#totally open to criticism btw!! just trying to figure out what would be best

[fight-nights-at-freddys]

okay second poll regarding the proship carrd -

i lowk enjoy making carrds so it wouldn’t be that big a deal (and yes, still working on the google doc and masterpost ^.^)

[serenity349]

That smile

Pairing: Yandere!Childhood friend x You, Nameless!boyfriend x You for a bit (no cheating btw)

Tws: Yandere, drugging, hinted at character death.

 Note: This is my first post on here and also the first time I'm writing something like this.

I didn't name the yan or the boyfriend.

Constructive criticism is appreciated.

English is not my first language.  ____________________________________

Your boyfriend was so sweet and caring that you felt that he was the perfect man for you, and you saw a future with him despite only having been in an official relationship with him for around six months. You wanted to let the whole world know that you were dating this amazing man, so you decided to start by introducing him to your closest friend, a friend who had been with you since your early childhood.

"Ah, so you are the boyfriend that Y/N will not stop talking about; it is great to finally meet you."

Your friend said that as he stretched his hand out and shot his signature smile at your boyfriend, the two of them shook hands. You noticed the rather tight grip your friend had on your lover's hand; he had done that to others as well. It was just a joke, so you brushed it off. You figured that things would go well, and they did. Everything went better than you originally thought it would. 

However one thing was strange, your beloved friend's smile didn't quite reach his eyes. that was alright, You figured that he probably just didn't feel comfortable with him yet, or maybe this was a bit awkward for him. Either way, it seemed like he had gotten over those feelings, as the two of them seemed to be getting along by the end of the night.

The very next day your oh so loving boyfreind didn't pick you up for the date that he had planned for the two of you, he didn't respond to any of the texts you sent nor did he pick up his phone when you called him. You thought that maybe he suddenly had something important to do, so you sent him a text telling him that it was fine and he could explain whatever happened today to you later.

He never responded to you; he didn't even open the door when you went to his house, and eventually, after two weeks of trying to contact him, you gave up. You were heartbroken; the man you loved had completely disappeared from your life. Fortunately, you had your best friend right beside you as you were going through this rough patch in your life. He held you while you cried, he comforted you, and he binged on ice cream while badmouthing your ex with you as well.

With his help, you had gotten over your now-ex boyfriend; in your mind, he was a total douchebag and a coward. You had thought of him that way until you heard from neighbors of his that he had packed up and left the minute he got home after he met up with you and your friend that day—that was strange. You hadn't thought he would've left the city; did meeting someone so close to you make him realize that this relationship was real and he got scared or something?

Naturally, you got curious; the whole situation was just too strange. You decided to do some investigating; just to satiate your curiosity of course. You talked to his family, and you even talked to his boss, and after you did that, the whole situation seemed even more strange.

You were concerned and you didn't know what to do, so of course you talked to your best friend about it. You always felt better after telling someone about your issues, and who better to tell than him?

You had shown up at his house in the middle of the night, and he let you in; he was worried about you. He could tell something was bothering you, so he sat you down on his couch and went off to make some tea for you. He came back quickly enough. You ended up getting lost in your thoughts; you didn't even hear his footsteps. You jumped up when you heard the sound of a tea cup being set down on the table in front of you.

"Here, drink up." It'll calm your nerves. He smiled at you, and right now that smile was just what you needed. You picked up the tea cup and blew on it before taking a sip. It tasted a bit unusual, but then again, your friends' tastes when it came to tea had always been a bit strange and didn't quite match up with yours, so you brushed it off.

"Hey, do you think he got into trouble or something? Because he apparently cut off all contact with his family, they said he had always been flighty, but even they thought something was wrong this time, and you know I talked to his boss too. He said that he didn't even hand in a letter of resignation; he didn't even text anyone anything; he just stopped coming into work."

Once you were done talking, you took a well-needed breath. Your best friend shook his head and sighed.

"Why do you even care?" He left you, didn't he? Plus, his family said he has always been flighty; this is probably just normal for him."

You frowned at that; you understood that he was probably angry at your ex, but right now the man could possibly be in a ditch somewhere. You took another sip of tea. 

"The situation is just strange; his neighbors said he packed up and left in a hurry. He could be dead right now, you know? Something could've happened to him"

Your friend didn't respond to that; he just stared at you. Wait, no, he wasn't staring at you; he was staring at the tea cup you were holding. You raised an eyebrow at that. There was nothing interesting about the tea cup; it was strange that he was just so intently staring at it. You took another sip, confused, and he looked back up at you.

"Why do you care about him so much?" Why is he so important to you? He wasn't good enough for you, and he definitely didn't love you as much as you loved him; he didn't love you as much as I do."

Those words sent a chill through you, and you started to get a bad feeling. You set down your tea cup, you noticed your hands were shaking and they were getting kind of sweaty. You got up off of the couch, stepping away from him; he got up as well. Your vision was starting to black out.

"What was so good about him? What makes him better than me? He didn't even care about you like I do, and he didn't know you like I do. I bet he couldn't even name your favorite color."

He stepped right in front of you, and you didn't back up; you couldn't back up. It felt like you had no control over your body, and you knew you were about to pass out. Your knees gave out, and before you could hit the floor, the person who was once one of the closest people to you caught you. He was saying something, but you couldn't tell what he was saying.

The last thing you saw before you passed out was his signature smile; the smile that brought you comfort whenever you saw it now only brought a great feeling of dread and horror to you.

____________________________________

[foxymoxynoona]

Omg. You had a surgery? Please be rested and take care of yourself. What surgery did you have btw? Is it too painful now?

Fun fact: this surgery for this type of rare tumor I guess has never been done before and my surgeon joked he's going to name it after me 😂😁 I'll put more info below the cut for those who don't want medical stuff on their TL.

I had a VERY large tumor in my small intestines --now confirmed to be totally benign, but no one understands how it got that big or why because it just doesn't happen. My surgeon couldn't believe I hadn't already had an emergency blockage, it was so big. It's also been taking all my blood and nutrients for a while, so my nutrition is, as they put it, "shitty." Mainly I just was aware I've had really really bad anemia for the past few years, and I was hospitalized in May with a hemoglobin of 5 (which you basically die under, that's so critically low.) They weren't sure what would be necessary to remove the tumor, so I had an open exploratory laparotomy where they basically just go in and figure it out, but we had expected I would need a whipple procedure which is a VERY risky precedure where they remove a bunch of your digestive organs and re-route what's left. (I can explain more why if anyone is curious, I learned a lot about it haha.) FORTUNATELY once they got in there, I didn't need the whipple! They were able to remove the tumor and only my gallbladder and a couple bile ducts along the way.

Even this was still a major surgery though with lots of risks and I've had a few complications that wound up lengthening my hospital stay. 2 days after surgery, I developed a leak which can be a fatal complication or need an emergency surgery to fix, so that was scary, but my body managed to maintain and fix it all on its own after some scary days and only minor assistive procedures! I kept having random white blood cell increases they feared were infections but then I'd fight them off. They also put me on IV nutrition through a PICC line to try and repair my malnourishment as best they could, but also because I can't eat a normal amount of calories yet, so my blood and nutrition levels are still not back to normal ranges but improving!

I finally got to come home after 13 days. It's still early recovery days and I'm still on soft food diet and strict rest and have follow up appointments and all that, but I'm doing a little better each day! It's been a really scary journey getting here, but hopefully things can continue to improve from here. The pain is pretty bad and I have a gnarly midline scar now but I'm coping and it's getting better and and someday soon I may feel better than I've felt in years so that would be really great! And hopefully no more scary life-threatening hospital stays or anemia!

[elliewilliamsismommy]

you’re stuck with me

a/n: hey guys! so this definitely isn’t my best work but i figured i’d put out my first little fic so that you can get a sense of how i write :) totally open to suggestions and criticism… i’m always looking to improve my writing

warning: mental health issues, ptsd, depression, joel being alive (slay), smut, kind of public sex? orgasm delay, overstimulation, squirting, fingering, you eat ellie out like it’s your last meal… usual lesbian shenanigans yk

oh yeah btw i love sub ellie so we’re just gonna make this a thing just this once tehe totally self indulgent but i’m such a slut for whiny ellie

summary: you and ellie visit jackson after things have been weird between the two of you. dinner at joel’s, “sleeping” in his guest bedroom… you get the gist just read the damn fic

your life was fun on the farm. taking care of the animals and ellie, the both of you going on little hunting dates everyday, and coming home to the domestic lifestyle that you shared. it was a routine. but recently, things have been different. she’s quiet. she’s always asleep. not to mention that things have been lacking in the intimacy department, which is abnormal for your relationship. you both needed change.

so, you decided to force her to jackson for a week. which brings us to the current situation. sat at joel’s old oak dinner table with creaky chairs that squeak every time you breathe. ellie’s hand rests in yours reassuringly as you and joel catch up.

“so how are things here, joel?” you ask.

“well, it was a rough winter last year for us, as you probably remember, so we’re pretty much in recovery now. nothing too interesting. how about you two? how’s the farm? been keepin’ busy?”

“we always try, right babe?” you turn to face ellie after what felt like hours of small talk with your girlfriends lovely father. no response. you and joel make eye contact. you both know that something’s up.

“you okay, els?” you whisper in her ear. she drops your hand and stands.

“i’m tired. thanks for dinner joel” she says as you blankly watch her grumble up the stairs. you turn to joel with tears in your eyes.

“god, i’m sorry, joel.” your voice begins to break. “i don’t know what’s going on with her and i don’t know how to make it better an-“ a choked sob erupts from your mouth.

“hey! it’s gonna be okay. just talk to her. she’s ellie. she’s just stubborn. she loves you.”

“you’re right i’m just worried about her you know? this isn’t like her. she’s been distant and i don’t want to make things worse.” at this point the tears are flowing in an endless stream. you taste the salty sadness as it falls down your cheeks. you go to cover your face but knock over your water in the process, and the cold liquid spills all over your lap and on the table.

“god joel, i’m a mess. let me help you clean this up.”

“no, no. go talk to her. i’ve got it” joel explains as he gets up from his seat and pulls you into his arms. after a moment, he pulls away.

“are these goddamn tears on my shirt? go clean up, you sap” he laughs.

“yeah, yeah. i’m going” you chuckle.

you turn to the stairs and head to the room that you and ellie share. you knock on the closed door.

“ellie?” you call out.

“come in”

you open the door to reveal your drained girlfriend curled up in bed, with tears staining the pillow cases. without saying a word, you crawl into bed behind her and get under the covers. your hand travels to her bare hip and the other strokes her auburn hair. you lay there for what feels like an eternity, just breathing her in. breathing it all in. it pains you to see her so depressed.

“you know i love you more than life, right? and you can always tell me anything. i don’t want to pry and you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but i just miss you and i wish you would tell me what’s going on.”

“yeah, i know.”

“and joel and i are worried. you don’t have to carry this all yourself. that’s why we’re together, so we can lean on each other and get through things together.”

“i know.” she turns to face you. she smiles for what feels like the first time in months.

“i love you…” ellie says, “too much. i’ve been having dreams - well more like nightmares - where you’re dying and i cant do anything about it. and it kills me to see you like that. it’s just my ptsd and my panic attacks are back and i don’t want to be a burden or bother you and i just want to be strong for you because i want to take care of you.”

“babe, you will never be a burden! i’m always here for you! it’s my job. we could have worked on it together. i’m right here, and i’m not going anywhere. you’re stuck with me.”

you pull her in closer and place a kiss on the tip of her nose. as you begin to pull back, her head chases yours, her lips longing for your touch. you close the gap between you, and you kiss like it’s the first time. soft, sweet. she tastes just like always. your body is on fire, and so is hers. her hands pull at the hair on the nape of your neck, attempting to get closer to you, if that’s even possible. your tounges tangle together and ellie climbs over you to straddle your lap, not breaking the kiss. your hands travel up and down her sides, brushing up against her cold skin below her tank top and above her underwear. she shudders under your touch and moans into your mouth as she begins to shift her hips uncomfortably over yours.

“els… what are you doing?” you say as you pull away from her lips, mostly for air.

“i miss you. i need you.”

“babe… joel is right downstairs. what if he hears?” you question.

“we’re just going to have to be quiet then.”

there she was. the ellie you knew. still in there.

“we? let me take care of you. i want to make you feel good” you explain.

you roll over so that you’re on top of her, and connect your lips with hers once again. you feel her legs start to close, so you shove a thigh between them.

“fuck-“ she whines.

“so desperate, els. i’ve barely even touched you yet and i can feel how wet you are through your underwear. my poor, poor baby.”

the friction of your jeans on her thigh makes her groan under your touch. she begins to rub herself against you.

“what do you want, baby?”

“i- i want you.” ellie responds, voice barely above a whisper.

that was all you needed to hear. you glide your hands from her cheek to her stomach, and slip a finger past the waistband of her underwear. you brush over her clit and she grabs your shoulders from how sensitive she already is.

“sorry. keep going” ellie begs.

you gather her slick onto your fingers and begin to circle her clit, causing her eyes to roll back into her head.

“oh my god” she whispers.

you gradually increase the pace, but it’s not enough for her.

“y/n- i need more” ellie whines.

“what do you say?”

“please, please i’ve been so good please i need-“ she is cut off as you slide a finger into her needy hole. her back arches and she lets out a loud moan. you quickly cover her mouth.

“you have to be quiet, els.”

“i’m sorry, i’m sorry. please move” she begs.

you start thrusting your finger slowly inside and out of her. gradually increasing the pace. you can feel her spongy walls clenching against your finger and sense that she still needs more. you remove your fingers and she groans, before you quickly shove two fingers back inside of her.

“that’s my good girl.” she nearly cums right then and there from the praise.

you pick up the pace and begin thrusting in and out of her sweet cunt at a pace that she can barely handle, and she starts to tighten around you.

“oh god, y/n. i’m gonna cum.”

“not yet ellie.”

“please let me cum. i cant do it.” she says a bit too loudly.

“yes you can. cmon pretty girl. wait.”

you press your thumb to her clit and her hips begin to grind into your hand. her eyes squint closed and her back arches as she releases around your fingers. you don’t let up.

“oh fuck. shit- y/n! it’s too much, please.”

“ellie i told you not to do that. i said wait.”

“i’m sorry, please”

your pace only increases. you hold her hand as you move your head down to her glistening cunt and begin to suck on her clit mercilessly. her hips jump at the touch and she squirms. your spit runs down her desperate pussy, mixing saliva with her previous release. you can tell she’s not going to last much longer.

“please… don’t fucking stop- god!”

“cum for me ellie. cum all over my face.”

her whole body tenses up and she orgasms for the second time that night. but this time is different. she soaks the sheets and your face.

“fuck!” she says with a broken voice as she squirts all over you. you lap up all that she released and cleaned her thighs with your tongue.

“you’re so hot, ellie.”

you grab a towel from the closet and beging to wipe her thighs and your face down as she starts to come back to reality. you brush the sweaty hair off of her face and pull her underwear back onto her.

“you okay?” you ask.

“i’m perfect” she says with a smile.

“i love you.”

“i love you too.”

