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#I' TRY TO BE MOSTLY POSITIVE AND RESPECTFUL OF PEOPLE JUST NOT LIKING THE MOVIE
biblio-smia · 1 year
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at the top of my list [ethan landry x reader]
pre-ghostface / no ghostface alternate - no spoilers for scream vi
masterlist | requests are open!
warnings: underage drinking (brief), brief angst but mostly fluff
pairing: fem!carpenter!reader x ethan landry
Rooming with Mindy Meeks-Martin came with its pros: for one, she got you out of having to room with your two sisters — as much as you loved them, you couldn't bear the thought of having to live a tiny, cramped apartment with them, — plus, she was your gateway to the "full college experience" (her words). Then, there were things that came with Mindy that you hadn't decided were pros or cons; after all, she was the reason you met Ethan Landry.
It wasn't entirely her fault — but Mindy was Chad's sister and Ethan was Chad's roommate and in no time, he was part of the group.
It was strange, allowing new people into your lives, but first came Ethan, then Quinn, then Anika and eventually you got used to the feeling.
You warmed up to Ethan first and the fastest, despite making the worst first impression. You'd misheard his name as Ethan Laundry and laughed little too loud for a little too long at a joke only you were in on.
Ethan looked past this; he was far too focused on not stumbling over his own words even to recall the event that mortified you for weeks.
Your relationship with Ethan grew steadily as he came around more and more. It was always in a group setting and usually alongside Chad, but as the months grew on you engaged in more conversations by yourselves. Always somehow left alone with him, you felt yourself becoming increasingly comfortable around Ethan.
Anytime Mindy attempted to make a comment on you and Ethan, she was shutdown immediately, sometimes even before she could get a single word out.
You enjoyed Ethan’s company and he enjoyed yours — the dynamic you had now didn’t need to be changed.
Moreover, you certainly didn’t need Mindy messing things up.
You were adamant enough in your position that Ethan and you were just friends and you didn’t want anything more to Mindy that she cooled down on the would-be comments at least to your face.
“I just know they like each other. I can feel it.” Mindy argued.
“Jeez, I thought Chad was the matchmaker here.” Sam joked.
“Hey, it runs in our blood.” Mindy grinned. “But seriously, all I hear is ‘Ethan this, Ethan that.’ It’d be cute if the two of them weren’t so painfully clueless.”
“Well, why don’t we let them figure it out on their own?” Tara suggested, taking a sip of her drink. She knew how you felt about others meddling into your life, even if it was people you loved — she and Sam learned that the hard way.
Mindy groaned. “That’ll take months. Maybe even years. Do you really want to watch these idiots pine for each other for that long?”
Sam let out a “Hey!” in your defense, while Mindy and Tara looked around for support, both sets of eyes falling on the only person who could clue them into Ethan’s perspective: Chad.
“Well,” Chad glanced nervously from his sister to both of yours, eyes settling on to Tara’s warm brown ones. “He does talk about your sister a lot. Like… a lot.”
“That doesn’t mean we should do anything.” Sam said before Mindy could say anything. “She really wouldn’t appreciate it.”
“Even if it would get them together?” Mindy pleaded desperately.
“Let’s leave them be for now,” Sam stated decisively, offering Mindy a small smile. “Let them figure it out on their own.”
「 ... 」
Knowing Ethan Landry was the best thing that’d ever happened to you in moments like these; it was another group movie night in the apartment your sisters shared with the usual seating arrangements — Mindy, Anika, Chad, and Tara were comfortably squished on the couch meant for three while Sam stretched out her legs on the second couch; effectively shunning you and Ethan to the love seat.
At first, it was awkward — you and Ethan crashed into your respective, opposite, sides of the couch, trying to create as much space between the two of you as possible. Then, as time went on, the distance between you grew smaller; as Ethan grew more comfortable in your presence, he began a habit of whispering random movie trivia into your ear, always carefully watching for your reaction, whether it was a gasp of shock or a cute string of giggles. You weren't sure when it started; despite your tendency to hate people talking during movies, you began to look forward to Ethan's voice in your ear more than the actual movie. By the midway point of each movie, you would always end up leaning against Ethan's warm chest with his arm wrapped around you, insisting it was so Ethan didn't have to work hard to whisper in your ear.
Tonight, Ethan was huddled next to you, the fluffiest blanket you owned draped over the two of you. His hands found yours, playing with your fingers. The movie started around fifteen minutes ago; a fact from Ethan was overdue now. However, as you looked over you realized that Ethan's fidgeting with your hands was nervous and accompanied by frequent glances toward his phone.
"What's up?" You were the one whispering now, a look of concern on your face.
"Hm? Nothing..." Ethan trailed off, distracted, his eyes never leaving his phone.
Ethan wasn't much of a phone guy — especially not during movie nights.
However, you didn't press further, leaning back to try to watch the movie for once.
It wasn't until Ethan's phone dinged, and he reached for it faster than you'd ever seen — breaking the only contact you had with him —, that your suspicion began to grow. Ethan's phone was always on do not disturb, a habit you'd chided him for when he was unresponsive in the group chat — though you were the only exception, the only one he always responded immediately to.
It was surprising to see — you wondered if he was waiting for a grade to be submitted; but as far as you knew, Ethan had no big assignments due recently.
The notification was just an email and the disappointment was clear on Ethan's face. As soon as his phone screen turned black — his home screen photo of you and him disappearing — the screen lit up again, as did Ethan's expression. You averted your eyes. Whatever Ethan was excited about, he'd tell you. On his own time.
You were painfully aware of the minutes that ticked on and on as Ethan typed, waited, stopped to think, then typed again. The sounds of a text conversation suddenly seemed like the biggest interruption to the movie you could have experienced.
Just as your curiosity reached its peak, Ethan turned to you with one of the biggest smiles on his face.
"So, there's this girl..." He went on, eyes bright as you felt your heart drop. You weren't paying attention to his words, only mustering up smiles and nods at the appropriate times to make it seem like you were.
Just like that, the sacredness of movie nights, the hour and a half you intimately shared with Ethan, was gone. It was tainted by the prospect of another girl on Ethan's mind and you suddenly couldn't stand being within five feet of him, an unfamiliar ache sprouting in your chest. The pain only worsened the longer you sat there, processing as the sound of your heart pound drowned out everything else.
You got up suddenly, clutching the spot that screamed in agony. "I don't... feel good." You looked around, cheeks heating up as you realized you caused a scene, glancing at the one now paused on the television.
"Are you okay? Do you need medicine?" Sam asked, suddenly sitting up. She made a motion to get up and you waved her off; if she came up to you know you knew you'd cry.
"No, no, I'm just gonna... go lie down. I'll be fine." You stood true to your word, making your way through the small apartment to the closest room — Tara's — before anyone could say anything more. With your back turned to the living room and your quick exit, you missed the way Ethan sprang up, only discouraged from following you with a shake of Tara's head.
「 ... 」
Being alone with your thoughts in the dark might have been your worst idea yet — but at least you had no audience.
Ethan was talking to a girl. They weren't dating — he would've told you that immediately — but they were talking. Worst of all, there was no reason for Ethan not to talk to other girls. It wasn't like you were dating.
You began to analyze the entirety of your relationship with Ethan, trying to pinpoint where everything went wrong. Somewhere along the way, Ethan had climbed his way up and became the person you cared about the most — sometimes even more than yourself. You'd tried so hard to convince yourself that the love you felt for him was platonic, but you weren't sure platonic friends felt so strongly when there was a romantic involvement with someone else. This was jealously in its purest form.
You groaned, hands on your head as it began to pound. The sudden thought that Mindy was right popped into your head, making you groan even harder.
Knowing Ethan Landry had suddenly become the worst thing that ever happened to you as you realized, too late, that you were hopelessly in love with him.
「 ... 」
Tara and Sam came in after the movie ended, much sooner than expected. Tara instinctively flipped the light switch on, flooding the room with bright yellow light. The sudden irritation led you to cover your eyes with a pillow and groan once more.
"Do you still feel bad? What hurts?" You felt Sam take a seat on the bed, pulling your hands away from your face. You squinted, your eyes still not adjusting to the sudden light when Tara spoke up.
"You're crying."
Your eyes opened and saw the looks of concern on Sam's and Tara's faces, hands reaching for your cheeks where, as correctly observed, tears had streamed down.
"I didn't realize." You said softly, wiping your face quickly. An uncomfortable silence laid upon the three of you, unsure of what to say. Tara and Sam exchanged glances before Tara took a seat on the other side of you, placing her hand on your leg comfortingly.
"Did... Ethan do something?" She asked cautiously.
"What? No!" You shook your head to emphasize. "Well... not purposely."
Sam took your hand in hers, a knowing look on her face.
"He's... talking to someone. It's stupid, I know. It's my fault I didn't give him a reason to... I just didn't realize I..." Tears welled up in your eyes again as you trailed off. You didn't need to finish. Your sisters knew exactly what you were feeling.
「 ... 」
Mindy was next to find out about your feelings toward Ethan and the situation you found yourself in. To your surprise, you weren't met with the "I told you so" or other celebration you expected. Mindy accepted your statement quietly as the two of you lay on your separate beds, dark encompassing your shared dorm.
"What are you going to do about it?" Mindy asked.
"Nothing." Your voice came out shakier than you'd expected. "What can I do now?"
「 ... 」
Chad was the last to find out, after your permission to let him in was granted. You would've told himself if you didn't think it was useless to. There was no point in admitting something that was too late to act on. To say you were hopeless was an understatement; you no longer left your dorm for anything other than class. You hadn't hung out with your friends in days, including Ethan. You were running out of excuses to throw at him and you knew you were running out of time to be upset. You'd have to pick yourself back up eventually — but for now you let yourself be sad.
This decision, however, was not supported by your friends. Tara and Sam's position on their involvement in your life changed drastically. It started as a plan to get you out of bed, they swore, but ended up changing as they realized who the girl Ethan was talking to was.
Chad had reported back to the group everything Ethan had told him about her; Tara recognized her as the girl you sat next to in your English class. You'd mentioned her a few times in passing; she was a friend of a friend of Tara's.
"She's weird," Tara said, eyebrows furrowing as Chad pulled up her instagram profile. "Not in a mean way. As in, she's kind of obsessed with my sister way." Tara crossed her arms, suddenly defensive.
"So what do we do? I mean, I don't think she actually likes Ethan?" Chad asked, looking back and forth.
Sam shrugged. "She might. If we gave her the benefit of the doubt. But it's starting to sound more like something else..."
The four exchanged solemn glances, all understanding what had to happen.
"We have to break them up."
「 ... 」
It was a party that got you out of your room (after days of pleading from Mindy). You were warned beforehand that Ethan and that girl would be showing up. You were only attending, despite this fact, due to the promise of alcohol that you knew would help you get through the inevitable. It was going to happen eventually. Why postpone it?
You separated from Mindy immediately, downing a cup of whatever drink was available — that and a refill was the only prerequisite you had before you forced yourself to find Ethan. Though, it seemed to be the other way around as you turned and were met with an overly-enthusiastic girl on an uncomfortable looking Ethan's arm. It took you a moment to recognize the girl in the dim party lights, but when you did, you didn't bother hiding the shock on your face.
"Madeline?" You almost dropped your cup in surprise, recalling an interaction that had occurred a few weeks ago.
Your teacher was running late, and you were unsure if he was going to show up. You pulled out your laptop to try and take advantage of the hour and a half you had of your lost lecture to get some work done.
Madeline, who was always late, took a seat next to you, as she usually did. She was sweet enough from your limited interactions with her, though the class you were taking didn't leave much room for you to talk.
Though, as there was no excuse not to now, Madeline had the opportunity to engage in small talk with you.
You responded politely but shortly, a little irritated that she continued trying to talk to you despite your obvious desire to get work done. You quickly concluded that Madeline was one of those people who enjoyed the sound of their own voice; a normal person would've stopped talking by now at your short replies.
Your phone lit up out of the corner of your eye and you knew it was Ethan; his class had just ended and the two of you had plans after you got out of this one. You'd always told him to head back to his dorm and wait out the rest of the 45 minutes you had of class there; but he always insisted on waiting for you and walking back together.
"Ooh, who's this?" Madeline giggled, snatching up your phone, much to your surprise. You thought you'd left people like her back in high school.
