto Usagi, Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo Warning: NA Summary: Usagi has decided to drop in on his friends on Third Earth. An enjoyable time in general, he is nonetheless surprised to find that the brothers may consider Donatello weaker than they are. Knowing the error in that, Usagi decides to enlighten them with a story of Donatello’s skill and prowess. Notes: This occurs sometime in Season Three, after the arc with Ultimate Draco, but before Exodus. It also heavily references the Battle Nexus episodes, because wow did you see Don fight in those? He was holding his own quite well! Only it wasn’t in the competition, but in the Healer’s Pavilion, when he was watching over Leo. I think that says something about his character. Also, Usagi is the best and I highly recommend for everyone to go read his comics. This is my first TMNT fic in over ten years so... here’s hoping it’s good? ^^; AO3 || ff.net

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Of a Gentle Warrior Spirit

Miyamoto Usagi was a man of few pleasures. A ronin far too early, he did not have much to his name except for his swords, his name and reputation, the clothes on his back, and his friendships. Still, even with so little—or perhaps because of it—he found himself satisfied with the things that he did have. His swords were, of course, his greatest possession. His name was an attribute that he strove to keep honorable. His clothes still bore the mon of his clan, gone though it was, and he found personal value in that.

But his friendships were a most treasured thing.

His years of wandering had brought him many friends in many places, many more places than he could have ever had of imagined as a boy in training. Many of those places were, of course, in lands scattered about his home country. However, a few of them were of more… exotic locales. One of his favorites to visit, when he had the time, which was unfortunately not very often, was Third Earth.

Third Earth in and of itself wasn’t the reason he enjoyed visiting there. The world itself contained much technology he didn’t understand as well as an unfortunate need to keep himself hidden. It had strange animals and customs, although if understood correctly, there was an area on Third Earth that had a culture that was very similar to his own in many ways.

No, the reason he enjoyed visiting Third Earth was because of the friends that he had there. He had been fortunate enough to meet and fight alongside the Hamato clan at the Battle Nexus, and then, later, to render aide to Leonardo-san and his family in a time of need. Despite the clan being a small clan of ninjas, they were honorable, although they did have their deceitful ways. However, he expected no less from a ninja clan, honorable or not.

Still, visiting his friends on Third Earth was enjoyable to Usagi. It was not his home, so the pressures there did not feel as profound. Additionally, he found himself often in the role of “big brother” and he found that he rather liked indulging his “little brothers” when he visited. He was able to let loose just a bit more, and relax with them, letting himself have a little more fun. He did nothing shameful, of course, but it was nice to not have the pressure of being anything more than himself.

That was why he found himself a bit caught off-guard by the conversation that occurred. He had dropped in for a visit and, after making sure that it was approved by their clan leader, Master Splinter, an individual Usagi had great respect for, he had allowed the four very excited brothers to show him the pleasures of their world—or at least of their home.

They had been showing him something called a “video game” in which various types of contests could take place through representations on a glass screen in a box. A type of… well, they called it a “controller,” and Donatello had likened it to the cross brace for a string puppet for him, albeit, much more complicated and different in implementation. It had been a good enough analogy for Usagi to understand it’s purpose… was used to control these representations. There had been many different types of contests on this, and Usagi had tried his hand at a few of the simpler ones. While he was a quick study, this was something a bit beyond his kin, and so he mostly enjoyed watching the brothers battle it out, cheering for or against one another. It was amusing, and Usagi found himself enjoying the moment.

Currently, the brothers were playing a fighting game that was not dissimilar to the Battle Nexus in that there were rounds to fight through. The representations on the screen were amusing to Usagi, as they used moves that were clearly exaggerated or impossible, but that seemed to be half of the fun. One by one the brothers were eliminated, first Donatello, then Leonardo, and then it was down to Raphael and Michelangelo. This was, apparently, a fairly heated rivalry between them, in a brotherly sort of way, and Usagi found himself caught up in the excitement of it. Still, it couldn’t last forever, and eventually Michelangelo won. This, of course, brought about a large amount of cheering and bragging from the young turtle.

“Whoop whoop!” the orange-banded turtled cheered as he danced around to the triumphant music coming from the box with the glass screen. “That’s right! I won! I beat your butt, Raphie-boy! Champion of the video games, and the Battle Nexus!”

Leonardo sighed wearily, and Usagi could hear the growl building up in Raphael’s throat. He half wondered if he should take a few steps back.

“Arrrrgh not this again!” Raphael said, clearly irritated. “Don’t you ever shut up about that!”

He looked as if he were going to throw down the controller that he had, but a quick swipe of it by Leonardo seemed to save the device from its fate, even as Donatello approached Raphael.

“Oh come, Raph, give him a break,” Donatello said, taking up for his brother, even as he threw an arm around Raphael’s shoulders. Or at least, that’s what Usagi though, until he caught the mischievous gleam in Donatello’s eye. “Mikey’s gotta have at least one thing he’s accomplished.”

That earned a laugh from both Raphael and Leonardo, and an insulted “hey!” from Michelangelo. Usagi couldn’t help but be amused at his reaction.

The insulted turtled jumped down from the back of the couch where he had been dancing, landing right in front of his brothers. “Well, at least I wasn’t first turtle out!” he shot back. “At the Battle Nexus, or in the game!”

Usagi blinked at that. He supposed that he knew that Donatello had been the first one of the brothers eliminated from the Battle Nexus tournament, but was that being used as an insult here?

“He’s got a point, Don,” Leonardo said, grinning at his brother. “You were the first one out.”

Usagi’s eyes tracked over to Leonardo, at little surprised at his joining in.

Raphael’s arm came up and turned into a gentle headlock that he used to hold Donatello in place while he rubbed a fist on his head. “Maybe it means ya need ta spend less time in your workshop, and more time in trainin’ so your shell won’t get waxed next time.”

Usagi’s brow crinkled slightly. Were they saying that his loss was a flaw?

“Leo can train you in the ways of ninja-y-ness,” Michelangelo said, joining in. “Raph can train you, uh, how not to be a hot head and get your shell handed to you by your little brother,” Raphael growled, letting go of Donatello and took a swipe at Michelangelo, who just danced out of the way without missing a beat, “And I can train you in the great and ancient art of video games!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Donatello said, sarcasm in his tone. Usagi watched him carefully as the turtle reached down and started picking up the controllers, looking them over as if for damage while he responded. “I get it. First turtle out, so obviously I need more training from all of you, who are oh, so better than me.” Usagi could practically hear Donatello roll his eyes. He straightened up, the controllers in his hands. “Just remember who fixes all of your stuff around here.” He held out a controller, and Usagi could see a chip in it. “I might not always take the time to fix these.”

There was a smile on his face, and an ease to his words that seemed to indicate that such teasing was normal. Indeed, none of the brothers seemed to think anything about it. However, the implication of Donatello being weak did not sit right with Usagi and, although he knew he could be stepping on some toes, as it were, he felt that he had to say something.

“My friends,” he said. “Surely you are not implying that Donatello is weak?”

All four brothers froze for a moment, and Usagi could see the slightly guilty looks that passed between Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo. Donatello, for his part, just looked down at his feet for a moment.

He was the first to speak. “It’s alright, Usagi,” he said. “It’s just some teasing, no big deal. Besides,” he turned around, putting the controllers in a basket, and started to right a few things that had been turned over in the brothers’ enthusiasm, “physically speaking, I do have to train harder than my brothers. It just doesn’t come as naturally to me as it does to them.”

“We… we were just teasing, Usagi,” Leonardo said, guilt beginning to bloom on his face.

“Yeah, Don knows we don’t mean none a’ that,” Raphael said, although there was an uncertainty starting to form on his face as well.

“It’s just in good fun,” Michelangelo said, although he was starting to cast doubtful looks at Donatello.

Usagi frowned a bit. This would not do. No, this would not do at all. He had not made his point well. He had not wanted the brothers to feel guilt for what they were saying, but rather to see the disrespect that they were giving a great warrior.

“Donatello is indeed a very skillful warrior,” Usagi said. “That is why I was… surprised… by your teasing.”

He sat down and gestured for the others to do the same. “Have I told you about the first time I saw Donatello fight?”

Usagi saw Donatello’s head shoot up, but the other three brothers glanced at each other curiously.

“No,” Raphael said from where he sat. “What happened?”

All the brothers were stilling around now, three faces curious, one cautious. Usagi sat back a little and began his tale.

“It was at the Battle Nexus,” he said. “I knew that Donatello was formidable from the moment I first saw him. Leonardo had just been poisoned, and the Gyoji had said that he needed a healer. I wished to help, as I did not want to leave a fallen warrior behind and said that I wished to accompany Leonardo to the healer. Before that request could be confirmed, however, Donatello had jumped from the healers to the arena. I could see the fierceness burning in his eyes as he demanded that I let go of Leonardo, and I could also see the intelligence in them. I had no doubt that if I had meant Leonardo any harm, I would not have been standing for long.”

“I sort of remember this,” Leonardo said. “Or, at least I think I do. I think I told Donnie it was alright.”

“You did,” Usagi confirmed, “and so we went. However, even there, he was protective of you. He made sure to stay between you and I, constantly keeping watch on where I was. The only time he relaxed a little was when your Master Splinter came in, but even than I could tell that he was keeping an eye on me.” He could see Donatello’s cheeks flushing a little, and Usagi felt a little bad for embarrassing him, but he felt this was a tale that needed to be told. “When the Master Healer was called away to tend to the Daimyo, Donatello worried over Leonardo. I thought that perhaps I could help then, but even at that point, Donatello wouldn’t let me near Leonardo, his quick reflexes surprising me when I attempted to reach for Leonardo, and he stopped me.”

He looked again at the brothers, noticing that he had all of their attention. Good. “I understood that I would have to prove to him that I meant no harm to your brother, so I stepped back several steps, and took off my swords, laying them to the side, before I approached again. I knew that I did not want to risk confrontation with a warrior such as him.”

He could see that particular piece of information taking all of them by surprised, except, of course for Donatello. They, being warriors born and bred, understood what a sign it was that he disarmed himself and distanced himself from his weapons without asking the same of Donatello.

“It was only then that he allowed me to tend to Leonardo, and that I felt a tentative alliance being formed.” Here, Usagi decided to skip over a few things that were not relevant to the point he was going to make to the story. “We discussed what had happened, and together decided on a plan. If the Daimyo was the target of an attack, then surely someone would come to complete the job. We were correct.”

He was beginning to get to the meat of the story, and he could see the three brothers leaning in. “We hid ourselves, Donatello hiding so well that I almost lost track of where he was. And when the assassins attacked, we defended.”

He paused, making sure that he had their attention. “I knew that Donatello was a formidable warrior, but I did not know what his fighting would be like. I was surprised to find that he was so skilled. I did not think that one as skilled as he was would have already been removed from the tournament. But I did not have time to question it then. For, while I had gotten in the first blow to the assassins, they were highly skilled and extremely dangerous. One of them managed to hit me hard enough to throw me through a screen, leaving me slightly addled for a moment. However, I could hear Donatello continuing to fight. When I came back to myself, I saw his bo staff laying near me, and I realized that he had lost it. However, I realized also that he was still fighting.”

Michelangelo was fully leaning in at this point, invested, and even Raphael looked eager to hear the rest. Leonardo’s brow was slightly furrowed, as if he were trying to remember something. Usagi continued.

“One of my swords had become caught in the assassin’s naginata, and when I came into the room, I saw Donatello had his hands on it, using it and his strength to keep the assassin from landing a killing blow. I was impressed, as I recognized a proper grip right away and I knew the strength of these assassins. Him holding one back was no small feat. I made use of his staff to knock the assassin to the ground and we traded weapons back. The battle was not over, though, and we quickly worked together to bring down the two that were attacking. I was impressed by how quickly Donatello reacted, and how he seemed to know just what to do.”

The brothers were definitely engaged, and Usagi kept going, leaning into his ability to tell a good story. “Unfortunately, more assassins had arrived, and soon we were in a fight for our lives, and the lives of the Daimyo and Leonardo. Donatello impressed me over and over in the fight. He was quick, strong, and precise. He used his surroundings effectively, most notably using his staff to toss mattresses at some of my attackers, reliving me of them. As for him, it seemed as if they were unable to land a solid blow on Donatello. The only time I saw that he took more than a glancing blow, was when he stopped to check on Leonardo. Even then, however, he recovered quickly. Even relived of his staff again, he did not hesitate to jump into the fight. Once again I found myself impressed by how confidently and well he dealt with armed opponents when he himself was unarmed. His assailants did not stand a chance when he was once again armed, thanks to Leonardo.” Usagi nodded his head at Leonardo. “Do you remember this, my friend?”

“Sort of,” Leonardo said, his eyes furrowing. “Things there are still a little fuzzy, to be honest. I knew that there was a fight and that you and Donnie were involved, and I remember throwing Don his weapon, and stopping a strike to the Daimyo, but how exactly all of that happened isn’t clear.”

Usagi nodded. “Understandable. Do know, though, that you threw Donatello his bo staff, sending it spinning towards him. Without breaking stride in the men he was dealing with in hand-to-hand combat only, he reached and grabbed it out of mid-air and continued the battle, not that there was much left at that point, which was a most impressive feat, although one I did not have time to appreciate at the time. The assassins fled like the dishonorable cowards there were. The rest you know, and I do not see the need to repeat it.”

He could see the slight breaking of the story in their faces, as well as the disappointment that it was over, and so he pushed ahead with the point that he wanted to make before he lost their attention.

Usagi inclined his head, indicating Donatello, who now looked quite embarrassed. “However, the point of the story is this. I have fought with and beside many people in my years of travel. I have faced many hardships and battles. Donatello is one of the most skilled warriors I have met. However, he has a different warrior’s spirit. His warrior’s spirit is not one that is looking for fights or glory or fame. His warrior’s spirit is a gentle one, that has no need for such things. However, warriors like this are not to be underestimated. For if he or those he cares about are in danger, the warrior’s spirit within him will rise to levels that are unexpected and more than formidable.”

Usagi watched the brothers carefully. He could see the consideration in their eyes, the way that the brothers looked over at their now completely embarrassed brother. He saw this new possibility forming in their minds, and their acceptance of his words. Usagi softened his tale with a smile. “I do not think that Donatello needs more training than any of you, necessarily. Its just the motivation in a fight that will make a difference.”

Usagi could see the moment that clicked with Leo, and he left it there, trusting that the young leader would take the words that Usagi had spoken and apply them. Instead, he turned towards Donatello. “My apologies for embarrassing you, Donatello-san,” he said. “Embarrassing you was not my intention. However, I will not apologize for my words of praise, as I believe them to be true.”

Still looking embarrassed, Donatello nonetheless raised his head. “Thank you, Usagi-san,” he said. “Although I would like it if we changed the subject now.”

Usagi laughed. “Very well, that is understandable! Why don’t you introduce me to some of this food you were talking about. Pizza, I think you called it?”

“Yeah!” Usagi watched as Michelangelo rocketed to his feet. “Time to pull out the menus!”

“Ahh, you better not order from that greasy place again, Mike, I swear--!” Raphael rocketed to his feet too, ready to take off after Michelangelo, but paused, as did Michelangelo, who was already halfway to the kitchen. “Ya coming, Don?” he asked his brother. Leonardo, halfway in getting up, also paused, waiting.

“…Yeah,” Donatello said, slowly standing up. “I’m coming.”

“Sweet!” Michelangelo began his trip to the kitchen, and Raphael followed in pursuit. Leo pulled Don in close and put an arm over his shoulder as they both moved towards the kitchen. Usagi followed at a more sedate pace, letting the brothers get ahead of him, and listening to their chatter.

“You know,” Leonardo said, “I think I have a vague memory of all that happening.”

“Dude, Don, it sounds like you were awesome!” Michelangelo said.

“How come ya never told us ‘bout any ‘a that?” Raphael asked.

“I don’t know. Didn’t seem important at the time,” Donatello said.

Usagi smiled as he entered the kitchen, watching the four brothers be just that—brothers—and glad that he was able to help them strengthen their bond with one of their own.

#TMNT 2003 #TMNT #tmnt donatello #TMNT 2k3 #Ninja Turtles #miyamoto usagi #Fan fiction #TMNT Fan Fiction #tmnt leonardo #tmnt raphael #tmnt michelangelo #fanfic #tmnt fanfic

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itsclydebitches · 3 years ago

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I ask you because you’re good at articulating your thoughts but why do you like BB? I just wanna know the hype behind this ship, I’ve seen people outside the fandom either say they’re waiting for it to be canon to get into the show or they claim it’s the only good thing about it.

Hey, anon! Ah, getting a lovely compliment about articulating thoughts while I sit here struggling to articulate my thoughts lol.

Okay, I want to start by saying that I personally like Yang/Blake about as much as the majority of the ships I have. Meaning, the 95% of fictional characters I enjoy seeing as a canonical couple and/or imagining as a potential couple, excluding the 5% that I get really, really into. I've got OTPs and I've got casual ships. BB is the latter. Why is this important? Because I think BB has been under an extreme amount of pressure over the years, with that pressure only increasing as time goes on and that... kinda sucks. They represent the growing demand for explicitly queer relationships. They're tied to a webseries and a fandom rather infamous at this point for its heated, controversial content. They're a part of an era where fans are more focused than ever on canonical status, whereas back in the day you just enjoyed ships for the hell of it, regardless of their chances of getting together on screen. It used to be that people unironically adored ships for characters who had never exchanged a single greeting. Nowadays, you need a ten page essay explaining why the ship is supposedly The Best. Blake/Yang is bound up in all of that, resulting in a community that, yeah, hypes things up to an arguably unnecessary degree. We've reached a point where this couple supposedly makes or breaks the entire show; it's either the greatest ship to every grace the small screen, or it's the ruin of the entire franchise. In reality, Blake/Yang is just... a ship. Like any other ship. Some people like it. Some people don't. It should be far more casual than it is. Which isn't to say fans aren't justified in being invested in the politics of the queer relationship — I am — or even just emotionally invested in a ship they really enjoy, but rather that I think the hype is due more to these external factors than the relationship itself. Blake and Yang arguably aren't unique in what makes them an attractive couple. Are they important in terms of that representation for an American webseries? Yes. Are they exceptional in regards to these two character types being shipped by a fandom? Not by a longshot. I could give you hundreds of ships that look just like Blake and Yang.

And that for me is part of the appeal. I like many of the same sorts of things in my ships. One of those is the "opposites attract" setup, where we have the brash party girl coupled with the quieter bookworm. They balance each other in a number of significant ways, from fighting styles to their backgrounds. And, for fic purposes, that balance can also provide great conflict for them to work through, resulting in a stronger couple down the line. Going off of that, I enjoy that they're already partners at the (near) start of the show. The different definitions of "partner" is always fun, but beyond that — and despite the before mentioned shipping of characters who have never interacted — there's a tendency to pair of the duos who have already been paired up by the story. There's a sense of inevitability about it (fate, perhaps?) alongside the practical benefit of them getting a lot of screen time together. There's a reason why Blake/Yang and Ruby/Weiss got popular, with the former arguably surpassing the latter only because of its likelihood of becoming canon. We reached a point where the show is actively pushing Blake/Yang in a way they never did Ruby/Weiss — their coding is far stronger — and that creates a snowball effect: popular ships keep getting more popular the more attention they're paid; you pay the popular stuff more attention. Round and round we go. But I also enjoy their awkward flirting and tender moments, no matter how many problems might be attached to those in the story's context. I like how they tease and push one another — even if, again, the story has largely failed in that regard. They have a lot of good potential, shall we say, which is all a fan ever needs. Whether you're analyzing one of their clearly coded moments, or just running with the balanced color scheme — Yang has purple eyes with Blake wearing purple, Blake has yellow eyes with Yang wearing yellow — there's a lot in the show to connect them together, making the already easy job of shipping even easier.