[kiisaes]

Kii hiiii!!!! I want to start doing commissions soon but I have no idea how and where to start. I mean yeah I'll make a comission sheet and specify stuff I know those basics. But like how do I kinda know that people would actually comission me for stuff? How did you know when to start and like what was your whole process like? Don't mind me I'm just trying to ask about this to some artists I admire and who do commissions what their experiences were like so don't feel too pressured to answer this lol

hi anon!!! that's a really good question that i unfortunately feel like i'm unqualified to properly answer, because my commission work experience was also ... how you say ... less than desirable LOL. i didn't even make a commission sheet and my overall process was super wonky so you're already doing better than me!

honestly i don't think there's any real way you can gage if you even will get commissioners. the shitty thing about any freelance work is that opportunities aren't guaranteed, and you just have to put your foot out there and hope for the best. which is scary and overwhelming, i know! especially if you're down on yourself and your abilities, because your brain will always try conjuring up reasons as to why you shouldn't. i'm pretty sure almost every artist out there has felt like their art isn't good enough so people won't commission them — trust me, i've totally been there and i'm still there LOL — but those nagging voices in your head telling you that you're full of shit ... are full of shit and you should just ignore them. or at the very least, live unbothered by them.

because the fact is, you are your worst critic! you'll always spot mistakes and flaws in your work that others literally won't even notice. so in regards to when to start, i'd honestly say whenever you feel ready to, you should! there's always art appreciators out there who i'm sure would love to give artists a shot, whether beginner or master, a rookie or wholly experienced. i can't guarantee that you'll have customers, but not trying at all already bars you from any customers in the first place. if you try and you fail, take comfort in the fact that you tried!!! that's already amazing!!!

that being said, i think probably the "easiest" way to get commissioners is to understand your audience. know what your viewers like to see from you, and perfect that! and honestly i feel quite hypocritical saying this because i go to art school and the overall vibe here is "draw for yourself and don't sell out" but the truth hurts and that truth is, if you're looking to grow a client base and make money off of your art, it doesn't hurt to draw stuff you know your audience eats up. it leads to more interest in your art, and more potential people who are willing to pay you for that art. it also might make you seem more credible as someone who draws distinct things and people follow you for those things! i hope some of this makes sense because i am so bad at wording sentences that i end up going on long rambles LOL

personally, i'm very spontaneous and i just do things without even thinking twice, so i opened ko-fi commissions last year literally because i was bored and i wanted to avoid my other trillion responsibilities. i figured if i could get some money off of my art, why not give it a shot? i did NOT expect people to commission me actually, but it was a pleasant surprise that people found my art interesting enough to pay for :) i didn't make a sheet (which i probably should ... heh) but i have drawn enough uncolored line work art + flat color work where i think my audience knew what they were getting into (uncolored line art and flat color were the initial two options i provided btw).

i also think pricing plays a huge part into whether people will commission you, which is honestly so ass because i'm a firm believer that the majority of artists, myself included, undersell their work. like, reeeaaallly undersell it. i'm talking "this artist should charge $100 or more for what they're offering but they're only charging $40?!" kind of deal. art is a product of both time and energy, and is a direct antithesis to capitalist work demands. you can't force an artist to churn out art like a machine would, and an artist's efforts towards making a personalized art piece should also be taken into consideration regarding pricing ... but unfortunately people don't want to pay a lot for commissions. and it's understandable because not everyone has enough money to throw around whenever they feel like it, so oh well. anyway my point is if you charge lower, you're probably more likely to get people willing to pay :( it sucks i know, but that's just how it is. i'm sure your prices can raise exponentially once you have credibility as a reliable commission artist though!

i hope some of this helps ?? i'm not like a seasoned commission artist or anything but this is just from my own experiences ... your experiences might be completely different! so take my advice with a grain of salt as well but uhh yea B)

[maerenee930]

I’ve been trying to figure out for quite a while now what peyton’s (My OC and Klaus’ best friend 😅) power could be. Oh and before I forget, her full name is Peyton Lovelis 😊 (I’ve been struggling to come up with a last name for her lol) So, I thought maybe she could be immortal. But Klaus in the comics has that ability. I thought maybe telepathy but, it just didn’t feel like that would be right for her. So I’ve been trying to come up with something that I felt would fit her. And since she’s kind of similar to me, I thought about her possibly being an empath. (Whether you believe in that or not, which is totally okay if you don’t, I feel that I am an empath. There’s a lot of reasons as to why I feel that way but that’s not important right now lol) So her ability is empathy/pathokinesis. She can sense, feel and understand people’s emotions and can manipulate emotions. When she was younger, she knew she could feel others emotions but she didn’t know she could manipulate them. Being an empath made her pre-teen and teenage years tough. Not only was she dealing with her hormones changing, depression and anxiety, but she was also dealing with taking on the emotions of anyone she was physically close to. Not knowing how to process or cope with all of these emotions, Peyton struggled a lot with her mental and emotional health. I have a lot more ideas for her, but this is what I’ve come up with so far. My thought was she didn’t know as a young child that empathy/pathokenises was her ability. She was just always thought of and seen as an overly emotional and very sensitive child. I’m not exactly sure how she’s going to find out that this is her ability. I’m still trying to work that out. But with Peyton taking on and feeling other’s emotions, she can truly understand how Klaus feels and what he goes through. Peyton is someone that Klaus doesn’t have to really open up to because she can sense and feel what they feel. She can truly understand all of the pain Klaus feels regularly and she doesn’t judge him for how they cope with everything. She feels that if she were in their shoes and had that ability, she would most likely handle it and cope the exact same way. And sometimes, she would cope with her struggles caused by her abilities the same way. Klaus wanted to help her so she didn’t have to feel everything that she was because he understands that sometimes everything can feel like it’s too much, can be extremely overwhelming and so draining. Klaus being able to have someone who understands them so well and accepts them for who they are, would mean everything to them! So they have a very close and have a strong bond with Peyton. 🖤 There’s obviously a lot more I want to cover and dive into with their friendship, but I figure I can do that as I start to write more and get a better feel for who Peyton is on her own. I just thought I would share a little bit of what I was thinking and came up with. I’m really excited about this! Hopefully anyone who reads this will like this 😊 I know it’s not a super unique power/ability, but I wanted to give Klaus someone who they could truly be themself with, who would just love Klaus unconditionally for who she is and who truly knows them better than anyone 💙 Klaus deserves to have someone like that and needs to have someone besides just ben who gets to see every side of her. (I use he/she/they pronouns for Klaus, btw. 😅) So yeah, this is what I have so far 😊 If anyone has any requests for these characters, please feel free to let me know! 😊 Also, my grammar is a work in progress so please bear with me 😅 I struggled with grammar in school and haven’t written anything like this since then 😅 (It’s been almost 9 years lol.) And honestly, I haven’t ever written anything like this before so I apologize in advance for it possibly being kind of rough. I plan on asking someone to read whatever I’m writing as I write it, so I can get critiques and constructive criticism and so it can help me get better at this 😅 I hope all of this makes sense and I’m sorry for rambling 💙

[mrpenguinpants]

KAEYA PLAYING WITH ABYSS MAGES AHDHSHDHSB IM- that’s so cute????? Guizhong being older than Zhongli is such a valid hc, I fully support and condone it. Thank you. And Childe growing to like battle was something I found interesting because he was once mentioned to be fragile and weak in his character stories iirc? I like to think that maybe the initial reason he persevered was to overcome that past status.

Also, YES. They’d have the worst habits, and it would eventually become more visible the more comfortable it becomes, but Keqing just gives up on trying to change anything because it’s literally hopeless.

I also headcanon that they have different ways to show appreciation for Keqing. E.g. Childe sometimes uses one of his cringy ass Russian nicknames and when she looks up the meaning, she turns from the most straight-faced woman known to man to a highkey affection-starved queen self-destructing in her room.

Diluc leaves a note on her desk that are simple “Sleep early today. Tomorrow is your day-off.” or “Don’t over work yourself.” messages. He’s so self-conscious about it because like, what if Kaeya catches him up at night contemplating whatever reaction he’ll get. Ends up feeling so accomplished whenever his messages bring a smile to her face.

Kaeya, I feel, would be more open in a sense? Keqing is the last person he thinks he’s be able to deceive, and so he chooses not to. He’s probably one who enjoys deep conversations about literally anything be it mosaic artwork or changes in between modern and archaic politics. A good listener and a fine conversation partner, I feel they’d certainly have interesting conversations.

Zhongli lowkey seizing every opportunity to bring up Rex Lapis and his sense of humor is lowkey degrading Morax for his past mistakes. He’s like “Oh, I thought you hated him. I hate him too” and proceeds to laugh at the fact that the oh-so legendary Geo archon bore a hole in his hoodie for his hair. FOR HIS HAIRS. Keqing is losing her sanity trying not to expose herself as a closeted fan.

The anon lists’ name is super cute btw! Makes me feel pretty blessed for being there haha. I just finished midterms and goodness, I am exhausted. We’re having a short break so I think I can send asks much faster during the brief moment of rest. And pls drink responsibly 🙏

Sincerely, Keqing harem brainrot anon

I lowkey plucked Kaeya playing with mobs and shoved it into the royalty au because god damn, that’s fucking cute. I’m so behind on my asks;; but it’s okay cause we’re here now. I don’t know, Guizhong being that older sister/mother/whatever figure is so heartwarming to me. I think you’re right? I vaguely remember him saying he was pretty fragile but I have the memory of a goldfish haha. Lowkey, this is why I really want the part 2 and 3 of character story quests to go more in depth with their actual character stories. I want to see Childe talk about his feelings and meet his siblings, I want to hear more about Guizhong, I want to hear about the crippling loneliness and depression that Bennett and Barbara have (NO I WILL NOT SHUT UP ABOUT THIS PART. WHY THE FUCK IS GENSHIN NOT TALKING ABOUT THIS? I KNOW ITS FUN AND GAMES BUT LET ME CARE ABOUT THEM. 1.4 has these hangout events and istg, bennett and barabara have one and if we don’t talk about our feelings I’m going to cry). 

oml their bad habits, Zhongli and his extensive collection of plants because that’s the most social interaction he gets (yes, zhongli is a planter. no i do not take criticism tyvm) and it starts off with a couple plants. Not too bad. Then the next day Keqing walks and it looks like their entire home turned into a forest. But Zhongli loves his plant children and Keqing is slowly losing her mind and starts referring to the plants with the nicknames Zhongli gave them. 

This. This is cute. These appreciation ideas. I fully approve and we need to bring them back. I don’t know anything about Russian but I have a friend that does. But I don’t know how to casually say “hey, can you give me Russian nicknames of endearment. It’s for research.”. Keqing radiates professional in the front, social anxiety in the back. I just love that they added the detail that she’s secretly a Rex Lapis fan but pretends that she hates him. I know there is art of Zhongli lowkey being creeped out or vv smug when he find’s Keqings stash but idk, imagining him being a proud dad and giving headpats even though Keqing is an adult. 

Okay. Let me level with you. Sticky notes of reassuring phrases are the best and why the fuck aren’t people doing it more. I’ve been reading “my mom left a note on the table” or “my partner puts sticky notes in my textbooks as a pick me up” for CENTURIES but am I seeing it in real life? Fuck no. Please, if someone does this for you. Keep them, never let them go. I can imagine Diluc writing these messages, feeling confident when he writes them and ready to be a supportive person. The next day he’s looking at these notes and thinking “what the fuck did I just write, this is garbage” (totally not how I feel about my writing). Then he proceeds to throw them in some cabinet but since Kaeya doesn’t know the first thing about personal boundaries he goes snooping around in Diluc’s room, discovers the notes, and he ends up taking them and putting them on Keqing’s things. It makes her happy so Diluc is going to ignore the very pressing issue with whether or not he should commit manslaughter. 

You know, that’s very valid. That’s how I feel about Kaeya’s relationship with Lisa or Albedo. People that don’t get riled up or annoyed by his antics the same way Amber is. I feel like if you’re looking for small talk, he’s not a bad choice, but if you want those deep 3am conversations he’s definitely the person to go to. Zhongli isn’t a bad choice either but Zhongli tends to go into historical and philosophical moments (which isn’t bad) but you want to have someone relate to you or it feels like an actual conversation and not a history lesson then he’s actually perfect. Especially more controversial topics, I feel like Kaeya would probably have very different opinions from the norm. 

YES. YES. YES I’m replying to these as I read them but YES. Honestly, I get it. Zhongli is a super polite and respectable person. But. But. Have you seen how he clowned on Childe?? That entire interaction?? He didn’t even look the slightest big apologetic for almost destroying Liyue and using the man who was going to kill him to pay for his funeral. What a power move?? And you’re telling me you don’t see him being a smug prick. I love Zhongli’s story quest where everyone is saying “oh the first mora was treasured or it holds mythical powers” and Zhongli is looking at them as if they’re idiots. 

tyty (❤´艸｀❤) I’m blessed to have you here. Oh, I hope you did well on your midterms tho and be sure to rest. I am a bit late to replying to this so hopefully I caught you before your break was over.

Always lovely hearing from you,

Pengu

[citrusella-flugpucker]

All 68 of my SU fics, apparently

((Because @novantinuum did it and then I wanted to do it and then they said “do it” and I took it as a dare

Compiling these gave me a sense of accomplishment. And pain. In my wrist.

Multi-line summaries nearly always squashed to lessen the vertical length of this post, even if most of it is below a readmore))

Multi-chapter fics, regardless of collection status (chronological order--oldest to newest):

And He Doesn’t Wake: My first SU fic, complete; “It can't end like this. Or: Waxing realistic as we examine the events of the episode "Bubbled".” Steven suffers halfway-realistic effects from being exposed to the vacuum of space. Probably not super canon compliant given what we learned in Growing Pains but a fic that branches off at Bubbled and rejoins canon around Mindful Education (and written around that timespan).

Diamond in the Rough: Incomplete; “Connie is in the hospital with a serious disorder, and her biggest chance is an experimental treatment combining minerals with blood transfusions. Little does anyone know...” Originally crack of “Connie gets powers from PD-infused blood” but then ASPR happened and I have to figure out where it goes now (and I want to! but...).

The Results Are In: Incomplete; “Sadie gets a piece of mail from her dad. For most people that'd be pretty mundane, but it's a little more complicated considering who exactly her dad is.” Barb/Blue Diamond crack (it makes sense in context) and affectionately called “Space Maury” internally for reasons that will make sense later. Has a similar but less “it flips the ENTIRE plot” issue with ASPR. I have many idea chunks but almost no connection between them

He’s Gone: Complete (and technically a oneshot with two “bonus chapters”); “Steven asks Peridot to get the shirt Connie got for him for his birthday from his closet. He says he wants to look nice. She's confused by his request. Greg and the Maheswarans are less confused and more terrified. He keeps saying it'll be okay. They'll be okay, even though he'll be going away. It'll just be a couple of days now. Or: Steven and Pink Steven are unable to fuse after being separated on Homeworld. That's not good for Steven.” Steven dies. That’s it. That’s the whole fic. Might potentially get an extra chapter or two still. Or not. Eh.

Thanks, Padparadscha: Incomplete/open-ended oneshot collection; “Stories about the best gem.” Padparadscha oneshots.

Your No-Good, Dirty-Rotten, Gem-Shattering, Rebellion-Leading Mother: Incomplete, little desire to finish; “What if Steven had gone to Camp Green Lake instead of Stanley? Or: If Steven Universe And Holes Were The Same Universe: A Fanfiction (thanks @captainjzh) Or, as the top of my Google Doc I started back exactly a year ago (*2019-01-07) says: SU x Holes: Because the fact that Steven Universe and Stanley Yelnats are both 14 is messing with me”. Wrote this as an exercise after reading the appalling original shopped screenplay for the Holes movie which was basically a nuclear fallout enthusiasts dream world but also quite possibly the worst and most uncomfortable thing ever written and I have had to have whole pages bleached from my memory

It’s Okay to Need Help: Incomplete (three chapters total planned), the last part of the pre-SUF-finale “Steven Corruption Theory” collection; “"Everybody needs support sometimes, and you need support right now, with this. And that's okay." She takes a deep breath. "It's okay to need help, Steven." Or: (Based in corrupted Steven theory as well as taking inspiration/using characteristics from a fic by @love-killed-the-superstar​) Sometime after coming back from corruption, Steven sees a therapist to try to hammer out some lingering issues.” Steven has specific lingering issues from corruption due to the way they had to mitigate it, and that affects how he communicates with his therapist some days. Just been blocked on the best way to write it

Waiting is Worse: Incomplete; “Is there anything more awful than the feeling of powerlessness?” The movie mostly ends the same, except Steven doesn’t un-rejuvenate.