"Your boyfriend?" She inquired suggestively, pointing at your lock screen — a picture of you and Ethan celebrating his birthday exactly at midnight.
You shook your head, grabbing your phone back a little aggressively.
"No." You responded. It was none of her business; but you weren't assertive enough to say that to her face.
Madeline gasped exaggeratedly. "But he's your lock screen? You sure you're not dating?" She asked as innocently as she could muster.
"No." You repeated, harder this time. "We're just friends."
It was weird enough of an interaction to make sure you were never in a situation where you had to sit near her in that class again, but you chose not to say anything. It was a standalone, isolated event. But now, she was here with Ethan and you weren't sure what to think anymore. However, you were certain you did not like her.
"Oh my God! Isn't this the biggest coincidence?" Madeline exclaimed, though the tone of her voice suggested it wasn't.
"Wait, you two know each other?" Ethan asked, his own surprise evident.
"Of course we do!" Madeline said, letting go of Ethan and bumping her shoulder with yours, your drink dangerously close to sloshing onto your shirt. "We're like, best friends!"
You couldn't help but scoff.
"Really? You've never mentioned her..." You weren't sure if Ethan was talking to you or Madeline, but it pissed you off regardless. Maybe the alcohol had been a mistake.
"Well, have fun." You said curtly, taking one last look at Ethan before walking off. You quickly found Mindy, Chad, and Tara hovering close enough to watch the interaction but far enough that you hopefully wouldn't notice; too late.
You made your way over to them, sighing as you took another sip of your drink.
"What are you guys up to?" You asked suspiciously.
Mindy and Tara looked around at anywhere but you; Chad, however, was not so fast. Your eyes landed on his and you could see the fear in them.
"Nothing!" He insisted too quickly. "Just waiting for her to make a fool of herself so Ethan hates her?" It came out more of a question, but a smile grew on your face. You'd caught them.
Mindy groaned, smacking Chad's arm. "Seriously, you are the weakest link."
"Guys, seriously, it's fine. I'm fine. Can we stop worrying about it and just have fun?" You insisted.
"Are you sure you want to do that?" Chad asked, eyes looking at something behind you.
You turned just in time to see Ethan storming away from his date and to the kitchen where he poured himself a drink. Ethan never drank.
"I'll go... check on him." Your words were quiet but the rest of the group nodded anyway, pushing you towards Ethan.
"Slow down, there," you said, a little hypocritically as Ethan chugged the mystery contents of his cup. He reached for a refill but you placed your hands on his, stopping him. That was more than enough alcohol for someone who barely tolerated it.
He was agitated, you could tell, but not at you.
"Have you been avoiding me?" Ethan asked boldly despite the hurt in his voice. Maybe a little at you.
You sighed, stepping closer to him. "Let's go home?"
He hesitated, but nodded, letting his hand fall in yours as you motioned to Mindy across the room.
「 ... 」
You didn't let go of his hand even after you left the crowded sea of warm bodies and were met with the cool air outside. You glanced at him from time to time, though for the first time since you'd known him, his expression was unreadable.
"I wasn't avoiding you. I mean, I didn't mean to. I mean, I just... wasn't in the right mindset to see anyone." You attempted to explain, feeling ashamed all over again.
"You should've told me. I wouldn't have been mad."
"I know. I just didn't want you to think it was your fault."
You continued in silence, though you took your still interlocked hands as a good sign.
"Are you mad now?" You asked carefully.
Ethan shook his head. "I could never be mad at you."
Though instead of relief, you felt guilty.
"She said you were weird." Ethan started after a while. You raised your eyebrows, but kept quiet. "She said it was weird I'm your lock screen. And that you were obsessed with me." Ethan paused and laughed a little, as if acknowledging how ridiculous the accusation was. "She didn't realize you're mine." Ethan flashed his phone up to prove it as if you weren't well aware of the picture. But isn't it weird how she knew we knew each other? And she didn't say anything to me? I thought so." Ethan didn't give you a chance to reply, but he didn't need to; he made his decision, on his own. Though, you couldn't help the relief you felt at it.
It wasn't a long walk back to your building, and the two of you made your way up to your room quietly. Ethan habitually kicked off his shoes as he entered, making his way to your bed and taking a seat. You joined him and sat there, staring at your hands. The two of you looked at each other and opened your mouths to speak at the same time, suddenly stumbling over your words to try and let the other go first.
"You. Go." You said a little awkwardly.
"I love you. I'm in love with you." Ethan started.
"Ethan—"
"Let me finish, please. If I don't say this now I don't think I ever will." He looked to you and you nodded your encouragement.
"I love you so much it's terrifying. I don't know how to date or what any of that is like... but I know how I feel. I love you and I know you're my best friend and I don't know what to do anymore..." Tears were beginning to pool in his eyes as Ethan sighed. "Your turn?"
You couldn't help but laugh.
"I love you, Ethan. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize and even more to accept it... I think I picked the worst possible moment to realize..." You took a shaky breath. "But I think it worked out?"
"Yeah. It most definitely worked out." And with that, Ethan's lips clumsily crashed onto yours, your hands immediately moving to his face to guide him. You could taste the last hints of liquid courage on his lips and you were suddenly grateful he'd had that spiked punch; there was no way you'd gotten a confession out of him otherwise.
You separated to catch your breath, taking a chance to admire Ethan as you ran your thumb over his cheek. He grinned toothily, placing his hands on yours. You kissed him, softer this time, savoring the feeling of his soft lips on yours.
"I knew it!" A voice exclaimed from the doorway, causing you and Ethan to jump approximately five feet from each other, cheeks flushed in embarrassment.
There they were: Mindy, Chad, Sam, and Tara with smiles on their faces as they high-fived each other proudly.
"This was all my idea," Mindy said excitedly. "I said we should make a plan—"
"That's enough out of you." Tara said, placing her arms around Mindy and beginning to drag Mindy out.
"You two should be thanking me!"
"We'll leave you two alone now." Chad said with a smile and a wink, causing you to roll your eyes playfully.
"Remember, it's my room too!" Mindy's voice carried from the hall as Chad shut the door behind him, leaving you and Ethan alone in the quiet once again. You groaned at Mindy's comment while Ethan laughed.
Ethan flopped down on the bed, patting the spot next to him. You joined him and he wrapped his arm around like he loved to do.
The comfortable silence was broken by Ethan — it was a whisper so quiet you almost missed it.
"You're my number one," Ethan confessed. "You always have been."
"Good," you replied with a smile as you leaned in to place a kiss on his lips. "Because you're mine, too."
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rhoorl · 2 months
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Working Title | Chapter 20
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Pairing: Dieter Bravo/OFC Series Rating: Mature, 18+ Word Count: 5.4k Series Masterlist | AO3 Chapter 20 Chapter Summary: The girls head to LA for the audition. Chapter Warnings: Brief alcohol mention. Swearing. Alternating POVs. Some angst, Body image issues. People being mean online. Allusions to Dieter's past. A/N: I can’t believe we’ve made it to the penultimate chapter of this series. This has been my first foray into fanfic writing and these two mean so much to me. I hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you for reading and spending some time in this little world!
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“Cheers,” Sam smiled clinking the neck of his beer with Dieter’s glass. 
The two made some small talk, mostly about the show and whether or not they thought it was actually going to be picked up or not.
“Do you have anything lined up after this is done?” He studied Dieter, who sat absentmindedly swirling his Old Fashioned in one hand.
“Nah, I haven’t come across anything that interests me. Might take some time off.”
“Must be nice,” Sam scoffed, wincing as he ran his hand through his hair. He hated it when his mouth worked faster than his brain. “Sorry, that probably sounded worse than I meant it. I just…I’m not in a position to take a lot of time off you know?”
Although he had been working for a while, Sam still hadn’t gotten his “big break” so every project felt really important to him.
“No man, it’s all good. I get it, I’ve been there. Hell…five years ago no one wanted to hire me. I’m just now starting to get people to somewhat take me seriously, again,” he chuckled to himself as his mind wandered to a dark place before quickly returning to the present. 
“Well, they can’t take your Oscar away huh?” Sam offered a small smile and cleared his throat to change the subject. “You thinking of going out to see the girls sometime in Toronto? I’m trying to plan a trip.”
“Yeah, I was …ah…actually thinking of maybe renting a house out there. You know, since I’ll have the time,” Dieter scratched the back of his head.
“No way! That’s an awesome idea! Belle must be so excited about it…” he scrunched his face and Dieter took a sip of his drink. “She knows right?”
“I haven’t told her yet, I kinda wanted it to be a surprise,” Dieter smiled softly.
“Oh well, I’m sure she’ll feel a whole lot better taking the job knowing you’ll be there,” Sam offered, taking a swig of his beer.
“She say anything to you?” 
“Not in so many words. But based on what Indy and I were talking about…you know…with she and I…I can only imagine the same applies to the two of you,” he set his beer down and looked Dieter in the eyes. “She’s fallen really hard, you know that right?”
Dieter chuckled, “Well however hard she’s fallen I’m like 10 times worse.”
Both of their phones buzzed at the same time as they both quickly lunged for their respective devices.
“Ah, well looks like they made it on the plane,” Sam smiled, tapping away.
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Belle: Made it on the plane!
Dieter: I hope you have a safe flight. Try and sleep. You’ll be there when you wake up.
Belle: I wish I could sleep on planes. I’m checking what movies they have
Dieter: Do they have any of my stuff? That will make you fall asleep. 😜
Belle: No silly watching it would make me miss you too much.
Dieter: 💗
Belle: gotta go - they’re telling us to turn off the phones. I love you 😘
Dieter: Wait! Since I can’t hear you say goodnight, can I get a picture?
Belle smirked, feeling the warmth in her cheeks as she snapped a quick selfie.
Dieter: Good night beautiful. Tell me when you land. xo
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Indy sported the biggest smile as she switched her phone to airplane mode. Glancing over she caught you staring at your lock screen — a selfie of you and Dieter from your hike around Waimea Canyon.
“Thanks for coming with me B,” she nudged your arm with her elbow, pulling you out of your daydream. 
“Of course, this is exciting. Are you getting nervous?”
“Nah, I got this,” she winked. 
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Yeah babe, of course,” she turned her body towards you. “What’s up?”
“Have you and Sam talked about things? Like what’s going to happen next?”
Indy looked down, playing with the hem of her shirt with a small smile. “Yeah…we’ve talked about it. Truthfully it makes me a little scared. I really like him B and I…I don’t know what’s next for us. Sure he can come out and visit, but he needs to work too.”
“For what it’s worth, he really likes you too,” you covered her hand with yours, rubbing circles with your thumb. “And I think he’s a great guy so I’m rooting for you.”
She rested her head on your shoulder, “Thanks B. At first I thought this was going to be just some on-set fling or whatever but I can see this going somewhere,” she smirked as you looked at her with a silent squeal. 
“I knew it,” you winked.
“Try and get some sleep, ok? I know how you get,” she smirked as she rummaged through her bag to find the novelty sleeping mask you got her years ago. The “Sleeping Beauty” stitching, a nod to her Disney Princess past, was starting to fade. She put on her noise-canceling headphones and was asleep before the wheels left the tarmac, leaving you to sort out how to entertain yourself for the next five and a half hours. 
You aimlessly scrolled through the various television shows and documentaries given as in-flight entertainment options, unable to find something that grabbed your interest. Once the flight attendant delivered your ginger ale and pretzels, you decided to get serious about finding a movie. Doing some quick math, you figured you could probably watch at least two.
When you reached the “C’s” in the menu, your stomach did a little flip seeing the thumbnail for Cliff Beasts 6. You remember when the movie came out and how you had to drag Indy to go see it, tolerating all of the teasing because you just had to see the latest Dieter flick. You’ve endured so many different films and TV shows just to get a chance to watch him; Cliff Beasts 6 was no exception. His over-the-top, cartoonish accent made you laugh despite the absolute trainwreck of a plot. 
Seeing Dieter on the little screen mounted in the seatback in front of you gave you butterflies. The last couple of weeks were such a whirlwind. Never in your wildest dreams did you think you’d ever meet him in person let alone everything else that’s transpired. You felt like you were living in an alternate reality. 
