#this is such a hopeful and happy dynamic i love thinking about their imminent deaths in every universe wow | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

kal-djarin · 4 years ago

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Memories From the Past

Fandom: Star Wars

Date Posted: February 8th, 2021

Pairing: Reader x Obi-Wan Kenobi

Warnings: angst, fluff, suggestive themes but no actual smut, fighting?

Request: n/a

A/N: Okay I’m actually kinda proud of this one. I really love the dynamic of Obitine so I tried to translate that into fic without stealing the entire plot, but it steal is very obviously similar. I really hope the flash back scenes and change in pov. make sense, I had some issues trying to figure out what tense I should use for them, but hopefully it’s not confusing. IM SORRY THE ENDING IS RUSHED!!! As always please let me know what you think!!

Word Count: 4.5k

The news of Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi’s return to Sundari caused an array of emotions throughout the Palace. The Royal Guards were more watchful than usual, still not truly able to release the years of grudges held against the Jedi Order and Satine, was glad to be reunited with her old friend, despite the impromptu meeting being over possible changes in where the planet stood in the Clone Wars; a figure dressed in Mandalorian armour attacking a Republic cruiser would bring anyone to question the supposed position of neutrality Mandalore held.

You, on the other hand, were instantly filled with dread. Years have passed from the last time you have laid eyes on Obi-Wan and still the mere mention of him causes hundreds of memories to resurface.

When Satine became Duchess of Mandalore, many people were happy, but there were still insurgents that would not accept her pacifist leadership. They would send bounty hunters to try to eliminate her and the power she held. These constant threats against her life compelled Obi-Wan and his Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn to remove her and you, her most trusted advisor, from Mandalore and live on the run for nearly a year.

You lived one day at a time, trying to focus on surviving the present and live to see what uncertainties the future held. Most people would think that living in such dubious conditions would be terrifying, but it was one of the best years of your life.

Right when you met Obi-Wan, you were instantly turned off by him, despite his handsome looks. His diplomatic kindness and reverence felt impersonal and fake instead of charming and he was far too arrogant for your liking. Qui-Gon, on the other hand, was someone you befriended very quickly. His empathetic and wise nature instantly connected the two of you and he became almost like a father-figure. He was constantly giving you advice and was the only reason you tolerated Obi-Wan in the beginning.

Obi-Wan instantly felt this disfavor towards him, bringing out his sarcasm and frequent jabs, making him even more unbearable. The two of you spent weeks either trying to see who could irritate the other more or just completely ignoring each other, to both Qui Gon and Satine’s dismay. Qui-Gon always tried convincing you that you and Obi-Wan would make a great pair if the two of you would just stop being so stubborn, but his advice fell onto deaf ears.

Your hostility towards each other did die however, when you were being chased by venom-mites on a cliff on Draboon. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan fought them off as you and Satine escaped to the ship. Satine ran onto the boarding ramp and just as you were about to join her, you tripped over a divot in the ground, the momentum of it almost completely hurtling you off the side of the cliff, had you not grabbed a hold of the ledge.

All you can remember was the absolute terror that coursed through your veins and Satine’s horrified scream. Your body was hung over what seemed to be a bottomless pit and the only thing anchoring it were your hands; hands that were rather weak from a life devoid of physical exertion and that were slipping as each second passed.

You struggled, trying to find a way to climb up to solid land, but soon realized all the effort was fruitless. Obi-Wan, startled by Satine’s cries for help, turned around and saw your rather unfortunate situation. His eyes widened and he quickly turned from his Master and ran towards where you hung. When he was close enough, he slid to his knees and stretched his arm out to you.

“(Y/N), Take my hand!”

You wanted to, you really did, but the fear of falling to transfer your grip from the ground to his hand was too debilitating.

“Obi-Wan, I can’t, I’ll fall!” You managed to choke out

“You have to trust me!” His voice was loud, but still held its usual steadiness. His eyes however gave away his true emotions. They were frantically searching your own trying to convince you to lay your life in his hands. You could practically feel his terror radiating off of him.

Realizing you were out of options, you slowly released your grip and reached out to grasp his outstretched hand. Your fingers barely grazed his own and you knew it was too late. Gravity met you full force, and you felt yourself scream as your body began to plummet.

Then, all of a sudden, a warm cradling feeling caught you, interrupting your imminent death. You felt yourself rise over the cliff and saw Obi-Wan’s concentrated face and twitching hand. When you were about a foot above the ground, you dropped into Obi-Wan’s arms, and let out a sob of relief. Your body was racked with tears, still trying to process what just happened, and Obi-Wan just held you. You wrapped your arms around his neck, seeking comfort for your near death, and leaned against Obi-Wan’s own shaking body.

That day was the start of a new relationship for the two of you. You began to confide in each other more and felt the trust between the two of you grow as time passed. Obi-Wan dropped his guard of fake diplomacy and began to act more like himself. Of course, he still had his sarcastic humor, but it was more endearing now and his kindness felt genuine.

Soon, your relationship became more than just finding comfort in each other. When one of you couldn’t sleep, you and Obi-Wan would just sit together and talk until you became tired or if it was time to get up. Being around him was effortless and there was an understanding the two of you had that was rare to find. Of course, there was still tension between the two of you but it was different, less hostile.

If your relationship with him had ended there, innocent and full of what-ifs, you would have been just as excited as Satine was to see him. You wouldn’t currently be standing in the throne room, shaking with anxiety, waiting for him to step through the doors.

Just as you begin to contemplate completely ditching Obi-Wan’s arrival, the doors are opened and you hear the Prime Minister talking to him.

You look down and try to not draw attention to yourself, which is impossible considering Satine insisted you walk in beside her. Satine knew you and Obi-Wan were close, but you never told just how far your relationship with him went, so she didn’t see anything with the reunion. She sits down at the throne and you stand next to her. They greet each other briefly and the sound of Obi-Wan being so close to you again gives you the courage to finally meet his gaze.

He looks absolutely radiant, somehow looking more attractive than you remembered. His hair is a bit longer and a perfectly trimmed bear adorns his handsome face. You can’t help but stare, trying to take in the view you have been deprived of for almost 15 years.

“After all these years, you're even more beautiful than ever,” He says towards Satine, but still keeps his eyes locked on you.

You break the intense eye contact and try to not let his smooth words affect you. He doesn’t falter at your discreet rejection and continues the diplomatic conversation between him and Satine. She invites him on a walk through the city, and to your dismay, she gestures for you to join them. You walk just behind Satine, allowing the two of them to lead the way. Air speeders whistle by around you and people walk around the city, going about their day, unbothered by the Duchess and Jedi moving around them. You hear Satine talk about the current predicament Mandalore has found itself in with the Death Watch and you know you should be paying attention and adding into the conversation for sake of not seeming rude, but can’t help but carefully watch Obi-Wan’s side profile as he walks.

It’s perfect just like the rest of him and triggers yet another memory in your mind: you and his first kiss. It was a couple months after the incident on Draboon, and the four of you were forced to spend the night in a cave because of a rather wild storm. You sat on the cold floor near the fire Qui-Gon made, unable to rest, just watching the rain hit the mouth of the cave for hours. Unlike you, Satine used her time wisely, quickly finding much needed sleep. Qui-Gon had been meditating earlier, but now seemed to be resting as well, facing the inside of the cave. Obi-Wan sat cross-legged, reading a book about, if you remembered from his earlier explanation correctly, the method of Jar’Kai, farthest from the fire.

It wasn’t long before he noticed your restless form and decided to sit down next to you, close enough for your shoulders to touch.

“What’s up with you?” He asked, nudging your shoulder with his own.

Usually this kind of touch wouldn’t have caused you any issues, but more recently, you began to take note of every physical contact the two of you made. Obi-Wan was rather reserved, so knowing he so frequently chose to make contact with you gave you conflicting feelings. You turned and looked at him and suddenly felt rather sad.

“Don’t you wish we could be more carefree, like other people our age?”

He looked taken aback from your sudden question, but soon began to contemplate, fingers coming up to gently grasp his chin. After a moment, he looked back at you and shook his head.

“I never truly have thought about it. Why?” He questions further.

You knew why. No matter how hard you tried to deny it, Obi-Wan has found a special place in your heart. Months of confiding and building trust with one another let you get to know his true personality, making it impossible not to feel so much for him. But, although you were just teenagers, the both of you had responsibilities and expectations of you. He was a Jedi and you had to stay focused on helping Satine rebuild Mandalore after the raging civil war.

So instead of answering his question, you decided to satiate the need to feel reckless by standing up and walking out into the rain. The feel of the cold drops on your skin should have annoyed you, but instead it made you feel alive; it helped numb the feelings you so badly wish you didn’t have.

“What are you doing!” Obi-Wan yelled, looking alarmed at your sudden uncharacteristic decision.

“I’m living!!” You replied, soaking in the feeling of the rain and quickly running back and grabbing his hands with your dripping ones.

“Come on, Obi Wan, join me” You urged. His eyes are wide in shock but, nonetheless, takes off his outer robes and walks out into the rain.

His trust to join you with no question made you feel even more giddy and you dragged him into the middle of the valley that the cave sat in. You grabbed his hands and began to dance, if you could even call it that. Obi-Wan, as comfortable as he was with you, immediately stiffened up, since he was never truly taught how to dance. This setback, however, caused little pause in your actions and you just spun with him around in a circle.

The drumming of the rain did little to drown out your laugh whenever Obi-Wan would stumble, to his dismay, but he too began to chuckle at the unskilled dancing going on. You gazed up at him and just from the look on his face you knew your feelings for him were going nowhere. His hair laid flat on his head, soaked, and his face was covered in water and he looked breathtaking. He made you feel safe and trusted and maybe that was the reason you decided to risk it all.

You grabbed his face between your hands and pressed your lips to his. It was short-lived, with him quickly pulling away with his eyebrows furrowed and lips parted.

You instantly were filled with regret, embarrassed from the rejection, and went to run back into the cave to hide from your mistake. You felt selfish, trying to act on feelings that completely disrespected everything Obi-Wan lived for. Right when you pulled away from his arms, Obi-Wan quickly grabbed your wrist and pulled you back in.

His hands went up to cradle your face and he kissed you. It was overwhelming how much emotion he was channeling through it. The kiss was needy and hard but his hands were gentle, one of them coming up to tangle itself in your soaked hair. You could tell he was inexperienced, his form being a tad messy, but the passion put into it made up for any mistakes.

You feel a hand rest on your shoulder and are instantly pulled out of the memory. You see Satine looking at you, worry written all over her face.

