#(also once more say it with me FUCK DISNEY FUCK DISNEY HARD. i know we shoudl focus more on what we have n what we have is so fucking good)

[rosemary-sins]

i cant believe im going INSANE i cwnt believe im going CRAZY going STUPID going aaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

(everyone say thank you @ the owl house crew ily)

#(spoilers) rants in the tags #petal down #toh #toh s3 #toh s3 spoilers #flapjack. flapjack i. saw it comign but oh f uuuuu #they confirmed masha/vee (or the closest we'll get) and like! oh my GOD? #i love them i love them so much #also camilla just choosing to go w them. f UCK man #god n the lumity bits and the fact that they were just fine w everything #i mean i expected them to be fine w everything but oh my g od it was still. #man. 'no more secrets' if i had a dime man #the shipping bits we got were good. crumbs but do good. thank u. gimme raeda now #(also once more say it with me FUCK DISNEY FUCK DISNEY HARD. i know we shoudl focus more on what we have n what we have is so fucking good) #(but also literally! fuck disney for taking their time away. fuck man) #shit all that stuff w hunter though he really just never fucking wins #also confirmation on evelyn being a hot witch gf! fr belos gets no bitches #caleb can get it good for him good for him #part of me wants darius to adopt hunter and the other says hes hunters weird uncle instead. n like camilla adopts him. give camilla more ki #kids #coughs. god i miss raeda #shit like 100 plotlines went by all at once irs almosr too much lmao #shit man. it was good though. it hirt in a good way. #also hunter w the little wolf shirt i cant believe god is real #also qhere te FUCK is luz palisman. also basically confirmed its gonna be a snake tbh. like all the snake themes eunnin around #the lamp the shirt she was wearimg etc etc. maybe its a red herring idk. i wanted a bird but i love snakes so this works too #also they were fucking INSANE for that one animation scene yall fuckin KNOW the one holy SHIT HOKY SHIT HOLY SHIT... #my eyes are fucking blessed rn god infucking love it

[contentment-of-cats]

I'll say it again. Andor is the best Star Wars show.

And that's because they didn't let Dave Filoni anywhere near it.

The show is called 'Ahsoka' but is actually an unaired season of Rebels. It ought to have been called 'attempted massive retcon at unwise forward speed' or 'Sabine has abandonment issues and makes poor decisions.' There are good scenes (possibly from another show, which one is anyone's guess) strung together with tired plot devices. Thrawn was chucked into this mess because there was no other way to move the plot. I did dig on some of the details like the signs of age and hard living and the obvious condition of the Chimaera. Other than that - pfft.

Turning to Thrawn - I am an unabashed fan of the Zahn-authored 2017 Trilogy and the HTTE trilogy (except the ending). He is complex neither all good or all evil. He is an antagonist and protagonist at once. Someone to root for and also against. Did he contrive his exile to join the Empire and possibly take it over in order to protect his people? It's possible. I don't think we'll ever find out, though. That being said, I don't think we're going to get much more from two more episodes.

One of my friends said that Filoni writes for children's shows, and it's true. The characters are almost cartoonish, not understandable as adults, but as kids understand adults to be. Perhaps I am expecting too much from an eight-episode MCU-kin show, but there was time to develop Sabine, or FFS Ahsoka (you know, the protagonist?), to fill in whatever has gone on in the past nine years since the Battle of Yavin, five years after Endor. For Sabine and Ezra, there should have been more feeling in that scene than the swell of the music.

A lot of the blame rests with Disney, and the paranoia-controlled process to stamp out leaks at all costs. There is a continuity to writing a script, working out the story boards, reading the script, and then shooting that is entirely lacking in franchise-oriented product. Franchise oriented product is formulated to sell merch and streaming subscriptions, and to drive bodies into theme parks. It's marketable.

The writers' and actors' guild strikes are ongoing. I'm content to wait - writers and actors have been getting screwed, fucked, and buttered without mercy for years. There is a new intensity to the talks as the studios start to sweat.

Final note: I love Thrawn, but the ageism of a vocal part of the fandom makes me want to still be around when these people hit 50. Age and illness and injury HAPPEN. Our bodies do not work as well when joints break down, we get hurt, or sick. Even when he regain functionality, it doesn't all come back. Even when our lives are saved, there are still sequelae. It's made me think less of some folks.

#thrawn #ahsoka

[rhoorl]

Working Title - Chapter 2

Pairing: Dieter Bravo x OFC Belle

Rating: Mature, 18+.

Word Count: 5.6K

Series Masterlist | Masterlist

Series Summary: We learn a bit more about Belle and Indy's past. The girls head to the audition and we get a meet cute in a waiting room.

Warnings: This chapter has some swearing, allusions to cheating and toxic relationships.

Note: Hi, I’m back with chapter two! Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read Chapter 1. All the comments, likes, and reblogs meant so much to me. It really lifted my spirits, so thank you! This is also posted on AO3.

“How fast can you get to LA?”

You sniffle and wipe your eyes and then your nose with your shirt sleeve. “What? Umm-”

“Wait, what’s wrong? Shit. Did something happen? What did Ryan do?”

You let out a long exhale, not even knowing where to start. “He … um … he left me a note and packed his shit.”

“Are you fucking serious?!” You can practically hear her teeth clenching. But then, letting her rage subside and knowing she needed to comfort you she let out a sigh. “Shit, I’m sorry babe.”

“Eh. I wish I could sit here and be like, ‘No it’s totally fine he was a jerk' but I just can’t do that.”

“I know you loved him, Belle.”

Belle. A nickname that’s stuck since childhood. You were obsessed with Beauty and the Beast growing up, Belle being your favorite Disney princess. You both had brown hair and liked reading, so it seemed like an easy one to latch on to. And over time, you realized that you identified with Belle’s gentle nature of wanting to see the best in people and help, even as life dealt you more obstacles which made that optimism hard to keep.

“Yea, well he clearly didn’t love me, no matter how much I tried.”

She doesn’t say anything, just letting a silence fall between you both.

“So, what’s this about needing to get to LA?”

“Right, well I’ve been auditioning for that role I told you about – the one where I’d play an agent or something. Well, they want me to come in and do a screen test with a few other actors who are up for the other roles and I need my good luck charm with me!”

It was sweet that she thought you were her good luck charm. You’d been doing Indy’s hair and makeup since you were kids. She will always claim that she was the first person you ever put makeup on, putting it on her before you even tried putting it on yourself. It was a fun way for you both to bond. Some kids play with crayons or chalk, but you grabbed some clearance makeup and dolled up your best friend in the latest techniques you saw in magazines or on TV. Over time, you really developed a talent for it. You also started dabbling in hair too – never cutting or dying it, just blow drying and styling. 

Indy was a natural on stage and loved performing.  And whenever possible she would have you do her hair and makeup. Seeing you and talking to you before going on stage was a way to distract herself from the nerves. You’d talk about boys or boy bands or the latest gossip around the school. 

Your senior year, of high school you were both trying to decide what to do next. Indy got accepted into NYU for performing arts; New York City had been her dream for so long. You wanted to go to a cosmetology school in the city. Being at the center of all things Broadway, TV, film, and fashion seemed like the perfect place to cut your teeth as a makeup artist. Plus, with Indy in the same city, you could navigate the next stages of your lives together. 

Eventually, Indy started getting booked for auditions and she would always have you do her hair and makeup. It made you laugh because you really didn’t have to do much. She was so naturally beautiful and you knew the casting directors didn’t want her going in there all dolled up to the point they couldn’t read her emotions. But still, having that time together to talk centered Indy and helped her prepare better than any meditation class or breathing exercise ever could. 

Once you both graduated from your respective schools, you stayed in New York City for several years. You both hit a bit of a slump during the pandemic. With everything shut down, there was not much work out there for an aspiring actress or a makeup artist. So, you both packed up and moved home to Florida. You moved in together and picked up odd jobs here and there. 

Luckily, living in Orlando, you were both able to get back on your feet once things opened up again. Indy was able to book several performing roles at the different theme parks in the city and you were able to work in the makeup departments. Although work wasn’t always consistent, you were still able to be together. Eventually, Indy moved herself up through the ranks and was invited to go out to Disneyland to play a role in a new parade. The move took you both by surprise, you knew it was a possibility that she would eventually get a call to go out there – she was such an amazing performer. But, you didn’t expect it to happen so soon. 

Your lease was coming up for renewal, so rather than commit for another year, you decided to take the leap and move in with Ryan. It was one of the last things you wanted to do. By this point he had cheated on you twice, so moving in with him seemed like you were just rewarding his awful behavior. But, you were kind of backed into a wall and had no other choice; there was no way you could afford rent on your own and besides, Ryan had a decent job at an aerospace company. 

When she went out to southern California, Indy decided to sign with an agency to help her book more auditions. Her agent, Rhys, set her up with auditions here and there but nothing ever panned out. That was until one of your trips out to see her coincided with a big audition. So, you did what you had always done – get her ready. She booked the part. A small, but recurring role in the second season of a popular streaming show. She wanted to bring you on set with her to do her hair and makeup, but since this was really her first “big” role,  she didn’t have the pull to do that.

You repeated this pattern off and on for the next couple of years, separated by the vast expanse of the United States but coming together every so often when an audition got to the final stages.

“When is the audition?”

“Well, that’s the thing. They want me to come in on Monday.”

“Monday? Indy, it’s Saturday. So, I basically have to find a flight and leave within the next 12 hours?”

“So, I kind of already bought your ticket.”

“You did what? No Indy, you shouldn’t have done that.”

Your friend was always so generous. She wasn’t rich by Hollywood standards, but she was comfortable. She always made it a point to pay above your day rate whenever you did her hair and makeup and she, usually, paid for your transportation out to LA – unless you beat her to the punch. 

“I know, I know. But honestly, I know how you get and you’d start freaking out about booking a last-minute flight, so I figured I’d save you the trouble. Besides, I found out about this earlier today while you were with your client, so I knew you weren’t going to answer the phone. I couldn’t wait until now to book the flight.”

“Well, I mean, good thing I have no life and no other plans,” you chuckled, half joking and half a little bit sad that you really had nothing else going in your life that would prevent you from up and leaving on a whim. You used to love that feeling, of not having to be tied down by anything. But, even if you wouldn’t outright admit it to yourself, you longed for something to tether you to a place rather than live a transient lifestyle.

“Oh come on Belle. Enough with the pity party. Besides, even if Ryan were there you would have still jumped at the chance to leave for a few days. When you are here we can go get massages or something, my treat.”

“Ha ok, Ind.”

“Yay! Ah, I’m so excited!”

“I am too, Ind. It’s going to be so nice to see you.” You switched the phone to speaker phone and headed to your room to start packing. “So, did you book a return flight for me? How much do I need to pack for?”

“Rhys says that they should have an answer for me by Wednesday, although it depends on whether or not they can get one of the actors they want to actually commit.”

“Oh, do you know who?”

“No, not really. I’ve heard rumors but nothing concrete.” 

Something in her tone made it sound like she knew more than she was putting on.

“So who are the rumors about, then?”

“Oh, you know how the gossip rags are, Belle. They’ll name anyone and everyone. Plus, add in people speculating on social and it adds a whole ‘nother layer.”

“Uh huh,” you said. Still not buying it.

“Ok, well, I have heard of one name that’s floating around. It wouldn’t be for the lead male role, but it would be a big name that would get people to watch.”

“And that person is…” 

She clears her throat and waits for a beat before saying, “Dieter Bravo.”

“What?!” saying it a little more forcefully than you intended.

“Yea, but like I said, it’s a rumor. Last Rhys heard, his agent sent him the script. He has been kind of all over the place with roles recently, so nobody really knows what he’s going to do. Besides, Rhys also said he’s in the running for other stuff too, so who knows? He may decide to do something else over this.”

“Hm, ok. Right. It’s all rumor at this point.” You tried to sound nonchalant and thank your stars that Indy decided to do a phone call rather than Facetime because there would be no way you could hide your giddiness and excitement over this latest revelation.

Dieter Bravo had been your favorite actor for years. You had followed his career from the early days, going to see all of his off-Broadway shows. You even waited outside of the theater a couple of times to try and get a selfie or an autograph. You were able to get your playbill signed once, but there was a sea of people and he was honestly just signing whatever was in front of him. But still, you were within feet of your crush.

You continued to keep up with his career, going to see his latest films or streaming whatever show he was on, even if it was just a cameo or small part. You felt for him when his struggles became public. Obviously, you didn’t know the man, but you felt a weird sense of protectiveness over him. He always seemed like a good guy who got a little lost and caught up in the fame. You distinctly remember watching when he won his Oscar, getting a little teary-eyed at his speech when thanked his late parents for always supporting his creativity. And you were so proud to see him turn his life around. 

“Ok say, it,” Indy prodded you. Again, she knew you better than anyone and didn’t need the visual to know that your face was turning red at the possibility of seeing Dieter in person.

“How confident are you that you’ll get this part?”

“Rhys seems to think I am a lock. He said there’s only one other woman they’re bringing in for the screen test and the only reason she’s made it this far is because she’s fucking one of the producers.”

“Ah, I see.”

“So basically, here’s what’s going to happen. You’re coming to LA. You’re getting me ready for this audition, which I’m going to nail. I’m going to get the part and you and I are going to spend the next few months in Hawaii on set with Dieter Bravo.”

“Hawaii? Jesus, Ind, you could have led with that!”

“I know … that was just the cherry on top,” you could hear her smirk.

“Ok.” You let out a breath, got up from your bed, and headed to your closet. “I guess I need to pack. Can you send me the flight info?”

“Already did babe. I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you!”

“Love you too, Ind.”

The phone’s shrill ringtone snaps Dieter out of his slumber. Groggily, he turns over in his bed towards the nightstand reaching for his glasses first before grabbing his phone. Normally he would just ignore the call, but seeing as it was Liz he begrudgingly answered the phone.

“Ugh shit Liz, it’s early” he grumbled. His voice was still gravely from sleep.

“Dee, it’s fucking 10 in the morning. What time did you go to sleep?”

“Ugh, I don’t know like 3?”

“3?! Dieter must I remind you that you’re in your 40’s and need your beauty sleep.”

“Nah, Lizzie. With looks like this, I’m golden.”

“Psh ok, whatever. Well, what kept you up late, did you read the script?”

“Oh, ye of little faith. As a matter of fact, I stayed up late reading your damn script and working on the character. I’m thinking he needs an accent or something.”

“No. Please no. Just do it in your regular voice.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean? People like it when I do accents.”

“Dee. In Cliff Beasts 6 you said fyeathers instead of feathers for crying out loud. You sounded ridiculous.”

“Well, it was a creative choice.”

“Fine. Create something different.”

“Well, you’re in a chipper mood this morning.”

“I’ve just had these damn execs up my ass all morning wondering if you’re going to show up tomorrow or not.”

“Well, we wouldn’t want anything up your ass,” he laughed.

“A real fucking comedian.”

“I’ll be there Lizzie.”

He could practically hear her unclench her jaw. 

“Oh. ok. Well, frankly I thought you’d need more convincing, but I won’t argue with you. I’ll need you to show up to the studio tomorrow at 9. Can you do that or is it too early for Sleeping Beauty?”

“I’ll be there. Who am I meeting with.”

“Well, you’ll meet with the director and producers, maybe a writer or two. There’s a couple of screen tests going on tomorrow for some of the top contenders for the male and female lead.”

