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tuiyla · 4 years ago

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She-Ra’s like, really good, people

It’s been over a week since She-Ra season 5 came out and I binged it and this is not going to be coherent but I just want to rant about it a bit before writing some more structured metas. I deffo wanna write about Catradora and how I think SPoP is the true spiritual successor to the Avatar.

But first, let me just scream about how good this show is. I already started rewatching it, pretty much straight after finishing it, and I don’t rewatch tv shows often. The exception is Avatar (seen it like 15 times) and sitcoms. But She-Ra is so layered that I felt like I needed to watch it again just to appreciate the dynamics even more.

I already enjoyed the first season but it kept getting better and better. I’m not in love with the art style and it’s definitely for a younger demographic overall than my other favourite animated shows, but like any good kids’ show it balances tone well. It doesn’t talk down to its target demographic but also includes more traditionally mature themes in a digestible and entertaining way. Not all the jokes landed for me but as the series went on I learned to appreciate the tone and the type of humour She-Ra goes for.

It’s funny to me because this is definitely the type of show I would have rejected as a kid, with all the princesses I would have deemed it “too girly” and therefore not for me because screw gender roles. There’s a degree of internalized sexism to that, for sure, a rejection of the feminine because it’s always been seen as less somehow. But there’s also a truth that, at least in my childhood of the late 90s and early 00s, children’s media targeted at girls often had a poor quality to it, at least when compared to “boys’ stuff”.

She-Ra is not only a clever, heartfelt, complex story, it also transcends that binary of having to be either for girls or boys. I know most of modern animation rejects that as well, but She-Ra embraces so many traditionally feminine qualities while also going beyond gender roles and even the gender binary. This show is so queer, man, and I love it. It’s especially impressive when you consider the source material that was literally just the girly version of He-Man. I have no beef with 80s She-Ra, haven’t seen much of it, but this is such an upgrade.

That being said, I would have loved to watch She-Ra as a kid. I’m so incredibly envious of kids, aged around 10, who get to watch this show as they’re growing up. But I am so, so, so happy for them and for the future of animation that shows like She-Ra can be made now, that they’re being made. I’m going to go into spoilers soon, but just before that: She-Ra’s a perfectly enjoyable show in many aspects. I think the worldbuilding’s pretty cool, the story feels coherent and planned out, it’s lighthearted and so genuine. That’s the word that I ultimately choose to describe the series: genuine.

I feel like so much of TV aims to be dark and gritty nowadays, animation included, and though that’s slowly turning to dark comedy or a balance between fun and serious, it’s still the norm. At some point in the last decade, creators became terrified of being judged as cheesy. Even something like the MCU bathes in bathos to avoid being cheesy. But She-Ra proves that creators shouldn’t be afraid of being genuine, of basing characters and storylines on the simple power of love. Like, it’s such a cliché trope but I think that’s mostly because it has become stale.

Noelle Stevenson has talked about the importance of love in her story and I’m so grateful for that. Through, She-Ra, she’s truly proven how powerful love can be in a story and how it doesn’t have to be cheesy. It’s just so unabashedly genuine. The power of love and friendship literally saves the day several times but it’s always so genuine and more importantly it always makes sense that it doesn’t get boring. If the foundation wasn’t there, then I’d say “well this is just super cheesy”. But the show makes a point of building relationships and making them the focal point of the story.

Alright, so, spoilers because I need to talk about character arcs and THAT KISS and just everything. I really need to write more in depth about Adora and Catra and their relationship but for now I feel like it’s so important to appreciate how they’re developed. Everything from their shared childhood to their trauma with Shadow Weaver and the finding their way back to each other, it’s just *chef’s kiss*. It’s so well-written and believable. Ngl, I do have some minor issues with Catra’s redemption arc. Let’s just say that on a scale from Kylo Ren to Zuko, she’s definitely closer to Zuko. I also appreciate Shadow Weaver’s death scene and how it allows them to move on. I didn’t see that one as Death as Redemption and it shouldn’t be. Again and again the show made it clear that she was abuse towards both girls and nothing will negate that.

From what I can tell, the fandom really latched onto Catra, even when it wasn’t clear whether she’d get a redemption arc. I think that’s important, because unlike some characters in animation, Catra’s actions were almost always framed appropriately. There was always an understanding as to where she’s coming from, how she’s acting from a place of hurt, and yet her actions weren’t justified. They weren’t suddenly all okay just because she’s hurt, too. I especially loved in the season 3 finale when Adora was allowed to finally say no, to say that Catra’s actions were not her fault. That season as a whole was beautiful, like, episode three when Adora’s struggling so much and Catra has the opportunity for a better life but she still fails to choose her own happiness because she’s too bitter over SW and Adora? It’s poetic cinema. I love that angst, so well done.

It would be so easy to misfire in Catra’s storyline and either a) write off all the awful things she does because she’s just “misunderstood” or b) irredeemably stuck in her abusive environment with no hope of escape. They balanced quite well there and managed to handle such a complex character with delicacy. I’m quite happy with how Catra was portrayed because on the one hand, she’s painfully relatable to me and I assume to many others. The audience can see their own mistakes reflected in her character because we’ve all been too stubborn, done things out of spite, refused to acknowledge that we were wrong because we were hurting so much. At the same time, I always felt like the show gave me enough space to judge Catra’s actions and acknowledge that she was in the wrong. I honestly think I would have been a better adjusted teenager is if saw this show just before my angsty years, lol.

I’m going to write more about Adora at some other point but I love how vulnerable she’s allowed to be. Protagonists never used to be my favourite characters because they all seemed the same, with two major categories: the stereotypical male hero who can do no wrong or the angsty boi who can be shitty and the text still frames him as awesome. It’s only recently with series like The Legend of Korra and She-Ra that I go “damn, protagonists can be like that, huh.” Adora is a dumb jock who tries so hard and she deserves all the hugs in the world.

Also, Catradora? Breathtaking, amazing, groundbreaking. No doubt She-Ra needed shows like Adventure Time, LoK, Steven Universe and the likes to pave the way but still, it went there. I saw people be anxious about whether they were gonna be queerbaited, but I always, idk, knew? Trusted? That She-Ra would follow through. I didn’t wait six years for Bubbline to happen for Catradora to not get their big damn kiss. The series has been so effortlessly queer from the get-go that it just made sense that they were always heading there. I did see a gif of the kiss before watching s5 and ngl, that spoiler kind of bummed me out in a way that I wanted to be surprised. But even before I saw that I wasn’t worried. And the context of their journey in season 5? That cannot be spoiled by a simple gif. You have to experience that to fully appreciate it and that is the marker of good storytelling.

I understand that, though this should be the norm by now, Noelle Stevenson still had to be smart about how she approached the execs and she wasn’t sure this could happen. I cannot tell you how happy I am about what she said regarding how Catradora was so integral to the story that the execs couldn’t not allow it. That’s so brilliant, and it feels so natural in the story. Queer love saves the day and it’s not ambiguous, it cannot be censored because you lose a part of the story without it. You did it, Noelle, you funky little lesbian, what an icon. I can’t wait to see more stuff from her.

In other news, I appreciated other characters as well, like how all the princesses got to be different and awesome in their own unique way. Season 5 was great for so many characters, Mermista got so much to work with and Spinnerella and Netossa got so much more characterization than in previous seasons. Glimmer continued to be the third most important character in the story and I’m happy about all the relationships that also got to be canon. Good characters and dynamics all around, no wonder since the show is built on that.

Such a satisfying conclusion and one that makes you feel like this is just part one of a much bigger story. Such genuine, heartfelt moments, well-developed characters, complex themes explored in a respectful and digestible way, and such an unapologetically fun show. Melissa Fumero as a side character? Yes please. Catra’s new haircut? Heck yeah! She-Ra’s new design? Oh my.

I’m not even like, super into She-Ra, and I usually don’t write so much about things I only watch casually. But this show is so good and important that I had to rant. And I will write more about it eventually, but for now I needed to get all of this out. I’d give it a better structure but if I really get into I might never end up posting it so for now here, have this ramble of love. She-Ra, of all shows, deserves that.

#she-ra #spop #she-ra and the princesses of power #catradora #spop spoilers #my thoughts #that's pretty much it for now

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spindaonateaspoon · 5 years ago

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Yo there! Oh all those spindas in the background are making me dizzy haha (one of my fave pokemon actually, love them). Okay, sooo that's pretty random ask but what are your top ten black clover characters? :D

Ah, a tumblr user of taste, I see. Glad you could get past the vertigo to send me an ask, I really appreciate it! Next time you can save your eyes a little stress and ask my interest blog @thespiralgrimoire instead!

Top 10 Favorite Black Clover Characters

1. Nozel Silva

There are a lot of reasons I absolutely adore this unhinged bedazzled train wreck of a man. I thought my love for him couldn’t swell any bigger when I watched the anime, and then I started reading the manga, and he only gets better.

First and foremost, he’s pretty. In an extremely conventional way, but hey, it’s conventional for a reason. Even with his stupid hair, he’s just nice to look at. This is despite the fact that he literally never smiles, which is usually an important feature to appearances to me. But coming back to the braid thing, he KNOWS it’s stupid, and you know he knows it’s stupid, because he literally threatens the lives of people who criticize it. The boy made a bad aesthetic decision once when he was like 19 and said, “Oh shit. If I don’t own this, I will never live this down. It’s time to do or die.” And he owned it. He is doomed to look this stupid for the rest of his life or face an endless assault of naysayers. His pride will not allow it.

Which brings me to the next thing I love about him: He’s such an arrogant twat. Everything about Nozel screams “I’m better than you, and if you disagree with me, I will throw myself on the floor and cry.” He will not allow anyone to even entertain the idea that he’s not perfect. Even himself. Even when it’s glaringly obvious that he’s a hot mess. During the star festival, when he hears that the black bulls came in second, He Mcfreakin loses it. He gets so mad that when he can’t make Yami feel ashamed for being himself, he literally STOMPS OUT OF THE FESTIVAL. It’s chapter 104. Look it up. I’m not exaggerating.

Finally, I’m a slut for siblings, and the Silva Squad is an endless goldmine. That dynamic is what gets me through the day. I could live off sibling dynamics. Nebra and Solid worship the ground he walks on, and Noelle can’t help but look up to him, even if he’s been a huge douchenozzel to her her entire life. At this point it’s all conjecture for how that relationship will develop, but got damn, I’m in this for the long hall.

2. Fuegoleon Vermillion

Again, this man is so pretty. They really got their royal aesthetics right in this show. I am a simple person, with simple desires, and pretty men that I can make fun of is about all I need to be happy.

That being said, Fuegoleon is a nice guy. Despite having every reason to have the Higher Than Thou attitude that Nozel has, he’s respectful of everyone. This, charmingly, extends to how he treats people for better or worse. My home boy ain’t walking around pretending everyone is deserving of hand holding and forgiveness. He’s beating everyone over the head when they do something stupid. NO ONE is immune to a Teachable Moment.