Realism: Incomplete, strong desire to complete; “As much as he may want it to be, this is not a dream. He's not possessing anyone. It's not happening to someone else. It's real.” Steven has the same effects happen to him as the Watermelon Steven from Escapism--an arm and a leg are amputated.

The President Kisses Babies, and Other White House Briefs: Incomplete, open-ended oneshot collection with very little overarching plot; “Oneshot escapades of President Connie Maheswaran and her First Man, Crystal Gem and public speaker, Steven Universe.” Inspired by a Tumblr post and with more ideas in the pipeline! Love this fic even if I lost most inspiration for four years!!

Collection (series) oneshots (chronological order):

Citrusella Tries (And Succeeds!) to Write a Fic Each Day of the Bomb: A collection where I tried to write a fic each day of the HotCG (wedding) bomb. I succeeded but also kind of not? XD

Could You Imagine?: “Imagination is wish fulfillment. What are some of the things Pearl has imagined?” Now We’re Only Falling Apart

Partake In New Extraordinary And Pleasing Pizza Lover Experiences (Or: Kiki's Lament): “Kiki rarely hates her job. But she does hate pineapples.” What’s Your Problem? (Also the title spells PINEAPPLE o.o)

Acquired Taste: “Steven has a snack as he helps prepare for an important ceremony.” The Question

My Whole Life: “Some people are just born to go into certain careers.” Made of Honor

We Can Think About Hope: Incomplete multi-chapter with no hope of completion (why it’s not listed in the multi-chapters, BTW... also the “kind of not” regarding success); “What's going on? What do we do now? Can you still hear me? (Or: The end of Reunited plays out differently.) (Or or: And He Doesn't Wake: Part II: This time with weirder angst! And more not waking!)”

Citrusella's "Steven Corruption Theory" Collection: A collection of fics written on the corruption theory premise before it became canon. It’s Okay to Need Help not duplicated here but would be at the end.

Change: “Steven's come back from probably the most serious thing that's happened to him--save almost dying after his gem was ripped out--but that doesn't mean he came back unchanged. (Based on the "corrupted Steven theory".)”

My Skin: “Steven does a mental inventory of what's changed about him since his uncorruption and finds himself starting to fall into a hole of self-criticism, until a song playing downstairs sets him straight. (Based on the "corrupted Steven theory".)”

Eternity in a Moment: “It had only taken a few hours, and yet, an eternity.”

I Can't Say with Confidence: “Over an hour. He's been sitting in the tub, fully clothed, the bathroom a mess… for over an hour.It should be working! Why isn’t it working?!” Based on this art!

It’s Okay to Need Help

Happy Steven's Day!: Just after Steven discovers his mother is Pink Diamond, Mother's Day rolls around...Greg just doesn't want Steven to be in a slump about it anymore.

You Deserve All the Joy: “Because nothing is better than being surrounded by family and love. Or: Steven's once-a-year struggle with a holiday he doesn't exactly have the ability to traditionally celebrate.” It’s Mother’s Day and Steven is sad. Post-ASPR

Universe Day: “"Being your dad is the only present I really need." Or: Greg and Steven talk and realize their experiences with Mother's Day have been two sides of the same coin.” Post-SUF

Citrusella's Comfortember 2020 Fics: Fics written based on prompts for November 2020 Comfortember... not finished with it

Speed Bump: “Steven's first night on the open road isn't as smooth as he wanted it to be. Attempt to combine prompts 2-6 of Comfortember (prompt 1 just couldn't be squeezed in): "first day/night", "nightmare", anxiety", "cuddling", "afraid to sleep"”

In the After: “Steven wonders if it was corruption. Comfortember days 7-10, though only in the most tenuous, technical sense (and by that I mean all four phrases are mentioned): "blanket fort", "lashing out", "confession", "crying"”

Late Night Hot Chocolate (described in next section)

Zombie Club Chronicles: Steven endures a violent accident on Frightnight (Halloween) that changes his life forever.

Beach City Zombie Club

Prompt: [Randomly roll from list: Steven] doesn’t enjoy the Halloween season, but [Fill in: Steven] take(s) them on a well-meaning trip to an old Gem Ruin where they come to realize [Pick from list: They’ve made a terrible mistake in coming here]

On Frightnight when he is 17, Steven experiences the most serious event of his young life. Almost exactly a year later, Steven takes Steven to Lars' ship in hopes of being able to hop off at a truly secluded gem ruin to talk about something that Steven and Steven have been disagreeing on for several months. Lars has an idea, and Steven comes to a realization.

For the Cluster Spooky Writing Challenge!

Late Night Hot Chocolate (also a Comfortember fic)

"Steven? What are you doing?" He stares into the pot.

The gem half's voice comes monotone. "Making hot chocolate."

"It's three o'clock in the morning. Why on earth are you making… hot chocolate?"

The slyness on his face is one pixel away from nonexistent and yet it's practically a traffic cone to his other half, as he remarks flatly, "Because I've lost control of my life."

Or: Steven and Steven both have nightmares that threaten to take them back to... that night... One copes by making the other hot chocolate and pretending he really isn't having any problems.

Comfortember days 16-18: Protective, Flashbacks, Hot Cocoa

Standalone oneshots (reverse chronological order--newest to oldest):

Rumble Strips:

Prompt: [Randomly roll from list: Greg] notices [Fill in: Steven] is in a somber mood lately. Out of the goodness of their heart they try to cheer up the sad soul in the only way they know how: [Fill in: WHO WANTS TO GO ON A ROAD TRIP?!]

"I really thought I could handle myself on my own." He scoffed. "Even my own therapist didn't think I could do it."

"I bet she thought you could handle yourself just fine. She probably just thought you'd do better with your support system close, bud. Like, literally, I mean." His eye weaved through the thin line of gravel past the edge of the shoulder. "You started saying some pretty concerning things."

Or: Greg and Steven stop on the side of the interstate on their way to Empire City for New Year's, to have a conversation.

For the Cluster Christmas Writing Challenge!

Auto-Injector: “In an alternate timeline, Steven meets Bluebird at her welcome party but he cannot, under any circumstances, try her hors-d'oeuvres. Or: Steven ends up with allergies because why not” (I have three more ideas for chapters)

Don't Put Beans Up Your Nose: “"I know you want answers, and I wish I had some for you, really, Steven, but from what you've described…  those aren't things to play around with. It's unethical to knowingly subject you to those for the sake of 'experimenting', even if you consent." Or: Steven asks Dr. Maheswaran a question she's not ethically able to answer.”

The Exor-schist:

Prompt: A series of events have led to a terrifying effect on one or more of the series’ characters. [Randomly roll from list: Mr. and Dr. Maheswaran] are now suffering from [Randomly roll from list: Spiritual Possession]. How did this happen?

"This corrupted gem, it has a powerful connection to organic matter. Ones this powerful have been known to overtake and even kill humans."

For the Cluster Spooky Writing Challenge!

It's My Party and I'll Dry If I Want To: “You would dry too, if it happened to you! Or: Steven says he wants a pool party for his eighteenth birthday in Delmarva, after over a year of traveling the country. ...But why isn't he swimming?”

Ace Up Your Sleeve: “Or in your back pocket, same diff. Or: Steven's sad about potentially not getting to go to Pride.” (oneshot and an epilogue)

Milestone: “"Okay, so like, the books aren't, like, useless, but they assume you have like the perfect baby. Maybe consider the following: kids are dorks, man." Or: Steven went to the doctor. Once. Or: Greg thinks Steven, at 15 months, is being weird and missing milestones and is worried he's a bad dad so he goes to Vidalia for help.” May eventually be part of a babby Steeb over the years collection

Full Enclosure: “What am I going to tell you? You're better off not knowing the trouble I'm in. / I don't want you to worry about what I've just seen, about where I've just been. / You don't have to be a part of this, I don't think I want you to be! / You don't need this, you don't need me... Or: Steven defines himself by his connection to others. So when they all leave, then… he's no one. (In short: Steven is crushed by his need to be needed.)”

Vice: “He could stop whenever he wanted to. He just didn't want to. Or: Steven falls into a bad habit and tries to rationalize it as okay as long as he's not completely abandoning the idea of improving his life.”

Stairwell Solitude: “Over ten years, Greg wrote just six letters to his parents. What could they have contained?” Post-Mr. Universe

Striations: “At Connie's behest, Dr. Maheswaran makes a house call to Steven's place after his un-monstering. It's different than his last appointment, but its core is the same.”

Everything Stays: “Ever so slightly, daily and nightly, in little ways, when everything stays... Steven's therapist brings up something she's noticed about him outside his PTSD.”

I Do It For Me: “"Forgiveness is the intentional and voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change in feelings and attitude regarding an offense, and overcomes negative emotions such as resentment and vengeance." Steven asks his therapist a question. The answer may surprise him.”

A Break in the Case: “Dr. Maheswaran takes a look at Steven's results but quickly finds herself in over her head.” Mid-Growing Pains

I have a couple entries in the @connieswap omake collection (Comic Relief and Same Old Steven)--I’m not linking them

Changing Tastes: “ Steven and Connie share a conversation after watching Crying Breakfast Friends: Under the Butterknife.”

Rejuvenated Regrets: “Someone calls Steven's name from downstairs. He's not listening closely enough to know who it is. He's not sure he cares right this moment. He wants Mom—Rose—Pink—and that's the one person he knows it's not.”

Gut Feeling: “Every time, he has to push his brain off that train of thought--what if she does it again?--but for someone with super-strength, he's surprisingly not very good at pushing.”

Lapis Watches Titanic (1997) ...There’s no summary

The Cluster Halloween Exquisite Corpse 2019 (I only wrote part of this!!): “Lars tells a horror story but loses track of it, or; a bunch of fic writers do an exquisite corpse and hilarity ensues. Written by DocCairo, citrusella, E350, love-killed-the-superstar and br42.”

Drift Away: “There are timelines where Steven fell into the biopoison when the Earth cracked under his feet. Here we see three times Steven (technically) lived despite a dive into pure poison, and one time he didn't.”

The Rose Wilts: “Once upon a time, he knew Rose. But he knew he didn't know everything.Sometimes it feels like he's learned more about her after she died than he ever knew while she was alive.“ Doug and Rose used to be friends

Tying the Knot: “Steven never wears shoes with laces, because he can't tie them. When Connie finds out, he's pretty chill about it.”

Haploid: “You're not sure if this is what being shattered feels like. You don't know if you want to be sure.” Mid-CYM

Thestral: “"How many have you seen?" "All of them." She answered without hesitation. "Oh." Or: Pearl and Steven talk about a type of gem that corruption has given some... special characteristics.”

500 Words a Secret Santa Gift: The Gratuitous Reference: “200 words a day, every day, until Under the Knife comes back. Or Crying Breakfast Friends. We're not picky at this point. Secret Santa edition! (A Secret Santa gift for @e350tb that deliberately and gratuitously references their 100 Words a Day series.)”

Sesimorp, Sesimorp: “A Lapis Lazuli makes a beautiful work of art.”

Ship Talk: “Lars and Steven share a moment on the Sun Incinerator.”

No Way Around It: “An order is an order.”

Give It A Try!: “Steven gets a Diamond to try something new.”

Better Off: “Peedee ponders what could have been.”

Steven x A Nice Calm Life Please and Thank You™: A Case for the Realization of a Bold New Ship: “Steven deserves a happy life free of interplanetary struggle and strife. It's my OTP. So I'm going to give him that! :D”

I Don't Know: “Will this ever make sense? Will this ever feel normal?” Post-ASPR

Force of Nature: “Her diamond gave her orders no longer.”

My Gemmortal (by XXXbloodstoneshardz666XXX): “the escupaids fo steven hardlight amnesia lion universe and his freinds n crushs” (this is exactly what it sounds like)

The Picture of Steven Pink: “It took a lot out of him.” (SU but Steven takes on the injuries he heals)

Self: “In the Connie Swap AU, Steven considers his identity and place in his family, community, culture, and himself. For a kid who at least tries to be all sunshine and rainbows, this isn't exactly the most fun thing to do, but sometimes it's necessary.” (these are different than the things in the CS omake collection)

I Really AM My Mom...: “"When you're singing, you want to use enough air that you could blow a throatful of peanut butter clear across the room." The crackiest of escape-from-Homeworld plots, based on a ClickHole article and a joke headcanon.”

Left: “Of course there's shame in bailing.”

Old shames (chronological order): Stories I just kinda cringe at now

Shrinking Rose: “Steven never felt bad about his stature. Until he did.” (I just don’t love it)

A Rose for Emily: “What if Rose wanted to spend the rest of her life with someone before Greg? ...It's safe to say she has a skeleton in her closet.” (less old shame than the others on this list but was hard to shoehorn in the A Rose for Emily style writing)

Alone: “Steven won't open up about how everything that happened is affecting him. Not even to himself.” (I know I’ve written other dark stuff but this one just hits different)

You Should've Asked Me, I'm Really Good at Naming Bands (November 2019 Unfinished WIPs): “(title subject to change) I did a challenge that I had to write my WIPs in November (revised to November and December) or be forced to post them unfinished. I got some updates done, but several not done. These are those stories. Dun-dun.” (only “shame” because they were things that were never finished--I also had a Connie Swap omake I was supposed to finish or the punishment was not to post it unfinished but to write Steven and Spinel (NOTP) but I just never did that)

[cevansisheart]

Weekly Meeting

Hey guys! I am reposting this one because it got taken down because of the pictures I put in here. It violated the guidelines and I apologize for that. I didn’t know that it was already violating the guidelines. So here it is reposted. I just had to repost this because I think this is the first smut I have ever written so it had a sentimental value to me. Hahaha. 

Requested by: @arrowswithwifi 

Request: “Can I request Steve x Reader where they are dating and the reader wants to rile Steve up during a meeting with the team so she wears a short dress with old fashioned lingerie and Steve notices as he is running the meeting. He finds it more and more difficult as the reader riles him up, ending with smut?”

Warnings: SMUT, Unprotected sex

A/N: I actually love this prompt btw. Thanks for requesting. :) There will be a warning before the smut, so you can stop reading if you’re uncomfortable.

A/N: This event occurred after Avengers: Age of Ultron and before Captain America: Civil War. (So meaning, Clint is retired, Thor is back at Asgard and Bucky is not in the team yet. Sorry Clint/Renner, Thor/Hemsworth and Bucky/Seb fans. :( )

Overview: After a year of dating, you and Steve have finally consummated your relationship last week on your anniversary. Steve was such a gentleman with you and insisted that the both of you waited until marriage. He was traditional as hell and you were always sexually frustrated since he refused to ‘disrespect’ you. You have always told him that it was fine with you but he was very determined to wait until marriage; but when it was your anniversary, all the will power that Steve had in him vanished when you seduced him with vintage lingerie. Turns out, there’s something about you wearing vintage turned him very on. Steve was the best sex you’ve ever had and now that you’ve had him, he was like a drug to you. But after last week, Steve thought he was too rough with you since he was a super soldier after all. He was scared that he had hurt you too much and had vowed never to touch you again. You had told him over and over that he did not hurt you but he refuses to believe it. Determined to convince Steve that he doesn’t hurt you, you figured he needed a little more ‘motivation’. Today, you have been given a solo mission. It was to seduce information out of a dangerous Russian mob boss, but before going on that mission, you first have a meeting with the team. It was time for your weekly reports and found it the perfect time to give him the ‘convincing’ he needed. 

“All right is everybody here?” Steve roams his eyes around the room.

Tony gets up from his seat and walks besides Steve, “Let’s make a roll call. Okay everybody, say present when the teacher calls your name. Wanda?” Tony enthusiastically says to the team.

Wanda looks at the team with furrowed brows looking confused whether to answer or not, “Present?”

“Very good.” Tony then diverts his eyes to Nat, “Natasha?”

Natasha let out a sound of non-amusement and rolls her eyes.

“Alright, no gold star for you. Vision?”

