#was going insane about both the events of the movie and the animation it was wild

[saeiken]

!!! haikyuu movie !!!

[lillypad-monopoly]

Wild Life Episode 3 Thoughts

Sorry I don't have very good commentary this week. I was really busy and then life happened so I watched these POVs over the course of 6 days and didn't always take live notes.

The snail gimmick is iconic! Another amazing wildcard and a good Grian reference as well as being memey!

Someone joked about them being soulbound to the snails and I'm praying for the return of a soulbond Wildcard so hard right now

I'm genuinely concerned Skizz and Jimmy won't make it to episode 5. I hope we get some more passive wildcards coming up or this is going to be a pretty short series (also I would like them to get some stuff done)

Grian freezing the game is the lore event ever. Watcher powers are real but also he's clearly fighting back against their agenda more this season (once again such angst potential here RE: Grian knowing the wildcards ahead of time)

Ren digging all those holes looking for their horse is literally the definition of insanity and it's hilarious

Martyn and Etho interacting is always interesting both because the anime skin boys are hanging out together and because they have literally opposite playstyles. Martyn is crazy reckless and Etho is soo careful.

WHY DO REN AND MARTYN HAVE A DOUBLE BED

I really want to know all the snail names, since not everybody died this ep

I love that we're kind of going back to "suggestions" again, what with Tango killing Skizz and Martyn making snails invisible just for kicks. It feels like 3L and it's so fun.

I was so excited for Bdubs angst hour only for him to change his mind and not feel bad about anything after all

Etho's monologue 😂. The reason the go for you early is because they see you as a threat, not because they think you're not tough OMG.

Etho don't die to a creeper in the life series challenge impossible

Watching PICS build a base was actually so refreshing. I love the snail gimmick very much but it was nice to watch a POV where they were actually doing some classic life series stuff

Scott predicting violence for the next ep is...concerning lol. I don't know what he's seeing that I'm not, but outside of wild card stuff it doesn't really feel like we're at that point just yet

Actually I wouldn't put it past Tango to go wild. I'm just not sure the other Tuff Guys will follow him

I will be quoting "He's coming and he has only violence in his heart" from now on thank you Scott

Joel saying they have no enemies is so funny. The reason you don't have any enemies is cause everyone is too scared to cross you 😂.

Gem being excited about her snail while everyone else panics is iconic I love her

Joel giving Skizz a PVP lesson is so funny because Skizz *can* PVP from what I recall (I haven't seen a lot of Skizz so I could be wrong here)

Jimmy blowing up the car in front of Joel, Gem and Etho is the definition of "history doesn't repeat itself, it rhymes"

Lizzie I love you but you need to turn down something on your texture pack because everything is so bright

Bdubs manufacturing Tuff Guy behavior killed me. All of the Tuff Guys are such wet cats I love them <3

I've never watched Empires, but the bit where Jimmy gets blown up by a creeper has such powerful older sister/younger brother energy that I think I might have to headcanon them as siblings now

Scar and Lizzie being in the caves for the introduction of the snails and trying to figure out what's going on feels like a horror movie premise. People mysteriously dying to snail related stuff, and then a mob that's not in the game shows up and looks similar to the other person you're with and is following you around...

Team Bam/The Bamboozlers are as chaotic and struggling as hard as I expected. I don't actually want Lizzie to loose her teammates because I want everybody in until the last session, but it would be really funny if she did.

[semisgroupie]

pushed to the edge

pervy roommate!grimmjow jaegerjaquez x fem. reader

wc: 2.1k

warnings: heavy noncon elements, noncon touching, creampie, unprotected sex, grimmjow is OBSESSED with you, fingering (f!receiving), mentions of sweat, masturbation (both male and female), reader is a heavy sleeper, cum eating

synopsis: what you don’t know won’t hurt you

a/n: this is for my “perverts make the world go ‘round” event! thank you @darlingsanzu for requesting this delicious man

He hated feeling this way about you. He hated the way you plagued his mind every single second of the day and there was nothing he could do about it.

He thought about all the possible things he could do and each thought out scenario ended with you rejecting him and asking him to find a new roommate.

He should’ve listened to Ulqiorra when he brought you up as being his roommate. But in true Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez fashion, he went with his gut instinct.

You two have been roommates for a little less than a year now and everything was perfect. He enjoyed having you around, your bubbly personality, your gentle mannerisms, your laughter that filled up a room, the way your soft skin showed when you walked around in a tank top and shorts when the AC was getting fixed in the apartment, the way sweat dripped down your cleavage as you tried to cool yourself off. God how he desperately wanted to lean over and lick it away, just so he could get a taste of you.

He had to control himself every single time he saw you and even when you were sitting right next to him on the couch or sitting across from him while you two ate dinner, the fantasies couldn’t come to an end. He tried everything he could think of to get you off his mind, he jerked off, he worked out, he went for runs, he tried to hookup with people but always flaked on them because they could never be you. No one could compare to you and he knew that.

Every single time he jerked off he just thought about you. Wondering how you would look on top of him, bouncing on his cock to your heart's content. Wondering how you would look and sound underneath him while he rutted into you like an animal. Wondering what you tasted like, if you tasted as sweet as the strawberry perfume you wore. Wondering all the sounds you’d make as he traced his tongue along every inch of your body. You drove him insane.

Sometimes he would just take advantage of the thin walls that separate your bedrooms. He would just press his ear to it and listen to your low pants and whimpers paired with the whirring of your vibrator or the slick sounds of what he assumed was your fingers or a dildo pumping in and out of your pussy. He would reach a hand down and stroke his cock to match your pace, imagining what you looked like in the moment. Imagining your cute face scrunched up in pleasure, imagining your soft lips parting slightly as you reached your orgasm, imagining how you looked as the waves of pleasure washed over you. Sometimes he could even swear he heard you moan his name as your orgasm washed over you but maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him.

He needed you and he needed you bad.

He needed you so badly he didn’t know what his craving for you could do to him. He didn’t know how far he would go. And he didn’t know if he could hold himself back when given the slightest opportunity to have you.

Today was another day where he was just thinking about you. Every hour, every minute and every second was just passed with a new thought of you. He couldn’t wait until you went to your room to sleep. Maybe he would be lucky again to hear you masturbate, even though his imagination would serve as more than enough fuel for him to masturbate.

You were both on the couch, your head resting against his arm as the movie you chose played on the TV. He couldn’t even focus on what was going on, all he could think about was you. His eyes lingered on you for longer periods of time each time he looked down at you. He only tore his gaze from you when the credits rolled on the screen. You moved off his arm to stretch then turned to him with a slightly nervous smile on your face.

“What is it? Did something happen today?” He raised an eyebrow and you shook your head. “Nothing happened today but I was thinking about something. Remember when we first moved in together and it was the dead of winter? And remember when our heater was busted so we had to sleep in the same bed to keep warm?” He nodded slowly at your questions. God, how could he forget? He was sure that was when he started this little obsession with you.

“Well, I was wondering if we could do that again tonight? I know it’s been a while and you can say—”

“Yes.” He was sure he was too eager to respond, hell, he couldn’t even let you finish your sentence before he gave you an answer. A smile broke out on your face and you leaned over to hug him tightly, pressing your perfect tits against him. “Perfect! I’ll go shower and change into my pajamas then I’ll meet you in your room.” You squeezed him once more then hopped off the couch.

All Grimmjow could do was thank his lucky stars. He couldn’t believe that he would have you so close to him.

Everything passed in a blur and the next thing he knew, you were laying in bed next to him. Then as the time passed he could hear soft even breaths coming from you, signaling to him that you were sound asleep. He, on the other hand, was wide awake. How could he sleep when you were right there?

You wore one of the shirts you stole from him, you called it “compensation” for doing laundry. With how you were laying on the bed, he could see a peek of the curve of your ass. Maybe he could just sneak another peek to see the panties you wore to bed. He took his bottom lip between his teeth as he slowly moved his hand to the hem of the shirt you wore. He gripped it with two fingers and slowly pulled it up, his eyes widening when he saw your lack of panties. “Oh fuck.” He whispered to himself.

Were you doing this on purpose? No panties when you were sleeping next to him? Maybe it just slipped your mind, maybe you were just too caught up in your own bedtime routine to remember putting on panties. Whatever it was, it kept his lucky streak going. He sucked in a breath as you stretched out one of your legs and stuck your ass out a little more. If he were to put his hand between your legs he was sure he could get full access to your pussy.

But he wouldn’t take that risk…right?

He did exactly that, leaning in a little more so his fingers could very lightly graze your thigh before moving up to your slit. He let out a low groan as he felt how wet you were already, practically just inviting him to indulge in you more. He took his index finger and middle finger and gently pressed against your slit so he could rub against you more. “Shit you’re soaked.” He groaned again and gently pushed one of his long fingers inside your entrance, feeling your pussy just take him in with ease. His cock throbbed as he slowly started pumping his finger in and out of you.

He moved his free hand down to free his cock and started pumping it in time with his finger inside your cunt. He froze when he heard a small whimper fall from your lips, fear and reality hitting him all at once. He waited a few moments and nothing happened, you didn’t wake up to confront him, you didn’t do anything.

He didn’t even have time to think about his next actions because your pussy started clenching around his finger, like your body was just begging him for more. “I’ll give it to you, don’t worry. Just be patient.” He started pumping his finger and cock in tandem, listening to any and all sounds that came out of you. He couldn’t believe he was doing this but deep down he knew that if he was given this opportunity sooner then he would’ve reacted the same way.