Which is probably the funniest thing about him. This man is incapable of not teaching. The entire city is being overrun by zombies and he stops in the middle of defending citizens to give Noelle a pep talk and magic lesson??? Bro. Time and place, my dude. I love you.

Actually the funniest thing about him is that despite obviously being the most reserved of the Vermillions, this guy has no chill. If he’s not screaming passionately about something that someone needs to learn, he’s squaring up. He has no off switch. Sure, he’s not running around with his fists up like Meoroleona and Leopold, but if you think he’s going to be any slower to throw a punch than they are then you and I are watching different anime. He may canonically be the most intelligent of the captains, but that doesn’t mean that he’s not a meathead. And I think that’s beautiful.

Okay the ranks get harder after this because these two are so easily my favorite LOL

3. Meoroleona Vermillion

I could say a lot of things about Meoroleona, but to save some space, I’m going to refer you to #2, and also show you my favorite character from Steven Universe. You do the math.

4. and 5. Nebra and Solid Silva

These two are such bitches. At this point in the series, they only exist to a) be Nozel’s hype men and b) be the bane of Noelle’s existence, and as a writer, I respect that. There’s not a lot to them in canon, but that hasn’t stopped me from designing their entire lives and backstory. I love them so much; not only for what I’ve made them out to be, but for where they could go as characters. We’ve already seen this a little bit with their asses being handed to them in fights, and I just hope that their asses continue to get handed to them until they come around to have some respect for anyone but each other and themselves. In the meantime I’ll continue developing their personalities on an interpersonal level.

Okay I’m not done. The REAL reason these guys made 4th and 5th is because, like I mentioned before, I am a slut for sibling relationships. Black Clover does them s o well. Even with the little we’ve seen, it’s so easy to tell that their love for Nozel and each other is so deep and sincere... even if it might be just a tad bit dysfunctional. There’s so much ground to cover with how the death of their mother affected them and pushed them closer together. But I can’t imagine that they wouldn’t have been super close had she stayed alive. You can just tell in everything they do that they live for each other. They’re EVERYTHING to each other. You get the impression that these two probably don’t really know how to be people separate from their siblings, because all they’ve ever had is each other. It’s such a great dynamic to grow and explore and if we don’t get more Silva interaction in the future I’m gonna throw a fit.

6. Ladros

Okay this is the point where this list starts getting a little wonky because I like almost everyone else in the series just about the same but---

I have feelings about Ladros Ladros. I don’t even know what it is about him. His design is impeccable. Every time I see him I want to scream. What emotion does he instill in me? Love? Hate? Lust? Disgust? I really don’t know. I just know that there’s a lot of it. Look at his little black eyes. Look at his smile. His hair. His barrel chest that doesn’t fit his twink face. What a man. I sure do feel about him.

Also, he’s my preferred brand of Little Shit.

7. Zora Ideale

Everything that applies to Ladros applies to Zora in exactly the same way. Priddy and meen. At least his face fits his body.

8. Finral Roulacase

He’s such a sweetheart, and I like his new haircut. I wish he was real so he could be my friend. And I cannot stress this enough: I feel that way about NO ONE else on this list. The rest of these assholes are better off fictional, but the world needs more Finrals.

9. Henry Legolant

Unlike every other character on this list, I actually don’t think that Henry’s design is all that pretty. What I love about Henry is that his whole personality is “My fragile heart is overflowing with love and care for all my friends... and if you so much as think about hurting them, I will pound your bones to dust.” And he follows through. King.

10. Dorothy Unsworth

There is no way that glitzy baby doll Dorothy wasn’t going to end up on this list BEFORE I found out that she and Nozel have feelings jams in Glamor World. Once we see more of her I’m sure she’ll fly up the list.

So, there you go! Thank you so much for the ask! This was really a struggle to put together after #5, but I had a great time doing it.

#spinda tea #black clover #reblogged to thespiralgrimoire #if you want to see my mumbling in the tags read it there

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btsqualityy · 5 years ago

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Amour Vincit Omnia / 5

“So how was the date?” Cassie asked Akira as soon as she saw her step foot into the gallery. Akira chuckled and shook her head, setting her purse on the front desk in front of Cassie as she bent down to write her name on the sign in sheet.

“You know, we really have to work on your manners Cass,” Akira teased, setting the pen down once she was done and walking around the desk to sit in the empty chair next to Cass.

“Don’t play with me,” Cassie whined childishly. “Tell me what happened. Did the two of you end up fucking?”

“Cass!” Akira laughed, looking around to make sure no one had heard her. “Chill.”

“You know I have not one chill bone in my body. Now spill.”

“Alright, so you know that he had me meet him at Orion’s,” Akira started and Cassie nodded. “When I got there, I told the hostess that I was meeting Kim Taehyung and she tried to act as if I was so beneath him or something.”

“Did you drag her ass?” Cassie wondered.

“You know me,” Akira smirked. “I was about to, but Taehyung walked up and called my name and Cass, when I tell you that he looked like an entire buffet. Like, fuck just being a meal.”

“Oh, I can believe it,” Cassie laughed.

“So we get shown to our table and we sit down, order drinks, all of that stuff. We then start making conversation and you know how him and all of the other guys have been playing cat and mouse about what he does for work?”

“Oh, you finally found out!” Cassie exclaimed and Akira nodded. “What, he isn’t a murderer, is he?” She asked as she picked up her cup that had been sitting on the desk and bringing it up to her lips to take a sip.

“He’s the fucking CEO and owner of Vantae.” A large cloud of water flew out of Cassie’s mouth just then, making Akira shriek loudly. “Cass!”

“I’m sorry, that just threw the fuck out of me,” she chuckled, wiping her mouth off. The two of them both grabbed some tissues and used them to wipe off the desk in front of them. “But that explains why we were never able to meet him before. Vantae is one of the biggest lines out now so I know he’s probably always busy.”

“Exactly,” Akira nodded. “And that’s how he could afford to even take me out to Orion’s. The rest of dinner went really good, too. He was super easy to talk to and he didn’t seem or act like a millionaire.”

“So please tell me that you two ended up fucking. I’d love to hear what millionaire sex is like.”

“You’re not shit,” Akira giggled. “After dinner, he took me back to my place and we stood outside of my door and talked for a while.”

“Ok, I can already tell that this didn’t end well.”

“He made a comment about wanting to kiss me and when I challenged him on it, he said that he didn’t want to kiss me because he’d up making me come then and there.”

“I take back what I said then,” Cassie said as she shook her head.

“We ended up kissing but that’s as far as it went because he said that he wanted to do this the right way,” Akira explained.

“Damn,” Cassie huffed. “It sucks that you didn’t get any dick but you can’t be mad him for being chivalrous.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Akira scoffed.

“So are you two gonna see each other again?”

“We’re having lunch together today,” Akira smiled, suddenly realizing how excited she was to see him again.

“I’m happy for you Kira,” Cassie grinned, noticing how giddy Akira had suddenly gotten. “Just promise me that I’ll be the first one to know if you two end up having sex today.”

“I promise,” Akira laughed.

…………………

“Ok, so everything seems to be on track for our winter launch,” Taehyung said as he stood at the front of the large meeting room, 30 something of his employees spread out in chairs in front of him.

“Is there anything that you need in order to keep your designs on track boss?” One of the men in the room, Bam Bam, asked.

“Bring some laminated cotton to my office,” Taehyung instructed him after thinking for a few seconds. “I have some ideas for designs but I need to make sure the fabric that I have in mind will work for it.” Bam Bam nodded and Taehyung gave his employees a few more reminders before dismissing them all for the meeting. They all started to file out of the room and Taehyung had started to gather his own belongings when his publicist, Haewon, stepped up to him.

“Hi Hae,” Taehyung smiled and she returned it. “What’s up?”

“So I heard through the grapevine, the grapevine being a metaphor for Twitter, that you took a young lady on a date Saturday night,” Haewon smirked.

“That I did,” he nodded with a small smirk, remembering how he was gonna get to see Akira in about 15 minutes time.

“And you didn’t feel the need to tell me about it?” She questioned, watching as Taehyung grabbed the last of his things and began to walk towards the door.

“It wasn’t a big deal,” Taehyung shrugged as he stepped into the hallway, Haewon following close behind him as they walked through the bustling office towards Taehyung’s private office. “We just went out to dinner.”

“That’s cool but as your publicist, it’d be cool if I knew about these things so that I can know what to say when tabloids and entertainment shows start calling, which they already have,” Haewon explained as Taehyung unlocked the door to his office, holding the door open and letting Haewon walk inside first.

“Hae, you know my policy when it comes to my private life,” Taehyung said as he shut the door behind him after stepping into his office as well. “You don’t have to explain anything to them.”

“Are you sure?” She wondered and Taehyung nodded firmly before sitting down in the chair behind his desk. Haewon wanted to mention some of the things that people were starting to say in hopes that it would get him to change his mind but she just kept her mouth shut, nodding her head and walking out of his office.

“Look at this mess,” Taehyung groaned as his eyes scanned over his desk. He then set to work organizing his desk, which took 10 minutes because he had more crap than he had realized on his desk.

“Excuse me Sir,” piped up the intercom on the phone that sat on Taehyung’s desk, scaring him half to death even though he knew that it was just his assistant Soo-young.

“Yes?” He said as he pressed the corresponding button.

“I have an Akira Lewis here to see you,” Soo-young announced.

“Send her in,” Taehyung said and only a few seconds of time passed by before his door was opening and he watched Akira poke her head in.

“Hey, come in,” he smiled, waving his hand at her and she opened the door wider and stepped inside before shutting the door behind her.

“Hi,” she greeted, walking over and sitting down in one of the chairs that was placed in front of his desk.

“Hi yourself. How’s your day been?” Taehyung asked as he went back to work on clearing the last few items on his desk.

“Pretty good, just been at the gallery,” she shrugged. “How’s yours been?”

“A mess,” he joked, gesturing to his desk which made her laugh. “No but seriously, just been in meetings all morning.”

“Ah, getting ready to release your next masterpieces?” Akira smirked and Taehyung smiled at how she echoed him.

“I wouldn’t call them that,” he replied and she giggled. “So, what are you hungry for?”

“You’re letting me choose this time?” She asked.

“Yep, but I’m still paying,” he explained. Akira hummed to herself and thought about it.

“Feel like going back home?” She wondered with a smirk and Taehyung looked up at her confusedly.

…………………

“Ok, I had no idea that this place even existed,” Taehyung admitted as he and Akira walked through Koreatown, a small hub that was comprised of multiple Korean restaurants and clothing stores that was set in Manhattan.

“I didn’t either, until I met Yoongi and he brought me here when he was homesick,” Akira replied before taking a bite of the meat skewer in her hand.

“How do you let a foreigner show you something that was in your hometown?” Taehyung teased.

“Oh, I’m not from here,” Akira revealed with a laugh. “Although, I am flattered that you think that I fit in that well.”

“Where are you from?”

“A small town in Michigan,” Akira said.