With a smile now permanently affixed to your face, you watched and focused less on the movie and more on how quickly you’ve grown to love this man. His nervous energy, his smile, his laugh, his hair, of course. The way he knew how to strike that balance of gentle and comforting with a little edge that made you want to give him anything and everything. By this point, you were about halfway through the movie and your eyelids were starting to feel heavy.
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The guys decided to call it a night after a couple of drinks due to Sam’s early call time (and the fact that he hadn’t read through his scenes yet). Dieter’s call time got pushed back, but he was desperate to return to his room to wallow and track Belle’s flight. 
Once in his suite, he made a beeline for the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of water along with a box of cookies, and went to his room. Instead of sitting on his side, he settled into Belle’s side of the bed, traces of her perfume and shampoo still on the pillow. He searched for her flight on his phone and studied the route while eating a cookie, the crumbs falling on his shirt and onto the bed. 
The girls had a few couple hours until they were to land in Los Angeles and his mind was abuzz, flipping through various thoughts like a Rolodex. He hoped it was a smooth flight and wondered what Belle was doing, wishing she was able to get some sleep. He was curious about how the audition would go for Indy. He knew she was a lock for the role so he needed to stop thinking of “ifs” and start thinking of “whens.” 
Sleep was a lost cause so he grabbed the remote. He wasn’t going to be able to sleep until he knew she was safe on the ground. Flipping through the channels, he came across Alien and decided to stop and keep it on as background noise as he continued to do some research on his tablet. He found a couple of places in Toronto and fired off emails to Liz so she could investigate further. 
Time crawled by. Something else was on TV but Dieter didn’t pay it any mind. He was scrolling through photos on his phone, landing on a candid he took of Belle one morning. She looked so peaceful, a hint of a smile on her face as she lay on her side facing him, the sheet just barely covering her. 
He closed his eyes wishing she was next to him. He ran his hand over his face, his breath hitched just a bit smelling the smallest trace of her musk still on his fingers. It sent an electric pulse down his body, remembering how just a few hours ago her mouth was where his hand had drifted to. His slow strokes picked up as he replayed some of their more intimate moments in his head. It didn’t take long before he found his release, left panting as he reached for his phone. 
One more hour.
He cleaned himself up and stepped outside smiling as he looked across at the adjacent balcony, remembering that morning. He stared out into the darkness, hearing the rhythmic sounds of the waves crashing onto the beach below. It was lulling him to sleep, but before he closed his eyes he set an alarm on his phone.
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You were woken up when the flight attendants made one last pass through the cabin before taking their seats for the approach to LAX. “Psst,” you gently shook Indy. 
She groaned, pulling off her sleeping mask with a pout. “I need the largest, most obnoxious coffee concoction when we land.”
“You got it,” you giggled. 
You reached for your phone, itching to be able to turn it off airplane mode so you could text Dieter. The moment the tires made contact with the tarmac, both you and Indy were furiously tapping away at your phones. You felt butterflies when a message came through before you could send one. 
Dieter: My bed felt empty 😞 Hope you were able to get some sleep. I miss you.
You grinned like an absolute idiot at your phone at the selfie he sent complete with his signature arched eyebrow and pursed lips. He was in bed underneath the covers. His broad shoulders took up the whole frame and his hair was as unruly as ever, but what stood out to you most was his sweet smile and gentle, but tired, eyes. 
Belle: Just landed 🙂 You’re still up?!
Dieter: I took a little power nap 😉 
Dieter: I wanted to make sure you got there ok. 
Beside you, Indy whispered into her phone to Sam using a baby voice. Normally this would have made you cringe, but seeing her this happy was actually really sweet. 
Belle: All good. Safe and sound 🙂 You should get some rest.
Dieter: For later tonight? 😏
Belle: lol whatever gets you to sleep a little
Dieter: Yes ma’am
Dieter: Keep me updated. Even if I fall back asleep it will be nice to wake up to your name on my phone. 
Belle: 😘
Belle: I’ll try not to bother you too much
Dieter: You’re never a bother sweetheart
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Dieter breathed a sigh of relief knowing the girls made it safely. The anxiety of the last several hours coupled with the lack of sleep finally caught up to him and before he knew it, his eyes fluttered closed as his phone slipped from his hand and onto the carpet.
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Getting off the plane through the airport and to the car service was a bit of a blur thanks to the small gaggle of paparazzi armed with cameras, cellphones, and ring lights. Seeing the paps at a place like LAX was pretty standard given all of the celebrities, but what was uncommon was for you and Indy to be the targets of their attention. Once they spotted you, they descended, shouting both of your names as Rhys tried his best to shield you while ushering you to the waiting car. They yelled all at once and you could only make out a phrase or two from each.
“Are you dating Dieter Bravo?”
“Did you and Dieter break up?”
“Belle, can you give us a smile?”
“What the fuck?” Indy huffed as she scooted into the back of the SUV behind you. 
“How’d they know my name?” Your face scrunched up as you looked out the back window.
“Someone must have tipped them off, I swear I didn’t set that up!” Rhys looked back from the front seat before turning around to furiously type on his phone. 
You and Indy exchanged a confused look. “I can see them knowing you Ind, but me?”
“Well, you are dating Dieter fucking Bravo…” she smirked, before switching to a more serious tone. “I’m sorry B, it sucks. It’s one thing if he were here with you; I know how unnerving this whole thing can be. But you rocked it! Your first paparazzi swarm!” She gave an encouraging smile, trying to make you laugh to get your mind off the path it would inevitably go down.
You sat a bit dumbfounded, trying to process. You are dating Dieter fucking Bravo. You are in love with him and he’s in love with you. But all of this kind of attention wasn't something you wanted. Your mind started to spiral thinking about what life would be like with Dieter outside of your little bubble. Whether going out on a date or taking a trip to the grocery store, he was recognizable and your life would always be on display for others to judge and scrutinize.
Deep in thought, you didn’t even register the SUV pulling up to Indy’s apartment. She quickly unlocked the door and ushered you all in, knowing there was limited time for her to take a quick shower and freshen up. Rhys stepped out to make a couple of phone calls while you laid out your kit on the vanity in her bedroom. Once you were all set up, you plopped on the bed and pulled out your phone. Even though you figured (and hoped) he was asleep, you decided to fire off a message to Dieter.
Belle: Sorry it’s been a bit chaotic but we’re at Indy’s now. Audition is at 9 so I’ll be kinda MIA - Rhys says I have some meetings today too. Hope you're getting some sleep 💕
A notification for Instagram popped up which you ignored, opting instead to clear out some emails. But then another notification came through, followed by another and another, and soon your phone started buzzing with texts and other alerts. As you opened Instagram Rhys sprinted into the room.
“Have you seen them?” He asked in a huff, rushing over to you.
“What? What happened? Is everything ok?”
“Y-yeah, it’s just….the photos of you and Indy are starting to circulate.” He looked a bit worried and you weren’t quite sure why.
“Circulate?” You scoffed, trying to put on a calm exterior despite the anxiety brewing in your chest. You fidgeted with the sleeve of Dieter's sweatshirt you were still wearing.
“Just the typical accounts but some…others picked it up too,” his mouth twitched as he averted his eyes.
You furrowed your brows and Rhys opened his mouth to say more as the en suite bathroom door opened.
“I’m ready!” A bathrobe-clad Indy announced before her face dropped seeing Rhys stressed and you confused. “Wait. What happened? Is everything ok?”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said, walking over to put his hands on Indy’s arms. “It’s just that the photos from the airport are starting to make their rounds.”
You can’t see the look on Rhys’ face but something in his voice tells you he’s trying to tell Indy something without tipping you off. 
“Have you seen anything?” Indy looked past Rhys, her eyes boring into you.
You shook your head, “No, what the fuck guys?! I literally just sat down. Is there something I should know?”
Rhys and Indy exchanged a look before she walked past him, coming to sit next to you on the bed. “Here let me take a look.” She unlocked her phone and started going through her tagged posts.
Indy had the best poker face but you knew her tells. To the untrained eye, they wouldn’t know the difference but decades of friendship made you all too aware of her microexpressions. The slight purse of her lips, an eyebrow twitch, or a shift in her posture – she was uneasy about something.
“You’re making me nervous, Ind.” Your mind started to race through all of the possibilities but had a sneaking suspicion that the reason both she and Rhys were acting weird was because your appearance was being scrutinized. And if that was the case it was honestly so unfair. You had just come off a red-eye and weren’t expecting to have a bunch of cameras shoved in your face. You tugged awkwardly at the hem of Dieter's sweatshirt as Indy kept scrolling.
Indy let out a frustrated sigh as she put down the phone. “I seriously don’t know what gets into people. They act like they know us, know our lives, and they don’t…” She rubbed the heels of her hands into her eyes.
“What’re they saying Ind?” You say with a bit more bite than you intended. You appreciated her trying to shield and protect you from the online fodder but it was completely unrealistic to think you wouldn’t read stuff.
“Look for yourself,” she turned her body toward you, her eyes watching as you unlocked your phone and started scrolling. There was one thread of comments and replies that grabbed your attention.
>>Omg they look like a hot mess
>>They look pissed off
>>It’s early in the morning they’re probably not awake. Jeez give them a break. 
>>How do you look in the morning?
>>They look kinda sad
>>Oh that’s the girl Dieter is dating huh?
>>Do you think Dieter broke up with her? Is that why they’re back in LA?
>>They haven’t posted anything together ever at least Indy and Sam kinda soft launched
>>It’s probably not serious then. Remember his last chick? Dude wouldn’t shut up about her
>>He’s definitely still shooting. I saw a photo of him at a bar in Hawaii last night
>>The guy was probably hammered huh?
>>Oh no that was probably bad news
>>Wait is THAT who Dieter is dating now? Woof
>>Guy must be desperate
>>How do you go from a Victoria’s Secret model to that?
You skimmed through the rest of it as you felt your blood pressure spiking. People were throwing out wild, unfounded speculation and there was a small contingent doing a deep dive about you and your family and friends. Your mind goes into a tailspin as you read through more. You couldn’t make out the words, but you heard Indy next to you on the phone trying to get in touch with Sam, frustrated when she got his PA instead. 
Meanwhile, you felt that all-too-familiar pang in your gut. You experienced a taste of this when you and Dieter were first spotted in public, knowing that it wasn’t going to be the first or last time people would make comments about you. But something about this felt so unsettling and so invasive. You were a normal person trying to support her friend on what was essentially a job interview. It also made you uncomfortable that the focus was on you and not Indy – she’s the star of the show here not you. Why aren’t people coming up with theories about why she’s in LA when she should be on set in Hawaii too?
The conversations around Dieter were also surprising and a bit confusing. You were on what you thought was a Dieter fan account yet people were speculating about everything from the two of you breaking up to him cheating on you to you both getting secretly married. It hurt to see so many quick to paint him in a bad light – assuming that he had done something wrong.
Indy hung up the phone and you could feel her eyeballs on you but you just kept scrolling.
“What are you thinking B?” 
You shook your head, “This is all so confusing. How does us at the airport turn into all of this,” you waved your phone around.
“It, unfortunately, comes with the territor-”
“Can it Rhys!” Indy snapped. “That’s not helpful right now. Look, apparently Sam and Dee went to the hotel bar after we left, had a couple of drinks, and then went back to their rooms.”
“Wait, you don’t think he actually….”
“No, no not at all,” she squeezed your leg. “No. And it’s ridiculous the way these people spiral off the smallest thing…have you tried calling him?”
You shook your head, “I’m pretty sure he’s asleep. He had a later call time than Sam and sounded like he was up most of the night.” Your mind drifted to a negative place briefly before shutting down that train of thought.
“Well, just try, I’m sure Liz is lighting up his phone too.”
“She is. We’ve been texting,” Rhys chimed in.
You called Dieter a couple of times and it went to voicemail. After the third failed attempt to reach him, you took a deep breath, took off the sweatshirt, and looked at Indy, resolved to not let this derail an important day for her. “We need to get you ready.”
“O-ok, yeah, c’mon let’s go.”
Since it was part audition/part screen test, you were thankful to just have to do minimal makeup and a simple blowout, allowing you to go on autopilot and think. You suddenly felt like you were back in your apartment after you found out Ryan left. The thoughts of unworthiness were quick to make themselves known after they’d been dormant for weeks – the weeks you’ve known Dieter. You were happier, and stronger with him, and being apart only made you see how weak and fragile you were. 
