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sulky-star-cluster · 9 months ago

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Algol: Wha.

Rigel: I think you fried him.

Cygnus: Either way, The nickname is Algol. We grew fond of calling you that.

Antares: Wha- why? What even is that?

Rigel: A star. It's called the demon star or something. I think it's cool.

Antares: Well don't think about trading, I've already gotten used to Rigel.

Algol: Wait, so we're all eclipses here?

Cygnus: Yep. You get to look at every era of yourself. Haha!

Algol: And these little dragon things-

Antares: We call them Anons. This one's sigery.

Rigel: And they definitely been bringing the best stuff. We all got cats now.

Algol: Cats? Frivolous little things.

Antares: Frivolous, but better than having nothing.

Algol: So what? This is just a group of eclipses that have taken over some universe?

Rigel: Pretty much yeah.

Antares: We don't know quite what to call ourselves. Group is the most ambiguous. Club is what it feels like. Some think we're a support group. Whatever we are, I'm not going to hurt you.

Rigel: Indeed. Biggest plus about this place Is that it's a bunch of eclipses that can't judge you or be mad at you for something.

Cygnus: Were all the same.

Algol: I would hardly say where the same, You look like a mess.

Cygnus: Well thank you.

Algol: And you look like some royal Butler on holiday.

Rigel: Not that far from the money.

Algol: And you are the only one who looks a monochrim of sophisticated, And yet you seem so hidden.

Antares: Well that's an effort of opinion.

Algol: And what, There's a glam rock Freddy, Black Star?, someone called horn, someone called wisp? And also who is this glitter that apparently you could have gotten in trouble with?

Antares: Associates.

Cygnus: Glitter was the one who got us a free card to infiltrate your world so quickly.

Rigel: Black Stars actually one of ours. An eclipse. We're just trying to keep you on the down low.

Cygnus: Horn and wisp are black stars pets. Glam Rock Freddy's just kind of here. Depressing little sub that sometimes talks with visitors.

Algol: And what? Am I supposed to just deal with this?

Cygnus: Ahhh...

Antares: Well I suppose it is overwhelming.

Rigel: But that's why I thought you set up with a bed!

*everybody looks at the pitiful pile of pillows and blankets*

Cygnus: Was that really your best attempt at the bed?

Antares: Don't sun and moon have an actual bed?

Rigel: Well I think I like this better.

Algol: Softy.

Rigel: Oh hush up. At least I'm not blocking you in a box and attaching an explosion to your brain.

Antares: This is a fair bit better than you have ever been treated, you can deny that.

Cygnus: I even if this is a pitiful display.

Rigel: So help me, I will tell on Blackstar, and you will have a mess to clean up.

Cygnus: You'll be a part of that mess too!

Rigel: Well I get to get away free card of actually telling him.

Algol: This black star appears to be some sort of privileged individual.

Antares: Well unlike everyone else here. He actually has some form of... Ehh support.

Cygnus: More like he's got the authority to kick us out of here whenever he wants. He's a God with dimensional transportation.

Rigel: Plus apparently, according to him, he has God on his shoulder.

Algol: And you still respect him.

Cygnus: I don't respect his crazy God thing. But he save me from death.

Antares: Me also.

Rigel: Point is the guy could very much set you up to be killed by his brother apparently.

Algol: His brother? Are we certain this is an eclipse?

Cygnus: His history is pretty funny, but he's in Eclipse alright.

Antares: He was spared somehow. There's the only real aspect of the god that I really believe. Ripped from his world and intertwined with another one. He was supposed to be dead. You would know his death better than the rest of us.

Cygnus: He's died twice. Unlike the rest of us who have only died once. Or at least should have died.

Rigel: Anyways how about you chillax. Whether you rest in my pillow nest, or actually go into Moon's room It doesn't matter. You got reign over the daycare.

Antares: Just try and stay away from the black animatronic. That's a black star and well I think we want him to...

Cygnus: Chillax before we tell him that we kidnapped ya.

Algol: Fantastic. I am stuck all over again.

Antares: We never said you were stuck. We aren't locking you in this room.

Rigel: There's just a somewhat high probability that black star might send you back if he finds you.

Cygnus: And I don't think any of us want you sent back.

Algol: Huff. I guess on that I can agree.

Cygnus: Psst! Hey. You got that guy with the fancy teleportation device?

Antares: It is best if we did this quickly.

Yeah, two seconds. And again, you better be nice to him.

Glitter: *arrives, kind of bouncing in place because he's excited* Hello! I'm Glitter. I assume you know where Al-gol is in the building? And any security measures that might be in place? *wrings hands* I don't go to daycares by myself so I can't help with disabling things. I do have an automatic lock picker in my finger though. Well for physical locks at least. Not much of a magic user though.

#glitter left peacefully of course.#I will note!#please now send in asks if it is your Anon self talking.#if it isn't your Anon. say your own AU/OC. then we may have a reblog conversation.#reblog dialog is being restricted to crossovers.#mostly to make scrolling through this blog easy.

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mean-scarlet-deceiver · 3 years ago

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some dark HCs for minor characters

I mostly love our main lads coz I'm a basic bitch... but I do dotingly imagine pretty much all of the latter Sodor arrivals suffered their own interesting traumas and neuroses.

A sampling:

During her time on B.R., Daisy had learned the fine art of triangulation—how to play humans off of each other. Well, engines too; in fact, she was such a notorious shitstirrer among her fellow railcars that they all refused to work in multiple with her. They were all cynically unsurprised when somehow Daisy passed her trial and became a Sodor engine: Always knew how to play politics, that one! (This is a bit unfair; FC2 couldn't have sent Daisy back without severe damage to his then-tenuous relationship with B.R., but Daisy didn't know that. All she knew is that Toby, Percy, and later Thomas never believed any of her bullshit, and between that and the radical change of environment she basically got a personality and ethics reset.)

BoCo's time embroiled in ugly B.R. rail politics and Lord-of-the-Flies-styled yards had left him extremely reserved. Though setting out to be as friendly and socialable as he knew how on Sodor (he really liked this region from the start!) everyone was quick to notice that he suffered from an echo problem—he was pleasant enough, but getting him to venture a remark that wasn't just a rephrasing of what someone else had already said was nearly impossible! This was a tendency that most simply found a mild irritant (and BoCo's work ethic & sense of humor compensated), but the "secrecy" made James in particular very suspicious; he refused to understand that BoCo might have his reasons for keeping everything so close to the vest, and he started developing his sweeping condemnation of all diesel engines based on his suspicions as to what BoCo was really up to (social anxiety. The answer was social anxiety.)

Bear had learned to cope with a similar environment in a very different way: He can be a bit of a firebrand! Best defense is a good offense and all, and boy can Bear sometimes give offense. He can be a real attack dog that way. Has a tendency to tell others off before thinking twice. This said, so many Sodor engines before him had run their mouth just as much and even more, so to be honest this maladaptive behavior flew right under most of his new colleagues' radar.

The Sodor engines do wonder what on earth is wrong with Rosie: Why is she so nice? Why is she so sweet? Why is she so good at working with others? It's weird, man. It's just weird, that's all. (No, it isn't. Rosie is relatively normal; she had simply worked as part of a team at Southampton Docks, where she had developed great social and collaborative skills as a matter of course.)

Arthur spent thirteen years rusting at Cashimore's scrapyards before his purchase, years he spent selling himself with his 'spotless' elevator pitch/outright pleading with potential buyers (sometimes one or the other, but usually the line between the two was very thin). Not shown in his debut episode was his subsequent period of depression, because if he had scarcely gotten a chance to work again with a spotless record, what did he have to hang onto now? (Thomas, to his credit, worked this out after they actually talked and then put in many hours trying to show Arthur that he was now home and that he did not have to impress anyone.)

Murdoch spent nearly as long at Barry's, plus a good period before that in the type of cutthroat, merciless environment that made BoCo and Bear after only several years each Like That. Murdoch is autistic and never got up to speed understanding all the second meanings hidden in B.R.-era yard politics, only ever coming to understand that something between the lines of what seemed an ordinary chat could always somehow lead to trouble. The combination of these two toxic environments means that Murdoch has PTSD triggered by noise, especially by conversation. It is a singularly unfortunate problem for a steam engine to suffer, and he is sometimes out of commission for weeks at a time, with plenty of days off. Luckily FC3 understands this, and he is so useful during the busiest seasons that from the productivity PoV it all tends to average out.