“How’d you get all the way out here?” He asked as they found a small bench, both of them taking a seat on it and eating their skewers as they watched the large crowd of people move around.

“I moved here for art school after high school,” she answered. “After I graduated, I just decided to stay out here instead of going back home.”

“And your family?”

“They’re still there.”

“Even the little girl from your painting?”

“Yeah, her too,” Akira nodded, giggling. “I actually have three younger siblings.”

“Really? Ah, I’m jealous,” Taehyung groaned playfully. “I’m an only child.”

“Trust me, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” she promised. “There’s Nicole, who’s five and she’s the one in the painting. Then there’s Noelle, who just turned one. They’re both my father’s kids from his second marriage.”

“And the third one?” Taehyung wondered.

“That’s Akeem, he’s my mom’s son and he’s 16,” Akira smiled.

“He’s your favorite huh?” Taehyung smirked, noticing the look on her face.

“Not necessarily my favorite, but we are really close because we’re a lot alike,” she shrugged. “What about you though? Any cousins since you don’t have siblings?”

“Oh, a thousand of them,” he laughed. “I guess you could say that I’m an only child only in a technical sense, since my cousins and I were all raised together.”

“That’s pretty cool too,” Akira smiled and Taehyung couldn’t help but to laugh when he looked at her face. “What are you laughing at? Do I have something on my face?”

“Yeah, you do actually,” Taehyung chuckled. Before Akira could even ask him what or where it was, he was reaching out and wiping the sauce from her skewer off her lips with his thumb. Once he was done, she watched with bated breath as he put his thumb into his mouth, sucking it clean.

“You’re evil,” she huffed, making him laugh at her reaction. “You’re not making this whole ‘doing things the right way’ thing easy, you know?”

“Oh, you’re one to talk,” he scoffed. “Coming out to lunch with me in that,” he motioned down to her outfit, which consisted of a dark blue sleeveless blouse and dark wash capris. Her braids were up in a half down, half up style and she wore no makeup. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” she smiled, feeling her cheeks warm up from his compliment.

“So beautiful, that all I can think about is if you’d look this beautiful above me as I ate you out,” he murmured, and Akira instantly felt her lower half clench in anticipation.

“Come here,” she said, motioning to him with her pointer finger and he slid closer to her so that their thighs were touching each others. She set her hands on his cheeks, pushing her lips to his. He moaned automatically, snaking one of his arms behind her to wrap around her waist while the other wrapped around her front.

“Don’t get too carried away,” Taehyung whispered against her lips. “We are still in public, unless you’re into that sort of thing.”

“Shut up,” she huffed with a giggle before kissing him again. They stayed like that for a few minutes, making out as the passerby's continued to walk past them.

“We should go somewhere more private,” she suggested after pulling away from him, setting her forehead against his.’

“Akira,” he started to say but she cut him off by shushing him.

“I know that you’re trying to do the right thing but I want you to,” she said. “And I know you do too.”

“I do,” he nodded. They stared at each other for a few more seconds, until Taehyung abruptly stood up and held his hand out to her.

“Where are we going?” Akira asked as she set her hand in his, standing up from the bench.

“Either my place or yours, you can pick,” he smirked, making Akira’s heart race faster at what was to come.

#bts #bangtanarmynet #bts reactions #bts fanfics #bts v #bts taehyung #kim taehyung #taehyung x oc #taehyung fluff #taehyung smut #taehyung angst #v fluff #v smut #v angst #bts fluff #bts angst #bts smut #bts scenarios #bts imagines

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snarkysarcasm · 6 years ago

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Can you write something about Gail and Holly going to a county fair or meeting at the fair or something? I dunno. Just seemed like a cute idea I'm too depressed to write.

Gail was bored.

It wasn’t that she didn’t love fairs. She did. She loved the corn dogs and the cotton candy, the corn on the cob, and kettlecorn. She loved fried oreos, and funnel cake, and being able to eat everything to her heart’s content. She enjoyed kicking other people’s asses at the games and wasn’t satisfied until she had been on every ride.

But for the first time in 26 years she was bored. She blamed it on the company. When she originally agreed to go with the rest of the rookies to the fair that year Traci was supposed to bring Leo. But Leo had gone home that day with a fever so the young detective was on Mom duty. Chris had already gone back to Timmons for Denise and Christian. Oliver was spending the day with his girls.

Which left Gail with Dov, Chloe, Andy, and Nick.

Watching Chloe hang all over Dov and Nick and Andy pretend like they weren’t sleeping together was beyond painful. It was both cruel and unusual. She was only about 15 minutes into the night and she was already thinking of excuses that could get her out of staying. She was also trying to figure out a ride home. She thought about throwing herself from the top of the ferris wheel. Supposedly that was frowned upon.

Just when Gail was about to give up all hope and step in front of a lemonade vendor to put her out of her misery she heard a familiar voice not far from the ring toss.

“Rach, this was your idea. I knew Lisa would bail on us but you were the one who suggested going to the fair. Yeah, I know, I know. Give Ben a kiss for me.”

It was like an answer to her prayers when Gail saw her favorite bespectled brunette.

“Hey lunchbox.”

Gail wasn’t sure why her stomach flipped at the way Holly’s face lit up after she hung up her phone and saw her. She wasn’t used to people being that happy to see her. And it didn’t hurt that Holly had a nice smile, a really nice smile, that Gail was pretty fond of receiving.

Since that first day at the morgue, the two had been hanging out fairly regularly. Holly had even convinced her to go to the batting cages and Gail had taken Holly as her plus one to Frank and Noelle’s wedding. Sure, they had shared a brief kiss in the coat closet that Gail had been replaying in her head on a semi-regular basis and which may have been the biggest contributing factor as to why Gail hadn’t invited Holly to the fair with her pack of losers but now that Gail saw her, she realized that was a really stupid reason to suffer alone.

“Hey, I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“Yeah, Princess Price and Girl Guide McNally came up with this plan for tonight.”

“Where are the other officers?”

“And you’re ditching them?”

“Obviously. I originally only came for Leo, Traci’s son, but since those two couldn’t be here I was about to eat a tomato just to get a ride out of here.”

“Well, since Rachel and Lisa both bailed on me, how about I give you a ride home instead of an ambulance to the hospital.”

“I suppose that could work. But you know since we’re here, we could probably spend at least a little time doing fair-y stuff.”

“That sounds like a bad gay joke.”

“I’m going to ignore your judgmental tone and introduce you to the way awesome people enjoy the fair.”

“Lead the way.”

---

“I thought you don’t do sports?” Holly asked as they stared down the milk jugs across from them.

Gail gave the softball in her hand a couple of tosses. “I don’t. I want you to win me that shark.”

The blonde pointed to the great white hanging above their heads.

“I thought you were the almighty gamer.”

“Like you said I don’t do sports and this is the only booth with a shark. Come on, Nerd, I know you can do it.”

Holly struggled not to melt under the puppy dog eyes her friend was giving her. When Rachel had suggested going to the fair that night, she had only agreed to get her mind off kissing Gail. But after her other friends (predictably) bailed and the blonde had shown up, Holly had spent the entire struggling not to get swept up in the excitement. Gail Peck in a county fair was like a kid at Christmas. The normally enigmatic blonde had happily dragged her from one ride to the next, waxed poetically about the merits of each snack booth, and had already won multiple stuffed animals that she had randomly handed out to kids throughout the fairgrounds. If Holly’s crush wasn’t already overwhelming it was now at epic proportions.

So if Gail wanted a shark, then Holly was damn sure going to win it for her.

“Is this because I’m a lesbian that you’re assuming I can throw a softball?” Holly loosened up her arm.

“No my assumption that you own an inordinate amount of backpacks and fleeces is because you’re a lesbian. My knowledge of your throwing abilities comes from you being the star pitcher of your softball team.”

“And here I thought you didn’t listen when I talk.” Holly enjoyed the blush the hit pale cheeks in under the obnoxiously bright lights.

It took her 4 tries and a whopping ten dollars but Holly knocked over those rigged cartons. After the teenager manning the booth retrieved the coveted shark, Holly looked around at the various kids begging their parents for more money.

“So who is going to receive the shark?”

Gail was already had the shark tucked tightly under her arm.

“I think this one I might keep.”

Holly knew she shouldn’t read into it. That her friend was probably just a huge shark fan. But Holly couldn’t help wondering if it had anything to do with her winning it. She wasn’t brave enough to ask.

“Alright, we’ve done every ride in the fair, eaten my weight in fried food, and won your shark. Is there anything else we need to do?”

“The ferris wheel.” Gail said decisively, already heading in the direction of the long line.

But Holly froze in her tracks. “Ummm...how about we skip one ride?”

“What? No. We have to do it. What’s a fair trip without the ferris wheel?”

“A safe one.” Holly muttered to herself.

“Oh don’t tell me you’re afraid of heights.”

Holly swatted at the hand that was poking at her. “I’m not afraid of heights. I’m afraid of rusty, swinging seats that get stuck 200 feet in the air.”

“Please, Lunchbox, we have to do it.”

Holly hated that pout and the influence it had on her. She prayed to the gods that

---

Holly was full of surprises. It wasn’t just the fear of heights but the fact that she would face that fear just because Gail asked her to. It was kind of like the shark.

Gail had won prizes throughout the night. Seemingly randomly handing them off to whichever kid was nearby and not throwing a tantrum. It wasn’t random. Gail usually spotted the kid who was quietly standing there while their sibling(s) got all of their parents’ attention, or the ones who parents had clearly spent all their cash just getting into the fair and a wristband for their kid to enjoy. So as nonchalantly as she could, she made sure that those kids got to bring something home from the fair.

Except for the shark.

As soon as Gail spotted the great white hanging above a game that she knew Holly could win, she decided that she wanted it. The fact that Holly actually won it for her meant that this one was coming home with her. Call her selfish (everyone does) but she kind of wanted something to remember how awesome her night had been.

It wasn’t until they were being locked into the swinging cart and Holly’s knuckles actually turned white as they gripped the handle bar that Gail finally stopped her teasing.

“Hey, Nerd, if it’s really that bad. We can get off now.”

“What? No. I’m good. Totally good.”

“Your eyes are closed and we haven’t even started moving.”

“Well you know my vision isn’t good anyway so really what’s the point of having them open.”

Holly let out a small shriek that Gail struggled not to laugh at when the ride suddenly came to life.

The death grip from the bar was suddenly on her arm.

“Hey, Hol. It’s okay. The ride isn’t going to be that bad.”

“Yep.” Holly managed to get out through clenched teeth.

“Come on, Hols, it’s no fun if you don’t at least try to enjoy the view.”

A shot rang out and Holly jumped as the first firework lit the sky.

“Now you’re missing the fireworks.”

Gail watched in amazement as Holly slowly opened first one then both eyes.

“See it’s not that bad.”

“Nope, not bad. Just very very high and very very old. Did you know that the original Ferris Wheel, is also referred to as the Chicago Wheel? And that it was designed and constructed by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. in 1893. It was 80.4 metres tall and was the tallest attraction at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois.”