Steve cuts Tony off, “Very funny, Tony.”

“(Y/N) is not here yet.” Sam points out.

“I was with her earlier. She said something about prepping for a mission.” Natasha replies as the team looks at Steve for an answer.

Steve raises a hand and gestures dismissively, “Let’s just move on.” He looks at Tony with raised brows, “Tony? If you please?” Steve gestures for Tony to take a seat.

“Sure Cap. Don’t want to steal the attention away from you. People do say I’m a crowd stealer.” Tony adjusts his perfectly tailored suit before sitting down and leaning back in his chair cockily.

Steve chose to ignore Tony’s remark. After years of knowing Tony, ignoring him would always be the best choice.

Steve stood in front of the team, with authority and charisma radiating from him, “Mission reports for the past week states that –”

The door to the meeting room opened and you walked in, making Steve pause and the team look at you. “Sorry I’m late. I had a mission debriefing.” You say to Steve as you enter the room.

He gives you a faint smile, “It’s okay (Y/N), just take a seat.”

Tony straightens in his seat, “So if she’s late it’s fine, but if I’m late I get a lecture on how I’m not taking this seriously? I’m sensing a little bit of favoritism here Cap. Vision, care to analyze?”

“Analysis not required Mr. Stark. It is a possibility that Captain Rogers favors Agent (Y/L/N) because she is his girlfriend.”

Tony looks at Steve triumphantly, “See?”

Steve sighed as he places his hands on his waist, “She had a valid reason Tony.”

“I had a valid reason too.”

Steve furrowed his brows, “Having fallen asleep during your deep tissue massage is not a valid excuse.” He says, making you and the team snicker.

Tony rolls his eyes, “Whatever.” He averts his gaze to you and pretends to cough the words “Teacher’s Pet.”

You ignore Tony and make your way towards the very front seat while loosening the tie of your coat belt. As you reach your designated seat, you take off your coat and slowly sat down revealing your short, tight, black cocktail dress, with your eyes never leaving Steve’s.

Tony whistles, “So that’s the mission you’ve been prepping for. You look good. Doesn’t she look good Dr. Banner?”

Bruce was startled at the mention of his name, “W-why me?” he stuttered.

“You stared at her butt.” Tony says in a straight face.

“W-what? I-I didn’t –”

“You stared at her butt?” Natasha asks Bruce in an amused tone but deep inside she was annoyed.

Bruce shakes his head furiously, “No! I didn’t –”

Tony lets out a laugh, “Relax Doctor, I was just messing with you.” Tony then looks at Sam, “It was really Sam who did.”

Sam chuckles, “Now now Tony, only an idiot would look at a super soldier’s girlfriend like that. And I for one, value my life.”

Steve looks at you for an explanation. You wanted to laugh right now because his reaction was priceless.

“This get-up is part of a mission.” You say to him.

“Ah, a seduction mission.” Nat says in realization. “I miss those days too.”

Steve clears his throat while trying to avoid your gaze. “Let’s just continue.” His voice was already starting to sound hoarse and you tried your best to suppress a smile.

“As I was saying, mission reports for the past week states that the damage control needed was still very high. S.H.I.E.L.D.’s senior officials once again emphasized the need to minimize critical damage. It’s something about cost control.” Steve states and you smile to yourself. He looked handsome standing in front of the team, and it turned you on even more seeing him full of authority.

“Bull—”

“Stark.” Steve says in a warning tone.

Tony purses his lips together, “Stark Industries and Stark Foundations fund the repairs and the hospital bills of the civilians. S.H.I.E.L.D. has no financial obligation whatsoever. They are totally ungrateful. They’re going to be hearing from my lawyers about this.”

“But…” You speak up, getting Steve’s attention as you had hoped. You crossed your right leg over your left making your short dress climb up higher. Steve noticed your actions and couldn’t help but stare at your vintage seamed stockings. When you saw him clench his jaw, you knew you had already succeeded.

“They should give us a little credit since we made a significant improvement.” You continued.

“This is typical of them. They always notice our screw ups but never the success of the missions.” Sam interjects.

You see Steve’s eyes scan your body from your feet, up to your legs, then to your perfectly accented cleavage, lingering on your lips before he reaches your eyes. Teasingly, you wet your lips before biting your lower lip.

Steve can feel the growing bulge inside his pants as he felt the material start to tighten.

“Well, ever since our incident with Ultron, S.H.I.E.L.D. has reasons to keep us on watch. What else did the high officials say Cap?” Natasha asks.

You adjust yourself, purposely bending over a little bit so that Steve could get a quick view of your breasts, on your seat.

“Cap!” Nat says a little louder.

“Earth to Steve, you there?” Sam says.

Steve flinched a little bit and his eyes shot to Sam when he heard his name for the second time.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sorry.” Steve shakes his head in order to focus on the meeting but you were such a damn distraction, he couldn’t remember the rest of the agenda for the meeting.

“So, it’s agreed that we find a way to contact Thor again?” Steve says out of the blue.

A cascade of “What?” emerges from the room.

“Dude, are you high?” Sam asks skeptically as you stifle a laugh.

Steve massages his forehead, “I’m sorry, what were we talking about again?” he gives you a warning look before averting his gaze to the rest of the team. He approaches the table, leans over and places both of his hands down the table. He was trying hard to hide his growing erection and it made you even hornier.

“Damage control on our missions, Cap.” Dr. Banner answers.

“Right, right.” Steve nods, “We just have to do better. Limit the use of powers unless it is really necessary.”

You carefully slid your foot against Steve’s legs, caressing it up and down.

Steve stiffens in his place and you see him swallow a lump in his throat.

“That’s like asking us to crawl when we know how to run.” Tony states but Steve’s attention was not on the meeting anymore.

“Then we better run with caution. Okay, I guess that’s the only agenda for this week. You can all go now.” Steve says hurriedly with a strained expression on his face. He couldn’t take your teasing anymore. He felt that his pants was going to explode.

“Pardon me Captain Rogers but I do believe you said something about Thor.” Vision adds.

“That can wait another time, but for now I’ll have to ask everybody to leave. Meeting’s over.”

“Well guys, you heard the Captain, meeting’s over.” You say while trying to suppress your victorious smile.

The team reluctantly stands up while mumbling ‘okay’ and ‘what the hell just happened?’

“Well I’d say the meeting went well, anybody up for shawarma? I know a new place…” Tony’s voice grew fainter and fainter as he exited the room.

You stood up from your seat and grabbed your coat. You were ready to follow Nat towards the exit door when Steve caught your arm.

“Not you.” He says sternly in a very serious expression.

Nat throws the two of you a skeptic look before finally exiting the room. 

(WARNING: SMUT AHEAD)

As soon as the door closed you turn to Steve, “Look Steve, I – mmmph”

Steve captures your lips with his and lifts you up abruptly and sets you down the table. His kisses were impatient and fervent. His will power was no more. And like the love-struck fool you were, you responded back eagerly and passionately. 

You interlace your fingers at the back of Steve’s head, grazing his blonde hair as you pulled him closer to you. You parted your lips for his tongue to gain entrance into your mouth and soon, your tongues were fighting for dominance, each not wanting to lose to the other. You felt Steve’s strong hand caress your cheek as his other hand went to your back, unzipping the tight dress that was on you.

His lips left your mouth to trail hot kisses down your jaw and to your neck, sucking and nipping at your sweet spot. Steve’s hands found their way to your straps as he pulled them down. He took a step back as you stepped down from the table and slowly removed your dress by yourself, revealing the vintage red corset with stockings that you were wearing to your mission. 

Steve’s eyes ravaged you hungrily as your short black dress pools at your feet.

He approached you slowly, his eyes never leaving yours. By now, Steve didn’t even remember why he wanted to abstain from you anymore. You run your hand down Steve’s chest and began unbuttoning his polo shirt. Throwing the cotton fabric across the room, your lips collided with his again, and a rough and passionate kiss ensues. He lifted you up onto the table again as he was savoring your taste in his mouth, nibbling on that juicy bottom lip, tugging it lightly with his teeth and rubbing his mouth gently against yours.

Steve was struggling to remove your corset and you giggle at his frustration. Letting out a growl, he tore open the corset, revealing your nakedness.

“Steve! I was going to wear this for my mission.” You exclaimed.

“And now, you’re going to wear your standard S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform.”

“But—” Steve silences you by kissing you again and soon, you didn’t want to argue anymore. You wanted him. All of him.

Leaning your head back, you felt Steve’s kisses go lower and lower from your jawline, to your neck, to the valley of your breasts and down to your stomach. You grab a handful of his hair as you felt his lips on your inner thigh working its way up until you felt his breath on your entrance. You can feel the tip of his tongue lap over your slit, starting at the bottom and ending with the lightest touch on your clit.

His hand caressed your breasts, flicking and rubbing your hard nipples and you couldn’t suppress the moans of pleasure escaping your mouth that just made him turned on even more.

You pulled Steve up and captured his lips. “Please.” You whisper in between your rough kisses.

He pulls away from your kiss, “Doll, after what you did to me earlier, you’re in no position to ask favors.” he says to you teasingly as he plants wet kisses on the sides of your face.

“Steve, please. Just take me.” You shudder as he leaves a hickey on your neck.

You can feel him smile against your heated skin. “Ask me nicely.”

You moan out in pleasure as he rubbed his thumb over your clit.

You regain your breathing as you struggle to speak. “I want you inside me – deep, hard, rough, and fast.” You stutter to say.

With an aroused groan, Steve unzips his pants swiftly and positions himself at your entrance. You bury your face at the crook of his neck letting out a moan as he pushes his manhood into your entrance.

Steve began to move, slowly at first, but eventually picking up speed as he went. You could feel his balls slapping against yours with every hard thrust, and you knew it drove him wild. He quickened his pace stroke by stroke, heartbeat by heartbeat until it made your head fling from side to side, desperate for release. Both of you settled into a rhythm of fast hard strokes, deep, long ones, and grinding ones with your hips undulating against each other. The sounds of the room were filled by your screaming moans of pleasure and Steve’s fervent grunts, not remembering that the door was unlocked and somebody could see you anytime.

You were gasping as you felt your muscle form into knots from so much pleasure. Steve bent his head to suck one nipple into his mouth. Keeping his mouth on your breast, he reached down with one hand and found the sensitive spot on your clit, rubbing it hard and fast. Your breathing hitched as he bit down on the nipple in his mouth, just hard enough to send a jolt to your vagina, and you came with a surprised gasp. Steve trembled and then lunged deep inside and you could feel the orgasm rush through him, hard and wet and disorientating him with its strength. With his cum bathing your insides, it brought the both of you the ultimate pleasure as you joined each other in that mad dive, shuddering upon the pinnacle.

Breathless, Steve rested his forehead against yours while peppering you with gentle kisses.

“I take it you’re not mad at me?” You ask him breathlessly.

“Oh I still am. And you’ll apologize when you get back from your mission.” 

Did the best that I could on the smut. I’m very new to writing smuts so I’ll improve as I practice. Haha. Thanks for the love guys. :*

[d-pennants]

Spoilers for the Dragon Prince Season 4 and beyond.

My collated notes of all the hints about what is coming up in the Dragon Prince, from interviews, AMA, ComicCon panels. Updated with stuff from Through the Moon.

There will be 7 seasons of 9 episodes each total and possibly some side projects. The story will be in three arcs with a time skip between the arcs. Books 4 & 5 makes up the next arc, which may be called the Mystery of Aaravos. Book 4 is Earth.

Side projects have been confirmed to all be part of canon and include a video game set in Xadia, an tabletop RPG game called Tales of Xadia, a possible feature film of the Orphan Queen and a possible side story set during the reign of Sol Regem featuring Sir Phineas the Cursed and his travelling companion an elf professor Delilah Geel (Who wrote the Secrets of Xadia book).

The video game was in play testing in October 2020, and Wonderstorm was still hiring staff to work on it. After S3 came out they said there was going to be an announcement about the game in 2020, but things may have been delayed due to Corvid.

Through the Moon graphic novel is set between seasons 3 and 4. It feature’s Rayla, Callum and Ezran having returned to Katolis and receiving a request from Lujanne to go the Moon Nexus  for a ritual at new moon and bring Phoe-Phoe’s ghost feather. While there Rayla seizes the opportunity to use the lake’s power as a portal between life and death to try an answer the questions that have been plaguing her about the fate of her parents, Runaan and whether Viren is truly dead.

There will also be a second graphic novel set between seasons 4 & 5.

Reminder - stuff said in interviews, AMA & so forth is subject to the team changing their mind when it comes to actually putting stuff in the show or books. They’re still planning things out. So take things as “the current idea is this, but we’ll see how it pans out”

There’s no word on how long the time skip between season 3 and 4 will be, however, Through the Moon starts 3 days before new moon and S3 ended 2 days after full moon, which is only 11 days. About 17 days pass in TTM. The Tales of Xadia TRPG is also going to fit in between these season too. AE said a vague ‘lots of weeks.’

Season 4 will include the hero trio trying to address how to heal and start to change things in the world, however there are scars history has left that will impede them. Aaravos will bring those scars to bear, though the creator did say that Aaravos himself didn’t cause those scars, he ‘brought it out’ in the people who did.

There’s a big theme of understanding what’s happened in the past and how it affects what’s happening now. Questioning what their fore-bearers have done, admitting fault and forgiving mistakes. (BTW, this is on both human and Xadian sides).

“Ezran is the key to everything.” Ezran’s empathic ability will allow him to play a role in the world no other can as he can connect to non-human beings. Though the circumstances of S1-3, who his parents are and his strong compassion, Ezran is in a unique position to cause real change.

Callum will learn more Sky magic spells well as obsessing to work a connection to another arcanum - he is dedicated to being the best mage he can be. Callum will always have a conflict between what do you want to do with magic and what will you do for magic. One hint given is that Callum cannot perform healing with his Sky magic. On an Instragram Live AE admitted he was trolling a bit, but said a betting person would pick Callum being the first human archmage. On an AMA there was a hint that historically there may have been elves that learned a second arcanum. (However, interview stated Aaravos’ mastery of all the primals is just him - he’s special).

Callum’s ‘destiny’ is tied in with the Key of Aaravos Rune Cube. It will be very important coming up. The Key is being pulled towards a location in Xadia. The closer it is to the location, the stronger the pull. (Reminder - it previously belonged to Aaravos and unlocks a great power in Xadia). In Callum’s Spellbook it says that once Zym has been returned Callum intends to find out what the Key does and make Harrow proud.

Writers have been very cagey about whether Callum being able to learn an arcanum means other humans can. “Callum learning Primal magic means that Callum learned Primal Magic.”

They’ve referred to him as the first human to learn an arcanum. However, another interview indicates that humans may have been able to connect to the primal sources in the past - thus Callum relearned something that has been forgotten for over a thousand years

Are non-magical species able to evolve into one that can use magic?

JR: There have been humans long in the past that could have AE: Yeah, right JR: They’re like [waves hand], but modern day he’s a phenomena. Like nothing is done like this no longer. AE: Yeah, I mean if Callum is developing the ability to do Primal magic do you believe that Callum is special because he’s the only human who’s able to do it or do you believe that that Callum is special because he’s the first human in forever to realise it is possible for humans. You know that kind of a little bit the question - I mean he’s special either way and right, but is he special because he’s realising that that maybe those limitations weren’t true or is he an exception to to this limitation.

Cartoon Universe interview

Though they did point out there’s not been much incentive in the last 1000 years for humans to learn Primal magic, given that Dark magic is both easier to use and more powerful.

Rayla will have an inner conflict about her future as a Moonshadow elf that she needs to figure out. Including how being friends with humans and wanting to be a protector rather than the assassin she was raised to be will affect her relationships with her people. (Plus, the whole being ghosted and ghosted parents issue needs to be addressed). Update info from TTM: Rayla ends TTM by going on a quest by herself to locate Viren. Her clues are the Storm Spire, a cave and... a giant cocoon.