Billy and Charlie worked together at the Peel Godred Aluminium Plant for two decades before they were replaced by diesel shunters. The management at this plant is notoriously hard on engines; Sir Handel and Peter Sam were fairly messed up after a couple of years there, and Billy and Charlie had rather similar adjustment issues, plus they didn't have the prior railway experience the temporary narrow-gauge engines had been able to fall back on to succeed in their next post. There would have been some culture clash for the industry newcomers on the 'big lines' anyway, but Charlie's la-la-laaaa semi-aggressive cheeriness/dad jokes and Billy's full-blown oppositional-defiant disorder didn't help. Weirdly, though there was never any indication that there was bad oil between them before joining the North Western, Billy and Charlie don't appear to seek each other out nowadays... not one bit.

Jinty was preserved and is a mainstay at Butterly. She's great with visitors and is apparently friends with the other engines and seems to be fine. However, she will not say a word whenever anyone tries to bring up Pug, whose scrapping she will neither confirm nor deny. When Jinty visited the NWR, Percy was quite upset by this... until they got a chance to talk together, just the two of them, in the back of Knapford sheds. They are now friends again, and Percy is just as tight-lipped about the thing.

Porter has an extremely long, varied, and interesting career, both pre- and post-preservation... most of which you won't hear about because, rather like BoCo, he's extremely good at not talking about himself. Plays his cards very close to the vest. The engines don't know that he spent years in preservation rebuilt into a replica for Day Out With Thomas events... and he loathed every minute of it. However, when FC3 himself was abroad and put in an appearance at one of these events, his spidey senses twigged at once and he found himself asking if Porter would be willing to come to his own railway—"mind you, the only work I would need you for is shunting our docks; nothing fancy." Porter lost his New York cool for one (1) minute as he damn near screamed with relief at the idea. Rebuilt again to nearly his original form (though scaled to British loading gauge), he's now pretty happy but much more of a watch-er and observe-r than a participant in NWR social life.

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n1kolaiz · 4 years ago

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"Man fears death and yet, at the same time, man is drawn to death. Death is endlessly consumed by men in cities and in literature. It is a singular event in one's life that none may reverse. That is what I desire."

Character Analysis: Dazai Osamu

Age: 22 || Ability: No Longer Human

I've done a lot of research concerning Dazai's character because of how complex he'd initially appeared to me. It is still a question as to what his personality type is; some say he's an ENTP while others argue that he's an INTJ, and his enneagram would most likely be 7w8 (The Realist), but that isn't the thing I'm going to focus on.

According to general databases and fan analyses, his temperament is dominantly melancholic. A person's temperament is basically how they react to and live in this world. For those of you not interested in such details, don't worry, I'll get to my point.

The melancholic behaviour is characterised by individualism, self-reliance, and reservation. People of the melancholic temperament are described as having been overcome with sorrow and depressive thoughts, which is beyond the feeling of "just being sad."

Nonetheless, they are generally calm beings, with a tendency to hide how they truly feel by keeping their composure, even in events that demand severe reaction otherwise. Other aspects of melancholic temperaments is that they are absorbed in the cruelty and tragedy of this world, and tend to get lost in their thoughts.

Sound familiar?

Dazai is seen to be as the comic relief of the adaptation, and he'd never fail to bring about a sense of lightheartedness to relieve the serious moments; we all know that for sure. Remember the time both him and Kunikida found Nobuko Sasaki in that godforsaken hospital, and how Kunikida asked him about his opinion on the current state of affairs?

But, despite having developed a calm and serene personality, Dazai's dark side was more apparent during the Dark Era. There was a type of intimidating and arrogant flair evident in his behaviour, or even on his face. It was the type of demeanour that came off cold and terrifying to the rather unlucky people he dealt with. In a moment's notice, they could literally die by his hands. And I believe most of them usually did. It was during this time, he was more brutal and vicious. He lacked remorse. Plus, Dazai's suicidal ideations were more dense during this Era, and his suicidal tendencies did not do anything to alleviate the depth of how dark his character was posed to be.

Side note: Unfortunately, people misunderstand this 'depressed' part of Dazai; they minimise his character so much to the point that people use only a single word to describe him: suicidal. He is, in fact, so much more than that. I'll elaborate more on that in a while.

"Hey, Odasaku, do you know why I joined the Mafia? I joined the Mafia because of an expectation I had. I thought if I was close to death and violence—close to people giving in to their urges and desires, then I would be able to see the inner nature of humankind up close. I thought if I did that… I would be able to find something—a reason to live."

Dazai's approach to life is that of an aimless soul, weary of the world's oppressions and exhausted from the concept of living itself. Nevertheless, what he said above about having an expectation made me realise something: he had a goal, which he wasn't that enthusiastic about achieving—seeking for a reason to carry on with life. So he joined the Mafia.

And there, he met Oda Sakunosuke.

Despite how resilient Dazai carried himself to be (especially during the Dark Era), this specific excerpt stands in direct opposition of how he effortlessly embodied all things daunting:

"With every step I take, I feel as though the earth has opened up into a bottomless pit as I fall endlessly. As Dazai pointed to his forehead and approached the muzzle, the look on his face – like that of a child about to burst into tears – had already been branded upon my eyes."

- quoted by Oda Sakunosuke, excerpt from Dazai Osamu and the Dark Era Light Novel.

When I read this, it sent my mind into a spiral of despair and confusion. It was so vague, yet it made so much sense. Dazai was desperate to escape from this life, but part of him seemed to live in conflict with his desire for death. I won't elaborate more on this, because this specific excerpt has personal meaning to me, as I'd expect it to have for others as well; so I wouldn't want to ruin anyone else's perception on it.

Back to my point: Odasaku was one of the only characters who managed to interpret the complexity of Dazai's mindset and was able to compartmentalise the specific details of his persona that made Dazai the way he was. Oda knew that Dazai wasn't just suicidal.

"For most things in life, it's harder to succeed than fail. Wouldn't you agree? That's why I should attempt suicide rather than commit it! Committing suicide is difficult, but it should be relatively easier to fail at attempting suicide!"

Others boasted about how he was just a suicidal maniac, and that was only because of how good Dazai was at concealing his own feelings whilst flamboyantly priding himself in new, risky techniques, which he sometimes elaborated on. But Oda, on the other hand, saw through his jokes, and empathised with his friend, never wanting to ever barge into his vulnerability without Dazai's permission, but still trying to be there for him.

"Listen. You told me if you put yourself in a world of violence and bloodshed, you might be ale to find a reson to live. You won't find it. You should know that. Whether you're on the side that takes lives or the side that saves them, nothing beyond your own expectations will happen. Nothing in this world can fill the hole that is your loneliness. You will wander the darkness for eternity."

Notice how Odasaku recognised Dazai's despair, before Dazai even dared to acknowledge his very own emotions? That was why, at Oda's death, he took the initiative to uncover Dazai's bandaged eye to show him that there was no use in concealing his feelings anymore.

Odasaku's last words to Dazai was to "be on the side that saves people," for he was aware that even though Dazai didn't believe there was a clear distinction between good and evil, he thought that perhaps Dazai would find meaning in his life, even if it was just a little bit of purpose.

In Dead Apple, we briefly relive this moment, but I'll write more on that some other time.

And when Dazai joined the ADA, he loses that dark side to him. No, wait, let me rephrase that: he loses a part of that dark side to him. He eliminated the raw sense of bitterness against the world from his face, and instead, he is seen to be a little more passive, and a little more adaptive. No doubt, he still does explicitly state his desire to die, but his wishes are very specific, if you know what I mean.

And a few years later, his journey with Atsushi began.

Atsushi and Dazai's relationship is just one of a kind. I think it isn't a matter of whether Atsushi needed Dazai, or whether Dazai needed Atsushi. It's the fact that they both needed each other. It's the way they both worked hand in hand, and how they sustained each other in ways they were lacking.

