#I have family from Raleigh I will be fighting as well

[foralternateuniverses]

Acechiji A Whisker Away au

Prompt given by @loopyarts while talking about Ichiji + cats combo in the server, so ofc I had to run with the idea.

FIRST. BACKSTORIES.

Ace:

Roger was a bit of an absent father due to work, Rogue was the main caretaker, but she died when Ace was like 5, then he ended up in Dadan's care, with Sabo and Luffy.

Sabo was taken in by Roger because of the neglect he suffered from his bio parents, but since he was basically send to Dadan immediately Ace didn't hold anything against him.

Finally, when Ace is like, 14-16, Roger retires and returns home, with Raleigh. Since he's the legal guardian of both Ace and Sabo he takes both home, Luffy stays with Dadan, tho they're still pretty much neighbors so they see each other daily (and at school).

Ace is not happy.

Vinsmokes:

Sora and Judge divorced when the boys were like 4-5, but since Sora died when they were 8, they went back to being under Judge's care, as Zeff could not claim guardianship of the kids.

Sanji kept running away to stay with Zeff as much as possible, Judge just gave up on him, although he still scolds him from time to time, like Sanji, Reiju is mostly left ignored, as is Yonji, who learnt to keep as much to himself.

Generally speaking, they have a lot of leeway as long as they help Judge maintain his image and obey, good scores, athletic and artistic, keep the image of prodigy; and Judge also has his hands tied due to the records Sora left of abuse, having sued him previously, and winning the case, he only has the kids now cuz he's their only family left, Zeff (and everyone from the Baratie, basically) is keeping and eye on him tho.

Niji and Sanji are the ones who fight the most with Judge, Yonji and Reiju tend to keep to themselves, and Ichiji, well, he's his golden child, so extra pressure on him.

The one time he ever disobeyed his father (and was caught) was when he took Nyasha in, he convinced his siblings to help him keep the cat in secret (he had done so on his own at first) but Judge ended up finding out sooner than later, he destroyed everything Ichiji had bought the cat (along with some other Stuff that Ichiji held dear) and ended up hitting Ichiji when he jumped in to protect Nyasha from receiving Judge's violence. Reiju had to hold Niji back from jumping Judge, Sanji ran to get Zeff and Yonji went to check on Ichiji. Judge left with the threat and order "either you get rid of that thing or I'll do it myself" so they took Nyasha to Zeff, who had to be held down from going to the police ("you won't get custody, so we'll be sent to the system and separated, I rather we stay together, we just need to hang on for a little longer")

Reiju wants to take custody of her siblings once she turns 18, it will be hard but she'll be damned if she doesn't try, and well, Zeff and the Baratie staff will help and support her.

All this happens before Acechiji (ASL+1234 ) finally meet (at school).

A messy lineless sketch cuz I was running out of drawing juice

ASL & 124 meet officially thanks to Sanji getting adopted into Luffy's friend group (Reiju knew of Ace and Sabo but hadn't really interacted with them).

Ace caught Ichiji's attention before meeting though.

It doesn't take too long Acechiji to start their, lest call it courting, but it goes a snails pace because Ichiji's fears regarding Judge, which leads to a lot of mixed signals and confusion, until they finally have their little fight in the festival and Ace walks off and ends up getting the mask.

The fight being: Ichiji responds positively to his advances, not always tho, he's kind of sending mixed signals.

So they're out with their friends in the festival and, as usual, Ichiji responds positively to Ace's flirtations, to the point where Ace finally had the courage and, while they're alone on the back, ignored by the people surrounding them, Ace gives him a very brief peck on the cheek, but Ichiji responds the most negatively he has ever reacted. Suddenly very anxious (Judge may not be homophobic but he is very classist and controlling .Ichiji is worried that if Judge found out the man would just straight up send him to an abroad school or something, and Ichiji likes his life there, his siblings, Zeff and the Baratie, his friends, and well, Ace.), he covers his cheek and looks around, he scolds Ace for what he did, both blushing in embarrassment and anger.

Ace thinks that Ichiji is ashamed of him or sth, brings up the mixed signals, but Ichiji closes himself off, so Ace ends up walking off on his own, the most angry he has ever been at Ichiji, and a little heartbroken too.

That's when he meets the salesman, and puts on the mask.

Ichiji finds him because, after cooling down, he thought about everything and went to look for Ace, to maybe try and talk things out, maybe tell Ace the truth about everything, instead he finds a black kitten.

Like in the movie, Ace keeps turning into a cat to finally see all that Ichiji is hiding from him, specially since things have become awkward with Ichiji (there's some self sabotage going on on Ichiji's side and well, Ace can't simply reveal whatever little he has learnt).

Also, we will only see the mask seller twice or thrice, when he gives the mask to Ace with the time limit warning, later when he reminds him of the deal and having suggested telling Ichiji the truth and ends up taking Ace's human face as a mask, and when the time limit comes.

Nyasha takes Ace's place, he's mad at Ace and has an argument with him when Ace goes after him to get his face back ("I'll make sure to make him happy! And if I have to become you to do so, then I will! I will succeed where you failed him!") but seeing Ichiji's (and honestly all of the siblings and Baratie's) sadness and desperation at Nyasha's disappearance shows him how loved and needed he is.

The turning point of the story comes with Ace's arrival to the Vinsmoke household, seeing how they live helps Ace understand the cause of Ichiji's reluctance and mixed signals to their relationship, as well as help him grow an appreciation to his own guardians (his dad and Raleigh, after all, they do try, you know?), however is around here when the mask seller reappears and takes his face, since Ace had the brief idea that he would only be able to be with and make Ichiji happy as Spade (until the full truth of it all finally comes out and he also grows that appreciation towards his dad and his dad's boyfriend).

With the arrival of the festival, he grows desperate and goes to the other place in search of the mask seller.

Nyasha also tells Ichiji the truth and with all the changes and everything, Ichiji hardens his resolve to fight for his relationship with Ace, so he insists on going to save him. Nyasha, ofc, agrees.

They finally catch up to each other and find the mask seller to settle everything, it seems like the mask seller will let them do as they please, but he takes Ace's mask and it disappears ("But you said you needed to be 'Spade' to make him happy, didn't you? I would never let you regret turning back into a human and losing everything you have with him, leaving him on his own in that awful, awful house") the mask is hidden somewhere in the tree of life and they need to find it, there are no hints to where it could be though.

They barely managed to find it on time, but Ace is still a bit hesitant, the mask seller and Nyasha's previous words did get to him, but Ichiji finally pours his heart out to him.

They finally return together with Nyasha and everyone celebrates together, both Nyasha's reappearance and Acechiji getting together (they will help them keep their relationship secret for as long as possible).

Niji is the least happy with their union, but that's just how he is with his siblings, the mother hen.

Finally, the moment Reiju turns 18, she moves out to a place nearby that Zeff helped her get, and she both studies and works part time at the Baratie, and proceedings begin. Having saved a lot of money (and with Zeff's support, again) she gets custody of her brothers and puts a restraining order on Judge, forcing him to move to another city.

Ace also starts bonding with his dads, specially because they found out about his relationship with Ichiji and not only helped keep it secret, but also helped Reiju settle and win the court cases. They become another safe heaven for the Vinsmoke siblings.

And everyone lived happily ever after.

The end.

Plus a little scene.

He wiggled, because he needed to. It was hot under the sweater and his face was smushed against Ichiji's chest; his hearing revealed the fast beating of the redhead's heart. So he either combusted or wiggled.

"Shh, keep still"

Ace was, once again, squished against Ichiji's body. Being hidden under Ichiji's sweater as he was, his vision was very limited, but, based on what he could make out with his hearing, they had entered a house.

"What were you doing out so late?" He heard Reiju ask.

"Homework"

"Get off his ass Reiju" he heard Yonji farther away "dad's not home tonight anyway, let the guy be"

Reiju sighed.

"And Sanji?"

"He's staying at Zeff's again" answered Niji "He should just stay there forever at this point"

"Don't say that" scolded Reiju.

"Why not?" Yonji again "He's happy there, if it were me I would take the opportunity to never return, would dad even care?"

"I don't think he would even notice" followed Niji. Someone snorted.

"So dad's not coming back tonight?"

Reiju answered "there was an accident in the lab with one of Caesar's projects so he's staying the night there to try and solve it, I doubt he'll be back tomorrow"

The sweater's zipper was pulled down to reveal a brightly lit and spacious living room. Yonji and Niji sat together on the longest sofa, notebooks open on the low table in front of them. Reiju stood behind with a mug in her hands. They all turned to Ichiji, who, firmly yet gently, held Ace in his arms.

"Oh, Ichiji, no" Reiju frowned with pity "you know dad won't allow it"

"Just for tonight"

"That's what you said last time" complained Niji, his frown mirroring Reiju's.

However, Yonji stood up, face bright, and walked to his older brother. Ace slapped the approaching hand.

Yonji cooed "So cute"

Ace purred at the feeling of Ichiji scratching the back of his ear, he looked up and found a very small smile on the redhead's face, softening his expression.

"He is, he's also very friendly"

Yonji nodded and tried to join in the scratching, but Ace caught the limb in his maw. Yonji laughed.

"Do you want to play?"

Niji groaned "Oh, come on, Yonji, don't add fuel, you know the cat can't stay"

"Maybe Zeff can take him in, at least, I want to make sure he finds a nice home"

"Zeff only took Nyasha in because we had no time to find another person to take him in and it was either that or dad would get rid of him on his own" said Reiju, leaving her mug on the low table.

"And because you literally cried and begged him for hours" added Niji.

"Sanji was the one crying" Ichiji defended himself.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night. The point is, Zeff won't take in another one of your cats, not even if you, Yonji, me, Reiju or even Sanji cry and beg, that old geezer's number one priority is his restaurant"

"And Sanji" Yonji jumped in.

"Don't interrupt me, moron. So I suggest you put that back where you found it"

Ichiji clicked his tongue "mind your own business, number two"

"O-Hey-"

Ichiji walked past everyone, ignoring their calls, and took Ace to his room.

#~Roger will forever double down in laughter at the fact that his two kids ended up with Vinsmokes~ #~Ace and Ichiji were a bit baffled at Sabo and Yonji getting together. Niji almost cried (declared the Gol Ds to be an enemy and danger to #but then Sanji got with Zoro and he almost fistfought the guy #Sabo and Ace are more decent options in his eyes)~ #~according to Niji #only Reiju had good taste in partners~ #one piece #vinsmoke ichiji #acechiji #one piece acechiji #op acechiji #portgas d ace x vinsmoke ichiji #portgas d ace #vinsmoke siblings #germa 66 #thats probably the first one piece story/au i finish #I can't promise a fic but I'll try #a whisker away au #as always zosan and yonbo (yonjixsabo) are a must for me as is lulaw but they won't be more than hinted at here #whether Reiju ends up with Tashigi or Perona is up to the reader #same with Niji ending up with anyone at all #tho I suggest Kiku and/or Yamato #but that ain't really that important for the fic so do as you please #I went with redhead Ichiji without thinking but Loopy's dark blonde Ichiji is the canon one for this au

[driftwithme]

That deleted scene between Chuck and Herc haunts me because that is the ThesisTM of Chuck as a character.

Let's see:

He feels he was not raised by a man, but by the machines he grew up around. I'd admit this one is more implicit, so let me explain. When Chuck says that Herc did not raised him to be anything, he then admits he spend more time around the machines than with Herc. Chuck doesn't even mentions anyone else human, not even the j-techs or other pilots. He goes to straight up mention the machines. Herc might have not raised him to be anything, but those machines thought him how to be a pilot.

He is perceived by other people as a great ranger but not a very good man. Which yeah, Chuck is great at his job, but what about his social life? We never see him around other people, talking or anything else. The movie makes a good point of separating him from the bunch in every scene. The only mention of him having a life is when he tells Raleigh that he wants to come back, but hold on, it takes us to another point.

When Herc asks him who is him and follows it by saying everybody knows he's a great ranger, Chuck asks his dad what else does Herc want him to be. He doesn't understand the question. He is doing what he is required to do, isn't it? So why is it not enough? At this point is obvious Chuck doesn't have an identity beyond being a jaeger pilot. That's not a job for him, that is his whole life, who he is, what he was raised to be. Is that the life he wants to return to? The life Chuck likes so much?