There is an unspecified but important storyline involving Runaan. But the coins will get addressed at some point.The coins would require very powerful magic to release the trapped elves and it may not be possible for Primal magic. However, Viren is capable of releasing people he has coined.  Also, Rayla knows something happened to her parents, but doesn’t specifically know about the coins. Viren showed Rayla a pouch and mentioned adding her to his collection. AMA answer suggests Callum didn’t see what Viren did in the history spell - he just know Viren did something to Rayla’s parents. TtM seems to confirm Callum’s spell didn’t show that part. Whether Gren saw Runaan in the coin seems up to debate - in the novel he knew Viren used magic on Runaan came out holding something small, like a button or coin.  (PS. They also confirmed Runaan slew Harrow, and Harrow is dead dead).

Soren has a complicated future ahead of him as he’s lost the only support system he’s known his whole life. He has a lot to learn and many places to go.

Claudia is going to get a lot worse and there’s a long way to go for her, though they did hint that there’s hope for her in the end. Her motivation is love and family, not power. However, she is willing to go to great sacrifices for her family... Also, her hair will get whiter. 

“When we get back to her in Season 4, there is some amazing stuff, just in the first few episodes, which by the way are also funny and quirky and all the things we’ve come to love about the character, but she becomes a very critically important driving force of the narrative in Season 4.”

Inverse interview.

It will be explained in S4 how Claudia was able to perform the resurrection spell. It hasn’t been used previously because she either a) didn’t know it - as in Aaravos taught her it - or b) didn’t have what was necessary to cast the spell.

The story about how Claudia managed to find a supposedly extinct for a 1000 years unicorn and capture it will be addressed in S6.

According to Claudia’s VA -  Racquel Belmonte - Claudia will likely have a protege dynamic with Aaravos. She will change her mind a bit on disliking all elves and open up a bit on seeing Viren’s connection to Aaravos.

They have a backstory about why Viren treats Soren so harshly compared to Claudia (though he’s manipulative of both), though it’s not indicated when this backstory will be shown. New info from the book said that Viren used dark magic to save Soren from dying of an illness. This ravished his appearance and whatever he did scared his wife, Lissa, into leaving him. Also Viren wanted a son who would carry on his path and is disappointed Soren isn’t like him. Viren feels some resentment towards Soren that he refuses to acknowledge.

AMA confirmed that Lissa will not be making an appearance in S4 or 5. There is a possibility she may be included in S6, but it’s just a potential idea. Early mage fam life involving Lissa will come up in the novels.  (BTW she currently lives in Del Bar and was in no danger from the smoky assassin as she has nothing to do with the leadership of Del Bar)

Viren became a bit of a card carrying villain in season 3, however in season 4 & 5 some of the complexities behind his actions will be revealed. (His VA said that Viren had understandable reasons in S1 & 2, but was a villain in S3, however, he’s happy with how S4 & 5 will develop Viren. Also he gave a strong hint that Viren will have a kind of “fresh start” thing going on, and “do a 180″, and his story is apparently kinda wild). 

Viren and Aaravos: Viren didn’t take Runaan’s warning that “you found something worse than death” seriously enough. Viren is ‘in hot water’ in his dealings with Aaravos. The question over time would be - “Wait, am I making my own choices or am I being led to choices you wanted me to make, Aaravos?”

This current era will be known as the Return of Aaravos. Apparently in S4 & 5 Aaravos is going to be very... mysterious. In fact the arc could be called The Mystery of Aaravos.

“The next two seasons are about understanding who Aaravos was, who they thought Aaravos was, how they realized what was happening, and imprisoned him.” 

This is tied into the Orphan Queen storyline, for more info see this post. Parts of this storyline will feature in flashbacks S4 onwards.

A lot of Aaravos’ motivation comes from a relationship he had with a character whose name is featured on the map from the novel. (Candidates are Skall’s Hook, Ruins of Elarion, Mount Kalik and Eboreus. They said on a Q&A that Elarion wasn’t referring to a person, just the city).

Aaravos has a speech coming up in S5 that explains about the history of magic and why he’s interested in humans. Summed up - Over 5000 years ago there was only one kind of magic, deep magic, and it was very difficult to wield, then something happened that split magic into the 6 Primals Source and gave every creature and plant a connection to one of the 6 Primal Sources, which were much more practical magics. Except humans. 

When asked what was coming out of the cocoon an interviewer gave “Aaravos’ physical form” and some jokes options. Ehasz replied, “I’m gonna say none of the… well, I’m not gonna say.” TtM update: In the world between life and death the cocoon held a corrupted version of Viren - a month after Viren was resurrected at the end of S3. Rayla says Viren is caught between life and death, but in the living world.

Janai is Queen Khessa’s heir, so she should be the next Sunfire Queen. Janai also has a brother. (Sunfire elves also have a Light Being form with healing powers that’s even rarer than the beserker Heat Being form. This fact has come up a couple of times so they’re likely going to introduce a character with this form - could be Janai’s brother). 

Janai will find out that Aaravos whispered something in Khessa’s ear before he killed her.

Also on Amaya and Janai:

Also, they did a reveal page for Janai's mount, a Twin-Tailed Inferno-Toothed Tiger, with some interesting info. These flying firecats are believed to only tolerate those of pure-heart and aggressive to those of ill-intent. You can't give a factoid like that and not use it somewhere.

Tales of Xadia will feature storyline content that bridges the gap between Season 3 and the newly-announced Season 4 of The Dragon Prince,” according to Fandom’s press release. “Players can explore the ruins of Lux Aurea, try to restore the corrupted Sunforge, and fight to stop the spread of the evil monstrosities it radiates. This off-screen story will come alive in game supplements—as well as in organized play events—prior to Season 4’s release.

Forbes

Sol Regem will be in season 4. (No character makes me think of “scars of the past” more than this character. He is not going to be interested in reconciliation between Xadia and humanity).

There will be a new elf character - Terry the Earthblood elf. Has similar powers to Toph from Avatar tLA and is said to be very funny. For reference this Earthblood elf is from Callum’s Spellbook;

Also a new dragon in season 4 - Rex Igneous (Fire King) the Earth Archdragon, who lives underground but comes up every hundred years. He’s appeased by food he hasn’t tried before (looking at Ezran and his jelly tart habit here);

They mentioned that both Earthblood and Tidebound elves will be introduced in seasons 4 & 5.

There’s another archdragon who has been mentioned at SDCC and in the novel, Luna Tenebris, who reigned between Sol Regem and Avizandum.. Ehasz said that the end of her reign is being explored in S4, but no current intentions to explore the beginning.

JR mentioned that the territory of the Skywing elves will be visited at some point, and how having a small portion of the population that has wings, and a even smaller population that can magically manifest wings, has an affect on their culture. (The three types apparently have different outlooks - with winged elves being known for moving on when they don’t care to deal with things).

They’ve mentioned a character that will be introduced in the video game will make it into the show. AE & JR were talking about how they were currently writing stuff for S5 and how this character just got their moment, so I think this character is due in S5.

Core novel Book 2: Sky will introduce a very important Dark Mage character not yet featured on the show.

Also, as a tidbit from AE - there’s a scene in S5 where someone makes a sacred promise to Bait.

Sarai will feature in the show again. AMA confirmed Callum’s father is “fully human.” His father may come up in the novels.

In the novel new lore about unicorns was introduced. This lore will be incorporated into the show at some point.

The reactions to elf/human romantic relationships will be a thing.

Aanya will be featured again. Ezran and Aanya will be friends. 

Queen Fareeda of Evenere actually survived the smokey assassin’s attack - she just went missing for a bit. Her story may come up later on.

Captain Villads and Berto are likely to be featured again, but not confirmed. 

They do have some stories about Callum’s father they want to tell, but it’s likely to be in books rather than making it into the show.

Crow Master has scenes coming up. The Crow Lord is real but that’s all they’re gonna say.

Some very epic beings will eat jelly tarts in the show.

And a finishing note to put the fear in you - possible major character death.

PS. It has been confirmed that Rayla, Callum, Zym (and Bait) are the main characters for all seven seasons, so this leaves... Soren, Claudia, Viren and Amaya. 

[razberryyum]

The Untamed and The Living Dead movie Thoughts

SPOILERS AHEAD!

If you haven’t watched the movie, it’s best not to proceed cuz you will be spoiled.  

OR, if you have already watched the movie and love it completely, AND you stan Yu Bin and will not put up with any criticism about his performance, it’s also best not to proceed cuz you’ll most likely be annoyed/upset with me. Let’s just agree to disagree right now and move on with our separate happy lives.  

Overall Rating for The Living Dead: 3 Lil Apples out of 10

Yeah, I know that’s pretty harsh…I waffled between 3, 4 and 5, but I had to settle on a 3 in the end because I don’t think I’ll ever rewatch this movie and there were just so many problems I had with it, that I realized I can’t say I liked the movie much at all.  

Before I go on, let me first address the big white elephant in the room: no, WangXian does NOT cameo in The Living Dead nor are they even mentioned in any capacity that would assure us they are still together and happy in the movie’s timeline. At one point Wen Ning does mention them in the same sentence, but only in relationship to himself (that they saved him) and the past. For those of us desperate for confirmation of WangXian happily ever afterness in the world of CQL (“us” meaning me only most likely), we get no assurance whatsover. This is especially disappointing since the movie apparently take place years later after the events of The Untamed so it’s really sad that we have no idea if they are together. Of course in the world of the novel, we know they are absolutely together, happily married, everydaying everyday, but it would’ve been nice if we were given some tiny morsel of comfort for WangXian of The Untamed.  

Not only does Lan Zhan not make an appearance, he’s only mentioned by Wen Ning once, as I indicated above. As for Wei Ying, he’s mentioned a few times and he kiiiiinda makes a cameo…but honestly, I wish they didn’t even attempt that cameo cuz it was so bad. It’s basically the backview of some extra dressed as Wei Ying and dubbed over by someone else that’s not Lu Zhixing-laoshi. Or if it is, the dub was so bad that it didn’t even sound like him anymore.

That’s actually one of my main problems with the movie: the dubbing or sound mixing just sucked. Every time there was dialogue it sounded very obviously that it was on a different track. I didn’t even feel like the characters were saying the words because their voices sounded detached from them. Whereas in The Untamed, I sometimes would completely forget that with the exception of Nie Huaisang, everyone’s line reads were performed by voice actor because the voices were blended so well within the scenes. I don’t know the technical terms of all this dubbing stuff so hopefully I’m making some sense.

Another big problem was the CGI. Holy crap was it bad. It was so bad at no point was I able to immerse myself into the action scenes…I didn’t feel anyone was in danger because they were being attacked by a bunch of obvious and bad CGI. One of the worse scenes that they showed THREE times was when the sister (Xiao Qing) being burned up in CGI flames. First of all her acting was horrendous (why was she covering her ears while she’s being burned alive??) and then the fake fire just made me groan out loud. I didn’t even want to look it was so embarrassingly bad.  

I’m trying to figure out when they shot this movie…in order for them to be able to release the movie so soon after the show, the filming had to overlap with The Untamed’s filming, right? So I guess budget was still tight, probably even tighter than the main show, since CQL probably didn’t start actually seeing the money it made from ads, etc until towards the end. Either way, it feels like they didn’t put much money into this movie, especially not the effects. And if I’m going to be honest, I think they probably just had their second…nay…probably third unit direct it. Or at least, they had their third unit decide on some of the casting cuz some of the performances were…OOF. One thing I really appreciated about The Untamed is that even with most of the background actors, there was hardly a glaringly bad performance. I’ve said before the worse really was the actor who played Wen Ruohan, which is a shame cuz he’s more than an extra, but overall all the performances by the supporting characters ranged from decent to strong with hardly a weak link. Here, in this movie, I would say most of the performances from the new cast members were very mediocre. In fact, the only truly consistently good performances from beginning to end was Zheng Fanxing (Sizhui) and that cute little girl in the beginning:

I was kind of sad when she got killed off cuz she was adorable and definitely a MUCH better actor that the dude who played her older brother…at no point was I remotely convinced he was scared so on the other hand I was happy he died. But I thought she was going to burn to death or something because it didn’t seem like a good idea to have her hide in a wooden cupboard with a lite stove…that was so stupid and weird. Btw, what the hell was with that cat screeching sound effect?? Sounded like someone was throwing a cat, but like WHY?  

As for the three new players introduced for this movie—Gao Han as Xiao Yi, Wang Yifei as Xiao Qing and He Longlong as Zhou Zishu—I’ve never seen their work before, and nothing about their performances in this movie makes me interested in what they will do in the future. To be fair, Gao Han tried…you can totally tell he was trying REALLY hard in some of his scenes, but for the most part, he either overacted or strangely enough, underacted. He was just really inconsistent. I know Zhou Zishu was supposed to be a red herring so the fact that he started out looking sketchy AF was supposed to be a ruse since our narrator was entirely untrustworthy, but even in the context of that false narration, he was really bad. As for the sister played by Wang Yifei…just look at her performance as she’s being burned up again.  

By the way, I’m gonna say this now: if Wei Ying and Lan Zhan don’t even get to share a fucking real hug between them throughout the entirety of The Untamed, then I don’t think some generally unimportant-in-the-greater-scheme-of-things couple should be allowed to freaking KISS in anything related to the world of CQL.

I understand it’s all about the censorship, etc etc, but if any hetero couple deserved to share an onscreen kiss, it would’ve been Shijie and Jin Zixuan, and since even they were deprived of that, then these two nobodies should not have been granted this privilege. Seriously, fuck whoever decided to stick that moment in the movie. That’s just fucking unfair and really annoyed me. There better not be any more of that kind of nonsense in the Nie brothers‘ movie.  

The last I’ll say about performances is that sadly, I felt as if there was something off about Yu Bin’s. I totally understand that this is a different Wen Ning than the one we saw in the show—he’s older, more mature, since God knows how many years have passed already—so I don’t mind that he’s more serious. But at the same time, he was just so uneven that I couldn’t get behind his performance at all. He was always one key off, if that makes any sense, so it almost felt like someone else was playing Wen Ning entirely, someone who is completely unfamiliar with that character. And his work in the…whatever fuck that place was…Yin Metal purgatory?? (and for those who are familiar with Guardian, that place was giving me bad flashbacks to Dixing)…was kind of cringey overall.  

I wanted to love seeing Wen Ning be a badass wise uncle, so I actually feel really sad that I couldn’t enjoy his performance in general. However, what I absolutely did enjoy was seeing uncle and nephew bonding and working together…  

…just wish those moments weren’t marred by all that bad CGI.  

Wen Ning’s new look gave me pause though: not that I didn’t appreciate the whole metal look, but I kind of couldn’t figure out why Wen Ning added the chains back to his ensemble when he got rid of them back in The Untamed already.

I mean, if the black veins on his neck don’t attract attention, walking around wearing heavy, clangy chains sure would probably alarm people as well, I think.  

Last thing on Wen Ning: again, not that I didn’t appreciate his newfound ability to hulk out, but yikes, that whole effect was ruined by yet again bad CGI AND a really goofy score. Sounded like something they “borrowed” from Naruto.

Except for that one piece of music, I did like the score for the rest of the movie, especially in the opening credits since it definitely evoked a sense of creepiness. The images in the credits were good too. I can easily imagine that being the OP creds to a horror anthology.  