You were annoyed at yourself that comments from people you didn’t know could affect you so much. But words hurt. And it doesn’t help that so many of them keyed in on parts of your body you were self-conscious about. But then there was another voice trying to push through to remind you that all of those things they called out were the things Dieter loved. He celebrated your body, eager to show you his appreciation as you became more comfortable with him.
Thoughts then traveled to Dieter, wondering what his state of mind would be like when he finally woke up and Liz brought him up to speed. You smiled a bit to yourself knowing that his first thoughts would probably be about you and wanting to check if you were ok. But you knew his next instinct would be to turn inward. He hadn’t shared everything, but there were demons from his past he still had to contend with every day. And you couldn’t help but think that seeing people attack you because of your relationship with him was going to send him down a self-loathing spiral. 
For a brief moment, your mind wandered to a territory that scared you – whether all of this was worth it. You continued to work in silence, catching Indy’s eyes in the mirror every so often. She acted like she was rereading her lines but you knew she was trying to gauge your feelings and meet you where you were.
“Ok, ready.” You set down the can of finishing spray and fluffed up her hair in the mirror. 
“Wanna talk about it?” She grabbed your hand, stopping you from quickly packing everything up.
“There’s nothing to talk about. C’mon, we’re going to be late.”
“Of course there’s stuff to talk about.”
“I’m. Fine.” You snapped, instantly regretting losing your temper. “Sorry Indy, I…it’s just the same old shit when it comes to,” you motioned up and down your body. “I don’t want to talk about it. It’s not a productive conversation.” 
She didn’t push it and just hugged you, figuring an embrace would tell you more than she could with words. Rhys interrupted your quiet moment urging you both to get a move on so you weren't late. Indy did one last sweep of her apartment, hoping it would be a long while before she saw it again.
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Dieter tossed and turned all morning, his hands seeking Belle only to find an empty, cold space next to him in the bed. He was about to close his eyes again and will himself to sleep when the hotel phone came to life with a shrill ring. Covering his face with a pillow he reached for the phone and brought the receiver to his ear.
“Yeah?”
“Well thank fuck you’re alive. Goddamit I’ve been calling you and texting you all morning. I was about to go get them to open the door if you didn’t pick up. Where have you been? Are you ok?”
This wasn’t the first time Liz had woken Dieter up and berated him, but something about her tone this time caught his attention. 
“Lizzie,” he cleared his throat, starting to sit up. “What’s wrong?”
“Were you asleep? You know you’re due on set in like half an hour, right?”
“I forgot to set an alarm…didn’t get much sleep last night. I wanted to make sure the girls got there ok. Are they ok? Did something happen?”
“Where’s your phone?” A slight hesitation in her voice.
“Uh, I thought it was right here…” Dieter felt around the bed before peeking over and seeing the phone face down on the floor. “Ah there it is, must have fallen….holy shit, what the hell happened?”
Dieter turned over his phone and was pretty sure he had a notification from every app. He saw a bunch of missed phone calls from Liz and Belle, hell even Sam and Meredith had rung him. His list of missed texts was from the same bunch with the addition of Danny, Indy, and even Rhys. 
“Goddamit Liz. Gimme the rundown. Are they ok?” Dieter swung his legs around, feeling dizzy as the adrenaline coursed through his veins.
“She’s fine Dee, they’re ok. The damn paps swarmed the girls as soon as they left the airport. Couple of the blogs caught it and it’s what you expect – people talking about her, how she looks, and trying to find out more about her and Indy. Luckily she’s a smart girl and has a lot of her shit locked down so there’s not a ton for people to find. But it’s only a matter of time before someone comes out of the woodwork wanting their 15 minutes.”
Dieter scoffed, knowing that all too well. When he was at rock bottom it felt like every person he’d ever met was willing to go to a gossip rag to talk about him. It was the usual suspects - jilted lovers, disgruntled past co-stars or assistants, all the way to his old dog’s vet. Anyone and everyone who wanted to give their two cents about Dieter found a way to get their story out. 
His annoyance turned into a feeling of helplessness. He knew how these comments would hurt Belle and with her so far away he couldn’t be there to comfort her. Hell, she wasn’t even gone for 12 hours. It was unfair that he couldn’t protect her from a life he’d unfortunately grown accustomed to. He worked a lot on himself to build back a fraction of the confidence he used to have. It still stung to see things written about him, so he could only imagine the negative headspace she was in because of this all.
“I need to call her.”
“That’s not it Dee,” Liz cut him off before taking a deep inhale. “They’re also talking about you. People have no idea that she’s there for Indy’s audition. They’re assuming both girls left set early due to an incident.”
“What incident?”
“Well, no theory has stuck yet, but it’s the greatest hits.”
Liz didn’t have to spell it out for Dieter to know that once again his past was coming around. He ran his free hand through his hair and then down his face as he tried to quell the frustration. It felt like no matter how much progress he made, people only thought of him as that womanizing, drug-fueled party animal from years ago.
“I need to call Belle.”
“They’re in meetings right now. I’ve kept in close contact with Rhys. He was there when they saw the photos and started reading through the comments.”
“How’d she take it?” 
“As best as you can imagine. Rhys said she kind of shut down on the drive over but turned it on once they got there and started meeting with everyone.”
Dieter’s heart sank, imagining the spiral she must be on as she tried to keep it together for Indy. All the studio execs probably had Google Alerts set for both of the girls as a precaution and as a means to suss out any potential liabilities and issues, so they no doubt knew about Belle and Dieter’s rumored, but very real, relationship. It pained him that he couldn’t be there to comfort her; maybe if he was with her the focus could have been on him instead. 
The smallest hint of a smile came across his face. He felt a combination of pride and awe in her strength – that she could compartmentalize all of these feelings and seemingly put on a brave face for Indy’s audition. She was stronger than she gave herself credit for.
“I need to talk to her….do you know how much longer they’ll be?” Dieter tried to sound even keel but he knew Liz could see right through it.
“I mean, they should probably be done soon. They have to get back to the airport, their flight leaves in a couple of hours.”
Dieter took a deep breath, trying to quell his anxiety. “Well, I’ll have my phone on me. Maybe if I can get downstairs Mere can get me ready and I can - ”
“Dee,” Liz cut him off. “Listen, I know your first instinct is to try and fix this, but she’s a big girl. Being with you isn’t going to be a cakewalk, you can’t shield her from this kind of stuff forever.” He stayed quiet for a moment, rubbing his temples. “What’s bothering you champ?”
“I…I just don’t want all of this to scare her off…like it’s going to be too much. That I'm too much. She didn’t ask for any of this, you know? What if she ends up deciding she’d rather not deal with it?”
“Dieter,” Liz paused, knowing she needed to be a bit more delicate than her normal tough love. “You love her right? And she loves you? Shit is going to be hard. I know it’s scary, but you have to just trust in each other. What do you want from her?”
“I don’t want anything from her. I…I just want everything with her.”
“Well, she’ll be back in…” Liz checked her watch, “eight hours. You can profess your ever-dying love then.”
He rolled his eyes and laughed. “Thanks. Hey, did you see those emails I sent you?”
“Yup, we’re checking them out – I’ll make sure we check out potential security issues to see if anything is an immediate no.”
“Thanks, Lizzie. I should probably get downstairs. Hey, I’ll have my phone on me. Anything else happens…anything…you call me. I don’t give a shit if we’re filming, you call me.”
“You got it champ….it’s all going to be ok, Dee.”
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Previous chapter / Final chapter
A/N: So I know I haven’t always been the best with updating, but the last chapter is written and it will come out on Feb. 26!
Tag list: @musings-of-a-rose / @legendary-pink-dot / @bitchwitch1981 / @mysterious-moonstruck-musings / @gracie7209 / @amneris21 / @pastelnap / @maryfanson / @sunnywithachanceofjavi / @sin-djarin / @winchestergypsy90 / @for-a-longlongtime /@harriedandharassed / @titlee78 / @midnightraain / @poodlebae / @partyofone3413 / @guelyury / @weho2kcmo / @missladym1981 / @soapjay / @darkheartgatita
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silent-sanctum · 2 months
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You know in honor of Valentines Day, how about I make a list of Valentines headcanons about Jotaro Kujo:
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♡ When someone asks what flag color he is, one would most likely say red because of his rude, standoffish, and aloof personality (mostly seen in his teenage years)
♡ However, if you think about it aside from the rough exterior, he's actually a subtle green flag. Let me explain-
♡ This is one of those instances where you have to look past his awkward loner-esque personality and observe how he treats people that don't constantly piss him off.
♡ There's a reason why some of us compare his "heart of gold" to the Amazon Forest that is Jonathan:
♡ Jotaro respects boundaries. As someone who's space often gets violated by unwanted fangirls, he's very aware of the importance of personal space. He won't force you to do stuff you don't want to.
♡ Jotaro is open-minded. He likes to explore his surroundings a lot and isn't exactly rigid with preferences or routines. He's willing to accompany you to wherever you want to go and would try out stuff you'd like for him to try out. After all, he did surprise Joseph when he said India was a neat place to be in.
♡ Jotaro is an active listener. Unlike Jonathan, he can't really offer you solid words of comfort. It's not his expertise. But to make up for that, he'd lend a ear to whatever you want to say to him. Sure, he won't talk much but at times, when you really need someone, he'd be there for you- help you out by giving advice on how to not get hurt again, and help provide you logical reasoning that validates your feelings.
♡ Jotaro is loyal and caring. Yes, he's all "mean and grouchy" no one's denying that, but behind that tough skin is someone that loves his friends and family. He values their security above all else and is willing to put his life on the line just to keep them safe from danger. He also isn't one to condone cheating as evident by his statement about Joseph's infidelity.
♡ Jotaro's love languages are Acts of Service and Quality Time. He likes company but he just can't express it well. At times, he'd spend some of his free time just being by your side, lowkey glad seeing you happy with him around. He can tell when you're upset just by reading your body language or can tell what you need from piecing together recollections of your words. As a result, he'd find ways to make you happy using the methods he can do. He'd buy stuff you like, offer you dinner dates at a restaurant that serves your current cravings, put on your favorite movie or music etc.
♡ Jotaro isn't as possessive as you'd expect him to be. He's very aware he's shit at being an entertaining guy, so he isn't in the position of being all high and mighty of wanting you to just be with him. If anything, he likes seeing you enjoy your day hanging out with friends... but he'd really appreciate it when you'd often have him in mind and you invite him to hang with your friend group. Whether he accepts or declines, he's happy you considered inviting him. But if he sees someone blatantly trying to make moves on you, then he has to intervene to remind everyone that you're taken.
❣️ When Valentines arrives... ❣️
♡ Honestly, don't expect him to show up in public being head-over-heels with some grand display of affection because he's not Jonathan nor Joseph.
♡ Instead, you'd find him waiting for you to finish your tasks and either tells you ahead of time where they're going to spend the day or asks you where do you want to go.
♡ Either way, you engage in usual banter and conversation, just how you both liked it over the months, and continue to do so even when dining or spending time in said place.
♡ You both don't show much PDA as an average couple would, and you didnt mind it one bit. But there are times where Jotaro wouldn't mind holding your hand in public. He'd slowly reach your hand, hold it, and place your interlocked hands in his pocket. And you find that genuinely endearing.
♡ Depending on his impromptu plans, he'd either bring you out in a quiet area of a park or ask you if you'd like to hang in his place or yours. And when reaching somewhere private, it's only there that you find out he actually bought you a bouquet and a gift containing something you wanted.
♡ With the way he approached you all bashful under his hat throughout the entirety of the day, you're reminded why you fell in love with him despite the awful first impressions.
♡ To end it off, you both finish the day either by cuddling to sleep or having an intimate session before going to sleep.
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mae-i-scribble · 10 months
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I’ve been thinking so much about how ASTV goes out of its way to set up Miles and Gwen as both parallel and directly opposing each other throughout the entire film and going just a little feral so now I am subjecting my essay upon the internet.