He tells Herc that the only reason they still talk if 'cause their drift compatibility and the fact they are good at smashing things. To me it sounded more like they are good at destroying, which could be a reference to how they constantly fail at mending their relationship. This means that the only meaningful connection he has is only there because of his job. And I'm not counting Max here, but it's all the same to say this man's alone in the world with only a dog for company.

When all is said and done, this scene was as an explanation for Chuck's death, narrative wise. He was no one without the kaiju war or the ranger job. He had no identity beside the identity of a soldier. Every other character's storyline has a figurative anchor, except of course the ones who died: The pilots of both Cherno and Crimson died with their family and jaegers, Pentecost trade places with G. Danger for them to survive and Chuck? Well, Chuck gave his anchor (Max) to his dad, so Herc would have something after he's gone.

The PPDC and Team Danger also work as an anchor for Herc, since he still had to be there until the mission was over. Hannibal Chau had an anchor (his business) and ended up surviving as well.

So I guess, in the sense that New was born to study monsters and fall in love with them, Chuck was fight in that war and made it his mission to end it. He doesn't survive because his arc in the story was over, solved, done.

That's the genius of the Hansen meeting deleted scene. It sets the tragedy to happen.

#pacific rim #pacrim #pacific rim 2013 #pacrim 2013 #chuck hansen #herc hansen #hercules hansen

[hoochieblues]

for the wip ask meme, please can i have as much as you feel comfortable sharing about 'funk hole' (an inherently funny combo of words, onomatopoetically speaking) or failing that the nanananana HANNIBAL (im assuming hummed to the batman theme tune)!

Thank you! You can have both! :D (oprahwinfreybees.gif )

Ngl, Funk Hole's title choice is like 50% 'oh this would be an attention grabber heh heh' but the phrase was also WW2-era slang, capitalising on the anger/fear that people were using country hotels or resort towns to hide out away from the bombardment and fighting ('funk hole' having originally been military slang for a dugout). The press really went after certain areas for this, including Torquay, where I lived for... like six months at one point, and distracted myself by reading a lot of local history. (side note: the majority of my family's from Kent/London, and when you listen to people's memories, or just look a map of V2 bomb sites, you can extra see why the idea that wealthier folks were just paying to avoid the reality of war generated so much rage.)

So, it's a queer romantic drama set in 1940s south Devon, in a (mostly) fictional quaint little country hotel run by an eccentric old lady, with help from her quiet, bookish nephew, a socialist conscientious objector saddled with the first name Raleigh. Poor bastard. Cue the cast of weirdoes living in the hotel - a mix of neurotic oddballs, well-heeled assholes, self-styled bohemians and Artsy(tm) types - until a new guest arrives: a recently disabled ex-pilot recovering from his injuries, his stay paid for by a wealthy relative.

You know where this is going. But I promise it's going to be an interesting or at least enjoyable journey. Probably. idk, this one's still largely notes on a proverbial napkin, but it's got all that good potential: the dissolving myth of 'England' in the post-Edwardian mess of the early-mid 20th century; the rapidly changing roles and boundaries of class, gender, and identity; hurt/comfort with graphic skin graft recovery (I read multiple books about Harold Gillies and now everyone else must suffer); characters forced to come to terms with lives and worlds irreparably changed by things beyond their control... and so forth. With luck, I might actually get to writing up the first draft later this year.

Aaaand then there's the Batman Hannibal AU, a concept which is largely @emungere's fault and that is the story I'm sticking to. It is entirely skates dangerously close to crackfic and is not to be taken at all seriously.

More beneath the cut if you dare.

Essentially, Hannibal is Alfred. Mischa is Batman, Chiyoh is Robin (kinda), and Commissioner Crawford has a perpetual headache. And Will Graham is... Dog...Man...?

The Lecter siblings coped with the death of their parents in different ways. Hannibal largely withdrew from society while Mischa secretly became The Bat, a vigilante who fights crime but does not kill, despite the fact that assholes are constantly breaking into Lecter Manor to rob/murder the city's wealthiest siblings. Fortunately, Hannibal's there to keep things neat and tidy... and cater spectacular menus for his beloved little sister's charity galas.

Things get complicated when Chiyoh lays a little too much smackdown on one of The Bat's enemies, and they bring him back to the estate to recover. This one's still in super early stages, but I cannot resist sharing the visual that would never ever leave my head. I'm sorry. Not very sorry, though.

________________________________

Shreds of moonlight glanced off the brickwork and made ghosts of the gasoline rainbows in the puddles underfoot. The alarm still blared in the distance, shrill and ignored. Wherever the figure had gone, they were trapped in the alleys now. No way out. Mischa stole forward, boots silent on the greasy asphalt.

Chiyoh sniffed. “Smells like wet dog.”

Mischa shot her a frown. Rain beaded the tight slick of Chiyoh's hair, as dark and smooth as her high-necked black suit. Behind the mask, her gaze stayed firm. Mischa felt her lips twitch.

“What d’you expect?” she murmured. “It’s rough out there.”

Chiyoh sighed and looked away. Movement deeper in the alley drew their attention, and they crept forward. Mischa drew breath to call out to the thief, but something shifted in the dark.

A dog ran out of the shadows, a scruffy white-and-brown little thing, barking and showing his teeth. He stopped a few feet from them, stubby legs planted determinedly square, and let out the squeaky small dog version of a baying howl, back end quivering with over-excitement.

“Buster!” A voice called from the depths of the alley. “Leave!”

The sound of scrabbling paws and footsteps filled up the dark, and a dog pack of varying shapes and sizes burst from the alley. If Mischa hadn’t known better, she’d have said the scruffy little dog looked almost smug. Beside her, Chiyoh reached for a blade, but her hand stopped at her utility belt as three of the larger dogs pushed forward, growling.

“I wouldn’t do that. They’re… protective.”

A figure all in black—black jeans, black sweater, black hat pulled low over unruly dark curls—melted from the shadows behind the dogs. A small blue backpack dangled from his fingers. The kind people who hiked a lot zipped their pets into so that Fido could carry his own snacks and water bottle. Each of the dogs had one, but something trailed from the unzipped backpack in the man’s hand. Even in the dim light of the alley, the strings of diamonds glittered.

“You’re kidding, right?” Chiyoh said, her tone flat. “The Westerley robbery. And you… put….”

She let out a long, weary breath. Mischa lifted her chin. The subway vent behind her hissed. Steam rose, turning white against the cold. It snaked around her ankles, climbing the sleek black of her cape. If he knew who she was, he didn’t seem to care, and that irked her. All of Gotham knew The Bat.

“Who the hell are you, anyway?” She glanced at the pack surrounding him, each with their own little harness stuffed with ill-gotten gains. Seven sets of jaws panted, each furnished with awfully white teeth. “Dog… Man…?”

He stepped forward and clipped the backpack onto Buster, who lifted each paw obediently in turn, never looking away from Mischa. When the guy straightened up, he didn’t meet her eyes, but he wore a hard, crumpled kind of smile.

“Funny. No. You can call me The Packmaster.”

“I don’t think so,” Chiyoh said.

Her hand moved in a blur. The blade flew, silver against the dark. Mischa caught her breath, and it was easy to fall into the rhythm of their training, to read Chiyoh’s body language as easily as her own heartbeat, and to know she was just as readily understood.

Together, no one would stand against them.

#my fic tag #why yes i did spill mischa x chiyoh all over my batman au. oh no the stain is permanent. so sad. #writing tag

[brujitaadinbo]

In order to close the segment of those small analyzes that I did, comparing some iconic couples for me, with that dynamic in their personal and sentimental relationships, a way of interacting similar to what they have been showing us with Din and Bo katan. I want to conclude with another couple of my favorites. Since I saw the movie, I knew they would end up together. And the chemistry in them was noticeable from the moment they met, acting only with verbal and visual interaction, at all times that physical and tacit attraction was noticeable; Just like what happened with Din and Bo but they want to continue denying it, of course, the cherry on the cake is not yet to come.

Mako and Raleigh from “Titans of the Pacific” played an excellent leading role in this film, they clearly worked very well together, their synchronicity was evident at all times and this completely helped so that together they could pilot the Jaeger, their level of compatibility, It was obvious, not just physical, their minds were connected… it was noticeable in their movements.

I love this parallelism to begin with because Din and Bo katan have that magic and that touch that is noticeable when they are together, you know that they are good companions, you can see the synchrony, respect and devotion. Both Mako and Raleigh and both Bo and Din have that very close interaction that it is not necessary for them to give each other affection in public so obviously or a cliche kiss… just one look is enough to understand them and to understand everything.

I continue with something that also seems nice to me; For example, the parallelism between Raleigh and Bo Katan, the connection between brothers, the bond so strong that that bond, when it goes through a difficult time, disappears from the physical plane, but it is still there. Raleigh takes the blame for a bad decision. Bo takes the blame for several bad decisions. Both a little bigger than their companions but with a giant and noble heart to protect them. With the wisdom to guide them in their own battles. Raleigh accompanies Mako in the Jaeger to save the world.

Bo Katan accompanies Din in the process of his redemption and to recover Mandalore and safeguard the galaxy. They are definitely the same in many ways.

Din has this very strong parallel with Mako because he is orphaned, just like her, in a traumatic moment for both of them. He because of the separatist droids, she because of the kaijus that invade the world. And they also share this same bond with someone who saves them at the last moment from a fatal destiny. Din is saved by a Mandalorian from the Death Guard… Mako is saved by the Marshal, thanks to his Jaeger, one of the first prototypes created to fight against the kaiju.

Din is adopted by these new people and their customs, he understands something elemental which is survival but he also clings to them and also develops respect for them and their beliefs despite whether he agrees or not. Mako is adopted by the Marshal and the entire military lifestyle that surrounds him, she appreciates this fact, she grows up with the intention of being a Jaeger pilot to honor her family, to destroy the kaijus and honor her master, she also develops respect for him and his decisions, despite sometimes not agreeing with him.

In addition to developing a certain interest in this new person they meet, wanting to protect them and also follow their path, definitely being too similar. I think Titans of the Pacific has a lot of Star Wars because it is as Filoni says, most of its stories focus on family and relationships. It is obvious that at the end of the day, many couples from cinema or TV, comics, literature, etc… coincide with this DinBo dynamic.

I hope you liked it, I will continue with other publications about this shipment and with a similar dynamic that I know you will like. This is the way

#the mandalorian #dinbo #star wars #bo katan kryze #din djarin #bo katan x din #din x bo #bokadin #this is the way #clandetres #pacific rim #mako x raleigh

[starthiief]

In Pacific Rim, Herc says (about his son, Chuck): “I never knew whether to give him a hug or a kick in the ass.” To which Raleigh says he knows which one Chuck needs. I know the common reading of the joke is that he’s implying it’s the latter (a kick in the ass). But I also think it’s kind of interesting to rewatch that scene and decide Raleigh means the former instead.

Throughout the movie, Chuck is the embodiment of toxic masculinity (struggling with communication, and looking down on those he sees as weak like Mako, even lacking empathy for the weak or those who have weak moments like Raleigh). On the other hand, Raleigh is a man who chooses empathy (particularly for Mako), is very in tune with his emotions, and quite forthcoming about his thoughts and feelings.

Narratively, the Hansens are a foil to the Becket brothers. Raleigh knows what it’s like to work and fight that closely with a family member, having them literally in his head just like the Hansens; both pilot duos are/were highly respected even, but where they differ is that the Becket brothers were clearly close to one another even outside of the jaeger as we see in Raleigh’s opening scene.

Meanwhile, the Hansens struggle to communicate and show their love for one other — it was very intentional (and canon) that both Chuck and Herc were only able to express their love via Max the Bulldog, telling him the things they wanted to tell one another but never comfortably could. With that in mind, I think it makes Chuck’s affection for Max hit harder — seeking the warmth his father didn’t give him.

And that’s exactly why Raleigh is salt in the wound, isn’t it? Chuck isn’t that much younger than him, and yet Herc is always so forthcoming about his respect and admiration for Raleigh — speaking highly of him out loud and in front of other people, something that Chuck always deeply yearned for (and why it meant so much that in their final moment together that Herc impresses upon Stacker that Chuck’s his son).