As for the story, I was fine with it. I liked that they related the family to Nightless City because apparently they are the ones who helped make Nightless City nightless? Here I thought it was the surrounding lava but I guess there were lanterns lighting the place up that I just somehow missed completely.  I liked the plot twist with Xiao Yi and his “sister”…although I did guess there was some incesty thing going on in the beginning…just didn’t think I would be right and wrong at the same time. I thought they would relate their relationship back to Wen Ning and Wen Qing somehow, considering the sisters shared the same name…this was before the “incest” part was confirmed of course…but they never really did so having Wen Qing share the same name as Xiao Qing felt like an oddity in the end. It’s also odd how they used the same phonetically sounding last name of “Xiao” since of course I immediately thought of Xiao Zhan (different characters). Like, couldn’t they come up with completely different names? Overall, the plot wasn’t bad, as mysteries go, at first I couldn’t figure out why the Yin Metal all of a sudden had all these new powers and why the metal wielder, Zhou Zishu, would become a ghost puppet himself, but with the plot twist, all of that was explained so I was fine with it. The last shot of “Xiao Yi” in the Yin Metal purgatory made me guffaw; yeah, that didn’t look suggestive AT ALL. 

The Living Dead actually makes me look forward even more to the next movie, The Fatal Journey. I’m hoping that since it’s potentially about the Nie brother’s past and Jin Guangyao, that perhaps there will be less need for CGI as it will focus more on just dialogue and story-telling. Not to mention, again, apologies to Yu Bin fans, but those three actors are generally stronger performers, so with them at the helm, I’m expecting/hoping for greater things.    

Since I’ve been mostly negative, I wanted to leave on at least one positive note: Sizhui is still an adorable puppy. His dads, wherever they are, whatever they’re doing during the movie, must be so proud of him. 

[annakie]

An Annotated Mass Effect Playthrough, Part Three

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Wherein we finish up on Eden Prime, and make it to the Citadel.

The fight along the long open walkway before the train is, imho, the hardest part of Eden Prime.  But hey, only died once this time and that was mostly my own stupidity.  Should probably knock the difficulty down to easy.

I have, btw, beaten the game on insanity, on Xbox 360 so without mods or cheats.  It was... extremely frustrating.  There are certain spots, and I’ll try to remember to point the worst ones out when I get there, that I probably had to replay upwards of 20 times before beating.  But I did it.  I did get every achievement on XBox back in 2009.

This is such a good visual.  They didn’t have to tilt the camera, but they did, really emphasizing the “Something is very, very wrong here” angle.

The aesthetics of this station are great.  Again my biggest problem is that it feels like it’s a train to nowhere.  

This last playthrough I completely forgot to disarm the bomb that’s, you know, right as you get off the tram.  Still had about 30 seconds left when I ran back for it.  Whoops.

I really love this quick scene of Ashley and Kaidan because something about the lighting makes it feel like the cover of like a 50′s scifi pulp novel.

I’m using the flycam command that can super slow time down so it’s been great for getting those little moments that go by super quick, like all the little cuts during the Beacon scene.  A lot of scenes like this I’ll run it through once normal and then go back and do it with slo-mo on, letting things that go by in half a second slow down so I have itme to capture a perfect shot.

I’ve always thought it’d be interesting to see what would have happened had Ash or Kaidan actually absorbed the beacon. 

I bet someone’s written that fic.

Anyway, I’ve seen people criticizing Ash/Kaidan for being that close to the beacon.  First of all, you can walk that close before the cutscene (in fact you have to to mash the button to start the cutscene) and second... um... it’s dictated by the plot that it has to happen. *facepalm*

OOF.  Upscaling did not actually help this low-poly Sovereign model.  I mean the lights look good... the rest of the textures though... not so much.

There’s a mod that gives Benezia a shirt that I’m really regretting not applying now.  I might figure that out.

Anyway, first time I played through it drove me CRAZY for a minute not knowing who this voice belonged to, and after googling it, I fell in love with this game even more.  I love ST:TNG so much, and it’s always a thrill to hear Marina’s voice.

Anyone else totally not shocked that Saren is a rage monster?  

Later in 2009 I went on a cruise that was supposed to be with my entire family.  My grandma got sick and couldn’t go, so neither did my parents or aunt.  My brother, SIL and her parents still went.  With no heavy family obligations I spent 90% of the daytimes on that cruise on the adults-only deck reading books, including I think the two Mass Effect books that were out at that point.  Reading the whole story behind Anderson & Saren made me hate this guy even more.  Pretty good book, if you haven’t read it yet.

And that was a really, really great vacation.

Scary hand textures there, Bioware.  Good angle and colors, though.

At least the beacon let us have a really good nap.

This conversation and honestly most of them dealing with this vision / talking to the council about Saren I think the middle options are some of the better options, even better than the Paragon options.

Also, this happens sometimes in the next two games but heavily in the first game, the middle option is often still the Paragon or Renegade voiced dialog but the text is just different.  For a lot of these lines here, though, it’s not, and also it makes Shepard sound like less of a goody-goody and more realistic.

And then this happens.

Oh, there we go, our first heart-melting moment.  The smile that’s been giffed a thousand times.  I love how subtle this is, the widening eyes, the actual natural-feeling upturn of the lips.  I wonder how long it took the animator to get this right, because... bravo.

I’ve always wondered if the halo were intentional, like, that’s some heavy symbolism there since Shepard becomes The Savior of The Citadel (and eventually the galaxy).

Finally some alone time.  I liked that he both checked in on Shepard here, remembered Jenkins and mourned civilians a little bit, encouraged her letting her know she did a good job, and also had time to give us a little more exposition about the council, his abilities, and his backstory. 

Also.. JOKER’s WAITING FOR YOU ON THE BRIDGE! 

Maybe that line wouldn’t be so jarring later if they didn’t recycle it from here.  

Naah, it would still suck.

This is the only other conversation of substance we have with Dr. Chakwas.  And a good chunk of it is about Kaidan and his implants.  I’d love more interaction with her in a remaster.  At least in 2 and 3 she has fetch quests.

Also some time to get to know Ashley.  I can’t imagine people blaming losing her unit on Eden Prime on her, but hey, some people do.  Her abilities were wasted there anyway, and she deserves to be on the Normandy, end of story.

Hey Joker what’s up do you want to tell me about yourse--

Nope, right into a cutscene, okay!

At least it’s an amazing cutscene.

I like here that apparently Ashley and Joker have spent the last 15 hours while Shepard was asleep getting comfortable enough with each other to make dick jokes.  

The music, the visuals, the absolute majesty of this entire scene. How can you not already love this game?

Honestly, I complained about the loredump at the beginning, but it’s pretty crucial and it hits on all the right beats without being completely overwhelming, even if it does get a little repetitive.  It doesn’t take long for the game to throw you into the action, introduce you to the major players (except the four companions you don’t have *yet*) and establish the universe and premise of the story.  It also gives you a sense of urgency and danger, and sticks the sci-fi tropes it needs to land.

Then you pretty quickly get funneled into the Citadel, where some of the learning comes more naturally and you finally get off the beaten path a little.  It’s peak Bioware game design at it’s best.

I planned on stepping foot onto the Citadel by now, but I have stuff to do, so that will have to wait until later.

[white-queen-lacus]

La porta rossa 2 - finale -

So, the end has come. I truly could expect everything but that kind of end. Well... at least, about the culprit... 

I loved the fact that almost all of this season’s episodes began with Anna’s dreams. The first episode began with Anna dreaming of her and Leo in the bed, cuddling and talking about the little Vanessa who was still in her womb, when suddenly he reminded Anna that he was dead. There was also the dream of Leo and a young Vanessa singing together in the karaoke (like Jamonte and his daughter) and there, Leo asked Anna to not leave their daughter, and in the final episode, Anna dreamt of Leo asking her why she did cheat on him even when he had come back and Anna answering that he was dead. The two final episodes told about family, bonds, and jealousy. We are given a partial truth said by Jonas, who was questioned by Jamonte and Paoletto (btw Paoletto is the new best inspector even though he still isn’t at Leo’s level XD). Jonas proves himself as smart as his son (oh, how much I have dreamt of saying this about him!!), who is watching the whole scene. And finally, Jonas is able to feel Leo’s presence and to warn him: Leo mustn’t interfere with life again or it will be dangerous. Leo is visibly p*ssed off and upset because he wants answers. He needs to prevent his daughter’s kidnapping and he believes that Jonas is the key. In the meanwhile, Vanessa (the elder), is always more and more involved with him, something that scares Leo. He knows that she is in love with him, but he tries to push her away because he doesn’t want to put her in danger, and moreover, he prioritizes his daughter.  Anna, still in a Questura’s cell after her spontaneous submission, is still trying to figure out how to incriminate a Public Prosecutor (Alessi). Together with Jamonte, she finds her way, but she decides to be arrested (for real) in order to give her colleagues the chance to act undisturbed (she, along with the forgotten XD Piras, is a DA too).  At the same time, while Vanessa, acting on her own, ends up being caught by Alessi, and is struggling for her life, Paoletto and Stella (they make an amazing team/couple), always followed by Leo, find a link between the deaths of Rambelli and the dialer (and Leo realizes that the same gun was used to hurt Jonas, thirty years before).  Then, Leo, invoked by Vanessa, tries to help her by using his telekinesis and secures the door in order to prevent Alessi and his fellow to come in and kill her. Vanessa, visibly distressed and upset, this time feels totally abandoned by Leo, who, as desperate as her, is trying to find his daughter... who’s been kidnapped during the fireworks. Later, we find out that the culprit is... Leo’s mother, Silvia. The woman is definitely out like a balcony, and she is like that since ages. Fearing that the love of her life, Jonas, wanted to run away after a robbery (in which the book of the Count of Cagliostro = logbook of the Phoenix = the key to arresting the members of the sect, was taken), she shot him (unbeknown to her, Jonas, as a ghost, had seen everything). Then, when Jonas had wakened up after the coma, she killed the dialer (who worked for Rambelli) and Rambelli (who was the only one to know that she had tried to kill Jonas). Silvia wanted to take the little Vanessa, who was her son’s living part and running away with Jonas, to have a second chance.

Then, when the elder Vanessa’s story is resolved when Stella and Paoletto find her and arrest her kidnappers (as well as the head of the Phoenix), while Anna and Jamonte, who are on little Vanessa’s kidnappers’ traces, arrive at the old building site. Here, we assist at a truly deep and tragical moment. Silvia is found by Jonas and the two of them have an honest and critical conversation. All the truth is exposed and Jonas, who took his granddaughter with him, makes Silvia understand that they have never had the chance to be together, nor they have and will have a second one, because their son, who’s watching them and who’s with them, won’t allow it, not to the detriment of his daughter. Leo, in fact, tries with all his powers, to stop them, until they come on the rooftop, the place where Leo was killed. Here, Leo understands that his father had always known about him, since the beginning and he was with him even at the time of Leo’s death. Silvia, feeling completely alone and powerless, ends up suiciding, and right before crossing the red door, she sees Leo. The scene was definitely agonizing. She recognizes her son immediately and tries to caress his cheek. Leo, full of sorrow, grief, and pain, moves his cheek away. Silvia only tells him that he’s like she’s always imagined he could be, then she passes away. Few moments after, Anna (who has understood that Leo was still there) and Jamonte, reached for Jonas and Vanessa. The little girl is safe and Anna can finally know that Leo saved both.

Then, while life goes on (the Phoenix is definitively erased, Stella and Paoletto come back together, Jamonte and Jonas come both back to each life), we see the best scene after Anna and Leo’s temporary reunion. Anna is cuddling her little Vanessa, sitting in her bedroom, asking if Leo is there. Then, she asks Leo to hug both and he does it. Anna, for the first time in a long time, feels Leo’s presence strongly and they abandon themselves to a moment of deep emotion (and for us viewers, a moment of desperation because he can’t be with them anymore. ;___;). Anna tells Leo if he can see how beautiful their daughter is and that she looks like him, then she hopes that she hasn’t inherited her dad’s bad temper. Leo silently smiles and replies that Vanessa is beautiful and he hopes she’s taken everything from her mother. Then, Anna thanks him for his protection but also asks him to leave them. Anna can’t live with him like this, because their lives must go on and he’s no longer with them. Leo, upset, agrees, by claiming that he would do everything for them and says farewell with his favorite gesture (the fist in the air). Just in time, Anna sees him in the mirror, but she can’t do anything and she hugs Vanessa, crying. At the end, Leo, coming back to the place of his death, says farewell to Vanessa, asking forgiveness for what happened and claiming that the more he stays in the world, the more his beloveds are in danger (like Jonas had said). While reaching the red door, anyway, he can’t open it. Vanessa, still tied to him, full of resent, jealousy and doubts (Leo is her shadow, but they don’t know the reason yet), prevents him from passing away, so Leo is trapped, this time, in the living world, against his will.  So... La Porta Rossa 3 is waiting for us now!!  I can’t wait to watch it! This season was an amazing rollercoaster, totally unpredictable, touching, full of mysteries that even Urobuchi couldn’t do better, with supernatural events wonderfully merged with reality. Each character was wonderfully written. Leo’s desperation was tangible in every episode. We could see that he would have been a great dad for Vanessa, totally fond of his little one and he and Anna would have overcome their divergences if only he could have been together again. Both proved to be the best inspectors and Anna’s resolution, along with her drama as a mother with post-partum depression were powerful. Then we finally found out the truth about Leo, Jonas and Rambelli’s link. I could never think that Rambelli was the one who gave Leo the surname Cagliostro, but he did for irony. The scene of the meeting between Leo and his former mentor/killer was OMG to watch. “You were like a father to me.”, “But you were not my son”.... RAMBELLI YOU BASTARD!!! I hope he’s rotting in hell.  I’m not this satisfied with Vanessa, instead. She fell in love with Leo (ok dear, I can understand you, but... seriously... he’s a ghost!), she put herself in danger in order to have him saving her multiple times, she forced him to stay when she knew perfectly how staying was suffering for him... she revealed herself as an immature girl. And now, she’s been kidnapped from someone who’s studying the mediums. What will happen next? I can’t wait!!! In the meanwhile, let’s remember that... END DOESN’T EXIST. <3

[icameheretowinry]

FMA Live Action Review

As promised!

Hey there! As I’m sure with everyone else in this crazy fandom, I recently watched the Fullmetal Alchemist live action film that premiered on Netflix last week; albeit after waiting two hours for it to download over shoddy hotel wifi so I could experience it offline in the back of a car on a twisty mountain road. Long story… *ahem* Anyway, since I heard that there would be a live action adaptation last year, I’ve been rightly freaking out to see it, so you best believe I took my time, and watched this film like a hawk (see what I did there??) XD Below the cut you’ll find my reviews of characterizations, plot, costumes, cinematography, CGI, music, and a couple of other things I found interesting, or particularly enjoyed. Please keep in mind that I’m not a film critic, but I just wanted to share my observations. I hope you enjoy! Feel free to comment as well! This is LONG btw heh :D

Characterizations:

Edward Elric (Ryôsuke Yamada)

All in all, I found live action Ed’s character to be one of the best in the entire film. Yamada’s interpretation of our favorite angry red bean captured some of the best nuances of Ed’s character. His passion for their quest, sadness, regret, anger, and occasional goofiness were all there. He didn’t just look like Ed, he more or less acted like him too. Yamada’s Ed was emotionally reactive when the situation demanded it (his horrified reaction to Nina being one of the best instances - don’t worry, I’ll be spending time on that arc a bit later on), yet the viewer didn’t lose out on his tender smiles to Winry, or his immense respect for Hughes. While live action Ed’s open displays of sadness, which often had him on the verge of tears or actually crying, were a huge departure from Brotherhood and manga Ed, they felt appropriate within the shortened time frame of the film, and in response to modifications made to canon plot. However, while I did enjoy live action Ed’s character as a whole, he was not without significant flaws. His frenzy of seemingly uncontrollable anger after Al accuses him of fabricating his memories, his over-the top-horrified yelling when learning the main ingredient for philosophers’ stones, and near helplessness when confronted with a roadblock in their quest all felt very out of place. Well, not so much out of place as immature, which gave me serious fma03 vibes.