First off we have the direct comparisons that can be made between Miles and Gwen as people, the way they both use that awful fake low voice to disguise themselves. Both of them have fathers that are in the police force who were at one point staunchly against spider-man and to whom they have to conceal themselves from. Both of them started out as superheroes around the same age. Both are established as people who despite having support groups around them who support them (miles and ganke plus his parents, gwen with her band and her dad (here on a technicality)) to be desperately lonely people because they can never discuss who they are in full with anyone, and who in turn feel a special connection with each other because of all these similarities in their unique situations. Both of them are also painted as anomalies, with Gwen being a Gwen Stacy who exists outside of the ‘girlfriend who tragically dies’ role given to her other universe counterparts (this may change in BTSV based on some creator statements but for now its all we have to go off of). And Miles, the kid who was never meant to become spider-man but who excelled at the role. Both of them are extremely skilled superheroes who keep up with the older veterans despite their age too.
And then we have some of the hard hitting differences. The polar opposite relationship these two have with both their fathers and with family in general. Even as spider-man, Miles has kept a good rapport up with his father and the police, if met with a little more annoyance from the police. Gwen on the other hand, has been hunting down like a criminal for most of her vigilante life, doubly so by her own father who even when confronted with the fact that his daughter is spider-woman, tries to lock her up anyways. Something we know with absolute certainty Miles’ dad would not do. Gwen’s dad is also the only family she has left, and even before that it seems that her support group was very small and limited to Peter and Aunt May. On the other hand Miles has both his parents and a lot of people he can at least call acquaintances (we see this in the first movie as he has always been a bit of a people person, well loved at his old school). We also see a stark difference in how they would have handled being told they couldn’t use the watches to visit. Gwen, clearly afraid of losing the one safe space she has left, keeps in line regardless of her own feelings because she cannot risk it. Miles, on the other hand, had he been put in a position to join spider-society before Gwen, would have gone to see her by any means- he was already trying to see both her and Peter from his own dimension.
There are some other scenes and visuals that also continue this trend, screencaps and explanations of those below the readmore.
First off we have the visual contrast between Miles and Gwen’s respective dimensions. Gwen’s world is a blur of color, the cityscape blends together only to focus on the things Gwen cares about. It’s painted together.
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Miles’ world, on the other hand, while having a slight blur that is reminiscent of older comics, stands out much more sharply. And while not as distinctly colorful as Gwen’s world, its a much brighter take on our everyday reality (mostly this one shot is not the best example).
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When Miles and Gwen first meet and start talking on the bank building, this shot happens. As Gwen sits with a backdrop of shadows we pan up to see Miles standing, the archway giving him the bright backdrop of sky. Right here, as they talk about what could happen if Miles’ were to reveal his identity, visually they are on two opposite sides of one story to reflect how ideologically separated they are on this topic. There’s a physical divide between them. This is coupled by the way ATSV uses the imagery of people being oriented in different directions to show their separation. It’s used in the promo art for Miles vs spider-society, and twice in relation to Miles and Gwen specifically.
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But despite their vastly different experiences, the way that their lives have played out so differently, they still have a connection, shown by the way that Miles gets down to match Gwen’s perspective. He literally meets her at her level, and by doing so they get a view that only the two of them can share. Miles is what brings them back onto the same parallel track by orienting himself to match Gwen. That divide doesn’t exist anymore.
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This one is less meaningful I just kinda thought it was cute how they essentially had the same reaction to watching the Spot’s plan play out.
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The most meaningful shot in this scene though once more brings back the separation via oriented in opposite directions though. The backdrop behind them is open, connecting them together, and they’re on the same level face to face. However, Miles is upside down. Rather than Gwen being the one in strong disagreement, now Miles is with the fact that Gwen would choose to abandon him without telling him anything. And unlike Miles, Gwen doesn’t have the chance to try and see it from his perspective.
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The last point I want to bring up is two paralleled shots in the movie. The first being when Miles catches Gwen with his web when she falls in Mumbattan. Here, the only thing that makes the web snap is when Miles’ starts glitching, literally the only thing the could have made him drop her is the universe itself interfering.
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Vs when Gwen returns the favor in Nueva York. Only this time it isn’t about the universe interfering, it’s about how she’s lost Miles’ trust so completely, so utterly, that he would rather break off this connection himself than have Gwen save him.
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All these things come together to just break my heart over what’s happened to their friendship- I really want some solid resolution to just how much both Gwen and Peter have hurt Miles in the next movie. But also the levels this movie goes to show just how these two are connected to make their intense bond over such a short period more believable is just superior film making at its best. If anyone has more examples I didn’t point out here please let me know I would love to see them.
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xxnomadsxx · 3 months
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Nomads AU! Poppy
Before you come at me for making her seem awful in this, it’s cause she’s missing a lot of character growth. which will come the more time she spends with Branch ( I honestly love Poppy❤️ she needs more recognition in her growth)
Her character is basically like first movie Poppy plus adding all the problems she had before growing as a character. In this au she had no Branch to help her grow (she has some development but not as much)
I mentioned Poppy a couple times before, but never really explained her. I’ve said the timeline stays the same except some characters replace Branch at times or not at all. In the first movie she gets hit with reality when everyone got captured and turned momentarily grey, but then Bridget saves the trolls which gives Poppy hope and she (plus everyone) gets there colors back then everything else plays out just without Branch.
The second movie she doesn’t listen to others and struggles on why being ✨queen✨ is so hard. She also pushes down trolls differences until the end where she kinda learns that difference does matter (she’s kinda learning guys give her some credit ) she gets saved by the snack pack in the end and barely learns to listen to others. The end plays out the same (the other leaders are very wary of her
The third movie she tags along (mostly cause Brozone was her fav band, not the best reason to help but oh well) to help Floyd. She doesn’t do much but learn how siblings have issues with each other , and get to experience how the Brothers are struggling to cope with there brothers “death” (her positivity did not help) She did get the message that life is not all cupcakes and rainbows due to this (Look at that Branch wasn’t even here and he taught her a lesson, good job man)😁 I’m gonna do a post on the movie summary later since a lot of stuff will go down.
She has a lot more toxic positivity. As in she won’t leave you alone until she deems you as “happy” it’s way worse since Branch isn’t there to show her sometimes it’s ok to be sad (the entire grey village is going to suffer through so many songs)
She doesn’t understand completely why the other tribes are so…different. I mean all Trolls are the same in her eyes. she just never says this to anyone though. She kinda understands what the funk trolls ment when they said “differences do matter” but not completely she just thinks everyone should be happy like pop trolls
She is a lot more pushy on boundaries (does not respect them) and has a hard time listening and understanding people’s problems (her optimism is kinda toxic to others, she pushes people’s problems down to try and make them happy )
She is kinda kinda..sorta (definitely) having a hard time as ✨queen✨. As she only thinks of the fun she never thinks about a lot of her other duties cause they’re BORING~!!!🥱 (which causes a lot of issues at times) she’s not the most responsible troll and is quite reckless.
But don’t worry she will change and get better over time (also ps Branch ain’t doing the greatest either, they’re both sooooooo messed up but they will grow together😌)
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rzyraffek · 1 year
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I made one cute post about slashers(ghostface and yautja) finding random child in forest. Its still in my head so imma do part 2. Its pure platonic made to be cute and funny😊. (By kid i mean she can talk walk normaly already ect)
Request open
Yaujta with human child
Yall this is part 2 but I know that not everyone seen part 1 so basicly what u missed: he finds kid in forest, looks for her perents, turns out they are bab people, he temporary takes kid to his ship...
Yeaaah Temporary, thats what he thought, he rly hoped to find some good place for her but He kinda failed? Lol
He will be grumpy, well no suprise! He didnt plan having random alien kid in his ship! But he cant Just leave her too
He has No clue about perentship so he will probably fail miseribly (trying to feed kid with raw food or trying to train her isnt top tier parent stuff)
But he tires okay! He may stalk some acuall human families to see how bebis work (misspelling bebi is my job)
Wait till he finds out that humans in fact dont train their kids in hunting/killing
Duble points in cutness if kid loves aliens! Like yknow every kid has phases dinosaurs/ponies/aliens/dolls idk what else its been 11years since i was kid idk what kids do this days (I was dinosaur kid myself)
I can imagine kid being like: 🤯alien dad😊 while hes like: 👽we woo *alien noises*👽
No but He will melt if kid calls him alien dad/ space dad/ just dad. He will be suprisingly very happy and proud
Okay okay he wont train his kid🙄 but dont make him cook pls😩. As long as yall are on earth He will steal some food(he is the reason why take out food you ordered 2hours ago never came)
"How are bebis made?" "uh eh they hatch from eggs?(has No clue how to human)"
Kid is very shmol (in comparison) and the ship is verrry big. Kid gets lost a lot. Yautja panics a lot. wheWHERE IS SHE I- EE NOT AGAIN
They love playing hide and seek, tag is cool too but He never knows if he should let kid win or make them loose in 0.23 seconds
He brings her a lot of stuff, mostly paper crayons, toys(dino plushies pls), clothes ofc, stickers. He will kinda love if she draws him or put stickers on his armor. I mean she shoudlnt be in armory and she is banned from going there due to sharp objects but awwwwe cute stickers on his armor
Mostly He is too busy to multi-task (taking care of kid while doing other stuff is difficult) so he just lets kid vibe on his lap or around him overall.
Yautja is very good in learning kid how to deal with emotions (both positive and negative) and overall respect, self defence ect
When kid grows up(teenager) he is doing his best to support her and show empathy (and yautjas arent know for being very emphatic) but please on love of God do not be mean to him he will be heartbroken. As the kid grows he will kinda try to train them with sertain weapons of just simple self-defence. Its not like kid will ever be in danger but its more like dad trying to show his favorite hobbie to his kid in hope that the kid will like it too
Funfact out of context! I liked yautjas before i saw any movies and I thought they had tails :( u can imagine my disapointment
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writeblrsvoid · 2 months
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Excuse this absolute essay of an ask. I had thoughts.
I decided to add a new dynamic into my storywriting because I saw a commentary about how media always saying that the villain has to die is actually a Not Great Thing. Basically, from now on, the only time a villain is going to die in my story is if they Absolutely Cannot Change. It's actually added some really interesting solutions into my storywriting now that I'm not killing off the villains, because their motivations and their ideals significantly influence the results of the story.
Like, let me explain. In one instance, the villain believes that the stronger force in life will always prevail. She's defeated by the protagonists, which is normally when the villain would be killed in, say, a Disney or Dreamworks movie (think HTTYD, Mulan, Tangled, Shrek, etc.) Since it fits with her ideals, though, she actually surrenders once she's been defeated because, to her, she was not the stronger force.
It does have an interesting consequence in that, sometimes, an abusive side villain doesn't die, either. (Before anyone asks, I am an abuse victim.) It's not a guarantee of either thing, and isn't even a guarantee that the villain will turn good, but I approached it more with the idea of "The victim doesn't need their abuser's apology to move on, and the abuser doesn't need their victim's forgiveness to change" because both of those would put the victim in a bad situation. Again, this comes back to the villain always dying being a Not Great Thing. The villains are still facing consequences--all of them lose reputation, their positions of power, etc.--but I think it's more a valuable lesson to be learned that yes, you can be an awful person, but you still have the capacity to change. Also, I think in some cases it's more fitting for the villains to have to face the consequences of their choices in life than it is for them to die but never have to deal with the repercussions that their victims have to.
Of course, then I get back to the case of the villains who will have to die. I do have a couple villains like this, and it's mostly that they have to die simply because they won't stop until they get what they want. I'm not a huge fan of the villain having to die (because, again, it's not a lesson I want to teach my audience), but I think in some ways it's a disrespect to them as a character to not kill them in some cases. Like, say a character is incredibly determined to do this One Thing, and at the second they almost have the One Thing, they suddenly give up. One of my other villains is kind of like this--he wants to stop this One Thing from happening, and to do that he has to kill everyone who could cause this One Thing, including our protagonist. It feels like a disrespect to him for him to get defeated by our protagonist and suddenly decide that he no longer wants to stop this One Thing when he's been working for years to get it, and is willing to die to stop it.