So, I think it’s far more interesting if, in that moment where Herc admits his shortcomings as a parent, Raleigh was implying that he knew Chuck was in desperate need of a hug from his father. It would fit the overall theme of “toxic masculinity hurts everyone” and I think would speak to Raleigh’s character that kind of takes the typical rough and tough alpha male and flips that trope on its head.

— though I do love that the joke is left open-ended and instead we see the Hansens have to come to their own conclusion at their own pace. And when Raleigh doles out the kick in the ass, well, what does that leave Herc to give his son?

#I've posted this elsewhere #but I want it here on this blog too. #pacific rim #sparrow posts

[atlasifyllm]

15 character questionz!!!

got tagged by @kudzucataclysm ! tysm

uhhh tagging @writing-is-a-martial-art @whileyoureinschoolidothisallday

doing this for ruby and cobalt, pretend this takes place at the beginning of arc 2

1 - Are you named after anyone?

Ruby: All of my family's names all have alliteration in them! I'm Ruby Raleigh, and both my moms have pretty alliterative names too!

Cobalt: I don't think so. It's just Cobalt Azure Zaffre. I don't really think I named Turquoise in any particular way; it just seemed like a suitable alias.

Ruby: ...You have a middle name???

Cobalt: ...Yes??

Ruby: ...Dude, NO one has a middle name!

Cobalt: Well I do. "Azure".

Ruby: But that's AZURE and you're BLUE??

Cobalt: Ruby. I have heterochromia. I'm BUILT DIFFERENT.

2 - When was the last time you cried?

Ruby: Pshh, when I was like, 5! I... accidentally crushed a caterpillar. :(

Cobalt: D-Don't ask.

3 - Do you have kids?

Ruby: HELL no. I'm fresh into tourney fighting! I don't have the time to take care of kids. ...Also I'm pretty bitchless.

Cobalt: ...No, but it'd be nice to have one. Someday.

4 - Do you use sarcasm?

Ruby: Only when someone is being a little BITCH. When they DESERVE IT.

Cobalt: It's a little hard to tell. I'm veryyy bad at making it obvious. So I don't really try too often.

5 - What's the first thing you notice about people?

Ruby: I AM the person you notice. NOTICE ME. PAY ATTENTION TO ME. I just like talkin' to people!!

Cobalt: Their eyes. I want to know what a person's intention's are first, before interacting with them. It's very difficult to be comfortable within crowds.

6 - What's your eye color?

Ruby: Azure blue! My soul color is red though, so my eyes glow red with strong emotion! Or Paladin powers. 'Cause that's a thing I have to handle now.

Cobalt: ...It's complicated.

Ruby: ...Why would it be complicated?

Cobalt: My eyes are naturally turquoise, but that's not my soul color. Sometimes they'll glow cyan, sometimes they glow blue. Sometimes they glow both. So in total, I can have four different eye colors.

Ruby: ...Your eyes are strobe lights.

7 - Scary movies or happy endings?

Ruby: I love scary movies! Me and Turqbalt used to watch horror movies together, but he'd get too scared. So I stopped.

Cobalt: ...What she said. Happy endings, please.

Ruby: He used to hide his face and cry into pillows during the scary moments!

Cobalt: ENOUGH.

8 - Any special talents?

Ruby: I love parkour! I'm already SUPER fast as a hare fighter, so doing parkour is my daily excersize!

Cobalt: I'm like a hueman freezer. My ice powers make my body naturally cold, so lots of my friends will just tell me to hold their drinks for them so they'll still be cold.

9 - Where were you born?

Ruby: Right here in Neocity! Born and raised!

Cobalt: It's one of the border cities between Celestia and the Hyperion Republic. We moved to Neocity when I was about 8.

10 - What are your hobbies?

Ruby: Music-making! I'm pretty good at guitar and ukelele, I have some experience in piano... me, Blaze, Rina, and Turq used to play gigs at the Silver Spade! We get free drinks there too! ...None of us are of age yet, so I typically just get coffee from there.

Cobalt: I collect knives and swords.

11 - Have you any pets?

Ruby: No :( Me and Jay are too lazy to cook, let alone own a pet.

Cobalt: he’s so cute it’s shiro my dog being such a cute baby prince 😍 he’s a samoyed!

12 - What sports do you/have you played?

Ruby: Track! Also, technically tourney fighting is a sport I guess?

Cobalt: Yeah, I'm not one for typical sports. Tourney fighting is a little more dramatic.

13 - How tall are you?

Ruby: 5'9!

Cobalt: 5'11.

Ruby: Jay, Blaze, and Tarum are all 6'0! Rose is 4'11 though.

Cobalt: Tiny hands... my only weakness.

14 - Favorite subject in school?

Ruby: I'm assuming we can't say "field training".

Cobalt: Yeah, no. Field training's basically tournament fighting beta.

Ruby: I'm not much of the school type. Cs get degrees! Hmm... Maybe art? I enjoy designing clothing for all my friends, and my moms are pretty supportive in all my creative endeavors!

Cobalt: ...Lunch I guess.

15 - Dream job?

Ruby: Tourney fighting, obviously!

Cobalt: Well, I thought it was tournament fighting. I think. But then I got my arm cut off, so I had to stop for a while. Lots of people can be mean to champion tournament fighters... I'm not sure if I should be coming back. Can I even come back? I mean, I lost a bit of my lightning powers... God, I wouldn't even know-

Ruby: AAAAND THATS ALL THE QUESTIONS WE HAVE FOR TODAY BYEEEE <3

#atlas speaks; #sul text; #honestly some parts im a little sketchy on but uh i can elaborate if needed lol #huemans are just very glowy guys

[tex-treasures]

Hello tex!!! I wanted to share some of my favorite moments from the novelization of Pacific.Rim. they are gold. I hope they make you giggle! (And also because its living in my head rent free and I need to show these to someone! And i trust u enough to Gush about it)

"You dont have a girlfriend" EXCUSE ME IM RIGHT HERE?????LEAVE MY FUNKY SCIENTIST BOYFRIEND ALONE. (Hes talking to my f/o Newt)

Ah Yes, herc, your ride. A gigantic fighter robot that runs on energy and the power of friendshipp/familial love. And also Chuck censoring his dad on accident. (They are talking about flare guns btw. In case you need to tag em)

THE FACT THAT BOTH OF THEM LOOK DOWN AS IF CONSIDERING TO JUMP FROM THE HEAD OF THEIR ROBOT. THEY ARE UNHINGED YOUR HONOR.

I know herc and Chuck are from Australia (down under) BUT THERES A DIFERENCE BETWEEN DOWN UNDER AND SIX FEET UNDER. (They dont jump. But the fact that they look down to measure how much distance there is is sending me)

"Riding a steam engine" 😭😭 CHUCK PLEASE. IT MAY BE AN OLDER ROBOT MODEL BUT CMON.

"Like the irritating cowboy he was"😭😭😭 I aspire to have Raleighs vibes (my Man Raleigh kicks ass. Love him sm)

"Tough old bastard" thats herc, alright. Though to be honest. He very well could if hes drunk enough. (Herc has unhinged vibes)

No comments. Just. "Slattern". Ah yes. The offical codename for the category five kaiju. Slattern. Tendo and stacker you beautiful bastards.

ALSO TENDOS FIRST ANSWER IS "bitch is big". Peak latino vibes (hes cannonically half peruvian/chinese).

AND THE WAY STACKER REACTS AFTER HEARING TENDO. Dad vibes.

"Slattern" is also used in the official report of the mission they were in. ITS IN AN OFFICIAL REPORT. the higher ups looking at the codenames are either unimpressed or deep exhausted sigh.

Anyway. Enjoy these extracts. The novel had me in tears (happy and sad). Have a good day!

--Jerico🌻

Howdy Howdy Jerico :D!!!

I had no idea they made a book?? I think it's so cool that they did and I love that you have this extra content for your F/Os :DD!!! These are all super fun!! I think it's very endearing how much you love these characters and I know 100% they love you too!! I'm honored you trust me to come gush to me, please remember my Ask box is always open!!

I hope you're able to imagine yourself as they do things in the book-- I like to rewrite scenes in a doc whenever I have book!F/Os, I definitely recommend doing the same if you ever feel inspired! Like yeah! You ARE Newt's gf!! You are there laughing with the boys and fighting kaiju!!!! You're there in every word!!!! You're making fun of Chuck and Herc (and maybe chastising them) for even considering jumping!! You're making fun of Slattern!! I love this for you!!!

I also hope you know that next time I watch this movie, I'll be thinking of you and putting you in every scene I see!! It was so sweet to read all your reactions to the different scenes- they indeed made me smile and giggle!! This book isn't complete without your s/I in it imo!!!

#tex answers #crowned scoundrel | jerico #gun mention tw #im so excited for you to have this book!! im so glad its bringing you joy!!!

[kh2prologue]

some wb roleswap doodles for fun and to get back into drawing these chars.  way too detailed explanation/notes under the cut

in general: juniper -> evelynn -> orion (-> juniper).  it’s obvious who switched with who based on their color schemes, since i swapped their general palettes as well for funsies. 

tldr: juniper is an acolyte; evelynn is a treasure hunter; orion is a blood mage.

for my roleswap, i kept their original personalities and families as intact as possible while swapping mostly their backstories, or at least how they arrive to their current roles.  as an example, juniper was still born to the same parents, but was not raised by them, growing up instead in the care of the church. her inability to perform magic alienates her from her peers, but not as severely as it did within the followers, so she is still loyal.

this led to some pretty big changes: one is that evelynn would actually be a “treasure hunter” and not a “scholar,” mainly because she’s just not the scholarly type.  she has a very similar vibe to original orion, but she’s genuinely interested in profit rather than learning.  on the other hand, innately powerful and dangerously curious orion flourishes as a follower, and the biggest difference between him and juniper is that he hasn’t left.  orion would be very, very good at blood magic, and his tension with the followers would be out of a desire to know the truth behind their benefactor rather than any sort of mistreatment.  (not that he’s particularly treated well, but he’s far more useful than juniper, and he’s treated as such.)

anyway i love this swap and i have a lot to say about it but notes about the designs:

i didn’t draw it, but jun still uses a sword to fight.  her connection with the goddess gives her deadly aim, and she’s well-versed in (strictly non-magical) healing despite her inability to cast.

juniper got the church’s silver jewelry, which suits her surprisingly well. she originally had a hairpiece, but it reminded me too much of cornelia, so...

i honestly wish i could do something more interesting for eve’s design... perhaps one day.  even so, evelynn’s design is the furthest from her original.  perhaps this is what evelynn would like to wear if she were less concerned about appearances.

evelynn’s medallion is a gift from her family, as was her original necklace.  but, i guess this fits less since her family is less proud of her... maybe she stole it from home :)

orion’s design is way less ornate? i suppose, compared to his original. i always forget that his original design is a “student” disguise because it just suits him so well... in any case, this orion is a man who very quickly set out traveling, sort of unexpectedly and in a bit of a rush to keep himself discrete. the clothes aren’t really his style, but they’re also NOT not something he’d wear... as i drew it, i got the thought the coat could be raleigh’s, which is cute.

of course orion would wear gloves in general, but i drew him without them to refer to how he’s embraced the followers as opposed to juniper.  in addition, it shows that he has an additional rune on his hand since he’s a caster.  him not wearing a high-collared shirt, too, is contrasted with juniper in this regard - he’s not extremely conscious about that rune either.

#doodle #here we go folks... hold on #oc posting #oc: evelynn #oc: orion #oc: juniper #i love this swap it makesmy brain go a million miles an hour. i have so much more to say but it doesnt refer to the picture or anything so. #anyway hi guys i love you i miss you i hvaent forgotten you . primise. PROMMY #proj: wb

[driftwithme]

The thing I love about the kwoon scene is that it is not a competition at all. Raleigh says it at the beginning: it is a dialogue.

Raleigh was not trying to swept the floor or show off. He even gets irritated by how Mako judges his performance in silence, maybe in behalf of the recruits she picked herself but now she seemed to disapprove, maybe cause Raleigh felt more than he saw that the whole judgment to his own performance was more like Mako projecting her frustration of no one being good enough to challenge Raleigh.