“(Y/N), are you alright?” She asks, her eyes searching your face.

You go to answer her and shut down any of her worries about you, but catch a glimpse of Obi-Wan and lose the words. His face looks almost distraught and you know he must have seen what you were thinking of. You force yourself to look away from him and respond to Satine.

“Yes, sorry I must have zoned out.” You apologize, hoping she buys your white lie. “As a matter of fact is it alright if I return to the Palace, I think I need a little rest”

She still looks worried, but quickly approves of your request and turns back to walk with Obi-Wan, who still seems bothered by your memory, but remains cordial and attentive.

You turn and go back to the Palace, a single guard flanking your side. When you return, you do exactly what you told Satine, you lie on your bed and rest, or at least try to.

***

When Obi-Wan sensed the memory you were thinking of, he was no longer able to focus on the important matter at hand. Even after the bombing on Mandalore after you left and him nearly being crushed to death on Concordia, he found himself thinking about it. He remembers that day so clearly; the first time he truly gave into his temptations.

He had worked so hard to stay in the Jedi Order- nobody wanted him as a Padawan. He was always not enough and it was only by fate that Qui-Gon decided to take him under his wing. He knew better than anyone that the title of Jedi was invaluable and there you were making him question everything he ever knew. He knew Jedi weren’t supposed to form attachments or express their emotions, so why did he keep indulging himself with your presence.

The moment you kissed him, Obi-Wan’s instinct was to run. He was powerless against the attachment he had to you, so he knew the best way to stop it was to completely remove himself from the situation. He had every intention of doing so when he pulled away the first time, but then his other instincts kicked in. He felt the feel of your hands on his face, the closeness of your body, and realized there was no way he could let this go, at least not now.

Days after the kiss, Obi-Wan was filled with disgust at himself. He hated that he let himself indulge. He hated how he completely disregarded everything he was ever taught. He hated the fact that he loved every second of it, and what he hated most of all is that he began to wonder how it would feel to kiss your neck, skin, and other very un Jedi-like places.

Because of this, the months of progress the two of you made in your relationship were completely erased. He knew it was unfair to you, but he had to uphold the morals of a Jedi, and being around you made that goal impossible. He reverted back to the arrogant and guarded Padawan and pushed you away every time you tried to fix things.

But his efforts were fruitless. You knew Obi-Wan and were not able to let go of his sudden change in personality.

His Master also noticed the sudden change in relationship and decided to take matters in his own hands. He decided to send the two of you off on a mission to retrieve some sort of plant and herb. The two of you walked through the woods, The entire trip, Obi-Wan ignored every attempt of yours to engage in conversation and didn’t even truly acknowledge your presence. You finally decided to confront him, to his dismay.

“Was it truly that horrifying to kiss me, Obi-Wan”

“What?” He said, trying to keep the act up.

“Was it so bad to the point of ignoring me,” You pushed, getting angrier by the minute.

“I hardly see how that is relevant to the current task at han-” He began to deflect but was cut off by you grabbing his shoulder and whipping him around. Angry tears began to form in your eyes and at the site, Obi-Wan felt his facade crack.

“You don’t get to decide to drop me when things get hard, Obi-Wan” You spat, emphasizing your words by jabbing your finger on his chest.

Obi-Wan tried. He tried so hard to stay away from you. But the look of anger and heartbreak on your face made him, give into your spell, once again. He grabbed your hand and looked into your eyes.

He knew he was going to hate himself after, like last time, but the temporary pleasure it brought was impossible to resist, so he kissed you.

The kiss was hard and full of anger: anger at you, at himself, at the Jedi Order, and at the world for making you his weakness. You instantly reacted bringing your hand around to run through his short auburn hair and pulling your body as close as possible.

Obi-Wan deepened the kiss, letting his tongue explore the inners of your mouth, inciting a moan from your lips. Obi-Wan felt himself flush from the obscene sound and couldn’t help but feel bolder from the thought of bringing you pleasure. He started to kiss along your jawline and down your neck, his brain becoming muddled from the pleasure of it all.

You had begun to take off his robes and that was when he came to his senses. He knew he had to stop this, it was completely un Jedi-like and uncivilized, especially out in the open. His thoughts were immediately shut down however when you slid your hand down his chest. He decided to burn every single pleasure and feeling into memory and worry later. Your hand began to venture between his legs and that was the second time Obi-Wan gave into temptation.

You were all he could think about while fighting on Concordia, and he knew this was why Jedi don’t form attachments. Just the memory of your relationship caused his judgement to be clouded. He couldn’t imagine how he would have been if you were there during the fight with Death Watch: constantly worried, focused on an individual rather than the greater good.

He was relieved to get on to the Coronet and away from the memory of his failures as a Jedi, but that relief was short-lived when he saw you boarding the ship alongside Satine.

***

Satine, as strong-willed as ever, insisted on you going to Coruscant with her. She didn’t want you to be alone on Mandalore, vulnerable to the rapidly more aggressive Death Watch attacks. Once aboard the ship, you settle into your temporary room and head down to meet back up with the Duchess, who was currently discussing her position of neutrality with other senators down the hall.

As you walk towards the meeting, you run into a young, handsome man and Obi-Wan. You immediately freeze, not prepared for the sudden direct interaction and just stare at him. “O-Obi-Wan” You stutter out, not knowing how to fully go about this.

Obi-Wan looks equally as startled, but recovers quickly and introduces you to the younger man.

“(Y/N), this is Anakin Skywalker, my Padawan and Anakin this is Adviser (L/N).”

You tear your eyes away from Obi-Wan’s and quickly greet Anakin with a nod and small smile. Wordlessly, you walk through the door and head to Satine’s side, not before hearing the Padawan say, “On a first name basis, huh, Master?” and a small grunt following a hitting noise.

The meeting was full of high tensions, many, including Obi-Wan, disagreeing with Mandalore’s neutrality. It was always an issue when brought up, and even you saw the issues with it. The idea of staying neutral and not interfering in a war is noble but is much harder in execution and can cause more turmoil in the long run.

As soon as the meeting is dismissed, you file out of the room, trying to avoid any more confrontation. You head to the room where you are supposed to have dinner and find Satine waiting for you.

Obi-Wan enters the room, walking with other leaders. All you had to do was get to Coruscant. Once there you can get out of here and not have to think about Obi-Wan Kenobi ever again. You zone out for most of the meal, not noticing the nervous atmosphere starting to settle over everyone or the warning Obi-Wan gives about a situation going on below decks.

You are suddenly pulled out of your own head, when you hear him yell to the guards about securing the lifts. You see the blue light of Obi-Wan’s lightsaber and Satine quickly stands up from the table, bringing you with her.

A horrifying crunching sound is heard and the doors to the lift begins to wrench open, revealing a giant spider droid. It easily knocks down the guards and clambers onto the table, quickly approaching the group of senators. Obi-Wan goes into action and severs the spider droid's legs and lands a fatal lightsaber wound to its head.

The people around you breathe a sigh of relief but soon find out that it's far from over. Miniature spider droids begin to pop out of the body of the larger one and spread out to box the group of you in. Senators begin freaking out, but you and Satine know better. Years of dealing with the pushback of the people have forced you to learn how to defend yourself. Not to mention, the year spent with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan required you to spend quite a bit of time learning to fight. You and Satine immediately pull out your deactivators and get to work killing the droids.

Obi-Wan joins the fight with his lightsaber and the two of you fall into the instinctual rhythm from all those years ago. Back to back, slowly turning, ensuring the other doesn’t get too overwhelmed by the enemy. As much as you hate being reminded of your once very close relationship, it's easier to connect to him through the ease of physical touch. You can predict his movements and fighting techniques, making it much easier to interact than dialogue. Once all, except one, of the droids are eliminated, Obi-Wan turns towards you and seems as if he has something to say but quickly stops himself and walks away to check on the others. The adrenaline coursing through your veins from the fight keeps you on edge however, even after you return to your seat.

It stays with you, even when Anakin returns to inform Obi-Wan that there is a seperatist among you. The surviving spider droid is walked around the table, a test to see who it won’t attack. When Obi-Wan reaches Tal Merrik, a sudden change in the droid's hostile behavior proves him to be a traitor.

You watch in horror as Tal grabs Satine and holds a blaster to her head. The adrenaline from the previous fight serves you well because, even before Obi-Wan has time to react to the sudden change in severity of the situation, a fallen guard’s blaster, set to stun, is in your hand and has already raised and fired at the Senator. He quickly falls, releasing Satine.

You release a shaky breath and everyone, including Obi-Wan, stares in shock at your quick save.

“T-thank you,” Satine says, obviously shaken from almost being held hostage.

You nod in acknowledgment and watch as Tal Merrik is put into custody.

For obvious reasons, all the senators decide to retire to their rooms for the rest of the night.

Exhausted emotionally and physically, you do the same and head to your room after making sure Satine arrived at hers safely. You are about to relax into your bed when you hear a knock at the door. You open it to find Obi-Wan standing there, looking rather uncomfortable. “What do you want, Obi-Wan,” you sigh, tired of hiding from your past.

“I thought that we could talk”

“You are the last person to want to talk about feelings, Obi” You say turning around and heading back into the room, silently allowing him access to your space.

He walks in and closes the door behind him and leans against the wall opposite of you.

“I thought it would be a benefit to the both of us if we just talk”

“What do you want me to say Obi-Wan?” You raise your voice, tired of his roundabout way of talking.

“Do you want me to say I’m in love with you? But you already knew that didn’t you, all those years ago, and you still left” you accuse spitefully, not believing that you could somehow still have feelings for such an emotionally constipated man.

His face contorts into one of regret and grief at the mention of his abandoning you, but you still don’t let up.

“I think it’s better if you just go, Obi Wan. It’s what you do best.” You spit out, turning around to face away from him.

You hear him push off the wall and begin to move, but instead of leaving like you told him to, he walks up to you. You sense his presence against your back and he is so close you can feel his breath gently hitting the back of your neck. He stands there and lightly touches your hand with his own, breathing you in, again resorting to physical touch when his words fail. You bask in the closeness of him, giving into the way you missed his touch.

After a few moments, you hear him sigh and pull away from you.

“Had you said the word, I would have left the Jedi Order”

With that confession, he slowly leaves and shuts the door, leaving you more confused and heartbroken than ever.