Anyways, I guess this kind of just boils down to my wanting to deal with the complexity of media and how it can affect people, while also trying to respect the decisions of my characters to the best of my ability. Hopefully it makes some sense. Oh, just to clarify, I'm not saying that "oh, every abuser can change", because that's not what happens in my works and the only reason the ones I'm thinking of got a chance was because I realized I was running into the same faults I was judging others for, and also it made for a more interesting storyline for them to change. I think it just does a disservice to the complexity of human nature to not take into account that people are, in and of themselves, very messy, and including the villains in that makes me feel like my works have more life to them. The three I mentioned all do face some pretty major consequences for their actions, but it does fit their drive--and also, at least two of them are abuse victims themselves, and I wanted to include the idea that even abuse victims who became abusers have the capacity to change. They all show shame for their actions, which is why they're allowed to in the first place.
Most of this was also inspired by Andrew Taint in that it made me want to write books featuring young, male protagonists who teenage and preteen boys could look up to as role models (these characters make mistakes, they apologize, they cry, they're messy and rough at the edges but still good people) because I saw some of the young men around me suffering from the thought process that they were evil and couldn't change, so there was no point in doing so. It's just important to me to establish how powerful the willingness to change is and using media is one way for me to do that. I totally understand how some of this could come off as really wrong, though, especially to anyone else who's an abuse victim.
Thanks for reading my rambling, though. I appreciate the time and effort you put into this blog a lot, because it makes it easier to talk to someone about my works when I can't necessarily do that in real life. Hope you have a lovely day!
First of all, it is no one's business whether or not you're an abuse victim. You are able to draw powerful life lessons from experiences you've never had if you do so respectfully, so the fact that you felt you had to share that you're an abuse victim... you don't. People need to get their heads out of their asses and stop acting like everyone else's lives are any of their business. You're allowed your privacy.
That said, this is a super complex topic and I personally feel that you're doing an amazing job at addressing it and that your thought processes on all of it are really on the right track. :) keep it up! I'm super proud of you and what you're trying to do and the lessons you're trying to portray. :) you're doing amazing work, so don't let others feeling any sort of way deter you. You will touch and reach people.
Every piece of writing on touchy topics will offend some people. It's just the nature of humanity. Just remember you're doing it for the people that you're going to help, not the ones that will yell about it. :)
Thank you for sharing.
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pray4byron · 3 months
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Love the blog theme and colours! Esp the header. Can I get a HH matchup? The description is mostly pasted from another ask I did before, but like, I really don't have a new way do describe myself. Idk if this is as bad as sending the same propmp to two blogs, lmk cause I don't want to be disrespectful here
★Gender and pref: I’m a he/she and choose how I present myself based on the setting bc I’m not that open with ppl (yeah, it’s important to express yourself but realistically that won’t get me far in certain settings in my country); no gender pref but I’m not too fond of some writing choices when it comes to women in Viv’s works, depends on a character though
★Looks: my style has a rockstar gf vibe? Sometimes softer colours too. I'm 5’7, athletic but not ripped, gray eyes and wavy blonde hair. Ironically (in this context) lots of ppl call me an angel/angelic-looking. Not going to lie, that feeds into my ego a little bit but I don't really get what they mean. I wear makeup too, love the fox eye trend
★Personality, hobbies: I’m social and extroverted. Usually that leaves me as a leader of whatever group I’m in. I have a little bit of a hater in me, but I don’t show it if ppl don’t encourage it. I do like when it’s being enabled though. It’s not convenient when you’re in a position where ppl ask you for opinions and actually follow your guide, yk, if I manage an event I’m not going to go around shit talking everything. It feels nice to have someone who does that though, makes it easier to join in and not feel like a jerk (or at least be jerks together I guess??). I write my own songs and am in a band as a backup vocal. Kinda proud that it’s my band but I need to get better until I step up as anything more. I’m a bit of a perfectionist. I like to tease ppl if given the opportunity. Others say I’m flirty. Bold with it at that. I’m ambitious too. Kind of a big thing but I have npd (if you want to look it up without reading scientific papers, go on tumblr, the rest of the internet is filled with ‘demonic narcissism’ bullshit) and it influences the way I am. I care lots about my image and don’t have a ton of empathy. I don’t go kicking puppies, but it’s noticeable how I lack in this department. Sometimes people say I’m ’too nice to have it’ 🙄 cause i do well with kids and do all the youth group volunteering. Also, I do some martial arts and other sports. Kinda sceptical of romance at this point cause I had lots of it and I don’t mix well with a lot of people, but maybe I could do something serious for once if I had the right person. I try to be responsible and respectful but I have no issue finding my place at a wild party or something. I'm pretty chill in general, but I can be soft-er if I want, like with children or if the few ppl I‘m close with (I've got many friend groups but I struggle to make meaningful connections) need me. Usually I just stay my highly analytical, laid back self and say my silly little comments every once in a while. Heard I’m pretty funny if I want to be. My love language is acts of service. I like small things and I do them a lot. I can do words too, but I don't care for them in return. Like, you can be an asshole (up to a limit, I know my worth) and it’s cool with me if I see you have your ways of caring like putting on a song I like in the car
★❤️&💔: love movies like Fight Club (my fav), American Psycho and Donnie Darko; hate sharks, they freak me out; my fav book is The Catcher in the Rye; hate it when people push me to open up and be emotional; love music and I unironically had a few guys play songs AT me and I actually like that too, tho I get why ppl clown on it
★My type: I like people who are more negative than me and aren't afraid to shittalk everything. Just saying whatever, not caring if they offend ppl (up to a point, some issues aren’t debatable ik). They have to be somewhat funny. Just… not serious all the time at least. Don't really care for morality (to a certain point, again) if you're charismatic and fun to be around, I’m along for the ride and happy to support whatever you get yourself into. I think I would get along with someone who had a little npd too, I like to be able to relate to my partner a bit. If they work somewhat similarly, I don't have to struggle with understanding some stuff, bc I already know how to manage an ego or grandiose behavior. As for looks. Idk, I don’t have a set type. I think maybe ppl that are bigger than me? I’m pretty athletic so it’s not hard, but I guess that’s been a pattern? Also, I do enough of leading as is so in relationships, I don’t mind watching from the side and supporting whatever my partner is doing
-★🎶
first of all, thx!! my blog is all lute themed because i love her sm haha, also imo it’s not disrespectful so dw, but if some other blog gives you crap, i gotchu, anyway this was such a hard tie between quite a few characters, but here’s who i decided to pair you with…
Angel Dust !!
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I was debating so hard between him, Husk, or Charlie — but decided with Angel cause he’s a happy medium imo
I feel like you and Angel can bond well, but under the correct conditions and circumstances, like you both have been through shit and it sucked — and it probably still has a tight grip on you today, but you guys give each other the boost to keep trucking along, you’re each others reasons to get out of bed each day, each others cheerleaders for lack of a better term
You definitely enjoy Angel because he’s not afraid to talk a bit of shit, but he’s also not as serious as Husk, he can have a good time, he also matches your flirty energy a lot so you guys kinda just bounce comebacks and random shit off eachother
Angel is ALL IN for your “rockstar + angelic partner” look, thinks it’s hot asf, genuinely thinks you were in Heaven at one point or another because of how undeniably beautiful you are
Angel also enjoys the kickass hater in you, you guys could sit and gossip and talk shit for several hours, but you both kinda keep eachother in check from going too far — especially infront of others
Despite Hazbin being a musical, I’d like to think Angel is canonically a good singer, because cmon, how could he not be with a VA like Blake Roman?? So he could easily sing at and/or for you, bitch would serenade you😩😩
Also bro finds the fact that you hate sharks hilarious asf, I could see him deciding to be a little fucker and getting you a shark plush as a gag/joke gift on Christmas or smth (or I guess Hellsmas?? Idfk.)
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shokuto · 10 months
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What are your favorite aspects when it comes to Miles and Gwen's characters in the Spider-Verse films?
For Miles, I like how seriously he’s taken as a superhero, let alone Spider-Man. In the comics (Post Secret Wars 2015, and especially nowadays) people “little bro” him, if that makes sense. Villains, civilians, even editorial themselves don’t give him the same respect they’d give Peter Parker, someone’s always calling him “kid”, making him out to be an inexperienced rookie well on the fast track to getting himself killed, or going out of their way to establish that there’s another Spider-Man out there they can be counting on, whereas in Peter’s stories, Miles may as well not even exist. So in that vein it’s extremely refreshing for Miles to be portrayed as not only as NY’s sole Spidey, but the one that everyone counts on, and damn well better respect too. At least, I got that last impression when he outright told Peter not to call him kid, and outsmarted the spider-society in its entirety (bars) solely because they underestimated him. Watching the Spider-Verse movies gives me the same feeling as reading his Ultimate comics for the first time, so full of promise and untethered to an editorial office constantly trying to remind us what the score is and keeping his stories low stakes.
I also like his relationship with his parents, not because of the love, but because of the conflict that not only coexists with, but stems from that love. I feel Miles’ relationship with his parents in the comics, while loving, doesn’t even bother with introducing a little friction, a little conflict between these people who love each other and instead lay all the positivity extremely thick. It’s like a dream sequence where nothing bad happens, no one says or does anything they don’t mean or don’t like and there aren’t any misunderstandings. Which is just, completely unbelievable to me. Spider-Verse Miles’ relationship with his parents is 100% more interesting than the one in the comics because it feels so much more real.
For Gwen, I like how they perfectly maintain how much of a mess her life is. ITSV was mostly from Miles’ perspective, so her one awkward moment (“Gwanda. It’s African. South—African.”) doesn’t stand out as much as Miles literally tearing her hair out when hitting on her goes wrong. But as the indisputable deuteragonist of ATSV, we get to see more of her perspective, more of her shortcomings, more of the honest and vulnerable side to her that we didn’t have the time to see all that well in ITSV.
And for the both of them? Well, I like how their arcs perfectly entwine with how gone they are for each other, how they seek the comfort and understanding they can’t really get from anyone else just as they’re getting used to being tragically misunderstood. When BTSV sticks the landing they’re gonna be like, the best cbm romance to ever grace a big screen.
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ohhicas · 1 year
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what do you think writers who want to write a good accurate James should know? :)
Oohh I haven't done this in awhile I know I'm gonna forget some Huge Important Beats
He's like, legitimately(ish), friends with Catwoman. They are on non-murderous speaking terms, she respects him for as far as that word can stretch, and he was able to clock her by walking style alone but kept teasing her cause it was funny. The story ends on a positive note; they do not hate each other. He gets along with her.
Dude beat the devil, like, twice. He is on Neron's immediate shit-list cause he ruined his plans. He doesn't have special powers or abilities (will get back to this), he's just A Dude with a charisma dumpstat who lives up to his Trickster title. He also has a biological son with a direct path to a (good) God figure, so he's somehow managed to place himself square in the middle of "Jesus loves me, Satan hates me". (And with the pure headcanon he was raised religious and later dropped that whole thing cause he formed his own opinion as his parents were Italian(retconned to this, originally they were just white) in the like, 60s? this is very funny to me.)
and James isn't special. He's a tightrope walker and acrobat who is afraid of heights and opted to study antigravity in his freetime just to survive until he could blow that popsicle stand. He then turned to crime Only Because he wanted to be a little silly, and hey his name was James Jesse, he really likes Cowboy penny books, and Jesse James is pretty cool. It's gotta be fate.
James was, possibly, one of the youngest Rogues in the original unit. I'm talking like, Original Original unit. This isn't necessary understanding to a 'needed for writing' scenario, but it does add to it. It adds to the silly, and it adds to how Impressive he is for what he does/doesn't do, as he's hanging around with a bunch of blue collar con-men just wanting to slap around possibly The Strongest and Certainly The Fastest Hero DC had on it's roster at the time.
He's best friends with Pied Piper; you cannot take this from me. I have panels to prove my stance but they're generally seen hanging out together 'off shift' in comics (once Piper goes to his more heavier set, longer hair look seems to be a turning point for it). When the rest of the guys rag on Hartley for his gay status (Digger, mostly), James doesn't join in. He lets the guy into his house several times just to chat and gossip about the others. when James receives a phonecall that his ex-girlfriend's son has been kidnapped and is in danger, he calls Piper to come help. When James goes FBI, he gathers Piper (and Mick) to help. He tells Piper to his face he doesn't understand why Piper would give a rats ass about the others when they were so cruel to him before. They are friends, and Several headcanon-based reasons have been created over the decades for why James would've acted the way he did in Countdown (outside of just, "Countdown is a bad comic". Which it is. But if you're trying desperately to make it make sense, the 'attempted lore patching' flies)
Speaking of
James isn't a murderer; if he has a body count it's entirely on accident. He's not purposely running around trying to murder anyone and he certainly wouldn't join in on beating a child to death.