Alphonse Elric (Atom Mizuishi)

I’ll be talking strictly about live action Al’s character in this section. Comments on his CGI armor will come later. For starters, the biggest flaw in Al’s character was his very limited screen time. While this was. I’m assuming, most likely due to the difficulty in animating his armor, for a story that centers on the quest of two brothers, Al came across more as a background character than a true protagonist. In the few scenes we see a lot of him, Mizuishi did a brilliant job of letting his personality shine through. We see his passion for alchemy when he gets carried away trying to explain it to the citizens of Liore. We see his kind and gentle nature during his interactions with Nina. We see his frustration when he accuses Ed of fabricating his memories (although the rest of that scene was one of the most poorly done in the film - I’ll be touching on that later.) We even get to see some of that sassy nature we all know and love when he asks if his body is taller than Ed. It’s a huge shame we didn’t get to see more of that.

Winry Rockbell (Tsubasa Honda)

As the character I relate to most to in the entire series, I was incredibly excited to see how Winry’s big and dynamic personality would play out in a live action film. As much as it pains me to say, I was thoroughly disappointed. Honda’s renditions of Winry’s impassioned outbursts felt overdone and awkward. The flexibility of imagery in the animated series and manga (such as the running gag of her hitting Ed over the head with a wrench) don’t translate in a live action environment. Without that additional comedic heft, Honda’s Winry came across as obnoxious. Even her tearful lamentations to Al about how much Ed cared about him seemed childish and forced. A majority of her screen time was spent as Ed’s side kick, or as a hostage at the end of film. Hell, the only indication that she’s Ed’s automail mechanic (other than it being said) is prancing around with a toolbox, and dinging up Al with a comically giant wrench. (Which why on earth was she bringing that to Lab 5 in the first place???) Also, Netflix translated her line at the end of the Marcoh arc as, “I’ll clean up the mess.” GURL THAT MESS IS A HUMAN BEING. To abandon all formality, just uuuugggghhhh. The only moment I truly loved her character was when she was on the train alone with Ed before they found Marcoh. That’s the Winry I know, and I wish I could’ve seen more of her.

Roy Mustang (Dean Fujioka)

Live action Roy, let’s be real, is everything I’ve dreamed of. While at times, he’s a bit of an ass, Fujioka does an unbelievable job of beautifully delivering many aspects of his character. It’s obvious that he respects and cares for Ed, especially during the aftermath of the Nina arc. He also trusts Ed enough to go after Envy, and doesn’t give him shit for swooping in to save his ass from Lust. He pushes himself to the limit for those he cares about, even taking a hit from Lust for Riza, and is hellbent on avenging the death of his best friend. Like Ed, he’s emotionally reactive when the situation presents itself, and his ruthlessness is unwavering, and amazing to watch. While I felt that some of the condensation of plot hurt the development of some characters, this doesn’t seem to apply as much to Roy. He was vulnerable, caring, angry, vengeful, and collected all at once. It was beautiful!

Riza Hawkeye (Misako Renbutsu)

Sadly, Riza’s character was another major disappointment. I don’t recall her saying more than two full sentences until she told Ed of Hughes’ murder over halfway through the film despite appearing with Roy in the first fifteen minutes. While he carries on full conversations with other characters, she may as well have blended into the wallpaper. I didn’t even really see glimpses of the badass sharpshooter until the last half hour. Outside the numerous Royai moments, which I will discuss later, that one scene of her directing the assault on the puppet soldiers did a pretty damn good job of redeeming her character in my eyes more so than Winry’s one solid scene. When Renbutsu’s Riza actually had lines and something to do, she was utterly on point and badass. Bottom line, I wanted MORE.

Maes Hughes (Ryûta Satô)

Next to Lust, live action Hughes was one of my favorites in the entire film. Did I need to see more of this man? YES. Did I need to see him die for the fourth time? GOOD LORD NO. From the first moment he comes bursting into Mustang’s office saying, “Yo!” and saluting, I was d o n e. His care and respect for Ed, Al, Winry, and of course, Gracia is beautiful (he also ships edwin just so ya know.) While Satô truely does an exemplarily job of portraying Hughes’ character, I will thank the plot of this film for giving me more things to cry about. Hughes openly involving himself in Ed’s research, his conversation with Mustang in the garden, and *sighes* t h a t  s c e n e. Just Envy appearing as Roy by the phone booth, turning into Gracia to stop his attack, and them back to Roy to kill him. His BEST FRIEND seeming to kill him. AND THIS IS IN TWO DIFFERENT SCENES. But what really got to me was that unlike the manga/Brotherhood, Roy and Hughes spoke while he was dying. Roy knew what was going on, and could only listen, and then, he was accused of carrying it out himself. My angsty heart thanks the creators.

Gracia Hughes (Natsuki Harada)

While she only had a few lines, Harada’s Gracia was sweet, caring, and perfectly in character. The absence of Elicia was disappointing, but the fact that she was expecting a child made Hughes’ death just as tragic. Also, you could totally tell that when Ed and Winry were over for dinner that she shipped it!

Shou Tucker (Yô Ôizumi)

My basic reaction to live action Tucker was, “Thanks. I hate it.” Ôzumi’s interpretation of the worst human ever was a morbid delight. The sadist monster thinly veiled by an awkwardly brilliant researcher and single father was incredible. Of the diverse cast of villains in the film, he proved to be vastly more interesting and dynamic than General Hakuro could ever be. From taking Barry’s place in canon to put the idea into Al’s head that he was artificial, to figuring out how to activate and use philosophers’ stones, this is the most horrifying rendition of Tucker yet, even giving cimera!Tucker a run for his money. To top it off, his desire to crush the Elric’s dreams of ever getting their bodies back has no grounding in reality, other than for his own entertainment. As in canon, his demise was gruesome, rightly deserved, and satisfying to watch.

Nina Tucker & Alexander

I’m grouping these two together because… well… I’M SORRY OK. Anyway, the little girl who played Nina and the very floofy Alexander gave us all the ingredients to once again fall into the deepest pit of despair at the end of their arc. We got Alexander jumping on Ed. We got Nina happily playing for the first time in ages and admitting so to Al and Winry. We even got her being supportive of her father is the sweetest little conversation ever. And then… I wanted to chuck my phone out the window.

Lust (Yasuko Matuyuki)

You’re not going to believe me, but live action Lust was my favorite character in the entire film. I don’t know if it was the graceful way she carried herself, the sultry nature beautifully entwined in her dialogue, or the look of bliss on her face as she was being consumed by flame, but sweet jesus, it was PERFECT. Of all the characters in this film, she was the only one that felt as though she was plucked straight from the manga. Matuyuki did her research, because I was more than blown away by her rendition of Lust. In role that threatened flatness due to the even nature of the character’s personality, Matuyuki let viewers both fear her as a villain, yet fall in love with her at the same time. Just BRAVO.

Envy (Kanata Hongô)

Can I say enough good things about the live action homunculi? Hongô’s take on Envy was spectacular! They’re snarky attitude, disdain of humans, and cunning personality were all there. Although we missed seeing our favorite full-scale garbage lizard, little was left out. However, the character truly suffered due to plot changes. My biggest complaint was that they die without revealing they killed Hughes, or admitting their jealously of humans. Had Hongô had the time frame to do those scenes, we would’ve really been in for a treat!

Gluttony (Shinji Uchiyama)

Uchiyama’s representation of Gluttony, like the other homunculi in the film, was fantastic. His baby-like appearence, clipped sentences, and lumbering gait were all spot on. While I had a good laugh watching him waddle after Amestrian soldiers with an obviously fake set of teeth strapped to himself, his performance was rightly terrifying, as it should’ve been.

Dr. Marcoh (Jun Kunimura)

Despite largely being a character of convenience in the film, live action Marcoh garnered a lot of sympathy from me in the few minutes he was on screen. We saw a man paranoid and terrified of being used, yet still attempting to do good by running a local hospital under an assumed name (although not a very good one lmao). His warning to Ed about the nature of the philosopher’s stone felt genuine, and his quickly manifested respect for Ed during their conversation never felt forced. His ensuing change of heart in providing information on Lab 5 was also appropriate. Despite being on screen for less than fifteen minutes, his death was sudden, tragic, and heartbreaking.  

Father Cornello (Kenjirô Ishimaru)

Live action Cornello, like Trisha Elric, was a minor role that was successful in how close it stuck to canon. While the manner in which his fraudulent teachings were exposed was different, his open disdain for the Elric brothers, thirst for power, and generally unsavory personality were faithfully represented by Ishimaru. He met the same gruesome end, and his downfall was just as satisfying to watch as in the manga and animated series.

Maria Ross (Natsuna Watanabe)

While her role was relatively minor, Watanabe’s Ross was pretty solid. Her insights into the Hughes’ and Ed’s research of Lab 5 were insightful, and I adored that Hughes referred to her as a good friend. There needs to be more fanfiction of that people! Additionally, her transition from Ross to Envy’s character was subtle and unnerving. While I was slightly disappointed to see “her” role as Hughes’ shooter taken away, the fact that we still had an scene with Envy as her was awesome.

Trisha Elric & Young Elric brothers

For the .2 seconds Trisha was on screen, she seemed to perfectly personify her canon counterpart. Even the Anime Mom Hair™ was on point. That’s really all there is to say. On the other hand, the boys who played little Al and Ed did a spectacular job! Their sadness, determination, and child-like innocence were spot on, as well as their sibling dynamic. Little Ed took the leadership role, and calmed Al when he had doubts. Also, the raw emotion they were able to summon during the human transmutation scene was downright incredible for actors so young, especially when the bulk of that scene relied on CGI.

General Hakuro/Halcrow (Fumiyo Kohinata)

To be honest, I didn’t even remember that Hakuro/Halcrow was a canon character. Upon further research, he played a minor role in Brotherhood/manga, and a slightly less minor role in fma03. He was never a villain, but simply a superior officer jealous of Roy Mustang’s rapid ascent to power in the military following the Ishvalan war. Don’t get me wrong, I am ALL FOR taking minor characters with unverified pasts and giving them a larger role. While this film does really throw canon out the window (which I will also discuss later), shoving a sniveling rival of Mustang’s into the villain seat felt like a copout. In a canon universe known for its dynamic and interesting villains, Hakuro’s appearances were painfully convenient. Surprise! I’m going to ask Mustang to introduce the Elric’s to Tucker. Surprise! I walk in just as Ross and Hughes as researching Lab 5 and the philosopher’s stone. Surprise! I’m actually the puppet master and will TAKE OVER THE WORLD. Please. He’s like a goddamn Disney villain, except to the undead, a nice snack.

Plot:

I’m just going to come right out and say that I honestly had more issues with character representation in the film, than I did with changes to plot. I really struggled with the adjustments during the first hour of the film, but once I gave in and just accepted that canon was more or less going to be thrown out the window, I finally started to enjoy myself. Below, instead of going over the plot as a whole (I’ve already burned enough ink on this review as it is, so to speak), I’m going to touch on a few plot points I particularly loved, and other that that should’ve been left on the metaphorical cutting room floor. *cracks knuckles* Let’s do this!

Plot Points I Enjoyed

The first real dialogue between Ed and Roy in his office after the Liore incident was damn solid. It had all the element fans could wish for: Ed’s nearly unbridled passion for getting Al’s body back (SO in character), Roy’s cold demeanor, yet obvious concern for their safety, and finally, the grand entrance of Maes Hughes yelling “Yo!” with a his ridiculous salute that filled my heart with rainbows and added ten years onto my lifespan.

That little moment where Hughes and Garcia were just as big of EdWin shippers are you are. ;)

Like I’ve mentioned before, the conversation between Ed and Winry on the train to find Marcoh was my singular favorite moment of her. Winry was so sweet, adorable, and genuinely supportive of Ed, and his smiles towards her made me blush on her behalf. Just letting their two personalties and pasts bounces off each other in that scene worked perfectly.

ROY TAKING THE HIT FOR RIZA????

RIZA HOLDING ROY UP IN LAB 5????

RIZA LOOKING ALL CONCERNED DOWN AT HER BLOODY HANDS AND THINKING OF ROY DURING THE ASSULT ON THE PUPPET SOLDIERS???

HER SPRINTING AWAY TO SEE IF HE WAS OK???

*ahem* I will also arguably say that Hughes’ death scene was much more tragic in the live action than the other three (why tho) versions of this scene. Make Roy the shooter?? Broke my damn heart into a million pieces, but effective and perfect for my angsty heart?? YES.

Lust’s death scene was beautifully animated. Actually, every scene with her was excellent. Her ruthless, nonchalant attitude was incredible.

Ed’s conversation with Marcoh was ripped straight from the manga I noticed. I’m sincerely glad that some moments weren’t messed with. The little tidbits of powerful, straight-up canon are what held this film together. SPEAKING OF…

I’m not going to lie and say that the best scene in the movie was the reveal of Nina’s fate. It was perfectly dark, stuck to canon, and the emotion was raw and real. Although chimera!Nina’s CGI was a bit iffy, the voice acting ended me. Plus, the additional emotional turmoil Al was going through with Tucker’s claim that his memories were fabricated, plus Ed just having just witnessed the death of Marcoh made this moment a triple whammy in the feels department. Who knew the series could get darker? I LOVED it.

Plot Points I Didn’t Enjoy

In general, I didn’t like how the characters were aged up. The time gap between the Elric’s as little kids trying human transmutation and their current quest feel like too much of a massive time gap. I wish they would’ve honestly used younger actors.

What was with the entire Elric house being ripped apart in an electrical tornado when they tried human transmutation? I know they don’t show them burning down their house, but that was a bit much in the drama department.

Why is Hughes a captain??? It really doesn’t make much sense that he was demoted for the movie.

The award for second worst moment in the movie goes to the scene where Ed faces Truth for the first time and loses his limbs. Why is it a dream sequence? Why is he an adult? I get that that would be a very emotionally raw scene for the young actors to play, but I think it would’ve been incredibly more effective, such as in Brotherhood, to watch. If they couldn’t participate, it honestly would’ve been better to give an explanation and leave the scene out entirely (even though I adored Truth’s performance in that scene).

The biggest offender in this film that legitimately made me cringe, was the scene with the Golden Trio in what they thought was Lab 5. Why was Winry there? Why did Ed throw a complete temper tantrum that lead to him destroying his left hand on Al’s armor? WHERE DID SHE GET THAT GIGANTIC WRENCH??? XD That scene was an absolute train wreck. Ed and Al were being stupidly selfish and immature, Winry was randomly there and beating Al up with this stupidly large wrench and then crying. I cried too wondering where the wheels fell off the wagon…

Costumes:

Like I am no film critic, my knowledge of fashion and costume design is limited, but I couldn’t resist commenting on this aspect of the film. One word: AMAZING. I can’t say enough good things. The Amestrian uniforms were well done, as well as appeared easy to move in. For example, the scene where Riza took off running to find Roy near the end of the film exhibited this perfectly. Dramatic, but functional. I dig it! Winry’s yellow sundress was also a highlight for me, especially during the lighthearted EdWin scene on the train on their way to find Marcoh. In Brotherhood, her fashion choices were a bit on the somber side, so seeing her in bright, warm colors really reflected the kind nature of her character. Finally, I actually loved Ed’s outfit? By some fashion miracle, he actually looked pretty damn cool. I remember a post where someone likened his fashion sense to someone who robbed Hot Topic in the dark. Not here, my friends. Not here. Who doesn’t want that black jacket of his? Let’s be real. Also, bonus points for putting baby Ed in red at the beginning of the film!

CGI:

While I remember lots of fans being concerned over the quality of the CGI in the live action, I must say that I was quite impressed! The time, effort, and budget really paid off. While some of the sequences felt a bit video game-y (read: the chimeras Cornello summons at the beginning of the film and the rendition of chimera!Nina), the alchemy animations felt on par with the nature of the story. While the massive stone pillars and human transmutation scene in Lab 5 were impressive, one of my favorite moments was when Ed used alchemy to quickly fix his clothes after the chimera attack in Liore. After the dramatic reveal of Ed’s automail limbs, the action was incredibly subtle, but beautifully animated. Now, don’t even get me started on Al’s armor! As I mentioned before, it was a shame that we didn’t see more of him on screen, but when he was there, the CGI was a pleasure to watch. While the fight scenes were solid in execution, I loved as natural (well, as a soul bounded to armor can be lol) he looked in the environment of the film. For example, when Winry embraced him after they first reunited, he seemed just as substantial as any other character. As a final note, I will admit that Truth’s animation was my favorite. That wispy, nearly intangible figure coupled with that oddly omnipresent narration was specular to watch!