The two were polar opposites, but they had a tender kind of warmth embedded in their protectiveness for each other. Atsushi was just as lost as Dazai, but somehow, they worked together just fine. It was like their duality was meant to be. It was the type of symbiotic relationship, where their care for each other was implied, but very deep.

Does this also sound familiar... perhaps, in relation to Dazai's friendship with Odasaku?

Side note: Oda and Atsushi have the same enneagrams, which is Type 2, 'The Helper.'

There is a sort of balance that is brought about by two opposites. Odasaku taught Dazai many things, and I believe Oda learned a lot about a man's life from the way Dazai lived out his life with the innate desire to die. Atsushi sought for the right to live, while Dazai searched for a reason to live; in addition, Dazai validated Atsushi's feelings, and Atsushi was able to acknowlegde the amount of pain Dazai was going through.

Despite how Dazai's perspectives and beliefs stood in contrast with those of Oda's and Atsushi's, a type of inseparable bond connected the man who no longer felt like he was human, to the people who was the most human.

No Longer Human in the Japanese romaji is 'Ningen Shikkaku.' Ningen means "human," and Shikkaku means "disqualified." The late author, Dazai Osamu, wrote the book No Longer Human. He had gone through the rough throes of trauma and wrote this book as a semi-autobiography, whose plot was centred around a man who faked happiness, for he was tainted by the truth that everyone around him was fake themselves. He turned his life into a joke in order to protect himself from the delusions of this world.

This brings us back to the melancholic temperament, where a person was too deeply immersed in the sad truths of reality and the world itself.

And that's what Dazai's character and ability is based on: being disqualified as a human being, because he wasn't well-versed with what being human was actually like. The fabrications of being human sprung up all around him, but he wasn't willing to be fooled by how ingenuine the world truly was.

“I am convinced that human life is filled with many pure, happy, serene examples of insincerity, truly splendid of their kind—of people deceiving one another without (strangely enough) any wounds being inflicted, of people who seem unaware even that they are deceiving one another.”

- excerpt from Dazai Osamu's No Longer Human.

People who don't feel human emotions or don't react to circumstances the way humans do have a variety of ways of explaining how they feel inhuman. They are highly intelligent, which separates them from the average class of humankind, since they've analysed and untangled the truths of life in order to attain understanding, which they value above all else. But, this understanding of the world and its painful truths results in a deep kind of sorrow, which only a few people can seem to empathise with in order to help them out with that burden.

“Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart. The really great men must, I think, have great sadness on earth.”

-excerpt from Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment.

Don't you think that this deep sorrow that lies in the heart of the intelligent, makes them the most human of all? They're too human, to the point where they don't feel human. Perhaps, it is a type of defence mechanism, where the mind numbs the heart from feeling normal human emotion, because logically breaking down such concepts is easier than feeling them. But it comes at a price. The heart is willing to recklessly comprehend and fathom any sort of emotion, including pain in its true form, but the mind bears more pain in understanding such concepts because it seeks to decipher every single agonising detail of how complex human emotions are. The mind thinks, the heart feels. There is a clear distinguishing factor between the two. Whether feeling hurts more than thinking, or thinking hurts more than feeling, or whether both these processes work hand-in-hand to make up the reality of life itself, is up for an individual to decide.

Only a few people can seem to empathise with intelligent people who are deeply sad at heart, in order to help them out. As for Dazai, it was Atsushi and Oda. They never took away the pain, but they made him grow from it; it worked vice versa, too.

Of course, there are less tedious and more appealing aspects to the concept of Dazai's intelligence. Dazai was seen as a threat to his enemies because of how manipulation and his keen skill of deduction made up how sharp his mind was. Besides, no one could commit '138 murders, 312 cases of extortion, and 625 cases of fraud, along with various and sundry other crimes,' without having a certain level of intelligence, right?

Dazai had the moral alignment of 'chaotic neutral.' He was more focused on using his intellect to achieve the desired end results of a predicament, and he wasn't afraid to use the wrong means. A famous example was when he deflated the airbags of Ango Sakaguchi's car in order to gain the assured protection of Kyouka Izumi.

Justice is a weapon. It can be used to cause harm, but it cannot protect or save others.

Another example was when he blew up Chuuya Nakahara's car.

Just kidding. That was just a simple pastime (；・∀ ・)

His moral alignment points to what Oda said about him: the part where he mentioned that Dazai didn't really see any difference between good and evil. As long as his ends were achieved, especially if it were in the benefit of his fellow colleagues, he wasn't afraid to exploit, threaten, or endanger others' wellbeing. Because, at the end of the day, the end result triumphed the morally bad methods utilised to achieve it, correct? He always had a reason for his motives and actions, even if those actions were evil and inexcusable.

(eg. action: the psychological abuse he bestowed upon Akutagawa Ryunosuke.

motive: to enable him to hone his own ability favourably and to curb his arrogance)

But the consequences of one's actions will always catch up with a person, no matter what heights they've achieved.

Okay, we're reaching the end of my rambling very soon, I promise.

“If I had to go, I’d like to go out just as beautifully.”

“I’d prefer you don’t go.”

This part of the post is highly inspired by iwachuwu!!

An important factor of Dazai's development is highlighted BSD Wan's episode 10:

I'd like to appreciate that this scene focuses on how much Dazai actually means to Atsushi. When Atsushi responds with "I'd prefer you don't go," he said it lightheartedly for he thought Dazai was joking. But he wasn't. And once Atsushi absorbed the fact that Dazai meant what he said, he was overwhelmed with anguish at the thought of ever losing Dazai. Dazai, on the other hand, had a sense of longing on his expression. There was that look of pure desperation on his face. He was so desperate, yet he knew he couldn't act on his desperation due to a promise he'd made to someone dear to him. But keep in mind, Dazai is unpredictable, so we can never be sure of what's going on in that headspace of his.

Nevertheless, this time, Atsushi recognised Dazai's suffering, as no one usually cared to do, and Dazai didn't put in any effort to hide how he truly felt, as he habitually did. And this mutual emotional connection happened countless times during all the times Oda spent with Dazai as well.

To summarise,

Dazai's character had been carefully wired and patterned out in a way only a few would put in the effort to understand. Dazai was more than just suicidal; he was a being wandering from place to place with no specific aim. He was too smart for his own good. Dazai understood too well of how the world worked and deemed it void of any sort of hope.

Side note: Yes, the truth does come at a price, but it all comes down to how a person understands the truth. As for Dazai (both character and the author he was based off upon), well, it was quite tragic. But that's the way it is for some people, I suppose. But everyone has a different path to travel on, remember that.

His transition from working with the Port Mafia to the Armed Detective Agency was proof of how well-executed his character development was. It was two different personas morphed into what he is today: a womaniser with questionable morals a person who is still standing even after the rough refining process endowed upon him by the realities of this life.

However, he had people along the way come and teach him a thing or two, which perhaps made his life a little more interesting. Perhaps these people were passing clouds that hid the void out of sight for just a moment, and Dazai was always seen to be grasping on to these moments, and letting them go whenever it was time to let go.

His outlook on life makes his intellect look all the more intriguing. It shows that not only does his intelligence contribute to his own wit and shrewdness, but also the practical sense of realism that explains how tired he is of the concept of living because of the truths there are to bear.

However he's enduring the pain right now is by far the most bravest thing a person could commit themselves to doing. It takes courage, and it takes strength, but only a few would ever take the time to recognise such efforts.

Dazai has one of the most beautiful character developments, but I do hope that the development doesn't reach its end anytime soon.

fanart credits: @S7dOZPN3jWBB6cW on twitter

“Now I have neither happiness nor unhappiness.

Everything passes.

That is the one and only thing that I have thought resembled a truth in the society of human beings where I have dwelled up to now as in a burning hell.

Everything passes.”

excerpt from Dazai Osamu's No Longer Human.

#bsd #bsd dazai #bungo stray dogs #bungo stray dogs wan #bsd wan #bsd dazai osamu #bsd characters #literature analysis #literature #dazai osamu #bsd odasaku #bsd atsushi #bsd analysis #bsd atsushi nakajima #.ryley.speaks

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silverutahraptor · 3 years ago

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26, 27, 29 <3

26 if you could be best friends with a character from the series who would you choose?