Gail couldn’t help it. She couldn’t look away from Holly’s rambling lips as the colors of the sky played across her tan skin. She couldn’t stop herself from cutting off Holly’s ramble with a kiss. It wasn’t brief like the coat closet but it wasn’t as long as Gail would’ve liked before she realized what she had done.

“Sorry you just had to stop talking.”

“I won’t say another word.” Holly promised, already leaning in.

Gail kissed her again, slower and more tentatively than the first. And her lips didn’t leave Holly’s until they were back on the ground. Finally stepping off the ride, Gail gathered her shark and took Holly’s hand, ready to make good on that ride home.

Yeah, she really loved fairs.

75 notes · View notes

lizzybeth1986 · 6 years ago

Text

Quick Thoughts on TRR Book 3, Chapter 17

• I'm basically sitting here and thinking "jeez, these guys really want us to know FOR SURE that they don't give a shit about their lone female LI, do they". Like, you gotta admire the dedication this team has to the cause. Like, the audacity of them to put out an entire extra Drake scene while not speaking a word about Hana's sexuality in canon, esp if she isn't your fiancée. That probably takes guts. Or maybe not. Maybe all it really takes is actually giving a damn (or not) about your characters.

• Title: Save the Date. Alternative Title: Proof That Team TRR Has Excellent Memory, Unless Your Name Is Hana Lee.

• The TRR team everytime they need to do their homework on Liam or Drake:

The TRR team everytime they need to do their homework on Maxwell or Hana (but especially Hana):

• So I assumed based on the description and the title (Save the Date), that this would include a RoE-esque selection of dress, decor, cake, all free except for a few choices. So far all we've been able to select for our wedding is food. Today we choose cake via a diamond option, our maids of honor, the kids who will carry the ring down the aisle and our officiant. And gifts for the LIs.

• Madeleine thinks Gladys has "risen" to her "level". Madeleine has a level???

• Okay so we're doing a publicity run of our wedding preps. Are we that desperate to show the rest of the country how much last-minute-wedding-planning we can cram in two hours??

•

Terrence, is this your summer job?? Also, Tina, girl, I saved your ass last book after you screwed me over. The least you could do is say "thank you, O Great One and Saviour of Us All" Jeez, what do I have to do to be worshipped around here these days 🙄

•

PURPLE 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 (Sorry I love that colour it's my favouritest). But wait why am I paying for a dress if I'm going to the bridal boutique to pick out my wedding gown...right? Right?? (Orrr am I going to get a lovely fancy wedding gown for free??? 😀 Who woulda thunk!) (...oh. I have to wait till next week to see my gown. Okay. Okay. 😑)

• So we're now here in this boutique with half the court and Ana de Luca. First on our agenda: the maid of honour. If you're marrying Liam or Drake, you get to choose between Hana, Kiara, Olivia, Penelope and Maxwell. All good options xD If you're marrying Maxwell you get those four. If you're marrying Hana, you get three: Olivia, Penelope and Maxwell. Kiara isn't available because by default Hana picks her to be her MOH. Hana is clearly very, very close to Kiara and values her. Way more than the rest of us in the group seem to do, anyway.

The choices I want for Esther are Hana or Kiara. I love both. I'm so glad they included Maxwell, I like Penelope, Olivia is amazing, and all their reactions are wonderful, but these two are my favourites. (Though I'd say Esther would definitely pick Hana. She's closest to her, even calling herself "the Elizabeth to Hana's Jane").

• Once that's done, the LI gets to choose their Best Man/MOH 2. Liam chooses Drake, and he mostly behaves a little surprised and afraid that he might embarrass Liam on his wedding, which is quite the sweet sentiment and a little sad. Drake chooses Liam and from what I see, the narrative makes it a point to mention that Liam has to force his happiness because he's still not over the MC. He shows this even if the MC has not had romance points with him. Maxwell chooses Drake, specifying that even if they weren't related by marriage, he'd still consider Drake family. Drake is surprised and a little touched by the sentiment. Hana, as I mentioned before, chooses Kiara.

• Time for our ring bearers! The number of choices you have depends on whether you bought the corgi in Book 2 or not. If you do, he shows up as an extra option. The other choices are:

1. Bartie, who will be carried along the aisle via Savannah. I'm getting nightmares of the few times we took my daughter V to church and...nope. Sorry Bartie.

2. Cordonian children. Bertrand tells us that using Cordonian kids, as ring bearers and flower girls, would count as "a sign of commitment to the common people". My headcanon for Esther was that she wanted a mix of both Cordonian and New Orleans traditions (she grew up in the French Quarter), so she took every possible chance she could to highlight how Cordonian a wedding it was so the NOLA elements wouldn't completely alienate people. So she obviously chose this option.

• We now move to the last bit. If you're marrying Maxwell or Hana, Liam automatically becomes an option for the role of officiant, since it is mandatory to have a royal officiate the ceremony. If you're marrying Drake, Liam's not included because he is already Drake's best man by default. The other two options are Leo and Regina. If you choose Regina, the MC views it as fitting, given that Constantine would have been the officiant were he still alive. Regina in that sense would be a fitting stand-in. If you choose Leo, the MC maintains that he would lend "humour and levity to the ceremony" and that's something they all need at the moment.

•

This man and his "my love"s slay me every time.

• BAKLAVA REFERENCE FOR LIAM. ALL THE WAY BACK FROM ROE BOOK 2.

• Esther Noelle DuPont would NEVER leave wedding gown stuff for the last minute. Nor would she wind up on the eve of her wedding not knowing who was designing her dress until the day before. She would be badgering Liam about the cake way before. She would be badgering him about the decor. She'd be badgering him about every little detail. She'd be bridezilla. No way would she be chilling the day before her wedding, ice tea in hand.

• But they did remember that Ana de Luca was originally introduced as a fashion designer from way back in MW! Madeleine also gives Ana some of Krona's finest lace, which makes me wonder if it's a tradition to have lace from Krona on a royal/aristocratic wedding gown. My theory about this gown for the next chapter is that it might be the same for everyone, but will have additional elements behind a paywall. Or will she have options between two or three gowns? Idk.

• We get to choose how we want to be announced, and then comes the diamond option - choosing our cake with the LI.

(Screenshots - @kennaxval for Hana, and YouTube channels Vika Avey for Maxwell and HIMEME for Drake)

This is the breakdown of what this scene looks like in each playthrough:

Liam

Cake flavours: Vanilla Chantilly (white), Mocha Fudge (chocolate) and Sweetened Cordonian Ruby (pink). Liam loves the vanilla one for its subtle and complex flavours, considers the mocha one "strong, daring...somewhat sensual" and finds the pink one full of surprises (due to the Cordnian Ruby flavouring) and that "there's more to it than meets the eye". If you notice all of these are flavours Liam has an established preference for (vanilla, coffee, apples).

Decorations: The Royal design reminds Liam of his parents, so there is an element of nostalgia still there. He loves the colours of the Fairytale design, finds them "fantastically beautiful" and thinks it would be good inspiration in case they would like to expand the palace quarters.

Cake Filling: The filling options are the same across the LIs. Vanilla buttercream, rich chocolate ganache and strawberry mousse. In Liam's case, you can either feed ganache off of each other, simply try each flavour, or have him surprise you. I love my Kinky King so I knew "surprise me" would involve a blindfold somewhere 😂 (Love that option. It's quite sexy). I've also noticed that only Liam seems to have 3 options for the ganache tasting, while the rest have just two.

You also get to choose between Cordonian Ruby Pie and Baklava for a surprise dessert!

Maxwell:

Cake flavours: Coconut (white), Passionfruit (pink), and Spicy Chocolate (chocolate). He thinks of the coconut one as being "pina colada in cake form", loves the element of surprise in the passionfruit and thinks its "non traditional" flavour describes them as an aristocratic couple perfectly, and just says "wow" about the chocolate. The baker, who remembers Maxwell once trying to surprise Bertrand with cheetah cake on the latter's birthday, even sends one as a bit of an inside joke.

Cake Decorations: Maxwell jokes about the royal design being more decked out than some estates but thinks that "nothing says you're a big deal like gilded flowers, gold and jewels you can eat". He loves the castle in the Fairytale design and likes to imagine there are little cake people walking in there.

Surprise desserts for Maxwell include Cordonian Ruby Pie and Cheetah Cake.

Hana

Cake flavours: Strawberry (pink), Madagascar Vanilla (white), and Devil's Food Cake (chocolate). She thinks strawberry makes her think of it as "something...different. Adventurous". She thinks of the Devil's Food cake as "daring" and loves the vanilla because classic white cakes remind her of storybook weddings, and on cajoling from the MC to tell her honestly what flavours are her favourite Hana speaks of vanilla in a manner similar to Liam's.

Decorations: Hana is wowed by the artistry of the Royal design, confessing that she has always wanted to learn to make icing pearls as perfect as the ones on the cake. There is a tiny conversation about her baking that takes a minute, tops. The fairytale option feels whimsical and reminds her of that saying about "building castles in the clouds".

The surprise options for dessert are Cordonian Ruby Pie and Hot Chocolate.

Drake

Cake flavours: Pink Velvet (pink), Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake (chocolate) and Tahitian Vanilla Cake (white). As we all must know by now, he is okay with the flavour but finds pink "girly", doesn't have much to say about the vanilla cake and the chocolate makes him very nostalgic, because the chocolate cake was similar to the recipe his mother would use for his or Savannah's birthday cakes.

Decorations: Drake has reservations about the grandness of the Royal design but thinks it works since the occasion itself is an elaborate one. He admires the structure and craftsmanship of the Fairytale design and both him and the MC speak about the cake reminding them of the towers in Valtoria.

The surprise options for dessert are Cordonian Ruby Pie and S'mores.

• I've noticed that the story clearly references Liam's love for baklava and Maxwell's love for cheetah cakes in this chapter, but for Hana and Drake, they use desserts from their first scenes in Book 2 (where Hana prepares hot chocolate for the MC, and Drake toasts s'mores for her).

• Hmm so apparently there's some sort of surprise that all four LIs are planning for the MC. I'm guessing we'll find out next chapter.

•

My favourite scene in this chapter. I loved how Kiara immediately got protective of Savannah and made it clear that she cared about making Savannah comfortable. I think it's also pretty cool that they remembered to reference the Savannah/Kiara friendship hinted at in Book 2, and it looks like Penelope was quite fond of her too.

• The MC now needs to run to a gift store, because Madeleine lets her know at the nth moment that Cordonian tradition dictates you get gifts for the bridegroom/bride and your closest attendants. Savannah offers to help, in exchange for a little advice on her love life.

• We first pick up wedding favours at a patisserie (chocolates or macarons). I had Esther pick macarons coz she has a liking for French cuisine and food, and macarons are delicate, delicious and versatile.