She knew how good she was and she was a bit bored of having to witness row after row of people failing. That is a ranger pride right there, not excessively overconfident, but the pride of a girl who had 51 simulations and the same number of virtual kills, okay?

Mako is a storm of her own. She's intelligent and analytical and she's not afraid to call out freaking legend Raleigh Becket. She would have fought Chuck herself if Raleigh hadn't srop her. She went into her jaeger debut with all the anger and preparation of a life seeking craving revenge and terminated two kaijus then, no mercy, the first double event ever. Mako's a woman who knows what she wants and goes for it and only askes Pentecost for permission out of respect. Sincere and direct and skilled, she is a handful disguised as a quiet well behaved young woman and that is what makes her match Raleigh.

The first time we saw Mako go all out, it was with Raleigh in the kwoon. He pressed all the right buttons in Pentecost and Mako to get her there! He knew! Raleigh is far from stupid and right from the start, he made Mako talk to him, evaluate her, all measure and plans so he could act accordingly when the moment came. And in the kwoon, during their silent dialogue, Mako win was as much hers as it was Raleighs. It was not a fight to prove who was stronger--- it was a fight to prove they, together, were a total show, precise, deadly, unstoppable.

In that moment, Raleigh was deciding if he could ever let anyone in again. All his trauma and hurt after Yancy, all his uncertainty and the destiny of the world, he allowed it to flow in there. If he won, it meant he was right and he couldn't let them in. It meant Yancy was the one and only, that there was no second chances, that he was beyond all of that to that point.

But Mako won.

She won her part of Raleigh's heart. Mako won the right to be his co-pilot by proving they were equals, by showing Raleigh she saw and knew him, that she was evaluating him too, that whatever Raleigh had with him that made him such a hell of a pilot, that one magic was in her too. Raleigh wanted to lose that game. He was betting on her. He was not alone. He was proud of her winning. It was all that he wanted. He claimed her his co-pilot because, after that, he has the right to do so and he wanted everyone to know it was her win and he wouldn't accept a no now. 'Cause she was his co-pilot now and there is nothing and I mean nothing Raleigh wouldn't do for his co-pilots.

It is not romance or friendship or family or any other typical tag one would apply to it. What Raleigh and Mako had back there, I can say it was human connection at its purest or maybe just the core of what it means to exist perfectly with another being. Total synchrony meaning I see you I know you I feel you I am you and you are me like nothing else.

If the depth of the bond means how good the pair fights, isn't it obvious that no one embodies the term drift compatible more than Mako and Raleigh?

The are the perfect match. Always.

#that's why I never get when people dislike the chuck x raleigh ship as if it takes away from the mako and raleigh relationship #there is no taking away anything from it!!!! #they could never see each other again and find romantic partners or a new job and live in opposite sides of the globe #and still they will always be connected they will always be mako and raleigh they will always be the best damn jaeger pilot duo!!!!! #their bonds is so deep it is never in danger of being replaced okay? #glad to make that clear #pacific rim #pacrim #pacific rim 2013 #pacrim 2013 #raleigh becket #mako mori

[purekesseltrash]

Chapter 12 of Bury Them Deep, the final chapter, is out!

Fave Excerpt:

Mezou jammed his hands inside of his coat pockets, unsure of what to say or even do besides grin like an idiot.  Tokoyami came to a stop finally and stared at Mezou, mouth open as if he was about to speak.  He gaped for a moment more before a distinctly annoyed look came across his features.  “Fuck,” he hissed, “I had a whole speech that I was thinking up on the way here and suddenly I have found my mind to be a blank slate.”

Mezou laughed, unable to help himself, “I don’t need speeches.”

Tokoyami stepped forward to grab at Mezou’s coat, his grip firm and his face honest, “You deserve them.  I fear I am an incurable romantic and this is simply how I function.  But my words have fled like cowards and the only part of the speech that I can remember is this, but it is the important part.  Let me take you on a date.  A real one.”

“I’d like that,” Mezou said softly.

Fun Facts:

- Hand to god, I had not decided on names for all of Shouji’s siblings until I had to write them.  Thank you, Japanese Name Generator.  Though Makoto is another Sailor Moon reference.  I also had not know that Shouji’s mom was where he got his artistic eye from, though I am glad for it.

- My favorite Hip song is ‘Lake Fever’ or ‘Scared’.  I thought that the lyric in Lake Fever was ‘You whispered Courage’ for the longest time, legitimately until I checked the lyrics to write the pivotal fucking scene only to find out that no, it was ‘hurry’.  It all worked out, thank GOD.

- IDK if anyone noticed, but I ship them as Tokoshouji, as opposed to Shoutoko.  I like the idea of Tokoyami being one taking the initiative better and it seems to fit his character anyway.  I don’t see this dynamic often and it drives me nuts because I could write an ESSAY on why it works so well.  Idk.

- Not even gonna lie, the last Mic segment made me cry.  It was like my final good bye to everyone reading, it’s personal.  And it’s basically me peeking out there, as opposed to just Mic.  For all of hockey’s shitty aspects, it’s the best game in the world.  I love it and I want it to be good and I will do what I can to make it be good.

More stuff under the read more about my future plans with this universe:

- So I have written a chapter and a half of an Erasermic prequel, basically telling the story of what happened when Shouta retired and ended up drugged to the gills and numb to the world at Hizashi’s doorstep, despite the two of them not having seen each other in legitimately over 10 years.

- I also have a side story of Kirishima and Bakugou, both with an idea of how they got together as well as what happens to them when they get to the NHL.  (Spoilers:  Kirishima does not have a good time as the first out and gay NHLer.  He basically gets buried in the minors despite being legitimately good.  Eventually he finally quits hockey way too young.  Bakugou meanwhile is a generational talent and is legit too good to bury in the minors.  When Kirishima retires, Bakugou flies to Tokoyami and Shouji’s house, where Kirishima is licking his wounds, and is like ‘Marry me.’  Kirishima tells him that he’s only going to say yes if Bakugou proposes with a Cup ring and Bakugou is like ‘Bet’.

- I also have one in mind on Ojiro and Shinsou.  They had an amicable breakup when they graduated, both understanding that the life of a hockey wife wasn’t gonna work for Ojiro.  Ojiro went on to meet a super cool alt girl through the info sec community and they got married and had a daughter.  They end up splitting up amicably when their daughter is around 7 and split custody without much of an issue.  Ojiro works remotely and lives in what is basically a lake cabin up in northern Minnesota.  He and Shinsou have kept in touch and when Shinsou finally retires, he comes to visit Ojiro.  The fic would go over them meeting up again.

- And then, of course, there’s Shouji and Tokoyami.

They get their shitty apartment in Atlanta.  Kenta helps them with the deposit and also goes with Shouji as he tries to find one.  Shouji ends up getting taken on by Orca, a buddy of Loder’s who generally doesn’t take Midwestern farm boys on as apprentices but he makes an exception, despite the fact that his work very afro centric.  Shouji is a nice guy though and a damned hard worker and has a good eye so Orca keeps him on for a long while.  Shouji still ends up picking up a bunch of odd jobs here and there, mostly grunt work like putting up drywall, but it gets him and Tokoyami through the absolute agony that is legal school.

Tokoyami goes into intellectual property law.  He knows how much work goes in to art and creative stuff and he wants to protect people like Shouji.  He ends up making a pretty nice living and they’re able to pay off the credit card debt that they accumulated during Tokoyami going through law school.  Shouji actually starts doing pretty well for himself too, mostly with his pottery but still with some sculpture.  Eventually Tokoyami proposes that they move to Raleigh, both because it makes sense for both of them and their jobs and well... because they have a hockey team.

Shouji never gave up hockey.  He had some years right after college where he did struggle to even look at his gear.  He had told his parents that he was gay and not going to the NHL over the phone as they were planning to come to his graduation, because he just couldn’t take them wasting money when he knew that they would never want to talk to him again.  Unfortunately, he was right.  Kenta still came to his graduation though and had two bullhorns that he slammed the entire time that Shouji was accepting his diploma.  He even brought Shouji his own pride flag and insisted on taking a picture with him holding it.  He posted the picture on his facebook with a very bold pronouncement that he was very proud of the first Shouji to get a college degree and how anyone that had a problem with his little brother could take it up with Kenta.  Still, Shouji went through some real mourning with the loss of his family and he took a small break.

But then he came back to it, once they started to get a little extra spending money.  He found a beer league group in Atlanta and started to really get back into the game, researching ways to improve in his downtime.  It got a little weird sometimes at the beer league games because sometimes Shouji would forget that he’d decided to wear eyeshadow or would forget that he had on entirely wrong undergarments but everyone accepts that goalies are weird so it was accepted.  Eventually he ends up having people ask him to coach for their kids, which he is loathe to do until Tokoyami points out that it’s better than Shouji do it, as someone who knows how damaging expectations and pressure can be, than anyone else.  So that becomes a little part time job of his.

Everything isn’t perfect for Shouji and Tokoyami.  Nothing is perfect.  Tokoyami is a borderline hoarder and Shouji can’t stand mess and that causes them to fight enough that they wisely seek counselling. But they’re happy.  Tokoyami eases up on the goth stuff and accepts his accent a bit more, though he still dresses in dark colors, especially for court.  Shouji actually gets to play around a little with the whole genderqueer thing and makes up for the time that he spent avoiding anything that would make him seem too gay.  And they still work really well together, becoming the pair that everyone from college kind of groans at, because they’re so ridiculously in love, but also envies.

They get season tickets to the Carolina Hurricaines.  You’ll see them with Tokoyami in a Devils jersey and Shouji with one of many from his massive collection.  Tokoyami will make comments here and there during the game, showing that he does actually listen when Shouji talks about goalie stuff and they only ever miss a game for gallery openings or work events.  Otherwise, they are there in their seats, holding hands and watching the game.

Feel free to ask me any questions!  I’m more than happy to talk about this, if you couldn’t tell.  (Also, I do have some half written smut so uh.... yeah.)

#btd #tokoshouji #shoutoko #shotoko #tokoshoji

[catboycafe]

I Will Now Express Every Thought I Have About Pacific Rim: The Black 

⚠️ spoilers for the whole thing baby

I actually forgot Pacific Rim: The Black was premiering today until I saw it in an article this morning! When I first heard about it months ago, I was decidedly not sold on a Pacific Rim anime. Uprising burnt me the fuck out and I don’t have a lot of trust left in me for new entries to the franchise. But I had heard rumblings of Raleigh and Herc being referenced after going into #pacificrim and I decided I may as well check out to see what was up! I binged it in 4 hours and it sure was a whirlwind, I’ll tell ya

The Plot

I really enjoy the setting and initial concept! We’re so use to seeing Kaiju/Jaegar shenanigans play out within these major cities with helpless civilians everywhere that spending so much time in a lonesome desert and these destroyed civilizations was really cool and indicative of the changes Pacific Rim has undergone in the last few years. I also looooved the Desert Settlement from the beginning!! It seemed really homey and picturesque; I wish we’d spent more time with the other survivors and got to see more of their day to day aside from farming and sitting. 

I also found the first episode set up to be really tight and well written! I was hooked during the initial flashback, Hayley and Taylor’s fight was really poignant and well acted, and the reveal of Atlas Destroyer felt really huge and epic!!

But once we left the Desert Settlement and the plot started actually moving along, the pacing becomes suuuper rough. We spent way too long in Bogan with Shane and Mei; there’s only 7 episodes and we spent, like, 3? 4? within the confines of that camp and I felt it weighed the plot down. Boy is introduced in the 2nd episode and, because the narrative spends so much time on Shane’s evil machinations and Mei’s back story, we still don’t know anything concrete about his origins or purpose 3 episodes later! That felt frustrating to me

The story beats overall were very predictable. I was able to pick up on Mei’s backstory via her dynamic with Shane in their introductions, so her memories felt too built up and too hollow once they were revealed. The same with the reveal of Boy’s Kaiju form; he was in a big green test tube in a PPDC base - I assumed immediately he was a part-kaiju experiment and again his reveal felt hollow, especially after the glacial pace of it’s development. 