Hmmm. Contrary to what people might expect I would NOT want to be Izuna's best friend since I'd probably die horribly/get stabbed because he needs to gain the Mangekyou Sharingan from SOMEWHERE. Also the Warring Clans era kinda sucks.

I actually think Ino would be a great best friend—she always knows the best gossip, can probably do flawless makeup and nails for me give me fashion tips? Also all my potted plants might no longer die all the time/at the very least get replaced quickly. Shikamaru seems less stressful and more relaxing as best friend. ...as does Chōji. Extra plus point: Food! ... well apparently I just want to be best friends with the entire Team 10. OKAY THEN.

27 if you could date a character from the series who would it be?

... okay, sorry, yes I AM first gonna say Izuna, but again that would come with the Uchiha Disclaimer: Death Flag inbuilt, and to be honest I don't think he'd be a good partner if we're staying in the canon timeline since he'd be focused on his Clan and his brother and KILLING SENJU and also ultimately dying? and tbh Uchiha as romantic partners strike me as... Too Much, possibly.

For a more realistic/less depressing option, I'd like to date TenTen, please! She deserved better. She's cute, she has a really cool fighting style, and she'd win me over by showing and then potentially gifting me cool swords. What's not to love! I also think dating her would provide GREAT entertainment by proximity to Team Guy. I'm 100% down to judge everyone's antics together with her ❤️

29 otp/notp?

OTP: hm. TobiIzu! (Back in my first Naruto phase in my teens, it might have been KakaIru.) NOTP: M*daT*bi.

Naruto Asks

#raptor speaks #ask game #anon #anon ask #thanks for the question anon!#i also considered Temari for the dating question but hoenstly i'd be too intimidated by her and her siblings #she can be someone TenTen and I sigh over together

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sharkbait77 · 3 years ago

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Banner by me! (Which does give you little clues to the story 🤭) *pictures found on Pinterest

The Sun Sets With You

Ezra Prospect x f!Reader

A Pioneer Age AU

Summary: A simple yet despondent farm life suddenly sparks with new hope when an unusual traveler makes your town his latest stop and brings with him intriguing and promising viewpoints and no one to share them with. Until he meets you.

Rating: M (due to the context of the story throughout)

Warnings: Feelings of desolation/despondency/depression (it won’t last long, I promise), death of a parent mentioned throughout (a constant theme, pls be aware), grief, angst, age old sexism, unsolicited advances, general fluff, as of this moment, I have no smut chapter planned. Sorry! But oh well lol (will add warnings to each chapter)

A/N: Okay okay okay! I wasn’t expecting to say anything about this for a while but I’ve kinda hyped some people up about it & I don’t want it to die so here we go lol so this AU idea slapped me in the face one day out of the blue. I knew I wanted to do a pioneer age AU with one of the boys & the more I thought about it, the more I felt a strong pull towards Ezra.

I tried to fight it bc there are some amazing Ezra AUs right now and idk, I didn’t want it to seem like I was jumping that bandwagon as well (silly, I know), but I just couldn’t help myself. The time period, the wordplay, the scenes I was imagining in my head all revolved around Ezra. So I hope it’s okay, I hope you don’t mind, but most of all, I hope I do Ezra justice.

He is such a difficult character to write for, & it truly threw me for a loop trying to get his elocution down, but I’m so proud of myself for pushing through & facing the challenge. I reread his scenes multiple times, watched Prospect over & over, & I still don't think it’s perfect, but I didn’t want to make myself go crazy either lol but not only that, I also completely switched up my own writing for the time period of this story which was so fun to do.

I did as much research as I could for this, tabs upon tabs open to learn more about this era (I did not even do this in high school lol) but my little disclaimer is that it might not all be historically accurate, but I hope I got enough of the basics down for you to get a feel of the times.

Also a quick note I’m making because we don’t actually know his last name in the movie, I decided to keep it as Prospect bc I found out that it was actually a last name in the late 1800s, which is when this story is set, & it was unique at the time, and it all fits the characterization of our dear Ezra & I just thought it was funny how that worked out.

This story will not be for everyone, as you can see the warnings above, those will be recurring themes throughout. Some chapters more than others, which I will properly disclose in each one. I, myself, know the pain of losing close loved ones and a lot of how Reader feels is what I pulled inspiration from myself for, so this story is very personal for me.

I’m rambling because I’m nervous as fuck & I'm not sure how it will be received, & mine definitely won’t be as great as everyone else’s, but I’m so proud of myself so I’m gonna post it anyway and I just hope people enjoy it too. I’m attaching the same taglist I’ve had on my other fics (plus more that specified interest in this particular story), so please let me know if you’d like to be removed & anyone else that sees this, let me know if you’d like to be on it ♥️

Coming soon!

Tags: @the-ginger-hedge-witch @asta-lily @honeymandos @pascalpanic @aliwritesfic @mandocrasis @hnt-escape @winter-fox-queen @barbossa2319 @sarahjkl82-blog @day-off-inkyoto @pedrocentric @astoryisaloveaffair @ezrasbirdie @danniburgh @foli-vora @lucrezia-thoughts @djarinsbeskar @chasingdreamer @meesterblack @amandalovess @hunterofartem1s

#ezra x f!reader #ezra x reader #ezra x you #ezra prospect x f!reader #ezra prospect x reader #ezra prospect x you #ezra au #ezra prospect au #ezra prospect fanfiction #ezra prospect fanfic #pedro pascal character fic #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal fanfic #prospect #prospect fanfiction #the sun sets with you #tsswy

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kim-ruzek · 2 years ago

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I think Jesse leaving is part his doing and part money/budget. Like, maybe he was going to leave after the 10th anyway but just didn’t put up a fight over them having him leave sooner. Even if he wanted to stay for the end of the season.

I think the video/interview that Jesse did with Nick and Alberto in April for TV Guid YouTube says it all. They were playing “Who’d you rather” and at 5:53 when they got to “sentence to desk duty”, Nick said Jay and Jesse said “hey I’ll take it. I could use the rest, lord knows.”

It was subtle but that’s what makes me think it was (at least partly) his idea because I don’t think was talking about Jay. I think he was talking about himself.

I agree with this, honestly. Like I'll be the first to say I wouldn't be shocked if it turns out Jesse was fired, but I do think it's his decision.

I haven't seen that video interview, and while I wouldn't necessarily take that as an indicator that Jesse wanted out because he could want rest without planning on, plus it's hard to take literal meaning from things they say knowing humans, but it does make it seem more likely -- and also brings up a point I keep thinking when I keep seeing how many people say Jesse enjoys filming on the show.

As I understand it, a lot of people are finding it hard to believe that Jesse would choose to leave just because he's always said he enjoys it but that just, to me, dismisses how at the end of the day this is a job to them. He could love his co workers and love his crew and love being part of something so special... And still chose to leave. Like even if he enjoys himself, there's enjoying themselves and also choosing rest.

Not the same sort of thing, but it's like-- when I was in college, I was exhausted and depressed and the getting up every day and heading in was tiring, but I *loved* this one class. Like I adored it. I loved the people, the subject and the teacher. When I was there I enjoyed myself... But I was still tired and depressed even though those were some of the best times of my life (adfvhj lol I sound like a nerd). And so Jesse can still love working there, and still decide to leave for whatever reason.

I think I'm just frustrated with people not applying logic. Like if you think there's weird vibes there's other explanations than just oh no he was fired! Like maybe he told them he was leaving, but the original plan was to have him leave later in the season/at the end, and then they decided to move it closer and it's like oh so the vibes are because they're sad about not getting as much time left! And like everyone being like but he was so happy to be back at work... Maybe because it's that leaving nostalgia that hits you before the end of an era. And the people who (and I'm not gonna comment on how insane and intrusive I think about them) think Jesse's dating Tracy? And is like why would he leave the show he films with his gf... Maybe it's because she is? Like if he wants the relationship to succeed he may think it's got a better chance with him having left?