• We then pass by a shop called "The Gilded Apple" that sells beautiful and rare antiques. Olivia, who loves weapons and artifacts, and is hoping she will find replicas there, is understandably excited. Unfortunately, she doesn't seem to find any (unless she did off-screen and we didn't know? Poor Olivia. Why was it so hard to find Nevrakis artifacts/replicas there?)

• So even if you buy that diamond choice to help Bertrand woo Savannah at the Costume Gala, she confesses there are still barriers. Savannah fangirling over Bertrand's "stern, yet sexy eyebrows" is a Mood™.

• Savannah tells us the entire story of how she fell in love with Bertrand, pointing out that she hero-worshipped him and thought him glamorous, and was amazed that he was so protective of her. The MC has a range of joke replies to suggest to Savannah, before telling her seriously that she should confess to him what is in her heart. But my big question is: why are almost all the BertVannah scenes for free? Why couldn't you use that free scene to...idk...properly develop Hana's character maybe??

• So here are our gifts for the LIs:

A Historical Tome for Liam. This is a hand-written history book with a blank chapter left presumably on purpose. The MC points out that he will appreciate either the rarity of the book, or the empty pages. The second option is my favourite, because the blank chapter seems to signify that Cordonia's story is "far from over" and it is "upto Liam to write this next chapter".

Maxwell will get a statue of his namesake. Savannah speculates that even though he looks like little more than an enthusiastic partygoer on the outside, both he and Bertrand can be fierce in their own ways. The MC gets to joke about what the Beaumonts might do with this statue of their ancestor, including imagining a half-drunk Maxwell using his namesake's spear to pop open champagne from a ladder.

Drake's Marshmallows Inside A Whiskey Box is quite funny and the MC gets to roast him a bit. She jokes about how it symbolizes what a softie he is on the inside even though he looks tough on the outside. It can either be spoken of as an inside joke, or as the MC showing him how well she knows him.

Hana's Telescope...well. It doesn't reflect her actual, genuine interests or personal/family history like the other three do, but instead involves some generic messages about "following your path" or "searching out your passions". Which is...eh. Tbh it sounds more like the MC is buying her a Hallmark card or something. This gift doesn't tell us much about HER, but then again when you don't develop your female LI with enough substance, that's what's bound to happen. You'll just throw over any piece of random bullshit to make do.

• I like the little story Kiara gets with her dad using that telescope, though. The one where he fooled her as a child into thinking she could see all of Europe using a telescope. I like the dynamic of that entire family. Sure they can appear businesslike to some but the love and the closeness is clearly there.

• Okay before I say anything...CONGRATS Drake stans. Nice to see so many of your MCs become Mrs Walkers now.

•

(A huge thank you to VioletFlipFlops for this screenshot)

Okay so if you're a Drake stan, you get an extra scene. The MC wants to give Drake a wedding he will be happy with, and Drake would love it too, so Maxwell suggests they elope and he will be their minister/officiant (apparently he got himself ordained to officiate over a wedding between peacocks). So they go to a nearby cliff, where you can have a lovely view of the sunset. Drake brings with him a horse named Lone Star who came all the way from his mother's Texas ranch. They have their secret country wedding and the screenshots I saw look like the stuff out of every Drake stan's dreams. Story wise, this is important for Drake's arc because it shows that he has found his place and he doesn't have to completely leave behind who he is to be the man the MC wants. Both the duel and this impromptu secret wedding bring his story full-circle beautifully.

I had to leave this scene midway though. I couldn't stomach it, couldn't stand it, and for the first time in forever I left viewing a diamond scene before it got over (or before it got to sex if they weren't my LI). I felt a little sick and quite frustrated tbh. And it really isn't because of Drake. My problem here goes deeper than that.

• From the little that I saw, Maxwell was amazing as well. He set aside the bromance jokes for the day because "this isn't about me, it's about the two of you". Oh Maxwell. You really do shine when the writers allotted for you actually bother, and they didn't do you justice this book.

• It's now almost night and our LIs have returned from whatever surprise thingummy they were planning. Everyone's happy and excited and advising the MC to take rest and Mara is here to lead everyone back to the palace. And then a crowd that first looks like a bunch of excited onlookers closes in on the MC, intimidating her, and from among the lot we see...TERRANCE. WITH A GUN. AND A PAPER FULL OF INFO ON OUR WEDDING PLANNING. WTF.

• YOU SHOULD BE IN SCHOOL DOING YOUR HOMEWORK AND PLAYING CLARINET TERRENCE. YOU'RE GROUNDED.

• The tone of the chapter's end sounds like there will be some level of investigation going on but we can't entirely be sure. In any case, I don't know how they will handle both this and the rest of the wedding prep. Let's see.

General Thoughts:

• We'd better get lingerie. I've been through enough I want the kind of sex where my king rips off my clothes and breaks my bed and makes me scream and Gladys has invest in earplugs next and...yeah. I need the right lingerie for that.

• RoE Book 3 could have been better in certain respects but one of the things they did really well was to spread out the wedding preps. It's tougher to do that here, because of all the subplots, but leaving it until so close to the end wasn't exactly the best idea either.

• I'll be honest: the "girly pink cake" comment irked me but didn't entirely anger me. On one level I hate it when people say stuff like that because I'm a girl who grew up hearing those things and I'm a mum who doesn't want my children to internalize that. It may sound like a small thing, like a casual preference, but stereotyping and forcing people into boxes start out with things we believe are "small"...and whether you think he's that kind of person or not, bottomline is the writers shouldn't have had such a massively popular character say that. It could have been ten times easier to just have him say he doesn't like that colour very much or something. See? Crisis averted.

• However, I didn't have as much of a problem with this scene as I did with, say, that scene where the MC and Drake talk to Kiara in Lythikos. Frankly for me, the fact that Drake's sympathy towards Kiara was conditional and depended solely on the MC's responses was way more disturbing. In one option, it's established that Drake and Kiara both struggled mentally in the aftermath of the attack, and that he understands it's difficult for her to get out of that trauma so easily.

But then...if the MC is insensitive and trauma-minimizing, she gets to question Kiara about not being driven enough, about "what will people say if you spend a crisis hiding away in your home?", and Drake agrees. He doesn't contest what she's saying, he doesn't challenge her, he doesn't seem to even have a mind of his own in this sequence. In this option, the MC and Drake face no repercussions at all for essentially minimizing her experience and not addressing their lack of concern for her safety, after finding out about her PTSD. My expectation when I eventually chose that option was that Drake - as someone who went through something similar - would correct the MC, and Kiara would give her the tongue lashing of a lifetime. But no, in that scene Drake is interested in validating this woman's trauma only on someone else's say-so. If I - personally - were to have a problem with Drake as a character, this scene would highlight why. And even then I know the core of the problem is not Drake. Not really. It's not as much Drake as it is the fact that the writers themselves were only interested in lip-service for this scene, not genuine validation (which is why normally sensitive people like Hana and Liam don't seem to question the group's approach to Kiara much, and nor does Maxwell). The writers possibly didn't think Kiara's experience deserved the level of sympathy that was present by default in Penelope's scene at Portavira (which is why I HIGHLY regret speaking positively about the Lythikos conversation in that chapter's QT now).

• But my biggest problem is not Drake himself. The way he is written wouldn't have been a problem at all, under different circumstances. My biggest problem is the discrepancy in how the LIs are treated in the books, how some get quality content and carefully developed character arcs while others are simply given lazy writing. And right now, the differences are so obvious and so glaring they're impossible to ignore.

• Drake got a whole extra scene today. A whole extra scene, on the logic that unlike the other three, he would be way more comfortable with a private ceremony involving just him and the MC (he says as much in Lythikos, both to Kiara and to the MC). Normally, I would have probably been happy about this. It works for Drake's character and story, and brings it full-circle to that photoshoot they had in Chapter 2 on some levels. From the little I managed to read, I can tell it was written really, really well.

And that's the problem. Over here, we have the team working on AN ENTIRE EXTRA SCENE for this character, after chapters and chapters of well developed scenes that acquire depths and layers if he is marrying the MC. Drake's narrative tends to have extra layers stitched into it - the expectations of being a Duke, the reluctance to let go of who he is while embracing his role as a future noble, the insults he faces from people like Neville and how he manages to rise above them by proving himself. Hell, they even ensure that they reference his bond with Liam and how his relationship with the MC complicates things. In this chapter alone, Liam's pain is highlighted differently in Drake's playthrough compared to the others (he shows some level of heartbreak when Drake asks him to be his best man, compared to when Hana or Maxwell ask him to be their officiant). The group chats, too, highlight Liam being part of the chat in the Hana and Maxwell playthroughs, and completely absent on Drake's:

(Screenshots from (2) @kennaxval (Hana), (3) YouTube Channels Vika Avey (Maxwell) and (4) HIMEME (Drake))

I wouldn't be surprised if they had some kind of a closure scene between Drake and Liam on this account later, while having him be absolutely okie-dokie in the Hana and Maxwell playthroughs. That's the level of attention Drake's story is being given (you can argue that Liam's relationship with Drake is different, and you'd be right, but it just goes to show how much WORK went into building this character).

And this is not restricted just to Drake. Liam has way more in terms of content as well and his scenes are of great quality. He has practically the entire book revolving around him! The book aggressively pushes him as an LI until almost the end of Book 2. The narrative has made an effort to view Liam as someone intimately involved and invested in the history of his country - it shows in most of his individual scenes, and in his cake scene and gift this chapter. Even Maxwell, who normally hasn't been given much attention this book, gets memories and some historical stuff this chapter (such as the ancestor who is his namesake and the story about the cheetah cake).

On the other hand...you have Hana. Whose canon sexuality - and her larger struggle with it - is hardly addressed in the books. Whose experience with bullying at the hands of Madeleine has been largely forgotten, even as we're constantly expected to protect Penelope from the same person. Who has gotten some of the most lackluster scenes in the series. Whose character arc got the laziest wrap-up you could imagine, who now doesn't even get original lines to describe a cake flavour she likes, or a gift that adequately reflects who she is. Whose story is given lesser focus than secondary characters like Penelope and Madeleine. PENELOPE. AND MADELEINE.

• Forget about every other chapter and take just this one as an example.

Notice how there is very little genuine personalization or memories attached either to Hana's cake scene - she simply echoes what Liam says about the flavour of vanilla when speaking about her love for classic white cake, and briefly mentions baking - or her gift which is a telescope, and which the MC attaches some generic saying/phrase to. The gift assigned for her itself is SO random, has little to no connection to Hana, and is a very odd choice for a gift. Couple that with the Hallmark-esque sayings that the MC wants to push forward, and compare it to her thought process for any one of the other LI gifts. You will see the difference.

(While you're at it, also check out this story by @i-dream-so-i-write called "The Perfect Gift". It's a rewriting of the scene for Hana's gift)

There is no throwback to, say, a time when they all had to bake pies for Queen Regina, and the latter praised Hana. Or to stories narrated to her. Or to things the MC knows she likes to do. No memories connected to Hana's grandmother, who she was obviously close to. Nothing that tells us anything new about her.