“Anyone I know?”

“Samuel Garrett is up for the lead role, between you and me he’s the one getting it. They have some other guy coming in but I think it’s a head fake so Sam doesn’t get too full of himself.”

“I hear ya. That guy is talented but damn he can be a real douche.”

“Well, he’s young Dee.”

“And for the female role?”

“It’s really only down to one at this point too. The other is the girlfriend of one of the producers or something, I don’t know. The girl blew the guy and he’s going to get her on the show some way or somehow. But the other girl is … hmm … let me look at my notes. It’s an Indy Liara. Ever heard of her?”

“Nah, never heard of her.”

“She’s apparently great, really magnetic. Rhys says she’s got the it factor.”

“Rhys? Like your protege Rhys?”

“Yea. I pushed my little bird out of the nest and he’s flying. He’s been representing her for a while now.”

“Cool. He was always a nice guy.”

“Do you want me to come to the studio tomorrow? Just say the word and I’ll be there.”

“I mean, do you think you should be there,” Dieter said with a bit of uncertainty behind his voice.

“It’s up to you champ. If you want me there I’ll be there, but you’re a big boy and you don’t need me to hold your hand during a meeting.”

That made Deiter laugh. Liz always had a way of busting his balls but in the most loving way. Although he didn’t need her to be there, it was comforting to have her there.

“Well, you are my good luck charm, Lizzie. If you can make it, I’d love for you to be there.”

“I’ll be there champ.” Liz waited for a beat before saying, “Hey Dee.”

“Yea?”

“You’re gonna knock ‘em dead.”

“Ha, thanks, Liz.”

“When we go to Hawaii I expect you to treat me to a mai tai and a full day booked at the spa.”

“Whatever you want Lizzie. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Don’t go to sleep so late tonight,” she managed to get in before hanging up.

“Ok, so tell me what kind of look you are going for,” you asked Indy as you lay out your makeup and brushes on her kitchen island; the natural light is always the best here in the mornings.

“Ugh, I don’t know. Something natural for the makeup for sure,” Indy said as she pulled her hair out of her claw clip, running her fingers through it. “For the hair, I’m feeling some like loose waves or something. You know how you did it for the last set of headshots.”

“Ok cool, that’s easy.” You’re still setting up your things but notice Indy rubbing her palms on her knees, an uncharacteristic, but not uncommon tick she has when she’s nervous. “Ind, what’s up?”

Over the years, your little hair and makeup sessions have become a bit like a therapy session for both of you. You’ve had some of your best talks during these times. Just the two of you together. Indy finding time to center herself and breathe, and you getting a chance to focus on something. 

“I guess I’m nervous,” Indy admits. 

“You? Nervous?” you chuckle. Indy has always been confident and not easily rattled. Auditioning is not for the faint of heart; rejection is common and insecurity can easily rear its ugly head. But for her, she was hardly rattled. She spent so many years struggling. You both did. Fighting to be given a chance. To be noticed. 

In recent years she was starting to get booked more consistently, which was exciting but also made her nervous. She was finally some buzz, something she had been seeking for nearly a decade. Now that she was on the precipice of getting what would be a breakout role, she was nervous.

“Yea, a little. Ugh, I don’t know Belle. I can tell I’m getting in my head about this. I usually don’t know how far I am in the process. Like, in reality, for this I’m their first choice. This screen test is the make or break and I just don’t want to mess it up.”

“Hey,” you grab both of her hands. “You are the most talented person I know and you have worked so hard for this. This is your moment and I know you are going to kill it. So, get your head out of your stupidly perfect ass and just do what you do best.”

She cocks her head, squinting her eyes and giving you a smirk. “Um, excuse me. Who are you and what did you do to my best friend.”

You both laugh.

“Seriously, I like this version of you!”

“Ha ha. Hey, you give me pep talks all the time, so I’m only returning the favor,” you say with a wink. “Ok close your eyes,” you say as you start her skin prep.

“I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me too.”

“I almost don’t want to ask, but have you heard from Ryan?”

“He sent me a text yesterday, asking when he could come by. I haven’t responded to him yet. I mean, he has a key so in theory he could just go whenever he wanted and grab his shit.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Honestly, I thought I would be a lot more broken up about it. Maybe it’s because I’m not wallowing in my apartment, so thanks for that,” you chuckle. “This was almost exactly what I needed. Seeing you, getting to lose myself in work, and getting you ready. Plus, and no pressure, but focusing on you and the potential for something exciting in your future is a nice distraction.”

“I’m going to ask for you to come with me if I get it,” Indy tells you, pulling back and opening her eyes.

“Wait, what?”

“Hell yea! You think I’m going to go do my first big role and not have you there? Besides, you’ve said how much the bridal stuff is getting old. I was talking with Rhys and he said that you could maybe work with the other talent too.”

“Oh my goodness, Ind!” you smack her on the shoulder, in a loving way. “You didn’t tell me that! That is so fucking cool!”

“Yea, it’s another reason why I feel pressure for today. I really want this for the both of us. I’ll be able to land the role I’ve been going after for years and you’ll finally get the exposure you deserve. You are a kick-ass makeup artist and hair stylist and it’s about time others see that.”

You stop mixing her foundation and look at her, a little teary-eyed at her confession. She’s always had your back and you’ve both always looked out for each other. You didn’t realize what she has been negotiating and working towards during her audition process on your behalf.

“Well, don’t feel pressure on my account. Whatever happens, happens. I am so proud of you. Now, please stop with the sentimental stuff because we’re going to both end up crying and you’re going to ruin my masterpiece!”

You both laugh and hug.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Ind.”

You get the rest of her makeup done and throw a few loose waves in her shoulder-length hair. Once you got her sorted, you head to the bathroom to throw what you call your “quick face” on. A little bit of blush, some under-eye concealer, and mascara. You throw your hair up in a ponytail, pulling a few pieces out by your face. Grabbing your purse and travel kit, you are both headed out the door.

Rhys meets you both outside of the studio’s offices. He’s been with Indy for so long that he’s become like a big brother to not only her but you as well. 

“My two favorite girls,” he grins, extending his arms to hug you both at the same time. “So glad you were able to make it Belle.”

“Good to see you Rhys,” you said, kissing him on the cheek. 

“Alright, Ind, you ready?” he said, resting his hands on Indy’s shoulders, squeezing them. “You got this.”

Indy takes a deep breath in and out. “Yea, as ready as I’ll ever be,” she said flashing her mega-watt smile.

The three of you head inside. Rhys confidently heads to the reception desk, letting the woman at the desk know Indy was there for her appointment. 

You both take the time to look around, seeing promotional posters along the walls from the studio’s hit movies and series. 

Rhys strides back over to you both. “Ok, they should be with us soon. Belle, are you ok to sit out here and wait? It honestly shouldn’t take too long.”

“Oh yea, I’m good,” you said, fishing out a book from your bag. “I came prepared!”

“You always do, always thinking of everything,” he says with a smile.

“Ms. Liara?” the small woman dressed all in black with glasses says as she rounds the corner of the reception desk. “They’re ready for you.”

“Good luck,” you whisper, giving Indy a quick hug. “Show them they’d be stupid to pass up on you,” you winked.

“Thanks, I’ll see you soon,” she said in an excited whisper.

You watch as she and Rhys head back through the set of doors behind the desk.

The receptionist looks at you, “you’re more than welcome to sit over there,” she motions to a plush couch in the corner. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

“Oh, no I’m ok. Thank you, though,” you said as you headed toward where she pointed.

“Ok, well if you change your mind, holler. Don’t be shy.”

“Thanks,” you smiled at her. Sitting down, taking your phone out to check the time, before grabbing your book and finding your bookmark to pick up where you left off.

Liz paced outside of the studio’s offices. You know the phrase, “Early is on time, and on time is late?” Well, to LIz early is pushing it. She always got places a good 15 minutes before a reasonable person would. She always reasoned that getting someplace that much earlier gave her time to assess things and get herself settled. 

In the past, it would give her time to formulate a series of backup plans based on Dieter – whether or not he’d show up, or what he would be like if he did show up. Old habits die hard, and she was hardwired to always show up places early.

Dieter knew how she was and in recent years he worked on getting places earlier. He had spent so many years stressing her out, he felt like he owed it to her to minimize the amount of stress he caused her.

Liz saw Dieter’s Audi come into the parking lot, checking her watch. “Wow, 10 minutes early Dee,” she said to herself.

Dieter parks his car, grabs his phone and a bottle of water, and gets out of his car. He was dressed in a flattering pair of dark wash jeans, a gray v-neck t-shirt, and sneakers. It was a far cry from his former wardrobe of baggy sweatpants, oversized tees, and Crocs; although he still wore those at home.

Since getting sober, he had worked on his fitness, going on runs or hikes (cutting out smoking helped), and working out with a trainer. Although he didn’t like to focus on how he looked, he had to admit that he looked better than he had in years.

He strides confidently over to Liz, who stopped pacing.

“You’re on time.”

“Oh come, on! I’m early Lizzie and you know it,” he smirked.

Rolling her eyes she turns towards the entrance, Dieter falling in step next to her.

“You ready?”

“Yup,” he says as he opens the door for Liz and they both step into the lobby.

“Mr. Bravo!” the receptionist said enthusiastically. “So nice to see you again! Let me check to see if they’re ready for you in the back, just make yourself at home.”

“Awesome, thanks darling,” he says with his movie-star smile.

The receptionist blushed as she quickly dialed a number and talked in hushed tones on the phone.

“Mr. Bravo! So nice to see you! Let me check to see if they’re ready for you in the back, just make yourself at home.”

Bravo? Like Dieter Bravo?! Why is he here? Wait, was Indy right, is he up for a role too? What if Indy gets this and you get to spend months in Hawaii with Dieter Bravo? 

You could feel yourself spiraling, so many things are happening at the same time. You have butterflies but also feel instantly nauseous. You’re trying to figure out what to do because at this point you were still looking down at your book. The couch was facing the entrance, the reception desk to your right. You lean back into the couch, crossing your right leg over your left, stealing a glance up.

Holy shit. That is Dieter fucking Bravo. He’s leaned up against the reception desk looking at his phone. With him distracted, you do more than steal a glance. You eye him up and down taking it all in. He’s just as handsome as you remembered from all those years ago. In fact, he looks even better now, aging like a fine wine. You take him in from the top of his head with his messy curls down to his patchy beard that’s cut a little closer than usual. His T-shirt fit him well. How long have his arms looked like that? Oh my goodness, those jeans.

You look to your left and see a woman standing near him, also on her phone. You imagine that has to be his Rhys, noticing the body language you’ve come to recognize between an actor and their agent.

“Mr. Bravo, I apologize, but they’re on a call that is just now wrapping up. It shouldn’t be too much longer, but if you’d feel more comfortable sitting down, please go ahead,” she said, motioning to the seating area.

“Oh ok, sure. Thanks. And you can call me Dieter,” he chuckles as he grabs his water bottle and heads toward the seating area.

Holy shit. Holy shit. This is happening. What do I do? Do I look at him? Pretend he’s not here? No, I can’t do that. That’s almost more awkward. There’s literally no one else in here except the four of us, so it would be weird to not acknowledge him right? You have this internal dialogue battle with yourself, eyes still transfixed on your book like you were reading a goddamn masterpiece. 

You can feel him getting closer, traversing the lobby in a few strides. You are sitting on the far right side of a three-seat couch, with chairs on either side. You look up just as he’s making his way around the coffee table. To sit on the other side of the couch?!

“Hello,” he says softly, noticing you looking at him.

“H-Hi,” you managed to squeak out.

“D-do you mind if I sit here?” Wait, is he nervous? He’s nervous because I’m being awkward right? Shit.

“Uh. Um, yea, be my guest.”

“Thanks,” he smiles and sits on the far left side. You notice his agent, or at least who you think is his agent, walking over and taking the seat to the left of the couch, engrossed in her phone.

You smile at him and then snap your focus back to your book, although you don’t see any of the words on the page. You’re too busy trying to regulate your breathing. You can feel his presence next to you. Is he looking at me? I can’t look. I feel like he’s looking at me. You don’t know how long you stayed like that, it felt like an hour but also 30 seconds.

“Mr. Bravo? They’re ready for you now.”

“Alright, Dee, let’s do this,” the older woman tells him, patting him on the knee. Definitely the agent.

He lets out a breath and stands up. You look up at him through your eyelashes and he’s giving you a sideways look. And a smile?! The fact that I’m not melting, sweating, crying, or throwing up is a goddamn miracle.

“Have a nice day,” he says, getting up and giving you what seems like a shy smile.

“Uh, th-thanks. Break luck. I mean, good leg. I mean, break a leg,” you spit out while snapping your gaze back to your book. You can feel the heat in your face, knowing you are just turning all shades of red. Ugh, what the fuck?! I get the chance to talk to Dieter Bravo and I can barely speak. Jeez. Where is Indy when I need her? 

“Thanks, I’ll break luck” he winks, you can barely look up at him, giving a weak smile. And just like that, he’s ushered back towards the same doors that Indy and Rhys went through not long ago. Where are they? How long have they been?

As soon as he, his agent, and the receptionist were through the doors, you pushed yourself down, the back of your head resting at the top of the couch, letting out an exhale that made it sound like you had been holding your breath for minutes. 

The receptionist walked back into the lobby just as you were getting yourself sorted out. You checked your phone and it had been about an hour or so since Indy and Rhys went back. 

“Are you sure you don’t need anything hon?”

“Um, yea I’ll take you up on your offer,” you smile. “What do you have?”

“Coffee, tea, water, this kombucha thing…” she lists off beverages as she looks at her selection.

“I’ll take a tea, please. Do you have any herbal tea?” I do not need the caffeine. 

“Perfect, coming right up,”

She walks over to you, cup in hand. “He’s more handsome in person, isn’t he?” she says with a wink.

“Who?” you look at her confused. She moves her head towards where Dieter had been sitting just moments ago. “Oh, yea, he really was.”

“And shorter than I figured he’d be,” she chuckled.

“Ha.”

She made it back to her chair, settling back into whatever she has been typing before when you heard the door abruptly open.

“Belle!”

Indy is bounding over to you, with the biggest smile on her face. You can tell she had been crying, but based on her demeanor you can only ascertain that these were happy tears.

“I got it!” she shrieked, grabbing you in a giant bear hug.

“Oh my gosh, Ind! I am so freaking proud of you!” You return her hug.

“Ladies, should we go celebrate?” You hear Rhys ask over Indy’s shoulder.

“Hell yea! We also need to figure out all of our travel logistics, too. You’re coming with me, Belle?”

“Absolutely!” 

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

A/N: Thank you for reading! It really means so much. I don't know if other fandoms are like this, but Pedro fans are just the best. :)

Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist :)

Taglist: @musings-of-a-rose / @legendary-pink-dot / @bitchwitch1981 / @mysterious-moonstruck-musings

#dieter bravo fanfic #dieter x reader #dieter bravo #pedro pascal fic #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal

[long-distance-love]

Hey first I wanted to say my gf and I love you alls tumblr very much! It’s helped us a lot so far in our LDR, we just had our first in person meeting (two full weeks) cause I’m from the US and she’s from Italy. I was curious if you all had any tips for post time together blues? If this has been asked before I’m super sorry, I just know it’s hitting me and my girl hard even after one day back in our respective homes and I’d adore some advice at least.