Blake/Yang is a solid ship. They just also happen to be a ship bearing most of the weight of their show. I've made the comparison before, but it's not unlike Dean/Cas becoming the cornerstone of Supernatural. You reach a point where the story itself is such a mess that the most popular pairing becomes the supposed answer to all these problems: it's either the saving grace, or the reason for the show's destruction. It'll either save RWBY or function as the explanation for its downfall. Yang/Blake is heading more and more in that direction, either built up or torn down to an extreme degree as it tries to bear that weight. But honestly? I don't think it's any better or worse than those hundred other ships I could toss out. Ignoring the f/f rep, they're a pretty classic setup, a dime a dozen, and the important takeaway is that there's nothing wrong with that. There's a reason pairings like Blake/Yang got popular in the first place. Saying "I've seen it before" isn't a bad thing because fans like familiarity. But it simultaneously means they're not the best thing since sliced bread. They're neither the devil nor the angel the RWBY community has made them out to be.

So basically, my own casual enjoyment aside, I don't think the external factors propelling the love/hatred for the ship means the ship itself is actually that astounding or horrific. In a better written show, a less controversial show, setting aside those fans who have Yang/Blake as their first OTP and are pouring all that intense love into it, etc. I think the ship would still be popular... but we wouldn't be in this "it's the only good thing about the show"/"this was the show's downfall" territory. Pretty much every large fandom is going to develop that one, popular ship — just look at how fast Loki/Mobius happened — which shows that Blake/Yang is not unique in regards to getting the majority of a community's attention. It's just that other shows are solid enough to let ships be ships, without expecting any one ship to prove the show's worth. Or herald its downfall.

#rwby #mymetas

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yumeka36 · 4 years ago

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The ending of Frozen 2...a year later

I try to stay away from touchy subjects like this, at least here on Tumblr. But since @greatqueenanna @the-blue-fairie and @vuelie-frost have recently written inspiring posts on this topic (which you can read here, here, and here), I wanted to give my two cents (well, more like a thousand cents because what I thought would just be a few paragraphs ended up becoming a mini-book!)

Just to be clear, my intention here is not to argue with anyone or invalidate their feelings about the end of Frozen 2. It's quite the opposite, actually. In my view, when we're presented with a beloved hobby that has disappointed us, we have a couple of options: one is to simply stop partaking in that hobby and move onto one that brings us more pleasure (no doubt some ex-Frozen fans have done that), or keep sticking around the fandom despite constant negative feelings about it which, I can't imagine, is that enjoyable. But there's another option too: when presented with something we don't like but won't divorce ourselves from and yet have no power to change – in this case, how Frozen 2 ended – what we can change is how we view it. The fact that people who disliked Frozen 2 are still part of the fandom even a year later shows just how strong the Frozen characters and their world are…that despite dissatisfaction, fans are still not willing to give up on the franchise and leave it in favor of another fandom. And if they're not willing to give up, but still can't help feeling let down about it, I'm hoping the reasoning I present in this post can possibly offer a fresh and, hopefully, more appealing perspective. My intention here is to help alleviate hard feelings, not entice arguments.

I also want to mention that I'm only discussing the ending of the movie, specifically the fact that Anna is queen of Arendelle and Elsa is living in the forest. I've addressed most other topics of theorizing and criticism in my Frozen 2 analysis book “Seek the Truth,” which you can read here. While I did discuss the ending in detail in the last chapter, I didn't expand on it nearly as much as I will in this post.

To make things easier, I'm going to address the most common griefs about the ending one at a time and offer my input:

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Anna and Elsa were separated for 13 years so they shouldn't be separated again.

I definitely agree that it would be tragic if they were forced apart again, unable to have a relationship like they did for most of their childhood. But the more times I watch Frozen 2, the more I just don't see that in the ending. To me, a separation is when both sides are split up against their will, unable to get together again. That's not the case for Anna and Elsa. I admit the epilogue of the movie was rushed, but out of the many loose ends it could have touched on, the filmmakers made sure to include Anna's letter to Elsa about charades night, which to me shows that they want us to know that the sisters still get together regularly (that's the feeling I get from the movie; I'm not including the questionable canon of the storybooks/comics in this, which I’ll discuss a little later). We could still infer they get together even if they didn't show the letter, because we know the forest is free again and Elsa can ride Nokk to Arendelle whenever she wants. But the filmmakers chose to show the letter to make it clear that there's nothing keeping them apart.

So then the point becomes "spending only 3 years together isn't enough." What number is enough, then? 5 years? 10 years? Any number is arbitrary for a case like this. But the length of time doesn’t matter because, to me, Frozen 1 showed how strong of a bond Anna and Elsa have despite hardly ever being in physical contact…a bond of love strong enough to thaw a frozen heart. So to think that now they could never be happy unless they're physically together 24/7 does an injustice to that bond that transcends physical boundaries. They suffered because of their separation in Frozen 1 – that was a true separation, because they wanted to have a relationship but were forced apart against their wills – and at the end of the movie, they could finally have the relationship they were yearning for. And at the end of Frozen 2, not only was their love cemented further from the epic adventure they shared, but they can continue to see each other as a family as well as live out the new roles bestowed upon them. Unlike a movie with an actual separation ending, like Toy Story 4 for example, where Woody and Buzz would never be able to see each other again except by some crazy coincidence, there is literally nothing stopping Anna and Elsa from continuing to have adventures together in future stories, while also satisfying their new duties and enjoying their lives both individually and as a family. That sounds like a very fulfilling life to me.

But the "Anna sans Elsa" book proves that they barely see each other and Anna misses Elsa a lot.

This sentiment comes down to whether you want to consider the relatively few post-movie storybooks as true canon or not. I consider them loose canon at best because no one involved with the creation of the canon Frozen movies/shorts had any involvement in their development and probably even knows they exist. There's also the fact that they're having such a minimal release – just one or two European countries have been getting them, and they're not even being released in English, which is arguably Disney's largest market. There're also conflicting implications between the stories, for example, the "Anna sans Elsa" book implies that Elsa hasn't visited for a long time, but the German comic where Elsa visits for charades implies that she does visit regularly (from @bigfrozenfan‘s translation here, she says "I wouldn't have missed an evening of charades with you for anything in the world!"). Then there's the "Explore the North Book" which shows Queen Anna visiting Elsa in the forest. Just because this book isn't a story is no reason to disregard it, especially when you consider the fact that it was the first book released to show the sisters interacting post-movie, plus it was actually released in larger markets, like the US and Japan. Even Anna's letter within the movie canon itself, telling Elsa not to be late for charades, is not written in a way that implies she hasn't seen Elsa for a long time. If anything, it implies the opposite to me…that these visits occur regularly. So what we can conclude from this is that Disney's publishing branch is releasing a few post-movie stories to limited markets to make some extra earnings, but obviously the book/comic authors are restricted with the kinds of stories they can depict; as in, they can't have stories that would affect the lore and canon, like showing Elsa's role in the forest or how Northuldra/Arendelle relationships are progressing. So they're going with safe side-stories like Anna doing familiar things in Arendelle and Elsa visiting for charades – things that can be inferred from the movie's ending but don't continue the narrative past that. This could also be why these books are having such a small release. Perhaps because the English-speaking market is so large, anything brought to that market could be seen as having relevance and clout, and Disney doesn't want that for these stories (because there's really no reason to not bring the books to other markets when children's book sales are soaring thanks to the pandemic). The "Anna sans Elsa" book is even getting a re-release with new pictures, again, only in French, which to me further illustrates the limitations on post-movie stories currently going on. So ultimately, I would not take details from these books/comics that are available to only 0000.1% of Disney's worldwide market as the "word of god," especially when they're inconsistent with each other and canon implies otherwise.

Anna isn't fit to be queen.

I'm not really sure what (canon) examples there are of Anna showing traits that would hinder her ability to be a good queen, or at least not as good a queen as Elsa. Is the reason for this because of her naivete about Hans? There's no evidence that shows she hasn't learned her lesson from that…it's not like she rushed into marrying Kristoff right away. If it's something about her personality being too reckless or something, Elsa has exhibited recklessness too, doing things without forethought like running away to live alone in an ice palace and risking her life to dive into Ahtohallan. But despite having these very human flaws, Elsa still turned out to be a good queen, so why would Anna be the opposite? Anna has proven herself to be brave, noble, and outgoing with people…all of which are great qualities for a ruler. Plus she's lived among royalty her whole life, and no doubt helped Elsa during her reign as queen, so she's not going into the position as a total novice. We barely see Elsa doing queenly activities in the Frozen canon, so how can we assume she's so much more fit to be queen than Anna? Again, I think this is another sentiment that stems from an aversion to something unfamiliar: fans want Elsa to remain queen because we've been familiar with that for years, but that doesn't mean Anna can't be a good queen, too. Canon-wise we haven't yet seen Anna do anything in the way of ruling, so why not give her the benefit of the doubt and a chance to prove herself?

The first Frozen established that Elsa shouldn't live in isolation and yet she's doing it again in Frozen 2.

In the first Frozen, Elsa isolated herself out of fear and refused to even get near anyone. What evidence is there that this is happening at the end of Frozen 2? I've heard assumptions that she's living in Ahtohallan now, but we don't know that for sure. The last scene of the movie shows her heading in that direction, but she could be visiting too. But regardless of where her actual place of dwelling is now, there's no reason to believe she's shutting herself off like she did in the first movie. The epilogue shows that she's happily interacting with the spirits, the Northuldra, and makes visits to Arendelle. Home is more than just a physical place where one dwells and sleeps; even if the forest is where Elsa does this now, Arendelle is still her home in all other regards.

An offshoot notion of Elsa living on her own in the forest is that it's somehow akin to the idea that "people who are different should live outside normal society." I don't understand this because to me it implies the person in question is being shunned; that they want to live in normal society but normal society doesn't want them. That is definitely not what's going on at the end of Frozen 2. As I'll explain in the following paragraphs, Elsa stays in the forest because she feels a newfound sense of freedom and is thrilled to explore this new world she found, but she can freely go back to Arendelle whenever she wants, and there's no indication that anyone there loves her any less (they should love her more actually because they all witnessed her save the kingdom from the tidal wave!) At the end if the movie, no one's being ostracized for being "different." Everyone's doing what makes them happy and can freely come and go as they please.

Why does Elsa need to stay in the forest? Why can't she stay in Arendelle and visit the forest?

A large majority of the hard feelings about Frozen 2's ending comes from the fact that it didn't clearly show what Elsa's role in the forest is. I definitely admit that the ending would have benefited from expanding on this, even just another line or two. But to me, it still leaves enough information for us to make reasonable inferences about what she's doing. We don't see the Northuldra or Arendellians interacting in the epilogue, which makes sense since they hated each other for decades and it'll take time to mend the relationship between them. When Elsa says to Anna "we'll continue to do this together" conveys to me that she knows they still have work to do as far as making amends between the kingdoms…she and Anna can serve as dual queen ambassadors between the two sides, a bridge, so to speak. Then there's also the fact that the spirits were angry for decades and it'll take time for them to return to the peaceful coexistent they had with the Northuldra, something Elsa can certainly help with (again, we don't see the spirits interacting with the Northuldra in the epilogue, only with Elsa).

On top of that, there's the fact that Elsa spent her whole life believing she was the only magical being in the world, and now she's discovered this whole new land of magic just waiting to be explored. As I explained in my analysis book, if we consider Elsa believing for years that her powers were a curse and no one but her possessed magic, and suddenly she's brought to a place where other magical beings exist, as well as a group of people who live in harmony with them, plus the fact that she's somehow a bridge between both magic and humans, it makes sense she'd be ecstatic and want to spend time indulging in this new land. The reason she doesn't just visit the forest while living in Arendelle is because being queen is a full time job that requires her to be present as much as possible. Trying to stay on top of all her queenly responsibilities while going back and forth to the forest all the time wouldn't amount to the kind of quality she wants for Arendelle royalty. But having someone like Anna who's already familiar with royal activities and loves Arendelle with all her heart, would be perfect for the role. Elsa never indicated it was her dream to be queen of Arendelle. She was born into the role and accepted it, and if the events of Frozen 2 never occurred, would have probably lived out her life happily in that position. But happiness isn't necessarily a final destination and sometimes things come along that alter the status quo, but also enhance what we thought was already a good life. What we can infer from Frozen 1 is that she doesn't want to live in fear and have to constantly suppress her powers and that she wants to have a relationship with her sister again. None of this is taken away from her at the end of Frozen 2: she's not living in fear but in freedom, she can use her powers without restraint and in brand new ways with the spirits and Ahtohallan, and she can not only continue to see her sister often and foster their relationship, but she can grow her relationship with herself and this new realization about the origin of her powers. And still another reason, perhaps the true purpose of the fifth spirit is more than a single task and Elsa is trying to discover what it is: what more can she do with her amazing powers now that the forest is free, both for the benefit of the Northuldra, the spirits, Arendelle…maybe even the world? There's a wealth of possibilities for future stories, and I believe this ties back to the fact that the post-movie books/comics can't touch on what her role in the forest is because it's too closely tied to continuing the canon story, and until the heads at Disney decide what direction to take it, all spin-off content will be limited.

And yes, it's true that these are just my theories, but they're theories based on many hours of rewatching, analyzing, and thinking critically about the movie, which I think is better than just dismissing the idea that Elsa has a role to play in the forest simply because it wasn't explicitly shown. Just because Elsa's new lot in life isn't spoon-fed to us doesn't mean it doesn't exist, and I think it's much more logical, and imaginative, to assume she's doing the kinds of things I just mentioned as opposed to doing nothing of significance in her life now. I prefer to be logical and imaginative, so I’m going with these reasons unless canon shows otherwise.

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After reading all this, you might think I'm in love with the ending of Frozen 2 and think it's perfect, but that's not the case. While I love Frozen 2 overall, I admit that the ending was rushed and it wasn't my first choice of an ending for the sequel I was anticipating for years. But at the same time, I'm open-minded, especially in regards to the fact that the story and characters I'm invested in are not my personal creations. They’re the products of someone else’s experiences, values, and beliefs, and I have to recognize that this is what makes them interesting even though I may not agree with everything. But who am I to say that my vision and headcanons for Frozen are somehow better than those of the filmmakers? I don't think so highly of myself as being more of an authority on Frozen than the creators themselves or even my fellow hardcore fans. But I have spent many hours of my life these past 7 years examining and analyzing the franchise and its characters, so I'd like to believe my words have at least some weight to them. That's the wonder of fiction…that someone's ideas can be interpreted and appreciated in a variety of ways by a variety of people. But that's also the tragedy of fictional stories that continue on with long gaps in between, like the gap between the two Frozen movies. During that long time, we can't help but build and prop up our headcanons and develop the feeling that we know these characters inside and out, what is and isn't good for them, how they would and wouldn't react in all situations, etc,. But two and a half hours (which is about the length of time of Frozen 1 plus the two shorts) is not enough time to show so much of a characters’ personality that we could really know them as much as we’d like (especially Elsa, who got relatively little screentime in the first movie). So when we're presented with the continuation of the story and find that the creators had a different view, a view that didn't return to the status quo we were familiar with, it can be very jarring. But that's the risk of falling in love with someone else's creations. And thankfully, the beauty of headcanons is that they're all our own and can be adjusted. Even though the outcome of Frozen 2 was not what I was expecting, it was a minimal effort to adjust my headcanons because I don't feel the ending was so outrageous and far removed from everything I loved previously about the franchise, for reasons I hope I explained clearly in this post.

If you still can't feel any better about the end of Frozen 2 despite all I've discussed here, I'm sorry…I really tried my best. All I can say now is that I hope future content will rekindle your appreciation for the franchise. I know it's been over a year since Frozen 2, which seems like a long time to go without any announcements of new material, but we have to remember that that's not a long time at all by Disney standards. The recent Disney investor's meeting proves how long it takes to churn out new content, especially on the animation side of things, as it took years for Princess and the Frog, Zootopia, and Moana to finally get new content. Disney immortalizes all their popular franchises and could go back to them months, years, or even decades later (The Lion Guard series came out over 20 years after The Lion King for example). Unlike other Disney franchises like Marvel and Star Wars that have their own production teams and studios, Frozen has to share resources with all of WDAS's other projects. So a year is still too early for the studio to go back to Frozen again, especially if you consider that it's technically only been a few months since we got new Frozen content in the form of Once Upon a Snowman. Patience is the key now and we don't know what the future holds. But I'm someone whose opinions will change with new information, so maybe tomorrow we could get an announcement about a new Frozen YA novel or Disney+ series that shows Anna and Elsa rarely see each other and Anna misses Elsa and Elsa's doing nothing noteworthy in the forest and everything I've said here can be tossed out the window. I don't think that will be the case though, so as long as we don't know anything for sure, I want to go with a positive outlook because, at the end of the day, your fandoms should lift you up instead of bring you down. Frozen is a juggernaut for Disney so I'd rather they take their time with the next installment for the franchise. It's not so much a question of "if" as much as "when" and "in what form"? So until we have those answers, I wish you all well…don't let the hope die out.

#frozen #frozen 2 #frozen2 #disney frozen

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plumeriaheart · 5 years ago

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Best Behaviour [Lucifer/F!Reader]

I have no excuse for this other than I wrote this in a single sitting last night... Should I have slept? Most definitely, but that didn’t stop me from punching out this filth lol. I hope you enjoy! ♡

FANDOM: Obey Me!

RATING: pure smut tbh

KINK: dom/sub relationship?? i suppose

WORD COUNT: 3.8k

"Do you enjoy behaving like a brat?" His voice is stern, expression indifferent as he looks at you. Lucifer is sitting in his chair, one leg crossed over the other while you're kneeling in front of him. Lacy lingerie adorns your figure, and the demon can see the way you shiver when he talks down to you. Goosebumps ripple along your skin, eliciting the slightest smirk on his lips. You're not surprised to see him enjoy this situation as much as he is, you knew what you were getting into with the Avatar of Pride.

"No, I… I'm sorry," you utter out quietly, eyes cast down. While Lucifer may be used to being the authoritative figure, you have little experience with your own role. The last time you were on your knees like this was to pray – how ironic.

"What was that? Speak up, MC," he orders in a cold tone. When you look up at him, you find him looking down at you expectantly.

"No, sir – I'm sorry." This earns you a nod and a smile from the demon, and you're surprised to find relief wash over you.

Both of you had discussed this several times before you felt comfortable submitting to him entirely, and Lucifer warned you that he might lose control once you get started. You told him you weren't afraid of that nor him, and if worst came to worst, you could command him to stop thanks to your pact with him. Still, you decided on a safe word early on, something to signal when you stopped feeling comfortable. After all, Lucifer cared about you deeply and would not want to harm you against your will.

"That's a good girl. Now, how do you intend to make it up to me?" He uncrosses his legs as if inviting you to come closer. When you do shuffle closer, though, he shakes his head. "What am I to do with you? I have yet to allow you to touch me." Heat rushes to your cheeks and you nod, moving away from him ever so slightly.

"Perhaps I ought to restrain you, my dear – what do you think?" You look up at him, eyes widening a bit at his question. You can tell he's taking it slow for you, making sure to check if you're doing okay, and in a weird way, it warms your heart. He begins to unbuckle his belt without breaking eye contact with you, awaiting your answer. The slight bulge in his pants does not go unnoticed by you.

"Yes, please. I… I think that's a good idea, sir," you reply, excited at the prospect. Lucifer nods before he gets up, walking around you and pulling your arms behind your back. Holding your breath as he ties your wrists together with his belt, your mind begins to wander to the enticing possibilities awaiting you.

"This is not too tight for you, is it?" A shiver runs down your spine when you feel his hot breath against your ear, his voice low and his fingers caressing your arms.

"No, it's okay," you reply. For a mere second, his lips connect with the back of your neck, leaving a hot sensation behind as he gets up and sits down in his chair again. Your skin begins to miss his touch immediately, an almost aching sensation spreading from where he had kissed you briefly.

"What a pretty sight you are, my dear," Lucifer hums, a teasing smile gracing his lips. "Now, where were we? Ah, right. What do you suggest you do to make me forgive you for disobeying me?" He spreads his knees a little further as he speaks, encouraging you to speak up.

"I want to make you feel good, sir," you say, cheeks growing hotter, and yet you refuse to look away. Red eyes meet yours, lust burning in them as he raises one brow at your words. His cock twitches in his pants as he looks at you like this, taking in every enticing detail about you. As if you could read his mind, you lick your lower lip slowly, making sure that he notices.

"...very well." With those words, he beckons you closer, and for a second you're taken aback. Is he not going to undo his pants and pull them down for you to lick his cock? The demon notices your hesitation and begins to smirk. "I'm waiting."