This is getting long so I'll end this here. This insistence over Jesse being fired is crazy to me, especially the proof people put up (especially with nothing confirming being leaked sooo). It's also crazy because there's no way to get confirmation of it being his choice if it is... He says he's leaving, everyone assumes he was fired. So the options for fans are even keep believing what hasn't been said, or him to have actually been fired... Nothing about believing he wanted to leave. Also it's just me I guess but I like taking the actor on their word until knowing other wise

Thank you for this ask 💖

#ree's asks #chicago pd #jesse lee soffer #sorry this took a while to answer #illness + yesterday i got tired and it was too late in the day to drink my lucozade #this isn't as coherent as i originally planned but if i was to wait until i could type it more coherently it'll probably be another five #days or so 🤣

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fireandiceland · 2 years ago

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Because my braincells decided to stay in London, have a thought.

Either the hetalia characters put on a rendition of Heather's the musical (pls watch it if you havent)

J.d is either Arthur or Ivan bc murderous intent, depression and very over the top, and the fact that he kills a bunch of people.

Veronica is either fuckin finland or Hungary bc idk I feel like it works.

The Heather's are the BFT bc france is a fucking diva and he would pull of heather Chandler like he was born for the role.

Or the plain thought of younger nations, HK, Iceland, Lithuania etc acting like actual grandpas in front of people their physical age.

Ok HK would be mostly fine, a he uses lots of old phrases which is a bit odd but no one questions it.

But when Iceland is trying to be cool he ways brings up things from a hundred to 30 years ago, ie he has said that disco was his favourite genre to seem cool, and everyone just looked at him bc my dude actually said disco.

And Latvia is a lost cause at this point, when he goes out drinking, (perfectly legally america) the bartender always keeps a close watch kn him bc a 16 year old draining a bottle of vodka should be bad, but he never seems worse for wear and has only ever been slightly tipsy when he and Ivan had a competition, used up far too much alcohol to be normal, outdrank Russia and managed to walk out in a straight line.

Plus he gets really nostalgic when locking at certain things, he could be looking around Riga and start waffling to himself about a historical monument and someone nearby is listening and going, "what the fuck is up with this kid" his house has old grandpa like wallpaper and he still has kne of those Soviet era box TVs and his language is clear and understandable, but like in the way somones grandparents would speak.

Djfkdsndf you sent this while I was on vacation and I forgot about it until now oops

I heaven't seen Heathers! Actually I only even know it's a musical because some of the songs were on a playlist I liked on spotify. I think it's not very popular in german speaking countries?? I've meant to watch it tho! I just need to finally sit my ass down and look for a link and.. do it. You have permission to steal my kneecaps if I still haven't watched it by new years. I promise I'll get back to this part of the ask when I've watched it.

Moving on! YES TO 'YOUNG' COUNTRIES ACTING LIKE OLD PEOPLE!! I love that. Iceland's clothes when he first appeared.. look at this. grandpa style <3 and liet too (but I couldn't find good picture)

You know who Latvia reminds me of? Five from the umbrella academy. 60yo man trapped in the body of a 13yo boy. And lmao I love the idea of latvia just out-drinking Ivan like it's nothing XD also him getting asked for an ID has the same energy as Maria from shinmai mao no testament looking younger than the other's who go to school but she acts like their babysitter and deadpan got herself a driving license.

#aph iceland #aph latvia #riva.ask #hetalia

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sineala · 3 years ago

Text

Captain America: The Great Gold Steal

I wrote this up last week because I did not have access to my usual comics files but I figured I could review something that was just a book. So here is a review of the 1968 Captain America novel Captain America: The Great Gold Steal by Ted White, with an introduction by Stan Lee. I really liked it, actually! It was surprisingly good!

This novel features: Cover art of Captain America holding his shield in one hand and a very large gun in the other! A scene where the villains dramatically unmask Captain America and have absolutely no idea who he is! Captain America being extremely, extremely depressed about being in the future! Captain America dropping acid!

(I'm not kidding about the last part. In this novel there is a lot of LSD use. By Captain America. Talk about something the Comics Code wouldn't ever let you put in a comic book. Thank you, 1968.)

Faithful readers may remember that some time ago I posted reviews of Marvel prose novels from the 1970s. There was a line of prose novels featuring everyone's favorite Marvel superheroes, published by Pocket Books in the late 70s; I have reviews of the Iron Man, Captain America, and Avengers entries in the series; I liked the Iron Man one best, and I also have a Doctor Strange one I have not yet read. They're all short and action-packed paperback reads, of varying quality; the only one by anyone you might have heard of is the Avengers one, which was written by David Michelinie, who was actually writing the Avengers run at the time. That one was, um. An experience.

(Yes, it's "prose novel" because otherwise the assumption is "graphic novel.")

Marvel still publishes prose novels now, of course, also of varying quality; some are new plots and some are straight-up novelizations of comics arcs, which I guess is useful if you want to, say, read Civil War and not look at pictures at the same time. I also have a bunch of those that I could probably review if anyone wants. But, anyway, I personally am particularly intrigued by the older Marvel prose novels, both because the stories are all original and not retellings, and also because I often prefer the characterization found in older comics. And the older prose novels of course use the then-current characterization. So reading a Marvel prose novel from 1979 is like getting to read a brand-new comic from 1979, and that's a whole lot of fun for a nerd like me. Also do you know what's not subject to the Comics Code? Prose novels. So things can happen in these that definitely could not happen in comics of the same era.

This brings me to my current prose novel, which is something else entirely. I mean, okay, not really, it's still a Marvel prose novel. But it's not part of the same line. It's actually a lot older.

Bantam Books actually published Marvel prose novels in the late 60s. Yep, a full decade earlier. They published exactly two, so I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that they were probably not bestsellers. The first one, which I do not own and now sort of want to track down, was an Avengers novel in 1967, The Avengers Battle the Earth-Wrecker. And then in 1968 they published the novel I am currently holding in my hands, Captain America: The Great Gold Steal by Ted White.

(I am still not sure why no one involved in titling this book thought of the word "theft.")

Judging by the back copy, it appears to be about Captain America foiling the villains' dastardly plan to steal gold from the Federal Reserve. Oh boy. Fun.

So this book is from 1968. The modern Marvel universe had kicked off just a few short years ago! Captain America was just getting his own solo book after the end of Tales of Suspense! And here's a novel about him, back when certain elements of his characterization were perhaps a little more flexible than they are today, by which I mean that the cover art -- which the internet informs me was painted by Mitchell Hooks -- is a striking full-body portrait of Captain America, head held high, shield in one hand... and a very large gun in the other. Hell, yeah. Not gonna see that in today's Cap comics, are you? It's amazing and I love it.

(Okay, you might see that in Ults. I'm pretty sure I have seen that in Ults, actually. But this is still cool.)

So the cover art is a definite plus, and apparently it's one of the few reasons anyone has ever heard of this novel. The other reason -- and the reason this is more expensive than the later novels, I assume -- is that Stan Lee's name is slapped on the cover, because he wrote an introduction. (I think I paid about $30 for this. The others were definitely under $20.)

All right. Here we go.

The first page is actually a brief summary of Steve's origin story, but not a version I was familiar with. Steve was born July 9, 1917 (yes, I was surprised too), was orphaned at a young age, and was a student at Columbia University (!) before Rebirth, which in this version is a gradual process that is also extremely body-horror. Steel tubing was inserted into the marrows of his bones. He was fed "high-protein compounds." Then they gave him a chemical that "gave him complete control over every nerve, muscle, and cell in his now-magnificent body." Sweet. Where can I get some of that?

The blurb also confirms his control over his own metabolism as well as his healing factor ("wounds would heal in half the normal time"), which is nice, because sometimes I wonder if canon even remembers the healing factor.

(I don't know why Marvel has this kink for filling people's bones with metal, though. It's not actually empty in there, guys! You need your bone marrow! How else do you want people to make new blood cells?)

The book is dedicated to "Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, without whom there would be no Captain America." Hey, Marvel, Joe Simon would like a word with you. I'm just saying.

