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robotlesbianjavert · 3 years ago

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MVA is a Matryoshka Doll of Character Development & Framing: Yes This is About How the Anime Failed. Whatever.

Breaking it down, the My Villain Academia arc serves two (2) main purposes in the overall narrative.

→ Put the League of Villains back in a position where they can be a credible threat to the heroes after losing All for One and their potential partnership with Overhaul falling through. Obviously accomplished by upgrading Shigaraki / Twice / Toga, giving Shigaraki the Meta Liberation Army, Ujiko’s assistance, Gigantomachia’s loyalty, etc.

Of course the anime undercuts all of this by letting the heroes know what the League is planning before the League can take advantage of their new position (ergo narratively giving heroes the advantage, as seen in the manga’s war arc) before we even get to see HOW they got all these cool new toys. So why bother. That’s a different sin that the anime has committed, we can put this on the backburner.

→ Pseudo-reboot the direction of the story so that villains are characters on equal standing with the heroes, rather than being obstacles to beat up. This involves a lot more factors, but it’s all rooted in how the arc and characters are framed, and how the characters are developed.

I talked a bit about my concern about the sympathetic framing of the League in MVA way back when we first learned about the anime arcs being shuffle here (my triumph of objectivity). The gist of it is that the arc switch undermines the way the League are portrayed as underdogs—broke, aimless, and relatively weak compared to the heroes and the army coming for their heads—and I was right! Worse, they didn’t just undermine that underdog framing, they straight up didn’t bother. There is zero context for the League’s situation post-Overhaul, pre-Gigantomachia. No explanation for how they have to rob other villain groups to get by, that their equipment is breaking down, that they have no solid end goal or means to achieve anything of note. Just a challenge from Ujiko and Gigantomachia that loses a lot of pressure without understanding the sorry situation the League is in.

Tellingly, they don’t even let the League kill the fantasy racists. Who doesn’t want to see the fantasy racists get murdered! Outside of the existence of the CRC being an interesting bit of worldbuilding that confirmed the existence of heteromorphic discrimination, which is likely to continue playing a role in the manga, it’s an easy way to let the villains be villains while allowing the readers to go with the flow into this villain-focused arc, without having to be outraged by their actions.

From the get go, we’ve lost the framing that made MVA an arc worth paying attention to when it was first released, which indicates a) that the anime doesn’t care about the actual purpose of this arc outside of setting up a flashy hero vs. villain fight for season six and b) that we shouldn’t expect much from the rest of the anime arc. Even if they get the technical aspects of it right, we’ve already lost the weight of the narrative.

MVA is also obviously known as being the big push to develop the villains as characters. We’ve gotten some character development for them before (Twice and Toga’s adventures with Overhaul, Shigaraki’s consistent growth from “brat” to a capable villain and leader in his own right), but MVA is the first arc solely dedicated to their stories and humanization. However, there are “tiers” of character development and focus here, nested within each other, that are tied into the arc’s narrative structure.

Getting them out of the way: Dabi and Compress didn’t get to do much, though we do get to see their relationships with the League in action, plus stuff like Dabi’s quirk limits which come up later. Otherwise, their actual storylines only come into fruition or start with the PLF Raid arc (which in itself is dependent on MVA but that’s another argument).

More memorable and meaty is the development for Toga and Twice. We learn more about their backstories, we get to see them push themselves to the breaking point for the sake of survival, Toga gets to evolve her quirk while Twice finally uses his to its full potential. We also get to understand their personal philosophies, relationships with society, how they view the world around them, and their loyalty to Shigaraki and the League. And with the manga’s underdog framing and the life-threatening situations they were thrust into (plus at the time they didn’t have guaranteed plot armour the way the students and heroes did), the audience wants to root for them, even if they’re the bad guys!

Toga and Twice’s development are undeniable highlights of the arc, contribute strongly to the story as a whole, and justifiably receive a lot of attention. However, they are also primarily moments nested within the arc, tying into their personal ongoing storylines (Twice’s starting with the Overhaul arc and ending tragically with the PLF Raid; Toga’s storyline carries on into the PLF Raid with the loss of Twice and her confrontation with Uraraka). But they aren’t the primary storylines of the arc.

A primary storyline of MVA is in Shigaraki being able to identify the direction he wants to take the League in and make that a reality, as well as answering the questions of his past. MVA starts with the League’s aimlessness and with him revealing how little he remembers of his origins; the arc climaxes with him regaining his memories and having the confidence and strength to earn the Ujiko, Gigantomachia, and Redestro’s loyalty and resources, giving him the means to finally enact his dreams of destroying hero society. Toga and Twice’s development is encased within Shigaraki’s storyline, and that storyline provides a concisive beginning and endpoint structure of My Villain Academia—

Except Shigaraki’s narrative structure is encompassed by a layer even beyond that: Spinner’s story. When the arc begins, before Shigaraki can discuss his dream of a destroyed horizon, Spinner is the one challenging him about the League’s lack of direction and purpose. When the arc ends and Shigaraki stands victorious, Spinner is the witness who now understands that the destroyed horizon can be their reality. Spinner is the one watching Shigaraki throughout the arc, Spinner’s gaze is emphasized at the beginning and end of Shigaraki’s MVA storyline, and Spinner is the one who undergoes the most radical change from frustrated Stain flunky to Shigaraki’s devoted follower.

To paraphrase from @stillness-in-green, My Villain Academia is “about what Shigaraki coming into his own looks like to the people watching him”. To Re-Destro, to Ujiko and Machia, and most importantly to Spinner.

It’s been frustrating enough over the past two years to see people who have read the manga discard Spinner’s role in the arc just because he isn’t a basic easy pretty boy didn’t get an elaborate flashback sequence the same way that Toga, Twice, and Shigaraki did. Seeing the anime not even bother emphasizes that lack of comprehension. But why does it specifically matter that the anime screwed over the Spinner & Shigaraki premise of MVA?

Aside from the anime’s decisions taking all the weight out of the story: In the current manga, Spinner is the only one left at Shigaraki’s side who is specifically loyal to and cares for him.

Barring executive meddling, Horikoshi changing his mind on plot points that he set up, and straight up bad writing (which can all very well happen): You don’t go through the effort of developing a character like Spinner, explicitly in conjunction with your main villain, as the framing perspective of an arc that is so vital to your story, without having a plan for that character. With the way Spinner is positioned right now, there’s a lot that can be done with him! And if that potential does get utilized, then the anime lost out their chance to give that potential its due.

Between the immediate loss of set up and context, tossing the pseudo-protagonist framing of the League, and gutting the emotional core of Spinner’s developing regard for Shigaraki, the anime adaptation has already lost. The rest of the episodes could be perfectly competent, but without the actual base of the arc it all falls flat. Hell, they could stick Spinner’s confrontation with Shigaraki in as a flashback in his fight against Trumpet and it won’t matter; that just nests Spinner’s story within Shigaraki’s the same way Toga and Twice’s is, when it should be the other way around.

Of course there are other reasons why MVA anime arc is set up to fail without reany spect for the source material (I know that the MLA got screwed over in the PLF Raid arc but that’s no reason to not even TRY with introducing them into the show properly just LET Rikiya be his fun, threatening, and engaging self!), but the fact of the matter is that I’m not going to get my Spinaraki AMVs and I want to fucking die about it.

#a lot of this has been said but people are still JUST off the mark of why exactly losing spinner's scenes is Bad #bnha #bnha bloggin #bnha spoilers ?#spinner #shuichi iguchi #mva wank

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rose2jam · 3 years ago

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Dream Sequence - Act 1, Scene 6, Wasting Time

Click here for the Dream Sequence FAQ

Ship: Severus Snape x Reader/OC

Story Summary: Your name is Gwendolyn Goode. You’re a bright Hufflepuff with a knack for potions, and this is the story of how an understanding and trust between yourself and Professor Severus Snape slowly evolves over the years into mentorship, friendship, and eventual romance.

Scene Summary: 6th year. A botched up trip to Hogsmeade finds you and Snape trapped by the rain in the Hog’s Head. You take the opportunity to to speak candidly with your professor. "Wasting Time" by ALEX and Kendall Miles

Length: 7,116

Rating: T

Warnings: Uhhh… Student still pining for teacher.

Notes: About a quarter of the way through writing this, my computer crashed with a Blue Screen of Death and I lost a great deal of material because my word processor’s auto-save was set to every 30 minutes. That’s why this scene is pretty late, and why it’s maybe not my best work. It was pretty discouraging.

Also, there are a handful of cameos from various media I’m a fan of in this scene. Let me know if you spot them!

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Master List

First Scene

<== Last Scene

Next Scene ==>

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You had emphatically told your friends that you were not interested in going out to Hogsmeade this weekend. You had your reasons; very good ones, in fact! But none of your girlfriends were willing to hear of it. ‘It’s the final trip of the year! The last chance to have some fun before exams! You can’t keep hiding in the dungeons Gwendolyn; you need to get out!’ Ugh. You would have been much better off just staying in the dungeons; your current surroundings were about as brightly lit anyway.

You had eventually submitted to the wheedling of your girlfriends, but you warned them that you weren’t going to be happy about it. Which was a mistake, because they did everything within their power to try and force you to be happy. They dragged you to each and every shop, made a reservation for the whole group at Madam Puddifoot’s for later in the afternoon, and insisted that you at least try on a set of emerald green dress robes while in Gladrags. The darkening clouds in the sky overhead reflected your own stormy mood. All the while, you kept a defiant scowl firmly on your face (“Gwen, you’ve really got to stop spending so much time down there. You’re picking up his facial expressions.”). And while you had managed a bit of a smile inside of Honeydukes, your arms laden with a sack full of licorice wands, pepper imps and coconut ice, the moments between shops were spent constantly looking over your shoulder, keeping an eye out for those very good reasons you had for not wanting to leave the castle.

Joshua DeJarnette really had it out for you this week. You had successfully (and quite accidentally) made a fool of him in Defense Against the Dark Arts, when you’d been caught up in the chain of people passing a note from one side of the room to the other. Professor Rakepick had noticed the note just as the folded square of paper had landed in front of you. She had instructed you to stand up and read it out loud to the class, perhaps intending to teach you a lesson about breaking the rules. However, the note had obviously not been meant for you. In fact, it rapidly became clear that this was not meant to be read by anyone, except for its intended.

Because it had been poetry. Love poetry. Written by DeJarnette. Its recipient, a Slytherin girl by the name of Erica Velazquez, had flushed dark red when you began reading, and you followed suit the further down the note you got. Professor Rakepick, quite pink in the face herself, had stopped you about midway and snatched the piece of paper from your hands, saying she would handle it herself. As you sat back down in your chair, you could feel seething hatred radiating towards you from the back row of desks. DeJarnette and Velazquez had been held back after class, and by the grace of this alone were you able to escape before DeJarnette could seek retribution. You had managed to avoid him for three days now, but your time was running short. You were prepared for the fact you would have to see him in Charms the following week; at least Professor Flitwick wouldn’t allow any fighting in his classroom. But you weren’t prepared for a possible ambush in Hogsmeade.

And speaking of ambushes, your other reason for wanting to avoid Hogsmeade all together this weekend had become quite adept at the art. For the last three semesters, Lawrence Hollingsworth had been cornering you at every available opportunity, to ask you what you were doing on any given night or afternoon or weekend or literally any time he could find an excuse to try and be alone with you. Lawrence had been remarkably understanding last year, when you had told him that you weren’t interested in dating because you needed to concentrate on your O.W.L.’s. He’d wholeheartedly agreed, had even volunteered to help you out with your Transfiguration and Charms, like a form of compensation for all the help you’d given him in Potions. You’d accepted, and through your joint efforts of intensive study, you had gotten an Exceeds Expectations in Charms, letting you advance to the N.E.W.T. course, and had scraped by with an Acceptable in Transfiguration, which was all you really could have hoped for.

But now O.W.L.’s were over, and it would be another whole year before you’d have to take your N.E.W.T.’s. Which apparently, to Lawrence, meant that you had plenty of time to consider dating him now. It had become nightmarish, really. You’d wanted so desperately to just hang on to your platonic friendship with him, but now he was becoming a real nuisance. If you were alone, anywhere, for even a couple of minutes, he somehow always managed to turn up and find you. It was innocent enough at first. Sidling up to you in the library to do homework together? Typical, even welcome. Picking the spot across from you at the Hufflepuff table in the Great Hall during meals? Not unusual, though now it had become every meal. Plopping himself onto the couch beside you in the common room, even if someone else was already sitting there? That’s when his advances started to get a little annoying. But it had been when he was waiting for you outside of the girl’s lavatory one afternoon that you had to draw the line and take matters into your own hands.

That was when you started stealing away into the Potions classroom in the evenings. Snape had barely even questioned you when you showed up one night after dinner, practically begging him for a quiet place to do your homework. And surprisingly (or maybe not at all surprising), he allowed it, letting you sequester one of the worktables for yourself after classes had ended for the day. It was a perfect arrangement, really; the dungeon was always cool and quiet. No one ever voluntarily entered the Potions classroom if they didn’t have to. And even if one of your oppressors found out where you were hiding, Snape was almost always there. Aside from the protection this offered you from bullies and not-boyfriends, it also provided an endless font of academic tutelage. If Snape was in a good mood (and he usually was, when classes were over, and it was just the two of you…) he was usually amenable to helping you with your studies. Answering questions, giving advice on improving your spell work, even proofreading essays, if he didn’t have anything better to do. And even if he wasn’t around to aid you, the fact that he still trusted you, alone in his classroom while he wasn’t there, spoke volumes of his confidence in you.

But Snape wasn’t here to protect you from your tormentors now. No, when you and your friends had exited Honeydukes, making your way up High Street to meet your reservations at Madam Puddifoot’s, you had seen them. Both of them. DeJarnette and Velazquez were standing outside of Scrivenshaft’s, Velazquez admiring the peacock quills through the front window, holding on to her boyfriend’s arm, while DeJarnette was very obviously scanning the street, like he was looking for something, or someone, in particular. And just as you were turning around to sneak away from your friends in the other direction, you saw Lawrence exit Zonko’s, smiling and laughing, surrounded by his mates, but also distractedly skimming the crowds. And you knew there would be no chance of just hiding amongst your girlfriends; you were about 5 inches taller than the rest of them after a nice summer growth spurt last year, your wild blonde hair making you stand out like a dandelion in a field of neatly trimmed grass.

In a fit of panic, you made a break for it. Detaching yourself from your group of friends, you slinked (skulked!!) down the nearest side street, disappearing around the corner and hopefully out of view, praying that no one had spotted your daring escape. You had thought this was the street that led to Madam Puddifoot’s, planning on just slipping into the little café and securing the table for you and your friends ahead of their arrival. But your sense of direction must have been lost in your panic, because you found yourself instead in a dark, shadowy alley, surrounded by decrepit, boarded up buildings, a dubious looking potions shop, and a seedy bar and inn with a sign proudly displaying the bloody, severed head of a pig. You had the presence of mind to at least be weary of your surroundings, fingering the hard edge of your wand through your bag. You had been considering the merits of doubling back, searching the streets in hopes that your friends were still nearby, or your adversaries had moved along. But a sudden rumble of thunder overhead had made your decision for you, and you scampered into the nearest doorway at the first thud of a rain drop onto your cheek.

And that is how you found yourself in the Hog’s Head, seated at a teeny, tiny table near the window, listening to the heavy rain pelt against the dingy glass. Nursing a lukewarm butterbeer (which you had insisted you would rather just have straight from the bottle, no need for a mug, thanks), you were doing the only thing worth doing in a dodgy bar on the wrong side of town with no one to talk to; drawing the natives. Not in any extreme detail, of course. You saved that for plants and mushrooms, typically. But several pages of your black velvet sketch book were dedicated exclusively to tiny, cartoonish caricatures, usually of your professors, though you thought you might commit a page or two to the fascinating inhabitants of the Hog’s Head. You’d already sketched out two; the gruff looking bartender, with his dirty rag and dirtier beer mugs, as well as a very skinny older man seated at the bar, who was sporting a pencil thin moustache and wearing a hideous plaid suit that looked to be intentionally splattered with mustard stains, a flimsy paper crown perched on his balding head. Had you known you would be spending the remainder of your day in the presence of such royalty, you would have worn something nicer than denim shorts and a ringer tee.

This… certainly wasn’t how you’d expected your day to go. It felt like coming to Hogsmeade had been a huge waste of time. Granted, it could have gone much, much worse. You could be stuck at Madam Puddifoot’s, for one. The place was lovely, no doubt, with its delicate little cakes and tea sandwiches. But food that small shouldn’t be so expensive. And if you and your girls had all gotten stuck there from the rain, you would have been forced to keep buying things so as not to get kicked out. There was also the chance that DeJarnette and his girlfriend may have shown up for a romantic afternoon. Or Lawrence could have heard where you all had gone for lunch and came sprinting in. Perhaps going down the wrong street had been a blessing in disguise. And… well. The Hog’s Head wasn’t so bad. Kind of cozy, actually, with its dim lighting, small quarters, and quiet but curious clientele.

Gee… Maybe you were spending too much time in the dungeons.

You were contemplating who to commit to paper next. There was the austere looking old witch in the blue gown taking up one of the nearby booths, her long silver hair pulled up into a severe bun, her red taloned fingers gleaming with great big rings. She also had a massive wart right between her blue shadowed eyes, topping off her beak-like nose. Then there was the pale young man seated in the corner booth, with the dark red curls and the steely grey-blue eyes. Er… Eye. He was actually fairly attractive for being in a place like this, but he was also dressed like a pirate, with an eyepatch and everything. The only thing missing was the parrot, which he had apparently substituted for a raven instead.