This isn't the first time this is happening. And it definitely won't be the last.

• And it's not as if they don't get any money from Hana's scenes. Even when she isn't picked as a final choice on a very large scale, she still manages to make it to the top ten in terms of diamond spending. She may not be making as much bank as Liam and Drake, but she IS clearly making bank. I'm surprised that's possible because a lot of the writing for her since Book 2 isn't worth the money people like me are constantly spending on her scenes. So I can't even buy the excuse that she's written badly because she's not popular. Clearly there are enough people invested enough in her to buy her scenes despite the lack of effort.

I wish I had more to talk about besides these complaints about how Hana is written, but I'm really not left with much of a choice. I'd like to close this QT by mentioning just one thing: the original line up of LIs given to us was Liam, Drake and Hana. One of them has the entire plot of the story revolving around him. The other has consistent and well-written character development, including an extra secret wedding scene and vast differences in his dialogue with the MC based on his relationship with her. The third LI...is given less attention and validation than at least two secondary characters in the book.

All these three were characters meant to be LIs from the very beginning. All of them made a good amount of money and had great potential for growth. So why is it that only one of the original lineup is given only scraps, while the other two get an all-you-can-eat buffet?

#the royal romance #long post #Liam x mc #king liam #hana x mc #hana lee #drake x mc #drake walker #Maxwell x mc #Maxwell beaumont #Olivia nevrakis #TRR Penelope #trr kiara #Hana rant #TRR quick thoughts #quick thoughts

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recentanimenews · 6 years ago

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CR Features Argues About the Best Opening Sequence of 2018

Anime Awards voting starts TONIGHT and WE'RE SUPER EXCITED! However we have gotten so loud with our individual opinions on who we think should win that we’ve been told to duke it out via written words instead of continually disrupting our coworkers (sorry fam).

We’ll hit each category by the time we hit the evening of Anime Awards! Today’s piece gets down to the nitty gritty of Best Opening Sequence, Best Ending Sequence, Best Animation, and Best Character Design. Let’s down to business!

Best Opening

Pop Team Epic from Pop Team Epic

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The opening so nice you saw it twice every episode, and it was a banger every time. It wasn’t just the song, either--the OP was full of little things to keep looking for, so you never skipped it unless you were a total monster.

-Nate Ming

Black Rover by Vickblanka from Black Clover

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The music for Black Clover OPs and EDs has always been top notch, but Black Rover is on another level. The sequence put together by the animators is also the perfect combination of cool, goof, and heart. It’s probably the opening I’ll associate with the series forever.

-Peter Fobian

UNION from SSSS.Gridman

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This song, like SSSS.Gridman itself, made me so happy. It was light and deft, but somehow perfect for the opening of a show about kicking the crap out of kaiju. For a genre that can sometimes feel as tired as “robot man saves the world (and his friends),” this OP, along with the rest of the show, proved that SSSS.Gridman was going to pay a lot of tokusatsu homage, while still being a breath of fresh air.

-Daniel Dockery

Rightfully by Mili from Goblin Slayer

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I’ve been following Mili’s works since I played Deemo, and their songs always have a way of worming right in and refusing to leave. So when I heard that they were doing Goblin Slayer’s opening, it was a very welcome surprise! Mili delivers a powerful performance that has a calm, yet a very vicious tone to it. Combined with the opening visuals, it really ties it all neatly together to set the mood for the show.

-Nicole Mejias

Adabana Necromancy from ZOMBIE LAND SAGA

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Dapper dancing zombies. Super sentai action scenes. Idol dancing. ZOMBIE LAND SAGA’s opening sequence somehow manages to straddle several disparate genres without losing its own unified personality. Set to the theatrical “Adabana Necromancy” performed by the main Japanese cast, main character Sakura’s defiant proclamations of chasing her dreams and the truly unprecedented amount of explosions meld into something strange and charming--a perfect fit for this series.

-Cayla Coats

Best Ending Sequence

Hibana from Golden Kamuy

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You always heard this one warming in the background as an episode would come to a close, and the striking imagery of “Hibana” just made me more excited for what the next episode of Golden Kamuy had in store.

-Nate Ming

Pulse from Asobi Asobase - workshop of fun -

youtube

Although I’ve still got Hizuru Basho bumping in my head from Fall, no ED in 2018 was as much of a thematic masterstroke as Asobi Asobase. After a misleading opening giving the series the appearance of a serene high school slice of life and a very confusing episode featuring mean-spirited pranks and Hanako shrieking, the ending dumps you straight into hell.

-Peter Fobian

Book-end, Happy-end from Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san

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I feel ya, nervous skeleton man. You had a hard day, and then you just go sit on the floor and read manga. And then you lay in the bed and read manga. What a beautiful life.

-Daniel Dockery

Hibana from Golden Kamuy

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Banger alert! This song is incredibly GOOD! Not only is this song catchy, but the lyrics are a pretty good representation to what Golden Kamuy is all about, with lines about an “erased destination” and “accepting everything, pain and all.” If you skipped this ending, I don’t even know what to say; it’s too good of a song to skip!

-Nicole Mejias

Pulse from Asobi Asobase - workshop of fun -

youtube

Peter pretty much nailed it. After the fake-out cutesy pop opening, Asobi Asobase presents us with three middle school girls who make heinously ugly expressions and are just really, hilariously terrible people. The death metal anthem “Pulse” is a perfect fit for the horrible little nightmare children that comprise the show’s main cast.

-Cayla Coats

Best Animation

Violet Evergarden

You don’t really expect TV anime to look this good--and then it does, and you’re treated to gorgeous, theatrical-quality animation every single episode. I wasn’t invested in Violet Evergarden, but just witnessing it made it worth the watch.

-Nate Ming

Violet Evergarden

This one is really difficult to argue with. It’s Kyoto Animation on their absolute A game. The studio doesn’t often delve into fantasy but their backgrounds and character designs were breathtaking. Kyoto is always top shelf but they maintained damn near movie quality animation for the entire series run. Even their 3D integration was something to behold.

-Peter Fobian

Violet Evergarden

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LOOK AT HOW PRETTY EVERYTHING IS. Look at the backgrounds! And the shadows! And the way that the hair is animated! I know that that seems like a really small thing, but it irks me sometimes when everyone seem to have immovable Super Saiyan hair (though there’s nothing wrong with your hair, my beautiful shonen bro’s). Violet Evergarden was a bounty to look at.

-Daniel Dockery

Violet Evergarden

I’d be crazy to not pick Violet Evergarden for this category. I mean, just LOOK AT IT! Absolutely GORGEOUS and BEAUTIFUL animation! I initially thought this was a movie, but nope. Kyoto Animation weren’t playing any games when it came to showing off their amazing animation skills, and my goodness, was it ever a sight to behold! Just look at how they animated the characters’ HAIR! Amazing stuff!

-Nicole Mejias

Pop Team Epic

If you asked me two weeks ago, my answer here would have been Violet Evergarden for sure. But then my mind was changed when I saw our own Noelle Ogawa argue for Pop Team Epic’s stellar animation in this article. Pop Team Epic employs a wide range of animation styles--from 16-bit video game sprites to the horrifying, MS Paint-esque Bob Team Epic sequences to the use of unfinished storyboards seen above. The series is practically a showcase for experimental animation, and that suits the surreal humor quite well.

-Cayla Coats

Best Character Design

Devilman Crybaby

Akira Fudo and Ryo Asuka are some of the most iconic, memorable, and legendary characters in anime and manga, so seeing them (along with Miki, Siren, and the rest of the cast) get clean, modern redesigns for Devilman Crybaby was a real treat.

-Nate Ming

DARLING in the FRANXX

Just based no sheer amount of fan art, it’s hard to argue with this prediction. Masayoshi Tanaka has developed a well-earned reputation for his designs, in fact one of Atsushi Nishigori’s motivations for working with TRIGGER was the opportunity to work specifically with Tanaka. The character designs are great and so much work from accompanying DARLING in the FRANXX designs to multiple uniforms went into it. It’s probably my favorite part of the series.

-Peter Fobian

Hinomaru Sumo

There’s not a lot of amazingly intricate variety among the characters of Hinomaru Sumo. But I appreciate any anime where all the main characters look like they’d be equally at home being lackeys in a separate anime that get the crap kicked out of them in an alley by the Kenshiro-esque main character. Also, I love this show and so should you.

-Daniel Dockery

Cells at Work

Cells at Work is so beloved for the way it illustrates our hard-working cells as they work night and day to protect our bodies. Keep on kicking ass and taking names, cells! But on the other end of the spectrum are the threats and bacteria that invade our bodies, and some of them are depicted in very frightening ways. Remember to take care of yourself to avoid illnesses! Your cells are counting on you!

-Nicole Mejias

Laid-Back Camp

There wasn’t a show I watched in 2018 that had more effective character designs than Laid-Back Camp. Everything visual choice made about these characters conveys something about their personality. Nadeshiko’s downward-sloping eyelids and messy pink hair are the perfect compliment to Rin’s alert eyes and neatly tied up hair. These choices echo how the characters themselves play off of one another, and gosh, it’s just delightful.

-Cayla Coats

Anddd that's all folks! Check back in to see us argue about who else we think should win the rest of the Anime Awards categories. Don’t forget to vote for your favorites starting TONIGHT!

Do you have a super intense devotion to a 2018 show or character or want your opinions shared to the world about Anime Awards? Send us an op-ed in written or video form. The nitty gritty details are in here and you may get published in a future article!

Who do you think should win: Best Opening Sequence, Best Ending Sequence, Best Animation, and Best Character Design? Tell us in the comments below!

Ricky Soberano is a Features Editor, Script Writer, and Editorial Programming Coordinator for Crunchyroll. She’s the former Managing Editor of Brooklyn Magazine. You can follow her on Twitter @ramenslayricky.

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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rogue-rook · 7 years ago

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some highlights from Story and Song from an all-caught-up-now TAZ listener (spoilers abound)

hot damn yall

i gotta feeling everybody’s coming back for this finale

oh god taako just realized he found his sister’s fucking SKELETAL REMAINS

griffin: “taako and merle, make a dexterity saving throw" justin: “hell yeah, dungeons and dragons is back!” griffin: “we’re back and we’re rolling dice that have 20 sides on them. it’s got 20 sides and 20 numbers, its great”

griffin: “the third figure is a fucking rhinoceros” magnus: “DIBS!”

the fact that angus is an 11 year old child and totally DOWN TO FIGHT just reinforces that i was right to make him my favorite npc

hell yeah we’re back to DND fights! they like rolled for initiative and everything

justin, after talking about taako’s leveling up: “should i talk slower so everybody who’s been complaining about us not playing dnd has time to nut. how’s everyone enjoying this GREAT COMPELLING AUDIO”

griffin: “this hand is gonna attack you, taako, cuz you just set it on fire”

magnus: “i jump on the back of the rhinoceros” griffin: “of COURSE you do”

taako: "hey magnus that was the coolest thing ive ever seen…HANDS DOWN!“ get it cuz they found a giant magical hand…GETIT?!

ango used the umbra staff to cast a fireball way above what ango should be able to do and im like hot damn i love this fucking umbrella

taako: “i snap the umbra staff over my knee” HOLY SHIT YALL!! ITS HAPPENING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LUP LUP LUP LUP ITS LUP ITS LUP ITS MY DAUGHTER SHE’S HERRREEEEEEE

“lup grits her teeth and says ‘I’m going to fucking kill you now’“ MY GIRL!!!!! THATS MY GIRL!!!”