The Stan Lee introduction is three paragraphs written in Stan Lee's, um, inimitable, distinctive and extremely florid narrative style -- if you've read any of his work, you know what I mean -- and making the point that Captain America is incredible and you will like him. If you are just discovering him for the first time, you will definitely like him. Okay. Thanks. I guess.

Oddly, the writing style here is substantially different than any of the other Marvel prose novels I've read; it doesn't immediately front-load you with exposition and a cast of colorful superheroes. It opens with a sort of James Bond spy-novel feel, running through a series of unnamed villains and bystanders, and a man who wants nothing more than to talk to Captain America but is killed before he can. Steve comes in halfway through the chapter, and he seems to be written for a reader who doesn't necessarily know who he is, and he isn't introduced as Captain America with his shield flying ahead of him to smite evildoers, or anything like that. He's just a tall, handsome blond guy who is reading a bunch of novels and is unsatisfied by all of them because all he can think of is the past. It's definitely an attitude I would expect from Steve in this era -- he is very much a Man Out Of Time here -- but it's also not how I expected the book to introduce him. You wouldn't even know he was Captain America by the end of the opening chapter, which then ends with a digression about the history of NYC subway tunnels. It's like it wants to appeal to someone who has watched a bunch of Man from UNCLE and just wants to read a cool thriller. Which is not at all what I was expecting.

By the beginning of the second chapter, of course, we discover that Steve is Captain America, as he changes into his uniform. The narration refers to him as Rogers when it's in his POV, if anyone is curious. He apparently keeps the cowl off in the mansion, because the cowl annoys him.

It was not so much that he needed to conceal his identity these days, because for all intents and purposes he had no other identity. Steve Rogers was officially dead, and had been for almost twenty years. Captain America *was* his identity. It was only when he donned the tight-fitting blue uniform with its shield chest-emblem, the red snug-fitting leather boots, and the heavy, yet pressure-sensitive red-leather gauntlets, that he began to feel real -- a complete human being.

Steve? Buddy, are you okay there? You're really not okay, are you, huh?

You see what I mean? They're really hitting the early-canon angst. Hard.

(Also it sounds like his uniform is a few sizes too small.)

We then get an expanded version of the backstory from the beginning excerpt. In this version of canon, Steve actually has an older brother, Alan, who is handsome and athletic and basically amazing, and when they are orphaned they are raised by their aunt and uncle. Steve gets TB twice as a kid, nearly dies from it, and when the stock market crashes, ends up separated from his brother and in an orphanage after his uncle loses everything.

(Honestly if I were writing this book, his brother would be the secret villain. Chekhov's Gun!)

Steve has glasses, gets bullied, is a nerd and an honor student, and studies law at Columbia because he wants to help stop fraudulent business practices and also fight organized crime. Legally, I mean. In a manner relating to law. I guess he's sort of like Daredevil. The lawyer part of Daredevil.

And then he joins Rebirth, and this is the part where I had to put the book down for several minutes, because Erskine's secret chemical, the key to making super-soldiers... is LSD.

Oh my God. You should see my face right now. My expression is, I am sure, indescribable. I'm trying not to wake the dog up laughing.

I just. Holy shit. This book is from 1968 in a way I definitely was not expecting. What the fuck, Marvel?

This project was headed by the brilliant biochemist, Dr. Erskine. His work with the endocrine system, and chemical body control, was well beyond that of his contemporaries. Only he, of all his colleagues, had fathomed the secrets of the Swiss Dr. Hoffman's 1938 discovery -- the mind-controlling LSD-25.

Let's just pause here for a few minutes and contemplate this.

I will point out that Albert Hofmann (yes, the book spelled his name wrong) didn't actually discover that LSD was a hallucinogen until 1943 when he accidentally tried it, but I am positive that 1968 here was a time when Some People were convinced LSD was a wonder drug. I'm still laughing. As far as I can tell, legal manufacturing of it stopped in 1965 so I am pretty sure that the author did not just decide to name a drug that had an ostensible legal therapeutic use, because it wouldn't have still had one by '68.

Anyway, in this version of events, Rebirth is a month-long process that involves a lot of vitamins, physical conditioning and training, and, yes, putting metal in his bones like he's the next Wolverine. They're filling his bones with stainless steel rods to make him stronger. That doesn't seem like a great idea to me, but I am also not sure about dropping acid to gain superpowers. Clearly I am not a genius scientist. Also Erskine knows what DNA is, apparently, because he's just that great. Anyway. Other than the metal, those all seem like relatively normal interventions. So far.

Now Steve has become fairly big and strong (and I guess he still has metal in his bones? this concerns me!) but they need to make him superhuman, so, yes, really, it's time to drop acid. Several pages of this book are devoted to describing Steve's acid trip. His acid trip is amazing and he discovers that he has conscious control of his entire body down to the cellular level. He can control the adrenaline in his bloodstream! He can tighten his muscle fibers! And when he's done tripping he still remembers how to do this, if not exactly on a conscious level, but he can still access the abilities. And that is how you make a super-soldier. It's LSD. Remember, kids, drugs are awesome! Do drugs!

Let's maybe take a few more minutes to think about this.

I just. I have no words. How did anyone at Marvel agree to print this?

I think for the most part superhero origin stories tend not to involve real drugs because people are generally aware that drugs they've heard of won't make you into a superhero. I guess this is what it looks like when you invoke the names of real drugs. They probably wanted something that sounded more realistic but somehow I don't think this was the best way to go. (Radiation, of course, will definitely make you into a superhero but I feel like most people have accepted that as one of the conventions of the genre.)

Anyway, after that Erskine gets killed by Nazis, of course, and Steve goes to war, and for some reason this book contains footnotes by Stan Lee himself listing the comics you can read all of this in. Just like the actual comics do!

We are introduced to Bucky, who for some reason is also from the LES in this version, although not anyone Steve knew before the war, and there is of course a description of Bucky's tragic death and Steve's subsequent icing.

They are really, really stressing the Man Out Of Time thing here:

No other man could have survived so fantastic a voyage through time. And no other man could feel so displaced by time.

He was a man twenty years in his own future. By rights, he should be nearly fifty years old -- nearly twice the age of his fellow Avengers. Yet his mind and his body were not yet thirty.

When the Avengers had brought him back to New York with them and insisted that, as an honored hero of the past, he join them, he felt a sort of melancholy homesickness for his own time and world.

We then get a few paragraphs with the usual being sad that he let Bucky down and got him killed, and also that he misses his family, and that Steve Rogers doesn't exist anymore, and that nobody is alive who remembers him, and that war is hell.

Hey, Steve, maybe the drugs you should do are antidepressants. Just a thought.

Also, this book is 118 pages and we're not out of the origin story flashback until page 34. I think there are some pacing issues here.

Actually, I lied, the flashback keeps going, but now we're up to the Avengers finding him, and I have to say that the list of things Steve finds strange about the future is kind of charming when the future is 1968. Men have long hair! Women have shorter skirts! Everyone is kind of blasé about rocket launches because there have been so many space missions now. (Oh, come on, you haven't even landed on the moon yet, 1968! You're not that blasé.) Color TV! And, excitingly, LPs! You can now listen to 36 minutes of consecutive music. (I actually don't know what previous standard he's describing that is a ten-inch record that holds six minutes a side because I don't think 45s are that big. Yeah, no, I just checked and 45s are seven inches in diameter. Hmm. Oh, never mind. He means 78 rpm, doesn't he? In my defense, the record player my family had when I was a kid didn't play those.)

The description of Steve coming into New York for the first time is definitely written by someone who knows New York, which is fun. There is generally a lot of local flavor to the setting of this book. That’s one of the best parts.

There is a brief summary of Steve's feelings about all the Avengers -- he is most impressed by Thor, which, I mean, fair, he's an actual god -- and Hank telling him all about how he can live in Tony's mansion. With Jarvis. Who Hank says is actually from Flatbush. Apparently Steve spent a lot of time at the NYPL branch at 5th and 42nd trying to catch up on history. And then of course the Avengers ditched him and gave him the Kooky Quartet, and for some reason they're not here right now either so it's just Steve being sad and alone and dealing with this mysterious dead guy. I think probably the book is also done explaining fiat currency now. This is definitely the weirdest Marvel novel I've read.