You were contemplating whether or not ravens could be considered seafaring birds, when a dark shadow crossed into your peripheral vision. Starting with sudden fright, you saw a hooded figure standing outside the window, right beside where you were seated. The distortion of the wet glass, as well as the shadow cast by the hood of the strangers traveling cloak, made it so that you could not distinguish any particular features. But you got the distinct impression they were staring through the window at you. You felt your mouth go dry, and just as the figure turned away, making its way toward the door, you plunged your hand into your bag and seized your wand. You were absolutely certain it was DeJarnette, that he’d found you and was about to corner you in this nasty little bar where no one was going to come to your aid and everyone would turn a blind eye as he hexed you into oblivion and-

The door to the pub creaked opened, the sound of torrential rain pounding onto the cobble stones outside filling the small space with static noise. You held your breath, wand at the ready to defend yourself, poised on the edge of your seat to spring into action at any moment. But DeJarnette took his time coming in, slowly shutting the door behind him. He then turned his back to you (was he stupid??) and made a show of dramatically whipping off his cloak, hanging the sopping raiment onto the coat rack by the door. And your body crumpled with equal parts relief and aggravation. Because it wasn’t DeJarnette at all.

Snape looked a bit like a drowned rat after coming out of the rain. Though his cloak was surely charmed against the elements, the hair around his face was stringy, clinging to his damp cheeks and forehead, his shirtsleeves and trousers drenched around the cuffs. Under one arm he held a paper sack that looked on the verge of losing its structural integrity, the stamp on the side baring the name of the dingy potions shop you’d passed on the way in.

As you slumped back into your chair, dropping your wand to the table with a clatter, you realized that Snape’s attention wasn’t actually on you. Not that you were disappointed by that or anything but… you rather thought you had been the reason he’d come in. But no, Snape was decidedly not looking at you. Instead, he was facing the bar, with his jaw clenched and his eyes wary, like he was debating turning right back around and leaving. That in itself was disquieting, and you followed his line of sight to the bartender, who was glaring at Snape so lividly that you actually feared he was about to throw the Professor out.

But Snape would not be intimidated, it seemed, as he determinedly made his way over to your table and set his bag down with a thud, its contents rattling together with a tinkle of glass. He then pulled out the empty chair and settled himself into it, though he still wasn’t looking at you. His eyes were closed, as though he was attempting to avoid eye contact with anyone else in the bar. You could see a vein pulsating in his temple. When he finally spoke, his voice was dangerously quiet, low enough that you had to lean in closer to hear. “Miss Goode, what in the world are you doing here of all places?”

You openly gaped at him, your face hardening in indignation as you were affronted by his words. “Me? What about you! You scared the shi-” you paused, face going scarlet as he finally did look up at you then, his signature brow arched, a reluctant smirk tugging at his lips. You crossed your arms over your chest and sank further into your chair, looking quite put out. “You frightened me. Lurking outside the window like that.”

“Was I lurking?” he asked innocently, finally straightening up as he pushed his lank hair out of his face, glancing about the bar, still with an air of trepidation. For the first time since you’ve known him, he actually appeared genuinely anxious. And that made you feel anxious. He was one of the most brilliant wizards you knew; what in the world did he have to be frightened of?

“I’m sorry, did I say lurking?” You sat up as well, trying to appear calmer than you felt as you placed your elbows against the table and leaned in closer. “Because what I meant to say was skulking.”

That did its job, as Snape buried is face in one hand, hiding his snort of laughter from both you and the other patrons. But you felt the tension around him, around you both, begin to ease. You settled your cheek into one of your hands, watching him fondly as he composed himself. This was a rather unique situation for the pair of you. While you’d spent many evenings in the Potions classroom these last few weeks, doing your homework and studying for exams, it had always held a purely academic atmosphere. Sometimes you talked about things other than just school, but those times were rare, and ultimately came back around to your studies. Right now, though… It felt like two friends meeting for a drink. You bit your bottom lip as you watched Snape school his features back into calm and collected impassivity, but glanced away quickly when he returned his eyes to you.

“Baseless accusation. I was neither lurking, nor skulking.” He’d settled back into his chair, one hand propped on his crossed knee while the other thrummed idly against the small wooden table top. You arched a brow incredulously, which you were getting quite good at, as you were learning from the best. But of course, he matched it and surpassed it, waving his hand dismissively in your direction. “I was observing.”

You absolutely could not have stopped your grin if you tried. This banter was so easy, felt so natural. You could do this all day with him, really, and you found yourself really enjoying it. Shaking your head, you snatched up your butterbeer with your free hand before taking a swig. “Is that what they’re calling it these days?” you asked in mock surprise. “I think Professor McGonagall might have something to say to the contrary.”

Snape rolled his eyes, but you could tell he was struggling to fight down his own grin. “I dare say Minerva has something contrary to say about most things that I do.” He glanced over your set up at the small table; your sketch book, your bag from Honeydukes, the lukewarm butterbeer you were twisting by the neck between your fingers. “You still haven’t answered my question,” he reminded you, and you found yourself pouting moodily.

“And you haven’t answered mine!” you countered, looking dourly out the window as the rain continued to pour, your face still slumped against your hand. “I’m allowed to be here. No one ever told me that the Hog’s Head was off limits.”

Snape already looked fed up with your brooding. If there was anything he hated, it was a petulant teenager, and you sure were acting the part right now. “You aren’t wrong,” he agreed curtly. “It isn’t off limits to students. However, it’s not the sort of place I would advise any student to visit alone.” He met you with a warning look then, a reminder that he thought you really were a bit of a bubbleheaded Hufflepuff sometimes.

You wilted at that, glancing around at the odd assortment of people in the bar, who were all quietly minding their own business. “No one’s been bothering me,” you assured him, hoping to put his mind at ease. Though you did feel a curious sort of flutter at the fact that he seemed so concerned with your wellbeing. Your eyes stuck on the bartender though, and you frowned to find he was still casting furtive glances towards the pair of you. “Indeed, the only person anyone has been hostile towards is you, sir. Why does the barman look like he wants to throw you out?”

Snape started slightly at that, his eyes shifting to the bartender in question, before glancing away quickly, staring hard at his fingers as they continued to tap agitatedly at the table top. You immediately regretted asking, because that anxious dread was creeping up your spine again, and you wondered if you had crossed a line. Snape, for his credit, only appeared to be annoyed. Though whether it was at your blatant snooping, or at the barman himself, you weren’t sure. “Because he’s thrown me out before,” he admitted quietly, but his obvious effort to keep his voice down was lost on you.

“What?!” you squealed, eyes wide as you sat bolt upright, though the withering glare you received made you shrink back only slightly. Clutching the edge of the table with both hands, you leaned in conspiratorially. “Are you serious?” you whispered excitedly, and though his continued scowling should have set off warning bells, you were too eager for this potentially juicy story. Because honestly, you couldn’t just casually mention that you’d been thrown out of an already pretty rough looking bar without giving the details. “Are… Are you a rowdy drunk or something?”

Snape rolled his eyes so hard you feared that they might fall out of his head. “Hardly,” he spat contemptuously, but you weren’t to be deterred. It was your turn to tap your fingers on the table expectantly, because god, he already knew so many dumb and embarrassing things about you. You totally deserved some compensation, right?

But it seemed you weren’t going to get much out of him. “I was simply on the wrong staircase at the wrong time,” Snape explained blandly, scowl still etched onto his face. “Though for whatever reason, some people seem to think that’s trespassing.” He redirected his grimace from you towards the bar, where the barman suddenly seemed to remember some pressing matter that needed attending in the back room. And as the sour old man bustled off, you watched Snape’s facade fall like a stone. Gone was his signature glare of contempt, as it was replaced with an exhaustion so profound, he appeared to age ten years in two seconds. He did not look back to you, instead letting his eyes fall to the sawdust strewn floor. When he spoke, his voice was barely a whisper. “It’s in the past. Of no consequence now.”

You felt… awful. Absolutely dreadful and gross for pressing him, when it was clear that this had not been a thing he had wanted to share. Probably least of all with you. While the story itself was dull, it was quite clear that there was more he was not telling you, and you had absolutely no interest in attempting to extract that information. What right did you have to his secrets? You pulled your hands away from the table, letting them fall to your lap as you shifted uneasily in your seat, trying to find the words to apologize for your obstinacy in the ensuing beat of silence.

“I pulled one of the short straws and landed chaperone duty for the Hogsmeade trip today,” Snape said suddenly, and your head snapped up. He still wasn’t looking at you, his attention now turned towards the window where the rain continued to pound ceaselessly, and you wondered why he…

Why was he giving you a pass for this? He did this a lot, and you never understood why he was constantly allowing you to get away with being a complete and utter nit. You really didn’t deserve to be spared like this, but here he was again, allowing your folly to slide. And not only that, he’d caved to your request that he answer your question first.

Either oblivious to or willfully ignorant of the guilt roiling around inside of you, Snape proceeded with his explanation, his voice returning to its smooth, baritone drawl, devoid now of its earlier hollowness. “I’d been in Prometheus Esoterica when I saw you dash down this alleyway like a bat out of hell.” That… caught your attention, and you felt your cheeks go pink as he finally met your eye. “Once the rain started and you hadn’t turned back up on High Street, I came to investigate, and found you here.” He made an all-encompassing gesture around the bar. “This isn’t exactly the sort of place I’d expect a young lady to intentionally spend an afternoon.”

The pink tint to your cheeks only darkened, caught off guard once again that Snape apparently found your welfare a priority. Surely you weren’t the only student who needed chaperoning on this trip, and yet, here he was. Seizing your dusty butterbeer bottle, you picked at the edge of the paper label as you explained, “It certainly wasn’t my intention to spend my afternoon here. It wasn’t even my intention to come to Hogsmeade today.” You glanced to him, before looking back around to the silent and motley crew of patrons assembled there, your face still flaming. “Though it hasn’t been so bad…”

Snape appeared unconvinced, particularly incredulous that you could possibly be enjoying yourself in a dusty hovel like this. His eyes searched yours, and you could feel those little insectile legs scraping on the inside of your skull as you suspected he was looking quite a bit deeper than your hazel irises. And you let him, for now. It was easier this way. “Were you running from someone?” he queried knowingly, and you dropped your eyes to the table. You’d let him in a little bit. You trusted him. But you didn’t want him to know…

“Was it DeJarnette?”

You winced, closing your eyes as you nodded your head stiffly. He probably didn’t even need to see inside of your head to guess that. All these years you had kept your silent word to him, that you’d never intentionally engage yourself with DeJarnette’s bullying. But any time you were still somehow caught up with the boy, it made you feel fresh guilt all over again. Like it was somehow your fault that the bastard wouldn’t leave you alone. But then again, it was unfair to place all of the blame on DeJarnette; he hadn’t been the only one you had been running from.

“Among others…” you mumbled miserably, absently using your short nails to rip off strips of sodden paper from the bottle’s label. There was a beat of silence then, filled only by the pattering of rain outside, the quiet pops from the fire place, the sound of glasses tapping against wooden table tops.

“I could talk to him, you know,” Snape offered after some time, and you smiled wanly at the suggestion. Hadn’t Snape been the one to tell you that just talking to DeJarnette wasn’t going to do much? That the boy was so ingrained with his prejudices that it was simply easier to accept that you had made an enemy? Maybe Snape was just feeling sorry for you. Making the offer as an empty gesture to absolve you of the responsibility of having to deal with this mess yourself.

Sighing around your smile, you shook your head placidly. “I’d really rather you didn’t.” You set the bottle back down on the table, pushing it away from you as you felt your fidgeting was a dead giveaway for how bothered you really felt. “I didn’t do anything. Not on purpose. And he’s got to know that. He’ll leave me alone if I just ignore him for long enough.” Surely Snape was aware of what had happened; he was DeJarnette’s Head of House, after all.

Snape looked a little uncertain, like he had something he wanted to say in opposition to that line of thinking. But he merely nodded once. “Fair enough…” came the quiet reply, and you fell into silence once more. It wasn’t a comfortable silence though. Not for you. Snape had returned his attention to the deluge outside, and you found yourself counting the buttons on his coat as your brain buzzed with anticipation. You were alone with him, in a quiet bar, with no one to eavesdrop, and especially no school work to use as an excuse to delay. If you couldn’t ask him now, when could you ever?

“Professor?” you started slowly, folding your forearms onto the table, glancing up just long enough to make sure you had his attention, before pressing on. “May I ask you a question?” Your heart thudded in your throat; you needed to tread carefully if you wanted to get the answers you sought.

But Snape already looked suspicious. “How very rare for you to ask permission first,” he quipped, and you had to drop your head onto your arms to hide your chagrin. Damn it! Looks like remembering your manners was another dead giveaway. “That simply alludes to the weight of the question. You may ask it, but that doesn’t mean I’ll answer.” Peeking back up from your arms, he was regarding you with interest, but still present was the caution he’d entered the bar with in the first place.

“It’s nothing that bad,” you promised, wincing a little at how eager you sounded. “I just mean it’s… it’s…” You closed your eyes, counting a few breaths as you compiled thoughts into words, and words into meaning. Get it together, Gwen. “Last year, you told me I would have made a good Slytherin.”

This was met with silence, but you remembered his conditions quickly this time, as you opened your eyes and peered up to meet his. He nodded his appreciation to your attentiveness, his stiff posture relaxing slightly at your seemingly innocent change of subject. “Indeed, I did. I still think that, sometimes.”

You smiled slightly at that, relaxing a little yourself as you leaned onto the table. “The Sorting Hat said something similar. I was a Hatstall, you know.” It would have been mortifying if it hadn’t been so frustrating. While sorting typically took less than a minute, you had been up there for a full six. And you hadn’t even been arguing with the Hat. It had been arguing with itself, deliberating all of your strengths and weaknesses and attributes and blah blah blah. You didn’t know anything about any of the houses, except from the Hat’s song a few minutes prior. You had no preference, and the Hat didn’t know what to do with you.

Snape drew his brows together, as if wracking his brain to remember the incident, but recognition appeared on his face quickly, as Hatstalls weren’t exactly a common occurrence. “I do recall there being a… delay in sorting, a few years ago. I didn’t realize it had been you.” He seemed to ponder this a moment, before asking, “How did it come to its conclusion?”

Your smile grew sheepish as you shrugged a shoulder. “I remember vaguely thinking that I liked the color yellow more than I liked green, and I guess that was as good a reason as any.” Snape finally stopped drumming his fingers on the table, instead lifting that hand to his face and pinching the bridge of his nose. You stifled your laughter behind a poorly executed cough, and wiped away your smile with the back of your hand, though it still tugged stubbornly at the corners of your lips. “But before it came to that brilliant decision, it had waffled back and forth a lot between Slytherin and Hufflepuff. And I was just wondering… if…”

This time, your smile did fall off of your face, and it seemed to impress upon Snape once again, how heavily this question weighed to you. His hand slid back down to the table, his face impassive as he waited for you to gather your words, which you finally managed to articulate.

“Would things have been different, if I had been sorted into Slytherin?” you asked finally, your shoulders sagging even as you felt the weight lifted off of them. “I mean… would people like… like DeJarnette, still treat me like garbage if I’d been sorted into their house?” You couldn’t bear to look at Snape, your eyes planted firmly on a spot just below his chin as words just kept rushing out of you. “The Hat was conflicted about putting me in Slytherin because of my… my blood status.” Your cheek twitched as you said the words; you realized now that the Hat had given you the first indication that blood status actually meant anything to anyone. You wilted further as you closed your eyes, a knot forming in your throat as you took a calculated risk with your next question. “Can half-bloods even make it into Slytherin?”

The silence that followed was tense, anticipation thick like the smell of ozone before a lightning strike. You knew you should look at him. You knew he wouldn’t answer until you did. But you were just so terrified that you’d crossed a line… Then again, he had made his terms clear; he’d permitted you to ask your questions, and he’d acquiesced on the condition that you understood that he didn’t have to answer any of them. And if you had toed the line, he could just get up and leave. Nothing was stopping him (except, perhaps, his concern for your safety…), but he was still here… so…

You were surprised to find something that looked dangerously close to empathy in the lines of his face. His expression was typical; dark brows pressed together, lips downturned, but there was an unmistakable softness around his eyes that you’d seen on occasion before. You held his gaze, your skin tingling with heat under his intense regard.

There was a pause as Snape considered you, seeming to sort through your questions before picking out the first point he wished to make. “In your case, it’s very likely that your actual blood status had nothing to do with the Sorting Hat’s indecision. It more likely was a product of the environment in which you were raised.” You pouted, not understanding, and you felt an urge to defend yourself and your mother once again, but Snape silenced you with a placating gesture. “Slytherin is a house that values tradition. Traditions that are most staunchly upheld by pure-bloods and old wizarding families. I think I remember you saying yourself that you were never raised with any such traditions, because you were brought up by your muggle mother.” The smallest of smirks graced his lips as he added, “If you had been sorted into Slytherin without any knowledge of the customs of the wizarding world, you would have been absolutely miserable by the time you shattered your ink bottles in your first year.”

You couldn’t help but smile in return. That was an excellent point, you realized, and actually made quite a bit of sense. Your ignorance was already under fire. It would have been so much worse had you been sorted into Slytherin, which was probably the actual reason why the Hat made its ultimate verdict. “So, there have been half-bloods in Slytherin, then?” you asked, forging ahead as you were quite determined to get the answers to all of your questions.

There was another pregnant pause as Snape deliberated, his eyes searching yours, but without the mind beetles this time. “Slytherin does accept half-bloods, from time to time,” he answered finally, his words measured, carefully chosen, and you found yourself hanging on to every single one of them. “And since they are typically descendants of at least one reputable family line, they’re usually treated with the same respect expected of their pure-blood peers. However,” he’d leaned forward on this word deliberately, as you had just opened your mouth to protest. “Half-bloods may still receive their fair share of ridicule, though it’s usually disguised as ‘friendly teasing.’ Half-bloods also have to do more and work harder to prove themselves worthy of being there. It’s often thankless, and can be very lonely for them.”