He slowly slipped a second finger inside and felt how you sucked it in greedily. If he didn’t want more, he would’ve been fine with just this but he’s a greedy man. If he could get what he truly desired then maybe he would be satisfied.

Or maybe he would just want more.

He slowly pulled his fingers out of you and used your juices to lube up his cock. He was by no means small and he didn’t want you to wake up from the sheer stretch of his cock finally entering you. He angled himself a bit so he was spooning you and traced the head of his cock along your soaking entrance. He just wanted to slam into you but he didn’t want to wake you when you were sleeping so peacefully. For now he’ll let you enjoy dreamland, make you believe that you’re just having a wet dream when in reality he’s using your body for his pleasure.

He slowly pushed the head of his cock inside you and shut his eyes. Waves of sheer ecstasy coursed through his body and he had to hold himself back from just shoving the rest of his length inside you. With shallow thrusts he pushed more of himself inside you and waited with bated breath as each inch entered you.

What would he do if you woke up? How could he explain himself? Would you even believe any lie he tried to create? He just had to pray to whatever god was out there to keep you asleep until he was finished.

Once he was inside you completely he had to bite his lip hard to restrain himself. He wanted to just go to town on you, wanted to see and feel your body shake in his hold while you cried out for him. He kept a slow pace, not wanting to shake the bed too much and not wanting to wake you. He let out low groans and grunts while he listened to the slick sounds of your cunt and the low moans and whimpers that came from your slightly parted lips. “So perfect, the prettiest and tightest cunt for me. I’m the luckiest bastard ever.”

Even with a slow pace he felt himself edging closer and closer to an orgasm. He moved his hand down to find your clit and rubbed it slowly to match the pace of his hips. Your cunt reacted beautifully with each movement, clenching and coiling around his cock. You got tighter and tighter and he knew you were growing closer and closer to your orgasm. “Cum for me, please baby cum for me.” It was like you could hear him even in your unconscious state because as the words met your ears you did exactly as he pleaded.

“Grimm…” his eyes widened and one more push of his hips led to him spilling his cum inside you in seemingly endless ropes. He could hear you as clear as day now as you whimpered his name, still very much asleep as you didn’t even move a muscle.

So in his mind it just meant that you were dreaming of him. Dreaming of him fucking you while he was actually doing it. He covered his mouth with his free hand as he panted heavily. His cock softened inside you so he could pull out of you. He wanted to see your cum filled pussy but he knew he had to clean you up too. There was no way he could explain why you were pumped full of cum. He moved slowly so he could have his face near your messy pussy and lifted his hand so he could use two fingers to scoop his cum out.

He couldn’t let the mixture of his cum and yours go to waste on a tissue so he brought his fingers to his mouth, cleaning them off before he pushed them right back inside you. He was on cloud nine, loving the way you two tasted together. Once there was no more cum leaking out of you he moved back in his place beside you and let out a sigh of relief. You rolled over so instead of your back facing him, you nuzzled against him and draped one of your arms over his toned body.

As he fell asleep he replayed the events that just happened in his mind. He finally got you. He finally felt you around him. While he hoped that one day you two could get to enjoy each other properly, he couldn’t help but wish for more nights like this.

Now that he’s had a taste of you, he couldn’t get enough of you. He could feel himself turning into an insatiable beast, he could never get his fill of you.

[redheadspark]

Hawuuuu can I request ⋆ 9. "should i be worried that you know how to replicate fake blood this well? i probably should be, right?" And 3. ⋆ going to questionable lengths to decorate their house/apartment with Druig

A/N - HAWUU! This is great for Druig, I loved that you requested it! Thanks!

Epic

Summary - You knew how to decorate for your favorite holiday, much to the surprise of Druig

Warnings - Just fluff :)

“What do you think?”

“I…umm…”

“Oh no, that’s bad isn’t it?”

“Not at all, Luv.  I’m just drinkin’ in your work.”

You giggled, clasping your hands together and watching your fiancé gaze at your handiwork on the front of your apartment as the sun was setting.  He was still clutching his messenger bag from work, his jacket still awning slightly off his shoulders as his eyes were looking over every piece of decoration that was in front of him.  You were waiting on bated breath for Druig’s reaction to your work.

Decorating the apartment for Halloween. 

Druig knew from the moment you two met that you were a massive fan of Halloween, from going to plenty of parties and events to handing out candy for the trick-or-treaters on your block.  There was something about the Autumn holiday that lifted your spirits and brought you joy.  Maybe it was the childlike wonder about it with the orange and black decorations, or the nostalgia seeing all the children dressed up.  Even as a grown woman you still loved the holiday as if you were a child, something Druig loved about you when you two first met and chatted about your favorite holidays.  He listened to you go into insane detail about Halloween and how it was an amazing holiday, knowing deep down that you were a keeper.

And now he was seeing outcome of your obsession.

You had the day off and decided to get the entire apartment ready for Halloween since it was a week away.  Both you and Druig had a few parties and get-togethers to go to before October 31st so you wanted to make sure your home was ready.  After working on the interior of the apartment most of the morning, you moved to the outside decorations as you got a text from Druig that he was coming home a bit early. He planned on taking you out to dinner since it’s been a minute since you two have been on a date.  But when he pulled up in the car and saw your work, he was floored.

Spiderwebs hung from every part of the doorways and hedges, and various amounts of pumpkins were scattered amongst the planters and near the porch to look like. Pumpkin graveyard, and various lights that were both strung and hiding in the grass and amongst the windows.  

Every year you and your group of friends threw a Halloween Party, a great tradition to stay connected together since you all were beyond busy with your own lives.  Kingo would throw massive parties thanks to his connections to the movie industry, while Sersi’s parties were more intimate with classic movies playing in the background.  Gilgamesh and Athena’s parties were filled with homemade treats and meals that were always a hit, which left yourself and Druig having the most fun in decorations and party games.  Though Druig was fine with you taking over most of the helm since he was not a huge party animal himself.  He would prefer to have just you, but he also never minded having time with his friends whom he considered family.  

This year it was your turn to host, and you were on pins and needles to make sure that everything was perfect.  

“It’s too much isn’t it?” You asked him tentatively, still seeing a shocked and somewhat still face on him. Druig always wore his emotions on his sleeve, or on his face per se.  But you always knew how to read him, from the moment you two met you knew what he was thinking since he would wear it with his smile or a smirk.  Yet now as his bright blue eyes were drilling onto the decorations and his body standing very still, you were worried.

Druig blinked a few times before he looked over at you, seeing the look of concern on your face.  He finally smiled a big smile.  He walked over to you, looking more like himself than he did as he planted a big kiss on your cheek.

“It’s epic,” He replied as he pulled away and stared at you lovingly.  You blushed furiously, gazing at him with wide eyes.

“Really?” You asked sheepishly, not realizing how shy you sounded in that moment since you wanted to hear what your fiancé wanted to say.  He nodded his head with a light chuckle. 

“I think you’re gonna make the other neighbors jealous,” he explained as you smiled and felt a wave of relief leaving your lips, “Kingo’s gonna have a field day when he sees this at our party tomorrow night,”

“I should thank you for that, by the way.  I know you’re not a massive fan of parties,” You reasoned as he shrugged.

“Eh, I know you love Halloween Parties and throwing them, so I know it’ll be fun.  We’ll just have to keep an eye on Sprite since she just turned 21 this year.” Druig joked, taking your hand in his while you both walked up the sidewalk that led to your front door.  He looked up at the spiderwebs, pointing with his spare hand in intrigue, “How did you get those webs up there?  We don’t have a ladder,”

“Best not to ask questions, dear,” You answered immediately, seeing Druig shoot you a look.

“Don’t tell me you climbed out the window-“ He was about to argue with you but you patted him on the shoulder. 

“I said not to ask,” You repeated, Druig rolling his eyes as he kissed the side of your head.

“I love you to death, but I don’t wish for my soon-to-be wife to break her neck over simple Halloween decorations.” He advised you as he got the front open for the pair of you.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” You hummed as you both walked into, Druig once again frozen at the sight of the living room and all that you’d done.  His eyes were just as big as they were seeing the exterior of the apartment.  You knew that you weren’t a hardcore decorator for Halloween since you’d seen worse at your grandmother’s house.  At her home, it looked like the craft store vomited on every open space.  

But with yours, in your opinion, it was more sophisticated and modern.

“Darling,” Druig asked, as you lit a few candles that were on the coffee table, “Where did you store all of these decorations?”

“That is a secret that I don’t wish to tell you,” You teased, though you cracked a smile at him as he snorted.

“I wondered why we had those extra storage stubs,” he commented, though in that moment you threw a skeleton pillow at him.  He dodged it gracefully laughing as you gave him a mocked look.  He simply wrapped you in his arms to give you a massive hug and snuck in a kiss on your lips before you could argue anymore, you giving in easily.

Once he pulled away and stared lovingly into your eyes, he gestured to the living room, “I think you’re gonna win at the party,”

“Not that it’s a competition,” you reminded him, though he shrugged.

“Tell that to Kingo,” he hummed.

That night, when all of your friends and their loved ones showed up for the party, it was a great night.  Plenty of stories swapped back and forth and catching up on each other lives, a pizza being ordered along with new cocktails being made in the kitchen at the makeshift bar, and another round of Halloween movies was playing in the background.  You were excited to see all of your friends again and hear them chat about your decorations.