Anyway, we have now returned to what is ostensibly the actual plot. Steve shows up at the New York Federal Reserve Bank (I guess the theft is happening here and not, like, at Fort Knox) with the gold bullion that the dead guy from the beginning of the book had on him -- I think I got distracted by the LSD bit and forgot to mention that part, but the dead guy was carrying some US government gold -- because the actual plot is that villains are trying to tunnel into the bank vault and steal gold. Steve discovers this after he gets the bank manager to give him a tour. The bank manager tries to refuse, citing security concerns -- Captain America could be anyone under that mask, after all! Steve just smiles and says, "If I removed my mask, would you have any better idea of who I am?" and I guess that's a flawless argument because he gets his tour.

(I'm sorry, all I can think of is that one gif from the JLA cartoon where Lex Luthor bodyswaps with the Flash, announces that now that he's in the Flash's body he's going to discover the Flash's secret identity, then pulls off his own mask, stares at himself in the mirror, and says, "I have no idea who this is.")

Given that the theme of Steve's interior life in this novel is "Steve Rogers died twenty years ago" it seems even more sad that Steve is just walking around basically saying, yeah, well, I'm nobody. And apparently that is being reaffirmed for him by the narrative.

So Steve goes down the tunnels, takes out some of the bad guys, and gets himself knocked out and buried in a collapsing tunnel. Don't worry, he's gonna be fine.

A lot of this book, by the way, is from the POV of random people, like this bank guard who went with Steve into the tunnels:

He had wondered, briefly, if a man like Captain America ever knew the pinch of too many bills, had ever felt desperate over the arrival of yet another mouth to feed. But, of course, Captain America had no family, and would hardly concern himself with such matters. It didn't occur to Thompson to wonder if this in itself might not be something for which to pity Captain America.

Rude. I mean, come on, do we really need random characters telling us Steve is a sad sack whom nobody loves? Steve's already got that covered! (Also, how does this guy know Captain America has no family?)

Anyway, thanks to the power of LSD, Steve is going into a trance, amping up his metabolism (he loses "several pounds" in a few minutes), and making himself super-strong so he can dig himself out. Hooray. This is definitely how human bodies work. Also LSD. This is definitely how LSD works. Yes.

Steve then finds out that a couple of the guards who were with him in the tunnels died down there and he goes home and eats dinner while stewing in miserable guilt because he was responsible for their deaths. He's really not okay. I'm not sure the book actually understands how not okay they have made him. Then someone from SHIELD is on the phone for him and he is briefly cheered up by the thought that it might be Sharon although I think we should also note that the narrative makes it clear that at this point in canon Steve still doesn't know her name. Remember when that was a thing?

Alas, it is not Sharon; it's just a random SHIELD agent who happens to have information about the plot and asks to meet. Then, as Steve leaves to go to the meeting, we get two pages of exhaustive description about the mansion layout and how it's built relative to the surrounding buildings. It feels like this book was written by a frustrated city planner. But anyway, the meeting is a setup and the villains capture Steve.

They knock Steve out, drug him, take him to their hideout, and tie him to a chair. Except, once again thanks to the power of LSD, the tranquilizer they're using wears off way sooner than they expected and so Steve feigns unconsciousness and listens to them discuss their evil plans.

And then the villains unmask him and I swear it's exactly like that JLA gif:

Rogers heard footsteps scuffing across a thick carpet, and then Sparrow's voice again, almost directly over him. His ears still buzzed, but he fought to catch the elusive familiarity of the man's tone. He wished he dared open his eyes.

"This is a moment which I, personally, have long awaited," Sparrow said, his voice rising in triumph. "*The unmasking of Captain America!*"

Then, his nails scraping along Rogers' face, Sparrow dug his fingers under his cowl, and ripped it back. Rogers felt air strike his exposed cheeks and forehead. Then fingers clutched his blond hair and pulled his head back. "Behold!" Sparrow said.

Raven was first to speak. "Well, I dunno about you, Sparrow, but it rings no bells with me. I never seen him before."

Starling agreed. "His face means nothing to me."

"He could be anybody," said Robin. "What good does this do?"

Sparrow let Rogers' head fall back to his chest, and his voice when he spoke was defeated. "I don't know. Nothing, I guess. I always wondered. I felt, if these guys -- these costumed heroes -- wore masks, it must mean something."

"Captain America was missing for twenty years," Starling said. "That could mean the first one died, and this one took his place. He looks awfully young."

"Perhaps. It doesn't really matter. Let's get going."

(Yes, the villains all have bird-themed codenames. I have no idea why.)

This scene just makes my day. I love dramatic unmaskings. I bet they'd have been a lot happier unmasking Iron Man.

The villains then leave Steve and go to a power plant, where we switch POVs to one of the plant employees and get two entirely unnecessary paragraphs about his racist and anti-Semitic thoughts about his coworkers before the villains murder him. Great. Thanks.

Anyway, the villains cause a blackout, while meanwhile they've left Steve alone with the girl villain, and Steve is busy trying to persuade her that crime doesn't pay. He's moved from the "do you know what they'll do to you in prison?" theme onto "how exactly are you going to spend a billion dollars in gold bullion when it's illegal for civilians to possess? who are you going to do business with?" and then points out that gold is heavy and hard to transport, which is when she gets out a a knife.

The bad guys are off to steal the gold, and Steve has now successfully turned the girl they left him with, because she frees him. Of course, the first thing he does is put the cowl back on.

"Why do you wear that?" she asked.

"The mask?" He smiled. "It gives people something external to concentrate upon."

"But..."

"Without it, I'm just another ordinary-looking man. With it, I become a symbol. For some people it creates awe; for others, fear. Look at me. I'm different now, aren't I? With the mask on."

"Yes," she nodded. "You look -- bigger, somehow. Stronger. Fierce, implacable. You look a little scary."

"Exactly. You no longer see me as a person, but as a thing -- an Avenger. It can be a potent psychological weapon."

"They were so disappointed, when they took your mask off. As though underneath they'd find a famous person."

"Maybe that goes on TV -- handsome playboys, and all that. But I've been anonymous all my life. Even my real name would be meaningless to you, to them. No, the mask is part of the uniform, a psychological device. That's the whole story.

Now: let's get out of here. You have a good deal more to tell me yet, and we can't waste more time."

Bwahaha. In a few years, Steve's going to be pretty surprised about who superheroes are, I think.

STEVE, now: Superheroes definitely aren't secretly handsome playboys! That would be silly! STEVE, after Molecule Man: fuck fuck fuck FUCK FUCK I'm such an idiot

I'm definitely looking forward to that.

Also, not that the issue of Steve's psyche actually recurs after this, but he's once again having the narrative vindicate his belief that Steve Rogers is dead and whoever he is under the cowl doesn't matter. Steve, I don't think this is very healthy.

Steve then tracks down the villains stealing the gold, has some geopolitical thoughts about where the gold could be going (he thinks either South Africa or Russia for the best laundering potential) and then hides himself in the villains' trunk while they drive to Staten Island, which is where they're taking the gold out of the country from.

During the final confrontation, Steve finally gets to see the villains, and he discovers that the one in charge is in fact the director of the Federal Reserve Bank who Steve met at the beginning of this book. Gasp. But that's not all! He's also... the Red Skull!

Honestly, I was kind of surprised; I didn't think this was the kind of book where we'd get any known comic villains, but I guess it's always gotta be the Red Skull. I think he's the only one of Steve's big villains who likes to disguise himself; Zemo has obvious disguise issues and I imagine it's also hard to cover up Zola's Teletubby-esque television body.

Steve shoots one of the villains, because I guess that's what he does in this era of canon.

So the plot wraps up in, like, two pages, because for some reason all these early Marvel novels wrap up very fast. Red Skull, of course, attempts to escape and then disappears and his body is never found. The end.

Well.