Even when events weren’t predictable, they lacked weight. The appearance of several Kaiju Breaches in “Boneyard” felt very cheap for some reason; I wasn’t scared and I didn’t feel tense about these odds mounting against the protagonists. This was just happening and I was just watching. 

The Art Direction and Animation

I’m very obsessed with all the new Kaiju we got from this; I love how Copperhead is rendered, they’re a joy to see on screen!! The Rippers are also very cute and deserve little plushies...i love these neat little dogs. Boy’s Kaiju Form is very intimidating with an interesting color palette and I loved seeing him next to Copperhead’s highly saturated design!

That’s unfortunately all that I liked however; All the human character design is unmemorable to me. Every character looks exactly like another easily identifiable anime character from a different property (Hayley looks exactly like Zero Suit Samus to me, for example. And Mei kept reminding me of both Bernadetta Fire Emblem and Motoko Kusanagi from GitS. The list goes on). 

I can sort of understand why they’re so bland? A franchise going from Live Action to something as heavily stylized as anime is probably a really difficult transition and these designs are probably meant to be more lowkey than more unique anime designs in order to help that transition. But realistically stylized designs can still be recognizable and unique! These feel uninspired and bare bones.

 I have no problem with the switch to CGI animation that modern anime is doing because I know it’s a lot cheaper to produce and it can still be really unique and striking! But The Black’s model animation felt very stilted and inconsistent. I don’t have a lot of knowledge about animating so I don’t think I can accurately describe what I disliked? Wooden is probably the best term. Character movements felt wooden and things like hair and clothes felt plastic. 

Impacts also had very little weight. The fight between Tayler/Mei and Copperhead reminded me of when you’re in a dream and trying to punch something, but you can’t punch hard. It was simply too floaty and too soft. The final showdown in “Showdown” was better, but not by much. It was very immersion breaking seeing these Giant Robots and Giant Monsters unable to throw a real solid hit!

Characters

My favorite character was unequivocally Joel Wyrick. We love Joel Wyrick in this house! Joel’s character has real charisma and charm. I love his flirtations with Loa, how his cocky disposition is juxtaposed with his drinking problem and later insecurities over his lost memories, and his genuine kindness shown to Mei, Taylor, and Boy. No one ever plays with Boy, they just run after him and drag him around...but Joel has this moment in “Escape from Bogan” where he kneels down to Boy and helps him collect rocks. It was sweet!

So of course, when Joel dies for absolutely no reason 5 minutes later - pissed! I was pissed! I yelled “COME ON” aloud in my studio apartment! I was genuinely so excited to see him interact more with the rest of cast then, poof. No More Joel.

His death felt like it was for shock value to me rather than actual narrative development. Why kill him when we still don’t fully understand his and Mei’s relationship? Why were they so close? Were they childhood friends, or just coworkers that happen to become friends? Why did he specifically know all the details of Shane’s abuse towards Mei before she did? 

What did his death accomplish? It made Mei sad...ok? She was already...very sad. Her running away from Shane already had consequences - the consequences of Shane coming after them for revenge in the future. Why did Joel have to become a causality? 

His death is ultimately tied to Mei’s character arc which is, unfortunately, my least favorite :c I find Mei to be a really one dimensional character with a personality, backstory, outlook, and motivation that I’ve seen done a million times before with a million other characters. She feels very out of place in the franchise as a whole - Pacific Rim is, at it’s core, a story about connecting with others. Her self-centric arc and lack of desire to connect outside of drifting really alienates her from the story at large and it frustrates me how long The Black’s narrative spends on her. 

Hayley and Taylor were otherwise very interesting in the pilot episode, but become similarly one dimensional at the story chugs on. Taylor’s unflinching (bordering on unhealthy) faith in their parents was really interesting next to Hayley’s complete acceptance of their parents’ death. But once the two of them make up their differences, they lack an interesting dynamic and become very passive protagonists.

 Taylor especially has no personality - how would you describe Taylor? He’s...brave. He’s the older brother. He’s a leader? He’s nice? There is nothing noteworthy about him at all, which is sad considering I think he has the potential to be a really interesting way to explore the original movie’s influence on The Black’s story.

Hayley’s grief and self-blame are more interesting than Taylor’s...nothingness, but she still falls into this one-note trope of being the naive, excitable little sister. I guess I feel abnormally frustrated about this flat character writing because Pacific Rim’s incredibly unique cast has always been an inspiration to me! It feels sad that this new iteration into the series is full of what feel like stock characters. 

Then we get to Boy. How come Boy can’t have a person name? It’s specifically written in a dialogue between Taylor and Hayley: “I’m not going to call him Chad or Barnaby or one of those names for a baby brother you wanted as a kid,”

Why?

He’s by all accounts a human child when they find him. Yes, he was found in a big green test tube - but he walks and acts just like a human child. The only difference, seemingly, is that he is non-verbal and engages in strange/annoying behavior (running off, eating bugs, etc). So he isn’t deserving of a name?? I don’t know why that makes me so mad, it just does. it’s like they refuse to treat him as a human even before they find out he’s a Kaiju  - it’s super weird! How can the story sell me on the three of them becoming found family (like they’re seemingly trying to do) if the protagonists won’t even treat this kid like a kid??

Misc. Thoughts

The callbacks to Stacker, Herc, and Raleigh were cool! I also like that Herc is a major plot point! We love Herc Hanson and it’s what he deserves. I also find Loa’s connection to Horizon Bravo very interesting...and the fact we’re getting Kaiju cultist lore! Love that! Love that!

Fucked up that the only two dark skinned characters were: 1) removed from the story 10 minutes in with no call back yet, 2) Killed after having 1 line of dialogue and fridged for the character development of the blonde white girl. I really need to know what the deal with those 4 characters leaving in the beginning was about - I absolutely thought we’d see them again by now, but no dice

I don’t know how to feel about Ajax and have no clue what their purpose in the story is. They’re cool, but whats the point? 

If Mei and Taylor are paired up together romantically, I’m putting Craig Kyle and Greg Johnson in the time out box. Very tired of seeing random hetero romance B plots in stories that can’t even get their A plots together

Overall, it’s kind of subpar! It has the foundations of a really interesting story, but the pacing and characters really took me out of it. I’m interested in Season 2! I know season 2 is already ordered and I’d love to see how things continue to develop, see if the character writing gets any better - but I’m not too hopeful unfortunately. I really really love Pacific Rim after all these years and I’m happy to still be getting content and world building! There’s just sooo much I would change about this however. At least fanfiction’s free! 

Thanks for reading all this, I have ADHD and just go on and on if u let me. hmu if You Too have thoughts about Pacific Rim: The Black and have no one to talk abt them with

#pacific rim #pacific rim: the black #pacific rim the black #taylor travis #hayley travis #long post #sorry this is thousands of words. i contain multitudes

[brywrites]

Flight Risk VIII

Summary: An answer to the age old CM question, “who’s flying the plane?” And the story of a pilot and a profiler. Part V: In which a profiler and the stars have something in common, and a pilot has a decision to make.

(Series Masterlist) ( Previous |  Next )

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All Saturday, Reid struggles to focus. It is the fault of one particular pilot, who has suddenly taken up much of the space in his mind. He loses his place in his books. He forgets about the leftovers he’s put in the microwave so long they get cold. He doesn’t realize he has neglected to put sugar in his coffee until he brings it to his lips and tastes the bitterness. And how can he think straight when he keeps replaying memories of the night before? When he asked to talk, Y/N didn’t even hesitate. She listened to him. She comforted him. She even shared part of her own heart with him. With her, he forgot about the case and the fight with JJ and all of his doubts. With Y/N he could just be himself.

And he hasn’t stopped thinking of the couch in her apartment. Where he shifted his fingers ever so slightly to touch hers. Touch isn’t easy for him, but it is a commonly accepted manner of expressing comfort or gratitude. He felt both of those things with her. And he had wanted her to feel them too. So he let his hand rest on hers. It took him by surprise when she rested her head on his shoulder, but he was even more surprised to discover he very much liked the sensation. So he put his head on her own and everything in the world was quiet and perfect and right.

Some time later, as Audrey Hepburn was singing “La Vie en Rose” for Humphrey Bogart on the television in front of them, he realized she had fallen asleep on his shoulder. With one hand he had grabbed for the remote, trying to remain still, in order to turn the volume down, so as not to wake her. Amelia, Y/N’s golden tabby cat had walked into the room at stared at him with big green eyes, as if quietly judging him. What are you going to do? she seemed to ask him.

And what was he going to do? Reid hadn’t been sure, not until Y/N shifted. In her sleep, she wrapped an arm around his waist. His heart thudded in his ears. Y/N had buried her face into his sweater and smiled. Smiled. As if simply being close to him made her happy. And oh what it did to his heart to think of that.

Reid had realized her found her attractive in a uniform, but looking at her now, she was utterly adorable. Her breath soft, her heart so fast and fluttering. Like a bird. There was still time now. He could nudge her gently and wake her up. He could leave the apartment. Leave her. End the moment before it could begin. There were things he was not allowed to feel. Things he was not allowed to do. But in spite of himself, he put his arm around her and lay his head back on hers. Falling into place. Like a puzzle, the pieces fitting just right. It felt so right to be by her side. And so he let himself fall asleep, too.

It is the memory of drifting into dreams with the feeling of her body against his own that continues to follow him long after they have parted ways. The smell of her shampoo. The soft smile on her face. He doesn’t want to ever forget it.

The days that follow are both slow and busy. They’re swamped with paperwork and consults, but there aren’t any cases out of state. Which means that he doesn’t see Y/N for two weeks, having no reason to be on a plane and no time to meet her outside of work. They text when they can, but it’s not the same. He replays that night. The starlight reflecting in her eyes in the car as she drove. The soft noise of the television. Audrey Hepburn singing that song again, slowly. Humphrey Bogart staring at her, saying, “Suppose I asked you to – well I suppose I’m just talking nonsense.” And he supposes that it will have to be enough, this memory.  

When they finally meet again, it’s in the Quantico hangar, preparing for a case in Minnesota. She’s re-reading Peter Pan and it pulls at some spot in his heart to remember the day he first met her.

“Well hello, stranger,” she teases.

“I’m sorry it’s been so long,” he says, sitting down next to her on the bench. “But it’s good to see you again. I missed you.” What an understatement that is.

“I missed you, too.” She puts a bookmark in the book and sets it aside. “Not to worry though, I stayed busy. Yeeqin and I had our friends over, I got through two new books, and I even found my way to one of the famed BAU Girls’ Nights.”

“Oh did you now?” he asks. He’s not sure if famous is the right word – infamous, perhaps. Girls’ Nights are known for raucous laughter, magnificent hangovers, and all the secrets he doesn’t want to know. “How was that?”

“It was actually really fun,” she laughs. “I definitely was not prepared for the amount of alcohol that would be consumed. But Garcia and Kate and JJ are so much fun, and they were so welcoming! There were some fascinating facts exchanged, but I was sworn to secrecy.”

“Even with me?” he asks. And it’s true, most of the time he doesn’t want to know what happens. But that Y/N was there. And he can’t help but wonder if she heard anything about him. If she said anything about him.

“Oh, especially with you,” she says. She looks up at him with a sly smile on her face. “You make it too easy to spill my soul to you. Besides, I’m sure you could profile most of my secrets anyways.”

Reid knows the feeling. He’d tell her anything at all if she asked him. If he thought it would make her stay a little while longer talking with him or make her laugh or earn him a smile that dances across her beautiful lips. The lips he reminds himself he isn’t supposed to be staring at right now. He just can’t help it. Pretty girls have always had a knack for making a flustered mess of him, but she has a special talent for devastating him. Y/N is more than just a pretty face – she makes him feel lighter, unburdened by all the knowledge that he finally seems to find a use for when she asks him questions or wants new book recommendations. She reassures him. She trusts him. Bit by bit he’s come to know her mind and her heart and the places she calls home. And he can’t help but want to make himself at home in the warm feeling that washes over him each time she says his name or glances his way.

“What if I tell you one first?” he asks.

“Perhaps a deal could be arranged. It depends on the secret.”

A thousand response he can never voice aloud whiz through his mind. Feelings he doesn’t want to even acknowledge to himself. After a moment of forcing them down, reminding himself that he can’t say them, that she can never know because she’ll never look at him the same way again if he tells her what he feels, he offers, “I’m absolutely terrified of the dark.”