#obi-wan kenobi x reader #obi wan kenobi #obi wan oneshot #obi wan x reader #obiwan #obi wan headcanon #clone wars x reader #obi wan angst #obi wan smut #starwars x reader

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claraeuterpebaudry · 4 years ago

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Playlist for a Friend: Mei Q. and Phineas

( @ohphineas & @princess-mei )

Kings & Queens - AVA

In chess, the king can move one space at a time But queens are free to go wherever they like You get too close, you'll get a royalty high So breathe it in to feel the love

It’s just a song about men and women being on equal footing, and I really love that about these two! They’re a girl-boy dynamic where the both of them have the same sort of energy level. From the get go, when Phineas first arrived on the scene, these two had such cute vibes, I loooved to read them together. And they got casted in the play, allowing them both to be able to ham it up on stage. But, yeah, I think this song is just a representation of that ground level they stood on. A King and a Queen. Not necessarily like, you know, in a romantic way, but as two beings who have respect for one another and built a friendship upon being able to see mutual likes and energy between one another.

Pocketful of Sunshine - Natasha Bedingfield

The sun is on my side. Take me for a ride. I smile up to the sky. I know I'll be all right.

Both of these two characters to me are just sun rays cast to Earth to bless us with their cuteness. Not to say that they aren’t also complicated, we will be getting to that later, but in the beginning of any friendship you’re not going to unload your baggage onto someone right off the bat. These two are so cute and they bring out the starry-ness of one another. With one another they can escape all the Bad Energy that secondary puts upon them and escape to a place where they can laugh and run lines and not have to worry about the dark storm cloud of bullies or gossip or the drama of it all.

Singing in the Rain - Simple Plan

I've got a song in my heart and I'm bulletproof There's nothing in the world that's gonna kill this mood No matter what life wants to throw my way I'll be singing, I'll be singing in the rain

This song is about not letting all the shit get you down. It might be raining, but sing to make it better. I feel like that’s something these two would get caught doing, singing while it rains down on them because their sunny dispositions and high energy will just turn any situation on its head. The rain, bad news and gray colors, can touch their lives but they can get through it!

She’s My Winona - Fall Out Boy

Even the young ones become irrelevant They always bring up how you changed (Oh, oh) Never the same person when I go to sleep As when I wake up, as when I wake up

To me, this song is all about how people are living in the moment. Death, the future, it’s all imminent and we let it play a larger role than we do Life. We’ve personified death to be this hooded figure who carries around a scythe, but rarely do you see life in human form. But that’s because Death is a permanent fixture and no one can change it. Life, though, it’s always changing and evolving. The song also goes on about wanting everything or nothing at all. And both of these sweet peas, I feel like, have goals and aspirations! They want big things for themselves and I admire that so much. Both of them went out for the play, Mei got her solo in dance, Phineas got his job with Cornelius. They are out there Doing It. Couldn’t be prouder.

Dancing Queen - ABBA

Night is young and the music's high With a bit of rock music Everything is fine You're in the mood for a dance

I just really think both of them are young and sweet, only 17 (but only like another day for Mei lol), and they’re both Dancing Queens. I rest my case.

Tough to Be a Dreamer - Felix Hagan & the Family

While some might see decay I see a change of season And everyone’s got problems, no more or less pathetic than mine ‘Cause I’m trying to project a sunny disposition But it’s hard to paint a smile on wasted young ambition

I said I was going to get under the surface, and here we are. I think the title alone is a perfect representation of these two. It’s hard to be enthusiastic and have all these ideas and creativity inside of yourself, and have it all be tarnished by the world around you. These two are so young and so full of life! I adore them so much and it makes me feel like an overprotective mother when I read about them hurting, lmao. But, yeah, I think they both aren’t all sunshine and smiles. The further their friendship progressed the more Phineas became influenced by other people’s opinions of Mei, and the rumors about her. And Mei just never seems to catch a break, lol. They can have their bad days, but I think at the end of the day both of them are still able to return to themselves.

All About Us - He is We, Owl City

The room's hush hush And now is our moment Take it in Feel it all

This song does have romantic intentions, but we can just ignore that because it’s very cute! And I think it can represent Phineas’ promposal to Mei and getting ready to go have a good time at Prom before it all went downhill, lol. It’s a back and forth between the singers, asking one another if they’re ready to go public and that they want to be able to have their relationship be done right. I think that speaks to these two’s friendship! And wanting it to be fun and right, and going to Prom together would be great! So Phineas asked and Mei said yes. And in that lil moment it was just all about them.

Talk - Khalid

Can't we just talk? Talk about where we're goin' Before we get lost Let me out first (yeah) Can't get what we want without knowin' (no)

I know this song might also be more romantic leaning, but I think it can work for friendship, too. It’s just about talking to someone in a relationship! Communicate with one another! Settle everything between one another instead of getting information from someone else or pretending like you know what the other person is thinking. Which! Is what these two needed to do with one another, and that’s what Mei is trying to do now after Prom happened.

How Do You Feel? - The Maine

I'd like to let you know that boys cry too Don't let them tell you how you're feeling I wonder why nobody is asking you Are you free or are you in sorrow? Are you free or are you being borrowed?

This one is more Phineas leaning, but it also works for Mei. Harping back on my point that these two are usually seem happy and upbeat, usually those people aren’t asked what’s going on inside because people don’t tend to think there’s anything wrong. But both of these characters have shown to be more than the smiles they put on. They have bad days! And they have more emotions than the positive ones, and that’s totally valid! The song poses a bunch of questions that these two should get asked more often tbh. Maybe by one another! Maybe they can figure out that they relate more on that level, too.

Maybe It Was Me - Sody

But maybe it was me who fucked it up Or maybe it was us So helpless and young Or maybe everything was all my fault

A downer, I know, but that’s kind of there they’re at right now! Phineas being influenced by other people’s words, and Mei having left Prom without him with Lock. I think this song can be from both of their head spaces, having regrets and having guilt for what happened between them but also feeling in the right for their own emotions. And they’re both valid, they never dtr but they also never laid it all out on the table. Although I am biased towards my brother and will take his side since his ass did get doused in punch and abandoned. I love Mei, though!! She’s such a cutie pie who finally, dear god, got her mans. But I think they both do still care about one another!! Hence the bittersweet song to end this playlist because that’s the present of their situation. I can only hope they reconcile, because I will sorely miss them if they don’t.

#bdrptask

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hungline · 6 years ago

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let’s give it our all | ch 3

pairing: yoonjin, side vmonkook, minor jihope genre: fluff, uni au, soulmates au, rated m warnings: alcohol, drunk!seokjin words: 3013

summary: seokjin's birthday is a complete disaster.

⇢ chapter three of let’s give it our all

Seokjin thinks he would be more willing to not dwell on Yoongi's past if his soulmate didn't flinch whenever Seokjin made quick movements around him.

And when Yoongi first sleeps over at Seokjin's apartment one night, Seokjin is a firsthand witness to the way Yoongi curls into himself until he is as small as he can get and holds himself, patting his arms in his own sleep. Like he is trying to give himself comfort without knowing it.

It breaks Seokjin's heart having to see all of this and while he knows he has no right to Yoongi's past, that it is Yoongi's decision whether he gets to know anything at all, Seokjin wishes Yoongi would be a bit more open about his feelings and a bit more open with Seokjin in general.

But he can wait. He can and will wait for as long as Yoongi needs.

“Hyung, are you coming home for the holidays?”

Seokjin lets out a breath he had not known he was holding, smiling to himself as he leans back into his couch. He rests his feet on his coffee table, a bad habit he picked up from Namjoon years ago, as he listens to Jeongguk’s voice come through the other side of the line.

“Why does it matter to you?” Seokjin jokes, lips pulled up into a smirk. “Aren’t you more excited for Namjoon to come home? He is your soulmate after all.”

Maybe others would find it strange for their cousin and best friend to be soulmates, but Seokjin has known Namjoon his entire life and they both met Jeongguk at the same time when he was just a baby. It was obvious from the moment Namjoon started school that they were soulmates and since then, Seokjin has had years to get used to the idea before romantic implications were ever even introduced into their dynamic.

(Before Taehyung entered their lives, he means.)

“But I haven’t seen you since the summer, hyung. I miss you,” Jeongguk whines, his easy admittance to the fact surprising Seokjin.

“Liar, you miss my cooking,” Seokjin says, hoping that he has hit the nail on the head with this.

There is a pause that makes Seokjin worry for a second that he might have gotten it wrong, but then Jeongguk groans into the phone and Seokjin bursts into laughter.

“Mom is still really horrible at making food. Makes me almost wish Dad hadn’t gotten that new job,” Jeongguk says as a way of explanation, leaving Seokjin to laugh even louder.

“Your dad is making good money there Jeonggukkie, don’t say that.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jeongguk mutters. “Anyway, are you gonna come or not, hyung?”

Seokjin rolls his eyes and throws himself across his couch, looking up at the ceiling now. “Maybe. I don’t think I want to see my very annoying cousin this winter break though.”

“Hyung!” Jeongguk whines.

“I’m joking, Jeonggukkie,” Seokjin laughs, closing his eyes after he has caught his breath. “I don’t know if I’m gonna go home for the holidays. I might have work or something come up, but I’ll let you know once I have a definite answer.”

Seokjin knows that Jeongguk is not going to find that answer satisfactory, but he also knows that the brat isn’t going to argue with him over it any longer in case he winds up frustrating Seokjin enough to make him not want to come home after all. So he grins up at the ceiling and holds his phone away from his ear, mentally preparing himself for the loud whine Jeongguk is about to make.

And just as Seokjin expected, Jeongguk does whine loudly into the phone. Seokjin can still hear it even with his phone held out so far away from him. He laughs again once Jeongguk is done, the vivid memory of three-year-old Jeongguk with cake on his face crying because Seokjin shoved him into it playing in his head.

“You’re such a baby,” Seokjin chuckles, opening his eyes to stare at the ceiling once more. “I told you I’ll let you know once I know for sure. You’re still going to get a present from me regardless.”

“Yeah, but an even better present would be getting to see my favorite cousin,” Jeongguk replies, his voice high enough to still count as a whine.

Seokjin only laughs again, his chest feeling so much lighter after hearing Jeongguk’s voice and listening to his usual whining. “You’re gonna love your gift regardless, Jeonggukkie. Now, I have to go, okay? Big test to study for.”

“Fine,” Jeongguk sighs. “But you better let me know or I’m gonna ask Namjoonie-hyung to kidnap you, so watch out, hyung.”

Seokjin hangs up then, deeming Jeongguk’s response unworthy of any other answer as he laughs once more. Jeongguk is still just a teenager and angsty half the time, but Seokjin wouldn’t have him any other way.

Besides, Seokjin was just like him when he was his age.