You take a deep breath and nod, more to yourself than to him. As you shuffle closer, you begin to place soft kisses along his clothed thighs. Your hands try to move almost involuntarily, searching for support only to be met by restraints. It makes your breath hitch in your throat, but you refuse to let that stop you. With each kiss coming closer to his crotch, you wonder if this is what Lucifer had in mind for you. As your lips connect with his crotch, you hear him take in a sharp breath, and something about it spurns you on.

Testing different pressures, you make sure to place kiss upon kiss against the fabric, feeling the heat of his cock through his pants. You glance up to see Lucifer with his eyes closed, head tipped back and your chest swells with pride. With your newly found courage, you decide to lick the fabric instead, drawing your tongue up dangerously slow. It doesn't take long for the fabric to become wet from your saliva, allowing you to feel the shape of his cock against your tongue a little better.

"Enough. A good girl like you deserves the real thing," Lucifer says, cupping your face with care before he pushes you back. Your eyes are glued to his hands as he finally undoes his pants, and when his cock springs free, you realise you were holding your breath. You dare not move until he tells you to, but luckily you don't have to wait long.

"Go on." Within an instant, you place your lips on the tip of his cock, suckling on it ever so gently before your mouth wanders further down. Precum wets your lips, leaving a slick trail on his hot skin. You allow your lips to linger in each spot, feeling the heat radiate from his skin. The demon is letting you take your time exploring, getting accustomed to your current position. He has no desire to rush you, after all – this should be as enjoyable for you as it is for him.

You grow bolder with each lick of your tongue, resting your head against one of his thighs as you place your lips on his shaft. This earns you a long sigh from Lucifer, letting you know that you're doing a good job. When he runs his fingers through your hair, encouraging you to go further up his cock, your heart skips a beat. You think back to when he said he might not be able to hold back, and yet here he is, encouraging you as gently as he can.

Your lips latch onto his tip, tongue drawing circles around it before you take him deeper into your mouth. You begin bobbing your head, feeling his cock slip deeper into your mouth each time until it becomes difficult to fit in more. Coming up for air, you feel drool dripping down your mouth – a lewd sight that the demon loved.

"Be a good girl for me and try to breathe through your nose, okay?" You only get a few seconds before he pushes your head down on his cock, filling your mouth entirely until he hits the back of your throat. You gag on his size, heartbeat starting to race before you try to calm yourself down, forcing yourself to breathe through your nose. You feel drool running down your chin, all the way down your neck, and a stinging sensation in your eyes as Lucifer begins to guide your head up and down his cock. Despite doing your best to do as he said, you find yourself gagging on his cock more and more until you break free from his hold, gasping for air.

"Hm… It seems we'll have to work on that, won't we?" Lucifer asks with a small chuckle, waiting for you to catch your breath. He musters you with love and lust in his eyes, and a hunger that makes you shiver – you want to give yourself to him, but you know you can't just yet.

"I'll do better this time. I promise," you tell him, taking a deep breath before you take his length into your mouth once more. You steel yourself to deepthroat him again, remembering his advice to breathe through your nose. The prickling sensation at the corners of your eyes returns as the head of Lucifer's cock meets the back of your throat, and you will yourself to keep him inside longer than before. With difficulty, you bob your head a little and receive a deep growl from your partner. You desperately wish you could use your hands to hold onto him, but every time you try to move your hands, you feel the restraints getting tighter against your wrists.

"Now that's… more like it," Lucifer says breathlessly, revelling in the heat your mouth offers. You notice one of his hands curl into a fist, knuckles turning white as you gag on his cock, and you notice the familiar feeling of pride rushing through you. You have to come up for air once more, chest heaving, but at this point, you're determined to make him cum just with your mouth. Once more your mouth encloses the familiar shape of his cock, cheeks hallowing as you suck on him, shameless slurping sounds filling the room. The demon can tell what you're trying to do, one of his hands running through your hair before he curls it into a fist, pulling your hair to guide you up and down his cock.

"Just like that, my dear. Keep going." He doesn't need to tell you twice, picking up the pace as you moan, letting him feel the vibrations within your mouth. Your eyes search for his, but his head is tipped back, lips parted ever so slightly. The inside of your mouth seems to grow hotter, his cock pulsating quickly, and you begin to mentally brace yourself for his load. Not even a moment later, he lets out another deep growl as he shoots his load inside of your mouth, hitting the back of your throat. As much as you want to pull away, you make yourself remain still until he's done, looking up at him expectantly. When his eyes meet yours, you open your mouth and stick out your tongue, covered in his white seed, as if you're begging for his praise.

And praise you he does. "Good girl. Swallow for me, will you?" You do as you're told, swallowing the thick load before you open your mouth once more for him, proof of your obedience. He smiles at the sight of you, the hunger for you not satiated in the least.

"It looks like I'll have to reward you now, doesn't it?" You notice the heat spreading between your legs at those words, realising that you've been longing to hear them all along. Lucifer gets up from his chair and helps you stand up, undoing the tie around your wrist. He brings one of your wrists to his face, checking to see if he left any marks on your skin before he presses a hungry kiss against your skin, earning him a little whimper.

"I want you to get on the bed on all fours now." You watch him with curious eyes as he begins to unbutton his shirt, but then you do as you're told. His bed feels comfortable as ever, and you wonder if Lucifer picked out his softest bedsheets in preparation for you. With your ass up in the air and your face pressed against his pillow, you're glad he can't see the way your face is burning up – you're not used to such an embarrassing position at all, but you don't want to disobey him. You have to fight the urge to look back at him, every second of uncertainty feeling like an eternity without his touch. Lucifer knows how impatient you are right now, and he's taking full advantage of it, undressing as slowly as he can. He notices the wet patch on your panties, grinning to himself as he steps closer to you. What a beautiful sight indeed, he thinks to himself as he runs his hands along your thighs, spreading them ever so slightly to tease you.

"You've gotten quite wet for me, haven't you?" He teases, a feather-light brush of his knuckles against your slick core making you shiver. You move your hips towards him, yearning for his touch, but Lucifer only chuckles. "So impatient," he says, and then you feel a jolt of pain run through your body as he spanks your ass. The pain is soon replaced by a soft wave of pleasure washing over you.

"I-I'm sorry," you breathe as you arch your back further. The sorrow in your voice almost makes the demon stop, but judging by the way your body reacts to his touch, he smacks your ass once more; drawing out a small cry from you this time. He makes sure to give you time to use your safe word should you want him to stop, but the only sound filling the room is your ragged breathing.

"Do you like being spanked like a little brat?" He runs his fingers over the red mark on your ass cheek, smooth touch soothing your sensitive skin.

"Y-Yes… I do," you whimper quietly, and when another smack resonates through the room, you let out a cry.

"I can't hear you, my dear – do you enjoy being spanked like this?" Lucifer can barely describe the pride within him as he watches the red mark in the shape of his hand grow on your ass, a sight he wants to cherish.

"I do!" You almost yell out, embarrassed by your needy voice and the low chuckle you get from the demon. Bracing yourself for another smack, you let out a yelp when instead you feel his fingers massaging your clit through your panties. Teeth dig into your lower lip, and you swear you can taste the iron-like taste of blood on your tongue as you try to hold back a moan.

"That's what I thought. Don't hold back, I want to hear you," Lucifer commands, applying more pressure on your sensitive nub. You do as you're told, allowing the moan to slip past your lips and fill the room. Satisfied by your response, he tugs your panties to the side and allows two fingers to slip inside your wet pussy, earning him a strangled moan. In true demon-like fashion, he gives you no time to adjust to the new feeling inside of you as he begins to thrust his fingers into you, his free hand gripped your hair and pulling your head back. His fingers curl inside of your core, looking for the spongy spot he knows drives you wild. He knows he found it when you buck your hips against his hand, searching for further stimulation.

As he gently massages the slick inside of your core, he gets down on his knees to bring his face closer. He gently blows on your clit, chuckling when you freeze at the sensation before his lips latch onto it in a hungry kiss. Your fingers grab onto the blanket, eyes rolling back in pleasure as he sucks on your clit, fingers still pumping into you relentlessly. It doesn't take very long for your head to start getting hazy, walls tightening around his fingers. The world feels like it's spinning when you climax, legs shaking and almost giving out. Lucifer lets go of your hair to support you by wrapping one arm around your waist, holding you up, but throughout the high you notice him still sucking on your clit hungrily, testing your limits as you feel the second wave of pleasure building deep inside your stomach.

You barely hear your own cries as you cum a second time, gasping for air. Your vision is blurred by bright sparks, and you're about to whimper your safe word when Lucifer stops, taking note of your threshold. He gently helps you lay down on the bed, running his fingers down your spine.

"You're doing so well, my dear – breathe slowly. Take your time," he says, allowing you to catch your breath. He feels his cock aching to be buried deep inside you, but he refuses to go further until you give him permission. You turn your head a little bit to look at him, and he meets your gaze with a smile. With your hair sticking to your temples, cheeks burning red and eyes glazed from your highs, he thinks you look beautiful. His heart skips a beat when he thinks about being the only one to see you like this, to be met with your loving gaze in such a vulnerable position, and he realises once more: he loves you.

"Do you think you can keep going?" Lucifer eventually asks when he notices your heartbeat returning to its usual pace, his thumb drawing soft circles on the back of your thigh.

"Yes. I want to see this through with you, Lucifer," you tell him in a soft whisper, and the demon has to wonder what he did to deserve you. He helps you get back into position, pulling down your panties and pushing your legs apart. Despite the little break you had to take, he can slip his cock into you with ease – now, he takes his time filling you to the brim. Both hands planted on your hips, he begins to guide them intact with his own movements, savouring the sloppy sound of wet skin slapping against wet skin. You mewl in pleasure as he pushes into you slowly, pulling out only to repeat the motion.

He takes his time getting you accustomed to his size before he picks up the pace, his hips almost moving on their own as he thrusts into your pussy. Your moans grow in volume, but you can still hear his low growls as pleasure washes over him.

"Do you like the way I fuck you, MC?" He asks in a husky voice in between growls, giving your ass another smack before you can reply.

"Y-Yes, I love it," you moan, choking on your moan when his palm connects with your ass, "please fuck me harder, Lucifer." Your plea is music to his ears, but he keeps a steady pace as he thrusts into you.

"Beg for it." You notice his thrusts gradually slowing down, and you feel a desperate need run through your veins.

"Lucifer, please! I-I need you to fuck me harder – your cock feels… feels so good inside of me, and I-I need you."

He seems satisfied with your begging, the desperate expression on your face turning him on and making him quicken his pace. He's met with surprised but happy moans of yours, grinning to himself at how well you're doing. One more time does he spank your ass, your delicious cry like a symphony to his ears, and he can feel your walls clenching in on his cock.

"Cum for me, my dear," Lucifer commands, coaxing another orgasm out of you as he fills you with quick, deep strokes. He watches you come undone once more, his name falling from your lips like a prayer, and it's enough to drive him over the edge as well. Ramming his cock into you a few more times, you feel him growing hotter inside of you before he throws back his head, one deep growl slipping past his lips as he empties his load inside of you.

You whimper a little when he pulls out his cock, your hand wandering towards your pussy and feeling his seed drip into your palm. Lucifer runs one hand through his hair, speechless by the erotic image in front of him, and once more does he wonder: how does he, out of all the people, deserve you?

Lucifer himself needs a few seconds to catch his breath, but before you can notice his flustered face, he's back to his composed self. He sits down next to you on the bed, helping you sit up and pushing a strand of your hair out of your face.

"You were wonderful, MC," he tells you, caressing your cheek with his thumb. You smile at him and he can't hold back, pressing his lips against yours almost desperately, and though his hunger for you seems reignited, he pulls away to look at your flushed face.

"Let me get you some water and help you get cleaned up, okay?" You give him a weak nod, fatigue beginning to settle within your body. He presses a quick kiss to your forehead before he gets up from his bed, returning with a glass of water only a couple of moments later.

"Thank you," you whisper before you take a sip, enjoying the refreshing feeling of cold water soothing your hot body. You cannot help but notice that Lucifer watches you with the patience of an angel, however ironic that may sound, and your chest swells with love for him once more. When you finish drinking, he takes the glass out of your hand and places it on his nightstand, then moving to stand up and bring you a warm, wet cloth. You feel embarrassed when he gently begins to clean your thighs and your core, wiping away any residue cum, but you're too tired to protest and you have to admit… it doesn't feel bad. His gentle touches feel like heaven after the way he fucked you, and you can't help but sigh contently when he presses a kiss to your now clean thigh.

"Thank you for indulging me tonight, MC," he whispers against your skin, a spark of adoration in his eyes. You barely notice him undoing the rest of your lingerie, gently sitting you up to help you put on one of his shirts, but by the time your head hits the pillow again, you're as good as asleep.

Lucifer lets you sleep, carefully getting up and cleaning up after the two of you – clothes folded and set aside, he makes his way to get a drink of water himself. His eyes rest on your sleeping frame, taking note of the content smile on your face. The demon moves around his room quietly, getting dressed in his own sleepwear before he joins you in bed once more, this time giving you nothing but gentle touches as he holds you close. He allows himself to run his fingers through your hair, gently untangling it and smoothing it down. You nuzzle your head against his hand in your sleep, coaxing a quiet chuckle out of him.

"Thank you for allowing me to love you, MC."

A/N: i couldn’t write something this long without adding some fluff here and there ngl :/ i really surprised myself while writing this though, and enjoyed it more than i expected – i hope you enjoyed it, too! <3

#obey me!#obey me #obey me! lucifer #obey me lucifer #obey me lucifer x reader #lucifer x reader #obey me smut #obey me fic

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fancytrinkets · 3 years ago

Text

writing tag game

Thank you for tagging me @johaeryslavellan!

How many works do you have on Ao3?

What's your total Ao3 wordcount?

246,241

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The top 4 are Good Omens fic followed by one Dragon Age 2 fic from years ago:

The Angel Line (humor) (Aziraphale/Crowley)

The Naked Truth (humor) (Aziraphale/Crowley)

Obliviate (romance, bittersweet, happy ending) (Aziraphale/Crowley)

The Last Battle (humor) (Aziraphale/Crowley)

In Good Hands (humor) (FHawke/Varric)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I didn’t used to respond to every comment back when I started posting, but now I reply to everything. I just love the whole commenting process. I like talking about the world I’m writing in with other people who love it, too. I am always SO EXCITED to see the (1) notification for my ao3 inbox. And it is unbearably wonderful to see a (2), (3), or more at a time. I’ve noticed I’m usually equally excited if it’s a comment on my fic or a reply to a comment I’ve left on someone else’s fic. (Sometimes I experience a mix of appreciation and disappointment when it’s a new comment for me if I’m expecting a reply back from another writer about their fic. That’s such a strange feeling and I wonder sometimes if other people get that, too.)

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

Oh, I don’t really do angst. And probably that’s not what people want from me anyway, judging by how many of my top fics are humorous.

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

I mean they all have some degree of happy ending, so I’m not sure how to measure them against each other. For some of them, the happy ending is also a ‘happy ending’ if you know what I mean..

Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you've written?

I don’t. Unless you count the silly stories my friends and I wrote for each other in high school? We definitely had some X-Files, Lord of the Rings, vampire universes intersecting with each other, but I can’t really remember a lot of that because I was 15 then and now I am 40.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I haven’t. I’m very glad about that.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Oh, yes I do. It’s the loving, vanilla kind mostly. I am willing to read more adventurously than I’m interested in writing.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No. I mean I hope! If I have, I haven’t realized it!

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! A bunch of my Good Omens fic has been translated into German and Russian, which is so cool. I love that people translate fics. I can’t read either of those languages, so I can’t personally vouch for how the translations turned out in terms of mood and tone and pacing with the word choices used, but that’s part of the beauty of being in fandom spaces where everyone is coming in with their own talents to share and develop. Translation is an art that needs to be practiced and no two translators will approach a work the same way.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have not, though it was something I was interested in — and seriously considering — with a wonderful, talented Good Omens writing friend before I kind of lost all my steam for Good Omens writing.

What's your all time favourite ship?

Whatever ship I’m into at any give time. So that means right now it’s Dorian/MTrevelyan from Dragon Age, but who knows what it’s going to be in 5 or 10 years...

What's a WIP you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

Oh, I have a Good Omens fic set in 1885 that stalled out because I was doing too much research and not enough writing. I’m not sure if I want to finish it, though. I just put a lot of outlining and drafting time into it. And then I just lost momentum. I doubt I’ll ever come back to that and I’m okay with it.

What are your writing strengths?

I’m good at dialogue. I also think I’m good at keeping an eye on the pacing at the scene level — speeding things up when I need to, slowing things down when it’s called for. And I am REALLY good at editing. I don’t hang onto stuff that doesn’t fit just because I like it. I have removed thousands and thousands of words of writing I really love just because it’s not quite where things need to go. I find that fun. I always save what I cut and sometimes reuse it later.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Sometimes I really struggle with character voice. While dialogue is a strength in general, that same thing can be really tough when I’m not hearing the voice of certain characters the way I’d like to. I also think a potential weakness is how I don’t like putting characters through deeply traumatic experiences. I like caretaking and treating the characters I write with gentleness. It’s deeply enjoyable for me, though perhaps it’s not always what makes a story satisfying.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I don’t do it. My native language is English and my two learned languages —Spanish and French — are so long abandoned that it would be difficult to get any of it back. So I tend not to include other languages because I don’t have that expertise. When I’m reading a fic in English — because that’s all I can read well — I always appreciate footnotes with translations for the parts in a different language. I don’t tend to have the sustained focus to go back, copy-paste, and Google translate everything. So anything that isn’t translated in a footnote is just content I miss. That’s totally fine if the writer isn’t writing it for me — if they want to add extra layers of meaning for multilingual people. But if the writer wants everyone to know, then please, yes, put the footnote in!

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

The X-Files with my friends in high school, but while there was an internet back then, none of us had connected computers, so these were just stories we wrote for each other.

What's your favourite fic you've written?

I don’t know if I can pick one! I like most of what I write even years later, but I don’t know how to stack them against each other. Some are serious while others are funny, and even cracky — some stick close to canon, while some are deeply transformative and weird. They all feel so different to me.

Right now I am really enjoying my Dragon Age Inquisition work-in-progress, Bold Indeed, a Trevelyan/Dorian romance that deals with: love, friendship, loss, gentleness, justice, what we owe each other (yes, I thinking of you, Chidi from The Good Place), what it means to become a ‘good’ murderer as part of your job, how easy it can be to fit within authoritarian structures, how difficult it can be to push against and overturn an established order, the inadequacy of kindness — but also the potentially transformative power of kindness. And all of that is tucked into the story of a mature and gentle romance between two people who are each going through a process of personal growth and change. Anyway, it’s a weird writing project, but I love it despite my occasional anxieties about whether I am a deeply bad person (hah, yes, I know how that sounds, but I also feel it seriously sometimes).

#memes #writing tag game #dragon age fanfiction #good omens fanfiction #my writing

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fanmoose12 · 3 years ago

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Hello fandom mother, I hope you're doing well on your studies and life and you're healthy and happy!

Recently I found myself feeling.... Weird. This has nothing to do with levihan or snk but I saw you answering similar asks from your other children so I come to you for advice and guidance as well. You don't have to answer ofc I just, kinda needed someone to talk to and I can't really confide to anyone.

Some time ago I came out to my friends as bisexual. Ever since I did though I have been feeling more confused than ever. We are a group of four and against all odds all identify as bi. Two of them I've known for years the other one came out earlier this year.

I was the last to admit it and it was a very liberating moment. My family is conservative in such matters and they passed onto me those beliefs, which when I started questioning my sexuality made me hate myself and deny the possibility of liking women despite what I felt. I always was a very romantic person, thinking marriage and family but on the side I'd note women are way hotter and feeling attraction. I'd even say I'm attracted to women more than men but "not in that way" bc same sex attraction was something I'd been lead to believe is not real, it's wrong and whatever messed up things. For years I'd hide it and insist otherwise first and foremost to myself and think I had succeed in "being straight" but then in a moment of vulnelabirity I confessed to my friends. And that's where it gets confusing bc as soon as I did, it's like I lost this attraction and feeling my minimum attraction to men the only thing there (mostly fictional men or a very certain type of looks) and this is driving me insane! Bc with one of my friends we'd joke call eachother wife and plan our life on the mountains, things that I'd actually love to do with her!