Cinematography:

CGI aside, the live action actually had some fairly solid filmmaking behind it. While the shooting of difficult scenes in general was pretty tight (see the fight sequences in Liore as a prime example), the use of lighting changes and slow motion shots were usually well-utilized and a pleasure to watch. Homunculi appear? The lighting gets darker. On the other hand, light-hearted scenes, such those when Ed and Winry are together, were lit warmly. In Lab 5, the ominous nature of the scene was highlighted by the blood-red light emanating from the philosophers’ stones. As for the slow motion shots, I was a little worried when the first was used strictly for comedic effect during the Liore battle sequence, but damn did it bring me to my knees during the showdown between Roy and Lust. That vengeful expression on Roy’s face illuminated by flame, coupled with Lust’s near smile at the acceptance of her death was just BEAUTIFUL. We catch both the hero twisted by revenge, and the villain finally at peace. I had to pause and take a break after that one.

Music:

Did anyone else notice the music?! Kitasato’s themes for this film are just wonderful. The upbeat notes during the Liore sequences gave me some serious Fairy Tail vibes (which is always a good thing!) and the dramatic flairs during the Lab 5 arc perfectly piggybacked off the ominous lighting and unnerving dialogue. While MISIA’s op for the film is a departure from normally high-energy ops of Brotherhood that we all know and love, the vocal work and synthesized strings work together harmoniously.

Misc:

This section is just pretty much for additional details I enjoyed about the film!

I loved that the Liore arc was filmed in Volterra, Italy. As I was watching the beginning of the film, I kept thinking how familiar the scenery looked. When I finally searched filming locations, I was blown away! I was just there this summer, and it’s such a beautiful city. If possible, I love it more now that I know it was a filming location!!

For some reason, the conversation between Ed and Roy after what happened to Nina really stuck with me. I don’t know, just Roy’s line: “How long are you going to let yourself be miserable?” was super poignant (more or less along those lines). While Roy never said anything like that to Ed in Brotherhood/manga to my knowledge, I felt the line was truly in line with his character.

I can’t believe Roy’s dumb black coat made it into this movie XD

Conclusion:

I figure that after rambling for so long, I should probably wrap this up! In short, I thought that the Fullmetal Alchemist live action was a solid film. While it did have significant flaws, it did, bottom line, give me more content and further interpretation of characters I positively love. It did a great job of breaking my heart all over again in the best possible way. Was it a faithful representation of the manga as promised? Not at all. Yet again, neither was fma03, Conqueror of Shamballa, or The Sacred Star of Milos. Look at this film like an awesome piece of fma fanfiction? Now we’re talking. If there’s more of this in the cards, BRING IT ON.

[forceprojecdin]

I’m Being Torn Apart By The Last Jedi (But That’s Why It’s Good Art)

Well, Star Wars fans are being torn in half. Half of us a torn by what we feel on the inside, and we’re divided in half on whether we approve of director Rian Johnson’s (now obvious) attempt to tear us apar (in the best way art can). 56% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes as of opening day, but 96% critical approval. Interesting. Very interesting. I’m not going to ramble on. This will be short. This is really about one thing and one thing only. Would Luke have done what he did? This is really the one essential divider that we need to talk about. SPOILERS AHEAD The Luke Division The most profound thing I can say is half way through the film I wanted to let go of Star Wars because of what Luke did to Ben. 2ND SPOILER WARNING He thought about Killing his nephew Ben, because in reading Ben’s mind, and perhaps seeing the future, he saw that young Ben would essentially grow up to be a Hitler. I don’t use that word lightly. I believe it’s needed to make the point on why Luke contemplated murdering his nephew to spare the future horrors wrought upon billions. Ben Solo wasn’t the “heir apparent to Vader,” as Snoke claimed. He was to be more of maybe the heir to he or Palpatine. So what would Luke do if he saw that future? I’ll keep my entire argument to my own personal viewpoint. I can only makes sense of this in a personal way. I wanted to let go of Star Wars because of what Luke (even just contemplated) doing to Ben. That is unheard of for me! I was a true believer, who never faltered, even with Jar Jar and sandy love dialogue!   That wasn’t the Luke I grew up idolizing for throwing down his violent laser sword and saving his Father, Vader, out of love and a non-violent strategic move. To sacrifice himself to the Emperor, to force his Father to have to make a choice to save him. It worked. That’s great metaphor for the strategic power of non-violence. Luke was like my pop fictional MLK or something.  Then we get to that moment in the film where Luke ignites his green Lightsaber, contemplating killing his nephew in his sleep. No! I shouted internally. That is not Luke! No, no, no, no, no, no, nooooooo! That’s not Luke. My Luke is perfect. Damn you! But then I realized, Luke has always been perfect to me in the most profound way -  I wanted to grow up to be perfect like him. That is an utterly profound effect to have on a child. Utterly. Alas, I grew up to have my own real failures. I didn't want to see this version Luke, but I needed to - I needed to have a myth that could help me to face my own failures and learn from them. That’s the power of myth, isn’t it? From sitting around campfires thousands of years ago to teach the tribe useful lessons, to sitting in movie theatres today. Pleas read Joseph Campbell, but I digress. Essentially, the power of myth is more important than than the power of Star Wars is. Simple logic. Star Wars needs to be myth, myth doesn’t need to be Star wars.    Again, half way through the film I wanted to let go of Star Wars because of what Luke did to Ben. Then, by the end, as a middle aged man, I realized it wasn't what I wanted in this myth, but what I truly needed.  And I had to accept that about Luke. About myself. Like what Yoda said to Luke in the film, that it’s our “failures that are our greatest teachers”.  So continue I will, the process of reflecting upon my middle-aged failures - in the hope that I will be able to work towards them changing me into a better person. Just don’t take it all too seriously. Stay light and playful about it, laugh it off, like Yoda! Now, that’s all I really need to say. I could write a whole book on every detail of this film, but I am too lazy! Nah, thats just not my job. Someone else will do that. My job (as a painter and singer) is to get personal about my own expressions. But here are a few random musings that I thought were significant and important enough, to temporarily overcome my laziness: The Child From The Stable The child from a stable who uses The Force on the broom represents the new hope of the new world Rey will help build. Interesting to note the archetypal power here, Jesus was born in a manger. Very apt for a Christmas movie release! Anyhow, The child now has the chance to help build a better world. But be warned, this child too might fail. But that will never be the end of the story for any generation, because like the Christ figure, there will be no final victory for evil as long as people are willing to sacrifice themselves out of love and compassion for the suffering - for the greater good. That’s what Luke did (again), in the end. Oh btw, I’m not being religious here, I’m talking about the poetic symbolism of the Jesus figure, which is essentially compassion for all who are suffering. Again, refer to Campbell on that. A Side Note On Its Spirituality This is important. Star Wars is at its best when it also makes relevant spiritual statements for a globalised world - which George Lucas proved was hungry for some sort of spiritual meaning. Yoda says "There is nothing in the books that Rey does not already possess." This is a very New Spiritualiy idea (intentional or not), that in the real world, challenges the idea that one needs a Church/Institution to find God (Note: this does not intend to mean that one can not find God there, only the notion that it is not the only pace to find God). God/The Force/Creator/Whatever is in everything. So the ultimate conclusion is thus that everyone has it all in them already. All the time. One just needs to listen. All is One. This movie is reflecting movement in the real world to evolve from elitist religion to democratic spirituality. One does not have to give a donation from a pew to support an institution to be connected to the Creator. The Creator is already inside you. Just sit. Cross your legs. Breathe. Listen. One does not have to say a creed, to support a system and power structure (and jobs for those in power), to be with God. God is inside you. Like Luke says to Rey, for anyone to think that only the elite have the light, is vanity. Utter vanity at worst, a selfish way to maintain a power structure to stay employed, at best. I Will Thusly Conclude.... .... with this quote, from this article: “The Last Jedi feels like a movie young George Lucas, passionate and bold, would have made. It feels like a proper Star Wars movie by refusing to feel like a Star Wars movie.” But you have to understand, a young George Lucas wouldn’t have cared about what an older George Lucas would have thought in terms of “The Rules.”. George Lucas said this film was “beautifully made”, btw.    I do hope you enjoyed. These are just the ramblings of someone who is infinitely fascinated by the ever elusive and mysterious power of art.  20th century American conceptual and abstract artist Marcel Duchamp famously said, “I consider taste – bad or good – the greatest enemy of art.” Rian Johnson has taken our tastes and ripped them to shreds, to give his work life. So bravo Mr. Johnson, I believe you have made a real work of art. You have torn us apart in ever way that a Star Wars film probably could, but you have shown us how to put ourselves back together again. I may never forgive you for what you did to my precious Luke, but I will certainly try to be a better old man because you did.   - Din P.S. If I truly have any real let down, it’s that the theme of non-violence has been abandoned. The theme that Lucas was setting up when he had Luke throw down his saber at the end of Return Of The Jedi, proclaiming. Lucas pushed this point further in a season 2 episode of The Clone Wars, when the Lurmen Chief, Tee Watt Kaa told Anakin, “Only when the Jedi lay down their arms, will they be true peacekeepers.” In the end, this still may be the most tasteless and powerfully challenging statement of all. People would lose their poodoo if Jedi no longer used Lightsabers. ADDENDUM:  Woah WAIT, Luke totally used non-violence at the end! He didn't fight Kylo! He didn't actually use his saber! Meditate on this, I will. P.P.S. I may have rambled on a little.

[junker-town]

The Icebox’s lessons on how to be a boss

Icebox is ready to play some football with the Little Giants | Warner Brothers production / SB Nation illustration

Becky “Icebox” O’Shea is one of the greatest characters in kids film history. She inspired us 25 years ago and she still inspires us now.

The 1990s were the golden age of kids sports movies. Worn-out VHS tapes of The Mighty Ducks, The Sandlot, The Big Green, and Air Bud were in heavy use throughout the decade, from sleepovers, to youth group functions, to those days when your overworked, underpaid teacher just needed a little break.

Little Giants fits in that same category, yet it also belongs in its own. For one, it’s the only one about football. More importantly than that, though, is that the protagonist is a girl. Not a mom. Not a love interest. Not a tertiary character who hangs out in the background.

Becky “Icebox” O’Shea is both relatable and inspirational, a hard combo to pull off without venturing into Mary Sue territory. But Little Giants navigates it perfectly, thanks to a script that treats her like a three-dimensional person and to a winning performance from Shawna Waldron.

Becky is tough as nails, and she doesn’t take crap from anyone. She’s also allowed to be a kid, with all the flaws that come with it. Some of her actions — such as her awkward attempts to gauge Junior’s interest in her, and her outburst against her well-intentioned dad — might make us cringe now. It’s not because they’re immature. It’s because we completely understand what it’s like to be young and have feelings that you don’t know what to do with.

Seeing a character like Icebox on screen meant a lot to the girls who grew up with the movie. We all know what it’s like to be better than the boys and not get the credit for it, and to be disregarded or passed over for being who you are. She’s not just for us, though. She’s for anyone who has ever felt excluded.

In the movie’s opening minutes, when she finds out she wasn’t picked — by her own uncle! — to make the football team, Icebox is crushed.

That look of heartbreak is fleeting, because it then gives way to a steely gaze of determination that makes one thing very clear:

Warner Brothers Production

BOSS

More than anything, Icebox is a freakin’ boss.

Young or old, man or woman, girl or boy, in 1994 or decades later, we are her students. Here are a few lessons we can learn from Icebox, even today, about how to be a boss:

1. Make things happen for yourself.

Icebox just wanted to play football. And there was part of her that was motivated by the jerks who thought that she couldn’t play because she was a girl — never mind that women have been playing football for longer than you’ve been alive, Uncle Kevin!

So she started her own team, with players she helped recruit, to, as she told that turdface Murphy, “kick your little Cowboys butts.”

She also volunteered her dad to coach the team because hey, sometimes it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission.

2. Don’t let the bullies win.

The first time we see Becky, she’s making a tackle (with excellent form, naturally). Minutes later, this little twerp — who probably has a name, but he doesn’t deserves one — makes a disparaging and tasteless remark about her urinary technique.

She responded appropriately:

Shortly after, when Murphy and his gang of hoodlums give Nubie — who didn’t even try out for the team — a wedgie for NO reason, Icebox gets the Omar Little treatment. Murphy’s crew realizes Icebox is coming and they get the hell outta there.

She tracks them down in her go-kart, one by one, and makes them wipe out on their bikes, hopefully painfully. That’s another important boss reminder: There’s nothing wrong with letting others have a healthy fear of you.

3. It’s OK to doubt yourself sometimes.

The best leaders are the ones who can get introspective and question whether everything they thought they knew is really true. For Becky, her world is turned upside down the first time she sees Junior, and realizes, even if she won’t admit it to anyone else, that the Icebox does in fact get crushes.

She experiences the entire spectrum of first-crush emotions: when you come into physical contact for the briefest of seconds and your insides turn into a butterfly sanctuary; the euphoria of getting teased in a friendly, possibly flirty way that makes you feel seen; the agony of seeing them teasing someone else in a friendly, possibly flirty way that makes you feel invisible.

This is new territory for her, and she’s both embarrassed and curious by these feelings. She starts experimenting with makeup and doing pretend cheers for Junior in the mirror, wondering if he will ever like her like her if she’s his teammate and not a cheerleader like her cousin Debbie.

Junior, affably clueless Junior, tells her, “But you’re not. You’re different. You’re cool. You’re the Icebox. I mean, come on, you’re probably the only girl I’ve met that could beat up my dad.”

Oof, read the room, dude. As hurtful as this was to hear, those words put Becky on a path to figuring out who she is deep down.

4. No one can put you in box (no pun intended).

Becky feels like she has to choose between being a fullback, like her dad calls her, or being a princess, like her mom used to call her (before she abandoned them, as if you needed another reminder of how strong Becky is).

She decides on the latter when she quits the football team to join Debbie on the cheerleading squad. That lasts until Junior gets injured on a cheap shot courtesy of Spike and his Bountygate dad.

It also leads her to an important self-discovery: She can be both a football player and a cheerleader, a fullback and princess, Icebox and Becky.

Warner Brothers Production

Call her Icebox AND call her Becky

She doesn’t have to choose.

5. Stand your ground.

Sometimes, that means quite literally, like when she holds the line:

Other times, it’s more figuratively — like when grammatically incompetent Spike announces, in third person, his refusal to play football “with a girl,” she fires back with, “I can tackle anything, any time, anywhere. Got that?”

Then, Spike threatens her (with death?!) and she doesn’t back down one inch.

(Spike totally had a crush on the Icebox, BTW.)

6. Share in the glory.

There’s no way the Little Giants would have completed their comeback if Icebox hadn’t entered the game. She also knows it takes a team effort. Although she doesn’t directly score one of their three touchdowns that follow, she’s responsible in part for all three.

First, she forces a key fumble (suck it, Spike) and then takes over at quarterback for the injured Junior. She leads the huddle and directs Johnny to run the football to his dad to score a Beast Quake-like touchdown.

Then, Becky’s perfect spiral is the cure for Hot Hands’ dropsies. He outraces the defense and hauls in the catch, running it in for the tying score.

More importantly, she makes the critical goal-line stand to help set up the “Annexation of Puerto Rico.” She acts as a decoy on the game-winning play, knowing that Spike (who is obsessed with her), will follow her.

And she was right. Because she’s a boss — and one who can still teach us valuable lessons to this day.