Seokjin does not dare to let his gaze waver because to do so would mean imminent death.

Namjoon keeps staring right back at him and maybe if this were any other time, Seokjin would applaud his best friend for keeping eye contact with someone for more than five seconds. But right now, Seokjin is pretty irritated.

"Absolutely not," Seokjin hisses, his barely contained rage simmering just beneath his skin.

"Too bad you don't have a say in any of this then," Namjoon retorts, still staring him dead in the eye.

Seokjin kind of hates his best friend at this moment, but then Yoongi knocks his elbow off the table and Seokjin ends up hating his soulmate instead because he just lost the staring contest. Yoongi laughs at him because he's an asshole who relishes in Seokjin's defeats, but also because the look on Seokjin's face is priceless right now and even he knows it.

"Alright, spill. What are you two idiots arguing about now?" Yoongi questions, eyes on Seokjin but it's clear that the question is meant for Namjoon instead.

"We're throwing hyung a birthday party," Namjoon says simply.

"I hate you," Seokjin replies, crossing his arms over his chest at the unfairness of it all. "You suck."

Yoongi laughs again and Seokjin's heart jumps into his throat at the sound. "Well since he hates it, I know it's going to be fun. I'll take care of the booze."

Seokjin slaps Yoongi's arm hard enough to get his attention, but not enough to hurt. "I hate you too. You're both demons set on ruining my life."

"Oh, sweetheart," Yoongi says, his voice all saccharine sweet with no idea how this is affecting Seokjin's heartbeat right now. "If only you could see my true form."

Namjoon bursts into laughter and Seokjin leans away to put distance between them, hands now cupping his own shoulders so he looks like he’s hugging himself. "Evil."

Yoongi giggles and the sound is so bubbly and pretty that Seokjin's sure he forgot to breathe for a second there.

Whatever, he hates his soulmate and his best friend right now as they discuss the best way of ruining his birthday with a party of all things.

"I hate you," Seokjin yells over the music, arms crossed defensively in front of his chest. "This is the worst thing you've ever done to me."

Namjoon laughs, already a little drunk. "The worst thing I've ever done to you is making out with Taehyung after you slept with him and finding out he's my soulmate too."

Seokjin's face scrunches with distaste as he glares at his best friend. "You're lucky Jeonggukkie was cool with it, otherwise I would have murdered you for breaking my cousin's heart."

Namjoon snorts gracelessly and thumps Seokjin on the back, a sly look on his face that Seokjin absolutely hates. "Please, as if Jeongguk didn't want Taehyung to break his bed."

"My cousin is still in high school, you perv!" Seokjin yells as he knocks Namjoon upside the head. "Shut up!"

"He's of legal age! I've never even touched him anyway!" Namjoon shouts back, hiding behind a passing stranger as he tries to avoid Seokjin's anger. "Hoseok, help me."

The boy who Seokjin did not recognize at first turns out to be another friend of theirs named Hoseok who laughs at the panicked look on Namjoon's face then swiftly maneuvers himself out of Seokjin's way. Seokjin can already remember why he likes him so much. "Sorry, I can't! Have to find my Jiminnie and tell him he's pretty otherwise he'll get grumpy."

"At least you have your priorities straight!" Seokjin yells after him, certain that his voice only gets lost in the music surrounding them.

Namjoon snorts again, definitely more drunk than he was before. "Hoseok is the least straight guy I know, hyung."

"Shut up, you know that isn't what I meant," Seokjin huffs, wanting to smack Namjoon across his flushed face just for the sake of it.

But then Taehyung and Jeongguk would sport a red imprint of his hand and as much as Seokjin is angry with Namjoon right now, he wouldn't do that to his best friend's soulmates. Namjoon laughs again, grabbing a drink from the countertop in Taehyung's frat house. Seokjin had opposed with all his might to the party, but his opinion didn't mean jack shit and Taehyung was never one to accept no as an answer so here he was. In the middle of a frat house with his drunk best friend and no soulmate in sight. Seokjin could think of a million better ways he could be spending his birthday, but, free booze, so. Yeah.

"Drink," Namjoon slurs as he shoves a cup into Seokjin's hand. "Have fun. Taehyung will be sad if you keep frowning like that."

"Shut up," Seokjin bites back even as he takes the solo cup and drinks from it anyway. "Still hate you."

"You love me and you know it," Namjoon laughs, grabbing another cup for himself. "Now, let's get wasted and not give a shit about anything for a few hours, please."

Seokjin rolls his eyes and resigns himself to his fate — a sad Taehyung is something no sane person would ever want to experience.

It is only when Seokjin is already a few shots in and pretty drunk that Yoongi decides to wiggle his way into the party and find his place beside Seokjin and Namjoon on a couch. Seokjin has been approached by plenty of people wishing him a happy birthday and others drunkenly confessing to him before a random frat member turns them away and Seokjin is more than sure that is Taehyung's doing. But when Yoongi sits down beside him, Seokjin is already turned towards him with jumbled words he can barely make sense of spilling past his lips as Namjoon indiscreetly records him.

Yoongi's eyes almost bug out of his head, but then he takes a closer look at Seokjin's face and must realize that he is drunk so his expression goes back to normal then while Namjoon finally stops recording and laughs obnoxiously beside them.

"You go have fun," Yoongi leans over Seokjin to shout at Namjoon. "I'll take care of hyung."

Seokjin wants to say that he does not need to be babysat, but he is also pretty sure that no one would listen to him anyway so he pouts as Namjoon staggers away — probably in search of Taehyung — and leans into Yoongi's open arms, sighing into his soulmate's shoulder. He smells of mint and some kind of spicy cologne that Seokjin finds quite comforting and inhales the scent aggressively, smiling when Yoongi laughs at him for being so drunk.

"I'm glad you're here," Seokjin says because it is true.

Yoongi laughs again and pats him on the shoulder as a response, being gentle with him in a way that warms Seokjin's heart.

I'm glad I found you, is what Seokjin wishes he could really say, but this is okay too.

This is fine.

When Seokjin wakes up, it is to his relief to find himself with his clothes on in his own bed by himself.

The sun coming through his curtains tells him it is late morning and he thanks every god out there for it being Sunday because Seokjin really does not have the time to be rushing off to class with the hangover he is slowly becoming aware of right now.

He struggles to get out of bed and takes the aspirin and water someone left on his bedside before he steps into the shower and gets ready for the day. He eats cereal for breakfast, not having the strength nor the energy to make anything and then goes back into his room to look for his phone.

It is plugged in and charged, which is strange, but whoever had done that, must have been the same person who got him home last night.

His memories of the night before are murky at best and he vaguely recalls Yoongi showing up near the end, but anything other than that is just a blur honestly. He checks his notifications and can't help the smile that spreads across his face when he reads his most recent notification and realizes it's a text from Yoongi telling him to take the aspirin he left and drink a lot of water.

Well, one mystery solved at least, but now Seokjin feels embarrassed because he is a messy drunk. So god damned messy that it is no wonder Namjoon has not punched him in the face more often. But, whatever. He'll apologize for anything he might have said or done later when he and Yoongi meet up to study. Finals are still approaching after all.

But then Namjoon comes over, sweaty and with a hickey on his neck that Seokjin rolls his eyes at because Taehyung doesn't always have to bite Namjoon whenever they spend the night together, but whatever. Not his business anyway.

(It will definitely become his business when Jeongguk graduates high school and they all show up for his graduation ceremony because there is no doubt in his mind that he can keep Taehyung from Namjoon's other soulmate for so long. But that is a problem for future Seokjin, so whatever.)

Before Seokjin can tell Namjoon to get out, his best friend is shoving his phone underneath Seokjin's face and presses play on a video that looks like drunk Seokjin from last night. The audio is jumbled and Namjoon's hand is shaking, but it is unmistakable what Seokjin is hearing.

Hi, I'm in love with you! Seokjin's voice yells from the phone and all the blood leaves his face because he's talking to Yoongi. Min Yoongi, his fucking soulmate!

Dread fills Seokjin as he continues to watch the video, only daring to speak once Namjoon's screen has gone dark. "Did I confess to Yoongi last night?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if you did, considering how drunk you were," Namjoon responds, laughing at the elder when his face pales.

Seokjin lets his face drop into his hands and groans, beginning to shake all over. "Oh, my god."

He confessed to Min fucking Yoongi last night. Holy fucking shit. Someone have mercy on his soul because Seokjin has fucked up plenty of times, but this is his biggest fuck up yet.

Seokjin is so screwed.

"I'm so sorry!" is the first thing that leaves Seokjin's mouth when he opens his door to find Yoongi standing there.

Yoongi stares at him for a moment in complete confusion, but then his expression clears and he shrugs. "You didn't throw up on me if that's what you're worried about, hyung."

Seokjin twists his hands together and moves aside so Yoongi can walk in, not liking how cold it is outside. He makes his way into the kitchen as Yoongi puts on the bunny house slippers and grabs the mugs of hot chocolate he made as Yoongi walked over here. Yoongi sits on the couch and takes the mug Seokjin hands him with a swift smile that feels a little too impersonal for Seokjin's taste, but he ignores the wiggling feeling and sits beside Yoongi on the couch with his own mug.

His breath practically freezes in his lungs when Yoongi scoots over to put space between them, but he takes a sip from his mug and acts like he didn't just shove an ice pick right through Seokjin's heart so Seokjin should follow his lead and pretend this is perfectly normal.

"Sorry, again," Seokjin whispers when the awkward silence has become too much, his face flaming as he focuses on his drink instead of Yoongi's face. "I know you probably wanted to have fun last night and instead got stuck with me."

Yoongi only shrugs again, still pretending like nothing is out of the ordinary. "It was your birthday after all. No one can blame you for getting smashed."

Seokjin slaps a hand to his forehead and groans, feeling a sweeping sense of relief when Yoongi laughs at his pain. "Sorry. This is why I didn't want a party."

"It's no biggie," Yoongi replies, smiling over the rim of his mug as Seokjin finally (finally) looks up at his face. "Happy late birthday, hyung."

"Thanks," Seokjin says even as a sour taste in the back of his throat makes him want to puke because Yoongi is lying.

It is definitely is a big thing with the unusual two feet of distance between them as they continue to sip hot chocolate on Seokjin's couch. Because Seokjin has not said jack shit about the confession and Yoongi is probably writing it off as drunken shenanigans, but Seokjin meant it. Yoongi doesn't know that, but even with him just excusing it because Seokjin was drunk at the time, he's still putting distance between them anyway.