Especially Kingo, who found you chatting with Makkari in the kitchen and flew in abruptly.  He asked, “Should I be worried that you know how to replicate fake blood this well? I probably should be, right?” 

Druig poked his head in, sporting his leather jacket since he was wearing a Top Gun costume, “Be very worried, Kingo.”

He dodged the hand towel you chucked, everyone in the kitchen laughing as Druig glided away before you could chase him. He loved pushing your buttons but in the best way.  And yet you still loved that man to death.

The End

October Prompt Session

[marlequinncos]

Now that HOTD Season 2 is over, I have a lot of thoughts about what has transpired. Full disclosure: I basically wrote an essay, so long post ahoy! I have read the book, meaning there are a couple book spoilers in here along with show spoilers. Also: there are all my personal opinions, so you may agree or disagree.

The Good

The show is beautifully shot and the cinematography is excellent. We've gotten some really gorgeous shots this season.

The dragons look great, they're animated well, and I like how we can really see their different personalities and their relationships with their riders.

The acting is solid pretty much across the board. Folks like Emma D'Arcy, Matt Smith, and Olivia Cooke are excellent as usual. The standout for me this season, though, is Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon. He's thoroughly fleshed out his character and given him some really interesting shading and depth and I really enjoy watching him on-screen.

Some excellent new additions to the cast! Ser Simon Strong is a national treasure, Gwayne Hightower is a mood, Alys Rivers is who I aspire to be in life, and the Hull brothers are both interesting (especially their dichotomy) and they better show more with them as per the book.

Rook's Rest gave us our first real dragon battle of the show, and I thought it was really well done. I was concerned that it would be the kind of fight that's hard to follow visually, but it was clean and worked nicely. I also love that they made Aemond torching Aegon a conscious choice.

The costumes are, once again, beautiful.

The embroidery title sequence kicks a lot of ass, and I like how they're adding to it with major events.

I do really like how they've made Helaena a dreamer (which they started in season 1) and how she's a tragic Cassandra figure. However, I do have some issues with her that I'll talk about later.

The Red Sowing was done well. I was hoping we were going to see some people get incinerated to really underscore how dangerous claiming a dragon can be, and that did not disappoint.

Little Oscar Tully verbally suplexing Daemon through an announcer's table was everything I've ever wanted.

I really like the relationship between Rhaenyra and Alicent. That said, I think there are some real issues with the writing that I'll discuss below.

Big fan of them putting Tyland Lannister in Situations.

Aemond committing war crimes and serving cunt as ye olde Sephiroth. 10/10 no notes.

While I do think the tripping balls in Harrenhall arc went on for far too long, I like how the show is leaning into the magic of the world with the weirwoods and insane visions of the past, present, and future.

Women kissing

The Bad

The pacing. Listen, I like a slowburn (one of my favorite horror movies is The Witch which many people find boring), but the slow pacing has to build to something, and this entire season felt like it was just build-up with no payoff. Last season ended with a consequential event (death of Luke), and this season began with another (Blood and Cheese), yet I don't feel like those events have managed to push the plot forward. Even Rook's Rest, which seemed like we were finally getting the ramp up to all-out war that's been teased for one and a half seasons due to Aegon being burned and Rhaenys dying, didn't really ramp up the stakes. We're still waiting for the war, and it feels like Season 2 was just a giant teaser for Season 3 rather than a stepping stone of the whole story. Think of it this way: season 1 ended with a build-up to the war and yet somehow this season also ended as a build-up to the war. It doesn't feel like progress was made; we're essentially in the same spot. The season should have ended with either the taking of King's Landing or the Battle of the Gullet.

Blood and Cheese. There is a reason this event lives in infamy for book readers. It's essentially the Red Wedding of the Dance of Dragons, because of how truly heinous and horrifying of an event it is. But the show toned it down a lot, and I think that was a mistake. Not to mention the fact that the death of Aegon's heir, who was a literal child, only seemed to be an issue for about an episode, and then everyone kind of forgot about it. Frankly, I don't like how the deaths of Luke, Jaehaerys, and Rhaenys were somewhat glossed over other than an episode of some characters being sad. Those deaths should have reverberated with long-ranging consequences and I don't feel like that's the case.

The writing. It's just not as good this season. Yes, I know the writer's strike probably affected it, but still. The conversations are nowhere near as engaging or interesting as they were in season 1, and I'm someone who loves dialogue scenes of political intrigue. I also think some of the character decisions they've made don't work. The biggest issue I have in that regard is with Rhaenyra. I don't actually hate the scene in the Sept (even though I think it is kind of silly how Rhaenyra managed to sneak into KL without being detected), because I like how they establish that Alicent knows that was wrong in her assumption about Aegon and yet she doubles down and they both realize that war is now inevitable even if it all began because of a misunderstanding. But book Rhaenyra is both far more active and ruthless than her show counterpart. There's a reason they call her "Maegor with teats". I thought we were getting some of that "warrior queen Visenya" Rhaenyra during the Red Sowing episode, but the fact is that she's spent most of the season trying to decide on a course of action and trying to do everything peacefully. She should have thrown that out the window after her conversation with Alicent in the Sept. It's especially weird considering she ended season 1 out for blood for the death of Luke. I feel like the writers are afraid that having her sometimes make nasty decisions will make her unlikeable to the general audience. But by doing that, they've also reduced this fascinating woman into a shell of who she should be. Look at Dany and Cersei from GOT; both of them were women in positions of power who did not hesitate to make (sometimes bad) decisions and/or commit horrible acts to further their goals and guess what: for the most part, the audience liked them! Give me "blood and fire" Rhaenyra! Support women's wrongs! Make characters morally grey! LET WOMEN BE AWFUL!!

I also think that the writing is doing Alicent a disservice. They really don't know what to do with her, and its a shame because Olivia Cooke is great. She just feels rudderless to me.

It really looks like the show is cutting Nettles entirely and giving her plot to Rhaena and I don't like this choice. Nettles is an amazing character in her own right, and her relationship with Daemon is key for him to start changing his Targaryen supremacist worldview and for his arc as a whole. Plus, this takes away the significance of Rhaena and Morning at the conclusion of the Dance.

While I like Helaena being a dreamer, they need to give her more screen time and dialogue. Girl had almost nothing to do this season.

I wish we had seen more of Jace and Cregan in the North and the Pact of Ice and Fire. Not saying we need 20 minutes of that, but 5 would have been nice.

I like the idea of that big vision of the future in the finale, but knowing how GOT ended does soften the impact quite a bit. And I don't love that Daemon and Aemond kind of already know their fates?? That's definitely going to hurt their arcs going forward.

The season should have been 10 episodes. Having it be only 8 really messes with the pacing of the story. Not loving the 2 year breaks between seasons either.

The "Let's Wait and See"

Aegon said that Sunfyre is dead. I really hope he's wrong about that because boy howdy that will have major plot implications if Sunfyre really is dead.

DAERON REAL. It would have been nice if he had been mentioned in season 1 and actually seen in season 2, but at least we know he exists and isn't a cryptid. Hopefully we finally get to see him in action in season 3 because poor dude has just been implied for two whole seasons.

I hope we see more of the book's excellent side characters like Black Alys, Benjicot Blackwood, and Sabitha Frey (who we did technically see briefly, but if you're a book reader, you know what I'm talking about). I'd also like to see more Cregan.

Overall, I think the season was a mixed bag. I hope season 3 fixes some of the issues with pacing and writing, because they have a great cast and a show that looks beautiful.

[esta-elavaris]

From @softdandelion for this writing ask ✨ (thank you!!)

hc + 🐈 for a pet/animal-themed headcanon

Early on, the dogs would be one of the few points of actual contention in their relationship - the kind that leads to arguments rather than just their usual love language of bickering.

When they get them, Theo would absolutely see them in a modern sense "these are my babies, they are to be treated as such" from a standpoint of like, pampering them (but she'd also have them well-trained because she's not one of the stupid types who's all "let's get a BIG dog and then let them be insanely aggressive and pretend it's cute, y'know?) -- and James would uhhhh disagree. He'd have much more of an "these are animals" view rather than Theo's "these are members of our family."

Lots of "if you're going to let the dogs sleep in the house that's one thing, but for the love of god they're banned from the bedroom - why...why is the dog on the bed? No. Absolutely not. This is ridiculous." while Theo insists that it's just as much the dogs' house as it is their house, and not allowing a pet on the furniture is basically fascism.

Eventually, though, I think James would have big "dad who said he didn't want a dog" energy. Theo would catch one (or both) of the puppies sleeping on him and just give a look while he's furiously pretending he hasn't grown stupidly attached to them.

I do think he'd be less permissive with them than Theo, but I also think he'd come more around to her way of thinking than vice versa, not just from being actually convinced, and not even from a weird boomer "happy wife happy life" thing, but because it would matter more to her than to him and he knows which hills to die on. I also don't think he'd have much of a heart to really fight her on it, because of how stupidly happy the dogs would make her.

But he'd still be adamant about keeping them off of the bed.

Any time he goes away for a few nights and then returns, it's a habit that has to be trained out of them once again. Theo pretends she has no idea how it happens.

hc + 🗡 for a weapon-themed headcanon

Theo never actually ends up with any kind of big weapon attachment in CTW. Like, you know how there's the thing with James' sword, and Jack's hat, and there are certain items you see in fiction and just associate them with their owner? That doesn't happen with any swords for her - although it might in As It Was, because it feels like a missed opportunity.