But I'm not feeling a hundred percent in love either or how I remember it's like to be in love. I know I want to try if she wants though... Am I subconsciously still checking myself bc of fear of my family? Am I comphetting or am I a lesbian? A female leaning bisexual? Was it all a mindtrick? Like, there are ways I like women more and ways I like men....?

How do I know for sure?? How do I find out? I've spend years battling mental illness too on top of that so I can't exactly trust me (ocd intrusive thoughts does that to you)

So I guess that's all... I'm sorry for dumping all this to you and ignore it if it makes you upset or uncomfortable! I'm sorry for this and know it was never my intention! Thank you for everything youve done, not only creating enjoyable and heart warming and incredible content but for treating everyone with kindness, I wish I could give you the tightest most grateful hug❤️❤️❤️

hi, hi💞

just a little bit of warning - i'm not the best person to give advice on that thing, i think that maybe i'm still in the middle of figuring myself out, and, perhaps, i have the same problem as you.....

but! this is my personal approach to everything, but don't second guess yourself and don't try too hard to understand? just go with the flow, you know? do what you like? it's my motto at least

like, i'm not saying that labels aren't important, they are! they help people self-identify! they make it easier for the others to understand you!

but in grand scheme of things.... you can be bi but date only men because the chances of finding a partner are more probable. or you can be bi and date only women because it's easier to connect with them. or you can be lesbian? or anything you feel like! sexuality is a spectrum! and it can change because we change as well! at least that's my opinion fjfhtah

just whatever you do, be unapologetically yourself💕 you can figure it out later

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monkberries · 4 years ago

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They dealt with all of the above. Ringo was treated as a joke for pretty much everything, especially since this was the era of prog rock. His personal life was also tabloid fodder. George was derided as being a dour spiritual nut who was out of touch. He along w/ Ringo didn't get the respect he deserved as a guitarist bc his style wasn't in at the time & people knew little about his role in The Beatles. All credit went to Lennon/McCartney. 1/2

John had the benefit of having the rebel genius image, but even he became a source of ridicule with all the stunts he pulled with Yoko and the way his career declined after Imagine. He wasn't deified to the degree he was in the 80s. I'm not trying to say Paul never had a hard time, but the way this fandom talks as if he is the only one who faced extreme criticism or disrespect just tells me they haven't looked much into the other Beatles' lives. The man is more admired than most musicians. 2/2

(IDK if this screenshotted anons were from the same person or not, but I’ll just answer them in this one since it’s all the same subject.)

Here’s what I think is valid, as I see it: Paul fans are upset by the way his music was treated by the music press, especially in the first few years of the 70s, while the music of the other three were generally given at least the benefit of the doubt. They’re not upset about the tabloid gossip, the purely personal stuff – they are upset, specifically and with good reason, at the way Paul’s music was treated and the way the music world’s personal dislike of him seeped into their music reviews. I’m gonna focus in on 1970 through the end of 1974, since this is where a lot of the complaints spawn from, and things start to shift in a big way in 74. You didn’t ask but contemporary writings about their early solo music is something I’m fascinated by anyway and you turned the wind-up toy key in my back, so. Off I go. This is gonna be so, so long.

At different points in the decade, all of them were subject to a sullying of their personal reputations. That is where I do agree with you: all of them were subjected to that by the press, to varying degrees, at varying times, and for various reasons for each of them. That is just what happens to public figures the longer they are public figures. Tabloids mess with everyone no matter how beloved they are.

However, that’s not what I generally see Paul fans getting upset about. What I see is that they’re upset at the way the much more legitimate and widely respected music press approached Paul’s music and talent in general. It is widely received knowledge now that the critics treated Paul’s music differently than they did John’s and George’s and even Ringo’s; the trashing was not “equal.” They came at John and George with the assumption that their talent was real and ongoing outside of the Beatles, their genius unquestionable, their motives pure and well-intentioned and honest. Paul was not afforded these assumptions. Some examples to show what I mean, most of them found through wikipedia, rocksbackpages, or rollingstone.com.

John

Plastic Ono Band was Robert Christgau’s number one album of 1970 in The Village Voice. from Creem’s review: “John's record, of course, has been righteously raved over ever since its release, justifiably. It's interesting and even enlightening to see a man working out his trauma on black plastic but more than that, it's totally enthralling to see that Lennon has once again unified, to some degree, his life and his music into a truly whole statement.” From High Fidelity’s review: "a tremendously exciting listening experience, perhaps the best any Beatle has ever offered." In their Imagine review, Rolling Stone called POB “perfect.” A couple reviews in the mainstream were more mixed, put off a little by the rawness of it, but overall the rock world quickly grew to see this album as a work of genius.

Imagine was even more widely well-reviewed, despite a mixed review from Rolling Stone (John fell out with Jann Wenner around this time, curiously). Here’s a passage from rateyourmusic.com: “Imagine was actually one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the year, aside from this tepid review in Rolling Stone. Indeed, much of the rock press seemed palpably relieved that the former Beatle hadn't gone completely off the deep end. ‘It's the best album of the year, and for me it's the best album he's done, with anything, or with anyone, at any time,’ Roy Hollingworth wrote in the 10/9/71 issue of Melody Maker. ‘The album is superb,’ Alan Smith agreed in the 9/11/71 issue of NME. ‘Beautiful. One step away from the chill of his recent total self-revelation, and yet a giant leap towards commerciality without compromise...I have no criticism at all.’”

Some Time in New York City was admittedly John’s nadir, and the press was vicious about it, both personally and musically, deeming the album egotistical, lacking in energy, and devoid of sincerity. However, many maintained a reverence for the genius that came before it and hopeful encouragement for the future. Rolling Stone said that “The Lennons should be commended for their daring;” Creem said it wasn’t half bad; and even though NME’s article was scathing, it ended with a plea for John to return to form, saying, “Don't rely on cant and rigidity. Don't alienate. Stimulate. You know, like you used to.”

Mind Games, though reviews were mixed, fared far better in comparison. Again, there is a hopeful tone to the reviews, a sureness that John can do better. From Rolling Stone talks about the music being a return to POB form, but the writing is his worst yet; however, Landau qualifies this by saying the lyrics aren’t “offensive, per se, just misguided... [John Lennon’s admirers] might even be able to withstand something more challenging” and then praises John’s voice, his production, and a few individual songs. In Melody Maker, Ray Coleman says, “if you warm to the rasping voice of Lennon and, like me, regard him as the true fulcrum of much of what came from his old group, then like any new Lennon album, it will be enjoyable and even important.” Christgau is more middling but also says, “Still, the single works, and let's hope he keeps right on stepping.”

Walls and Bridges seems confusing to reviewers in retrospect. They couldn’t seem to come to a consensus on it. The musicianship was widely praised, for the most part, though Rolling Stone criticized the first side on this front; reviewers alternately said it was “the latest chapter in John Lennon’s Identity Crisis” (Creem) and “truly a superb album by any standards” (Melody Maker). Throughout the Rolling Stone review, the author is able to thoroughly critique the songs, for better or worse, with a neutral affect and without resorting to insulting John personally. He ends the review on a positive note: “When one accepts one’s childhood, one’s parenthood and the impermanence which lies between, one can begin to slog along. When John slogs, he makes progress.” Again, even though the reviews aren’t all positive, we can see, especially and most importantly in the most influential rock magazine of the time, the acknowledgment of his talent, a sense of excitement for what John will do next, and a belief that his work is authentic and honest.

George

All Things Must Pass, I mean. Apart from a couple of outliers like Christgau in The Village Voice (he called it “overblown fatuity”), it was incredibly, almost universally beloved by the music press when it came out. There was quite a bit of surprise that such a talent had been under everyone’s noses all this time, but I don’t think anon is quite correct that all the credit for the Beatles went to Lennon/McCartney. For example, Ben Gerson in Rolling Stone recognized George’s talent within the Beatles like this: “Up until now, George has been perhaps the premier studio musician among rock band guitarists. From the electronic whine which began “I Feel Fine” to the break in “Hard Day’s Night” to the crazed, sitar-influenced burst on “Taxman,” George exhibited an avant-garde imagination and a technical flawlessness, as well as the ability to stay within the bounds of a song, which has remained unparalleled.” In Melody Maker, the feeling of journalists was summed up thusly: hearing the album was “the rock equivalent of the shock felt by pre-war moviegoers when Garbo first opened her mouth in a talkie: Garbo talks! – Harrison is free!" The personal nature and honesty of the lyrics were praised as well; Time described it as an “expressive, classically executed personal statement.” Ben Gerson did call his proselytizing offensive, but in the next sentence says that George redeems himself from that with the personal plea in Hear Me Lord.

Concert for Bangla Desh - again, some cynicism from Christgau in The Village Voice (must have woke up on the wrong side of the bed that day) and of course tax issues dogged it later, but overall, for the rock press at the time, this was a crowning achievement that George pulled off. He was praised all over the press, countercultural and mainstream, for his live musical talent, the group of musicians that joined him, the lack of political motivation, the sincerity and goodwill, and George’s ability to bring back "a brief incandescent revival of all that was best about the Sixties" (Rolling Stone). To this day he is credited with creating the model for future charity concerts.

Living in the Material World - Nothing could have topped the one-two punch of ATMP and the Concert for Bangla Desh, but honestly, LITMW came pretty close for some journalists. Rolling Stone again praised George’s honesty and authenticity: “ Despite the occasional use of “psychedelic puns,” Harrison’s lyrics are so guileless they convey an extraordinary sincerity that transcends questions of craftsmanship. Similarly, the devotions we are called upon to share with Harrison, though they communicate no specific, private torment, do have the authenticity of overheard prayers and are therefore sacred.” Melody Maker said, "Harrison has always struck me before as simply a writer of very classy pop songs; now he stands as something more than an entertainer. Now he's being honest." The pushback against his pious attitude and lyrics picked up some steam with this album, particularly with Christgau (again) and Tony Tyler of NME, who called it “so damn holy I could scream.” However, it was far from the consensus opinion at the time, and with the biggest rock magazine in the world at your back, you can withstand quite a bit.

Dark Horse, oof. That poor man. It did get some positivity in Billboard and Melody Maker, but my god, the reviews for this album and its subsequent tour were so cruel. I suspect when these anon(s) talk about the others being treated terribly by the press as well, this, along with John’s STINYC, is one of the examples they would give, and they’re not wrong about that. This was the point where George’s piety and what they perceived as a sanctimonious attitude finally started really getting to everyone, and the album plus the tour was the perfect opportunity to dogpile on him. I guess it was to be expected; no one can ride that high forever, and the press loves to knock people over and kick them while they’re down. Rolling Stone called it “disastrous,” “shoddy,” and called his guitar work “rudimentary,” eventually declaring that George had “never been a great artist.” This from the same magazine that was practically worshipping at his feet the year before. Yowch.

Ringo

Sentimental Journey - The less that’s said about this album, the better.

Beaucoups of Blues was actually quite well-received. No one called him a genius for it, and it wasn’t a serious personal record and therefore wasn’t treated that way, but journalists seemed uniquely able to let themselves enjoy this record despite the serious/political/personal tone of most musicians at the time. Melody Maker believed Ringo had "conviction and charm" and that because of that, the album stripped away the serious “hip posturing” and let you just enjoy the music on its own terms. The Village Voice said that Ringo was “good at making himself felt.” Although Rolling Stone’s tone was a bit more cruel than other magazines (there was a crack somewhere in there that Ringo wasn’t as smart as John), it also called him lovable and the record “a real winner” where the songs “sound terrific.”

Ringo was a total smash and I think people forget this. It’s remembered only because it’s an album that was worked on by all four Beatles, but actually, the critics fuckin loved it. Ringo was praised in Rolling Stone for his unpretentiousness, sensibility, and essentially collaborative nature: “Ringo was always the figure of conciliation within the Beatles, undoubtedly the most genial, conceivably the most sensible, and the one with the smallest musical axe to grind. His very lapses bespoke the esteem in which the others held him; had they not liked him so much, those perfectionists would never have allowed him to sing. Perhaps because as the drummer he stood outside the process of creation, he had the best perspective from which to see the Beatles as a unity. Ringo has never had any pretense of self-sufficiency. Once he had gotten his special projects out of the way (projects for which John, Paul and George's talents would have been unsuited anyway) Ringo was ready to call upon the three most obvious people to assist him with writing, singing and playing. As Starr's first "pop album," Ringo signifies a homecoming, not just of family, but in musical style as well.”

Goodnight Vienna was kind of a minor album for Ringo, but still, reviews were pretty good. Rolling Stone praised his “unalloyed sincerity which is his trademark and trump card.” Yet again, we see the theme of authenticity popping up in these reviews - if you are perceived as authentic, honest, and sincere, that takes you a long way with music reviewers in this time period, and Ringo was nothing if not wholly, completely himself.

Paul

McCartney - One of the main complaints of Paul fans is that Jann Wenner forced Langdon Winner, the author of the review for this album in Rolling Stone, to rewrite his article and put a more negative spin on it. The result is that Winner praised most of the music but totally undermined his own praise by questioning the authenticity of the tone and deriding the press release that came with the album as much as he praised the music. He ends the article like this: “I like McCartney very much. But I remember that the people of Troy also liked that wooden horse they wheeled through their gates until they discovered that it was hollow inside and full of hostile warriors.” This was a huge blow at a time when personal authenticity and substance were considered paramount. Melody Maker also questioned the legitimacy of his genius, saying “With this record, [McCartney's] debt to George Martin becomes increasingly clear.” Most other reviews weren’t any better.

Ram, I mean, Jesus Christ the reviews for this. It’s a widely respected album now, even made the RS top 500 albums of all time list last year, but at the time people were still so angry with Paul for supposedly breaking up the Beatles that they were still taking it out on his music a year later (imo). Landau in Rolling Stone called it “emotionally vacuous” and said it lacked conviction, saying also that it was “so incredibly inconsequential and so monumentally irrelevant you can’t even [hate it]; it is difficult to concentrate on, let alone dislike or even hate.” NME called it “the worst thing Paul McCartney has ever done.” Threaded through these reviews is a belief that the songs are devoid of meaning and that Paul’s happy domestic front is just a frustrating lie; Christgau in The Village Voice said he was “infuriated by the McCartneys' modern young-marrieds image” - infuriated because he clearly doesn’t believe it, rendering Paul dishonest and his music inauthentic. Once again journalists are unable to review Paul’s music without sniping about him as a person.

Wild Life - Though the situation remains largely the same - reviewers refuse to take him seriously, believe anything he says, or treat his musical talent as anything but vacuous fluff - the reviews aren’t quite as bad as they were for Ram and a bit of positivity begins to stir. It’s evident especially in the Rolling Stone review, where Mendelsohn wonders if Paul is making crappy fluff on purpose to piss John off because it will sell just as well anyway. It’s not much, and on top of the fairly strong criticism there is almost no hope for future Paul releases: “My own conviction is that we'd be foolish to expect anything much more earth-shaking than Wild Life out of McCartney for a good long while... In the meantime the reader is advised to either develop a fondness for vacuous but unpretentious pop music or look elsewhere for musical pleasure.” But it’s something.

Red Rose Speedway Paul continues to be lambasted by a lot of the press on this album for being lightweight and having no meaning behind his songs (at this point it’s just repetitive to quote the articles, just trust me that they say basically the same thing they were saying for the past three albums too), BUT I think a nuance that gets forgotten in all of this is that Rolling Stone gave it kind of a decent review. It seems like they finally quit gatekeeping and realized that songs don’t need to have some deep personal meaning to be good. Kaye is still not very nice about Paul’s lyrics but he recognizes that he doesn’t have to take Paul’s music on the same terms as he takes John and George. Paul’s music is less personal, but that doesn’t make it unworthy. He calls it “pleasant, accessible without concentration” and praises Paul’s voice and arranging skills. It feels like for this album, Rolling Stone took the stick out of its own ass when it came to Paul and finally relaxed enough to receive Paul’s music on his terms rather than theirs. Which, imo, primed the rock world for...

Band on the Run, Paul’s comeback. Even though Christgau in The Village Voice remained unconvinced (he called it “a pleasant piece of hackwork”), almost everyone else adored it. It seems weird to us now, but the general sentiment seemed to be that people were surprised by how good this album was. NME said, “The ex-Beatle least likely to re-establish his credibility and lead the field has pulled it off with a positive master-stroke”; and although Landau’s review in Rolling Stone overflowed with praise, he also said, “I'm surprised I like Band on the Run so much more than McCartney's other solo albums because, superficially, it doesn't seem so different from them.”

I hope I’ve been able to demonstrate a general trajectory with the musical reputation of each Beatle here. John starts off on two incredible high points, crashes and burns, and then works his way back up. He DEFINITELY missed with STINYC, but even when he followed it up with Mind Games, there was still a hopeful tone to the reviews, sort of like, “Ah, well, the last two weren’t great but we’re still looking forward to what John will give us next.” Until the Dark Horse tour/album, which did sour the press on poor George, the music press adored him. It was hit after hit with him. He could not miss. Three high points, one after the other, then a monumental crash. Ringo seems to stay fairly high, even if the records aren’t serious records. All three of them start out incredibly well, and the music press was able and willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Paul was given none of that. Perhaps because he was out of step with the attitudes about music at the time, perhaps because journalists hated him for breaking up the Beatles, perhaps because they believed John when he painted Paul as “establishment,” perhaps a combination - whatever their issue was, Paul was given no benefit of the doubt to start with, no faith in his genius, and no belief in his authenticity. He was just a hack to the music press for the first few years of the 70s; he started at the bottom and was forced to work his way up, unlike the other three. It started, imo, when Wenner forced the journalist who wrote the McCartney review in RS to rewrite the article, and it spiraled from there. He was seen as hollow and uncool, as one of the anons said, “straight” in the parlance of the time - straight meaning “establishment.” This is kind of where I do start to roll my eyes a little bit at stans, when they get upset at people calling him “establishment” and trying to prove that actually he was so anti-establishment that people couldn’t handle it or whatever, without trying to understand what the word “anti-establishment” meant at the time. But there are also really substantive arguments you can make that say Paul’s music was not taken seriously because of a personal grudge against him.

I’m not saying that all of them didn’t have run-ins with the music press. I’m saying there is nuance here that I don’t think these anons are allowing for in the first few years of that decade. They came at George and John and Ringo with a positive, or at least neutral, slant most of the time. They came at Paul with a negative one. Case in point are the reviews of Band on the Run that were surprised at how good it was. That stuff gets people’s hackles up. The others didn’t have positive reviews rewritten to be more negative. The others didn’t have albums savaged that are now on the Rolling Stone top 500 albums of all time list. I do agree that John, at least, and George post Dark Horse, had a harder time with the music press than people generally remember or care to think about – deification is retroactive, I guess, and as Paul fans we should definitely recognize that Paul wasn’t the only one who went through a rough time with the press. But I do think Paul’s situation was made uniquely and unjustifiably difficult for those first few years.

I mean, at the same time, I cannot stress enough how much this did not affect his bottom line. Despite the horrible reviews, Ram still made a ton of money, McCartney made a ton of money, Band on the Run and Wild Life and Red Rose Speedway all made a ton of money. He had a fanbase, a huge one, that followed him loyally and faithfully through the early 70s as he was getting savaged by the press, and through the middle and late 70s when he was touring. At some point, you have to step back and go, wait. Why does any of this matter? This was 50 years ago. He was a multi-millionaire then and is a billionaire now. And you are right; whenever people over-generalize and try to make the case that Paul was always badly reviewed and the others were press darlings, I tend to get annoyed because they’re totally missing the actually interesting nuances of the situation (that can be easily found online! I found most of the music reviews through snippets on Wikipedia!) In conclusion, I guess my point is that both “Paul was vilified while everyone else wasn’t” and “everyone was equally vilified” paint the events of the early 70s with brushes that are too broad and miss the nuance that was evident in the way the press interacted with their music.

#Anonymous #macca #johnny #geo #ritchie #fab four #sorry this isn't so much a response to anon's points as it is me going off on research tangents and accidentally writing a masters thesis #reading old rolling stone album reviews is such an unexpected pleasure i recommend it

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yandere-sins · 4 years ago

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Love

The time passed fast now, especially when you were busy.