Nodding, she pretends to weigh the value of his words. “An interesting discovery,” she says. “But I don’t know if it’s quite on the proper level of secrets. However, I’m willing to let you think on it and give it another try later.” She winks and his heart skips a beat. “I’ve got to get ready for takeoff. See you soon, Doctor.” As she walks away, she touches his shoulder for just a moment and he thinks his heart might stop entirely.

The flight to Raleigh is brief and easy. They immediately get to work on the profile of a sexually sadistic killer. He most certainly has a pattern. Young professional women, all abducted at or near their workplace. All in broad daylight. And all killed within four hours from the time of abduction. This unsub has no use for them alive. It’s the act of taking their life that gets him off, of possessing every part of them. And he has a type. Staring at the bulletin board of pictures – workplace headshots, family photos, social media selfies – Reid swallows hard as he realizes every one of them looks vaguely familiar. Their hair is of slightly lengths and their facial features have some variation, but they all look as if they could be sisters, cousins at the very least. And if you put Y/N’s photo up, she would fit right in.

The realizing makes him want to pull his phone out on the spot and call her to make sure she got to the hotel safely after leaving the airport. Why don’t they travel together? Why are the pilots always separate? He needs to know they’re safe. He needs to know that she’s safe. His fingers find their way into his pocket. They wrap around the hard metal of his phone. The faces on the board stare back at him. It’s not his job to keep her safe. It’s his job to find out what happened to these women. Reid lets go. Takes a breath. And gets back to work.

Still, it is an immense relief when he walks into the hotel lobby and sees her. Y/N is sitting a table with Captain Dobson. His first instinct is to walk over and greet them both, but he falters when he realizes that the conversation they appear to be having isn’t quite so friendly. Y/N is leaning in while Dobson holds his ground. Her expression appears almost pained, his is firm but frustrated. Little adjustments in their body language betray tension that their hushed voices do not convey. Y/N says something. Dobson sets his jaw and replies. Her brow furrows and her lip curls. The next thing he knows, she’s standing up and storming away. Dobson stares after her, quietly exasperated. Then, he turns and spots Reid. Sighs. As though resigning himself to some sort of defeat. As though whatever just transpired is the doctor’s fault somehow.

Reid shifts uncomfortably under his gaze before hurrying after Y/N. The doors of the elevator she’s just stepped into are about to close but he manages to throw his hand between them just in time to stop them. The ding of silver panels sliding open once more startle her, and she looks at him with wide, unreadable eyes.

“Hi,” he breathes. “Mind if I join you?”

She shrugs. He decides it’s as good an invitation as any and steps in. “What floor?” she asks.

“Whichever one you’re going to,” he replies. They ride up in silence. When they reach the fifth floor he follows her down the hall to her room. The door clicks with the swipe of her plastic keycard and she lets him inside to a hotel room that looks and feels like so many he has been in before. Neat and organized. Nice enough to be appealing but never cozy enough to feel like home. A distinctly, albeit neutrally decorated, liminal space. White blankets and pillows that would get dirty too fast at home. A single framed painting that neither offends nor inspires. A place that lets you pretend you’re anywhere in the world, just not in a place of your own.

It is in this liminal space that she tosses the keycard on the counter and sits down with a huff on the corner of the bed with too-white blankets. There’s only one bed and not knowing quite what to do, Reid stands awkwardly before her.

“I’m guessing you saw me talking to Arthur.”

“I did. Is everything okay? You two looked… tense. And you don’t usually.”

Y/N shrugs out of her blazer and undoes her tie, quickly pulling it off and tossing it onto the bed beside her. Reid bites his lip and tries to maintain a straight face. There’s something about the uniform that still gets to him but he knows that she’s upset. He’s never seen her like this before – usually so cheerful and calm.

“Flying has always been my first love,” she says. “Like I told you – it’s all I ever really wanted to do. And no matter what else has changed in my life, it’s remained the one thing I love more than anything. I’ve worked so hard for this job, and I’ve set goals, and I’ve had dreams to keep moving forward. And I thought that’s all I wanted but now I just don’t know.”

“What’s changed?”

“You know the IRT?” she asks.

“The International Response Team? Yeah, that’s Jack Garrett’s unit.”

“Well as the name suggests they travel a lot. But you already know that, of course. You know everything,” she laughs, but the sound is mirthless. “And they have a really nice plane. A custom made C-17. Her name is Betsy. The captain of said plane is retiring. And neither of the first officers have enough hours logged for a promotion. So the Bureau has offered it to me.”

“To you?” Is that why Dobson was upset? Was he sad to see his co-pilot leaving already? It’s clear they trust each other, and he knows it stings each time he loses a colleague.

She nods. “There’s some command training I’d need to complete, and a simulator of course. Train with the captain before she retires. But I’ve flown commercial liners and planes of that size before. I’ve done long flights. And I’ve had all the other qualifications for a while.”

“But – but you just got here,” he says. It hasn’t even been a full year since she started flying for the BAU. It’s too soon.

“I know.” She sighs. “Arthur wants me to take the promotion. That’s why we were arguing.” The opposite then. He completely misread the situation. But if they disagreed and the Captain wanted her to take it that means ­–

“You don’t want to?” he asks. She looks down at her hands and Reid sits beside her on the bed.

“I should take it,” she says. “It’s what I wanted. I’d be a captain. I’d be traveling all over the world in an incredible aircraft. It’d be more time in the sky. More adventures. A chance to advance in my field. All the things I want. Arthur knows that. And he wants to see me succeed, I know that. I just…” Y/N blinks, the words caught in her throat. “I guess I’m just not sure if that is the most important thing to me anymore. And if it’s not, what does that mean?”

The air in the room shifts, as though the atmosphere itself can sense that this is dangerous territory. There are questions that, once asked, can’t be taken back. There are terrifying, reckless wishes. And against his better judgement, he asks, “Like what?”

“Like… like finding someone who makes me happy. Someone I really care about.” She turns to him and that look in her eyes is electricity. Everything hits him all at once, like lightning. It takes his breath away for a moment as things he’s been trying not to pay attention to all come to the forefront of his mind. “Like you,” she whispers. He wets his lips, and for a split second her confidence falters. “I mean, you feel it too, right?”

“I thought it was just me,” he says quietly. All this time he’d convinced himself this feeling, this quiet but consuming affection he harbored for her, was unrequited. It couldn’t be requited.

The short laugh she gives actually sounds like a laugh this time. “Spencer, come on. I’ve been falling for you for a while. Why do you think I’m always waiting earlier than I need to be at the hangar? Or breaking Arthur’s rules to spend more time with you? Why do you think it’s so easy for me to tell you things?” Her hand comes to rest over his. “You make it all so easy. It doesn’t even feel like falling with you. Just floating.”

This is everything he’s wanted to hear. This is everything he hoped he never would. His heart is soaring. His heart is aching. He needs to say something.

“You shouldn’t make this decision based on me,” is all he manages.

“I know,” she says. “I’m not foolish. But I mean it’s not just about you, there’s a lot of other reasons I think I might want to s-”

“No,” he interrupts. “I mean, I shouldn’t even be a factor in how you make this decision.”

“What?” Her eyebrows knit together in confusion as she stares at him. It’s so hard to get the words out when she looks at him like that. But the photos on the board flash in his mind and he knows he has to.

“Y/N, I care about you a great deal. More than ever I planned to. More than I know what to do with. I want you to know that,” he says. His fingers interlace with hers. He’ll allow himself this small moment to be close to her. He’ll break the rules before he forces his heart back into line. “But I can’t – I can’t be with you in the way that you want.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You asked me to tell you a secret,” he says. “My girlfriend, the one who died? I know that the only reason she’s not alive anymore is because I loved her.” Y/N just continues to stare at him, as if she is trying to look straight through him. “She didn’t just die. She was murdered. She was murdered in front of me by an unsub, a stalker who became obsessed with her and then with me. If you ask anyone on my team, they’ll tell you that the unsub did what she did for a million different reasons – because of trauma, jealousy, mental illness, an environment of pressure created by the presence of armed agents, a miscalculation. But I know. I know that the reason why she killed Maeve is because I loved her.”

Y/N’s mouth has fallen open but no words come out.

“The people I love get hurt. And you can say that it’s just a pattern or an overreaction, but I know it’s not. My mother got sick. My friend was stabbed. My mentor’s partner was killed. Hotch’s lost his wife to an unsub. JJ was tortured. I’ve watched more friends than I thought I would leave this job for one reason or another, but always because something hurt them in a way that couldn’t be fixed. Statistically speaking, the odds aren’t good for anyone I care about.”

She looks back down at the carpeted floor. He can see the saltwater rising in her eyes and the knowledge that he is hurting her just by saying this is enough to make him wish he could take it all back. He wants to promise her that he’ll make sure it’s different with her. Wants to tell her that he’s been falling hopelessly for her since that day in Nebraska when he went to apologize to her and that her smile and the simple beauty of her jacket falling off her shoulder in the rain made him lose all sense of direction for two whole blocks. Tell her how he can’t stop thinking about the moment she fell asleep beside him on the couch or how he almost said I love you the next morning when she dropped him off outside his apartment before he caught himself.

But Reid can’t take it back. And he’s learned his lesson. In this life, he can’t let himself be happy, not like that. Anytime he gets too close to someone, cares too much, something awful happens. The only way to keep them safe is to keep them at a distance. Keep himself lonely.

“This job is dangerous,” he tells her. “And I’ve seen it take too many people away. I don’t want to be the reason it takes you, too. You should have a future. A bright one. A beautiful one.”

“What if I want one with you?” she asks.

Reid shakes his head, wearing a rueful smile. “I’m not worth it. You have a dream, Y/N. You should follow it. I’ve never met someone with so much passion for their job. I can see the way your eyes light up when you talk about flying. It makes you so happy.” Her joy in those moments is contagious. “I want you to be happy. Which is why I can’t be anything other than your friend.”

“Why are you telling me this now?”

He winces at the bitterness in her voice. “Because I never imagined that you’d feel the same way.” Looking back now, he should have seen it. But all those little signs he managed to convince himself were only the markers of a close friendship, of a kind person. Because it would have hurt more to admit to himself that the person he couldn’t have wanted him too. It was easier to believe that he could love someone safely out of his reach. “I’m sorry.”

“What happens now?” she asks him. They sit there on the bed in a discomfortingly comfortable room, hands barely brushing.

“I don’t know,” he admits. “But I think you have a big decision to make. And I think maybe Arthur is right. I don’t want you to leave. But I don’t think you should stay if it means passing up the job of your dreams.”

She pulls her hand away from his. He immediately feels the sting of absence as she inhales slowly. “Yeah. You’re right. I, um… I need some time to think about this. Alone.”

The word is the sound of a closing door. It aches. But he knows it’s better this way. He can’t ask her to give up everything she’s worked for for him. For someone who might cost her everything.

“I understand,” he says. Reid stands slowly from the bed. He walks across the room. With his hand on the doorknob, he turns back for one last glance at Y/N. At his pilot. And then he steps back into the hallway, the automatic lock clicking behind him. Reid stands there in the hall, feeling completely unmoored. He thinks of the Amelia the cat staring at him with those wide green eyes. Of Humphrey Bogart in that car on the television screen, supposing that everything could be different with the girl he loved if he were not himself. And of Y/N, driving through DC under the stars. She knows so many of them by heart having used those points of light to guide her course before. It’s some kind of magic, what she can do, soaring above the earth like that.

And he thinks then of Peter Pan, the book sitting in her bag, and a particular line J.M. Barrie wrote so long ago. Stars are beautiful, but they may not take part in anything, the must just look on forever. Y/N is a plane twinkling in the night. A bird, soaring to impossible heights. But all he can do is look on. Loving her from afar. Forever, if he must.