Leaving the bulletpoint categories; he's also "popular" in Hollywood, and i'm using """""Popular""""" with a lot of """""". On top of his (legit) devil/angel connections, he's also besties with the Blue Devil (the original one) and knew the Kid Devil before things happened. He was practically living in the (blue devil) man's house, hanging out at movie sets, casually tweaking his car to fly just because he could. They are! Friends! James is REALLY GOOD at making friends with an eclectic group of people!
He also canonically dressed in drag (it was like, the 80s, so 'drag' isn't what you're thinking) just to tease and harass Captain Cold, lying to the man's face with some goddamn Bugs Bunny looneytunes antics while in a cheap wig and cottage cheese, and the man bought it. He is SO GOOD at what he does. James is so good. He's a jackass and he's Not Kind and he will rob you blind for one corn chip if he's feeling up to it, but you'll survive the encounter. When Axel Walker stole his shit and started tying bombs to strays and the homeless, dragged the Trickster title through mud, he went on a war path and threw the boy in a dumpster as a threat. He cares for his name and reputation, cares for his (actual) friends.
Watering James down to some "Joker Lite" old man who is some kind of FBI's Most Wanted murder comes from the old, silly live action show that sold Hamill his future Joker roles and isn't James in the slightest; and writers looking at the DCAU, Original Flash Show, and Current Flash Show as "the best place for James information" need to be taken out back and slapped with the whole of Waid's run. It's such a disservice.
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bookishphysicsgirl · 9 months
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Hello, I have a genuine question, especially for trans people since you are the most affected, regarding Harry Potter fan fiction.
I'll try to tag this appropriately so that anyone who doesn't wish to see any content regarding to this doesn't, but if it accidentally slipped through I'm sorry, just tell me what else to tag it as so it will be better blocked and I will.
Obviously Joanne is a delusional b**** and I will never be touching anything she writes or sells ever again, since it would be giving her funds to actively harm trans lives.
The only question I have is regarding fanfiction because I've been seeing many arguments about this and still can't quite make my mind up about what side is right, but the thing is none of the people I saw making statements about this were trans, so I would very much appreciate your opinion since I believe that your thoughts are the most valid in this situation.
The first argument is that HP fanfiction while not directly supporting J.K. and oftentimes going directly against her beliefs is still giving visibility to her work and ultimately attracting people to the world of HP that normally wouldn't have exactly because of the effort put in to fix the mistakes of the original text.
I think the way they put it was that she is "profiting off the free labor of the folk she despises".
I actually see how this can be true and it makes a lot of sense to me since, for example, when All The Young Dudes blew up on tik tok a lot of people who might otherwise not have done so started buying HP merch and getting it farther up in the trends, even though ATYD by itself is a very queer-positive work.
The second argument is that fanfiction is not directly supporting her and it is incredibly healing and supporting for many people struggling. Not only that it can be a platform to expose her wrongdoings and stop the fandom from becoming a home ground for hate groups.
The argument went somewhere along the lines of if a child receives the HP books from a relative unaware of all the issues and likes it and then goes looking for more content, if the fan content made by the queer community isn't there to receive them all they will be met with is people who reaffirm Joanne's toxic opinions and it could be extremely harmful to those children, especially if they are queer themselves and aren't aware yet.
I myself have gone to HP fanfiction when I was questioning my sexuality and when I was depressed and it helped me immensely to understand what was happening to me and that it was ok and normal.
Trans protagonists in HP fanfiction also helped me understand gender theory better and what might be going on in trans lives and how to be more respectful (disclaimer: I am a cis woman so I cannot speak for trans people, I am merely stating that it helped me understand).
Both of these arguments make a lot of sense to me, and I can't see which one would be more correct. On the one hand I think that stopping everyone from even interacting with fandom might be a bit extreme, on the other I can't help but worry whether that is just me creating an excuse to keep enjoying things I like.
I don't feel like I enjoy HP fanfiction for nostalgia, especially since I openly recognize that both the books and the movies were actually a bit boring and not that well written and haven't been able to re-read them since I was 12. I think it has a lot more to do with the healing factor of being able to disassociate to another world and see stories that reflect mine and see people feeling the same things I do. But I am more than willing to stop if it is in fact causing more harm than good, especially since the last thing I want is for Joanne to receive clout she does not deserve.
Either way, I just wanted to know your opinions in all of this, since as I mentioned before I've only ever seen cis people arguing about it (mostly on tik tok).
Thank you so much for reading all of this and thank you if you reply.
(note: I will not be tagging this with trans tags because I know that a lot of people can feel unsafe when met with content regarding Harry Potter)
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I really, really wish everyone on the right would stop pretending certain people are awesome and on our side and everything they've ever done has been good actually just because they do one or two things that are pretty cool now.
This is mostly about Tulsi Gabbard, who despite being pro-government healthcare, pro-DACA, pro-Green New Deal, and pro-gun control, among other positions we wouldn't accept from people who have actually run as Republicans, is being turned into some kind of populist right wing hero just because she calls out the extreme left sometimes and left the Democrat party.
But it's also about Mel Gibson, who is apparently part of a group that stops human trafficking (which is good, if true), which means some people are now trying to pretend he's been using his movies and his public statements to expose truths and fight for freedoms forever, when mostly he's just been going on drunken anti-semitic rants.
It also applies to a lesser degree to people like James Gunn, who has about 30 tweets joking about being a pedophile but because he calls out cancel culture after being fired for five minutes because of those tweets he's suddenly based. Or Chris Pratt*, who has never publicly spoken about his political beliefs on anything, but because he's publicly religious and didn't want to film a campaign ad for Biden, we assume he's a secret right wing Hollywood guy and it's "safe" to watch his movies.
I'm not saying we shouldn't admire or respect someone for doing a good deed or supporting a righteous cause. Far from it. One of my other problems with the right is, paradoxically, how they'll sometimes cast someone who is right 99% of the time away like they're stale bathwater because they did something we don't agree with once. That kind of attitude doesn't win anyone over to our side. But that's also my point. We're way more willing to put horribly imperfect leftists (or potential leftists) on a pedestal just because they're on "our side" once or twice, while we demand ideological perfection from anyone we already think is with us at all times. Keep perspective. I know Trump worked out really well for us, but populism and populist euphoria, while at least somewhat necessary to politics these days, is a dangerous thing to indulge in too much. It's how you end up with cults of personality around people who end up destroying movements.
*So Chris Pratt doesn't really fit into the theme of this post, but I wanted to put him here anyway because it startled me how quickly people went from "He's just another Marvelshit actor" to "OMG he's just like us!" It's disturbing because, A, we don't know what his beliefs are and it's weird to assign him ours just because we like one thing he was public about, and B, because it shouldn't matter what his beliefs are. We rightfully disdain Hollywood and the culture it breeds and the people who thrive in that culture, but the moment a Hollywood lifer says something that even remotely sounds like they might not be left of Stalin we freak out and start acting like twitter stans? Come on, guys. Don't worship celebrity. And don't be so quick to assign virtue to people who have never publicly shown it. Someone at Chris Pratt's level, if he is truly "on our side", should be using their money and influence to do something about it besides going to church and mentioning God every so often. If someone from Hollywood shows up publicly at the March For Life, or publicly donates to a reputable pro-2A advocacy group, or does something like pay the legal bills of the Jan 6 political prisoners, that's who I'll respect and praise. But just not publicly being a raging leftist shouldn't be enough to get us creaming in our pants.
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wickedwizdom · 11 months
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Lets talk Knights of the Zodiac:
This review will be mostly positive based on my own experience but I still will have my criticisms as I go along. To begin I want to be very transparent here and say after watching this movie: It is NOT--I repeat--NOT “Dragon Ball Evolution 2.0” like many people claim online. This movie's characters, script, dialogue, action, and story are leaps and bounds more faithful to the source material it is adapting and showing respect for it all the same. I'm positive those who keep claiming that it is have never watched the movie or are just speaking utter nonsense because let’s be real: Dragon Ball Evolution is beyond bad and KOTZ—objectively—is not.
This movie is perfectly fine; very fun I might add. It definitely stands up there with the likes of Alita: Battle Angel in terms of anime adaptations and as a movie it gets the job done.
Now for the fans going into this story expecting it to be verbatim like the original animanga, you are not going to find that here. This movie is very much an origin story for this particular universe of Saint Seiya with its own key lore and world building that takes influence from the Netflix reboot but actually executed those aspects better in comparison to how the CG show did it. I certainly appreciate this movie trying something new with its setting and story in comparison to LoS which told a very rushed rendition of the Silver Saints and Twelve Temples arc and I believe if this movie did the same thing, my expectations would be significantly lower and my criticisms far more harsher.
From an objective standpoint, this movie’s pacing definitely could use some improvement. I definitely appreciate what the writers and directors could give with the runtime they had but when it comes to character such as Nero and Seiya and Sienna’s time spent bonding, there’s definitely something to be left desired, Nero especially but we’ll get to him later. The script itself is okay, can be basic in some areas, cheesy in others but never anything that made me actually cringe. The movie’s music is otherwise really good. The orchestral Pegasus Fantasy rendition was definitely a highlight of the film for me and the music that plays through a lot of the action and somber scenes is really atmospheric.
To add, I know there were some fans that complained that not all the bronzes were here but I’m pretty sure that was for the movie’s benefit. Introducing so many characters all at once would mean that audiences would have no time to connect with them and the story would have been bloated and full of plot holes. I love how they kept the core cast as just Seiya, Nero, and Sienna for the time being to get us more familiar to their world before moving onto the others.
As for other things, the set pieces and CGI aren't terrible. It's definitely a step above most tokusatsu shows and movies but not on the level of something like Alita or some MCU movies. It's passable but definitely not a complete eye sore.
Some shots are a bit goofy but they don't linger too long and I think it adds to the charm of this being an otherwise fun action film based on an even more zany and violent anime. The fights are all well-choreographed and filmed. I saw some complaints about the lighting being dark but that's not the case here. Everything in the movie is well lit and it's obvious who's who.
I thought the armors looked pretty okay and knowing that Kurumada actually approved them looking more medieval and archaic rather than how they were in the original animanaga makes for a nice creative detail that gives this movie more uniqueness in the StS verse.
Slight spoilers here but it is confirmed and shown in the movie that the armors do in fact evolve like how they do in the original manga and anime so if this movie does get its potential sequels, I look forward to seeing how they translate that.
⚠️SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT⚠️
To move onto characters I enjoyed a majority of the main cast throughout the movie. Everyone not only understood the characters they were portraying but giving them their own charm and nuances to make them feel more like individuals.
To start with the main man Seiya, he's a lot more reserved here, because he is a lot older, but some of his attitude from the animanaga still remains like his brash attitude and his unwavering resolve to never give up. His character is quite complex with this movie going further in detail about the conflict he has with losing his sister, his obsession with finding her, and his hesitance to accept Sienna as a goddess until he witnesses it for himself. I appreciate them putting more and more time into emphasizing Seiya's relationship with his sister and Seiya at a crossroads between finding her and protecting Sienna all at once as opposed to how the anime/manga did it.
Seika is almost forgotten after the first few episodes/chapters of the original so it was nice to see that she had more of an impact on Seiya's character here.
Next, we have Sienna and I'm going to say that she is the best iteration of the Saori Kido character. While some of the pacing of her scenes were a little off at times, it didn't matter because I was engaged with what they did with her in this film. This story focuses on Sienna's humanity as opposed to the original where Saori has pretty much already accepted what she is and we never truly get to see a lot of her struggle with her heritage and most of that was relegated to the very beginning of the series. Here, Athena is the equivalent of a malevolent spirit that Sienna is constantly trying to drown out. From the way, she speaks about Athena to her parents and how that separated them feels real. She is a toung woman who’s not only caught in the middle of a broken family she cares for but is essentially a ticking time bomb. She accepts that she may not be herself one day but you can tell that deep down she doesn't want to believe that. She starts off as the typical haughty rich girl towards Seiya and while I do think that their relationship could have used a few more scenes of them getting used to each other, it still feels plausible that he cares for her I’m the end. I would be a bit of a brat too if I was going to become doomsday incarnate one day. Here she suffers loss but in turn finds a new purpose and reason to keep living. At a core it is her human side that matters most.