That was definitely a book. That I read. Believe it or not, I actually think it was the best of these early Marvel prose novels that I've read so far, even if it was also the absolute weirdest; I thought the thriller-style plot was entertaining, I liked Steve and his Extremely Sad characterization, I obviously enjoy all the identity themes, I liked how very detailed the New York setting was, and I do like how they tried to treat it all seriously. I mean, sure, this did lead to LSD in the super-soldier serum in presumably the name of realism, but I felt like the book was trying to present superheroes in a way that didn't feel silly and also didn't really take for granted that the reader would automatically accept superheroes.

It felt like a book that was written hoping that people who weren't superhero fans would read it, if that makes any sense. And I thought that was interesting, because most modern superhero work that I can think of assumes they've got complete audience buy-in and everyone is willing to suspend their disbelief and we all know the genre conventions and are expecting people running around in brightly-colored spandex. Whereas this is more like a James Bond novel if for some reason James Bond were called upon to defend his decision to wear brightly-colored spandex instead of bespoke suits. But I assume no one read it, because Bantam never published a Marvel book after this one.

If you can actually find a copy of this one for a price you're willing to pay. I recommend it. It was delightful and way more solid than I thought it was going to be.

Also, come on, you know you want to read about Captain America's acid trip.

#posts i actually wrote

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the-necessary-unnecessary · 5 years ago

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A list of all the films, series and web series that have been recommended as hidden must sees during isolation and beyond.

Note: I have divided them into films with happy endings or not, series that haven’t finished so the exact ending is unknown I have put an asterisk (*) next to

Note 2: the descriptions are a mixture of my own and of the reviews I was sent by anons

She gets the girl

A Date For Mad Mary, 2016 (needs a date for a wedding, more about her complicated reconnecting with friends after prison but romance is cute)

Almost Adults, 2016 (centers around the broader themes of growing up and friendship but one of them is a giant gay. There is a happy ending for both the gay one and the straight one, gotta give the straights some food because they so rarely get fed)

Anne+, 2018* (Dutch webseries with fresh and new vibes with a great mid-twenties actress about mid-twenties gay lives. Everyone in it is LGBTQ+ yet nothing about it is LGBTQ+, it’s all just treated as natural and normal)

Bound, 1996 (you can't beat the lesbian noir classic which should one day be inducted into the lesbian hall of fame)

But I’m A Cheerleader, 1999 (camp and a lot of fun despite the very serious themes, starring Natasha Lyonne- one of the gayest straights out there)

Carmilla, 2014-16 (webseries based on the groundbreaking 19th century book. Some great chemistry and a lot of breaking of the fourth wall)

Carol, 2015 (Cate Blanchett movie based on the book The Price of Salt which caused issue when it was realised in 1952 because it gave its lovers a open ended happy ending)

Couple-Ish, 2015-16 (cute Canadian web series, bit on the nose but important gay, bi and enby rep)

Desert Hearts, 1985 (the looks, the emotions, the gorgeousness of them both, the chemistry, oh god it was so good. Vivian Bell deserves all the orgasms)

Elisa Y Marcela, 2019 (A Spanish film based on the true story of two women who got married with one of them pretending to be a man in 1901. A tearjerker but ultimately their love is stronger than the adversaries they face)

Entre Nous, 1983 (a French 1983 film which has Jews & Nazi's but doesn't end in complete horror. There are straights who think it’s a friendship but we know better)

Fingersmith, 2005 (BBC drama based on a book by Sarah Waters)

Fried Green Tomatoes, 1991 (based on a more obvious book, they’re sold as best friends but if you know you know)

Fucking Åmål, 1998 (one of the first films aimed at teenagers about two girls falling in love and getting together.)

Getrieben, 2018 (they're ex's and share a dog and then maybe they're not so ex anymore)

I Can't Think Straight, 2008 (cute romantic comedy adapted from a novel about a London-based Jordanian of Palestinian descent preparing for a wedding before events take a gay turn)

If These Walls Could Talk 2, 2000 (some happy and some sad endings in this film which portrays three generations of lesbian storylines from the same house)

Imagine Me and You, 2004 (not my fav but a classic and has Queen Cersei playing a wlw)

Kyss Mig, 2011 (heart eyes, a lovely film, does have maybe a bit too much man in it but he's gone when we get to the nitty gritty)

Our Love Story, 2016 (Korean, subtle nuanced relationship story)

Rosebud, 1996 (a channel 4 short with Julie Graham and questionable fashion choices. Who needs words when you can have such tantalising and vivid visuals? Teeny bit of man but it's fitting in the particular setting and its very fleeting, although admittedly nude)

Saving Face, 2004 (romantic comedy which had less of an impact that Imagine Me and You due to lesser known actors and probably partly to do with race- the main characters are Chinese-American. But it's a gorgeous movie that has a lot more than just rom com elements. The Half Of It is by the same director.

Sjukt Oklar, 2018* (very Swedish, very lesbian, very very funny)

Supervoksen, 2006 (Danish teenage coming of age type thing)

The Carmilla Movie, 2017 (based on the webseries but still accessible to those that haven’t watched it. Quite sweet and the actresses seem very comfortable with each other. Plus there is a great sex scene in it where the muscles on one of the girl’s back are especially sexy)

The World Unseen, 2007 (period film during South Africa's apartheid era with great chemistry)

The Handmaiden, 2016 (extremely nsfw but its got some incredibly powerful meaning to it especially the final sex scene with the bells. It's also incredibly shot and the sex scenes were done very sensitively on set with only women around and the director even in another room.)

Thelma, 2017 (a supernatural thriller about a girl starting college who suddenly starts getting seizures but they don’t know why and she has a female love interest)

Tipping The Velvet, 2002 (BBC series, also has a Victorian era strap on in it and Keeley Hawes, what's not to love?)

When Night is Falling, 1995 (An uptight and conservative woman, working as a literacy professor, finds herself attracted to a free-spirited, liberal woman who works at a local carnival. It’s got quite a lot of a boyfriend in it so its not for everyone.)

Yes or No, 2010 (literally a ‘and they were roommates’ movie as well as an enemies to lovers plot)

Zwischen Sommer Und Herbst, 2018 (coming of age elements, does have a man involved especially at the beginning, who happened to be the brother of one of the girls, but overall it was okay, no lesbians die and it doesn't end in abject misery)

She doesn’t get the girl but neither does the trope

Aimée and Jaguar, 1999 (based on a true story. Beautiful but painful, it’s a Jew falling for a German housewife in Nazi Germany, hence its sad as hell ending)

Bloomington, 2010 (coming of age, teacher student thing which walks that line relatively well without being too icky)

Freeheld, 2015 (an extremely powerful and important story to tell)

Gia, 1998 (Angelina Jolie gets it on with Elizabeth Mitchell in a moving film about model and lesbian Gia Carangi)

Kontrola, 2019* (a masterpiece of a mini web series with a great soundtrack, aesthetic and storyline. Season 2 may present a better future for them)

Mädchen in Uniform, 1931 (German cult classic almost entirely produced by women. Sexual awakening/teenage coming out of her shell stuff, there is also a 1958 redo which is okay. She doesn’t get the girl but it’s still a positive portrayal of sexuality where the object of desire isn't disgusted or weirded out by it)

My Summer of Love, 2004 (At first glance a coming of age movie, but has a lot of phycological elements too. Emily Blunt with a girl, not happy but no lesbians die)

Portrait of a Lady on Fire, 2019 (spell-bounding french film with amazing rawness and visuals. One of my best cinematographic experiences ever)

Reaching for the Moon, 2017 (the love story of the poet Elizabeth Bishop and the architect Soares in the 60s)

Snapshots, 2018 (sad ending but great chemistry with no closed mouthed straight girl kisses)

Summertime, 2015 (French lesbian movie- dare I say more? Sad but no deaths)

The Hunger, 1983 (a gothic cult classic, vampires, its got David Bowie, Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneuve in it)

The Miseducation of Cameron Post, 2018 (she doesn’t get the girl because there is no girl, but she does begin to find and accept herself. Based on a highly recommendable book by the same name)

Viola di Mare, 2009 (depressing as hell but beautiful to look and the couple have some good chemistry)

#hope this keeps everyone busy :)#idk what to tag this but hey ho #wlw #lgbt representation #lgbtq+#masterpost #og #yomequedoencasa #coronavirus #film recs

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