PHANTASMAL AND RESPLENDENT

“YOU’RE DATING THE GRIM REAPER???” I LOVE HER SO GODDAMN MUCH

lup: “why didn’t you let me out sooner, dingus?” taako: “i didn’t remember you existed, goofus” THEY’RE SO ADORABLE

taako: “don’t worry, I’ve got MAGIC POWERS” magnus: “is that supposed to be a big reveal?”

the love between magnus and fisher is one of my favorite bonds of this whole show

everyone banding together to fight the big bad is one of my favorite tropes ever (what’s up pacific rim) so that everyone is doing that here is INCREDIBLE

magnus: “i use my levitation magic” griffin: “oh im sorry, did you say you take the elevator? the skype call broke up for a second there”

griffin: “magnus, something falls from the sky” magnus: “i catch it” griffin: “no you don’t, it’s pretty big”

i’m so glad that griffin is committed to calling killian, carey fangbattle, and noelle “Team Sweet Flipz”

lup: “here’s my idea, are you ready for it? it’s a banger”

griffin: “you remember that, taako, because your memory’s so good!”

griffin: “its upsy, your lifting friend” wait what. im sorry, what?????????

oh its lucas okay, cool. that moment got wayyyy too much Gravitas for it just to be the worst brand mascot EVER

YOOOOOO istus’s gift to taako, the item he could retrieve when he needed it most, has RETURNED TO THE STORY AND IM SO EXCITED BY THAT!!!

wait wait. is this RANDO the “man wreathed in flame”? THIS LITERAL RANDO??? THIS LITERAL RANDOM CHARACTER GRIFFIN HAS JUST INTRODUCED TO US NOW????

griffin has really genuinely lost track of the correct timeline of the events of this story and im like shit my dude, you and me both. ive only got most of it down

this john motherfucker is like almost tugging at my heartstrings but also im the embodiment of “cool motive still murder” bc im pretty sure this dude’s to blame

clint doesn’t remember jack shit about merle’s kids right now and in context, its like merle doesn’t even know how old his kids are. that’s BAD

griffin: “although this bear is in like Furious Nonsensical Monster Mode, you see, just faintly, you see it retract its claws as if to say ‘alright motherfucker, lets wrestle’”

magnus: “they’re not strong enough, I have to be” damn, talk about a Magnus Burnsides Thesis Statement

the fact that magnus is refusing to kill this monster mode Power Bear even though it’s being controlled by an eldritch nightmare is like. proof that magnus has a goddamn heart of gold. what a hero

magnus finds it in him to ask for help and avi comes crashing through the walls like “sup dude, need some help from Captain Handsome Hero?”

“no dogs on the moon!” AAHHHHHH IM SO EXCITED ABOUT THAT

taako: “i don’t know what tacos are. I’ve gotten hints, if you wanna call them taco prophecies. that’s a crazy thing to say out loud, but I just said it, so here we are, I guess, I’m talking at you through a frying pan, try to keep up Joaquin”

taako: “I’ll take one taco, extra destiny”

taako: “yeah, like I’m going to let myself be seen being taught how to cook anything, nice try”

taako: “so, a toast” joaquin: “no, its a taco….just a little food joke” taako: “very little”

istus: “huh, didn’t see that one coming” griffin: “across two universes, two food trucks explode” damn griffin

joaquin: “EVERYTHING’S GOING TO BE OKAY! I’VE GOT MAGIC POWERS!” DAMN! THAT’S A GOOD FUNNY PARALLEL

griffin: “kneeling at the center of town, is kravitz” OH GOOD! NOW WE’RE COOKING! NOW WE’VE GOT THE GOOD SHIT GOING!

i just gotta mention here that I love eldritch nightmares and cthulu-esque monsters, so this story’s eldritch nightmare that consumes everything in its path contrasted with a slowly-more-corrupted human avatar is MY JAM

merle: “i cast zone of truth!” travis: “TO WHAT END??”

griffin: “it is the most powerful holy spell you have ever cast” THAT’S A GOOD FINALE CALLBACK!!!!

HURLEY! AND SLOANE!!! THEY’RE BACK AND THEY’RE DRYADS!!!!!! THAT’S SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!! GRIFFIN!!! YOU BROUGHT THEM BACK!!!!!!!!!

griffin: “she turns back to lucas’s lab and she says ‘hero time’” NOELLE!!!!! NOELLE THAT WAS SO GOOD!!!

THIS TAAKO/KRAVITZ KISS IS SO GOOD!!!!!!!!! THEY’RE KISSING!!!! I LOVE THEM!!

kravitz: “i wanna warm up my face so it’s not weird” AWWWWW

THEY’RE SO IN LOVE! I LOVE THEM! THIS EPISODE IS SO GAY

lup: “what’s up ghost rider?” kravitz: “you know we’re going to have to talk about the fact that your sister’s a lich, right?” taako: “yeah…i assumed”

lup: “taako just summoned all the energy in our reality to come help us fight” magnus: “mmhmm. I fought a bear…when I say it like that, it doesn’t sound as good, does it?”

davenport: “lup did you find the starblaster?” lup: “oh i sorta… forgot we were supposed to be doing that”

taako: “we have basically been trolling it for 100 years..[..]..and i don’t know about you, but TAAKO’S GOOD OUT HERE”

lup: “lucretia, dear, I’ve already forgotten about the whole thing. OH! OH! bad choice of words!” lup you adorable asshole

lup: “please don’t die” taako: “i’d say the same but that ship done sailed, hasn’t it?”

MAGNUS GAVE ANGUS HIS KNIFE!!!!! THAT SHIT IS SOO GOOD!!!!!!!

taako: “i walk over to angus and say ‘hey cool knife, you know he’s got a sword that’s on fire, right? he did just give you a KNIFE’”

lup: “hear that, babe? we’re legends”

“there’s magic in a bard’s song” OH SHIT! OH SHIT! OH SHIT!!!!!!!!!!

“YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO FIGHT! AND YOU’RE GOING TO WIN!”

magnus: “this is it? it’s just a guy!” taako: “yeah it’s one guy, shouldn’t be a problem”

clint: “you heal up to 700 hit points!” griffin: “BULLSHIT! WHAT???” clint: “divided evenly” justin: “okay well but you don’t have any 9th level spell slots…” clint: “then I will use Mathias the Living Grimoire!” awesome I’m so glad clint learned how to actually properly play dnd on this LAST EP

griffin: “I will say, you’re on a ship, there’s probably a mast or something for you to swing down from” wait what this is an actual ship??? i was picturing like the entreprise or something

griffin: “we’re playing a little calvinball with the design of the starblaster” oh okay cool yeah its like a spaceship, not a fucking 17th century pirate ship

my dudes you never leave your weapons buried in the dying bodies of your enemies bc if they bounce back, they got your weapon now

griffin: “john is up first” justin: “fuck” clint: “he’s still just john? he’s not Demi-john????” travis: “final john” more cross-mcelroy-product jokes!!!!

the grubby heroes healed by godly love, i bet some people are feeling some Stuff right now

taako: “hey i want everyone to meet a new friend of mine, this is Joaquin” griffin: “OH FUCK! YES YES YES YES!!!”

joaquin: “thanks for the wizard powers, I’ve killed like a hundred of these things!”

griffin: “oh fuck I thought you were going to summon ME!!!”

hot damn clint REMEMBERED his gift from istus and fucking used it!!!!!!!!!

taako used the immovable rod!!!!! im so proud of them for remembering AND using all their items!!!!

taako: “i gotta be with lup” oh that’s so fucking sweet

angus: “hey everybody, johann was right! WE WON!” cool im crying a little bit, no big deal

LUP GOT HER BODY BACK! LUP GOT HER BODY BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

griffin: “how does magnus die?” hey fuck off griffy i don’t want this

magnus being reunited with julia is making me cry significantly now

they got their happy endings, everybody got their happy endings, and I’m so happy

I am SO glad and grateful I got caught up in time for this fucking heartwrenching sweet finale

#story and song #balance arc #the adventure zone #taz spoilers #taz #taz highlights #mine

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aion-rsa · 8 years ago

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The Secret of BOOM! Box’s Success: Diverse, Hopeful Comics

Imprints are a tricky thing in comic book publishing. Pay attention to the industry long enough, and you’ll see plenty that come and go after an initial burst — or some stick around but noticeably divert from its original vision.

BOOM! Studios launched BOOM! Box in December 2013 with “The Midas Flesh” #1, from the team of writer Ryan North and artists Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb. a href=”/tag/lumberjanes”>”Lumberjanes,” from Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis and Brooke Allen, followed a few months later, and soon became the line’s breakout hit. The stated goal of BOOM! Box upon its initial announcement was to “push the envelope with experimental content from some of the brightest, forward-thinking creators in comics today,” and the books have remained consistent with that initial promise, with a robust line of original series from the Los Angeles-based publisher.

EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW: “Lumberjanes” #37

Now, with “Lumberjanes” entering its fourth year later this month with issue #37, and John Allison, Max Sarin and Liz Fleming’s “Giant Days” hitting the issue #25 milestone this week — fairly lengthy runs in the relaunch-happy comics market — CBR talked in-depth with BOOM! Box founding editor (and “Lumberjanes” co-creator and co-writer) Shannon Watters and BOOM! Studios editor Dafna Pleban (editor of “Lumberjanes” and “Goldie Vance”) about the importance of providing “joyful, gleeful comics” targeted at a diverse audience, along with a look at the recently debuted “Coady and the Creepies” from Liz Prince and Amanda Kirk, and the May-debuting “Misfit City” by the writing team of Kiwi Smiith & Kurt Lustgarten, and artist Naomi Franquiz. Plus, CBR has the first look inside “Lumberjanes” #37, by Watters & Kat Leyh, and artist Ayme Sotuyo.

“Lumberjanes” #37 cover by Kat Leyh.

CBR: Shannon, Dafna, to start out, BOOM! Box has been around now for almost three and a half years, and a lot of imprints have come and gone in less time than that. Even BOOM! has had some trouble getting them to stick, but this one has. For both of you, from your perspectives, what do you see as what BOOM! Box has provided to the comics medium that was needed?

Shannon Watters: What we strive to do with BOOM! Box is provide really joyful, gleeful comics. Specifically, joyful, gleeful comics that are targeted not just at folks that are looking to show up and get the same old things that they’ve always gotten. It’s a perspective that I think a lot of folks in indie comics, especially webcomics, have been trying to put forward for years and years, and all we’re doing is attempting to amplify that for the mainstream comic book market.