#fanfiction #criminal minds fanfiction #spencer reid #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid x reader #reid x reader #flight risk #brywrites

[the-lightning-strikes-again]

Personal Thoughts on Pacific Rim: The Black (2021)

I watched season 1 of Pacific Rim: The Black, which released to Netflix on March 4! I’ll admit I wasn’t expecting much, after disappointments with the movie sequel. But the Pacific Rim franchise means a lot to me, so I wanted to give it a try. I’m very pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this new show and connected with it in various ways. And given how wild my own life has been lately, it was really nice to get lost in something that validated the importance of different kinds of connections, and to not close down when the going gets tough or hard to explain.

PRTB is a pretty emotional, angsty story, and it’s not afraid to explore that over the full 7 episodes. The stakes are high, involving the loss of friends and family. So the characters have a real investment in what they’re doing and why they’re fighting.

The grittier tone of the show is a deviation from the movies, which maybe some people would like or dislike more. I think the seriousness helps to balance out having (yet again) inexperienced teenage protagonists. But the show does still get some fun scenes and quips in, and our main jaeger has a snarky AI who provides both humor and critical thinking checks for our protagonists, which is nice.

I liked the 2013 movie because it showed all of humanity coming together to fight a common enemy. Here, there’s enemies and allies on both sides of the Kaiju war, and even some who are in-between. This is a stronger nod to reality while decreasing the fun fantasy violence of the 2013 film. I don’t think this is inherently a bad thing for this series to do, because a series has a lot more space/time to fill than a movie, and even the 2013 film showed that there were significant cracks in the so-called “unity” that the Pacific Rim universe outwardly celebrated. In the midst of the 2013 movie’s talk about countries setting aside old rivalries, we still had politicians who didn’t care, criminals capitalizing off pseudoscience and unsanctioned nuclear weapons deals, religious sectors rising up to worship the title enemy, people being forced into dangerous jobs to keep from starving to death, the rich and powerful experiencing minimal lifestyle impact vs. poor people being abandoned to die or surviving through precarious means, and even toxic hero worship and intriguingly, the glorification of violence for entertainment and toy sales. So in this new show, we’re really seeing the movie’s cracks expanded and focused on. It’s even more front and center, given that the rest of humanity sees Australia as a lost battlefront and has deemed so many left behind as worth less than the effort it’d take to rescue them. So maybe a part of me misses the cool concept of human unity from the first movie, but even that movie was trying to tell people that unity is an illusion. Here, it’s just so front and center that it can’t be ignored in favor of robot fights, and I actually liked that immediate boldness.

(review continued under the cut)

Some of the details feel AU or divergent from what I remember of the movies, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing to me, so long as the show itself can be internally consistent. Transformers franchise spent forever trying to created an aligned continuity to no avail, so it’s not a detraction for me if Pacific Rim franchise wants to just flail in its own playground too.

The animation style grew on me as time passed, as it worked well for animating jaegers and Kaiju even if humans seem a bit stilted. It better captured a sense of scale compared to the sequel film, and the jaegers felt actually integrated in the animated physical space (something I really struggled with in Uprising). The sense of scale is not as good as the 2013 film. But then this show has a significantly lower budget and is a very different medium, so it was easy enough for me to accept it for what it is and to be glad that we got anything halfway decent, really.

The pacing could have been better across the different points of conflict, but honestly if no adult questioned or tried to undercut a couple of teenagers piloting the last active jaeger on an entire continent, that would have felt even more jarring and unbelievable to me.

I think Pacific Rim as a franchise has never been about reinventing the wheel when it comes to characters. But I was definitely interested in the topical similarities between the movie’s Mako Mori and the show’s Hayley Travis. They both do things in want to help/prove themselves, which results in an incredible backlash that they have to emotionally work through and overcome. In comparison, Raleigh Becket and Taylor Travis are both fairly static supporters, but when their hope drops out, it’s Mako and Hayley who kick in with other options, more energy. If we get a season 2, I’d be curious to see how the show further differentiates and humanizes these new characters. 

The 2013 movie had main characters who were very significantly traumatized. So having protagonists in the show who are very significantly traumatized as well didn’t feel like a distraction to me but instead just a nod to the franchise and how it’s closely tied with struggles to obtain mental health and connection. I’d be more worried if the teenage protagonists were people who consistently don’t think of consequences or who don’t take an apocalypse or immense power from a jaeger seriously...

PRTB definitely earned its TV-14 rating. It can be gritty and dark at times, but coming out of several TV-MA shows, the way it’s visibly handled on the human side is a nice break and sometimes even more emotionally effective than if extremely gory scenes were shown. I’m a little hesitant to get too emotionally attached to any character for future seasons, though, given this rating.

Some scenes were more personally engaging to me than others, but I’ve watched several shows lately where I couldn’t stand to actually finish them or was checking to see how much more time was left. With PRTB, I kept wanting to see what happened next, and time really flew by with some episodes.

The Kaiju shown are incredibly diverse, with some really cool designs. There’s something in here I’ve been wanting to write a fic about/daydreaming about since 2013 and this show actually does the thing in its own way, so I was personally excited about that.

If this show gets a season 2, I’d love to see our protagonists meeting up with more people from all walks of life and exploring various ways people have survived and maintained or redefined a culture in this post-apocalyptic world.

There’s an element of “connective regret” in this show that really personally spoke to me, given that I’ve lost a lot of people in real life suddenly. Like, you assume people will always be there until suddenly they aren’t, and that fact of life can really destabilize a family or found family. This show doesn’t shy away from trying to validate that stress, or from validating how important healthy connections still are in the face of loss or decoupling from other toxic relationships.

Mental health relapses, trust issues, and survivor’s guilt are also a thing in this show, which I found really interesting, and that was something we really only had time to see in small measure in the 2013 film.

I still have some worldbuilding questions, but honestly I clicked on this show hoping for a good time to lose myself in—and I feel like I received that in this season. So I ended the show feeling like, actually excited to talk about it with other people.

There’s plot twists and characters I want to flail about so bad, but that would involve dropping very significant spoilers here, so maybe I better hold off for now. 

But yeah, if anyone else watches this show, please feel free to reach out and flail with me about it!

#Pacific Rim #Pacific Rim: The Black #PRTB #Lightning rambles #I ended up watching the season twice in one day lol #No regrets #whoever said this show feels like Mad Max meets Godzilla #it does feel that way sometimes LOL

[thatesqcrush]

The Secret

Rafael Barba x Reader. 

CW: language, some suggestive language, some angst, tooth rotting fluff.

Prompts filled: “Hey if your inspired could you do prompt 26. "Do you think they can hear us through the tent?” “Yes we can.” With Barba and a new detective? Maybe the squad went on a camping trip? If you don’t have time then no worries!” @bre160997 plus “Hi, hun! If it's okay, could I request prompt 12 + 29 from the Lyric Starters? Maybe a fight with Barba in front of the SUV or something, I'm really just craving for angst from @i-t-s-a-n-d-y & finally, from @thefanficfaerie Dr. Who Challenge: “Then you stole me. And I stole you… What made you think I had any intention of ever giving you back.”

WC: 2118

--

“Did you hear? We are going to do some team building exercise this weekend?” Amanda groaned as you entered the locker room.

“What? No. I was going through a case file all afternoon with Barba.” You replied, as you gathered your belongings.

“Barba and Y/N sitting in a tree… k-i-s-s-i-n-g.” Amanda sang, which garnered a glare from you.

“Oh stop it!” You threw your jacket at Amanda who caught it. “It’s not like that.”

Amanda cocked her brow at you. You sighed, defeated. “Okay, it’s like that. But please don’t say anything to Olivia. Barba and I haven’t made it official. He keeps stalling. And there is a ton of disclosure paperwork that needs to be completed.”

“I’m aware – you forget Sonny and I…” Amanda wiggled her left hand at you. You rolled your eyes.

“I know – but it’s different. You and Carisi had a long history together. You each had rank. I’m the newbie.”

“And Barba is the hand that rocks the cradle.” Amanda snickered. “Why do you think he keeps stalling? It’s been six months.”

You grabbed your jacket from Amanda. “So what exactly is this team building exercise?” You asked, ignoring her question. 

Truth be told, you were terrified as to why Rafael kept stalling.

--

“What the hell is this place?” You wondered out loud, as you stepped out of the SUV.

“Welcome to Bear Mountain!” Sonny replied, slapping his hand on your back. He walked past you and you watched as the rest of the team climbed out of the car.

“Fresh mountain air, private trails, a clean creek. We’re going to have ourselves a true mountain adventure and take to the wildness.” Oliva replied.

A woman with wild hair and a hippie dippy dress approached. She had a wide , friendly smile. “Are you the police group from NYC? SVU?”

Olivia nodded.

“Welcome, welcome! I’m Teres, and I am the owner of these grounds. “ Teres clapped her hands and the bangle bracelets she wore clinked together.

Sonny raised his brow and Amanda jabbed him in the ribs.

“These grounds are actually behind my family’s orchard and farm. We have tents set up for you all, but there is also a micro-cabin with a fully functioning bathroom and shower. While it seems like you have left the world behind, we are 10 minutes from the local grocer, diner, deli and pizza place. Barton’s Orchard is also a 15 minute drive. Tymor Park is 2 miles down the road. There you will find a swimming pool, more hiking trails, a lake for boating, volleyball courts and more.” Teres continued. “Is everyone here?”

Olivia looked around. “We’re waiting for one more.”

You turned to Liv. “Who else is coming?”

“Barba.” Olivia replied. “Thank you for having us, Teres.”

Amanda looked over at you and winked.

--

“The purpose of this weekend is to bring the team together. Now that we have Kat…” Olivia announced, smiling at the young detective. “And Y/N.” She smiled at you. “Carisi is our new ADA and Barba is our new Bureau Chief. Things at the one-six have shaken up. I thought this would be a nice way to get away from the hum-drum of the city and do some old-school bonding.”

At that moment, the rumble of a car approaching the grounds filled the air. You watched as Rafael got out of the cab. He was way over dressed naturally - this did not surprise you. He seemed awkward and out of place. He frowned looking around before his eyes met Liv’s and he smiled brightly. He walked over and said hello. You tried to say hi but he brushed you off and immediately you hated the weekend and wanted to go home.

Your whole life you lived by the motto that you don’t shit where you eat. You didn’t do workplace romances. Then you transferred to Manhattan SVU and had a random hook-up with one very sexy Cuban man after your first hard case who just happened to be the Bureau Chief. But after that one incident, in which you both swore could never happen again, you both couldn’t keep your hands off each other.

But it was a secret. Months and months passed. Now it was six months in. You kept wanting to tell Olivia – but Rafael kept saying it was not the right time. More and more, it felt like the guilt of the relationship was taking its toll. You finally caved one night to your partner, Amanda, spilling every last drop.

Amanda took the information in stride and promised she would keep it all under confidence. That said, she did enjoy occasionally ribbing you from time to time about it.

Night quickly approached. The whole time Rafael dodged you as best as he could. You pulled out your phone and wondered if you could fake an emergency to escape. The campsite claimed there was wi-fi but the connection was shitty.

“Hey.”

You looked up at Fin, who crouched next to you. “Hey.” You replied dejectedly while you nibbled at a s’more.

“You okay? You’ve been quiet all day. Not like you.” Fin replied. You sighed, watching Sonny and Amanda across the campsite with Rafael, laughing over God knows what.

“Yeah. Just tired. Camping isn’t my thing.” You replied. “I need to be in actual civilization.”

“I get that. I don’t do nature either.”

“I think… I am going to head to bed.” You replied standing. You stretched out your hand. “Want the rest of my s’more?”

“Nah, I’m good.” Fin replied. “Maybe Barba wants it. He’s always hungry.” He laughed and jutted his head towards the direction where Barba was.

You hummed and gave Fin a smile before heading to your tent. The ground was cold and hard. Sleep was futile.

It was one weekend. You could do this.

--

The next morning, breakfast was being had and Olivia was busy going over some of the bonding activities everyone was going to partake in. You decided to take your coffee to go, walking up a trail.

“Y/N, you shouldn’t go by yourself. Barba, why don’t you accompany her?” Amanda replied, with a wink to you. “Unless you want to go kayaking with us.”

You shot a look at Amanda. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

“Nonsense – everyone should be in pairs. You never know what could happen.” Olivia replied. “Besides this is about team morale and building.”

“Great.” You gritted. Rafael looked at you and gave you a small, forced smile.

“After you, detective. Lead the way.” Rafael replied.