Your eyes fell away from his as you began fidgeting with the paper scraps of your butterbeer label. As you mulled over his words, you got a very distinct impression from them. One you had suspected for… years. Now was your chance to ask, and you threw caution to the wind as you did just that.

“You… sound like you’re speaking from experience,” you whispered, surprised by how neutral you managed to keep your tone, despite your utter terror. Your heart was really pounding now, and you could hear the blood rushing in your ears as your head spun a little. Oh, why had you said that? Don’t press your luck. He’d told you years ago not to press your-

“I am,” he confirmed tonelessly, and you felt your stomach drop. His face had gone hard again, the sympathy you had seen before having vanished, replaced instead with guarded impassivity. That wasn’t what you’d wanted. You hoped he would open up a little, not close you off. You just wanted to know, to finally confirm, that you were the same, that you had this in common. Your mouth felt dry as you tried to keep your tenuous grip on your emotions, and your brain went into overdrive to try and find an excuse, an apology that would never even come close to explaining how terribly you felt.

“I’m telling you this in confidence, Miss Goode. And I hope you appreciate the gravity of that,” came his cool assertion, and your mind screeched to a halt. Your head was filled with the sound of your throbbing heart and the driving rain on the window pane, but you kept your eyes affixed to his as he spoke. “I trust that nothing you and I have spoken of will leave this tavern?”

“No,” you whispered emphatically, shaking your head so your hair bounced around your face. “No, sir. Of course not.” You stared directly into his eyes then, hoping, praying, that he would look inside and see exactly where your devotion lay. But you didn’t feel the tell-tale beetles scurrying around in your head. He simply nodded and accepted your word. And you felt that this was the first time he’d ever accepted anything from you without question. You felt so overwhelmed with contradicting feelings that all you could do was slump back into your chair and watch him as he turned towards the window.

“I don’t think this rain is going to let up,” he said conversationally, and you were relieved that he had chosen to end the conversation for you. And you also had to agree; it really looked miserable out there. You could barely see High Street through the greyish haze of falling water, but you could just make out darkened figures dashing past the alleyway entrance. Students, you imagined, with their robes hiked up above their heads, making a mad dash for the castle as the allotted Hogsmeade time wound down, rain be damned. But of course, you hadn’t worn any robes today. You looked down at your white T-shirt and shorts, and realized suddenly how exposed you were.

And Snape seemed to notice too, appearing quite disgruntled by your choice of attire. You crossed your arms over your chest self-consciously and pouted. “It had been sunny when we arrived,” you disputed, and Snape just rolled his eyes as he stood. Looks like you didn’t have a choice. You scrambled to shove your wand and your sketchbook into your satchel as you followed suit.

“You carry the bags,” he commanded, leaving no chance for you to reprove as he strode across the bar towards the front door. You hastily tossed a few Knuts and a Sickle onto the table before doing as you were told. Scooping your Honeydukes bag into one arm, and carefully balancing Snape’s bag from the potions shop in the other, you strode over to where he stood, looking quite put out as you watched him shake out his traveling cloak.

In a billowing whip of black fabric, the heavy material was suddenly draped over your shoulders, and his fingers brushed your neck as he secured the silver fastening under your chin. You didn’t move a muscle as you stared down at his hands, stunned by their proximity, and further perplexed by this unexpectedly kind gesture. He made sure the cloak draped over your arms to protect the bags, and he seemed to consider pulling the hood up over your head, but ultimately decided you had too much hair for that to be effective.

Slipping his wand out from his sleeve, he opened the door leading out of the bar, and the sound of pounding rain was so thunderous that you didn’t quite catch the incantation he cast. But you were impressed by the transparent blue barrier held aloft by the tip of his wand. You’d always heard that umbrella charms were en vogue over in the States, and wondered why they weren’t more popular in England. They were so much more convenient, and considerably prettier. Exasperated by your sudden fascination with what he surely considered run-of-the-mill magic, Snape threw an arm over your shoulders to guide you under the canopy before stepping out into the rain. The bar door clanged shut behind you, and you were both enveloped by deafening sound and permeating darkness.

Snape kept his arm wrapped tight around your shoulders, holding you close to his side in order to keep you under the shield of his spell. Together, you made your way down the alley towards High Street, and then the castle. And you were immeasurably grateful for the pounding rain and the darkening sky closing in around you. They hid your movement as you leaned further into his touch, on the pretense of wanting to keep dry from the rain. They guarded you as you surreptitiously brushed your nose over the shoulder of the cloak draped around you, inhaling the damp smell of rain mixed with the lingering cling of fireplace smoke and medicinal herbs. And they drowned out the thundering of your heart as you savored the weight of his hand on your arm, his cloak on your shoulders, the nearness of him. You had finally gained a great measure of his trust, an endeavor that many might have considered a waste of time. But maybe it had been worth it, for this.

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I love comments 👀 and I love you for reading 💖

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#Severus Snape #Pro Snape #Snapedom #Snape Community #Severus Snape x Reader #Severus Snape x OC #Snape x Reader #Snape x OC #Dream Sequence

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lem-cup-rev · 2 years ago

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5.6 | Taking Control

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)

🌸🌸🌸🌸

Ooooh, there’s so much going on here!!

I LOVE how messy it is between Catra and Adora. At first I just didn’t get why Catra was still pushing her away, it didn’t seem to follow, but then the uncomfortable tension started to really work for me. One of the most unique and heartfelt ideas in this show is that trauma screws with you long after the event is gone and happily-ever-afters take work. It’s really painful how much anger both girls still have for each other and I love how much we saw the worst of them both. Adora got to the point of basically bullying Catra when she lost patience with her.

It was so good when Catra got invited into the cute food scene at the end. By the same token, I loved seeing the best of Glimmer and Bow in that moment. Cause it really could have gone either way with them.

Here and there Catra is really showing her ‘lonely kitten left in a box on your doorstep’ side and I’m an absolute sucker for that.

I really liked the Catra and Entrapta plot. It’s so interesting and characterful the way Catra is way more torn up by guilt than Entrapta is about the betrayal. Having her really start to apologize to people is so affecting. I’m, like, so relieved on her behalf. Oh, Catra.

SHE-RA WAS INCREDIBLE.

I really don’t think of myself as being that affected by fictional displays of sheer power. But I think when there’s an element of the feminine and the splashy and colorful, it slams straight into my heart. It’s like watching the Madoka girls fight.

She-Ra’s huge show-off sequence was just joyful. I love the contrast of ruthless stoicism and beautiful rainbow energy. I can’t believe She-Ra can go in space.

Meanwhile! Planetside, this was the most Friendship is Magic episode ever 😆 The extremely on-the-nose creepy mind control cult scene? The simple lesson on relationships? A horse wanting to eat ice cream? It just really brought back pony-filled memories.

I didn’t really like it that much? Micah’s very obvious arc was tiresome. It’s always very hit-or-miss whether I find Frostbite interesting, but I guess all in all I do like her a lot. Here I was pretty charmed by all the different ways she played with her ice powers. And the idea that she’s actually the most powerful in the group is cool.

So, does Frosta not have any family? She must not, cause then where are they? PLEASE let her be adopted by the… well, the Of Bright Moons.

Catra was so horrified by the idea of Prime trying to chip everyone, but it kinda got undermined by already having the mind-controlled village introduced in such a goofy way!

Side note: There’s something extremely funny about seeing a humanoid robot in the cockpit of a spaceship. Like why not just have a spaceship AI?

Next time: A Prince of Power?

#review #no spoilers #episode #4⭐️#she ra and the princesses of power #she-ra and the princesses of power #spop

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cheri-cheri · 3 years ago

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[L&N] Charlie’s Date Translation - Sentimental Games

Note: This is a very casual translation, which means descriptions are heavily summarised, and you’ll also come across my unfiltered thoughts!

Suggested sequence: Fleeing Together -> Sentimental Games -> Born with Wings

Charlie’s Character Introduction: here

The date begins with MC about to board a cruise where a charity auction is taking place

She’s especially looking forward to seeing a pair of Cape Jasmine Gloves from the previous century in hopes of getting inspiration for her own designs

She gets stopped by the ticketing staff who warns her that since she only has a media personnel ticket, she can’t go in and can only take pictures from outside

MC: [sad] Did I make a wasted trip?

??: Why would it be a wasted trip?

She turns around and sees this hot mess:

Charlie: You didn’t make a wasted trip. You’ve seen me now, haven’t you?

MC: ...what are you doing here?

Charlie: *flaunts his ticket* I was specially invited to participate in the auction as a distinguished guest, of course.

Charlie: *spots the media personnel ticket* In order to glance at me from a distance, you didn’t hesitate to catch a chill outside the venue?

MC: How’s that possible-

Charlie: Not bad. I’m touched. *nods and enters through the VIP passageway*

Charlie: *hands ticket to staff* My female companion is behind me.

MC: ???

Charlie: What? Not coming in?

MC: *thinks about the Cape Jasmine Gloves* ...fine!

MC heads to a cafe

Charlie: You’re quite a strange woman. Instead of going to my exclusive resting area, you insisted on running to such a remote corner.

MC: I don’t seem to remember forcing you to come to the cafe with me.

Charlie: You’re my female companion. Of course we should move about together.

MC: *about to retort but remembers that it’s thanks to him that she could enter* Hmph.

Charlie: There are many comfortable spots on the cruise suitable for two people to pass the time. You could think about where we should go later.

MC: Who wants to go anywhere with you...

Charlie: Apart from you, who else?

MC: I came here for a purpose, not to monkey around with you.

Charlie: Oh? What purpose? Tell me about it. I’m in a pretty good mood and could consider fulfilling it for you.

MC: Thanks, but I. Don’t. Need. It!

Charlie: If you don’t say anything, I’ll make a guess. There’s something you want to buy at the auction today? Art? An antique? Jewels or haute couture?

MC: *doesn’t even look at him*

Charlie: *looks her up and down*

MC: What are you up to now?

Charlie: Your outfit isn’t bad today.

Since it’s a retro-themed auction, MC wore a black formal dress

Just as she's wondering why Charlie randomly brought it up, he opens his beautiful mouth

Charlie: But you seem to be missing some accessories... How about Auction Item No. 3, the red ruby necklace? I could buy it for you.

MC: I don’t need it! How many times do you want me to repeat myself...

Charlie: Fine, fine. Anyway, you already have a red accessory, so you don’t need it.

MC looks at the red ring on her finger

But Charlie points at himself and his red suit LOL

Charlie: Your red accessory is here.

MC: ...you’re so silly! *secretly admits that their outfits match very well*

Charlie: In that case, I’ll give you something else. What about Auction Item No. 5 - the Cape Jasmine Gloves?

MC: !

Charlie: So your purpose for coming here today is for those gloves.

MC: No, I never even thought about participating in the auction...

Charlie: *whips out phone* Let me see how much these gloves are worth...

He receives a notification on his phone and has to leave to meet a friend

He invites her to join them since it’s only a matter of time before she has to meet his friends LOL But MC says “NO THANKS”

So he tells her that she could go to the highest level once she’s done walking around. And if she gets lost, she could head to the broadcast room

MC: Broadcast room?

Charlie: *draws closer to her* You could go to the broadcast room and announce that you’re looking for your husband.

MC: Definitely not looking for a husband. It’s more like looking for a little child! *leaves and hears Charlie’s soft laughter from behind*

MC relaxes outside and thinks of where she should go. The date splits into four options:

Option 1: First Class Area on the 4th Floor

Option 2: Highest Floor

Option 3: Second Floor Hall

Option 4: Fourth Floor Seating Area

[ OPTION 1: FIRST CLASS AREA ON THE 4TH FLOOR ]

MC: ...I’m not heading up to look for him. I just want to ask him where the auction’s taking place!

She knocks on his door. He’s shocked to see her, but he composes himself and invites her in after teasing her about not saying what she genuinely feels

He grabs her wrist and tugs her into the room

MC: What are you doing? Let go...

Charlie: I want to show you something.

MC: What is it? I don’t-

Charlie: *opens a black box* Are you sure you aren’t going to look?

It’s obviously the Cape Jasmine Gloves

Charlie starts putting on the gloves uhiefjnksd

MC: Slow down! This is a treasure from the previous century!

Charlie: So what if they’re from the previous century? Aren’t they still gloves? *puts on gloves and stretches out his hand to MC*

MC: What are you doing...?

Charlie: I’m letting you touch them. Don’t you want to experience the design and texture of the gloves? What are you waiting for? You might not have such an opportunity next time.

*cue gameplay where you get to touch him like in MLQC’s Go See Him*

Charlie: Looks like you aren’t feeling the gloves at all, but want to feel me properly instead.

MC: ?!

MC: ...it’s better if I don’t use my hands. I’ll just look.

Charlie: No need. Continue. *places hand in her palm*

MC starts touching his hand and he gently hooks his fingers with hers LOL

Charlie: Why’d you stop?

MC: [blushing] ...I’m just thinking about its quality!

Charlie: This material is very thin, and I can feel your body temperature. It’s rare. *slowly holds her hand*

MC: *RETRACTS HAND* O-oh yes... how did you get these gloves...

Charlie: Didn’t I tell you? I bought these gloves.

MC: Bought them?! How did you do it so quickly? I even thought of asking you where the auction venue is...

Charlie: Is there a difference between who bought it? *puts gloves back into box*

Charlie: Take them. Study them slowly.

-> Head to epilogue

[ OPTION 2: HIGHEST FLOOR ]

Charlie: It’s rare for you to be so obedient. You were really preparing to look for me on the highest floor? Let’s go then. Just one level up.

MC: Wait, I wasn’t looking for you! I just wanted to enjoy the breeze!

They stand together and there’s a line which goes, “miraculously, he doesn’t talk” HAHAHA

She suddenly feels nervous

MC: ...why aren’t you participating in the auction? *their eyes meet and she feels her heart beating rapidly*

*Cues gameplay which is akin to ASMR*

Charlie: As compared to the auction, I’m more interested in something else.

Charlie: Also, isn’t a coincidental that each time I think of “it”, “it” happens to appear.

Charlie: Will you be able to find me no matter where I am?

Charlie: Even though I know that my charm is infinite, installing a GPS on someone is illegal.

Charlie: That isn’t the case? Even at such an empty corner, you were able to “meet” me coincidentally.

MC: *walks away*

Charlie: Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Enjoy the breeze for a while longer.

Charlie: Bored? Let me tell you that other places on the cruise are even more boring...

Charlie: At least... there are some things worth looking forward to over here.

Charlie: : Hm? You didn’t hear me clearly?

Charlie: I said...

Charlie: Of course you can’t hear if you’re so far away.

Charlie: This is better.

Charlie: I said that having my fiancée by my side gives me a sense of anticipation...

Charlie: What? Are you leaving just like this?

Charlie: Fine. About those gloves... just treat it as though I didn’t buy them.

Charlie: Looks like you still have some interest in me.

Charlie: I purchased the pair of gloves you liked. Just now.

Charlie: Why? Because I didn’t want your attention to be somewhere else.

Charlie: I needed to ensure that your gaze would remain on me from beginning to end.

Charlie: Only me.

-> Head to epilogue

[ OPTION 3: SECOND FLOOR HALL ]

This is where the auction is being held, and MC quickly realises that unlike traditional auctions, there are gambling tables around

Aside from having enough money, competing buyers have to play Texas hold ‘em to have the right to bid

Someone is about to purchase the gloves, and MC recognises him as a buyer with a bad reputation who handles treasures very poorly

MC walks over angrily and says she’d compete with him

CHARLIE ARRIVES

The buyer tries to find fault with them e.g. saying that it’s unfair that they’re playing 2 against 1

Charlie responds by saying that although the rules have a limit of 2 seats, it doesn’t stipulate the number of people who can be present

So Charlie pulls MC onto his lap

Charlie: If you can abide by the rules of having one seat, we wouldn’t mind if all the bodyguards sit on your lap.

Charlie: *tightens grip on MC’s waist* Right, dear?

MC: [blushing] Haha, yeah...

Charlie: Sit properly. Don’t let me get distracted.

So MC slings her arm around his neck awkwardly while the game continues LOL

Unsurprisingly, he wins

MC looks at the gloves and Charlie tells her that instead of looking at them while standing up, she could sit on his lap

She refuses

-> Head to epilogue

[ OPTION 4: THIRD FLOOR SEATING AREA ]

She sees the gloves in a display cabinet from afar

Since she doesn't have the VIP ticket, she’s prohibited from going closer

But it’s okay because Charlie’s here to save the day

Charlie: Since you’re already here, why avoid me now?

MC: Don’t make it sound like I came here specially to look for you.

Charlie: There aren’t many people who get shy as easily as you.

MC: *forces out a laugh*

Charlie: You’re speechless, aren’t you? After all, we’re engaged. You don’t have to be so indirect with me. Let’s go. Don’t just stand here in a silly manner.

MC: *forgets to retort because she sees the gloves*

Charlie: You...

MC: *is unable to hear him because she’s distracted by the gloves* So beautiful...

Charlie: *waves his hand in front of her*

MC: Don’t block me...

Charlie: Is it really that nice to look at? I’m sitting right here and your line of sight is drawn to something else? Truly incomprehensible.

MC: You’re the one who’s incomprehensible. What’s there to compete... *continues staring at the gloves*

Charlie: Fine, you should seize this opportunity to look as much as you want. After all, you won’t be able to see it ever again soon.

MC: What’s that supposed to mean?

Charlie: Someone already bought those gloves.

MC finds out that someone offered twenty times the original amount for them

MC: Who bought them...

Charlie: You want to know? *sips red wine*

Charlie points at the buyer with the bad reputation from Option 3

MC gripes because she recognises him as someone who simply views these items as investments, not treasures

Charlie shares some wisdom on how people will always have differing perspectives. Someone may view an item as treasure, while another person views it as insignificant. And one has no right to intervene with how they treat the item

But she’s still angry and says that there’s innate value in everything

Charlie offers her a carton of red wine as repayment for her “speech”

MC says she doesn’t need it:

Charlie: If you don’t want wine, I could give you something else. For example... how about that pair of gloves?