There just wasn't room for it in terms of plot and logistics, based on what happens she really would just need to get by with what she had available to her (which is a strong Theodora-ism, anyway).

Seeing as the action doesn't completely stop for them after the events of the main story - they can still sail with their company's ships any time they have a hankering for adventure - they'd definitely have to end up splashing out for a proper weapon for her. Like, one made to her preferences/measurements, and one that's meant to be hers, rather than just whatever she can grab and cause damage with.

At some point, James would also take it upon himself to see her fitted with a firearm. Probably because he'd despair at how happy she is to abandon "proper" fighting methods and dive in for close quarters in order to grapple with an opponent, because that's where she's comfortable and that's where she has the upper hand. She kinda sorta uses a gun in the final battle, but by that point everything's been done for her and all she needs to do is point, aim, and make the most of the shots she has because there's no chance of reloading. So I think they'd make A Day of seeing her educated on that. James would have a "well, that's awakened something in me" moment watching her fire it, but he's late to the party considering she had that moment all the way back during the battle at the end of the first movie, when he shoots the member of Barbossa's crew who's attacking her.

[goodlucktai]

soft ground, claiming moon

out-monster the monster

@natsumeweek 2023 day 1; sun/moon read on ao3

(next) 

x

The worst part about all of this is that Shuuichi found out by accident.

Natsume was uncharacteristically energetic on the phone. Not so much excited as anxious, and not overly so by any normal person’s standards, but Shuuichi knew him just well enough to tell.

It wasn’t his place to pry. But Shuuichi spent a good chunk of his time worrying about that boy, small and overshadowed and terribly lonely, so maybe he was entitled to prying just a little.

“Any big plans this weekend?” he said conversationally.

“Oh, uh, I don’t know if you’d call them ‘big,’” Natsume replied, with the slightest trip in his tone that would have been a huff of laughter if Shuuichi was talking to anyone else. “All of us are staying at the temple. Tanuma’s place, I mean. Even Ogata and Shibata are going to be there.”

“So it’s a party,” Shuuichi teased, something in his heart going soft the way it always does when he’s reminded that Natsume has a big group of chaotic, good-natured friends who are happy to go out of their way to spend time with him. “I didn’t know you had it in you! Especially since you fight tooth and nail to avoid going to all the ones I invite you to.”

This time, Natsume really did breathe out a laugh. It was a big personal win for Shuuichi.

“Definitely not a party,” the kid said dryly. “At least, not by your standards.”

“Well, it’s at least partly a party if the whole gang’s getting together. What’s the occasion?”

“The full moon rises on Saturday,” Natsume explained, as if that was a very normal thing that normal people were both aware of and planned events around. 

“If you tell me Taki has finally turned you into a witch, I’ll be very disappointed,” Shuuichi said, only half-joking.

“I don’t want to be a witch or an exorcist, thanks. I have enough on my plate as it is, don’t you think?”

Considering one half of his bloodline’s very storied history, and the gift—or curse—his heritage granted him, Shuuichi has to admit that Natsume makes a compelling argument. It’s a mark of how far they’ve come that they’re able to joke about it with each other on the phone.

“Satchan’s probably going to be too tired to do much of anything,” Natsume was saying. “I think we’ll mostly wind up napping and watching movies.”

Ah, the small-town mountain life, Shuuichi thought to himself, not unkindly. He would have gone insane with boredom if he was stuck in Hitoyoshi at fourteen, but Natsume, who has lived in a dozen different places in half as many years, genuinely seems to love it. At least there’s relatively less trouble for him to find out there. 

At least he’s well-protected from people like Shuuichi out there—people who made a career out of hunting down people like Natsume.

Shaking away the grimmer thoughts, Shuuichi asked, “Do I know Satchan?” 

He was familiar with the names of Natsume’s friends, given how often Natsume talked about them, but that one wasn’t ringing a bell. 

“Oh, uh, I meant Nishimura,” Natsume said quickly. He sounded embarrassed. “That’s—Kitamoto calls him that.” 

Saving the cutesy nickname as mockery material for another day—they would definitely be revisiting that—Shuuichi said, “Ah, your friend with the excellent taste in movies! Is he not well?”

“He’s fine.” Natsume’s tone took an oddly defensive turn. “We’re taking care of him.”

Something about that pinged in Shuuichi’s brain as very weird, but a lot of conversations with Natsume did that. If he stopped and wondered about every strange thing his young friend said, he’d never get anything done.

It’s not until much, much later, when Shuuichi is juggling emails from his agent about his role in an upcoming period piece and exorcist correspondence regarding a grudge in Osaka, that it occurs to him what weirdness, exactly, the back of his mind had picked up. 

A few weeks ago, there was an animal attack out in the forest that all the children frequented. Shuuichi found out through Touko, who called him to explain why Natsume would not be making the trip to Tokyo to visit him on set after all. Satoru was in the hospital, she told him. Natsume hadn’t gone to school in days, camping in the boy’s hospital room with their friends. They could hardly be budged. 

It was so strange, Touko had said tearfully, because no one in town had a dog anywhere near big enough to do that kind of damage. And there certainly weren’t any wolves left in Japan.

He had reached out to Natsume the next day, sending him a paper man that delivered the question, Do you need my expertise? 

He was a monster hunter, and it was a simple, unacknowledged way to ask if there were monsters at large in Kyushu. Natsume’s reply came within the hour, the talisman paper turned brittle with the powerful signature of his magic. It was ozone and static electricity, the wildness of nature. The touch of it contained the barest hint of a threat. 

No, it read. We’re taking care of him. 

“Fuck,” Shuuichi says out loud, to Sasago and Hiiragi’s disdain and Urihime’s delight. He’s up and moving a second later, barking over his shoulder for the familiars to begin sealing the doors and windows, setting up the barrier, preparing the house for an extended absence. One never knew how long a job might take. 

Shuuichi yanks open a cabinet door in his workshop. A neat row of silver tools glint with promise beneath the warm lamp light.

There is at least one wolf left in Japan. 

[jjsstars]

thiamweek 2023: day 1, Liam’s parents

|| for @thiamappreciationweek event

|| tags : theo meeting liam’s parents for the first time, background mason/corey, liam’s step dad knows about the supernatural but I can’t remember if that’s canon or not — this is lowkey a crack fic —

“And you’re… Theo?” Raeken gives a shaky smile as he nods, hand gripped in Liam’s step dad’s a little too tight. It’s not like Theo’s never met peoples parents before, there were plenty of “relationships” he was in to get leverage for the dread doctors— but this is the first time first impressions really do matter, and he’s trying to be genuine.

“He seems tense.” Mrs Dunbar murmurs to her husband and he hums along, finally dropping Theo’s hand.

“We should eat.” Suddenly Theo’s wrist is caught by Liam’s hand and he’s being dragged over to the dining room table where Corey and Mason already sit, they’re here as a buffer for the new couple. Theo seriously debated kissing Mason and Corey when he found out they’d be there to keep things less tension filled.

“It smells delicious ma’am.” It doesn’t make Liam’s mom smile like Theo was hoping for, instead she gives a short nod that almost looks annoyed. What the hell is he doing wrong? It’s been ten minutes.

“Oh my dad cooked.” Ah.

“Well it smells great sir.” That gets him more a nice reaction, a smile and a nod. Liam said that his step dad might be more friendly than his mother, apparently she’s not a people person and how she ended up with someone as extroverted as Liam’s step dad is “totally insane” according to both Liam and Mason.

“Thank you Theo, it’s nice to be appreciated around here.” That’s all it takes for the rest of the group to loosen up, Liam throwing out a whine that he always says thank you at dinner, Mason saying he doesn’t and he just eats like a wild animal which makes Corey snort and share a look with Theo— it gets easier, thank god.

And soon enough dinner is cleared as is dessert and Theo’s able to settle down in front of the couch on a mound of blankets with Liam at his side. They agreed to watch a movie with his parents and while Theo has no idea why the hell they did that, it doesn’t seem like it’ll be horrible. Liam’s step father is busy popping popcorn with Mason and Corey at his side, Theo can hear the three of them bickering about what candy should be mixed with the popcorn. Liam has his head on Theo’s collarbone, he doesn’t smell as anxious as he did earlier which is nice.

But- Theo can feel Liam’s mother’s eyes boring into the back of his head. He repeats in his head that this is fine, it’s just motherly behavior, he thinks? He can’t be sure considering the whole ‘raised in the sewers’ thing. It’s unnerving even if it is normal. He doesn’t know what he did to tick this woman off- she’s not the one that knows about the supernatural, that’s Liam’s step dad and he’s been cheery all night long, so whatever Theo did is beyond him.

“Babe you okay?” He’s brought from his thoughts by Liam’s gentle voice, which is definitely a cover as he’s staring at Theo like he can see right through him.

“Yeah, perfect.” Dunbar’s lip twitches and he turns around enough to look at his mother- ah shit.

“Mom can you stop staring? It’s freaking us out.” Jesus Christ why is he talking to his mother like that? Does he have a deathwish? Even Theo knows that’s unacceptable-

“Sorry honey it’s just nice to see you with a partner.” Well that sounded far too genuine for someone with such a blank expression.

“It’s fine just- maybe not so hard?” She hums to her son and leans back on the couch, eyes drifting to the Tv as Theo tries not to choke on air. What the fuck was that?!