Imagine if he knew Seokjin was more sure of that than anything else he had ever been sure about in his life? He would be heartbroken. More than that, he would be destroyed if Yoongi ever knew.

How Seokjin hates parties and Kim Namjoon right now.

#yoonjin #hyunglinenetwork #jinseoknet #kwritersworldnet #btsguild #betareadernet #bts #fluff #p:seokjin/yoongi #f:lgioa #m: fic

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homesteadchronicles · 7 years ago

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Meet the Kingdom Come Cast: Carmila Ramos

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

“You have heard of me, have you not? Carmila Adela Ramos? Merchant Princess of Via Evelis? ...no? Then you need a proper education. My fiancee, Emerico, and I spearheaded the founding of a national enterprise whose success has escalated to unfathomable heights. Along with my older brother, Cesar, we co-founded the Goldforged Trading Fleet: an armada of arms dealers that spans the South and beyond. Our company supplies both the peasants and the prestigious with weapons, armor - and accessories, for our less bloodthirsty but more attention-starved customers. Remember my name, darling - you will hear much more of it soon enough.”

How would you describe your family dynamic?

“You must know about the Ramos family scandal, don’t you? Half the swamplands know the story by now! You don’t? My, my. Lucky you. Understand that we Ramos’ come from a line of well-respected nobles, the wealthiest in all the isles, or so Papá told me. That changed when Papá crossed the pirates, of course. Stole our legacy out from under us - along with all of our money! That and his life, of course.

Mamá scraped together enough for some farmland out in the swamps. Cesar and I supported her however we could, but a stocked wallet cannot heal a broken heart. Still, for a time, family was all Cesar or I had left. We clung to one another...perhaps too tightly, at times. But what else were we to do?

Even now, we still hold onto strands of dependency. But I am a grown woman now. I do not need to hide behind Mamá’s skirts or send Cesar to sic my enemies. I love them, I promise, but I do not need them, either. Not with Rico at my side and an empire at my back.

Where did you grow up?

“That depends on the ‘when’. ‘When’ my mother still had me swaddled? I called Meridia, the jewel of Evelis, my home. I still miss it, even if only from memories and myths. Most of my life, however, I lived out in the swamps of the southern mainland. One little shack to call our own, all alone with our cows and coops. Lonely little existence, it was. We spent all our lives hoping to escape it, only to find ourselves back at Meridia. Funny. Life truly comes full circle, does it not?”

What do most people say or think about you?

“You know how nobles can be. You can’t believe a word that comes out their mouths! All those women, whispering away behind hand fans about how Duchess Gisela has been making eyes at the Duke of Santa Ría instead of her husband all night long, or how the Marquess de Pobrepuerto lost his fortune on hookers and hooch! All lies, every single one. They only speak ill of Gisela because she’s never looked more stunning, and the Marques has made half a million gold just by canoodling with the connections made here tonight. Lies fueled solely by jealous. I suppose they speak the same of me.

Certainly not to my face. They wouldn’t dare! No, they tell me how well my dress fits curvy women like myself, or how much better my makeup looked tonight than at the last gala. Can you hear the truth beneath the lies? Fat. They called me fat. Fat and ugly. To them, I have always been, and always will be. It is why I don’t need them, don’t bother associating with any outside of business. They can sneer and slander all they want, so long as they stay away from my money.

And the others? Mother and I have always been close, despite our differences. She swears I am her husband’s daughter, though I wouldn’t know what she means. We butt heads, true, but I do with everyone. It’s only natural. Cesar endures my temper the most. He rarely complains, soft-spoken as he is. Mayhaps he’s used to me after all this time. Maybe he grew tired of fighting - especially since I always won, anyways. The only one I’ve ever lost to is my dearest, Rico. A noble he may be, yes, but he wouldn’t dare speak ill of me! Not like the others. He could never be like them. I know he loves me. I know it, I trust it, and I don’t believe anyone who tells me otherwise.”

Do you have any significant aspirations?

“For years, my only hope had been to restore my family’s noble standing. With Cesar and I now on the cusp of securing our dreams, I...well, I am not quite sure, to be blunt. Where does one go when they have reached the top? Higher, I assume. There are few levels higher than this: rulers of an island? A seat on the Merchant’s Syndicate? A throne, a crown, and a kingdom? Only time will tell.”

Name one event that changed your life forever.

“Nothing could have prepared me for finding the hidden treasure underneath of our property. When Mamá purchased the land, I thought she had the most horrid judgment in the South. A swamp! For nobles? We ought to be walking on gold! Who would have thought that we were? For deep underneath of that poisoned soil lay a literal gold mine of untold wealth. Fame and fortune, once a far-off dream to us, now seemed as imminent as death had only hours beforehand. In a single moment, we became capable of anything and everything we set our minds to. And so our work began.”

State one interesting or unexpected fact about yourself!

“Oh, very well. If I must. Cesar keeps prodding me to tell you that, I...I have an accent. No, don’t gasp, that will only make it worse. It’s completely contained, I assure you! It just...slips out from time to time. When my emotions run away with themselves, I tend to forget how to keep my composure - something the other nobles never let me live down. What else can they expect from someone raised in the swamplands? Then again, that is all that they expect from someone like me. Someone like me should never speak to them in the first place.”

Why do you want to open the Seven-Sealed Vault?

“That old legend? You can’t possibly believe that, can you? It’s nothing but...a fairytale. Yes, well, I suppose I wish it existed, too, when you phrase it like that. I wish more fairytales came true. I know mine will. I will make my happy ending for myself. But what of all those people I grew up with in the swamps? What about the other little girls, trudging their only dresses through the mud day after day while they work to afford dinner that night, without any hope of escaping their everyday distress? If this so-called vault ever existed, I would used it wish to ensure that no girls ever ended up like that - like me - ever again. Everyone deserves their happily ever after.”

(Tagging: @khymnal, @novelistcore, @incandescent-creativity, @cog-writes, @madmooninc, @annabetchases, @lady-redshield-writes, @ivettaviolet, @aschenink, @taz-writes, @ava-burton-writing, @ally-thorne, @mustekissaotus, @theguildedtypewriter, @brimorganbooks, @firewritten, @pen-and-sword-writing, @breakeven2007. If you wish to be added to or removed from this list at any time, please let me know in the comments!)

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nightmareonfilmstreet · 7 years ago

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FINAL DESTINATION Continues to Cheat Death After 18 Years

I hope you don’t have a flight to catch today, because if you were superstitious like me, you’d cancel it! March 17th marked the anniversary of a movie that made everybody not only weary of planes, but a little weak in the knees for Devon Sawa as well- Final Destination. The film hit at the perfect time, capitalizing on the fear and paranoia people felt after a year of Y2K theories. Created by Jeffrey Reddick, Final Destination boasts one of the best horror movie premises of all time: a group of students cheat death after one has a premonition of his classmates’ fiery death. Now, Death is coming after them in the form of a gorey, Rube Goldberg-esque “accident”. Some thought the 90’s were a dark time for horror, but the new century was kicking off with a bang. How subversive to have a movie with Death himself as an invisible slasher.

Final Destination was a massive box office success, generating $112 million dollars on a budget of $23 million, spawning 4 sequel films. The best part? The sequels are just good as the first! It is rare to see a film franchise with the consistency of the Final Destination series, as they stay true to their roots. The five-film franchise would go on to develop a cult following and rake in over $665 million dollars worldwide, making it one of the most successful movie franchises of all-time. In honor of Final Destination’s 18th birthday, I re-watched all five movies and have ranked them from best to worst. How does the underrated franchise hold up over the years, and more importantly, how do you rank them? Let’s take a look at mine to start!

5. The Final Destination (2009)

Coming in last place, The Final Destination. The fourth installment in the franchise is unanimously the weakest film, mainly because of its laziness. Final Destination 3 was actually supposed to be the last film of the series, but in 2009 3D was just becoming a big thing so the franchise decided to capitalize on the new-again fad and head back into theatres. The result was a lackluster effort, with protagonists you didn’t care about at all and a bland premonition sequence. For the most part, all the kills are pretty forgettable. Every death scene was worked around 3D effects, which didn’t add any depth or enhance the film in any way. Die hard fans were not happy, but luckily this lead to one last film, and a proper send-off. Even as the worst film of the series, still a fun drunk watch that helps break up your ill conceived 10-hour movie marathon.

Best Death: The pool scene, and it’s not even close. Talk about your worst childhood fears come to life. I think we’ve all been worried about getting sucked into the bottom of the pool, at one time or another. This scene also gets extra points for featuring the very underrated 2009 hit Corona & Lime by Schwayze in the background.

4. Final Destination 2 (2003)

Final Destination 2 surprised me the most during my re-watch. Tragically, it does not hold up as much as the others. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still great. The use of practical effects mixed with CGI was still in its early days and I still get nervous in traffic behind semi-trucks transporting logs. But the rest of the film doesn’t hold a candle to that scene. The biggest detriment to the film was the dynamic between our protagonists. This film tried to band the survivors together, which only ends in soap opera style bickering. Final Destination 2 also sees the return of Clear Rivers from the first film, which felt like the result of a rewrites/reshoots, because she stuck out like a sore thumb. Later films would return to focusing on one or two of the main survivors, rather than the whole cast. Still an entertaining watch with creative kills, nonetheless.

Best Death: When Tim is crushed by a glass pane. It’s a fantastic bait-and-switch. He almost dies during his dentist appointment so we think he’s safe, only for poor Timmy to get smashed on his way out. Also satisfying because that kid was super annoying.

3. Final Destination (2000)

Sitting right in the middle is the one that started it all, the OG Final Destination, if you will. The first film holds up incredibly well, most likely because it’s the closest to a straight forward horror movie in the series. It operates like a typical slasher movie, except we can’t see the killer. People tend to lean to this film because it’s the least-indulgent of the franchise, with the majority of it’s kills based in tension rather than shock and awe. Heartthrob Devon Sawa is at the height of his powers, giving a very entertaining performance. I think the only reason I have this one further down is because I enjoy the Final Destination films a bit more when they are having fun, where this film is the more serious one. But as the original, Final Destination is still a solid film regardless, and with right argument, could still land at the top of any fan’s list.

Best Death: When Alex’s best friend Tod dies in the bathroom, giving the appearance that he killed himself.. This was the first death of the film and not only set the bar for the film, but the franchise as a whole. Devon Sawa also sells the scene fantastically with his reactions.