MC: Hasn’t it already been sold?

Charlie: According to the rules, I could offer an even greater amount of money to intercept the auction.

MC: No need... even if you were to fork out a huge sum of money to buy it, I’m unable to repay you.

Charlie: You’re my fiancée. There’s no need to repay me.

MC: *glares at him*

Charlie: Don’t you want any other auction items? Anything here is fine.

MC: Are you sure that anything’s fine?

Charlie: Of course. I always say what I mean.

MC: In that case... you can be my auction item!

Charlie: *shocked* So that’s how you like to play.

MC: W-what... I was just wanted to pretend to be a “bad owner” and let you experience the pain of being an auction item!

Charlie: Do you think this bottle of wine knows pain?

MC: Do you know what personification is? Also, my main point is to teach you and correct your mistaken views!

Charlie: *nods and smiles*

Charlie: Understood, my Master.

Charlie: Tell me. How do you plan to be mischievous?

MC: *instantly regrets*

MC: F-first, stand up.

Charlie: As you command.

Charlie: *stands* What’s your next command?

MC: Mm... pour two cups of red wine for me.

Charlie: This is the first time I’m pouring wine for someone. It feels pretty novel.

MC: *in a fluster because she finds his side profile handsome LOL*

Charlie: I know. Your next command is to feed you, isn’t it?

MC: ...of course not!

Charlie: There’s no need to be shy. Guessing my master’s preferences and commands is what I should be doing.

MC wonders why she feels as though she’s the one being punished instead

Just as the glass is about to reach her lips, she swiftly picks up the other glass

And clinks them together LOL

HIS FACE:

MC: That’s all for today! I hereby announce that you’re now free!

Charlie: You’re too easily satisfied, which leaves me barely any sense of fulfilment.

MC: I don’t care about your sense of fulfilment...

Charlie: *calls the staff over* I want to intercept Auction No. 5. Those Cape Jasmine Gloves.

MC: You’re really buying them?!

Charlie: *nods* When the gloves are brought over, I’ll give you ten minutes to appreciate them. As for the remaining time, you can appreciate me.

MC: *nods*

Charlie: You’re looking forward to it that much?

MC: Of course. How could I not seize this chance to see a great master’s work at close range?

Charlie: You’re pretty slow sometimes.

MC: Huh?

Charlie: Why didn’t you think that the gloves would be a waste with me?

MC: I... *realises that she instinctively knew he’s a good boi*

Charlie: Forget it. Relax, I know that you’re interested in those gloves.

MC: Why are you bringing me into this?

Charlie: I cherish the things you cherish. Naturally, you’d cherish me a little more.

MC: Your logic is unreasonable. Ordinary people truly can’t keep up with you...

Charlie: I was never an ordinary person. Also, it’s fine as long as my fiancée can keep up with me. Why should I care about others? *tucks MC’s hair behind her ear*

MC: *heartbeat goes wild*

-> Head to the epilogue

[ EPILOGUE ]

After the auction is over, MC is back at the cafe and writing down inspiration in her notebook

Charlie sits down next to her

Charlie: Lady, are you used to neglecting me?

MC: ...what are you doing here instead of resting on the highest floor?

Charlie: You aren’t resting either. Is it because there isn’t a place to sleep? You’re free to sleep on my bed anytime.

MC: Stop! I’m not tired!

Charlie: *sees that MC is sketching gloves* Gloves again. Did those Cape Jasmine Gloves inspire you that much?

MC explains that the designer was inspired by surgical gloves, which is why it’s so light and thin

MC: Thirty years ago, a female dressmaker who had a complicated illness was saved by a kind doctor in her time of despair. The other party didn’t claim medical fees, and even gave her treatments to re-ignite her hope in life. After she was cured, she spent many years specially designing this pair of gloves for the doctor. How is it? Isn’t it very romantic?

Charlie: But the story I heard was a little different from yours. The reason why the doctor saved the female dressmaker was purely because he liked to research complicated illnesses. The female dressmaker’s illness was very rare. In his personal biography, the female dressmaker was called “Patient No. 47″. He never thought about encouraging or helping anyone. Everything was simply an assumption by the other party. How is it? Do you find it not as romantic now?

MC: *speechless, then looks down at the design* No. I don’t think that’s all. Look here.

MC: *points at a tiny stitched lotus on the Cape Jasmine Gloves* I’ve seen images of this. At first, there weren’t any flowers on the gloves. After she passed away, the doctor likely asked someone to stitch it on. Aside from symbolising faithfulness and purity, lotuses symbolise adoration. So this represents the love between two people! Perhaps a beginning sparked by curiosity can genuinely bloom with fate’s design.

Charlie: *in a daze for a moment* So the reason why this pair of gloves met me, a doctor, is also fate’s design?

MC: *nods* Maybe...

Charlie: *leans in closer* In that case, you’re the same.

MC: Me?

Charlie: I’m referring to... fate’s design. I look forward to it - whether it’s the blooming or bearing fruit.

#light and night

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beatriceeagle · 5 years ago

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I'm more of a fantasy than sci-fi person, but consider my interest piqued. Why should I watch farscape?

Okay, the thing is, every Farscape fan’s pitch on Why You, Yes You, Should Watch Farscape ends up sounding very similar, and that’s because Farscape is a black hole that sucks you in and does things to your brain, and after you’ve watched it you are never, ever the same, which incidentally is basically the plot of Farscape.

I would summarize the basic plot for you, but that’s work, and luckily, the show’s credits sequence includes a handy summary that I will provide instead of doing that work: “My name is John Crichton, an astronaut. A radiation wave hit, and I got shot through a wormhole. Now I’m lost in some distant part of the universe on a ship, a living ship, full of strange alien life forms. Help me. Listen, please. Is there anybody out there who can hear me? I’m being hunted by an insane military commander. Doing everything I can. I’m just looking for a way home.“

So let me break down that monologue into its component reasons you should watch Farscape.

1) Some of the strange alien life forms are Muppets.

Farscape a co-production with the Jim Henson Company, and while there are many aliens played by humans in make-up, there are also a considerable number (including two of the regular crew) who are Muppets. By which I do not mean Kermit. I mean really gorgeous, elaborate works of art.

Also, even a lot of the humans-in-makeup aliens just look cool, and incredibly weird. Here’s an alien who appears in a single episode of season 1:

Not that there aren’t, you know, occasional Star Trek-style “these guys are just humans with weird hair,” or whatever, but in general, the aliens on Farscape look really alien. And that’s more than an aesthetic choice; it’s Farscape’s driving narrative principle. The aliens look alien, they act alien, they have alien values.

You know how a lot of sci-fi shows will have a stand-in for “fuck,” like Battlestar Galactica has “frak”? Well, Farscape has “frell.” And also “dren.” And yotz, hezmana, mivonks, loomas, tralk, snurch, eema, drannit, dench, biznak, arn, drad, fahrbot, narl. Some of those are swear words, but some of them are just words, never explicitly translated, that the alien characters will pepper into their speech, because, well, why should translator microbes be able to completely translate all the nuances of an alien culture? You’ll pick it up from context. One time, in passing, a character mentions that he’s familiar with the concept of suicide, but there’s no word for it in his language. I cannot emphasize to you enough how fleeting this moment is; the episode is not about suicide, we’re not having a great exchange of cultural ideas—at the time, the characters are running down a corridor in a crisis, as they are about 70 percent of the time—it’s just that the subject got brought up, and this character needed to talk around the fact that he literally didn’t have a word, in that moment. Things like that happen all the time, on Farscape.

Because more than anything else, Farscape is a show about culture shock. John Crichton is this straight, white Southern guy, at the top of his game—he’s an astronaut! he’s incredibly high status!—and then he ends up on the other side of the galaxy, where none of his cultural markers of privilege hold any meaning, where he doesn’t know the rules, where he literally can’t even open the doors. And he has to unlearn the idea that humanity is central, that he is the norm.

2) John Crichton, an astronaut, is pretty great.

A show that’s about a straight white guy with high status having to learn that he’s not the center of the universe could easily be centered around a really insufferable person, but one of the subtle things that makes Farscape so wonderful is that Crichton is, for the most part, pretty excellent. He has a lot of presumptions to unlearn because almost anyone in his cultural position would, but he’s also just a stand-up guy: compassionate, intelligent, open-minded, decent, forgiving, brave, hopeful.

And the galaxy tries to kick a whole lot of that out of him. It doesn’t succeed, mostly, but if Farscape is about anything other than culture shock, it’s about the lasting effects of trauma. How you can go through a wormhole one person, and experience things that turn you into someone you don’t recognize.

That’s kind of grim-sounding, but ultimately, what I’m trying to say is that Farscape is almost fanatically devoted to character work. Crichton is not the only character who sounds like he should be one thing and ends up being another. All of the characters—all of them, all of them, even the annoying ones—are complicated wonders. And you don’t have to wonder whether the events of the episode you’re watching are going to matter. They will. Everything that happens to the characters leaves a mark. Everything leaves them forever changed. Whether it’s mentioned explicitly or not—and often enough, it’s not explicit—the characters remember what has happened to them.

3) The living ship houses a lot of excellent women, among them the ship itself.

Ah, the women of Farscape, thou art the loves of my fucking life.

There’s Aeryn Sun, former Peacekeeper (that’s the military that the “insane military commander” hails from) now fugitive, currently learning the meaning of the word “compassion” (literally). She will break your fingers and also your heart. John/Aeryn is the main canon romantic ship.

There’s Pa’u Zhoto Zhaan, a priestess of the ninth level, current pacifist, former anarchist. Sorry, leading anarchist. She orgasms in bright light! (Oh my god, Farscape.)

There’s Chiana, my fucking bestie, a teenage(ish? ages in Farscape are weird) fugitive on the run from a repressive authoritarian state. Chiana is like a seductress con artist grifter thief who mostly just wants to survive so that she can have fun, damn it. Characters on Farscape do not really discuss sexualities (sex, yes, sexualities, no) and it would be fair to say that several of them do not fall along human sexuality lines generally, but I’m gonna go ahead and say that Chiana is canonically not straight.

Then there’s Moya, the ship herself, and it’s hard to get a straight read on Moya’s personality, since she mostly can’t speak. But she definitely has opinions, and things and people she cares about. And she moves the plot, though that gets into spoiler territory.

Past first season, further excellent women show up: Jool (controversial, but I like her), Sikozu (I once saw a Tumblr meme where someone had marked down that Sikozu would lose her shit when someone pronounced “gif” wrong, and that’s absolutely correct, and it’s why I love her), and Noranti (who is incredibly weird, and incredibly hard to summarize, but man, you gotta love her willingness to just show up and do her thing). Plus, there’s a recurring female villain, Grayza, who I could write probably multiple essays about. (I don’t know how you will feel about Grayza, as not everyone loves her, but I think she’s fucking fascinating, especially because she’s not actually the only recurring female villain. We also get Ahkna!)

(Side note: I should mention, here, that the cast of Farscape is really, really white. There is one cast member of color, Lani Tupu, but he pretty much represents the entirety of even, like, incidental diversity in casting for the series.)

Anyway, Farscape is full of awesome women, and also awesome and unexpected men, and it really enjoys playing with audience expectations of gender roles, generally. Literal entire books have been written about the way that Farscape fucks around with sex, sexuality, and gender. It’s a little weird because it was the late 90s/early 2000s, and sometimes that does come through, but Farscape’s guiding principle was always to try not to present American culture of the time as the norm, so like. It is not.

(An aside on Farscape and sex: Literally every character on Farscape has sexual tension with every other character. If you are a shipper, this is a Good Show, because no matter who you ship, there will not only be subtext, you will get a Moment of some kind. Multiple characters kiss the Muppet. Farscape is dedicated to getting into the nitty-gritty of the galaxy—I like to think of it as showing the guts of the universe—so a lot of the show is kind of squishy. They live on a biomechanoid ship, instead of androids there are “bioloids,” there’s a lot of focus on strange alien biologies, and lots of weird glowing fluids and things. I think the sex thing is kind of part and parcel of the larger biology focus: Farscape is really fascinated with how we all eat and evolve and live and die and, well, fuck. Which is in turn, kind of part of its focus on making everything really alien.)

4) Other stuff you should know.

Farscape as a whole is excellent, but it was kind of the product of creative anarchy—an Australian/American coproduction (oh yeah, everyone except Crichton speaks with an Australian accent) that was also partnered with the Henson company, whose showrunners were based in America but whose actual production all took place in Australia, and who was just constantly trying new things. So individual episodes can vary wildly in quality. It really takes off in the back half of season one, but no season is without a few off episodes.

It is extraordinarily funny, and I really think I haven’t stressed that enough. It’s one of the shows I want to quote the most in my daily life, but almost all of its humor is really context-dependent, and if you just wander around going, “Hey Stark? What’s black and white, and black and white, and black and white?” people look at you really funny.

It’s very conversant with pop culture generally (although obviously sci-fi specifically, and Star Trek most specifically of all) and really enjoys deconstructing tropes, often to the effect of, “Well, Crichton really does not know what to do here, does he?” but sometimes just to be interesting.

There are also a lot of themes about science, and its uses and misuses.

The whole thing is fucking epic, and if you get invested at all, will take you on an emotional ride.

This show is weird. I know that that’s probably come across by now, but I think it’s worth reiterating as its own point: Farscape is so weird. Like, proudly, unabashedly, trying its hardest, weird. An amazing kind of weird.

If you’re into fantasy, you should know that there’s a recurring villain who’s just a wizard. Like, they don’t bother to explain it any more than that, he’s just a fucking wizard.

In summary: You should watch Farscape because it is a weird, wild, emotional, epic romance/drama/action/allegory full of Muppets and leather and one-liners and emotional gut punches and love, and if you let it, it will worm its way into you and never let go, which, now that I think of it, is another Farscape plot.

Send me meta prompts to distract me from my migraine!

#farscape #meta

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shaolin-spin-doctor · 3 years ago

Text

a Very Heated Battle of The Realms review

No spoilers:

It was bad. Really bad.

Scorpion's Revenge wasn't a masterpiece by any means, but it was good enough to get me hyped for this movie. Eye-catching style, outstanding animation and an interesting enough story to get you hooked despite its overall lack of depth - if the first installment could have all these things, surely the sequel would improve on them and be even better, right? Right????

Wrong.

This movie sucks. Sure, the first few minutes are entertaining, if pretty uninspired, CageBlade is cute, and the Subzero / Scorpion subplot in and of itself is actually pretty decent, but it fails in pretty much every other aspect - most of the characters are barely even... well, characters, the plot feels all over the place, the fights are short and uninteresting, the animation is lackluster... And the ending. Oh my god, the ending. I want to know who in their right mind looked at that and said "yep, seems about right!". The rest of the movie had been whatever-ish, but it completely lost me at that point. Some Annihilation level bullshit, I'm telling you.

All in all... Only watch this movie if you want some background noise, are drunk with a couple of friends, want to see some mindless violence for an hour and 20 minutes, or are a subscorp shipper and can ignore everything else in favor of their scenes. If you aren't in any of those categories, please spare yourself the headache and don't even look at it. Forget it exists. It's not worth it, not one bit.

As a side note that has nothing to do with the base movie itself, if you're a Spanish speaker and are thinking of watching the Latin American dub... Don't. Please don't. The audio mixing is disgusting and whoever directed the voice actors didn't even try, so everyone's bored and unenthusiastic all the time and it really just makes an already unimpressive experience worse. If you really need to watch this, do it in English for your own sake.

Spoilers:

LISTEN. I swear this has nothing to do with Lao getting murdered. Y'all know I was fully prepared for it to happen, and was not surprised at all when his was the most brutal death in the entire movie. In fact, I was actually kind of excited (sad, too. but still excited), since the whole thing up until that point had been a complete drag and I was sincerely hoping we'd get some actual action from it. Sadly, it was not the case, and instead Liu Kang got a Dragon Ball Super level powerup... and whatever the FUCK the ending was. Legitimately, I screamed when he turned into a dragon - I wanted it to happen, but in a BADASS way, like the games, y'know? Instead we got... that, and I think my father said it best when he described his presence as a "dying asthmatic shrimp". aND SHINNOK?? WHAT THE FUCK?? I fully believed his appearance was gonna be setup for a subsequent movie, ESPECIALLY when Shao Kahn grabbed Kitana - i thought he was gonna kill her at first, and then we'd have the main group of revenants (sans Liu Kang) for Shinnok to call upon, and I was kind of hopeful that perhaps they would explore them better in the future and give us the Legends version of mkx or something like that - but he ended up just. being a Big Evil Monster. His defeat was so stupid, too?? Idek man I can't even begin to describe how dumb and nonsensical and pathetic the whole ending was. Legitimately one of the worst endings for any movie I've ever seen in my entire life, not even kidding.

L/iutana came out of NOWHERE. I adore this ship with my life, but it was so poorly set up i was left absolutely flabbergasted when they kissed. What the fuck? Cageblade was okay because of the setup in the previous movie and the little development the two had in this one, but L/iutana was just. God. Legitimately. If you aren't even going to bother writing a romance in a slightly believable way or give it any development, why bother writing it at all????