Hey there lovely,

Thanks very much for your ask. 💕 We appreciate that you're here, and that you're making our little community all the more colourful!

Post time together blues is the worst. It will always suck, no matter what. It's a testament to the fact that life is worse without them next to you, and it hits very hard after some quality time spent together in person. But chin up, you'll get used to it and although it will always be horrible, you'll understand your reaction better in the next few times this happens, and you'll be able to deal with it better too.

For now, here's a few things that have helped us feel a little better:

Videocalling: Self-explanatory, but it's the best cure, period. Even if you both cry, seeing each other is better. It will be hard, but at least you'll see and hear each other, and eventually you'll laugh too, I promise.

Planning the next meeting: Also self-explanatory, but when you make plans for the future, it shifts your focus from the past to the future. It helps even if you just look at the calendar and figure out when it would be a good time to meet again.

Crying it out: Because let's face it, it's fucking depressing. And it's okay to let it out. Don't bottle it up, let yourself feel it until you adjust to your routine once more.

Keep busy: It might be a good time to make yourself busy with something, even if it's mundane. Just give yourself something to do, tire yourself out so you can sleep better. Go through your wardrobe and sort out clothes, clean, go out and meet friends, spend time with family.

Make art: It worked for me, so hey, maybe it'll work for you too? I used to write poems, but the possibilities are endless. Knit a scarf for them. Write a short story about you two. Or a poem. Draw them a picture. Whatever you do, just make sure you share it with your partner.

Game together: This might not be everyone's cup of tea, but my husband and I often played SWTOR together while being on a call on Discord. It's entertainment, distraction, connection over a shared hobby and overall, time spent together. An alternative to gaming could be watching YouTube or Netflix/Disney+ together.

Keep an eye on your mental health: This particular period can really make your mental health decline if you don't keep it in check. Any conditions you have will probably worsen for a time, so ride it out if possible, but seek help if it isn't. There is no shame in asking for help, even just for support from the people around you. The amount of times I asked my mom for a hug or cried while holding my dog was, well, a lot. But it helped, it really did.

You'll get the hang of it eventually, and they'll get easier in time. But for now, I know what you're going through, I feel your pain, and I'm here to tell you that it's all going to be worth it in the end.

Stay very strong, the both of you. 💕

- Danny

#danny loves #benny & danny asks #the writing-dragon #relationship #couples in love #long distance relationship #long distance couple #long distance problems #long distance love #long distance call #love #love asks #love advice #relationship asks #relationship advice #long distance relationship advice #long distance relationship questions #relationship questions

[mrsbsmooth]

The Suresh Problem.

If you’re here from that reddit petition, please be aware that this post was used without my consent.

Okay, I've received yet another four or five asks in my inbox about Suresh, so I'm just going to discuss this properly, once. I'm going to put the majority of this under the cut, because it specifically addresses very triggering topics for a lot of people.

TW: SA, DV.

TL:DR; you're all getting played by Fusebox, and they wrote Suresh to be an asshole on purpose.

I really appreciate that y'all are sending me these asks. Particularly as so many of them have mentioned that they feel that my blog is a safe space for POC. I cannot express how much that means to me. Thank you. I'm doing my best.

After this post, I will not answer, acknowledge, or in any way interact with any asks that compare Suresh to Harvey Weinstein, Andrew Tate, or any of the other real-life sexual predators & abusers he's been compared to, even if it's to defend him. While I appreciate y'all bringing it to my attention, it's just exacerbating it, and I'm not giving it a platform after this post.

I am not an expert in talking about race, nor am I an expert in writing POC. I'm not a POC, nor have I ever claimed to be. I just don't believe in putting discussions like this in the too-hard basket, and pretending they doesn't exist because it's a hard conversation to have. My willingness to have these discussions is not 'bandwagoning', or at least, it's not intended to be. I don't have the world's largest platform, but I have a small soapbox and I'm going to use it properly.

I'm also going to put a disclaimer here and say that this is only an opinion, and an uninformed one at that. I don't work for Fusebox, I don't have a degree in marketing or digital engagement, but I have done some work in User Experience and my degree's partly in Cultural Anthropology, so I know a little bit about human behaviour and the way we engage with online media.

Again, not an expert. Just cynical and sick of the debate.

So here's the sitch.

They wrote Suresh to be a toxic, pushy asshole on purpose.

His behaviour, in some areas, is not great. The gaslighting, the manipulation, implying he used to trick her into sleeping with him. Many people, including myself, have been in emotionally abusive relationships with people who are like this. It's not nice. It's certainly not entertainment.

But you cannot sit there and tell me that this script did not go through multiple rounds of revisions. You think this wasn't brought up at Fusebox HQ? I can absolutely guarantee you that it was.

So why on earth would writers write him this way?

Because it gets you talking about the game.

Ever heard of the phrase 'Any publicity is good publicity'?

There are 1000+ LITG Fanfictions on Ao3. Guess which season has the fewest fanfics? Season 3. Often casually referred to as 'The Disney Season'. The only drama during that season was Ciaran/Tai/Yasmin picking MC, and/or Rafi/Lily flirting heavily with MC. Feel free to tell me I'm wrong, but overwhelmingly, it was a very sweet season with generally likeable and unique characters.

Season 2 had so, so many characters with different backstories, interests, motivations, etc. that it was hard to find someone who didn't like one of them at least a little. And people engaged so much with that content. Just based off the fanfiction numbers (because I don't have any official stats) at least 75% of the LITG FF content is for Season 2.

But here's the thing: It's far easier to make people angry than it is to make them fall in love.

What is the one thing almost everyone spent gems on during Bombshell? Telling off Juliet. It's basic engagement principle that people are going to be more engaged when they're emotionally invested in a piece of media. It's why clickbait exists. It's why internet trolls exist, for fuck's sake.

So why on earth would they bother spending the extra time in developing complex, multifaceted characters, when as a fandom, we've made it perfectly clear that we'll spend more money, more time, and more brain space into tearing apart characters we hate, rather than doing the same for characters we love?

Fusebox are a business. They do not care if the game offends you. What they do care about are those sweet, sweet advertising dollars. And if they can show a reddit sub with thousands upon thousands of eyes on it, all ranting and raving about Suresh, they can absolutely turn to an advertiser and say "Yo, look at our engagement levels!"

This is just capitalism. It's business. If they take it too far on a TV show, advertisers will start pulling out. But advertisers only pull out when there's an actual, honest-to-god backlash. And most of the advertising (in my LITG2 app at least) isn't for products or companies with a reputation. It's for other games. Meaning that, realistically, if you did want to complain to an advertiser about the game being racist, sexist, misogynistic who are you going to complain to? Apple? The fuck do they care? They haven't broken any laws?

It's specifically designed to be controversial and problematic. That is the entire point. If this kind of thing triggers you, DNI.

Fusebox do not care about individuals' experiences.

A few people will be so triggered or turned off by the content that they'll leave. But enough of us stayed, engaged, and participated in the game to make it worth their while. So Fusebox just continues to exist in this sweet space, where they just insert more and more problematic characters, leading to higher and higher engagement. As long as they don't cross any hard lines, they can do it forever.

The inherent problem with this, is that a lot of people don't know when to stop.

And this is when it starts getting really fucking sad.

Y'all are taking a guy that's specifically designed to piss you off, and deciding he's an abuser, gaslighter, manipulator, etc. There are already so many stereotypes about South Asian men being pushy, or demanding, or that they don't respect women.

I've seen so, so many instances in the reddit sub, on facebook, and even in the official Discord server of language that tars all South Asian men as being this way. People saying, and I fucking quote, "I wouldn't mind it so much if it was Eddie". (Thanks, Reddit).

Firstly, there's a good reason that it's not Eddie. And that's because, as demonstrated by the quote above, a lot of people would be far more willing to excuse this behaviour if it was coming from a pretty white boy.

So why is this?

Why do you think they made the manipulative, 'won't take no for an answer' man be from Southern Asia?

Why do you think they made Hope a sassy, determined black woman?

Why do you think they made Miki a quirky, shy, but nosy East Asian girl?

Even Lottie, who's a whiny little shit isn't from the UK.

This game is most popular in the UK. It's also popular elsewhere, but its main target audience is the UK. It's why most of the characters are from there, the script contains UK slang, etc.

It's so much easier to hate someone when they're not 'from here'.

Check out any American superhero movie. The villain is foreign. In Hollywood movies, they're British, French, Russian, Chinese, South American, Arabic, whatever. They're just foreign. Or different.

They're others.

Because it sells.

It's easier for you to team up with your mates on reddit and condemn Suresh for his behaviour than it is to do it to someone who looks like you.

But guess what?

There are people who play this game who are People of Colour.

(Shocking, I know. They enjoy playing games too!)

And whenever you buy into this bullshit that Fusebox is feeding you, whenever you pile on a character like Suresh, you are making them feel like they're not welcome here.

People of Colour are being used as a means to an end.

Instead of writing complex, multi-dimensional villains with real motivations, Fusebox are using basic clickbait to get you to engage.

And that's super fucking unfair.

I'm not telling you to do anything. I'm not telling you not to play. I'm not going to stop spending money on it. I'm certainly not going to stop.

I just want people to be aware of what they're doing.

Be aware of the fact that they're playing into your preconceived ideas of race, culture, and ethnicity.

Be aware of the fact that they are trying to you to engage at at all costs.

Be aware that your rabid fan-ness can actually spur others into a mob mentality.

Be aware of the fact that you're allowed to criticise characters. But criticise the writing. Criticise the business tactic.

Don't fall into the quicksand!

Don't let yourself make it about race. Stop letting others make it about race.

Stop engaging with it when it becomes about race.

Stop engaging when your friends compare him to Harvey Weinstein, Andrew Tate, Prince Andrew, etc. He's a character from a mobile game. They are real people who have hurt real women.

Show Fusebox you'll engage with the stuff you do like, as opposed to only engaging when it's piling on to a character.

Get rabid about the drama, not about the character.

And look, I'm writing this out in a long, one-shot rant, so I might've completely rambled, contradicted myself, or said something completely wrong, so please forgive me if I have.

I just hope this helped someone see it for what it is.

MARKETING.

So in conclusion:

Do: Make memes about Suresh not apologising.

Do: Hate him for cheating.

Do: Push him in the pool.

Do not: Compare him to a real life sex offender

Do not: Make it about race

Do not: Think for a second that Fusebox don't know exactly what they're doing.

#litg #litg rant #litg s5 #litg eitv #litg suresh #mbs tries to make sense of her thoughts and probably fails but tries her best anyway #mbsTOPPOSTS

[epickiya722]

LET'S TALK ABOUT ARIEL! 😃🧜🏿‍♀️

Let me just post this real quick, because waking and already having to block three blogs because they're obviously racist.

Now to put it simply for the stupid ass racists who are upset...

ARIELIS A DAMN FICTIONAL CHARACTER! A FUCKING MERMAID!!! SHE ISN'T HUMAN!!!

Saying Halle "ruined your childhood" is real fucked up given she isn't even the first person of color to play Ariel. And no one moved their lips when that happened. Ya'll are mad because she is a bit more brown for your liking and that is so fucking sad.

You're missing out on seeing a very gorgeous, talented woman who radiates magic play one of the most iconic Disney characters there is. All because you're stupid.

"Her hair is not red enough". Bitch, when Disney first created Ariel they needed her to stand out. The previous princesses were brunettes and blondes, just like her sisters. Disney knew that what better way than to grab attention than to have a redheaded mermaid that for once isn't mean or a side character? Also, remember the movie "Splash"? A mermaid movie Disney had made? Guess what? Madison is a blonde in that film and Disney didn't want her and Ariel to be mistaken for each other. Another reason why Ariel is a redhead. Ooh! You know what else????!!! She just had to be a redhead! Never said that her hair had to be a specific color. In fact, during that era, Disney didn't have the technology to make her hair a "realistic" red as they do now. Ya'll are so stuck on her hair not being "red enough" that you forgot Ariel isn't the first redhead Disney had. They nearly have the same shade of red.

Note that Anastasia is human and came out in the 50s where colors are just a little more muted, her red is as realistic that Disney could get. But did they intend for her to be a redhead? Yes! Why? Because she's a mean character. Learn how movie tactics work. A lot of times when the protagonist is a cute little blonde with heart of gold, they need an antagonist that is either a black hearted brunette or a mean, red faced redhead. Understand, yeah?

Now when it came to Ariel, I repeat, they needed her to stand out. Disney couldn't rely back on making her blonde or brunette, although the latter was intended, because even though her sisters don't appear much, she still needed to stand out. It's also why her tail and seashell bra aren't the same color and why she doesn't have a hair accessory.

Also why, note her personality compared to the previous princesses. She's a lot more adventurous, and truth be told, "hard headed" or free-spirited. She fights back and does something in her final act against Ursula. It played into the fiery redhead trope.

So there's some reasons why Ariel is a redhead. But why isn't her hair "red enough"? Because we know who she is now. Back then, Ariel needed to make a name. Now, she doesn't have to. When know Ariel is a redhead, we know she's a mermaid. Also, it would look so odd in live action. Animated, it blends well with the other bright colors of the movie. In a live action film, she still needs to stand out, but also not awkward. Bright red hair against real life muted underwater blue would look too... it just would look so odd. Although a mermaid, she still needs to have some feel of naturalness to her. It's a plus Halle got to keep her locs because it adds onto that. Slapped a wig on her and there would be memes, be honest.

Onward!

You know what, I might make someone mad when I say this but I give two fucks about it.

Ariel looks better here than she does in the animated version. Why? Because while she looks magical, she also looks LIKE A CHILD. Who designed Ariel's top is a genius because uh... Ariel may be half fish but she's also 16 YEARS OLD. Watch the trailer again and you'll see no seashell bra. Now I don't know how old Ariel may be in the live-action, but consider this. What if she is 16? Note that Snow White is 14, but is covered up from head to toe. Modesty. Same thing with Cinderella and Aurora. Their movies came out during times when women had to be "submissive" and "covered up", otherwise they were shamed.

Ariel came in the 80s, when practically everyone was wearing a crop top and shorts. Which was a perfect "cover up" for Disney to create a character that was just as exposed. Isn't it strange that a lot of Ariel's promotional art is her in her seashell bra? Because Disney knows that sells. They didn't waste the opportunity to have a mermaid character with cleavage and have people not think twice about it.

Today? Be honest, ya'll would be absolutely outrageous if they slapped a seashell bra on a 16 year old. It was the issue with Jasmine and Pocahontas. Their default outfits shown more skin than other princesses have. And they fixed that when the live-action for Jasmine.

One more thing, Ariel is an original character. Ah, wait! Yes, "The Little Mermaid" is inspired by the story of the same name, but there are so many differences between the original story and movie that Hans' story could have been completely ignored. In the story, the mermaid doesn't even have a name and is blond. She even had a grandmother. Ariel has a name, a father... you know what? Separate characters. Ariel is Disney property and because of that the filmmakers could decide "Make her purple" and they would because again they have that choice. Disney, believe or not, can do whatever they wanted with their characters.

With Ariel being black now shouldn't even matter. Ya'll dumb ass racists should have considered if Ariel's actress could hit a high note. And guess what? Halle can. They needed someone who looked magical and had the voice to match and Halle is PERFECT for the role. She looks innocent, she has that princess aura around her and she can sing! Halle was actually seeked out to play Ariel. Rob Marshall heard Halle sing and asked her to audition. Her singing is just that good that they decided to add more numbers just to have more singing for Ariel.