Dafna Pleban: I think it also helps that it was, by accident or design — and I think it’s a little bit of both — a bit of counter-programming to what was happening in the stores at the time. I think we got really good momentum with KaBOOM!, and the “Adventure Time” comics, that showed there was an audience that is looking for something that is all-ages in a sense that anyone could read it, but not necessarily dumbed-down as if it’s only for kids. I think over time, other companies — IDW as well, and DC and Marvel — have been seeing that there’s an audience for people who want to be able to share this with anyone, not just people who are up to the last 20 years of canon.

That started bringing in enough people to take a chance on something like BOOM! Box, which was a bit older than all-ages, also more different kinds of readers, like women and teens — a more diverse audience that doesn’t necessarily find a work that speaks to them in the mainstream space. I think we kind of lucked out. There’s good stories to tell, there’s stories that haven’t been told a thousand times, and there was an audience that was already coming in for all this other good work that we and other publishers were doing, that were ready to try something new.

I’m sure you’ve experienced it on your end — there are some great books that get overlooked all the time, and everything about them works. The artist works, the writers work, what they’re trying to tell works. I can’t count — I think my favorite one recently was “Omega Men.” You look at Tom King, and he blew up right after that, and it’s not that it wasn’t good — it was amazing. It just hit at a point where people weren’t paying attention. And I think that book’s going to live on in trade. It’s weird to equate “Omega Men,” which is really dark and more adult-oriented, with “Lumberjanes,” but I think it’s a fair comparison to make. To some degree, we were really helped by people noticing at the right time, and telling their friends.

Watters: I said this a lot when we were getting the imprint off the ground: We wanted it to be kind of a clubhouse for everybody. We wanted it to be the cool kids’ clubhouse that everybody could join. We wanted everybody to be a part of it. That continues to be a guiding principle today.

“Giant Days” #25 cover by Max Sarin.

Certainly my guess is a big reason these books have been successful is that they’re appealing to an audience that is growing, but has often been underserved by mainstream comics. Is that a deliberate focus with the line?

Watters: Absolutely, 100 percent. There are a million places in this town where you can be a sad boy telling a sad boy story. That’s fine.

Pleban: I’m probably reading a lot of those!

Watters: That is the “mainstream.” We all have been raging against the machine re: the New York Times Best-Seller list taking their graphic novel list out of commission. It is a damn shame, because it was such a valuable tool for telling everybody the truth, which is the books that people are reading are by women and marginalized creators, and telling stories that are not about straight white men. Literally, the biggest contingent of people reading comics today are young women. Raina [Telgemeier] has been at the top of the New York Times Best-Seller list for how long? Years. Dominating. Multiple books.

What we’re talking about, we refer to direct market comic books as the “mainstream” comic book market, but that’s nonsense. It is not the mainstream market. It’s not. We are making the kind of books that serve the people that should have been served there for the last 10 years, and were not.

Pleban: The last time publishers remembered female readers exist was manga — 10 years [ago] is actually the last time a huge amount of women were welcomed into comic shops; comic shops started stocking manga. I think we have this cultural forgetfulness that women read comics and make comics, because at the end of the day, if you don’t make your space welcoming, if you stop offering the content, they’re not going to show up. I think BOOM! Box is tapping into an audience that’s hungry, and has been reading comics for ages.

I think you see that kind of genre reflected in the tone of BOOM! Box books. They tend to have the kind of — I call them “extreme swings of emotion” — that manga popularized. It helps give that whimsy to a medium that has been a bit navel gaze-y and serious for a couple years now.

Watters: Couple? Couple of years? Sure. Just a handful.

We’re approaching creators and doing the comics that we like, as queer women in 2017. Ask us about our agenda in comics. We could talk forever!

“Misfit City” #1 cover by Naomi Franquiz.

The New York Times Best-Seller list was such a good reality check to people in the direct market bubble. And in three and a half years of BOOM! Box, if you look back at the announcement of the line back in 2013, it’s striking to me that it seems like it’s remained very consistent — it’s grown, expanded, but that general mission statement appears to still be very much defining what a BOOM! Box release is. In what ways do you see the line as evolving, experiencing important growth, in that time?

Watters: I think as far as the mission statement, [it] has always been “make gleeful comics for everybody.” But I do think we’re narrowed our focus tonally to the kinds of comics we want to be making. Generally, they feature lady protagonists kicking ass in a variety positive ways. But that feels very derivative to reduce it to that.

It’s hopeful to write stories that exist in that space, because it gives you strength. Because the real world is not like that, it gives you strength to read stories about people who are living in that world, and who are able to tell their stories in that safe space. I think it’s very valuable and very important. We’re going to continue to refine our mission statement, and continue to get better at things that are goals for us, in line with our mission statement. It’s been quite a lovely few years, and I’m very happy with how it’s gone.

For whatever reason, I feel like hopeful stories are uniquely important in 2017.

Watters: No kidding. No flippin’ kidding. It’s hard times to make hopeful stories. Thank goodness this train is already on the track.

Pleban: We tend, for the longest time, to tell limited runs. BOOM! Box has most of our longest-running books, outside of “Adventure Time.” “Lumberjanes” is about to pass year four.

Watters: 36 issues. And it’s sold something like 800,000 units in single [issues].

“Giant Days” is going into its third year, and “Lumberjanes” is going into in its fourth year, which is massive, that there’s a market for that out there. They’re being sustained.

Pleban: “Goldie [Vance]” is going into its second.

Watters: It’s amazing.

Pleban: It’s rare for a lot of independent publishers to have ongoing, universe stuff, and we feel comfortable in that space.

Watters: I think BOOM! Box has always been this way, but has developed even more so over time; a very character-driven imprint. I have a unified theory of character in monthly comic books: Nobody comes back month after month for super-duper involved plots. You have all these big companies with these amazing characters that have been developed over years and years and years, and they just drown them in these over-complicated events and plots.

The reason that people come back to something every week, or even why somebody watches a television show every week, or comes back month after month for a comic book, is because they like spending time with these characters. That’s the thing we really feel strongly about at BOOM! Box. It matters less what Jo and April and Molly and Mal and Ripley are doing every month, because you enjoy hanging out with them.

“Coady and the Creepies” #1 cover by Kat Leyh.

BOOM! Box has had big hits like “Lumberjanes” and “Giant Days,” and also “Goldie Vance” and “Jonesy” as newer successes, but at the same time, it’s not easy for any new concepts — let alone an imprint that’s solely new concepts. What are some of the challenges you’ve experienced with the line? We talked about how some series appear to have everything going for them, but don’t find the audience they merit.

Watters: Obviously, any new series runs that risk. We try to engineer series that sell themselves. But obviously not every series is going to find a foothold or an audience that it deserves. However, I always feel like those series are learning experiences for both me and the creative teams, and if they touch someone the way that our mission statement wants people to be touched by our books — if somebody is affected or inspired by a series, and has discovered it because it was out through BOOM! Box, then it’s worth it. It is building a brand in a different way. Maybe we didn’t have a ton of readers on a series, but that reader who showed up feels seen and understood that they don’t in a lot of other contexts at a comic book shop, and that’s somebody who is going to come back. That is somebody who is going to come back for the next series, and the next series, as long as we’re doing our jobs right.

Launching a new series is always a challenge; always a gamble. But what I hope is that each series that we do continues to find a foothold — a very strong foothold — with some readers, and those readers trust us to be making content that feels true and relevant to them, and they’ll be back for the next one.

It’s always going to be a challenge. Every single part of it is a challenge. Comic book publishing is a horrible racket, and it’s always a challenge — but overcoming that challenge is a matter of self-examination, and learning from those experiences, and trusting that if you do honest, high-quality work, you will have touched someone and they will give you another shot.

Pleban: Also anxiety.

Watters: So much anxiety.

Pleban: I think what Shannon was able to do with BOOM! Box — BOOM! Box was Shannon’s baby, let’s be clear about that — is that it comes from such a specific point of view, and it’s an unconscious specific point of view. You can sometimes see when someone’s trying to tap into a zeitgeist, and it feels a little constructed, and it feels a little planned. I think what was helped with BOOM! Box is, Shannon just innately responds to people speaking their truth — which sounds like a collection of phrases, but it’s true. I think “Lumberjanes” is a very clear example of that. It helps that Shannon co-created it, but I can’t count on how many years Shannon talked my ear off about “Baby-Sitters Club” and I could care less, but then I see what she responded to in “Baby-Sitters Club” unconsciously filtered into something like “Lumberjanes,” and it makes 100 percent sense. I think every single book there you can tell comes from a place of, “This person has that story to tell, whether they realize it or not.”

On that subject, in the three-plus year history of BOOM! Box, are there specific titles that maybe readers didn’t check out as much as they should have, and should go back and take a look at?

Watters: I felt like Jake Lawrence’s “Teen Dog” should have gotten a zillion eyeballs on it. That’s the most lovely, honest, beautiful little book. It was very much a passion project for me, bringing that on to the imprint. I feel like if it launched at BOOM! Box today, it would have a much higher readership than it did. Same with “Help Us, Great Warrior.” Those are just two very intensely emotional honest and true and kind and powerful comics that I wish more people had checked out.

Let’s wrap by taking a look at the newer books coming out this year — Liz Prince has a new series from the line.

Watters: Yeah! We’ve got “Backstagers,” which has been just such a lovely book for us. Again, just people telling their truth, like James [Tynion IV] and Rian [Sygh] just telling their truth. “Jonesy” is wrapping, Sam [Humphries] and Caitlin [Rose Boyle] kicking butt on that.

We’ve got the new Liz Prince series, “Coady and the Creepies.” It’s such a pleasure. It’s one of those things, you don’t expect it until it comes together. It’s kind of a punk rock — if you know Liz’s earlier work, you’re going to love this. It’s very much her sensibility. It’s “Josie and the Pussycats” meets “Scott Pilgrim” meets all of Liz’s work over the years. It’s supernatural punk rockers trying to complete a pin quest, but one of them is a ghost. It’s just so fun and funny, and beautiful, and again, you just read it, and you’re like, “I love these characters. I just want to hang out with them. Let’s hang out every month.”

Then we’ve got “Misfit City” coming out in May. It’s going to be real good. If you’re a fan of very classic ’90s teen movies, you’ll really respond, I think, to this one. “SLAM!” is continuing, that’s just lovely as heck. I love girl friendships — I could just watch girls be friends all day long. As we’ve talked at length about, “Giant Days,” “Lumberjanes” and “Goldie Vance,” but I’m so proud of my little corner of the publishing world. I’m happy that people keep showing up for it. I really appreciate it.

“Giant Days” #25 is on sale this Wednesday, April 5. “Lumberjanes” #37 is scheduled for release on April 26.

“Lumberjanes” #37 interior page by Shannon Watters & Kat Leyh and Ayme Sotuyo

The post The Secret of BOOM! Box’s Success: Diverse, Hopeful Comics appeared first on CBR.

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