I also adore that Sienna starts off not in complete control of her cosmo. It gives more presence to the gods in this scenario and how dangerous their cosmo is to a regular human. It makes me really excited to see what gods late like in this universe but only time will tell.
Moving onto Alman and Guraad since they're basically two sides of the same coin. Making Alman a morally ambiguous man who is not all good fits very in line with the Mitsumasa in the original animanaga. The slow unraveling of the truth that he first and foremost only cares about his daughter is perfect and sets up the domino effect that will extend to all the children he used as a means to an end.
Guraad on the other hand is a MILLION times better than the Guraad in the Netflix reboot. Not only does she feel appropriate as an antagonist but she gives better layer to the conflict of fighting against the gods and at the same time having to come with the burden of killing her surrogate daughter to do so. Sienna and Guraad share a bond that feels genuine and when her maternal instincts shine it's wonderfully executed. It adds so much more emotionally weight knowing that a complete accident on Sienna’s end pushed away who she considered family and Guraad realizing that to makes her attempt to save Sienna feel earned.
Moving onto Alman and Guraad since they're basically two sides of the same coin. Making Alman a morally ambiguous man who is not all good fits very in line with the Mitsumasa in the original animanaga. The slow unraveling of the truth that he first and foremost only cares about his daughter is perfect and sets up the domino effect that will extend to all the children he used as a means to an end.
Now we have Nero. I love Ikki in almost every universe and here it is no different. The mystery behind his character and past along with him as an antagonist is one of the best but weakest aspects of his character in this movie in my opinion. His true motives are unclear but from what a lot of people have speculated and based on Diego himself, his motivations largely have to do with Shun. Potentially Nero does not know where his brother is and I think that would make for a great parallel between Seiya and Nero if this series is to continue. He definitely has a vendetta against the gods and has the Sagittarius armor in his possession but at what ends? His character toward the end leaves more questions than answers and I wish we got a fair balance of flashbacks from his perspective to compare/contrast with Seiya’s. He is a threat through and through and the movie does well in establishing the bar that is set between him and Seiya. He's definitely a character I want to see expanded upon more in the future and what ulterior motives he has going on as it seems that Guraad was a stepping stone for things to come. I want more of him and I hope to god we do.
Marin is, dare I say, perfect. Everything from her nonchalant demeanor, to the way she trains Seiya, THE WAY SHE GOES TO SLEEP and her presence she's easily another favorite of mine in the movie next to Sienna. We get just enough of her to see what she's all about but like Nero, I hope we do see more of her. She serves the purpose she’s meant to in the story and I was quite confused about her “bound to this island by destiny” schtick (which was really an excuse to keep her out of the third arc) but overall she’s just awesome.
And last but not least Mylock. Easily he's better than Tatsumi by a country mile. The writers actually managed to make a dull asshole of a character into a fun and entertaining one. His action scenes were a highlight and were just classic king fu action that I just adore.
The story overall centers around the ideals surrounding family, humanity, and fighting through a destiny that’s not completely set in stone. It’s very anime but at the same time is personable and relatable in some way or another.
To conclude : Knights of the Zodiac is a fun film with great action, solid writing, a talented main cast of characters, and I was genuinely surprised at how much I ended up liking it. It shows respect or to the source material while doing its own thing and that’s honestly the best route it could have gone. It could have been way worse.
It’s a solid 7/10. Had some bumps in the road but it managed to make it to its destination safe and sound. Regardless of performance, I will definitely watch sequels.
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youngsamanda · 1 year
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currently re-reading the hunger games trilogy and am on catching fire, these are my thoughts:
the rebellion would not exist without rue who is the INITIAL mockingjay it’s mockingjays being relevant to rue and the agriculture in work with that little tune signifying safety in the fields that then translates to katniss
the movies feel a little ... white savior-y with the obvious change of katniss being played by a grown white woman in the films like this is a sixteen yr old who ... realistically? is probably indigenous like it grinds my gears that she is white in the movies bc there is this whole point of the mother being a white woman who was shit on for marrying a coal miner who definitely WAS NOT A WHITE DUDE 
the racism and class differences between not only the capitol vs the districts but the districts themselves w the seam mostly being populated by people who are not described to be the fair skin blonde haired blue eyed people that are katniss’ mother and peeta’s family
the importance of knowing that just bc peeta’s family is better off in the stature of like having food they still are neglected as poor people in district 12 
madge should’ve been in the movie like what the fuck was that about it’s such a small role but so important to symbolize solidarity between the people in twelve which again!!! so important bc the capitol is always trying to turn them all against each other which is why the districts who are not rich and so easily brainwashed (in an effect of ignorance and also perhaps plato’s cave type bullshit bc they don’t actually see what’s going on in other districts) whereas in twelve we do see tht solidarity between them!!! is it great absolutely not but like gale even brings up this point
gale represents fighting/rebellion/war whereas peeta represents peace etc etc this is important in the aspect of the love triangle but also why the FUCK did they make gale just miserable in the movies he’s basically like completely downgraded as a character who wants to leave his horrible position but won’t try and make a run bc of his family into this friendzoned annoying ass dude 
i’m not even a gale defender im here for gale slander but whyyy
peeta was so funny and snippy in the books like you can’t tell me josh hutcherson wouldn’t have ate that shit up! 
peeta represents peace in the same way prim does and that’s where the dandelion symbolism comes in bc both primrose and dandelions are delicate flowers and peeta is soft and gentle and the exact type thing the capitol would want to break it does make me upset
peeta not loosing his leg in the movies is so stupid???? like???? it’s very important to the plot and so is katniss’ hearing getting fucked up and then fixed too well by the capitol it’s why she knows where the forcefield is in the catching fire arena and can hear the hum of the electric fence being on bc she was defeaned in one ear and the capitol tried to fix it like omg this makes me sooooo heated!!! not only is it disability rep but it also in peeta’s case shows how the glamorous capitol cannot fix everything and its the start of the victors still visibly being damaged from the games even when they scrape them all clean and pretty for the cameras
the absolute nuance of knowing that the careers are antagonistic but not villains they are children who are brainwashed into thinking this is their life purpose i will say cato’s speech was a nice addition to the movie but it really does drive me nuts how easily glossed over them being children is like yes!!! cato is very big and hulking and scary but he literally doesn’t know another purpose in life
cato holding clove as she died!!! again!!!! THEY ARE CHILDREN!!!!! NOT THE ENEMY #1 HERE!!!
the one scene with katniss and thresh where he establishes respect for her/her taking care of rue in her death yeah i cried what about it 
there’s so much more but yeah i only finished book one and am at the beginning of catching fire right now and it’s been a decade since i’ve read these and i have so many thoughts 
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ilsrevent · 7 months
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i just watched saw x and i come humbly to you, thee eminent saw scholar on this app as i am very curious and interested as to your thoughts on it (if you want to share)!
hiii anon i hope you had fun!! you’re also v kind to say that i’m literally just some guy But i am more than happy to chatter! i would love to hear your thoughts as well if you’d like to share them <3
SAW X SPOILERS BELOW
okay so first of all: i had fun! i enjoyed it! i think overall they did a good job! loved being able to see amanda interact with john, loved the gore and the silly traps (the thing with using valentina’s guts as a rope? obsessed), loved to see people encouraging each other and trying to work together in the saw trap. overall i think it’s a solid entry in the franchise and tbh renewed my interest in them doing more films
the beginning of it very much didn’t feel like a saw movie and it was certainly a departure from the typical saw formula but i don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing? i Love the typical saw formula but i also respect them for making a movie that Wasn’t that but still felt like it fit into the franchise. imo saw has always been at its best when it’s character driven so i think the slower, more drama-style start to the film was really refreshing. i also think it was just exciting for tobin bell to actually get a chance to do some Acting, which he did marvellously. i don’t Care for john but i do think it was interesting to be inside his head a little
now amanda. oooooh amanda. my poor little meow meow my sweet cheese my rotten soldier. the way shawnee plays her and her mix of Silliness and Fear and Misery and Devotion is just so compelling to me and i am so so glad this film made such an effort to empathise with her. many thoughts about how many small things in the film act as callbacks to her trauma - obviously the parallel with gabriela, but also the shackle round the ankle, even picking up valentina’s guts reminded me of her sifting through the stomach of the guy to get the key for the reverse bear trap… smth smth even if you escape the trap you are still in the trap you are always going to be in the trap
now. i feel like it would be remiss of me to not mention that i do have thoughts about the racist implications of a Lot of what was going on. first of all we don’t need to be using the yellow mexican filter it’s 2023. second of all. look we know john has always targeted the poor and marginalised and desperate this has been clear from the first film, but it felt particularly uncomfortable here to me, especially because i feel like the film positions john and cecilia (both white) as these two masterminds duking it out meanwhile the rest of the hispanic cast are essentially pawns in their overarching narrative. “they also participated in the scam” yeah but there’s a very blatant class and motivation disparity between cecilia (and parker) and diego/mateo/gabriela/valentina. this Could be saying smth about white exploitation of poor POC but i’m not sure if it effectively serves that purpose as written. now john kramer wouldn’t care about this but john is also not a real person, it’s a story written by people that maybe should’ve considered the implications of a film mostly focused on a powerful white men brutalising POC. anyway. i’m not a racial scholar i’m just saying words recreationally
my other major critiques are that the twist was Very Weak (you’re telling me john kramer had this all planned out beforehand? i for one am Shocked) and the credits scene was cheap nostalgia bait (they have no reason to be in the bathroom!). yes i still cheered and clapped in the theatre but also. Come On
anyway that’s it from me on what’s top of mind rn but please feel free to drop me an ask or a dm, would love to chat further about it! like i said at the beginning overall i did really enjoy it and i do think we are So Fucking Back in a way we haven’t been since saw VII and i’m excited to see where things go!
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in-defense-of-loki · 1 year
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Why does everyone keep shifting responsibility from Thor to Odin? Thor AND Odin have destroyed Loki’s identity together. Thor created the WAR that Loki had to fight. Who puts a WAR on the shoulders of his little brother and says"Here, FIGHT THIS WAR AND STAY SANE"At least Odin taught his children not to seek warDo people really not understand what the word 'war' means? How could it easily kill Loki and everyone Loki knows? How would it force Loki to kill a huge number of sentient beings?
I agree that Thor and Odin both played a part in the way Loki was essentially used and abused. But Thor is also a victim of Odin. Thor's problem is that he was raised with thoughts of honor and glory coming from war; after all, that's how his father got it, and his father before him. So Thor ends up idolizing war as a means for proving himself because of Odin's teachings. Odin just really is a shit father in the MCU, only realizing he has failed Thor almost too late (the coronation) in the first movie and then subsequently banishing him to Earth for it. As if that's supposed to actually and reasonably make him change? Whatever, I guess it worked.
Loki shouldering the burden of cleaning up after Thor was actually set up on him by both Frigga and Odin, when Frigga brings it up in a deleted scene from the first movie. So again we see how Thor being the golden child has really put him in a sour position of not understanding responsibility and consequence because his own parents believed that was Loki's job. And truthfully Thor is quite oblivious to certain things, like how his actions can hurt those around him or how Loki is expected to do things mentioned before. Thor has no idea, and he's only partly to blame.
Imo, Thor becomes antagonistic, mean, and spiteful to Loki on purpose starting in Ragnarok. Mostly due to Waititi and the writers not understanding what was set up in the previous movies, or respecting character development prior to what he, Taika, wanted to write and direct. Also Chris is to blame here, too, he was actually quoted saying Thor was getting too boring, too difficult to maintain. Plus, we fans would point out that it's clear he was envious of the popularity Loki gained, instead of Thor.
Also, for Avengers, Marvel already came out and said Loki was being manipulated, that his actions weren't his own. Problem is, that was when the movie was peaking, currently they're trying to take it back and act like that wasn't the case, despite the movie itself having specific scenes to showcase that Loki wasn't acting of his own accord. These "fans" wanna choose to disregard it and agree with Disney's new take. Hard to argue against willfull ignorance...
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