Had it been anybody else, they wouldn't have done that.

Marshall just knew Halle had to be our Ariel and the fact that you racists, you idiots can't seem to get past her skin tone and see how amazing Halle is is so pathetic and you seriously need to get a life. Here's an article if you need proof.

But you can be mad because Halle Bailey is Princess Ariel of Atlantica and as she has haters she does have fans.

And just know that come into my inbox with anything stupid, you're just gonna get disrespected. Reblog this post with anything stupid, I won't even read your reply. I'll just screenshot it, post it and have it up for people to know how racist and ignorant you are and block you.

Have your opinions, don't care, but you will be respectful and if you can't do that then that's tough... for you.

#just kiya's thoughts #the little mermaid 2023 #the little mermaid #ariel #disney ariel #princess ariel #ariel the little mermaid #disney princesses #halle bailey

[silver-wield]

Yeah, you heard it here first, Cloud Strife is apparently English and somebody summoning KotR in their gameplay is a "secret ultimate ending" and not just somebody using the materia in the game.

Sorry not sorry but I just gotta blow holes in this shit one insane tweet at a time.

Kingdom Hearts is not canon to ffvii. It just isn't. It's not the "canon game for a summon" and are you out of your fucking mind for thinking Kingdom Hearts is making some canonical link between a summon and Disney's Sword in the Stone?! Jfc this is already sounding crazy af 🤦‍♀️

No. There's no "secret ending" to ffvii. You chose a playthrough with a player summoning KotR. Literally every player can do that. Unless they're like you and never played the damn game, you insane carrot. I'm gonna assume you think ffxv's ending where Noctis calls up the kings of yore to defeat Ardyn, which has been confirmed as a callback to ffvii's KotR but at no point did anybody say the endings were identical or that KotR is a mandatory or secret speshul ending appearance. Cloud, at no point in KH, is ever intending to or looking for king Arthur. He is always searching for Sephiroth so they can settle their shit. He never becomes a KotR. Again, you're confusing ffxv with other games. Noctis's father becomes a King of Yore at the end of ffxv and helps defeat Ardyn. I mean, if you can't keep basic plotlines straight why are you even talking in the first place?

Show me where Cloud's an "Englishman"? Show me where England and Germany are on the map of the planet. He's no more English than he is German and you need to stop listening to that nutbar Calli and her made up garbage based on her own HC fap material. King Arthur wasn't a real person, dumdum. Plz don't talk about English history if you haven't ever learned it in school.

Strife isn't a last name. It's a bloody noun. And Strauss is the German word for ostrich.

He's the fucking player character. He doesn't know how to get the materia. You know how to get the materia.

Kh isn't canon to ffvii or the KotR. Kh1 and 2 leaned heavily on squareenix to grab a player base and build its following. Once kh became established in its own right they began to phase out the FF cameos because the characters aren't needed to keep real players interested in the plot. You aren't a real player, so shut up.

You're an idiot who can't accept an in game email talking about things characters have seen and done isn't canon compared to WoFF, another game that isn't canon to ffvii.

Again: WoFF is not canon to ffvii. Serah isn't married at the point her character appears. Zack isn't with Aerith. He's a soldier 2nd class. I know it's hard for your small brain to comprehend but SE takes characters from different points in their own lives to mix and match in cameos for fanservice. Cloud appears in multiple titles as OG soldier Cloud and post AC Cloud. Tifa appears in WoFF as cowgirl Tifa at age 15 before she's traumatized. Get a fucking clue.

Again: Zack is single at that point in his life.

Aerith is lying and sucking as much copium as y'all do. The translation is also shit in OG because she doesn't call him a ladies man in JP, she says he's a friendly guy.

Idky you think kh, WoFF and KotR are some weird ass "canon" link that proves your garbage ship or disproves Zack is a decent guy, but you need to shut up.

That's all. Don't bother trying to educate yourself, just shut up. We don't want to hear from you. At all.

Shut up.

#ship war #cult bs #slam debunk #petty bench mode activated

[twopoppies]

Regarding Harry's sexuality

I will try to keep this short. But I can understand why people criticise him. Because I come from the same place. The main reason is that he's on the top of the world. He has got everything right now that an artist can only dream of. So it becomes hard to accept that he's closeted and this is not his chosen life. When I looked at his life from outside, he came to me as a hot singer, who changes girls like clothes but plays gay just because he doesn't want to lose any part of his fandom.

I grew up with Disney stars. Meh. But I watched Miley Cyrus being on the top of the world, where she was THE sensation, she owned that moment but after she realized that she's done as being on top and she's ok with just releasing music and being an average artist, she came out, dated different genders and she doesn't give a fuck about being on top. Same with Demi Lovato, she had her successful days, but got tired, came out and enjoyed being honest. Halsey who was very successful once is now ok being low-key, came out and enjoy doing music, troye Sivan came out even before starting his career and people accepted him very gladly. They are out, open and happy without any restrictions and mystery. And they don't want to be very successful anymore. They just want to enjoy doing music.

Now when it comes to artist who are still closeted or who wants to remain unlabeled, such artist just creates mystery around their sexuality, like Harry Styles, Conan Gray etc. And most people do not look into things too much. They don't follow celebrities to read between lines. Most people just enjoy their music and see things as they are. The public just go with the narrative that is being provided by the celebrity at the moment, because several celebrities came out in front of their eyes and it was fine for them.

So, a musician such as Harry who had got so much money at the moment that even if he decides to come out at the moment and industry get rids of him because of being gay he would still live a luxurious life. His contracts that binds him to a closet doesn't affect gp because people see him as a successful artist who can decide what to do with his life. If he's queer and he's not coming out but he decides to date older women with kids and flashes them in every show then it's his choice, who are we to protect him and fight for him, a grown ass man worth millions of dollars. But again if you look deep inside, you give your time, you see a totally different picture.

But this is the main problem with looking at whether someone comes out or not. Why does anyone else get to decide when someone else has reached the pinnacle of their career? Why does anyone else get to decide what someone else does with their life? Why does anyone decide for you, “oh you have enough fame, enough money, enough career challenges, enough goals met, enough joy in your career and life as it is. We think you would be happier and it would be good for everyone else if you now not only face public scrutiny about your sexuality, but also answer everything about it that we, the public, have opinions about. And do it to everyone’s satisfaction, otherwise we still will not accept you.”

I find it really curious that you feel “we” shouldn’t fight for him because he’s “a grown ass man with millions of dollars”, yet you expect him to give up everything so hoards of strangers get to feel more comfortable because now they know the gender of the people he sleeps with. Why? Because you’ve decided that he has “enough”? Would you say the same about Louis? Do you have a level where he’s got enough? Because you do realize Harry coming out before he’s ready would likely put Louis into the spotlight and either push him deeper into the closet as he denies their connection because he still has goals to meet, or force him to come out when he’s not ready.

Comparing Harry to any of these other people is apples and oranges. Beyond the argument over the level of fame any of them have, none of us know what goals/contracts/obligations etc any of them have as compared to Harry.

In reference to this and this

#harry’s sexuality

[kurottsukii]

Eight | Bitter Sweet Win

We sat in my locker room in complete silence, avoiding each other's eyes but every once in a while I would glance at Phil, only to see an emotionless face staring into the void. It seemed like he was trying to find the right words to say, but what exactly are you supposed to say to your ex after two years of no communication?

It's not like we ended our relationship in a big fight. It was more of me breaking up with him because I let myself overthink about our relationship. I ruined something good in my life because I thought he deserved someone better. It was the doubt that mingled in the back of my head, my thoughts overpowering each other to make me think I wasn’t good enough for him.

Shouldn't I be the one to be thinking of something to say? I deserted him in the most pathetic way possible, I should be the one apologizing or begging for his forgiveness but knowing Phil, he probably thinks it was his fault. And how do I even try to change that in any way, shape or form? Nothing I could say could bring those special moments back, right?

I can't let him think that. That'll be selfish of me, making someone else take the blame of my wrong doings. Maybe I should speak up and just tell him it is not his fault but mine.

Just as I open my mouth, he cut me off by speaking first. "Before you say anything, no I don't blame you or myself about the breakup. Yeah, it broke me a bit but I understood where you was coming from. Honestly after the breakup, I started watching your matches and watched you grow. You reached mountains that no other athlete or celebrity could, you broke records and created them. You made a name for yourself in this industry that no man or woman could.

I'm honestly in awe by you, I just wanted to have the chance to say that. I don't want anything to be awkward between us, I'm glad you're here though. Seeing you here now feels like the first time I saw you in the crowd, checking me out. I, I really do miss you, Vonna."

Each word, each fucking word stabbed me in the heart, ripping it to shreds. Phil always had that impact on me, the way he spoke, the words he used just always made me feel weird inside. It made me want him in all the ways that seems impossible. But it also made me feel like shit, Phil is such a great guy, when alcohol took over his life, he fought, not just for me but for himself and his fans. His whole life revolves around those topics and I was just a selfish broken shell of a girl who clung onto him for guidance and love, once that became too hard for me... I ran in the most cowardly of ways possible.

"I missed you too Phil, a lot more than I want to admit. Seeing you just brought back old feelings that I spent years on getting rid of. I'm really sorry on how things ended but that's the past you know? I don't want to keep reliving it, can we just start over again? As just friends, for now."

I could tell that my answer was not what he hoped for, I could see it in his eyes. The signs of distraught and pain, all I wanted to do right now was climb onto his lap and just kiss him, give him everything I couldn't give before. But that wasn't possible, that would be going back on everything I said. I had to fight it.

I watched as his expression changed, he was doing his best to not show his true feelings. But his eyes told me different.

"I'd like that." He said with a fake smile drawn on his face. Liar. He didn't want that, he wanted more, I wanted more but there was so much shit happening. This job, the feud, the fact I can't get that guy out my head, and now my first love and boyfriend. This felt like a Disney movie, why does life gotta be so difficult? Couldn’t it have been any easier?

"Uh, since you're new here, I suggest you stay by yourself or stay with me and Sheamus. The other superstars don't really like newcomers, especially the Divas here. And stay away from the Shield, they're bad news. I should know.."

I pushed my brows togethers as I just looked at him up and down like he was crazy. Was he really trying to warn me? ME?! After I literally fought and embarrassed Randy and his swat team?! I should be on their radar by now, how do you even stay away from a team that will be looking for you and the opportunity to DESTROY you!

Whatever, I decided to keep my mouth shut about them and just agreed so we can just end the conversation and get ready for our match. I already knew what it could lead to if I do speak up.

"Guys? You're in there? I want to introduce myself to Yovanna!"

Speak of the devil.

Not really, but you get my point. A unfamiliar voice yelled at the door, banging against it like a mad man. It was really annoying me, Phil was about to open it but I beat him to it so I could give this jerk a piece of my mind but when I swung the door open, I was greeted by man titties that was bigger than my own.

"What a nice welcome gift." I joked, casually patting the man boob before taking a step back to see who I just groped unintentionally. He was a buff guy, with denim shorts, a green hat and a green sweatband on his arm. He looked liked some video game character but shamelessly sexy.

He just stared at me with such a warm welcoming smile, I guess this was the Cena guy that lost to Randy. How can someone built like Superman lose to Randy? I took a step to the side, so he can walk in as I closed the door.

As I turned around, all eyes were on me.

"Let's get to business."

Skipping to the Match:

I didn't have a music theme or whatever it is, so I just walked out with Phil. The crowd reaction made my whole body tingle, I had never seen this many people in one place my whole life. It was kind of scary but I couldn't let the nerves get to me. I had to make sure that we win. Phil was behind me as I ran down the ramp, high-fiving as many people as I could before making it to the ring. Sheamus tried to make a way for me through the middle and bottom rope but I denied it, making my own way inside the ring, I decided to use my flexible abilities by doing a backflip off the top turn buckle.

Once again the crowd reacted beautifully, making me so fucking pumped and excitement coursed through my body. Randy and his swat team was here before us so they all just stared at me with their cold, definitely soulless eyes, behind the ropes. If I had to admit, it was a bit scary but I blew it off by blowing a kiss at them as I just stayed in the middle of the ring, waiting to see who wanted to start the match against me and to my surprise it was my male twin that Phil informed me was named Dean. Such a boring name for a guy that looks like he bites heads off of dolls.

I couldn't help but get excited though, not because I was up close to the most beautiful guy I ever laid my eyes on; sorry Phil, but because I get to embarrass his ass once again until he tags in Randy.

I stared up at him for a moment, only to see him already mirroring my expression, what does he have to be excited about?

Even though I was confused, I didn't show it, because if I did, he would just use it to his advantage and attack first. I didn't know shit about them or anyone here but I do know about mind games and how easy it is to find your opponents weak spot through emotions and I was not about to fall victim to it.

Once the bell rang, I made the first attack with a punch straight to his jaw which he took like a champ. He was about to give me a punch of his own but I quickly moved out the way, running to his corner only to knock his teammates off with a running knee. I took the moment to savior the sweet sweet view of Randy being knocked out cold which was a bad move. Why? Because I just let Dean have a free opportunity to attack me from behind and he did.

Before I could do anything, I felt a hard blow to the back of my head. My head was aching, it was like my heart just moved from my chest and to my head; and all I felt was it pounding. Like a fucking migraine. I couldn't hear anything and it was hard to see, but I could definitely feel. I felt myself being slammed to the mat. The sting from my head and back was enough to keep me on the ground for a while but it didn't stop there. Dean decided to proceed his attack with multiple kicks to my sides.

And to think I thought all of this was an act, well it wasn't! I could fucking feel my stomach now in my throat with those kicks. This man was brutal and I hate it but yet fucking love it.

The kicks continued for a while then it stopped. I took that opportunity to crawl away. With one hand attached to my lower half and the other grasping onto the mat as I continued to crawl. I could see Phil was mentally begging me to tag him with his eyes of plead but before I could, I felt myself being dragged away, my nails breaking as it was causing a few fingers to bleed.

I didn't even bother to see who it was, I just kept kicking my feet until it connected to something, once it did I made my escape and tagged in Phil.

Sheamus helped me out the ring so I could sit and take a moment for myself. Everything was still blurry but my hearing was slowly coming back. I just sat up against the barricade, listening to the crowd cheer for Phil, who I assumed was kicking ass, while I sat here like a loser. I came in so strong now look at me, I got the shit kicked out of me because I took my eyes off my opponent. A common rookie’s mistake.

While sitting there, I had a strange feeling that someone was staring right into my soul. I assumed it was Randy giving me an death stare but to my surprise it was actually Dean. For a moment our eyes were on each other, his were so beautiful but were full of guilt. I guess he felt bad for hurting me, which he shouldn't. I'm his enemy, you don't feel bad for the enemy.

I really didn't know what to do in this situation but from what it looks like in the ring, my team needed me. While avoiding the eye contact from Dean, I finally got up and headed back to the ropes with my hand out. Phil was crawling his way to our corner but it looked like he wasn't even going for my hand but for John's instead. I don't why that got me pissed off but once the cameras wasn't looking, I booty bumped John out the way so Phil could tag me, and he did. He looked at me with nothing but disappointment written all over his face, same with John but I didn't care. This was my moment, my first impression.