The walk up the trail towards Tymor Park was mostly quiet between you. After you were far enough from the campsite, you whipped around and stepped in front of Rafael, causing him to take a step back.

“I was trying to get away from you!” You hissed.

“Look, Y/N, I don’t know why you are so upset with me.” Rafael began. “I told you I wasn’t ready to disclose.”

“When will you be ready? Why don’t you respect me or our relationship?” You replied, sitting on a rock.

“That’s not true – you know I respect you. It is just complicated.”

“No, it’s not. You are making it complicated.” You watched as a white butterfly flitted by.

Rafael sighed and sat on a rock next to you. “I thought we wouldn't last a month. But then we did, and then another month, and I'm still not sure how this happened.”

Rafael pulled your chin to face him. You jutted your chin out from his grasp. ““It feels like you don’t care.” You scoffed. You stood and crossed your arms. “Well?” You asked, exasperated when Rafael didn’t immediately respond. Your eyes began to shimmer with tears that threatened to fall.

You looked over your shoulder as you began to march in the opposite direction. “I’m going back to the campsite. If you want to follow me, that is your prerogative.”

---

Rafael used the opportunity to think about what he wanted to do as he followed you back to campsite. Truth was that he did like you – a lot. He might even dare to say his feelings bordered on love. But ever since Yelina had broken his heart so many years ago, he was reticent about any kind of relationship. Certainly his line of work didn’t allow for romance and he used that to his advantage.

Then you came along. And turned his whole world upside down.. 

You were the newest detective after Kat Tamin. You were like a breath of much needed fresh air. You weren’t jaded like the other detectives and thought outside the box. When other detectives offered stereotypical analysis, you had a way of providing another vantage point that might not have been otherwise stated.

You were also thirteen years his junior.

Rafael worried that disclosing the relationship would make him come across some kind of old man pervert. And instead of telling you and leaning on you, he decided to push you away because it was easier to avoid than deal with feelings he wasn’t used to.

When you had gotten back to the campsite, you stormed off to where Fin and Sonny were, joining them in a card game. Your eyes met Rafael’s and you glared at him before turning to Sonny and laughing at what he said.

Rafael felt his heart sink a bit. And then he gathered what resolve he had and vowed to make things right with you. He didn’t want to risk losing you.

---

After a day of more bonding activities, you all sat around the campfire. Sonny strummed his guitar – a hobby of his – as he lead everyone through a round of Wagon Wheel.

Picking me a bouquet of dogwood flowers

And I'm a-hopin' for Raleigh, I can see my baby tonight

So rock me momma like a wagon wheel…

Finally, everyone decided to hit the sack and call it a night. You were settling into your sleeping bag, when you heard the zipper to your tent open. You turned on your flashlight and directed it to the tent opening.

“Who the fu—”

Rafael poked his head in. “Can we talk?” The light shone directly into his eyes, nearly blinding him. He blocked the light with his hand.

You sighed. “I’m going to bed. Make it quick.”

Rafael climbed into the tent and settled next to you. You set the flashlight between you, causing an eerie glow. Rafael took your hands in his and pressed kisses along your knuckles.

“Hermosa, you deserve to know the truth. What I feel for you…” Rafael sighed, shaking his head. You felt your heart thud in your chest and your stomach churned. You thought perhaps he was going to break your heart for good.

You interrupted him and began to speak, your voice shaking. “Please spare me the humiliation…”

“No! If I ever made you feel like I don’t love you. That was my fault and I’m a bad liar.” Rafael replied.

“You love me?” You asked, your voice hopeful.

“I do.” Rafael replied. He pressed a chaste kiss to your lips. “Then you stole me. And I stole you… What made you think I had any intention of ever giving you back.”

“I love you too Rafael.” You replied. You climbed over to his lap, knocking over the flashlight. You leaned over and pressed your lips against his. Rafael groaned, and opened his mouth, returning your kiss. He stretched out his leg and pulled you into his lap. His hands ran up and down your thighs, squeezing your ass as you hungrily kissed each other. His tongue danced with yours and you ground yourself against him. You could feel his cock harden. You moaned loudly as he lowered his mouth to the slope of your neck sucking on a sweet spot, causing you to grind further down. “Oh Rafael!”

Rafael slapped his hand over your mouth. “Sshhh.”

“Do you think they can hear us through the tent?” You asked.

“Yes we can.” A voice that sounded a lot like Olivia’s called out. “And here I thought we would have to worry about Rollins and Carisi.”

You and Rafael burst into laughter. “Well, I was going to suggest disclosing in the morning, but I think we were found out.” Rafael replied.

“Good. Now that they all know…come here.” You replied – your voice was filled with want. You wrapped your hand around Rafael’s neck once more and pulled him down on top of you.

FIN.

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[homeformyheart]

first kid vs. last kid - edward x f!mc (ds)

author’s note: thank you for the ask! i debated for a long time whether or not to write this one because i hadn’t written for DS before and i haven’t written anything involving kids/family. and the prompt itself naturally lends itself to fluff and so overall this was harder than normal XD. 

copyright: all characters owned by pixelberry studios. series/pairing: distant shores – edward x f!mc (peyton bellamy) rating/warnings: 13+ word count: 1.6k

first vs. last prompts / 4. first kid vs. last kid

first kid

peyton gripped the white stick until her knuckles paled, her fingers purposefully covering the little window that mocked her with two pink lines. she squeezed her eyes shut, willing the tears of panic prickling her eyelids to stay away, and trying to force her body to breathe.

as if on cue, the pressure on her lungs gave way and she gulped down as much air as she could, feeling it push through her body like the water pressure on a firehose. once she was done gasping, her mind wandered and led her to the poseidon ii, where she welcomed how the sun beat down on her face as she balanced her way around the rocking deck. her mind continued flipping through her memories like it was her picflix streaming list, pausing every so often to play a 30-second trailer.

she didn’t fight it when her mind took her to the bustling town square in tiburon, where she welcomed the mindless chatter of pointless gossip from the townsfolk. and of course, she pressed pause when her mind took her to that island with the dolphins and shimmering blue waves, where she let herself swim alongside a man who seemed more and more like a dream with every passing day.

she took slow, deep breaths through her nose and let her mind wander back to that island, the beach, and edward sitting beside her. and she knew, even though she wasn’t ready to really think about becoming a mother, that this baby was hers and edward’s – solid proof that he was real, that their love is real.

1 year later

peyton wrapped her arms tightly around the blankets encasing her son, holding him against her chest as he nursed. as soon as he was done, edward gently cradled their child to burp him before laying him down in a makeshift crib they built with materials on the ship.

when she appeared on the docks in tiburon only three months after giving birth, peyton didn’t expect she’d get to stay for very long. the compass had called to her frequently throughout her pregnancy, the weeks that passed in-between trips translated to months in the past. thankfully, time travel didn’t seem to have lasting impacts on her pregnancy, with the exception of amplified morning sickness from constantly being on the water. peyton was also grateful that the compass didn’t call her during or immediately after she gave birth; even though edward would’ve wanted to be there, she was relieved that modern healthcare would surround her at such a terrifying time.

“edward, can we talk?” she said quietly once it was clear their son was asleep.

“of course, my love. what’s on your mind?” edward asked, moving to sit next to her on the bed and wrap his arm around her waist.

peyton leaned into his side. “i don’t know how much longer i’ll get to stay. i want us to be prepared.”

edward slowly tucked some loose hair behind peyton’s ear before locking eyes with her. “what do you mean?”

she felt something lodge in her throat at the same time the tears started prickling behind her eyes. “edward – in case i get sent back, i want you to raise our son. i don’t want to force him to grow up in two very different worlds, it would be so disruptive and i don’t want you to be alone.”

“no, a child should be with his mother. he needs you and you will be able to make sure he grows up in a safer environment. pirating is no life for a child,” edward said firmly.

peyton shook her head vigorously, trying to keep her voice low so as not to wake their son. “a son needs his father. he needs you.”

edward looked at her with such softness, peyton felt her heart break as the weight of her reality settled in – the reality that she may not have a future with the man she loved.

“you must do what is best for you and our son. your whole future is ahead of you. and your time would be better for him,” he said softly, cupping her cheek in the palm of his hand.

“i don’t want to leave you. i love you, edward,” peyton said between soft sobs, her body starting to feel weighed down by fatigue.

“and i love you from the bottom of my heart, miss peyton bellamy,” edward whispered into her ear as he held her tight.

as she drifted off to sleep, peyton vaguely remembered that edward hadn’t responded to her request that he raise their son should she get sent back to the future. it didn’t matter though, because when she woke up, she was in her own time, and alone.

last kid

five years. peyton could hardly believe that it had been five years since she last traveled through time. it was something they didn’t talk about, out of concern that speaking their fears out loud might tempt fate. superstitions aside, peyton was grateful that she was back in time with edward and the crew that had become her family. it honestly felt as though she had returned home – with charlie and ginny echoing those sentiments ten-fold.

she was incredibly grateful that their son was only two years old when she returned. time travel was finnicky but at least she hadn’t disappeared for too long in edward’s time, lest their son’s implicit memory of her fade. even though for her it had only been a few months, their dynamic had changed significantly considering edward had been raising their son on the ship as a single father. it took some time for them to adjust to a new normal with each other given the constant threat of time travel taking her away again and a son to raise.

but to peyton, the challenges and hardships were nothing compared to the pure joy she felt at being with the loves of her life. she would bend over backwards and adapt as well as she could to a pirate life as a mother and wife if it meant she could be with them forever.

for edward, he had to unlearn the hardened ways in which he kept his son close and the protective harshness he deployed to anyone who threatened those defenses. despite his nightmares and worries, their son took to peyton like a moth to a flame, a true representation of what a mother means to a son and vice-versa.

she watched from where she was sitting against a tree as edward played with their son, whose laughter was so carefree and infectious, peyton felt herself getting emotional each time she heard it. edward looked up and made eye contact with her, giving her that loving smile she knew she would never get used to seeing.

peyton didn’t realize she had become lost in thought until edward cleared his throat gently from behind her. she looked over and gave him a warm smile, noticing that their son was preoccupied with chasing butterflies a short distance away.

“what is on your mind, my love?” he asked, sitting down next to her.

she gave him a long, contemplative look. “it’s been five years since i’ve last traveled, and i… i want to expand our family.”

if she took edward by surprise, the only tell was the miniscule movement of his left eyebrow.

when he stayed silent, peyton continued, “i want to have another child with you, edward.”

“are you sure? what about–?”

peyton cut him off with a shake of her head. “i don’t think we’ll have to worry about it anymore. i can’t explain it, but i haven’t been able to sense the compass in years. i think i’m here to stay and I want to grow our family.”

edward touched his forehead to hers. “i would love nothing more, mrs. mortemer.”

3 years later

“mama! papa! can we go explore over there by the trees?”

peyton put a hand on her swollen belly. “yes, but be careful darling. and watch your brother!” she called out.

her oldest son grabbed the hand of his younger brother’s, slowing his gait down to match his brother’s waddle. edward chuckled as he wrapped an arm around peyton’s waist, tucking her into his side and giving her a soft kiss on her forehead.

“those two will be absolute terrors for the crew to keep track of in a couple of years,” he said, his voice thick with affection.

peyton turned to her husband to give him a soft kiss. “that’s why i really want this last one to be a girl.”

“and if it’s not? do you want to keep trying until we have a girl? you know i love having a family with you,” he said softly.

“as much as i’d like to have another female in our house, i think this little one will have to be our last,” she said as edward laid a hand on her belly.

the experience she had during the last pregnancy and birth, which she had to endure without the advances in medicine from the future, was more than enough for one lifetime. but she really wanted a little girl.

“let us hope and pray that this one is the little girl that will complete our family then,” edward said as they walked hand-in-hand after their two sons.

* * * * * mentions: @raleigh-edward; @khoicesbyk permatag: @withbeautyandrage; @agentnolastname; @freckles-spangledvampire;

#choices #reposting for new blog #choices fanfic #choices fanfics #distant shores #pb choices #playchoices #playchoices fanfiction #not twc #my writing #edward mortemer #peyton bellamy #edward mortermer x mc #choices distant shores #choices ds #my prompt fill #choices prompt fills #anon