Speaking of Liu, I don't know about you, but I didn't connect with him at all here???? See, he's supposed to be the protagonist, but he gets barely any development and his spotlight is constantly being stolen by Scorpion and Subzero. Yes, I know he's just as flat in the original games and he's only began developing his own personality fairly recently, but you had so much potential for him, both as a person and with the potential lore attached to him. Why did the Tarkatans kill his family? Why did he get a random powerup and managed to lift Shang Tsung's "curse" (which, by the way, was completely pointless), which only Raiden was supposed to be able to heal? The only thing I liked about him was his chemistry with Raiden, who is also one of the only few highlights of this movie for me, and everything else... Nothing, really. Hell, he doesn't even talk to Kung Lao ONCE. For a man he's supposed to consider his brother, you'd think they'd have at least a single scene of them together - at least as a way to display their bond, if the writers really didn't want to give them any real character traits aside from "good guys with pure hearts" - but no. That's partly why Lao's death didn't carry any weight - yes, it didn't lead to anything, but it hadn't been set up at all, either. Same with Stryker. He was just a guy who happened to get involved, said two lines, and then died. He had no real relationship with anyone in the group, so his death was completely unimportant, and really, if he had just vanished, just like those rain clouds that appeared to soak Liu after Raiden's death for like 2 seconds before going away without a trace right in the next sequence, I probably wouldn't have even noticed.

Really, he, Lao and Smoke might as well have been cut, and it wouldn't have made any difference. It's sad.

All in all... I didn't like this movie at all, except for a very few things here and there. I know it's supposed to be Mortal Kombat, and people are always gonna defend it by saying the story doesn't matter, but... Why shouldn't it? Why can't we have a good Mortal Kombat story with better thought out plotlines and characters? And if we can't have that, why can't we at least have coherent fights? This movie had a lot of potential, and it was just tossed out the window. I'll be salty about this for a while.

#i could go on and on about it but it's getting late so I'll just leave it at that #Mortal Kombat #chat in the hat #If you liked it. I'm happy for you!! It's great to hear that you were able to find enjoyment in it #but personally. nah man

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gesternchen · 4 years ago

Text

Just randomly reviewing scenes from the movies no one remembers now. This week: Avatar (2009).

It’s not like everyone forgot James Cameron’s Avatar. Since we’re still getting some footage from behind the scenes of the sequel and news about the cast, at least someone takes pains to remind themselves of this cinematic experience from the year of 2009. It’s already been 84 (just kidding, 11) years and I’m still looking forward to at least watching the teaser (fun fact: I was 11 when Avatar came out, I’m 22 now). I even bought the Darkhorse comic book on Tsu’Tey’s backstory to, you know, investigate one of my favorite characters a little bit better (spoiler: the backstory wasn’t very much eventful but I noticed a nice detail there which I may talk about briefly a bit later).

Throughout the years Avatar has received a lot of backlash and more or less justified criticism, mainly for the plot and its problematic packaging. I believe, it depends on the perspective one watches a movie from. Of course, I wouldn’t call it an absolute gem of exciting storytelling, even though I truly enjoy it, as in majority its twists are undeniably predictable. However, I always disagreed with people saying relations in Avatar aren’t deep at all. Well, romance between Jake and Neytiri, which, let’s be honest, except for the scene of telling the truth, went too smoothly, and this is why I strongly believe clash of interests is inevitable in sequels. Their interaction remained the key one for the whole movie, and nothing is bad about that, people enjoy a nice lovestory, so do I. But 11 years after I’d like to focus on the disturbing conflict everyone prefers to ignore for some reason when recalling Avatar. For me it’s always been Jake versus Colonel Quaritch.

You guys may have already guessed which scenes I wanna talk about. Those really important ones that I consider climactic to the pace of narration. And what is more about them, they give us crucial details in character development and actors’ play to think through. The main message: Quaritch knew it was coming.

Let me firstly touch upon the scene of short conversation between Jake and Quaritch prior to Sully presumably leaving Pandora. While Jake is awating Quaritch in a large empty hall, he hardly seems to be calm about the talk, every nerve in his body is trembling, but why?

The way Jake’s drumming his fingers on the table makes me wonder if he’s okay.

Then Colonel enters the hall, grabs a chair and reminds that it had been more than two weeks since he got the latest report on how the misson was going. He knows, Sully is questioning reality, and no, he’s not ‘doubting his resolve’. He knows, the right moment to ‘terminate the mission’ is missed. He knows, he lost Jake. He knows, he’s talking to the deserter. Yet Quaritch speaks indifferent. He praises Jake’s effort and rewards him for that. With real legs he promised to him when they first talked. Quaritch hoped they’d trigger the realization in Jake. Which doesn’t happen. How sad he looks when Jake openly refuses to accept the reward.

In just one sequence Stephen’s face demonstrates the shift of all four feelings Quaritch goes through: dissatisfaction, melancholy, shame, disgust.

Quaritch sensed the moment when Jake expressed superiority to the mankind. Jake grasped that Quaritch knew everything, he played with fire, and that’s why he felt anxiety. And it lasted all the way until Quaritch stepped back for leaving the hall. But did Colonel really surrender? I doubt that.

The tension between them both feels electric, so it’s explainable why Jake’s transient smile is so awkward. Sam then heavily staring straight at Colonel's back suggests that up until now Jake regarded Quaritch as his enemy. The enemy he knew he would not be able to defeat.

I remember when watching this scene, I couldn’t get myself the answer to one question. The question was: which report did Quaritch refer to? ‘That report from two weeks ago’, but such information wasn’t satisfactory for me. To be honest, this small discovery became the actual reason why I decided to type this study. Let’s assume that this particular report which Quaritch mentioned was the videolog where Jake confessed that Omaticaya wouldn’t leave the Hometree. Here’s why.

The general audience is used to perceiving Quaritch as a cruel short-tempered military man who just waits for the starting pistol’s shot to destroy everything in sight. Again, nothing is wrong about this, the fact that his character was simply meant to be a generic personification of such type doesn’t leave us with any alternative impression of him. Let’s say, if he was given the order to ignite the operation of the Hometree’s destruction to screw the tribe out of the site, he would absolutely go for it (and so he does). He’s a man of his word after all. Let’s also say, if he was pissed off by Jake’s betrayal, he would transport himself to the mountain site in a blink of an eye, turn off the link and put Jake in jail right after the talk in the hall. Instead, Quaritch decided to wait and give Jake the last chance. Jake preffered unearthly wings to those more tangible, so Quaritch chose not to cut them so abruptly.

We’re moving to the next scene, taking place right before a toned down fight between Tsu’Tey and Jake (I’m saying so, because it’s actually one of the deleted scenes that got edited out of the final cut, and believe me, the pressure between two rivals there is way too intense). Quaritch is watching the record of Jake destroying bulldozer’s lenses with a stone. After that Jake’s face is zoomed and we watch Selfridge get frustrated, Quaritch looks pretty annoyed as well but doesn’t seem to be much surprised. What he’s feeling, is bitter disappointment in himself and knowing that he totally failed to persuade Jake to change his mind.

Just observe Stephen Lang’s performance here. He absolutely nails cold-eyed look, the fire burning slow inside of him is so palpable, and guess what, in a flash he flies off the handle.

Now, shall we check the ultimate scene, preceding the destruction of the Hometree. Though Grace versus Parker juxtaposition is central to this scene, the last time Quaritch confronting Jake face to face in his human body is essential to consider for making things clear.

When it comes to revealing to Selfridge the vainness of further negotiations with Omaticaya, isn’t it just interesting how fast Quaritch manages to find the correct videolog? It literally takes him not more than a couple of swipes to produce the proof. Here is why: he’s already watched the record and is completely aware of the Jake’s values having deteriorated.

You can tell, Jake knew he was under control, but he would rather like to ingnore this fact. His pathetic glance at Quaritch, who’s almost impending above his head, causes to think Jake would guess that Colonel could have watched this videolog. Rather, it was a mutual secret between the two of them until a turning point. But the moment of truth came, and Jake didn’t change his mind. Quaritch made sure of that and finally it was his time to triumph.

So how was it even possible to assume Quaritch may have watched the videolog I’ve been talking about for so long? Well, my explanation may be too easy to believe, but still: we can tell by Jake’s appearance and the date of the record that it is the vlog we need.

This telltale videolog was recorded 16 minutes after the another one, when Jake says that he’s uncertain, who he is anymore (LST abbreviation stands for Local Standard Time). Jake might have suddenly felt depressed and hopeless and got back to the camera while being too emotionally instable, and so must have forgotten to delete the final record.

I have one more note for you. If you check the videolog library Quaritch is swiping through, you’ll see that the latest important record, which he actually needs, is made in the interior of the mountain site block and dates back to August, 13. Other recent vlogs’ covers look nothing like Site 26 sequence. Jake may not have done any of these records at the mountain site. I still wonder though where those three or four ensuing videologs were recorded, the location seems to be red lighted, which means it isn’t blue lighting at Site 26. I may even assume he recorded some pieces at Hell’s Gate. Why would I think so? Probably because in those two scenes (dialog with Quaritch and confession at Parker’s office) Jake looks ten times better than before, he gained some weight at least and doesn’t resemble a living sceleton.

Selfridge gave Jake an hour to relocate the tribe, while gunships led by Colonel’s Dragon were already on full alert. Quaritch had no doubt that Jake’s peacekeeping mission would fail. He knew it from the beginning. Hence he sounds so sarcastic seeing Sully’s avatar tied.

Now Quaritch sipping his villain’s morning coffee tasting like fresh genocide doesn’t feel so cringy: he’s celebrating his victory over Jake (still I should agree with critisism on this point, it really is a stupid cliche and wasn’t intended to carry a deep meaning).

Now I should admit, it’s been a long journey to run this investigation and bring it to light by finally posting it. It took me around a day to collect my thoughts and express them by means of more or less readable English. Just would like to make a little side note: English is not my native, so I promise I did my best! Thanks to James Cameron for making a movie, which woke me up in the middle of the night to start reflecting, and to all the fans out there who still exist and remember this movie and so can read this essay. @avatarmovies I found your blog not so long ago and you guys say you enjoy headcanons (and movie reviews probably?..), so it would be nice if you reblogged this but I’m not insisting!!

#avatar #james cameron #james cameron avatar #movie reviews #avatar movies #colonel quaritch #jake sully #characters in conflict #gesternchen reviews

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carmenxjulia · 4 years ago

Photo

Another Duane interview transcript, coming at you! This one was from a smaller Carmen Sandiego chatroom. There were several interviewers, so that’s why the name of the question asker changes. Get the details below the break! Stay tuned, more interview transcripts coming soon.

Duane Capizzi:

HI EVERYONE! I'M IN!

Sorry I'm late, I got lost on the way haha. Then got lost trying to change my PFP

Thanks for gathering! Shall we get started? Let's do some Q&A!

(as long as they are not geography questions haha)

Fuel:

What characters or plot points were cut from the final product?

Duane Capizzi:

Ooo, starting with a right hook to the jaw!

Let me think about that for a moment: I'm hesitant to give too much away because I'm really hoping we can tell more stories in this world at some point

Which is to say, we tend not to waste anything: if we don't use it when we originally planned, we usually find a way to use something later - and there's usually a "karmic" reason that we waited.

I'll also preface by saying this: I know season 3 was more of a mini-drop and some felt season 4 was rushed. But I wish EVERY season were longer. Season 1: ideally, i wanted the Pilot to be its own event and 10 more episodes after that (but we had to tell the post-Pilot story in 7. At the end of the day, that had its benefits: we got to the Shadowsan turn earlier and I think that's when a lot of viewers realized the ride they were truly in for). Season 2: we initially figured we'd need 5 episodes to have Carmen doing the ACME dance with Chief, and wound up doing it in 3 - mostly because it quickly became clear that Rio needed to be a 2 parter, and the Zack and Ivy backstory a rough 2 parter. So we squeezed 3 episodes worth of plot into 209. It was exhilarating!

So, we had hoped to have more episodes for Season 4 of course. We had a ton of ideas and had to compress things a bit. But honestly in many ways it was for the better. I know we all wanted to live in this world longer, but I think sometimes the flip side is true - when you have big ongoing storylines, it can get frustrating when some things drag out too long. But, we got all the "story" we wanted to tell in Season 4 - we just lost some "incident" if that makes sense. We would have taken longer to get there.

So, all that preface to answer the question: we wanted to do more musical numbers! We had a Bollywood dance sequence in a return to India caper with Paperstar. We wanted to do a famous Elvis suit theft in Las Vegas during an Elvis impersonator convention (Shadowsan's an early elvis guy; Brunt likes the Vegas "jumpsuit" era). We also wanted to do a thread where Gunnar gets captured by ACME so that Julia could interrogate him and he could play mind games with her a la Hannibal Lector and Clarice. CAVEAT TO ALL THIS: these were some ideas that were bouncing around, that may not have seen the light of day if we couldn't get them to work. But they were on our wish list.

re: "other stories" - I could live with these characters for another 32 episodes easily and there have of course been discussions. But alas, that is up to the powers that be. Let's keep fingers crossed - and keep the Carmen love alive online so that someone up there takes note

There is more of course, but those are some things that spring to mind.

Fuel:

Were there any scenes cut for time that were your favorite?

Duane Capizzi:

Not much springs to mind: our directors were amazing at getting everything in the scripts to fit naturally (and in fact, I was the one who was usually suggesting trims to let other things breathe, etc). We were limited to 22 minutes of episode time, NOT counting front and end credits so a little longer than the average show. We have a pretty good idea when the SCRIPT is too long, so the cutting usually happens at script stage before it gets to the board crew so that they don't waste efforts over-boarding material that won't be used.

We had hoped to build out Chase and Carmen teaming up for the first time, meeting at Carmen's hotel lobby etc for more scenes of them together; but had to reduce that to get that all to fit in the VERY packed episode 406. But again, tighter was fine considering. That's one area that leaps to mind. (note that when I say packed, I don't mean that in a bad way: we spend a lot of time pouring over details in editing to make sure everything gets its due).

If I think of anything, I'll circle back at a later point. But the simple answer is that scenes were usually trimmed or compressed at script rather than board or animatic. So nothing comes to mind. I know it's hard to believe, but "shorter is usually better."

except for my answers to fan questions of course

Fuel:

We saw that in s4 episode 6 that Julia's mother(?) is wearing a necklace remarkably similar to the one Julia wears all the time. Is this the same necklace and if so, why was it given to Julia?

Duane Capizzi:

Just when I thought I was detail oriented! Wow! You guys blow me away

I can't take credit for that: it was either the board artist or director who added that. They do slip things in! As I've said before, EVERYONE on the crew really brought their A-game and were as deep thinking and as passionate as I was/am about the show.

It's a nice detail and I would say your interpretation works!

It took me three or four reviews before noticing that the team had slipped in baby Carmen near the play set in Mom's front yard at the end of 408. When I caught it, I was like: bravo!

Fuel:

When they first met, Zack and Ivy said to Carmen that they were the only family they had, do you know what happened to the rest of Zack and Ivy's family?

Duane Capizzi:

I don't. At least, I don't yet until such a time that I might have the opportunity to explore that. It was important to their relationship with Carmen that they be orphans, so they had that common bond (aside from being "thieves who steal from bad guys" - even if it was only gonna be one time for Zack and Ivy).

I know there are writers out there who like to do entire bio's for characters up front but i'm not one of them. It could be a trap in many ways. I like to have a general idea but be open to the demands of the ongoing storyline. You discover things along the way - it's like you're taking a journey with the characters by writing them, and the longer you spend, the better you get to know them (that was not a prepared statement by the way - I just made that up but I'll have to use it again :). So in Z/I's case it wasn't important to the story or Carmen's relationship, we felt. Conversely, we STARTED with Shadowsan's family backstory with 203, but more important to me was that we use it as a platform to explain why he stays with Carmen and crew. He really has no home at that point, so it was relevant to the present ongoing story. Which is what made that especially powerful to me.

Also, there's always a push-pull between telling character back stories while balancing them with ongoing episodic plots. You have to service both. If you just tell back story, then you're writing a biography

Arden:

What was the biggest challenge when designing these characters, especially the pre-existing characters from the series in the 90's?

Duane Capizzi:

This is probably more of a question for Chromosphere, re: challenges. But from my standpoint overseeing that process, the first thing I'll say is that we weren't necessarily trying to be "true" to those characters since we reinvented nearly every one from the ground up. (with the exception of Carmen of course - her trademark red hat/coat weren't going anywhere! But mostly the update with Carmen was in the styling of her "outerwear"

ALTHOUGH: I will admit that I was pushing for Carmen to have shorter hair as Carmen. I thought it would be a cool update. Chromosphere were really passionate about giving her long full hair and I have to see that they were right. The short tomboy cut worked so well for Black Sheep anyway. We had a different hair style for each of her ages.

So about the reinventions: Gunnar is in spirit a similar character to the original (old colleague in Vile and an early mentor if I remember), but his presentation completely different. We weren't trying to be "in canon" with the original. The beauty of CSD is that every incarnation has been its own entity so that freed us to reimagine the characters. THE CLEANERS, for instance: gimme some Cleaner love! There were a pair of janitors from the original game named RICK AND NICK ICK. They were literally janitors, it was too silly for our purposes. But, it's one small step to make them "Cleaners" (in the sinister hit men sense) - and lo, our reinvention.

So to summarize the answer to your question, they weren't really challenges to me so much as FUN to creatively reinvent the original characters (many of which were from the game, so not really "characters" per se with dialogue and inner lives). Whenever we could, we tried to use character names from the originals and update their looks and personalities. Where we couldn't find an equivalent for what we needed, we created characters from whole cloth. For instance, it seemed a miss to do a heist show without a tunnel guy and a high rise climber guy. Hence, LC & ET, everyone's favorite taco truck vendors!

(yes, i've seen some short hair carmen fan art on Twitter - someone did a great one recently!)

Arden:

Are there plans to give us more of the characters in, say, novel/graphic novel form?

Duane Capizzi:

I know HMH has done a bunch and no doubt have more in works. There's currently a novelization of the Pilot with some additional material if anyone's interested. I consulted on the second one, Clue for Clue, because it falls in the timeline while Chase was still Interpol/pre-Acme so was tricky.

And depending on whether another series in this canon makes it to air, I may just approach them about writing one or two myself to get some "further adventures" our there. Anything is possible!

Arden:

If you could go back and change anything about the series, what would it be?