Your ankles healed, strangely enough, well. Probably through the effort of getting real medical treatment once Rhys didn’t suspect you of acting up anymore. Sometimes, walking steps still gave you a hard time, but it passed eventually. You never had to experience the torture that was the basement, except for the few times a week you had to sort through the stock of wares that you stored down there.

It had been a year by then that you two started living in your new home. The days were filled with tending to the shop, the evenings with dinner, and enjoyment. Perhaps the most surprising thing to you was how well your store was going. You even had regulars who bought new houseplants or came by for a chat. You started learning their names, accepting cookies from them, and in return, hand out left-over baking or magazines.

You made new friends.

Rhys accepted you having a social life, despite always being with you when you were invited out. You never wholly lost the threat that he was, but his trust seemed to grow every day still. Suddenly, you had access to everything again, a phone, a laptop, your social contacts, going grocery shopping on your own. Knives to cut meat with.

Sure there were things to complain about, but you lived happier just not complaining. Rhys was happy, and so you were happy too. At least, the longer you told yourself that, the more you were able to believe it. What more could you have wanted, despite your life being this simple? Everything that was supposed to satisfy you was there. You lacked nothing. Rhys was like a mere shadow in the back of your mind now.

Or better said, he was the ring on your finger.

The marriage had been on a perfect, summer day by the sea. Everyone you loved had been with you, even though saying ‘yes’ had almost made you want to throw up back then. Some days were worse than others. Sometimes, it was just hard to accept it still. But most of them were good. You were safe, you were loved, you were happy.

Yes, happy. Happy.

Were you?

Now, a year later, you had gained back the reign over your thinking and body, stopped being so submissive and introverted. You could say what was on your mind and do what pleased you as long as he approved of it. There were barbeques to attend, coffees to drink, and a shop to tend to. Rhys was now your husband, but he was still trying his best to please you even after becoming that. The arguments were gone, the discussions over since you wouldn’t dare start any despite stating your opinions freely. He followed your instructions, and he still loved you deeply. Sex, too, had become enjoyable again.

Crazy, you thought. Crazy how life can change so much at all times if you stop fighting the inevitable.

Your eyes followed the man smiling softly as he browsed your wares. He was a regular. His name was Oskar. You liked him, he was very polite, oftentimes bashful when he spoke to you. But the smile he’d show and the spark in his eyes was the most sincere you had seen in a while. Despite only just moving here, he had become a regular, always buying this or that useless trinket on display.

Somehow, you thought he might have a different reason to come here than to actually shop.

“That’s all,” he confirmed to you at check-out, making barely any eye contact. He was just shy, you thought as you rang him up, telling him his total. “Actually…” he muttered as he handed you the money. Finally, you were allowed another glimpse into his hazel eyes, warm and comforting. They reminded you of someone, but you couldn’t wrap your mind around who. Someone you had tried to forget in the past.

“I wanted to ask if you’d like to have coffee sometime?”

Ah, you realized, it washing over you suddenly. By now, destroyed, put together again, and then married to the idiot that broke you in the first place, you wouldn’t have expected it. Expected someone else to actually come around and have any interest in you. But here Oskar was, wringing his hands and growing nervous with every second that you didn’t respond.

“Sure,” you said confidently, despite feeling almost dizzy, overwhelmed with the sudden spurt of emotions you felt. This almost felt new despite you knowing that you were very much capable of feeling other things besides your self-proclaimed happiness. Real happiness was like a drug, rushing through your veins immediately, getting you high. Someone being interested in you who you were also interested in, was an emotional rollercoaster that you had long tried to not drive for your own sake.

Using some wrapping paper, you jotted down your phone number, when suddenly, your mind drifted off. Now, it had been a long time since you thought about these things. Of a different life, different people around you. Doing what you wanted without the menace in the back of your head. Without having to think about the punishment, you’d receive if you did exactly what you wanted. But here someone was, unfamiliar with Rhys and, most importantly, uninfluenced by him. A person who cared for you, someone who actually tried to make an effort.

You blinked a few times before you proceeded to write down your number, adding the simple, delicate touch of a “Help me” beneath it. It was so subtle, you thought, it should be clear to anyone who saw it. Thus, you handed it to Oskar, his eyes shining up happily first before they darkened rapidly, staring at the paper in his hand.

Seconds passed, only the clock on the wall moving. You could watch his hand beginning to shake while you stood their unbudging. Oskar didn’t make any attempts to say or do anything. However, he began to look back and forth between you and the paper, and you felt your heart - your stone-hard, frozen over, completely undermined heart - beat a little faster at that.

So he understood. He really did understand.

Someone finally listened to you.

It was unfortunate that neither of you noticed Rhys come in from the back door, arm laying around your waist suddenly, making you flinch. That was the first mistake you made. It was way too obvious that you didn’t expect him. You were too lost in your mind to forget about Rhys, signaling him something was wrong. He kissed your cheek before greeting Oskar, who suddenly became nervous, quick to shove the paper from his hand into his pocket. Second mistake, Rhys’s eyes narrowed.

“What did you buy?” your husband asked, wanting to browse the goods. “O-Oh, nothing special!” Oskar quickly responded, reaching for the shopping bag before Rhys could.

“Really? Everything is special here, however…” Looking at you, Rhys waited before you hesitantly reciprocated his glance. You saw yourself reflecting in his eyes, looking like a punched dog already. Third mistake, your body language was just too submissive to lie to him. “We have better things in the basement, right, Babe?”

Gulping, you felt an instant wave of fear overcome you. The basement would never be a good place for you. “I’ve seen you around a few times, why don’t you come down with me and have a look at the goodies?” Rhys smiled at Oskar, putting on his kindest, most convincing grin. You were glad to see that Oskar was not stupid, looking at you first. But really, what could you do? There was no way to resist Rhys, and you didn’t want to experience the basement yourself when he was just so persistent on going there.

So you looked away, sealing another fate in favor of saving yourself.

“S-Sure,” Oskar mumbled. Perhaps, Rhys’s good acting was finally paying off. “Come on then,” he instructed, leading Oskar around the counter and opening the door for him. “Careful, it’s very dark,” Rhys chuckled as the man passed him. But instead of following right away, he took another moment to come up next to you, taking a deep breath. You waited for him to say something, to scold you, but he just breathed. All you could concentrate on where his breath and the clock on the wall, every second passing unnerving you more.

You lowered your head, gripping your left arm with your right hand as if you needed to put up a protective barrier in front of yourself. Only one of his hands reached to the small of your back, but you found no comfort as it merely lying there unmoving, Rhys towering next to you like a snake, waiting to jump and bite you to death any second now.

With his free hand, he reached for the drawer under the counter and in front of you. You moved away as he pulled it open, his hand always on your back like a threat. With the sound that only a very sharp, very beautiful blade would make when pulled out, he produced his favorite butcher knife, usually just there - if you believed him - for protective services.

“I love you,” Rhys mumbled, kissing the side of your forehead. “I do it because I love you. Don’t you ever forget that.”

You turned to him, slowly, desperate, and looked into these unnerving, yellow eyes of his, wondering how your life could have turned into this utter mess. A mess you even learned to accept. There was no telling how long you looked at him, but leaning into his direction, you kissed him, knowing it was on you now to soothe your lover’s mind, or it would be you who was going to receive the real punishment - worse than death - after he was done taking care of the ‘problem’ he had found.

“I love you more, Rhys.”

“I love you, most.”

♥

»»———————————— ♡ ————————————««

And we are done!

Thank you for joining 31 days of a boy turning into a yandere for you and the life you continue to live! And thanks to everyone who wasn’t interested in it at all but stuck around and bore with me this month. I am happy to return to my fandoms now but it felt good to do something on my own for a change, if that makes sense. Really helped not to lose my mind over having to write all kinds of requests like I struggled with before!

Thank you everyone for reading, hopefully you enjoyed the ride! Please let me know what you thought, I am very curious what your impressions were!

#Yantober #Yandere #Yandere Headcanons #Yandere Scenarios #Yandere Oneshot #yandere writing #yandere fanfiction #yandere oc #yandere x reader #yandere x darling #yandere x oc #yandere tw #Rhys #Rhys Aspen

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snkpolls · 4 years ago

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SnK Episode 62 Poll Results (for Manga Readers)

The poll closed with 314 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that these are the results for the Manga Readers’ poll. If you wish to see the results for the Anime Only Watchers’ poll, click here.

RATE THE EPISODE 303 Responses

There was an interesting contrast this week between anime only viewers’ and manga readers’ reaction to the episode. Anime only viewers overwhelmingly felt positively about the episode. But for manga manga readers, many of the cuts in the anime dampened their enjoyment of the episode, and for some ruined it entirely. Still, overall, the episode got positive reception, even if it wasn’t overwhelmingly enthusiastic.

a little rushed but still very enjoyable. it defo got the point across about Reiner's struggles

It was... Fine. I'll give it a solid 8/10 on emotional value and finally seeing these chapters animated. But accepting that the anime and manga are not the same and that there will be cuts is hard.

Wasn't very good. The cut scenes really hurt the pacing and overall story.

i thought the pacing was way too fast :(

Stunning. Beautiful

Another great episode. My only criticisms are the music that was used at the beginning of the episode, which didn't really work, and the cuts but I understand why that had to happen.

Disappointing

Impeccable. The adaption was both efficient and emotionally effective. Zero misses so far - I'm officially a MAPPA ho.

Really great! Feels different from the manga and makes me excited for future episodes, because even if it's not perfect, we will always have the original material + some fun new scenes that the anime is adding, can't wait for more

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING MOMENTS WAS YOUR FAVORITE? 304 Responses

The much-anticipated scene where we learn amputee-kun is actually Eren was the most favored of the episode, with 37.5% of the vote. Following behind that with more narrow margins were the introduction to Marley’s titans, Annie and Reiner’s fight and Reiner’s suicide attempt.

The first part was very rushed and I wasn't as impressed by it. But I was very impressed by the second part of the episode once the warrior kids made it to paradise. I also very much enjoyed how they animated the scene of Annie taking out her anger on Reiner after Marcel's death. There was just something about the use of colours that really appealed to me.

The Reiner and Annie fight and Reiner's suicide disturbed me a lot more this time around, partially because I haven't read the chapters in a while, but this is easily one of my favorite episodes now.

WE GOT THE FULL ED LAST WEEK. AFTER SEEING IT IN ITS ENTIRETY, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT NOW? 294 Responses

The majority of the fandom are enjoying the new ending, with 65.6% loving both the song and the animation. 11.2% are enjoying the song… but not so much the animation. 11.9% feel that it’s “just okay.” Some are enjoying the animation, but not the song, and a few more dislike both.

The song and the animation are truly beautiful and gorgeous. I couldn't imagine better. It is always so peaceful after the full of emotions episode.

Beautiful song, although the bit with the streaks of shiny animation look like 480p and are a little boring.

I didn't see it

Bold of you to assume I watch the EDs and don't just skim ahead to the preview.

i'm not interested in the ending

There was a half ED?

ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 5, HOW MUCH DID YOU ENJOY THE SEQUENCE INTRODUCING ALL OF MARLEY’S TITANS? 303 Responses

A very tiny fraction of voters weren’t impressed with the way MAPPA executed the scene that introduces us to the Marley titans and why each warrior was picked for the titans they received. However, the majority of respondents felt very positively about the scene, with 221 even feeling they, too, will become a titan as a result of the awesomeness.

I really liked the marley titan montage but why the hell were the female titan's boobs so big? It looked so out of poportion

It was awesome and I loved the introduction to the Titans

OUT OF ALL THE TITANS THE MARLEY MILITARY HAD 9 YEARS AGO, WHICH ONE WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE? 299 Responses

Whether it’s for practicality or aesthetic reasons, we all have different titans that appeal to us more than others. This race was a close one, with the Female Titan holding on just slightly over the Jaw Titan in terms of favoritism. The Armored Titan came in at a distant third with the Beast Titan and Colossal closely behind. Only a very small fraction would like to inherit the Cart Titan from Piku-chan.

WHICH OG WARRIOR CANDIDATE WOULD YOU WANT TO ADOPT? 299 Responses

Overall, the majority (29.1%) wouldn’t want to adopt any of the OG warrior crew, whether because the responsibility is too much or because they don’t like kids at all (or perhaps, a missing third option being they don’t like any of them). But for those who would happily take on one of the OG warrior kiddos, 24.1% would most like to take Reiner home (and probably give him lots of hugs). 21.1% adore little Pieck and would shower her with parental love forever. 9.7% probably want to pinch little Bertolt’s cheeks, and 8.4% wish they’d adopted Annie instead of her father.

A LOT OF THE SHIGANSHINA BREACH HAS REUSED WIT ANIMATION FROM PAST EPISODES - THOUGHTS? 303 Responses

The majority of respondents felt positively enough about seeing WIT’s S1 style mixed in with MAPPA’s, with 42.9% feeling it flowed together well enough, and 26.4% understanding why they didn’t reanimate the event (despite preferring it if they had). 11.2% don’t care at all, and 8.6% think it was way too jarring. There are some who are reminded that they miss WIT’s style, and others who have a continued appreciation for MAPPA.

KAJI YUKI HAS LOWERED HIS VOICE A BIT TO DEPICT AN OLDER EREN. THOUGHTS? 301 Responses

Overall, nearly everyone seems to be pleased with Kaji Yuki’s more “mature” sounding Eren, with 76.4% feeling he is portraying an older and more jaded Eren perfectly. 11.6% are lost in their lust for a 2D drawing and are focused entirely on that (we understand lol). A few are simply indifferent to the lower tone, and a smaller percentage just prefer Eren’s voice prior to the timeskip.

Anime onlys can spot him more difficult, which I like

Made sense to me, he’s not a teenager anymore after all, plus works better for this “new” Eren who’s less angry and shouty all the time.

I didn't even notice lol

Eren is adult so changing his voice was a very good choice. I like his new sound.

It was stupid that he ever talked so low before now. He was fifteen and he sounded like an adult, well they all do that bc it's standard anime shit but it makes it even harder when they become real adults.

NOW HE REALLY SOUNDS LIKE KENMA 🔥

WE’VE LOST COUNT OF HOW MANY TIMES WE’VE SEEN MARCEL GET EATEN. BUT OF THE OPTIONS BELOW, WHO DID IT BEST? 296 Responses

Seeing Marcel get eaten 2000 times seems to be a running gag at this point, so naturally we had to include this question. Whether it’s recency bias or objectively true, 44.6% feel that MAPPA’s take on Marcel’s death was the best. 30.4% feel that Isayama’s more recent art style truly does Marcel the most justice. 14.2% liked the way WIT Studio portrayed the scene and 10.8% like Isayama’s older, more grungy art style.

RIP Marcel

DO YOU THINK THAT REINER WAS CORRECT, THAT MARLEY WOULD HAVE HAD ALL OF RBA EATEN IF THEY HAD FOUND YMIR AND RETURNED HOME IMMEDIATELY? 292 Responses

In the hypothetical scenario that Reiner hadn’t convinced Annie and Bertolt to stay on the island, the majority feel that Reiner was wrong in his assessment that they would be executed practically on-site. 55.1% believe that the idea would have been out in the open, but ultimately rejected. Though, 35.6% feel that Marley is too ruthless and uncaring toward Eldians to care what the situation is, and would absolutely hand over their titans to others deemed more capable. Very few felt Marley would be understanding by default. Many write-ins feel that Reiner is the only one who would have been executed for the failure.

Depends on if B/A emphasize that it was Reiner’s fault rather than their own.

If all of RBA got eaten then I think they wouldn’t use kids for their next attempt. Maybe teens around the age RBA were after training in Paradis military

Magath would have pointed out how wasteful it would have been, but probably even him couldn't have saved reiner

He was wrong. What would be the point of feeding them to other children, if they were the best candidates? Too much of work.

Reiner said that there's a possibility that they couldn't find Ymir even if they try. He has a point. But I don't think Marley would have RBA eaten even if they lose Jaw.

They wouldn't go through with it because they seem to lack other qualified warrior candidates.

I think Magath and maybe Zeke would have tried to convince the government to not go through with it and that Reiner might have been the only one sacrificed.

Obviously. They would have indisputable proof that sending a bunch of kids to carry out a massively important mission is the dumbest shit they could have ever done and immediately they'd put the titans into older soldiers.

They'd let them live a few more years just for propaganda and used them for other battles, then they'd have them killed around their midterm.

Possibly, but they put a lot of time, effort, and money into training their warriors. It would be a big decision to execute all of them and start over. Maybe they would have executed Reiner as an example.

WHAT’S THE FORECAST FOR TONIGHT? 295 Responses

In our least-serious question of the poll, we asked you guys to try and predict the weather based on Bertolt’s sleeping pose. 18.3% believe his legs-on-the-wall pose means clear skies, 13.9% are certain it means rain. 13.6% are confident in an overcast night. At 11.5% foresee storms coming and 11.2% think it’s gonna be snow. 18% are probably just annoyed with the question. A few write-ins pointed out that Bertolt was, indeed, sleeping in the Hanged Man Pose.

It’s gonna be partly guilt ridden old man with a 90% chance of suicide by hanging

Blood and guts

HOW IS THAT EVEN COMFORTABLE?

Let's just call it hail

Hanged man posture, dreamed about the old man

raining titans

No one can make me like the warriors even if I don't blame them for what they were forced to do as kids. idc what quirky habits they have.

There'll be clear skies for some time but don't be deceived, heavy rain is incoming

This was amazing because it's a reference to The Hanging Man on Tarot cards: he's willingly being hanged for his sins. Look it up, it's so cool.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT MAPPA CUTTING A GOOD CHUNK OF REINER’S TRAINING? 302 Responses

With only 20(ish) minutes to fit in all of Reiner’s backstory, cuts were inevitable. MAPPA made the decision to nerf most of Reiner’s struggles training as a Warrior Cadet (among a couple other more lengthy scenes during and after the wall breach). 62.9% are sad that some of these scenes didn’t make the cut, but also understand that we can’t have it all. 13.2% actually preferred seeing Reiner’s backstory in MAPPA’s condensed version, while 12.9% feel it completely ruins the characterization of the warriors.

I don't even remember what was cut 😂

Slightly ruined the warriors’ characterisations (especially Reiner’s)

I thought they could have shown a bit more about Reiner's underdog, it's something that really made me sympathise with him in the manga.

Kinda disappointed, since some scenes were essential for a little background on their lives

Honestly, even after all the cuts and the restrains it tells the story of a "warrior", Reiner.

Mappa fucked RBA backstory and I would bet it's because they are biased towards Eren and 104th...

I wouldn't say it ruined their characterisation, but it did leave it a lot more shallow. I would've loved to see those scenes animated, but I also realise that things will have to be cut to fit everything in, and I think these cuts still preserve the forward momentum of the story reasonably well.

The important scenes were animated, so it's good that way

MAPPA cannot animate every panel and the best will be, if fandom finally understands that. Every episode has limited amount of time and MAPPA is doing everything they can to make episodes good and easy to understand for anime onlies. I was fine with cutting because I know that episodes aren't long and there are more important stuff to animate than every part of training.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT NOT SEEING ANNIE PARTICIPATING IN THE FIRST WALL BREACH? 298 Responses

MAPPA completely glossed over Annie’s role in the wall breach, showing her being choked by Reiner and then waking up in the refugee camp later. 40.9% state they would have preferred seeing Annie play her part in the mission, though they accept that it isn’t there. 34.6% are concerned that those who don’t read the manga will just be confused as to where Annie was during all of the chaos (Oh no! Did RB leave her passed out in the fields!?). 16.1% are simply just disappointed altogether. A small fraction felt it wasn’t necessary anyway and have no problems with the cut.

I feel kinda iffy about it because that was one of my favorite parts of the chapter, but oh well... it is what it is.

Kenny's scene should be eliminated.