“Relax, she’s just bad at showing emotion.” All Theo can do is nod and blink a few times, he swears this relationship is going to send him into cardiac arrest at some point.

“Got it.”

[eosofspades]

I am asking you about the magic in KFP

thank you for asking!! this is gonna be an INSANE take from me, number one fantasy enjoyer of all time, but i... i really don't like the magic in kung fu panda.

every sequel in this series just ups the magic factor and i don't like it. kfp1 had just enough that i felt like it worked, and it was more of a mildly fantastical take on the actual technical science of acupuncture and nerves, which was super cool. in kfp2 the "inner peace" thing i ALSO feel worked, mainly because it tied in hugely with the entire rest of the story, the themes, and the text. it wasn't even about learning magic, it was ABOUT inner peace, and the "magic" that po was able to do at the end was about balance and harmony. it also sort of narratively functioned as a foil to the more "technological advancements" of lord shen's army.

i... i actually am not crazy about kfp3. i DID not like the full-blown spiritual power of chi that everyone could do, i didn't like kai as a villain on the whole (this is more about themes and narrative, which is a separate rant i have, but him being a "spirit warrior" was so ridiculous to me i laughed when he said it, rather than actually being intimidated.)

part of this is because it just plainly deflates the ending of kfp1 - po using the wuxi finger hold was like this HUGE thing that the whole movie had been building up to, and in kfp3 now EVERYONE can do it?? with ease?? i feel like it cheapens the intensity of the first movie's ending.

i have a harder time describing the second reason i dislike it, so please bear with me, but i feel like the magic elements in the third movie in particular (kai turning everyone into jade creatures, po's giant golden dragon), are... dissonant, to me. jarring? i feel like they are TOO over-the-top and these Big Important Things to the point it feels like this doesn't line up with the previously established rules of this universe. there was VERY little magic in the first movie at all - the nerve attack is more scientific; the only truly *magical* moments are oogway going to the spirit realm, and tai lung being sent there, and both of those times, it feels much less like characters are using magic, and much more like magic is happening to or through them.

but the BIGGEST reason it bothers me is because it is thematically wrong. despite the brief magical moments in the first movie, the story was NEVER about learning or using magic. in fact, it was the oppsoite; the story was literally about the fact that there WAS no magic! the whole point of the first movie, literally the entire message, was that there WAS no magic power! there was nothing magical about the dragon scroll!! there is no magic there is no secret ingredient it is just YOU and what you are going to do with the body and mind that you already have!!!!

for what it's worth, i know animated film trailers almost always suck, and kfp4 MIGHT surprise me, but i doubt it. the chameleon might be a cool character, but i truly believe if they included a chameleon character in kfp 1 or 2, their power wouldn't have been actual shapeshifting, just good kung fu and maybe camouflage abilities; definitely not a full-blown shapeshifting power. because the first two movies used supernatural abilities / events with just enough moderation that it struck a PERFECT balance between the themes of the story and the previously established rules and bounds of the universe.

[thewickedbohemian]

Dream Animated Movie Musical Tournament Seed Round Group E

For information on this tournament as well as the seed poll for group A go here

Why these musicals should be animated movies (in my opinion)

Jekyll & Hyde: it's a classic story, its gothic nature would make for a very cool "dark animated movie musical" a la The Hunchback Of Notre Dame and it'd be a lot easier on the actor playing both leads if they didn't have to play them both physically in the movie too

She Loves Me: another one where the musical might be wholesome and old-fashioned enough that I feel like it'd work better as a cartoon especially given there's been at least one live-action movie with its sort of premise that's more famous than the musical

Assassins: given the structure of the show animation (and the stylistic opportunities it presents for things that'd break the budget or be impossible in live-action) might be the only way to give a movie something that wouldn't just be solved by a pro shot, plus there's recent events for both sides (aka not just the one you're thinking of) that might make an Assassins movie any time in the semi-near future feel "too soon" without the distance it being adult-animation-but-not-in-the-juvenile-way could add

The Book Of Mormon: it makes so many freaking Disney allusions it seems only natural it should get a movie in a similar style (imagine how insane that could make "Spooky Mormon Hell Dream" look) and that could also add room to add some somehow-visually-represented-narrative-bias on behalf of the elders (that gets removed as they have stuff in common with the villagers) or something to account for some of the inaccuracies in the depictions of Uganda that can't just be accounted for by "it's a musical, shut up"

The School Of Rock: not only is this one of the many distance-the-movie-musical-from-the-movie things (don't blame me, blame whoever decides to keep making musicals from movies) but the movie's old enough it could use a fresh coat of paint and with the added young-people-friendliness of it being animated this could be a bona fide phenomenon among a certain crowd of young people (it's just who the hell do you get to voice Dewey that could fill the shoes of both Jack Black and Alex Brightman)

We Will Rock You: (what do you know, back to back "power of rock and roll" musicals) it'd have enough popularity to deserve a movie despite the obscurity of its story due to being a YA dystopian jukebox musical built around Queen songs but why it should be animated is the world it builds might be a little too technically intensive for live-action

Grease: classic musical (even if it might not be as family-friendly as you remember) but A. many people have kinda thought in hindsight some of the cast of the original movie were not as great a singer as the movie wants you to think they are and B. the movie leaves a lot about the musical on the proverbial cutting room floor and a new take could be a little more faithful

[twistedtummies2]

ReCount: Top 15 Portrayals of Van Helsing

Opinions change over time. I've been doing lists for a while, and the more I see and the more I learn, the more frequently my feelings about characters and portrayals of them can shift. SO, I've decided to start doing "ReCounts." These are second attempts at old countdowns: for my more long-winded countdowns, such as month-long countdown events, I will do shortened single-post versions of them, with updated rankings, short descriptions, and collages that separate different "sections" to help tighten things up. For my shorter lists, where I give almost no descriptions and/or the choices are fewer in number, I will provide said descriptions (albeit relatively brief ones), and the lists themselves, once again, may be adjusted. With that said...later this month, I’ll be doing a countdown of the Worst Dracula Portrayals, in my opinion. I’ll also be doing a ReCount of my personal favorites. Before then, however, I felt it would be fun to talk about the notable side characters of Bram Stoker’s novel. So, we’ll begin with a ReCount of arguably the most famous character from the story (aside from Dracula himself), Abraham Van Helsing. Professor Van Helsing ISN’T the main character of the original book. I would say he’s more describable as the Gothic Horror equivalent to Merlin. He is the de-facto leader of the vampire hunters who set out to destroy Dracula, true, but he’s not the main protagonist: he is their teacher, their guide, the one who has all the knowledge and wisdom the other, younger warriors require in order to combat the threat that the undead Count provides. Van Helsing is not depicted as a professional vampire slayer, either; he’s simply a scientist, but one who has a vast knowledge of and strange belief in the supernatural. In the novel, the Professor at first appears to be a somewhat comical character; slightly clumsy and with an unusual way of speaking, as well as several eccentricities. As the story goes on, however, his own inner steel and darkness begins to show more and more. As a result, he becomes just as fascinating and mysterious as Dracula himself: there are a lot of unanswered questions about Van Helsing that make him intriguing, and he is one of the most proactive characters in the story. Both of these facts are a major part of why the character has become so noteworthy over the years since.

Over the years, Van Helsing’s reputation has intensified; most versions of the character don’t actually follow the book at all, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing (nor an uncommon thing, as later lists for other characters in the novel shall indicate). Choosing my favorite versions of the guy was really difficult, and in making this ReCount - expanding the list to a Top 15, and providing some brief descriptions - it was interesting to see what made some interpretations work or not work. With that said, here are My Top 15 Favorite Portrayals of Dracula’s Nemesis, Professor Van Helsing!

15. David Suchet, from 2006 BBC TV Film.

The same year this TV film came out, the BBC also produced a radio version of Dracula (not connected to the movie at all), and which also featured Suchet. In the radio adaptation, Suchet played Dracula, but - perhaps because the film wanted to go for a younger, more “sexy” Dracula (played by Marc Warren) - in the film, he plays Van Helsing. The film seems to conflate Van Helsing with Renfield, of all characters, depicting him as a shabby character driven half-insane by a past encounter with Dracula. Suchet does a good job with what he’s given, but I rather wish Van Helsing (and the film, in general) had followed the novel more closely.

14. Rikiya Koyama, from Phantom in the Twilight.

In this anime, Koyama voices Van Helsing XIII - a descendant of the original Van Helsing, who is the head of a monster-hunting organization called “Midnight Sun.” He is depicted as an anti-heroic antagonist: a religious zealot who believes all humans are inherently good, and all of the Umbra (monsters) are inherently evil - a Javert-like, black-and-white perspective that often causes trouble. While I liked the character on the whole, and the mysteries about him are intriguing, I was ultimately disappointed by his “battle” with Vlad (the Dracula character) and the conclusion of his story in the show. An interesting concept, but not the most glamorous execution.

13. Nigel Davenport, from the 1973 TV Film.

Davenport plays a more stiff-upper-lipped Van Helsing in this Dan-Curtis-created TV production of the story. The film depicts Van Helsing at first as a sort of dandy, very typically “British” and slightly foppish. However, as the film goes on he shows more and more of his strength and wisdom as the battle to stop Dracula gets more and more intense. I can’t say Davenport is my ideal Van Helsing, but he is an interesting rendition that pays some slight homage to the original in that respect.