Once I was tagged in, two toned was already up and ready. He started off with a kick to my mid-section which I blocked only, to mimic his actions. Once he was bent down, I dropped down to the mat to give him a good punch in the face. The crowed cheered while my team gave me an disapproval look and the other team looked like they wanted to kill me. Kill me, chop me off and feed me to the stray dogs in the back alleyway of a bar.

But who cares, I was skipping in circles around two toned in a mocking way, I didn't even notice he was already up. But it didn't matter, he looked dazed like drugged off his ass and tired which was perfect for me. I decided to not do anything further, instead I pushed him into his corner so someone could tag in. And...just my fucking luck. Tarzan was the one to step up, I think Phil said his name was Roman which was even worst. Motherfucker went from Tarzan, the jungle warrior to an actual acient Greek warrior who looks like he eats the bones off of fried chicken.

I didn't really want to waste my energy running from that giant, so I dropped kicked him back to his corner with all my strength, which was a terrible idea because it knocked down everyone off the turnbuckle. I wanted someone else to be tagged in!!

Roman definitely did not like that, he looked like he wanted to break me in half. But my ego wouldn't let me run away like the fucking scared little girl that I used to be. Instead I stood there, waiting for him to charge at me so I could take him down. I didn't really have a plan on how I was going to take him down, it was kind of just me going off of my gut instinct. That sounds like a plan, right?

But the human bull did actually charge at me, with full force might I add. Like he was a train or something, at that point I didn't know what to do so I just did another drop kick to his stomach.

He was down but not completely for me to do a roll up, plus he wasn't the one I wanted to roll up. As he was down, I took the free opportunity to send blows to the head, mid-section and his sides. The referee had to pull me off three times but each time he did, I ran right back only to almost get superman punched. Luckily I ducked, but again it was the wrong move because the referee received it instead.

The crowd was going ballistic, meanwhile both teams were freaking out behind the ropes. I stood there in confusion because without the referee what were we going to do? He was the one who would count till three and conclude who was the winner. Fuck you, Roman.

Apparently to Roman, the match was still on. Why do I say that? Because he decided to continue it by power bombing me to the mat when I wasn't paying attention. The impact did a number on my back like it did earlier, it literally knocked the wind out of me fully. It felt like he broke all my ribs and my spine with that move.

But aye, it wasn't enough to bring me down completely. While he wasn't looking, I did a low blow before throwing him back into his corner. I could care less about the impact. All I could envision was me winning.

It was a cheap shot, yes but the man was huge with nothing but rage and muscles. He would of destroyed me in his own way of fighting that I'm STILL NEW AT!!

"TAG ME IN ANNA!" I could hear John screaming at me from behind but I didn't move. I didn't want to, all I wanted was to get my hands on Randy and if that means getting my ass handed to me by the puppy dogs Shield, then so be it.

I waited till someone got tagged in, no one really tagged in voluntarily instead there was a forced tag, and that someone that was tagged in was Randy. All that pain in my body faded it was nothing and got replaced with excitement. This was my moment and my chance, just as I was about to run into Orton with a clothesline, John tagged himself in.

Every bone in my body wanted to just beat his ass and thrown him out the ring but I couldn't, he was my teammate and I didn't want my first night here to be ruined with a loss so instead I tagged myself back in once Orton pushed him into our corner. Clearly the crowd could see there was tension in my team and it was all because of me. Call me reckless or a hot head but like I said many times before, this was my moment. Not Cena's or Phil's or anyone in that matter.

Climbing the top rope, I did another frog splash on Ortan that sent both of us crashing down onto the mat. Once again I felt nothing but unbearing pain, yet it didn't stop me from throwing punches after punches, it didn't even matter where the punches were landing at, just as they were landing the way I needed them to.

Eventually the referee got up from that punch, luckily he didn't see me constantly punching Orton.

I quickly jumped off once the referee was fully up and aware. That gave Orton a chance to get up. Once he did, I hit him with two clotheslines, Randy was down for the count and I didn't want to waste that opportunity.

1

2

He kicked out at two, I wasn't really shocked because I didn't do much but like I said, I wasn't going to waste that opportunity. Standing up, I started off by kicking him in the sides than proceed to stomp on his hands repeatedly before I was told to stop by the referee.

I looked over my shoulder to see the Shield just staring daggers at me, especially Dean. I guess all that guilt from earlier disappeared once I kicked his brother in the nuts, not sorry though. He deserves it for being tagged in.

I didn't want to make the same mistake I did before with Dean, I couldn't afford to; so I turned my attention back to Randy who was now on his feet, he charged at me but I just threw him out the ring, over the ropes.

The crowd was still enjoying the show, with how much cheers I was getting. I was about to get cocky but instead I tagged in Sheamus so he could have some fun but unfortunately, the shield well...shielded Randy. So Sheamus and I did a swan dive on all of them into the barricade, I ended up landing on Dean and his hands were on my...yeah. My ass.

"Sorry.." He mumbled under his breath as if I didn't hear him, I just nodded and quickly got off. Phil ran to me to make sure I was okay, I wanted to push him off but instead I just nodded to every question he threw at me as he got back in the ring. The referee started counting meanwhile Randy was buried under Roman and two toned.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5....

Randy was unresponsive, Roman and Seth eventually got out the way but Randy was still knocked out.

6. 7. 8....

The crowd began to count with the referee but I just stood there in silence. There's no way Randy was going to lose in a count out...was this bitch letting us win the easy way? No fuck no!

Before the referee could say ten, Dean already shoved Randy back into the ring.

The counting stopped.

Sheamus, John, and Phil weren't happy but me? I was smiling like a kid on Christmas day. Randy was struggling to get on his feet. This was my chance! I quickly tagged myself back in, sorry Sheamus but I have to do this! With a kick to the face, I made Randy drop to the mat and that's when I did my move. I grabbed a hold of him, forcing his left arm to go backwards towards me, one arm was wrapped around his neck, the other was on the target I would break if he didn't tap quickly. I put all my weight in it to put enough pressure on his shoulder, Randy was now screaming in pain. His eyes were wide as he tried his hardest to break my hold on his shoulder.

No luck.

"TAP!" I screamed, putting more pressure onto his shoulder but not enough to actually break it, I can definitely feel the bone move underneath but again, I wasn't gonna stop until he tapped.

Still, no response, he was still fighting it. I had to admit that was brave for him but definitely annoying for me.

I basically had his arm locked in and my legs were wrapped tightly around his waist so he couldn't move. "TAP!" I screamed again out of frustration but he was still fighting it. So my hold got tighter until I heard a pop, I'm not sure if I actually broke his amr or dislocated it but still, I did damage and seconds later he was tapping desperately causing me to instantly let go.

We have won.

I had officially beaten Randy on my first day here. This feels fucking amazing….

Both Sheamus and Phil held my arms up, I was happy but yet my attention was on Dean who just gave me a wink before leaving with his crew. Randy on the other hand, was still laid out on the ring, this was a great moment to embarrass him.

Rolling out the ring, I took a cup of coke from JBL, of course he was about the protest but I cut him off by putting my finger on his lip. No one needs to hear you speak JBL, especially me.

Once I got back in the ring, I took the lid off the cup and poured it all over Randy.

He squirmed and yelled some threats and curse words as he held onto his arm but they were cut off my laughing.

"This is what happens when you fuck with me. And don't even think this is over. I'm coming for your title next."

This chapter was written by yours truly and a special friend of mine @ensorcellsworld, she did the editing and added more detail in it. Appreciate you for the hard work love 💕 more to come from the two of us!!

#fyp #fanfic #dean ambrose #wwe #mma #randy orton #seth rollins #spotify #roman reigns #world wrestling entertainment #ufc #sheamus #john cena #triple h #oc #instagram #adult model #brazil #wattpad #two women

[mcbitchtits]

My non-spoilery review of Dial of Destiny is that I think it succeeded; it’s a good movie. People seem to like it, despite whatever critiques Cannes had going on (and I need to go back and reread all the reviews now that I’m no longer avoiding spoilers). I think everyone should go see it, because a day with an Indiana Jones movie is always a good one. I wish Mads Mikkelsen had been given a little more room to chew the scenery as the villain; I can’t for the life of me figure out why he had last billing on stuff??? Shockingly most of all to me, the CGI de-aging pretty much worked.

ANYWAY, and then once everyone has seen it, you should come back and dig into the spoilers with me because there’s really so little I can say without immediately ruining... any part of it.

And so with that, here be spoilers:

When I say it succeeded I mean they put together a lot of parts that makes a fun movie, and it has Indiana Jones, so right there you’re golden. Ultimately, it’s literally just Tomb Raider (2001) But With Indiana Jones. Which I don’t think they did on purpose; if anything, I suspect they were trying to give a nod to the original Raiders plotline of the two headpiece pieces, and uh, oops, time travel macguffin. (I haven’t seen any official comments to substantiate that it’s supposed to be an allusion to the original script, I am wholly pulling that out of my own ass.)

Surprisingly, I think the movie succeeded where I expected it to fail (Disney’s hand in it, the CGI de-aging, the extremely dubious interpretation of the antikythera mechanism), and failed where I expected it to succeed: most notably, the score felt tacked on after the fact (what the hell) and while they fully delivered a cathartic and mature character arc, well, uh... it’s kind of miserable. I kind of hate it!

There are a lot of pieces I enjoy, and absolutely none of them— once you’re past the first 30 minutes or whatever— can manage to overtake the fact that you’re watching Indiana Jones drown in depression and complete personal despair for two hours. The final two hours of this character’s “grand finale”, I might add!

I’m totally fascinated by the fact that Mangold and Ford were able to look at the development and say, “we don’t want to make cheap Old Indy jokes” and then go and do that. It really feels lost to me in the line where Indy talks about “I’ve seen things I don’t understand... [...] it’s not a matter of what you believe, it’s how hard you believe them,” and I know it’s supposed to be sort of a commentary on hope (and Helena being the Indy-character and being stubborn and bringing him back to himself and his life), but also, WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT EVEN MEAN!!!!!!!!! MY DUDE YOU WATCHED SO MANY PEOPLE GET PHYSICALLY DESTROYED BY THE HANDS OF MULTIPLE GODS AND SUPER BEINGS. WHAT. ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT. A real “?” from the writers on that one, chiefs, fuck’s sake.

Anyway, in terms of it being an Indy movie, also weird that they clearly are reacting to the reception of Crystal Skull the way that Last Crusade reacted to the reception of Temple of Doom; and yet the thing they managed to extract from that was “oh, people hated Indy feeling out of his element of this being a 50′s movie instead of a 30′s movie, so let’s dial that up even more and make him depressed about it.” (pun circumstantial)

That is. certainly a choice.

But it also misses to me what Indiana Jones is on a fundamental level in that they are movies about other movies. They are movies about movie-making. And there is a whole lotta None Of That in dial of destiny. There’s like, a couple of lines that are maybe supposed to be throwaway references to the earlier films? But I honestly can’t tell if they did it on purpose or if it was just, like, everybody binged the movies for research and the words got stuck in their head and fell into the script because they happened to sound right.

There are some things structurally that worked for me. The diving and the eels felt like a good nod to the Bond structure while being fresh and not out of place, unlike the bugs which felt unnecessary. The Atlas boulder that was in the trailer didn’t make it into the film, which is fine by me. I was surpised to find that Sallah’s role did not feel gratuitous and out of place, but very welcome. (And also when did Indy bring him to America and WHY WASN’T HE AT YOUR WEDDING, INDIANA)

I will take a Midwest/Wright brothers joke literally all the time. Dayton pride, babey, SUCK IT NORTH CAROLINA

There were no location/date title cards, and then the weird choice to end with an iris on the hat which— always yay, the hat—what on earth are you trying to say, here? You just spent the whole movie telling us he’s retired, this is the end of his saga (but not his life), he wasn’t back in the saddle, the world doesn’t really have a place for him —and to be clear You, Mangold, and You, Ford, and You, Marketing are promoting these statements—and now... he’s “back“? I mean, do be trying to pitch more Indy films. I will watch them. Especially after this mess. But like... what is your point. Again, I realize the other characters are telling him how wrong he is and how he shouldn’t give up and things are just different now, but the whole denoument just feels like an afterthought to me. And then we do not soar into the Raiders march with a final finesse a la Raiders, no, but go from something for Helena, drop into the Raiders March for a loop, then detour into... a ballad???????

Again, the score on this felt like a hot mess. It never seemed to hit its stride.

I am glad they didn’t give me the Disney castle to start; sad though we didn’t get a mountain. Lucasfilm felt like a good compromise, but also just kind of... there.

I do like that they had the spear of Longinus and it was a fake. A+, I am so tired of Christian artifact bluster.

I think they could have tightened up the script and cast a bit; Klaber as a character felt very poignant (it took me 70% of the way through the movie to realize he was not supposed to be a secretly-trained-up-German-Nazi but rather a good ol’ fashioned deep south American white supremacist), but also I think he took screentime that I would have rather seen given to Voller. Hauke (?), the Pat Roach stand-in, was kind of just... there. I don’t want to say Teddy was excessive, because he was there literally to be Helena’s Short Round, and to give their relationship some heart, but it also felt like a lot on top of also meeting Renaldo and then he and all his men immediately get killed, and also the Moroccan mobster is Helena’s ex and we have to have a ten minute chase about that. Mobster and his chase scene could have been folded more into the casino kerfuffle and his part of the tuktuk chase cut pretty much completely, were it me editing.

Despite being maybe-a-Raiders-concept-homage, I don’t think the antikythera needed to be in two pieces AND there was the graphikos AND then there was the necklace in the tomb. It starts to feel like just a video game series of missions at that point and to be quite frank, as much as I love them choosing a Greek artifact, a lot of the puzzles didn’t feel grounded to me. Just... pulled out of mysterious nowhere (or ahistoric nowhere), which on top of the conspiracy theory angle equals my distaste. Too much like the Akator puzzles in Crystal Skull, just being fantasy for fantasy’s sake and not for any other reason other than padding out the artifact story. It’s not doing anything for the plot. I understand why they chose to lean on Archimedes, as a scientist and a point of resonance for Indy’s and Basil’s and Voller’s characters (and archaeology), but again, me hating the conspiracy side of things, I wish they had 1) given it a more mythological grounding in the Greek pantheon, and 2) used that mythology more explicitly to give Voller his comeuppance. (Maybe he deserved a shitty and forgotten death, since he clearly had visions of grandeur and assuredly an ego to match Hitler’s. But nonetheless I WANT MYTHOLOGY.)

Also for no other reason than personal taste, I hate the hexagonal design of it.

At the very least when it comes to the macguffin and the time travel, they managed to hold back until the end— unlike Crystal Skull where they pulled the trigger showing the audience too early in the movie— and so that pretty much worked despite its ridiculousness. It’s maybe a little too Young Indiana Jones Chronicles for my tastes, but also it felt sort of respectfully reminiscent of the Grail Knight, just going in the opposite direction, so. It works enough.

I’m glad Helena punched Indy and brought him back to the present because I *ALSO* have been thinking about Indy’s death for a long time and boy howdy this movie could have been a lot worse. Jesus christ. A near fucking thing, though I’m hoping they never considered it as a real ending. (Indy certainly spent a lot of time being conscious for a man who got shot in the chest and was bleeding out like ten minutes previous.)