I mean it's not like the female titan could destroy the walls herself. I think nobody expects it and then her absence makes sense

Yams did an oopsie in the first place retconing

It really confused me lol for a moment I completely forgot what she even did in the manga and had to reread

KNOWING NOW THAT ANNIE IS ACTUALLY ADOPTED, DOES THE JOKE ABOUT HER BEING KENNY’S LOST DAUGHTER HIT DIFFERENTLY NOW? 299 Responses

We learn after Annie comes out of the crystal that her father is actually an adoptive parent. Annie, in an attempt to cover up why she’s stalking Kenny in the underground, claims (or jokes) that she was born to a brothel worker and is Kenny’s lost daughter. We asked if this made the joke any less funny to readers, though most of them didn’t think so at all. Only 14% of respondents say the new knowledge actually makes it a little sad. Some people forgot entirely that Annie is adopted and voiced their confusion in the write-ins.

wait,,,,, she.,,,, she's adopted ??? wha- how did i completely forget about this

Kenny's gay anyway so it's impossible! Sorry, Annie :/

I don't really get this joke tbh 😅 Do people think she and Kenny look alike?

We're all Kenny's lost daughter

It just brings into question her true parentage, like how she can scream summon other Titans and if that’s a royal blood thing or not. But probably doesn’t matter since it hasn’t come up in the manga yet

I hadn't thought about it before today.

She's adopted?!?

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT MAPPA’S EXECUTION OF REINER’S ATTEMPTED SUICIDE? 302 Responses

With such a weighty scene, execution is of utmost importance. So we were curious if you guys felt that MAPPA hit the mark. Overall, MAPPA’s take on this scene got positive responses from the fandom, with 42.4% feeling they felt about the same as they did when the scene came up in the manga. 26.5% actually thought that MAPPA did a better job with the scene, whereas 26.2% felt that Isayama’s original take on the scene is still superior.

I think that while the manga's intent is for the reader to feel Reiner's pain and emotions during what he thought were his last moments, the anime focuses much more on making it disturbing and depressing (both taking into account the same things, just choosing to highlight different aspects of the scene). Not a bad change but I prefer the manga's portayal, it made me feel so much more attached to Reiner

Actual scene was good, but the build up was lacking.

I really liked the flipping back and forth

Not nearly as emotional as I expected

The lighting was so good in the anime version.

Bruh we needed the flashbacks cause they depicted Reiner's journey and regrets

I think it was more impactful in the manga, but MAPPA did it amazing too

The scene looked more serious but the building of the characters didn't live up for the moment.

It impacted me differently than in the manga. I prefer the manga scene, but the anime's was still really good

I was worried about it being overly censored so I’m glad it wasn’t

The execution was about the same, but it had a bigger impact when you read it for the first time

The drool was a great touch

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING CUTS WERE YOU DISAPPOINTED DIDN’T MAKE THE EPISODE? 292 Responses

While we shouldn’t dwell on cuts too much, there will still be things that people are disappointed didn’t make it into the anime. The scenes which were most missed this week were Annie’s role in the wall breach, Reiner passing along a tired Annie over to Bertolt atop the wall, RBA discussing their infiltration plans in the field (also known as the tree-uprooting scene), seeing Bertolt, Annie and Marcel surpassing Reiner in their training, and Reiner breaking up Eren and Jean’s fight (noticing Annie is exhausted). Well, at least the manga still exists, right?

I wish they didnt cut some of the flashbacks right before Reiner tried to kill himself.

Really great episode, but Bertholdt looking up at the wall before breaking it was such an iconic panel, I'm a bit sad

Any cuts are a negative. I dont care how much it makes sense for the anime onlies, I just wish they somehow incorporate some of the small slice of life scenes that made the Marley arc special.

Truly loved it despite cuts and pacing, but just wish we could’ve seen that tree uprooting scene!

I still hold the sentiment that Mappa is cutting way too much from these episodes. The amount of small details getting cut from every chapter/episode results in losing out on smaller moments that in my opinion have a real impact. While I understand a 1 to 1 replica might not be possible, the amount of cuts is too much imo. Missing out on nearly all of RBA assaulting Shiganshina was a huge disappointment, and less Falco and Gabi scenes makes it tough for me to connect to them. Talking to my Anime-only friends though, they are very into this season, so I'm glad to hear it works for them.

I'm not necessarily sad they cut so much, I feel like as an Anime only I wouldn't have noticed! The only thing I wish that had been kept was Annie's involvement in the destruction of wall Maria.

I was sad they cut stuff but that’s inevitable. The only cut I’m sad about is the scene before Bertholdt breaks the wall.

some of the cuts made sense, some made other scenes kind of occur out of nowhere, like annie with kenny.

SO FAR, WE’VE LOST A FEW INTERACTIONS BETWEEN FALCO AND GABI AND SOME MOMENTS WHERE FALCO IS BLUSHING OVER HER. DO YOU THINK THIS WILL LESSEN THE IMPACT OF HIS EVENTUAL LOVE CONFESSION TO HER? 296 Responses

While the Falbi romance isn’t a major focal point of the series, it does play a big part in their storyline and overall character development as their involvement in the plot increases. MAPPA has had to let a few scenes go, so we were curious if manga readers felt it would lessen the impact of Falco’s inevitable confession just before the rumbling starts. 31.4% feel that the anime is doing just fine at portraying Falco’s feelings. 28.4% feel the impact will be lessened, but that it’s fine due to it being a minor plot point anyway. 14.5% are upset about the missing pieces and 11.8% think MAPPA will make up for it later. Smaller groups of voters either don’t understand why Falco likes Gabi or just don’t care.

I'm more dissapointed about Zofia and Udo getting cut than those two.

Kid romance is lame anyway

It's not gonna hit like the manga but it's still pretty important plot imo

What works on paper doesn't always work animated, they're doing ok

I hate gabi gahh

It is obvious he likes her anyway

Not really, they've established he has a big crush on her since he pretty much came out and told it to Eren

DO YOU THINK MAPPA DID A GOOD JOB OF HIDING EREN IN PLAIN SIGHT? 297 Responses

We failed to ask this question last week, but it still applied well to this week’s episode. When it came to anime only fans, we wondered whether manga readers felt MAPPA did a good job at making him as mysterious to anime watchers as Isayama did to us manga readers. 40.1% felt that MAPPA did a great job, as many anime watchers didn’t seem to catch on. 25.6% feel that they didn’t do any worse or better than Isayama did. 13.8% feel MAPPA did not do as well as Isayama, as some anime watchers easily caught on. 9.4% think they did completely awful at pretending it’s not Eren. Some write-ins felt we couldn’t objectively judge this as we already knew it was Eren anyway.

I think the voice gave it away the most. The sneaky animation was great!

Hard to answer because chapters were a month apart while episodes are weekly and I’ve already read the manga when it came out

well, I can't say much about this. since I know he is eren, I was just focusing on how Kaji Yuki will handle this important speech

They even didn't try to hide him. I'm disappointed because I wanted anime onlines to feel what we - manga readers - felt, when after few chapters we found that the hobo man was Eren.

I honestly didn't even realize he was supposed to be hidden from the readers/viewers at this point. It was so obviously him in the manga and the anime. Genuinely confused by how many people did not catch on.

Watching some reactors they were like "...wait...that *looks* like Eren...but his leg is amputated...his leg would've grown back??" but as soon as you heard his voice it was instantaneous

I, being a manga reader, had a hard time getting how you couldn't see that it was Eren, but some of my friend only got it at the last scene.

Hard to say. WIth the manga, it took me a few reads to catch on, but now that I KNOW, it's hard to say anything.

Yes, I'm watching the episodes with my anime-only friend and he still hasn't figured it out

I think they did a good job, but with anime being the medium it was easier to guess due to both hair/eye color and voice.

It was nice, I was actually surprised that some of my anime only friends didn't even realize that it was Eren talking to Falco this episode

When Eren was finally revealed in the manga, I was *shocked! I had *no clue that was him! I think the anime did a great job, but of course had to reveal him sooner. It was perfect both in manga and anime imo.

It's obviously him once you see his eyes, but I don't think that the animation team were trying to make it a big shock reveal, they want this scene to say "this is probably Eren, but can you be 100% sure" to keep anime onlys engaged and reassure them that the main cast is still relevant.

Yes, but the manga hid him better, it took me way too long to realise it was him while reading

HOW WAS KAJI YUKI’S DELIVERY ON EREN’S SPEECH TO FALCO? 299 Responses

The vast majority of respondents were very pleased with Kaji Yuji’s delivery on one of Eren’s most prominent speeches. 38.1% felt it was exactly as they had hoped it would be. 28.1% were extremely happy, and feel that any delivery by Kaji Yuki as Eren will be 100% spot-on. 24.7% are simply just content with it. Smaller fragments of respondents just wanted to voice their thirst, or felt that the delivery could have been better.

Better than I could have ever imagined

I don't really care

Eren is the best main character ever

Not my native language so I can't really tell how good it is, but Kaji's delivery seemed about right

It was a bit fast but good

Very good. You get a real sense of how clueless but trying to be tough Eren really is.

EREN TELLS FALCO HE HOPES FALCO LIVES A LONG LIFE. KNOWING WHAT WE DO NOW, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT HIM SAYING THIS? 298 Responses

Eren already knows he will bring destruction upon the world, so it’s a wonder why he would bother telling Falco he hopes Falco will have a long life. 64.8% believe that he truly means it from the bottom of his heart, despite knowing his future actions will likely affect Falco. 10.7% believe he said this because he has already seen that Falco will survive the Rumbling. 10.1% aren’t really sure what to make of it at all. Smaller numbers of people think Eren was only trying to gain Falco’s trust and didn’t mean it at all, or believe that Falco will take part in Eren’s eventual demise and Eren is already aware of that.

He saw him in his memories so imma believe what he says

I'm sure there is part of Eren that hopes for a good long life for Falco. Just like there was part of him that couldn't help but save the refugee kid. But that doesn't mean he isn't any less dedicated to his plan to genocide a whole lot of people. He has his conflicts, but in the end he's still going ahead with the attack on the square and later with the rumbling.

I think it's the same deal as him saving the immigrant kid when he knew that he would die in the rumbling.

In an ideal world Eren would want *everyone* to live a long life--he's been portrayed as someone who cries and disassociates while he commits his genocide so we're meant to understand he doesn't enjoy it. Sadly it doesn't matter what he hopes or wants when he's decided murdering everyone is what has to be done..

THE PREVIEW SHOWED PIECK AND PORCO NEXT TO REINER AT THE DAYTIME FESTIVAL. THIS WAS NOT IN THE MANGA. WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS MEANS ABOUT POSSIBLE ANIME-ONLY ADDITIONS? 298 Responses

Many of our respondents seem to be looking forward to Pieck and Porco’s inclusion in the daytime festival. 47% are hopeful that this will mean some wholesome bonding scenes between the Warriors and the kids. 26.5% don’t know what to make of it, but are looking forward to it nonetheless. A handful of people think it will be similar to how WIT included Sasha in the Clash arc - adding minor details without changing anything in the story-line. 7% wish that MAPPA wasn’t doing this at all, and 5% are hopeful this means that MAPPA will find a way to repurpose Pieck crawling on all fours next episode.

I still want Pieck butt

IN THAT SAME VEIN, IT SEEMS LIKE EPISODE 4 WILL ADAPT CHAPTERS 97 AND 98, ENDING ON THE FINAL PANEL OF 98. HOWEVER, THE VAST MAJORITY OF CHAPTER 97 WAS ALREADY ADAPTED IN LAST WEEK’S EPISODE. WHAT WILL THIS MEAN FOR EPISODE 4? 293 Responses

Who wants to place bets on the contents of next episode? While the largest chunk of people don’t know what to expect in episode 4, others are happy to speculate. 19.8% feel (or are at least hopeful) that MAPPA will fill in some screen time by repurposing already-skipped scenes. 19.1% feel that there will be minor additions, but not too much. A solid 16% feel that there will be a few anime only additions during the daytime festival. 10.9% are placing bets that episode 4 will actually bleed into chapter 100 before the end.

Mappa won't have to cut a lot of stuff like they did to ep 3

The title "From One Hand to Another" immediately made me think we would actually be getting Eren grasping Reiner's hand and transforming at the end (meaning chapters 100 and 101), but that's just so much. The title may just refer to Magath and Willy's handshake.

What about just enjoying the show?

WHICH SCENE FROM THE PREVIEW ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? 298 Responses

As expected of the fandom! Reiner and Eren’s reunion is the most anticipated scene for episode 4, with 74.8% having voted for that. 17.1% are most looking forward to the daytime festival, and 6% are excited to meet Willy in anime form for the first time. One commenter is very invested in the banquet and how it’s executed.

Not this ep but if they cut the Udo and Kiyomi scene I'll RIOT!

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

I'm upset so much was cut from Reiner's backstory but the cinematography is freakin' excellent I can't even complain

*cheers MAPPA animators for their hard work* ... Perfect for anime onlies, I think. Made me almost wish I hadn't read the manga so I wouldn't have missed the cut scenes.

Cuts aside, the animation was much better than the previous episodes.

"The one scene I really wanted was Bertholdt looking over the wall and seeing the EMA trio. Of all the cuts, I think that was the only one that was damaging to the story. I also kind of wish that MAPPA animated the reused scenes. I kind of like comparing and contrasting the animation styles of both studios so its a bit of shame that we didn't get anything new from Episode 1.

I'm really impressed with how much MAPPA is managing to squeeze in each episode and I'm content that Reiner's flashback was covered in a single episode rather than two. It just makes sense pacing-wise. The only real criticism I have is that in the flashback scenes where everyone is supposed to be 12 years old, they don't sound 12 at all. Their voices are way too mature, especially the males, and I understand they're voiced by adults, but I feel like they could have at least tried to sound more like kids. Other than that, great episode.

Elaborating on the missing content: they really shouldn’t have cut Annie’s transformation prior to wall Maria being breached. It makes it look like Reiner choked her out and then a minute later bert was kicking the wall through.

I'm in the boat, where i think it wouldve been better if Mappa didnt cut out so much, but considering what there is to cover, we will live,but i hope they dont end up butchering everything Also the bit with reiner’s dad would be confusing to anime-onlies since it cross-cuts between that scene and him on the parade. I’ve seen some reactors think it was a daydream, or that he left during the parade.

It was quite rushed, but I understand why they did it, the flashback wouldn't have been as impactful over 2 episodes, and I do think when the Marley arc was first introduced in the manga, manga readers were quite inpatient to get back to the main cast, so they might be feeding off that feedback.

Mappa has become my favorite studio of all time. Not just in regards to anime, but studios in general. Their discography is on another level (imo) and the fact that on top of every other masterpiece they’ve made, they’re doing an outstanding job with my favorite series of all time just solidifies them as the first and probably the only anime studio that I can truly Stan.

Lots of (I think) Important stuff cut, but the meat is still in place. I like my meat to be juicy and marbled, while Mappa cut out all the fat that makes for a flavorful meal. I completely understand why and I am apathetic about it.

disliked the fact the wall breach was so quickly glossed over, and the transition between mappa and wit style was jarring to say the least

Regardless of the cuts, i think it flows together nicely. The anime has always been more speedy than the manga so i kind of expected this. I don't think it'll get as bad as s3 part 1 in terms of pacing. I trust in Mappa, so far i haven't been disappointed at all. The animation and backgrounds are absolutely stunning. That warrior titan sequence was incredibly well done. Props to the animators!

It was a bit confusing mishmash of scenes, but there were some good moments sprinkled in like the introduction of all of Marley's titans. The emotional reactions, however, just weren't the same as they were when reading the manga, to be honest.

I’m really glad they cut the part with RBA hanging onto Female/Armoured neck by a rope. That whole thing seemed stupid to me. Doesn’t match up with previous chapters and I feel like SOMEONE would have noticed two kids hanging onto the Armoured Titan’s neck.

I think MAPPA is doing a really good job so far, can't wait to see the battle in Liberio. I'm not bothered at all with the CG titans because firstly, they look really good, and secondly, I understand why they had to do it. I also hope they don't censor many things or cut out some dark scenes that are important to the season because I would love to see everything animated.

Felt like watching a recap episode... And it wasn't supposed to be one, so

I'm really dissapointed that mappa cut so many things from manga. Reiner's backstory is my favoure part of snk. Suicide scene completly lacks impact.

I really dislike the fact that MAPPA is trying to show only bad side of the marleyan officers. They removed the gate guards, they removed the scene where Magath is telling RBA to stay safe (on Paradis). One of the best parts of the manga is showing that the both races (Eldians and Marleyans) have good and bad sides. By removing positive aspects of Marleyans MAPPA is creating totally different picture. This way the anime onlines may find the whole rumbling even more justified. The episode was pretty good and the OST has made some scenes to feel more dark and serious (especially the moment where the new titans are introduced), but sometimes I feel like the characters are speaking and acting way too fast. I was waiting for the scene with Kenny and Annie, but it took only like few second and was cut. I love MAPPA's version of Kenny. He has more serious aura and looks more like his manga counterpart. In other words; wrinkled grandpa with skinny neck :)

It honestly wasn’t my favorite, but I still loved it. I feel as though they skipped around a lot and there wasn’t a lot of scenes that actually tied together and I’m worried anime only watchers might get confused. Definitely some of the stuff I wanted to see animated didn’t make the cut, but I still love the animation style, the characters and the story!

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 285 Responses

Thank you to everyone who participated! We’ll see you again next episode.

#snk poll #snk polls #shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #snk #aot #snk spoilers #snk s4

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lady-wallace · 4 years ago

Text

Whumptober Day 14: “Is Something Burning?” (Good Omens)