12. Martin Gabel, from the Mercury Theatre Radio Version.

Not pictured here in costume, because...well...radio. :P Honestly, I don’t really have a lot to say about Gabel in this radio version, created by and starring Orson Welles. I just think he’s really freaking good: he feels a bit like how Edward Van Sloan’s Van Helsing might have acted (more on him later) if he were in a slightly more book-accurate adaptation.

11. David Moroni, from Dracula: Pages From a Virgin’s Diary.

This extremely bizarre, silent-film-styled, surrealist/Expressionistic TV film was produced by the utterly bonkers Guy Maddin, and loosely based on the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s dance version of the story. In the film, all of the male characters - and I DO mean ALL of them - are depicted as figures of toxic masculinity. Each of them has flaws and unsavory traits, but Van Helsing is arguably the worst of them all. As a result, the film - I think intentionally - plays with the duality between him and Dracula in some interesting ways, visually, as Van Helsing really is just as awful as the vampire he’s hunting in this version.

10. Christopher Plummer, from Dracula 2000.

While I personally feel this film is a total mess, I will say that arguably the best part of the entire experience is Plummer as Van Helsing. In the movie, Van Helsing is revealed to have become as immortal as Dracula, by using the vampire’s blood to keep himself going, so that he can forever protect the world from the Count’s darkness. However, the methods Van Helsing uses provide some flaws in his character, and at the same time, Dracula himself is depicted as a more sympathetic villain (which is not uncommon). Once again, the duality this creates is interesting.

9. Goofy, from Disney’s Dracula, Starring Mickey Mouse.

Disney has done TWO different “Dracula Starring Mickey Mouse” adaptations in print: the first was a graphic novel, the second was a children’s storybook. While both have obvious similarities, they also have some differences: most notably, the storybook is much, MUCH shorter and “thinner” (both literally and metaphorically), and the casting for many of the characters is different. In the graphic novel, Goofy, of all characters, plays the role of Van Helsing; in the storybook, it’s Horace Horsecollar. (Incidentally, in the storybook Goofy is Quincey Morris, while in the comic version Horace is Arthur Holmwood.) The weird thing is that by making Goofy - clumsy, bumbling, silly Goofy - the Professor, the graphic novel actually creates one of the most weirdly accurate interpretations of the character out there.

8. Laurence Olivier, from the 1979 Film.

In this film version, Olivier’s Van Helsing is given a tragic, personal reason to fight Dracula, as its revealed his daughter is the Lucy character (and you’ll note I say “the Lucy character,” not just “Lucy;” more on that another time). When she is made into a vampire by the undead Count, Van Helsing swears vengeance, and thus his crusade to avenge his child begins. The quest to defeat the vampire ultimately seems to destroy both hero and villain in the end…but I mustn’t say more, or I shall spoil the whole story.

7. Hugh Jackman, from Van Helsing.

While Jackman’s action-hero spin on Van Helsing has almost NOTHING to do with the original book…I’ll give both him and the movie this: anytime I think of the name “Van Helsing,” this movie and this take on the character DO come pretty immediately to mind. Other than that, there’s not a whole lot to say: the movie may not be that great, but it’s a guilty pleasure, and I think Jackman’s performance is part of the reason why. He’s just always a delight to watch, in my experience.

6. Anthony Hopkins, from the 1992 Film.

In the 1992 film, Dracula is given a strongly sympathetic streak. To contrast this, Van Helsing, in turn, is given a darker edge to his character. While what he’s doing IS ultimately heroic, his methods and manners aren’t always the most saintly or kind. At times he even seems to lean towards the verge of madness, which again, makes the struggle between himself and Dracula all the more interesting.

5. The Version from the 2006 BBC Radio Version.

To this day, I have not figured out who plays Van Helsing in the radio adaptation the BBC made, written by Liz Lochhead. The actor is not credited, and I can’t tell if he’s played by someone else in the cast, doing double roles, or if it’s just that the performer chose to be anonymous. Whoever does the job, however, they do it very well: playing a serious, intelligent, but still interesting version of the Professor that courageously leads the other characters.

4. Herbert Lom, from the 1970 Film.

This was the movie made by Jess Franco, entitled "Count Dracula." While I personally feel the conclusion to Van Helsing’s story in the film is somewhat anti-climactic - neither he nor Mina ever travel to Transylvania in this version, leaving them COMPLETELY out of the final battle against Dracula and his servants - Lom portrays the Professor excellently. In this version, Van Helsing is the head of the asylum where Renfield stays, with Dr. Seward as his closest associate; it’s eventually revealed that, in secret, Van Helsing has long been a student of the occult, and it’s implied the asylum is a cover for his true work facing the “creatures of the night.” The battle between himself and Dracula is made interesting, as the film puts emphasis on their competition. Though they only come face-to-face briefly in the movie (and, apparently, behind the scenes, neither Lom nor Christopher Lee actually EVER shared screentime together), I think Van Helsing says it best: “I have never met the Count, yet I feel I know him better than my own soul.”

3. Frank Finlay, from the 1977 BBC TV Film.

Finlay plays probably the single most Stoker-accurate version of Van Helsing ever put to the screen in this 1970s television production. Many consider this one of the most faithful adaptations of the story, even though it - like all renditions - does still take a few liberties. Finlay’s Van Helsing ranges from slightly zany and comical to stone-cold serious and courageously capable, and his performance is probably one of my favorites in the man’s whole career.

2. Edward Van Sloan, from the 1931 Film & Dracula’s Daughter.

Van Sloan first played Van Helsing in the Broadway production of Hamilton Dean’s “Dracula” stage show, opposite Bela Lugosi as Dracula. When Lugosi was cast as the Count for Universal’s famous film version, Lugosi personally suggested Van Sloan be cast as his nemesis, as well. Perhaps because of this, as well as because of the expansions the film made to the twin source materials (the movie is based mostly on the play, but also includes elements from the book and a few new additions all its own), the chemistry between Van Helsing and Dracula in the film is one of the most interesting parts of the whole movie. They feel like the Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty of Gothic Horror in this version, more than anywhere else. Van Sloan reprised the role in the sequel, “Dracula’s Daughter,” and would also go on to play Van-Helsing-esque characters in both “Frankenstein” and “The Mummy.”

1. Peter Cushing, from the Hammer Horror Franchise.

Cushing is arguably where the modern Van Helsing - the idea of him as a professional monster hunter - really began. In the first Hammer film, Van Helsing is a doctor of medicine, but it’s made clear this is a cover for his true profession as a monster hunter, who has been tracking Dracula for years. Later films would continue to expand on the seemingly eternal conflict between the Count and the Professor. Cushing’s Van Helsing is a strict and strong vampire slayer, willing to go to some extreme lengths to take down Dracula and his progeny, but what I like is that - despite these hard edges - there’s also a warmth and a kindness to his character. He can be just as fierce as his enemy, but what separates him from the Count is ultimately his humanity.

[cinematicendevaourz]

Coming into this film knowing that Todd Phillips was going for the Tony on this one softened the blow for my viewing of Folie A Deux, but despite featuring my favorite songstress to ever hop on the mic in Lady GAGA alongside Joaquin Phoenix with a broken voice belting out to match his broken sanity, the fact that Todd Phillips wanted to push The Joker so far away from it's source material that he made a musical makes this film hard to even consider revisiting.

As The Joker character in this film despises the sensationalism that the events in the first film garnered him, it's easy to see Phillips shares that deposition - which he has curated this sequel into a box office bomb.

The animated short at the start of the film lays out that this Joker feature will be about Jungian aspects in dealing with the shadow self while in "Folie A Deux", Joker does his best to rid himself of his stage persona, despite the fact that that stage presence is his only defense since he is on trial and pleading insanity by way of Multiple Personality Disorder.

This film exposes the failing of the U.S. mental health system as Phillips had accomplished with the first film, but his scrutinizing lense is expanded as he puts the U.S. Justice System within his crosshairs, zooming in on the sensationalism of high-profile cases that should be dealt with more respect for everyone involved - especially the victims.

GAGA is more GAGA as she portrays Charles Manson's Patty closer than Dini's Harley Quinn.

That's disappointing, especially since the only point of reference of a live action Harley Quinn is Margot Robbie and I hate to say it, but Robbie played a more familiar Harley Quinn.

The week prior to this film's release the Harleen Quinzell OST dropped for this film and the variant cover featured Harley doing the suit-up routine in Joker's old apartment from the first movie. Merely one minute of that footage is used in the actual film as Harley puts on eyeliner in damn near a cone bra, and one can only wonder where the rest of that footage went?

The rest of GAGA's scenes play out like a GAGA concert, and I've been to The Artpop Ball and seen many GAGA performances before and after. I've seen GAGA get outside herself in Robert Rodriguez films ("Machete Kills", "Sin City - A Dame To Kill For"), is that the only director she feels comfortable acting for?

Because even though her performance in "A Star Is Born" was great and I love seeing her on-screen in this Joker film, these films do not feature GAGA acting, more of GAGA just being an overexaggerated version of herself.

But where GAGA's Harley faltered, Phoenix's Joker rose to the occassion. Phoneix's role as the titular mentally impaired murder demands sympathy in the way Billy Bob Thorton did with "Slingblade".

The scenes primarily are centered around Arkham and the superior court room, as the film is a true sequel to Phillip's "Joker".

Gruesome sequences of the abuse of prisoners down to the finish begs for recalls of Olmos' performance in "American Me" and the court sequences down to the dismissal felt like a nod to Snyder's "Dawn of Justice", even though with Todd Phillips' track record, it would not be hard to assume he hates superhero movies.