On a strictly personal taste note, and realizing it’s something most people felt no loss for since it figured centrally in their distaste for Crystal Skull, I hate that they killed off Mutt. I did actually like Mutt. I thought he was cast perfectly, sorry to the haters. And again, I think it was a fucking cruel thing to foist onto Indy and Marion’s relationship and THE FUCKING FINALE INDIANA JONES MOVIE. FOR TWO FULL HOURS!

Unrelated, just wanted to also point out that I was right about the “I’ve been looking for this all my life” line in the trailers being a dubbed fakeout. What’s up. This has no bearing on anything other than stroking my ego.

I did expect there to be a joke about Medusa or the Aegis what with Athena being Right The Fuck There in Archimedes’ tomb, but alas.

...

Anyway. I’m mad about it and I’m going to see it probably five or six times in theaters anyway and then, like, just always watch Raiders instead for the foreseeable future. For the past 24 hours now I have just been oscillating wildly between, like, this is fine, and also this is the worst thing ever, and also I love that everyone else likes it but I am sort of thrilled in my distaste? Like, Crystal Skull was a disappointment, for sure. I remember feeling that. I remember exactly what I thought coming out of the theater. But I also actively enjoyed a lot of parts of it (c.f. Mutt) and I developed a sort of wider appreciation of campy/corny/actively terrible things due in part to that.

This is not that. My distaste here is very specific, and very nearly overwhelming. And, I don’t know, I have some weirdly gleeful response in everyone asking me if it’s good, if they should see it, what did I think of it, and I can’t say anything that isn’t spoilery because even “it’s a good movie” is a clue enough that I didn’t enjoy it, and idk, maybe it’s, like, a weird science experiment? Where you’re getting RESULTS and that’s just purely fucking enjoyable no matter what they actually are? You just get to have something and examine it? I don’t know. I honestly don’t.

It’s far and away for me, technically and personally, the worst of the five.

On the whole it feels like... exactly matched to Disney’s/Lucasfilm’s efforts lately in general. The mediocre graphics and poster. The trailers that just kind of existed. A score that somehow turned out to be barely anything. The fact that they put out tons of shirts and collectibles with outright errors. The fact that they had to steal their Facebook page ages ago from a fan, then never post to it, and never bother to take over/rebuild their site from Paramount (they sold in 2013!!!!) until two months ago, wherein now it just forwards to Lucasfilm. A macguffin that, for the first time ever, seems to have no actual resonance to the plot. (Should have been, for Helena; instead we spent that time being chased through the streets of Morocco by her ex.)

Yep. You sure did put Harrison Ford in a fedora again. And as I’ve said forever, I will be there every time, and I will watch it.

But. like. The End, I guess? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Hell of a note to go out on. And you didn’t even go out on the Raiders March.

#i'm sure i'm forgetting some things but. you know. #like i ever shut up about indiana jones. #there will always be more to say #SPOILERS #LIKE ALL THE SPOILERS #indiana jones #dial of destiny

[deeply-unserious-fellow]

OMG WE'RE RANKING HAZBIN SONGS!?!?!?!? MY TURN MY TURN MY TURN!!!

Respectless: Carmilla and Velvette both have such satisfying voices omfg. Also the beat goes sO HARD- it catches your attention and DOESN'T LET IT GO! Also it moves the plot forward very effectively which is actually really important for songs in musicals to do so. That's nice. Tbh it's only flaw is being too short-

Stayed Gone: VOX MY BELOVED- this song is so fucking catchy. It also kinda gives me Will Wood vibes, and I love Will Wood so ofc I'm gonna love the Will Wood ass song. Love how petty Al and Vox are, like it's so fucking funny. The lore drops are also really interesting. Aaaaaaaand Alastor's bit at the end reminded me of the Nowhere King and I love Centaurworld so :)

Loser, Baby: Pretty obvious why this one's so high up; Huskerdust, Keith David, cute bonding, has a message I needed to hear tbh, and its catchy as FUCK

Hell Is Forever: God I love all the different genres they play around with in this show- like I was NOT expecting a straight up ROCK BALLAD in the FIRST FUCKIN EPISODE but god Im so happy we got it. This song goes so fucking hard. Alex Brightman should be allowed to sing more Rock n' Roll.

Poison: Once again, this song is catchy as hell! Blake Roman's vocal preformance is also phenomenal, like that man can fuckin SING!!! Of course he can he's been on broadway and releases his own music bUt you get it. Also that final verse... man. In the context of the episode this song is emotionally devastating, out of context it's uh. Still really sad tbh but it's easier to bop along to it cause you don't have the visuals- Idk it's just a fuckin banger man. Though speaking of the visuals VOX WHAT WAS THAT FUCKING LOOK WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO CONVEY HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT ANGE- *gets shot dead*

Happy Day In Hell: Honestly? Pretty neutral on this song. Love Erika Henningsen's voice, I think it's catchy(no duh), and the Disney Princess vibes are IMMACULATE. Not a huge fan of the random shift in the music I wanna say half way through? But otherwise it's a good song I think, conveys Charlie's motives really well.

Whatever It Takes: Okay okay look. It's a good song. Does it's job in the episode. It's just not for me. I think it goes on a little too long, and I think that, while Daphne Ruben-Vega's voice fits the song PERFECTLY, Stephanie Beatriz was singing too high in her range to a distracting degree. Like I think there was something wonky going on because that shit gave me the same whiplash I got when Marinette started singing in the Miraculous movie, and it just. Doesn't fit the style of the song. Like Vaggie's part should've been more belty or something. Idk man I might be too out of my lane w/ this for my critique to be valid, because I have literally never written a song before, and music is VERY subjective so I don't think I can even be objectively right here, but still. Oppinions.

It Starts With Sorry: Look, I know this song is supposed to be a joke, but the first time I saw the episode that did n o t click with me, and without the understanding that it isn't entirely serious this song just feels so fucking out of place and really falls flat. Like it feels like somebody took a song from My Little Pony: FiM, made an AMV with Hazbin characters, and then threw it in the episode, y'know? And like don't get me wrong MLP has some FUCKIN bangers(Say Goodbye to the Holiday, This Day Aria, etc), but a lot of the musical numbers are still really bland and samey, y'know? So uh yeah it's a decent song and a funny joke but def my least favorite so far.

#hazbin hotel #I will finish tagging in the morning ig #late night ramblings

[danhalen]

the three year old has recently gotten very into beauty and the beast and now that we've been discussing it i have some questions/grievances

1. stranger danger/no is a complete sentence okay for starters this lady shows up at the prince's castle in the middle of the night and says let me in. yes it's late and yes it's raining and yes a ruler should be benevolent and helpful whenever possible but also she could be an assassin? i mean it wouldn't be that hard to lock her in a room for the night, and obviously it sucks that he changed his mind once he learned she was actually a beautiful lady and not an old hag so like boo on the only helping when you think* you're gonna get your dick wet* but come on lady. boundaries? respect the man's no. [*more on this later]

2. the fuck did mrs. potts do? so you're a cranky enchantress and you've just caught the local prince being a royal dillweed, fine, teach him a lesson. but you're going to punish the whole castle staff who are at best salaried employees but are more likely indentured servants? mrs. potts ABSOLUTELY would've let that lady in no question but it's not her damn house, yet she still saw fit to take away her arms for ten years.

3. speaking of ten years... the enchantress tells the prince he has to learn how to love and find love in return before the last petal falls on his 21st birthday. then in the song 'be our guest' lumiere says "for ten years we've been rusting..." by my calculations that means she came to his door when he was eleven years old. maybe even ten, since we know he is not yet 21. so to bring it back to the * she's knocking on the door of a ten year old child and asking to spend the night? and then is like BUT I'M BEAUTIFUL which, wild, girl, but work out your issues because he's ten. and shouldn't even be answering the door? like for that matter...

4. where are his parents? king? queen? tell me he's not ruling this castle by himself at ten years old. and no one in the town belle lives in seems to know about the castle. it's a day's ride from her house and yet she's completely surprised. so no one's curious about the ruling class? no idea what's going on in the royal family? even if belle is too young to remember [because let's be real it's disney so she's probably sixteen or something] her dad was likewise confused by stumbling across an entire castle where a prince lived. now it could be argued that belle and maurice are recent additions to the town, what with everyone singing about her, gaston suddenly noticing her, and belle herself "since the morning that we came to this poor provincial town." [but ALSO she's complaining about the poor provincial life so where was she before they lived here? whole other can o'worms. (also it's called cottagecore and it's going to be HUGE in 400 years, you're just ahead of the curve.)] but NO ONE in the town knows what maurice is talking about when he mentions the castle. did they ALL just move there?

5. oh speaking of parents... who is chip's dad and how old is chip. likeeee...when we see him as a human boy at the end, he's what, six? maybe eight? definitely not ten! was chip born as a cup?

6. lastly.... why do i know his name is prince adam. that is true and it is knowledge that i have but i don't know where i learned it. baffling.

in summation... what.

#beauty and the beast #disney

[sappho-rose]

~Ranking Every Beyblade Burst Season~

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I've done a post before on my thoughts about DB and the Burst anime's conclusion, so I think that it's time to reveal my opinions on every single season and rank them from best to worst. 

Before I do, I want to say this is based on my personal opinion and perhaps a bit of bias, so take this with a grain of salt.

Also, there wasn't a season that I genuinely hated or disliked strongly. I love Burst, and I got enjoyment from every single season. There were some that were more frustrating than others (*cough cough*) but I could easily rewatch scenes and episodes from every single one.

(Also, don't take the numbers super seriously. Some seasons feel like they're ranked really low despite me liking the season a lot, and that's purely because I'm putting each one against each other. Please don't come at me. This is also like- really fucking long)

With that out of the way, let's get straight in it!

Edit: It was really late at night when I wrote this, so there might be a lot of spelling mistakes and grammer mistakes. Please- I’ll deal with them in the morning and make this look prettier I’m just- I’m tired. 

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1. Beyblade Burst Cho Z/Turbo

Starting this one strong, boys. 

Alright, so I know that for many people, this wasn’t their...particularly favorite season. It was a staggering change going from Valt and his MC journey to Aiger/Aiga’s. Both stories had a lot of differences, so much so that it was difficult to really compare to the two, they were so different.

Perhaps this holds a bit of bias since this was the first season I watched weekly on Disney XD as it was coming out, but Turbo/Chouzetsu was- really fucking good. 

Aiga’s journey was really interesting and different from Valt’s, as we shifted away from a underdog, journey to the top, kind of story, to a more person vs self conflict and the other aspects that are involved when it comes to blading. There was a lot of emphasis placed on the relationship between the blader and bey, which in my opinion, was a REALLY good option because it expanded the idea a lot more from the foundation that was laid out in the first two seasons.

Going from Valt, who seemingly was a natural at communicating with his bey and forming a bond with Valkyrie, to Aiga, who struggled a lot with it and his resonance, so much so that he got corrupted, to then working extremely hard to gain the trust and relationship with Achilles once again, really showed how the two stories contrasted each other. 

Yes, Aiga did become the world champion halfway through the series, but that was necessary to show that where Aiga’s struggles lie isn’t in getting stronger, he was blessed with that talent from the get-go, he was a prodigy, but rather his relationship with that obsessive drive and how that affects his relationships. 

It led him down a dark and corrupted path, where he was forced to confront himself and rethink the ENTIRE way he approached blading in order to get back up again, it was REALLY FUCKING INTERESTING. Underdog stories worked well for the first two seasons of the series, but I’m glad that they didn’t follow the same formula.

It was different, it was made to contrast Valt and provide a different kind of character as an MC. Going from an arrogant self-obsessed kid that thought highly of himself to someone that had matured and grown and learned from his mistakes and failures, from someone that everyone fucking HATED, to a more likeable character, proves how well his character development was written. 

To be honest, I could go on and on about Aiga because in terms of writing, he was definitely my favorite, but I’ll talk a little bit about the other aspects of the show that made it so good. 

Phi’s character and his villain arc was really really well executed, with the entire buildup, to his relationship with Aiga that gave the kid literal TRAUMA, to the structure of his arc, from being a recurring character that only gave bad vibes to someone that was an actual threat, to the way that the story was written to executed that so well??? His character may not have as much depth as some other antagonists in the series, but by far is it the most well executed out of all of them. The final battle between Phi and Aiga? The way that the entire show built up to it and the fucking quality of the episode? The way that they showcase the relationship between Aiga and Phi and gave us a real reason to despise the former? Absolutely Phenomenal.

The way that they tied things from the previous season onto this one and brought up old plot lines, still allowing development for previous characters despite the fact that their respective seasons were over was really well done and many of the characters were interesting in their own right, despite being sidelined later on.

I’ve rambled on too much, wow. Anyways, long story short, very good season and would recommend

________________________________________________________________

2. Beyblade Burst God/Evolution

While the first one was a bit of a hot take considering that many absolutely hated Turbo/Cho Z, this one wasn’t too much of a surprise.

Evolution is a fan-favorite by many in the fandom, and it isn’t too hard to see why. It is arguably the most well-written season in the show and does an excellent job of taking some of the best elements from the first season and improving on it tenfold.

It did an absolutely amazing job in taking every character and making them interesting with arcs and ultimately making them feel real, something that the first two seasons absolutely excelled at. We got to see the story of every character, both from the first season and from this new one, giving each one depth and a personality despite perhaps not having as much screen time.

The fact that they are able to intertwine so many storylines in this season was incredible to watch, and the world-building gave us a glance on what was happening outside of the main storyline. There were different teams all competing and wanting to get into the world league, glimpses into how each of these teams functioned and how that may contrast the way that BC Sol ran. It gave us deep and complex issues in most episodes that somehow made it involve every single character. That’s. Good. Writing. 

The conflict with Red Eye and the way that they expanded on Shu’s initial arc from the first season in a way that made it feel natural truly puts this show so ahead from many others in the series. It was already clear from the beginning of his story that he was willing to do anything to get stronger, even injuring himself in the process. Not only that, but his bond with Valt a major driving factor throughout the initial season, so it only made sense that in this next stage of his arc, that would yet be another internal issue he would have to face, with his drive to become an even stronger blader, and his wish to not disappoint his best friend. 

The Snake Pit was such an interesting concept that Beyblade Burst played with, and its a shame that we don’t get to see much of it afterwards, or even fleshed out entirely at all. The way that Shu was affected by it’s grueling and self-destructive environment was a major driving force for the story’s conflict, and seeing a character we all loved go down a spiral of isolation and absolute resentment to get to his ultimate goal, losing sight of many things along the way, made it so easy for its viewers to get invested in the show. Not to mention Ashtem, who seemed to be seemingly a background obstacle to slowly take the forefront as he takes advantage of an already self-destructive character and lead him down to a darker path. The antagonist conflict in this season was just SO well done and well written in every sense of the word. 

I don’t really have much to say about Valt in the season, but what I will say is that the challenge he faced with seeing his best friend change for the worse and go down a dark path, all while being told that it seems that the old him is never going to come back and that he can’t do anything about it, was really really interesting for his character development. 

To be honest, I was never super super invested in Valt’s character arc and his journey in becoming stronger. Even though he was my favorite protagonist, that was mainly because he was likeable and he was the first, so naturally there is bias that is going to come with that. Despite that though, the entire arc being an underdog story would’ve been bland if it weren’t for his bonds with those around him, the way he affects others positively and how that aids him in his own growth as a blader. Spreading the message that blading is truly about having fun. 