Day Fourteen: Is Something Burning

Prompts used: Branding, fire

Fandom: Good Omens

Read on Ao3

Read on FF.net

~~~~~~~~

It was a common misconception that fire didn't hurt demons.

Crowley wished that it was not, in fact, a misconception, especially now that he was facing down Hastur with a burning brand, held between two thick chains somewhere deep down in Hell.

It was even worse, this punishment, because Crowley still contested the fact that it had at all been his fault, what they were blaming him for. After all, how was he supposed to know the target he was supposed to be leading down the path to destruction would choose to do the right thing? Humans were just like that sometimes. You never could tell what they were going to do.

Demons, for the most part, didn't really seem to understand this.

Obviously.

"Come on, Hastur," Crowley pleaded, trying to keep his voice from showing just how nervous he really was. "You know I've learned my lesson. Is this really necessary?"

The demon smirked and it was not a pleasant sight. Crowley's heart sank.

"That's what you say, but I know that if I don't do something you'll be back at your little tricks again within a fortnight."

"No tricks!" Crowley protested, feeling the heat of the brand that was hovering ever closer to his face. "It was a one-time thing! I'll work harder at the tempting next time. I promise!"

"You've already had too many strikes for us to show leniency," Hastur told him firmly, but not without a certain amount of glee in his voice. "And really, I need to get my enjoyment somewhere."

"Of course you do," Crowley sighed wearily, resigning himself.

Sometimes, he really hated his job.

Another demon came over and grabbed Crowley by the hair, wrenching his head to one side to expose his neck.

Hastur grinned wickedly as he brought the brand of holy fire up to Crowley's face first, making sure he could see the red iron and feel the heat, then he slowly pressed it against the skin of his neck.

Crowley howled despite himself, and barely realized when Hastur had pulled it away. He slumped in his chains before he was released. Hastur patted his neck over the spot, causing Crowley to yelp again.

"Good boy. That will be a reminder for the next week, to do a better job next time."

Crowley pulled himself to his feet, biting his tongue against the pain and shuffled out.

He really, really hated Hell sometimes.

XXX

Aziraphale glanced over at Crowley while they stood in St. James, feeding the ducks. The demon looked a lot more miserable than usual. And the angel found it odd that he was wearing a turtleneck sweater and a scarf despite it being a rather mild day. Of course, Crowley was wont to get cold, but it was still unusual.

He was also rather dour, slinking along and not adding much to the conversation.

"Perhaps we should go back to my shop for something to drink," Aziraphale finally said, after realizing Crowley wasn't even listening to what he was saying for the last several minutes.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure."

"My dear, is something wrong?" Aziraphale asked as they started back to the Bentley.

"No," Crowley said a little too quickly.

Aziraphale pursed his lips together, but decided to drop it for now. He would find out eventually though, because this was not like Crowley at all and he was beginning to become worried.

By the time they got back to the shop, Aziraphale went to make tea, and when he came back to the back room with it, he found Crowley still in his coat and scarf.

"Crowley, you can relax, dear boy. If it's that cold in here, I'll turn the heater on."

Crowley looked a little sheepish, but at least unwound his scarf, though he left it draped around his shoulders.

Aziraphale set his cup down on the coffee table and sighed. He reached out to whisk Crowley's scarf off, as the demon made a noise of protest.

"Oi!"

But he cringed, flinching away, a hand fluttering to his neck, looking to be more in pain than annoyed.

"Crowley?" Aziraphale inquired, frowning now. "Whatever is the matter?"

"S'nothing," Crowley mumbled, reaching for the tea, but Aziraphale saw something peeking from under his collar as he leaned forward.

"Then what is this?" the angel demanded, reaching out to tug the collar down.

Crowley tried to shy away, but Aziraphale had already seen it.

It was obviously a burn, bright red against Crowley's pale skin, but what was more horrifying was that it seemed to be a brand, bearing the resemblance of a pitchfork—rather cliché, but that didn't make it hurt any less.

"Oh, Crowley!" Aziraphale gasped. "Whatever happened?"

"It's not your problem, angel," Crowley said wearily, leaning away and wincing as his collar scraped against the burn again.

"But it's obviously bothering you, and it looks like it hurts quite a bit. At least let me put something on it."

Crowley opened his mouth to protest but Aziraphale was already up, running to fetch a first-aid kit.

Ignoring Crowley's protests, he rolled his collar down and started to carefully clean the burn.

Crowley was silent through the whole thing, seeming almost embarrassed, or even mortified. Aziraphale took a deep breath before he spoke. "I know that this is some form of punishment," he said. "You don't have to tell me, but I am sorry."

"Ngk," Crowley muttered noncommittally.

"Truth be told, I didn't really know that fire could hurt demons," Aziraphale commented.

Crowley sighed. "It doesn't unless we want it to," he said. "We're immune to Hellfire unless it's part of a punishment. Then there's a special kind that can be used particularly to…teach a lesson."

Aziraphale pressed his lips together, angry despite himself. He knew a good bit about punishments himself. After all, Gabriel wasn't entirely the most forgiving angel to work under, but this seemed cruel.

"It will heal, right?" he asked, worried Crowley would bear the mark forever.

"Yes, it will be gone within a week," Crowley said. "But it won't heal at all before then."

"How horrid," Aziraphale said, even more angry.

"It is a punishment angel," he said, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. "It's not supposed to be nice."

"I know, but…still," Aziraphale said and huffed, pulling out a tube of burn cream and applying some to a swatch of gauze. "It's cruel."

"It's Hell."

And that was fair, he supposed.

Finally, Crowley bit his lip. "It wasn't even my fault. The guy, my target, he just decided to do the right thing. I had no control over it but my mission failed anyway."

"Oh, Crowley, I'm sorry."

"Honestly? I'm not. Not really. The guy wasn't cut out for it. And he did a good thing. I can't really hate him for it."

Aziraphale finished with the gauze and rolled Crowley's collar back over the spot carefully. "Well, perhaps some good came out of this then, despite everything."

"Yes, perhaps you're right." Crowley sighed and shifted. "Thanks, angel."

"Of course, dear," Aziraphale said. "Any time."

Though he really wished neither of them had to worry about punishment, he supposed that as long as they both continued to look after each other, they would be okay.

#whumptober2020 #no.14 #is something burning?#branding #fire #my fics #good omens #fanfiction #Crowley whump #caring aziraphale #punishment #hurt/comfort #friendship

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ziggyzagreus · 4 years ago

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Love is Like Sailing by Moonlight

[Pairing: Charon/Hermes - Fandom: Hades (Video Game)]

[Rating: No Rating Applied]

[Fic Type: SFW Drabble, poetry-inspired]

[AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28786359 ]

[Summary: How does one describe the face of the universe?

Hermes saw the face of the universe and gasped in its wake. He drifted up to press warm lips to solid bone, that bone so familiar. For nothing had been different, and he kissed now to inhale dark fumes that tasted of promise and peace and a love most genuine.]

[Note: Inspired by "No One But You" by Erutan! I definitely recommend giving that song a listen after you read! It shaped this whole fic.]

~~~

How does one describe the face of the universe?

It is a magnificent thing. When one gazes up to the stars at night, to the billions on billions, the universe itself stretches further than can be counted and so out of reach that it defies the mind’s ability to comprehend its truth. The universe is vast, an expanse held so exactly in a balance of reality and fiction, of beauty and terror, that one could lose themselves in it as time abandons their soul for a lonesome wanderer.

But the recognition goes fast. The universe is something that awes the young once in a while – when their changing, growing, learning consciousness takes in any and all that it can, yet finds a moment of repose. A crane of the head backwards on a hike home, sheep over the shoulder on the rocky cliffsides of the Mediterranean with the waves crashing a constant pulse far below. The changing mind takes a moment to regard this impossibility, the expanse of the face of the universe before them, and ponders. This admiration is fleeting, dismissed to younger years and bigger dreams.

As the age passes for a mortal being, they turn their gazes down from the heavens and towards their feet, walking sandalled on dusty, cracked ground in a march towards the sea. As age passes for a mortal being they begin to ignore the face of the universe, becoming busy with their momentary life even when the complexity should prove evermore a reason to look to the stars for comfort.

Instead, there is less time. Mortal life is demanding, little peace worming its way back to the mind of the surviving being of the surface. There is less time to ponder, and less quiet amidst the busy in which to do so.

And perhaps the busiest, the swiftest of all beings had only seen the face of the universe a handful of times in his immortal life.

In the beginning, Hermes guided the mortal souls passed on to the grandest longboat awaiting them on the River Styx, and would be swathed in the light of the boatman’s true face. The face of the universe, so vast and endless, it was no wonder the veils of the living and dead parted for this being and that curtain be conducted by his whims. Hermes would see this light, and he would smile; first at his associate, then at the trembling mortal shades beside him.

Hermes had grown accustomed to telling white lies, whispered nothings to calm those poor shades’ nerves – Your life was beautiful. They will remember you well. You died with honor. You were not alone. None of that matters now, something else lies ahead. I know, I know… I understand. Sweet melodies to soothe their whimpers, their bemoaning, their fighting against the pull of his crook towards the great beyond. A divine messenger, some who wished to shoot.

But, it was no lie when Hermes would tell them of their journey’s simplicity. Its ease and comfort. The mortal souls too would see the face of the Stygian boatman, and fall for that sight of the universe they abandoned to the philosophical longing of their time on earth. They fell for its reverence, its celestial promise, and be overcome with such insurmountable peace as they boarded the dark-wooded longboat that it was a wonder why they ever feared the dying realm.

Hermes would chat briefly with his associate while the mortal souls fell deeper and deeper in awe, in that somnolent calm while awaiting their time to really go. And the Olympian messenger would deliver his briefest goodbyes, until next time, then! and be on his way. He worried not for the innocent souls he shepherded to the elegant, narrow hull for their final voyage.

Wherever those poor souls were bound to end up, the trip with the strange angel, the big boatman with the face of the universe, would be their dying peace.

Once again though, as things go on, appear and fade and rise and fall, with time not quite definite, Hermes returned at once to find Charon’s wide brimmed hat lying low over his brow. A shroud of cooling shadow, like the inviting space beneath a tree on a hot summer’s day, hid the boatman’s forehead, his eyes, nearly half his entire face for that matter. When previously the hat had been propped back, now it covered and masked.

The light of the universe shone dimmer, only in one deeply fascinating eye and the trickles of smoke that seeped from bony jaw.

Hermes brought his spirits, but no longer found himself and party to be greeted with the light of suns farther than even Olympus stretched, grander than Apollo and more beautiful than Aphrodite in all her iterations. The colors of the night had become deeper, hushed – where once Hermes had promised his frightened souls of a meditative state of wonder, inviting like sleep and a time when one could gaze upon the heavens and wonder what, why, how? without a moment’s interruption, the passing spirits of mortals gone were met with something like the feared thing that humans made the night out to be.

Hermes regarded it now, a secondhand darkness passed down through the boatman’s mother and a filter that echoed that more of his brothers – the inevitability of death that caused the human desire to look away, and the clawing pulls of sleep when there was so much, so much, so much more to do…

The messenger tried not to look away. He delivered his souls and they cowered now, they fought and once again shot at him. But Hermes was quick, and he ushered them on to the boat with just time to spare for a talk to his reminiscently gentle friend.

The hat remained as trips went on, the number lost count and no measure of time to a god to account for. Hermes did not mind. The boatman was still his associate, his Charon, after all. He simply wondered, with a disconcerted flutter of fiery golden wings, what had happened.

He offered little more than a brief, polite comment on the hat’s placement within some deliveries. Other times, he had spoken for better things in what rushed seconds they had. Those conversations were the more pertinent anyways, for that boatman was still Charon and no silly hat would change centuries beforehand.

Duly, deliveries came and went faster. The boat moved with a greater speed, a lightness in its bow that allowed the silent glide of the waters to swiften. When once shades would linger, taking in the beauty of the carvings and the craftsmanship of the dark, unknown and unsourced wood before meandering towards their fates, now they hurried off with hushed tones and frightened eyes.

Hermes continued to whisper those sweet nothings, shallow promises of which they were none the wiser. He would vow safe travels, an enjoyable ride, encouraging this final chance to reflect in the scarlet, murky, glistening waters of the Styx. He could lie or admit freely of what beauties had been in their existence, and offer a gentle nudge in the direction of this contemplation as well.

But the mortal souls would gaze upon the big boatman with the damned skull for a face, at the beckoning darkness in his eye and in his smoke, and the humans would fold their hands and turn back towards Hermes’ sunshine. Hermes refused, adamantly but politely, and moved them along.

He understood fully then how they missed the face of the universe. He missed something of it, too. Hermes moved them along, a new pain blooming in his chest like the thorniest rose, ready to prick should he prod or twist too much in one direction – he felt their reluctance, their worry, and furthermost their rejection of his dearest companion. It pricked and scratched, and Hermes felt sorry for the absence of the face of the universe.

But really, it should have been no matter. It was quite alright, for Charon was gentle. Those stars shone within, and Hermes stopped and listened long enough to tell. A smile graced his features with every scratching groan of the boatman’s voice, echoing elegant articulations, even simple phrases of greeting in his mind.

Eventually then, it came to develop to a different shape. Hermes did not know when the realization came to place – whether it had been told to him by a sibling, a cousin, a passing wanderer or liar, or came to him in a dream, or was merely pieced together by the winding threads of fate to form a conclusion in his mind. Despite the mystery of its origin, of the root of the bloom, during a strange second while gazing down at the earth when he broke through the clouded base of Olympus, Hermes had a profound realization that seemed so dumbfounding before.

The source of the pain, the scratch, the sting when he would deliver the souls. He found the root of that thorny blossom, the one that pricked and scratched and longed for water but could have none or drown… Hermes found a definition, an answer to centuries of a feeling lingering just beneath the surface of his divine skin.

How could one not fall in love with the face of the universe? For all those who had see it, all this time, had been enamored with the safety of passing, the comfort and the quiet they wished not to abandon a moment. When staring into the face of the universe, one recognizes their meaning in all the world’s ways, in the grandest schemes of histories and the shortened lines of myths and legends. Once realizes they are all finite, they are small, and that they are just content to be that way in life and now in death.

Hermes had no death awaiting him, not by the constraints of time promised to condemn those who worshipped his godliness… but he felt small. A profound love for the universe and all it may provide, all the wonder encapsulated in just a heartened glance. It was astounding.

Hermes then considered, though, if he had fallen under the same such spell as the human souls had. And after much thought, much deliberation over miles of running like the wind through high mountains and low plains, he decided upon reaching the Stygian vessel and its guide, the being with the face of the universe.

He did not want to know if the spell ensnared him. He did not need to see the face of the universe once again. He simply wished to stay at his associate’s side, in this harmonious process of give and take and the cycle of passing to the other side.

Per solution, for centuries, Hermes hovered just above the brim of Charon’s hat. The wings of his ankles fluttered restlessly and batted at the flopped, the layered fabric sometimes curling with their anxious force. Hermes talked, but he talked faster and of more superfluous things – of any and all, to fill that then contemplative silence often found when gazing to the heavens beside or around one another.

A fear lingered suspiciously, deep in the roots of Hermes’ Olympian veins: if he were to catch a glimpse of that face, of the stars and the stretches of time itself and all that in between, then the decision would be made for sure. The truth be sealed, the prophecy fulfilled. Hermes would know that he had been lured like a fish on an endless line, in a river of many fish on much shorter lines, those to be clipped off after brief chase.

If Hermes gazed upon the face of the universe again, he feared knowing of the spell. He feared knowing if his love was not his own.

He brought gifts to pass the time. The spoiling, the spending, the selection and the gifting was more to indulge himself than his associate, to find a deep-seated glee and bone-aching satisfaction in having done so without warrant or attachment. To have a taste of spoiling that splendor and feeling as if that right to shower, to lavish with affection lay right in his hands. Designed.

Charon reciprocated, evidently perceiving naught more but a business transaction of more personal sorts, and gifted his Olympian messenger with simple things of the Underworld’s tasteful lands. Even minute, the gifts felt like relics to outlast empires, held with all gratitude in Hermes’ small hands.

At last, with all living things that find a way to coexist between heaven and below, an insurmountable pressure came to be too much. Hermes, with the silver tongue, the sharp tongue, the quick wit and even quicker lies, suddenly burst a truth millennia old that still felt too young to be uttered to open air. He longed to describe it. He yearned to illustrate with the same praises of poets of centuries, philosophers and writers and all kinds, if only to shed words to the longing mystery that all was the fate of the universe; and a deep, inexplicable love for its possessor.

“I love you,” the truth that was blurted. Hermes said it in a quiet corridor so close to the surface, so close to time away in the free air. Close to heaven where he could run and fly and breathe.

But air thinned out the higher one went. And as high as Hermes fled, higher than Olympus, even, there was never a time he was closer to the heavens than he felt in the faded light of the hidden universe.

Charon did not respond. Only clutched his oar and ducked his head down.

“And it isn’t your face,” continuing, tongue loose from a fate unravelling, “I’ve taken centuries to depict it, Charon, my dearest companion. I’ve written phrase after phrase and poem after poem, songs and charts and even tried the molting and molding of patron gold to try and scribe whatever this is – this hold you have over me. And every time, every time, my dear associate, I only come up describing you as I know you, as you always are. I describe a fresh memory, one from as recent as the day prior, one that I cherish. It’s something close that gives me my meaning, my connection to this place and my existence here in life.”

Charon glanced up, one deep violet eye giving a suggestion of what stirred and waned in the depths of the universe. Siren calls from distant planets, nothing concrete to grasp. A whisper. A groan.

Heat flushed Hermes’ cheeks, down his neck, down to the chest that lie half-exposed through the loose chiton. He swallowed thickly, the quick words still spilling out past the struggle in his throat – this choke, this writer’s block. This inescapable, indescribable love. “And that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? Tell me, is the face of the universe simply the broader term I have assigned this whole time – this whole time, what I’ve used to describe what we cherish?”

After a beat. Maybe two. After what could have been seconds, minutes, months or years, Charon nodded. He leaned closer as Hermes fluttered down, breath hitching and drawn nearer to that whisper of a purple gaze. That pocket of universe.

With the drag of time, seconds after seconds and a billowing shadow, Charon removed his hat, pale beneath but shining. For the first time in centuries, that shadow lifted from a burdened brow.

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syncogon · 4 years ago

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[QZGS meta] what’s in an OP? dawning glory (pt 1)

or, why TKA S2′s OP is actually really good

{The King’s Avatar season 2 premieres in less than 24 hours!}

(part 2) (part 3)

Ever since I got into The King’s Avatar, I’ve always wondered what a “classic-anime-style” TKA opening would look like. OPs are something I pay a lot of attention to, both for the sheer enjoyment and hype as well as the deeper story and symbolism they may allude to. And although I enjoy the S1 and OVA OPs for what they are, I always wanted an OP that really followed the tried-and-true formulas, an OP that gave a proper look at what the series was really about, an OP that had a lot to dig into and analyze.

S2 brought us this kind of OP, finally, and I’m very excited to see it. Heavily inspired by the “What’s in an OP?” youtube series by Mother’s Basement, I really wanted to try and break down this OP. Because things got very long, this is only part 1; the other 2 parts are linked above and below.

Some of the points I bring up may be reading too deeply, but whether some of these details were intentional or not, their meanings and effects are still worth analyzing. Also as a warning, there will probably be novel spoilers.

For reference, watch and read the lyric translation here.

With all that said, let’s jump right in.

We open with some very nice shots of the morning light streaming in, shining on the gamers’ tools of the trade. Right away, the new animation studio promises us a visual treat - the lighting and colors are excellent. Although the props are unmoving and there are no living beings in these shots, the changing angle of the light adds motion to the scene, giving the impression of a sped-up sunrise. This accompanies the music well, which starts out muffled and distant, and gradually comes into clarity. From the very beginning, the OP grabs our attention and holds it, building our anticipation for what’s to come.

Now we cut to outside, atop a roof, and we get a proper look at the sunrise - only for a brief moment, though, as Ye Xiu’s hand quickly comes up to block the blinding light. “Anime protagonist staring at sunrise” is a pretty common trope, but I think it’s used to nice effect here - we’re introduced immediately to the “dawn” motif that underlies this entire OP (it’s even in the title). It’s a suitable motif for this arc of the story, because this is where Ye Xiu finally has the concrete goal of building up his own team - this is truly the dawn of Team Happy.

I like how it’s Ye Xiu’s hand that’s the first thing we see of him, or of anyone. As a pro, his hands are the most important part of himself; his hands are also one of the first things that Chen Guo notices about him when she first meets him.

Furthermore, this view provides a nice natural transition to the next shot, in which we finally get to see him properly.

Look at how pretty the sky looks! Look at how pretty his smile looks!

After the first few seconds of pure buildup in the music, the beat kicks in at the exact same time as his hair begins to blow in the wind. I think it’s very important for the visuals and the music to sync together in an OP, simply because of the raw impact this has on the viewer - they reinforce each other’s effects. Both components of an OP need to work well together in order to create something greater than the sum of the parts. It’s just very exciting, when you can sit back and think “oh yeah, it’s all coming together.”

Ye Xiu stares thoughtfully at the sunrise for a few moments, before breaking into a soft, relaxed smile (right on the second four-count after the beat starts). It’s not one of his mocking smiles, or his shamelessly confident smiles - here he’s just genuinely happy and hopeful at what the future has in store.

We see him lower his arm, and then the camera pans upward to a shot of the new series logo for Season 2. This pan-up to title card is also a fairly standard technique, but hey, it’s effective and efficient at getting us ready.

Speaking of the new logo: it’s basically the same as the old, but I was shocked to see just how prominent the English title “The King’s Avatar” is now. Honestly, it’s really exciting to see - feels like it adds some legitimacy to our small English fandom, and it’s also so cool, knowing how the title “The King’s Avatar” became the official English name almost by accident - we could have easily ended up with something much less interesting. However I do think they could have positioned the text a little better, because I and others keep reading “The King’s Iavatar” haha

As the dawn shifts more into morning, we refocus on Happy Internet Cafe, the origin of it all. Notice the new green leaves on the tree: our story began on a snowy winter, but we’re now firmly in spring, a time of new beginnings.

The music excitement level settles down a little as we enter the first verse, and here we get a montage of many of the to-be Team Happy members. Although each shot is fairly short, each manages to tell a story, conveying a good amount of information about the character in question. One of TKA’s strengths is its large cast of well-developed characters, and I’m really glad to see that they’re not completely flattened out in this opening montage.

Here we see Chen Guo, presumably opening up the cafe for the day. However, by the time she comes down here to do this, it seems that Tang Rou has already been awake and training for a while.

Like Ye Xiu, the first thing we see of Tang Rou is her hand, a parallel that perhaps emphasizes how deep Ye Xiu’s influence on her is and how she wishes to learn from and surpass him. The nimbleness of her fingers on the keyboard definitely evokes the image of a pianist - a subtle clue for the future.

Look at her straightened back and serious eyes - her posture and expression say it all. Awake, alert, steady, calm, as she continues to strive for improvement.

The lyric for this part is roughly, “the bugle call to split open the dawn is sounding right here and now.” As mentioned, it’s here at Happy Internet Cafe that it all begins.