Duane Capizzi:

File under anecdote, but there was what I felt was an important expression on Gray that kept me awake at nights, from his graduation ceremony at Vile. When we revisited those flashbacks in the Gray arc in Season 4, I had them change his expression there (to be more evil less innocent). We had it corrected in 404 so was able to get permission to have Netflix "fix" the Pilot by adding that shot in. I am tenacious!

We really poured over everything, it's the series that I have virtually zero complaints with the end product to be honest. But the simple answer is: I would have gone back to 106 and "un-greek'd" Gray's nametag. It's sort of a rule for international that we scramble signage (which is weird for a show that takes place in many countries/languages, I know I know). It's mostly for localization/translation reasons. And I'm sure there are some countries where Gray's name might be spoken differently. But as a proper name, I think we could have made an exception and seen "Gray" on his name tag. See? Details! But that's about the worst of it

there's also like one small line from Chief in 208 where she indicates she knows Carmen is a good guy (something to that effect) which I felt was too absolute and would have tweaked the line to temper it a bit. It's tiny, but looking back it sort of bugs me and I kick myself for not catching it. But this is absolutely the series I wanted and couldn't be happier.

Carmen:

How did Carmen know she could trust Julia? As far as we know, she has not seen or heard Julia defending her, and in the Fashionista Caper, Julia even held up her gas gun to her, saying she was under arrest. Do you have any opinions on this? Was it just intuition?

Duane Capizzi:

I'm gonna go with intuition

Carmen was raised on an island with some hardened criminal types. I think she's a pretty good judge of character. Poor Julia, trying to be tough with Carmen didn't suit her.

But, great observation! I'd have to mentally step through everything to see if Carmen had any earlier indication but i think you're right there.

Yes, sometimes you just gotta follow your heart

Carmen:

Are there any characters that didn't actually interact that you think would get along well?

Duane Capizzi:

Amazing question! First, I'd have to think more about who DIDN'T meet - you're asking the hard questions haha. But "get along well" is very specific! Hmmm, care to volley anyone?

I'll also add that so many smaller moments get lost in the "binge" of it all, but I am surprised how few fans have noted the first meeting between Player and Julia. THAT was a good one IMO! Very sweet!

Before getting back to your question, I also want to add that we were originally going to find a way for Carmen to lose her earring in Stockholm so that Julia could pick it up and be communicating with Player. BUT, I cut it at treatment stage because I knew we didn't have room in that episode to service it. Circling back to questions 1 & 2, another case where it turned out better saved for later IMO (saving Player meeting Julia, not to mention the earring business in 402 with Ivy).

Oh of course, Julia and any of the other Vile members. It would have been Gunnar for my vote, as mentioned earlier. We probably would not have had Julia meet anyone else and mixed it up more. I like that Cleo sort of became J's personal nemesis.

YES, SONIA & XIFENG (and LUPE PELIGRO, if I can add). The intent was (and is, if we ever get to revisit) to see them again in Carmen's travels. We started to expand Carmen's world but when we finally learned the finite number of episodes we had to finish the story, we drilled back down into the essentials. Would love to see them some day!

I'm hesitant to share too many things I have in mind in this forum for hope that they will see the light of day one day. You know, "spoilers"

Julia:

Do you have any opinions on Zari? Just in general? Some thoughts on her backstory would be nice if possible

Duane Capizzi:

I love Zari! I really don't have any back story on her at this point. She was originally just "Agent B" but when the need arose to give story points to another agent, we chose her because she looked so awesome! And Sharon Muthu gave voice to her so wonderfully.

I love when we finally teamed her with Chase. Hopefully the anticipation was that she would give him a hard time. I love that we defied expectation (organically, of course) and had her respect him by the end of that episode (for believing that he foiled Carmen!)

Julia:

Do you have any thoughts on small facts about any character, major or minor, that you think are fun/interesting to think about, but don't necessarily add to the plot itself?

Duane Capizzi:

Bellum, like myself, likes cats. But you knew that!

I try to put everything pertinent on screen, doing double duty to service any given episode's story but also the overarching story. That "journey" thing I mentioned earlier - we had no idea Chase falling on his own car would be a thing when I first came up with it. But as other characters refer to the incident, it took on a life of its own and made the characters feel more real.

Sorta kinda related to this question and some earlier ones, I will say that I DO think there's more to learn about Shadowsan's past vis a vis Lady Dokuso: it's clear to me that they have a history together, and it's something I hope to explore someday soon (maybe in a book if not another series

Julia:

Are the Carmen Sandiego books a part of canon?

Duane Capizzi:

I only consulted on the first two or three (too busy with series!) and have not read them, so hard for me to answer in a definite way. They are definitely in the universe we've created, but not in the timeline that I know of (which would have been too hard to pull off with our script development running concurrently). But do know that the book team at HMH pays close attention to the series and world so they should be perfectly compatible. Look no further to their clever social media on the series for example.

Kenz:

We saw in season 4 that Julia and Carmen helped each other mid to long term; would there ever be a possibility that Julia would permanently or semi-permanently join team Red?

Duane Capizzi:

Of course there's a possibility. But in a sense, with ACME now finally on Carmen's side, in a sense if Carmen were back in the game Julia, Chase, Zack and Ivy would ALL be an extension of Carmen's crew. But, would J remain with ACME or literally come to Carmen's team at her HQ? As they said in an old radio show: "Only The Duane Capizzi knows ..."

Kenz:

Where do you see Carmen in her retirement (if she retires)? Do you think she would still travel the world or settle down somewhere? Similarly, do you have any thoughts on what some other characters could be doing years down the line?

Duane Capizzi:

That is a big question, and one difficult to answer without some potential future spoilers (and yes, I really want to tell more Carmen stories if you can't tell But I'll answer by giving you one "read" on our open-ended ending as seen in 408 (read no further if you haven't seen it - yeah, right haha). The ending suggests to me that Carmen settled down for a spell to forge that relationship with her mother, to make up for lost time. But, if that is indeed Carmen that we see on the rooftop, I think the ending suggests that Carmen doesn't stay still for very long. If Vile is back, there is work to be done! Carmen has a life mission - she's one determined lady.

But of course, it's deliberately ambiguous: "anyone with your heart, wisdom and courage can be Carmen Sandiego." Is it Carmen? Sonia? Someone we haven't met? I think both endings resonate: Caroline and I always said "Carmen is bigger than a person, Carmen is a movement" would be a great message to end the series on. And I think our ending resolves this chapter of Carmen's journey as a person, but also elevates her to mythic status. Which is why I love it!

And, that seems to me a pretty perfect question and answer to end our chat on. Thanks everyone! Again, I cannot tell you how moved I am to see that we have such a passionate, intelligent and talented fan base. THANK YOU.

Take care guys, thanks again for having me! 'night!

#Carmen Sandiego #CS Crew #Duane Capizzi #Interview #Transcript

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fy-enhypen · 4 years ago

Text

“I don’t want to define music in one word” - Heeseung

HEESEUNG was comfortable with handling a basketball. Most of the time the ball went in, just as it was supposed to. Once, when he missed and the ball bounced off the rim, HEESEUNG kept shooting over and over until it went in. At last, two points. Shooting over and over and hitting the wall until he succeeds? Well, HEESEUNG’s attitude toward the stage is the same. On I-LAND, your older brother said that he’s proud of you now, thinking back to how you used to be this average cute but a little immature kid who liked playing games with friends and didn’t like to study.

HEESEUNG: That time he was talking about, that was when I was really immature. I’m not exaggerating when I say that everything’s changed. This might be a bit off-topic, but I have this one good old friend who I would hang out with and goof around with all the time. It was all really childish, but I’m way more mature now. (laughs) But I do think I should keep growing up more than I am now.

I saw that, when you were doing the group photoshoot, the staff asked you to move to NI-KI’s side, and you asked him first if that was okay before moving.

HEESEUNG: Yes, I did say that. It happened so quickly, I’m surprised you caught it. (laughs)

You didn’t hesitate to help other contestants with their dancing on I-LAND even though you were competing against one another. SUNOO said you’re an “angel.” (laughs)

HEESEUNG: I could try and take all the credit for that, but that’s not really how it was. (laughs) I think that was possible because I-LAND had more challenges emphasizing teamwork than other survival shows. But that aside, I still wanted to help them. When I first became a Big Hit trainee, I practiced really hard for six months and became one of the better performers among the new recruits. I guess it’s probably because I had a lot of opportunities to be the leader from that time on.

Did you have much experience singing or dancing before you became a trainee?

HEESEUNG: I’m still not that good at dancing, but I was absolutely hopeless at the beginning. (laughs) I was really, really bad. It was so bad that my friends would make fun of me for not being able to do even basic moves. They’d say, “Seriously, how did you ever get casted?” But Big Hit’s training regimen is really good. (laughs and stretches arms out diagonally) This is called “arm stretching.” It’s a basic move. This is all I did for a year. And then more than a year of following the rhythm. I focused on basic, repetitive moves like that, then I took baby steps with a dance foundations class, and then with endless practice I finally got a lot better.

You can give hope to hopeless dancers. (laughs) I know that you were always very interested in singing.

HEESEUNG: I dreamed of becoming a singer since I was six, but I totally lacked confidence. Singers need to be able to sing in front of people without feeling nervous, but the most I could do until high school was sing with two or three really close friends at a karaoke. And then my dad suggested I take the entrance exam for an art high school, but I was too nervous during the test to sing anything. I was about to head home thinking I’d better study or choose a different career path when suddenly a casting agent spotted me. I was really lucky.

HEESEUNG: I was heavily influenced by YEONJUN from TOMORROW X TOGETHER when I came to Big Hit. Up until then, I had a sense of pride. I thought, well, I’m pretty good at singing, right? But after I saw YEONJUN, I realized I was totally fooling myself. (laughs) I felt like YEONJUN is the kid who gets perfect in every subject and I’m the one who gets, about 80 in one class and goes around bragging about it. So I thought there’s no room for feeling “not confident or some other nonsense like that” (laughs) I need to really up my game if I want to be a singer. From then on, I tried to really show off everything I’ve got on stage, which is different from how I used to be.

In the “October 2020 by ENHYPEN” video, you set a goal to practice vocals for one and a half to two hours every day. Even with your busy schedule, you’ve been close to 70~80% successful with that goal.

HEESEUNG: (laughs) It’s easy to achieve your goals when it’s something you like to do. I usually put my all into things I like, but I don’t have much motivation to do things I’m not into. I think that’s a strength and also a weakness. To use studying as an example: I lost interest in studying when I was in middle school, so I didn’t put much effort into most subjects, but I liked English because I liked to listen to pop songs. There was a foreign language high school near me that accepted students only based on their English grades and mine were good enough to get in.

All your practice really shows on your debut album, BORDER: DAY ONE. I was impressed by how you expressed each song differently.

HEESEUNG: The lead single, “Given-Taken,” is about facing a new world, and ENHYPEN just debuted as a team, so I wanted to convey a passionate start of a race. You could say it’s mellow since it opens with a harp, but I used all my energy to emphasize the tone. In “Let Me In (20 CUBE),” there’s the lyrics: “Can you open your window / Been looking everywhere for my Nemo.” It would sound kind of weird if I sang, “Open up!” forcefully like that.(laughs) So I recorded my vocals in a way that best conveys the meaning and doesn’t break the mood.

It looks like you have specific ideas about the performances and your music. On I-LAND you recorded the “-note” video diary, and you reflected on various aspects of your performance. It was very impressive the way you could go back and analyze it like that.

HEESEUNG: If you debut, you become a professional. I don’t look like a pro in my performances yet, but I think you become more professional by making deliberate efforts. I think I need to be able to express myself inside and out, so I’m trying to do all different kinds of training.

You mentioned several times that you want to write your own songs this year. Have you written any?

HEESEUNG: When I was in sixth grade, I took a music composition class using a sequencer program my dad recommended, called Cakewalk. I started to write songs again after I became a trainee. There’s a song I worked on until I got into I-LAND, and also some songs I wrote and recorded the lyrics over some existing beats. But we’ve been so busy preparing for the debut. I really regret that I haven’t been able to show off my work. Anyway, I’m going to keep trying to write songs for ENGENE whenever I get time. I just hope they’ll be patient with me.

You said “Merry and the Witch’s Flower” by Yerin Baek is your favorite song. What kind of songs do you usually listen to?

HEESEUNG: As far as genre goes, I’m really into alternative R&B. I also like songs that are dreamy and chill. I listened to a lot of songs by Yerin Baek, Anderson Paak and Eric Bellinger lately. I usually listen to the newest releases to see what people like these days, but I also listen to old hits by 2Pac and the Notorious B.I.G.

In BE:LIFT LAB’s “Training Camp,” you said your personal motivation is the high goals you set for yourself.

HEESEUNG: If I were to say that I want to be at 100, I’m currently at a 30 or 40. I’m absolutely serious. I think I need to try a lot harder if I’m going to reach my full potential. I want to be more than just a set of skills, or an amazing person; I want to make sure I don’t lose myself. The more time you spend on your work, the less time there is to invest in yourself. And if your work takes over your identity, I think you might even find it easy to lose your own sense of self. I want to be the kind of person who can grow while staying devoted to my work.

It reminds me of your performance of “Chamber 5.” Even though I-LAND is a survival program and you could have chosen a song that would have been more advantageous to you, you took on a new challenge solely for self-improvement.

HEESEUNG: (laughs) I was in way over my head. I seriously never tried even a single playful song like “Chamber 5” before in my life. But, obviously, you can’t go back to the past. Anyway, that was my choice. I was preparing for a job where you have to be ready to handle all different kinds of concepts. I took that as a fact and just practiced. And also, I had the magnificent teacher, Mr. SUNOO, right there with me. (laughs) So it was good in the end.

Maybe it’s thanks to that experience that the way you turn around and wink in the “Let Me In (20 CUBE)” performance suits you so well.

HEESEUNG: (laughs) That kind of stuff just comes to me naturally now—basically showing people how charming I am. Was it a bit awkward? (laughs) Songs like “10 Months” are in-your-face cutesy. It was hard at first, but after thinking about my own style the answer came to me. I look mature compared to the other members, so I figured that was the solution to the problem of how to express my charm. Now I am Lee HEESEUNG, a man of endless allure. (laughs)

Before a leader was selected for ENHYPEN, your name kept coming up in the polls under headings like, “the first person you’ll turn to when you’re having a hard time,” or, “the person who won’t hesitate to take difficult tasks for others.”

HEESEUNG: I’m good at listening to other people’s problems. That sounded like bragging. (laughs) If I see someone struggling with something I can fix or help them with, it’s hard for me to just stand by and watch. I don’t go around thinking I always need to help with everything, but I unconsciously act that way.

You’re the oldest member of the group. I can tell the other members trust you, and rely on you. As their oldest teammate, how do you want to be there for them?

HEESEUNG: I hope they don’t think of me as being more important than them just because I’m the oldest. In middle school, high school, clubs, and places like that, I realized that opening up to someone your senior isn’t always easy. So when we became a team, I thought I should be a cute, approachable guy (laughs) and create an atmosphere where they can speak openly with me. Everybody feels comfortable talking to that kind of person.

It seems like you already are. You all looked really close when the others were touching your head without hesitation on V LIVE and saying it looks like the full moon. (laughs)

HEESEUNG: (laughs) Yes, I’m … not thrilled that happened. (laughs) Everyone in the group has their own strong, unique personality, but still, we all try to trust and respect one another, and we set clear boundaries. And as we spend more time together, we share more personal stories, which helps us grow closer.

In “-note,” you thank the people around you and judge your own practice progress objectively while finding the positive aspects. I was impressed.

HEESEUNG: Even though they didn’t show it on the show much, I felt tremendous pressure being in a leadership position. There was so much to deal with. A lot of that was hard, of course, but I believe that people become the things they say they are, so I chose to be thankful and stay positive. If I say it like I believe it, my thinking will change and then I can overcome any difficulty. For artists, fans are important, skills are important, and talent is important, if you want to draw people in. Everything is important, really. I think it’s most important to have a healthy mind if you want to really nail all those things.

What does music mean to you?

HEESEUNG: That’s the hardest question. (laughs) I don’t want to define music in one word. I don’t think there should be just one correct answer to what music is. Because there’s no answer, all kinds of different music gets made, and many different people can be on stage. As soon as there is an answer, music will lose its charm.

#201227 #enhypen #heeseung #t: weverse #t: interview

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staggeringsmite · 4 years ago

Note

ooh, top 5 moments you've had/witnessed as a DM? (please use this an excuse to hype yourself up if you want!!)

my players make dm’ing beyond worth it, so i really have to give credit to them for the joy of what they bring to a lot of these scenes <3 (also this is all wandering isles bc it’s been my most narratively satisfying and invested dm experience) Buckle Up it’s a long one!!!

bonus: i’m very proud of my individual character moments! throughout the campaign we’ve had about four of these (the intro session scenes, two dream sequences for every pc, and a set of individual trial scenes). we’re a pretty big party so it’s hard to narrow it down, but i just love writing and running those longer narrative moments bc i think it’s a v interesting insight into each character and gives them each a separate moment to shine <3

5. “promise you’ll come back to her” / burning of contingency letters

i put these moments together perhaps to cheat a little bit, but also because they deserve it. xarus, the party’s barbarian whose family was abandoned by his mother at a young age pulls theresa, a forge knitting cleric about to board the airship he is a quartermaster of in order to find a cure for her sick wife. he asks theresa to promise him one thing, that no matter what she will come back to her wife. along the way they write contingency letters to their loved ones in and outside of the party as their adventures grow more and more dangerous, and eventually, exhausted and worn, theresa and xarus find each other in the den of a safehouse to talk. recognizing each other’s willingness to self-sacrifice, their conversation ends with them burning the contingency letters they’ve written, committing to life. these scenes come together because it shows how far they have come together, and the theresa and xarus relationship will always be a highlight of the wandering isles to witness. sometimes the players do all the best work for you, and it’s so wonderful to sit back and watch <3

4. miles is missing

damien returns to the university he works at after an unprecedented amount time away to check on his office before he heads back out on another adventure with the party. while there he moves to put a sticky note (canonically a magical item in the wandering isles universe) on his rival colleague’s (and gay lover/roommate of 20 years) door only to find it entirely emptied without a trace. despite their bickering, miles and damien are very close, and miles would never pack up his things and go without telling damien.

this was a more subtle cliff-hanger for the session, but it was made so much fun as a dm because the players were excited and joking the whole session about miles’ second appearance (and only since the very first session) so his sudden disappearance was made much more severe based on everyone’s anticipation of meeting and having a light-hearted interaction with him.