GAGA is on-screen throughout the flick but Zazie Beetz comes back from the first movie to steal the show along with Leigh Gill when they are both called to the stand to recant the events of the first film.

Those moments of remembering the fond freshness of Phillip's first Joker work against "Folie A Deux", because when Beetz and Gill's character's are on-screen, I wished I could see them again in the first film and that wish took away from the cameos they gave in this film.

Brendan Gleeson portrays an Arkham security guard as if he was auditioning for "Westside Story" and Harry Lawtey portrays the smugest Two-Face I've ever seen on-screen.

Phillips makes it easy with "Folie A Deux" for the viewers to engage in asking themselves questions about the U.S. justice system as well as using the device of musical numbers to make it simpler to uncover if Joker is going through a delusional dream sequence, but again that hurts this film because those dream sequences with Zazie Beetz in the first film are what added an air of mystery to Phillips' first foray into the DCU.

Here (not just with the dream sequences) the clown makeup deliberately comes off and audiences are given a Lady GaGa concert to soundtrack the Manson Murder trial.

It's a great idea, and the film is a rare thinkpiece in using Jungian philosophy with a couple red pill's dropped in here and there since this is a Harley and Joker film but it's not what I paid for.

I can watch "American Me" again as well as Phillips' first "Joker", go to another Lady GaGa concert and read the next issue of "Detective Comics" and have a better time than I did watching "Folie A Deux". Even though there was plenty inappropriate nihlistic shit I laughed at while watching "Folie A Deux", it's not funny when a film does not separate itself enough from it's inspirations to surpass them as it's own unique piece of entertainment. Send in the clowns, not the clones, The Simpsons already did that.

-

C.V.R. The Bard

3rd/Oct.2k24

[thelostgirl21]

So, apparently, there's an actual short story called "A Little Sacrifice" where a Prince falls in love with a real mermaid in The Witcher's universe...

And Netflix is supposed to release an anime called "Sirens of the Deep", where Geralt and Jaskier get involved in the situation.

My question is: will this be happening before or after the events of Season 3?!

Because having a freaking Prince (Radovid) hearing Jaskier's songs, finding them "irresistible", and becoming heavily drawn to him as a result gives off crazy strong Prince/Siren vibes.

And metaphorically speaking, the whole song follows their story arc in Season 3 right down to the "twilit red horizon" (Redania's color is red, so is obviously blood and its association with death and murder...) and the Prince sadly immediately "sinking to darkest night" on his very first attempt to swim.

So, if Jaskier and Geralt had already met a mermaid and a Prince that had fallen in love with each other before the events of Season 3, and Jaskier had already written a whole ballad about it (that Ciri ended up learning) before he met Radovid, I'm thinking his own situation would have felt like such an insanely strong case of déjà vu!

[Note: In the short story, it's the Siren that swaps fin for foot, not the Prince. If the song is about "Sirens of the Deep", this means that either the ending of the short story has been changed...

... or something bad happened as a result of the mermaid's choice, and Jaskier decided to give them a different ending where the Prince attempts to become a mermaid, but finds himself sinking and needing the Siren's help (to embrace him and the choice he made, regardless of its consequences)?]

Otherwise, that means Jaskier composed that ballad with Radovid in mind in Season 3.

And then, on his travels with Geralt, winds up meeting an actual mermaid that fell in love with a freaking Prince - essentially facing the same dilemma he's been going through with Radovid - and probably would be going "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?! Is the world trying to fucking tell me something?! Unbelievable!"

I can already imagine the conversations...

Sh'eenaz: You couldn't possibly understand what it's like to -

Jaskier: Save it! I wrote a fucking song about it! And you know what? It was a pretty good one, too! Filled with plenty of symbolism and poetry... But you two just had to show up and turn it into a literal thing, didn't you? Now, each time people will be singing my song, they'll just believe it's all about Prince Aglobal -

Sh'eenaz: Agloval

Jaskier: Whatever! And forget I had already seduced a Prince with my songs, and been offered to go live with him in a castle before you two even met! Oh! And by the way, my Prince is now the King of Redania - the most powerful nation of the Northern Kingdoms - the only one that might be able to stop the Nilfgaardians! He's way more important than -

Sh'eenaz: So, did you accept?

Jaskier: Accept what?

Sh'eenaz: To give up the life you had before to be with him?

Jaskier: *Forgets all about his rant and lets out a heavy sigh.*. It's complicated... *Hesitates* I think I might have? Especially if Ciri had decided she wanted to go to Redania to unite it with Cintra, and become the Queen she'd always dreamed of becoming... But then, Ciri went missing, the Second War began, he actually did offer to come with me instead, but then his brother was brutally murdered and he was crowned King instead...

Sh'eenaz: So, he was willing to sacrifice his world for you?

Jaskier: I guess... I mean, I think he meant it...

Sh'eenaz: Well, at least you two breathe the same air, and you can both walk... And Geralt's mate, from what I've heard, is a powerful sorceress that knows how to create portals. It's not like you can't quickly travel between your two worlds when you miss your family, thanks to her, and he can't accompany you on those visits at times, too...

Jaskier: ...

Sh'eenaz: ...

Jaskier: Yeah, I think your Prince should definitely follow you at sea. Humans are idiots.

Sh'eenaz: Well, if he does, maybe you could write a ballad about us; make it one where a Prince falls in love with a dashing travelling bard, then chooses to renounce his throne to accompany him on his travels?

Jaskier: Yeah, you wait right here in your *motions at the bay surrounding them* little pond; I'll go see your Prince and either convince him to come here and join you, or grab and throw him right into the sea myself! After that, I've got a King to catch...

[capobegone]

My Thoughts on the Swordsmith Village Movie!

Alright y’all, this goes without saying, but I’ll announce it anyway:

SPOILER WARNING FOR THE KNY MOVIE. IF YOU DON’T WANT TO BE SPOILED, DO NOT PROCEED. DO NOT PASS GO. DO NOT COLLECT 200 DOLLARS.

Anyway. Now that that’s said and done, let’s begin! Here are my favorite parts, in no particular order.

-GOTOU. GOTOU THE KAKUSHI. He’s always been my favorite background character; he only shows up a few times but somehow he is around SO MUCH for the key events in Tanjiro’s journey. His abdominal breathing to scream for the butterfly girls was fantastic because a) abdominal breathing really is effective to project, from a vocalist’s standpoint, and b) it goes to show that even if he can’t wield a sword or use a breath technique, he still understands the importance of proper breath support! Good for you, Gotou-san!

-My theater’s audience laughed the most at Inosuke hanging from the ceiling. That was a hit. I already knew it was gonna happen but I was laughing too because I was just so giddy!! They also really enjoyed the scenes of Tengen’s wives arguing while he’s dying of poisoning. A classic.

-ZENITSU IN HIS LITTLE SCARF. SHUT THE FRONT DOOR.

-But seriously, I enjoyed the scene of Zenitsu with the other slayers and Gotou with his Kakushi friend. It gives us a rare glimpse into daily corps life when one is not fighting extremely important battles against upper moons.

-They recapped bits from the previous episode in the beginning of the swordsmith village arc, so we got to watch poor Kagaya choking and gagging on his own blood TWICE, BACK TO BACK. Which, as much as I love him dearly and felt awful for him, it was kinda funny. Side-note, Amane is a GOAT for sticking with him and taking care of him during all of this. She’s a queen through and through.

-Mitsuri. Oh, Mitsuri, the love of my life. I want to kiss her little face. Her voice actor is so wonderful!! Watching her play with Nezuko and easily pick her up and hold her hand was so heartwarming!! Her little song about dinner made my heart sing too!! The little sparkle edits whenever she got excited!! Mitsuri-chan, please be my wife. Just, uh, don’t tell Obanai.

-Also, the hot spring scene?? Hello?? I had seen the leaks, but they didn’t do it justice. I was not expecting them to fully show her entire butt. With both cheeks. I was gripping the seat for dear life so I didn’t screech out loud. Ufotable really went for it with the Mitsuri fanservice, and as much as my feminist side wants to disagree with this, I am unfortunately too gay to care. I shamelessly enjoyed every second of it.

-Speaking of hot springs, the crow noise that Tanjiro made when he jumped in took me OUT. And baby Nezuko swimming by was SO CUTE I CAN’T TAKE IT. UGH. 

-AND ALSO: GENYA!! I LOVE GENYA!! I’m so so excited to see more of him! The talk Tanjiro and Mitsuri had about his relationship with Sanemi made me sad, but then them worrying about him not eating enough and going to bring him some rice balls made it okay again.

-Speaking of which… why was Genya skipping his meals? Was he just avoiding Tanjiro and Mitsuri? Did he bring his own food like they hypothesized? Was his tummy messed up from eating demon, like Gyoumei always worried it would be? Seeing as he still had fangs, it had probably happened recently, and if demons can’t eat human food…am I over analyzing? I think I’m over analyzing.

-The snapping of Gyutaro breaking Tanjiro’s fingers in surround sound made the woman next to me physically recoil. Girl, same. Shit was nasty.

-NEZUKO SLITHERING AROUND UNDER THE TABLE LMAOO

-The little tease of Muichiro at the end. Come on man, I want MORE!! DON’T DO THIS TO ME!!