From one internet cafe to another, it’s Wei Chen and his bros! Notice how he’s at the center of their little group, in both position and attention - we immediately get the sense that he’s their leader. Slouched against the couch (which seems to be built more for comfortable lounging than proper gaming), hands behind his head, glancing between his friends, an easy smile, it all gives off a relaxed, casual air of confidence.

Still, in contrast to the seemingly light-hearted mood of this scene here, the accompanying lyric is somewhat melancholy: “were those daydreams or the past?”

When Wei Chen’s character design came out, a lot of people were surprised at how young he seemed to look, and he has barely any stubble. But with this close-up of his face (which is specifically timed to “or the past”), the lines under his eyes are clear to see. Combined with the lyric, there’s suddenly something sad beneath his smile here. He’s not young anymore.

Notice the one screen that’s turned on behind him - clearly an image of Glory. Despite everything, he couldn’t bring himself to leave this world entirely.

Where the hell is Steamed Bun? Why does he have a bat? We just don’t know. We don’t even have any lyrics to give us a hint. He’s a real-life Brawler, totally incomprehensible. Even the camera shakes a bit erratically as it tries to follow his movement. Honestly, isn’t this just the best way to sum up his character?

Our favorite math nerd Luo Ji, in a library of course. The shot begins with everything blocked off by the books, and it’s only when he pulls out one of the books (the black-to-light is timed with the lyric “I open my eyes”) that we’re able to see him. He’s still framed by the books in this shot, because he’s first and foremost still a student. For now and for a long time to come, his studiousness and mathematical ability will be what defines him and his contributions to Team Happy.

Still, he looks thoughtfully at the book in his left hand. Maybe his contributions can go farther. Pay attention to his character Concealed Light when we see him later.

I can’t say if there’s a significance to the woman passing by, but it serves its purpose as a transition to the next scene.

Qiao Yifan! From the logo in the back, as well as his uniform and color scheme, you can see he’s still at Tiny Herb here. He looks determined and focused on his screen at first. When he blinks, though, his gaze subtly shifts to the side and down. Something is distracting him; he’s not quite as certain as he might appear at a glance.

The lyric here is “[I can’t tell] what side of the road I’m running on,” an apt reflection of his current, conflicted and somewhat precarious situation. He’s on a championship team right now, a place that so many would envy. But he feels much more at home with the ragtag crew from Happy. But what prospects do they have? But it’s not like he has much of a place in Tiny Herb right now either…

From Qiao Yifan looking to the side, we cut to An Wenyi looking to the side - our eyes are able to very naturally follow the transition. Although blurry at first, we soon see that he’s looking at a figurine of Immovable Rock - the number one Cleric in Glory, An Wenyi’s idol. He looks at it thoughtfully for a moment, brows furrowed, before turning away and closing his eyes. As though in resignation, knowing he’ll never be able to reach that level.

The lyric is, “do I understand” - a very short line, with the note held out.

An Wenyi is the logical one; he’s the one who understands. He understands his current position, he understands that he has no hope as a pro with his current skill, he understands that the chance Happy is offering him is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of opportunity for someone like him. It’s a decision he considers carefully, he’s unafraid to ask bold questions about the practicality of what Chen Guo and Ye Xiu are trying to do, but in the end he knows this isn’t something that he can pass up.

I like An Wenyi’s character arc a lot. There’s a lot of worry and self-doubt in his expression as he looks at that figurine; there’s a lot of sadness as he turns away. Even through Season 10, this aspect of him doesn’t just magically disappear - he has to deal with this reality of being Happy’s weak point. His logical mind is both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness.

From An Wenyi’s closed eyes, we cut to Su Mucheng’s downcast eyes - another natural eye-focused transition. She looks up as the wind picks up around her, blowing her hair and scattering leaves.

Notice that she’s not wearing her Excellent Era uniform here. Her dress reminds me of her outfit from the prequel movie, actually - color scheme, sleeves, bow, length, cut, etc.

It’s a style calling back to younger, simpler times. The light pink color adds to that effect as well.

As the camera pulls out, we’re able to see just how alone she is, isolated from the cars passing beneath her, not a single other person nearby. And at this point in the story, she really is rather alone; she doesn’t really have any allies on the team, and her only escape is to play in the game with the Happy crew.

The wind is scattering many leaves, and she blurs into the background as the camera focuses on one drifting red maple leaf in particular.

Blatant symbolism is blatant (it’s not even fall right now, it should be early spring…). Still, it’s a convenient shorthand to reference many things. One Autumn Leaf, Ye Xiu’s account and identity for a decade, now snatched away. The symbol of Excellent Era and those earliest hopes and dreams, now lost to the wind. It could even reference Su Muqiu himself, the boy with “autumn” in his name, now lying in eternal rest.

The lyric is, “interwoven in the dawn, those memories and rests.” The past is now past, far out of reach; all we can do is look up and reminisce on what once was.

Over the course of these shots, you can see the passage of the morning. The earlier characters are illuminated by a golden glow, but by the time we reach Su Mucheng, she’s standing in full daylight. Here we end section 1 (verse 1), and move onto the next part of the song.

Thanks for reading so far!

(part 2) (part 3)

#quan zhi gao shou #qzgs #the king's avatar #tka #全职高手 #mine #qzgs commentary #synco talks

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antihero-writings · 4 years ago

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The Boy with the Unspeakable Name (Ch1)

Fandom: Harry Potter (and the Chamber or Secrets)

Fic Summary: Tom Riddle may have won his battle with Harry in the Chamber of Secrets, but there were a few unforeseen consequences; loss of Tom's memory being the most obnoxious of them. Is it possible to stop Tom's past from becoming his future? Or is the young Tom Riddle doomed to repeat his mistakes?

Notes:

I've actually had this idea ever since the first or second time I read Chamber of Secrets. Though Tom has never been my favorite character, I found young Tom interesting, and I always thought things would have gone differently if he had come back when he was Harry's age. I was always curious if he could have been redeemed if things had gone this way. Now, I know JK Rowling purposely wanted to create an irredeemable villain, so she wouldn't have redeemed him even then, but I wanted to write a fic playing with that idea.

Despite having had this idea for a long time, I didn't write it because I was afraid I'd bite off more than I could chew, and wouldn't finish. But this last time I read Chamber of Secrets, I decided I'd just go for it. I'm still afraid I won't finish, as this is the longest premise of any of my fics posted, (and I haven't finished any of my other, shorter, long fics...) but I didn't want that to stop me from at least trying out the idea. Even if I don't finish it, at least I'll have something to show for it!

All that being said, if you like this fic and do want me to continue...please please please consider commenting, and/or reblogging. Writing fics like this is a lot of effort, and while I do write them for my own enjoyment...it is still very difficult for me to find the motivation to continue them. Sometimes one comment can mean the difference between me gaining the motivation to continue, and leaving the fic behind.

Also, if there are any artists who are interested in drawing cover art for this fic don't hesitate to say so!! You can comment so below, or message me!!

Chapter 1:

He didn’t know how fitting it was.

Tom Riddle didn’t know just how fitting it was that the first two things he sensed after waking up were the sound of crying, and the stench of blood.

He didn’t remember how much of his past—or perhaps one could call it his future—was comprised of tears, blood, muffled screaming, and the words avada kadavra! hissed in a cold, high voice that was surely not his own.

Right now, he didn’t remember much of anything at all.

Sixteen years or sixty, he remembered none of pain, the loss, or the victory.

All he knew in this moment was that world was damp and cold, it smelled like death, and someone was weeping.

That was the world to him; an ink spill on living canvas. A hole made in screaming pages.

The sound of weeping was the first thing he knew in this new life—(or this old life, made new)—it echoed and filled the place—whatever the place was—like the slow drip of water in an empty cave; tiny on its own, mistakable in a crowd, but sharp, vast, and overpowering when the world was hollow.

And the world did feel hollow.

He did not wake to a warm, dry hospital bed, a fire, and a heap of get-well cards. His family did not surround him, showering him with love and gratitude, asking what he did and did not remember, and what had happened to their sweet boy. No one held up pictures, pointing to the scenes and people within them fervently demanding remember?!, praying amnesia would leave him sooner rather than later.

Instead he woke to a place in which every sensation burned: cold searched for weaknesses in his damp cloak and slithered across his skin; the smell of blood bored into his nostrils, enough he could almost taste it; and the longer he heard the wailing it burned in his ears too.

Burned because it hurt his heart not just his ears? Because it was sad? Because it mattered, and he needed to know what was wrong?

Surely not.

Burned because it was annoying, and he wanted to shut it up. Burned because it wasn’t a nice sound to wake up to, and whoever they were ought to have more courtesy for orphan boys who just wanted to wake up in peace.

Everything burned because something about feeling, sensing anything at all, was…oddly unfamiliar. Not strange as in a new way; it was like something he once knew well that had been forgotten, left behind for a while, like nostalgia.

And if simply living was this foreign…how long had it been since he was last alive? How long had he been a ghost? And what brought him back to his body?

He opened his eyes.

Sight didn’t change the impression he had received from his other senses; mostly it just added ‘dark’ to the list of not-very-nice things the world was made of. And due to this fact, sight didn’t burn nearly as much as his other senses. Still, the world was crisper, more colorful, somehow, despite its drab nature…

He was in a chamber, a dungeon of sorts—probably underground. Stones and statues, turned brownish-green in the humid atmosphere, lined the walls. Snakes poked their heads out at him from the walls, their eyes glittering as if they’d come alive at any moment. And before him was a particularly large statue of a bearded man.

But, as he sat up, his clothing—long, black robes, with a green patch on the chest—clinging to him uncomfortably, there were a few things sight showed him worth noting:

The first, most obvious, was the gigantic snake lying beneath the statue some ways down the chamber, its scaly green tail glistening in the low light. It was clearly dead; lying still, its belly up. There was blood where its lifeless eyes had been scratched blind, and a hole in the roof of in its gaping mouth, one of its front fangs missing. This was most likely the source of the foul smell. How long had it been dead? Couldn’t have been long, considering the other things around the room…

The second, what may have once been a book. This one was very close to himself. Its pages were ripped out of their bindings, in shreds, surrounding him like fresh snowfall. The leather cover had many holes and gashes in it, apparently made by the missing fang, which also lay beside the book, blackened ink on its tip—(but can words bleed?)—the book mutilated beyond repair. This was one of the strangest sights. It was almost as if someone—probably the person crying—blamed it for their problems and took their anger out on it, before that anger became the sorrow that resonated through the chamber now.

The third was a gleaming orange and red bird, long tail feathers unfurled on the floor, like a flame, its head held high, sitting quietly beside the mourner. It didn’t look like it didn’t belonged in such a grim place—like a rich person walking in a slum.

There was another glittering thing beside him: a silver sword with jewels encrusted in the hilt. This was likely the cause of the snake’s death, especially considering it had blood coating it.

A little way from it was a pile of raggedy brown fabric. …He couldn’t quite tell what it was supposed to be.

The sixth: the source of the crying, a boy. He had unruly black hair, and his black robes—(the same robes, he noted, that he himself was wearing, or very similar)—were christened with the blood and slime of beasts—(and maybe men, he couldn’t know)—and ink. He was possessed by the demon that was tragedy; his entire form shaking, heaving, whether from sadness or rage, or both, only time, and a healthy dose of good questioning would tell.

The last thing of note, and what was most likely the source of the tears: a corpse. A girl specifically, with red hair—almost as fiery as the bird’s feathers—ashen skin, and, once again, the black robes—(must be a uniform of some sort). Perhaps they were at a school? Quite a dreary school it was, if so. She was small, apparently young.

The scene was both a lot, and not much, to go on.

Three living things—one without memory, another without peace—two dead, and four inanimate, one of the inanimate things more mauled more than any of the living or dead.

His mind started to provide theories about the scene,

Theory one:

The snake had killed the girl, the boy had taken up the sword and killed it in outrage.

Made sense, but that still left the diary, the bird, and himself. As well as the pile of fabric…

He didn’t see the bird having a big role in this; his best guess was that it belonged to the boy, as it seemed loyal to him, sharing his grief, and that its role was the scratch marks on the snake’s eyes, helping the boy defeat it.

Theory two: The girl had written something in her diary the boy didn’t like, perhaps something about he himself. He had torn the diary apart, and in a jealous rage sent his pet snake after her, but regretted it after the snake went too far and killed her, and decided to kill it after all.

Theory three: Reverse of roles; the diary was the boy’s, and she had found it, and he was either mad she found it and tore it, or she had after finding something she didn’t like in it, potentially about him, and the offended party let loose the snake.

Theory four: The snake belonged to neither of them, it was by accident they happened to wake it, or stumble into its home while fighting about this diary.

But why did they find an underground chamber the best place for an argument? Did they live here? Was this a normal place for them to spend time? Like some sort of secret hideaway? Were they in hiding from something?

Four(a): Or else were they on some quest to find it—was the snake guarding treasure? Did the diary hold the map to it, and they tore it simply to keep anyone else from finding it, or else falling into the same trap?

Theory five: The diary was Tom’s. He had some relationship to one or both of them that went awry.

Five(a): The snake was Tom’s, and he had set it loose on the girl for some reason, perhaps he was the jealous and angry party here.

Theory six: The snake didn’t kill the girl.

Six(a): She was already dead or dying before the snake even arrived. Maybe the snakes venom, or something else about this chamber, was meant to cure her and failed.

Six(b): The boy killed her. Perhaps in his aforementioned jealous rage he had took the sword to her himself, and now he regretted it.

Six(c): Tom killed her.

He sat up, blinking at the dreary universe. The boy didn’t hear him, just kept on crying. It was a very tiresome noise to hear so constantly.

He reached over and, quietly as possible, drew the diary closer. What made its disfigurement all the stranger was that every page he could see appeared blank. People didn’t usually have qualms with blank diaries—it was the words that people were so touchy about.

When he lifted up the cover, he could see beneath the gashes a name: Tom Marvolo Riddle.

The sight of the name sent a curious sensation through his stomach; he didn’t remember who it belonged to, but the name set a fire boiling in his gut, a bubbling, swirling, writhing fire within him. A fire that threatened to destroy everything around it too.

He looked up at the mourner. Was that his name? Or was the girl, in fact, a very petite, long-haired boy? Did the diary belong to no one present, and it was the secrets within, not the owner, that mattered? But there were no words at all, let alone any secrets…

Or…was it perhaps his own? His own name that he didn’t even remember.

Sitting here theorizing wasn’t going to get him any closer to the truth.

It didn’t seem like a good idea to disturb the boy in his grief, but he didn’t have much choice—losing your memory is an ordeal of its own, you know.

He got to his feet—this sensation too didn’t feel completely mundane to him. Everything felt nostalgic— like in some fond childhood he walked, and smelled, and saw, and heard, but as he grew up, sense left him, and he forgot what it meant to be alive. His damp clothes clung to his body, making him shiver.

His footstep broke the atmosphere; the first new sound in the stagnant place, the pieces of peace cutting through the tears. The boy gasped—the kind of raw gasp, full of dread and despair, one takes when they realize the dragon is awake.

But the dragon in this particular chamber was slain…

His slow steps filled the chamber, an ominous repetition, the ticking of a clock.

When he got close, the boy’s hand wrapped around the hilt of the sword, the metal twinkling in the dim light, scraping and clattering on the stone as it moved.

“I’d stay back if I were you,” his voice was soft but solid, dangerous, wet with tears, shaking with rage, hoarse from screaming.

Tom stopped. He didn’t know what that meant, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to find out.

Hmm…What to ask? ‘Why’s that?’ ‘What happened here?’ ‘Who are you, who was she, and, while you’re at it, who am I?’

The scene was still fresh; if he touched the embers it might reignite.

“And…If you were me, what would you do?” he decided to ask. Speech, words forming on his tongue, felt odd too… but it was the sound of his voice that caught him most off guard…why? Had he been expecting to hear something different?

It was an odd question; he could tell the boy wasn’t expecting it. He paused. Then he scoffed,

“I’ll never be like you.” Then his voice grew quiet and dangerous, “But if I were in your place…I would run. As far away as I could, and as fast as I could, before I found out what the famous Harry Potter is capable of when you take something important from him.”

An even odder response.

The boy turned. One of his most defining features was the circular-rimmed, cracked glasses he wore. That, and the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead, which was red and irritated. Seeing this scar, for some reason, made ire rise in Tom’s throat too. His glasses shielded eyes of a bright green which also heralded from a distant memory.

Bright, but dark. A green that pierced the veil of shadows, yet reflected the rest of the world. He wondered if he had ever seen such hatred in someone’s eyes before, in that past he didn’t remember. They burned as bright as the bird by his side, bright as the girl’s hair. They were bright enough to set the chamber ablaze, dark enough to enact the threats in all the room’s corners. Yet his name didn’t immediately come to mind.

Harry Potter. That was what he said his name was. Once said aloud, the name was more familiar than sensation itself; a burning scar upon his mind, never quite healed. The name was rage, and humiliation itself to him…though he couldn’t place the source of these emotions; no memories came to mind.

They were enemies.

Only two names he knew so far, and both sent the same sort of mad fury through him. Curious.

He couldn’t be more than twelve years old. Twelve years old was quite the young age to be defeating monsters, watching girls die, and to hold such hatred in one’s eyes. Very young to be so hated by he himself. He was just a kid, did he/this harry potter really deserve all this?

Why did they hate each other so much? Was it normal for him to hate twelve-year-old boys? Come to think of it, how old was he himself? He sounded young, not much older than him. But he didn’t feel young. Why did he hate him so much? It was starting to look like Theory six(c) might be the most likely.

He didn’t take his advice. He didn’t know much about himself, but he didn’t think he was one to take people’s advice, especially not that of his enemies. In ignorant defiance he took a step forward.

“Stay back!” Harry Potter barked, as vicious as a loyal guard dog.

That same hatred he felt buzzed behind his words.

Another step.

He held up the sword.

“I’m warning you.” Tom knew the threat in his voice was very real.

Yet he came closer. Close enough to see the face of the girl.

He didn’t recognize her. Predictable, but aggravating. He had hoped that perhaps seeing her would bring him to his senses. Alas, she was just a dead girl.

He leaned in closer.

“DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!!” the boy’s words, along with the sword, were at his throat without a second to spare.

He simply flicked his gaze to him; no sign of shock or emotion at his outburst on his features.

The world must burn for this boy too. Burn, not because of sensation itself was strange, but because what he felt was currently was too much to bear.

Hatred, horror, heartbreak…hell. It all blazed and overflowed in his eyes.

Tom backed up one step, then another, and kept backing away until the sword was no longer close to his skin. Harry could have easily followed him, keeping the threat alive, but it seemed staying by the girl, protecting her lifeless body was his highest priority—Why? What could he possibly do now that she was dead? Was he prone to mutilate dead girls? Was his touch gross enough on its own to warrant such violence?

The anger was still white-hot, but confusion was in the boys’ eyes too now.

Yup, six(c) seemed pretty likely.

So, how had he lost his memory? He himself didn’t seem hurt in the slightest physically, he didn’t even have so much as a spitting headache to tell him he’d knocked his head hard enough to lose his memory. It didn’t appear as though he and the boy had dueled, despite the indication they were opponents, and the sword in his hand. Nothing indicated how he could lose his memory, or why…or, come to think of it, why he was still alive.

If it was true he had killed her, that they were enemies, why hadn’t Harry killed him in his sleep? He surely had the chance, in the midst of all the wailing. Why didn’t he walk up to him, send that sword through him and be done with it? Why didn’t he fight him, run him through, now? Tom was clearly unarmed, and Harry was likely the one who killed the snake, clearly he had the upper hand, the power to do so. It all made too much sense.

He could tell he wanted to.

…The diary. It must be connected to everything. Would it reveal the truth of the situation, and his lost memories? Everything seemed to trace back to it. From the looks of things, it was the source of the scene…and it was the most confusing part of the scenario. If he started with it, perhaps he could get somewhere.

He sauntered back to it, crouched down and picked up the mangled cover, staring at the name, the holes where someone—presumably Harry—had stabbed it, a few blank pages hanging limply out of the binding. But why would he hurt an inanimate diary?

“Who’s Tom Riddle?” he asked.

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