3. the infamous sex rave

sometimes things go very right as a dm and sometimes things spiral out of control when a pc mislabels a situation which becomes a running joke of the campaign. either way i love being stubborn in my defense of “it isn’t a sex rave!!” whenever they bring it up (and immediately playing an npc who also calls it a sex rave). basically the players had a heist encounter in which they were hired to break a group of pirate prisoner’s out of a secret underground information center (where magical artifacts were also being held and studied, and there was pertinent information stored for the party to take a swipe at). the group split and one subset of party members were forced to hide from guards on the outskirts of a large, gladiatorial style ring within the compound, in which prisoners were competitively battling in order to test the abilities of certain unknown artifacts for the entertainment of anonymous nobles in masquerade getup. based on the magical lighting effects, the strangely dressed noble onlookers, and the,,,, Fighting Noises being some of the only things the pc’s perceived from the level of the auditorium they hid at, it was unfortunately misnomer’ed the “weird sex rave” and has only been referred to it as that ever since.

2. mother abel’s goodbye

hmmm am i making players cry again? yeah maybe. mother abel was an elder cleric of nosa crossing, the starting city of the campaign. she’d lived through its settlement, destruction, rebuilding, and given her all not only to the city but also to the jilted creed (a secret society dedicated to disrupting geline, a large and dangerously powerful island-state which is one of the campaign’s greatest evils). in the last use of her strength she took on a role as a conduit for a powerful plane shift ritual to transport the residents of the city to safety in the feywild as nosa crossing began to be overrun by potent wild magics in the prime material plane. as a low-level cleric, the spell took its toll on her, and as the party arrived in the feywild via a similar ritual to find the inhabitants, they were led to her side. theresa, a native of nosa crossing now reunited with her wife yodean, went to abel’s side with yodean. as yodean sat on the foot of the bed, theresa kneeled as though praying to hold abel’s hand cleric to cleric, confessing her gratitude but admitting that she cannot give as freely as mother abel did, that she and yodean deserve to live for themselves as much as they choose everyday to live for other people. with her final words in a soft, weak message, mother abel comforted theresa in her decision. the scene as a whole was so wonderfully sad, and the best dm moment of something so raw as telling aj, theresa’s player, that while there was no way to confirm it in any real capacity, something in theresa felt that perhaps mother abel held out a little while longer to make sure she was safe one last time and make sure she’d truly gotten everyone home.

1. rosa’s betrayal / lian’s resurrection

enough of that sad shit let’s get mean babey!! aslkjglfk i will be riding the high of this session for an eternity, but it’s quite a lot to break down. rosa rucksaw is the captain of the crew the party rescues in the heist sequence, who eventually reveals herself to in fact be xarus’ mom who fully left to assume a new identity and is Pretty Horrible as a person. at the safehouse, the party is asked by the people they were hired if they would be willing to take the crew to a longer term safehouse island, and the decision is left to xarus. not wanting to be like his mom, xarus agrees to endure a little more time with them in order to them this service out of convenience and kindness. a few hours from their destination, rosa finds xarus on the deck and honestly? kinda begins to admit some amount of guilt for all the shit she did,,,, literally seconds before she reveals that when her and her crew were caught by geline, she struck a deal in order to keep them alive, saying to her biological son “out on the cloudsea your crew is your family, and son, believe me, i’d do anything for my family” before her crew on the deck anchored the ship to an invisible gelinish war vessel and we snapped to roll20 for combat. the look of horror and betrayal on everyone’s face as her monologue hit those final lines, ugh and the fact that no one was super suspicious made it even better!! sometimes it Really Works, and this was one of those times!

flash forward in the battle, and an npc (it’s miles, the gay lover from a few numbers ago) being held hostage by the gelinish vessel is killed, as he is resurrected by two party members (damien and theresa) damien reaches for his soul, as theresa, who multi-classed into divination wizard after a pc named lian died (with failed attempts from theresa and xarus to hold her back) feels another presence in the grey, misty beyond. lian died in session four, and when i said her name to reference jack’s character everyone lost it mostly out of confusion before i began to narrate lian feeling restless in the afterlife, eventually reaching out and forming a celestial warlock pact with miles through his connection to damien and being called upon by her goddess sune as theresa reached out, offering lian the chance to go back. theresa returning to that moment with both her clerical and divinatory abilities, with the blessing of sune, lian emerging on the battlefield, now a vengeance paladin instead of life cleric, with a flaming sword and celestial wings at her back was such an incredible highlight to set up and run,, i just, <333 very proud of myself (and very thankful jack was on board for her coming back) for this moment

thank you so so much!! this was a long ramble, but i hope it was somewhat interesting to people not in the wandering isles <33

send a top 5 or 10?

#ask #thats-the-moon-grey #thank you!!!#dm'ing is so...good

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jeremys-blogs · 4 years ago

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Lumity: A Well-Made Bond

The Owl House has a lot of good things going for it, and I covered a great deal of those things in my last post about it. But there is one aspect about the show that I've come to enjoy possibly more than anything else, and that's the relationship between its central protagonist, Luz Noceda, and supporting character Amity Blight. And before anyone wonders, no, I'm not going to spend this entire thing just fawning over the two and gushing over how adorable I think they are together. But believe me, I am seriously tempted to do exactly that, because hey, just look at that image above. No, as much as all that stuff is true, I truly like this growing bond between the two and how it's developed over the course of the series, with them having started out as being at odds with one another to winding up as so much more. It's been an incredible journey seeing their relationship change in the way that it has, and along the way it's served as an excellent showcase for the character of Amity herself, who is unquestionably one of my favourites in this show's cast. So without further ado, allow me to explain why I feel this relationship is one of the highlights of the show for me.

When Amity is first introduced to us, her very first scene makes us think we know exactly who this girl is going to be for us. She's the typical school bully character. The one who will rival Luz and her friends and push them around whenever they meet. The girl that we'll cheer whenever she faces defeat. Yet despite Amity showing the traits of that character, even in this earliest of moments we see that there's more to her. Yes, she's unkind to Willow, but she's also someone who greatly values hard work, and utterly despises cheaters. And as the episode progresses we may find ourselves siding with her, if only out of principal. Luz and Willow were cheating and lying about what they were doing in order to make the latter look better at her classes than she really was, and no matter how you slice it, Amity losing her spot as top student to someone who only succeed through deception is an unfair thing. Amity's anger was justified, even if we were given nothing else to like about her just now. So while expectations had been set up for her to be an unlikable character, there were already shades of more beneath the surface, and that's something we'd get a lot more of as time went on.

In her next couple of appearances, we started to see Amity outside of the competitive environment of Hexside, and again this brought to light sides of her that wouldn't have been expected. We learn of her ambition to join the Emperor's Coven and her utter glee at the thought of actually succeeding at it. We see her reading to children and actually enjoy doing so, even if she protested at her reasons for doing it. In short, we started to see a great deal of positive traits from her. True, she was still bitter towards Luz, and actions like stepping on King's cupcake certainly weren't called for, but this was definitely the start of her growing out of the bully role she'd been set up for, which is especially interesting considering she'd only had one episode in that spot. Yet her time with Luz in both episodes, Covention and Lost in Language, shows them both growing closer, with Amity acknowledging that there's more to her than just being a cheat in the former, and recognising and appreciating that she herself hadn't been the nicest of people in the latter. The two weren't friends by this point, but it definitely laid the groundwork for them to become such later on.

Then, after the long hiatus of the show, we got Adventures in the Elements, where the connection between Amity and Luz has apparently blossomed into a full-blown friendship. Whatever animosity had been between them had gone by this point, and they were both excited at the prospect of actually going to the same school together. Amity had come to recognise by now that Luz works just as hard as she does when it comes to learning magic, even if she wasn't as far along in her skills as she was, and the fact that they shared common interests, most notably their love for the Azura book series, gave Amity possibly the first genuine friend she's had in a very long time. But there were still bumps in the road for her and Luz, especially then the latter stole her training wand for her own purposes. And on a side note, I understand that Luz was likely frustrated with her own training, but that was still the most disappointed I'd ever been in her by that point. Still, those problems were worked through, and much like with the "library incident" the two worked together to successfully overcome the big danger of the episode, resulting in Luz learning her second spell and Amity looking forward to their time as classmates.

After this, we wouldn't see much of Amity during Luz's early time in Hexside, but her next big inclusion in the story came in one of the season's best episodes, Understanding Willow, where we're given not only another great instance of Amity and Luz working together, but also giving us a full explanation as to why Amity was the way she was towards Willow during their first appearance. It is revealed that Amity distancing herself from her was the result of an apparently abusive household, where the Blight's family status pressured her to associate only with more powerful witches. Her parents even went so far as to threaten to keep Willow out of school should Amity continue to be friends with her. So in the end, it turns out that Amity's cruelty was done so Willow actually had a chance of getting into Hexside in the first place. Now, this is a terrible thing for children to go through, both Willow and Amity, and the latter's parents rightly deserve a good smack for treating their daughter that way. But while Amity's words and actions towards Willow were bad, they became understandable, as they were hiding a greater cruelty behind them. It doesn't excuse Amity for how she was with Willow at the start of the show, but it does put it in a new light. And additionally, I appreciate how this didn't automatically become a renewed friendship with Willow when all was said and done, as such things take time to heal.

And then, we came to the big one. Enchanting Grom Fright. This was it, the big Lumity moment that had the fandom screaming and squealing with joy over finally seeing those two cinnamon rolls get together. And I'd be dishonest if I said I wasn't wearing the biggest smile on my face when I saw that episode play out. Luz and Amity's moments together, especially that now-famous dance sequence, were immediately enjoyable to watch and have likely been re-watched over a dozen times now. But it also served as a pretty definitive marker that Amity's feelings towards Luz had developed far beyond friendship by this point. So much so that her greatest fear was being rejected by her, either in general or for the dance specifically. There had been hints of that liking before this, but this episode confirmed it. And what I love about it is that a lot of groundwork had been established beforehand to make it work. It wasn't just them being friends after the library and then instant crush. Time had been taken to bring us to this point, so that when they finally went together in that incredible dance, it was a moment that the show had fully earned for itself.

Now, before, I go any further with what happens with Amity in the show, I feel like I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the point of LGBT representation in this show. Now, I am by no means someone who is qualified to speak on matters like this, but if I'm going to talk about a same-sex relationship like this I feel it's sort of unavoidable. Obviously I'm happy that Disney is doing this, regardless of whether or not it's their first such relationship on-screen. I have no idea if it is, given all the news I've heard of other "firsts" in Disney media. But I think what's especially interesting about this is that it's taking place in a story where the themes and ideas sort of align with those kinds of relationships. Remember, as I mentioned in my last Owl House discussion, one of the big ideas of the Boiling Isles is that it's a society where those who deviate from the norm are looked down on or punished severely, and I don't think I'm wrong in saying that that's a situation that a lot of LGBT people can identify with. So having this relationship take place against that sort of backdrop seems like an ideal match, though I'm not sure if that's a specific idea the writers had for it.

Once we got Grom out of the way, Amity continued to be a good and enjoyable character, but her development, it had to be said, wasn't as profound after the big dance. Outside of learning that she had past regrets from hurting her former grudgby teammates, the only things new with her is that her feelings for Luz have reached such a point that she's driven to an almost blubbering, incoherent state whenever she's close to her. Naturally, this is as hilarious and endearing as you'd expect, and was easily one of the more entertaining aspects of the Wing it Like Witches episode. However, it also showed a rather unfortunate point about this crush she has on Luz, and that's that Luz herself seems oblivious to it. Sure, that's great for comedy, but it does present the worry that Amity's romantic leanings towards her might not be fully reciprocated. As a shipper myself, this is troublesome, but objectively speaking I can't say it's a real problem with the episode or the relationship. Indeed, having it turn out that Luz doesn't feel the same way, and then Amity having to deal with it with the two still maintaining a friendship has the potential for a good episode down the line, so on that note we'll likely just have to wait and see.

When that was over, we reached pretty much the end of Amity's inclusion in season one. Aside from a few cameo appearances showing her recovering from her grudgby injury, she wouldn't make another appearance in the story. Now, as someone who very much likes this character, this was disappointing, but I do understand wanting to downplay her. She had, after all, pretty much dominated the story for the last few episodes, so I can appreciate wanting to ease off her for a while and get back to the main cast. As far as her relationship to Luz is concerned, we'll have to wait until the show's second season to see where it goes, though I can predict some interesting things between them given how the season ended. Luz is now officially an enemy of Emperor Belos, the leader Amity has spent her life trying to enter into the service of, and that, coupled with Luz's likely dislike of the man, with probably lead to some conflicted feelings between the two girls. I truly hope this doesn't sour the connection they've established, but like with a lot of things brought on by the season finale, that's all up in the air right now. I've known the struggle of waiting for new season before, and I can go through it again.

The Owl House has a lot of great things to talk about, and while I may feel differently about it as time goes on, for now I really do enjoy the character of Amity a lot. The way she's written, the way she breaks out of the expectations we might have started out for her, the way she slowly grew closer to the rest of the cast, to finally developing feelings for our main heroine, it was all a delight to watch. I might even go so far as to say that, when it comes to school rival characters, she may be among the best I've ever seen, if only by virtue of how enjoyable she's been. Like with everyone else in this cast, Amity has been a stellar inclusion, and though I worry about how she'll be handled when the Owl House eventually returns to us, for now I'm very satisfied with what we've seen of her thus far. Lumity may not, as I may have indicated earlier, be the objective best thing about this show, but it continues to bring a smile to my face. And I think we can all agree that, in times like this, finding something that makes us feel happy should be treasured as much as possible 🥰

#essay #writing #my stuff #disney #the owl house #shipping #luz noceda #amity blight #lumity

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cronni · 4 years ago

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a three-act review about Compress on 294

[This meta, obviously, will have spoilers about the most recent officially released chapter, 294, from BNHA. Consider yourself warned.]

Another chapter that goes to the list of "big revelations" from this arc. The war is near it's end and, with everyone at their physical and mental limits, sacrifices are being made.

So I wanted to ramble for a bit about the main character of chapter 294, Mr. Compress. Talk about his possible death, his reveal, what it means for the future and his legacy towards the League/Shigaraki.

First things first, hi! My name is Kat, and I'm bringing to you my half meta-analysis half opinion-based-review about Compress, during chapter 294, on this makeshift imaginary stage. Take a seat.

Act I: it's in the blood

We had a lot of big moments during this arc. Some more expected than others, but still as important as everything else... Probably.

If you had "Compress bloodline/face reveal" on your bingo card, though, I need to congratulate you. And also ask where are your last braincells. You should find them (or you shouldn’t).

Great-great-grandson of the Peerless Thief, Oji Harima. Do you guys remember him? From Gentle's arc? I won't blame you if you don't.

(Just let's take a second to agree that he looks pretty cool. Another nice design, Hori.)

I feel like a portion of this fandom already saw it coming. Maybe since Gentle’s arc, maybe since Compress’ line during Dabi’s reveal. Or maybe you just looked at Compress and thought “this guy seems like the type to have a mysterious and important connection to someone”.

And yes, I do agree that we’re having a bit too much during the end of this arc, especially regarding the sequenced revelations (5 chapters, 5 reveals. Hori, please, calm down. Let me breathe).

This reveal, however, is not meant to be a big surprise - not for us, not for the heroes.

It’s a show. Compress’ show. We’re not meant to be surprised, but excited. This is his big moment. His first big moment.

And probably the last. So let’s enjoy while it’s here.

(There’s a bit of talk that can be made about Harima and his true ideals - since this is being spoken by Compress so expect a biased opinion - and the parallels between him and Compress, but this would be more about Harima than Compress himself. Let’s focus on our favorite showman for now.)

Act II: a once-in-a-lifetime performance

We don’t know what his plan is, yet, but he’s reuniting the League so they can leave without him. He even gets Skeptic (hey there, I didn’t see you for like 2 chapters in a row, are you ok?) as well. However, Mirio, Iida, Nejire and Jeanist are still up and fighting (and we still have Bakugou and Deku around that could, maybe, do something. They’re crazy enough to try).

Whatever he plans, needs to be executed with precision. He already sacrificed enough. It needs to work.

Since not only he lost a part of his right side (+ a part of his ass, sadly), but a part of his left shoulder, left side of his torso and left leg are also gone, as you can see in the panel below.

(Thanks for pointing this out, Caleb.)

The whole chapter is constructed to make us enticed by his show. From the paneling and angle choices to the dialogue lines. It’s, indeed, a big show. We’re meant to sit and enjoy.

There’s still a whole discussion about Compress’ death - mainly about if it’s better for him to die here and if it makes sense in the first place (hey Compress, couldn’t you just have compressed yourself free? Why you did it with only a part of your body now?), but we don’t know about his quirk outside of what it’s shown. We never got the exact description of it.

(If I can give you my honest opinion about it: I don’t want him to die. I don’t think he should. His narrative ending now feels... Weird. But if he dies- Well, I’ll enjoy every moment before I have to say goodbye to him.)

Act III: after the curtains close

Well, so far I talked about the obvious. Time to put the theorist braincells to work (I don’t know where they are, but they’re working. Hopefully-) and think about what comes next.