-The entire upper moon meeting. Wow. The animation was insane. Good lord, the infinity castle was wonderfully confusing! It was a little overwhelming with all the flashes and transitions, but it helped that Akaza was in just as much of a state of sensory overload as the rest of us. Man did NOT want Douma touching him on top of everything else that was rubbing his temper the wrong way, and Douma could not have given less of a damn. But wow, did they make Douma such a funny little dude!! Crawling all over the floor and flashing peace signs and such. How wonderful. The scene of Nakime immediately shutting him down was glorious.

-Not sure if I’m the hugest fan of the way they just. Blipped out? I guess I always imagined Nakime would make them doors to go in and out of the infinity castle, so it felt a liiiiittle underwhelming. But, of course, that’s just me.

-Akaza falling was sick as hell. I just know he thought he was super cool. Which…yeah, he totally was. What can I say, I love him. Akaza punching off Douma’s face only to immediately get in trouble with Kokushibo? *chef’s kiss*

-But…the credits. They left in all of the credits, which was just a teeny bit awkward. I was just sitting there staring at them (I cannot read Japanese and I saw it subbed) and anxious out of my MIND to see swordsmith village! (Which, the village itself looked gorgeous, by the way!) Still, I think it was absolutely worth the wait. 

Overall, it was just such a fun experience!! I’ve never been to a movie on my own before, and I’m so glad this was the first one. It was so, so epic and I enjoyed myself thoroughly! Planning on going to see it again with my sister when she’s back in town. Easy 10/10 for me, because I just adored every moment with every character!! If you haven’t seen it yet, I encourage you to do so! :D

[bucketinyourwalls]

2!Postal Dude Headcanons <3

Summary:

With this version of 2!Postal Dude consists of a mix of my own projections, random stuff I thought of whenever bored, and just how I generally see him. Based on my first run with him, and a mix of the wiki. Anyone that wants to add these to their own lists feel free! :D

General:

Goofy as hell. Still just as insane as the others, but takes it all less seriously.

Either has a list or small journal he carries on him all the time just filled with one-liners, also carries a pen so he can write down any new ones he thinks of.

Fucking dumbass.

Not the smartest guy around, but also not the dumbest. Decent knowledge with some things.

Sometimes pretends to be a full on moron just to annoy the person, or piss them off depending on if it's someone he likes or hates.

Knowledgeable in some subjects, but only if it’s something he has a genuine interest in.

Random hyperfixation on things. Tries to keep himself focused on one or two things at a time and tries to balance everything out, but always fails.

Favorite aesthetics consist of cyberpunk, post-apocalyptic, feralcore, bastardcore, and post-punk.

Feral bastard.

Bites people. Started out as a joke but was slowly integrated into his life.

Humor’s all over the damn place. Mix of whatever he can find on Tumblr and shows like South Park and Beavis and Butthead.

Has a Tumblr and Twitter account. Both just so he can watch everything unfold and doesn’t bother to post anything.

Following list for Twitter mostly consists of gimmick accounts, some of it wholesome, and others being shit he just decided was funny.

Personality built around others' perception of him, whether people he actually knows or just those on the internet. 

Personality changes often, but keeps certain aspects for each one.

Bit of a people pleaser.

Mood is always randomized for each day. One day he could be the most calm and patient man in Paradise, and the next he could go on a massacre.

Mood really depends on his morning. Slight inconveniences do have the potential to fuck it all up if there was a major one before, but not on their own.

Very patient with people when younger, but that patience has slowly degraded over the years.

Would never snap at anyone when younger, maybe a few passive aggressive comments.

But now with the degraded patience, much more prone to snapping at people.

Animal lover. Always making sure Champ gets pets and food before he goes off to do his errands and will do his best to take care of strays.

After the beginning cutscene near the start of the game with him kicking Champ for pissing in front of him felt a fuck ton of guilt for the rest of the day. After he got home made sure to do his best to make it up to Champ through whatever means necessary.

Type of video games that he plays is a healthy mix of horror such as Silent Hill and Resident Evil, indie games like Cult of the Lamb and Hollow Knight, and of course shooter games like DOOM and the Call of Duty series.

For Cult of the Lamb he definitely named the cult after himself. Once tried to mod the game himself to add in or replace the decorations to better fit himself but that never ended up happening.

Just about grew up with horror. During highschool he had a fake ID so he could see the Rated R movies without having to bring an adult with him, or would just sneak in (and get caught).

Holds the DOOM series close to his crack-filled heart, with his favorite being the 1993 DOOM as a mix of nostalgia and everything that could be done. Always discovering new secrets on every playthrough.

Probably plays Call of Duty a bit less than the others, and mostly consists of him playing online and just insulting everyone since it’s fun to see their reactions. Barely pays attention to any of the campaigns.

Bisexual and Pangender <3

Age being 27 during the events of Postal 2 (no clue if he has a canon age so for the time being I’m sticking to that).

Music:

Mostly metal and rock.

Korn, Avenged Sevenfold, Rob Zombie, Dope, Limp Bizkit, Skillet, Seether, Slayer, etc.

Favorite songs with them consisting of: “Y’all Want a Single?” by Korn, “Rollin (Air Raid Vehicle” by Limp Bizkit, and “6 Gun Quota” by Seether.

Also has a few other songs in there that seem much out of place, either because he thought it’d be funny or just from him genuinely enjoying them.

Few examples being the “Bisexual Anthem” by Domo Wilson, “Material Girl” by Saucy Santana, “Masquerade” by siouxxie sixxta, ect.

Sings in the shower, most of the time keeps it quiet but will sing loudly as hell just to drive people crazy.

Cannot be trusted with the aux cord.

God help you if you’re on a road trip and he gets a hold of the cord.

Credits:

Credit for both dividers go to @kawaii-lau, after a bit of scrolling finding some dividers saw that they had some cool stuff, so check them out! <3

[anti-katsuki-lounge]

MHA came to be because of the events made in the past decade that made it popular. MHA become popular because it was a Japanese version of the Superhero genre that was lighthearted with some serious moments. What really helped was that the Superhero genre was becoming popular due to the yearly Marvel movies that were kinda lighter in tone and not as gritty as the Superman and Batman movies in the 00s. Likewise, during these these prior to the Marvel movie series that we got a lot of now, the most popular superhero genre that I can like of are X-Men, Batman and Justice League cartoon series, all of which are of American origin. The general tone of superheroes of the time were dark and realistic but not enough light-toned stories that you can shut your brain off.

MHA is in the Goldilocks zone of being in a Superhero genre that isn't too lighthearted but also not too gritty and edgy. It being a Shounen series means that it can appeal to all ages like Naruto and One Piece in the past. It being of Japanese origin instead of American origin made it exotic for its foreign origin, and manga sales were going to overtake Comic book sales. Yes, it is a high school series like X-Men, but there isn't any need to angst about secret identities and the problems of being a minority that would face death. It's a everyone gets superpowers and how potentially a superhero society comes from it.

Looking dark is very cool but actually thinking about it is too much on the brain that wants to sleep. It's probably the reason why people complain about the simple good vs evil and coming-of-age stories for being too simple and praised complicated stories despite that the writing is bad to is too hard to get into. Yes, Horikoshi does have his bad and good moments in MHA, like Bakugo's plot armor, but I don't think it shouldn't detract the fact that on the surface level, it's easy and pleasing to the eye to understand. It's a basic coming of age story in a Superhero genre that has both serious and lighthearted points in a teenager setting instead of being filled with angst all of the time.

Pretty much all of this. MHA’s popularity is due to the story checking all the right boxes for such a story to be popular. It’s a superhero story so it’s going to attract those who love superheroes. It’s an anime/manga that’s published by Shonan Jump, so it’s going to attract fans of both. Its story is easy to digest yet aims to tackle problems people can relate to (coming of age, corruption in the government/those in power, etc.), which has a huge audience. The story sits in an area where it gets dark, but isn’t a complete slog fest of angst and depression like Batman vs Superman. It’s got enough goofy, flashy fun that you can turn off your brain but it also asks you to think as well, making it accessible to both types of people.

Now, one can definitely argue that MHA may check these boxes, but doesn’t do so well, which I completely agree with. The story’s tone is inconsistent between being needlessly edgy and just plain dumb, the fact that its writing flaws are super noticeable once you think about them, and how there are so many lose ends and missed potential in terms of character.

The thing is though that MHA is still ultimately very accessible to an insane range of people and makes a very good impression on people from the get-go. Sure, you’ve got Katsuki’s character that you still have to deal with, but when you get things like Izuku punching out the Zero Pointer, All Might’s fight against the Nomu, Izuku vs Shoto, and the entire Stain Arc, you find it easy to overlook the flaws and allow the story to take you places. When I first got into MHA, I was willing to overlook Katsuki’s character just because of how much I loved the moments I spoke about more. Yes, Katsuki was annoying af, but I wasn’t thinking about MHA critically because on the surface level it ticked all the boxes of things I was interested in (superheroes, coming of age story, anime/manga). Sadly when Katsuki pushed himself to the forefront during Kacchan vs Deku 2, that’s when I had my first real instance of “what the fuck is going on” that caused me to look back at things with a more critical eye and realize how flawed the writing is. Then after the Culture Festival Arc the writing took a nosedive which made it harder to simply enjoy it.

In conclusion, MHA ticks all the right boxes for attracting audiences and has a very solid beginning, which is why it’s so insanely popular to this day. It also appeals to teenagers, which is a target audience that is very impressionable and will stick with something if they like it. It may not be written well, but its popularity is understandable given the climate of today’s entertainment industry.