2. Final Destination 5 (2011)

It’s rare for a series to go out on a high note, but Final Destination 5 was the cherry on top for fans of the franchise. After fans and critics alike were left with a bad taste in their mouth after The Final Destination, the team decided to add one more installment. The fifth movie was a return to top-form as we got all the best parts of previous films rolled into one. A protagonist that we cared about, the most intense opening scene of the franchise, and some of the most bloody, intricate kills. Final Destination 5 had it all!

I think we can all agree that the most impressive part of the film was justifying it as the final movie. Director Steve Quale pulls a fast one on us and (Spoiler Alert) it’s a surprise prequel that loops back to the very first film. How they managed to keep this a secret still amazes me. And clearly, I wasn’t the only one impressed. Final Destination 5 is the highest reviewed film of the franchise, sporting the only positive Rotten Tomatoes rating at 62% Fresh. I like this one more and more each time I watch it, and it was extremely close to claiming the top spot.

Best Death: the gymnastics kill is a masterclass in tension, I still clench my fist through the whole routine and then the final image of her mangled body… *shudders*

1. Final Destination 3 (2006)

Starting off my list with a little controversy, as I’ve heard people call Final Destination 3 the worst film of the bunch. I disagree wholeheartedly. Much like the Saw franchise, everybody has a different favorite and watches them for different reasons. For me, the third installment gives us the best of both worlds of what the franchise has to offer: the more serious mystery aspect of how to stop death and the bloody campiness. In this one, we get a protagonist that we care about in the form of Mary Elizabeth Winstead in one of her first movie experiences. The roller coaster opening is brilliant because, what is scarier than meeting your bitter doom while having the time of you’re life at an amusement park? Oh the irony!

But getting down to business, what would these films be without its kills? The tanning bed death, the gnarly drive-through accident, and an insanely bonkers third act make Final Destination 3 the most wickedly fun film of the franchise.

Best Death: the scene where the macho football guy won’t stop working out when being warned about his imminent death, only to have his head crushed by the machine.

“There are no accidents, no coincidences, no escapes. You can’t cheat death.”

And that is my ranking of the Final Destination franchise! I’m sure your list looks a lot different than mine, but that’s the fun of this series. I truly do think the this franchise doesn’t get the love it deserves. The original film was so innovative as a highly realistic supernatural horror. The franchise has literally changed the way we look at the world when we get on a plane or even just walking down the street. 18 years later, and these films are still being watched. The Final Destination team understood its fan base and it’s identity, crafting one of the most entertaining franchises in horror.

To celebrate it’s adulthood, why not marathon the movies yourself! Just be sure to check all your doors and windows, because (in the words of William Bludworth portrayed by horror icon Tony Todd), “there are no accidents, no coincidences, no escapes. You can’t cheat death.”

The post FINAL DESTINATION Continues to Cheat Death After 18 Years appeared first on Nightmare on Film Street - Horror Movie Podcast, News and Reviews.

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#IFTTT #WordPress #horror #horror movies #nightmareonfilmstreet #nightmare on film street #horror pod

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murasaki-murasame · 7 years ago

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Danganronpa V3 Liveblog Part 8 [Chapter 2 - Trial Success]

Not gonna lie, this chapter kinda kicked my ass, and it’s basically entirely my fault, lol.

Thoughts under the cut.

Just to get it out the way, I honestly came disturbingly close to failing the trial a second time. Mostly because it took me a weirdly long time to figure out which weak point to use the Alibis for Yesterday truth bullet on, and then to remember that the concentration feature exists after several failed attempts at shooting it. Oh and then the sword battle section happened and I started panicking all over again because I didn’t think we’d have anything else after that before the Argument Armament, and something about the logic of the argument made it take me a few attempts to figure out which truth bullet to use. I also kinda suck at the actual gameplay of the sword battle segments. And THEN I lost like over half my goddamn health on the Argument Armament itself because I continue to be awful at rhythm games. My next priority skill-wise will almost certainly be getting that other one that makes those parts a bit easier.

So yeah this trial was a complete goddamn nightmare, but I can only really blame myself for it. I feel kinda dumb in hindsight for having expected it to be easy and predictable.

I really do wonder if anyone else had as much trouble with this as I did. I can at least see how Kirumi makes sense as a culprit, and how if you had a correct idea of how the murder happened, she’d be very immediately suspicious. So I guess at least SOME people must have guessed it right away. But I still wound up getting stuck suspecting Kaito, and then frantically suspecting basically everyone aside from Kirumi.

I especially feel like a bit of an idiot for not thinking about the piece of black fabric. I guess I just assumed it was some random material used to tie the ropes together.

Before I talk about the motive and whatnot, I should talk a bit about the trial in general since I didn’t really do so last time.

One of the more immediately surprising things was that Angie started immediately suspecting and questioning Himiko. I knew already that she’s pretty callous in her own way, but I didn’t expect her to start openly questioning someone who she just befriended and recruited into her religion.

Tenko’s still growing on me more and more as a character. She’s pretty flawed and short-sighted, but it’s always interesting to see characters deal with stress and desperation. I hope she gets a chance to develop further as a character.

I still don’t really like Kokichi, but he undeniably works great as a Komaeda-esque character who stirs shit up. I don’t really know how to word my opinions on him. I think his personality just grates on me much more than someone like Komaeda. Also his expressions are somehow getting more creepy and off-putting as time goes on. I do like that he’s not a super-competent genius manipulator, though. The only person who doesn’t immediately ignore him is Gonta, really, and a lot of his schemes get torn down at some point or another.

Oh, and that reminds me, I’m surprised that Keebo’s audio recording feature never came up again in this chapter, but it makes sense, since nothing audio-related happened in the case. I can only imagine that it’ll be used at some point later in a case, though.

I’m also still really happy that Kaito was innocent. I feel pretty bad about suspecting him for so long. He’s still a really neat character. I like how straight-forward and honest he is about everything. He’s working really nicely as a foil to Shuichi, with how he knows how to be blunt and somewhat harsh if he needs to motivate Shuichi to overcome his emotional hang-ups and insecurities. And of course he’s still a bit of an idiot who’s not very good at actual detective work and mystery-solving, so he needs Shuichi to help him. And I feel like Shuichi’s one of the relatively few characters who responds to Kaito’s overall personality in a positive way, and who tries to stay on his side and work with him. It’s a nice dynamic.

As for the murder case as a whole, it’s almost insane how complicated it is compared to it’s relatively simple end result. It’s no wonder that it was the Ultimate Maid who was able to nearly perfectly pull it off. I knew in advance that I had no real clue exactly how the mechanism of getting Ryoma killed and through the gym window worked, but I guess I had most of the gist of it down. It was just specific details of it that I couldn’t work out.

Part of me was expecting my guess about Kokichi actually being the Ultimate Prisoner to play a part in the trial, but I guess it didn’t. It makes sense that they wouldn’t just get rid of his character this early. I’m not discarding that theory, though. It may not have played into the trial, but I still think that he is indeed the Ultimate Prisoner, and that Ryoma’s bathroom was actually Kokichi’s lab.

I’m slightly surprised that this chapter actually managed to give me even more trouble than the first one did, but I like it. It’s fun to play a murder mystery game that feels genuinely challenging.

Onto the topic of Kirumi’s motive, I actually quite like it. It’s pretty fitting for how over-the-top these cases can be in this series. I can see why other people might think it’s too much, but I really loved the idea that she had been enlisted to become the de facto prime minister to help improve the country. It raised a pretty interesting ethical conundrum, with how everyone began to feel guilty about sentencing her to death because it might mean dooming an entire country’s worth of people. I wonder if someone could actually volunteer to be executed in someone else’s place. I’m guessing not.

Like with the last chapter, I appreciate that Kirumi’s motives were completely understandable, and she still felt like the same person afterward. It was really hard not to feel bad for her. It would have been nice if she could have escaped, but obviously she was never going to be able to. That one CG of her screaming while running was really well done.

Her execution was also pretty difficult to watch. I mean, all of them are, but the ones that involve people being slowly injured, and having to actively move through a damaging environment, are always uncomfortable to watch. My only real issue was that it was kind of unfortunate that the signs that random shadow people were holding weren’t redrawn to be in English, so I can only guess at what they meant. I guess they were meant to represent protestors who were demanding stuff from Kirumi as the de facto prime minister.

It was also interesting how the execution used the concept of that one story I’ve heard before about a sinner in Hell being given a string leading up to Heaven to climb, that snaps before they get to the top. It makes a lot of sense that it’d reference a story all about Heaven and Hell, given that this chapter’s title is literally A Thin Line Divides Heaven and Hell, and we also had a few different vague references to the idea of the school being a sort of Hell. Which is getting me even more curious about the idea that maybe it literally is a form of Hell.

I should also probably say that even though I get why some people might find the idea of the motive videos to be a bit forced, especially the idea that Kirumi was the only one to get her own video, but the basic concept has been around since the very beginning of the series, and I think this chapter did a good job of twisting the formula a bit. It was also pretty obvious that Monokuma and the Monokubs probably designed it specifically so that Kirumi would get her own video and be driven to murder. So I think it’s totally fine.

Though on the note of Monokuma and the Monokubs, I’m intrigued by the way that they don’t all seem to be on the same page, and might be messing with the game in their own ways. I’m not sure what to make of it.

Obviously the whole ‘unprecedented crisis’ is foreshadowing for later plot reveals. I’m curious to see what’s up with all that. It’s reminding me a little of the whole scenario of Junko overtaking the world with despair. I guess we’ll learn about it later. It makes me kinda curious about why Kirumi would have elected to lose her memories like Shuichi seemingly did, if she was so devoted to her country.

I stopped playing immediately into chapter three, but I still saw a brief flash of some sort of news report showing meteors raining down, so . . . maybe that’s part of it. I have no real clue.

Anyway, on the topic of Ryoma, I probably should have expected that he was complicit in the murder and allowed himself to die. I think I kinda idly suspected it, but I never thought about it deeply since it wasn’t important to figuring out who the culprit was. But it makes sense. It’s both depressing and kinda admirable that he allowed himself to die in order to potentially save the entire country. And I like how it showed that Kirumi didn’t simply take him by surprise, but instead she explained her motive to him and gave him time to agree to it before attacking him. Not that she would have backed down even if she needed to fight him over it, though. There’s also the detail of how even in spite of all the emphasis placed on Ryoma’s apathy about life, he still resisted death in his final moments, as shown by the struggle he put up in the bathroom. I don’t think Kirumi was lying or anything about him genuinely exposing himself to her attack, I just think that instincts took over for him when he was actually facing imminent death. It adds an interesting element to this chapter’s whole discussion of the idea of ‘having a reason to live’.