For now, I’ll be talking about exclusively about the aftermath in which Compress ends up not surviving this whole Houdini-like show. There is still the chance of him surviving, but I feel like it’s more interesting to think about the what if he doesn’t.

And why do I think that? Because of the following lines:

(Couldn’t make a less obvious death flag, could you, Hori?)

During the story until now, Compress was never really in a spotlight. He had his moments in a more background role. But, more importantly, is the fact that even if only in the background, Compress was always there.

Helping the League. Supporting them, so they could be able to achieve their dreams.

Now that he himself will probably not be able to achieve his, he hopes that, at least, Shigaraki can achieve Harima’s dream. Reformation.

However, we know Shigaraki’s (and AFO’s, by some extent) objective isn’t exactly reformation but more like... Eradication. And, honestly? I think Compress is very aware of it.

“From destruction, comes creation.” (That phrase is probably not the exact one, but you get what I mean.) For Compress, Shigaraki and the League (note that he separates the League from the Paranormal Liberation Front. An interesting choice of words) are going to change society.

Even if that means that everything needs to end so something else begins in it’s place. Something that, maybe, is better than what’s gone. Maybe.

Compress is a character that, from what we saw so far, was very liked by the League. Even Mr. Touya I-don’t-care-about-anyone Todoroki seemed to have some bit of respect towards him.

He’s going to leave a mark. As he should. After all, this is quite the show, isn’t it? It can be forgotten that easily.

some last thoughts

Another interesting thing (that I didn't put with the rest because it’s more unrelated) is that, if Compress dies, that makes Shigaraki holding an even bigger responsibility than before: not only he has Destro’s ideals trusted on him through ReDestro, but now he’ll have Harima’s ideals trusted on him through Compress.

And we still have Twice, Toga, Spinner and Dabi. Each once with their own dreams and ideas of a “better future” for them.

Let’s see what Hori has for the future of this story. This chapter brings a good breather after the past 3 chapters. I personally enjoyed it a lot.

---

Just a reminder that this is all based off my views and thoughts about the story. If you have something to say about it, feel free to do so! Also you can ask me anything about this as well :)

Like I said before, here’s more stuff that didn’t make into this post - Harima’s ideals, the parallels, the whole “could’ve Compress used his quirk on his whole body instead of only a part?” talk - because I feel like I’d go too off the road in this post. Maybe I’ll talk about it in the future. I also didn’t talk about other characters in the chapter since, you know, I wanted to focus on this beautiful magician instead ;)

That’s it for now. I’ll see you in the future. Be safe out there!

#bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #mr compress #atsuhiro sako #mister compress #bnha compress #oji harima #bnha meta #mha meta #bnha analysis #mha analysis #bnhameta

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callioope · 5 years ago

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HEY GUYS! I watched the livestream of Rogue One with writers Gary Whitta and Chris Weitz. I took notes. Because that’s what I DO. I jotted down some of my takeaways. Please note I was watching RO, watching the stream, taking notes, and also doing a few other things so these MAY NOT BE PERFECT. Please feel free to correct me if you see something I misrepresented. That said I tried to be accurate.

YES they DO TALK ABOUT the romantic chemistry between Jyn & Cassian but that is literally at the end, but feel free to peruse the rest of the points because there’s some pretty interesting insights (some good and some bad O_O like Cassian’s original storyline, yuck)

ANYWAYS let’s go

Inglourious Bastards inspired the Lah’mu scene (Gary Whitta wrote this scene, although he admitted it changed a lot but a lot of the structure and ideas stayed in)

In the original version of the script, Lyra was a Jedi in hiding, but this was one of the first things that got killed

Mads thinks he plays a bad guy, but Gary thinks he played a good guy

They talked about how Galen originally wanted to use kyber crystals for energy, but it got weaponized (which is talked about Catalyst)

stormtrooper doll is a gareth edwards touch

idea was that there’d be good people on the Imperial side and bad people on the rebel side

Cassian’s first scene on the Rings of Kafrene was written by Tony Gilroy (who wasn’t present in the stream) later. In the earlier versions, the DS is something that Jyn goes and finds. It was much more like Zero Dark Thirty where she was putting together the clues, and it was a battle for Jyn to get the rebels to take it seriously, but that was too much of a slow burn. So the Tivik scene was to replace that and introduce the idea that Cassian can be dark. Everyone admired Diego’s beautiful bit of acting as he's just lost a little bit of his soul in the fight for justice, the morality is the first victim. It’s very subtle but it’s one of Gary’s fave pieces of acting in the movie

Chris said for awhile they had Ord Mandell, then shifted to the notion of something more like in Casablanca, so a bit of a flavor of that, a part of the Empire that has been taken over that is under violent oversight

Gary said in the original, Jyn went to Ord Mantell (mentioned in Empire?) to find an arms dealer to help her find Saw, then went to another planet where Saw was living on a moon called Yarid

Budget realities played a part in the decision making to scale this back; they wanted to put so much more but just couldn’t fit it in

Originally we were supposed to see the rebels evacuate Dantooine and move to Yavin 4, but it didn’t really accomplish anything in the story accept to nod to SW fans. It didn’t move the story forward and would have cost too much

It was Tony Gilroy writing with Jyn getting freed on Wobani. Some original ideas had toyed with possibilities that she was a deserter or Rey-like scavenger, but obviously you can’t do that once you learn what the the Empire does (chris)

Only time they didn’t use a title card was Mustafar bc they wanted fans to go OH SHIT IT'S MUSTAFAR, also worked bc Mustafar would have been one of those off-the-map planets

Gary was responsible for getting Mothma in the movie

How much did the Yavin 4 briefing get worked on? A lot. sort of inspired by a scene from Apocalypse Now.

“I think this movie really beautifully bridges the gap between the original and prequel” and one of the ways it does that is JIMMY SMITS

Lots of gushing over Yavin. “Gareth just shot the shit out of this movie.” so much praise for Gareth’s vision. “Gareth can compose a shot unlike anyone I know.”

The Yavin 4 set was fully contiguous; you could walk from the inside all the way outside in one continuous shot.

K-2SO is a great example of how one character can have many fathers. John Knoll originally came up with him and he was originally a rebel logistics droid envisioned to be a “black C-3PO” (whatever that was supposed to mean - Gary wasn’t sure). Gary proposed that he could be an Imperial droid that was captured by the rebellion and reprogrammed. K-2 was really limited with what he could do working for the Empire, but once he was liberated, he was going to speak his mind. Chris and Tony and Alan all gave him more life, everyone has a little piece of K-2′s parentage.

Only ever one casting choice for Saw, which was Forest Whitaker. Gary also knew Ben Mendelsohn would be cast as krennic, but no one else was cast at that point -- he knew it was down to 3 choices for Jyn, but wouldn’t say who

Chris brought Bodhi into the story (Gary said so but Chris wasn’t sure)

For Tarkin, they took shots from the ANH and unused takes. There was also a mold of Peter Cushing that had been sitting in a prop shop for decades (I didn’t get what movie it was, something where he needed a large prosthetic eye or something), and they scanned that.

Binoculars that Jyn and Cassian look through on Jedha were inspired from the scene in ANH (like when luke looks through them on Tatooine)

Chris was responsible for Jedha, Temple of the Whills, and Chirrut’s connection to the Force. And Bor Gullet, I think. They said Bor Gullet delights in traumatic memories (more delicious to him). There was a cut idea/scene: Bor Gullet made Jyn trade her traumatic memories for information she wanted.

They talked about the two dudes Jyn runs into that are also in ANH and how they survived the destruction of jedha only to get killed by a Jedi the next day - they must have needed to get a drink at a cantina after narrowly leaving Jedha. Puts their presence at the cantina in a new light.

Screenwriters would tell you this [Jyn saving the girl on Jedha] is a classic “save the cat moment” so that we like that character that otherwise we might not -- like jyn [RUDE, but I think they were joking] [also i took beginner screenwriting in college and YES the “save the cat moment” was like lesson 1 lol

They wanted this war to look like a proper war, and [Jedha] really looks like something you might see happen. Wanted people to feel like it wasn’t just about stormtroopers hassling the guy on the street corner but there were real lives at stake

Commentary on Jyn’s Awesome Fight Scene: this is the first moment Cassian really realizes that Jyn is no one to be messed with

They guessed that Tony came up with the K-2 gag after Jyn’s fight sequence

Lots of good commentary here about how action scenes need to serve a purpose, they can’t just be fighting: they gotta reveal character and story -- don’t write the specifics of the fight, but write what the action is supposed to mean, let choreographers make it look good

Chris said Gareth kind of requested a character like Chirrut, and Chris had been messing around with a Force priest and they became the same guy. Baze was originally a murderer and criminal, and Chirrut was his confessor figure, and they had a weird codependent relationship in which Malbus would commit crimes and Chirrut would forgive him for it. But in this they are both Guardians of Whills. Baze saving Chirrut reminds Gary of Indiana Jones shooting the guy with the sword. Good example of action sequence having a purpose: showing Chirrut & Baze’s dynamic

Coming up with names in SW -- no real formula, you just know it when you hear it

Lots of freedom to come up with new stuff as long as it doesn’t grossly violate canon. Two Tubes was Tony Gilroy or maybe someone just before him

Allegedly Bib Fortuna’s cousin is in scene at catacombs

Someone wanted a Tusken Raider to leave Tatooine to be one of the rebels, but that was vetoed bc they don’t leave Tatooine

“you don’t want every star wars movie to feel like a remix of your greatest hits” - gary [me: LMAOOOO not everyone got that memo!!!]

Guardians of the Whills: Chris said when he came on board, he wanted to go into some deep George Lucas stuff so he looked at the OG screenplay of SW which is pretty “cuckoo bananas” but it’s unfilmable because it’s so gigantic. but there were so many cool things in it. Originally the Force was known as “The Force of Others" by Lucas so he had Chirrut often referring to it as such

There had to be physical tapes because that’s what was mentioned in ANH. Similarly, Tarkin said it was the first time they destroyed a planet in ANH, so they had to do a smaller test that didn’t conflict with canon but we still get to see the DS do it’s thing

Gary said he got sick of everyone on the internet saying “If the empire’s so smart how come--” so he wanted to make it happen for a reason

Chris said - John Knoll, who apparently has some kind of engineering background, said a project the size of the DS, there’d be hundreds of flaws that would bring down the station. Gary responded - it makes sense that there would be a flaw, but it’s more interesting if the flaw would be there deliberately

They went back to the idea that SW was a fairytale and “only one key that the lock fits in in a fairy tale”

They talked a bit about the “nerdy stuff” and technical details, like how fast does a Star Destroyer go, how fast is travel through hyperspace,” but they were pretty insistent that Star Destroyers go at the speed of narrative. Hyperspace moves at the speed of plot. They don’t think about the gritty details. Story always wins. You try to hide those bits. If tech stuff comes into conflict with story, the story has to win. If you can make it work great, but story should win otherwise. [MY TAKE: I think it’s lazy and you might as well try to make it work if you can, BUT I agree that it shouldn’t necessarily hang up the process, per se.]

They talked about Jyn & Co witnessing the test on Jedha and how it’s important that Jyn & Co witnessed the terrifying destructive power of this weapon, so they know better than anyone how important it is to stop this thing

They said Saw always died in the weapon test. Originally it was on a different moon, but always planned for him to die like that.

Gary mentioned in ANH, there’s more than one empty chair in the DS conference room, but Gary wished there had been only one chair so it could have been Krennic’s specifically and he wasn’t in it.

The idea was that Mothma and other Generals were desperately trying to avoid a war and trying to find a political solution to this crisis, but Palpatine is stringing them along long enough for the DS to be ready. So the Rebels have been strung along and played for fools by Palpatine, but once we realize the Empire has built a genocide weapon, the Rebels finally wake up to the idea that the only solution now is war. Empire has forced our hand. the movie is about the idea that tyrannical regimes always fall bc they go too far and they do something so terrible that people are forced to stand up and fight back. If the empire had never built the DS, Gary thinks they could have won the war and ground the Rebellion down. but bc they got greedy they forced the entire galaxy to take the war seriously, so the DS was really the Empire’s undoing

The Rebellion was like the equivalent of the Second Continental Congress, with squabbling factions and not able to get anything done, and the Empire was able to win in the beginning bc they are authoritarian, unified top down

Gary came up with Eadu, but it was originally in the first act. The whole movie got restructured. Originally they went to Eadu very early and discovered they were building the giant dish for the DS. That was the first scene that Jyn had the clue that the Empire was building something terrible. Later it became less a place where the dish was built and more just where they were harvesting and refining the kyber crystals.

It was originally Saw’s X-Wings that attacked Eadu

“rain = mood” idk who said it but that line popped

originally there were local people called Eadui who told story how facility had poisoned rivers and valleys and farmland. Gary wanted to put a face on the crimes the Empire had committed

Mads doesn’t believe that what Galen did absolves him

In Gary’s version, Krennic came to inspect final version of the dish

Cassian was always meant to be compromised in both Gary and Chris’s versions. He was a double agent: for a long time, he was working for the Empire. Chris added: he had lost people who had been killed by Saw Gerrera, and all he wanted from the Empire was the go ahead to kill Saw rather than Galen. That transmogrified along the lines post-Chris and post-Gary into a rebel intelligence officer who had done terrible things. In the original idea, he changes heart after seeing the Death Star bc it wasn’t what he signed up for, and he had to win back Jyn’s heart bc that DS reveal happens after his double agent ness is revealed.

In the original, Jyn actually gets Galen back to the rebel base, but he’s beyond saving, but his whole speech he gives Jyn in his last moments happened in a medbay

They talked about the score instead of the awesome fight scene after Eadu so BOOO on that. I mean yes the score is brilliant but still I wanted insight into this scene.

I blanked out a little because I was mad they didn’t talk about the Eadu fight scene argh

They were talking about Krennic standing his ground against Vader. and then someone said it was probably something among the Imperial officers that “you haven’t really made it until you’ve been choked by Vader.” O_o sorry we could be talking about Jyn and Cassian DAMNIT

the debate scene on Yavin 4 was recontextualized. always this idea that the rebellion is not one monolithic entity, it’s a collection of worlds all of whom have own leaders and own opinions. rebellion historically messier because it’s democratic and harder to get things done.

briefly toyed with a Leia appearance (chris) at the big conference scene, but best for Jyn to give the most rousing speech here.

Who wrote the hanger speech? Spirit of it might be Chris’, but Chris thinks it’s Tony Gilroy. Big difference from version Gary wrote: Jyn convinced the rebels. But he thought it was cool now that Jyn goes rogue and it’s only when Mothma finds out she’s committed to that that she makes the decision to back her up. But in the original she convinced Mothma, and everyone got around the table and said here’s the plan. Chris thinks it was in one of his drafts that they went off on their own.

in Gary’s version Jyn was Rogue Leader.

Chris had grunts complaining all the flyboys create dramatic names for their squadrons but that got nixed

Gary had idea that K-2 had scraped off his markings but had to have them painted back on to go to Scarif and K-2 hated it

Mothma talking to Bail is one scene that survived word for word form Gary’s original script

They talked a little bit about the decision to have the characters die, but I was drafting a question and missed it

They talked about how they came up with Scarif and decided to make it tropical -- what sort of place hasn’t been seen before? sort of coming from production and gareth. but also building these places to fulfill the needs of the story -- like building a walkway that only one person can get across

a lot of extras in Scarif were real ex-military, and Gary said a couple of the X-Wing pilots were real-life RAF tornado pilots

didn’t have Blue Squadron in the ANH bc it interfered with the blue screen

Gareth said “give me a mon calamari that looks like churchill’ and that’s Raddus

Chris and Tony killed pretty much everybody. Sounds like Gary just killed K-2? Unclear bc I missed the main part of that when they were talkinga bout it.

They commented on how RO is one of the darkest tonally movies but also so colorful, beautiful blue sky

They wanted to pay tribute to Battle of Endor

they couldn’t remember who was responsible for ‘stardust’ but it wasn’t gary or chris

who’s idea was it to cut off the “I’ve got a bad idea about this”? gary had a different version of it, Jyn said “I've got a good feeling about this” (which ultimately got used in Solo)

Someone asked about the footage in trailer that wasn’t in the movie: Chris heard on good authority that the TIE fighter in front of Jyn was actually never intended to be used, was always a trailer-specific moment. he said he didn’t know how she would have gotten out of that one. k-2 died on the beach. chris wasn’t sure but as the scenes get cut together in production and post, the narrative necessities can change bc of logistical needs. but some shots were so cool they were perfect for trailers. Some talk on how trailers and movies are very different things in general.

Gary said originally there were two separate facilities on Scarif: vault and comm tower were separated by stretch of beach. so needed to liberate plans from vault and get across beach to tower. as they looked at what they had, there were too many moving parts and they wanted to simplify, so they put vault and tower in same complex.

did they ever consider letting Chirrut pull the lever using the force? NOPE.

“I am one with the Force and the Force is with me” was Chris. it goes on, it’s supposed to be like a psalm for Jedi, but eh wanted a sort of lord’s prayer type of thing.

HELL YES someone asked about the romance between Cassian and Jyn! Was there any romantic potential in any script? YES!!! they said!! yes!!! And Chris said he wouldn’t be surprised if a kiss was shot either!

BUT they went on to say they wanted to side-step the trope that every male and female hero have to be involved.

But clear GARY said yes early on, there was definitely romantic chemistry that got scaled back to a mutual respect, but they’ve obviously grown close. Gary doesn’t think there was anything romantic and they said people found that refreshing. ‘what they’ve been through is the meaningful part” and “‘the stuff that is happening around them is too important" and “it speaks to their character that they wouldn’t let that intrude”

someone said it was like they were walking into a sunset but it was a mushroom cloud and THEN someone QUIPPED that it was sorta like the sunset walking into them RUDE

There was more after that but that was pretty exhausting to keep up with!!!! so i’m wiped. anyone else get any fun takeaways that I missed?

#rogue one

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