It’s an extremely well done season, and while not my favorite purely out of bias, it is still up here, at number 2.

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3. Beyblade Burst (2016)

Ah yes, the season that started it all. It honestly feels like a crime to put this season so low on the list, but sadly that’s how the dice rolls. This one is probably going to be a bit shorter because it’s been a while since I last watched this season, but I write what I remember.

One of the things that Burst absolutely excelled at when it aired its first 52 episodes was its character writing. I kid you not, every single one of these characters that show up in the first season have a level of depth and realness to them that I don’t think any of the other seasons could replicate. There was a reason why so many of the characters that showed up in this first season are remembered so fondly by many fans, begging for a comeback. 

Of course we have the original cast, the Beyclub, who all had great chemistry with each other and the writers did really well implementing them in the story. It isn’t just a half-assed attempt that making a character relevant, they gave these characters a REASON to stick around and a reason to leave the cast. Each one had a unique story. Take Daina/Daigo for example, who had a little brother that was stuck in the hospital and admires him more than anyone, enough to make Daina wish to get better just for his sake. His entire story about cheating and being desperate enough to go for a last ditch effort, and his struggle with that afterwards, made his a character that the audience could really root for and get emotionally invested it. We had Kensuke/Ken, who was a ventriloquist, a shy and soft-spoken individual who grew to be more confident in himself and express himself more, even using his real voice more often than relying on his puppets. He was unique and different from many other characters, but that is what made him so interesting, especially with the obstacle of moving to another school again, away from Valt and the Beyclub. 

These are two characters from the initial main cast that aren’t given the main spotlight later in the series apart from a few episode cameos in the 2nd season. And yet they were still so interesting. Shu’s challenge with his injured shoulder and fear of disappointing Valt and not being strong enough was a perfect foundation to set for the next season, where these struggles would drive him to become the next main villain of the story. 

We had Lui, who wasn’t even a villain of any kind, he was just a main rival of the series who still got development and depth, showing that he wasn’t just an aggressive blader, but rather someone that genuinely cares about the sport deeply. 

Valt’s journey started in this season, and while there are many times where Valt wins out of pure luck, or just the sheer strength of his bey, it was needed to show that he still had a long way to go, tying in with the next season where he would be going to the international stage as part of a team in another country. 

The fact that he lost to Lui in the final episode of the season encapsulated this perfectly, and while some may be confused as to why they made the protagonist look to the antagonist in the final episode, it was NECCESSARY to show the state of Valt’s journey. 

Shu’s defeat against Lui and the destruction of his bey, Spryzen, was also another way that they built up the arc that Shu would soon go through in the next season, as an extra factor for why he had to get stronger. 

There are so many other things in this season that made it so good, like the Spin Emperors/ Supreme 4, the realistic tone to the series as they focus on more grounded issues that the audience can perhaps relate to, to the other background characters that could make an appearance for just a few episodes only to be loved by many and remembered years later, and just all in all, an extremely strong start to the series.

The only things I have to say negatively about this season is its issue with making Valt win despite the fact that he had no logical reason to other than plot, and the fact that the plot and story may seem a bit more bland compared to the later seasons in the anime. However, these are minor things that didn’t really contribute to the overall enjoyment of the season, at least for me.

~ It is no surprise that the first three seasons are some of the strongest in the Burst anime, mainly because these are seasons that had more than enough time to fully flesh out and develop their characters, along with their storylines and plot points. So do keep in mind that I don’t particularly dislike these next three seasons to much capacity. Most of the issues that I have with the later half of the series is the fact that they didn’t have enough time to develop its characters or storyline as much as the initial three did. With that said, let’s get into the bottom three. ~

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4. Beyblade Burst Gachi/Rise

God, I really want to put this one higher, but I just can’t due to the issues that this season had with its pacing and structure as a result of the new time format. However, I do believe that if it had chance to have a full length 52 episode season, then this would have been able to shine a lot more.

First off, I just love Drum/Dante. While he goes back to the a similar kind of hyper and loud character that Valt was, it is still very clear that he is a very different protagonist. He isn’t so much of a newbie, having been a blader of BC Sol, and his relationship with the other characters in the show is in my opinion, what makes him so likeable. Especially with his relationships with people like Delta and Gwyn, where in that regard, he is similar to Valt as having a positive effect on those around him. His main theme is friendship, and that is shown clearly throughout the season.

On top of that, we also have Amane/Arman, who out of all of the best friend characters and an honorary Kiyama, is probably my favorite. Don’t get me wrong, Rantaro was fun to watch and Ranjiro’s bond with Aiga was sweet, but out of all of these characters that fell under the best friend archetype, Amane was the first one I saw that actually constantly pushed himself to grow and become stronger, and not just stand in the sidelines to cheer Drum on. That was a trap that the other character fell into, where they essentially just became the punching bag to prove how strong the other characters are, not only that but they also seemingly have little reaction to it and are just there to cheer on the protagonist. But Amane consistently pushes himself as someone that sees their friend grows stronger, and wants to catch up and grow even more, constantly comparing himself to the other. They address this and handle it well, by making him battle Arthur two times, beating him in the third to the last episode, AND making him reach hyperflux. Drum wasn’t the only one who was allowed to grow, other characters were allowed to shine and have their moments of growth. 

One more thing that I think that Gachi did extremely well were its antagonists, or villains, more specifically one in particular. While Arthur was interesting in his debut, he quickly became less threatening and more of a nuisance to deal with, as he kept on losing to both Delta and Drum, later Amane. But while Arthur was frankly one-dimensional in his writing, the antagonist that truly shined this season was Gwynn.

I’m not kidding when I say that Gwynn’s introduction to the series was the only thing that made me truly invested in this season, because of how brilliantly they written him and executed his psychological breakdown over the course of 22 episodes, 11 in dub. The way that they introduce him as being a mathematical genius with a concrete, rigid view of the world and as a result, Beyblade when he picked up the sport, only to have that challenged by out protagonist and to see him STRUGGLE? The mental hoops that this boy goes through to desperately preserve his way of thinking, and the way that they show how much FEAR this kid has at suddenly changing absolutely everything he once knew as right? To go from believing that he knew everything and could calculate everything and that everything was as simple as that to being challenged in such as way that he is being confronted with something he has never experienced before. His relationship with Dante, more specifically his feelings for Dante are some of the best character writing I have seen in this entire show, not to mention the best executed. They constantly show the inner scopes of his mind and his thinking and denial about everything that is going on is brilliant to see. The amazing thing about his character was that it was someone that for the first time, felt a connection, a bond with another person, but they are so stuck in their own ways, whether it was out of fear of the unknown, or just pure denial that they were wrong, that they actively push that person away while also seeking to be with them at the exact same time and mental breakdown that occurs from it, and the amount of scenes that illustrate it so beautifully and fuck it’s just SO well done. I could on more, but I don’t want this to get any longer than it has to and I already have analysis on Gwyn’s character in the works, so stay tune for that.

But with some of the best parts of this season out the way, we need to talk about the issues that it also has.

There is the obvious, which is its structure and pacing. The first half of the show was not very interesting and frankly quite boring. At this point in the series, we aren’t given anything to really get invested in the series, no end goal or conflict that really tie everything together. Sure, we had Delta, but that conflict was ehh.. I’ll get to it in a moment. But the structure I must say was really not working out for this new format. It was clear that they were trying to apply a similar formula that the first three seasons had onto this new season, except due to it being half the typical length, absolutely did not work. The pacing was a complete mess, as there were several arcs that had to be cut short with no real time to be fully fleshed out in the slightest, and it seemed that we were just jumping from place to place with no real objective in mind. The arcs felt too short and the season, in the first half, just felt like it was all over the place. In the second half, they finally introduced the antagonists and that really helped with giving the later half a bit more structure, now having a concrete conflict and goal set in mind. But these aspects were introduced way too late into the season, so not only are they not given time to be legitimately developed plotlines, but they feel out of place when compared to the rest of the show. In a single episode, we go from a normal title match between Aiga and Delta, a result of the tournament that had been going on for a bit now, to suddenly having a random ass guy literally jump in and crash the party. And boom, we have our villain now. There isn’t any buildup, or time to ease into the new conflict, we are just thrown into it and expected to just go along with it. It feels unorganized.

The other problem I have with this season is honestly the way that they handled Delta. To be frank, I really didn’t like this character. I felt like they were trying to do something similar with how they did with Shu and Aiga, but just worse. Thinking about it in hindsight, and going back and rewatching a few of those scenes and episodes with Delta and Diabolos, it actually seemed that they had an interesting concept going for them, except the format of the show completely ruined it. It was clear that Delta’s relationship with his bey wasn’t healthy, since his bey demanded more out of its blader than the other way around. There is more to his character than just that of course, but these other aspects weren’t explored very well as there was little time to really develop it. A few episodes here and there and perhaps a few reactions scenes isn’t going to cut it for what they are trying to do in the season, and perhaps that it was they realized halfway through, realizing fuck- we need to fix this. That leads into the kind of Delta’s redemption for the WBBA vs Hell arc, but that redemption doesn’t feel as natural as it should because it just didn’t have enough time to be developed. Do you see the issue here? All of the issues that this season seemingly had was issues with time, and not being able to adapt to the new format of the show, or perhaps being forced into it too quickly, that they didn’t have time to adapt. 

One final thing about this season is that I know that many fans took issue with them not including old characters in his season, like they did with the previous season. Many were upset that beys like Fafnir and Longinus were being owned by people that weren’t the fan favorite, Free and Lui. As for my opinion on it, I honestly do not care. I always viewed Gachi as more of a self-contained story, one that worked on its own and helped in seemingly expanding the world of Beyblade, not continuing the already developed stories that went before it. Of course, we had Aiga, whose development very much showed in this season as an improvement from the previous, but that is really the only one I can think of. 

I, for one, didn’t mind that we had a mainly new cast and that Free and Lui were replaced because I did like this new cast (Fumiya and Ichika has a very interesting story and dynamic and Lodin was a cool guy, despite only appearing during the Bey Carnival arc) and I perhaps wasn’t as attached to Free and Lui as many other fans were. That isn’t to say that their opinions and views on the show aren’t valid, it’s just a matter of tastes and biases. 

In the end, while this season had a heck of a lot of potential and truly did shine in some areas (*cough cough* Gwyn *cough), it ultimately suffered from the new format and time constraint of the show, making it 4th on this list.

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5. Beyblade Burst Sparking/Surge

Sparking was a tricky one to place, simply because out of all of the seasons in the Burst anime, it is one of my favorites to rewatch. And that’s just because of one of the biggest things that made this season unique, which is the interactions and return of many fan favorite characters. Despite not having as many returning characters as let’s say Cho Z, the entire aspect of older bladers now being called Legends is what marketed the show. Watching your favorites return yet again is the peak of fan service in Beyblade, so why is it so low on the list? Well, there are a couple of reasons why.

The first one is the lack of proper character to character interaction and the lack of proper worldbuilding. Something that the earlier seasons did so well, for some reason were completely lacking in this show. 

It felt like each of the characters couldn’t interact or talk about anything else other than what was going on with the either the tournament or Lane, or the brothers. And if it did, it was a very vague and general statement, a copy and paste sentence that could easily be said by any other character. There weren’t many interactions in this season that made the characters feel real, or real beyond the realm of the current plot. It always had to tie back to either Lane or the Asahi brothers, they couldn’t just talk for the sake of it. They all had interesting character arcs and storylines within their respective seasons, and yet none of it seemed to be brought up or made relevant to the character in this season. At best it may be a throwaway line, or something that gets brought up, much never touched upon again. While there were some gem interactions (looking at you, Drum and Lui), others just fell flat and it made these incredibly well-written and fleshed out characters feel, well...one-dimensional. 

There was also the issue of each of the Legends losing too easily to the new characters, which I feel like is just another instance of the time format affecting the quality of the season. They didn’t have enough time to build up these battles and make every single Legend a threat when there are just so many to get through in a tournament. 

Another weak point of the season was the main antagonist, Lane. Perhaps this is just personal bias, but he wasn’t my favorite villain in the slightest. It felt like he was being too edgy for the sake of being edgy, and no real personality traits that made him relevant to the plot beyond just his Flare, which was poorly explained in the first place. He didn’t feel like a real natural character, and each of his interactions were tinted with the feeling that he is just there to cause conflict, to be the obstacle that has to be overcome by the protagonists. I will admit that I found the entire mentorship between Shu and Lane very interesting to watch, as we actually get to see Shu get developed even further based on what happened in the second season. I honestly wish that this kind of storytelling and writing was presented in the other characters as well, to make them feel like extensions of their characters in their respective seasons. Going back to Lane, it also really felt like they were trying to do something similar to Gwynn here, where Lane is faced with a feeling and circumstance that is different from what he expected, however I feel like it isn’t executed nearly as well as it was in Gachi. 

In GT, not only did we get frequent glimpses into Gwyn’s mind and his thinking, so we are truly coming to understanding little by little why he is breaking down so much over this, but we also get a chance to see Gwyn before he is put in the antagonistic role. We are able to get a good feel for his personality, understanding that there is more to this character than this mess we are seeing. However, for Lane, this isn’t presented nearly as well, and it is especially harder for the audience to truly connect to him as well. 

We can’t get invested when we can’t follow the character and his thinking because we don’t know. It is yet another case of the show trying to make you care about a character without giving any real reason to make you care about them. Not to mention the amount of plot armor that Lane has, where we barely see him train at all, or struggle in the slightest, and he beats these Legends like it was nothing. And there is little explanation for it beyond just his Flare, which wasn’t even a sound reason that the audience can understand because they don’t even know what the fuck it really is, or why it’s important. 

Even with all of the flaws that this season had, there was one aspect that I believe this season absolutely excelled at. And that was the understanding and adaption of the new time format, creating arcs that better suited the shorter seasonal run time. Instead of trying to force in many small little arcs that have little connection with each other, they instead dividing up the season into two main arcs. The Legend Festival and the Ultimate Tag Series, having a major element to tie them all together, being the main antagonist, Lane. This was really smart, because now episodes no longer feel like they are going nowhere, but rather it is all heading up the main goal of eventually getting the level of Legends, along with the conflict of Lane being presented so early on that they have time for the audience to get to know him and this conflict. They didn’t run into the issue of having one-off characters only to never appear again, but rather all of the characters are presented from the beginning and remain relevant throughout the entire season. The fact that the entire season mainly consists of tournaments is also a smart way for them to get used to the new format of the show as it has a clear structure to follow, making it harder for the viewer to feel lost while watching. The tag teams were also a smart play, as we get to the see the new dynamics and developed bonds of these older bladers, seeing how they have grown and matured over the years.

We then move onto the topic of the protagonists, who are brothers have to learn to work together. I felt that it was actually a smart move to have dual protagonists in this new season. It kept things fresh, even if the interactions between literally every other character failed, then at least we can count on these two. Both Hyuga and Hikaru work really well together and seem to balance off of each other nicely. While Hikaru is more about strategizing and thinking logically about the battle, Hyuga is much more impulsive, and tends to want to do things on a whim. He may not think much about what happened in the battle other than the fast intensity of it. Hikaru is about defense, and using his head in battle, while Hyuga tends to attack a lot, caring more about the raw strength rather than actually coming up with a definitive strategy. The two balance each other, and it’s fun to see their banter along with their teamwork while they are blading.