I also like that Ryoma was actually hoping he could find a reason to live by looking at his motive video. It’s interesting that he wasn’t so apathetic that he wouldn’t seek a chance to live if he could discover one. Which isn’t that much of a surprise, I guess, since he said before that he was jealous of how everyone else had reasons to live. It’s also really depressing to think that he must have been genuinely curious to see who Monokuma would say is his most important person. Though we now know that there was literally nobody. I think that Monokuma went out of his way to give him a ‘blank motive’ in order to set him up as a victim, though. Ryoma probably technically had SOMETHING that could have been put there. We even saw in this chapter earlier that Kaito has a lot of respect for him from his old tennis club days, and that he was annoyed at him because he wanted him to regain his will to live. So there’s at least one person who cared for Ryoma in his own way.

Then there’s the implication of him having blackmailed Maki about potentially exposing her identity as the Ultimate Assassin. That was neat. Even though Ryoma’s more or less a good person, he’s still someone with an experience in crime, and he’s not above things like this. I was gonna say that I’m not sure how Ryoma or Kokichi knew her real identity, but come to think of it, Ryoma had her motive video, and Kokichi had also presumably seen them all. He was probably lying about having ‘just checked who had which motive video without having watched them’. So her motive video probably just made it clear that she was the Ultimate Assassin, and since they’re the only people other than her who would have watched her video, it makes sense that they both knew about it. Now I’m wondering exactly what her motive video showed. I wonder if we’ll ever see it. I’m kinda surprised, but also happy, that the motive videos actually played a pretty huge part in this overall case, in multiple ways.

I was wondering why Maki was being so defensive about her room, and why she was so tight-lipped during the trial, but now it makes sense. I kinda hope we can see her lab now that the truth’s been exposed.

It’s also pretty interesting that this already opens up the idea of someone outright lying about their talent, which makes me even more confident in thinking that Kokichi’s probably also lying about his talent. I guess she was probably setting up a false identity for herself in order to remain as unknown and unsuspected as possible. I wonder how she’ll act now that everyone knows her big secret.

Come to think of it, I remember people thinking that she looked more like a ninja or an assassin when we first learned about her, so I guess this twist makes sense. I’d forgotten about it though, so I didn’t see this coming.

I’m very curious to see how the story continues now. It feels like it’d be pretty difficult to motivate anyone to kill after how these two chapters went.

In a metagame-y sense, I’m kinda expecting to get a female victim and a male killer soon, after two cases of a male victim and a female killer. That’s about the extent of my prediction, though. I’m not sure who exactly I’m expecting to see die.

Before I forget, I’m aware that I apparently missed one or two ‘backdoor’ options in the trial, but I can’t really imagine where they could have been. I’d have to basically retry the entire trial, which I have no real intention of doing anytime soon. I feel like, in general, it’d be much easier to find those options in hindsight, when you know who the killer is.

Overall, I thought this was a really good chapter, even if I feel a bit ashamed about having lost right near the end of it the first time around. I really wasn’t expecting it to feel equally as difficult, if not MORE difficult, than case one, but it really did.

#murasaki rambles #danganronpa #danganronpa v3 #danganronpa v3 spoilers

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itsclydebitches · 8 years ago

Link

Summary:

“Good things come to those who wait… provided they know what they’re waiting for.”

Moments in Barry and Cisco’s lives as they slowly and surely fall in love. It’s simultaneously the easiest and most complicated thing they’ve ever done.

(Part of the “Worth the Wait” series.)

Fandom: The Flash (TV show)

Words: 4,681

Warnings: None

Pairings: Barry/Cisco

This Section: Halloween plans between boyfriends. Picks up directly where "Worth the Wait" left off

Where to Read it: Below the cut or on AO3 (AO3 recommended for formatting)

Dynamic Duos

He’d hesitated about saying it. After all, things were nearly perfect in this moment: their meta of the week was safely locked away in the pipeline; the city otherwise quiet; Caitlin off on a date of all things, her first since Ronnie’s death; Dr. Wells had assured them all that he was quite happy with his book and that they should “Enjoy your Friday doing... whatever it is you kids do nowadays” (which had set off a debate regarding the connection between the age of fifty-two and ‘being old’); Joe and Iris were out for the weekend visiting cousins; Barry and Cisco had the house to themselves; there was a mountain of food to eat and Hocus Pocus on TV. What more could a guy ask for in life?

“I vibed this,” Cisco whispered, really hoping he wasn’t ruining the casual atmosphere with his sappiness. It kind of just bubbled out of him though. He hadn’t even recognized the scene until a moment before and when he had it seemed like something that needed acknowledgement. The fact that Barry’s response was to kiss him was... well...

Well.

“Fuck you’re good at that,” Cisco muttered, finally pulling back. Barry chuckled lightly against his lips, coming back in to nip once and brush his nose alone Cisco’s cheek.

“I’ve had a whole lot of practice.”

“Aww c’mon, dude. Not cool. I do not need to hear about your past conquests. Or any conquests for that matter.”

“Sorry,” Barry said, not sounding sorry in the least. He sat back for real and took up a handful of Cisco’s hair instead, twisting the strands absently. “You really vibed this though? Nice, nice. Did you happen to vibe whether you get me another Pepsi as well?”

Cisco scowled. “No way in hell I’m getting you that heathen substance. Drink Coke like the rest of us or get out.”

“It’s my house.”

“It’s Joe’s house and he’d support me on this.”

“Pleeeeease,” Barry moaned, grabbing hold of Cisco’s shoulders to wrench him back and forth.

“You’re the one with super speed!”

“I’m all sped out. Fighting a guy who controls water isn’t easy, you know. Or did you forget that I almost drowned tonight? I mean here I am, saving the whole city from imminent doom, and my lousy boyfriend won’t even get me a Pepsi...”

“Oh for fuck’s sake—” and Cisco scrambled out of Barry’s lap, swatting him with a pillow as he cackled. “Anything else I can get you, Oh Great and Mighty Flash?”

Barry had already sprawled out on the rest of the couch, popcorn bowl taking Cisco’s place. He made half of it disappear in an instant. “Nah. That’ll do for now. Like the name though.”

“I bet you do.”

Cisco shook his head, fighting a smile as he meandered into the kitchen. The truth was he was very aware that Barry had nearly died tonight, thank you very much, but that was just the thing—‘nearly dying’ had become a weekly thing with them. Repetition didn’t dull the experience at all, it just meant they had to get creative with their coping mechanisms, and humor had always been a go-to for the both of them. Cisco would get that man the goddamn moon if he asked for it, and Barry knew that he would—he’d do the same—but he also knew that Cisco needed to complain a certain amount first, otherwise they’d just be sobbing every other day and really, no one needed that.

Trauma was a weird ass thing.

“Ice?” he called, grabbing a can from the fridge.

“No thanks. Hey, you still nixing my Mary Poppins idea?”

Cisco rolled his eyes. “Yeah, dude. Keep trying.”

“Let’s see you do better then. We need epic, Cisco. It’s our first Halloween!”

Uh huh. First Halloween as friends. First as boyfriends. First with the world shiny and new and meta-filled. In a rare moment of camaraderie Singh had announced a party at the precinct the night of the 30th, something about bringing everyone together in the face of new threats, optimism during what was sure to be a rather dark holiday this time around, blah, blah, blah. Cisco thought the guy was just a softie at heart and wanted his squad pampered.

Barry in particular. Cisco had been there when he’d asked that Dr. Wells be invited too and Singh had hardly batted an eye. That was a damn lot coming from the man who’d previously been calling for his arrest.

And yes, Cisco was considering it his personal mission to make sure Dr. Wells dressed up too.

“Epic is my middle name, you know this!” No response from Barry. “You dead in there?”

Ah, more morbid humor. The fact that Cisco could simultaneously grin and feel a real stab of panic was probably cause for concern. He was already forgoing a glass and turning back when Barry did speak, his voice a little strained.

“No... hey, Cisco? Uh, I’m on TV...”

Brow furrowed, Cisco jogged back into the living room. “Yeah? So? I mean it’s cool and all, but you’re on the tube a lot nowadays.”

“No, I mean I’m on TV.”

He arrived just in time to catch what Barry meant: their movie had been interrupted with a montage of local CCPD police work, including a shot of Barry taking samples from a mugging last week. It was kind of weird, seeing him bent seriously over a zipped up corpse as well as sitting befuddled on the couch.

“That’s freaky,” Barry announced. “I’ve never actually gotten to see my face before. It’s like when you hear a recording of yourself, you know?”

“I hear you,” Cisco said and felt the obligatory pain as Barry smacked him for the pun. “What’s going on?”

The report turned to Captain Singh in what looked like a live announcement at the precinct. Cisco checked the clock—only 6:00pm—and Barry’s shrug told him he didn’t know anything more about it. Poor Singh looked done in though as he stood before a small collection of reporters. His next words made it pretty clear why.

“—annual holiday gathering,” he was saying, “and we’ve decided to expand that to All Hallows’ Eve as well. Originally this was meant to be a small event within the department, however, at Dr. Wells’… generous suggestion—” here Singh’s throat worked like he was swallowing lemons. “The party will instead take place at STAR Labs and be open to the public for a set period of time. The guest list otherwise—”

Cisco tuned the rest out, pointing an angry finger at the TV. “No, no! Dr. Wells is just doing this so he can play ‘host’ and not dress up! This is an obvious and feeble attempt at getting out of a costume, and I will not let it stand! I mean yes, mega party at the Labs is awesome, and it’s probably gonna be great for our PR, but also no.”

He expected instant agreement from Barry, quick-thinking plans about how to circumvent this new obstacle, but Barry had set the popcorn aside and was now staring fixedly at the television. A related report had begun, the newscaster speaking animatedly about how ‘The Flash’ costumes were selling out everywhere and were expected to be the most popular outfit this year.

Cisco snorted. “Drink your damn Pepsi and don’t let that go to your head.”

Barry was still staring though. “Cisco,” he said slowly. “You can make anything, right?”

“Can I—what kind of an insulting question is that?”

Barry looked up, a rather impish grin beginning to light up his face. “Can you make another version of the Suit? Like, a really awful version?”

“I... yes? But why the hell would—?”

“Because I want to go as The Flash,” Barry interrupted. He nodded decisively. “And who better for you to be than Flash’s mysterious, part-time comrade Vibe?”

Oh my god.

An awful version of the Suit. Cheap, shitty goggles for him and a slightly inaccurate chest piece. Costumes decent enough that you could tell who they were meant to be, but still awful enough that no one would suspect they were actually them.

The trolling to end all trolls. Dr. Wells was gonna throw a fit.

Cisco solemnly held out his hand for a fist-bump. Barry met it with enthusiasm.

“That, my gorgeous friend, is the epic-ness we were looking for. I only wish I’d thought of it myself.”

Barry spread his arms. “I try.”

“I taught you well, is what you mean.”

“You wish.”

Hocus Pocus finally came back on. Their cells lit up with texts from Caitlin asking if Dr. Wells had finally lost his mind and there was a Pepsi can gathering condensation on the coffee table. Barry and Cisco ignored it all in favor of sketching up some costumes.

#Flash #The Flash #Barry/Cisco #Barry Allen #Cisco Ramon #flashfic

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murasaki-murasame · 7 years ago

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Danganronpa V3 Liveblog Part 2 [Chapter 1 - Daily Life]

Yeah I may as well put the rest of this under a read-more right from the start since I wanna get right into spoilers.

Just to jump right to the end of what I played because it’s the elephant in the room, I called Rantarou being the first death before the game even came out in Japan. But I think everyone did. It was really obvious that either he was going to survive for most/all of the game, or be killed off immediately to troll everyone because he’s set up as being so mysterious and presumably plot-important. I’m not really angry about it, but it’s just kinda funny that I called this nearly a year in advance. Thankfully the rest of the game should be less predictable than this, since this was the only real thing I confidently predicted back then. Also for the record I had no actual, genuine idea about this in advance, it was just a guess of mine.

It’s weird that in the demo version they had him [and Keebo] sit out of the trial, when he ended up not surviving long enough to take part in a trial in the main game.

Either way, it’s at least kinda amusing that he died immediately when he felt so similar to Komaeda. Obviously it’s still lame to see him die so soon, but at least his character played out differently to Komaeda.

[Also for the record I’m hoping that Kokichi saying ‘my dearest Rantarou’ was just him making an inappropriate joke, because hoo boy it was bad enough when DR3 ended with the Bury Your Gays trope. I’d be genuinely angry if this game STARTED with it. I’m pretty sure it’s just a joke, but it does remind me that Kokichi/Rantarou was actually a relatively popular crack ship in the fandom, at least back before the game came out in Japan]

I stopped playing directly when the investigation officially started [so technically I played a few minutes of the Deadly Life segment but that was because the game didn’t let me save for a while], so I can’t exactly speculate much about the case, and I don’t want to. I’ll save that for after I play the investigation, since I’ll actually have proper clues to work with then. I know that the investigation part will probably be a lot shorter than this part, but I want to take a break between it and the trial so that I get a chance to sit down and post some speculation before I go through the trial and figure out what happened. So my next post might be a bit short. Maybe. Knowing me, it probably won’t be.

Since I was scared this would happen, I tried to talk to him as much as possible, but I only managed to have one actual scene with him. I also had one with Shuichi. Now that Rantarou’s out the way, I guess Shuichi will be the person I prioritize most in free time events. Not sure who else I’d go with. I’m kinda curious about Keebo since his backstory seems interesting, but I dunno. I kinda want to see what Kokichi’s deal is, but part of me also feels like he’s probably gonna stick around for a long time so I’m less inclined to prioritize him. Maybe I should talk to Maki more, since she seems like the type who I’ll need to really get to know before I see more sides to them.

Overall, I was sorta surprised by how much I really liked this part. I mean, I’m a big fan of the series in general, but I’ve been a bit worried about whether or not I’d actually enjoy this game and it’s cast. Thankfully those fears are getting dissipated. I was also afraid that it’d feel too similar to the first two games, but there’s enough different things happening that it’s enjoyable.

One of the things that surprised me most was the motive. Or, well, motives. I did not expect the stakes to get so high that quickly. The whole idea of ‘the first murder will happen consequence-free’ is actually really interesting, and an effective way of motivating a murder. But it definitely makes Monokuma seem way more desperate than he used to be. Especially when, like a day after the first motive, he was like ‘oh and if nobody dies soon, you all die’. At that point he’s literally forcing people’s hands, more or less. Which isn’t a criticism, really. It’s an interesting approach to take. Especially since nobody ended up actually using that motive to kill. The whole part where nobody outed themselves as being Rantarou’s killer, and Monokuma announced that they’d hold a class trial in that case, was really intriguing. It’s really making it hard to guess at the culprit’s motive.

On a similar sort of note, I was not expecting the part where Ryoma suggested that somebody murder him so they could escape and find help. I thought at first that he’d just generally suggest the idea of someone going through with murdering someone, but I probably should have expected him to be all self-sacrificial, given his attitude. I said it last time, but I REALLY like Ryoma as a character thus far.

I said I wouldn’t speculate much about the murder, but lol I can’t help myself now that I’ve seen the body. I can only make vague judgments about it, though. Like how it seems pretty obvious that Rantarou wasn’t directly murdered by someone, but instead somebody probably set a metal ball on the bookcase so that it’d roll off and hit his head when it opened. Maybe that’s just my first guess because Kaede already brought up the idea of Rube Goldberg machines earlier in the chapter. It’d also explain how the murder will remain mysterious even with photographic evidence. There probably wasn’t anyone else in the room. I assume that Monokuma would still consider the identity of the hypothetical ball-placer to be the culprit, so then the big mystery is figuring out who did that, when there’s presumably no evidence. But then again the ball could have only, in this scenario, been placed on the bookcase after the equipment was set up, otherwise Shuichi would have noticed it at the time, or the alarm would have gone off. Unless he’s the killer, which I’m really doubting.

Ignoring the option of Shuichi being the killer, he and Kaede at least have alibis. I don’t know if anyone else would have. I’ve kinda forgotten if the equipment got placed early in the morning, or right before those two hid in the classroom, so I’m not sure what time frame to work with for this one, in terms of figuring out alibis.

I feel like the seven people who went to the game room are probably being set up as people who all have mutually-verified alibis, at least. Which leaves like seven other people.

Oh well, I won’t think about it too hard until I finish the investigation.

On the topic of Shuichi, I also really like him as a character. I liked him after the prologue, but learning a bit more of his story made me like him even more. He’s a really interesting take on a detective character. I’m glad he’s not just another Kirigiri. I can really get why he feels so uncomfortable about the idea of pursuing the truth, when he ended up exposing someone who did a revenge-killing for sympathetic reasons.

I also just really like his dynamic with Kaede. They’re just adorable and mutually supportive and I love it. I’m not gonna lie, I kinda low-key ship them already. I have low standards for this sorta thing, lol.

Kaede’s also pretty interesting as a protagonist, especially in terms of how people react to her. It was kinda sad seeing everyone [well, nearly everyone] hate her for being optimistic and leader-y and wanting everyone to keep trying to escape. Considering how it’s already giving her confidence issues, I wonder if that’ll be an ongoing thing, with most of the cast not wanting to be bossed around by her. I couldn’t really blame them after how the Death Road of Despair part went, but they still took it too far.

Also on that note, fuck the Death Road of Despair. That was so awful to experience. Considering how the story played out, I imagine that the game was genuinely rigged against you, and it sure as hell felt like it. I hope that if this game ever shows up again in a less evil context, the controls aren’t so weirdly floaty and hard to control. I kinda wish I could have recorded the way my reaction to it went from ‘oh this sounds simple, just run and rump’ to ‘wait the fuck why is everyone dead’ in ten seconds.

Anyway, I’m really enjoying seeing more of the characters, and seeing them start to form their own dynamics and stuff. It’s only just starting, but it’s already interesting to watch unfold. I’m especially surprised by how Tenko pretty much immediately got a crush on Himiko and is now just following her around and acting so excited about the idea of magic. It’s really endearing me to her.

This part also continued to reaffirm my love for Gonta. He’s an incredibly sweet boy who doesn’t deserve the death that he’s presumably going to experience. He tries his best.

I’m happy that Kaito is at least trying to be on Kaede’s side. He’s a good dude thus far.

Conversely, I probably should have expected that Maki would be rude and unsociable. I’ll probably still try and spend free time with her and get to know her, though. It makes me feel like there’s something really interesting under her cold exterior that I’d never get to see if I just avoided her.

Angie’s kinda starting to creep me out, which I wasn’t expecting. Like, the blood sacrifice joke was one thing, but now she’s talking about happily accepting imminent death because Atua will welcome her into his kingdom, or Atua punishing liars, and stuff. But then again she also unironically says bye-onara and that makes me really like her.

I guess I may as well comment on Rantarou’s character in general, since this might be my last time to. I wish I could have gotten to know him better, but the one event I had with him didn’t tell me much. I’m still not sure what to make of him. He’s also kinda creepy, but I still like him. I’m not gonna deny that most of my bias toward him is still because I love [most of] his design, though. I wonder if we’ll ever learn what his talent was, since that’s still a mystery. Maybe it’ll be a plot point during the trial. I’m also curious about the fact that he seemed to have some memories related to the Ultimate Hunt, which is still suspicious to me in general as a concept. I really can’t help but feel like this game is set in some future post-DR3 where the rest of society decided to criminalize talent or something. Or they had a grudge against the whole Ultimate Initiative, and Hope’s Peak Academy, and thus they decided to hunt down everyone related to it, or something. Who knows.

I’m really surprised by the fact that none of the characters have said anything about the implication of them being criminals, with how they’re in an academy for Gifted Juveniles. You’d think that’d raise some questions from them.

Also, I wonder if everyone’s labs are going to be actual places we can at least see on the map. I think thus far we can only see Kaede’s and Miu’s rooms. Maybe the rest will open up as time goes on. On the note of their labs, I should check and see if I can go to Kaede’s one now. I kinda forgot to check it out. I think I tried to check once but the plot was railroading me elsewhere and I forgot about it after that.

Oh, and before I forget, I didn’t miss that one line from one of the Monokubs where they were obviously teasing at what’s going on in the big picture, but basically blotting out the important info. I can’t quite remember exactly what he said, though, but I remember it seeming immediately important.

And also, on the note of Monokuma, that one Monokuma Theater joking about the idea of getting confused about what happened and in what part of a long-running franchise really felt like a self-deprecating joke about how long this series has gotten. [Also the Yokai Watch reference was pretty hilarious]

I guess that’s all I have to say for now. I’ll probably just play the investigation part tomorrow, even if it might be kinda short, and then I’ll do the trial the day after. I don’t really have any predictions about who the killer is, other than that Shuichi seems really damn suspicious right about now.

#murasaki rambles #danganronpa #danganronpa v3 #danganronpa v3 spoilers

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