Finally, there are the battles. If you’ve noticed, I haven’t spoken about the quality of the bey battles up to this point, and that is simply because I don’t care much for it. It’s not like Yu-Gi-Oh, where I’m pushing through every episode that has a master duel in them. Beybattles are fun to watch, but they aren’t really what I watch the series for. I watch it for the characters and story writing that goes into it, along with the occasional banger soundtrack that plays during the intense moments. But Sparking was one of the only seasons to legitimately get me enticed by every battle, but every battle seemed to interesting and fun to watch. Perhaps it’s because they all tag battles, but it felt like very beybattle hit the mark, both with the actual bey action in the stadium, but also with the fact that since they are all tag battles, each other gets us a glimpse into the dynamics and relationships that these Legends have with each other, both with their opponent and their partner. It was interesting, and never once did I feel the need to roll my eyes as the sight of another beybattle starting.

 All in all, while I believe that this season definitely suffered a bit from the time format, it had many other flaws and issues that made it, in my opinion, a weaker season than GT, despite being able to adapt the 11-minute episodes to it’s advantage.

________________________________________________________________

6. Beyblade Burst Dynamite Battle/Quaddrive

Alright, alright, we’ve made it to the bottom of the list. 

First things first, I don’t actually think that DB is objectively the worst season, in terms of writing. I don’t think that it’s an extremely disappointing season either, but rather a mediocre one to end off the Burst anime. Lots of the criticisms that I have about this season probably has to do with personal bias here.

This was really the first season to make me yell at my computer, which is quite funny to think about in hindsight. Many things in this season were frustrating, so we’ll break them down one by one.

First let’s start with Bel. Now, you can tell from not only the character design, but also the first couple of episodes that they are trying to go in a different direction with this character. The story isn’t about a rookie blader, or someone that started off as weak and untrained. No, Bel already proved in the first two episodes that he was extremely powerful from the start. He already had strength since the beginning, whether that was because of endless hours of training and experience or perhaps he was just a prodigy. At first, it seemed like an interesting route. They could go in many different directions with this kind of set-up, and decide to focus on different things for Bel’s character arc. It seemed that at the start, he was an arrogant, spoiled, bratty kid, very similar to how Aiga was beginning of his season. Perhaps we could end off this season with some very satisfying character development, right?

However, it seemed that this show had different plans. This was one of the things that frustrated me the most in the season, was the absolute selfishness of the main character, and how he never truly gets punished for it. To share what I mean, I present an example. In the Legend World Tour, they hold a little minigame to see who gets to battle against Free in El Astro. Rashad ends up winning, to which Bel demands that the ruling be changed or to give him another change so that he can battle against Free. Wakiya denies and tells him he must respect the results, that Rashad will battle against Free because he has earned it. 

Of course, Bel is still super salty, which is to be expected because he is meant to be a spoiled bratty child. However, instead of just sitting on the plane and respecting the rules, he goes out and goes to battle against Free. That is something he is completely banned from doing at any point in the World Tour, and yet he still completely disobeys the rules for his own free gain. Wakiya, Valt, and Rashad find out and instead of actually going and stopping this battle, or putting a real stop to it, they instead watch is live back on the plane. That, on its own, is enough to justify not liking Bel as an MC, but to make matters worse, Bel actually ends up WINNING against Free. 

Of course, Wakiya is fucking pissed and you can see that Rashad is upset too. Valt just brushes it off, and instead of seeing it for what it is, a complete and utter lack of thoughtfulness for someone else you may be affecting with your selfish actions, he just sees it as Bel being Bel. 

Then when Rashad gets rightfully pissed and says that he won’t battle against Free anymore, because what’s the fucking point if the Legend you’re trying to beat already lost to someone you know? Of course, this gets brushed off, and when Rashad tells Bel he must follow the rules, he just completely disregards it. 

Then you expected me to empathize for this character when his bey gets destroyed when he just been an absolute dick to Rashad and acting extremely selfishly the entire arc?

And the worst part is that he stays this way for the entire first half of the series, hell perhaps a little more than that, without absolutely no punishment in sight. He gets off, completely free, for being self-centered and arrogant the entire time. Even the way they tried to make him grow and be better wasn’t enough because by the end of it, it just wasn’t enough to make him a likeable character. It’s annoying and frustrating to watch.

Next is one of the biggest issues of the show, which is its structure, and oh boy. It’s bad. I thought that perhaps they were onto something when Sparking came out, that maybe they figured out this formula, but nope. It ran into the exact same issues that the first half of GT struggled with, only this time is worse because that was literally the entire show. How do we go from a world tour to a team battle to a three-way battle, and expect that to make sense? While I was watching it, I was struggling a lot in getting invested in the fucking show, or feeling any real tension for the finale, because there was no tension. There was no buildup. It was so poorly structured that it made its climax seem like another ordinary battle. They jump from small arc to small arc with little end goal in sight. The worst offender was probably the Phenomeno Payne arc, where a character is introduced just to market the new Pheonix bey and make Rashad look like more of a bad guy. And then he just left! 7 episodes, that was literally how long his arc was, 4 normal length episodes. he wasn’t even relevant in the end. 

There were some good things about DB. We got to see then actual revisit the friendship between Valt and Shu, which was really nice considering that this is the final season. The Burst anime started with Shu and Valt, and it ended with the two still as close as ever. They also actually gave Wakiya interactions with the two, tying a bit of it back to how things were when the Beyclub was first created.

I thought that Basara was an interesting character that had potential to do well if he just had more time to develop. Ranzo was a lot of fun to watch! I especially love his dub voice. Rashad wasn’t a particularly bad character. I liked Ilya, I thought that she was cool and it was great to see a female blader have a unique bey and play a role in the story. There were some genuinely great aspects of the show, but they’re just overshadowed by the some of the worst bits, to the point where it really just ruined the show for me. 

Who knows though, I’ve only watched this season once through, and the dub is currently being released. I might rewatch it at a later point, once all of the dub episodes get released and maybe my opinion will change by then. But for now, these are my current rankings. 

If you made it this far, wow, thanks a lot :D

I love Beyblade Burst, and it holds a special place in my heart as I’ve been with the show for so long. It’s going to feel a bit bitter to see it end on such a dull note and see it soon replaced by another series, but hey, good things can’t last forever :,)

#Beyblade burst #Beyblade burst evolution #Beyblade burst turbo #Beyblade burst rise #beyblade burst surge #beyblade burst quaddrive #beyblade burst god #beyblade burst cho z #beyblade burst chouzetsu #beyblade burst gachi #beyblade burst gt #beyblade burst sparking #beyblade burst dynamite battle #beyblade burst db #beyburst #beyblade burst analysis #valt aoi #aiga akaba #aiger akabane #drum koryu #dante koryu #hyuga hizashi #hikaru hizashi #bel diazora #holy shit this took me so fucking long #its 3 in the fucking morning #i've been up writing since 11 #im tired

[the-technicolor-whiscash]

Ok so yeah my thoughts on guardians of the Galaxy cosmic rewind. I will start by saying I hate that it’s in Epcot. It’s where universe of energy used to be. And I know not a lot of people miss that but like. It was still part of that Epcot edutainment style. Guardians has fucking nothing to do with that. It’s just a roller coaster that they could’ve put in any park but they decided to put it in Epcot and I am Not Happy about that because it deviates far too much from the original Epcot model. I hate that.

Now, that being said, it’s a really good roller coaster. Like, a really good coaster. It’s obviously a family coaster, there’s no inversions and it doesn’t go terribly fast, but my god is it a good time. It stays consistently thrilling throughout the entire duration and the cars are on an axis that’s got a controlled rotation throughout the ride, so it’s kind of like if you combined a wild mouse with a 4th-dimension coaster which is neat cause that way you can combine dark ride elements really well and add to the thrill. There’s a lot of really smooth curves and you almost never slow down so it’s almost nonstop action. You’re going fast enough that the story is hard to pick up on once you’re on the ride, but you can also kind of ignore the story and just listen to the music. The music I think is also a great choice I know it’s a gimmick on coasters at this point but I think it’s always a fun thing and I enjoy a little Blondie in my life (ik there’s other songs that play I just got blondie on my ride- I’d LOVE to hear everybody wants to rule the world on it though) and I think it works well with the theming of the ride.

Honestly other than the fact I think it would be elevated by an inversion and the fact its mere existence in Epcot makes me mad I don’t really have much to complain about. It’s a good fucking ride. I’m so mad.

See I think this is an example of a Vekoma coaster done right. Disney has a lot of Vekomas and some are great (Big Thunder Mountain) and some are just ok (Tron I’m sorry but you’re not a fantastic ride. You’re just ok. Theming is so sexy though.) and I do think Guardians is a great one. I hope we see more of that car system in the future I’d like to see what Universal could do with something like that. The seats weren’t just cool they were also pretty comfortable which is always a plus.

Anyway yeah. Really good ride. Still insanely mad it’s in Epcot. Put that shit in studios where it belongs and bring back a pavilion about energy.

#the whiscash administration

[random-bi-writer]

My Reaction to Thanks To Them

Took me two days to finish my projects first before watching this but it is definetely worth the antagonising wait.

Spoilers for those who haven’t watched it yet.

NO. WHY WOULD YOU START WITH THAT?! FROG DAMMIT, IM ALREADY CRYING AND IT’S ONLY BEEN THREE SECONDS

And once again, Anne made me laugh.

Wait...there are sponges that aren’t yellow?

Get Some Therapy Challenge: Failed.

Nah, that british gay man who dresses like a straight person ain’t human to begin with.

Goddamit, of course he shows up.

I see a picture of what seems to be Luz slapping a cake on her dad’s face.

Child, you need to get out more often.

Why would they freak out- oh. right, Abominations...

I wonder if Disney let a full season, we would have a more in depth scene about Vee meeting the others for the first time instead of this.

Hallway of pictures. There’s the dad throwing baby Luz in the air (that explains a lot about Luz) Chat Noir cosplay, 

Hate that I can see the dad’s full face, but it’s too fucking small for me to stare at.

Nevermind.

Pfft. I’m sorry, I had to rewatch this 5 times to make sure I’m not watching a fanmade amv instead of the episode. Also nice to include Hooty photobombing.

The amount of sadness with the drawings is just...

Designs. Gus, yes. Willow, maybe. Amity, maybe less dark colors and ditch the hat. Hunter, goofy boy.

Mirabel Madrigal.

VEE! MY BABY BOY!

Damn, that explains the haircut. Still miss the ahoge, though.

They’re so cute, especially Amity, I want to pinch her cheeks.

I prefer the non-romance cute. Lumity is so cute and wholesome that it’s disgusting.

Aww, the boys are having fun.

Willow looks like a mom with her hair down.

Is that spanish, I hear? I’m so proud.

I thought you were over that.

So Willow likes photography now.

Aww, Hooty’s there.

Vee is more babey when he speaks spanish.

Lmao. You’re gonna have three more kids once you meet King and the Twins. Maybe four, depending on the Collector. Or five, since Eda is kinda of a child sometimes. Wow, you’re gonna be busy.

Wouldn’t people find it suspicous to see four kids walking around town during school hours? Why aren’t they going to school, then again, it would cost a lot.

Babeys.

Luz, for the love of all things holy, get some therapy.

Pfft. Luz what the heck?

Aww, it’s nice to see other humans liking Luz...that better not be a prank...

Damn, imagine if Luz lost her dad from a car crash, this scene would have been really something.

Ugh, gross.

Dang. Nice, Hunter.

Babey Boy.

The back cover looks gay.

Flashbacks? Nice.

For some reason, I’m thinking of Marcy.

Oh, so it’s a nightmare.

Manny Noceda. Am I getting that right?

I’m gonna be honest, I have no idea what I should say about Camila’s nightmare.

Shit. I know this a serious moment, but look at the picture of Camila and Vee being cute together. Probably the last thing I should focus on.

You know that feeling where you feel like something’s bad is going to happen? I’m getting that from the egg.

Oh, god. That is disgusting and horrifying.

Hunter, no.

LMAO, Amity’s face!

Lmao, the Huntlow shippers are getting fed

Belos is gonna show up when Hunter’s alone, isn’t he?

God dammit, why am I always right? Can’t I be wrong for a change?

Lmao, Willow.

Are they watching Amphibia?

Gus is afraid of firelights. Amity is a mood with the circles.

WOLF! TO BE LIKE KING!

Siblings!

Is the shadow fucking necesarry

Luz looks weird smiling like that.

Wait, that black haired actress looks like Luz.

NO

Lmao, that’s saying it midly.

Huh, both of the siblings eyes glowed blue.

Fucking hell, he’s inside of him.

Damn, they went hard at the animation again.

Oh damn, having a basilisk on your team really is good.

AHH THAT WAS CLOSE. TOO CLOSE!

No...no...No! Hunter and Flapjack deserve to be happy together!

Lumity call back, I don’t remember which episode..

Aww...I thought Vee would be coming.

Lmao, Vee.

So Thanks to Them is just Season 3A jumbled together.

Wait...Thanks to Them....Thanks to Disney...LMAO

#the owl house #luz noceda #amity blight #willow park #Gus Porter #camila noceda #vee noceda #hunter noceda

[catholic-character-tournament]

I don’t know how elitism NDDP/HOND fandom is to tolerate just “Frollo (all version)” as a candidate.

To me every single adaptation of Frollo has their nuance of different. It ALWAYS bothers the fuck out of me when they simply say “A version is better than B” WHAT THE FUCK IS “BETTER” ANYWAY? For me, I would only say “oh, A version is more consistent/written more effectively/more morally sounded than B”.

Also, my own reading into Book!Frollo’s past (Book 4 Chapter 2) suggested that Book!Frollo’s character is not just “OH HE’S SO NICE AT THE START BUT ONLY LUST TURNS HIM EVIL” but I DARE not to say there’s some seed of ableism before everything went to shit after meeting Esmeralda. It’s like saying anything remotely “bad” about pre-Esmeralda Book!Frollo is a taboo in fandom or something. I feel like Hugo loved to hide some hints here and there but book readers just want a cute little pathetic Catholic meow meow to love so they simply do not care. Which is a shame because those hints Hugo had hidden makes Book!Frollo much more interesting than “OH HE IS AN ANGEL FROM THE START UNTIL LUST TURNED HIM CRAZY”.

You could decide whichever way you want to go with Frollo, because I always feel like my thoughts on Frollo is just heretical. I understand book readers would be pissed if you do just Frollo for all version, but you could add a disclaimer and honestly, fuck the elitism in the fandom.

Thank you again for indulging my fairly angry mumbling as I hope you understand these mumbling are not targeted at you and it’s the sheer result of……I don’t know who to share with my heretic opinions, I always find it hard to feel validated AHHHHH (hiding and screaming shyly)

*burns head into hands and cries*

If I count Frollo as two different versions, book Frollo as one and Disney as another, book!Frollo doesn't have enough nomination tournaments. As of right now, specifically book!Frollo is only in there once, Broadway musical is in there once, and the others I'm guessing requesting Disney version(since they either called him a judge, mentioned hellfire or just didn't specify) So either, it's just Disney Frollo or all media!Frollo

#war flashbacks to “comics vs mcu moon knight” #claude frollo #judge claude frollo #the hunchback of notre dame #asks #anon #cct propaganda